Signs of the Times: Investigating the Ghost Signs That Haunt Bellingham

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ghost-signs-knights-of-pythias — The Knights of Pythias Building features both antiquated lettering and typical ghost advertisements, visible from the front and overlooking Fairhaven Village Green. Photo credit: Anna Diehl

Walking through downtown Bellingham and Fairhaven, visitors can catch glimpses of the past. “Old Town” Bellingham is the haunt of numerous ghost signs: faded signage and advertisements that are withstanding the test of time.

In the late-nineteenth through mid-twentieth centuries, business owners and advertisers painted logos on brick buildings and barns throughout the country. Many used lead paints, which have survived the elements long after their regulation.

Ghost signs have a mixed reception. Cities and property owners may paint over them as a nuisance or keep them for nostalgic appeal, even repainting them. Photographers and hobbyists gather online to document ghost signs before they disappear forever.

Bellingham’s ghost signs harken back to the city’s turn-of-the-century boom in logging, fishing, mining, and railroading. Exorcising ghost signs’ history reveals the tales of edifices that outlived them.

Downtown Signs

Some of Bellingham’s most prominent downtown ghost signs reflect its twentieth-century reputation as a “hotel city.” The block now hosting Laube Apartments (1226 N. State St.) and Windsor Building (1218 N. State St.) bears the names of two such luxury lodgings: Hotel Laube and Windsor Hotel. Both started in 1903 and continued as hotels into the 1970s.

The Hotel Laube sign once advertised its “European Plan” as including “Steam Heat,” “Electric Bells,” and “Public and Private Baths.” The hotel featured ornate woodwork, Persian and Asian velvet carpets, and a café seating 80 people. Photo credit: Anna Diehl

Although the advertisement of Hotel Laube’s “European Plan” facilities has faded, passersby can still read ads for Star Tobacco (“Leading Brand of the World”) and Coca-Cola (featuring 1904 slogan “Delicious and Refreshing”).

The Dahlquist Building (1311 N. State St.) still bears signs for Hotel Mullin and Antler Apartments. Thomas B. Alquist built the reinforced concrete structure for Bellingham Bay Grocery Company in 1888, selling automobiles in the basement as Samuel Mullin ran the residential hotel. The upper floor became Hotel Mullin in 1913, Antler’s Hotel in 1925, Moore’s Apartment in 1946, and Antler Apartments from 1946 to 1963. A 1976 fire has left the upper floor disused to this day.

Dahlquist Building has rotated various tenants through its first floor while the upper floors have remained abandoned for decades. Photo credit: Anna Diehl

Other property owners have preserved signs downtown. At the Commercial District’s outskirts, Lottie Roth Block (1100-1106 W. Holly St.) preserves a Coca-Cola advertisement repainted to read “Welcome to Old Town.” Charles I. Roth commissioned this Chuckanut sandstone building from Elmer H. Fisher in 1888. The block initially housed storefronts and has housed apartments since 1918, as the brick walls’ faded signage attests.

Lottie Roth Block and D’Anna’s Café Italiano (1319 N. State St.) near Dahlquist Building both display “5 Cent Cigar” ads by the Henry George Cigar Company.

One downtown ghost sign’s entrepreneurial spirit lives on through a billboard obscuring it. The former YMCA building (311 E. Holly St.) hosted the organization advertised on its sign before moving to its present location in 1942. Afterward, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows occupied the building into the 1970s.

Fairhaven Signs

Fairhaven’s few historic buildings still have their pasts emblazoned on them. The Knights of Pythias Building (1208-1210 11th St.) displays two signs for “Adams & Co Plumbing & Hardware” — a tenant from 1907 to 1912, lasting until 1972 as Groom’s Hardware. Other signs advertise United Groceries and Marshall-Wells Store. The Order of Knights of Pythias occupied this Chuckanut sandstone building from 1891 into the 1920s, moving meetings to the Leopold Hotel. They shared space with organizations such as the Odd Fellows, Masons, and Rathbone Sisters.

The Knights of Pythias Building features both antiquated lettering and typical ghost advertisements, visible from the front and overlooking Fairhaven Village Green. Photo credit: Anna Diehl

Two of Fairhaven’s original pharmacy locations bear faded signs. Formerly Mason Block, Sycamore Square (1303 12th St.) has a now-illegible sign for David Alverson’s pharmacy. Alverson purchased the original pharmacy from D.P. Mason Drug Co. in 1891, moving it to Mason Block in 1895. The pharmacy kept changing hands and locations until George Finnegan purchased a new concrete building (1115 Harris Ave.) in 1929. The façade displays the outline of Fairhaven Pharmacy’s original lettering above newer paint documenting previous owners. Pharmacist and historian Gordon Tweit ran a museum in the building until 2015, and Current and Furbish occupies it today.

Morgan Block (1002 Harris Ave.) advertises two vintage beer brands: H. Hansen and Rainier Special (now illegible, save the slogan: “I’ll say it’s there!”) Phillip and Mary Ann Morgan purchased the property in 1891, hosting residential Morgan House and other tenants. Good Earth Pottery has occupied the building since 1969, joined by the Community Food Co-Op and Northwest Passage in Fairhaven’s hippie era and Artwood Gallery today.

The advertisements on Morgan Block postdate the incident of “unknown dead men displayed here in 1901,” as the nearby historic marker reads. Photo credit: Anna Diehl

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

Most of Bellingham’s old signs have disappeared over decades of construction. Many buildings have telltale squares of new paint, while others keep signs despite renovations. The Bingham Service Parlors building (120 Prospect St.) still reads “Bellingham Theatre Guild” after their 1936-1944 occupancy. Pure Bliss Desserts (1424 Cornwall Ave.) has painted around a “Private Parking” sign serving its original purpose.

Other buildings have partial signs. Knight Block (215 W. Holly St.) has a preserved “Bellingham Hardware” sign in front and ghost parking sign in back. In a narrow alleyway, Clover Block (201-07 W. Holly St) advertises defunct Gage-Dodson Clothing Co. Swift Building (112-14 Grand Ave.) advertises batteries, Fussner Building (1431 N. State St.) the “Power Motor Co.” and “Hudson Essex.”

Even as ghost signs pass on, their community-facing canvases endure through untold new incarnations.

PeaceHealth Hosts Saturday Flu Clinics

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LocalTalk Contributor

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Submitted by PeaceHealth

PeaceHealth Medical Group will offer flu shots to the community on Saturdays, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 22 and Nov. 5 at their Cordata clinic at 4545 Cordata Parkway, Suite 1E.

The clinics will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and serve both kids and adults. The clinics are open to the community. To schedule an appointment, contact PeaceHealth at 833-375-0285.

Along with a flu shot, attendees also have the option to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or Pfizer bivalent booster if eligible. The clinic is not offering stand-alone COVID-19 only vaccines during these dates. If someone wants just a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, they are available by separate appointment or at many pharmacies and drug stores. Find locations by zip code at vaccines.gov.

Flu shots will be billed through insurance or can be paid directly for a $25 flat fee. There is no out-of-pocket expense for COVID-19 vaccine doses, though insurers may pay the cost of administering the vaccine.

Puget Sound Energy Partners With Nooksack Indian Tribe To Bring Solar to Their Community

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LocalTalk Contributor

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Submitted by Puget Sound Energy

Puget Sound Energy, with the support of its Green Power and Solar Choice customers, has awarded a Green Power Solar Grant to the Nooksack Indian Tribe, providing resources to install a new solar project on the Nooksack PPE warehouse.

The 47.12 kilowatt project will generate 49,554 kilowatt hours annually, which will help reduce more than 47,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. The solar array sits atop the Nooksack PPE warehouse, which was constructed to house a variety of supplies the Tribe acquired to combat COVID-19. The warehouse will also provide options in case there is ever a need for an emergency field clinic, quarantine quarters or sleeping quarters.

Puget Sound Energy has awarded a Green Power Solar Grant to the Nooksack Indian Tribe, providing resources to install a new solar project on the Nooksack PPE warehouse. Photo courtesy Puget Sound Energy

“As stewards of the land, we are proud to bring green projects to the area,” said RoseMary LaClair, chairwoman. “The Nooksack Indian Tribe has relied upon energy from Mother Earth since time immemorial and with this project we bridge our history, traditions and culture with the developments of tomorrow.”

Recipients of Green Power Solar Grants include local non-profits, housing authorities and tribal entities serving low-income and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community members. In addition to saving recipients money on their electric bill that they can reinvest in community services, the projects will serve to further clean energy in the region.

“PSE is honored to partner with the Nooksack Indian Tribe as we support their efforts to build toward a clean energy future for their community,” said PSE Director of Product Development Will Einstein. “We’re excited that these solar panels will offset some of the Tribe’s operational energy costs and allow them to increase funding for their critical programs and services for Tribal Members.”

In addition to the nearly $1 million in grants awarded this past year, PSE has provided more than $3 million in grant funding for 48 local projects over the last 5 years, resulting in over 1,600 kW of newly installed solar capacity.

How Bellewood Farms’ Cider Gets From Its Trees to Your Glass

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Matt Benoit

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Bellewood-Farms-Apple-Cider-Production-Ready-to-Drink — Lynden's Bellewood Farms produces many gallons of tasty apple cider beginning each September, and can be found at grocery stores throughout Whatcom County. Photo courtesy Bellewood Farms

Whether you enjoy it hot or cold, mulled or plain, nothing symbolizes the coming of autumn better than a fresh cup of apple cider. And at Whatcom County’s Bellewood Farms, they can make a lot of it. The 31-acre apple orchard produces 22 varieties of apples from 25,000 apple trees, and it takes about 16 pounds of apples to make just one gallon of the cider you pick up at your local grocery store.

Eric Abel, co-owner of the farm, says cider season comes to the farm each September, when the process begins by fresh-picking apples. Which apples?

“We like to say that the best cider is made up of ‘two reds and a green’ — a proportion of sweet and tart,” Abel says. “While it’s not always the case, typically red apples are sweeter and green apples are more tart, so a blend makes the taste more interesting than if it was entirely sweet alone.”

While they use a variety of apples for tartness, the sweet side of each cider jug is generally comprised of Bellewood’s famous Honeycrisp apple.

The farm’s production facility, which just upgraded its equipment to increase production for broader distribution outside of Whatcom County, fresh-presses the apples within a week of being picked. The resulting cider is not pasteurized with heat like many other cider producers, Abel says, but instead undergoes an ultraviolet light pasteurization that preserves more of the apple’s nutrients and flavor, creating a safe but oh-so-tasty cider.

While Bellewood’s cider must be refrigerated, it will last fresh for at least 18 days. As autumn turns to winter, the farm turns to apples it’s kept fresh in the farm’s cold storage, allowing it to produce farm-fresh apple cider into early spring.

Some people, Abel says, don’t always know the subtle difference between apple cider and apple juice. He compares it to orange juice with pulp versus filtered, pulp-free OJ. The regular apple juice you get in your grocery store is filtered of any sediment, whereas cider is unfiltered. Both, of course, are still the juice from apples.

It takes roughly 16 pounds of apples just to make one gallon of Bellewood apple cider. Photo courtesy Bellewood Farms

In addition to being widely available at grocery stores throughout Whatcom County — including Haggen and the Community Food Co-op — Bellewood cider is also featured at several area restaurants, as well as Woods Coffee locations.

Bellewood Farms apples also make it into the more adult version of cider, as several heirloom varieties — Kingston Black, Brown Snout and Yarlington Mill — are used in the recipes of local hard cider makers. Bellingham-based Lost Giants Cider Company uses Bellewood’s Mountain Rose apples to create its popular rosé cider.

Fermented apple cider also winds up playing a role in Bellewood’s strongest products: its hard alcohol.

As the first apple distillery in Washington State, Bellewood’s bottles of gin, vodka, brandy, and special liqueurs can be sampled at its tasting room located north of Bellingham and south of Lynden.

Bellewood cider apples undergo ultraviolet light pasteurization, which preserves more of the apple’s nutrients and flavor than traditional heat pasteurization. Photo courtesy Bellewood Farms

For those interested in seeing the cider-making process in-person, Bellewood also offers tours of both the orchard and the cider line.

The tours last one hour and take place at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. each Wednesday through Friday, and allow visitors to learn about the stewardship and production of the farm. For student groups, tour cost is $8 per pupil, while chaperoning adults and teachers receive complimentary admission. Any children age two and under are also admitted at no cost.

Though Bellewood is a great place to visit at various times of year, the fall season is undoubtedly the best. In addition to u-pick apples from Labor Day until the farm runs out (usually by mid-October), the farm’s Harvest Festival runs through Halloween and features apple bin train rides, a corn maze, and of course, fresh cider donuts, cider, apple pie, and caramel apples.

And for those who love the adult ciders, the farm hosts its 10^th annual Ciderfest Celebration on November 12 from 1 to 5 p.m. Tastings from numerous local cider producers will take place, as will a home brewing competition, raffle prizes, live music, and bonfires.

To put it simply, if you like apple cider, there may be no better place in Whatcom County to get it than at Bellewood Farms.

Happy sipping!

Need a Business Loan? Heritage Bank Can Help

By

Allison Manolis

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Heritage-Bank-Business-Loans — Photo courtesy Heritage Bank

The need for cash flow is likely when running or starting your own business. Both large and small businesses use borrowed capital to help their companies run more smoothly. For a new business owner, the process of obtaining a business loan can seem overwhelming. That’s when you need help! Lynn Wofford is the brand branch manager at the Heritage Bank branch in downtown Olympia. Wofford, who’s worked in banking in the community for over 40 years, knows a thing or two about how business loans work.

Lynn Wofford. Photo courtesy Heritage Bank

With the help of professionals in the banking industry, getting approved for a loan doesn’t have to seem daunting. In fact, Wofford has four simple steps to help you get the business loan you need.

Step 1: Consider Your Eligibility

When looking to get a business loan, you’ll need to consider your eligibility. Banks always look at historical data to decide if you qualify for their loan.

A bank often likes to see:

Your time in business. Traditional lenders will often want to see that you’ve been in business for at least two years. Although some lenders will give you a loan after one year, these are less common.

Your personal credit score. Your personal credit score plays a key part in your ability to obtain a business loan. This is especially true for newer businesses without a ton of historical data to support their loan request.

Credit scores are important because before offering you a loan, lenders need to be convinced that you are going to be trustworthy with your payments based on your payments in the past. The better your personal credit score is, the better options you’ll have for your business loan.

Your cash flow. Lenders need to know that you have the appropriate amount of money coming in to be able to support your loan payments. Your cash flow is a good indicator of whether or not you’ll be able to support the payments to the lender.

Collateral. Traditional lenders will often ask for collateral when giving out a business loan. If you have tangible items to offer as collateral, such as real estate or equipment, you’re more likely to obtain a business loan.

With the help of professionals in the banking industry, getting approved for a loan doesn’t have to seem daunting. Photo courtesy Heritage Bank

Step 2: Decide What Kind of Loan You Need

There are tons of different kinds of loans, which can easily become overwhelming. Although a lender will be able to help you hone in on the type of loan that is best for you, it’s important to do your own research ahead of time.

Heritage Bank offers many types of loans necessary to cover the needs of a business person. These include commercial mortgages, term loans, lines of credit, equipment financing, and more.

The Heritage Business Express loan is a perfect example of a type of loan that is easily obtainable for new or starting businesses. The Heritage Business Express loan is designed for smaller cash flow needs but has loan options that go up to $750,000. The convenient short-term application process helps businesses get the capital they need to succeed.

Step 3: Come Prepared with the Information and Documents Needed

The best way to streamline the process of obtaining a loan is to be organized, keep good records, and come prepared with all of the information and documentation needed to guarantee your loan.

A few common things you’ll need when meeting with a lender include, but are not limited to:

A personal financial statement
Two or three years of business and personal tax returns
Interterm financial documents, including a profit loss and balance sheet to get an idea of where you are year-to-date
Business and personal credit scores
Legal contracts
Licenses and registrations

Step 4: Fill Out Your Application for Review

Filling out applications for a loan can be time-consuming. But as long as you have the documentation listed in the last step, it should be quite straightforward.

Once your application is completed and submitted, expect to wait between 24 hours and several weeks to receive your decision, depending on the kind of loan you’re applying for.

Thankfully, with experienced and dedicated people like Wofford in the banking industry, applying for and receiving business loans can be done with little to no stress. She can take you through each of these steps, making sure you are putting your best foot forward, to give you your best shot at being approved.

Learn more about Heritage Bank’s different business loan types. Once you’re ready to apply, you can visit a local branch, make an appointment online or call 800.455.6126.

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Interfaith Coalition’s Annual Winter Coat Drive Takes Place During October

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LocalTalk Contributor

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Submitted by Interfaith Coalition

Each year Interfaith Coalition of Whatcom County hosts our Winter Coat Drive for anyone in need of a better coat for the cold months in Whatcom County. The local nonprofit collects and distributes 1,400+ new and in-great-condition winter coats of all sizes for children, teens, and adults of any gender. Coats are donated by businesses, congregations, and individuals and everyone is invited to donate. The annual outreach program has become a highly anticipated event, both by donors and by recipients.

One of the most important things to consider when donating a winter coat is that, if it isn’t brand new, it looks like it is. I often say, “Would you be happy giving the coat to your best friend?” If the answer is “no,” then it may not be good enough to give to someone who really needs it. We want everyone who picks out a coat to feel good when they’re wearing it.

For this year’s Winter Coat Drive, Interfaith Coalition has again partnered with Ridwell, the company that accepts hard-to-recycle items right at subscribers’ doorsteps. From October 2 – October 16, Ridwell subscribers have an easy way to donate to the Winter Coat Drive. The company will be accepting new and in-great-condition winter coats with their weekly pickups during those weeks in October. All coats that pass the “Would you be happy giving the coat to your best friend?” test will be given to Interfaith Coalition for our coat drive.

Ragfinery, the beloved local nonprofit that has made strides in reducing waste, is accepting winter coat donations on behalf of Interfaith Coalition. Coats can be donated until October 11 at their store at 1421 N Forest in Bellingham during business hours, Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm.

More than a dozen congregations around Whatcom County are holding their own coat drives to contribute to the outreach. United Way of Whatcom County has partnered with a handful of local businesses who want to provide a way for their employees to be involved in the Winter Coat Drive. Blue Skies for Children has also gotten in on the action and will donate dozens of coats from their own stock to ensure that even more people can walk away with a good coat this winter.

So what happens with all of these coats? Interfaith Coalition and our crew of dedicated volunteers will give a coat to anyone who wants one. Distributions will be at:

United Church of Ferndale: Oct. 13, 9 am – noon & Oct. 14, 3 pm – 6 pm

Bellingham Food Bank: Oct. 19, 2 pm – 6 pm & Oct. 21, 10 am – 2 pm

St. Peter’s Mission Church in Deming: October 27, 11 am – 5 pm

If there are any coats remaining after those distributions, Bellingham Community Meals and Hope House will receive them to continue giving coats to anyone who couldn’t make it to any of the distributions.

Interfaith Coalition invites everyone to donate at least one winter coat to their drive. Coats will be accepted until Tuesday, October 11.

The Winter Coat Distributions are free and open to the public.

Full details about donating and distribution for the Winter Coat Drive are on Interfaith Coalition’s website: https://www.interfaith-coalition.org/winter-coat-drive.

Drink And Dine Waterside In and Around Bellingham

By

Stacee Sledge

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Keenan's at the Pier — The restaurant’s waterfront views are incredible, complementing the sea-centric menu that rolls out every spring and summer. Photo credit: Sarah Hardy Photography

Mother Nature has provided our area with knockout water views. Naturally, many of our restaurants have capitalized on that beauty by adding decks and outdoor seating so we can enjoy soaking up all that Vitamin D while we dine, even as autumn weather approaches.

Drop in on any of these lovely local eateries while the rainy season remains at bay — for the wet stuff will return soon enough.

Keenan’s at the Pier

Breakfast, lunch, happy hour, or dinner — any meal can be enjoyed on the deck at Keenan’s at the Pier, complete with iconic views over Taylor Dock of Bellingham Bay, Lummi Island, and the San Juan Islands beyond.

Breakfast staples, lunch fair light or robust, and dinner are all served with special attention given to locally sourced ingredients. The menu changes often with the seasons and the guiding inspiration of Executive Chef Ashley Kovacevich.

My personal favorite moments at Keenan’s have been happy hours on the deck — offered daily from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. — the sun kept slightly at bay by a large umbrella and our table lined with a crowd of friends and littered with half-drunk glasses of cocktails and wine, and plates of truffle fries, ahi poke, and blackened fish tacos. I promise, full meals at Keenan’s at the Pier are just as satisfying and inspired.

Keenan’s at the Pier
804 10th Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
360.392.5510
www.keenansatthepier.com

Packers Kitchen + Bar at Semiahmoo Resort

If you’ve not yet visited Semiahmoo Resort and its Packers Kitchen + Bar, don’t waste another second — it’s well worth the 25-minute drive north.

Kick back and relax at Packers Kitchen + Bar at Semiahmoo. Photo courtesy: Semiahmoo Resort and Spa.

Packers Kitchen + Bar offers casual breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner options that also bring sophistication and approachability — as well as extensive water views of Drayton Harbor and, in the distance, White Rock, British Columbia.

The food? Imagine the freshest local oysters and other seafood delights, from steamer clams or mussels, cedar plank salmon, prawns and fish tacos. Salads, pastas, pizzas and more round out the Packers brunch and happy hour menus, offering small and large plates with a bit of something for everyone.

Packers Kitchen + Bar at Semiahmoo Resort
9565 Semiahmoo Parkway
Blaine, WA 98230
360.318.2000
www.semiahmoo.com

Lighthouse Bar & Grill

Served nightly from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., the dinner menu at Lighthouse Bar & Grill doesn’t disappoint. Locally sourced Northwest cuisine? They’ve got it. Seafood? Options galore. Steak? Choose from filet mignon or white pepper-crusted strip steak. From casual fare and salads to signature dishes, Lighthouse Bar & Grill offers plenty that will please.

You can start your day with breakfast out-of-doors, or end it with happy hour, daily, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to close, plus all day Sunday. And any off-the-water winds are kept at bay by generous glass panels that surround the space.

Lighthouse Bar & Grill also regularly offers live music on its patio — with Jazz on the Bay and Blues, Brews, & BBQs — adding ambiance to this already astounding waterside venue.

Lighthouse Bar & Grill at the Bellwether Hotel
1 Bellwether Way
Bellingham, WA 98225
360.392.3200
www.lighthousebarandgrill.com

Anthony’s at Squalicum Harbor

Anthony’s at Squalicum Harbor (as well as its nearby sister restaurant, Anthony’s Hearth Fire) offers the quintessential Bellingham bayside dining experience, with the boats on Squalicum Harbor floating just feet away, amid a backdrop of expansive views of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands.

outside dining bellingham — The view from Anthony’s makes every meal more enjoyable. *Photo courtesy Anthony’s at Squalicum Harbor*

Anthony’s dinner menu is, naturally, heavy on the scrumptious seafood options, with several steaks that will make you salivate, as well. They also serve Sunday brunch and lunch from Monday to Saturday.

Arriving by boat rather than car? Guest moorage is available for Anthony’s patrons through the Port of Bellingham.

Anthony’s at Squalicum Harbor
25 Bellwether Way
Bellingham, WA 98225
360.647.5588
www.anthonys.com/restaurants/detail/anthonys-at-squalicum-harbor

Lucky for us, Whatcom County is rife with lovely waterside spots. Choose any of these restaurants and enjoy a meal — or happy hour — near the water’s edge.

Featured Keenan’s at the Pier photo by Sarah Hardy Photography

WTA Hosting Kids Art Contest for City of Bellingham’s Climate Action Week

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LocalTalk Contributor

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WTA-Art — Photo courtesy Whatcom Transportation Authority

Submitted by Whatcom Transportation Authority

Children throughout Whatcom County are invited to participate in WTA’s Kids Art Contest on Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The contest will take place aboard a bus parked at the Bellingham Farmers Market, located at 1100 Railroad Avenue. This event is part of the City of Bellingham’s ALL IN for Climate Action Week 2022. Find a full list of events at cob.org/climate-action-week.

Illustration courtesy Whatcom Transportation Authority

ALL IN for Climate Action Week is an annual celebration of the knowledge, progress, and resources our community has to offer when looking for solutions to address global climate change at the local level. The events will take place September 19-25 within Whatcom County, hosted by individuals, organizations, businesses, and governments that want to help Bellingham achieve its climate action goals.

The theme of this year’s Climate Action Week is Inspiring Community Action Through Climate Conversations. The WTA Kids Art Contest will invite kids to share how they celebrate Earth with their drawings.

Kids will create their art during the event. The contest is free to enter, and all materials will be provided. The winning submissions will be scanned, enlarged, printed on vinyl, and displayed on electric buses. The contest is open to kids in Whatcom County who are 10 years old or younger.

This event is free and open to the public. Whatcom Smart Trips will also be on-site at the Farmers Market to provide E-Bike demonstrations.

Kids Art Contest event details are on WTA’s website at ridewta.com/contest. Parents with questions can call (360) 788-9304 or email genevievec@ridewta.com.

Lydia Place’s Partnership With the PSE Foundation Allows for Incredible New Growth

By

Steven Arbuckle

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Lydia Place is well known in Whatcom County as one of the major forces fighting against homelessness and promoting strong families. Thanks to a long-standing relationship with Puget Sound Energy and the PSE Foundation, they have recently been able to complete the Heart House, a meaningful step forward for an organization already recognized for its consistent growth.

Over her years of involvement, Tally Rabatin has witnessed a lot of that expansion, and is in a great position to share the Lydia Place story. “I was a board member and a volunteer previous to that, so my relationship to Lydia Place is over a decade long, and now I’ve been on staff as the community engagement director for four years,” she says.

October of 2022 marks 33 years of Lydia Place’s service and offers Rabatin a chance to reflect on how much has changed and how much has remained the same.

Lydia Place generates smiles by finding families housing, and then bringing in services that will make a lasting difference. Photo courtesy Lydia Place

“We started as one communal living house, and now we’ve grown to four different campuses where we house families and individuals experiencing homelessness. We still follow the same Housing First model, but our three decades of experience have taught us that housing is just the first step,” she says. “Families need wrap-around services, including mental health and parent skill building, so Lydia Place now staffs our own mental health clinicians that work with the children as well as the adults in our program.”

The vision sounds simple, but the work is complex enough that they need the support of some powerful friends. “Our ultimate goal is that the kiddos in our programs today, who number over 300, will be the last in their family to either experience homelessness or housing insecurity,” says Rabatin. “We rely on partners like PSE Foundation to help us expand. They walk alongside us to make sure that families in this community have the resources they need.”

Heart House is the newest addition to Lydia House, with its original property visible in the background. Photo credit: Steven Arbuckle

The latest project to benefit from the PSE Foundation’s investment is a facility that greatly expands the services offered by Lydia Place. “We just completed Heart House, which is our first mixed-service property,” Rabatin says. “It brings 11 one- and two-bedroom units for families with children, and within that same apartment building we have a childcare partnership with the YMCA. It’s unique to us, and something we’re really excited about, because it responds to a major crisis happening to our community: housing and childcare.”

Lydia Place has 24 units across their campuses and provides housing support to more the 250 families across the community. They are working with Bellingham Housing Authority, private landlords, and private property managers to satisfy the housing needs of all of those families. And while there are still more families that can use help, they continue to partner with teammates like the PSE Foundation. “It goes beyond dollars,” says Rabatin. “It’s also about advocacy and work. Their people are incredible and we’re so grateful to have them working with us.”

Lydia Place partnered with the PSE Foundation and works directly with PSE’s local Senior Community Engagement Representative Liz Purdy, who brings a decade of nonprofit experience. She also served a brief stint with the City of Bellingham, helping distribute funds meant to fight the effects COVID was having on the community. “I got the chance to get some of the CARES grants out,” she says. “There was a really fantastic collaborative effort, with so many different local entities, to make that happen.”

The staff at Lydia Place has been able to accomplish great things as result of a long relationship with the PSE Foundation. Photo courtesy Lydia Place

The PSE Foundation operates independently of Puget Sound Energy. It was created in 2006 after a $15 million endowment was received from the proceeds of Puget Energy’s sale of InfrastruX Group, an unregulated subsidiary. None of the PSE Foundation’s funds will ever come from PSE’s utility customer rates. Since its inception, it has been charged with the mandate to empower communities.

“We’re always trying to find ways that PSE or our Foundation can solve local community needs, whether that is energy-specific, or even more creative than that,” says Purdy. “Lydia Place is a great example; we know that homelessness and the housing crisis is an issue in Whatcom County, along with childcare.”

The new Heart House facility combines a place to live with on-site childcare and is topped with a full solar power system. Photo courtesy PSE Foundation

Purdy sees the Heart House as uniquely positioned to address those concerns — and that PSE and PSE Foundation can help.

“If we’re talking about projects that meet community needs, like permanent affordable housing with childcare, and then being able to put a solar array on top of that, you’re addressing three huge areas of need in our community in one building,” she says. “A partnership like that is exactly the type of thing we want to see over and over again.”

Rabatin is happy to see the relationship continue, and to serve even more of the population. “I think we have a unique opportunity in this community,” she says. “If we unite, we have options. We’re not too big to put families first, so our hope is that the community continues to rally.”

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Squalicum High School Boys Cross Country Looks to Repeat Last Year’s 2A State Title

By

Tony Moceri

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Squalicum-High-School-Cross-Country-Team-Huddle — The runners huddle up before a race. Photo courtesy Erin Hoopes

At the best of times in sports, a group of individuals comes together and creates something special. It takes a combination of ability, effort, and camaraderie for all the pieces to work harmoniously. When lightning strikes, the result is most likely wins and eventual championships. This was the case for the young group of runners at Squalicum High School last year, and they’re putting in the work to repeat that success this season.

The Squalicum Boys Cross Country team won last year’s 2A state title — for the first time in school history — with a group primarily made up of sophomores. And they did so by sticking together. The top five runners (which are what score for a cross country team) finished within nine seconds of each other, with finishes ranging from 12th to 21st. Their finishing order was sophomore Owen Voigt, sophomore Tyler Nielson, sophomore Evan Rush, senior Benjamin Latta, and sophomore Chase Bartlett. Their sixth runner, Gabriel Salomon, a junior, was a mere 19 seconds behind Bartlett. This combination of young, clustered speed not only got them the championship but left onlookers excited to see what the future will bring.

Squalicum Boys Cross Country team juniors, from left to right: Evan Rush, Chase Bartlett, Ben Lann, Tyler Nielsen, Owen Voight, Pedro Bojorquez, and Jimmy Rust. Photo courtesy Tyler Nielsen

To learn more about this group of runners looking to bring additional hardware back to Bellingham, I chatted with junior Tyler Nielson about how the team got to this point and where they hope to go.

Like many runners, Nielson and many of his teammates’ first exposure to cross country came in middle school, where the sport is as much about having fun and learning to pace yourself as it is about race results. This is when the bond between teammates formed, and the love for the sport blossomed.

In high school, more teammates came together, creating the situation they’re in today. “The coaches they’re really good. They really do a lot for us,” says Nielsen. “These guys on the team are really hard workers, and we really go after meets and give it our all. We just work as a team really well, which is really nice.”

The 2021 Squalicum Boys Cross Country team after winning the state championship. Photo courtesy Erin Hoopes

This hard work doesn’t just occur during the season, which runs from late August into early November. Many of the team’s approximately 40 athletes show up to optional summer practices to be prepared for the season. In a sport that starts off under the hot summer sun and finishes in the sideways rain of fall, it takes grit and determination to push through the sport’s physical and mental obstacles.

In what is often viewed as an individual sport, the Squalicum runners understand the importance of a team both for score and motivation. “Low score wins, so all five really, really matter,” Nielson says. “If we can have all of us together and just push each other through the race and just be there, it can help pull people along and make sure we all get the fastest times that we can.”

Fast times is what each individual is aiming for, which, if pulled off by everyone, will lead to continued success for the 2022 season. With times in the high 16:00s last season, the runners are looking to drop their times into the low 16:00s to high 15:00s, which would place many of the scoring runners in the top 10 and collectively drop their team score. Nielsen and his teammates are putting in the work and setting lofty goals because they know there are a lot of talented runners this season eyeing their top spot from last year.

The runners huddle up before a race. Photo courtesy Erin Hoopes

In their most recent meet at Hovander Park against Ferndale and Sedro-Woolley, Squalicum won the meet by having their scoring five finish first, second, third, fourth, and sixth. Evan Rush finished in a time of 16:27, Chase Bartlett in 16:39, Tyler Nielsen in 16:48, Owen Voigt in 17:13, and Wesley Sluys in 17:50.

The team races weekly from now until November 5th, when they hope to be peaking just in time for the state championship in Pasco. The City Meet, where Squalicum, Bellingham, and Sehome all face off, takes place on September 28th at Lake Padden. Their full schedule and results can be viewed here.

While right now the team is focused on having a successful cross country season, they will be off and running again next spring when the track season begins. This group of distance runners hopes to combine their efforts with the likes of Andre Korbmacher and the rest of the Squalicum track team to succeed at the state level.

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