This year was the second for Chuckanut Brewery's Oktoberfest and, while the first year was equally…read moreas fun, the folks at CB made just enough improvements to take this event to signature status. Held on the first Saturday of Bellingham Beer Week, this year's Oktoberfest featured more seating than last year, most of which was under a GIANT hops-adorned tent with long shared tables. It was like a scene right out of Bavaria (including the lederhosen-tshirt-adorned staff). There was also an awesomely fantastic polka band, surely a staple at any such festival. And, of course, there was delicious food and beer. This year they even had a couple of food trucks in attendance, plus the usual delicious offerings from Chuckanut's own menu. A beer station kept the crowd moving, and there was also a giant blow-up play area for the kiddos (plus other games for young and old). You know it's a good event when you're already looking forward to next year's festivities!

A giant stage with lively bands playing, people of all ages dancing, a beer garden, food, vendors,…read moredogs, amazing weather...yup, this is pretty much one of my favorite local events. In fact, I'd say Downtown Sounds is the quintessential Bellingham experience. Held on multiple Wednesdays during the summer months, this free concert/street festival brings together the best our sweet city has to offer. And this year it got even better as the layout of the festival was flipped on its access, creating a larger beer garden (no more long lines!) with full view of the action on stage, plus a great food truck area with local yumminess like tacos, tamales, and ice cream. If it's a warm summer night, there's simply no place better to be. Want to experience Bellingham for all it is? Check out Downtown Sounds!

After being washed out for two weeks in a row, Downtown Sounds finally got a break from the weather…read moreGods. Perfect summer weather, great Latin vibe and lots of food, kids activities and dancing!

Not enough bands, but way too many fire trucks! If there was a brush fire in the county, I fear…read morepeople would have been crushed by the calvacade of fire vehicles speeding off. Other than that, this parade and street festival felt old town America. Lots of folks out on the sidewalks with their kiddos ready to enjoy a rather lengthy parade. If there were no visible cell phones, and if there were no police on the roofs of the Main Street businesses, you would swear you were back in 1980! I'd go again!

Family fun in Ferndale! I came out today for the annual…read moreRubber Duckey Derby sponsored the Ferndale Rotary Club. It's their biggest fundraiser. Although I didn't claim the $5,000 grand prize we stayed a few hours to enjoy the festivities. Tons of activities for kids, they have their very own "Kid street' complete with music, fitness demos, games. For adults, it was the car show (disorganized) the beer garden and a decent rock cover band as well as all the greasy food you'd expect at a street fair. Vendor booths were "meh." I did get some car insurance info and a free coffee card to Woods.The best was the Lipsence booth and color sampling. Who doesn't want a lipgloss that lasts 18 hours!

New items on display as of today. Enjoyed both the Old City Hall location and the Lightcatcher…read morebuilding.

Nice place to come and learn some history of Bellingham. We stopped for the Christmas tree display…read moreand loved seeing the birds display also on the third floor

For a smaller museum, taking only about 20 minutes to walk through, it is a fantastic museum,…read moreshowcasing Orcas Island history. The docent that greeted us was friendly and informative, telling us that the museum was at one time six separate one-room residences that were dismantled and rebuilt to make this current museum. Full of many early and late century household items, placard's describing the way of life on the island, and has loads of interesting artifacts, photographs, and materials showing Orcas Island early community and civilization.

There's so much to see in this little house. I'm particularly awed by the display of the submarine…read morecables which brought power to Orcas and the nearby islands. There are displays of cobblers and black smiths which are well preserved.

Known for their many, many social causes which tremendously benefit our community, the Kiwanis Noon…read moreClub also holds a weekly luncheon in Lynden where members come to network, hob-nob, and listen to a guest speaker. On this particular occasion, I had the privilege of being the guest speaker and I was impressed by the thoughtful crowd, the polite questions, and the very warm welcome. At the end they even gave me a souvenir Kiwanis coffee mug - what a great group of people! While I wasn't real excited about the food, the rest of the event was very well done.

Small town American fairs are a cultural experience from the deep fried Oreos to the dog shows to…read morethe U.S. Army recruitment booths. It brings out the good (national pride) and the bad (racism) of rural America and puts it on display. The Northwest Washington Fair is no exception. Here's what you should know: 1) Price: It's expensive. You need a ticket to enter and then everything except the smaller shows (dog show, horse racing, etc) costs extra. An unlimited ride bracelet cost $42 per person, including for kids. Deep fried Snickers cost $8.50. The fair's margin is huge, making them a lot of money. Pro-tip- buy as much as you can online in advance to shave some money off the steep price tag. 2) Rides: It's no amusement park, but there are some decent rides fir the thrill seeker. The vertigo ride is fun if you don't get sick from spinning. The swings go high and fast. The Rock Star ride left your stomach at the top. The kids ride section my four-year-old daughter loved. 3) Games: Most are rigged I'm sure, but if you're playing to win a prize for your kids, okay the balloon one or the rubber duck game. You win a cheap stuffed animal every time. 4) Food: There's a lot of it throughout the park from burgers to corn dogs to Chinese food. A few favorites- roasted corn, "moowiches" (ice cream sandwiches), elephant ears and poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes). It's all expensive, but alas. When in Rome. 5) Shows: my daughter loved seeing the dog show, horse shoe and the juggling. The Northwest Washington Fair is a cultural experience, but it's worth noting that we witnessed a number of staff treat people of color differently. On one ride, the staff member running the ride singled out a Black man for absolutely nothing. At the bar area, the bouncer made deeply racist remarks about the type of people who live in D.C. upon seeing my wife's drivers license. It exposes an issue in this community people would rather ignore.

Fantastic fair! NWW Fair has something for everyone. Music, food, animals, vendors, entertainment,…read morepolitical nonsense, etc. You really couldn't ask for more! I enjoyed the livestock most off all. Horses, goats, llamas, pigs, etc. A little bit of everything can be found at the fair. Pricing is kind of high; you get what you pay for. $14 pays for day of entertainment. I can't imagine that organizing a large fair is cheap or easy, so try not to grumble too much. Rides are not included. Parking is also not included. Gate 5 had some decent paid parking across the street.

We happened upon this one-day event while camping nearby. It was a warm and sunny Saturday so the…read moreperfect day for a festival. Confession: this was my first Bigfoot Festival and, as a closet fan of everything sasquatch, I was sorta excited about it! It turns out the festival was a fundraiser for some improvements to a nearby park, more than an informational or even entertainment-oriented gathering about that mysterious, tall, hairy beast that is said to roam the nearby forests. There were a ton of really cute art booths, many featuring bigfoot-related items, as well as a coloring contest for the kids and a musical stage (although we were there for an hour and never heard a note of live music). There were a few food booths, but the lines were long so we didn't partake. We kept wandering around hoping we'd find a beer garden to help us cool off but, sadly, there wasn't a beer in sight. This might have been the first year for the festival, so maybe they'll make some improvements to make it more fun the next time around. I love a good art fair, but having more squatch-related info/entertainment, some music, and music would have made it worth returning another time.

The Maple Falls Bigfoot Festival is awesome !! I've been a vendor there for 2 years and the live…read moremusic, happy faces, engaging people and organized event keep me coming back !! So many different vendors to choose from with decent pricing !! Food trucks, shaved ice and face painting for the kiddos and much more !!