Bellingham Alive

Bellingham Alive Local magazine celebrating our community, our people, and our lifestyle in Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan!

Local magazine celebrating our community, our people, and our lifestyle in Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan Counties.

🍷 Wine Pick of the Month 🍷RED SCHOONER VOYAGE 12, WAGNER FAMILY OF WINERed Schooner is a distinctive red wine produced b...
10/11/2025

🍷 Wine Pick of the Month 🍷

RED SCHOONER VOYAGE 12, WAGNER FAMILY OF WINE

Red Schooner is a distinctive red wine produced by the Wagner family, renowned for their flagship label, Caymus. What sets Red Schooner apart is its unconventional approach: Malbec grapes are grown in the high-altitude vineyards of the Andes Mountains in Mendoza, Argentina, then carefully chilled and shipped by sea to Napa Valley. This maritime journey—referred to as a “voyage” and denoted on each bottle—allows the Wagners to craft the wine using their signature Napa winemaking techniques while showcasing the bold character of Argentine Malbec.

Read more about our October Wine pick here: https://bellinghamalive.com/dine/red-schooner-voyage-12/

Written by Lisa Karlberg

Legoe Bay sits on the western side of Lummi Island, the long, low strip of land that Bellinghamsters see when they look ...
10/10/2025

Legoe Bay sits on the western side of Lummi Island, the long, low strip of land that Bellinghamsters see when they look across the water from downtown. Being something of an Indoor Girl, I never expected to go anywhere near a commercial salmon fishery, but when Ian Kirouac of Lummi Island Wild invited me on a tour of one of their reef netting rigs I could not resist. What, I wondered, was so special about this way of catching fish? We pushed off the beach in Legoe Bay in an aluminum skiff on the hottest day in August. The sun glinted off the waves as we aimed for a line of small platforms set on pontoons floating not far from shore. 🐟

Read more about reef netting salmon with Lummi Island Wild here: https://bellinghamalive.com/dine/solar-power-meets-traditional-ways-on-legoe-bay-reef-netting-salmon-with-lummi-island-wild/

Written and photographed by Nicole Kimberling

Since 1965, Opportunity Council has been meeting “local needs with local solutions” in Whatcom, Island, and San Juan Cou...
10/09/2025

Since 1965, Opportunity Council has been meeting “local needs with local solutions” in Whatcom, Island, and San Juan Counties. From housing and basic needs to job skills and health care, the organization offers a combination of financial, educational, and community support that seeks to “help build just, equitable communities across Northwest Washington.”

Reflecting on the legacy they’ve built so far, Executive Director Greg Winter says: “Our 60-year mission is more than a set of programs. It’s a promise: that no matter the challenge, we will keep showing up, innovating, and walking alongside those striving for opportunity.”

Head to their website, oppco.org, to learn more and get involved.
And check out oppco.org/anniversary/ for more information on the celebratory gala at the end of the month!

Written by Anne Godenham
Photograph courtesy of Opportunity Council

Sandwiched between Avenue Bread and The Bagelry, Sojourn is the perfect lunch break shopping stop. Sojourn first opened ...
10/08/2025

Sandwiched between Avenue Bread and The Bagelry, Sojourn is the perfect lunch break shopping stop. Sojourn first opened in 1994, when Owner Peggy Platter saw a lack of boutiques in town and an empty lot on Railroad Avenue, and had a vision. Tired of the big-name stores that once occupied Bellingham’s downtown, Platter was determined to bring a local touch to the city’s shopping market. 🛍️

Read more about Sojourn and all it has to offer here: https://bellinghamalive.com/shop/finding-the-fun-in-fashion-sojourn/

Written and photographed by Aidan Hadley

Thomas Lutz (Thomas Lutz Furniture) is the craftsman behind Uisce Irish Pub’s 36-foot mahogany bar in Bellingham, the cu...
10/07/2025

Thomas Lutz (Thomas Lutz Furniture) is the craftsman behind Uisce Irish Pub’s 36-foot mahogany bar in Bellingham, the custom dining furniture at the now-defunct Willows Inn, and dozens of bespoke pieces of fine furniture all over the Pacific Northwest. After 32 years living on Lummi Island, he finds it difficult to imagine living anywhere else.

Discover more about Thomas and his incredible work here: https://bellinghamalive.com/lifestyle/rooted-in-place-a-craftsmans-life-on-lummi-island-thomas-lutz/

Written and photographed by Kristen Boehm

Have you entered our October giveaway yet? Enter now for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to enjoy all of the best...
10/06/2025

Have you entered our October giveaway yet? Enter now for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to enjoy all of the best Italian staples at Leader Block Trattoria and Bar! 🍝🍷

Learn more and enter the giveaway here: https://bellinghamalive.com/enter-to-win/

Bellingham residents may be familiar with the stories of Jennifer Worthley and Bryan Matamorosa, the culinary couple who...
10/06/2025

Bellingham residents may be familiar with the stories of Jennifer Worthley and Bryan Matamorosa, the culinary couple who own It's The Sweet Things and Bry's Filipino Cuisine, respectively. Now they’re embarking on a new venture, this time together. Found on the second floor of Fairhaven’s Village Books, Next Chapter Cafe features the best parts of each of their established businesses. ☕🧁

“It's called Next Chapter because it's like our next chapter,” Worthley says.

Read more about Next Chapter Cafe here: https://bellinghamalive.com/lifestyle/culinary-couple-begins-new-chapter-next-chapter-cafe/

Written and photographed by Aidan Hadley

Whether you’re in the mood for a mid-day treat, an after-dinner delight, or a breakfast on the go, doughnuts can fill ma...
10/04/2025

Whether you’re in the mood for a mid-day treat, an after-dinner delight, or a breakfast on the go, doughnuts can fill many culinary niches. Although the basic ingredients for a doughnut are fairly ordinary—flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar, and butter—the quality of doughnuts can vary immensely. Below are five of our favorite doughnut shops around the area! 🍩

Written by William Morton

“Squad’dam’a’hon is an Indian name that was put on me by late Hereditary Lummi Chief Tsi’li’xw William (Bill) James. I s...
10/03/2025

“Squad’dam’a’hon is an Indian name that was put on me by late Hereditary Lummi Chief Tsi’li’xw William (Bill) James. I share that name with my son, Jaden Phair-Williams, Squad’dam’a’tud. The name comes from the Snoqualmie, the moon people, and carries a gift of salmon. My younger son, Sky Phair-Williams, he carries the name Chi’yad’Kanim. On what we have recorded, Chi’yad’Kanim was the brother of Squad’dam’a’hon, and their mom and dad were the first ones here in this place. So these names are thousands of years old. Late Bill gave my partner Laura Williams the name Plelaelut, which is tied to reef netting. We're all close to salmon. Late Bill told me the teaching is that we can't be dragging our names in the dirt. We have a responsibility to be good people, to do our best to keep salmon close to our people.”

Squad’dam’a’hon Terry Phair is a Lummi Nation tribal member, commercial fisher, diver, current board member of Bellingham SeaFeast, and owner of the Lummi Seafood Market.

Learn more about Terry here: https://bellinghamalive.com/lifestyle/squaddamahon-terry-phair/

Interviewed and photographed by Julie Trimingham - Writer

Every October, Skagit farms open their gates for the annual Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms, a two-day celebratio...
10/02/2025

Every October, Skagit farms open their gates for the annual Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms, a two-day celebration of agriculture and heritage. This year’s event takes place THIS WEEKEND, Oct. 4–5, and features around 14 participating farms across Bow, Burlington, Concrete, Mount Vernon, Rockport, Sedro-Woolley, and La Conner, where visitors can wander orchards, meet animals, sample fresh produce, and hear stories passed down through generations.

Read more about the Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms here: https://bellinghamalive.com/lifestyle/preserving-heritage-feeding-community-skagit-valley-festival-of-family-farms/

Written by Rylie Obergfell
Photograph by Jessamyn Tuttle

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98226

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