On a recent history-themed tour of Whatcom County, I visited the Heritage Flight Museum in Bellingham, home to a collection of vintage aircraft and a bounty of colourful airborne tales.
The Heritage Flight Museum has been at the Bellingham International Airport since 2001 and is already bursting at its seams. It was founded in 1996 by Major General William Anders, who was an Apollo 8 astronaut and is credited for taking the groundbreaking Earthrise photo.
This striking image was called “the most influential environmental photograph ever taken” by photographer Galen Rowell.
Taken by Apollo 8 crewmember Bill Anders on December 24, 1968. File source: NASA.
“We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth” – Bill Anders
The collection of memorabilia at the museum has grown from World War I and World War II, to include Vietnam and Korean war items. The entrance area contains display cases and models, and once you pass the Earthrise and NASA exhibits toward the back of the room you can step into the hangar.
They have a flight simulator and little push-car style planes for the kids to enjoy, early blueprints of the Bellingham Airport, and an impressive roster of planes that they take up to the Abbotsford Airshow each year.
Our guide, Program Director Kate Simmons, displayed a natural passion for aircraft and flight, citing names of missions, squadrons, and models of planes on command. She informed us that all of the planes are flyable and they do fly them often, “nothing has a permanent parking spot.”
There is also a tribute to the tributes to the 39th Fighter Squadron, Cobra in the Clouds, who first assembled Bellingham. These men went on to become one of the most-decorated squadrons of WWII in the South Pacific. The museum has made a commitment to sharing stories like these through their education programs and tours.
The little hangar holds plenty of information along with impressive eye candy for those who love planes. If you would like to see them in action, up in the clouds, stop by on one of their designated “Fly Days” which happen on the 3rd Saturday of each month with select aircraft.
A separate hangar holds these two planes from 1916 which are being restored
for a commemorative flight to France in 2016.
Kate made the great suggestion of stopping in if you’re early for that flight out of Bellingham or even making a day out of it and taking a sightseeing flight with one of the operators at the airport. San Juan Airlines does sightseeing flights that start at $50 for half an hour.
Flight fanatics in the region can visit the Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, spend the weekend at the Abbotsford Airshow this summer, and discover the history — and see the working planes — of Bellingham’s Heritage Flight Museum the next time they cross the border.
The Heritage Flight Museum is located at the Bellingham Airport, at 4165 Mitchell Way and is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. No appointment is necessary and admission is $5 per person.
When I was young Bellingham was a day trip destination for my family where we would explore places like the fish hatchery. As I grew older, Bellis Fair – and its abundance of retail options – became the reason to cross the border. In recent years, I have rediscovered Bellingham (including Fairhaven) and learned more about its art scene, parks system, and history. Follow some of my posts about this region and the rest of county using my tag: Whatcom.
49th Parallel Coffee Roasters at 2152 West Fourth is a community staple and now they’re offering up their Arabica bean brews in Mount Pleasant. 49th Parallel recently opened up shop on Main Street at 13th and the local company has seen a boom in business thanks to the addition of Lucky’s Doughnuts.
They’re very serious about their beans, which they entrust to Master Roaster Mike Piccolo, and have even blogged about their bean-scouting missions to South America and Africa.
Normally coffee joints don’t grab my attention in Vancouver since they’re about as common as a squirrel in Stanley Park. However, my social media networks have been inundated with posts and photos about 49th and Lucky’s. I found two posts that uncovered a bit more about this venture:
Good Life Vancouver: The introduction Lucky’s Doughnuts brings together a classic combination of excellent coffee and handmade doughnuts. “When we’re travelling, we always seem to find ourselves in doughnut shops that also serve great coffee,” said Colter Jones, who looks after the company’s retail operations. “We’re hoping to bring that same marriage between coffee and doughnuts to Vancouver.” The development of the concept saw Jones head to the US for doughnut-focused pastry courses, before joining forces with local pastry chef Dawne Gourley to create Lucky’s Doughnuts’ very own recipes.
Scout Magazine: Does Main St. need another coffee shop? Sure it does! And one with Kees van der Westen machines, a 16 seat cupping table, 2 garage doors leading out to a patio, a fireplace, a wrap-around booth, and plenty of tasties aside from coffee (namely 13 different ringed wonders from Lucky’s Doughnuts).
I stopped in last week and it was as busy as expected, although my wait time in line was brief. I picked out 4 doughnuts that included peanut butter & jelly, pistachio, double chocolate, and an apple bacon fritter. Being a fan of peanut butter — but not a fan of sweets — I had John try the PB & J, and he said it was something he’d have again (and again).
If you would like to try for yourself, they have offered up a 1lb bag of 49th Parallel coffee and a dozen Lucky’s Doughnuts to one Miss604 reader (value approximately $40). Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite doughnut topping (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner next Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 11:00am. Update The winner is @KatiKeene!
Greek Day on West Broadway is an official sign of summer and it’s coming up this Sunday. Spanning from Blenheim to MacDonald, the road will be closed to traffic as pedestrian festival-goers enjoy performances on two stages, a family picnic area, Boutari Wines cooking demos, exhibitors like the Vancouver Aquarium and Power Smart, and of course the food.
The main entrance to the event will be from the North side of Balaclava. The performance stages will feature dance lessons, live music, folklore, poetry, and more.
The Athenian Agora Market Place will be around MacDonald and McKenzie streets.
Kids can hang out in the petting zoo or the craft area where they can make olive wreaths, mosaics, play in a bouncy castle and get their faces painted for free.
Samples will be available from 23 food vendors including the Olive Iliad Sampling Bar. Try all the souvlaki you desire (chicken or pork), gyros, lamb, salads, saganaki, and loukoumades.
Greek Day is presented by the Hellenic Canadian Congress of BC and will run from 11:00am until 9:00pm on Sunday, June 24th, 2012. A full PDF program with map is available for download. Since West Broadway will be closed to traffic, consider transit and bike options.
A train whistle blew in the distance as we walked out onto Fairhaven’s Village Green plaza with Chuck Robinson, Owner of Village Books. The historic district in Washington State’s Whatcom County is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a part of Bellingham, ever since it amalgamated with the town of New Whatcom back in 1904.
Founded in 1883 by Daniel Jefferson Harris (aka “Dirty Dan”) Fairhaven is located at the North end of scenic Chuckanut Drive and just off exit 250 from the I-5. The brick-laden town centre is about six blocks around and centered at 12th Street and Harris Avenue.
Home to several well-tempered yet restored buildings from the turn of the 20th century, newer buildings have been designed to fit in with the neighbourhood. Looks can be deceiving as a seemingly heritage apartment block might be younger than you are.
A beauty parlour, pharmacy, woodcraft co-op, cafes, a bounty of tea shops, and a central book store all add to the life and character of downtown Fairhaven. Village Green (at 10th and Mill) is home to outdoor movies and events, there’s a farmers market every Wednesday in the summer, and a host of festivals and celebrations throughout the year.
The Bellingham/Whatcom County region boasts the country’s second largest number of arts businesses per capita after Santa Fe.
Fairhaven has some of the architecture you would find in Victoria or Seattle but the town has a unique, enterprising history thanks to founder “Dirty Dan” Harris.
While we have John “Gassy Jack” Deighton in Vancouver, Fairhaven’s Dirty Dan has a much different story and it’s one I’ll tell at a later time thanks to the research of Fairhaven locals Ralph Thacker and Constantine Papadakis.
Fairhaven is just one stop on my current tour of historic places and storied attractions in Whatcom County, Washington. View the rest of my photos on Flickr. Follow some of my posts about this region and the rest of county using my tag: Whatcom.
The PNE announced its entertainment and exhibition line-up this morning for attractions that are free with your PNE admission. Joining the President’s Choice SuperDogs, The Peking Acrobats, Evolution of Extreme, and Pop City! A Pyro Celebration will be a live version of the Family Feud game show and an impressive Star Trek exhibit.
Star Trek: The Exhibition
This world-famous attraction will be brought in for the PNE from Vienna, Austria. It will have its own pavilion, occupying 20,000 square feet of space at the fair. Walk through the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, browse masks and models, imagine you’re getting beamed in the Transporter Room, and take a photo in Captain Kirk’s chair.
After six years of marriage my husband recently discovered just how much of a Trekker I am so this news excites me the most — sorry Superdogs!
Family Feud
Family Feud Live will be hosted daily by former Entertainment Tonight co-host Bob Goen. Be a part of the audience or throw your hat in the ring and participate. Prizes are to be won if you and your teammates know the answers to popular poll questions.
These two new attractions compliment the fair’s marketplace, Playland‘s rides, and the 2nd annual rib festival competition, and the international sand sculpture competition, and the legendary Dal Richards Orchestra.
The PNE has made an effort to bring back family entertainment and daring attractions along with promoting creative food options — like the deep-fried Pop Tarts last year. The Fair at the PNE will run from Saturday, August 18th to Monday, September 3rd, 2012. Playland is now open Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 3:00pm with extended hours beginning June 30th.
If you ever wondered what happened to the giant map of BC, I have covered the history of the Challenger Relief Map.
