Chris Farkas Bellingham Blog: May 2010

Today being St Patrick's Day, we're featuring Uisce's Irish Pub (sorry but if your under age you'll have to find something else to do today), the pub opened at noon today,  Dave, Molly and the crew will be celebrating St Paddy's Day as well as the 4th Anniversary of the Pub here in Bellingham.

The place is a classic Irish pub, with a fire place, church pew benches, and a wide range of Irish and English beers on tap, as well as lots of whiskey. You can even try your hand at darts. 

Today's festivities will include live music from Giants' Causeway, Finnegan's Wake and Maggie's Fury.

Go for a swim at the Arne Hanna Aquatic Center .

Go inside for a swim at Bellingham's public pool. There are is something here for everyone with four swimming pools, "which include a beach-entry instructional pool with a 135 foot water slide ending in it, a 25 yard, eight-lane lap pool, a dive tank with a one-meter springboard and a hydrotherapy pool for those 16 years of age and older. "

The Arne Hanna Aquatic Center offers loads of programs, including lap swims, American Red Cross swim lessons and training courses. If you want to exercise in the water there are three different intensity levels of shallow water aerobics, deep water running, deep water aerobics.

They also offer water child care, kayaking and preschool, family and open swims.

You can check out there schedule here.

The Chuckanut Mountains are small compared with the Cascades or Olympics, but they hold their own when it comes to beauty.

This mountain range was formed about 55 million years ago and fossil remains are still found in rock cuts along Chuckanut Drive. I saw one of a giant palm frond there myself many years ago.

You can access a series of trails from the North Chuckanut Mountain trailhead, just south of Bellingham on Chuckanut Dr. You can get to lakes, view spots of the Bay and San Juan Islands, or enjoy the solitude of the forest.

Boulevard Park is truly one of Bellingham's gems. Our waterfront playground! On a beautiful day like the one I took this video, it is a great place to go for a walk, ride a bike, throw a Frisbee, read a book, have a picnic or anything else you like to do in a park.



If your interested in the history of the park you can read about it in "Boulevard Park, and Taylor Avenue Dock on the Old Bellingham Waterfront." by local historian, author, artist, and civil activist Brian Griffin.

Welcome to 365 Things to do in Bellingham Washington.

I'll be introducing you to the parks, trails, events, restaurants and beauty of Bellingham and  the surrounding area in this new series. If you have any suggestions let me know.

Day 1 - Bellingham's 1st Annual St Patrick's Day Parade is Saturday starting at Noon. The parade is to honor Bellingham's brave and hard-working Law Enforcement and Fire Departments. Our Mayor Dan Pike will be the Grand Marshall. Performances will include: The Snohomish County Firefighters Pipes and Drums with traditional bagpipe music, The Boundary Bay Regulars kazoo band will perform whatever kazoo bands perform, and Bellingham's own folk icon Robert Blake. There'll be green- and human-powered floats and high-stepping Irish dancers parading through downtown Bellingham

The theme is Green. The parade is encouraging creative use of alternative sources of energ, Decorate float's with reclaimed, recycled, reusable materials, making a leprechaun costumes with green gear from Bellingham's many thrift stores, biking to the parade or biking in the parade!

The parade starts near Bellingham High School in the parking lot of Cool Beans Espresso at the corner of Cornwall Ave. and Ohio street, then South on Cornwall Ave., turning left at Chestnut St., and right on Railroad Ave. It will march past Depot Market Square and turn right at E. Maple St., ending at the parking lot at the Northeast corner of E. Maple and Cornwall Ave. The festivities will continue at Boundary Bay Brewery with live music throughout the afternoon and evening. There are even plans to open Boundary's popular outdoor seating area and courtyard, weather permitting.

Come on down and Enjoy the parade.

Image courtesy of flickr.com by cygnus921