Ski to Sea Weekend - a parking guide
Permalink +Thu, May 15, 2008, 7:02 pm // John Servais
Free parking but the bus ride is 75 cents. A super deal. Plenty of easy parking. WTA runs extra buses from noon to 8:30 pm. All on Sunday, May 25. Alan has what passes for a view in this week's Cascadia Weekly - known to us political junkies as the Trillium Weakly. Alan writes a scathing guide to the Ski to Sea weekend. Alan, of course, is high above the peasants and their annual affair. But there is one item he wasted several inches of type on that I would like to enlighten him about. And perhaps he served a public service by motivating me to write of this. Alan gets morbid telling how impossible it is to find parking for the festival.
If you plan to enjoy the festival in Fairhaven - the It All Ends in Fairhaven festival - then you should know of a very fine solution to finding a parking place. A Park and Ride system runs from noon till 8:30 pm with plenty of free parking at the Western Washington University lots on 21st Street. The WTA runs their regular bus from the bus stop at the "C" lot straight to Fairhaven - a 5 minute ride every 15 minutes. Yes, they put on extra buses because of the heavy use on Sunday, May 25. The bus costs the regular fare - and WTA passes are valid.
This is the 6th year of the Park and Ride. It works. Use has increased each year, with last year breaking 1,000 persons using it. The drop point in Fairhaven is the corner of 12th and McKenzie - one block from the heart of the festival.
I doubt Alan can name any year that a "torrential rainstorm" interrupted the festival, although he writes of that. He even works the word "Nazi" into his article about Fairhaven. Sad. Alan, if you want to take the time to come down to our festival then use the Park n Ride, give me a call, and I'll buy you a drink in the Beer Garden. I'll enjoy a Red Hook draft but they have white wine - as I suspect that is your drink. My treat. Tim Paxton paid it forward a few years ago when he treated me to a much appreciated beer at the festival. You can relate to Tim, can't you Alan? Just ask him. It's a fun party.
Full disclosure time. For the past three years I have managed the Park and Ride service. It was started by Tim Imus. And it is a tribute to the four agencies I work with that they don't let my activism and sharp opinions get in the way of working with me on this green project. WTA, WWU, CofC and the Fairhaven Association. Alan, it works.
Tip Johnson // Fri, May 16, 2008, 10:06 am
I don’t know what Alan’s thinking. He oughta be encouraging folks to bus and ride their bikes to events like this, instead of whining about not enough parking. It almost sounds like he is promoting a parkade.
Anyway, thanks to John and whoever helped organize the park-and-ride system for this years event. It’s a great coordination of community resource for those, like out-of-towners, that have to drive. And I’ll bet it helps alleviate the rampant parking sprawl that usually extends throughout the neighborhoods for this event.
Let’s hope it gets all the promotion required to let folks know it’s available and make it a success. Everyone involved should get a little credit for thinking outside the box. Maybe we’ll see something in the Herald??
John Lesow // Fri, May 16, 2008, 9:24 pm
Alan Rhodes is the best local writer that can write humor. Who at the Herald can write humor? Cut Alan some slack. Emmett Watson was our regional answer to Garrison Keillor, but he is not writing anymore.
Alan’s edge fits well in our overacerbic printed commentary on local issues. His article last year on the Lynden Fair was laugh-out-loud funny. Lighten up.
When was the last time any blogger wrote anything remotely humourous about a local, state or national issue? Other than the dreary, detatched irony that unfortunately passes for humor these days. I don’t agree with most of the local commentary from the uber-left Hate Bush mindset, but I let it go.
If Alan Rhodes were arrested for being a good writer, there would be plenty of evidence to convict him.
John Lesow
Ski to Sea Weekend - a parking guide
Thu, May 15, 2008, 7:02 pm // John Servais
Alan Rhodes seems to want to be like Emmett Watson, the late writer about Lesser Seattle. However, Alan seems to lack Emmett's basic charitable view of his fellow humans. Emmett…
2 comments; last on May 16, 2008
City Council to meet Monday at 1 pm
Fri, May 09, 2008, 1:54 pm // John Servais
The Bellingham City Council will meet in a special meeting to consider annexing the Horton and Aldrich areas. As of 2:45 pm Friday, the meeting agenda is still being put…
5 comments; last on May 15, 2008
Weather - April temperatures for Bellingham
Wed, May 07, 2008, 1:24 pm // John Servais
Bill McCallum has provided us with a unique and interesting look at our monthly temperatures. Above is the chart for April 2008, with the actual temperatures compared to the normal…
0 comments
Peak Oil Task Force
Sat, May 03, 2008, 9:06 am // Craig Mayberry
On Monday the Bellingham City Council will consider a resolution to create a largely volunteer Peak Oil Task Force. With recent increases in gas prices and much greater unpredictability over…
25 comments; last on May 09, 2008
A Park for Pete’s Sake
Fri, May 02, 2008, 1:37 pm // g.h.kirsch
To now, the discussion about creating a park in the watershed has focused on the benefit for water quality in Lake Whatcom that will come from eliminating forestry on some…13 comments; last on May 10, 2008
The Merger; Second Thoughts Anyone?
Mon, Apr 28, 2008, 5:08 pm // g.h.kirsch
Listening to the discussion of a possible merger between Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District and Bellingham at City Council this afternoon was like returning to those wild and reckless…3 comments; last on May 12, 2008
Parks and More Important Things
Sat, Apr 26, 2008, 10:41 am // g.h.kirsch
It's been an interesting week for watershed watchers. The growing Squalicum community chose to continue the fight to stop Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District's expansion plans. And Ecology finally…2 comments; last on Apr 29, 2008
Is It Soup Yet?
Fri, Apr 25, 2008, 6:39 am // Ham Hayes
Do you feel that you are a part of the waterfront redevelopment? If you are among the small group of folks who have gone to Port presentations and public hearings,…0 comments
Fairhaven neighborhood inside job
Mon, Apr 21, 2008, 12:22 pm // John Servais
Click here to listen to podcast of Barbara speaking. Above is a little podcast - 49 seconds - from the Bellingham City Council meeting of Monday evening, April 14. Speaking…
6 comments; last on May 04, 2008
Transportation Discussion- Continued
Fri, Apr 18, 2008, 1:31 pm // Craig Mayberry
The discussion on this issue has been insightful and I believe exactly what John Servais was looking for when he revamped the NWcitizen blog. The issue of transportation is a…12 comments; last on May 06, 2008
Time to Close the Northern Border?
Fri, Apr 18, 2008, 6:48 am // Ham Hayes
Frankly, I'm stunned by the Herald's lead headline today. I did not realize that the national policy of Canada was focused on hurting us by buying our gas. Worse yet,…1 comments; last on Apr 18, 2008
Neiner, Neiner - The private benefits of avoiding public dialog
Sun, Apr 13, 2008, 2:18 pm // Tip Johnson
The dialog over the proposed Fairhaven Highlands development has deteriorated into a childish "neiner-neiner" squabble. Opponents continuously propose a host of rational objections while a few proponents call them names.…2 comments; last on Apr 15, 2008
It’s Time, Don’t You Think?
Sat, Apr 12, 2008, 7:18 am // Ham Hayes
It's time for the City Council to publish meeting agendas two weeks in advance, rather than the current two days. There is another kerfuffle brewing this week on neighborhood plan…7 comments; last on Apr 16, 2008
Co-op school and playing with non-profits
Thu, Apr 10, 2008, 7:51 am // John Servais
Three articles on NwCitizen by Tip Johnson give much greater insight into what is happening with the Bellingham Cooperative School land. Today's Herald article seems like a PR piece rather…0 comments
Hue Beattie for Spanel’s State Senate Seat
Sun, Apr 06, 2008, 2:31 pm // John Servais
Hue Beattie has announced he is going to run for the 40th District State Senate seat being vacated by Harriet Spanel. Hue is known to most, if not all, political…
2 comments; last on Apr 19, 2008
The Joke is on Us
Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 7:07 pm // Craig Mayberry
Ironically, on April Fools Day Congress held hearings with the oil and gas industry over profits and government subsidies. The reported bantering between politicians and oil executives missed the complete…
8 comments; last on May 03, 2008
Casting Our Lots in the Lake Whatcom Watershed
Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 7:42 am // Tom Pratum
In early February, I and several other folks met with Whatcom County Parks director Mike McFarlane to ask some questions about the proposed reconveyance of Forest Board land for parks…
2 comments; last on Apr 22, 2008
Rome Grange celebrates 100 years
Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 3:36 pm // John Servais
In April, 1908, the farmers just northeast of Bellingham - along and north of the current Mt. Baker Highway - organized their own Grange. The highway was not there then,…
0 comments
You don’t know what you got till it’s gone
Sat, Mar 29, 2008, 4:37 pm // g.h.kirsch
It's time for straight answers to critical questions relative to converting a large portion of the watershed from forestry to a park. If you're on the fence, mull this over.…15 comments; last on Apr 07, 2008
Fairhaven Library - lets get it right
Wed, Mar 26, 2008, 12:58 pm // John Servais
On other blogs are some weird misunderstandings being posted - and questions that are going unanswered. Below I try to clarify some issues about the Fairhaven Library. At next Monday's…
4 comments; last on Mar 29, 2008
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