Summer Fun & Camp Guide | 2025
Don’t miss our 2025 Summer Fun & Camp Guide! From farmer’s markets to art festivals to plain old community fun, our guide has…
A Decade in Review for Dirt Therapy Nonprofit | Growing Veterans
In December 2016, “Bellingham Alive” published a story about Growing Veterans (GV), a Whatcom-based organization that was being nationally recognized for its powerful veteran-focused agrotherapy program. Veterans often struggle with anxiety, depression, PTSD, social isolation, and long-term injuries when they return from duty. Growing Veterans creates an environment where they work shoulder-to-shoulder with…
New Bistro Opens in Historic Mount Vernon Building | Union Block Bistro
Upon entering the Union Block Bistro, you’re immediately greeted by a friendly face. The Union Block Bistro is homey. The interior boasts a variety of colors, from lime green to black to ‘80s-disco-teal; the painted-over brick walls reflect the stories and age of the 1906 building. Although the features of the room are hard, the lighting is softened by the white linen cloth hanging over the long fluorescent lights above. Heidi Herr,…
Backyard Beekeeping | Northwest Apiary Services
Have you ever thought of providing local pollination from your own home? Whether you want to hardly lift a finger or go all in and be one with the bees, Northwest Apiary Services makes this possible. Co-Founders Monica Burdette and Karly Kerr are beyond passionate about making beekeeping local, sustainable, and accessible. Every county and city has different sets of rules to abide by when it comes to beekeeping, including Bellingham….
A Worry-Free Way to Wet Your Whistle | Beverages by Boel
“I know we give people the gift of time, because we’re experts in putting together the beverage part of people’s special events,” says Boel Laxfoss, owner and operator of Beverages by Boel. Through her beverage catering company, Boel not only provides custom cocktails and mocktails, wine, beer, coffee, hydration stations, all the accouterments like ice, cups, napkins, and portable bars—she bartends, too! Beverages by Boel began in 2008 when Boel gifted her bartending services to a friend,…
Collective, Infectious Joy—and Great Hair! | Beauty Collective
Elspeth Palmby laughs and looks a little bit uncomfortable when I ask if she’s the owner of Beauty Collective, a small salon tucked back from the sidewalk on Fairhaven’s Harris Avenue. “Technically, yes, I own Beauty Collective—the name,” she says, “but everyone booth-rents and it’s more like a co-op.” Miranda Ridgely, Palmby’s longtime friend and fellow hairstylist, agrees with a smile. The two women worked together at their previous salon, The Hair Art Studio, along with Samantha Hall and Jessica…
Wine Pick of the Month | Niccolo Coturri’s High Diving Sparkling 2023
PRODUCER: Niccolo Coturri WINE: High Diving Sparkling 2023 GRAPES: Madeleine Angevine and Siegerrbe from Lopez Island Vineyards We love this wine from our friends at Piquenique and Niccolo Coturri Wines—they’re some of the only natural wines being made in Washington state. Nic and Tess farm this organic vineyard themselves on Lopez Island, using no preservatives or chemicals in the winery and doing everything as sustainably and regeneratively as possible. This wine is sparkly,…
A Taste of the Okanagan | Kelowna, British Columbia
Calling the Pacific Northwest home goes hand-in-hand with a perk many of us may take for granted: being just a short trip away from our neighbors to the North. Whether you’re looking for a picturesque weekend getaway or an action-packed weeklong vacation, I have a location to suggest that you may not have considered: Kelowna, BC. Nestled on Okanagan Lake and in…
Mixing Family and Business for Delicious Results | Hedlin’s Family Farm
Farming, specifically on the La Conner land his family has owned for four generations, has always been in Kai Ottesen’s blood. But that doesn’t mean he always planned on being a farmer. “I’d just graduated with a degree…
Spring Spot Prawn & Asparagus Risotto | Chef Matthew’s Corner
May in the Pacific Northwest is a time of abundance—farmers markets overflow with vibrant produce, and the Salish Sea offers some of the…
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…
Countryside Equestrian ‘Hipstoric’ Farmhouse Kitchen | TANNA BY DESIGN
With a nod to the English countryside, this farmhouse design combines old and new, mixing modern pieces and antique furniture with rough-and-ready…
8 Great Tastes | May 2025
The Black Cat is known for its vintage, classy atmosphere and it’s delicious Mexican Street Corn Dip. From red brick walls to stained-glass…
Small But Mighty: Local Seafood Truck on Lummi Island | Legoe Bay Reefnetter
Legoe Bay Reefnetter has been operating for around two years and is a one-man operation run by Kevin Castellanos. Though the menu is short, it will not fall short of your expectations. Coming from Guayaquil, Ecuador, where the salmon had to be imported, Castellanos says, “I…
52 Perfect Saturdays
Ever wake up on the weekend and feel a tug to get out of the house and do something fun, but you have no idea what fun thing to do? Sometimes, you can waste a whole beautiful day languishing around trying to figure out a plan. Well, we’re here to help, with 52 ideas for a great day out and about in the North Sound. From pottery painting and picnicking with a book to bar crawls and whale-watching, there’s…
New ADHD Center Opens in Bellingham | Hallowell Todaro ADHD & Behavioral Health Center
March 3 marked the opening of the new Hallowell Todaro ADHD & Behavioral Health Center in Bellingham. The health center, an offshoot of the larger Seattle location, will initially serve as a place for new client consultations and therapy, with plans to eventually expand to patient and parent coaching. Nick Mabbutt, licensed marriage and family therapist and one of the two initial employees at the Bellingham office, briefly describes the difference between coaching and therapy:…
A Hub for Thrift, the Heart of a Community | Worn Again Thrift
THE SHOP The beautiful Bellingham National Bank Building on Holly Street has a stylish new tenant: Worn Again Thrift, a curated vintage store that believes secondhand apparel is a gateway to sustainability, community, and self-expression. Worn Again began as a…
Keeping Bellingham Blooming
Strolling through downtown Bellingham, you’ll come across many treasured local haunts. And from May through October, you’ll find yourself face to face with something unique to the summer months: enormous flower baskets hanging from downtown lamp posts. The presence of these vibrant flower…
New Restaurant Brings Dim Sum to the People | SOHO Bellingham Asian Kitchen & Bar
A new restaurant has moved into the previous K-Pop Chicken and Beer space in downtown Bellingham, and it’s serving up something that Bellingham’s been missing: dim sum! SOHO Bellingham Asian Kitchen & Bar serves “dim sum, Thai cuisine, and other Asian-inspired dishes in a dynamic fusion,” according to their website. It’s a new venture by married Wanida Thai Owners Surachai (Alex)…
“Meant to Be” | Melissa Hatcher of Adored Boutique
Melissa Hatcher, 32, isn’t just the new owner of downtown Fairhaven’s Adored Boutique—she’s a legacy. Since Adored opened in August 2020, Hatcher has worked by the side of former owner Bridget Knutson. Helping to start up a new business during the peak of the pandemic, Hatcher was expecting the hard stuff while solely managing the boutique, but she wasn’t expecting a blast from the past. It wasn’t until after…
Great Places to Get Flowers for Mom | Five Faves
Flowers represent spring, which is associated with new life and motherhood—that’s part of what makes them such a popular gift on Mother’s Day. Here are some great local options for sourcing blooms for your mom this spring, because she deserves them! By the way, most of these businesses offer bouquet subscriptions or flower CSAs, if you’d like to keep the mom appreciation going. 1. Frogsong Flowers This gardener-florist grows flowers in a roughly 1/3-acre home plot in…
Cornhole for a Cause
Excitement was in the air. Cornhole bags flew across the astroturf field of the Bellingham Sportsplex as players warmed up for the ensuing tournament. That was the scene at the first fundraising cornhole competition hosted by United Way of Whatcom County, a local non-profit, in partnership with Upper Left Cornhole. The competition cost $50 per team of two, with a max of 48 teams, and a first…
Since Time Immemorial | Teresa Taylor
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…
The Mixing Tin | Blackberry Jalapeño Margarita
BLACKBERRY JALAPEÑO MARGARITA Red Star Taco Bar: $12 Ingredients: Jalapeño-infused blanco tequila, blackberry jam, lime, and a salt and Tajín-rimmed glass A cold winter’s night, a warm summer’s…
A Tribute to Community | Blaine’s Blessing of the Fleet
Despite the constant flow of travelers passing through the Peace Arch border, the seaside city of Blaine maintains a distinct small-town charm. In the heart of downtown, residents call out greetings to familiar faces as they stroll streets lined with local restaurants, boutiques, and salons. From my seat at the Portal Way Starbucks, I can see boats of all sizes dotting the blue-green waves of the Salish Sea. These sea-faring vessels…
Getting Market Season Running! | EN Valley Farmers Market 5k
The team behind EN Valley Farmers Market in Everson has teamed up with the Greater Bellingham Running Club to start the summer farmers market season off with a burst of endorphins. On Sunday, May 4, at 10 a.m., runners of all ages will gather at Everson City Park to traverse a 5k course that’s accessible for strollers and…
Teaching Self-Care | Skagit Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique, which was created by Frederick Matthias Alexander in the late 1800s, is a method for improving posture and movement through self-awareness, with the aim of decreasing pain and increasing mindfulness. “The way I usually describe it is that it helps you learn to do things that you do every day, but with less tension, less pain, less fatigue,” explains Angeline LeLeux, who recently opened Skagit Alexander Technique in Mount Vernon. LeLeux, a pianist, learned about…