Chester-Kidder is one of my favorite red blends with plenty to say, but it knows how to keep the conversation interesting. Crafted by Long Shadows Founding Winemaker Gilles Nicault, this Columbia Valley wine brings together Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and classic Bordeaux varieties for a rich, layered pour. Aromas of dark berries,…
The Rage is a student-run fashion magazine based at Western Washington University (WWU) with a staff consisting of “a community of creatives that come together to create cool stuff,” according to Jaelin…
Candy is a year-round delight, but what season gives a better excuse to indulge than fall? This Halloween, we’ve decided to showcase a few talented candy makers who produce fun and delicious candy right in our own backyard. When catering for…
Robert Wright, after extensively traveling around the world, now makes his home in Bellingham with his wife. When not creating exciting new worlds, he uses Bellingham and Whidbey Island locations as the backdrops to his stories. He has currently written 24 books, with more on the way. Most of his stories are young adult fantasy genre with a…
Fight the November doldrums with a well-deserved foodie trip to Whistler, British Columbia. This November marks the community’s 30th annual Whistler Cornucopia, an…
Local ingredients, organic flour, whole grains. Those are core to the goods made at Main Street Bread in Ferndale. The shop, located next to a gorgeous painted mural, focuses on…
The winners are in. Years of tradition. Your chosen winners. Welcome to the 17th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards. For 17 years, our readers have been telling us where they eat, shop, play, sip, self-pamper, and spend their time. This year’s winners represent the businesses, people, and places that make Whatcom and Skagit Counties as…
Whether you’re stocking a candy dish, filling Halloween treat bags, or just looking for a fun fall activity, making candy from scratch is surprisingly approachable. With a handful of pantry ingredients and a little patience, you can create hard candies and chewy gummies in nearly any flavor, shape, and color….
Embedded deep within downtown La Conner is a new Italian restaurant that goes by the name Moltobello Ristorante Italiano. There’s nothing like an authentic, locally-owned and run restaurant, with Italian food that…
Taxidermy art. Vintage goods and oddities. Potion bottles and antique uranium glass juicers. Nothing combines witchy and whimsy better than Morii Mercantile, created in 2024 by Katie Donner after noticing a lack of spooky goods quite like hers in Bellingham. Photograph by Katie Donner “I haven’t seen many people locally doing my kind of art. I’ve mostly seen it other places online, and I feel like Bellingham is, in general, really good at living authentically, so I wanted to…
Death in the Afternoon is a hauntingly strong cocktail with an eerie green hue and black licorice flavor. Rather than being fruity, candy-themed, or ornately garnished (as many Halloween drinks are), this drink captures its spectral appearance and distinct flavor with just two ingredients: absinthe and Champagne. Photograph by Kristen Boehm It was fathered by Ernest Hemingway, shares a name with one of his novels, and first appeared in 1935’s “So Red the Nose…
For Shelly Whan and Kelly Fellers, dance has never been just about pirouettes, pointe shoes, or polished performances. It’s been about community, friendship, and building a second home for generations of Skagit Valley families. Photograph courtesy of Skagit Valley Academy of Dance This year, the lifelong friends and co-owners of Skagit Valley Academy of Dance (SVAD) are celebrating 42 years of ownership. The two have spent their lives teaching dance, mentoring young…
