April 13-19, 2017
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Jeff Callender honored with citizenship award, page 4
Chuckanut Bay Foods considers move to Blaine, city responds
Emergency sirens to crop up soon, page 10
Build Community Day attracts a crowd, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Easter lilies in full bloom at Van Wingerden
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
s The folks at Van Wingerden Greenhouses are in the midst of growing 60,000 Easter lilies for the upcoming holiday. The business operates out of a retail store in Blaine and owns multiple greenhouses throughout Whatcom County.
Photo by Molly Ernst
Arts and Jazz returns to Blaine on Saturday, April 15 B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e Organizers with the Blaine Fine Arts Association (BFAA) are looking forward to celebrating the 20th annual Arts and Jazz event after a winter snow storm forced them to postpone last February. The event will now take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 15 at the Blaine Middle School cafeteria and costs $5 to attend. “[It’s a] tradition of a community coming together once a year to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of our stu-
dents and tradition of passing art to a new generation,” read a statement from the BFFA. “Each year, we are honored to help bring together businesses, community members, family and friends who support our arts programs and our students.” Arts and Jazz is the biggest fundraiser of the year for BFAA, which takes charge of providing arts scholarships for students who want to take part in artsbased courses within the Blaine school district. The event features a live and silent auc-
Activist begins 2,000-mile bike ride at Peace Arch Park B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e It’s been nearly two years in the making, but in just a few weeks, South African activist Matt Meyer will embark on an approximately 2,000-mile bike ride from Blaine to San Diego in an effort to educate communities about the impacts of poaching on the declining rhino population. An homage to Nelson Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom,” Meyer’s “Long Ride to Free Them” will begin at Peace Arch Park on Monday, April 17. But before he
takes off, Meyer will harness a 350-pound trailer fixed with a life-size fiberglass replica of a rhino to the back of his bike to make things a bit more interesting. Meyer lives in South Africa, where he was born and raised. After graduating college in 2007, he got a job on a game reserve as a safari guide and hasn’t looked back since. “Guiding became my passion,” he said. “I fell in love with tourism.” He’s now a private guide and partners with local guides to lead tours in loca-
tions throughout south and east Africa. Looking back, Meyer said he considers his work in the “raw, unforgiving, beautifully spectacular wild” as the ignition that sparked his early passion for wildlife, particularly rhino. “I’ve just always had this bond to rhinos,” he said. “It’s really reverberated with me throughout my life.” Meyer’s admiration for the species set the foundation for his role as an activist. (See Rhino, page 6)
tion with items from local businesses and private donors. This time around, eventgoers will have the chance to bid on tickets, passes and certificates to raise money for the organization. Last year, BFAA collected $10,488. Blaine’s high school wind ensemble, jazz band and alumni will perform at the event this year. Artwork produced by high school art and drama students will also be on display. To learn more, call 360/380-1634 or email Dorita Gray with the subject line “A&J/Dorita” to bgray@blainesd.org.
INSIDE
Known for their tiramisu, fruitcake and specialty cheesecakes, the folks at Chuckanut Bay Foods are building a reputation and have their sight set on expansion – many in the community hope they move to Blaine. Late last year, representatives from the business made an offer on an estimated 2-acre plot of land that falls within the bounds of the former Blaine Municipal Airport. Following a regular meeting on April 10, Blaine City Council issued a counter offer in closed session, said city manager Dave Wilbrecht. “Hopefully, we’ll know soon whether they’ve accepted the city’s offer,” he said. “Everyone is excited about the fact that people are interested in the property. We’re hopeful we can make a deal.” Ferndale-based Chuckanut Bay Foods started more than 25 years ago and was purchased by current owners Matt Roth and Dave Loeppky about nine years ago. Formerly called Chuckanut Cheesecake, the company has grown from two employees when it first started to 80 and pays an estimated $2.5 million in wages per year. Chuckanut Bay Foods’ cheesecake is crafted with ingredients from local farms and made from scratch. The made-to-order cheesecakes come in dozens of different flavors and are sold at major retailers, including Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Whole Foods, Safeway and more. Now located at a 5,800-square-foot facility in Ferndale, Roth and Loeppky are looking to grow, fast. “The real story is that we are outgrowing our facility,” Roth said before the April 10 meeting. “We just feel there are some advantages to the Blaine property.” The duo has already purchased land in Ferndale to grow their business, but admire the Blaine property’s close freeway access and proximity to existing business partners, including T.C. Trading Company. During the regular meeting on Monday, members of the city and Blaine business community expressed support for the business moving its headquarters to Blaine. “It’s a lot of jobs,” Roth said. “It’s more than just a real estate transaction.”
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
TheNorthernLight.com TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
@PointRobertsPress