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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
September 2 - 8, 2021
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IN THIS
ISSUE
BPD in need of body cameras, page 3
Whatcom County has 5 Covid-19 deaths, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Peace Arch celebrates 100 years, page 6
Discover Birch Blaine students arrive for in-person classes Bay Days returns for 42nd year By Grace McCarthy
(See Event, page 2)
s Excited teachers and upbeat tunes like “Footloose” and “September” greet students on September 1, the first day of the 2021-22 school year. Masked students filed off buses onto a full Blaine school district campus for the first time in 18 months, as students will be returning to full-time, in-person learning this school year. Photo by Ian Haupt
Asian giant hornet nest eradicated in east Blaine By Grace McCarthy State entomologists eradicated an Asian giant hornet nest with nearly 1,500 hornets in various life stages in east Blaine the morning of August 25. The nest was three times the size of the first nest found just two miles away in October 2020. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) vacuumed worker hornets from the nest at the base of a dead alder tree August 19, WSDA managing entomologist Sven Spichiger said in an August 26 press conference. WSDA transported the nest to Washington State University’s Bellingham extension for analysis. Entomologists discovered the nine-comb nest contained 292
Friday, September 3
Dive-In Movie • Uncle Buck Saturday, September 4
Pancake Breakfast
eggs, 422 larvae, 563 cap cells (hornets about to be produced), 195 workers netted and vacuumed out during the eradication and one queen, Spichiger said. No male hornets were found. In total, the nest contained 1,473 individual life stages, compared to last year’s six-comb nest that had nearly 500 hornets in different life stages. Genetics from the two nests haven’t been tested yet. The hornets were more aggressive than last year’s nest and attempted to sting entomologists, Spichiger said. Because the tree was rotted, the hornets were able to create a second opening that allowed them to leave the nest after scientists sealed off (See Hornets, page 7)
THE BIRCH BAY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESENTS 42nd Annual
INSIDE
If you’re looking for a lively weekend in Birch Bay, you’re in luck because Discover Birch Bay Days is back this weekend. The event-filled weekend kicks off Friday, September 3 with a “Dive-in Movies” showing of the 1989 classic film, “Uncle Buck,” at the Birch Bay Waterslides. Attendees can start parking their cars at the waterpark at 7 p.m. and the movie will start around 8:15 p.m. It costs $20 for each car and popcorn is included. On Saturday, September 4, Friends of Birch Bay Library is hosting a 10 a.m. pancake breakfast at the future Birch Bay Vogt Community Library. The chamber and Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) will host outdoor kid games and music trivia from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the future library. Wrapping up the day 1-3 p.m., the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce will host a golf cart and bicycle poker run along Birch Bay Drive, with Loomis Trail Golf and Pete’s Poutine gift certificates awarded to winners. To register, visit bit.ly/3kGz1sT. The last day of Discover Birch Bay Days will end on a high note with a rubber duck derby at 9 a.m. Sunday, September 5. Participants will drop ducks across from Bay Rim condominiums at 9 a.m. and watch the ducks float to the finish line at the mouth of Terrell Creek. Ten prizes will be awarded to people with winning ducks: The first three winners will receive up to $200 in “chamber bucks,” which can go toward any chamber member’s business, and an overnight vacation at Silver Reef Casino Resort; chamber bucks or a 2022 Birch Bay Waterslides family day pass. The 42nd duck will also receive $25 chamber bucks for the 42nd year of Discover Birch Bay Days and the last duck will win a Sirenz Dezignz custom cup. To purchase ducks, visit birchbaychamber.com/ducky-derby. BBBPRD2 will host more “Dog Days of Summer” kid games from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the future Birch Bay library. The last event of the weekend will be a crab derby 12-3 p.m. at The Beach at Birch Bay bar, 7876 Birch Bay Drive. Windermere realtor Billy Brown will judge live crabs for divisions such as the heaviest individual crab and heaviest catch limit. Crabs must
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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This Week’s FLYER Saturday, September 4
Golf Cart & Bicycle Poker Run
Discover Birch Bay Days
Sunday, September 5
Event Parking behind Visitor Center at 7900 Birch Bay Drive
Sunday, September 5
www.birchbaychamber.com/events
Judging @ The Beach Bar, 7876 Birch Bay Drive
Saturday, September 4 & Sunday, September 5
Dog Days of Summer Kids Games
September 3-5
Birch Bay Birch Bay Chamber Chamber of of Commerce Commerce && Visitor Information Information Center Visitor Center
For full schedule, see ad on page 2 or
DUCKY DERBY
$2 per duck • Awesome Prizes
Crab Derby
Rite Aid