Bellingham Farmers Market Vendors Celebrate September Eat Local Month

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This September is Eat Local Month – an event specific not only to Bellingham, but to all of Whatcom County. Sustainable Connections, the local nonprofit that orchestrates Eat Local Month, works with farmers, restaurateurs, food businesses and fishermen to help bring all together to honor and celebrate the amazing food Whatcom County has to offer.

These deliciuos truffles from Evolve Truffles in Bellingham include ingredients from Whatcom and Skagit Counties. Photo credit: Shannon Fox.

Eat Local Month will be broken into four separate weeks, with each focusing on a different part of our local food scene: farm week, market week, seafood week and restaurant week. Each week will have its own unique events and different ways to get involved, like the Whatcom Food Fest (Sept 8-10) that includes the two-day Whatcom County Farm Tour, a spirits and bites tasting, Farm Tour brunch, beer and food pairing, a fried chicken picnic and more. Market Director of the Bellingham Farmers Market, Caprice Teske, says the market will not only participate in the market week, but will be involved in all aspects of Eat Local Month.

The Bellingham Farmers Market will have their Demo Days booth on Saturday, September 9 during the first day of the Whatcom Farm Tour. During Market Week (Sept. 16) Chefs Justin Hawkinson of Crave Catering and Andrew Clarke of Acme Farms + Kitchen will host their Chef in the Market booth, complete with recipes and samples. And Restaurant Week (Sept 24-30) will find Bellingham Farmers Market highlighting their prepared food vendors who utilize local ingredients in their products. Special local market meals will be available during restaurant week and the Bellingham Farmers Market will work closely with their vendors to make sure it is an Eat Local Month to remember.

“From a market perspective, our mission is to support local agriculture,” Teske says. “We want local food to play a vital role in people’s lives. It takes cooperation to make local agriculture work.”

The wood fired pizza oven at Gusto Wood Fired Pizza can get up to 900 degrees and cook pizzas in two minutes. Photo credit: Kenneth Clarkson.

Teske says they have been working with their prepared food vendors to encourage them to use local products whenever possible and that their vendors are doing a stellar job.

Cooperation is not new to the vendors at the Bellingham Farmers Market. Many of them use each other’s products in order to craft their various foodstuffs. Both collaboration and cooperation are very apparent among the different food producers.

Sophie Williams of Raven Breads says the reason she is in business is to make the best product she can, add substantially to her community and cause as little harm as she can to both people and the environment. “Using local [and regional] ingredients from farmers and producers I know is the only way I can fulfill all three of these objectives,” Williams says.

In addition to using ingredients from local farmers and producers herself, other vendors and producers also use the bread Williams makes in their food. Cafe Vavilov uses whole grain bread from Raven Breads in their Vegan Farmers dish. The cafe, run by Erica Budzynski incorporates a slew of locally sourced and grown ingredients in their meals, and has a booth set up at the farmers market on Saturdays, during which they use enamel plates to serve food and cut down on waste.

The Bellingham Farmer’s Market will participate in Eat Local Month during September. Photo credit: Kenneth Clarkson.

Williams doesn’t just cooperate with fellow humans though, she also cooperates with nature when she bakes her bread. In the summer, she forages blackberries for her Danishes and apples for her Bavarian rye bread.

Russ Kendall of Gusto Wood Fired Pizza recognizes Bellingham and the greater Whatcom County area as one of the best food-centered communities in the country. He says in general it just makes sense to support local business and help each other, and Whatcom County is one of the best places to do so. “We can get virtually everything you need from the 50 miles around us,” he says. “Seafood, berries, livestock, flour – you name it and we can get it. Why would I want to buy food from a plant in Chicago when I can support local business and jobs right here?”

Gusto Wood Fired Pizza gets produce from Terra Verde and Cloud Mountain Farms, flour from Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill and cheese from Ferndale Farmstead as well as sourcing from many other local food producers.

In Whatcom County, we truly have amazing local food. Photo credit: Theresa Golden.

Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Evolve Truffles Shannon Fox says using and sourcing local ingredients has been their motto from the very beginning. Evolve gets almost all of their ingredients from Whatcom and Skagit County. “Obviously we can’t get our cacao from here, but it is crucial to use what’s around you,” she says. “We have heavily played a part in this grassroots food movement in Bellingham and the greater surrounding area.”

With their vendors on board, Eat Local Month will be able to bring the best locally-sourced meals to customers that visit the Bellingham Farmers Market during the month of September. Eat Local Month is sure to educate and inform the public on why it truly is important to buy, sell and most importantly, eat local. For more details and tickets for the Whatcom Food Fest, visit www.eatlocalfirst.org

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Bellingham’s Launching Success Creates a Supportive and Fun Environment for Homeschooling

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Jennifer Dodge

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Launching Success place to review homeschool — With a place to sit and peruse the materials, Launching Success creates an environment encouraging families to look, touch and review before purchase. Photo courtesy: Launching Success.

Homeschooling is one educational option that many families in Whatcom County choose for their children. There is a lot of information that families need to know before even getting started, however. With a passion for creating fun in learning for all children, Bellingham’s Launching Success is an incredible support system for homeschoolers. They provide state-required information as well as materials based on best practices.

Zimmerman shows one of the books available for support material. It presents a lot of information in a fun and creative way. Photo courtesy: Launching Success.

“We first start by talking to the families,” says Jen Zimmermann, co-owner of locally-owned Launching Success. “We talk about the general do’s and don’ts of homeschooling and how to get started.”

Zimmermann goes on to say that the first conversation with a family considering homeschooling involves understanding goals and objectives. She explains that it is important to understand what you hope to achieve with homeschooling along with understanding the requirements for education in the state of Washington.

She also explains that there are various reasons and different perspectives that would lead families to choose homeschooling as an option for education. The first place they send a family considering home schooling is to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Education where they can see all of the criteria for general K through 12 education as well as the requirements necessary for homeschooling based on Washington state law. This website provides an incredible amount of information to give homeschooling a solid starting point.

Launching Success has a comprehensive section devoted to Homeschooling support materials as well as curriculum. Photo courtesy: Launching Success.

In the state of Washington parents can choose homeschooling and receive resource support, providing certain rigorous requirements are met. Choosing not to receive resource support is an option but Washington state laws, such as school testing, still need to be met in order to receive a high school diploma.

“The resource support varies based on many factors,” explains Zimmermann. “We talk to families about the accountability requirements of home schooling, such as providing regular lesson plans for review and belonging to a local homeschooling group, to qualify for resource support should they choose that direction.”

This is where Launching Success really excels. They have created an environment for homeschool families in their store that is full of resources, a space with a table to sit and review and catalogs to peruse for ideas and products.

The staff at Launching Success knows the various materials available and understands the regulations and requirements for homeschooling. This is why they are the local resource for providing any level of support needed for any family involved in educating kids. To that end, Launching Success has created a series of packages based on best practices and supplies for kindergarten through eighth grade and for each subject area.

With a binder full of resource materials and an array of catalogs, Launching Success is a great resource for getting started with homeschooling. Photo courtesy: Launching Success.

When you walk into Launching Success’ homeschooling section, you are encouraged to touch, feel and look through the materials before you make a purchase. Here you’ll find a binder full of information that supports the successful implementation of homeschooling. You’ll also find an array of catalogs with a plethora of great products.

“If a family comes in with a suggestion for a certain product to carry, we do our best to get those products in the store,” says Zimmermann. “We can offer new curriculum based on family recommendations.”

In order to receive resource support from the state, homeschooling families must become part of a local organization such as the Bellingham Family Partnership or Lynden Academy, among others. Launching Success provides a list of resource support-based organizations, as well as those that are not resource support-based, to anyone needing that information. The difference between the two types of organizations are the Washington state accountability requirements in order to qualify for resource support.

With a place to sit and peruse the materials, Launching Success creates an environment encouraging families to look, touch and review before purchase. Photo courtesy: Launching Success.

Launching Success, through its relationships with these partnerships and families, is truly a local resource supporting Whatcom, Skagit and Island Counties along with Oak Harbor. In fact, they have an open week for Oak Harbor families to shop for supplies and will even deliver supplies to their local partners. “We want to support families and children wherever they are learning,” says Zimmermann. “It’s what we do and that’s our mission.”

At Launching Success you’ll find support materials such as books, science kits, art and even foreign language materials, in addition to basic curriculum. “It is great information presented in a fun way,” Zimmermann describes.

Launching Success provides educational materials for teachers and homeschool, as well as fun items that encourage kids to learn. Stop in and spend some time in the store, taking in all of the fun ways there are to learn just about anything!

Joe’s Gardens Fresh Recipes—Pickled Romano Beans with Rosemary and Lemon

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LocalTalk Contributor

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Joe's Gardens Fresh Recipes---Pickled — You'll love these Pickled Romano Beans with Rosemary. Photo credit: Frank Koterba.

Submitted by: Joe’s Gardens, written by Frank Koterba

Joe’s Garden’s presents another delicious recipe by Frank Koterba—Pickled Romano Beans with Rosemary and Lemon. Enjoy!

You’ll love these Pickled Romano Beans with Rosemary. Photo credit: Frank Koterba.

I really didn’t have much experience with Romano beans until we moved here a little over 10 years ago. I have had them braised, grilled, sautéed, steamed and roasted. At some point it occurred to me that you could have them pickled.

These are a step beyond pickled green Beans. They are great on their own and a friend also ensures me that they are the perfect complement to the olives in his martini.

My favorite version combines lemon, rosemary and a little heat. But I have used combinations of garlic, fennel, dill, cumin and coriander. The choice is yours. This is an adaptation from a recipe from “Dispatches from Whitcomb Street.”

For each pint you will need about ½ pound of beans. I pick out the straight one to make packing the jars easier. Wash and trim the beans to fit vertically in the jars. Each jar will use a wide strip of lemon zest three inches long and a sprig of fresh rosemary about the same length. I also add a generous quarter teaspoon of Aleppo pepper.

For the brine, bring 1/3 cup water and 2/3 cup 5% white vinegar for each jar to a boil. Dissolve two teaspoons of sugar and 3 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Keep this mixture hot.

Sterilize your jars, lids and rings and keep them hot.

Get your canning pot to a boil.

Densely pack the hot jars with the beans, zest and spices. Add the brine until it reaches ¼ inch from the top. Wipe the rims and sides, then seat the lids and the rings.

Process the jars for 10 minutes starting when your pot returns to a boil.

Enjoy!

Providers of Diverse Backgrounds Join PeaceHealth Medical Group Bellingham Practices

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LocalTalk Contributor

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Angela Bradley business portrait. Bellingham, WA. © 2017 Mark Turner — Angela Bradley, MD, became a member of PHMG’s Gastroenterology team of providers. Photo credit: Mark Turner.

Submitted by: PeaceHealth Medical Group

PeaceHealth Medical Group (PHMG) has welcomed three new board-certified providers to Bellingham practices.

Angela Bradley, MD

Angela Bradley, MD, became a member of PHMG’s Gastroenterology team of providers. Dr. Bradley earned her medical degree at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque New Mexico and completed her Internal Medicine residency at Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, in Scottsdale Arizona. She then completed her Gastroenterology fellowship at Good Samaritan/VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Bradley returned to Mayo Clinic Arizona to complete a second fellowship in Transplant Hepatology. Prior to joining the PHMG team, Dr. Bradley served PeaceHealth patients on an on-call basis. She is fluent in Spanish and has a particular interest in chronic liver disease and is passionate about organ donation. Dr. Bradley shares she entered medicine because “I wish to ‘do good’ in my community. For me, the patient’s interest is the only interest to be considered.”

Leslie Chamberlain, PA-C

Leslie Chamberlain, PA-C, joined PHMG’s Same Day Care Clinic team of providers. Chamberlain earned a Masters of Physician Assistant Studies at the Oregon Health and Science University, Division of School of Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining PeaceHealth, Leslie worked at The Everett Clinic and before that she was part of the Family Care Network at Squalicum Family Medicine in Bellingham. She has also served with Team Health Emergency Physicians at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center’s Emergency Department. Leslie finds her work as an urgent care provider richly fulfilling and enjoys seeing patients from all backgrounds and circumstances.

Gur Raj S. Deol, MD

Gur Raj S. Deol, MD, joined PeaceHealth’s Pulmonary Medicine team of providers. Dr. Deol completed his medical degree at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College in Punjab, India and then served as a resident surgeon at Dayanand Medical College in Ludhiana, India. He completed his medical residency in internal medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Prior to joining PeaceHealth, Dr. Deol was a consultant in Pulmonary and Critical Care at Olympic Medical Center, North Olympic Peninsula serving the Washington communities of Sequim, Port Angles and Port Townsend. Dr. Deol has extensive medical research experience and has been published in respected peer-reviewed journals. He believes it is a privilege to have an opportunity to play a pivotal role in the health and well-being of his patients.

More information about each of these providers can be found using the “Find a Doc” tool at www.peacehealth.org.

Job Opening for WhatcomTalk Freelance Writer

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WhatcomTalk Editor

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WhatcomTalk is expanding its writing team. Join our team of paid, professional writers that live, work and play in Whatcom County.

WhatcomTalk publishes positive stories about people, businesses and organizations doing good things in communities across Whatcom County. Our stories are published online and distributed via social media. Our platform reaches people that want to know about great things happening around us.

Joining the freelance writing team of WhatcomTalk gives you an opportunity to release your creative spirit, meet new people around the community, explore things that you are interested in, and contribute to a locally owned, growing business. Some of our writers craft more than 10 articles per month, others write just one — and everything in between. The position is very flexible, based on a writer’s time availability and interests.

Job Requirements:

Proven experience creating error-free articles on deadline
Ability to interview and interface with local business owners
Interest in writing advertising and marketing materials as well as business articles
Skills to snap quick photographs during interviews to submit with stories
Initiative to pitch story ideas on a monthly basis
Sincere passion for sharing the positive stories happening in our community

To apply:

Submit a resume in Word format to submit@whatcomtalk.com.
Include 200 words (or less) about why you love your community.
Resumes and writing samples are due by Tuesday, September 12 at 5:00 p.m.

Please address any questions to submit@whatcomtalk.com.

Lovitt Restaurant – Using Cast Iron and Sourdough for the Best Flavor and Nutrition

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Kali Klotz-Brooks

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Lovitt1 — Lovitt is located in Fairhaven on Harris. Photo credit: Kali Klotz-Brooks.

If you haven’t tried Fairhaven’s newest restaurant, you should definitely consider making it your next night out. Lovitt Restaurant, owned by Norman and Kristen Six, has been feeding the community local farm-to-table food since March of this year. Lovitt’s cooking practices include the use of whole animals in their entirety, fresh fish bought the morning of and locally sourced, organic produce and dairy.

Many items on the menu are made using sourdough. Chef Norman Six uses a 15 year old starter. Photo credit: Kali Klotz-Brooks.

Keeping things fresh and local, however, means constant change. “We change things weekly,” Norman says. “We have to change because you can’t always serve lamb chops and shanks. We buy maybe twelve lambs a year and so you can’t always have it on the menu once you are out of shanks. They are on for four to five days and then gone.”

This way of cooking means you can count on eating only the absolute best ingredients with the most nutrients, but one thing that doesn’t change is Lovitt’s use of cast iron for nearly everything they make. I am told that this practice alone has health benefits in and of itself. Norman explains that it is better than the typical stainless steel pans which are lined with non-stick Teflon which is not good for us if scratched off into our food. However, with cast iron Norman says, “When you scratch the surface you end up with more iron in your diet, not Teflon. If you use cast iron pans regularly, it’s been proven that you have a higher amount of iron in your blood.” Anemia, or iron deficiency, is fairly common and thus it can be extremely beneficial to eat foods prepared in cast iron regularly.

The restaurant is family friendly and is home to both a lovely bar and fun kid’s area. Photo credit: Kali Klotz-Brooks.

It could even behoove you to get your own – both for the health benefits and financially. “Cast iron is cheap – $25 – $30 dollar pans,” Norman says. “Plus, they never break.” I look over to a tall stack of the black pans behind Norman and he says, “In 20 years, I’ve lost three of them, maybe.”

Plus, unlike Teflon coated pans, you can’t really ruin them. Stainless steel warps overtime and the non-stick wears off, but with cast iron, the pan only gets better with age. “If you do destroy one – or cook the surface off – you are halfway to fixing it. Once the surface is off, you can re-season it super easy. Oil the pan and heat it to 350 degrees in the oven,” Norman explains. Voila! Good as new, if not better. Storing the pan in a warm, dry place also keeps it in best condition. Norman keeps his on or near the stovetop. That way, he explains, “When you go to make coffee and your pan is sitting next to your boiling water, it will absorb some of that heat and keep it super dry.”

Kristen and Norman Six worked for many months getting the space ready for customers. Photo credit: Kali Klotz-Brooks.

But wait, there’s more! Not only does cast iron provide your body with an essential mineral and is unbelievably easy to maintain, it naturally seasons foods. “Repeatedly people ask, ‘What else is in here?’ When we are using pepper, salt, oil and nothing else,” Norman says.

Something else that is consistent at Lovitt, is their use of sourdough. Sourdough is unique from other bread dough in the fact that it has been formed through a fermentation process of yeast and good bacteria. Norman explains that Lovitt Restaurant’s sourdough starter is 15 years old! It is turning the flour into proteins, acids and complex sugars. This process makes the dough easy to digest in our stomachs. He even mentions how one of his cooks has gotten over his gluten-intolerance from eating sourdough in the restaurant. “A lot of people are eating raw flour when they are eating bread. In a factory, a loaf can take under an hour to go from raw flour into the oven. Whereas the flour in our bread has been processed by the sourdough for weeks.”

The stage from the bar occupying the space prior to Lovitt is no longer there, but that does not keep music out of the restaurant. The space has great acoustics! Photo credit: Kali Klotz-Brooks.

Like cast iron, Lovitt Restaurant uses sourdough in everything. They use it in their fried foods, like their chicken where they let the meat sit in a sourdough batter overnight, resulting in a tender and flake-free texture. They also use it as a thickener like, in particular, their coleslaw. “And it’s great for catering in the summer because you don’t have to worry about the raw eggs in the sunshine,” Norman says. Not to mention, it adheres to vegan diets.

There are a plethora of positives associated with sourdough, but still, Kristen Six says that the flavor is pervasive in a lot of Lovitt’s food and not everyone is a fan. Lovitt isn’t budging though, she explains, “Food is like an art. Just because a handful of people don’t like your painting or music doesn’t mean it’s bad art or music.”

Lovitt is located in Fairhaven on Harris. If you haven’t visited yet, you must! Photo credit: Kali Klotz-Brooks.

I was introduced to Paige, Kristen and Norman’s daughter. “She eats three meals a day here. We all do,” says Norman.

You can rest assured that the Sixes have put much dedication into making your experience at Lovitt Restaurant both flavorful and the most nutritious. It’s more than just a restaurant, it’s like Norman and Kristen opening up their home to feed the rest of the community the very best they have.

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Learn to Forage Wild Mushrooms with Cascadia Mushrooms

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Sara Holodnick

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cascadia-mushrooms-foraging3 — Cascadia Mushrooms’ Wild Mushroom Foraging Workshop is a fun, informative way to learn how to safely and legally hunt for mushrooms. Photo courtesy: Cascadia Mushrooms.

Alex Winstead’s love of mushrooms began when he would discover intriguing specimens on family hikes through the Olympic Peninsula as a child. There were plenty of different types of fungi coloring the forest and he was always curious about them. A later introduction to mushroom hunting as a student at the Evergreen State College transformed this curiosity into the full-blown passion that eventually led to starting Cascadia Mushrooms in 2005.

Every fall, Pacific Northwest forests and fields are filled with thousands of different kinds of mushrooms and the folks from Cascadia Mushrooms can help you learn how to safely identify consume them. Photo courtesy: Cascadia Mushrooms.

What began as a tiny operation in Alex’s basement has since grown into a full-time farming business. Cascadia Mushrooms produces a variety of Certified Organic mushrooms, mushroom kits and dried Reishi mushrooms used to support a healthy immune system.

Cascadia Mushrooms’ goal is to provide the community with delicious mushrooms while nurturing fungi’s innate ability to cleanse the soil and heal the environment, to teach others about that ability and to spark a little of the same inspiration that drives their work every day. To that end, Cascadia Mushrooms offers a variety of workshops and resources for local gardeners including mushroom foraging workshops, mushroom growing kits and fresh mushrooms to enjoy at home.

Wild Mushroom Foraging Workshops

Cascadia Mushroom’s Wild Mushroom Foraging workshop will teach students about the fascinating and often delicious art of wild mushroom foraging. Photo courtesy: Cascadia Mushrooms.

In Whatcom and Skagit counties, wild mushroom season begins at the end of summer as the weather begins to cool. Mushroom foraging season begins with chanterelles, followed by wild porcini, lion’s mane and lobster mushrooms. Because his love of mushrooms began with wild foraging, Winstead and the staff of Cascadia Mushrooms host yearly wild mushroom foraging workshops.

Cascadia Mushrooms’ Wild Mushroom Foraging Workshop is a fun, informative way to learn how to safely – and legally – hunt for mushrooms. This half-day workshop will teach students about the fascinating and often delicious art of wild mushroom foraging. Participants will learn the basics of hunting for common edible species of wild mushrooms in the foothills surrounding Mount Baker.

This class isn’t an exhaustive course on wild mushroom foraging, but it is a thorough introduction for beginners. They’ll show participants where to look for common species, how to distinguish their identifying characteristics and what their non-edible or poisonous look-alike species might be. Students will learn ethical harvesting techniques, the basic gear essential to mushroom hunting and learn about a selection of fungi that are abundant this time of year.

“We’ll take a group into the woods and teach them the basics of mushroom foraging,” Alex shared. “And we’ll potentially cook what we forage.”

This workshop is $75 and includes instruction, foraging and light refreshments and tea (students should bring a sack lunch). Winstead only hosts one to two foraging workshops a year and he keeps these workshops small (typically up to 12 students) so everyone has an opportunity to learn from him and his fellow mycological masters at Cascadia Mushrooms. Register early to make sure you don’t miss out on this special opportunity!

Mushroom Growing Kits and More at the Wild Mushroom Show

Cascadia Mushrooms’ Wild Mushroom Foraging Workshop is a fun, informative way to learn how to safely and legally hunt for mushrooms. Photo courtesy: Cascadia Mushrooms.

Every fall, Pacific Northwest forests and fields are filled with thousands of different kinds of mushrooms. You can experience hundreds of them at Bellingham’s 28th annual Wild Mushroom Show, on Sunday, October 22, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m., at the Community Building at Bloedel-Donovan Park (2214 Electric Avenue).

Enjoy the beautiful displays of locally collected mushrooms, bring mushrooms from your own backyard for identification and hear mushroom talks by local experts and surprise guests. You’ll also learn to identify common mushrooms (both edible and poisonous), cultivate your own fungi with kits from Cascadia Mushrooms, taste safe and savory wild mushrooms and visit the “touch and smell” table for hands-on fun with fungi. Plus there will be coloring and crafts at a children’s activity table and much more. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students/seniors and free for children under 12.

The Wild Mushroom Show is sponsored by The Northwest Mushroomers Association, which promotes the understanding and appreciation of mushrooms and the study of mycology in Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties.

Where to Buy Seasonal Mushrooms

Cascadia Mushrooms Reishi mushrooms are special because they are 100% Certified Organic, grown locally on their farm in Bellingham. Photo courtesy: Cascadia Mushrooms.

Can’t make it out into the woods to forage for mushrooms? Prefer to dirty your hands in the kitchen instead? Cascadia Mushrooms offers delicious, locally-foraged seasonal mushrooms at their farmers’ market booths in Bellingham and Everett, as well as both Community Food Co-op locations, Terra Organic Foods and the Skagit Valley Food Co-op. Or you can let someone else cook these beauties up for you by visiting one of several restaurants that serve Cascadia Mushrooms in Whatcom and Skagit counties.

Cascadia Mushrooms is located in North Bellingham. Visit their website or give them a call at 360-714-8859 to make an appointment to stop by, apply for a wholesale account or sign-up for one of their seasonal workshops.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County Receives $18,400 from the UPS Foundation

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LocalTalk Contributor

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Submitted by: Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County received an $18,400 grant from The UPS Foundation, which drives global corporate citizenship and philanthropic programs for UPS.

The grant will be used toward funding healthy snacks and nutritious meals to all members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County’s Healthy Foods Program.

Established in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its backing clearly impacts social issues. In support of this strategic approach, The UPS Foundation has identified the following focus areas for giving: volunteerism, diversity, community safety and the environment.

In 2016, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $116.6 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

“The UPS Foundation is honored to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County’s efforts to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS. “Our goal is to fund powerful programs that make a lasting difference on the global community.”

Bellingham TheatreWorks—Mrs. Bave Presents The Pig War

By

LocalTalk Contributor

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Submitted by: Bellingham TheatreWorks

Bellingham TheatreWorks was founded in 2014 by Western Washington University theatre professor Mark Kuntz, who assumed the role of artistic director, and producing director Steve Lyons.

Bellingham TheatreWorks will perform Mrs. Bave Presents The Pig War. Photo Courtesy: Bellingham TheatreWorks.

With a commitment to celebrating stories of significance to the Pacific Northwest, utilizing local actors and local playwrights, the productions of Bellingham TheatreWorks have been enjoyed by nearly 6,000 patrons over the past three seasons. Bellingham TheatreWorks keeps tickets prices low, usually under $20, making theatre more affordable for everyone.

Bellingham TheatreWorks produced Border Songs in Bellingham and Lynden, based on the best-selling novel by Olympian writer Jim Lynch. We next premiered Steve Lyons’ The Ghosts of Tonkin, about Oregon Senator Wayne Morse. We opened The Ghosts of Tonkin in Bellingham and then toured the show to Portland, Eugene and Seattle. In Seattle our production was co-produced by ACT. We debuted Marina by local playwright Sandy Wolf. The musical, with full orchestra and twenty-five actors, premiered at the Mount Baker Theatre in May 2015.

This past season we produced Quality: The Shoe Play (produced at 12th Street Shoes), The Gun Show by Oregon playwright EM Lewis and Steve Lyons’ comedy Peaches en Regalia.

Our work has garnered the attention of both local and national media, including American Theatre Magazine, Bellingham Herald, WhatcomTalk, Bellingham Wins, Playbell, Entertainment News Northwest, Cascadia Weekly, Northern Light, The Oregonian, Portland Monthly, Bellingham Alive, Willamette Week, Eugene Weekly, Lynden Tribune, as well as radio stations KIRO, KMRE, KLCC, KXRY, KPSU, KBOO, KBAI, KEXP, and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

This fall, Bellingham TheatreWorks will continue its commitment to celebrating stories of significance to the Pacific Northwest by premiering Steve Lyons’ comedy Mrs. Bave Presents the Pig War.

Subtitled “The almost true story of a play that nearly happened about a war that never occurred,” at the center of this comedy is the Pig War of 1859, which was a border dispute between the United States and Britain over ownership of the San Juan Islands. This war is significant because ultimately there was no war! Peace was chosen over war.

This comedy is inspired by the wacky, true tale of Emilia Bave and her “San Juan Saga.” Mrs. Bave’s play was originally presented in 1959 on San Juan Island in celebration of the centennial of the Pig War. The premier of the play featured local acting talent. However, when she wanted to re-mount the play the following year, she found no one wanted to be in her play! Undaunted, she re-wrote the script to be a narration with the reluctant actors replaced by mannequins. Using her mannequin cast, she presented her play to unsuspecting visitors for nearly 20 years.

In our comedy, Mrs. Bave’s cantankerous Pig War mannequins spring to life, and take over the telling of the Pig War tale.

The Pig War is one of the few examples in our country’s history in which diplomacy triumphs over war. Although tempers flared, the Americans and the British ultimately resolved their dispute over the ownership of the San Juan Islands peacefully.

The world needs more examples of peaceful resolution of conflict. And we have a beautiful example of that in our own back yard.

Likewise, the spirit of Mrs. Bave is an inspiration. Writing plays is all about tolerating countless rejections. Emelia Bave would not take “no” for an answer, even when no one wanted to be in her play! No problem, she hired a bunch of mannequins!! This is a playwright driven by the need to tell her story!

For Mrs. Bave Presents the Pig War, we have commitments from the following funders: The Honeywell Foundation, Washington State Arts Commission, The Bellingham Lodging Tax Fund and The Floyd Jones Family Fund.

Bellingham TheatreWorks partners with local businesses and organizations for all of our productions. For Mrs. Bave Presents the Pig War, our partners include the San Juan Island National Historical Park, Village Books, The Pickett House, Washington State Historical Society and the Whatcom Historical Society. Business sponsors include Zane Burger, City Dogs Grooming and Salon Bellissima.

Our audience engagement programs include a “meet and greet” reception with Mrs. Bave’s actual mannequins (and the stuffed boar) used in the San Juan Saga and post-play discussions with Marsha Bave (daughter of Emelia Bave) and Mike Vouri, Chief Historian of the San Juan National Historical Park.

On September 13, Village Books will hold a book tie-in reading of The Pig War: Standoff at Griffin Bay by Mike Vouri.

Meet Bellingham’s Natural Lee

By

Dan Burwell

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Lee Becker 3 — Lee Becker sees much of Whatcom County from the seat of his bicycle. Photo credit: Dan Burwell.

A year ago a friend gave my wife the book Humans of New York and later Humans of New York Stories. It’s a compilation of pictures of interesting people in New York and brief descriptions. The first book is kind of like reading a National Geographic but just the pictures and captions – the latter book with the articles. The project began originally as a Facebook page and grew to three books, the third I have not yet read. When our family received the books, I read each book the night they were received. The books contain fascinating pictures of everyday and not so everyday people filled with joy, heartbreak and dripping with humanity.

Lee Becker is ready to ride. Photo credit: Dan Burwell.

Before that, maybe five years ago, I had the idea of creating a website called, “Stranger no stranger” where I wanted to take pictures of local people who I (and I assume many) see in our community but don’t know their story. The stories I’m telling fit this niche and are the reason why I began writing for WhatcomTalk. The person who I wanted to interview more than anyone, my family has seen for decades. We call him, “naked bike guy.”

You’ll know of him if you’ve ever seen him. He rides a road bike with nothing more than spandex shorts. Of late, he wears a helmet. My family thinks he’s a legend. So, my adventure to find him begins.

I email many of my local friends to ask if they know him. I get a lot of encouragement but no one seems to know him. They’ve seen him riding on the Guide or they’ve seen him on Elm Street. Finally a friend texts and says, “His name is Lee Becker but everyone calls him Natural Lee. He doesn’t wear a shirt, like ever.” So, there was hope, but no phone number. I search and find a link to Running Bear Painting and Remodeling. I leave a message on an automated answering machine. Nothing. Weeks go by. I miss my deadline. I keep leaving messages.

I ask my friend again, “Can you get his number?” I move on to other story ideas. I ask my editor what she can do to get his number. Then, on the same day, I get an email from my editor and a text from my friend with his number. I call and it’s … Natural Lee himself! We talk on the phone and Lee is very cordial. “You know I’m the guy who doesn’t wear anything, right?” he asks.

“Yep and I’ll be wearing bright orange,” I reply. We set a date for a bike ride to Ferndale on a Wednesday evening, perfect temperature for a ride. I prepare, fill my pockets with a water bottle and snack. We will meet at a church. I wait in my spandex. I ride around the block. I wait. No one there. It’s 20 minutes past our time to meet. I decide to ride thinking maybe I missed him. I call and I leave a message on his phone. No answer. I ride to Ferndale but don’t see him. Then I get a message on my cell phone.

Lee Becker covers a lot of ground. Photo credit: Dan Burwell.

“Dan, this is Lee. I’m sorry I missed the ride. I have no excuse. Please call me. Again, I’m very sorry.” I finish my ride and come home and give Lee a call. He answers and we make another date for a ride. Sunday morning.

Sunday arrives and again I’m in my spandex. I wait at the church. I check my phone with my head down and then hear a voice. “You must be Dan.” I look up and it’s Natural Lee, before me, shirtless, spandex shorts and a helmet. Lee in real life! Talking to me! So awesome!

We click into our pedals and are riding side by side toward Ferndale. The first and most natural question is why he rides shirtless. I heard an urban legend that I wanted to confirm. It was that his wife died of hypothermia so he wanted to honor her and acclimatize his body to all conditions, so he rode shirtless.

“No, that’s not it but 11 years ago when my wife left me, I was a discombobulated mess,” he says. He continues with the real story. “So, I was 15 or 16 living on Long Island, New York and I hitchhiked to New Hampshire to visit friends for the weekend. I had just purchased an $80 leather jacket ($80 in the late 1960s is about $600 today). I went to a dance at Nashua High School. We all left our jackets in a room before going to the dance and when I came back, the jacket was gone,” he describes. “I remember being outside and so furious that my jacket was stolen, I didn’t realize how cold it was.” It was January in New Hampshire. Thus, the awareness of what is cold and what is not was born. And Lee to this day just sees his shirtless bike riding as a way to be more aware.

We continue riding, almost to the Nooksack River bridge on Marine Drive. The next question, “When did you start riding?”

“I was 16. I got my driver’s license but I knew my parents wouldn’t let me have access to a car,” he describes. “I had a three-speed Sears bike, so I rode it. I had friends to see, things to do.” Lee goes on to say, “Cycling just works at the speed of my brain. There’s nothing like it. You feel like you are one with the earth.”

Indeed, that’s the reason many of us ride. You see more, you’re not in a cage. You’re not going too fast, nor too slow and you have a keen sense of grade and slope as you are doing all the work. We both bond over this fact. “It’s ultimate freedom,” Lee describes.

Lee Becker sees much of Whatcom County from the seat of his bicycle. Photo credit: Dan Burwell.

I recall seeing Lee on his bike with no helmet and was surprised to see him with a helmet when he arrived. “I’ve had 14 or 15 concussions,” he says. He goes on to describe hitting a crescent wrench and then crashing. He was awry for a few days after the crash, arguing with his wife for no reason. He got up groggy one morning, felt his temple to finally notice a scab the size of a grain of sand. That explained it. One more concussion.

Another time in the 1980s Lee was dumped by his girlfriend who moved to New Mexico. He decided to fly down to Phoenix, Arizona and bike to Taos, New Mexico – a distance of 550 miles which he completed in four days. Upon arrival to his ex-girlfriend’s house, he simply said, “I didn’t like the way you treated me,” and he rode back to Albuquerque to stay at a friend’s house. After his confrontation with his ex and before he reached Albuquerque, the front pannier bracket of his bike snapped and swung into his front wheel. He woke up to find a policeman hovering over him. He was taken to a hospital to recover. He had hit his right eye socket on the pavement and was bleeding heavily. With some help from strangers, a $250 hospital bill and a free ambulance ride, he made it to a friend’s house for the night. He then hitchhiked to Albuquerque. “I was livin’!” Lee proclaims. Six years later he heard from his ex. She appreciated how he reacted to the breakup and told him she’d changed how she treats people due to his feedback. “That made it worth it,” he smiles.

Since then, his present wife has finally convinced him that a helmet is worthwhile. I concur. I would have seen my dad die twice on a bike if it weren’t for a helmet, same with my college roommate. I agree that safer biking infrastructure would reduce accidents but cars have bumpers, cages, crumple-zones and seatbelts for a reason. That same reason is true of cyclists. In the Netherlands, people rarely wear helmets but they also rarely go over 15 miles per hour with safer more protected trails, cycle tracks and bike lanes. Drivers there are also much more aware of cyclists as many cycle as well. We don’t have that here yet, we both agree. We also have mountains and large hills!

Lee has family in northern Italy near the coastal city of Imperia. He’s visited them many times. He continues to describe the bike culture in Europe. He was cresting a mountain pass when a car came up from behind. He waved at them to pass him but the car waited from behind. As he crested the pass, the car passed and the people in the car cheered him for his efforts. “It’s simply a different culture in Europe regarding bikes,” he describes.

Lee grew up in New Hampshire and New York. He moved out west and lived in Glacier for many years riding his bike regularly on State Route 542 (Mount Baker Highway). He told me he’s one of the characters in a book, Philly’s Bridge by Scott Swanson, which I hope to read in the future. Lee now lives with his wife in the Geneva neighborhood just outside Bellingham’s city limits. His wife is a creative welder and has her own welding shop. His dad still lives in New Hampshire and his sister is there too, helping to take care of dad.

We arrive back in Bellingham and my epic ride with the legend, Natural Lee, had come to an end. We shake hands and I ask to see if we can ride again. We agree it would be fun. So, my hopes are high I’ll ride with him again. Maybe next time I’ll go shirtless…

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Got an idea for someone you’ve always wondered about? Maybe you already know them but think they deserve some lime light. I’m looking to get to know others that make our community a better place, a unique place, maybe even a stranger place. Drop me a line at submit@whatcomtalk.com.

Angela Bradley, MD

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