When engaging in outdoor recreation, participants should take care to respect Whatcom wildlife. Photo credit: Justin Pedigo | FC Photography.
Celebrate good times—come on! The weekend is here and it’s time to cheer! It’s also time to get out and have a little fun. Here are a few ideas of what to do in and around Bellingham May 4—6. And don’t forget to check out our full events calendar for all the fun happenings in Whatcom County.
WhatcomTalk aims to be your source for positive information and events happening in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and throughout Whatcom County. If you have a suggestion for a post, send us a note at submit@whatcomtalk.com. For more events and to learn what’s happening in Bellingham and the surrounding area, visit our events calendar. To submit an event of your own, visit our events calendar and click on the green “Post Your Event” button.
Nancy lends a helping hand to her new student while playing with fondant and creating fun cake decor. Photo credit: Lauren Murphy.
Passersby are plentiful on Fairhaven’s busy Harris Avenue, especially on a sunny afternoon, and none can resist peeking into Sweet Bellingham’s window to catch a glimpse of their delicious daily offerings. Upon entering the café, you will find a to-go counter and small seating areas for those who want to stay and enjoy. Right in the middle of the open shop is a big, white table for interactive decorating classes.
Sweet Bellingham student, Grace, displays her beautifully decorated cake at the end of class. Photo credit: Lauren Murphy.
Along with delicious treats, Sweet Bellingham offers a variety of locally-sourced beverages like kombucha, coffee and wine. Grab a friend, a slice of cake and a glass of cabernet and you’ve got a recipe for a delectable day out.
“You can go and have a nice, elegant, upscale dessert without having to pay a big dinner tab,” says shop owner Nancy Babick. “People can just come in and have a good slice of carrot cake or crème brûlée.”
Sweet Bellingham’s property previously housed businesses like Katie’s Cupcakes and the Mad Batter, two bakeries focused on to-go cupcakes and custom orders. This time around, Sweet Bellingham is bringing something new to the table. Beyond selling treats, the business encourages community involvement.
Nancy lends a helping hand to her new student while playing with fondant and creating fun cake decor. Photo credit: Lauren Murphy.
Nancy Babick is the creative baker behind Sweet Bellingham, which opened its doors in Fairhaven in September 2017. In partnership with her husband, Nancy offers both public and private cake and cookie decorating classes, desserts to-go and custom baked goods made to order.
Nancy discovered her passion for cake decorating while living in Los Angeles, where she took classes at a specialty shop. When she and her family moved out of the city, she no longer had access to quality decorating tools due to the limited selection found at large retailers.
That inspired her to start a business providing interactive classes and top-notch tools to home bakers. She and her husband opened their first bake shop in California nine years ago, which they still own today. With this experience, they knew just what to do when they moved north.
Using fondant in cake decorating is a must. Here, Martha shows her skills making details for her themed cake. Photo credit: Lauren Murphy.
Nancy teaches a few cake or cookie decorating classes at Sweet Bellingham every month, typically following seasonal themes. The shop recently hosted an Easter cake decorating class featuring a three-layer cake frosted to look like a tree stump, complete with fondant butterflies, mushrooms and a bunny.
This was Martha Larson’s fourth class with Nancy. “She’s a great teacher,” Martha says. “I’ve taken other classes and didn’t learn because the teacher was focusing on other people, but she takes the time.”
Private classes can also be scheduled and themed around whatever your heart desires. These are perfect for birthday celebrations, exercises in team-building or just fun learning opportunities.
All ages and skill levels will enjoy Nancy’s interactive lessons as projects can be customized to each individual. No design ever comes out the same, which Nancy prefers, and all show off the decorator’s unique style.
The classes usually last around two hours. Follow Sweet Bellingham on Facebook to learn about upcoming events or give them a call to schedule your own.
Sweet Bellingham offers creative paint-your-own cookies, which can be painted at home or in their café. You can even order a customized cookie with your favorite photo. Photo credit: Lauren Murphy.
The menu at this bakery isn’t just cake, though they can whip up a wide variety. Candied apples, house-fired s’mores and French macarons are among their popular takeaway treats. In fact, Sweet Bellingham is the only bakery in town to serve locally-sourced candied apples.
As proud members of Sustainable Connections, Sweet Bellingham is committed to using quality, sustainable ingredients in their baked goods. Every apple they use, whether for candying or baking into pies, is Washington grown. As Nancy says, “What’s more Washingtonian than that?”
Local flavors play a significant role in Sweet Bellingham’s menu and are often inspired by Nancy’s trips to the farmers market. Both Holmquist Hazelnuts and Bow Hill Blueberries make a tasty appearance in their French macarons and perhaps their most popular flavor, lavender-honey, is made with local ingredients.
Those with dietary restrictions will find solace in Sweet Bellingham’s spread as they carry plenty of gluten-free, vegan and even Paleo treat options. Their dairy-free apple pie is enjoyed by vegans and omnivores alike and the legendary gluten-free triple layer chocolate mousse cake is out of this world.
In addition, the shop is loaded with baking supplies for beginners and experts alike. “What’s the whole point if you only show them?” Nancy says. “Now they can have access to the tools.” Products like pastry boxes, candy flavorings and cookie cutters line the shop’s walls, sure to stop any baking enthusiast in their tracks.
Every item in Sweet Bellingham is chosen carefully – they’re all quality items that Nancy stands behind. Most products stocked here are made in the U.S.A. and often come from small, family-owned businesses.
Whether you’re looking for a new hobby, want to boost your baking skills or are simply craving a top-notch dessert, Sweet Bellingham is on the job.
This morning, the West Coast League announced the addition of Commissioner to its league leadership structure, and that former ESPN and Fox Sports journalist Rob Neyer will be filling the position, effective immediately.
Neyer is the league’s first commissioner since ABCA Hall of Fame head coach Jim Dietz of San Diego State presided over the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League, during the circuit’s formative years.
“We are thrilled to have Rob Neyer represent the West Coast League and act as our league’s commissioner,” said WCL president Tony Bonacci. “His knowledge of the game and passion for what we are doing, not to mention his contacts in baseball, should help us elevate the league to new heights.”
“We can’t be more pleased that Rob has joined us as our commissioner.”
Commissioner Neyer lives in Portland, Oregon.
A baseball writer known for his pioneering use of statistical analysis and sabermetrics, Rob began his career working for Bill James and STATS, Inc. He’s also worked for 15 years as a columnist and blogger for ESPN and was National Baseball Editor at Vox Media’s SB Nation from 2011 to 2013, then Senior Baseball Editor for Fox Sports through 2015. His recent work has been featured in The New York Times, Vice Sports, Complex Sports, and Yahoo, among others.
This October, HarperCollins will publishPOWER BALL: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game, Rob’s seventh book.
“I’m a passionate, longtime fan of baseball history generally, and Pacific Northwest baseball specifically,” Neyer said. “So it’s difficult for me to imagine a more exciting opportunity, and I’m honored to be associated with such a fine organization. This summer, as I connect with the owners and visit all the beautiful ballparks, I’ll do everything I can to help this great league become even greater.”
WCL members will look to the league’s new commissioner to arbitrate and regulate during the season; to further connect the league and its teams with the baseball community, its markets and those that follow the game; and to act as a league ambassador.
As the second youngest in a family of 22, Richard Olate struggled to find security in his home of Chile, South America. At the age of 12, he rescued his first street dog that would eventually rescue him. Through hard work and constant struggle, he took his amateur dog show all the way to the $1 million America’s Got Talent prize. With help from his son Nicholas and wife Rebecca, this crew of rescued pooches now thrill and delight audiences around the world.
Dogs Get a Second Chance Through Theatre is sure to be fun for the whole family. Photo courtesy of Olate Dogs / Mount Baker Theatre
Willy, Cholo, Lili, Joe, Sodi, Benny, Bob, Maggie, Loca, Oso, and Bella are the stars of the show. Be on the lookout for Joe at the front of the conga line and Cholo’s famous car act. Oso is in love with Bella and spends much of his day trying to play with and get her attention. All of the dogs are in love with Richard Olate but Lili is his constant shadow. Although these pups had a rough start in their lives, Richard has allowed their personalities to blossom through adopting them as his own.
The family of pooches and their accompanying owners are now making their way towards Bellingham! This high-energy, fast-paced touring dog variety show is not only filled with amazing dog tricks, human acrobatics and humor, it teaches the value of family and promotes animal well-being.
Gather your family and friends at Mount Baker Theatre to support this funny and talented family of pooches. The Olate Dogs will be performing on Saturday, June 9 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.You can also support local Bellingham school kids through your ticket purchase.Mention “Cash Back for Kids”and Mount Baker Theatre will donate 10% of your ticket revenue to the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation.Everyone wins when you enjoy this fantastic show.
You'll find an amazing array of baked goods at Mount Bakery. Thank mom with something warm and delicious.
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13. The holiday became official in 1914, which means it’s been celebrated over 100 times. But even with all this practice, every year brings the same question: How do we best celebrate all the moms in our lives?
Treat mom to something sweet this Mother’s Day. Photo credit: Mary Burwell.
It comes around every year, but I still don’t know how to celebrate Mother’s Day. It used to be so simple as a kid. You draw a cartoon version of her with colors outside the lines. Or write a poem about “Why I love my Mom” during school. But now, as an adult, the stakes feel higher. For a lot of us, we’ve made it this far because of our mothers’ support (and dads too, of course).
I also realize I have more than just one mom in my life, more than one woman who deserves to be celebrated. Now the question becomes even bigger: How do I celebrate all these people in one day? There’s my neighbor, a mom to several foster animals who takes care of them all by herself. And my friend who’s always keeping track of and supporting our group – our mom-away-from-mom. And what about my Grammie? She’s a super mom.
My mom works night shift as a newborn intensive care unit nurse. She’s done this for almost three decades. She helps bring babies into this world and, in turn, welcomes in new moms. She would leave at night, come home in the morning, wake me up to go to school after a 12-hour shift and always smile. I would eat the breakfast she made while she ate “dinner” at 7:00 a.m. Sometimes she would nod off and I’d wake her up like the smart little kid I was, not fully understanding she spent the night on her feet saving lives.
There’s nothing like a nice hot cup of locally roasted Hammerhead Coffee—except when it’s shared with someone you love and admire. Treat mom to some nice together time this Mother’s Day.
When I think of any person – man or woman – who represents motherhood, I’m filled with warmth and thoughts of soft goodness. This leads to thoughts of freshly baked pastries – just like the ones we shared each morning before school. Maybe the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day is by sharing some delicious, warm goodness from Mount Bakery.
We have our moms who raised us, pet-moms, our grand-moms, our mom-like friends and more. That’s a lot of people for a single day. Fortunately Mount Bakery has a solution: celebrate all weekend long.
Rhubarb Crumb Coffee Cake with White Balsamic strawberry compote. Photo courtesy of: Mount Bakery Cafe
Mount Bakery is running Mother’s Day specials Friday through Sunday for all the moms in our lives. If you place a large pastry order, you’ll receive a baker’s dozen for pastry orders of 12 or more. Make sure you order 72 hours in advance so they can make it all with love!
Invite mom and the other special women in your life to a bonding brunch at Mount Bakery. What better way to express your gratitude, affection, admiration or love, than with one-on-one time and a delicious meal? This year Mount Bakery has a menu to nurture the soul.
Special Dessert:
Chocolate Pastry Cream Tart with Strawberries
Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs and Dungeness Crab. Photo courtesy of: Mount Bakery
Brunch Specials:
Starter:
Rhubarb crumb coffeecake with strawberry compote, finished with whipped cream
Main Dishes:
Avocado toast with poached eggs: Crushed avocado with roasted onions and green olives on herb focaccia, with two perfectly pouched eggs finished with a spicy herb chimichurri. Add Dungeness crab to really make it spectacular.
Crêpe Suzie Q: Mount Bakery’s take on the classic crêpe Suzette. This includes two delicate butter crepes smothered in raspberry reduction Grand Marnier, vanilla whipped cream, lightly dusted with shaved dark chocolate and garnished with a Belgian chocolate truffle and sea salt.
Drink Specials:
Fresh Fruit Bellini Peach & Strawberry. Photo courtesy of: Mount Bakery
Assortment of Fresh Fruit Bellinis
Fresh Fruit puree mixed with bubbly prosecco, finished with fresh fruit garnish
Mount Bakery’s menu can be enjoyed at both locations this Mother’s Day. We dedicate one day out of 365 to moms, but Mount Bakery has bumped it up to three. Moms are inspiring. Take the time to honor their efforts, dedication and love with an intimate meal and fresh, homemade goods. What better way to celebrate than with a sweet moment together?
Wind farms produce wind power that in turn can be purchased by subscribers who want to pay for renewable energy.
Photo courtesy: Puget Sound Energy
Want to reduce your carbon footprint? You aren’t alone. Puget Sound Energy (PSE) plans to cut its carbon emissions 50 percent by 2040, while helping customers do the same. PSE has many ways to creating renewable energy – and Whatcom County has played an integral part in the expansion of these options.
Just one of the ways Puget Sound Energy strives to cut carbon emissions is by using electric cars and vehicles fueled by clean natural gas. Photos courtesy: Puget Sound Energy
Heather Mulligan, PSE’s market manager for its green power and net metering programs, says that nine percent of PSE’s power currently comes from renewable energy sources. By 2020, that figure must reach 15 percent.
For its voluntary Green Power Program, Mulligan says the company’s first priority is to source renewable energy from projects developed in the PSE area before looking further afield. The company currently owns three windfarms in the Pacific Northwest, including the Wild Horse Wind Farm that dominates the landscape off of Interstate 90 east of Ellensburg. Additional projects include solar, geothermal, low-impact hydroelectricity and biogas from dairies and landfills.
Whether you’re a residential or commercial customer of PSE, there are several renewable energy programs you can voluntarily enroll in to match all or a portion of your energy usage:
Green Power and Solar Choice
PSE’s Green Power program began in 2002 and currently covers 46,000 participants. It allows customers to match some or all of their electricity usage with green power from the regional renewable projects. Customers can enroll for as little as $4 more a month, or roughly 1 cent per Kilowatt-hour. The program helps customers drop their carbon footprint and requires no additional equipment or action other than simply signing up.
PSE’s Solar Choice program, which began last year and has more than 2,500 participants, lets customers buy blocks of solar energy sources from various Washington- and Idaho-based solar projects. Like Green Power, customers can match all or a portion of their energy usage and purchase 150 Kilowatt-hour ‘blocks’ of solar energy at $5 per block.
Customers can sign up for both programs at the same time, if they wish. These programs are just one reason PSE stands out as a utility provider. “We’re very proud of the fact that it’s among the top five utility green pricing programs in the nation, in terms of both participation and mega-watt hours sold,” says Mulligan.
Getting started
PSE owns three windfarms, including the Wild Horse Wind Farm — which you’ve no doubt noticed if you’ve driven along Interstate 90 near Ellensburg. Photo courtesy: Puget Sound Energy
For homeowners looking into solar energy, Mulligan says PSE net meters their system, crediting customers for any power they put back into the grid at the same rate they purchase power from PSE. Those credits can accumulate on their bill over the course of the year, so when customers produce more power than they need during sunny summer months, they can use those credits in the dark and rainy winter months, when energy usage likely increases and solar production is down.
In addition to credits, customers may be eligible for the Washington State Production Incentive Program, which provides qualifying participants with an annual payment for energy produced by their equipment, regardless of their energy usage. Currently, customers earn 16 cents per Kilowatt-hour, plus an additional 5cents per Kilowatt-hour if their panels are manufactured in-state.
Here again, Bellingham comes up big, as it’s home to Itek Energy, the only in-state manufacturer of solar panels. Mulligan says PSE can also point customers to qualified local contractors for solar panel installation.
Turning Poo into Power
For Whatcom County farmers, PSE’s dairy digester projects provide many benefits. The county currently contains four of six digesters selling renewable power to PSE.
Mulligan says cow manure usually sits in open-air holding ponds, allowing methane gas – perhaps the most potent greenhouse gas – to escape into the atmosphere. The program allows farmers to install large, bifurcated concrete tanks on their property to store the manure. Over about 21 days, the manure works its way through the tank, allowing methane to rise to the tank top and be captured, where the gas is used to run a power-producing generator. Leftover methane is destroyed and released into the air as carbon dioxide.
The process gives farmers a liquid, nitrogen-rich fertilizer to spread on their fields, as well as a solid fertilizer material for gardening. It’s even good bedding for cows, as it’s 99.99 percent pathogen-free.
Farmers who are interested in selling this energy to PSE can sign 15-year power purchase agreements. This allows them to know exactly how much they’ll be paid by PSE over the term, giving them the chance to show potential project lenders guaranteed income. A separate agreement can also allow farmers to monetize their renewable energy credits.
Green Direct
Another current program is “Green Direct,” which is geared towards large corporate customers using more than 10,000 Megawatt-hours a year, as well as state and local government entities. Those customers include state universities, ports, and municipal and state governments.
In the first phase of the program, 21 customers subscribed to receive power from a currently under-development windfarm in Lewis County, south of Olympia. PSE doesn’t own the farm, but signed a 20-year power purchase agreement to use its energy. Local subscribers to the project include Western Washington University, the City of Bellingham, and Whatcom County.
Once the farm begins to produce wind power, these subscribers will start paying for the renewable energy. “One thing that we heard from those customers was … they wanted to know that they were impacting the build of new, renewable resources,” Mulligan says. “All those customers really can say that project is being built because of their actions.”
The completion of the windfarm is slated for next year.
Program dedication
Wind farms produce wind power that in turn can be purchased by subscribers who want to pay for renewable energy. Photo courtesy: Puget Sound Energy
More immediately, PSE recently awarded the City of Bellingham a $50,000 solar array that will be officially installed and dedicated on Taylor Dock in a June 27 ceremony.PSE’s Nicholas Hartrich says they’ve worked closely with the city’s parks and recreation department to find a site for the array, seeking a location both highly visible and capable of adequate power generation.
“The panels,” Hartrich says, “are for the people.”
The solar array is a result of the 2016 collaboration between the City of Bellingham and PSE to sign up several hundred residents for the Green Power Program during that year.
Sharon Butler, commercial lending assistant at the Peoples Bank Lynden branch, was recently selected as the company’s 2018 Community Stewardship Award recipient. Presented to an employee who regularly volunteers their time and resources to enhance, preserve, and promote a thriving community, Butler was recognized for her involvement with Lynden-based mentorship program, Be the One, as well as her contributions as a volunteer with the Bellingham Community Meal Program and American Red Cross.
Sharon’s nearly four-year dedication to Be the One clearly made an impression upon her colleagues who nominate and vote for the annual award recipient. Be the One was founded on the idea that every successful young person has in his or her life at least one stable relationship with a caring adult. The organization pairs volunteer mentors with middle and high school students, and each mentor meets with his or her mentee for one hour per week during the school year.
Having grown up in a military family that moved around a great deal, Sharon has considerable empathy for young people whose circumstances may be somewhat unstable. “I just feel that it takes so little to change anything in life,” says Sharon. “Who doesn’t have an hour each week to invest in someone else?”
Being part of the community is very important to Sharon and representing Peoples Bank in Lynden is also meaningful. “This is where Peoples Bank first set down its roots in Washington nearly 100 years ago. It has created a sense of security and friendship for the community,” says Sharon. “Even though I didn’t grow up here, I feel right at home. The management at Peoples Bank wants us to be involved in the community not for gain, but because we, as an organization, care about people. It’s a phenomenal place to work.”
Peoples Bank is a locally owned and operated, independent full-service community bank with over $1.6 billion in assets. Headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, the Bank was founded in 1921 and operates 24 branches located throughout Washington. In its most recent rating, Bauer Financial, a leading independent bank rating firm, awarded Peoples Bank its highest five-star superior rating. This rating recognizes Peoples Bank’s strong financial management practices, dedicated employees and long-standing customer relationships. Learn more at https://www.peoplesbank-wa.com/.
Make running fun with a group run ending at your favorite local pub! Photo courtesy: BBay Running Pub Run.
Forget a gym membership and subscribe to the outdoors with these fun spring activities! Outdoor exercise is great for both your physical and mental health, and we just so happen to live in one of Washington’s most recreation-focused cities. Here in Whatcom County, the options are endless for staying fit outside, so we’ve rounded up a few that are easily accessible and require little to no additional equipment than what you already own.
Hiking
Hiking is both an amazing total body workout and a refreshing break from your normal routine. Lose calories while gaining clarity on one of the many trails Bellingham has to offer. Depending on the trail you choose, you’ll be rewarded with views of mountains, rivers, hidden lakes and even some hot springs.
Hikers enjoy a social walk through the trees with The Mount Baker Club. Photo courtesy: The Mount Baker Club.
Make running fun with a group run ending at your favorite local pub! Photo courtesy: BBay Running Pub Run.
Cardio seems to have gotten a bad reputation in the past few years, but before you roll your eyes at the thought of a “fun run,” check out these scenic trails perfect for a jog. One of the most popular running trails is the Lake Padden loop – a scenic, 2.6 mile trail around the lake with easy rolling hills. The view of the lake will almost make you forget you’re running!
Sehome Arboretum and Whatcom Falls Park are also great trails for beginners as they allow you to choose your own distance. Most trails in these parks are under one mile but can be combined until you reach the distance of your choosing. All three trails are just outside of Bellingham and stay maintained all year round. To increase the difficulty or for advanced trail runners, try running some of the hikes listed above. For more cardio motivation, run with a group like the Greater Bellingham Running Club, the BBay Running Pub Run or register for a local 5k.
Mountain Biking
Mountain biking is both a workout and a thrill! Photo courtesy: Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition.
Let adrenaline be the only pre-workout you need and try mountain biking on Galbraith Mountain. Mountain biking combines the grind of the uphill climb with the freedom and thrill of riding back down, giving you instant reward for your hard work. Enthusiasts from all over the U.S. seek out Bellingham’s infamous Galbraith Mountain, better known as “Galby,” for its perfect mountain biking terrain.
Galbraith has over 50 miles of trails spread out over 3,000 acres of forest overlooking Bellingham and the Bellingham Bay. It may seem overwhelming, but this expansive network of trails has something to offer bikers of any experience level. For beginners, Lost Giants Trail and Jack and the Beanstalk are the best places to start. For more trails and organized group rides, visit the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition webpage. Don’t have a bike? Rent one from a variety of local bike shops.
Snow Activities
Group of snowshoers enjoy the views from the White Salmon Road Snowshoe Trail. Photo courtesy: The Mount Baker Club.
Snow sports in the spring? You bet! In fact, spring ski season is widely considered to be better for families and beginners due to better visibility and weather. Currently, the Mount Baker Ski Area is scheduled to be open into late April. Lift ticket prices and the operation calendar can be found on their website.
Even after the ski area closes, skiers and snowboarders alike continue to hike up and ride down runs well into the late spring and early summer. But if you’d rather have shoes on your feet instead of boards, rent a pair of snowshoes from the Glacier Ski Shop and check out the White Salmon Road snowshoe trail. This easy and family-friendly trail provides views of Mount Shuksan and the Nooksack River. It’s a relatively non-technical trail with low incline and low avalanche danger, making it perfect for people wanting to learn.
So get out there and hike, run, bike, ski and snowshoe your way to better health and a brighter future. Your body and mind will thank you for it.
Fresh, local veggies are more vibrant and nutritious! Photo courtesy: Sustainable Connections.
You get home from work and are greeted by all your favorite subscription boxes piled high on the doorstep. Excitedly, you bring them inside to see what you got this month. Makeup, dog toys, clothes – everything you love delivered right to your home! But in your box-opening frenzy you forgot you still have to go to the grocery store.
Instead of getting back in your car and trekking across town, wouldn’t it be easier to have your groceries delivered with all your other products? And while you could subscribe to one of many food delivery services, it sparks uncertainty. How far is my food being shipped? Where is it coming from? How fresh is it, really? For those on a busy schedule who are also concious about what they eat and where it comes from, subscribing to Community Supported Agriculture can be the right choice.
CSA farmers will often include recipes for any produce you’re not familiar with. Photo courtesy: Sustainable Connections.
Community Supported Agriculture, also known as CSA, functions essentially the same as your BarkBox, Ipsy or any other subscription box order. Before the growing season, customers purchase a subscription from a local farmer based out of Whatcom or Skagit Counties, who uses the upfront costs to cover everything needed to grow your food. Then, during the growing season, the farmer supplies you with a box of your share of the harvest. Just like that, you’re saving time, money, the economy and the environment.
It might seem like an exaggeration, but it’s really not. Besides being exceptionally convenient, CSA is the most responsible, safe and sustainable choice for food delivery. CSA-supported local farmers feel a deep connection with and responsibility to the families they’re feeding. This ensures that your food is grown and handled with care and that it’s picked at the peak of ripeness.
These fresh whole foods guarantee you and your family are getting the best and most nutritious products available. Plus, you’re not only investing in your own health, but the health of the environment and community as well. Many CSA farmers are working to revitalize the soil, protect biodiversity, raise their animals in a humane way and grow organically. And while CSA farmers know you care about your health and the environment, they also know you care about your budget. Participating in CSA actually saves you money on comparible organic produce, plus the time, money and gas spent driving to the grocery store.
Walking through the fields of CSA participants, Cedarville Farms. Photo courtesy: Sustainable Connections.
Adrienne Renz at the Community Food Co-op noted that an added benefit of CSA participation is that shoppers are introduced to the unique offerings of a local farmer. In fact, CSA participants often come to the Co-op or Farmers Market to restock on certain items from their favorite farmers – items they might not have discovered otherwise. CSA’s can be a great way to discover some of our community’s local treasures.
So, what’s the catch?
There isn’t one – as long as you’re open to change. CSA is different than going to the typical grocery store. Instead of eating imported foods, you eat with the seasons. You let the farmer and the crops direct your inspiration and you work with the foods that are delivered. While change might sound scary, a lot of people find that CSA relieves the stress of meal planning. Plus, a lot of the farmers include recipes and tips on cooking anything you may not be familiar with.
Community Supported Agriculture is on trend, on budget and a responsible choice. You can feel good about taking a chore off your plate and putting local, organic produce on it instead. To get started and select your desired farm, be sure to explore your options. Listed below are a few Whatcom County CSA participants. The full list with descriptions, prices and contact information can be found on the Sustainable Connections website.
Fresh, local veggies are more vibrant and nutritious! Photo courtesy: Sustainable Connections.
For further questions about CSA processes and participants, contact Sustainable Connections or call the farm you’re interested in directly. Farm contact information can be found on the full description sheet on the Sustainable Connections CSA page.
Over 150 people participated in the Earth Day community work party.
Photo credit: Kenneth Clarkson
Activities for the day consisted of removing invasive species, planting native species and spreading mulch. Photo credit: City of Bellingham
The sun eventually made its entrance on the afternoon of April 21st at Little Squalicum Park in Bellingham – a stark contrast to the early morning weather Bellingham Comcast General Manager Brett Fontes experienced on his way to the Comcast Cares Day work party. Luckily, the overcast skies parted in time for Brett and the Comcast crew to host a successful work party alongside the City of Bellingham’s Parks and Recreation, Public Works and Natural Resources Departments.
More than 120 Comcast employees, their family and friends joined 70 people brought out by the City of Bellingham. The day’s main goal was to restore riparian areas throughout Little Squalicum Park. Volunteers removed invasive species, such as Himalayan blackberry bushes, laid down fresh mulch and planted new native species.
Folks worked in every area of the park, some trudging through thick underbrush to complete their tasks. Trash cans filled to the brim with tools were situated throughout the park, providing easy access to everyone mulching, planting and pulling out various plant species.
Coincidentally, the Parks Department was doing their Earth Clean Up Day at the same time, so we decided to collaborate with them.”
Park Operations Manager for City of Bellingham Steve Janiszewski and his team took the lead on the project. The Parks Department gave Brett a list of tasks to complete and Brett divided them among his volunteer team.
Volunteers dump debris collected from the work party into a City of Bellingham Parks Department vehicle. Photo credit: Kenneth Clarkson
It turns out this wasn’t the first time Comcast has worked alongside the City of Bellingham’s Parks and Recreation, Public Works and Natural Resources Departments. All of these groups came together for an earlier Comcast Cares Day, five years ago. Brett recalls hauling tons of gravel in order to build trails. Steve chuckles at the thought of Brett carrying heavy bucket loads of gravel, and then stresses the importance Comcast plays in the Bellingham community.
“Our work parties address the many issues these parks have, and in order to complete them we need a lot of people to help,” Steve says. “It’s great to see them out here working with us.”
Just as Steve finishes his sentence, another member of the Earth Day community work party shows up and echoes his sentiment. Analiese Burns is the Habitat and Restoration Manager with the Natural Resources Division of the Bellingham Public Works Department and she couldn’t agree more.
“Comcast is very important in helping us finish the work we want to complete,” Analiese says. “Collaborating with them is awesome. They bring their employees and their energy, which really helps elevate the work we can do and allows us to get more done.”
Simply put: Analiese and Steve were able to tackle such a huge project because Comcast and their extended workforce were there to help.
Throughout the years, Brett and the Comcast team have been to a dozen different clean-up sites, striving to make a big impact.
“We want to give back to the community we serve,” Brett says. “Folks that live in this area are our customers, our employees live here and we interact with the Bellingham community on a daily basis. This is just a great day for us.”
Over 150 people participated in the Earth Day community work party. Photo credit: Kenneth Clarkson
Comcast Cares Day is an all-ages event. Children and parents alike participated in the clean-up and all helped make it a successful outing. Steve says part of that success is attributed to everyone staying safe. Working in the outdoors, and especially removing Himalayan blackberry bushes, calls for proper safety attire.
“We tell people to wear proper clothes, such as gloves, long sleeves and proper protection,” Steve says. “Children will become park users in the future and this is a teaching moment for not only the kids, but the parents and the whole community. Everyone can learn together about the best ways to take care of our parks.”
Brett nods in agreement as Steve looks over the swathes of volunteers and speaks about the day’s successes. “It’s amazing we were able to tackle all these projects,” Brett says.
The day ends with a group picture taken by a drone mounted with a camera. Following the sleek demonstration of aerial photography, free pizza was given out to all the volunteers who came and helped make the Little Squalicum Park Earth Day community work party a success.
Kevin Wiebe is a Ferndale native. Although he graduated from Ferndale High School, he admits he wasn't a model student. His teachers and administrators...
