Premier Golf Centers LLC received approval from the City of Bellingham  to re-open golf operations after Governor Inslee announced the lifting of some restrictions pertaining to outdoor recreation. The Lake Padden Golf Course  was closed for 6 weeks. Premier staff who manage the course adopted a strict set of COVID-19 protocols designed to ensure the health and safety of golfers and to maintain proper social distancing. Effective  May 5, Bellingham's  Lake Padden Course is open with tee times starting at 8:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. daily.

The Regional Economic Partnership (REP) at the Port of Bellingham has released a report detailing the results of a general survey on the economic impacts of COVID-19 on Whatcom County businesses. The survey was developed by the REP in coordination with Whatcom Unified Command, the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and Western Washington University's Small Business Development Center.

The economic impact survey received 756 unique responses from local businesses with 48% reporting closures due to COVID-19. Industry sectors reporting the highest number of closures were services, construction, retail, restaurants and bars, recreation, marine and manufacturing.  53% of survey respondents reported laying off workers due to COVID-19, and an additional 26% of businesses are considering layoffs in the near to medium term if the situation does not change.  

Whatcom Community College's  second annual STEM Carnival will be presented online May 11-15, 2020 . Families, children, teens, and adults are invited to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from home through free interactive activities led by WCC faculty and students. A live event is planned for 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14.

Bellingham photographer Brandon Sawaya and videographer Aaron Straight of Soulcraft Allstars have teamed up to develop a micro-story telling site called 'Made In Quarantine' to feature people in Bellingham, Whatcom and Skagit who are doing good in our community right now. They released their first 2 episodes of inspiration and will release 2 each week of May. Watch the trailer below and click here to view the website. 

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10, 2020. It's sneaking up on us quickly! And with Washington State's Stay Home order still in affect, celebrating may take more creativity than usual. 

Out of the Whirl Makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 ounces citrus-infused gin*
1/2 ounce Giffard passion fruit liqueur
1/2 ounce house-made grapefruit cordial**
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 egg white

Put all ingredients in a shaker, add ice and shake. Strain into a coupe and enjoy.

As Washington State reopened some outdoor recreation on May 5, it is important to understand how to safely utilize our city, county and state lands at this time. Bellingham is home to 3,400 acres of parklands and 80 miles of trails, all of which remain open during Washington's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order. Trails operated by Whatcom County Parks Department have also remained open.

Although it is still very important to follow the Governor's orders to Stay Home, we are inspiring happy thoughts of scenic Bellingham and Whatcom County locations with our "BE A Dreamer" bracket throughout the month of May. View images of all the contending locations on our website and follow Bellingham Experience on Facebook and Instagram to vote on your favorites! 

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism has created a series of local Zoom Backgrounds for the public to download and utilize. Wow them on your next Zoom call!   Click here for images and instructions.