Your life. Your stories. Your news.
Current issue: JANUARY 2012
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Skagit Eagle Festival 2012. Concrete Chamber of Commerce presents the 2012 Skagit Eagle Festival beginning Jan. 7 and continuing every Saturday and Sunday throughout the month.
Warrant issued for former deputy clerk. A bench warrant for the arrest of former Concrete deputy clerk Paula Mann was issued after Mann failed to appear at her scheduled arraignment Dec. 16 at Skagit County Superior Court.
Tavern fight led to gunfire. A fight in a Concrete Town Center tavern led to gunfire on Main St. Dec. 2.
PSE gives museum gift worth $25K. Concrete Heritage Museum is the recipient of a Christmas present from Puget Sound Energy that is worth $25,000. During the museum’s board meeting Dec. 8, a PSE representative presented the museum with a package of photos of the 1920s Lower Baker Dam construction project, in hardcopy and digital format.
Rock-n-roll marathoner. Cascade Middle School’s Clay Wing adds another 26.2 miles to his list of accomplishments.
S-W Chamber hopes to retain flower baskets. In December the City of Sedro-Woolley decided to end its flower basket program—one of many cuts chosen to balance the 2012 budget—saving the city $8,500. The landscaping at Hammer Heritage Square and city entrances also got the axe. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Pola Kelley has stepped up to the plate and is encouraging business owners and citizens of Sedro-Woolley to donate toward retaining the hanging baskets and landscaping.
Big changes for rangers at Rockport, Rasar state parks. Responding to Washington State’s deep budget cuts and below-expected revenues, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has decided to lay off or downgrade dozens of its 189 rangers from its ranks. Two of those rangers work in eastern Skagit County.
Bread of Life Food Bank to host fundraiser. The Bread of Life Food Bank in Marblemount will host a buffet/silent auction fundraiser Sat., Jan. 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Marblemount Community Hall.
Concrete Center hours scaled back. The doors of Concrete Center—formerly known as Concrete Senior Center—won’t be open for as long each day as they used to be. Effective Jan. 3, the center will be available for use from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Prior to that, the center was open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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DECEMBER 2011
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Christmas 2011 services and events. Get your holiday on.
Power to the people. Puget Sound Energy’s new power house project will produce more juice,
help to increase salmon runs, and boost Concrete’s economy.
Editorial: Proposed cuts could mean disaster for United General. Guest editorial from Greg Reed, CEO/superintendent for United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley.
Commentary: Funding rural hospitals requires budget priorities. Rep. Dan Kristiansen weighs in on the proposed budget cuts, and what’s not being cut.
Concrete wins $1.3 million in grants. Town of Concrete had a good, good, last couple of months, securing three grants—two quite major—that will help beautify and bring greater levels of safety to local roads, while starting the Superior Building adaptive reuse project on the right foot.
Here come the eagles. Skagit Eagle Festival slated for every January weekend.
Money wins 2011 Teacher of Excellence award. A Concrete Elementary teacher was honored recently with a 2011 Teacher of Excellence Award after being nominated by a former student.
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NOVEMBER 2011
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Back from the brink. The Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #1444 has been in Concrete for 109 years. But last year, the organization’s illustrious tradition almost came to an ignoble end.
Stafford named SWAN Woman of the Year. Concrete’s own Valerie Stafford captured the title of Woman of the Year during an Oct. 20 ceremony in Bow. The honor was bestowed by Skagit Women’s Alliance and Network (SWAN) during its 27th annual award banquet.
2012 Budget Workshops. Concrete entered budget season with workshops held one hour prior to the council’s regular meetings on Sept. 12 and 26, and Oct. 11 and 24.
Howell, Wilkins retire from CFVD. After serving 25 years each with the Concrete Volunteer Fire Department, firefighters Colin Howell and Alan Wilkins have hung up their bunker gear.
Skagit Eagle Festival 2012. The Concrete Chamber of Commerce has begun preparations for the 2012 Skagit Eagle Festival, which will be held every Saturday and Sunday during January 2012. Anyone interested in hosting an event needs to fill out a “Sanctioned Event Application” for the festival by Nov. 9.
Darrington’s Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, Nancy Snyder walked by the trophy cases at Darrington High School and thought, why don’t we have an athletic hall of fame? Snyder, who taught for 30 years at DHS and is now in her 39th year of coaching there, didn’t let her thought sit idle.
Essay: What Hymns Know. In my church, and in many evangelical churches across the nation, we have stopped singing hymns. We chant praise songs instead. We lift our hands, our hearts, our voices with an exuberance unknown in the churches of my childhood. But what have we lost?
How to spot domestic violence. Esther Francis Joseph believes that almost everyone knows someone who is being physically abused at home—they just don’t know it.
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Current issue: OCTOBER 2011
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Where is Patti Krieger? On Oct. 2, 2010, a woman separated from her friends while hiking on Sauk Mountain. She hasn’t been seen since.
Concrete Ghost Walk 2011. The Concrete Ghost Walk takes place on Saturdays, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Concrete Theatre, 45920 Main Street in Concrete. Participants must be 13 years of age or older; all minors must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is $10 per person.
House fire heroes. Concrete and Grasmere fire departments responded to a single-family house fire in Concrete the evening of Sept. 23. No lives were lost in the fire, thanks to quick responses from four Concrete young men.
First steps toward revitalization. A group of 20 business owners from the Concrete area met Sept. 9 to discuss economic development in Concrete Town Center and the surrounding region.
KSVU needs you! Eastern Skagit County’s fledgling radio station, KSVU 90.1 FM, finally has a studio home close to its target audience: the citizens of Lyman, Hamilton, Concrete, Rockport, and Marblemount. Now it needs some original programming. The station’s general manager, Rip Robbins, hopes that east county residents will step forward to provide that and more.
Where are they now? RadioDownSound.com. Concrete High School grad Dave Ramsey’s Web site is music to the ears of people with—and without—disabilities.
Illabot Creek Rd. environmental assessment comments sought. The environmental assessment (EA) for the Illabot Road Project and two appendices of the EA were available for comment as of Oct. 3. The EA and appendices can be downloaded at www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=29892. Comments are due by the end of October.
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SEPTEMBER 2011
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War of the Worlds. Documentary to revisit radio broadcast
that helped put Concrete on the map.
Founders’ Day 2011. Originally designed to be a family-friendly fundraiser for the Sedro-Woolley Museum, Founders’ Day has come a long way since its debut in 1994.
Guest editorial: Sauk-Suiattle Tribe information false. So much misinformation has been presented about the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of Darrington, Wash., that rumors and announcements of investigations have spread unfortunate and untruthful myths about the nature of this quiet and beautiful small tribe of Indian peoples.
Parks and Rec honors Concrete couple. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has announced the recipients of the 2010 Volunteer Recognition Awards for outstanding volunteer service. Among the recipients are Neil and Janet O’Connell of Concrete, who were awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award for service at Rasar State Park near Birdsview.
No easy answers, says small town expert. Rural business consultant Becky McCray stood before a small but engaged crowd in Concrete Aug. 30, holding a bag and asking if anyone knew what was inside. She got an answer—the first time anyone had got it right.
Back-to-School Parade 2011. The 7th annual Lyman Elementary Back to School parade will hit the streets of Lyman on Wed., Sept. 14, at 6 p.m.
The parade celebrates the start of the new school year and is immediately followed by an open house at the school.
Record donations for Hamilton Food Bank. Hamilton Community Food Bank had a record-breaking month in August and thanks all our donors, volunteers, and clients we serve.
Rockport F. D. garage sale nets almost $3K. Rockport Volunteer Fire Department did it again, with this year’s fundraising garage sale pulling in $2,978 for the department. Proceeds from the three-day event, which ran from Aug. 5–7, will go to the department’s Auxiliary account, which supports building maintenance, supplies, and training.
Powwow draws generations. For four days in August, the drums sang and the people danced. From Aug. 4–7, the 2011 Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe Powwow, a “Celebration of Generations,” welcomed hundreds of representatives from tribes all over the U.S. Mohawk and Seneca were there, as were Mohican, Pequot, Nez Perce, Cherokee, Iroquois, and Chilliwack, to name just a few.
American Alps Challenge. A day of “fun, learning, and conservation history” is planned for Sat., Sept. 24, at and around Diablo Lake, near the east-county communities of Marblemount and Newhalem.
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AUGUST 2011
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Cascade Days 2011. Concrete’s signature summer event is back this month, running Sat. and Sun., Aug. 20–21. The decades-old celebration now known as Cascade Days brings the biggest crowds to town for two days of games, contests, and a parade that fills Main Street almost end to end.
Boat launch to close for ramp replacement. From Aug. 23 to Sept. 15, the Faber Ferry North boat launch on the Skagit River five miles east of Concrete will be closed to public access as crews install a new boat ramp.
Editorial: Does Concrete need a consultant? It all started in June, when Community Stew principal Eric Archuletta stood before the Concrete Town Council and offered a proposal: Consider bringing him on board as a paid consultant to help the town find its way back to the economic vitality for which it was known during the first half of the 20th century.
Small-town specialist to present August 30. East county business owners, chambers of commerce, and town officials are encouraged to attend a presentation by entrepreneur and rural economic development expert Becky McCray in Concrete Aug. 30.
Growing pains. Eight years after it opened, Upper Skagit Library needs more book room.
Clear Lake Street Fair. The 4th annual Street Fair at Clear Lake will be held Sat., Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Praise in the Pasture. Carrying on the tradition begun by Praisefest in Rockport last year, a similar event is planned in Lyman this month. Praise in the Pasture will be held Sat., Aug. 27, from 11 a.m. till 5 p.m. (or later), in the field behind Lyman Baptist Church, located at 31551 W. Main St., in Lyman.
Newhalem 2011 softball tournament. The fine print at the bottom of the scoring board for the 33rd Annual Newhalem-Walberg Jack & Jill Softball Tournament in Newhalem included a few basic rules for play.
“Upriver Divas” run the Ragnar. For 30.5 hours, from July 22–23, 12 women from the Concrete area and Mount Vernon ran a 200-mile relay race from Blaine to Langley, at the south end of Whidbey Island. They got about 5 hours of sleep. They got sore. Some of their toenails are not long for this world. But they did it. We probably should stop calling them the weaker sex.
Iron Woman. Heidi Smith-Crosson of Concrete learned to swim two years ago. Since that time, she has completed 14 sprint triathlons and four Olympic triathlons. On July 16 she traveled to Chelan, Wash., and finished her first Half Ironman.
Jewel on Baker Lake. Redesigned and reopened, Swift Creek Campground stays closer to nature while allowing recreational access.
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JULY 2011
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Lyman Car & Craft Show hits the streets July 9. This year’s Lyman Car & Craft Show will be held July 9, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Youth Activity Day filled with games, resources. Here comes the fun! This year’s Concrete Youth Activity Day will be held July 21 from 12:30 to 5 p.m., at Silo Park in Concrete. In its fourth year, the free event is aimed at kids and their families. It features a skateboard competition, field games, hands-on activities, live music, food, prizes, a family movie at the Concrete Theatre and an opportunity to connect with resource providers.
Fly-In lands in Concrete. It’s back! July 22–24 brings the North Cascades Fly-In—a.k.a., Concrete Fly-In—back to town for three days of planes, food, and fun. Billed as “the greatest little fly-in in the Pacific Northwest,” the event is one of Concrete’s most popular during the summer months.
Cement City Street Fair returns July 23. You can be sure it’s summer when there’s dancing in the streets! On Sat., July 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Cement City Street Fair in Concrete will feature everything from a Zumba demonstration and a motorcycle show to poetry reading and blood pressure screenings.
Commentary: Outside Envision 2060, peering in. When I was ten years old, our Sunday school teacher asked us what we thought heaven was like. I said I thought it was just like Skagit County, which ended that conversation. In the intervening 68 years I haven’t changed my vision of heaven. Even though Skagit County is not as heavenly as I remember, enough remains to hope for more careful stewardship now and in the future.
Two arrested after Birdsview beating. Two male suspects were arrested July 1 in connection with the June 25 fatal beating of a man in his Birdsview home. The victim, Kenneth “Bob” Wayne Stewart, 54, of Birdsview, was attacked late that Saturday night as he stepped outside of his mobile home on Wilde Road in Birdsview, to turn off an outside light.
Concrete wins $7K grant. May and June were good months for Town of Concrete. In the former, it gained Certified Local Government status through the State of Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. In the latter, it landed its first grant award through the new program: $7,000 to fund a feasibility study for the Superior Building adaptive reuse project.
Imagine Concrete workshop unveils ideas. A follow-up Imagine Concrete workshop June 25 in the Commons room at Concrete High School focused on presenting the results from the April 16 workshop, during which participants revisited the ideas that were generated two years ago, brainstormed new ideas, and added them to each of the five initiatives that grew from the first workshop. Top ideas from each initiative included …
“A rock with a soft center.” Family, friends, colleagues, and former students gathered May 7 to bid farewell to one of Concrete’s most beloved teachers. More than a hundred guests poured into the Concrete High School gym to remember and honor Terry Lane, who taught and coached at the school for 31 years, from 1978 to his retirement in 2009.
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JUNE 2011
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Blast from the Past, Loggerodeo back in S-W. Two signature Sedro-Woolley events are on tap for June and July, carrying on the town’s tradition of family-friendly fun.
Summit Bank fails, Columbia Bank buys. May was a bad month for Burlington-based Summit Bank. Citing inadequate capital and severe loan losses, the Washington Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) closed the bank just before 6 p.m. on May 20.
Pass opened May 25. Finally! The May 25, noon reopening of the North Cascades Highway marked the second latest since the highway opened 39 years ago. The latest ever was June 14, 1974, and the next latest, surpassed by this year, was in 1976, when it reopened on May 21.
Deadline looms for elections filing. Candidates who wish to run for any elected office need to file with Skagit County Elections Department during the week of June 6–10, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Swift Creek Campground to open June 24. Creators of the new Swift Creek Campground will celebrate its completion with a Grand Opening event on June 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public is invited to attend. The U.S. Forest Service, Hoodoo Recreation Services, and Puget Sound Energy collaborated to create the campground, located at the site of the former Baker Lake Resort (Concrete Herald, July 2009). Festivities will include tours of the new facilities, displays, a visit from Smokey Bear, and a short ceremony with a ribbon cutting at noon.
New book includes story of Concrete Herald‘s return. Renowned journalist Judy Muller visited Concrete during Cascade Days in August 2009 to learn more about the return of Concrete Herald and chat up the citizens of eastern Skagit County to find out why they’re willing to support the hometown newspaper. She recalls her visit in her new book, Emus Loose in Egnar: Big Stories from Small Towns.
Carving a memory. These days, Concrete’s Rick Williams doesn’t spend much time at home. He’s been working 12-hour days under a large tent at Pier 57 in Seattle, knife in hand, carving totem poles in memory of his brother, John T. Williams.
Imagine Concrete follow-up workshop, June 25. A follow-up Imagine Concrete workshop is planned for June 25 in the Commons room at Concrete High School. The workshop will begin at 9 a.m. and will end “as quickly as possible,” according to organizers.
Beazizo, Whitten headed to other schools. At the end of June, Concrete School District’s two principals will move on to new phases in their careers.
Planting a future. Clear Lake Elementary School teacher Jan Johnson believes a child’s education shouldn’t end at the walls of her classroom.
Zumba donations bolster school. Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday night from 7 to 8 p.m., the Lyman Elementary School gym throbs with pulsating music and the Latin American moves of Zumba. Instructor Christina Jepperson offers the class for free, but accepts donations, which she funnels straight to the school.
Dust to dust, ashes to … glass. When Hamilton glass artist Richard Lowrie made his first glass creation that incorporated the cremated remains of his father, he wasn’t necessarily thinking he would market similar creations.
Reason to celebrate. What do you do when you complete your cancer treatment? Cathaleen Stewart threw a party.
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MAY 2011
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Waiting for the pass. East county merchants lose money while snow slows efforts to clear North Cascades Highway.
Pass-clearing photos are posted at www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/5598996290/in/set-72157626170712679/
Be aware of bears. We’re waking up to spring; so are the bears. Be careful out there.
Lyman Elementary girls collect coins for Japan. Brontë Stiles, Tayler Henderson, and Lily Millison took a good idea and ran with it, raising more than $500 for tsunami victims in Japan.
Imagine Concrete workshop update. April 16 found a group of east county citizens gathered in the Commons room at Concrete High School, bent on doing what they could to create the community they wanted to live in.
Report: Former deputy clerk stole more than $1,700. A report from the Washington state auditor released April 18 states that a former Town of Concrete deputy clerk shifted funds from utility payments in the amount of $1,713.65.
KSVU on the air. It’s been a long wait, but KSVU is on the air, at 90.1 on your FM dial.
PTO president captures VIPP award. Concrete PTO President Debbie Ross was honored April 28 at Skagit Prevention Council’s Very Important Prevention Person, Project, or Program awards ceremony at the Burlington Public Library.
Remembering Ted Meamber. Sedro-Woolley City Council member Ted Meamber died April 20. A long-time community contributor, Meamber will be missed. Sedro-Woolley Mayor Mike Anderson and the City Council recognized and honored Ted Meamber’s lifetime of service during the City Council meeting April 27, which was declared Ted Meamber Day in the city. On April 22, Mayor Anderson released the following memories of Ted.
PSE recognized for Baker River project. The National Hydropower Association on April 5 presented Puget Sound Energy one of the hydropower industry’s most prestigious honors—the Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Award—in recognition of the utility’s decades-long efforts to improve salmon runs on the Baker River.
“Blast Open the Pass” returns. After a hiatus of more than 20 years, the Marblemount Community Club will once again host a celebration to welcome the season. Reviving the late ’70s to mid ’80s tradition of (literally) flinging into spring, east county residents should soon be peeling off those old winter-worn woolies to shake a leg with live music and good food.
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APRIL 2011 (To read all these articles and more, subscribe to the print or electronic editions)
Reliving history. Booms, wounds, and lessons from our past as Civil War reenactment comes to Marblemount April 16–17.
EDITORIAL: It’s time to re-imagine Concrete. Mark your calendar: On April 16, from 9 a.m. to noon, Concrete citizens will again gather to think about what they want their town to become. A “re-imagining” workshop will be held in the Commons room at Concrete High School.
Concrete opens its first community garden. The Angele Cupples Community Garden in Concrete released for rental 22 raised beds April 1. On opening day, 13 of the beds had been rented.
Wild Women wave good-bye. The S-W American Legion Hall was a bittersweet place to be March 12, as the Wild Women of Woolley (“and a few good men”) performed their final show to a packed room.
Robotics team ranks 5th out of 50. In its third year, the Concrete High School robotics team ranked 5th out of 50 teams at the 20th annual FIRST Robotics Competition in Seattle March 18–19.
Burpee Hill Road open. Both lanes of Burpee Hill Road in Concrete reopened March 7 for local traffic. A Skagit County road maintenance crew began work earlier in the day and finished ahead of schedule, at 2:20 p.m.
Pass opening delayed till May. Deep snow and avalanche danger forces latest start in 20 years.
Birdsview business makes beautiful music. Pacific Rim Tonewoods supplies Sitka spruce soundboards to guitar-makers Taylor, Martin, Gibson.
Thoughts on health care, part III. The thing about our current health care system in the United States is it’s never going to change, not while our politicians have comprehensive health care coverage, paid for by the taxpayers.
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MARCH 2011 (To read all these articles and more, subscribe to the print or electronic editions)
Mardi Gras in Concrete. The Concrete Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 4th annual Mardi Gras celebration in Concrete on Sat., March 5. The fun takes place on Main Street and includes a colorful parade, New Orleans-style crayfish boil, children’s activities, demonstrations, and contests. The event is topped off with a nighttime masquerade ball …
Burpee Hill Rd. fix to come. Both lanes of Burpee Hill Road in Concrete reopened March 7 for local traffic. A Skagit County road maintenance crew began work earlier in the day and finished ahead of schedule, at 2:20 p.m. …
Envision Skagit reps get answers. On Feb. 8, Envision Skagit 2060 Citizen Committee members hosted a community meeting in Concrete to gain public input on the future of Skagit County. The meeting was held in the Commons room at Concrete High School, with upwards of 30 people attending …
The house that God (re)built. When Lyman Baptist Church burned Nov. 10, 2007, its congregation was faced with a tough question: Was it time to dissolve their 105-year-old church? After all, the structure that had given their worship a home was completely gone, burned to the ground. All that was left was the church bell and a charred Christmas cactus plant, its pot melted, its roots mushy and blackened …
Soroptimists donate to multiple causes. Soroptimist International of Sedro-Woolley (SISW) presented checks to area food banks, the Sedro-Woolley Museum, and a Skagit County student who will use the monies to fund her education during its semi-monthly meeting at the town’s Community Center on February 22 …
Music man. Singer/songwriter/musician Michael McLaskey of Rockport finds inspiration in the natural world …
Concrete wrestlers back from State. Concrete sent six wrestlers and two alternates to Mat Classic this year, with Dalton Dellinger bringing home a second-place medal and Johnny Evans taking a fourth-place spot …
Community garden beds open for rental. The Angele Cupples Community Garden in Concrete now includes 20 raised beds that are available for rent. Water lines and yard hydrants will be installed in March. Ranging in size from 4×8 feet to 4×12 feet, the beds will be rented beginning April 1 for the following rates: 4×8 @ $25 per year; 4×10 @ $35 per year; 4×12 @ $45 per year …
Thoughts on health care, part II. If you’re not compelled by how much cheaper it might be to have a national health service in this country, then consider the following: As a masters degree student in economics, I learned in my economic development class that the definition of a developed nation is “literacy and health care for all.” …
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FEBRUARY 2011 (To read all these articles and more, subscribe to the print or electronic editions)
$17 million bond sought. At first glance, Cascade Middle School in Sedro-Woolley looks like a perfectly serviceable facility. The bell rings, the kids learn, the buses come and take them home. But look beneath the surface at the aging campus and you’ll find retrofitted wiring, water infiltration at the roof and exterior walls, buried pipes that need frequent repair, and a boiler whose days are numbered. Sedro-Woolley School District officials hope to address these and other problems with a $17 million bond request. Ballots went out to Sedro-Woolley citizens Jan. 19, which must be returned or postmarked by Feb. 8.
Concrete Theatre marks first year. The Concrete Theatre celebrates its first anniversary this month and owners Valerie Stafford and Fred West are marking the occasion with true grit. The movie, that is. True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges in a re-make of the 1969 film starring John Wayne, is one of the many new movies planned for the theater’s month-long celebration.
Clear Lake has a winner!
Envision Skagit community meeting planned. On Tue., Feb. 8 from 5 to 7 p.m., Envision Skagit 2060 will hold a community meeting in Concrete to gain public input on the future of Skagit County. The meeting will be held in the Commons room at Concrete High School.
Concrete renews SCSO contract
Lion wrestlers clinch league title
Homeless for five days
American Combat Flag Presentation Ceremony. Sedro-Woolley Community Troop Support will host an American Combat Flag Presentation Ceremony at 1 p.m. Feb. 17, in the Concrete Elementary School gym. The public is invited to attend. The U.S. flag to be presented was flown in a nighttime combat operation over Afghanistan on Dec. 9, 2010, in honor of SWCTS. It will be presented in thanks and appreciation for the support and encouragement sent in the form of generous care packages to overseas troops during the 2010 Christmas season.
Community garden opens bed reservations
Thoughts on health care, part I. I’m from England originally, one of those countries that has what many in the U.S. call “socialized medicine.” In England, we never call it socialized medicine; we call it the National Health Service, or NHS. And, since the idea of having anything like the NHS in this country seems to terrify certain Americans, I thought I’d take a moment to describe its better features.
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JANUARY 2011 (To read all these articles and more, subscribe to the print or electronic editions)
Eagle Festival returns. The eagles are back, and eastern Skagit County is the best place to see them. After a one-year hiatus, the popular Skagit Eagle Festival will once again welcome visitors to Concrete, Rockport, and Marblemount for four weekends this month. The festival will be held on Saturdays and Sundays from Jan. 8 through 30.
American Alps project seeks to expand park boundaries
Concrete cracks down
Community garden gearing up for spring
Rockport State Park after the storm
Marblemount woman battles cancer
PSE breaks ground on new power house
Skagit County Veterans Stand-down
North Cascades Highway closed. The North Cascades Highway (SR 20) is closed for the winter season, from milepost 134 near Diablo, to milepost 171 near Early Winters. More info here: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Passes/NorthCascades/
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