In October 1998 Dale Kaemingk, left, donated a kidney to his father, Jim Sr., ex-mayor of Lynden, who was dealing with kidney failure. This pho tograph was taken when the two were together at Christmas in 1998. (Lynden Tribune file photo)
Dale Kaemingk, son of former Lynden mayor Jim Kaemingk is now 20 years into local politics himself as mayor of Brier
By Cal Bratt For the TribuneDale Kaemingk grew up well connect ed to the people and life of Lynden. He went through Lynden Christian Schools and graduated in the high school class of 1974.
He went on to Calvin College (now University) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the University of Washington, earn
ing degrees in engineering.
He married Terry Donnel and together they started a family in the Seattle area where she was from. Dale and Terry now have three adult children and four grow ing grandchildren. He worked 40 years as a structural engineer for Engineers North west Inc. and retired four years ago as a vice president of the firm.
But there is another life path for Dale Kaemingk that taps into his Lynden roots.
He is the mayor of a small Snohomish County city just as his father, Jim Kaem ingk Sr., served as mayor of Lynden three decades ago.
Dale and Terry moved to Brier, popu lation 7,000, choosing it 24 years ago be cause of its larger lots and homes, he said. Brier is right on the border with populous King County.
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Dale came onto the Brier City Council in 2003 and became well acquainted with all of the issues and intricacies of public service. When the mayor of Brier resigned in 2020, Dale Kaemingk was the one per son the other councilors chose to step into the vacancy, and then he was elected may or in his own right with 65% of the city’s vote last year.
“My dad’s participation in Lynden politics first got me interested in serving,” Kaemingk said by email. “I stayed with it to address ongoing issues in the city and give back to my community following in my dad’s footsteps.”
For the record, Jim Kaemingk Sr. was a Lynden City Council member for 14 years and then was mayor from 1994-98. By profession, Kaemingk Sr. was a telephone company lineman and then supervisor. He was instrumental as a volunteer, with others, in getting the Bender Fields rec reational complex started in the 1980s. Then in the 1990s, after his mayor term, Jim Kaemingk’s name was linked to the city trail along Fishtrap Creek that he had shepherded to reality.
Challenges for a city may be different now -- or maybe not.
“I enjoy interacting with citizens and being involved in Snohomish County is sues,” Dale Kaemingk said. “The biggest challenge in the county currently is crime. Brier has comparably low crime, but our neighboring cities are struggling and we are affected. It is a complex problem in volving Washington State legislation, po licing manpower, prosecutory priorities, and local judges.”
Other issues on a mayor’s mind, in broad strokes, are transportation, devel opment and affordable housing.
“A significant number of new homes are being built in Brier,” Dale Kaemingk said. “Brier is unique in that the minimum lot size is 12,500 square feet. This is much
“I enjoy interact ing with citizens and being in volved in Snohomish County issues,” Dale Kaemingk said.
larger than our nearby cities and has at tracted lots of new residents.”
The son says he thinks of his dad often in terms of being a good listener to people and keeping a concern for the welfare of the city.
“When my dad was mayor, he faced some of the same issues. He emphasized giving back to your community and I en joy doing that as well,” Dale said. “He fo cused on understanding the big picture and he always used his words carefully. I am trying to do the same.”
In that regard, Dale Kaemingk stays in frequent contact with current fourth-term Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis for advice on navigating the job.
As to Lynden, it is “a wonderfully unique place to live and raise kids,” Kaemingk says from both his inside and outside per spective. He gets back enough to know it is still true. “I believe that most longtime Lynden residents do not really appreciate just how special Lynden is.”
Of course, politics, even small-town, is an arena for disagreement and criticism.
“As expected, I have made decisions as mayor that have not been well received,” Kaemingk said. “I have gone out of my way to encourage citizens to call me or meet with me to discuss these issues.
“Unfortunately, very few have done so and that is disappointing to me. I am
concerned that social media has promot ed frequent posting but has discouraged health and much-needed interpersonal dialogue. In many ways we are a divided county (Snohomish) and more than ever we need to listen to and respect each oth er.”
And this further reflection from some one who has worked on both sides of the ledger for decades: “I have noticed that most people in the private sector do not understand or appreciate people in the public sector and the same can be said about public sector people regarding the private sector. I am doing what I can to be a bridge between the two and foster much-needed interactions.”
And talking about giving and interac tion, and following in a dad’s footsteps: Most people would not know this, but son Dale donated one of his kidneys to his fa ther in 1998. To do that for “the most gen erous man that I know,” Kaemingk says in retrospect, was one of the best things he ever did. “Very few people have an op portunity to give back like I did and I will never forget it or regret it.”
Beside city work, in retirement, Kaem ingk also serves in leadership in his church, Sound City Bible, and is on the Calvin University Alumni Association board of directors.
FERNDALE — Keith Maddux began making wooden toys after having a desire
to build something in his shop.
When Maddux first began making his wooden creations 35 years ago, he was surprised by the artistry and skill he en countered behind the work.
“It came out as an art somehow,” said Maddux, owner of Timbergreen Toys. “It’s like I am an artist at [wood art.]”
While Maddux now sells well-craft ed wood toys and items including cars, planes, tractors, bird boxes and trucks, Maddux’s journey with wood art didn’t start out with skillfully made items.
“I decided to go out to the shop and build some little wooden cars and they
were the ugliest thing you ever saw,” said Maddux.
Maddux said he is still surprised by the artistry in his work.
“I didn’t know I had a talent, that I could do something like that,” said Mad dux. “I still can’t believe I can do it.”
Maddux, a Whatcom County native who traveled in his youth but returned to Whatcom at age 19, now sells his wood creations at farmers markets across the county, including Ferndale.
As a Ferndale resident, Maddux began selling his wares at the Ferndale Farmers Market when it first became established in
2007 and is currently the vice chair for the market’s board of directors.
Maddux is set to retire from his full time job in January and plans to focus more on Timbergreen Toys. He said it’s important to have something to do after retiring.
“I am just going to do this,” said Mad dux.
Not having to work when he doesn’t want to and having more freedom are some of the aspects of retirement that Maddux is looking forward to.
For Maddux, Timbergreen Toys is more of a hobby than a profitable business.
“I just enjoy doing it,” said Maddux. “It’s
something I’ve done for years.”
Maddux’s favorite part of selling his wood toys at various farmers markets around the county is meeting and talking with different people from other vendors to customers. His least favorite part of being a vendor is when people don’t show up at the markets.
Popular products that Maddux sells are his wood trains and car carriers, often pur chased by mothers for their young sons, a common customer for Maddux.
Young children enjoying Maddux’s wood toys has been a common occurrence since he first began his business, with him making wood cars for his daughter’s kindergarten class 30 years ago.
“That was a lot of work but they each got a little toy car to take home with them,” said Maddux.
For people interested in becoming a ven dor and selling their products, Maddux sug gests starting at local farmers markets like the one in Ferndale.
To contact Timbergreen Toys and/or Mad dux, visit Timbergreen Toys Facebook page or email at timbergreentoys@gmail.com. To learn more about the Ferndale Farmers Mar ket, visit ferndalepublicmarket.org.
-- Leora Watson can be reached at leora@ lyndentribune.com.
By Nathan Schumock Sports Editor
Jim Smith has kept Lyn den’s parks clean for the past year. A Lynden man, Smith focuses specifically on City and Bender parks and has made an impact on many lives through his goodwill.
About six days a week, Smith and his wife Katrin ka walk along the paths in the parks with a garbage bag and a handy garbage picker to get rid of any lit
tered trash. They do this just to help keep the parks clean.
No one is asking them to, nor do they expect it. But Smith said, “if we are going to walk through the parks anyway, might as well do something helpful.”
At 76, Smith is in his sports hiking shoes and shorts (in case he has to go into the water) as he spryly moves through the creek banks of City Park, maneu vering through the brush to find discarded trash.
He said a year ago, the amount of garbage lay ing around was consider ably worse than it is now. Thanks in large part to his generous work, Smith had to dig out embedded trash that was stuck in the creek banks and along the trails.
Even throughout the winter months, the Smiths still make it out to the parks to clean them up. They just have to dress for the occa sion, Jim said.
Originally from Gaines ville, Ohio, Smith is a well-
traveled man. His job in the oil industry took him to faraway places that most just dream of visiting. He lived in Indonesia, Algeria, China, Nigeria and Tunisia, and he’s lived in other places as well.
Smith is also a war veteran, serving in Vietnam for 13 months with the U.S. Navy, what he called the “brown water Navy.” Brown water Navy was the term for the soldiers who traveled the rivers in Viet nam to transfer supplies and equipment to troops.
Smith is the oldest of eight brothers and sisters. When he returned from the war, Smith had to assume responsibility for raising his siblings alongside his mom. Smith became the man of the house at a young age.
After 24 years of living in these exotic countries, Jim and Katrinka came back to the states and settled in the Pacific North west, where he worked for the next 20 years for a construction company in Fern dale.
Now retired completely, Jim and Ka trinka engage with the Lynden community through their generous work in the parks.
The impact they have made was easy to see. As they passed people on the trails,
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everyone recognized them and gave a kind hello. Smith said they have met many kind people and also like to see the dogs on the trail.
Even the kids playing during recess at Lynden Christian know when Smith is around. The kids were playing foot ball, and an errant pass sailed over the fence into the park. They called to Smith and asked him to get it, so he walked through the bushes and sent it right back over. Then gave a kindly “you guys be good now, take care.” Smith said he loves to walk by there and see the kids out playing and hav ing fun.
The Smith home is right next to Lyn den High School, and he can hear the fans cheering during the Lynden foot ball games.
“I can tell who’s winning just by sit ting in my living room,” Smith said. “I am always amazed at how well Lyn den does in sports. It’s like it’s in their blood.”
Along the trails, the things that bother Smith the most are old cigarette buds, masks and all the plastic. But throughout the year, he has gotten the parks to an almost spotless condition.
Next time you’re on the trials at City or Bender, be sure to say hello to the man with the garbage bag and his wife close by. He has helped clean up this community just to make it better for everyone.
“You know a lot of its just common sense but when common sense be cause common practice my bag will be empty,” Smith said. “The best day I’ll have on this trail is when my bag is empty.”
