Kickin’ It With the South Fork Country Kickers

The universal appeal of line dancing has led to a recent surge in popularity and frequent appearances at local venues. The South Fork Country Kickers combine rural charm with a mix of musical genres, bringing a vibrant energy to the dance floor while providing instruction on how to line dance. For Founder and Lead Instructor Tari Bussard, it’s not just about learning how to dance—it’s about building self-confidence and creating an accepting…

Roundabout is Fair Play

Ken takes a Sunday drive back to his future Once upon a time—back when the wheel had just been invented but not yet patented—I used to worry only about the rare road rage incident with a local farmer and his John Deere tractor when I drove in our local counties. Life was simpler then. We had fewer people, fewer cars on the road, and more cows, as it still…

The Mixing Tin: Bayou on Bay

The Refresher INGREDIENTS Choice of housemade infusion, muddled citrus, Sierra Mist and club soda, $9 The bar at Bayou on Bay has the comforting feel of a neighborhood tavern, but one located in…

A Scratch Kitchen Playing With Flavors

Third Street Cafe Earlier this summer, chef Maryna Frederiksen took over the kitchen at Mount Vernon’s Third Street Cafe. The Skagit Co-op off-shoot eatery has flourished under Frederiksen’s leadership and it doesn’t take more than a few bites of any dish to understand why. The locally procured, seasonal menu requires a bit of inspiration and imagination to keep fresh. Frederiksen feeds this inspiration with weekly trips to the farmers market and relies…

Husband and Wife Team Up at Winery

Structure Cellars Owning and operating your own winery might seem like a pretty cool occupation, but behind-the-scenes challenges requiring time, money, and sweat equity can make getting there a daunting task. The husband-and-wife team of Brian Grasso and Brandee Slosar know that firsthand. They’ve poured countless hours into building…

A Picture-Perfect Refuge

Private Gardens Design Susan Harrison, owner of Private Gardens Design, is no stranger to awards. She won our own Best of the Northwest for Best Landscape Designer in 2015 and took home the silver from this year’s Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) International Design Competition. The silver-winning design is located on a one-acre lot in Anacortes that overlooks Similk…

Halloween Makeup, DIY-Style

Doe, Queen of Hearts Make for Sweet or Sinister Look If you’re looking for quick and cute costume makeup ideas to apply on yourself, your friends or your kids, I’ve chosen two of my favorite and most popular looks to teach you! The doe is super-cute, innocent, easy and perfect for all ages. All you need is a blending brush, deep bronzer or matte brown eyeshadow, black liquid eyeliner, white face paint and another brush…

Give Glad Dreams

Bunnies By The Bay THE SHOP At the end of La Conner’s 1st Street, a narrow storefront beckons family members, and expectant mothers in search of baby toys meant to be cherished. Inside Bunnies By The Bay, soft mobiles of sweet peas and friendly looking beets hang from the ceiling. Plush toys line the shelves and whimsical…

Goorin Bros.

A Unique Hatting Experience Little warms hearts like a family business, and nothing warms heads like a good hat. Goorin Bros. is a fourth-generation family hat shop with more than 30 locations nationwide, including downtown Seattle and Vancouver B.C. Goorin Bros. founder, Cassel Goorin, hit the streets of Pittsburgh in 1895 with a horse-drawn cart full of his creations and a passion for his craft. Quality and artistry were of utmost importance, and he went out of his way…

More Local Art? Step Right Up

Fairhaven Fourth Friday Art Work Fairhaven is Washington’s best-kept secret, according to artist and shop owner Scott Ward, who moved north from Seattle a year ago. The exposed brick buildings, the boardwalk, the historic architecture, and…

Whimsical Driftwood Sculptures

Joe Treat If you drive down Worline Road in Bow you’ll pass a house guarded by life-sized driftwood statues. A massive rhino stares down…

Small Brewery, Large Taste

Atwood Ales With a yank, the doors of the old barn are pulled open, revealing a network of interconnected piping, flashing lights and chromed steel woven between ancient boards. With only two barrels of small-batch brew…

Helping Kids in Need

Ray and Keely Deck, Skookum House Upstairs are rooms bathed in natural light from the windows, complete with colorfully quilted beds and bins of every sort of toy from soft dolls to plastic trucks….

Farms Tour: Cows. Alpacas. Sea Urchins?

Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms If you’ve ever wondered just how does that food get from farm to table, or if you simply want to channel your inner Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Oct. 7 and 8 Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms can help. It’s held during harvest season, but there’s more than gathering going on. Activities range from educational exhibits to markets to gardening demonstrations to the chance for kids to pet farm animals…

Cable Show Highlights Community Doers

For the last 2 ½ years, Marie Marchand has done her part to raise up voices from the greater Bellingham community. As host and…