Ferndale Almanac 2022 by Ferndale Record

Fun features, facts and figures about Ferndale A Supplement of Published August 24, 20222022 Ferndale Almanac

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Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022 Table of Contents Page 2: Ferndale mayor's message Page 3: Ferndale by the numbers Page 4: FSD fosters 'culture of belonging' Page 6: Ferndale yesterday, today, tomorrow Page 10: 'Blanket Bill' Jarman Page 11: Griffintown Park Page 12: Pederson back on NFL sidelines Page 14: Snapshots of Ferndale Page 16: Norene Gilbert: More than a beauty Page 18: Albert Anderson: Master gardener What is an almanac?

year.

An almanac is traditionally an annual that contains relate the coming The Ferndale Community Almanac is a little different. It is a snapshot of Ferndale as it exists in the year of publication. In this case, that year is 2022. didn't do an almanac in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we brought the Almanac back in 2021. Even though 2022 continues to look different than the pre-pandemic years, hope this almanac provides a snapshot of Ferndale as it is now

dates, statistical in formation and tables that

to current and future readers. — Ferndale Record staff 1

publication

-- Mayor Greg Hansen 2

A message from Ferndale Mayor Greg Hansen

It is no secret that Ferndale continues to grow as a community. Not just in population or new houses, but we are adding new public art downtown, new community events and yes, a new high school. Change can be scary. But it does not need to be. Flipping through this almanac, you can see that our community has grown and changed over time to meet the challenges of eachWhetherera. it is the Lummi Nation and the Coast Salish peoples fishing the Nooksack since time immemorial, to settlers building a ferry across the river to bring new neighbors to the area, to the housing boom when the refinery arrived, our community has continued to evolve. At each era, we come together and build a path to the next great chapter of Ferndale’s history. Right now, the city is investing in our roads, utility infrastructure and community.Wearesupporting businesses, events, and traditions that we hope last for a generation or more. This is doing our part to prepare for the future of our city. You also are part of Ferndale’s future. Where we go and what we do is up to you.With this almanac, you can see where we are and where we have been, but where we are going remains to be seen. Our community is growing, but how and where we grow is up to us. Let’s make it the best it can be.

Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022

Ferndale

Ferndale School District figures **

• Transportation (2016-2020) Mean travel time to work, minutes, workers ages 16 and older: 20.5

•

on 4 3

• Education (2016-2020) High school graduate or greater, ages 25 years and older: 93.2% Bachelor’s degree or greater, ages 25 years and older: 32.1%

• Schools: 10 (11 including Ferndale Family Partnership)

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022 Ferndale by the numbers • Historic Pioneer Village Tours, May 15 - September 15 • Olde Fashioned Christmas, First Weekend in December • Meetings Last Tuesday of the Month, 6 p.m. at Pioneer Park Visit us on the web at: www.ferndaleheritagesociety.com Phone: 956.961.5552 / 956.533.0628 Email: mcfallbeeyard@gmail.com 2447 Cedar Ct, Custer WA 98240 www.mcfallbeeyard.com City census figures * • Population Population estimates (July 2021): Population15,476 estimates (April 2020): Population15,089 (April 2020 census): Population15,048 (April 2010 census): 11,415 • Age and sex Female: 51.7% Male: Children48.3%younger than ages 5: 8% Children younger than ages 18: 29.7% Senior citizens (65 and older): 14.6% • Ethnicity Caucasian: 81.6% African American: 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native: Asian:2.5% 4.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.4% Hispanic or Latino: 14.8% Two or more races: 3.5% • Population Characteristics (2016-2020) Veterans: 1,050 Foreign born: 14% • Housing (2016-2020) Owner-occupied: 66% Median value of owner-occupied: Median$329,800selected monthly owner costs with a mortgage: $1,620 Median selected monthly owner costs without a mortgage: $483 Median gross rent: $1,027 • Families and living arrangements (2016-2020) Households: 5,025 Persons per household: 2.90 Living in same house one year ago (percent of persons ages 1 year and older: Language87.1%other than English spoken at home, percentage of persons ages 5 years and older: 21.8% • Computer and Internet use (20162020) Households with a computer: 94.6% Households with a broadband Inter net subscription: 91.3%

In civilian labor force, male and female, ages 16 and older: 63.9% In civilian labor force, female, ages 16 and older: 54.9%

See Ferndale by

Figures from the Washington State Report Card from the Washington Office of Public Instruction the numbers

• Health With disability, younger than age 65 (2016-2020): 9.2% Persons without health insurance: 8.3%

Figures from the US Census Bureau. Figures retrieved on Aug. 5. Data derived from Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insur ance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Non-Employer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners and Building Permits.

• Income and poverty Median household income (20162020): Per-capita$62,852income for previous 12 months (2016-2020): $27,899 Persons in poverty: 14.4%

• Students: 4,446 (2021-22 school year) Staff: 702

• Economy (2016-2020)

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022

We know that the traditions and cultures of our local Latino families are an integral piece of our community. Your stories are important to us – our schools wouldn’t be the same without the lived-in and unique experiences that our Latino families and staff bring to our classrooms, hallways and offices each day.

• Teachers with over 10 years’ experience: 199 certificated staff • FHS clubs: 20 active clubs (42 if sports teams are included) • Languages spoken by our families: 23 different languages: (most common: English, Spanish, Punjabi, Russian and Ukranian) • Student demographics enrollment by data 55.1% White 23.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 7.5% Native American/Alaskan Native 4.7% Asian 1.3% Black/African American 0.4% Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander 7.7% Two or More Races • National Board Certified Teachers: 32 • Graduation Rate: 85% four-year rate (2020-21 school year) Continued from 3 Ferndale by the numbers 4

A 'culture of belonging' at Ferndale schools

Here at Ferndale School District, we greatly value the wide array of cultures, backgrounds and experiences that make up our school population. And our region’s Hispanic and Latino communities bring major contributions and unique perspectives to our schools each and every day.

Last year, nearly a quarter of the 4,446 students in the Ferndale School District – about 23 percent –were Hispanic and/or Latino of any race. These students and their families leave a significant and positive impact on Ferndale schools.

Our new superintendent, Dr. Kristi Dominguez, has chosen “You Belong” as Ferndale School District’s theme for the 2022-23 school year. When we say that, we mean it. Our expectation is that every single student, staff member, and community member will feel like they are accepted and that they belong in our schools and in the greater Ferndale community. Of course, this includes our Hispanic and Latino families, staff and students. Weare invested in doing whatever it takes to ensure all students, including those who are Hispanic and/or Latino, have their individual needs met and that their academic goals are fulfilled. Students cannot feel like they truly belong in our schools unless they believe we include them in every aspect of our daily rituals and celebrate their heritage.Through programs like MEChA Club at Ferndale High School, we make a concentrated effort to provide spaces for our Latino and Hispanic students to learn more about their backgrounds and cultures.

-- Celina Rodriguez is Executive Director of Communications with the Ferndale School District. Celina can be reached at Celina.Rodriguez@ferndalesd.org

If there is anything you feel we could do to improve our relationship with your community here in north Whatcom County, our doors are always open. We understand that fostering a culture of belonging requires tireless dedication, and we truly value the myriad of contributions our local Latino and Hispanic families, staff and students bring to Ferndale schools. I invite you to contact me with confidence to connect on how we can work together to strengthen our relationship and community.

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022 Over 90 Years of Continuous Ownership and Operation by the Adelstein Family. Support the glass company that supports Bellinghamcommunity.yourwww.louisautoglass.com•360-734-3840•1512N.State St. Lynden • 360-354-3232 • 407 19th St. Mount Vernon • 360-424-5759 • 1721 E College Way Louis AdelsteinMelAdelsteinMelAdelstein Mel Adelstein Carrie Adelstein AdelsteinSadie Adelstein Louis Adelstein Sadie RickRickAdelsteinAdelsteinAdelstein 5

By Jori Burnett Ferndale City Administrator

Community Almanac

The site of what is now Ferndale was originally known to the Lummi people as Te’Ti’Sen. While Te’Ti’Sen was well-known to the Coast Salish, and was the site of seasonal camps, fishing, and hunting grounds, permanent villages generally occupied coastal areas to the west of Te’Ti’Sen.

Ferndale: Yesterday, today, tomorrow

Record August 2022

Pre-Contact Era: Time Immemorial (1850s) There is evidence to suggest that a Lummi settlement was established on the prairielands east of the Nooksack River, situated in a manner that pro vided access to seasonal hunting and fishing grounds as well as a distance from the coast, to be better protected from raids by the Haida arriving from theInnorth.addition to the Nooksack River itself, Tennant Lake was the site of tra ditional hunting and fishing grounds for several local tribes. During this time, the western hills (and most of the low-lying areas) were characterized by dense evergreen and deciduous forests, often extending to the banks of the Nooksack River. These forests were interspersed

Ferndale • Ferndale

At approximately the same time, Fern dale’s first schoolteacher, Alice Eldridge, described the area as Ferndale (owing to the large number of ferns around the schoolhouse) in a letter to her family – and the name stuck. The town was officially named Ferndale in 1876. Most of the settlers of the 1870s con fined their operations to locations near the river. There were no roads and transporta tion was primarily via meandering muddy trails winding through the woods. After the removal of the logjams, river traffic in the form of steamboats and pri vate vessels commenced. The Nooksack became a waterborne highway, and the population of the community started to grow, particularly along the east side of theOverriver.time, property owners on the east and west sides of the river competed for dominance of local commerce, with east ern interests prevailing until the further platting of land on the west side, combined with the closure of the post office on the eastern banks of the river (a second post office was located on the west side), and the destruction of a hotel on the east side resulted in a migration to the west. The strength of resources for fishing and lumbering brought early settlers, many from Scandinavia. A multitude of small mills were built along the Nooksack River and gradually the forests receded to reveal the fertile soil beneath. Agriculture soon became an important industry and has remained key to the area.

Billy Clark, a Texan who came to the Northwest during the Fraser River Gold Rush of the 1850s, was the first European full-time resident of what eventually be cameClarkFerndale.livedhere with his wife and family for more than a decade beginning in the early 1870s on 174 acres situated on the west side of the Nooksack River, occupying much of what is now downtown Ferndale. His residence was an Alder cabin approxi mately 200 feet south of the existing Main StreetClarkbridge.also operated a canoe ferry between the east and west banks of the Nooksack at this location. Clark’s ferry operation became possible following the removal of most of the log jams in the area in 1877, spearheaded and completed by local community members.

In 1884, the Northwest Diagonal Road See Ferndale History on 8 Ferndale Bridge under construction. (Photo by Tackett)

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022 with wetlands, marshes and prairies. It is likely that several trails also existed through the area, facilitating overland movement between Bellingham and Se miahmoo Bays, as well as travel along the Nooksack itself. River travel above Ferndale was often challenging, due to a series of logjams in the area. Pioneer Era (1850s-1907)

Whereas the Coast Salish peoples often viewed Te’Ti’Sen from the south, early European settlers saw the area from the north, calling the area near the Nooksack River the lower crossing to distinguish it from the principal river crossing at Everson.Early European pioneers forged rela tionships with the Coast Salish people, trading resources and providing for mutual defense from slave traders from northern Canada. Many of these relationships were in formed by the Point Elliot Treaty, signed in 1855, which provided a legal framework for European settlers to homestead while also protecting the sovereign rights of the tribes native to the Puget Sound region.

Ironically, the removal of the log jams also meant the end of the Ferndale area’s first official name – Jam – the name given to the voting precinct in the area.

Continued from 7 was opened to Ferndale and connected with a road that ran through Custer to Blaine. Guide Meridian Road opened in 1886, but Whatcom County remained rustic and isolated until 1893 when the Great Northern Railroad built its railway line across the west ern part of the county, through Ferndale, to Blaine, and on to Vancouver, British Columbia. The railroad, including the Ferndale Station located north of what is now Washington Street, fundamentally changed Ferndale from a remote hamlet to a small town that was now connected to not only Bell ingham and Lynden, but the larger world around it. Goods produced in and around Fern dale could be shipped out, and goods, services, and new neighbors could be shipped in.

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022 History:Ferndale

EraPioneer

Small Town (1907–1954) Incorporated in 1907, Fern dale began its existence as a town under Washington law. The 1910 census revealed a population of 691, and these numbers did not rise above 760 until the late 1950s. While still close to the larger city of Bellingham, Ferndale remained somewhat isolated, as it relied on a large hinterland of agricultural, forestry, and, to a lesser extent, fishing to produce goods for sale. In turn, Ferndale’s down town was the center for com merce in the area and provided most shopping options that were needed for a community of itsWithoutsize. a significant amount of migration in and out of town, Ferndale’s identity tended to reflect the individu als, families, and industries that had built it. The Old Settlers picnic had begun before the turn of the century, but in the 1920s the Old Settlers Association began relocating original pioneer cabins from the surrounding community.Inthe1930s, Ferndale High School was established at its current location, and Old Main wasThen,constructed.asnow, the high school was a center of com munity activity and pride. During the Great Depres sion, Ferndale’s residents weathered the difficult times on the strength of their agri cultural prowess, managing some of the most productive poultry farms, sugar beet crops and dairy farms in northern Washington.Duringthis time, a major granary was built on the west side of the railroad tracks south of Washington Street, and the Carnation Building was con structed on the east side of the Nooksack River, north of Main Street.These businesses further refined the raw products made in Ferndale and shipped them to larger markets.

Industrial (1954–1980)Growth

Following World War II and the opening of Alaskan oil fields, the General Petroleum Corporation opened the Fern dale Refinery west of Ferndale. This refinery sparked a building boom in Ferndale, pushing the city’s population to nearly 1,500 people by 1960 and more than 2,000 people by 1970.TheFerndale area was seen as ideal for large industry, due to its strategic location rela tively close to raw resources, its proximity to major (and growing) population centers in Vancouver, B.C. and Seattle, its relative remoteness from immediately adjacent centers, its deep-water port, and the growing aviation industry that ultimately relied on the fuels refined at Cherry Point. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, two additional major industries were established in the Cherry Point region just north of what was now the Mobile Refinery (and would eventually become the Phillips 66 Refinery).TheCherry Point (now BP) refinery is the largest refin ery in Washington state, and the Alcoa Intalco Aluminum smelter, which opened in 1966, was for a time the largest alu minum smelter in the United States.These industries, together with the construction of In terstate 5 through Ferndale, increased the city’s population to almost 4,000 by 1980. Even as Ferndale’s popula tion grew, however, the down town core of the community began to decline. While major industries were located immediately adjacent to Ferndale and many indus trial workers lived in Ferndale, the ease of access to Belling ham increased the ability to commute to and from that Larson Shoe Store, March 13, 1914. (Photo by Tackett)

Bedroom (1980–2010)Community

largerThecity.auto-dependent nature of suburban life also gave rise to larger grocery, fast food and convenience stores located outside of Ferndale’s core, while Bellingham’s depart ment stores, recreation, and cultural activities were now only 10 minutes away.

As a result of these changes, while Ferndale’s population grew and the economy be came more diversified and transitioned from an agrarian community to a more-indus trial community, it also became more of a bedroom community.

From 1980-1990, the city’s

Ferndale

With this loss of shared em ployment combined with the influx of new residents, the community sought new ways to connect with each other.

See Ferndale History on 23Lyndon Baines Johnson. (Ferndale Record photo)

Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022

By Riley Sweeney Ferndale Communications Officer

William "Blanket Bill" Jarman is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Ferndale. Jarman died on June 12, 1912, although records are conflicting as to when Jarman was born. Some reports say Jarman was born in 1820. However, his gravestone lists 1818 as his birthdate. According to a story at HistoryLink.org, Jarman was born in Gravesend, England but age 17 he traveled to Australia.

Ferndale

The Association also stated there was little that Blanket Bill did not find interesting and zestful.

One of Ferndale’s more colorful set tlers, William Jarman is credited as the first permanent European settler in the area when he first put down roots in Whatcom County in 1852. Before building his home, Jarman caused quite a stir when he was kidnapped by tribal members from Vancouver Island and had to be ransomed back by his fellow settlers with a pile of blankets as tall as he stood. This event earned Jarman his nickname, Blanket Bill. In the 1850s, Blanket Bill officially delivered mail for Fort Bellingham by canoe, and unofficially served as a smuggler throughout the Puget Sound. In the 1860s, Jarman staked out a homestead in Whatcom County and worked as a bartender for a saloon in Bellingham. In 1871, a saloon patron insulted Jarman’s sister. A fight broke out and Jarman shot and killed the surly patron. Jarman was jailed for a short time before returning to England for a decade. In 1881, Blanket Bill returned to Whatcom and moved to Ferndale to stay with his niece and her husband, William Manning, on their farm. In 1904, the Old Settlers Association recognized Jarman as the oldest living settler and described him as a sailor, deserter, trader, hunter and fisher man, fur dealer, Indian slave, tribesman, squaw man, homesteader, ship master, telegraph lines man, army courier and mail carrier, interpreter, bar tender, accused murderer and gold digger.

The Wild Pioneer life of William ‘Blanket Bill’ Jarman

By Riley Sweeney Ferndale Communications Officer

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022 Fer ndaleYourhelpful hardware place including: RV supplies & Spor ting Goods 360 - 656 - 688 2 next to the Fer ndale Post Office 2615 South Harbor Loop Drive • Bellingham, WA 98225 360-332-2505 • www.nickisbellamarina .com We changed our hours just a bit. We are here 12pm to 9pm Tuesday through Saturday. Come get all your favorites. Fish & Chips or Cheeseburger, maybe a deep fried Twinkie. Again thank you all for the support. You are all amazing.” to 2020

Have you ever wondered how Griffintown Park, the long, skinny park on Second Avenue, got its name?Itonce belonged to a Civil War veteran named Augustus Griffin (1826-1909) who sailed up the Nooksack with his wife Harriet and 10-year-old daughter Jennie to purchase a 400-acreGriffin’splot.plan was to own the land when the railroad came through — one of many get-richquick schemes throughout his colorful life.

The area quickly gained the name Griffin town. However, due to his mounting debts, Grif fin was unable to retain ownership of the land long enough to capitalize on his investment. With his health failing, Griffin gave away much of his land holdings to needy families and the railroad. He moved to Bellingham in 1902 where Harriet taught school.

For more information about Ferndale’s unique and colorful history, visit Pioneer Park May 15 through September 15 and take a tour with the Ferndale Heritage Society.

Origins of Griffintown Park

Ferndale HS alum nears start to first season as Jacksonville head coach

Pederson has Super Bowl victories as both a player and coach. His first was in 1996 in Super Bowl XXXI with the Green Bay Packers, a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots. He was one of two backup quarterbacks to Brett Favre at the time and did not record any statistics that season.Much of Pederson’s notable profes sional football career comes as a coach. His first NFL head coaching job was with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2020. Pederson led the Eagles to their first-ever championship in 2018 with a 41-33 Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots. He began his coaching career at Calvary Baptist Academy in 2005, a private K-12 school in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ped erson was then an assistant coach with the Eagles from 2009 to 2012, before moving to the Kansas City Chiefs to become their offensivePedersoncoordinator.playedfor five different NFL teams as a quarterback. He also played for two different teams in the now-defunct World League of American Football, which later became NFL Europe. He was a threeyear starter at Ferndale High School before playing college football at the University of Louisiana at Monroe — formerly North east Louisiana University — where he played from 1987 to 1990. Pederson also played basketball and baseball for Ferndale's Golden Eagles.

Ferndale Record Sports Editor 12

By Connor J. Benintendi

Pederson, a Ferndale High School alum, was hired to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Feb. 4 after spending the 2021-22 season out of the NFL. His first game with the Jaguars was a 2711 preseason loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, Aug. 4, in the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game. It was also his first time back on the sidelines since January 2021.

Born in Bellingham and raised in Ferndale, Doug Pederson is about to begin his fifth sea son as an NFL head coach.

Record August 2022

Doug Pederson and Donnie Finkbonner, from left, at the Seahawks-Eagles game on Dec. 3, 2017. Pederson and Finkbonner are childhood friends who played football together at Ferndale. (Record file photo)

Community Almanac

Ferndale • Ferndale

Pederson is back on NFL sidelines

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022 SILVERREEFCASINO.COMI-5·EXIT260 Management reserves all rights. GOLFLOOMIS.COM We’ve Got That 13

: Mayor R.W. Bruson this week issued a proclamation urging all citizens to observe Memorial Day, May 30, as a holiday in the town and for all businesses to close all day. The Legion also asks all to wear a poppy on Memorial Day.

•

1942 • Advertisement: Civilian War Accidental Insurance Avail able. $5000 Protection against all injuries caused by bombing or invasion is the war-time insurance. This coverage is open to all ages or of any oc cupation, but only for injuries actually caused by bombing or invasion. Percy Hood Agency at the First National Bank in Ferndale.

• September: 1089 are enrolled in New District Schools. Ferndale High School 220, Ferndale Junior High School 211 of which 91 are in ninth grade, 48 in eighth and 72 in seventh. Custer Junior High, 68. Custer Elementary 127. West Mountain View 25, North Bellingham 75 and Central 265. More expected in the next two weeks as many families and young people are still working.

December: Turkey Carnival to be held at the Kulsha'n Post, American Legion on Dec. 21 as the last one was such a Thesuccess.legion wishes to correct a false idea that there is no admission charged to these carnivals. Instead, the cost only is for playing housy housy or some other carnival type of games where turkeys are the prize. The carnival held before Thanksgiving netted many good dinners for those who attended.

•1992November: The 160-member

• December:1932 The championship Ferndale High School football team swept through the 1932 football season without defeat.

1972 • May: Ferndale Float Wins Blossomtime Queen’s Tro phy with float carrying out the Pioneer Picnic theme of Potlatch. Trophy on display in lobby of First National Bank. During the parade Fire Engine No.1 from Ferndale Fire Department kept the crowd cool with squirts from its tanks. The old truck was manned by members of the Volunteer Department.

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022

May1922

Snapshots: 100 years of Ferndale through Record newspaper's eyes

•1962March: World’s Fair to be held in Seattle: Come this summer, life won't hold much unless one rides a Century 21 Fair Monorail in Seattle. One train is to start this week. The distance of 1.2 miles will be traveled in 95 seconds and the system is capable of transporting 10,000 passengers an hour.

By Jan Brown Ferndale Record

• August: Milk Can Derby

• Summer: Johnson’s Fine Foods is ready for its Grand Opening. The remodeled res taurant will feature a complete chicken dinner for only $2.50 during the grand opening days of Tuesday and Wednesday.

In December 1932 the Ferndale Record reported that the championship Ferndale High School football team swept through the football season without defeat. (Ferndale Record photo)

•1952 June: Kelley-Farquhar Com pany’s Ferndale food process ing plant is again in operation with the first strawberries being processed. The Fern dale plant should handle 50% more tonnage than last year due to the increased tonnage expected.

• August: Volunteer crews work to set up the new covers for the bleachers at Ferndale High School 1982 • Vista Middle School an nounce changes from requir ing Home Economics for both girls and boys. This year is the last for Home Economics as starting in 1983, parents and teachers have decided that computer literacy is more im portant for both girls and boys than know-how in the kitchen.

Benefits Charity Children’s Work. Milk cans that are fast becoming museum pieces will again race down the Nook sack River on Sept. 3 in the Camel’s Club Fourth Annual Derby. Proceeds from the sale of cans and tickets will ben efit the Whatcom County Re tarded Children’s Classes. The Club hopes to sell 200 cans this year to top last year’s 175 sold.

(Ferndale Record

•2002June: The 41st Bell ingham Highland Games on the way. An nual Ferndale event is a showcase of Scottish music, dance and cul ture including bagpipe and drum bands, High land dancing and Celtic music performances.

Ferndale

•

In March 1962 the Ferndale Record reported World’s Fair to be held in Seattle. "Come this summer, life won't hold much unless one rides a Century 21 Fair Monorail in Seattle," the story stated. photo)

Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022

• April: economic15-21. TherosefromSoars. JoblessUnemploymentclaimsWhatcomCounty1.8%weekofMarchbloodtaleofdevastation from the COVID-19 cri sis is told in the number of unemployment ap plications to the state Employment Security Department.

July: Kids Day bring 600 children, adults to park. Ferndale’s first Kid’s Day included lo cal vendors, entertain ment, a fishing hole, pony rides and much more. The fifth annual Diaper Derby part of the activities was great fun with 40 children par ticipating. Three other contests included: least hair, most hair and who looks most like parent.

Ferndale High School Marching Band swept virtually all awards in the state marching band competition held in Au burn, WA. The Fern dale band is well known throughout the North west for its marching excellence. In the past 12 years, the band has won over 200 first-place or Best awards, includ ing the Best Band and Best Color Guard in the 1989 National Cher ry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C.

•2020March: COVID-19 in Whatcom Coun ty: Schools shut down for six weeks: Churches and businesses closed as public health emer gency is declared.

More than a beauty

Editor’s note: On Sept. 21, 2017, Norene Gilbert lost her 20-plus year battle with cancer. The oldest daughter of Curtis and Renee Gilbert, Norene was preceded in death by her father Curtis, nephew James Brown, brother-in law Paul Hettervig, and her grandparents. Her obituary stated that Norene “will be lovingly remembered by her mother Renee Gilbert of Custer, sisters Cheryl (Rick) Moore, Nancy (Chris) Secrist, Janice Hettervig, Valerie (Marc) Hendrickson and Diana (Kevin) Brown, her brother Curtis (Jeri) nieces and nephews, 10 great-nieces and nephews, her two god-sons and the many, many adopted loved ones."

Gilbert, 12

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022

Ferndale Record Editor

By Bill Helm

Does anyone remember the Little Miss Ferndale contest? Renee Gilbert of Custer sure does. Her daughter, Norene, was named Little Miss Ferndale when she was in the first grade.“We thought it was fun,” Renee Gilbert said from her home in Custer. “We loved it. She loved her first grade teacher. Anything she wanted (Norene) to do, (Norene) did.”

Born in 1951, that would have been around 1957. By the time high school rolled around, Norene was a cheerleader, and she was making plans for the future.

Renee Gilbert of Custer holds a photograph of her daughter Norene. In 2017, Norene Gilbert died of cancer. (Bill Helm/Ferndale Record) In 1969, Norene graduated from Ferndale High School, then she moved to Seattle and attended Peterson School of Business. Renee remembers her daughter working “for a clothing place called“Margie’sMargie’s.”entered her into the Miss Hot Pants contest (around) 1970 in Se attle,” Renee recalled recently. “She won. Then she started getting modeling jobs.” Norene became a LoLa Hallowell model and earned many titles during her modeling and pageant career. In 1974, Norene won Miss Washing ton World, then traveled back east for Miss World AlthoughUSA.Norene represented Wash ington in Miss World USA of 1974 she did not place. In 1976, Norene won the Miss Washington USA contest, then went back to Niagara Falls, NY. As Norene was a top-12 semi-finalist for the 1976 Miss USA, her television appearance and subsequent selection as Miss Congeniality afforded her home town the opportunity to see her with the otherEventually,contestants.Norene moved to Arling ton Texas, then to Los Angeles working for American Airlines the rest of her working life.

Record August 2022 See Norene on 22

Community Almanac

Ferndale • Ferndale

herknownpageantmodel,CusterwinnerNoreneGilbertfortenderheart,generousspirit

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022

Masterteacher,gardener,friend

Albert Anderson (at age 72) and daughter Susan Ranger, in side yard at the family’s farm in Custer.

(Courtesy Jan Brown) 18

See Albert Anderson

(Above) Albert and June Anderson’s farm in Custer in late 1980s. (Below) The inscription on the plaque next to the white grape arbor at Hovander Homestead Park reads “In Memory of Al Anderson, Master Gardener, Teacher and Friend. 1912-1991.” Memorial plaque at the Grape Arbor in the Vegetable Garden area on northside of Hovander Heritage House. (Courtesy Jan Brown)

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale

Record August 2022

Manager

Whatcom County resident and Ferndale Record Advertising

Jan Brown talks about her father, Albert Anderson

on 20 19

My father, Albert Anderson was a wood shop teacher at Ferndale High School from 1950 until he retired in 1976. He also taught cabinet making at Whatcom Community College right up to the time of his last illness in 1991. He also helped coach football and did some scouting at the Huskies games for plays. There was a period of time in the early 1960s he was also quite involved with the local Red Cross.

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Albert Anderson: Master gardener, teacher, friend

Continued from 19 Long after he died, I would talk with someone and men tion that my father was the local Ferndale High School woodshop teacher and the person would say “Oh! I loved having him as a teacher!” Then they'd ask if he was still alive. After saying no, I then would mention that there was a master gardener memorial out at Hov ander Park by the white grape vine for him and they would say they must go see that. Dad loved gardening and as his youngest of four children, I do remember the one-quarter acre garden out at our 10 acres at Cherry Point overlooking the wa ter, of which 1/8 was vegetables and berries and the other 1/8 was corn for eating and feeding our Whiteface beef cows. He also had at least a 1/4 acre in fruit trees.Hovander Heritage House, at Hovander Park, Ferndale. (Courtesy Jan Brown)

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record www.custerumc.org Worship, 10 AM Sundays Sunday School & Youth Group Bible Study 10 AM Wednesday Choir Practice 6 PM Wednesday UM Women Every 2nd Monday 10 AM Potluck Luncheon Every 2nd Wed Noon Prayer Shawl Ministry Every 4th Wed 2 PM Men’s Meeting Every 4th Wed 7 PM End TabernacleMessageTime 2007 Cherry St, Ferndale (360) 815-5025 Servicewww.endtimemessagetabernacle.comTimes: Sun. 10:30AM & 5PM, Wed. 7:30PM Portal Way Church of Christ Phone: (360) 384-6741 6300 Portal Way, P.O. Box 99 Ferndale, WA portalwaychurchofchrist.org98248 Bible Believing, People Caring Church

“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” -Acts 2:42 Albert Anderson, high school woodshop teacher, in 1960.(Courtesy Jan Brown) So summers were busy pick ing, canning and freezing food when not down at the beach playing. His parents were also into raising their own food. Dad joined Master Gardeners sometime around 1975. He and another teacher from Blaine, who was my business develop ment teacher David Simonson, were part of this program. My recollection is that dad was one of the first to help get the master gardeners involved with starting the gardens out at Hovander Homestead Park. Dad loved the master gardeners program and was very involved and would get up around 4 a.m., meet fellow teachers for breakfast at Johnson’s Fine Foods (where WECU is now in Ferndale) then head out to Hovander Park to weed before either going to the high school or home, depending on the time of year. After he died in November 1991 shortly after their 51st wed ding anniversary, the Master Gardeners came out to their home in Custer, where mom still lived, to help prune the 24 fruit trees for her. If memory serves me, they did that at least that one winter or possibly two years while the rest of the local family helped keep the yard in shape and then took over the pruning. Dad loved the master gar dener plant sales and would bring home plants that didn’t sell and before long they had three acres of lawn and gardens that required constant main tenance. Atthe memorial after the dedication, mom (June An derson) asked to say these words: “From Al’s very first class, he loved being in the Master Gardeners program. He would come early in the morn ing to work at Hovander Park. It was his love and being here was a very significant part of his life. Can’t think of a better tribute to Al and his life.” Here are a couple of memo ries from other master garden ers: David Simonson said that he has volunteered at Hovander since 1988. Simonson remem bers Al as an ambitious volun teer who was very responsible for the success of the demon stration garden at Hovander. Karen Gilliam said that the Master Gardener program start ed in 1975 and she was in the class of 1976. She remembers Al as being instrumental in helping with the vegetable garden at Hovander in planting, weeding and harvesting. He was also one of the first members of the Master Gardener Foundation that was started to support the master gardener program. In his later years, he would sit and sift compost that we had made from the garden debris for the garden and cheer us on. He was a knowledgeable gardener and a greatInterestedfriend. in becoming a master gardener? The annual Whatcom Master Gardeners training will start in February 2023. Courses run for 12 weeks, with meetings in person once a week for lecture and labs and field trips. Dates and Times TBA. Visit become/wsu.edu/whatcom/hg/hg-mghttps://extension.formoreinformation.

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Diane Brown remembers how Norene returned to Washington after Diane’s only child, J.D., died in a car accident.

“We could have never made it without her,” Brown said of her sister Norene. “She was a wonderful person. She came back after my son passed away and she never left.” -- Bill Helm can be reached at bill@ lyndentribune.com. Norene Gilbert. (Courtesy photo)

Norene Gilbert: Known for her tender heart, spirit

generous

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“She always thought about what you needed before what she needed,” Brown said recently. “If you gave her a million dollars, she’d have spent it on other obituary page, Jim and Donna Morrison of Irvine, California wrote that Norene’s “overwhelming love of family and friends was a special gift.” A friend, Michael Glidewell wrote that Norene “was a big part of my life and inspired me to reach for the stars.” Her baby brother, Curtis Gilbert, recently said Norene was the reason he developed a taste for fashion. “She doted on me,” Curtis said. “No rene would give her left arm to most people. She was very giving.”

Continued from 17 Norene's obituary stated that she “traveled the world, but stayed the small town girl in her heart and head.” Jan Brown, a family friend, said Norene was “always doing for everyone.”

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Ferndale History: Bedroom Community

Ferndale’s population was estimated at nearly 11,500 in 2010, and during the first two decades of the 21st century, the city became home to several relatively large companies and industries with a regional, and in some cases, a global presence.

The increasing diversity of the employ ment sector also began to change Fern dale’s status from a bedroom community to a small Whereascity.Ferndale had generally expe rienced an exodus of workers during the day in the 1980s and 1990s, traffic patterns in the 21st century reflected an approxi mately equal number of workers entering for work each day as those leaving it.

The construction of Bellis Fair Mall in 1989, followed by Walmart, Costco, and a range of national retailers, decimated Ferndale’sTraditionaldowntown.downtown retailers could not compete with one-stop shopping, and the relatively sudden shift in shop ping patterns following high interest rates in the early 1980s prevented downtown property owners from changing the physi cal characteristics of downtown buildings to remain competitive.

Continued from 9 population grew rapidly once again, ap proaching 5,500 by 1990. Whereas growth in each of the previous three decades could be attributed to a major new in dustrial employer, growth in the 1980s was fueled primarily through residential construction attracted by the region’s quality of life, the relative affordability of Whatcom County (and the small cities/ unincorporated County), as compared to California, Seattle, Vancouver, and even Bellingham.Therapid growth of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland of British Colum bia in particular changed commerce in Northwest Washington. The Expo ’86 in Vancouver, increased investment and immigration from Asia to Vancouver, and at-times favorable exchange rates, made the introduction of regional shopping in Bellingham possible.

The community’s efforts to rediscover or reinterpret the sense-of-place of Fern dale have been at the forefront of com munityTheseconversation.effortsincluded engaging in community build projects such as Star Park, a vibrant parks recreation program, organized efforts around equality and social justice, and a reexamination of Ferndale’s history and traditions.

The community also confronted the closure of the Intalco Aluminum Smelter, and rising housing costs which have made the transition from a small town to a small city a turbulent experience. Today, Ferndale remains the third larg est community in Whatcom County with a population of 15,970. No matter what happens next in the story of Ferndale, it will be written by the people who live and thrive here by the Nooksack River. May the coming years be kind, peaceful and prosperous for all. An aerial view of Ferndale. (Photo courtesy City of Ferndale)

The city closed its Parks Department in the early 2000s and practiced a variety of austerity measures through the Great Recession beginning in 2008. Small City (2011–Present) Despite the 2008-2010 recession, Ferndale’s residential growth continued unabated. During the recession, the city sought to modify its long-range growth ex pectations and re-emphasized recreation opportunities, quality of life issues and a rebirth of the downtown core.

Ferndale Community Almanac • Ferndale Record August 2022

The growth of residential development and the expectations from residents for full city services compelled the city to undertake significant capital improve ments while also addressing a reduction in revenues due to a loss of sales tax.

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Powerful Joshua Roman, cello Vivaldi Reimagined David Feingold, guitar Yaniv Attar, guitar Erika Block, clarinet Denise Dillenbeck, violin JAN 15 SEPT 25 American Voices Anthony McGill, clarinet Ashley Becker, soprano NOV 6 Holiday Magic! An afternoon of seasonal delights. DEC 11 Harmony from Discord Meets Mozart’s Requiem Wu Fei, guzheng Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, oud with WWU and BCC choirs FEB 26 Romance Elisa Barston, violin APRIL 23 Transported Dawn Posey, violin Amber Archibald-Sešek, viola JUNE 4 BELLINGHAMSYMPHON Y . O R G2022–2023 SEASON DON'T KIDSABOUTFORGETOURPROGRAMS: Classical StudentTake-a-TeenKidsRushBYCP

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