Bellingham’s newest Festival – Seafest

September 29, 2016 by Michael Eisenberg

Seafood-by-llee_u courtesy of flickr.com

Bellingham’s newest Festival – Seafest

Get ready for the first Bellingham SeaFeast, 2016, a festival showcasing our region’s wonderful seafood in an authentic maritime environment. There will be a diverse schedule of events Friday and Saturday, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, mostly at Zuanich Point Park, There will be art, music and food, all the prerequisites for a great event.

This year’s theme will be “Come for the fish! Stay to play!” Admission is free to the family-friendly event, with hands-on educational activities, music, contests and demonstrations along Bellingham’s waterfront.

There will be a salmon-grilling contest as well as a commercial fishermen survivor-suit race, meet-the-fishers displays, boat tours and rides and talks about Bellingham Bay’s history and fishing industries, tours of Bellingham Cold Storage’s ice house and fish processing facility, and performances by storytellers, poets, musicians and the Bellingham Circus Guild.
A few entertainment highlights:

Sept. 30

Fisherpoets-On-Bellingham Bay: 4 p.m. at Boundary Bay Brewery and at 7:30 p.m. at Honey Moon Mead and Cider.

Workshops on ballad-writing, storytelling, and poetry: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Fairhaven Library.

Saturday, Oct. 1, at Zuanich Point Park

11-11:45 a.m.: Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsa, maritime and folk music.

Noon-12:30 p.m.: Bellingham Circus Guild presents “Something Wonderful.”

12:45-1:15 p.m.: The Easy Tigers, bluegrass and jazz.

1:30-2:30 p.m.: Badd Dog Blues Society, with blues band founder Andy Koch.

2:45-3:45 p.m.: Garrett and the Sheriffs, Americana and folk music.

4-5 p.m.: WeisWald, folk-funk.

5:15-6:30 p.m.: Hot Damn Scandal, ballads, jazz, funk, love songs.

6:45-8 p.m.: Baby Cakes, soul, funk and rhythm and blues.

Bellingham Beer Week

September 10, 2016 by Michael Eisenberg

Bellingham Beer Week

bread-and-beerpublic-domain-photosdotcom

Bellingham Beer Week

Beer aficionados rejoice it’s really here, Bellingham beer week has arrived again. Actually, it’s more than a week, it’s 10 days from September 9 – 18. Beer has become a big deal in Bellingham, And a pretty big business as well. According to the Brewers Association there were 4,144 breweries in the United States the End of 2015 breweries are popping up so often here in Bellingham it’s hard to keep track how many there are six or seven as of this writing. It’s time to showcase them all this week Bellingham beer week.

Aslan brewery is offering 10 for 10, for 10 days, 10% of their beer sales will go toward 10 nonprofits, Oktoberfest is happening Chuckanut Brewery, September 10 music all day, costume and yodelling contests face painting for the kids, lawn games and more

September 11 brings the scavenger pub pedal, register at 10 am at McKay’s Tap House, get you first clue and beer, and finish at 5pm at the Green Frog, if you can still walk after hunting and drinking all day.

Check the full schedule at the Bellingham Beer Weeks Website

Weekend Festivals in Bellingham – End of July

July 27, 2016 by Michael Eisenberg

Mt Baker Blues

Weekend Festivals in Bellingham – End of July

The end of July is here and with it lots of things to do this weekend.

Let’s start with:

The Mt. Baker Rhythm & Blues Festival, turns 21 this year. It was born out of an idea by Bellingham’s Lloyd Peterson who wanted to showcase both national and up-and-coming local musicians. It has gotten ever more popular and was voted top Blues Festival in America by the Blues Foundation in 2013 for “keeping the blues alive.” This year’s headliners are 60’s legends The Yardbirds and Savoy Brown.

The 2016 version, is Friday through Sunday, July 29-31, at the Deming Logging Showgrounds. Camping is free.

Early birds are welcome to an extra show featuring The Noah Wotherspoon Band from 8 p.m. until midnight on Thursday, July 28, with a $10 cover.

There’s also a jam at the museum building that from 11 pm after the last act to 2 am

Here is the line- up

Thursday, July 28

Special show, 8 p.m.-midnight: The Noah Wotherspoon Band

Friday, July 29

5-6:30 p.m.: Carson Diersing

7-8:30 p.m.: Arsen Shomakhov

9 p.m.-close: Magnus Berg

Saturday, July 30

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: The Wasteland Kings

1-2:30 p.m.: Josey Wails

3-4:40 p.m.: Bobby Patterson Band

5-6:30 p.m.: Selwyn Birchwood

7-8:30 p.m.: Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown

9 p.m.-close: The Yardbirds

Sunday, July 31

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: The Naughty Blokes

1-2:30 p.m.: The Chris Eger Band

3-4:30 p.m.: The Strange Tones

5-6:30 p.m.: The Noah Wotherspoon Band

7 p.m.-close: Popa Chubby

Then there is the Birch Bay Music Festival which is a fun filled 3-day family event in Birch Bay with lots of great live music by 20 bands, as well as arts & crafts, food, a beer and wine garden, event T-shirts, CD’s and more.

The line-up for this event is:

Friday, July 29
12:00-1:00 – Quinton Rundell

1:30-2:30 – Daisy Propane

3:00-4:00 – Mr. Feel good

4:30-5:30 – Cee Cee James

6:00-7:30 – Blue Eyed Mary

8:00-10:00 – Maximus
Saturday July 30

10:00am-10:45am – Exit 266

11:00am -12:00pm – Rebekah Ann Curtis

12:30pm-1:30pm – Tai Shan

2:00pm-3:00pm – Tobias The Owl

3:30pm-4:30 pm – Lord Knapp

5:00pm-6:00pm – Heartbreaker

6:30pm-8:00pm – Electric Soul Society

8:30pm-10:00pm – Arcade Cowboys
Sunday, July 31

11:00am-12:00pm – Raveis Kole

12:30pm-1:30pm – The Replayzmentz

2:00pm-3:00 =- Fathom County

3:30pm-4:30pm – Modern Day Poets

5:00pm-6:00pm – Enemy Within

6:30pm-7:30pm – Alien Probe

8pm – Guitar Drawing

If your looking for an older celebration, this has got to be Whatcom County’s oldest event, The 121st annual Old Settlers Picnic, featuring activities from Thursday, July 28, to Sunday, July 31, in downtown Ferndale and Pioneer Park. Celebrating the rich history of the area and the great people that call it home, the Picnic features events like Live Music, a Fun Run/Walk, a Parades, a Classic Car Show, and local Food & Craft vendors. The main events are the Junior Parade starting at Fourth Avenue and Main Street at 6 p.m. Friday and the Grand Parade at 11 a.m. Saturday, starting at Third Avenue and Washington Street and continuing on Third to Main Street and finally First Avenue to Pioneer Park.

Another oldie is the 48th annual Children’s Craft Fair. It is an open-air market with homemade items such as jewelry and artwork with young vendors age 13 and younger from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, July 29, on the lawn behind the Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave.

For all of you dog lovers there is the 8th Annual Paws and Claws Expo at Bloedel Donovon Park Sun, Jul 31 at 10am – 3pm It is a family friendly, dog-friendly day of fun hosted by the Alternative Humane Society.There will be a raffle with all sorts of amazing prizes, as well as games, food vendors, helpful demonstrations for you and your furry friend, and of course loads of dogs!

This event is free to the public, thanks to generous sponsors and vendors.

If you want to sponsor an adoptable AHS dog for simply $25 during the Strut Our Mutt portion of the day, you’ll find the appropriate form on their website!