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JULY 20, 2022
SINCE 1885
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON • $1.50
Rainbow Girls cabin demolished after 45 years of operation Representation of tribal history, covered eating area a few of many ideas for available land in Pioneer Park By Leora Watson Staff reporter
FERNDALE — After 45 years in operation, Ferndale Parks and Rec tore down the Rainbow Girls cabin at Pioneer Park was torn down on July 1. The building was built around 1970 and last used by the local Ferndale Rainbow Girls in 2015. According to Ferndale Communication Officer and Recreation Coordinator Riley Sweeney, it was torn down because the structure was unsafe to occupy, its rapid deterioration. Also, the cabin was not a historic building. Most recently, the cabin had been used as a concession stand during the Whatcom County Old Settlers Picnic for fundraising for the local Rainbow Girl organization. However, it was 2015 when the last meal was served at the cabin. The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is a Masonic youth service organization that teaches girls of all ages around the world leadership, confidence and citizenship through community service and workshops. Before
the building was demolished, the local Rainbow Girl organization was consulted and removed their belongings, according to Sweeney. “They appreciated being consulted and they understood why it needed to come down,” said Sweeney. With a now empty plot of land available in Pioneer Park, many ideas have emerged from the community about what to do with the space, according to Sweeney, with local businesses interested in making it into another concession booth and the Ferndale Heritage Society expressing a desire to turn it into a covered eating area. “The city is interested in expanding our tribal representation of tribal history within Pioneer Park,” said Sweeney. “There’s a lot of different ideas and we’re still figuring out what we want to do with it.” The conversation to tear down the structure took place over six months, with all stakeholders involved with Pioneer Park being included in the discussion, according to Sweeney. “All the people who are involved in
the park knew that it needed to go, so we’re glad that we were able to take care of it in a safe and responsible way,” said Sweeney. Sweeney believes the new available land is an opportunity for Pioneer Park to grow and improve. “Pioneer Park is Ferndale’s premier tourist attraction,” said Sweeney. “I think we can continue to grow, expand and improve upon those facilities and this is just another opportunity to do that.” While the Rainbow Girls Cabin is no longer, the Whatcom County Old Settlers Picnic still is, with the event taking place July 29-30 at Pioneer Park. The event has attractions for the whole family including live music, a car show, parade, vendors, food, games and more. To learn more information about the Old Settlers Picnic visit https:// www.whatcomoldsettlers.com/. To learn more about the Rainbow Girl organization, visit https://www.gorainbow.org/. -- Leora Watson can be reached at leora@lyndentribune.com.
On July 1, the Rainbow Girls cabin in Pioneer Park was demolished after 45 years in operation. The cabin was most recently used as a concession stand to raise funds for organization during the Old Settlers picnic event. (Leora Watson/Fermdale Record)
U-pick at Laurel Lavender Farm
Many bees can be seen at Laurel Lavender but owner Bruce Duim says visitors should not be concerned about them. “We’ve never had anybody get stung that I know of,” Duim said. (Leora Watson/Ferndale Record)
Visitors can enjoy wide variety of lavender to pick, farm animals, gift shop and more at Whatcom County’s only u-pick lavender farm By Leora Watson Staff Reporter
FERNDALE — Whatcom County offers a wide variety of u-pick options. Community members and visitors can pick apples, pumpkins, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries from numerous farms in the area throughout the seasons. But only one farm in the county offers the calming experience of picking your own lavender: Laurel Lavender Farm. Laurel Lavender Farm was established by husband-and-wife duo Bruce and Karen Duim in 2017 and is located in the Ferndale area. The six-acre farm offers visitors the experience of picking their own lavender from seven different lavender species, picnic tables, yard games, a gift shop with all things lavender, even an array of farm animals to enjoy. For Karen Duim, her favorite part of owning Laurel Lavender is being able to share the farm with other people. “That’s what brings me the most joy,” said
Karen Duim. While visitors can enjoy picking their own lavender, the farm provides many lavenderbased products available in their gift shop, all which are made at the farm. “We distill all our own essential oils,” said Karen Duim. “We distill six different types [of lavender] so each one smells distinctly different from the other. You’ll only find that on a lavender farm.” The distilling process for the essential oil begins once the lavender is in full bloom and begins to turn brown, according to Bruce Duim. “Then we make the essential oil,” said Bruce Duim. “We keep it for a year before we use it, because it does have a different smell. It’s kind of like aging wine. You want to age the essential oil so it smells different.” The Duims encourage people to take their time, enjoy the experience and stay for the day when visiting the farm. The setting of Laurel Lavender is more park-like which distinguishes the farm from other u-pick farms, according to Karen Duim, which allows people to stay for the day.
“We have games that people really enjoy,” said Karen Duim. “To try to just encourage people to hang out for the day and a lot of people do come back with a picnic lunch.” Bees and lavender go hand in hand and can be seen buzzing around Laurel Lavender but Bruce Duim says that visitors should not be concerned about them. “We’ve never had anybody get stung that I know of,” said Bruce Duim. After harvesting your own lavender, Bruce Duim recommends drying it by hanging it upside down for at least two to three weeks. While the Duims enjoy sharing Laurel Lavender with all, owning a lavender farm was not their original plan. “We originally wanted to have it as a wedding venue,” said Karen Duim. “Then circumstances changed and so we went to plan B and decided to venture into the value added products of producing the lavender and making the lotions and soaps.” The idea to also make it a u-pick farm came from visiting other lavender farms in the Sequim area, according to Bruce Duim. The hardest part of owning Laurel Laven-
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der Farm is keeping the ground beautiful and harvesting and pruning the lavender due to everything being done by hand, according to Karen Duim. “We do want people to come out and have a good experience and so you can’t really have a messy farm,” said Bruce Duim. Many farm animals call Laurel Lavender home and can be seen wandering the grounds or relaxing in their enclosed area, including goats, rabbits, turkeys, sheep and geese. If Lavender products are not your cup of tea, the Duims have recently started selling pasture-raised duck eggs available to buy at the farm. If you are interested in learning more about Laurel Lavender Farm or wish to purchase products online, visit https://laurellavenderfarm.com/. Laurel Lavender Farm is at 5842 Braeside Lane, Ferndale. Call 360-820-9340 for more information. -- Leora Watson can be reached at leora@ lyndentribune.com.
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