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Stroll down to the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon next Thursday, Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m. to attend a holiday live music concert from world renowned musicians Karla Bonoff and Livingston Taylor. Their performance, titled "Home for the Holidays," will feature Christmas classics, songs from Bonoff's latest compilation album "Silent Night" and both musicians' greatest hits. Bonoff grew up in Los Angeles, California playing various instruments. At 15-years-old she was already a songwriter looking to...
The Christmas season has arrived along with a variety of holiday events La Connerites can participate in this December. First on that list is the Festival of Tiny Trees silent auction at the La Conner Swinomish Library on Friday, Dec. 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Participants can enjoy refreshments, including wine and hard cider, and bid to buy their favorite tiny decorated holiday tree. You can preview the trees at the library until Friday and sign-up at the library or WaFd Bank on Morris Street. The...
The Skagit Valley Pumpkin Festival Sept. 17 was a success for both host Christianson's Nursery and farmers across the state. From 9 a.m.-4 p.m. visitors attending enjoyed family-friendly carnival games, face painting and tractor rides while the adults enjoyed a Farmstrong Brewing beer garden. Pumpkin festival entries competed to finish among the top ten for the heaviest pumpkins. Two bonus awards included the "Howard Dill Prettiest Pumpkin" and the "Ugliest Pumpkin." Winners received cash...
On the foggy morning of Friday, Sept. 2, Washington State Patrol responded to a fatal car crash at the intersection of State Route 20 and Avon Allen Road. The Washington State Patrol press release states that at 7:55 a.m. 28-year-old La Conner resident Julie Johnson was driving east on SR-20 and ran the red light, causing a collision with a southbound vehicle. That vehicle's driver, 42-year-old Burlington resident John Burke, was not wearing his seatbelt and ejected from his vehicle upon impact. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No drugs or...
Those looking to spice up their garden are in luck. On Saturday, Aug. 20, the La Conner United Street Fair will have hand-crafted cedar planter boxes for sale. The new La Conner Swinomish Library will get 100% of the proceeds. In early July, La Conner resident Brad Bradford decided he wanted to build planter boxes using the library’s scrap wood. “Everybody needs a couple planter boxes,” he told the Weekly News. Tiger Construction, the library’s contractor, generously donated scraps of the cro...
Make way for the new sheriff in town. Sgt. Beau Montgomery has succeeded Sgt. Jenny Sheahan-Lee, who retired in May. His position as sergeant at the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office La Conner began June 1. Even though his roots are in eastern Washington, working in Skagit County for the last five years has given Montgomery the opportunity to spend time in La Conner both professionally, as a patrol duty, and in his off-duty time visiting. “La Conner is a great community,” Montgomery said, “I lo...
Hundreds of eager musicians, collectors and admirers shuffled through Maple Hall last weekend, May 13-15, taking part in the fourth annual La Conner Guitar Festival. Their eyes sparkled as they browsed and tested the handcrafted stringed instruments on display. Ticketholders had a full itinerary of activities to choose from throughout the weekend. They started off their mornings perusing the instruments displayed on the tables of the over 50 luthiers and vendors that filled the first floor hall...
The La Conner Guitar Festival is back after a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning Friday, May 13 and ending that Sunday evening, music enthusiasts from La Conner and well beyond will gather in Maple Hall and the Civic Garden Club to experience the festival’s world-class luthier exhibits, workshops and concerts. Luthiers are craftsmen that build or repair guitars and other stringed instruments. Single day tickets and weekend passes can be purchased online or at the door. The box office at Maple Hall will open 9:30 a...
The historic Lincoln Theatre in downtown Mount Vernon has been entertaining Skagitonians for close to a century. 96 years to be exact and through good times and bad. The coronavirus pandemic closed the Lincoln in 2020 for over a year. In order to safely re-open, Executive Director Roger Gietzen knew creating more space in their tiny lobby was a must. A renovation plan was developed with the help of HKP Architects, Trico Construction, the City of Mount Vernon, the City of Burlington, a Skagit...
Although no longer billed as the Not So Impromptu Parade, the magic remained in place in La Conner last Saturday, April 9. Now titled the Tulip Festival Parade by its organizer and sponsor, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, the 2022 version was bigger than ever, back in full swing after a two-year pandemic induced hiatus. What’s more, the Town of La Conner’s Fire Department’s 1941 white truck started up First Street on time at 2 p.m. It led some 45 entrants, some of them, thankfully, last minut...
One could say chili and chowder are the two most popular soups year-round. But who is making the best in Skagit Valley this month? This important question was answered at the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce’s chili and chowder cook-off April 2 at Farmstrong Brewing Co. Thirteen contestants handed out samples of chili and chowder in small plastic cups at the Saturday afternoon Skagit Valley Tulip Festival kick-off event in Farmstrong’s beer garden. Tickets were $15; the price did not stand in...
Even the smallest of fires have the potential to stir up some trouble. A La Conner Maritime Service crew member noticed smoke coming from a sailboat at the end of J-dock in the La Conner Marina about 12:10 p.m. last Wednesday, March 2. He alerted Project Manager Joe Franett via radio to call the marina and 911. As other crew members alerted each other of flames coming from the boat’s aft cabin, Franett grabbed a fire extinguisher and launched a skiff with two other staff. They arrived on s...
Lovers of Irish music and culture will gather at the Lincoln Theatre Tuesday, March 8 to hear something new. Starting at 7:30 p.m., the audience will witness Dervish, a native Irish folk band, play music from their latest album “The Great Irish Songbook,” along with their fan favorites. Dervish is recognized with a BBC lifetime achievement award and has been nominated for album of the year by Folk Alliance International. Founding members Cathy Jordan (vocals, bodhran, guitar), Michael Hol...
Governor Jay Inslee will soon announce his plans to end mask requirements in schools and businesses. Many have probably already forgotten an outdoor mask mandate has been in effect since September, requiring all public gatherings of 500 or more to wear face coverings. This will end the 18th, Inslee announced in a news conference Feb. 9. The August 2021 order from the state’s secretary of health requiring everyone five years of age and older to wear a mask in public indoor settings remains in pla...
I have grown up in the Bow-Edison area. The rains over the weekend starting Nov. 12 was not the first time I have experienced flooding near my home. However, the extremity of the 24 hours overnight from Monday, Nov. 15 is something I have not endured before. Never before have I seen neighbors wading through waist-deep water in their own backyards to lead their horses to safety. Nor have I seen a full size Greyhound bus tipped over in a ditch with over 20 people scrambling to evacuate. Last week...
Some people spend many years of their life searching for their passion. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines passion as a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something. For one Skagit Valley resident, passion was first found via a piece of chalk on a blackboard. Bob Hamblin, now 82, was only six years old when he saw his teacher draw an American goldfinch on the classroom blackboard. Hamblin was instantly fascinated with the drawing and wanted to learn more...
On a morning stroll along the marina, it would be near impossible not to admire the panoramic views around you. With snow-capped mountains to the east and a channel pouring out into a bay to the west, this picturesque town is a well-known treasure of the Pacific Northwest. La Conner, Washington is an art-fueled community that is home to the longest continuously published weekly newspaper in the state. The La Conner Weekly News fights to keep printed newspapers alive in a world of laptops and smartphones. Ken Stern publishes and owns of The La...
Get ready to pack your bags – literally! The Town Council ban of plastic bags in stores takes effect today. Reusable and paper bags are about to become a common sight in La Conner. Shoppers at Pioneer Market will no longer have their goodies placed in a typical plastic bag. Sean Skiles, owner of the Morris Street market, said, “We are not opposed to doing our part in keeping things safe, clean and green in La Conner.” Although it is required for all La Conner stores to stop using plastic bags, Pioneer Market has an extension of up to fou...
Last weekend an equestrian twist on everyday field sports came to LaConner. Tents, trucks, and trailers were set up and parked at George Dill Farm as people came to witness a polo tournament. Men and women dressed in brightly colored uniforms rode across a wide-open field atop beautiful horses to score points. The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming as neighborhood children sat atop marshmallow hay bales to cheer on their team of choice. Citizens on Flats Road had perfect views of the game...
La Conner’s Fourth of July parade celebrated the nation’s founding in 1776, and was somewhat historic in its own right. People were united in wearing red, white and blue, though the shades, stripes, patterns and designs varied widely. Flags of all sizes, on and off sticks and poles, were waved and draped, respectively. The colorful downtown procession was by many accounts one of the best attended in the town’s recent history as crowds lined both sides of First Street on a picture-perfect day....
