New Activity at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal

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Michael Shepard and Ken Bell — Photo courtesy: Port of Bellingham.

The Bellingham Shipping Terminal is set to receive its first regular cargo shipment in over 17 years. The 590-foot MV Diana Bolten is scheduled arrive on September 28 loaded with 10,700 metric tons of organic corn and soybeans destined for local markets.

“The Bellingham Shipping Terminal is open for business,” said Port Commission President Dan Robbins. “The Port has made significant investments to modernize this job-creating facility and bring back working waterfront jobs which were lost when Georgia-Pacific shut down its pulp and paper mill. We are excited to welcome the MV Diana Bolten to our Port and look forward to regular shipping activity in the years to come.”

Local longshore union (ILWU) workers will offload the organic corn and soybeans for temporary storage in the Shipping Terminal warehouses. Sunrise Foods will distribute the grains to producers of organic livestock in northwest Washington and southern British Columbia for use as animal feed.

“There has been a surge of organic grain imports over the past several years due to strong demand from American consumers,” said Port Marine Terminals Business Development Manager Chris Clark. “The Port Commission’s commitment towards modernizing the Shipping Terminal along with strong support from our local ILWU has been critical towards making this facility a cost-effective and convenient gateway for international commerce. Consumer demand for organic foods is expected to continue growing rapidly in the U.S. and we are hoping to secure additional contracts to move organic grains and other commodities over our docks in the coming years.”

The organic corn and soybeans were shipped from Turkey, one of the largest exporters of organic products to the United States. The MV Diana Bolten is currently in the North Atlantic Ocean and scheduled to enter the Panama Canal on or around September 12.

In 2016, Turkey, Mexico, Italy, Peru and Ecuador supplied 43 percent of tracked U.S. organic imports.

The Port has recently made significant capital investments to the Bellingham Shipping Terminal to encourage new business. At its last meeting, the Port Commission authorized a rental agreement, with the option to purchase, equipment necessary to load and unload grain and other bulk commodities. Over the summer, the Port completed a $500,000 project to replace the roof on Warehouse 2 allowing the facility to be certified for the storage of organic grains. Other recent improvements include a new bulkhead, up-to-date stormwater and power systems, and the clean-up of historic contamination from the Whatcom Waterway.

The Bellingham Shipping Terminal is a full-service marine terminal with the flexibility to meet a diverse range of business needs. Terminal assets include 1,250 feet of dock space on a deep water pier, a 550 foot barge pier, 85,000 square feet of covered storage, 40 acres of available land and access to resources via rail, barge, rafts, trucks, containers and ocean-going vessels.

The Port of Bellingham was established in 1920. Throughout Whatcom County, the Port owns, operates and maintains approximately 1600 acres of property including a shipping terminal, a cruise terminal, two marinas, industrial development areas, commercial uplands, parklands, shoreline public access areas and an international airport.

Learn about Maritime Skills and Craft at Bellingham SeaFeast 2017

By

Sara Holodnick

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Bellingham Seafeast Yum — Be prepared for delicious eats at SeaFeast 2017! Photo courtesy: Bellingham SeaFeast.

The second annual Bellingham SeaFeast on September 22 and 23 will showcase and celebrate Whatcom County’s maritime heritage, bustling working waterfront, internationally-renowned fishing and seafood industries, and unsurpassed culinary bounty. And while there will be plenty of good eats to enjoy, SeaFeast 2017 organizers want the community to see and understand the wide variety of operations that work together to bring them the seafood they love.

Come on down and have some oceanfront fun! Photo courtesy: Bellingham SeaFeast.

SeaFeast Co-Manager Pete Granger, coordinator of the festival’s commercial fishing activities, grew up in a fishing and maritime family and wants to share the rich heritage of the industry with locals and visitors alike.

“My father was a salmon tenderman before WWII,” Granger shared. Granger began fishing for salmon in the reefnet fishery off of Lummi Island when he was a sophomore in high school. Over the years he has worked a wide variety of jobs in the maritime field. From managing salmon canneries in Alaska after college to overseeing a 20-person marine outreach program at University of Washington Sea Grant for the past 15 years, Granger knows a little something about the industry.

“I have sold fish, processed fish, headed fishermen’s trade associations as a lobbyist and as a generic marketer for West Coast and Alaska seafood,” he said.

One thing Granger has noticed over his many years working with and around seafood is that many people in Whatcom County are not familiar with the breadth of the maritime industry here. “They know other major sectors such as agriculture and the Cherry Point industrial complex and health sector, but don’t know that maritime employs over 6,000 direct and indirect jobs here,” he explained.

Learn how your favorite seafood is harvested at SeaFeast 2017. Photo courtesy: Bellingham SeaFeast.

Bellingham SeaFeast helps educate the public about these skills and trades by putting the maritime industry on display for the general public to witness and interact with. “SeaFeast will provide examples of fishing boats to show the public how the fish they buy at the market or in restaurants are caught,” said Granger. “They will see the equipment needed on the boat to catch the fish. Fishermen will be there to explain these operations and to take them on interpretative dock walks.”

It takes an incredible amount of skill and training to be a fisherman. Fishermen must be well-versed in things that seem more obvious, such as navigation, steering and running a boat, engine repair and net building and mending. But crew management, finance and accounting are extremely important as well. “They are all self-employed businesses,” said Granger.

While those of us who love to eat seafood may have a good sense of what kind of fish we enjoy or how we like to eat our oysters, many of us have no real understanding of the wide variety of skills and specialized crafts employed by the people who work in maritime trades. Bellingham SeaFeast 2017 will change all that.

The Friday night festivities take place in downtown Bellingham, featuring a SeaFeed at Depot Market Square (tickets available online at www.BellinghamSeaFeast.com). FisherPoets-on-Bellingham Bay will also perform original poems, videos and storytelling of life at sea at four different downtown venues. A $5 badge gets you into all four.

It’s fascinating to watch these heroes in action. Photo courtesy: Bellingham SeaFeast.

On Saturday, September 23, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Zuanich Point Park/Squalicum Harbor, Bellingham SeaFeast attendees can take part in commercial fishing activities in the active harbor of Bellingham Bay including:

Meet Your Fishermen: Dock walks, boat visits, knot-tying and net-mending demos, and much more.
Demos: Learn to fillet, to crack crab and to prepare your seafood.
Two Harbor Boat Rides and Tours of Ice House and Fish-Processing Plant and the Downtown Waterfront: Limited-capacity trips to Bellingham Cold Storage & Home Port Seafoods (walking), and by boat a tour of the waterfront redevelopment area. Advance tickets are available online.

There’s also a land-only, free tour of All-American Marine boat builders at 1010 Hilton Ave.

“[Attendees] will have the opportunity to travel by boat to a large processing facility, Bellingham Cold Storage, to see its operation of processing, freezing and storing seafood and all the various skills needed for that operation,” Granger shared. “They will also see a vital public agency, the Coast Guard, and how it works locally to ensure the safety of commercial and recreational boats.”

Be prepared for delicious eats at SeaFeast 2017! Photo courtesy: Bellingham SeaFeast.

SeaFeast attendees can board a Coast Guard cutter, and a Coast Guard helicopter will arrive from Port Angeles at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday to demonstrate an at-sea helicopter rescue.

“The maritime sector provides good-paying, year-round jobs located right here in Whatcom County,” said Granger. “Other sectors include boatbuilding, boat service and maintenance, public and private boatyards and marinas, net and rope manufacturers, cold storages and more.”

So come enjoy the wide variety of family-friendly, hands-on educational activities along Bellingham’s waterfront during Bellingham SeaFeast 2017. You’ll never take our delicious local seafood for granted again!

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Experience the New Camber Coffee

By

Kenneth Clarkson

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There's nothing like a perfect cup of brew. Photo credit: David Yake.

Camber Coffee is cool. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Well, what exactly does that mean?” And, in actuality, it means exactly what you think it does. Camber Coffee is impressive, fashionable, relaxed and yep … just downright cool – from the sleek white-walled interior to the tranquil atmosphere. The new artisan coffee shop and bistro in Bellingham celebrated its grand opening on Aug. 26. Now in full-swing, Camber is ready satisfy all your coffee, beer, wine and food cravings.

But Camber’s story doesn’t just start at the opening of their brick and mortar location. In fact, Camber has been roasting coffee in Bellingham for two years, introducing their first line of coffee in 2015. Owner David Yake started Camber after having been a barista for five years in Seattle while attending the University of Washington. The original blueprint for Camber was to wholesale coffee to cafes across the United States and Canada, but overtime visions of a restaurant and coffee shop became a reality.

Camber has a full kitchen, nine beer taps and coffee bar. Photo credit: David Yake.

“It had always been a dream of ours to open a brick and mortar location,” Yake says. “We were already working with fantastic cafes who do a great job with our coffee, but we had always wanted to showcase the coffee ourselves too.”

Yake says they couldn’t be more in love with their new location. Camber has an ample amount of space, which provides for both a good meeting place to grab a cup of coffee, and a spot to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal. The location’s chic aesthetic and vibe was brought together by a team of architects, designers and the vision of Yake’s business partner Andrew Bowman. Yake says they wanted to go for a look that was both modern and welcoming.

“When we bought the place Andrew immediately started dreaming ideas on how to make it our own,” Yake says. “We knew we would have enough space to make it both a coffee shop and restaurant, which was awesome because we are huge food lovers too, not just coffee fanatics.”

Currently, Camber sports an evening and brunch menu, and the introduction of a discounted happy hour menu is on the horizon. The evening menu features dishes such as Steamed Clams with bacon, mustard and mint, and Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, fresh peas, Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil.

Specialty coffee served at Camber comes from a variety of different coffee farms, most notably from Guatemala and Colombia. Photo credit: David Yake.

Camber keeps their quality of food consistent, as the brunch menu is one to rival if not even surpass their evening plates. Dishes such as the Baked Eggs Pomodoro and Hen of the Woods Porridge are sure to fulfill all of your brunch desires.

The Hen of the Woods Porridge takes a classic breakfast dish Goldilocks and the three bears would be proud of and gives it a pristine food makeover. Maitake mushrooms, Macrona almonds, ryeberry and spelt come together to give the breakfast tradition a complete 180. Bellingham isn’t too shabby of a town when it comes to getting great brunches, and Camber’s brunch certainly makes that list.

“We want people to know in addition to serving great coffee, we are a full-blown restaurant,” Yake says. “We take every aspect of our business seriously.”

At Camber you have two options, you can either order at the counter or you can sit down, relax and wait for one of their staff members to come take your order. The best of both worlds. Choose your own adventure. Whatever you decide to call it, the fact is it makes your life easier. One way or the other you will get to enjoy locally-roasted coffee, select-local brews, fresh eats and discover great wines.

Yake says they are excited about a slew of new events they have in the works, including vitner nights, coffee classes and seasonal food and beer pairings.

“We want things to be fast and efficient, but also interesting and special,” Yake says. “We want you to be able to have an experience, from sipping our specialty coffees to our rare beers.”

Camber Coffee’s bistro and coffee shop is now open for business at 221 W Holly Street, Bellingham. Photo credit: David Yake.

Every year Yake and his business partners travel to South and Central America to visit coffee farms they have partnerships with. The trips they take to key coffee-producing regions of the world help to foster the relationships they have with the farms they purchase their coffee beans from. Yake says they buy coffee from all over the world, with their main locations being Guatemala and Colombia.

The roaster turned bistro and coffee shop also forges relationships with various producers in the Pacific Northwest and, more specifically, in Whatcom County. To celebrate their soft opening Camber collaborated on a coffee beer with Wander Brewing also based in Bellingham. Currently Camber is using six of their nine beer taps and plan to expand with a greater selection of brews as time goes on.

“We couldn’t be happier opening our location here in Bellingham,” Yake says. “We are excited to build quality relationships with our customers and fellow producers around us.”

Neighborhood Notes—Skate Year Round at Lynden’s Skate Church

By

Kenneth Clarkson

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Skateboarding is a staple of childhood for many. For some it is a leisure activity fostered in youth then continually practiced later in life. One of the best feelings I ever experienced was getting my brand new skateboard. I had wanted to get a skateboard for so long and finally, during the Christmas of my 13th year, I got one. It changed the game. I remember taking my board out onto the cul-de-sac and stepping on for the first time. Bobbing, weaving, falling, bruising. When you were a kid on a skateboard you took the good with the bad, pain was pleasure

Being from the East Coast, I was fortunate to be able to skateboard during any season. Due to the massive amounts of rain, a lot of kids in the Pacific Northwest don’t have that luxury. Enter Skate Church. Lynden’s Skate Church combines the unlikely partnership of fellowship and skateboarding to give skaters of all ages a place to stay dry and land their sweet tricks.

Lynden Skate Church offers skaters many ramps and amenities. Photo credit: Kenneth Clarkson.

Skate Church started in 1998 as an outlet for youth in the Lynden community to have a place to skateboard. Created and curated by the Third Christian Reform Church, skaters originally utilized the back parking lot of the church as the skating area, but it was only used from the spring to fall seasons. As interest in the Skate Church increased, the Third Christian Reform Church decided it best to rent out a barn at the NW Washington Fairgrounds. This allowed skaters to stay dry and skate during the rainy months.

Now the current incarnation of the Skate Church functions two-fold. During the summer, Skate Church is held at the Third Christian Reformed Church’s parking lot and during the other seasons it is at the Henry Jansen Building at the NW Washington Fairgrounds. Skate Church’s location at the Henry Jansen Building also serves as one of the only indoor skate parks in Whatcom County. Ramps, halfpipes, grinding rails and many other obstacles populate the inside of the barn making it an ideal location for skaters looking to change it up from skating their local convenience store parking lot.

Skater’s helmets rest on the helmet rack during the mid-session prayer break at the Lynden Skate Church. Photo credit: Kenneth Clarkson.

But for skaters in Lynden, even skating those convenience store parking lots was not allowed. Lynden has an extremely limited amount of places for people to skate. Most businesses and commercial enterprises don’t allow skating on their property and skating on property that does not condone it can lead to legal trouble. Skate Church provides a place for skaters to avoid running into trouble with the law. It is a haven where they can skate in peace.

Sessions at Skate Church run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, with each session costing $1 in order to skate. Talk about affordability. The whole session isn’t skating though, there are breaks in between for prayer and even free food. A typical skate session at the Lynden Skate Church goes like this: an hour of skating when you first get there from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by a fifteen minute prayer break and then another 45 minutes of skating.

A spray-painted car that skateboarders do tricks off of sits in the middle of the Lynden Skate Church. Photo credit: Kenneth Clarkson.

The small break during the middle of the session is aimed at bringing skaters together through fellowship and community. The break includes free food for the skaters, a recited prayer and a scripture read from the bible.

In order to skate at the Skate Church you must follow the rules and regulations put in place by the Third Christian Reformed Church and their staff. Not complying with the rules can result in removal. And trust me, you don’t want that to happen. Perhaps the most important rule is that in order to skate you have to show up before the prayer break. Skaters arriving afterward cannot skate. So make sure you get there early. In addition, refrain from using cuss words … even if you wipe out.

Skate Church is hands down one of the best places (if not the best) to skate in Whatcom County. There isn’t much else out there that is quite like it. When I went for my first time, strictly to view a session, I was instantly transported back to being that 13-year-old kid gripping his brand new skateboard for the first time. I couldn’t wait to come back again, this time as a skater.

Destigmatizing Cannabis through Education at Bellingham’s Center for Mindful Use

By

Sara Holodnick

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Satori Center for Mindful Use 8 — Check out CMU's class lineup today! Photo courtesy: Center for Mindful Use.

By day, Mike Hiestand is a free speech lawyer. By night he is the co-founder and volunteer director of Bellingham’s Center for Mindful Use, a nonprofit which provides a safe, free and fun place to talk and learn with others about thoughtful use (or non-use) of cannabis.

Mike Hiestad sees his role as a Director of the Center for Mindful Use as an extension of his life’s work. Photo credit: Sara Holodnick.

Hiestand had tried cannabis twice in college, but walked away both times with just a hacking cough. It was his struggle with depression – first as a law student at Cornell and again many years later – that brought him to practice mindful use of cannabis. “When I was in law school I had gone the traditional treatment route,” he said. “I went to a school pyschiatrist and got the pills, and it worked. It might have even saved my life, but it left me feeling like a zombie.”

Over about the next two decades, Hiestand went on to become an accomplished First Amendment attorney and youth advocate, but then his depression resurfaced. “Everything was going great, but for whatever reason about ten years ago I felt it coming on again,” he shared.

This time Hiestand decided to try something a little different, starting with meditation. “I got into meditation and I got into it in a big, big way,” he said.

He also tried cannabis again, and this time he noticed a change in his mental wellbeing. “It was powerful,” said Hiestand. “The meditation and the cannabis for my depression was a surprising mix.”

CMU offers classes like yoga, which help enhance patrons’ health and wellness. Photo courtesy: Center for Mindful Use.

But because he was a product of the “Just Say No” era of America’s War on Drugs, Hiestand didn’t feel comfortable sharing his experience. “There was so much guilt packed into all of that,” he shared. “It didn’t kill me and it didn’t fry my brain. In fact, quite the opposite. It was a transformational experience, but I kept it kind of quiet.”

But all that changed in 2013 as Hiestand traveled on a cross-country bus trip he had collaborated on with free speech activist Mary Beth Tinker to promote student expression of free speech. Somewhere in the middle of the 25,000 mile journey, Hiestand found himself caught in a freak rainstorm in Boise, Idaho. He didn’t have an umbrella, so he popped into a used bookstore to escape the rain. Inside he found a copy of Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational and Scientific by Martin A. Lee. This unexpected book opened his eyes and changed his life.

Meditation can help heal a wide variety of ailments. Mike Hiestand found that meditation paired with mindful cannabis use helped treat his depression. Photo courtesy: Center for Mindful Use.

“There’s so much deliberate disinformation and misinformation about cannabis,” Hiestand explained. Impassioned about changing the conversation around cannabis, he came up with the idea to start the Center for Mindful Use. “In putting the center together I am trying to create the kind of resource that I would’ve liked when I started using it,” said Hiestand. “It was very intimidating and it was the kind of thing you didn’t talk about.”

But Hiestand is hoping to reduce the stigma around cannabis now that recreational use is legal in Washington State and a growing number of other places. A big part of healing that stigma is listening to people’s experiences. “Sometimes I feel a little bit like a priest hearing confessions because people want to tell their cannabis story,” he shared. “It’s important to let people bear their souls a little bit and be the kind of place where they can share that safely and openly.”

CMU offers a wide variety of classes and events. Photo courtesy: Center for Mindful Use.

After sharing his idea for the Center with others and letting it simmer, a series of interesting events led to a meeting with Quinn Sharpe, an owner of Satori cannabis boutique, and brought Hiestand’s dream for CMU to life – almost overnight.

“The owners had purchased an historic downtown Bellingham building for Satori that had most recently been a charter school called – get ready – ‘Anything Grows,’” Hiestand laughed.

But the store only took up half of the buidling. The other half – which included the school’s old classrooms and a beautiful mini-gymnasisum (now CMU’s Forum de Freedom meeting space) was not being used, Hiestand said.

“I handed them my plan for the Center and we all just laughed. Some things just seem meant to be.”

Bellingham’s Center for Mindful Use is open and welcoming to all. Photo courtesy: Center for Mindful Use.

While CMU and Satori remain separate entities, Sharpe donates the space to CMU and is officially the center’s co-founder.

Pretty much all of the offerings at the Forum de Freedom at the Center for Mindful Use are what Hiestand calls “Canna-Friendly,” so folks can come as they are to enjoy everything from yoga, meditation and dance to discussions about cannabis use, research and policy (though on-site use is not currently permitted). Topics for discussion include the social, medical, spiritual, cultural, recreational, legal and historical foundations of cannabis and its reintroduction into modern society. Non-cannabis users are always welcome to join discussions and classes as use is not explicitly encouraged.

“We don’t advocate cannabis use because it’s definitely not for everybody,” he explained. “Sometimes mindful use means no use. But if you’re going to use it, it does make sense to know about it and to do so mindfully. Let’s get it out of its secrecy and just talk about it in a factual, honest way so people can make their own decisions about it. After a long time of ‘Just Say No,’ we’re more about ‘Just Say Know.’”

The Center for Mindful Use helps educate the community on cannabis and how to use it mindfully. Photo courtesy: Center for Mindful Use.

The Center for Mindful Use and the Forum de Freedom is located at 100 Maple Street, Suite B, in Bellingham behind Satori Cannabis Boutique (just over the Rainbow Bridge via its Cornwall Avenue entrance). All events are free unless otherwise noted, though inspired donations to support their teachers and mission are gratefully accepted. You can keep up with the center’s events by joining their Meetup group at www.mindfuluse.org or liking their Facebook page.

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Whatcom County Weekend Events for Sept. 8—10

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Events Editor

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Whatcom County weekend events for Sept 8---10 — River scenes like this often inspire new fly fishermen. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.

Fresh apple cider, blooming pumpkins, a certain special crispness in the air—these are just a few of the things that make fall great. And what’s even better? All the wonderful fall activities! Here are some great Whatcom County weekend events for Sept. 8—10. And be sure to check out our great local farmers’ markets. They are still in full swing! And don’t forget to check our full events calendar for all the great local happenings this weekend.

Enjoy some culinary delights at Whatcom Food Fest!
Remember your bygone animal friends at the Floating Lantern Pet Memorial.
Get some fresh air and exercise at the Wander to Wander 1K.
Kick up your heels and have some fun at the 12th Annual Bluegrass Ice Cream Social.
Immerse your kids in the world of art with the Kids Do Art! Fall Open House.
Take in a showing of Mrs. Bave Presents the Pig War.
Celebrate Eat Local Month with a Whatcom County Farm Tour.
Sign up for a mushroom foraging class.
Stock up on fresh, locally grown, healthy produce at the Ferndale Farmers Market, Bellingham Farmers Market and Twin Sisters Farmers Market.
Rock out with the Farm Tunes Tea Seas Trio.
Try some delicious Ethiopian Food.
Get stocked up for back to school.
Learn about common dragonflies and damselflies of the Pacific Coast at Village Books.
Reconnect your family with nature.
Grab a bite to eat at these local restaurants with a view.
Learn how to do water bath canning.
Hit the trails for some of the best mountain biking in the state.
Hike the great outdoors.
Book your tickets for an upcoming family friendly performance at MBT.
Explore downtown and take in a show at the Pickford Film Center.
Learn to make Pickled Romano Beans.
Enjoy a hike with a view.
Check up on the Ivy Heart.
Experience Harvest Happens at BelleWood Acres.

Up Next Weekend:

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.

Making Family Memories at Mount Baker Theatre

By

Lorraine Wilde

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Mount Baker Theatre Bubble — Live theatre is magic for kids. Photo courtesy: Mount Baker Theatre.

When you picture family time, does the reality sometimes not hit the mark? Here’s a weather-proof, sure-fire way to make lasting memories, entertain all participants (even mom gets a break) and spend dinner reminiscing about the fun you just had: “See It Together” at Mount Baker Theatre. Each season, Mount Baker Theatre presents extraordinary opportunities to have an all-ages outing that you can experience side by side.

family memories at Mount Baker Theatre — Be thrilled by Titanosaur at Dinosaur Zoo Live. Photo credit: C. Waits.

Whether you’re introducing your own childhood favorites like Charlie Brown or the Wizard of Oz, finding wondrous adventures with international tours like Undersea Bubble Fantasia or experiencing today’s kids’ favorites through one of MBT’s many educational shows, live theatre isn’t just for grown-ups. The luxurious costumes, fantastic professional singers and dancers, metamorphosing sets and unforgettable music allow children to immerse themselves in different subjects, cultures and points of view. You sitting by their side means you can have great conversations later built on the same memories. You might start a family tradition that your children will share with their own.

Here’s a few world-class touring events that will make your family time an investment into magical memories for all!

Undersea Bubble Fantasia

Saturday, October 21, 2017
2:30 and 6:00 p.m.

Who hasn’t dreamed of a moment’s fantastical escape from the busyness of our modern, connected world? Described as “Cirque du Soleil meets giant bubbles,” this modern fairy tale combines giant interactive illusions, mime, dance, puppetry, juggling, contortionism, sand art and magic all in one unforgettable show. Led by “Mr. B,” the audience escapes to a fantastical undersea adventure full of seahorses, dragon fish, sea stars, mermaids and clownfish. Millions of bubbles of all shapes and colors create a wonderland of joyfulness. Viewers of any age will be instantly transported into this lavish day dream full of bubble tornados and laser lights streaming like sun through water. With two show times to choose from and tickets starting at just $12.50, you can take the whole family on this affordable undersea adventure.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Friday, December 1, 2017
7:00 p.m.

Charlie Brown is a holiday classic. Photo couretsy: Mount Baker Theatre.

If you celebrate Christmas, you’ve likely seen the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning classic animated television special by Charles M. Schulz that first aired more than 50 years ago. Perhaps, like me, it has become a part of your annual family tradition. A Charlie Brown Christmas is brought to life in this faithful stage adaptation. You’ll love the unforgettable characters and classic Vince Guaraldi score in this heart-warming and hilarious holiday musical. You and your family will tag along with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang as they put on an unconventional Christmas play, save a tree and uncover the true meaning of holiday spirit.

MBT has added even more fun to this special evening by offering a free event before the show. At around 5:30 p.m., MBT will celebrate with its first annual Holiday Lighting Celebration in front of the theater.

The Wizard of Oz

Wednesday, December 20, 2017
7:00 p.m.

Take the whole family down the Yellow Brick Road to the lavish, magical world of Oz, right alongside Dorothy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow. This celebration of the 1939 MGM film, The Wizard of Oz is a fantastical family musical that includes breathtaking special effects, dazzling choreography and the classic songs you sang along with as a kid.

The whole family will fly over the rainbow with marvelous Munchkins, flying monkeys and mysterious witches of Oz. After spending this glorious evening of fun and fantasy together, you’ll be reminded that there’s no place like home.

Olate Dogs

Saturday, June 9, 2018
2:00 and 7:00 p.m.

This high-energy, fast-paced touring dog variety show is not only filled with amazing dog tricks, human acrobatics and humor, it promotes animal welfare and also has an amazing backstory. Richard Olate was a poor Chilean 12-year-old when he rescued the first of the street dogs who 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 thrills and delights audiences around the world. With two all-ages shows to choose from, ticket prices for this affordable show start at just $8.50.

The Wade Bennett King Education Series

For the fourteenth consecutive year, the MBT Education Series, will enrich school curricula while providing students with the cultural experience that comes from early exposure to professional live performance. Sponsored by the Frank King Family in memory of their son, Wade Bennett King, ten different shows will grace the MBT stage throughout the school year, providing young people an opportunity to look at reading and stories in a whole new way. These shows can impact how they see the world and what they choose to read for decades to come.

Several are stage adaptations of well-known children’s literature, like My Father’s Dragon and Pete the Cat. While others explore science, history, music or classic literature in Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live, The Lewis and Clark’s Expedition and Twelfth Night.

One of the best ways to make a lasting family memory is to connect over positive, engaging activities that help you break out of the usual routine. By experiencing a MBT show, you and your family can bond while revisiting the classics in a fresh new way or witnessing a lavish spectacle that you’ll never forget. The hardest part will be choosing which shows to attend. The best solution may be to see them all!

Mount Baker Theatre
104 North Commercial Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
Phone: 360-733-5793
Tickets: 360-734-6080
www.mountbakertheatre.com

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The Confluence Fly Shop Shares the Art of Fly Fishing

By

Janine Johnson

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Scott Willison has been fly fishing for over 30 years and makes it his life's work to pass on his experience and knowledge to the next generation of fly fishermen. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.

About ten years ago my in-laws sent me the perfect gift for Christmas—a fly rod and reel combo. It was a simple setup, everything neat and tidy in the box. And by everything I mean the rod, the reel, the fly line and leader. I’d just need to grab some flies from a fly shop, maybe a case to store them in, a pair of waders and wading boots, some extra leader… actually, maybe not so simple after all. The initial investment into fly fishing can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.

I was lucky to have the help of my brother-in-law Erik, an ardent fly fisherman, who, it turns out, had helped pick out the Christmas gift. He had been teaching me the basics for months. Over the course of that summer and fall I had developed a decent cast, I could tie a solid blood knot, tie my own tippet or replace the whole leader, spot a fish rising and sometimes even recognize a hatch as it was happening. That winter I was proud to graduate from rod borrower to rod owner and wade in on my own.

The Confluence Fly Shop is the only specialty fly shop in Whatcom County. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.

Many people are inspired by the placid scene of a fisherman, thigh-high in the waters of a meandering stream, fluidly casting a fly rod. But most people do not have a brother-in-law like Erik who is willing, even eager, to guide you down a river, teaching you how to read conditions, select flies and tie knots. Most people do not have a brother-in-law with enough patience to row against the current while you attempt to retrieve your fly from a tree branch, a river bank or a submerged rock over and over again. And I’ll bet no one has a brother-in-law cool and calm enough to urge you to continue casting while he simultaneously rows and frees the hook you have embedded deep into the scalp on the left side of his head.

Brother-in-law or not, we are all lucky to have a local specialty fly shop here in Whatcom County run by perhaps one of the most approachable fly fisherman in the business. The Confluence Fly Shop is owned by Scott Willison, who has turned a lifelong passion into his work.

Scott Willison has been fly fishing for over 30 years and makes it his life’s work to pass on his experience and knowledge to the next generation of fly fishermen. Photo courtesy: Scott Willison.

Scott has been fly fishing since he was 11 years old. While neither of his parents fished, he credits his mom with guiding him. “From the second I saw somebody fly fishing in a mountain lake it was like this epiphany as a kid, ‘That’s all I want to do. I want to be that guy.’ And so my mom signed me up for a fly-tying class. A week later I was taking an intro to fly fishing class.” Since she didn’t know much about fishing, Scott’s mom turned him over to Renton’s now-closed local fly shop, The Royal Coachman, where the proprietor became his mentor. Within a year and a half of stepping foot in the shop, Scott was working there, tying flies commercially for them and joining fishing trips as far away as Montana.

“Part of the passion of fly fishing that I see in so many people is sharing it with others,” Scott says. “I’ve always had this desire to pay it forward and continue that.” And so he does. Every other Wednesday during the summer months the shop hosts free casting clinics on the Nooksack at Nugents Corner. It is common to see seasoned anglers and novices lining the banks of the river trying out the latest and greatest gear available, gleaning some tips, or even casting a rod for the first time ever. When the colder months arrive, the clinics give way to informal fly-tying gatherings every other Wednesday evening at a local establishment, oftentimes Brandywine Kitchen or Chuckanut Brewery. These are not so much instructional events as social affairs. Some of the participants have been tying flies for two weeks and others for ten years. For Scott, this sort of gathering builds community, ushering in new fly fishing enthusiasts. “Without some level of mentorship I think it’s really hard for people to either find the motivation or direction they need to get out there and do it,” he explains. And I agree.

River scenes like this often inspire new fly fishermen. Photo credit: Janine Johnson.

I never would have picked up a fly rod if it hadn’t been for Erik’s guidance.

I am fishing much less these days, changing diapers rather than flies. Erik, however, has managed to merge fly fishing and career. Several times a year Erik partners with Scott and The Confluence Fly Shop, hosting his own casting clinics. I went to one last winter on the Nooksack at Nugents Corner along with my husband, kids and father-in-law. Sticky snow covered the smooth rocks of the riverbank, delighting my kids as we gingerly made our way to the water’s edge. There were a dozen or so people lined up in the water, undeterred by the cold conditions, swinging flies. As my daughters attempted futile snow angels on the pebbly bank, I watched as Erik worked from one end of the line, Scott the other, doing what every experienced fly fisherman does best—helping a newcomer build confidence with their cast.

Neighborhood Notes: A Spray-Painted Whatcom County

By

Jade Thurston

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Shawn adds a copper coloring to a falcon's wings in "Bird Alley." Photo credit: Jade Thurston.

Ever stopped by McKay’s Taphouse and admired the mural coating the outside walls? Maybe you’ve seen that older Volvo riding around town with its Obama-rainbow artwork? Or you’ve strolled through the animal-painted tunnel in Larrabee State Park on your way to the beach?

Artist Shawn Cass (known by his nickname “Pickles” and tag “Ruckas”) is the man behind this spray-painted Whatcom County.

Born in Arkansas, Shawn moved to Bellingham in 1999 fresh out of high school. Shawn’s older brother and his friends encouraged the move to the northwest for the landscape and opportunities within the electronic music scene – they were aspiring DJs.

“Ruckas” is Shawn’s tag because he likes the creativity he can have with letters like “R” and “K.” Plus, the “Kas” in “Ruckas” mirrors his last name, Cass. Photo credit: Jade Thurston.

Shawn was also interested in graffiti art and breakdancing, using his school electives to take any art classes he could. “Thanks to my high school art teacher Mr. Remmers, some other graffiti artists and eventually me were given walls to paint in our school,” Shawn said. “He showed us that graffiti wasn’t something that had to be done illegally, but that it could be valued and appreciated.”

Shawn added that being near Seattle and Canada seemed perfect for taking their passions to a more professional level. “Passing through Bellingham, though, I realized I wanted to make this place my home,” Shawn said.

Shawn described how Whatcom County and the Northwest reminds him of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, except with surrounding snowcaps, islands and salt water. “To an Arkansas boy, it’s paradise,” Shawn said.

Pigeons munch on seeds below their addition on the mural. Photo credit: Jade Thurston.

Since settling in Bellingham, Shawn graduated from Western Washington University’s Huxley College in 2008 with a degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Sustainable Design and Planning. “In the years I spent working and going to college, I always did a little bit of art and a little bit of DJing, but it took a backseat to getting my degree and making a living,” Shawn said. “Once I graduated college, I focused 100 percent on art and music.”

Shawn’s passion for graffiti art has spread throughout Whatcom County. His most recent work includes “Bellingham Community” and “Bird Alley.” “Bellingham Community” is a mural on a low, lengthy wall right where Railroad Ave and East Laurel St. merge. The City of Bellingham hired Shawn through his new business PKLZ Inc. to paint the wall in hopes of preventing further graffiti tagging and vandalizing. In the finished mural, dogs, people and children are seen walking around Bellingham – a beautiful, lively scene of flowers, mountains, a sunset, a rabbit, a bumblebee and butterflies. Shawn said some of the dogs and people are friends of his who live in the community.

Shawn uses cubes to help create the illusion of a flat wall, despite being in a corner. Photo credit: Jade Thurston.

“Bird Alley” is a larger project, located behind El Capitan’s Gourmet Sausages and Pretzels, Hohl Feed and Seed and Clark Feed and Seed. Funded solely on donations, Shawn has been working on this large-scale mural for more than a year.

With 80 birds in it right now – a collection of pigeons, parrots, an ostrich, owls, doves, a peacock, a penguin and tons of others – Shawn plans to boost the count up to at least 100. The project started out for the pigeons, since many live atop the old grain mill right there in the alley. They hang around the area, waiting for their lunchtime seeds from who Shawn says is the “mama of the birds,” a woman who works nearby and dedicates some of her time to the flock. Shawn hopes maybe a bird bath could eventually be installed.

“I appreciate nature and Whatcom County,” Shawn said with a smile. “So I try to put something in my work for everyone.”

And that he does.

Shawn’s “Bellingham Community” artwork is shown here, which also wraps around the wall to the right. Photo credit: Jade Thurston.

When you walk through “Bird Alley,” you can see how Shawn illustrates different themes and style techniques throughout the entire artwork. The mural itself begins in a nature theme, blends into rural and then ends with more of a city-vibe. Similar to the “Bellingham Community” mural where dogs and people of the community are represented, Shawn painted a birdhouse in “Bird Alley” modeled from his friend’s house in town. Style-wise, on corners where bits of the building walls meet, Shawn likes to play around with perspective and paint in a way where it looks like there is no corner at all.

“Some people appreciate what they see and understand and some people appreciate the imagination of it,” Shawn said. “So I try to have both.”

Shawn adds a copper coloring to a falcon’s wings in “Bird Alley.” Photo credit: Jade Thurston.

During my interview with Shawn in “Bird Alley,” people came walking through to check out the art. Open to ideas and collaborations, Shawn asked a few individuals right then what they would like to see added on the wall. Well-known, Seattle Muralist Henry even has a bird on the wall thanks to Shawn.

“Shawn is so known for this ‘Bird Alley’ that anyone and everyone who knows him will walk through just to say hi,” Karen Jans, Shawn’s girlfriend, said. “They figure Pickles will be down here and he’s more than happy to spend the time hanging out.”

Shawn has thought about moving and branching out, however, he said it’s tough for him to leave Whatcom County. “I love this place and will continue to rep it in my artwork,” Shawn said. “I’ve already done bald eagles flying over Mount Baker at least four times and it’s not played out. There will be one in Bird Alley.”

Greene’s Corner Strengthens Community

By

Kenneth Clarkson

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A selection of beers from Greene's Corner's 300 plus collection of craft beers. Photo credit: Lance Bailey.

We all know the struggle of the nine-to-five grind. And for those of us who have children, the grind doesn’t ever really stop. Sometimes after work you just want to crack a cold one and relax, but realistically your responsibilities don’t end after the work day. Enter Greene’s Corner. The recently relocated tap house and restaurant in the Sunnyland neighborhood of Bellingham provides a family-friendly and community-centered environment where everyone can come to relax, crack a cold one and enjoy the rest of their evening.

Not just an evening spot, Greene’s Corner is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. seven days a week. Self-dubbed a bistro, market and bottle shop, Greene’s Corner has over 300 different types of single-bottle beers you can use to make custom six packs. It can be argued that the variety of beers at Greene’s Corner is unparalleled to that of any other bottle shop in Whatcom County.

Greene’s Corner offers a variety of pizzas from their bistro. Photo credit: Lance Bailey.

Lance Bailey co-owns Greene’s with his wife Kristine Kager and says they pride themselves on being a place where consumers can find beer they can’t get anywhere else. For example, the other day a customer came all the way from Alberta, Canada to Bailey’s bottle shop and bistro just to purchase a specific beer they had in stock. From beer such as the 2015 Barrel-Aged Narwhal from Sierra Nevada to the Ten Fidy Imperial Stout by Oskar Blues Brewery there are many rare finds to be found at Greene’s.

First and foremost Bailey and Kager emphasize community as being the driving factor behind their business. It is the glue that binds Greene’s Corner together. “The focal element of our bottle shop and restaurant is to offer a community-gathering space and, at the same time, provide a customer experience you can’t get anywhere else,” Bailey says.

Both Bailey and Kager have extensive backgrounds working in the food industry. This experience allows them to understand the ins and outs of how to make their business a desirable community-gathering place. “We’re here for a specific reason,” Bailey says. “We want to be an integral part of the Sunnyland community. We are an all-ages family space that aims to enhance our local community.”

Before the relocation, Greene’s Corner could be found out near Smith Road and Northwest Drive, further out in Whatcom County. They were there for six years. Bailey says the decision to relocate was so they could stumble upon a community their business could form a deeper connection with. Fast-forward to December 2016 and Greene’s opened their new location at 2208 James St, Bellingham, WA.

The haul from the first month of Greene’s Corner’s #Canforacause hashtag campaign. Photo credit: Lance Bailey.

There have been some key changes that came with the shift in scenery. Although Greene’s lost some square footage, they made up for that with an increase in their amount of taps (from five to 16), and a completely custom-built and better-equipped kitchen. The kitchen is of extra importance as Bailey and Kager run their catering business, Fools Onion Catering, out of their new location. Bailey says the convenience is fantastic, as before the move they had operated the two businesses out of separate locations.

“Our new Sunnyland location has been great,” Bailey says. “We wanted to have more of a public face, and we now have that. And at our old location we didn’t get a chance to remodel or build our old kitchen.”

The new kitchen doesn’t just come in handy for the catering business. It is a much-welcomed addition to Greene’s Corner’s bistro. The bistro offers a variety of sandwiches, pizza and wraps, in addition to salads, soups and a special happy hour menu.

The happy hour menu features some of the favorite side dishes served up at Greene’s at a discounted price. The Mac N’ Cheese Poppers are one of the most popular items – fried Mac N’ Cheese bits with your choice of either chopped jalapeno or bacon as a topping.

A selection of beers from Greene’s Corner’s 300 plus collection of craft beers. Photo credit: Lance Bailey.

Greene’s happy hour isn’t just a time for food though. The happy hour menu also allows you to get $1 off draft beers and their extensive wine selection. “Even though we offer so many types of single beers and six packs, we’re more of a dining and drinking establishment as opposed to a retail outlet,” Bailey says.

Recently, Greene’s has worked even harder to up their game by offering live music on certain days of the week. Currently, you can find live music at Greene’s Corner on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Music nights at Greene’s are even themed. If you decide to go in on a Sunday you will be greeted with the sweet and sultry tunes of the Electric Blues Jam. On Tuesdays, local musician Myron Brown has a residency and will invite other members of the Bellingham music community to come play with him. And on most Wednesday nights you can find the J.P. Falcon Band based out of Ferndale, WA jamming for the patrons.

Perhaps the best part about Greene’s is their effort to improve and better the community around them. Recently starting their hashtag campaign, #Cansforacause, they will recycle all aluminum cans patrons give them and donate the money to The Lighthouse Mission in Bellingham.

As Bailey so emphatically states, Greene’s Corner would be nothing without community. Lance, Kristine and company strive to foster beneficial relationships and connections within the Sunnyland and Greater Bellingham area.

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