Clashing swords, roasting turkey legs, magical creatures, and royals holding court. Where can you find all these things in the 21st century? At a renaissance faire, of course! Earlier this summer, Skagit County hosted its first full-weekend renaissance faire, a novel event called Faire du Well. Organized by the Washington Shakespearean Festival (WSF), it took over Skagit County Fairgrounds from June 13–14, much to the excitement of local ren faire fans. The faire…
Gruff Brewing opened in 2016 to the delight of beer enthusiasts all over Whatcom County. The lively taproom and straightforward space have won the hearts of many since then, their focus on brewing a wide variety of brews and beers, while food flowed on the side via local…
If you’re a millennial or younger, you’ll know the common refrain: “They never taught us anything useful in school.” For those of us who missed out on the era of…
Jeremiah Leighton grew up in Friday Harbor. He has always been motivated to cook, even from his earliest days getting his first easy bake oven for…
As lucky as we are to live surrounded by water, it can be all too easy to forget to stop looking at it from the land and get out on/in it! Whether you prefer to visit a lake, a river, or the Puget Sound herself, summer is the perfect time to enjoy the cold, clear water our region is famous for. 1. Take a day…
The Shop Located on the edge of downtown Bellingham on West Holly Street is a shop to meet all of your needs, both out in the woods…
Children thrive when their own natural desire to learn and grow is activated. This is something that Silvia Alvarez, founder and executive director of Triumph Teen Life Center, believes in wholeheartedly and has spent years dedicating her life to. Located in the heart of Mount Vernon, in…
When grabbing a bite to eat, sometimes all you’re really craving is a place where you can sit outside to enjoy the midsummer heat and smell the faint sea breeze merging with the scents of delicious food emanating from a nearby kitchen. If this is what you’re looking for, then…
Wherever Miracle Jones is, her kids are guaranteed to be within a leg-grabbing distance. As the owner and namesake of Miraculous Braidz, Jones has spent the last four years striking a balance between business owner and mother. Jones began braiding on her dolls when she was 12. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to Bellingham to be near her mother when she was pregnant with her first child. She made…
Since Time Immemorial is a recurring series featuring community members whose families have been here since time immemorial. The ancestral knowledge carried by Lhaq’temish, Nooksack, and other Coast Salish peoples is knowledge about how to live in our shared home in a good, life-sustaining way. We live in a time when we need to restore our relationship with Mother Earth and with one another. We are grateful for these stories, told in the…
Four Nights in Canada’s Okanagan Region If you’re craving a long weekend away this summer but you want to avoid booking flights, it’s always worth remembering that British Columbia is just a border crossing away and has a ton…
When longtime gardener and homesteader Jesse Johnson came across a YouTube video about starting a farmers market, she was struck with an idea. Her city, Everson, didn’t have a farmers market, despite being surrounded by farms that sold their wares in Bellingham and Lynden. Johnson asked around, and after receiving positive feedback from her neighbors and other locals she jumped in, investing her own money, and the EN Valley Farmer’s Market opened in June of 2022. “That…
