Editor’s Note: You have reached the 2015 4th of July article. The 2017 version is available by clicking here.
By Dana Hubanks
One of my favorite Bellingham memories was made on the Fourth of July. It was 2011. I was entering into my last year of college, savoring the few weeks I had before summer quarter started by spending as much time outside and barefoot as I possibly could. Even for July, it was especially hot, and after walking the interurban trail for several hours with a few friends, we decided to jump into the water at Boulevard Park.
I floated on my back in the almost (but not quite) warm waters of the bay, looking up at the blue sky, noticing the light ripple on the water and on my own skin, sometimes not knowing the difference. In that moment, I was suspended both by salt water and by the contentment of knowing I lived in a place I truly loved.
While jumping into the Puget Sound might not find its way into everyone’s Fourth of July plans, there are still plenty of fun events happening to keep us all riding on a wave of early-summer bliss. All of the events featured below are family friendly.
Blaine’s Old Fashioned Fourth
When: July 4 from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Where: Downtown Blaine and Blaine Marine Park, 272 Marine Drive, Blaine
Free admission
Each year thousands of people flock to Blaine for a full-day of 4th of July fun during Blaine’s Old Fashioned Fourth celebration. This year the fun kicks-off at 8:00 a.m. at the Blaine Community Center with a pancake breakfast and is followed by an Arts and Crafts Street Fair (featuring more than 80 vendors), a car show and sine, live music (all day) and the 4th of July Parade from noon to 8:00 p.m. before culminating at Marine Park for an impressive fireworks display over Semiahmoo Bay starting at 10:15 p.m.
Yes, We CAN! The Northwest’s 1st Canned Craft Beer Festival
When: Saturday, July 4 from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Where: Elizabeth Station, 1400 W Holly St.
Tickets: available online for $20, or $25 at the door — kids under 14 free with an adult
Yes, We CAN! was born just last year, but even so, this “all-ages street festival” is quickly making a name for itself as a Bellingham tradition. Hosted once again by Elizabeth Station on W Holly St., Yes, We CAN! will be especially exciting for fans of craft beer. This event, tagged as “The Northwest’s 1st Canned Craft Beer Festival”, is a fundraiser for RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, the parent organization of The RE Store and other important community programs like WaterWork, The RE Patch Community Garden, and the Safe Fuels Initiative.
From 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, the whole 1400 block of W Holly St. will transform into a hub of live music by Bellingham bands Polecat and Wild Rabbit, circus performances, food vendors, games for the whole family, and of course, lots and lots of craft beer. Plus, according to Elizabeth Station’s own Patrick McEvoy, the Station has one of the best views of the fireworks to be found in Bellingham.
In talking with Patrick, I was curious to know what inspires the Station to host an event benefiting the RE Store. “I think the service [the RE Store] provides is of great benefit to the city, and I love going in there and finding fun things,” Patrick tells me. Elizabeth Station easily sells canned beer 2-to-1 over bottled beer, he explains. So, Patrick and the rest of the team have a vested interest in recycling, especially when it comes to aluminum. Elizabeth Station is “dedicated to recycling as much as possible, and cans simply are a better choice to bottles in just about every way (which people should come to the event to find out more about!).”
For more details about Yes, We CAN! events as well as the organization and efforts it will benefit, click here. And don’t forget: this event is open to all ages.
Haggen Family Fourth of July Celebration
When: Saturday, July 4 from 11:00 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Where: Zuanich Park at Squalicum Harbor
Free Admission
The Haggen Family Fourth of July Celebration has been happening for nearly two decades, thanks to Haggen, Port of Bellingham, and the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce. With everything from live music, to a beer garden and food vendors, to an all-ages basketball tournament, this event, held at Zuanich Park in Bellingham, is bound to be a good time for everyone.
Plus, no Fourth of July celebration is complete without a fireworks show. The Haggen Family Fourth is responsible for the classic display of fireworks over Bellingham Bay that so many of us treasure. Of course, the show will be visible from many parts of the city, but what better way to view them than from the front row?
For full details, including a list of performers, registration for the basketball tournament, and information about parking and shuttles, click here.
