Get Out

Get Out

Junior Ski to Sea race and parade, low tides and native plants

By Robert Mittendorf

rmittendorf@bhamherald.com

Young competitors can showcase their athletic skills during the annual Ski to Sea Junior Race, a family-friendly event held annually on the weekend before the grownups’ race.
Young competitors can showcase their athletic skills during the annual Ski to Sea Junior Race, a family-friendly event held annually on the weekend before the grownups’ race. Staff The Bellingham Herald

The Junior Ski to Sea parade and competition kick off the week leading to the big relay race — plus a plowing competition, low tides and a dog show.

Ski to Sea for kids

Get in the Ski to Sea spirit with the junior race and parade. At 6 p.m. Friday, May 20, is the Junior Ski to Sea Parade along Cornwall Avenue from Kearney Street to Champion Street and ending at Champion and Railroad Avenue. At 9 a.m. Saturday, May 21, is the Junior Ski to Sea Race at Lake Padden Park. Info: bellingham.com/event-directory/junior-race.

Heidi Polinder, right, helps guide nearly two tons of draft horses in a straight line as her husband Courtney drives the plow from behind as they make their first dig into the ground at the 69th International Plowing Match in April 2010 at Berthusen Park in Lynden.
Heidi Polinder, right, helps guide nearly two tons of draft horses in a straight line as her husband Courtney drives the plow from behind as they make their first dig into the ground at the 69th International Plowing Match in April 2010 at Berthusen Park in Lynden. Staff The Bellingham Herald

Farm competition

See how 19th-century farmers prepared their fields with horses and plowshares at the International Plowing Match free from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Berthusen Park in Lynden. Info: nwwafair.com/p/event-calendar/335.

Jacqueline L. Stacy judges a Lhasa Apso at the Mount Baker Kennel Club’s All-Breed Dog Show in May 2004.
Jacqueline L. Stacy judges a Lhasa Apso at the Mount Baker Kennel Club’s All-Breed Dog Show in May 2004. Staff The Bellingham Herald

Dogs of distinction

Mount Baker Kennel Club’s 2016 Northwest Cluster dog show is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Friday, May 20, to Monday, May 23, at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds, 1775 Front St., Lynden. Free to attend; parking is $5 daily. Info: mtbakerkennelclub.org/events.html.

Kieran O’reilly, left, from Bend, Oregon, and Lucy Kanov, right, of Bellingham, sift through the sand at low tide at Marine Park in March 2014.
Kieran O’reilly, left, from Bend, Oregon, and Lucy Kanov, right, of Bellingham, sift through the sand at low tide at Marine Park in March 2014. Staff The Bellingham Herald

Explore low tides

Thursday, May 19, starts a week-long string of minus tides along the Salish Sea, with a 0.5-foot ebb tide at 10:49 a.m. in Bellingham Bay. Info: Go online to tides.net/washington and navigate to the location you wish to visit. Some good spots locally are Larrabee State Park, Teddy Bear Cove, Marine Park, Point Whitehorn, and Birch Bay State Park. In Skagit County, try Bay View State Park and Rosario Beach at Deception Pass State Park. There’s a $10 day-use or $30 annual fee for state parks.

Members of the Komo Kulshan Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society pose with items for the Native Flora Fair and Backyard Habitat Tour at the Fairhaven Village Green in this undated photo.
Members of the Komo Kulshan Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society pose with items for the Native Flora Fair and Backyard Habitat Tour at the Fairhaven Village Green in this undated photo. Philip A. Dwyer The Bellingham Herald

Native plants, wildlife

Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department, Wild Whatcom, the Washington Native Plant Society and the North Cascades Audubon Society are hosting the annual Backyard Habitat and Native Flora Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at the Fairhaven Village Green, corner of 10th Street and Mill Avenue. It’s free to attend and there are activities for children and plenty of free information on topics such as how to attract birds to your yard. Free guided native plant walk at 1 p.m. Native plants and other items for sale. Info: 360-778-7105, cob.org, northcascadesaudubon.org.

What are you going to get out and do next weekend? Share with Robert Mittendorf: 360-715-2805, @bhamMitty, facebook.com/bellinghamherald.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Junior Ski to Sea race and parade, low tides and native plants."

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER