Play Whatcom 2017

Published May 24, 2017

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record

Play Whatcom

Experiencing Our Big Backyard

BIRCH BAY BIRCH BAY CHAMBER

EVENTS 2017

WHERE THE FUN ALWAYS

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May 27th and 28th

KITE FESTIVAL

Memorial Day Weekend

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July 22nd and 23rd

SAND SCULPTURE COMPETITION August 12th and 13th

ROLLBACK WEEKEND

Farmers Day Parade* 10:30 a.m. .......................... June 3 Northwest Raspberry Festival* ....................July 14-15

September 2nd and 3rd

Razz & Shine Cruise-in Car Show • Local Bands on 2 Stages • Beer Garden 3-on-3 Basketball • Street Fair • Kids Zone • $2 Raspberries & Ice Cream

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Labor Day Weekend

Northwest Washington Fair & Lynden PRCA Rodeo................... August 14-19

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Lighted Christmas Parade* 6:00 p.m. ............. December 2 *Produced by the Lynden Chamber of Commerce

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Play Whatcom Experiencing Our Big Backyard

Table of Contents 2. SIMA 6. Million Smiles Playground 10. STAR Park 14. Sehome Hill Arboretum 16. Outdoor cinemas 18. Point Whitehorn 20. Birdwatching 23. Whatcom Falls Park

Photo & Cover Photo by: Katherine Haveman/Lynden Tribune Lynden Tribune • Ferndale Record

1

Feed your need for speed at SIMA

Often kart racers work on their own vehicles prior to racing at Sumas International Motorsports Academy. SIMA offers garages for rent during the racing season. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

Family-owned go-kart facility has operated in Sumas since 2009 In Whatcom County, planning a recreational activity generally involves preparing for an eye-popping hike or a day out on the water. But how about a racetrack?

Since 2009, one of North America’s premiere and largest karting facilities has called Sumas, Washington home, providing an opportunity for thrill seekers of all ages to feed their need for speed.

SIMA (Sumas International Motorsports Academy), at 529 W. Front St. near EPL Feed, is owned by the Valiante family. Opened about seven years ago, the facility is a haven for professionals, amateurs and begin-

ners alike to learn about and take part in the sport of karting.

The track, 30 feet wide and three-quarters of a mile long, is designed to run in three different configurations, making it versatile for rental, racing and teaching purposes.

For $25, you can rent and drive a recreational kart for 10 minutes to get a feel for the sport. For $60, you can ride for half an hour.

Recreational karts,

which can be rented on a drop-in basis, reach top speeds of 40 mph. Imported from Italy and engineered with the latest technology, these karts are perfect for the casual driver and for groups looking for some friendly competition on the track.

Once you’ve learned on a recreational kart, you can reserve time on a racing kart, which ramps up to even more speed.

Four-stroke karts reach speeds of up to 60 mph and

2 Play Whatcom 2017

can be used after proving your skill for 20 minutes in a recreation kart rental session.

Two-stroke karts top out at 80 mph and require a prior 30-minute session on a fourstroke kart.

Aside from rentals, SIMA offers various types of sessions to teach you more about karting. Children’s courses range from one as an introduction to karting to ones teaching advanced techniques of the sport.

Adult and one-on-one courses are offered for those above the age of 15.

“Karting is a family-oriented sport,” said Stan Crocker, who races and acts as projects manager for SIMA. “A lot of people start doing this when they are young and just keep doing it. I started when I was 10 years old and I’ve been doing it all of my life.”

The facility is also known for hosting corporate events, birthday parties and other large group gatherings.

A racer competes on the SIMA track during an amateur Gold Cup race on April 30.

SIMA is sanctioned by (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

Lynden Tribune • Ferndale Record

3

Lynden’s Gabe Butenschoen, age 11, has been racing at SIMA for almost two years. the International Kart Federation and abides by all applicable rules. Safety first is the motto.

“Karting is a great teacher for young kids,” said Crocker. “It teaches mechanical aptitude, focus and pa-

tience when things don’t go right. It’s applicable to subjects such as math and physics.”

It’s fair to wonder why this world-class facility resides in the little town of Sumas. However, SIMA thrives,

(Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

in many ways, because of its location.

“Sumas is a businessfriendly town,” Crocker said.

“They wanted to have a track here. It’s been good for the community and has helped bring in jobs and tourists. It’s

also in reasonable proximity to Seattle and Vancouver — there are approximately 6 million people to draw on in the area.”

With regional, club and national races — both professional and amateur —

4 Play Whatcom 2017

occurring once a month at SIMA, the facility offers the opportunity to observe some top-flight competition.

SIMA has a club team that travels and races all over the country and even internationally.

“I consider this to be one of the safest sports to get into,” Crocker said. “It’s very seldom that people get hurt.

There is a lot of camaraderie among the racers, too. You meet the same people with the same love for speed and motorsports.”

The track is generally open year-round on Wednesdays through Sundays. Racing season usually runs from February through October.

SIMA also sells to buyers all over the world, as its karts and engines are manufactured in Europe.

For more information on rentals, races or anything else about SIMA, visit www.simaracing.com, call 360-9885104 or email info@simaracCompetitors take to their karts and prepare for a race. Check out the full SIMA ing.com.

— Nick Elges schedule at www.simaracing.com (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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5

Ce le

lay at Million p f o Sm rs a e ile y s 010 years of play at Million Smiles Celebrating 1 g n i t a r b

A boy tries out the Million Smiles slide, one of the most popular spots on the playground. (File photo)

Gary Vis reflects on Lynden City Park playground grassroots effort

Gary Vis still gets a little misty-eyed when he talks about the construction of Lynden’s Million Smiles Playground.

Now working as the executive director of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce, Vis had just finished a 10-year stint on the Lynden City Council when the community banded together

to build the park feature in April 2007.

At the time, the city was under pressure from its insurance company regarding its City Park playground slide, which had been in place for decades.

On a family trip to Kauai, Hawaii, Vis had an idea.

“I saw this playground, and it was really cool,” Vis said. “When we went over the next year, I asked the kids, what do you want to do? They said, ‘We want to go to the playground.’ I’m sitting there thinking, ‘I’m flying 2,700 miles to an island in the middle of nowhere,

and you guys want to play on a playground? Wow, it must be a darn good playground.’”

He paid close attention to the park’s design and noticed that it was sponsored, but he didn’t see a designer listed anywhere.

Two weeks later while visiting in-laws in Sequim, Vis passed by another park with a similar design and aesthetic. He noticed a sign nearby that read “Leathers and Associates.” Some research led him to Tim Bynum, a Kauai County Council member who had helped spearhead the island’s Kamalani Playground, which

Vis and his family had enjoyed while on vacation.

Bynum talked for hours about their park build and the work done by Leathers to help make it a reality.

Vis asked the Lynden City Council for $12,000 to bring Leathers out from Ithaca, New York, where the company is based. He was denied, but was able to secure $1,600 to fly in company founder Bob Leathers and some of his colleagues, who stayed with local families to cut costs. Leathers spoke to local kids to prepare for a later visit, when his company went into every local

6 Play Whatcom 2017

elementary school and collected ideas from kids for a park.

Fundraising was another big task. The effort raised a little more than $250,000 in donated materials and cash.

The Mount Baker Rotary Club played heavily in the financial success of the project.

“They wound up giving us a little over $108,000,” Vis said. “This was a very big commitment on their part, for something that was unseen and that had never been done here before.”

Fundraisers also sold all 850 pickets for a fence surrounding the playground, raising even more money.

Prior to the build, the old playground equipment was removed. Chris Libolt and the late Arie Van Weerdhuizen used farm equipment to drill post holes for anchoring

the new structures.

Vis said Leathers warns people involved with efforts like the Million Smiles Playground that eventually they hit what Vis refers to as a valley, in which the scope and difficulty of the project feel all too real and success feels altogether unrealistic. He remembers standing with Vern Meenderinck, Lynden parks and recreation director, before the build began, looking at where the playground once stood.

“I’m looking at sand,” Vis said. “That’s it. It’s a giant kitty-litter box. This little girl comes down the trail on her Barbie Jeep. She pulls up around the corner and she drives right between me and Vern. I thought, ‘Oh, that’s kind of cute.’ She gets in front of us and she slams on her little Barbie power brakes, turns around to her folks and

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The Million Smiles Playground build faced some hardships, but the community banded together to complete the complicated build. (File photo) gets the silent scream look, and then just begins to wail, because the whole playground is gone. I thought, ‘If this doesn’t work, I am so screwed. I’ve just destroyed the playground for generations of Lynden kids.’”

But, with the help of 12 team leaders to coordinate things, the two-week Million Smiles effort moved forward.

The build went fairly smoothly, but it wasn’t without its share of difficult moments. For example, coffee and cookies were provided every morning, until they ran out.

“We had already gone through 200 dozen cookies or whatever it was,” Vis said. “(Caterer) Karen Kildall put out on email that she

was looking for some more cookies. I think she went to church that morning and came back home and she couldn’t even get into the door. She wound up getting like 500 dozen cookies delivered to her house.”

Vis’s memory is chockfull of instances like that one, in which the community rallied to get the project done.

When the initial caterer was unable to complete the job, Vis prayed about it and Kildall called him the next day to volunteer her services, out of the blue. When some construction errors appeared in the playground’s maze, farmer Hank Weg stepped up to help redo that portion of the park. One youngster in a motorized mobility chair

8 Play Whatcom 2017

volunteered to haul scraps out of the build.

“To have the community rally around the project and pull that off and now look back 10 years later, I mean it just doesn’t get any better than that,” Vis said.

To get the build completed, more than 2,000 volunteers put in more than 12,000 hours. About $250,000 was spent initially, and Vis said the current insurance valuation of the playground equals out to more than $2 million.

At a decade old, the Million Smiles Playground remains one of the most popular play destinations for kids in Whatcom County. Located adjacent to Fishtrap Creek in the City Park, the playground features replica Lynden storefronts and the centerpiece of the whole build is an accessible treehouse that, thanks to the nearby hill, actually sits up in the trees.

— Brent Lindquist

The look in their eyes says that they will probably be coming down The Million Smiles tubular chute at least one more time. (File photo)

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City will celebrate volunteer-built park’s first anniversary in early June With its population booming and no feature playground to call its own, the city of Ferndale found itself in need of something similar to Lynden’s Million Smiles Playground.

Riley Sweeney, the city’s communications and special projects officer, helped tackle the project: STAR Park, located next to heritage Pioneer Park.

“We needed a playground in Ferndale, a good-sized one.

We had a few play pieces, but

Completed about a year ago, Ferndale’s STAR Park is located near Pioneer Park and the local ballfields.

(Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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we needed a playground,” Sweeney said.

And it went a lot farther than just needing a playground. Ferndale is growing very quickly, so Sweeney sought something to bring both new and old community members together.

“It was about building a playground, but it was really about building community,” Sweeney said.

Ferndale was awarded a state grant of $224,000 to win matching funds to kickstart the park. “We had to match it, so we assembled everybody and we said, ‘Okay, how are we going to get this done?’”

Sweeney said.

The city was able to garner donations of labor, materials and straight-up cash.

The city and designer Leathers and Associates also went into schools to ask Ferndale kids what they wanted in a playground.

“You can’t really hold a focus group with kindergartners, but we effectively held

a focus group,” Sweeney said.

“This was a park that took their ideas and turned it into a reality.”

Volunteer recruitment was also on the list, along with feeding and hydrating the volunteers. That was Sweeney’s primary focus, and he managed to recruit more than 2,000 people to help with the June 2016 build. Businesses like WECU, Samson Rope and Superfeet plus local high schools volunteered their employees’ and students’ time to help with the build.

“It was amazing,” Sweeney said. “When we started, it was nothing but holes in the ground.”

The park opened on time, despite a few repairs that were needed and some extra work in the weeks and months after the main build.

The STAR Park includes a few very Ferndale-focused features, including the Metallica bridge, mimicking the real locally famous railroad bridge over the Nooksack River.

STAR Park features a variety of play implements and Ferndale-focused flourishes. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune) “The park is unique to Ferndale,” Sweeney said. “It’s made by Ferndale hands, it’s full of Ferndale landmarks, and generations of Ferndale children will get to take advantage of it.”

The one-year anniversary of the STAR Park will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 2, and will include the unveiling of a donor wall, food trucks and live music.

— Brent Lindquist

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The forest in the city

Sehome Hill Arboretum provides six miles of walking trails adjacent to WWU

Melana Schimkey shows off the view from atop the Sehome Hill Arboretum watch tower as Eva Monsen and Alice look on. (Brent Lindquist/Lynden Tribune)

Nestled away in the woods directly adjacent to Western Washington University, the Sehome Hill Arboretum is a versatile area perfect for hikers, runners and walkers alike.

Consisting of 180 acres of forested land, the arboretum was established in 1893 after the area had been mined for coal.

In the 1850s, two scouts for a local lumber mill found coal on Sehome Hill. Mining began via the newly created Bellingham Bay Coal Company in 1855, and the town of Sehome

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14 Play Whatcom 2017

popped up at the foot of the hill, and it employed 125 workers at its height. Mining problems caused issues for the operation until it was abandoned in 1878.

Logging on the hill ended in 1904, an action that brought back much of the tree growth that had formerly existed there.

In 1915, the Northwest Normal School (what is now Western Washington University) purchased the area behind its original school building (now WWU’s Old Main). This gave the institution partial control over the hill.

Huntoon Drive was expanded in 1922 and was eventually extended to the Sehome Hill summit. This created a loop road that began behind the Normal School and headed back to the current Arboretum Drive.

In 1923, workers chiseled the iconic tunnel for Huntoon Drive to run through.

The arboretum was established in 1969 when the Bellingham Parks Board sought to prevent loggers from clearcutting

the trees there.

The Sehome Hill Arboretum features paved paths as well as gravel and dirt trails through wooded terrain. There are four trailheads for pedestrians to access the arboretum:

• North: From the end of Jersey and E. Myrtle streets

• West: From the WWU campus

• South: From the northern end of 25th Street

• East: From Allen Avenue and 32nd Street Popular attractions along the trails include the Quiet Rocks, an outdoor classroom, the old coal mining quarry, a vertical rock way offering a look at the underlying geology of the area, and the iconic watch tower.

The Sehome Hill Arboretum is also a popular birdwatching destination, featuring barred owls, common nighthawks, flycatchers, woodpeckers, hummingbirds and more.

For more information, visit www.wwu.edu/share.

— Brent Lindquist

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Outdoor cinemas on the rise throughout county

The Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema routinely packs out the Fairhaven Village Green for each Saturday evening showing throughout the summer. (Courtesy photo/Epic Events)

Fairhaven, Lynden, Ferndale all offer summer outdoor movies As the weather gets warmer and the evenings run later, summer outdoor cinema pops up around Whatcom County, offering both classic and new movies after dark.

The long-running Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema is back for its 18th season.

The showings begin on June 24 and run every Saturday through Aug. 26. It’s all on the

Fairhaven Village Green at the corner of 10th Street and Mill Avenue in Bellingham.

The 2017 schedule is: June 24 - “Ghostbusters” (1984) July 1 - “Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them” July 8 - “Hidden Figures” July 15 - “Moana” July 22 - “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” July 29 - “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” Aug. 5 - “Raiders of the Lost Ark” Aug. 12 - “Finding Dory” Aug. 19 - “La La Land” Aug. 26 - “The Princess Bride” The Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema is a bring-your-own seating event. Blankets are

allowed on the grass, and lawn chairs are allowed only on the brick area surrounding the grass. Entry is $5. Hot food and snacks will be available nearby and outside food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted. Movies start at dusk after some stage entertainment, which generally consists of live performances up front.

Visit www.epiceap.com/ fairhaven-outdoor-cinema/ for more information, including seating and entertainment times.

This year, Lynden is getting into the outdoor movie mix with the Lynden Downtown Business Association’s Friday Films on 4th, taking place, as the name suggests,

on four Fridays on Lynden’s Fourth Street from July 21 through Aug. 11. This event is free.

The Lynden lineup is: July 21 - “Guardians of the Galaxy” July 28 - “The Jungle Book” (1967) Aug. 4 - “A Hard Day’s Night” Aug. 11 - “The LEGO Batman Movie” Ferndale Flicks in the Park returns this year at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 14, as part of the city of Ferndale’s Summer of Fun series. Ferndale Flicks in the Park is a Ferndale Chamber of Commerce event, taking place in Pioneer Park.

This year’s featured film has not yet been determined.

16 Play Whatcom 2017

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Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve — a gem close by Boys play in the shallow tide at Point Whitehorn with big boulders and the San Juan Islands as their backdrop.

(Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

It’s a restful place where forested wetland meets marine shoreline The soft crunch of trail underfoot, the trill of birds in the trees, dappled sunlight through canopy overhead, wooded wetland and vistas opening out to shimmering Georgia Strait — what’s not to love about a walk at the Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve?

This gem of a jaunt may be a little hard to find, but its rewards for body and spirit are worth pursuing, over and

over again.

Point Whitehorn is the jut of land in Whatcom County between Birch Bay and Cherry Point. The 54-acre reserve is tucked between choice private property and the pier for ships coming to the BP Refinery.

To get there, take Grandview Road past the refinery all the way west to where it turns south into Koehn Road. The entrance to the reserve and parking are about half a mile.

Consider this three-quarter-mile hike to be an easy delight for practically anyone.

It’s good level surface up to the bluff over the water, and even there at lookouts is seat-

ing to enjoy the view.

Interpretive signs along the way explain the “messy forest” and the “living sponge and natural filter” of wetland habitat. Other panels speak of the hawks and eagles you might see, and of the beachbuilding process.

Do not worry about getting your feet wet. About 20 wooden footbridges see to that.

After being tantalized by the views, descend carefully to the rocky beach to enjoy it all directly.

If the tide is low (check before at tides.willyweather. com), you will have a mile’s expanse of the tideland habi-

tat to explore. Pick your way carefully on the rocks — or climb onto one of the large boulders strewn along the waterfront. Then find some refuge of sand and driftwood to sit and open a lunch or just breathe in the salty air.

You are looking out to Lummi and the San Juan islands, with Canadian isles more to the north.

Run on a sand bar. Turn over a stone and see what little shell creatures scramble for cover. With a binoculars scan the boat traffic in the strait or try to figure out the nationality of the tanker at the BP pier.

Eventually, reluctantly, ascend the bluff and return

18 Play Whatcom 2017

to reality, taking any of your waste along with you.

It’s guaranteed that once you’ve visited this “rare and special place,” as the welcoming sign puts it, you are sure to be back.

Take Note: Dogs, bikes and horses are not allowed at this site.

The Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve was made possible by a $1 million grant to the Whatcom County Land Trust from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The money had a somber backdrop. It was from fines levied as a result of the 1999 Whatcom Creek gasoline pipeline rupture and explosion in Bellingham.

The land trust developed the reserve, and in 2008 Whatcom County acquired the property using Conservation Futures Funds. Whatcom County Parks and Recreation now maintains and manages the public access site.

— Calvin Bratt A mile of Georgia Strait shoreline is public access land to explore. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

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Birdwatching for beginners

A group of birdwatchers looks out onto the Nooksack River during a birding event of the Audubon Society. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

Whatcom offers plenty of places and opportunity to see fowl Birdwatching doesn’t take much: a good pair of walking shoes, a slow pace and a keen ear. Most importantly, it requires a love of birds.

It was a common fascination with birds that brought a group of young and old together in May in Ferndale. This North Cascades Audubon Society group would be checking out some of the birds and foliage along the Nooksack River. Some of the participants were novices, others had years of experience.

President of the society Pam Borso and vice president Paul Woodcock were leading the way.

With binoculars to make the most of sunny skies, they were able to spot various birds of miscellaneous breeds. Among the first to be recorded were starlings and rufous-collared sparrows.

Here’s some of what was learned that day, including the basics of how to get started in birding.

What’s needed to begin

Steven Harper, Audubon board member, said anyone can do birdwatching — he has been at it since childhood and he continues it as a favorite pastime.

“I think one first important thing is people have to have a natural curiosity

about what birds are doing,” he said.

Having a decent pair of binoculars is also key as a tool to enhance the experience. A pair can be picked up for under $200.

Another aid is a bird field guide. The small booklet comes in handy when you are trying to identify birds based on their appearance or song. Smartphone apps can also replace the print pages and are available through various organizations. The Audubon Bird Guide is a free app that covers over 800 species. iBird Pro and Merlin Bird ID are other options.

But birdwatching is more than just having a pair of binoculars. It’s a skill.

“A lot of people are just moving or walking pretty fast and you don’t really see that

many birds that way,” Harper said. “You have to slow down and train your eyes to see movement, movement of birds in the trees or the skies.

Be willing to slow down and observe and see if you can see that movement.”

As the group walked across a bridge to the other side of the Nooksack River, any sudden movement could cause birds to scatter or flee.

A true expert in birdwatching, Woodcock is able to spot even the smallest birds with his naked eye and can identify birds based on a few characteristics such as their colored feathers or songs.

“We’ve got goldfinches!” he yelled. The group quickly surrounded Woodcock, carefully looking between the tall branches for the characteristic yellow feathers

20 Play Whatcom 2017

that define the small North American bird. An oriole was also spotted, another yellowfeathered bird that’s tropical and migrates to this area until August.

He confirmed his guess of the species when he heard the birds’ signature sound.

“When I say birdwatching, you automatically think eyes. For me ... for a lot of people, birdwatching is paying attention to the song, and listening to songs is almost as enjoyable as seeing the birds,” Harper said.

It’s all about location

In order to watch birds, you first have to understand where they tend to dwell during the year. Harper said anywhere with water will be sure to have the feathered vertebrate. And lucky for those of us in Whatcom County, we have water aplenty.

Some of prime locales are Tennant Lake, Lake Terrell and the Semiahmoo Numerous books are available, along with various cell phone apps, to aid in identifying strip in Blaine. “Water will birds and their songs. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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Lynden Tribune • Ferndale Record

21

Pam Borso, president of the North Cascades Audubon Society, talks about various plants that attract birds.

(Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

have more birds. What that means is a lake, or around the ocean, or a marsh, or a river or a pond. So anywhere up in northern Whatcom County.”

In the Bellingham area, Lake Padden, Whatcom Creek and Whatcom Falls Park are ideal for viewing birds.

The George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta,

British Columbia, offers a more structured bird viewing experience. The sanctuary consists of over 850 acres of managed wetlands, natural marshes and low dikes attractive to migrating birds.

What you’ll spot

Lots of birds are native to our area. Some of the more common birds to see

in wintertime include bald eagles, mallards, trumpeter swans and wood ducks.

During the summer, robins, summer jays, chickadees and hummingbirds can be found in abundance.

Maybe the thing about birdwatching that makes it fun is that some people need an excuse to be outside, and birdwatching gives them a reason to go for a

walk. Harper can accept that reasoning.

“To me it really increases my enjoyment of being outside and once you start bird watching you’ll start to see other wildlife or other things going on that you probably wouldn’t have seen if you hadn’t started looking for birds,” he said. “Get out and interact with nature.”

— Ashley Hiruko

22 Play Whatcom 2017

Lynden’s Fairway Center “Has it ALL!”

SHOP • DINE • ENJOY 1750 Front St., Lynden • Across from the NW Wash Fairgrounds

Whatcom Falls Park offers look s at waterfalls, history The WPA-built bridge over Whatcom Creek overlooks the first of four waterfalls. (Brent Lindquist/Lynden Tribune)

WPA-built historic bridge is of sandstone from demolished Bellingham building

Whatcom Falls Park features three and a half miles of trails that wind in and out of forested land and over beautiful vistas of waterfalls and pools.

The falls themselves — actually four sets of them — are located on Whatcom Creek, which flows from Lake Whatcom to Bellingham Bay.

The park is perhaps best

known for its first bridge on the initial trail, built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939. Made of sandstone, the bridge acts as a viewing platform for one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the park. The bridge is actually made of materials from the Pike Building that had stood at the corner of Holly and State streets. The building was demolished in 1891, and its sandstone arches went into the construction of the bridge.

The WPA also constructed a fish hatchery in 1936, and it is still in operation today in Whatcom Falls Park.

Recreational facilities in the park include tennis and basketball courts and a fishing pond.

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Lynden Tribune • Ferndale Record

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• •

WHATCOM COUNTY

Restaurant

Guide

   • • • • • 

24 Play Whatcom 2017

BIRCH BAY BIRCH BAY CHAMBER

EVENTS 2017

WHERE THE FUN ALWAYS

SHINES!

May 27th and 28th

KITE FESTIVAL

Memorial Day Weekend

WASHINGTON

July 22nd and 23rd

SAND SCULPTURE COMPETITION August 12th and 13th

ROLLBACK WEEKEND

Farmers Day Parade* 10:30 a.m. .......................... June 3 Northwest Raspberry Festival* ....................July 14-15

September 2nd and 3rd

Razz & Shine Cruise-in Car Show • Local Bands on 2 Stages • Beer Garden 3-on-3 Basketball • Street Fair • Kids Zone • $2 Raspberries & Ice Cream

DISCOVERY DAYS

Antique Tractor Show & Threshing Bee.............August 2-5

Labor Day Weekend

Northwest Washington Fair & Lynden PRCA Rodeo................... August 14-19

Come join the fun in 2017 at Birch Bay!

Lynde 500 Pushcart Race............................... September 4 Puget Sound Toy & Tractor Show................. September 30 Lions Club Model Railroad Show ................... October 7-8

(360) 371-5004

Fall Craft & Antique Show...........................October 19-21

www.birchbaychamber.com

Lighted Christmas Parade* 6:00 p.m. ............. December 2 *Produced by the Lynden Chamber of Commerce

OPEN WEEKENDS! MAY 27 - JUNE 18

OPEN DAILY

STARTING JUNE 24 THRU LABOR DAY Family-Friendly Food Policy See website for details

Heated Water

360.371.7500

www.BirchBayWaterslides.net 4874 Birch Bay-Lynden Rd. I-5 Exit 270, 3 minutes west

CONCESSIONS & PIZZA

www.lynden.org

available inside Birch Bay Waterslides

Published May 24, 2017

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record

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Experiencing Our Big Backyard