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About 60 La Conner area residents filled the Civic Garden Club Sept. 25 to consider the future of the La Conner Weekly News. Publisher Ken Stern, 69, has made clear his plans to retire in December, after seven-and-a-half years of ownership. In his efforts to sell the newspaper over the last two years, he's had several nibbles from prospective buyers, but "it hasn't gone very far," he said. None has made an offer for the business, priced at $250,000, which is less than its 2023 gross revenue of m...
Residents and tourists alike will find that vehicles only travel south on La Conner's First Street starting next Wednesday, Oct. 9. Since early September, Town of La Conner staff have been promoting First Street will become one way southbound, and Commercial Street will become one way eastbound. The change was made from widespread concern for public safety. The larger size of today's vehicles that park on both sides of the street impede first responders' equipment in emergencies. This week La...
Well over 500 Mount Vernon and Skagit County residents cheered the ribbon cutting ceremony of the $61 million Mount Vernon Library Commons building Saturday morning. The loudest acclaim and applause throughout the program were recognizing city and HKP architectural firm and other contractors' staff. Jill Boudreau, Mount Vernon mayor from 2011-2023 and project administrator for the Mount Vernon Library Commons since 2023, was the master of ceremonies. She received a standing ovation as well as a...
A Louisiana-style dinner served in La Conner last Thursday boasted a distinctly Skagit Valley flavor. The second annual Genuine Skagit Valley Tidewater Boil at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina featured many of the area's favorite farm and sea-based foods and beverages in a setting akin to a Gulf Coast shindig. Held under a large tent on a damp and chilly late September night, the event served as a celebration of Skagit cuisine and formally honored the valley's food producers. The Tidewater...
Finally. October is here, the home stretch. It is now 34 days to election day. Oh my god, still five more weeks till the campaigning ends. Since almost every one of us is ready to cast our vote for president and, if many of us had our way, we would have voted in January, or the day after President Joe Biden turned the reigns over to Kamala Harris in July, why can’t we vote tomorrow, or next Tuesday? We can’t because the U.S. Constitution sets the date of national elections. So, let’s change the Constitution. That starts most readily with petit...
Sunday is the start of the 84th annual National Newspaper Week. The Newspaper Association Managers started these promotions of the newspaper industry in the United States and Canada in 1940. This year, publishers are prompted to remind readers why journalism matters. The relationship between readers and newspapers was very different in 1940. Back then news came into the community via two means – the radio or the newspaper – and only the newspaper was locally owned and downtown. Back then, just about everything but radio programs were loc...
Since the earliest days of sailing, boats and ships have been powered by renewable energy. At first, the motive energy came from muscles manipulating oars. I would have said human muscles, but boats predate modern humans. Almost a million years ago, Homo erectus settled several Indonesian islands that couldn’t have been reached without boats. Boats with sails aren’t known to be that ancient; the first evidence of their existence starts around 7,000 years ago. Recreational sailboats, and var...
My name is Randi Perlman and I live in Alaska, but that is another story … . A dear friend of mine relocated from Alaska to Shelter Bay several years back to care for her aging mom. During the next eight years, my friend found a beautiful lot on a bluff overlooking the Swinomish Channel, built a new home with a spectacular view and firmly ensconced herself in lovely La Conner. For each of the last two years, it has been my good fortune to spend a month here house-sitting and caring for her aging dog while she travels. After spending a c...
Well patriots, it’s that time again! Time to select the men and women who represent us in the offices of governance, for better or worse! You know, like the marriage vows, “for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health” and we’ve been witnessing the downside of each vow for the past four years! We’ve had the “worst” economy, we’ve become “poorer” and “sicker” as well, due to government shutdown policies! 1: What do you look for in the person who will represent you? I look for strong constitutionalists who...
Thank you to everyone who participated in the “Save the La Conner Weekly News” meeting last Wednesday at the Garden Club. The outpouring of community support for our local newspaper was overwhelming. For me this reinforces what a special place La Conner is. Andrew Ashmore La Conner...
Tom Beckwith warmed up for the past Monday night public workshop on the south-end revitalization project with a 20-minute presentation at the Sept. 24 Town Council meeting at Maple Hall. Beckwith, hired to craft a blueprint for rezoning and development of the formerly bustling 4-acre industrial area, having shared his insights with the town's planning, parks, arts and emergency management commissions, again stressed that his team will address market potential and feasibility for the area,...
La Conner’s housing crunch is longstanding, but apparently not yet so severe that town officials approve all potential remedies. The town planning staff had recommended denial of a bid by applicant Jason Lindeman to convert part of the Slider’s Cafe building on Morris Street, formerly a full-service fuel station, to long-term residential use before the proposal was to be considered by hearing examiner David Lowell. The applicant subsequently withdrew the application. “Applicants always have the choice whether to continue or rescind an appli...
The Leagues of Women Voters of Washington and Seattle-King County will present the candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction in a public debate at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. This debate will be held at the Bellevue Public Library, 1111 110th Ave. NE, Bellevue. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. The debate will be in person and will be recorded and livestreamed by TVW. The public is invited to attend. The debate offers voters a chance to ask the candidates questions and hear their answers regarding how they would do the job of Superintendent of...
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs opened a secure portal for all Washington residents, public employees, and state retirees to donate to Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The Disaster Relief Center, a special function of the Secretary of State’s Combined Fund Drive, provides links for one-time donations to verified and registered crisis-relief charities during periods of natural or humanitarian disasters that exceed a region’s capacity to provide help. Hurricane Helene left catastrophic destruction in its wake across the southern Uni...
A traumatic past can give way to a healthy future. That was the hopeful message shared with La Conner students by Swinomish Tribal Community members during annual Orange Shirt Day ceremonies at Landy James Gym Monday afternoon. Orange Shirt Day, which symbolizes truth and reconciliation, honors the experiences and raises awareness of those indigenous children who attended residential schools in North America. Dean Dan Jr., of Swinomish, who keynoted the La Conner program, shared the story of...
Lydia Grossglass went for the hat trick while teammates Angie Pena, Maicy Bowles and Lily Dougliss scored one goal each as the La Conner High School girls’ soccer team improved to 3-1 with a 6-0 shutout win over the 1A Nooksack Valley Junior Varsity at Whittaker Field last Friday. Pena and Bowles got the Braves on the scoreboard with back-to-back goals. Grossglass followed with three consecutive scores and Dougliss found the net in the second half to cap the La Conner offensive onslaught. “The girls had excellent communication,” La Conne...
In an up and down week, the La Conner High School volleyball team finished strong. The Braves (5-4 overall; 1-1 in league) rebounded from a tough 3-0 Sept. 24 home loss to NW2B/1B archrival Coupeville to defeat host Friday Harbor in straight sets last Friday. La Conner captured each set against the Wolverines by double digits, defeating Friday Harbor 25-10, 25-12, 25-13. La Conner head coach Pam Keller received solid contributions from her entire roster at Friday Harbor. Freshman Nora McCormick delivered a team-high 12 kills to go along with...
The Concrete Lions, with two state 11-man football titles to their credit, resembled a finely tuned machine in the eight-man grid ranks Friday night. That machine, unfortunately for the La Conner Braves, turned out to be a steam roller. Concrete rolled to an 80-26 home triumph over La Conner, which was playing just the third game in its inaugural eight-man season. The Braves (1-2) were coming off an impressive 60-0 shutout win over Vashon Island but found the Lions, who snapped a three-game losing streak, to be a different breed of cat in the...
Decades before "The Addams Family Musical" played Broadway, another weird family made theater audiences gasp and laugh. And generations before Freddy Kreuger slashed his way around the silver screen, Boris Karloff frightened movie goers as Frankenstein. Theater aficionados know that the Brewster family in the 1941 smash hit "Arsenic and Old Lace" was oddly dysfunctional and frightening in different ways, with a sinister psychopath brother who has had plastic surgery to look like Boris Karloff....
The poets are coming, the poets are coming! Lori Buher is ready. She is one of 20 La Conner-area residents who will be hosting a poet during this weekend’s 12th Biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival. Her guest, Lorraine Healy, is an Argentinian poet-photographer who lives on Whidbey Island and teaches in the Skagit River Poetry Foundation’s Poets in the Schools program. Healy is one of 35 poets, some internationally famous, gathering for workshop sessions, discussions and readings in intimate La Conner venues. The Festival opens at Maple Hal...
The La Conner Swinomish Library announces extended library hours. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Sundays. 39th annual Lynden Lions Club Model Train and Toy Show, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6, Northwest Washington Fairgrounds, 1775 Front St., Lynden. Show features 50,000 square feet of model train layouts, exhibits and vendors. Tickets: adults $8, seniors $6, children 6-12 $5, children under age 6 free. Skagit Fisheries Presents: The Wild & Scenic Film...
"No one who cooks, cooks alone," the novelist and food writer Laurie Colwin once wrote. "A cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past ... [and] the wisdom of cookbook writers." A cloud of wise "cooks past" certainly surrounds the talented new cooks and farmers showcased in the new cookbook "Genuine Skagit Cooking." Published in April, "Genuine Skagit Cooking" was written and compiled by Blake Van Roekel of Genuine Skagit Valley and writer Stefanie LeJeunesse, with photos by...
INVITATION FOR BID TOWN OF LA CONNER 2024 FIRE BOAT Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Town of La Conner for a custom fire boat. Proposals are to be delivered to the La Conner Town Hall, 204 Douglas Street, La Conner, Washington, 98257 and must be received by 3:00 p.m. on October 30, 2024, at which time proposals will be opened and publicly read. The vessel shall be a 28-foot landing craft with enclosed cab, trailer, and the ability to be powered by twin 300 HP outboard motors. The installation of a 1,000-gpm pump shall be an...
Marinating the chicken is the key to a flavorful dish. Use a low-sodium soy sauce. My favorite is a tamari soy sauce. Ingredients Skinless chicken thighs, 2 or 3 Soy sauce, 1/4 cup White vinegar, 1/4 cup Garlic cloves, 6 Bay leaves, 3 Black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon Maple syrup, 1 tablespoon Hot pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon Olive oil, 1 tablespoon Preparation In shallow dish, mix liquids and spices. Add chicken thighs and spoon marinade over chicken. Marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour. Three...
HEADS UP DON’T FORGET! First Street south of Morris Street to Maple Hall will change to one-way southbound traffic on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Watch for traffic signs going up this week. NOT TO BE MISSED Skagit River Poetry Festival 2024: The 12th biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival will be held Oct. 3-5 in La Conner at Maple Hall and other venues. Ticket prices $25, $50, $100, available at tinyurl.com/SRPFestTix24. All students free with ID. Volunteers are also needed. Sign up at skagitriverpoetry.org/About/Volunteer. LIBRARIES La Conner S...
