cascadia · jen sorensen is winner of the 2014 herblock prize for editorial cartooning. her...
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REPORTING FROM THE HEART OF CASCADIA
WHATCOM*SKAGIT*ISLAND*LOWER B.C.
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Fuzz Buzz, P.10 * Free Will Astrology, P.32 * Rhody Reboot, P.34
*SketchEdu-tainment opedia
with an edge, P.16
-
FARMGATEThe value of
rural America, P.6
MOISTBOYZDean Ween's
altered egos, P.20
BEST OF SKAGIT
Your vote goes here, P.21
c a s c a d i a
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A glance at what’s happening this week
WEDNESDAY [03.05.14]
ONSTAGE Bring It On: 7:30pm, Mount Baker Theatre
MUSIC Mike Allen Quartet: 7:30pm, Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth
COMMUNITYGreen Drinks: 5-7pm, Itek Energy
THURSDAY [03.06.14]ONSTAGE Oklahoma!: 7pm, Bellingham High School Seussical the Musical: 7pm, Ferndale High School Living History Drama: 7pm, Burlington Public Library Bingo, the Winning Musical: 7:30pm, Claire vg Thomas Theatre, Lynden The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 8pm, Upfront TheatreSketchopedia: 8pm, iDiOM Theater The Project: 10pm, Upfront Theatre
MUSIC Night Beat: 7:30pm, Firehouse Performing Arts Center Flute Studio Recital: 8pm, Performing Art Center, WWU Enlightened Piano Radio: 7pm, Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship
WORDSMarch Madness Book Sale: 10am-6pm, Belling-ham Public Library Amy Hatvany: 7pm, Village Books
FRIDAY [03.07.14]ONSTAGE Oklahoma!: 7pm, Bellingham High School Seussical the Musical: 7pm, Ferndale High School Bingo, the Winning Musical: 7:30pm, Claire vg Thomas Theatre, Lynden Always...Patsy Cline: 7:30pm, Conway Muse Sketchopedia: 8pm, iDiOM TheaterTheatresports: 8pm and 10pm, Upfront Theatre
MUSIC Skagit Opera: 7:30pm, McIntyre Hall, Mount Vernon Winter Jazz Concert: 8pm, Performing Arts Center, WWU
WORDSMarch Madness Book Sale: 10am-6pm, Belling-ham Public Library
VISUAL ARTSSpring Studio Tour: 10am-5pm, throughout Whidbey Island Gallery Walk: 6-9pm, downtown AnacortesArt Walk: 6-10pm, downtown Bellingham
SATURDAY [03.08.14]ONSTAGE Oklahoma!: 7pm, Bellingham High School Seussical the Musical: 7pm, Ferndale High SchoolBingo, the Winning Musical: 7:30pm, Claire vg Thomas Theatre, Lynden Always...Patsy Cline: 7:30pm, Conway Muse Sketchopedia: 8pm, iDiOM Theater Theatresports: 8pm and 10pm, Upfront Theatre
DANCE Contra Dance: 7-10pm, Fairhaven Library Dance Gallery Spring Concert: 7:30pm, Firehouse Performing Arts Center Scottish Country Dance Social: 7:30pm, YWCA Ballroom Tango by the Bay: 8-11pm, Squalicum Yacht Club
MUSIC Jazz Celebration: 6:30pm, Whatcom Museum’s Old City HallSwil Kanim: 7pm, Center for Spiritual Living Dana Lyons: 7pm, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon Haynie Opera Kickoff: 7pm, Haynie Grange, Blaine
WORDSMarch Madness Book Sale: 10am-1pm, Bellingham Public LibraryChristopher Boffoli: 7pm, Village Books
FOODCommunity Meal: 10am-12pm, United Church of FerndaleMagic Ice Cream Social: 2-4pm, Ferndale Senior Activity Center
VISUAL ARTSSpring Studio Tour: 10am-5pm, throughout Whidbey Island
SUNDAY [03.09.14]ONSTAGE Oklahoma!: 2pm, Bellingham High School Bingo, the Winning Musical: 2pm, Claire vg Thomas Theatre, Lynden
DANCEDance Gallery Spring Concert: 5pm, Firehouse Performing Arts Center
MUSIC Earth Care Action Concert: 1:30pm, St. James Presbyterian ChurchSkagit Opera: 2pm, McIntyre Hall, Mount VernonWhatcom Chorale: 3pm, First Congregational Church of Bellingham
COMMUNITY Spring Bridal Show: 11:30am-4:30pm, Ferndale Events Center
VISUAL ARTS Spring Studio Tour: 10am-5pm, throughout Whidbey Island
MONDAY [03.10.14]ONSTAGE Guffawingham: 9:30pm, Green Frog
WORDS Poetrynight: 8pm, Bellingham Public Library
VISUAL ARTSEmployee Art Show Reception: 2-5pm, Viking Union 565, WWU
TUESDAY [03.11.14]MUSICTravis Brass: 6:30pm, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon
More than 40 wedding experts will be on hand to share their pairing prowess at the Organized Bride Spring Bridal Show happening March 9 at the Ferndale Events Center
Area artists will open their studios and spaces for public perusal when Whidbey Working Artists presents its 10th annual Spring Studio Tour March 7-9 throughout Whidbey Island
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VIEWS & NEWS 4: Mailbag
6: Gristle & Views
8: What’s up with Whatcom Watch
10: Police blotter, Index
11: Last week’s news
ARTS & LIFE 12: Death and life
14: Winging it
16: Fun with Sketchopedia
18: Creative Camano
20: Moistboyz magic
22: Clubs
24: Ruffing it
27: Film Shorts
REAR END 27: Bulletin Board
28: Wellness
29: Crossword
30: Comix
31: Slowpoke, Sudoku
32: Free Will Astrology
33: Advice Goddess
34: Rhody reboot
©2013 CASCADIA WEEKLY (ISSN 1931-3292) is published each Wednesday by Cascadia Newspaper Company LLC. Direct all correspondence to: Cascadia Weekly PO Box 2833 Bellingham WA 98227-2833 | Phone/Fax: 360.647.8200 [email protected] Cascadia Weekly is distributed free, please take just one copy. Cascadia
Weekly may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Any person removing papers in bulk from our distribution points risks prosecutionSUBMISSIONS: Cascadia Weekly welcomes freelance submissions. Send material
to either the News Editor or A&E Editor. Manuscripts will be returned if you include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. To be considered for calendar list-ings, notice of events must be received in writing no later than noon Wednesday the week prior to publication. Photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by stamped, self-addressed envelope. LETTERS POLICY: Cascadia Weekly reserves the right to edit letters for length and
content. When apprised of them, we correct errors of fact promptly and courteously. In the interests of fostering dialog and a community forum, Cascadia Weekly does not publish letters that personally disparage other letter writers. Please keep your letters to fewer than 300 words.
ContactCascadia Weekly: � 360.647.8200
EditorialEditor & Publisher: Tim Johnson � ext 260
editor@ cascadiaweekly.com
Arts & Entertainment Editor: Amy Kepferle � ext 204
calendar@ cascadiaweekly.com
Music & Film Editor: Carey Ross � ext 203
music@ cascadiaweekly.com
ProductionArt Director: Jesse Kinsman
jesse@ kinsmancreative.com
Graphic Artists:Stefan Hansen
stefan@ cascadiaweekly.com Send all advertising materials to
AdvertisingAccount Executive: Scott Pelton � 360-647-8200 x 202
spelton@ cascadiaweekly.com
Stephanie Young � 360-647-8200 x 205
stephanie@ cascadiaweekly.com
DistributionDistribution Manager:Scott Pelton� 360-647-8200 x 202
spelton@ cascadiaweekly.com
Whatcom: Erik Burge, Stephanie Simms, Robin Corsberg
Skagit: Linda Brown, Barb Murdoch
Canada: Kristi Alvaran
LettersSend letters to [email protected].
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REPORTING FROM THE HEART OF CASCADIA
WHATCOM*SKAGIT*ISLAND*LOWER B.C.
{03.05.14}{#10}{V.09}{FREE}
Fuzz Buzz, P.11 * Foggy Fun, P.14 * Rumor Has It, P.20
EDU-TAINMENT WITH AN EDGE, P.16
EDU-TAINMENTSketchopedia
FARMGATEThe Gristle's take on
rural America, P.6
MOISTBOYZDean Ween's
altered egos, P.20
BEST OF SKAGIT
Your vote goes here, P.21
c a s c a d i a
COVER: photo by Paul Turpin
NEWSPAPER ADVISORY GROUP: Robert Hall, Seth Murphy, Michael Petryni, David Syre
TOC LETTERS STAFF
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONSWhat’s the letter policy of Cascadia Weekly?
What is your advertising policy?What is the ownership interest in the Weekly,
and what are their views on coal transport?—Paige Turner, Blaine
Glad you asked. Newspapers are a marketplace of ideas. Some of those ideas are paid (adver-tising) in order to create revenues sufficient to publish ideas that are—in our case, at least—free (letters, articles and other content).
Our advertising policy is easiest to describe: We will accept advertising for anything that is legal. We do not discriminate, and take very seriously the opportunity and rights of businesses and ser-vice providers to communicate their products and ideas to our readers. Ads create value and interest in our publication. Opinions expressed in ads are not necessarily those of Cascadia Weekly; and it is not a requirement that those opinions match our opinions.
Our letters policy is intended to broaden un-derstanding of issues of community concern. In my opinion, the call and response of letters is the best thing in the Weekly. We try to publish most letters we receive, and edit them infrequently for style and length. In rough order, we favor letters in response to things that have appeared in the Weekly; letters about local issues in the commu-nity; and letters about the state, the nation and international concerns. Least favored are letters
about subjects that have appeared in other pub-lications without foundation or context. Short letters present fewer layout challenges than long letters. We encourage civility and dialogue; and discourage letters that are demonstrably untrue or do not advance public understanding of issues. Again, opinions expressed in letters are not nec-essarily those of Cascadia Weekly; and it is not a requirement that those opinions match our opin-ions.
The owners of Cascadia Weekly are David Syre and Robert Hall. We have never disguised this and have taken pains to be transparent about it. Edi-tor Tim Johnson holds an unclaimed third interest in the publication, a claim predicated on my un-derstanding—not imposed by them, but insisted upon by me—that the initial investors would first be made whole and satisfied in their investment. As a practical matter, the Weekly has not made a cash call on Syre and Hall since their initial invest-ment. Our operations are wholly our own.
It does not matter what their views are on coal transport (or any other subject), since the owners are organizationally forbidden from making edito-rial claims; however, in the interest of disclosure, both are owners of properties that could be nega-tively impacted by an increase in unit train rail traffic, and both are on public record as having intelligent concerns about coal transport and its impacts on the waterfront and downtown core.
—Tim Johnson, Editor and Publisher
THISWEEK
Jen Sorensen is winner of the 2014 Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning. Her cartoons appear in approximately 20 alternative newspapers, including Cascadia Weekly. The prize is awarded annually or “distinguished examples of editorial cartooning that exemplify the courageous inde-pendent standard set by Herblock.” She is the first woman to win the award since its inception in 2004.
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10:30 AM-12:30 PMSettlemyer Hall, Bellingham Technical Collegewww.btc.ctc.edu | 360-752-8450 | [email protected] - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
MANUFACTURING & INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGYTHURSDAY, APRIL 17
2014CAREER FAIRS
HEALTH & BUSINESSMONDAY, MARCH 10
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6THE GRISTLE
VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF CASCADIA WEEKLY
viewsOPIN IONS THE GRISTLE
BY ROBERT REICH
The Real Job KillersLOUSY JOBS AT LOUSY WAGES
H ouse Speaker John Boehner says raising the minimum wage is “bad policy” be-
cause it will cause job losses. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
says a minimum wage increase would be a job killer. Republicans and the Chamber also say unions are job kill-ers, workplace safety regulations are job killers, environmental regula-tions are job killers, and the Afford-able Care Act is a job killer. The Cali-fornia Chamber of Commerce even publishes an annual list of “job kill-ers,” including almost any measures that lift wages or protect workers and the environment.
Most of this is bunk.When in 1996 I recommended the
minimum wage be raised, Republicans and the Chamber screamed it would “kill jobs.” In fact, in the four years after it was raised, the U.S. economy created more jobs than were ever cre-ated in any four-year period.
For one thing, a higher minimum wage doesn’t necessarily increase business costs. It draws more job ap-plicants into the labor market, giv-ing employers more choice of whom to hire. As a result, employers often get more reliable workers who remain longer—thereby saving employers at least as much money as they spend on higher wages.
A higher wage can also help build employee morale, resulting in better performance. Gap, America’s larg-est clothing retailer, recently an-nounced it would boost its hourly wage to $10. Wall Street approved. “You treat people well, they’ll treat your customers well,” said Dorothy Lakner, a Wall Street analyst. “Gap had a strong year last year compared to a lot of their peers. That sends a
pretty strong message to employees that, ‘we had a good year, but you’re going to be rewarded too.’”
Even when raising the minimum wage—or bargaining for higher wag-es and better working conditions, or requiring businesses to provide safer workplaces or a cleaner environ-ment—increases the cost of busi-ness, this doesn’t necessarily kill jobs.
Most companies today can easily absorb such costs without reduc-ing payrolls. Corporate profits now account for the largest percentage of the economy on record. Large companies are sitting on more than $1.5 trillion in cash they don’t even know what to do with. Many are us-ing their cash to buy back their own shares of stock—artificially increas-ing share value by reducing the num-ber of shares traded on the market.
Walmart spent $7.6 billion last year buying back shares of its own stock—a move that papered over its falling profits. Had it used that mon-ey on wages instead, it could have given its workers a raise from around $9 an hour to almost $15. Arguably, that would have been a better use of the money over the long-term—not only improving worker loyalty and morale but also giving work-ers enough to buy more goods from Walmart (reminiscent of Henry Ford’s pay strategy a century ago).
There’s also a deeper issue here. Even assuming some of these
measures might cause some job loss-es, does that mean we shouldn’t pro-ceed with them?
Americans need jobs, but we also need minimally decent jobs. The na-tion could create millions of jobs to-morrow if we eliminated the minimum wage altogether and allowed employ-ers to pay workers $1 an hour or less. But do we really want to do that?
Likewise, America could create lots of jobs if all health and safety regulations were repealed, but that would subject millions of workers to severe illness and injury.
Lots of jobs could be added if all environmental rules were eliminat-ed, but that would result in the kind of air and water pollution that many people in poor nations have to con-tend with daily.
Progress requires creating more jobs that pay well, are safe, sustain the environment, and provide a modi-cum of security. If seeking to achieve a minimum level of decency ends up “killing” some jobs, then maybe those aren’t the kind of jobs we ought to try to preserve in the first place.
Finally, it’s important to remember the real source of job creation. Busi-nesses hire more workers only when they have more customers. When they have fewer customers, they lay off workers. So the real job creators are consumers with enough money to buy.
In short, forget what you’re hear-ing from the Republicans and the Chamber of Commerce. The real job killers in America are lousy jobs at lousy wages.
Robert Reich is professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration.
FARMGATE: The U.S. Department of Agriculture re-leased preliminary data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture, providing a snapshot of a rural America facing difficult times. The five-year update of the nation’s farm report holds mixed news for Whatcom County, which while economically stable—perhaps even surging—continues to lose precious acres to conversion and encroachment by development. Statewide, Washington has lost more than 2,000 farms since the last census update and shed nearly 225,000 acres of once productive farmland, accord-ing to data.
Nationwide, a total of 72 million acres of farmland have been lost since the USDA began measuring the loss in 1982, although the pace appears to be slowing.
“The results reinforce what we have known for many years,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack noted in the re-lease of the report, “the farm population is aging. While that is a concern, the data also show that the number of young farmers increased slightly and the number of minority farm and ranch principal opera-tors increased dramatically, reflecting the changing face of America as a whole.” Prolonged drought and the effects of climate change in many areas of the country continue to pressure the nation’s heartland, his agency reported.
With more than 140,000 acres of land, Whatcom County leads the other 17 counties in western Wash-ington in agricultural output, producing more than $325 million market value in agricultural yield, rank-ing in the top 3 percent of productive counties na-tionally. Ag is also the county’s largest employer for seasonal labor. Perhaps the most notable feature of agriculture is that it is by definition sustainable, pro-ducing revenue for decades unto centuries at virtually no cost to the tax base.
Farmer and former Planning Commissioner John Belisle, owner and operator of Bellewood Acres, has been giving thought to a full cost and benefit analysis of Whatcom farmland as a means of driving public pol-icy decisions in local government. He has been joined in his analysis by Paul Schissler, a community devel-opment planner working in the public interest. At its most fundamental, land-use policy and growth man-agement practices should attempt to lever maximum value out of land at lowest cost, these analysts believe.
At the time of the 2007 USDA Ag Census, for which there is currently complete data, Whatcom County produced approximately $3,000 per acre per year of farm gate value, a measure of the net value of culti-vated product after it leaves the farm, according to their analysis. The figure is arrived at by dividing the county’s agricultural yield as recorded by census by the county’s 102,500 acres in farm production.
“If most of that $3,000 gets spent in the local economy, an economist could tell us about multiplier effects, as the ripple effects are greater than $3,000,” Schissler said, noting that farm labor wages alone are circulated directly back into the local economy. Prod-ucts and services that support the farming industry are also included in that economic multiplier.
“Now combine that with the facts about how land use affects local government tax revenue and spend-ing,” he said.
The “Cost of Community Services,” a report pro-duced by the American Farmland Trust (AFT), sug-gests that the ratio of the cost of government ser-
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THE GRISTLEvices is roughly $1.25 to every dollar of revenue produced in neighboring rural Skagit County. In productive Skagit farm country, government spending drops to about $0.51 in services for ev-ery dollar of revenue generated. Similar trends are seen across 151 communities around the country the report studied.
The median COCS results reported is $0.35 for farm land compared to $1.16 for residential land, measuring the cost to provide public services against rev-enue raised by farm land and residen-tial land respectively. Residential use requires three times what farm land requires in public spending.
“COCS studies conducted over the last 20 years show working lands gen-erate more public revenues than they receive back in public services,” the report authors noted. “Their impact on community coffers is similar to that of other commercial and industrial land uses. On average, because residential land uses do not cover their costs, they must be subsidized by other community land uses. Converting agricultural land to residential land use should not be seen as a way to balance local bud-gets,” the authors warned.
The data cuts against Whatcom County government policy over the same 20 year period, where the em-phasis has been the conversion of open space to residences at lasting cost to county taxpayers.
“Farm land is a cash cow for local gov-ernment, rural homes are a big drain on public coffers,” Schissler noted. “And farm land produces a big impact on the local economy, beyond the net revenue it provides for public services.”
Every five-acre parcel converted to residential use makes it harder for the County Council to balance its budget; meanwhile, revenues from commer-cial endeavors like retail end up con-centrated in the county’s urban areas. The county collects no utility revenues from rural homes.
At essence, growth management should be viewed as a tool to re-duce costs and taxpayer burden, a profoundly conservative effort. The wrong-headedness of county policy over the past 20 years—which has fo-cused on flipping land for private prof-it, converting it from agriculture to residences that through encroachment threaten the viability of neighboring agriculture—is extreme; and it is one of the reasons why the current County Council should not be viewed as “lib-eral,” but as pragmatic and focused on more beneficial outcomes.
Green space is pretty; that’s not en-tirely why it is important to save it.
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NEWS POLITICS FUZZ BUZZ INDEX
currentstive nature of the article, which placed his client’s political activity in proximity to the anti-Indian organizing of the far right. His letter was in the form of a per-sonal communication to Whatcom Watch, drafted on the letterhead of Cole’s con-sulting company.
“PIT and its affiliates have not, in fact, hired anti-Indian racists,” Cole stated in his protest of the article. “Nor is there a public relations campaign against the Lummi Nation or the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. There is not a speck of truth to the speculation that they have done either of these things.
“As a matter of principle, the project proponents would not have any involve-ment that would imply anything other than respect for tribal rights and culture,” Cole wrote. “The company feels that, in the end, tribal and project interests can be harmonized and it comtinues to reach out to the affected tribes in this spirit.
Cole sketched his long history with the tribes, including his work with the Northwest Indian College and tribal gov-ernments. He requested the speculative tone of the article be more directly not-ed as a hypothetical work of fiction and warned of possible legal consequences in the event of further allegations of an-ti-tribal organizing by his clients.
Cole distributed his letter to other me-dia in early February, including Cascadia Weekly.
“Racism,” Cole commented, “has always been a gut-wrenching evil for me. I am certainly not a perfect person, but this is something that can’t be hung on me.”
Cole’s letter touched off a firestorm within the community of local activists, many of whom considered his threat of legal consequences a form of media in-timidation. In particular, critics were puzzled that the article did not mention Cole and therefore, they believe, could not libel Cole. The volunteer board of Whatcom Watch struggled for an appro-priate response and sought, with their limited resources, legal counsel.
“I understand anyone thinking What-com Watch has been ‘sitting on it’ or ‘crouching down,’ as relevant to appear-ances, but that is not what’s been hap-pening,” former board member Ellen Mur-phy explained. “We are eager to respond, eager to share information. There pure and simply have been delays in our abili-ty to do those things. I trust we will act soon and that citizen journalism will be the better for it.”
“I want to be clear that it was not Craig Cole and his threatened lawsuit that have resulted in this situation,” board member Wendy Harris noted of the resignation of Jehn. “Internal insta-bility and resignations by both Richard and staff members predate the letters from Cole.”
Jehn had offered to resign in 2013.
A threat of legal action fractures the delicate web of environmental activism.
Whatcom Watch is a monthly journal of en-vironmental activism and public policy analysis. The publication is produced by volunteers with oversight by a volunteer board of directors and is now in its 22nd year of publication. The publication, which has admi-rably and thoroughly covered the issue of Northwest coal export, met one of its greatest crises earlier this year with the threat of legal action in response to a speculative article on the coal industry that appeared in January.
Editor Richard Jehn resigned over the weekend in apparent frustration over criticism of his leadership from members of the volun-teer board. He noted he had received no constructive guidance from the board with how he should respond to a strong warning from Craig Cole, a consultant for the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point, who objected to speculations in the article. Jehn was not available for additional comment.
The article attempted to explore a possible nexus between the organizing el-ements of far-right extremists and the political activity of Pacific International Terminals (PIT), a subsidiary of Seattle-based SSA Marine, the applicants for the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point. The terminal, which could ship millions of tons of coal per year to markets in Asia, is proposed for construction on a site considered sacred to the Lummi Nation. In April 2013, the Whatcom Tea Party helped promote a conference for the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance (CERA), a na-tional association that challenges the federal treaty rights of Native Americans. The Tea Party also helped promote a slate of conservative candidates for local offices last year, an effort organized through the political action committees Save Whatcom and Whatcom First. Those PACs received more than $145,000 in late
campaign donations from shipping and railroad interests, including SSA Marine and BNSF. In December, Save Whatcom and Whatcom First were fined $4,500 for improperly reporting those campaign contributions to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.
“If any or all of this is part of the ac-tual strategy of SSA/PIT and BNSF, it’s even more important than ever for peo-ple to stand with the Lummi Nation and other Indian Tribes and Indian Nations in opposition to the proposed 48-mil-lion-ton coal terminal along the Salish Sea shoreline,” the article suggested. Craig Cole was not mentioned in the January Whatcom Watch article.
“Whatcom Watch, both in its print and online editions, is an expression of the freedom of speech guaranteed by our constitution over 200 years ago,” the publication explains in its mission state-ment. “Articles published in the paper typically cover local governmental and environmental issues. The opportunity to be published in Whatcom Watch is open to all citizens who are concerned about an issue and who want to write an article.”
Cole strongly objected to the specula-
WHATCOM
BY TIM JOHNSONWATCHLIBEL IS CLAIMED, AN EDITOR RESIGNS
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METAFAQQ: What is Cascadia Weekly’s involve-
ment with Whatcom Watch?A: The Weekly has always supported
Whatcom Watch and its long, ex-emplary benefit to the community. Created by passionate volunteers, it is a smart, beautiful publication. The Weekly helps distribute the print publication at no cost to the Watch. We’re proud to help.
Q: Is there merit in Craig Cole’s claims Whatcom Watch libeled him?
A: In our opinion, for what it is worth, no. There is no merit in the claim.
Q: Craig Cole asked for a retraction. Should a retraction be offered?
A: Factual statements do not require retraction. If a statement is factu-ally inaccurate and a correction or clarification is requested, a correc-tion or clarification should be con-sidered good practice, in our opin-ion. Whatcom Watch also considers this good practice. The monthly publication has approached Cole to resolve the matter.
Q: The letter was sent a month ago. Why have you not reported on it?
A: It was the opinion of the editor that the matter was an internal, business concern of Whatcom Watch and its volunteer board, and they should have first bite at the apple on their own story of a libel challenge.
Q: Why do you report on it now?A: The resignation of Editor Richard
Jehn was a public event; and a sign the internal matters of Whatcom Watch have erupted into wider view.
Q: There were allegations that the Week-ly editor had some involvement to me-diate between Cole and the Watch.
A: There is no truth to the allegation. The editor was of the opinion that matters between Cole and the Watch could be made better about as eas-ily as they could be made worse. If asked, that would be the opinion he would give.
Q: This is a clear case of media intimida-tion by the coal industry.
A: Is it? Perhaps. Or was this a strong-ly worded notice from a member of the community with long history and deep roots that a particular line of enquiry was offensive to him? We were not directly involved, so we cannot comment with preci-sion, but the possibility of wider implications is what drives greater interest in this story. In any case, we support Whatcom Watch and what they do.
You can support Whatcom Watch through your subscription, www.what-comwatch.org, and through your time as a volunteer and contributor.
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SPECIAL DELIVERYOn Feb. 28, a car smashed through the en-trance of the Bellingham Post Office down-town. No one was injured. The incident was added to the rain, snow and gloom of night postal workers usually endure.
SKETCHY SKETCHEROn Feb. 27, hikers at Lake Padden were startled by a man who jumped out from the woods. He began following them and would periodically hide from them behind trees, Bellingham Police reported. “Officers located the man, who has a history of mental health issues. He denied following anyone and was worried that he was being followed,” police said. “He showed officers a sketch that he had drawn while visiting the park today.”
On March 2, Bellingham Police learned a man had jumped out of a second-story win-dow of a home near Silver Beach neighbor-hood. “It was suspected that the male was under the influence of drugs,” police com-mented. The man was transported to the emergency room by medics, due to injuries and possible drug use.
On Feb. 27, a Bellingham man reported he had been threatened by another man holding a knife and an apple.
IMPROPER SHOPPERSOn March 2, Bellingham Police noted an up-tick in the number of fake $20 bills circulat-ing in the city. Police logged seven reports of counterfeit bills in recent weeks. Police aren’t yet certain there is a connection be-tween the multiple reports.
On Feb. 26, a clerk at the Birchwood Rite-Aid caught two men trying to steal booze and chips. The men fled, but they left behind a backpack. Inside, Bellingham Police found another bottle of liquor, a pair of shoes in a shoe box, a new pack of socks and a laptop computer. “The Rite-Aid employee recovered their property,” police noted. Other property was returned to nearby stores.
On Feb. 22, a woman loaded up her shop-ping cart at Bellingham Walmart with clothes and groceries. She left without paying. The 39-year-old was arrested.
On Feb. 28, a man met a woman on a bus and they went together to the Sehome Haggen, where he offered to buy her a meal. She tied her dog up outside while they went inside. The man, 64, made up an excuse, left the store and walked off with the dog. The dog was recovered a few hours later and Belling-ham Police put a collar on the man for theft.
THE PROFESSIONALSOn Feb. 19, two men came to the door of a home on Yew Street hill, claiming they were selling Kirby vacuum cleaners. “Their be-havior and demeanor was suspicious,” Bell-ingham Police reported, so the homeowners kicked them to the curb.
On Feb. 19, a citizen came to the Bellingham Police station to report being approached by someone who claimed to be an undercover police detective.
On Feb. 24, two men were knocking on doors at an apartment near Franklin Park, offering to clean rooms for free. “They had no busi-ness cards, nor did they appear to be legiti-mate,” Bellingham Police commented.
On Feb. 28, Bellingham Police checked on two men knocking on doors along Hawk Way. The men said they worked for a nonprofit or-ganization, and were seeking donations.
BLUE MOONOn Feb. 23, a man pulled down his trousers and showed off his buttocks on State Street in downtown Bellingham. He ran off.
NOSEY NINJAOn Feb. 21, Bellingham Police received re-ports of a teen dressed in black, riding around Fairhaven. The teen was reported looking over backyard fences and into cars.
GRANDPA USUALLY KNOWSOn Feb. 20, a man told Bellingham Police he had received a telephone call from a man who claimed to be his grandson. The caller requested bail money to be released from jail. The man did not respond to the caller’s request for money.
MANY FLAGS FLY AT BORDEROn Jan. 10, shortly after sunset, a remote video surveillance camera observed someone running south from the international boundary west of Sumas. U.S. Border Patrol agents located the person, a citizen of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. Record checks revealed that the Mexican national had been previously deported from the United States, and was again processed for removal on that prior order.
On Jan. 11, a remote camera operator watched two people illegally cross the U.S./Canada bor-der in Blaine. Agents located the pair, both citizens of Guatemala, illegally present in the United States. They were placed under arrest and processed for removal.
On Jan. 11, shortly before midnight, agents responded to a possible border crossing east of Blaine. Agents encountered two people in proximity to the international border. One was a citizen of Mexico who had overstayed a visitor’s visa, and was processed for removal. The other was a citizen of the United States and was subsequently released.
FUZZ BUZZ
87PERCENT of American adults who now use the internet,
up from just 14 percent in 1995.
97 99PERCENT of Americans aged 18
to 29 and percent of those with a college degree who use the Internet, almost complete absorption by that
demographic.
PERCENT of American households with incomes over $75,000 with
access to the Internet.
90 58PERCENT of Americans with cellular phones, up from 53 percent in 2000.
PERCENT of Americans with smartphones, up from 35 percent two
years ago.
90 76PERCENT of internet users who say it has been a good thing for them
personally. Only 6 percent say it has been a bad thing, while 3 percent
express mixed feelings.
PERCENT of internet users who say it has been a good thing for society. About 15 percent say it has been a
bad thing, with 8 percent believing it has been equally good and bad.
70 56PERCENT of internet users who
report they have been treated kindly or generously by others online. That compares with a quarter (25%) who
say they have been treated unkindly or been attacked.
PERCENT of internet users say they have seen an online group
come together to help a person or a community solve a problem. A
quarter (25%) say they have left an online group because the interaction became too heated or members were
unpleasant to one another.
SOURCES: Pew Research Center
index
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02.25.14TUESDAY
Whatcom County Council decides to take action on asbes-tos-laden soil entering Swift Creek. Council approves a joint agency agreement that could permit soils contaminated with the naturally occurring mineral to be disposed of in a remote location.
02.26.14WEDNESDAYShots are fired in Sunnyland. Bellingham Police officers respond-ed to a report of several gunshots in that neighborhood. Witnesses report they saw a group of people running toward nearby vehi-cles. One vehicle drove quickly away from the area. As that vehi-cle was speeding from the area, a man on the street produced a handgun and shot at the vehicle and occupant. A witness reported the armed subject fired about five shots. Police continue their investigation.
02.27.14THURSDAY
Two Bellingham women accused of giving a man a heroin overdose to steal his bank card are being held on $1 million bail. Lucy Pearson and Nichole Coggins are accused of giving William Litvin, 19, a fatal dose of heroin in Franklin Park last October. Litvin had attended Western Washington University and was an honors student in Chelan. Prosecutors say the wom-en used Litvin’s card to buy more than $1,000 worth of stuff in just two days. The women made their first appearance in court this morning.
A man who threw several bottles at police vehicles during a riot near Western Washington University last October will serve 60 days in jail. A large party of around 400 people was ordered to disperse from Indian Street, near Laurel Park, on Oct. 12. At least five police vehicles were damaged during the in-cident. The City of Bellingham reported more than $20,000 in damage. Collin M. Lewis, 23, plead guilty to rioting. Cases are still pending for others involved in the incident.
03.03.14MONDAY
A man is arrested after police say he threatened to shoot the manager of Daylight Properties. Daylight Prop-erties manager Kane Hall, 37, said a man came into his sixth-floor office in the Bellingham Herald Building and began abusing the staff, cursing and yelling. When the man wouldn’t leave, Hall called police. The man then tried to grab the phone away from Hall and threatened to shoot him. The man fled and he was stopped by police. Police found no weapon, but say the 24-year-old has a history of committing minor crimes.
Two oil refineries in Whatcom County are challenging their property assessments, and millions of dollars in tax-es are at stake. BP Cherry Point is the county’s top taxpay-er. It says the property assessment of about $975 million is at least $275 million too high. The County Assessor’s office reports the tax on $275 million in property amounts to nearly $3 million. The second biggest taxpayer in the county is the smaller Phillips 66 refinery. It says its $459 million assessment is $35 million too high. The Bellingham Herald reports the refineries and the county are taking the dispute to the state Board of Tax Appeals.
The
Week that WasBY TIM JOHNSON
LAST WEEK’S
NEWSFEB25-MARCH03
currents ›› last week’s news
State lawmakers are at odds over how best to prepare for increasing oil trains, but are working to reach an agreement before the legislative ses-sion ends next week. An oil transportation safety bill would, among other things, require shippers to report information to the public died in the State Senate. Sen. Doug Ericksen, chair of the Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee, would not give the bill a hearing before last Friday’s deadline. Ericksen’s own bill also failed to advance last month.
NORTHWEST PASSAGESIt’s Microsoft v. Microsoft
for the 2nd Congress- ional District. A former Microsoft engineer has an-nounced he’s challenging former Microsoft executive Rep. Suzan DelBene for her seat in Congress. Pedro Celis will run as a Republican candidate to challenge the freshman representative of the district that serves rural Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish and King counties. Celis supports immigration reform.Lisa McShane was honored at the 2014 Reed
Awards in Washington, D.C. last month for her coodinated campaign strategy that swept Whatcom County Council races. Her Whatcom Wins campaign won a trophy for Overall Best Field Program of 2013, which also hon-ored Whatcom Democrats chair, Mike Estes, and Whatcom Conservation Voters board member, Alex Ramel, as well as Seattle-based consultant, Dean Nielsen. The Reed Awards honor excellence in political campaigning and campaign management.
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wordsCOMMUNITY LECTURES BOOKS
REVIEWED BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER
Finding Safety A TALE OF TWO MOTHERS
Y ou’ve had the best of times. You’ve seen the worst of times.The former seems like a tissue in a hurricane: here, then
whisked away in a blink, as though it never occurred. The latter is something like a car stuck in a snowstorm: you just spin in place, waiting for the right push.
Best. Worst. You’ve known them equally. And, as in the new book Safe with Me, by Seattle-based author Amy Hatvany, you know that you’ll live through both of them.
Salon owner Hannah Scott was sure she’d reminded her 12-year-old daughter, Emily, to wear her bike helmet at least a million times. A million times, and Emily usually did as she was told—except one warm afternoon when she didn’t, and was hit by a car in front of her house.
At the hospital, her daughter gone, Hannah spun in grief. What would she do without Emily? Would she consider donating Emily’s organs? It was something she’d never thought about—then again, neither were funeral arrangements for her only child.
When doctors told Olivia Bell they might finally have a liver for
WORDS
WED., MARCH 5DEVIL DREAMS: Former Lummi Island resi-dent Brendan Van Valkenburgh reads from The Devil Dreams in Darkness at 7m at the Island Public Library, 2114 Nugent Ave. Entry is free.
WWW.WCLS.ORG
MARCH 6-8BOOK SALE: Attend a “March Madness” Book Sale from 10am-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-1pm Saturday, at the Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave. Prices will decrease by the day.
WWW.BELLINGHAMPUBLICLIBRARY.ORG
FRI., MARCH 7BAD DAD: Local author Derek Munson will be on hand to share his new picture book, Bad Dad, at 6pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St. Kids can come dressed in their pajamas if they want, and be ready for fun games and a few treats. Entry is free.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
SAT., MARCH 8FAST FICTION: Local young adult author Denise Jaden will share tips and highlights from her latest book, Fast Fiction: Outlining and Writing a Novel in Thirty Days, from 1-3pm at the Blaine Library, 610 3rd St. Entry is free.
305-3600 OR WWW.WCLS.ORG
BIG APPETITES: Seattle-based photographer, writer, journalist and filmmaker Christopher Boffoli leads a slideshow focused on his book Big Appetites at 7pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St. The tome marries inspired photo-graphs of real food and tiny people with equally inspired captions.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
SUN., MARCH 9DOORS AND MOUNTAINS: Adrianne Harum reads from her new book of fiction, A Man Came Out of the Door in the Mountain, at 4pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St.
671-2626
MON., MARCH 10BLAINE BOOK GROUP: Tayari Jones’ Silver Sparrow will be the focus of a Monday Book Discussion Group from 6-8pm at the Blaine Library, 610 3rd St. All adults are invited to join the discussion.
305-3600
POETRYNIGHT: Those looking to share their verse as part of Poetrynight can sign up at 7:30pm at the Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave. Readings start at 8pm.
778-7230 OR WWW.POETRYNIGHT.ORG
TUES., MARCH 11AUTHOR VISIT: Children’s and teen author Sigmund Brouwer will talk about everything from giant slingshots, to knights of mystery and destiny, to controlling robots with your brain at 4pm at the Lynden Library, 216 4th St. Entry is free.
305-3600
STORYCATCHER CIRCLE: Retired Professor of Communication and Creativity Holly Giffin will host a “Storycatcher Circle” at 7pm at the Lummi Island Library, 2144 S. Nugent Rd. The gathering will focus on ideas from Christina Baldwin’s book, Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of
doit
her 15-year-old, Maddie, she felt elation and sad-ness. Maddie’s illness was critical, but Olivia hated that someone else’s child had to die so hers might live. Still, it meant an end to this whole ordeal. As soon as Maddie was feeling better, Olivia could relax about that part of her life and return to the other part—her escape from her abusive husband, James.
Maddie hated the new school her father made her attend. She wasn’t tall and model-thin like the other girls at the school; bloated from anti-rejection meds and with thin, stringy hair, she
was sure she’d never fit in. So when her Mom offered to take her to a new salon for a cut-and-highlight, she agreed, but she wasn’t sure if it would help her feel any better about her pathetic life.
She also wasn’t sure why she’d blurted her story to the stylist; it wasn’t like Maddie to tell a stranger about her organ transplant. But this Hannah did a good job on her hair, and she seemed like a nice person, like somebody Maddie could trust…
Uncomplicated. That’s what you want to read next: some-thing light, easy and rather predictable, which Hatvany offers here. From the minute
you start the third chapter of Safe with Me, in fact, you know what’s basically going to happen by the end. I won’t even say it, because you know.
And yet, that predictability is precisely why read-ers might enjoy this story: it’s like comfort food. The characters are likeable; you’ll be able to iden-tify with the plot, if you’re a parent; and it contains gentle drama and a (dare I say it?) happy ending. Like your Mom’s famous mac-and-cheese, it feels good consuming it.
So, overall, should you read this book? If you want a floaty distraction then, yes, this will work just fine.
GET ITWHAT: Amy Hatvany reads from Safe With MeWHEN: 7pm Thurs., March 6 WHERE: Village Books, 1200 11th St.COST: Entry is freeINFO: 671-2626 or www.villagebooks.com
,Predictability is precisely why readers might enjoy this story: it’s like comfort food
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Story. Entry is free.
WWW.WCLS.ORG
ASTORIA: Prolific author Peter Stark reads and shares ideas from his latest historically based book, Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire, at 7pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St.
671-2626
WED., MARCH 12BOOK DISCUSSION: The Wednesday Book Discussion Group will discuss Queen Noor’s Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life from 12-2pm at the Blaine Library, 610 3rd St. All are welcome.
305-3600
SECOND CHAPTER: Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail will be the focus of today’s 2nd Chapter book discussion group at 2pm at the Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave. New members are welcome.
778-7230
SHATTERED GLASS: Western Washington University professor Randall C. Jimerson delves into the climax of the civil rights movement in Alabama’s largest city when he reads from Shattered Glass in Birmingham at 7pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
THURS., MARCH 13 FAMILY BOOK CLUB: Kids in second to fourth grade can read on their own or with a parent or caregiver at today’s Page Turners Family Book Club at 4pm at the Deming Library, 5044 Mt. Baker Hwy. Pick up copies of E.B. White’s Trumpet of the Swans or bring a favorite book to share.
305-3600 OR WWW.WCLS.ORG
AFFLUENZA: Join RE Sources, the Community Food Co-op, and Village Books when Affluenza: How Overconsumption Is Killing Us and How to Fight Back author John de Graaf leads a conversation focusing on ideas from his book at 6:30pm at the YWCA, 1026 N. Forest St. He’ll talk about how communities can work together to overcome affluenza and regain creativity, control and time. Entry is free.
WWW.RE-SOURCES.ORG
FINANCIAL FOCUS: Economist and educator Lewis Mandell shares ideas from his new book What To Do When I Get Stupid: A Radically Safe Approach to a Difficult Financial Era at 7pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
COMMUNITY
WED., MARCH 5WORLD ISSUES FORUM: Internationally acclaimed author, orator and activist Winona LaDuke focuses on “The Next Energy Economy: Moving Forward with Grassroots Strategies to Mitigate Global Climate Change” at today’ free World Issues Forum at noon at Western Wash-ington University’s Viking Union Multipurpose Room.
WWW.WWU.EDU
GREEN DRINKS: Network with likeminded environmentally conscious community members at the monthly Green Drinks gathering from
5-7pm at Itek Energy & Ecotech Energy Solu-tions, 2886 Hammer Dr. While there, you can check out Washington’s largest solar modular manufacturer and learn more about custom installations.
WWW.RE-SOURCES.ORG
SAT., MARCH 8ANTI-HUMAN-TRAFFICKING FORUM: The Whatcom Coalition Against Human Trafficking will host “End the Demand: An Anti-Human-Trafficking Forum” starting at 9am at the Encore Room at the Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St. The educational event will focus on the goal of presenting new informa-tion around the topic of sex trafficking. Entry is free; register in advance.
WWW.WAENGAGE.COM
MILLION SHINING STARS: Help raise funds for Animals as Natural Therapy at the nonprofit’s “Million Shining Stars” annual gala fundraiser from 5-10pm at the Hotel Bellwether Ballroom, One Bellwether Way. Tickets are $75 and include a gourmet dinner, wine, live music by the Atlantics, dancing and more.
WWW.ANIMALSASNATURALTHERAPY.ORG
SUN., MARCH 9SPRING BRIDAL SHOW: Get advice from more than 40 of the area’s most talented local wed-ding experts at the “Organized Bride” Spring Bridal Show from 11:30am-4:30pm at the Ferndale Events Center, 5715 Barrett Rd. Entry is $10 and includes entry into the Man Cave, a luncheon buffet, belly dance demos and lessons and a bridal fashion show.
WWW.THESIMPLYORGANIZEDBRIDE.COM
MON., MARCH 10PROGRESSIVE FORUM: “Get Big Money Out of Politics” will be the focus of a Whatcom Progressive Forum (formerly known as Tipple & Talk) at 7pm at Birch Bay’s Bay Horizon Park’s Conference Building, 7506 Gemini St. Please RSVP.
371-5312
TUES., MARCH 11ANCESTRY WORKSHOP: Experienced re-searcher and certified librarian Sheryl Fullner will lead an Ancestry Workshop at sessions at 4pm and 6:30pm at the Everson Library, 104 Kirsch Dr. The class will meet again March 18, then monthly until October.
WWW.WCLS.ORG
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HIKING RUNNING CYCLINGoutside
D espite last weekend’s recurring theme of snow and inclement weather, those paying attention probably can’t help but notice that, as we edge ever-closer to the official beginning of spring, the sweet sounds
of birdsong are getting louder and louder. And, although I’m well aware dedi-cated birders don’t take time off regardless of the season, I’d like to draw your attention to a few ways to learn more about the winged creatures among us.
For more than 40 years, the North Cascades Audubon Society has done much more than peer at and identify the scores of birds that enter What-com County’s fly zone. Environmental education, stewardship and advocacy, and scientific research are also goals the longtime organization aims for, and through activities such as Christmas bird counts, field trips and public pre-sentations, fulfills. “Most people who learn to appreciate birds want to learn more and become familiar with them, their habits and their way of life,” reads a missive on the group’s website. “With knowledge and familiarity there comes connectedness and caring; we want to know that these precious beings
will always be with us, enriching our lives and those of generations to come.” Sign up now for upcoming walks led by NCAS mem-bers, and find out more about what it really means to engage with the natural world. What: Upcoming field trips with the North Cascades Audubon Society. When and Where: March 9 on Whatcom Creek and April 5 at Semiahmoo Spit. Cost: Free. Info: 739-5383 or www.northcascadesaudbon.org
Although it’s likely the winged creatures who visit Blaine’s Drayton Harbor and Se-miahmoo Bay haven’t read up on the fact that the area is located on the Pacific Fly-way and has been designated as an Impor-
BY AMY KEPFERLE
On the Fly WINGING IT IN WHATCOM COUNTY
tant Birding Area (IPA)—not to mention being the beginning of the Cascade Loop of the Washington State Birding Trail—that doesn’t stop them from flocking to the coastal area in droves. And, at the 12th annual Wings Over Water Birding Festival happening March 14-16 at various locales in Blaine, the airborne visitors might just be outnumbered by those who’ve come to learn more about them. The three-day fes-tival has a proven track record, and those who attend the free gathering can expect to take part in art shows, field trips, live rap-tor displays, workshops and presentations with expert wildlife speakers. And, echoing the mission of the North Cascades Audubon Society, conservation, education and stew-ardship of the birds is at the forefront of what the nonprofit is trying to accomplish. Events include a Birding Expo Sat., March 15 at Blaine Middle School, so if you’re a burgeoning birder, make plans now to at-tend. When: March 14-16. Where: Semiahmoo Resort, Blaine Middle School, Alaska Packers Association Cannery and Fishing Museum, Blaine Performing Arts Center, Drayton Har-bor, and beyond. Cost: Free. Info: www.wing-soverwaterbirdingfestival.com
Every once in a while—usually in the lull between bigger exhibits closing and open-ing at the Lightcatcher Building—the What-com Museum opens up the Syre Education Center for public viewing. After “Vanish-ing Ice” comes to a close March 16, only a few days will pass before the 500 birds on display at the center can be seen in their full taxidermied glory. For those whose aim is to learn more about the birds of the re-gion—from bald eagles to woodpeckers, gulls, kingfishers, ducks and many, many more—the exhibit can’t be beat. And, near the end of the month, the Audubon Society will also join in on the fun, offering “The Seabirds of C.O.A.S.S.T” presentation at the museum’s Old City Hall. When: Visit the Syre Education Center from March 20-April 18. Where: 201 Prospect St. Info: www.whatcom-museum.org
,“With knowledge and familiarity there comes connectedness and caring; we want to know that these precious beings will always be with us, enriching our lives and those of generations to come.”— N.C.A.S. Website
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WED., MARCH 5AVALANCHE AWARENESS: Learn more about where and why avalanches occurs and discover basic approaches to managing risk in the backcountry at an “Avalanche Awareness” clinic at 6pm at REI, 400 36th St. Register in advance for the free clinic.
647-8955 OR WWW.REI.COM
GARDEN CLUB MEETING: International bee expert Susan Cobey will share her knowledge about the effects of the bee colony collapse disorder on the United States food supply at the Birchwood Garden Club’s monthly meeting at 7pm at Whatcom Museum’s Rotunda Room, 121 Prospect. Entry is open to the public.
WWW.BIRCHWOODGARDENCLUB.ORG
THURS., MARCH 6NORDIC SKI CLUB: The Nooksack Nordic Ski Club will host a meeting and potluck from 6:30-8:30pm at the WECU Educational Building, 511 E. Holly St. Bud Harwick will also give a presentation on “Local Snow-shoe Outings.”
WWW.NOOKSACKNORDICSKICLUB.ORG
TRAVELOGUE: Aidan Woods will focus on “A Year on the Road: India, Nepal, SE Asia” at a Travelogue from 7-9pm at Whatcom Museum’s Old City Hall, 121 Prospect St. Suggested donation is $3.
WWW.WHATCOMMUSEUM.ORG
FRI., MARCH 7FITNESS FORUM: Karate Quest Fairhaven’s Cecil Jentges leads a free Fitness Forum focusing on “Self Defense on the Run” at 7:15pm at Fairhaven Runners, 1209 11th St. This will be an interactive overview with demonstrations and practice.
WWW.FAIRHAVENRUNNERS.COM
TUES., MARCH 11WEARIN’ O’ THE GREEN: Don shades of green and be in the running for a free pair of Saucony shoes at a “Wearin’ O’ the Green Run” starting at 6pm at Fairhaven Run-ners, 1209 11th St. Participants can also get their pictures taken with crazy props, partake of green-themed snacks and more. Entry is free.
WWW.FAIRHAVENRUNNERS.COM
WED., MARCH 12CANAL CRUISING: Yerda Yearsley and Bruce Taylor will lead an info session focus-ing on “Luxemotor Rival: Cruise the Canals of France” at 4pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St. The slideshow will highlight their travels along the canals of France in their historic 1925 Dutch Canal.
WWW.RIVALSFRANCE.COM
WINTER GARDENING: Learn how to grow fresh greens on your windowsill when George Kass leads a “Winter Gardening” course from 4-6pm at the Blaine Public Library, 610 Third St. Entry is free.
WWW.WCLS.ORG
THURS., MARCH 13 BAKER BOOK: Todd Warger and John D’Onofrio will join the Whatcom County Historical Society to share their Images of America: Mount Baker book at 7:30pm at Whatcom Museum’s Old City Hall, 121 Prospect St. Suggested donation is $3.
WWW.WHATCOMHISTORY.NET
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THEATER DANCE PROFILES
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BY AMY KEPFERLE
SketchopediaEDU-TAINMENT MAKES THE GRADE
A quick look at the hefty list of props needed to pull off Kim-berly Ross and Krissa Woiwod’s “Sketchopedia” reveals just a hint of what to expect when the duo opens its two-week run
of the show Thurs., March 6 at the iDiOM Theater. Among the more curious components to be found among the long
itemization of onstage wants and needs: aerobics accessories, Ameri-can flags, Achilles’ battle armor, alps, an aboriginal child, Attila’s mustache, art supplies and a giant, sparkly rendition of the first letter of the alphabet.
If you noticed that this particular grouping of props includes those items starting with the letter “A,” you’re halfway to understanding the clever concept behind “Sketchopedia.”
The press release I recently received about the show had informed me the performance would focus on things that started with the popular vowel, and also pointed out that audiences could expect to be part of a “journey through history, pop culture and the animal kingdom, with singing and dancing.” Words and phrases such as “edu-tainment,” “en-cyclopeditious” and “academonstrative arts” were also used, and had me thinking that “Sketchopedia” wasn’t taking itself too seriously.
At a recent rehearsal for the comedic juggernaut, I discovered my initial diagnosis was correct on some fronts, but woefully inadequate in
ATTEND WHAT: SketchopediaWHEN: 8pm Thurs.-Sat., March 6-8 and 13-15WHERE: iDiOM Theater, 1418 Cornwall Ave. COST: $10 (opening night includes a post-play pie social) INFO: 201-5464 or www.idiomtheater.com
other ways. While it was already clear the creative collaborators were planning on taking a few liber-ties with the English language, they also managed to produce a show that is both hilarious and just a wee bit subversive.
Billing themselves as Professional Science-ish Edutainment Actors, or “prosctaintors,” the duo soon enters into a theatrical foray that takes audiences on a weirdly wonderful whirlwind trip through history (see Attila, Athena, Achilles), art (in which two painters battle for supremacy using only words that begin with the dominant letter), geography (Australia!), animal partnerships (get-ting a look at the cardboard and duct-tape masks are worth the price of admission alone), and much, much more.
Despite seeing the run-through without the benefit of a finished set, fancy lights or musical accompaniment, I still came away from my “Ske-tchopedia” viewing with a big grin on my face—and a strong desire to see the show with all the
bells and whistles intact. When I sat down with Woi-
wod after the run-through for a few minutes, I asked her what audience members for “Sketchopedia” should know before purchasing their tickets.
“I like to think that it’s very approachable theater,” Woiwod says. “One of our goals was to get people in the seats and get them ex-cited about live theater. ‘Sketchopedia’ doesn’t ask too much of you, but at the same time, it’s not like it’s a dumbed-down play. It’s theater for people who don’t necessarily like theater—and their friends who don’t
think they like theater.” I agreed with Woiwod’s assessment, but would
also like to let audiences know that pulling off this kind of sketch comedy isn’t an easy feat.
As the first one to see what Woiwod and Ross have been up to behind the scenes, I was also privy to the enormous pile of props that still have to be perfected before opening night, and also the vast amount of energy it takes for two people to pull off an “edu-tainment” escapade such as this one.
In short, “Sketchopedia” makes the grade. If they’re lucky come opening night, audiences—an-other word that starts with the highlighted let-ter—will reward them with an “A.”
STAGE
WED., MARCH 5BRING IT ON: Themes of friendship, forgive-ness and determination will be part of the fun when the “bitingly relevant” Broadway comedy known as Bring It On: The Musical stops by Bellingham for one night only for a 7:30pm show at the Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St. Tickets are $30-$59. Students can purchase half-price tickets one hour prior to the performance.
734-6080 OR WWW.MOUNTBAKERTHEATRE.COM
THURS., MARCH 6LIVING HISTORY DRAMA: Civil War re-enactors David Imburgia and Matt Clemans will take part in a free living history drama, The Civil War: Defining Our Nation, at 7pm at the Burlington Public Library, 820 E. Wash-ington Ave. The performance focuses on two friends who are heatedly debating the issues and political climate of the times.
WWW.BURLINGTONWA.GOV/LIBRARY
GOOD, BAD, UGLY: Watch “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” at 8pm every Thursday at the Upfront Theatre, 1208 Bay St. At 10pm, stick around for the “Project.” Entry is $4-$7.
733-8855 OR WWW.THEUPFRONT.COM
MARCH 6-8SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL: Characters from at least 15 Dr. Seuss books will meet and make appearances when a cast of 50 presents Seussical the Musical at 7pm Thursday through Saturday at Ferndale High School, 5830 Golden Eagle Dr. Tickets are $7-$10 and ad-ditional showings happen March 13-15.
383-9261
MARCH 6-9OKLAHOMA!: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! opens this week with showings at 7pm Thursday through Saturday, and 2pm Sunday, at Bellingham High School, 2020 Cornwall Ave. The musical features students from Bellingham, Squalicum, and Sehome high schools, and is directed by Teri Grimes. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or in advance at the school or at Village Books. Additional showings happen March 13-16.
676-6575
BINGO THE MUSICAL: Friendship and number-calling will both be part of per-formances of Bingo, the Winning Musical at 7:30pm Thursday through Saturday, and 2pm Sunday, at Lynden’s Claire Vg Thomas The-atre, 655 Front St. Tickets for the “splashy, zippy, outrageously funny new musical” are $8-$12. Additional showings happen through March 16.
WWW.CLAIREVGTHEATRE.COM
MARCH 7-8 ALWAYS PATSY: Mount Vernon’s Theater Arts Guild continues showings of Always...Patsy Cline with performances at 7:30pm Friday and Saturday at the Conway Muse, 18444 Main St. Expect music, humor and pathos at the show, which is based on the true story of Cline’s friendship with Houston housewife Louise Seger. Showings continue weekends through March 22. Tickets are $20.
WWW.THEATERARTSGUILD.ORG
THEATRESPORTS: Two teams of improvisors will vie for glory and championship status
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Guest Choreographersa o a g
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at “Theatresports” matches at 8pm and 10pm every Friday and Saturday through March at the Upfront Theatre, 1208 Bay St. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door.
WWW.THEUPFRONT.COM
MARCH 9-11ACT AUDITIONS: Director Julie Wenzel will host auditions for upcoming performances of You Can’t Take It With You at 2pm Sun., March 9 and 6pm Tues., March 11 at the Anacortes Community Theatre, 918 M Ave.
WWW.ACTTHEATRE.COM
MON., MARCH 10GUFFAWINGHAM: A weekly open mic for co-medians, dubbed “Guffawingham!,” takes place at 9:30pm Mondays at the Green Frog, 1015 N. State St. Entry is free.
WWW.ACOUSTICTAVERN.COM
MARCH 10-11PINOCCHIO AUDITIONS: Be prepared to dance when the Northwest Washington Theatre Group holds auditions for upcoming perfor-mances of Disney’s My Son Pinocchio at 7pm Monday and Tuesday at Fountain Community Church, 2100 Broadway. Performances begin in late May.
WWW.NWTG.ORG
MARCH 13-16KINDERGARTEN LESSONS: Get a funny, insightful and heartwarming look at what is profound in everyday life when Robert Fulghum’s musical, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, shows at 7:30pm Thursday through Saturday, and 2pm Sunday, at the Sehome High School Little Theatre, 2700 Bill McDonald Pkwy. Tickets are $8-$10.
WWW.SEHOMEDRAMA.WEEBLY.COM
MARCH 13-23ASK MRS. HONEY B.: Maripat Donovan, the creator and star of the Late Nite Catechism series, brings her new show, Ask Mrs. Honey B., Certified Life Coach, to Bellingham for shows March 13-23 at the Mount Baker Theatre’s Walton Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St. Tickets to the interactive comedy are $14.50-$29.
734-6080 OR WWW.MOUNTBAKERTHEATRE.COM
DANCE
THURS., MARCH 6FOLK DANCE: Join the Fourth Corner Folk Dancers for a weekly Folk Dance at 7:15pm most Thursdays at the Fairhaven Library, 1117 12th St. All are welcome to come learn more about folk dances from Europe, Greece, Turkey, and Is-rael, and also get in some exercise. First-timers are free; suggested donation after that is $5.
380-0456
SAT., MARCH 8CONTRA DANCE: The Toad Mountain Ramblers will provide live tunes at the Bellingham Coun-try Dance Society’s bimonthly Contra Dance from 7-10pm at the Fairhaven Library, 1117 12th St. Suggested donation is $8-$10.
WWW.BELLINGHAMCOUNTRYDANCE.ORG
SCOTTISH SOCIAL: Bellingham Scottish Country Dancers will host a Scottish Country Dance Social starting at 7:30pm at the YWCA Ballroom, 1026 N. Forest St. All dances will be walked through. Entry is $7-$10.
WWWW.BELLINGHAMSCD.ORG
TANGO BY THE BAY: Tocato Tango will join USA Dance for the monthly “Tango by the Bay” from 8-11pm at the Squalicum Yacht Club, 2633 S. Harbor Loop Dr. Singles and beginners are welcome. Entry is $7-$10.
734-5676
MARCH 8-9DANCE GALLERY SPRING CONCERT: Works by local and national choreographers can be seen when Dance Gallery hosts its 23rd annual Spring Concert at 7:30pm Saturday and 5pm Sunday at the Firehouse Performing Arts Cen-ter, 1314 Harris Ave. Tickets are $12.
WWW.DANCEGALLERY.ORG
MARCH 13-15DANCE FACULTY CONCERT: Student perform-ers will explore current dance interests through original choreography by Western Washington University dance faculty at the annual “Dance Faculty Concert” at 7:30pm Thursday and Friday, and 2pm and 7:30pm Saturday, at the Perform-ing Arts Center. Tickets are $8-$12.
650-6146 OR WWW.TICKETS.WWU.EDU
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Friendship, forgiveness, determination—and cheerleading—will be the focal points when Bring It On: The Musical shows Wed., March 5 at the Mount Baker Theatre.
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visualGALLERIES OPENINGS PROFILES
O ne gets the impression Karla Matzke can do any-thing: she paints, sculpts in stone and stainless steel, wrote the salient text of the recently pub-
lished book 100 Artists of the Northwest, operates her gal-lery in a sculpture park she carved out of the woods on Camano Island and, not too long ago, curated and hung a stunning show of the works of 25 artists she represents (including herself).
The exhibit—which features those artists, who are also included in the book—opened last week with a reception
BY STEPHEN HUNTER
Camano Island Creativity NORTHWEST BY THE NUMBERS
and potluck, and will be on display through April 13 at the eponymous Matzke Gallery, located on Camano Is-land. To reach it, drive south on Elger Bay Road, which becomes S. Camano Drive. One mile past the gas station and deli—just past the spaceship—turn left into Blanche Way and follow the signs.
Her well-lit show—yes, Matzke hung the lights, too—gives plenty of space to some of the best artists in the Northwest. There aren’t any slouches in the exhibit and if I don’t mention some, it’s because of lack of space.
Bellingham is represented by five luscious oils by David Ridgway, who transforms views of homes and barns in the woods into interlock-ing colored shapes and playful patterns. His small painting, “Yellow Barn,” is so welcoming you’ll want to fall right into it. Also from his hometown is Shirley Erickson, working won-ders with steel and bronze linked to fused and cast glass, resembling found icebergs.
Peregrine O’Gormley of La Conner pres-ents his strong, massive animal and human forms full of gravitas. Among them, a fierce hawk carved from red cedar ferociously holds its ground under sheltering wings (enigmatically entitled “Minus 25%”). They harmonize beautifully with the nice forest studies by Kathleen Faulkner (Anacortes) in pastel and charcoal.
James Madison has a strong presence in wood and metal sculpture. He is a Coast Salish Tlingit and member of the Tulalip Tribes with a BFA from the University of Washington (2000). Together with his uncle, he is known for the massive sculpture fronting the Tulalip Casino. His steel sculpture in the garden, “Ancestors
Moving On,” assembled from 15 joined, carved steel circles, swings in the wind, with his aspi-ration “to teach others of the lands that [his] own people used to walk.”
There are other no-table sculptors: Ethan Stern brings blown and wheel-cut glass piec-es that exhibit subtle marks of carving; their transparent surfaces reveal complex opaque swirls within. The Iraq-born Sabah Al-Dhaher has carved human forms in stone: his “Winged Goddess” lacks wings and is ominously hollow, indicating the disturb-
ing condition of mankind.Also commenting on the human condition
are Phillip Levine’s six sculptures in bronze, steel, walnut and sand. “Far Enough” chan-nelsGiocometti. In “Fear and Habit,” eight homunculi posture precariously on platforms surrounding a cage.
If this take on mankind appears too grim, glance at Sue Roberts’ cartoonish assembly of “The Gunn Family.” Oh, no—Dad, Mom and kids are all packing heat!
You could relax among the subtle shading of Richard Nash’s classic abstracts: acrylics, looking like charcoal drawing. They would grace any living room.
And what’s this? Karla Matzke (yes, her again) has created three astonishingly sen-sual nudes in pastel: very realistic without appearing coldly photographic. In “Spoon-ing” it feels like something very private is about to happen. How does she get her mod-els to hold still so long when the moment captured is so thrilling?
SEE IT WHAT: “25 Artists of the 100 Artists of the Northwest” WHEN: 11am-5pm weekends, and by appointment, through April 13 WHERE: Matzke Fine Art Gallery, 2345 Blanche Way, Camano IslandCOST: Entry is freeINFO: www.matzkefineart.com
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UPCOMING EVENTS
FRI., MARCH 7GALLERY WALK: Peruse a variety of gal-leries and businesses as part of the monthly Gallery Walk happening from 6-9pm through-out downtown Anacortes. Entry is free.
WWW.ANACORTESART.COM
ART WALK: Put on your strolling shoes for the monthly Art Walk happening from 6-10pm throughout downtown Bellingham. In addition to the galleries listed below, peruse works on display at Colony Wharf Studios, Siefert & Jones, the PFC Dreamspace Studios, Bayou on Bay, Bay Street Village, Downtown Emporium, the Hair Art Studio, Inspiration Alley, Lulu, the Stamp and Coin Place, Opportunity Council, and more. Entry is free.
WWW.DOWNTOWNBELLINGHAM.COM
STUDIO UFO: View pieces by eight area artists who recently spent time painting in New Mexico—in the footsteps of Georgia O’Keeffe—at a reception for “Ghost Ranch” from 6-10pm at Studio UFO, 301 W. Holly St. Live music by Tom Harding and refreshments will be part of the festivities.
WWW.STUDIOUFO.NET
ALLIED ARTS: Attend an opening reception for the annual “Members’ Show” from 6-9pm at Allied Arts, 1418 Cornwall Ave. The show will feature work from nearly 100 Allied Arts members, and will include everything from paintings to photography, contemporary sculptures and everything in between. See it through March 29.
WWW.ALLIEDARTS.ORG
MAKE.SHIFT: View new works by Vancouver, B.C. artist Matt Bowen at an opening recep-tion from 6-10pm at Make.Shift Art Space, 306 Flora St. The pieces on display are inspired by vintage comics Bowen used to pore over as a kid.
WWW.MAKESHIFTPROJECT.COM
FISHBOY: Head out of downtown proper to view the folk art of RR Clark from 6-10pm at the FishBoy Gallery, 617 Virginia St.
WWW.FISHBOYGALLERY.COM
MARCH 7-9WHIDBEY ISLAND STUDIO TOUR: Whid-bey Working Artists present the 10th annual “Spring Studio Tour” from 10am-5pm Friday through Sunday throughout Whidbey Island. The free, self-guided tour features 25 artists showing and selling their work at 17 working studios/venues, and will include demon-strations and more. The event happens in conjunction with the famous Penn Cove Musselfest in Coupeville.
WWW.WHIDBEYWORKINGARTISTS.COM
MARCH 10-14EMPLOYEE ART SHOW: Diverse works of art created by talented Western Washington University faculty and staff can be viewed at the 20th annual Employee Art Show from 11am-4pm Monday through Thursday at WWU’s Viking Union 565.
650-3407 OR WWW.WWU.EDU
MARCH 13-15CRAFT & ANTIQUE SHOW: The 28th annual “Lynden Craft & Antique Show” takes place from 10am-8pm Thursday and Friday, and
10am-5pm Saturday, at Lynden’s Northwest Washington Fairgrounds, 1775 Front St. Entry is $4-$5.
WWW.LYNDENCRAFTANTIQUESHOW.COM
ONGOING EXHIBITS ANCHOR ART SPACE: View an exhibit fea-turing the members of Northwest Designer Craftsmen through March 9 in Anacortes at Anchor Art Space, 216 Commercial Ave.
WWW.ANCHORARTSPACE.ORG
FISHBOY GALLERY: Check out the contem-porary folk art of RR Clark from 1:30-5pm every Mon.-Fri. at the FishBoy Gallery, 617 Virginia St.
714-0815 OR WWW.FISHBOYGALLERY.COM
GALLERY CYGNUS: “Of This World and Not,” featuring works by Skagit Valley artists Heidi Epstein, Allen Moe, and Eddie Gordon, shows through March 16 in La Conner at Gal-lery Cygnus, 109 Commercial St.
WWW.GALLERYCYGNUS.COM
GOOD EARTH: Peruse Levi Vincent’s “Tex-ture & Grace” exhibit through March at Good Earth Pottery, 1000 Harris Ave.
WWW.GOODEARTHPOTS.COM
JANSEN ART CENTER: Sign up for classes and workshops on an ongoing basis at Lynden’s Jansen Art Center, 321 Front St. A “Spring Community Exhibit” and special showings by Katherine Payge, Vernon Leibrant, and Michael Davenport are also currently on display.
WWW.JANSENARTCENTER.ORG
LUCIA DOUGLAS: Thomas Wood’s “Under the Inspiration Tree” can be seen through March 22 at Fairhaven’s Lucia Douglas Gal-lery, 1415 13th St.
WWW.LUCIADOUGLAS.COM
MONA: “Shoreline from the Permanent Col-lection” and “North American” are on display through March 12 at La Conner’s Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St.
WWW.MONAMUSEUM.ORG
QUILT MUSEUM: View Sue Spargo’s “Creat-ing Texture,” Surface Design Association’s “Out of the Blue,” and “Timeless Treasures: Crazy Quilts” through March 23 at the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum, 703 S. Second St.
WWW.LACONNERQUILTS.COM
SKAGIT MUSUEM: “Extra! Extra! A History of Newspapers in Skagit County” will be on display until April 6 at La Conner’s Skagit County Historical Museum, 501 S. 4th St. Entry is $4-$5.
WWW.SKAGITCOUNTY.NET/MUSEUM
SMITH & VALLEE: New work by Tyree Cal-lahan, Todd Horton, and Sharon Kingston can be viewed at the ”Atmospheres” exhibit through March 30 at Edison’s Smith & Vallee Gallery, 5742 Gilkey Ave.
WWW.SMITHANDVALLEE.COM
WHATCOM MUSEUM: “Vanishing Ice” and “Treasures from the Trunk” can currently be viewed at the Whatcom Museum campus.
WWW.WHATCOMMUSEUM.ORG
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Happy Hour Tuesdayand Wednesday 4-Close
THE MOONMEET ME ATMON - SAT, 5 - 11 P.M.
LIVE MUSICEVERY NIGHT
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www.honeymoonmeads.com
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musicSHOW PREVIEWS › › RUMOR HAS IT
LET’S ALL TALK about what a good weekend I just had. After all, a lot of you were part of the fun of which I am about to speak.
The human glitter bomb known as Aireekah Laudert marshaled her karaoke troops and mus-tered up a little friendly competition at the Shakedown for prizes, bragging rights and an imposingly tall trophy. I had the pleasuring of acting as a judge for Friday night’s finals, where we all discovered that I am apparently Belling-ham’s answer to Simon Cowell (pretend to be surprised). Seriously though, the level of talent was astonishingly high for something seemingly as frivolous as a karaoke competition, proving that no part of this town’s vast and varied music scene can be underestimated. At the end of all the singing and spandex (yes, I said spandex, and it was plentiful), it was the incomparable Kat Bula (of Thim-ble vs. Needle) who emerged as cham-pion. She clinched the victory when she brought down the house with the 3 Doors Down hit “Kryptonite,” granting my fond-est karaoke contest wish: that someone would embrace a truly terrible song with reckless abandon and shamelessly ride that sucker all the way to karaoke glory.
Saturday was devoted to What’s Up! magazine’s takeover of downtown Bellingham for a whole day’s worth of free local music in celebration of its second 15th anniversary. By all accounts, most of the 20-plus shows were well attended, and I can attest that the late-night ones were pretty well packed. Well done, Bellingham. Even an unanticipated snowstorm couldn’t keep you away. Of course, the fact that all the entertain-ment was free was likely part of the draw, but I’m going to choose to praise your love of local music and your hardy nature instead.
While all this was going on, a whole bunch of you were evidently buying tickets to see T-Pain on Tues., March 11 at the Wild Buffalo. So many of you did this that the show sold out, and a second one was added on Mon., March 10. At press time, tickets were still available, so get yours or risk missing out on rap’s fore-most Auto-Tune artist. From ’90s one-hit won-ders to throwback rappers, I never quite know what’s coming next from the Buff. But I think it’s safe to say that after the Ying-Yang Twins, I now believe anything to be possible.
Also, if you’re in the mood for a worthy house show, one just happens to be on the horizon, and it features three bands with great names. Dad Jazz, Powers (featuring Sugar Sugar Sugar drummer Lupe Flores and Shit Machine’s Dan Vee), and Cricket Choir (who hail from my hometown of Everett, yo. Represent). The show happens Fri., March 7, and with a minimum of sleuthery, you should be able to discern its semi-secret locale.
Rumor Has It
BY CAREY ROSS
BY CAREY ROSS
MoistboyzSAY HELLO TO MICKEY AND DICKIE
A couple of months ago, when a local talent booker asked me whether I thought Moistboyz would draw in Bellingham, I didn’t hesitate or equivocate in my response: “Yes, I think
that show would do well here.”It was a bit of an understatement on my part. What I meant to say
was, “Hell, yes. There’s a real live Ween in that band. People are go-ing to lose their damn minds.”
I was not wrong in my assessment, and at press time, the Sat., March 8 show at the Shakedown was very close to selling out, so much so that by the time you read this, tickets may no longer be available. Do not tarry if you’d like to go and have not yet procured entry.
Since confession is good for the soul, I must divulge that while I have nothing against Ween per se, I am not the band’s hugest fan. I figure some of you will probably decline to speak to me after reading that, and I just want you to know I understand. I know a fatal flaw when I see one, even when it occurs in myself.
What I am trying to say is a whole bunch of people in Bellingham feel a whole lot of Ween love with an intensity that can be, frankly, a little frightening. Our adoption of musicians that don’t belong to us is nothing new, and Ween is in some pretty decent company with the likes of Bob Log and Charles Bradley in the pantheon of performers we claim unauthorized ownership of.
It’s not exactly a giant leap of logic to suggest Moistboyz could be the next band to land a permanent spot in Bellingham’s heart. As mentioned, the band features the considerable talents of Mickey Melchiondo, the man who for nearly three decades has been far bet-ter known to the world as Dean Ween. Along with his lifelong musical partner in crime (truly—these two met in eighth grade typing class) Aaron Freeman (aka Gene Ween), fronted Ween, the band they named after their aural alter egos.
Although it’s likely you could go your whole life listening to popular radio without once hearing a Ween song, radio play was never much of a com-ponent of the band’s success. Instead, they were able to count on the unceasing loyalty of a large and rabid fan base to sustain and support their various wanderings through wide-ranging musical styles and genres.
To the uninitiated, Ween was easy to dismiss as something of a “joke band,” owing to Gene Ween’s penchant for funny—albeit catchy and clever—lyrics. But to write them off as such is to com-mit a huge oversight—namely that guitarist Dean Ween is a flat-out, full-on shredder.
He brings his considerable skills to bear as part of Moistboyz, and in this band he’s given up both
his Ween and Melchiondo moni-kers in favor of a new identi-ty, Mickey Moist. Of course, a Moist boy needs his rhyming musical counterpart (how else would they justify that “z” at the end?); in this case that’s Guy Heller, or Dickie Moist, who handles the vocals in this operation.
It’s more than a little mis-leading to talk about Moist-boyz as though they’re a new band, or even to refer to them as a Melchiondo “side project.” Mickey and Dickie have existed as Moistboyz since 1991, and had recorded two EPs and two
full-length albums of their self-described “ass-wh-upping” punk-tinged noise rock before Ween’s 2012 breakup. Melchiondo and Heller are the Moistboyz mainstays, and over the years, they’ve invited vari-ous friends and musical contemporaries to record and play live with them. Among the musicians they’ve tapped for the current incarnation of their touring band is bassist Nick Oliveri, best known for the considerable time he spent as part of Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age. Moistboyz is not the first collaboration for Oliveri and Melchiondo—Dean Ween contributed his distinctive guitar work to three songs on Queens of the Stone Age’s platinum album Songs for the Deaf.
From the minute Moistboyz appear onstage at the Shakedown, it is likely Mickey Moist’s—or Dean Ween’s, if you prefer—plentiful local fans will show their appreciation in true Bellingham fashion—by generally attempting to tear each other and the bar and possibly the band itself apart. Our love may be strong and true, but it also tends to be a little exuberant. Especially when in the presence of a bona fide Ween.
ATTEND WHO: Moistboyz, VaticxntsWHEN: 9pm Sat., March 8WHERE: The Shakedown, 1212 N. State St.COST: $10INFO: www.shakedown bellingham.com
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WED., MARCH 5MUSIC ROUNDTABLE: A Local Music Round-table Discussion begins at 6:30pm at the Ana-cortes Public Library, 1220 10th St. The talk will focus on what to promote and foster the love, performance and production of all forms of local music. Entry is free.
WWW.HOWITWORKS.COM
MIKE ALLEN QUARTET: Attend a monthly concert featuring the jazz talents of the Mike Allen Quartet at 7:30pm at the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth, 1059 N. State St. Entry is $8 for students and $10 general.
WWW.JAZZPROJECT.ORG
THURS, MARCH 6ENLIGHTENED PIANO: Karen Fitzgerald, Eric Smith, Cathy Oakes and Donovan Johnson will perform at an “Enlightened Piano Radio” concert at 7pm at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, 1207 Ellsworth St. The concerts are conducted in the style of a songwriters circle. Entry is $10.
WWW.ENLIGHTENEDPIANO.COM
NIGHT BEAT: Sopranos Julia Bonnett and Tracy Satterfield will be joined by pianist Wade Ding-man when the Bellingham Music Club presents its “Night Beat” concert series at 7:30pm at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center, 1314 Harris Ave. “A Coincidence of Desires: A Cabaret-Inspired Evening of Song” will be the focus. Entry is free, but tickets need to be picked up in advance at Village Books or Piper Music.
WWW.BELLINGHAMMUSICCLUB.ORG
FLUTE RECITAL: Students of Lisa McCarthy will perform at a WWU Flute Studio Recital at 8pm at the school’s Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. Solos, small ensembles and the flute choir will perform. Bring your flute and join the flute choir on stage.
676-9521
FRI., MARCH 7WINTER JAZZ CONCERT: Western Washington University Music presents the Jazz Ensemble Winter Concert at 8pm at the school’s Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. The concert will feature performances by student combos and the Western Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Mike Allen. Entry is free and open to the public.
650-7640
MARCH 7-9DIE FLEDERMAUS: Skagit Opera presents showings of the comedic opera known as Die Fledermaus at 7:30pm Friday and 3pm Sunday at Mount Vernon’s McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College St. Tickets are $25-$59.
WWW.MCINTYREHALL.ORG
SAT., MARCH 8JAZZ CELEBRATION: An annual Jazz Celebra-tion concert takes place from 6:30-8:30pm at Whatcom Museum’s Old City Hall, 121 Prospect St. In celebration of International Women’s Day, “Jazz Ladies” will feature performances by the Cheryl Hodge Trio, Stormy Sea and the Gales, One Lane Bridge, the Bellingham Dixieland All-Stars, and more. Entry is $10 at the door.
WWW.STORMSMUSICSERVICES.COM
SWIL KANIM: Virtuoso violinist and storyteller Swil Kanim shares his many talents at a 7pm concert at the Center for Spiritual Living, 2224 Yew Street Rd. Tickets are $25.
734-4160 OR WWW.CSL-BELLINGHAM.ORG
DANA LYONS: Singer, songwriter and activist
Dana Lyons brings his “Crude Awakening Oil Train Tour” to Mount Vernon for a 7pm concert at the Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St. In addition to the music, Matt Krogh of Forest Ethics will talk about the issues at hand and get the public better informed. Suggested donation is $10.
WWW.LINCOLNTHEATRE.ORG
HAYNIE OPRY: Attend a kickoff show for the upcoming Haynie Opry at 7pm at Blaine’s Haynie Grange, 3334 Haynie Rd. The summer perfor-mances will pay tribute to the late George Jones, so listeners can expect to hear something in that vein at tonight’s show, which will feature Matt Audette and the Circle of Friends Band. Entry is $15.
WWW.THEHAYNIEOPRY.COM
SUN., MARCH 9EARTH CARE CONCERT: Flip Breskin, Zeke Hoskin, Janet Peterson, Richard Scholtz, and Laura Smith will sing songs appealing to children and families about our relationship with the envi-ronment and our hopes for the future at an “Earth Care Action” concert at 1:30pm at Saint James Presbyterian Church, 910 14th St. Entry is free.
733-1325
WHATCOM CHORALE: “Songs of Earth” will be the theme of a Whatcom Chorale concert at 3pm at the First Congregational Church of Bellingham, 2401 Cornwall Ave. The performance will feature a variety of Broadway tunes, and will include many showstoppers. Tickets are $5-$20.
WWW.WHATCOMCHORALE.ORG
TUES., MARCH 11TRAVIS BRASS: Traditional brass compositions and jazz, ragtime and popular music can be heard when Travis Brass, the Air Force Band of the Gold-en West, performs at 6:30pm at Mount Vernon’s Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St. Entry is free.
WWW.LINCOLNTHEATRE.ORG
MVHS FESTIVAL CONCERT: Attend a perfor-mance with the award-winning Mount Vernon High School bands and orchestras at an MVHS Festival Concert at 7pm at McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way. Tickets are $4-$8.
WWW.MCINTYREHALL.ORG
musicevents
PLACES Best Gallery ___________________________
Best Beach ___________________________
Best Place to Watch Birds _______________
Best Tulip Farm ________________________
Best Stop on the N. Cascades Highway _____
_____________________________________
ENTERTAINMENT Best Artist____________________________
Best Band ____________________________
Best Theatre __________________________
Best Casino ___________________________
Best Music Festival _____________________
Best Place to See Live Music _____________
_____________________________________
Best Place to Dance ____________________
Best Place for a First Date _______________
_____________________________________
Best Place to Meet Women _______________
_____________________________________
Best Place to Meet Men _________________
_____________________________________
Best Happy Hour _______________________
Best Watering Hole _____________________
FOOD & DRINK Best Breakfast ________________________
Best Lunch ___________________________
Best Sandwich ________________________
Best Burger ___________________________
Best Steakhouse _______________________
Best Italian Food ______________________
Best Mexican__________________________
Best Pizza ____________________________
Best Deli _____________________________
Best BBQ _____________________________
Best Sushi ____________________________
Best Bakery ___________________________
Best Vegetarian _______________________
Best Thai _____________________________
Best Takeout __________________________
Best Dessert __________________________
Best Grocery Store _____________________
Best Coffee Shop ______________________
Best Brewpub _________________________
Best Winery ___________________________
SHOPPING Best Place to Buy Clothes _______________
_____________________________________
Best Shoe Store _______________________
Best Music Store _______________________
Best Hardware Store ____________________
Best Gear Store ________________________
Best Ski Store _________________________
Best Nursery __________________________
Best Farm ____________________________
Best Bike Store ________________________
Best Salon ____________________________
Best Place to Buy Chicken Feed ___________
_____________________________________
Best Thrift Store _______________________
Best Gym _____________________________
Best Jewelry Store _____________________
Best Yoga Studio _______________________
Best Tattoo Shop ______________________
Best Massage Therapist _________________
_____________________________________
MORE Best NonProfi t _________________________
Skagit’s Best Scandal ___________________
_____________________________________
DIRECTIONS: Must include at least 10 categories to be eligible for prize drawing. If you don’t
include your contact info, how are we to award you a prize? Mail them to Cascadia Weekly,
PO Box 2833, Bellingham WA 98227-2833 or fi ll it out online at http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/best_of_skagit_2013. Ballots due: Friday, March 22, 2013
BEST OF
SKAGITName _____________________________________________ City ________________________
Email or Phone ________________________________________________________________
I know this looks like a photo of El Ten Eleven (because it is), and while the two-piece California post-rock band certainly deserves all the press they can get, what I'd really like to talk about is the opening act for their March 8 Wild Buffalo appearance, Manatee Commune. Manatee Commune is Bellingham musician Grant Eadie's solo chillwave project, and recently garnered no small amount of buzz after performing in Seattle's all-ages music competition, Sound Off! With his combination of electronic music and live instrumentation, Manatee Commune is chillwave with a decidedly organic feel and Northwest bent. It's shaping up to be a big year for Eadie, so jump on or risk being left behind. Tickets for the show are $12-$14 and info can be found at www.wildbuffalo.net
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Bobby Lee's Pub & Eatery
Karaoke w/Kristina Karaoke w/Kristina Karaoke w/Kristina
Boundary Bay Brewery
Aaron Guest (Taproom) Paul Klein (Taproom)
Brown Lantern Ale House
Open Mic Lures
Cabin Tavern Live MusicReverend JD & the Blackouts
Jeff Peters, Miranda Keefe
Commodore BallroomDelhi 2 Dublin,
The Funk Hunters
Conway Muse Randy Norris, Jeff Nicely Margaret Wilder
Edison Inn Piano Night Snug Harbor The Archtops
Glow Nightclub Boombox Kid Girl Meets Boy DJ Boombox In Night Out
Bellewood Acres 6140 Guide Meridian, Lynden • (360) 318-7720 | Blue Horse Gallery 301 W. Holly St. • 671-2305 | Bobby Lee’s Pub & Eatery 108 W Main St, Everson • 966-8838 | Boundary Bay Brewing Co. 1107 Railroad Ave • 647-5593 | Brown Lantern Ale House 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes • (360) 293-2544 | The Business 402 Commercial Ave., Anacortes • (360) 293-9788 | Cabin Tavern 307 W. Holly St. • 733-9685 | Chuckanut Brewery 601 W Holly St. • 752-3377 | Commodore Ballroom 868 Granville St., Vancouver • (604) 739-4550 | Conway Muse 18444 Spruce/Main St., Conway (360) 445-3000
musicvenues See below for venue addresses and phone numbers
03.05.14 03.06.14 03.07.14 03.08.14 03.09.14 03.10.14 03.11.14WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY
DELHI 2 DUBLIN/ Mar 6. 28/Wild Buffalo
Choose local businesses taking action for a healthy community.
LOVELOCALFOOD?
LOVELOCALFOOD?
Available at: Boundary Bay Brewery, Community Food Co-op, Custom Rx Shoppe, DragonFrog Gallery & Gifts, Fairhaven Runners & Walkers, Film is Truth, Garden Spot, Greenhouse, Griggs Office Supplies,Joy of Pilates, Naked Clothing, NW Handspun Yarns,Pure Bliss, RE Store, The Table and Village Books
Where the Locals Go!has 63 coupons for local
restaurants, breweries, markets, farm stands & more.
www.SustainbleConnections.org
l h i
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s,
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musicvenues See below for venue addresses and phone numbers
03.05.14 03.06.14 03.07.14 03.08.14 03.09.14 03.10.14 03.11.14WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY
Green Frog Country Dave Harmonson Songwriters in the RoundMcDougall (early), Massey Ferguson, Deception Past
(late)
Prozac Mtn Boys (early), Hot Damn Scandal, Brian and the Ballentines (late)
Closed for Private PartyDean's Honky-Tonk Dream (early), Guf-fawingham (late)
DJ Yogoman's Terrible Tuesday Soul Explosion
H2OMardi Gras Party w/Curley
Taylor, Zydeco TroubleTiller's Folly
Honey Moon Open Mic w/Tad Kroening Quickdraw Stringband Reid Kerr Devilly Brothers Pretty Little Feet The Shadies
Kulshan Brewery Broken Bow Stringband Giant's Causeway Devilly Brothers
Main St. Bar and Grill Country Karaoke JP Falcon Grady Lou Echeverri Legendary Chucklenuts Boogie Sundays
Make.Shift Art SpaceThe Space Lady, Scumeating,
Autococoon, moreArt Walk w/
We Are Awesome, more
Nooksack River Casino Live Music
Old World DeliKim Bowman & Paul
Sorensen Trio
Rockfish Grill Savage Jazzel Colonel and Mary de la
Fuente
Royal Karaoke Karaoke Karaoke, DJ Karaoke, DJ Partyrock
Rumors Leveled Throwback Thursdays DJ Postal, DJ Shortwave DJ Mike Tolleson Karaoke w/Zach
The Shakedown Heavy RotationShowdown at
the ShakedownRising, Lorpan Moistboyz, The Vaticxnts Tom Waits Night Aireeoke
Skagit Valley Casino 2 Buck Chuck Triple Shot
Skylark's The Jerry Fenwick Quintet Steve Faucher The Spencetet
Swillery Whiskey Bar Karaoke Juniper Stills MC Battle NightRiVeRboaT, Biagio
Biondolillo, Mikey EldredComedy Open Mic Less Talk
The Underground EDM Night Blessed Coast Girl meets Boy
Underground Coffeehouse
Juniper Stills, Moongrass Open Mic
Via Cafe and Bistro Karaoke Karaoke Karaoke Karaoke Dave Sterling J.P. Falcon, more
The Village Inn Karaoke Open Mic
Wild BuffaloWild Out Wednesday w/
Blessed CoastDelhi 2 Dublin, Theoretics,
MTBTZLarry and His Flask, Whiskey
Shivers, Big John BatesEl Ten Eleven,
Manatee CommuneEOTO, Yamn T-Pain, Neema, more T-Pain, Neema, more
The Green Frog Edison Inn | Glow Graham’s Restaurant| H20, | Honey Moon Kulshan Brewery | Make.Shift Art Space | Lighthouse
Bar & Grill | Main Street Bar & Grill McKay’s Taphouse | Nooksack River Casino| Poppe’s | Paso Del Norte The Redlight Rockfish Grill
The Royal Rumors Cabaret | The Shakedown Silver Reef Casino Skagit Valley Casino Resort Skylark’s Hidden Cafe Swinomish Casino
|Temple Bar The Underground Underground Coffeehouse | Village Inn Pub | Washington Sips Wild Buffalo
T-PAIN/ March 10-11/Wild Buffalo
MASSEY FERGUSON/ March 7/Green Frog
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FilmMOVIE REVIEWS › › SHOWTIMES
REVIEWED BY GUY LODGE
Mr. Peabody & Sherman ADVENTURES IN DOGGIE DAYCARE
I t was Samuel Butler who wrote of dogs that “you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” He did not reckon with the prissy, annoyingly infallible canine hero of
Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Swift, peppy and defiantly unendearing, DreamWorks’ latest toon updates the zany adventures of the time-traveling dog-and-his-boy sideshow from Jay Ward’s 1960s TV series Rocky and Bullwinkle—an arcane starting point for contempo kiddie fare, and not one that adapts entirely comfortably to the studio’s blend of state-of-the-art imagery and touchy-feely personal issues.
The Rocky and Bullwinkle characters may seem dated even to accompanying par-ents, though the film cleverly addresses the problem by locating the modern-day narrative in a New York nonetheless laden with ’60s retro styling—from Mr. Pea-body’s Jetsons-meets-Philip Johnson dream house to the pair’s natty Coke-bottle spectacles—that cannily evokes the rubberized chic of Pixar’s The Incredibles.
The design will reassure any nostalgia-chasing fans of the original series that they’re in an equivalent universe, as will the script’s fondness for the knowingly lame punnery that was Ward’s comic stock-in-trade; the pre-credit sequence alone exhausts the verbal possibilities of the word “dog.” (The revelation that our canine genius graduated “valedogtorian” is as witty as it gets.) In most other respects, however, the rules of this story world have been rather dramatically altered. Ward’s creation treated as a jaunty absurdity the concept of a talking dog with an ad-opted human son and a time machine named the WABAC: With the freakishly intel-ligent Mr. Peabody treating doltish schoolboy Sherman more like a pet than a son
(like the power play between Charlie Brown and Snoopy taken to surreal extremes), it wasn’t a setup played for emotional truth.
Written by playwright and TV stalwart Craig Wright (Six Feet Under, Dirty Sexy Mon-ey), Mr. Peabody & Sherman offers a slicker, sweeter take on the idea, adding a whole-some dose of family values to the central re-lationship—complete with syrupy montage, scored to John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy,” detailing just how this strange adoption came to pass. Peabody (Modern Family’s Ty Burrell), a beagle-like pooch whose preco-cious humanoid behavior left him unclaimed at the puppy farm, finds the infant Sherman (Max Charles) abandoned in an alleyway, takes him in and raises him as his own. “If a boy can adopt a dog,” a judge reasons, “I see no reason why a dog can’t adopt a boy.”
Very young viewers may take a similarly diplomatic view of the situation. Others may find it all a bit disconcerting, par-
ticularly as the film launches full-throttle into the era-hopping action—with the aforementioned backstory saved for later, the opening setpiece sees Peabody whiz Sherman off to 18th-century Versailles for a firsthand history lesson with Marie Antoinette, before we’ve ascertained the exact relationship between these oddly matched principals.
Just Go With It would have been a suit-able alternate title for the film, but even those who take these outlandish goings-on at face value may be thrown when we’re invited to invest in the psychologi-cal reality of this father-son bond. When Sherman starts elementary school, the skepticism of his fellow students—nota-bly Penny (Ariel Winter), a classroom bul-ly on whom the boy nurses a poorly dis-guised crush—arouses enough conflict to draw the villainous attention of gorgon-like social worker Miss Grunion (Allison Janney). The film’s underlying themes of accepting difference and familial belong-ing run obviously counter to Grunion’s fast-held conviction that a dog is no suit-able parent for a human boy—though it’s hard not to wonder if she has a point, and what the real-world equivalency is for the film’s opposing stance.
It’s probably best not to think about these things too hard—which is just as well, since the narrative’s time-travel el-ement allows for plenty of fluffy, fleet-footed action, particularly when con-trived circumstances lead to Sherman and Penny taking the WABAC out for an un-supervised spin. There was presumably a learning-while-playing intent behind the film’s irreverent whistle-stop tour of as-sorted historical eras, from Ancient Egypt (where Penny is briefly betrothed to King Tut) to Renaissance Italy (where Pea-body’s pratfalls serve as the inspiration for Mona Lisa’s smile), though it’s doubt-ful young audiences will leave the theater with much academic insight—beyond the knowledge that George Washington is a useful man to have around in the middle of a space-time continuum crisis.
It’s worth noting that this is director Rob Minkoff’s first fully animated feature since The Lion King, though he hasn’t car-ried much old-school Disney texture over to the familiar DreamWorks house style. With Oscar-winning cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (Pan’s Labyrinth) on board as a visual consultant, the anima-tion retains the wonky proportions and elastic movement of the original car-toons, though with a lushly expanded palette and a now-requisite airbrushed finish that hampers expressivity in the case of certain characters. (The 3D is sleek and, with the exception of a few thrusting swords in more historically heated interludes, entirely dispensable.) Danny Elfman’s score, like much else here, is zippy in the moment but not especially distinctive.
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Saturday, March 15, 2014, 3 pm and 7:30 pmSt. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2117 Walnut St. Bellingham
featuring:Amber Sudduth Bone, Soprano Wade Dingman, Organ
R Y A N S M I T A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R
Community Food Co-op, Piper Music, Village Books, Timekeepers in Lynden and brownpapertickets.com$5-20
T I C K E T S :
Bellingham Chamber Chorale presents Duruflé Requiem, Poulenc Gloria, and Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine
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S H A D O W A N D
2014
SAT, MAR 15TH AT NOON
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Sunday thru Thursday we’re pleased to offer a selection of Surf and Turf dinners, featuring
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3 Days to Kill: This tepid actioner can only be (slightly) improved by the casting of the always-watchable Kevin Costner, who appears to be having a pretty good time playing a family man who also leads a secret life as an international spy on one last mission. (PG-13 • 1 hr. 40 min.)
12 Years a Slave: This newly minted—and richly deserving—Best Picture Oscar winner is taking its hard-earned theatrical victory lap. In shedding light on the story of Solomon Northup (a harsh light though it may be), the cast and crew of this movie have proven that even Hollywood can occasionally do a good thing in the right way. Rule, meet your excep-tion. (R • 2 hrs. 14 min.)
300: Rise of an Empire: As history would have it, the Spartans’ battle at Thermopylae was only half of this legendary military last stand, the other part taking place at sea. And since Hollywood is nothing if not a faithful and accurate recounter of histori-cal events, here’s your swords-and-sandals-and-CGI retelling of the tale, in all its original ancient Greek 3D IMAX glory. (R • 1 hr. 43 min.)
A Field in England: Sometimes critics say it best: “A Field in England defies easy categorization—and that is its glory. Ben Wheatley’s English Civil War drama/horror picture is a wondrously strange affair that bends genre rules.” (Unrated • 1 hr. 30 min.)
American Hustle: Sorry you got snubbed so hard on Oscar night, American Hustle. That had to hurt.
(R • 2 hrs. 9 min.)
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Super-Sized R-Rated Version: Many felt something to be missing from the much-anticipated sequel to Anchorman. That “something” was likely the promised 763 new jokes and the attendant R rating they earned. See it while you can, because at press time, this movie only had a couple of days left in theaters before it disappears forever (or until it comes out on DVD). (R • 2 hrs. 23 min.)
Dallas Buyers Club: Here’s a thing I never thought I’d say: Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto have both won Academy Awards for acting, and no one deserved the honor more. Now if someone could please beam me out of this alternate universe and back to my real world before something even weirder happens, I’d appreciate it. (R • 1 hr. 57 min.)
Frozen: Disney unleashes a brand-new princess on the world, and in doing so, wins its first Animated Feature Oscar. Yep, you read that right: the House of Mouse had never before won an Academy Award in the
category it pretty much invented. Congratulations, Disney. Keep up the good work, that is, until Pixar comes and pulls the rug out from under you again.
(PG • 1 hr. 45 min.)
Gravity: Although I was roundly booed (yes, booed) Sunday night for suggesting this movie could sweep the Oscars in all 10 categories in which it was nomi-nated, my prediction was nonetheless 7/10 accurate. It’s not a perfect average, but it’s still pretty decent. Suck it, haters. Stay golden, Gravity. (PG-13 • 1 hr. 31 min.)
Her: I can take or leave Spike Jonze, but his love story between a man (Joaquin Phoenix) and his operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) is winning rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, culminating in a surprising (at least to me) Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Jonze. Step aside, Siri. ScarJo has your number. (R • 1 hr. 59 min.)
The Lego Movie: I’m not averse to the notion of a movie made about everyone’s favorite interlocking toys. But I do wish the sets had been constructed from actual Legos instead of on a computer. And if there’s not a joke in there somewhere about someone stepping on a Lego and hopping around in great pain, I’m going to be sorely (pun intended) disappointed.
(PG • 1 hr. 40 min.)
Lone Survivor: Peter Berg is never stronger as a director than when he is telling gritty, true-to-life stories (see also: Friday Night Lights). This time he’s tapped the versatile Mark Wahlberg to play a Navy SEAL on a mission to neutralize a Taliban operative—a mission that goes terribly wrong, with dire conse-quences. (R • 2 hrs. 1 min.)
The Monuments Men: I have been waiting to see this George Clooney helmed movie about a WWII pla-toon tasked with retrieving stolen masterpieces from the Nazis for so long and through so many postponed release dates that I’m starting to believe it’s the cinematic equivalent of a unicorn. Either that, or it
sucks. While I hope for the former, critics would have you believe the latter. (PG-13 • 1 hr. 53 min.)
Mr. Peabody & Sherman: See review previous page. (PG • 1 hr. 31 min.)
Nebraska: Director Alexandar Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt) and a decidedly irascible Bruce Dern team up to make a road-trip movie unlike any you’ve ever seen, earning both of them Oscar nods and gifting us with the endless entertainment of watch-ing Dern looking decidedly nonplussed all the way through Sunday’s awards ceremony. (R • 1 hr. 55 min.)
Non-Stop: A locked-room mystery in which the room in question is an airplane and the sleuth is not a wisecracking Sherlock Holmes, but an ass-kicking Liam Neeson. This is a man who punches wolves in their faces. This high-flying murder mystery is clearly no match for that kind of bold machismo. (PG-13 • 1 hr. 50 min.)
The Nut Job: Despite the title, this is not one of those “adult” films. You know, in case you thought this would be about something other than the animated hijinks of a nut-crazed squirrel. (PG • 1 hr. 26 min.)
Philomena: This year’s Little Movie that Could, this poignant story of adoption, Irish-Catholic oppression and the search for family earned four Oscar nomina-tions, and endless praise from all who have seen it. Dame Dench may not have won that Oscar, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. (PG-13 • 1 hr. 38 min.)
Pompeii: Welcome to March, when all of the movies even Hollywood believes to be too pointless to exist are foisted on unsuspecting audiences. (PG-13 • 1 hr. 42 min.)
Ride Along: Until I saw the preview for this movie, and saw Ice Cube standing next to Kevin Hart, I had never realized what a truly tiny man Hart is. That’s
probably not the only insight that can be gleaned from this film, but I don’t aim to find out either way.
(PG-13 • 1 hr. 40 min.)
RoboCop: I have a friend whose favorite movie is RoboCop. He’s taken a lot of static for it over the years, but his love remains steadfast. I respect that. Bruce, this one’s for you. (PG-13 • 2 hrs. 1 min.)
Son of God: Because Hollywood knows just what your heathen soul needs, here comes this retelling of the life of Jesus Christ, filmed in the style of an action-adventure movie. In other news, I gave myself an aneurism trying to parse how and why this movie exists. (PG-13 • 2 hrs. 18 min.)
Stalingrad: Tells the story of the epic battle that is credited with turning the tide of World War II. If you miss the days of hypermasculine war movies, this is the 3D IMAX battle royale for you. (R • 2 hrs. 15 min.)
Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago: Since the unexpected cinematic success of the Martin Sheen-starring movie The Way, people have been more compelled than ever before to travel to Spain and undertake the pilgrimage. This documentary highlights six such pilgrims, their reasons for making the journey, and the challenges that come with walk-ing day in and day out, for 500 miles. Spoiler alert: It’s not exactly a walk in the park for everyone, but in every pilgrim’s story lies a valuable lesson. (1 hr. 24 min. • Unrated)
The Wolf of Wall Street: Dear Leonardo DiCaprio, one of these days, you will finally win an Oscar for all of your fine acting work. When you consider that it took your partner in cinematic crime, Martin Scors-ese, eight nominations and more than 30 years before he got his, I’d say you’re in pretty good company.
(R • 2 hrs. 59 min.)
BY CAREY ROSS
FILM SHORTS
film ›› showing this week
300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE
Showtimes Regal and AMC theaters, please see
www.fandango.com.
Pickford Film Center and
PFC’s Limelight Cinema, please see
www.pickfordfilmcenter.com
Just ask those who know…Whether it be for the casual atmosphere, welcomingconversations, or the home cooking, people return
time and again. This is your place, enjoy it as you wish!
360-766-6960
Serving You
Located on the School Property in Charming Downtown Edison
Open Tuesday thru Friday: 6:30am-2pm • Sat 7am-2pm • Sunday 8am-2pm • Closed Monday
Our goal isPER
SISTPEP
ERSCOOKING OUTSIDE THE BOX SINCE 1988
Open Nightly Except Monday 1055 N State St B’ham 671-3414
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200
MIND & BODY
200
MIND & BODY
200
MIND & BODY
200
MIND & BODY
Michele Mahler focuses on “Es-
sential Oils Remedies: Healing
Salves and Balms” at a class at
6:30pm Wednesday, March 5
in Mount Vernon at the Skagit
Valley Food Co-op, 202 S. First
St. Students will come away
with notes, recipes and a feel-
ing of more confidence choos-
ing, purchasing and creating
their own healing products.
Entry is free; there will be a $5-
$10 optional supply fee for each
salve to take home. More info:
www.skagitfoodcoop.com
“Sugar Blues” will be the fo-
cus of class with health coach
Stephanie Walbon at 6:30pm
Wednesday, March 5 at the
Community Food Co-op, 1220
N. Forest St. Walbon will help
class members decode the
meaning of sugar cravings and
empower them for a healthier
lifestyle. Entry is free; register
in advance. More info: 734-
8158 or www.communityfood.
coop
Jessica Main focuses on “Bud-
dhism and Human Rights: From
19th Century Reformer to Con-
temporary Advocates” at a talk
at 4pm Thursday, March 6 at
the Firehouse Performing Arts
Center, 1314 Harris Ave. Entry
is free. More info: 650-3031
Attend a Reiki Share at 6:30pm
Friday, March 7 at Mount Ver-
non’s Skagit Valley Food Co-op,
202 S. First St. The free gather-
ings focus on sharing, learning
and healing that is brought
to the table by each person
regardless of the individual
experience. More info: www.
skagitfoodcoop.com
A “Spring Fun Fair” will include
intuitive readings, massage,
tarot readings, Reiki, aroma-
therapy, chakra balancing,
sales of jewelry and crystals
and more from 10am-5pm
Saturday, March 8 at the Ana-
cortes Senior Center, 1701 22nd
St. Admission to the holistic fair
is free; there will be charges for
various treatments. More info:
www.anacortesfunfair.com
Kelly Ann Atterbery talks about
“Nourishing Herbs” at a free
presentation at 6pm Saturday,
March 8 in Mount Vernon at the
Skagit Valley Food Co-op, 202
S. First St. Please register in
advance, and learn what nature
has in store. More info: www.
skagitfoodcoop.com
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PICKFORD FILM CENTER: 1318 Bay St. | 360.738.0735 | www.pickfordfilmcenter.org
Box Office is Open 30 Minutes Prior to F irst Showtime
Join us for a drink! Mary’s Happy Hour: 4-6pm, M-F $2.50 Beer/$3.50 Wine
NOW SHOWING Mar 7 - 13 at PFC’s Limelight Cinema1416 Cornwall AvenueParentheses ( ) Denote Bargain Pricing
WALKING THE CAMINO: SIX WAYS TO SANTIAGO 84m
“A lovely, gently resonant documentary that charts the
journey of modern-day pilgrims as they take a 500-mile
trek across the north of Spain.” Seattle Times
Fri: (2:00), (4:15), 6:30*, 8:40
Sat: (2:00), 4:15, 6:30*, 8:40
Sun: (1:00), (3:15), 5:30, 7:40
Mon & Tue: (2:00), (4:15), 6:30, 8:40
Wed: (2:00), (4:15), 6:30; Thu: (2:00), (4:15)
*Pre-screening reception w/ wine tasting at 5:30 for Fri &
Sat 6:30 shows, Q&A to follow.
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (R) 117m
OSCAR WINNERS: Best Actor (Matthew McConaughey)
& Best Supporting Actor (Jared Leto)
“This is a bold, drastic and utterly persuasive inhabiting of a
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actor du jour.” Time
Fri: (3:30), 9:00; Sat: 3:30, 9:00
Sun: (2:30), 8:00; Mon - Wed: (3:30), 9:00; Thu: (2:30)
PHILOMENA (PG-13) 98m
“At its core, this clever, wrenching, profound story
underscores the tenacity of faith in the face of
unfathomable cruelty.” WA Post
Fri & Sat: (1:00), 6:15; Sun: (12:00), 5:15
Mon & Tue: (1:00), 6:15; Wed: (1:00); Thu: 5:15
ZATOICHI’S PILGRIMAGE (NR) 82m
Sat: (11:00AM) - The blind swordsman gets spiritual.
THE SECRET OF KELLS (NR) 75m
Sat: (11:10AM) - Only $5 admission!
CORIOLANUS: NATIONAL THEATER (NR) 180m - Join us
for the kick-off of our new National Theater series!
Wed: 7:00 - (Pre-show begins at 6:30)
A FIELD IN ENGLAND (NR) 90m
“(Ben) Wheatley’s extraordinary film shakes you
back and forth with a rare ferocity.” Telegraph
Fri & Sat: 9:00; Sun: 7:00; Mon - Thu: 9:00
LE WEEK-END (R) 93m - Sneak preview!
Mon: 6:30 - Gathr Preview Series
HER (R) 126m - OSCAR WINNER “Handcrafted,
passionate, impossibly beautiful film.” Salon
Fri: 6:15; Sat: (12:40), 6:15; Sun: 4:15
Mon: (3:45); Tue - Thu: 6:15
NEBRASKA (R) 115m “A pitch-perfect
performance from Dern.” Total Film
Fri & Sat: (3:30); Sun: (1:30)
Mon: (1:05); Tue - Thu: (3:30)
NOW SHOWING Mar 7 - 13
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Looking for like-minded folks with an interest in a multi-modality approach to bodywork, spiritual growth, and trauma release using a “Mind, Body, and Spirit” philosophy.We are two “Wounded Healers” ourselves called to help others with creating and achiev-ing their higher selves while becoming who they want to be in our Universal Family.We have the abilities to help you on your personal journey of bringing forth your higher vibrational self. We can help you move and release past and present energy blockages and/or limitations in order to make room for more light.
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rearEnd ›› “Three in a Row”—where have I heard that before?
Across1 Many-___ (color-
ful)5 Amtrak stop,
briefly8 Pile at birthday
parties13 Nelson Muntz’s
bus driver14 Blaze a trail16 Illusory painting
genre17 Looming choice
18 Industrial show19 See 33-Down20 Wind, cold, etc.*23 Droid download24 Like, total top
choice25 Baltimore ball
team27 Place to store
your phone numbers (before smartphones)
30 People in a cer-
tain lounge31 “This happens
___ time!”32 Pup in the Arc-
tic*36 Roseanne’s sit-
com mom37 “An Incomplete
and Inaccurate History of Sport” author Kenny
39 Eggs at a sushi bar
40 Former Haitian president*
43 Wilson of “The Office”
45 Nets coach Jason46 Won by a shutout48 Country singer
Harris51 “And here it is!”52 ___ Jo„o de Meri-
ti (Brazilian city)53 Group of three
can be heard pho-netically in the answer to each of the three starred clues
58 Standing subway passenger’s aid
60 “___ the mornin’ to ya!”
61 A wife of Charlie Chaplin
62 System with joy-sticks and paddles
63 Site of museums devoted to Ibsen and Munch
64 Swabs the deck, really
65 8-Down type66 President pro ___67 Place where “You
can get yourself clean, you can
have a good meal”Down1 Axton of “Gremlins”2 Bryce Canyon
National Park’s location
3 Raison d’___ (rea-son for being)
4 Toast5 Coffeehouse
freebie6 San Antonio
cuisine7 Neck’s scruff8 Full of dirt?9 Copper-colored
beer10 Ruinous11 Nonsense12 Fitness tracker
units15 Mr. McNabb21 Kenny Rogers hit
written by Lionel Richie
22 “Survivor” group-ing
26 CIA’s predecessor27 Self-titled coun-
try album of 198828 Walkie-talkie
word29 First name in
denim32 “I’m out”
33 With 19-Across, “Truly Flabby Pre-ludes” composer
34 Best of the best35 Front the money37 Cramp-relieving pill38 Total41 The limit, prover-
bially42 Fish served in
filets43 Contrary to Miss
Manners44 Body makeup?46 Fastener in the
corner47 Explosive sound48 Piece in the
paper, perhaps
49 Photo finish50 Erin of “Happy
Days”54 Jim Lange, for
“The Dating Game,” e.g.
55 Word after elbow or leg
56 Like some 1950s comedy material, today
57 Curiosity’s launcher
59 Installation material
©2014 Jonesin’ Crosswords ([email protected])
Last Week’s Puzzle
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27rearEnd ›› comix
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rearEnd ›› sudoku
5 97 8 2
1 76 3 4 7
9 55 7 8 2
6 2 1 87 1
6 4 7
HOW TO SUDOKU: Arrange the digits 1-9 in such a way that each digit occurs only once in each row, only once in each column, and only once in each box. Try it!
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BY ROB BREZSNY
FREEWILLASTROLOGYARIES (March 21-April 19): Are you between jobs? Between romantic partners? Between secure foundations and clear mandates and reasons to get up each morning? Probably at least one of the above. Foggy whirlwinds may be your intimate companions. Being up-in-the-air could be your customary vantage point. During your stay in this weird vacationland, please abstain from making conclusions about its implications for your value as a human being. Remember these words from author Terry Braverman: “It is important to detach our sense of self-worth from transitional circumstances, and maintain perspective on who we are by enhancing our sense of ‘self-mirth.’” Whimsy and levity can be your salva-tion, Aries. Lucky flux should be your mantra.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma once came to the home of computer pioneer Steve Jobs and performed a private concert. Jobs was deeply touched, and told Ma, “Your playing is the best argument I’ve ever heard for the existence of God, because I don’t really believe a human alone can do this.” Judging from the current astrological omens, Taurus, I’m guessing you will soon experience an equivalent phenomenon: a transcendent expres-sion of love or beauty that moves you to suspect that magic is afoot. Even if you are an atheist, you are likely to feel the primal shiver that comes from having a close brush with enchantment.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In my dream, I was leading a pep rally for a stadium full of Geminis. “Your intensity brings you great pleasure,” I told them over the public address system. “You seek the company of people who love you to be inspired. You must be appreciated for your enthusiasm, never shamed. Your drive for excellence doesn’t stress you out, it relaxes you. I hereby give you license to laugh even louder and sing even stronger and think even smarter.” By now the crowd was cheering and I was bellowing. “It’s not cool to be cool,” I exulted. “It’s cool to be burning with a white-hot lust for life. You are rising to the next octave. You are playing harder than you have ever played.”
CANCER (June 21-July 22): “My old paintings no longer interest me,” said the prolific artist Pablo Picasso when he was 79 years old. “I’m much more curious about those I haven’t done yet.” I realize it might be controversial for me to suggest that you adopt a similar perspective, Cancerian. After all, you are renowned for being a connoisseur of old stories and past glories. One of your specialties is to keep memories alive and vibrant by feeding them with your generous love. To be clear, I don’t mean that you should apologize for or repress those aptitudes. But for now—say, the next three weeks—I invite you to turn your attention toward the exciting things you haven’t done yet.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I recommend that you sleep with a special someone whose dreams you’d like to blend with yours. And when I say “sleep with,” I mean it literally; it’s not a euphemism for “having sex with.” To be clear: Making love with this person is fine if that’s what you both want. But my main point is that you will draw unexpected benefits from lying next to this companion as you both wan-der through the dreamtime. Being in your altered states together will give you inspiration you can’t get any other way. You won’t be sharing information on a conscious level, but that’s exactly the purpose: to be transformed together by what’s flowing back and forth between your deeper minds. For extra credit, collaborate on incubating a dream. Read this: www.tinyurl.com/dreamincubation.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “One chord is fine,” said rock musician Lou Reed about his no-frills
approach to writing songs. “Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.” I recommend his perspective to you in the coming weeks, Virgo. Your detail-oriented appreciation of life’s complexity is one of your finest qualities, but every once in a while—like now—you can thrive by stripping down to the basics. This will be especially true about your approach to intimate relationships. For the time being, just assume that cultivating simplicity will generate the blessings you need most.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You Librans haven’t received enough gifts, goodies, and compliments lately. For reasons I can’t discern, you have been deprived of your rightful share. It’s not fair! What can you do to rectify this imbalance in the cosmic ledger? How can you enhance your ability to attract the treats you deserve? It’s important that we solve this riddle, since you are entering a phase when your wants and needs will expand and deepen. Here’s what I can offer: I hereby authorize you to do whatever it takes to entice everyone into showering you with bounties, boons and bonuses. To jumpstart this process, shower yourself with bounties, boons, and bonuses.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing,” wrote the Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius more than 1,800 years ago. Is that true for you, Scorpio? Do you experience more strenuous struggle and grunting exertion than frisky exuberance? Even if that’s usually the case, I’m guessing that in the coming weeks your default mode should be more akin to dancing than wrestling. The cosmos has decided to grant you a grace period—on one condition, that is: You must agree to experiment more freely and have more fun that you normally allow yourself.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): For the itch you are experiencing, neither chamomile nor aloe vera will bring you relief. Nor would over-the-counter medications like calamine lotion. No, Sagittarius. Your itch isn’t caused by something as tangible as a rash or hives, and can’t be soothed by any obvious healing agent. It is, shall we say, more in the realm of a soul itch—a prickly tickle that is hard to diag-nose, let alone treat. I’m guessing that there may be just one effective cure: Become as still and quiet and empty as you possibly can, and then invite your Future Self to scratch it for you.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The world is awash in bright, shiny nonsense. Every day we wade through a glare of misinformation and lazy delusions and irrelevant data. It can be hard to locate the few specific insights and ideas that are actually useful and stimulating. That’s the bad news, Capricorn. Here’s the good news: You now have an enhanced ability to ferret out nuggets of data that can actually empower you. You are a magnet for the invigorating truths you really need most.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): If you come up with an original invention, apply for a patent imme-diately. If you think of a bright idea, put it to work as soon as possible. If you figure out crucial clues that everyone else seems blind to, dispel the general ignorance as quickly as you can. This is a perfect mo-ment for radical pragmatism carried out with expedi-tious savvy. It’s not a time when you should naively hope for the best with dreamy nonchalance. For the sake of your mental health and for the good of your extended family, be crisp, direct and forceful.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the 1997 film Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery, the lead character announces that “’Danger’ is my middle name.” Ever since, real people in the UK have been legally making “Danger” their middle name with surprising regularity. I think it would be smart fun for you Pisceans to add an innovative element to your identity in the coming days, maybe even a new middle name. But I recommend that you go in a different direction than “Danger.” A more suitable name might be “Changer,” to indicate you’re ready to eagerly embrace change. Or how about “Ranger,” to express a heightened desire to rove and gallivant?
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BY AMY ALKON
THE ADVICE GODDESSWHEN HARRY MET HAIRY My girlfriend of six months just stopped shaving her legs and armpits. I think she is so sexy—except for this. Recently, I asked her whether she’d shave again, and she snapped that shaving is time-consuming and the idea that women should remove their body hair comes from anti-feminist propaganda. I don’t know about that. I just like seeing female legs and armpits without a bunch of dark furry hair cover. Do I get to ask again?
—In The Thick Of It
It’s great when your girlfriend reminds you of somebody exotic out of the mov-ies—when that somebody is Mila Kunis or Eva Mendes, not Chewbacca.
As for your girlfriend’s notion that the defurred look traces to “anti-fem-inist propaganda,” way back before there was Cosmo, there was Ovid, the Roman poet, advising women look-ing for love: “Let no rude goat find his way beneath your arms” (don’t let your underarms get stanky like a goat), “and let not your legs be rough with bristling hair.” Archeological evi-dence (including hair-scraping stones and an impressive set of Bronze Age tweezers) suggests that women—and often men—have been shaving, de-pilating, and yanking out body hair since at least 7,000 B.C. In the early 1500s, Michelangelo sculpted David (who would have been a hairy Middle Eastern dude, looking more Borat than baby’s bottom), making him look like he was too busy spending three weeks at the waxer to slay Goliath. And these days, male bodybuilders also remove their body hair, lest their admirers have to peer through the hair sweater to find the pecs and abs.
You, likewise, would just like to see your girlfriend’s legs without having to send your eyeballs off on a search party through Furwood Forest. (You must look back fondly on the days when you could picture her naked without first giving her a mental bath in a vat of Nair.) Is there a double standard at play here? Sure there is—if you’d shave a Fidel Castro beard to be more attractive to her but she re-fuses to shave her Fidel Castro legs.
Let her know that you aren’t look-ing to turn her into a razor slave of the patriarchy—you’re just trying to keep your sex life (and, in turn, your relationship) alive—and ask whether there’s anything you could do to be
more manhunky for her. This is just what you’re supposed to do in a re-lationship—make that extra effort to please your partner, even if it takes, oh, five minutes every few days to run a razor over your legs and pits. She can still rebel against the patriarchy in other ways, like by going around in snarky T-shirts and blogging about how leg shaving is an obvious plot to keep women in the shower and out of the House of Representatives. The bottom line, for you and many other men, is that it’s really sexy to run your hand through a woman’s hair—just not the hair on her ankles.
DIAL ANOTHER DAY Is it really that inappropriate to give a girl your number instead of asking for hers? I met a cool girl at the gym. We really seemed to hit it off, and I asked whether we could get a drink sometime. She said yes, and I said, “Here, I’ll give you my number.” She said, “Um, don’t you want my number?” Well, I just offered her mine because she had her phone with her and mine was in the locker room, but appar-ently she was offended. Really? Who cares?
—Hung Up On An Issue
Giving this woman your number and expecting her to call you is like the lion saying to the gazelle, “Would you mind coming over here and kill-ing yourself, and then I’ll eat you?” For millions of years, there’s been a natural order of things and it involves men chasing women, and it hasn’t heard of Gloria Steinem and doesn’t care that your phone is in the locker room. Sure, women these days may sometimes pursue men, but when you want a woman, do you really want to walk away without her phone number and hope she’ll call—which most women won’t do? Also, chances are, expecting a woman to call you comes off a little insulting—telling her you’re interested in her, just not in-terested enough to lift a finger and touch it to phone buttons 10 times. In other words, the thing to do was to toddle off and get a writing imple-ment and a scrap of paper so you could take down this woman’s number and call her, not try to rewrite male and female psychology and dating practices for your convenience: “Great meeting you! I’ll just be sit-ting home painting my toenails and waiting for the phone to ring.”
©2014, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail [email protected] (advice goddess.com).
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4 chowRECIPES REVIEWS PROFILES
V isitors to the Rhododendron Café on Chuckanut Drive may be surprised to find some changes in the works. Although the res-taurant looks the same as ever, the business was taken over
last September by the owners of Edison’s Farm to Market Bakery, Jim and Lisa Kowalski. Jim, who was a chef at Nimbus in Bellingham, is a brilliant cook and I’ve been excited to see what he would do with his spacious new kitchen.
Under its original owners, Don and Carol Shank, the Rhody’s big fo-cus was its monthly theme, which might range from classic Northwest to French, Italian, or Malaysian. While the Kowalskis inherited all of the Shanks’ recipes (as well as their eclectic plate collection), and intend to rotate them into the menu, the focus of the new Rhody is solidly local, with a menu designed for each season to take advantage of Skagit produce.
So far the Kowalskis have been busy moving their bakery setup out of downtown Edison and into the old Rhody Too space (the new Farm to Market Bakery opened in January), as well as renovating the land-scaping, herb gardens and greenhouses that surround the restaurant. Eventually they’ll get around to fixing up the dining areas, which are comfortable enough but have issues with lighting.
On my first visit to the new Rhody I actually attempted to get lunch
through one of the best oyster po’boys of my life ($12.95). The oysters were absolutely, perfectly fried, and chimichurri sauce made a bright coun-terpoint to the aioli dressing and chewy Bread-farm baguette. Regular sandwiches on the menu come in small ($6.75) and large ($9.50) por-tions, with a choice of chips or popcorn on the side, but the oyster sandwich had a side salad, which I preferred.
For my next visit, I went for weekend brunch with some friends. Complimentary biscotti were a nice touch, giving us something to dunk in our coffee (or beer, for some of us). The menu is heavy on scrambles and omelets with various meats and seasonal vegetables. The biscuits and gravy ($8.75 with an egg on top) were very good, with some of the best, freshest biscuits I’ve had in a restaurant. The Eggs Benedict, which I had with crab, were excellent, although the hollan-daise sauce was not nearly as lemony as I would have liked. The country potatoes on the side were unusual, thinly sliced and pan fried so that some
bits were crispy, others soft. A recent dinner on a cold,
rainy/snowy night gave us a chance to try out the Rho-dy’s winter menu. Three of us split a bottle of Califor-nia wine and started with an order of crab ravioli ($12), homemade pasta stuffed with Dungeness crab float-ing in a big bowl of what was billed as a “roasted pepper parmesan” sauce but tasted like fondue. It was rich and delicious, and we mopped up the extra sauce in the bowl with pieces of baguette. We also shared a couple of fried oysters, priced individually at $2.25.
One of my party tried the East Edison burger ($10.75) with gorgonzola and caramelized onions. It was a beautiful hamburger, oozing juices and topped with a very pretty bun, but the meat was barely seasoned and the tomato provided was pale and cut far too thick. My taster said he probably would not order it again.
I tried another blackboard special, this time a plate of Cajun chicken with a spicy dark beer sauce and fresh fettuccine ($18). The chicken was ten-der, the noodles tasted homemade, and the broth was dark and spicy, but I didn’t feel like the fla-vors were quite balanced. Some okra might have been the perfect foil for the other ingredients.
My other taster, however, ordered a bone-in pork chop with cinnamon apples, spinach and brown butter spaetzle ($22), and was incredibly pleased with it. The pork was flavorful and per-fectly done, and the spaetzle were crispy and chewy all at once. This is the kind of dish that could define the Rhody as a dinner destination.
On the whole, I’m optimistic about the Rho-dy’s prospects as the new owners settle in. The quality of the ingredients is very high, and the restaurant is sourcing locally as much as possi-ble and butchering their own meat. I think they’re going to become something very special for the Skagit Valley.
EATWHAT: Rhododen-dron CaféWHERE: 5521 Chuckanut Dr., Bow WHEN: 11:30am-9pm Wed.-Sun.; brunch is served from 9am-3pm Sat.-Sun. INFO: www.rhodycafe.comSTORY AND PHOTOS BY JESSAMYN TUTTLE
Rhododendron CafeA NEW TAKE ON A FAMILIAR FAVORITE
at the bakery first, but they hadn’t yet started serving anything besides baked goods and cof-fee, so I headed next door. My intention had been to finally try their famous Senegalese peanut soup or maybe the posole ($6.75/cup or $9/bowl), but I got distracted by the daily lunch special and proceeded to work my way
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WED., MARCH 5WORLD WIDE DUMPLINGS: Mary Ellen Carter leads a hands-on “World Wide Dumplings: Asia” course from 6-8:30pm at the Cordata Commu-nity Food Co-op, 315 Westerly Rd. Entry is $39, plus a $7 wine option payable at class.
383-3200
THURS., MARCH 6 GOOD TIME FUNDRAISING: Help raise funds for Dorothy Place at “A Good Time with The Good Time Girls” gathering at 5:30pm at the Old World Deli, 1228 N. State St. In addition to appetizers and wine, there’ll be stories of local women’s history by the Good Time Girls. Tickets are $25 and benefit the women and children at Dorothy Place.
WWW.OPPCO.ORG
WHEN IN ROME: Karina Davidson focuses on Italian favorites at an “When in Rome” class from 6-8:30pm at the Cordata Community Food Co-op, 315 Westerly Rd. Entry is $39.
383-3200
TEQUILA DINNER: Manana Tequila will be highlighted at a Tequila Dinner from 6-9pm at the Barkley Village Jalapenos, 2945 Newmarket St. A four-course dinner will be accompanied by generous sample and mixed cocktails. Entry is $50.
778-2045 OR WWW.JALAPENOSWA.COM
SAT., MARCH 8EAT YOUR YARD: Learn the basics of growing your own produce at an “Eat Your Yard: Veg-etable Gardening 101” class starting at 9am at the Garden Spot Nursery, 900 Alabama St. Register in advance for the free workshop.
676-5480
COMMUNITY MEAL: Chicken parmesan, green beans, salad, bread and cake will be on the menu at the bimonthly Community Meal from 10am-12pm at the United Church of Ferndale, 2034 Washington St. Entry is free and open to all.
714-9029
ORGANIC FRUIT GROWING: Pest and disease issues, soil and weed management and much more will be part of a free “Organic Fruit Grow-ing for Homeowners” workshop from 1:30-3pm at Everson’s Cloud Mountain Farm Center, 6906 Goodwin Rd. No registration is necessary.
WWW.CLOUDMOUNTAINFARMCENTER.ORG
ICE CREAM SOCIAL: The Whatcom Senior Nutrition Program will host a Magic Ice Cream Social as part of the second annual “March for Meals” from 2-4pm at the Ferndale Senior Activity Center, 1999 Cherry St. A magic show
and sundae bar will be part of the fun. Entry is $4 for kids and $5 for adults.
966-5859
CHEESE HISTORY: Tami Parr shares historical tidbits from her new Pacific Northwest Cheese book at 4pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St. The tome focuses on how regional cheese-making found its way back to the farm.
WWW.VILLAGEBOOKS.COM
TUES., MARCH 11DOUBLE MEAL DEAL: Local eateries will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Lighthouse Mission as part of a Double Meal Deal fundraiser happening throughout the day. The Grace Cafe, Casa Que Pasa, Mount Bakery, Brandywine Kitchen, Ciao Thyme, Muddy Waters Espresso, Bellingham Bar & Grill, and Dutch Treat will be among the participants, so visit them today and help the homeless.
WWW.THELIGHTHOUSEMISSION.ORG
SPICE OF LIFE: Dieticians from Skagit Valley Hospital will lead a “Spice Up Your Life” course from 6-8pm in Mount Vernon at Gretchen’s Kitchen, 501 S. First St. Students will explore how spices can enhance both the flavors of our food and our health. Entry is $25.
WWW.GRETCHENSKITCHEN.COM
TASTING GREECE: “A Taste of the Greek Islands” will be the focus of a course with Lisa Samuel at 6:30pm at Ciao Thyme, 207 Unity St. Samuel will share her favorite dishes from her recent travels. Entry is $48.
WWW.CIAOTHYME.COM
WED., MARCH 12ST. PATRICK’S DINNER: A delicious dinner, a raffle and live Irish music performed by the band Up in the Air will be part of a St. Patrick’s Community Dinner from 5-7pm at the Blaine Senior Community Center, 763 G St. Funds raised will benefit the Whatcom Senior Nutri-tion Program to help ensure that no senior goes hungry. Entry is by donation.
733-4030
JAPANESE TAPAS: Chef Mary Ellen Carter schools participants on “Isakaya: Japanese Tapas” at 6:30pm in Mount Vernon at Gretch-en’s Kitchen, 501 S. First St. Entry is $40.
WWW.GRETCHENSKITCHEN.COM
THURS., MARCH 13KAILUA BITES: “Best Bites: 1950s Kailua” will be the focus of a class with Chef Robert Fong from 6:30-9pm at the Community Food Co-op, 1220 N. Forest St. Fong will recreate recipes from his youth in Kailua, Hawaii. Entry is $39.
383-3200
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Find out more about how regional cheese-making found its way back to the farm when Tami Parr shares historical tidbits from her Pacific Northwest Cheese book March 8 at Village Books.
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BAG YOUR TICKETS: NOW - MARCH 20
Visit The Rewards Club Center For Full Details!
MARCH 1 - 29Your Player-Bucks!
Get Up To $100* In Gaming SATURDAYS ONLY: 9 AM - CLOSING
EARN Player-Bucks! 9 AM - MIDNIGHT
JUST USE YOUR REWARDS CLUB CARD EVERY TIME YOU PLAY SLOTS!
*$5 increments; $1 Player-Buck = $1 in Slot or Table Gaming.
Casino opens at 9 am daily. Must be 21 or older with valid ID to enter casino, buffet or attend shows. *Must be a Rewards Club Member – Membership is FREE! Must be present to win. Skagit Player-Bucks are non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash.
CW