NW Washington Fair PRCA Rodeo photo gallery
Whatcom Adult Soccer Association
Fair holds annual rodeo with top cowboys and cowgirls competing. — Sports, B3
Soccer league forges community through men, women, co-ed teams. — Sports, B1
AUGUST 21, 2024
SINCE 1885
Bicyclist hit by train, dies Staff Reports
FERNDALE — At approximately 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, a bicyclist traveling south on Hovander Road collided with a railroad crossing bar. According to an Aug. 17 press release from the City of Ferndale, the yet unnamed cyclist was thrown into the path of a moving train that “subsequently struck the cyclist.” The cyclist received injuries which proved to be fatal, the City of Ferndale reported. Ferndale Police Department, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State
Patrol and the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office investigated the accident. Whatcom County Fire District 7 and Support Officers of Whatcom County provided medical assistance, the City of Ferndale reported. Additional victim information will not be released “until family notification is complete,” the City of Ferndale reported. For inquiries regarding Case 24F7331, contact Ferndale Communications and Community Relations Officer Megan Juenemann at 360-685-2353 or meganjuenemann@cityofferndale.org.
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON • $1.50
I-5 collision leaves one dead, three others injured By Bill Helm Editor
FERNDALE — A two-vehicle accident in the early hours of Friday morning resulted in one man dead and three other people injured. The accident occurred at 2:38 a.m. Aug. 16 on Interstate 5 just north of Portal Way in Ferndale. The collision took place when a 2005 Pontiac GTO driven by 20-year-old Collin Cayo of Bellingham entered I-5 southbound from Portal Way when he lost control and struck the left-side barrier,
Washington State Patrol reported in a press memo later that morning. A motorcycle, a 2006 Yamaha FJR1300 operated by 47-year-old Blaine resident Evan Hayes, could not stop in time and struck the Pontiac, WSP reported. Hayes, who was wearing his helmet, was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with injuries sustained from the collision. Hayes later died at the hospital. Cayo and his passengers, 20-year-old Eric Chavez-Garfias and 18-year-old Kyndra Risler, both Ferndale residents,
Ferndale Music Mystery continues to grow Jon Mutchler looks to learn more about two 1909 musical pieces, as well as their author By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
FERNDALE — There is a home-grown music mystery brewing in Ferndale and local pastor and music teacher Jon Mutchler needs the aid to Whatcom residents everywhere to help him solve it. In October 2022, local pastor and Blaine resident Todd Gallahar obtained a free piano that he had found online for his wife, Amanda. After familiarizing himself with the instrument, Gallahar looked inside the piano bench where he then found a stack of old piano music sheets. After searching through the piles of sheet music, Gallahar found what he believed to be two sheets of originally composed music pieces, one titled the Blaine TwoStep, the other titled, the Semiahmoo Waltz. Both pieces were published over 125 years ago, in 1909. After doing some Internet sleuthing and unable to find any further background information on the two pieces, Gallahar sent the music to his friend Mutchler to help locate the origins of the music. Gallahar believed Mutchler would have some potential insight on this musician, considering Mutchler once held the position of house pianist for the Semiahmoo Resort. “I gave the music to Jon and he did some research and put it out there asking the public for information,” Gallahar said. Gallahar added that he was fascinated by the music pieces as soon as he saw them, and was interested in what they had to say about Whatcom County’s past. “I thought they were pretty cool,” Gallahar said. “What I’ve really found interesting about this music is that, even though we’ve learned some, history can get lost in even one or two generations. It’s important to document early, even before someone might think of something as historical.” Although Gallahar had found the pages in 2022, Mutchler said he didn’t receive the sheets un-
were transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center with injuries sustained from the collision. WSP reported a third passenger, name unknown, with unknown injuries. It is not known whether Cayo or his passengers wore their seatbelts at the time of the collision. Although drugs or alcohol are believed to be involved, WSP reported that charges against Cayo are under investigation. -- Contact Bill Helm at bill@ lyndentribune.com.
Ferndale back to school event gives families chance to connect By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
Ruth Murphy, above, a piano student of Jon Mutchler, has been recorded playing the Blaine Two-Step and the Semiahmoo Waltz, with video posted on Mutchler’s YouTube page in July. Jon Mutchler, below, shown playing the piano at Ferndale’s annual Christmas celebration, wants to learn more about two 1909 songs and their author, Harriet Rogers Owen. (Photo above, courtesy Ruth Murphy. Photo below, Bill Helm/Ferndale Record)
til June 2024. Although Gallahar said he has already gained a good deal of information about the music sheets and the person who wrote them, whose name is Harriet Rogers Owen, by letting the word out on Facebook as well as his other social media platforms. “Not only did she write music but she also wrote poetry,” Mutchler said, pointing to a poem by Owen he uncovered called the Ghent and the Art of Peace. Mutchler has already played some of the pieces and has even had a few of his piano students try their hand at the music. That student, 20-year-old Whatcom resident Ruth Murphy, was recorded playing both pieces of music with video posted on Mutchler’s YouTube page in July. Murphy said although the
FERNDALE — On Aug. 24, the Ferndale School District’s Family Resource Center will host a back to school event at the Ferndale High School cafeteria. The event will take place on a Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will serve as an opportunity for students and parents from all over Ferndale to meet and connect with members of the district as well as other community partners before the new school year begins. Some community groups that will be in attendance include the Ferndale Boys and Girls Club, the Ferndale Community Coalition, Lummi Nation representatives, the Whatcom Dispute Resolutions Center. There will also be backpacks and school supplies given away during the event, with the Whatcom New Life Assembly donating more than 200 new backpacks to the proceedings and the Lummi Nation providing the school supplies. Snacks and refreshments will be provided as well. Located at 5780 Hendrickson Ave., the FSD Family Resource Center is an advocacy group that, according to the FSD website, “facilitates partnerships between Ferndale School District and community resources. We are here to serve as a link and as advocates between our students, our families, and our schools.” Family Resource Center liaison Kim Bunch said the center will celebrate its third year serving the students and families of the FSD. Bunch explained that the back to school event, now in its second year, is an opportunity for families to connect with community service agencies, pick up school supplies, meet school staff (such as family support liaisons) and grab a snack. For more information, visit the Ferndale School District website at ferndalesd.org. -- Contact Luke Seymour at luke@lyndentribune.com.
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