Progress 2021

So how do you talk about progress forward in the midst of a global pandemic? It isn’t in the normal sense for this our 2021 Progress Edition. But as one listens and looks closely at our local Whatcom County level, it’s possible to nd many stories of coping and helping and persisting and imagining that can be told, overcoming the immediate circumstances. ese are some of those stories.

— e Editor

Border closure stories Family just 10 minutes away can’t be visited

Canada native Lisa Pelleboer misses seeing her family just across the line in Aldergrove

By Elisa Claassen for the Lynden Tribune

WHATCOM — Lisa Pelleboer’s original family lives just 10 minutes

Dating to marriage, with different citizenships

away in Aldergrove, British Columbia. However, she hasn’t been able to hug or be close to those relatives now in almost a year. ere have been some meetings near the border from each side, but the weather now is not conducive.

She’s an example of local residents personally impacted by the U.S.-Canada border closure, dating to March 21 last year and ongoing.

Lisa immigrated to the United

‘Ditch’ visits for Mekayla and Derrick, a diary filled with anxiety, and finally a Peace Arch wedding

By Elisa Claassen for the Lynden Tribune

WHATCOM — Mekayla Knol and Derrick Bouwman had a ne cross-border romance going, until it was impacted by the

COVID-19 border shutdown. But they overcame the international problem — they got married last summer in spite of it all.

“We were hoping to get married this coming May (2021), but because of COVID-19 and our separation over the border, we decided to push up our wedding to last October (2020) so we could be together,” Mekayla wrote via email.

ere is a friendship bond of Derrick and Mekayla with Lisa and Harvey Pelleboer (see

The Pelleboer family gathers around the holidays at the Edaleen Dairy sign north of Lynden that exactly expresses their sentiments. (Courtesy photo)

Mekayla Knol and Derrick Bouwman had to use border meet-ups, with the uncrossable ditch between them, for part of 2020. (Courtesy photo)

See Pelleboer on B7 See Mekayla/Derrick on B5

Mekayla/Derrick

Continued from B4

accompanying story). “I had gotten to know them a little bit before the border closed. I know Lisa’s Canadian family quite well since they attend the same church that I do.”

Until that border closure day in March 2020, Derrick and Mekayla had no problem with their dating set-up and would see each other three and four times a week — “even though there was a bit of a drive and an international border between us.”

en, suddenly, instead of seeing each other in person, they were just FaceTime-ing, like many others.

“It was nothing like being together in person, but it was the best we could do,” Mekayla explained. “We would talk every night and for hours at a time on the weekend. We would share recipes and cook the same dinner simultaneously and then eat together. We played a lot of cards and Scrabble online as well.”

When she rst heard of others “going to the ditch” — the border area along 0 Avenue in Canada and Boundary Road on the Whatcom County side — she had reservations.

“I wanted nothing to do with it because

I thought it would be too hard to see him and not be able to be with him. Also, I was pretty convinced that the border would not be closed for too long and we were surviving with FaceTime.”

However, the border stayed closed, and still is.

“One Sunday afternoon, we decided to give it a go. It was such an incredible feeling to see someone that you loved so much in person, even though we were not able to touch each other. By the time we had walked the connected length of 0 Avenue and back (about four miles), my face hurt from smiling.”

at started weekly trips to “the ditch” for the couple. ey marked occasions such as her birthday, celebrating the completion of the comprehensive exam for her master’s degree, and even continuing weekend dates that way.

e next step was to meet and actually be able to touch each other at Peace Arch Park of Blaine, last May.

“When we were nally convinced to check it out (park visits on joint U.S.-Canada

Just to be married, the couple had to settle for a very small ceremony with few family members at Peace Arch Park in Blaine last October. (Courtesy photo) See Mekayla/Derrick on B6

Mekayla/Derrick

Continued from B5

land), it was better than either of us thought it would be. I remember driving to the park with a ball of anxiety in my stomach. How was it possible that we could both walk into the same park and be together if we were in di erent countries separated by a secure border?”

But it happened. “If seeing Derrick for the rst time in four weeks across a ditch was amazing, seeing him with nothing between us for the rst time in two months was a thousand times better. From that day on, we spent hours in that park. We appreciated the beauty of it and the freedom of seeing each other again.”

at was also soon to change — Peace Arch Park was closed to personal meet-ups on June 18 by the B.C. provincial government.

Mekayla was devastated by the news. For the rst time since the border had closed, she was starting to feel better again, getting over signi cant anxiety from the stress of being separated from Derrick.

is was an entry in her journal: “ ose months [during the summer of 2020] were hard. My anxiety was terrifying. I would wake up feeling calm and progressively feel my anxiety build until it seemed like there was nothing possibly good left in this world. Everything was more di cult without being able to freely see Derrick.”

eir relationship was being strained by both a health crisis and the laws of two countries.

“Being with him again had made a huge di erence for me and when I got the news (of park closure), everything felt like it had gone all wrong again.”

en they realized that the American side of the park remained open, and the American park rangers even encouraged them to keep coming. e meeting place was in the Blaine park next to 0 Avenue.

In her journal Mekayla wrote that the couple knew something had to give. Seeing each other would be impacted by lessening daylight. A decision was made for Derrick to go up to Canada and visit at the end of July 2020. He had to take almost four weeks o of work — two weeks to quarantine and then two weeks to spend with her.

Not only was it an in-person visit, but an engagement was forthcoming.

“ e night he made it into Canada, I nearly melted with relief. e day he got out of quarantine and drove to my house was one of the happiest moments in my life. We spent the weekend together camping with some of his other Canadian family where we also got

A picnic together was precious when they had been separated for so long. Derrick got into Canada in July 2020 to visit Mekayla for two weeks. That's when they became engaged and started to plan a wedding. (Courtesy photo) See Mekayla/Derrick on B7

Mekayla/Derrick

Continued from B6

engaged.”

Although they wanted to be engaged — and married, they didn’t want it to be at the Peace Arch park. e in-person visit, of course, was too short.

“I cried myself to sleep that night and wondered how we were ever going to make it through this pandemic.”

After meeting a few more times at Blaine, they realized they needed another solution. “How do you maintain a healthy relationship with someone who is so close, yet so far away?”

When Mekayla and Derrick got engaged, they hoped for a May 2021 wedding, but that meant getting through a very di cult winter rst. So they moved their wedding date up to the end of October, even though it meant sacri cing the big wedding they wanted with all family involved.

“As it turned out, only his parents were able to commit to that much time in quarantine. To be fair, asking people with families to halt their lives for two weeks just to attend our wedding was not realistic. We knew that would likely be the case, but it was still a so-

bering blow.”

e wedding location was the American side of Peace Arch Park — with only the American rangers and patrols and some immediate family members as witnesses.

While not what they had dreamed, it was still quite nice, Mekayla can say now.

“When we were planning, I was always expecting the worst and trying to keep myself from hoping for anything. ... I think even in the best of times, our wedding would have been an emotional day for both of us. Having to say goodbye to family members on our wedding day, knowing that they were not going to be able to celebrate one of the most important moments in our lives with us, was more di cult than I can describe. On the one hand, we were so excited to be committing the rest of our lives to each other. And on the other, we were trying to keep ourselves together so we could still enjoy the day.”

ey got to honeymoon in a secluded cabin for 10 days. Mekayla felt so relieved not to be “watched.” No security cameras. No border guards. No gawkers. No sitting out in the rain.

It’s their story, although she believes there could be many similar others.

ey ended up living married in Canada, with Derrick allowed to cross the border for his work in Whatcom County. He has dual citizenship in both countries.

“We feel incredibly blessed that we had options. Derrick living in Canada is not what we had hoped for and has proved to be challenging in many di erent ways. But we had a way out. And there are countless people we have met who do not have the same opportunity. ey are stuck on either side of the border with no end in sight.”

Sometimes, they drive down 0 Avenue on a Sunday afternoon together. “I always feel so emotional when I see people meeting there, doing what we had done for so long.” ey both want the border open. “We rmly believe that keeping the border closed is causing signi cantly more harm than good.”

“We are happy with where we are at and that we can be together,” she emailed last week, “but the border closure continually adds stressors to our lives and it has been difcult not to be able to see family or be living at our property in the county (Whatcom). We are hoping that there will be some changes soon!”

Continued from B4

States and Lynden 17 years ago when she married her American husband, Harvey.

At the end of December she wrote that she had only seen her newborn nephew once at the border.

She is thankful her parents, who are in their 60s, are healthy, but “my kids miss their grandparents.”

Lisa Pelleboer readily acknowledges there are other stories of cross-border separation more painful than hers: a family that couldn’t attend siblings’ weddings, a friend in Lynden whose father died in Langley without much visitation in his nal days, grandparents in Lynden who can’t meet their rst grandbaby living in Chilliwack.

“ is closure has torn apart people’s support systems. It seems that the only consideration in all of this is the physical health of people where I’d argue that the emotional and mental well-being is just as important. My mom’s mom lives in Lynden and is 93, and my mom, who lives in Aldergrove, can’t come see her.”

Lynden Dutch Bakery in refresh mode

By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com

LYNDEN — e pandemic has been a time for Chad Simmons to think afresh about his Lynden Dutch Bakery, and to

take action.

When folks get a chance to see past the papered-up front windows and step inside the bakery — expected to be sometime this spring — they may react with a whole new appreciation for this 114-year-old downtown community treasure.

e front area for the public is being transformed, both for looks and for practicality.

Simmons, who also owns Just Desserts in the Fairway Center, chose to keep just that bakery outlet open for its

sweet treats in 2020 as the impact of COVID-19 played out upon all businesses. He decided to use the down time to accomplish a long-considered redo of the Lynden Dutch Bakery.

“We’re getting close to done,” the owner said as he surveyed the mere 24-by-32-foot area where all the work is happening. “It was ideal to make these changes during our pause.”

Simmons hired friend and diversied builder Aaron Apps as the general contractor, and employee Brandon Voth is one of the workers who has spent plen-

ty of hours on this project.

On a day in early February, all the heating, ventilation and air conditioning apparatus was to arrive. e nal layer of ooring would soon follow. Already up on the walls was classic old white tile that is meant to be reminiscent of what might have been common in a bakery of 70-80 years ago.

Interior wood trim is the rough-cut side of timber that had been hidden under nishes for many years.

Continued on the next page

The goal is to enhance the live experience, and ‘ship the taste of Lynden’ to people afar

A main new feature added to the Lynden Dutch Bakery is two service windows out onto the Front Street sidewalk, easing the number of those who need to go inside. Simmons said the remodel maximizes use of space and takes into account the restaurant's overall work flow. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

After all, there is some respected tradition to keep up here in this very space.

Chad and Julee Simmons have owned Lynden Dutch Bakery since 2014, although he had managed it four years more. To be sure of his acquisition, Chad hired an expert to verify the timeline of ownership from the start by a Sherman Starkenburg in 1907.

e longest tenured bakers were two generations of the Snapper family, from 1938 to 1979. e Simmons couple is the eighth owner.

He believes this is the second oldest bakery continuously operating in the same place in Washington state, after one in Cle Elum.

But time moves on, and change is forced upon businesses — especially now by COVID-19 realities, Simmons said. It’s not possible to run a so-called mom-and-pop shop just presuming on methods of the past.

For instance, the “build it and they will come” mentality may not work. e approach, even of a small Front Street bakery, must be more cognizant of the intended market and calibrated to people’s changing expectations and buying habits.

See Bakery on B16

Owner Chad Simmons stands where the public will eventually be able to come back into Lynden Dutch Bakery and have table seating in a thoroughly reconfigured front area, in about the same overall space. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

Emily Earhart got busy helping those in need in COVID

Community Helpers — neighbors to neighbors via social media

By Elisa Claassen for the Lynden Tribune

WHATCOM — Emily Earhart runs a wholesale bakery in Sumas, has three children and cares for a very sick family member. But she makes sure that north county friends and neighbors get the help they need in a hard time.

Earhart has the proverbial full plate, but she is aware that many around her don’t always have a full plate of food during this season of COVID-19.

By day, a commercial kitchen is rented for her business, Cakes by Emily, to make sweet goods for weddings, anniversaries and o ce events. ( ey can be purchased as well at Shots 2 Go Espresso and Loca Mocha.) It’s a small family business and soon the oldest of her three sons, age 12, will be able to help her and her husband, Paul, with this. Her degree in retail business management has been put to use.

In March 2020 — as “things were coming to a halt” in the rst shock of COVID-19 — Emily was on Facebook, along with many others, and saw a woman named Sandy in Bellingham talking about forming neighborhood community groups to make sure people had their needs met. Emily didn’t live in Bellingham, but in Lynden. She knew there would be a need there as well and what she does now covers Lynden, Nooksack, Everson and Sumas with 900 members in an online group.

It’s called Lynden/Nooksack/Sumas Community Helpers.

At rst Emily didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t do exactly what was being done in Bellingham — which was to literally be available not only to pick up prescriptions and run errands for others, but even have people available to talk to the lonely on the phone. at e ort responded to needs around the clock. She decided that wasn’t doable for her, her volunteers and the people

‘It’s amazing how the community comes together’

Emily Earhart, right, says that Alison Boudle, left, is her right-hand person in making the Community Helpers e ort work. Everyone involved is a volunteer, from rounding up food to delivering it, or having it in this pantry. (Courtesy photo)

she knew.

So Emily’s focus in the past year has been a type of a food bank. However, she and the volunteers do not use income veri cation; they only ask about family size. ey get food from Doug Robertson of a Ferndale-based network. It’s become a nonpro t with branches in Ferndale and Blaine. Good News Fellowship of Ferndale has allowed use of its West Axton Road site to put together boxes to be dropped o or picked up by 60 to 70 families per week.

e Community Helpers network dispenses dated groceries at no cost. For those who noti ed Emily they were COVID-19 positive, a delivery system was set up for part of 2020. Volunteers, including some laid-o workers, helped with that component.

For example, Papa Murphy’s has been donating a certain number of pizzas on a regular basis and the owners of Lynden Grocery Outlet, Monte and Heidi McDowell, have not only contributed expired food but helped put together special family dinners at a low rate for the holidays. A refrigerated truck was made available for items that needed cooling. Emily named Alison Boudle as

See Emily on B12

The Grocery Outlet of Lynden has been a valued supplier of food that can be given out by Community Helpers. As an added touch, Emily Earhart set up a Christmas giving tree on her porch in December. (Courtesy photos)

A lot of pizza had to be consumed in short order when Little Caesars donated this supply. However, it's all needed when there are over 900 members being served in the online-connected network. (Courtesy photo)

Continued from B11

a volunteer driver who takes food boxes to the area around Sumas and Everson and put together a food pantry in her yard.

Funds have come from community members who paid for themselves and then “paid it forward” for someone else who didn’t have the means even for a reduced rate, she said.

Items have been collected to use as prizes in community ra es. Emily did some coordinating to pick up 160 rotisserie chickens from Costco to distribute from her home. For a hot chocolate night, di erent friends and neighbors provided cups, marshmallows, cocoa, candy canes and other niceties. It could be safely, and a ordably, enjoyed outside.

roughout the year, Emily has found partnerships in di erent ways and places and has used her own creativity to make the group’s objectives more “fun,” including virtual art nights.

Continued on the next page

“ is (COVID) has a ected everyone,” the motivated good Samaritan says.

Many people have lost jobs or had unusual struggles, Emily notes. Her own mother has a terminal illness and requires constant care. Emily is only 31 and has already lost an older sister in 2018 at age 38 and her dad at age 60. rough hospital social workers now, she connected with the COPES (Community Options Program Entry System) and supplies helpers to that assistance program several days a week.

She continues to help her family and others. e need appears to be greater moving forward than when she started last year, she said.

Some people publicly state their needs to the Community Helpers group, while others may privately message her and she can reach out on their behalf for things such as diapers. Most things can be left safely on porches. e group also has a chaplain who o ers up prayers weekly.

In coming weeks, Emily expects to be planning for Easter — gathering boxes and candy and having another chicken food night, so that spring holi-

Milk has been donated as a needed staple. Non-perishable food is available in the nifty food panty structure set up in co-leader Alison Boudle's own yard. (Courtesy photos)

See Emily on B14

Continued from B13

days can be more joyful. Recently, she collected Valentine cards that could be given to others.

“We are doing things with family and not things that are high-risk for spreading COVID,” she explained. “Plus, people have to eat.”

“You see a need, we ll a need,” she says, quoting from an old Robin Williams movie.

is is a summary of what she and the group have done or provided so far:

• 160 rotisserie chickens

• 1,600 bundles of cilantro

• 2,000 pounds of potatoes

• two truckloads of corn

• three pallets of granola

• an unknown number of Little Caesars pizzas

• pumpkins for Halloween

• holiday meals for anksgiving and Christmas

• Halloween goodie bags

• Easter eggs and candy

• hot cocoa, candy canes and cookies drive-through

• a Christmas giving tree (on her porch)

• a Valentine card exchange

Upcoming needs will be:

• money for Easter 2021 dinners

• a low-cost (or free) facility to operate out of with a commercial kitchen for ongoing community needs to ll the gaps.

People can always partner or donate money for food on her account at the Lynden Grocery Outlet at a checkout stand by mentioning her name. She also has a Venmo account online in the group (@Emily.Earhart-07).

Emily Earhart, right, may be the impetus behind Community Helpers, but she gives a lot of credit to her husband, Paul, upper left, and Monte and Heidi McDowell of food supplier Lynden Grocery Outlet. (Courtesy photo)

Other businesses helping out restaurants

Dan Thompson of Z Recyclers has been a driving force for it

By Hailey Palmer hailey@lyndentribune.com

WHATCOM — e restaurant industry has a very close-up view of the e ects of the coronavirus pandemic over the last year. It seems there’s been a cycle of closures and reopenings, with restrictions upon restaurants everywhere.

Dan ompson of Z Recyclers in Laurel went to work one morning and he was mad about what was happening to the food industry, he said.

at particular December day, what stirred him up was what was happening with the Fairway Cafe of Lynden. So he started a GoFundMe account that raised more than $30,000 for the restaurant.

at would be the rst outpouring of support that ompson saw from the community. A few weeks later, he was getting food from Our Diner on the Guide Meridian when he came up with another idea to help that would expand to multiple businesses.

“On my drive there I just thought ‘What if we did a matching funds thing?’ ompson said. “It just popped into my head and I talked to the people there and they liked the idea. It went way better than anyone could have imagined. ey ended up having over two-hour waits for food.”

e response from the community made ompson want to help out other restaurants in the area.

He started with Syros Greek and Italian in Lynden at the end of January and

raised almost double what was raised for Our Diner.

“I heard the same thing from locals about standing and waiting for their food and people just talking and enjoying helping somebody in our community that needed it,” ompson said.

Next up was helping Rustlers Front Street Grill on Feb. 13. ompson said they were able to raise even more money for Rustlers despite being in the middle of a snowstorm.

e special thing about Rustlers, ompson said, was that owner Kevin

Seutz wanted to give a portion of the money raised to Dutch Treat.

“We’re trying to give to him and he’s trying to give to someone else, which is what this is all about,” ompson said. “Yesterday, Kevin and I were able to take a check over to Dutch Treat and keep spreading the wealth.”

ompson said he’s been wanting to help some of the smaller restaurants like Dutch Treat in Lynden, but most places wouldn’t be able to handle the in ux of customers coming in for the fundraiser.

“We’re trying to come up with a way

to raise some money for the smaller ones and not ruin their day with too many people,” he said.

Other businesses including Northwest Propane, Elements Hospitality, Brim Tractor and Hinton Chevrolet have also stepped up to help match the funds raised with Z Recyclers.

Being able to give back to businesses and people in the community who need help has been a blessing, ompson said. Seeing the ways in which the community has responded with help has also been amazing, he added.

Advancing to Phase 2 allowing restaurants to open up more doesn’t mean ompson and other businesses are done trying to help.

“Just because people have gone into Phase 2 doesn’t really help these restaurants,” ompson said. “Twenty- ve percent is not enough. eir rent is still 100 percent and overhead is 100 percent.” ompson said there are plans to help more restaurants and he hopes it will make a di erence for them.

“I hope it keeps some of their doors open and I hope someday they can look back and go, ‘Wow, that extra boost of income is what kept us alive,’” he said. ompson knows he’s helping people and that does bring a sense of satisfaction, but he said he never did this for himself.

“People come up to me and say thank-you, but that isn’t why I did it,” he said. “I’d just like to say thank-you to the community and thank-you for supporting our small businesses. Our community here, I think, has shown our state, our country, we’re di erent. We’re still small, we still care and we put other people before ourselves."

Kevin Seutz and his Rustlers Front Street Grill in Lynden are among the establishments helped by Thompson. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

Bakery

Continued from B9

Simmons wants to tap into the experience that a guest of e Inn at Lynden, for instance, might be seeking during their stay, or of a local resident picking up something downtown while out on a walk with the dog.

“We’re just really trying to focus on the experience of a bakery,” he said.

And so, for one thing, there will be two new sidewalk service windows, on the east side of the front door of Lynden Dutch Bakery. at can take the pressure o walk-in tra c.

e serving and checkout area, busy with workers, will now be entirely on the east side of the bakery. at shift opens up the indoor tables area to go deeper and tighter to the west and south walls.

Simmons carefully surmises that he has not lost any indoor seating in the new scheme of things.

e challenge was to not shortchange another compact space being

Continued on the next page

redone: a room for processing baking orders called in or made online.

“People call in and [say] they would like it if we could ship the taste of Lynden to them,” Simmons says with a smile.

e whole process must be smartly thought out and efciently sta ed, and Simmons said layout of an operation can have a lot to do with success. Analyzing the work ow of both bakery locations has been key, says a man whose primary job is as a business accountant.

With proper con guring, for instance, it is possible to run Just Desserts with just one person — until things get extra busy, and a second person is called in. In that same way, Simmons has calculated the ideal logistics for workers at Lynden Dutch Bakery, and the remodel is the layout to facilitate that.

Pro t margins at all businesses — along any supply, production and distribution chain — are impacted by many factors, ongoing rises in the mini-

Lynden Dutch Bakery timeline

mum wage being one of them, and Simmons said responding well requires a rigorous assessment of what works and what doesn’t work.

Starkenburg 1993

1907 1926

Shane Van Dalen, Agent David Lewis, Agent & Financial Adviser*

1938 1979

1986 2005

Years

Part of the formula is a strong online store for ordering pies, cakes, breads and more. Lynden Dutch Bakery knows how to keep up an inviting online presence, and it has fared well in regional lifestyle reviews. And people still remember that its apple pie was judged topthree in America by Tripping magazine four years ago.

ere will still be some nishing touch-ups at 421 Front St. and a digital redesign, and then reopening is expected in April or May.

“ is time has been a valuable chance to retool products and sta , to liven up with a new and interesting twist on products enjoyed for many years,” Simmons said.

e physical remodel is just part of the overall ongoing vision for a thriving Lynden Dutch Bakery downtown, maybe for another 100 years.

Hookstra

Snapper Collette

Wynstra Black

Copeman

2014 Simmons

Sherman Starkenburg is the rst to open the bakery in downtown Lynden after relocating from overseas.

On Dec. 16, 1926, Sherman Starkenburg sells the bakery to Ray Hookstra after over 22 years of ownership, and establishing the Dutch bakery tradition.

Teunis Snapper and his family continue the tradition of local family baking on May 26, 1938.

After 41 years of family ownership, Clarence and Marcella Snapper sell the bakery to Patrick and Patricia Collette on April 11, 1979.

e Collette family passes the business to Jim and Carolyn Wynstra on Aug. 25, 1986.

David and Debbie Black, current owners of Lynden Dutch Mothers Family Restaurant, purchase the bakery on May 12, 1993.

e Black family sells the bakery to Steven W. & Rise’ E Copeman on July 13, 2005.

Chad and Julee Simmons, current owners, take over the establishment on Aug. 29, 2014. ey continue selling the traditional 100-yearold recipe Dutch treats.

New owners look to future of Glen Echo Garden

Urbinas are a family of gardeners and entrepreneurs

By Brent Lindquist brent@lyndentribune.com

BELLINGHAM — When David Urbina, his wife Sarah and his brother Tomas purchased Glen Echo Garden, its former owners Dick and Jennie Bosch knew this would be the perfect t.

“We are lucky to start with such a beautiful site to begin with,” co-owner David Urbina said. “Previous owners Dick and Jennie Bosch have created an amazing garden and we want to build upon the legacy that they have already created.”

Glen Echo’s website describes it as “worlds away, just outside the city,” an apt description considering its seven acres of landscaped forest are located just outside Bellingham city limits.

For the new owners, Glen Echo was also the perfect t.

“We come from a family of gardeners

who love to spend their free time outside and connected to the earth. We also come from families of entrepreneurs who pride themselves on thinking creatively about ways to build community and create enticing experiences,” he said. “We have always had a dream of owning a retreat outside of town that people can come visit to reconnect with nature and rejuvenate their soul.”

David Urbina has 10 years of landscaping experience, mostly out of Seattle, and he comes from a family that used to spend all of its time together in the garden, he said.

“We were basically raised in a family where our family time was outside planting or harvesting,” David Urbina said.

David Urbina said he and his family are excited to open the gardens to the public this year with a suggested donation amount instead of a at-rate fee for entry. He said his family realizes that the pandemic has been hard on people and he wants everyone to be able to visit the gardens on certain days of the week without any nancial barriers.

Continued on the next page

From left, Tomas Urbina, Sarah Larson and David Urbina are the new owners of Glen Echo Garden just outside Bellingham. (Courtesy photo/Glen Echo Garden)

Weekends are reserved for weddings and events, but the public is welcome to explore the gardens Monday through ursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We are getting calls for tours of the property for weddings every week,” David Urbina said. “We’ve heard from many of our customers after booking that they were speci cally looking for an outdoor wedding venue that provided them with options due to the unpredictability of hosting a wedding inside during the pandemic. Of course, we are keeping an eye on restrictions on gatherings and will need to ex with restrictions that come up.”

For the future, Urbina said, he and his family are exploring the idea of developing camping spots and “glamping” options for guests in the actual garden. ese glamping options, currently under development, include the opportunity to get out of town and hang out with friends outside while providing luxuries like hot showers, a communal kitchen and access to the nearby river.

“ e gardens will continue to be a main attraction on the property, but we are excited to bring our expertise in community building and event planning to the business and o er creative solutions for families, couples and friends to get out of town and into nature to spend time togeth-

er,” David Urbina said.

e owners are exploring the possibility of outdoor movie nights in the garden with made-to-order pizza from the garden’s own pizza oven and libations for

guests.

“In general, we are excited to o er more community gatherings in this beautiful space centered around themes such as apple presses in the fall, May Day celebra-

tions in the early summer, and the like,” Urbina said.

Glen Echo Garden is located at 4390 Y Road. Call 360-592-5380 for more information, or visit GlenEchoGarden.com.

Louis Adelstein

Mel Adelstein

Sadie Adelstein

Louis Adelstein

Carrie Adelstein

Rick Adelstein

Mel Adelstein

The scenery at Glen Echo Garden changes with the seasons, and a variety of o erings are available for those wishing to visit. For now, the entry fee is by suggested donation. (Courtesy photo)

FrinGe soldiers on through pandemic

FERNDALE — In early 2020, FrinGe Brewing co-owners Je Lazzari and Scott White bought a canning machine. ey had no idea at the time how useful it would become.

“I think we bought it three weeks before the pandemic and it’s just a little single tabletop seamer,” Lazzari said. “ ree weeks later came the shutdown.”

Since COVID-19 concerns shut down breweries and the rest of the restaurant and retail world, Lazzari and White have canned more than 10,000 beers, one at a time. ey come in every day, can a few beers and sell to a loyal clientele that has kept the brewery going throughout the pandemic.

“We’ve got a good little regular group that comes in every week or so, grabs a couple cans and heads home,” Lazzari said.

FrinGe was able to open in-person right after the rst shutdown, Lazzari said, with outdoor dining, then a short

Continued on the next page

Brewery co-owner Scott White enjoys a pint in the outdoor tent at FrinGe Brewing, which allows patrons to drink and enjoy some food from local food trucks and eateries, even during inclement weather. (Courtesy photo)

time with indoor dining allowed. en it was back outside. Now the brewery is open for indoor patrons at 25% capacity. Lazzari said it’s been a bit slow lately because of the weather, and just recently in February the outdoor tent had to be taken down due to high winds.

“We gured we’d rather save it,” Lazzari said. “I don’t even know where to nd them anymore, who’s got them in stock.”

e tent has been a major factor in the brewery’s survival over the past year, along with the canning machine, and Lazzari and White are eagerly looking forward to the nicer weather and the possibilities it brings with it.

Right along with the nicer weather, the FrinGe owners are glad they have canned beer to move forward with. It’s a sustainable revenue stream, because, as Lazzari said, who knows what’s to come in the long run.

“Something like this, any kind of pandemic situation, anything economically, cans are a good thing to push out,” he said.

FrinGe has a new, larger canning machine being built so Lazzari and White can do more sporadic “canning sprees” and stock up rather than constantly working to keep a supply.

FrinGe’s current beers on tap include Jam, the brewery’s agship IPA bearing the original name of Ferndale, as well

FrinGe brews a variety of beers, some of them Ferndale-themed, and the brewery's canning machine has helped sell a lot of beer throughout the pandemic. (Courtesy photo) See FrinGe on B22

FrinGe

Continued from B21 as the Drop In Hazy IPA, the Hop Woo West Coast IPA, the Portal Pilsner, Dark Leak Scottish Export, the Swingline Co ee Infused Red Ale collaboration with Maniac Coffee Roasting and Project Stardust, and a Raspberry Berliner Weisse brewed as a collaboration with the North Fork Brewery.

FrinGe often brings in food trucks for patrons to purchase from; the brewery allows outside food inside. e brewery opened in March 2019 and celebrated its oneyear anniversary just as the world was shutting down last March. e two-year anniversary is coming up.

“We’re appreciating the Ferndale support,” Lazzari said. “We hope it continues as the weather gets nicer. We hope people feel safe when they’re here. We do encourage anyone who can, get the vaccine.”

FrinGe Brewing is located at 5640 3rd Ave. in Ferndale. Visit www. FrinGeBrewing.com for more information, or call the taproom at 360-3986071. FrinGe is open every day except Monday.

Above: Pete's Poutine is just one of the food trucks that regularly appears at FrinGe Brewing throughout the week. Left: Project Stardust is the latest collaboration beer to come out of FrinGe Brewing, this one with the North Fork Brewery. (Courtesy photos)