Chaos for a day. Whatcom County’s annual Mount Baker-to-Bellingham team relay race is a boon to outdoors enthusiasts, adrenaline junkies and festival fans. But local businesses? It appears to be a net positive, if sometimes mixed, experience.
Ski to Sea marks its 50th anniversary this year with the race on Sunday, May 28, easily the largest one-day event in the county. Not coincidentally, Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood holds what it calls “Bellingham’s biggest street fair,” Fairhaven Festival, the same day.
The two events are technically separate but inextricably linked by geography and attendance: Whatcom Events-run Ski to Sea finishes in Marine Park, nestled on the edge of Bellingham Bay and just a short walk up Harris Avenue to the Fairhaven Association-run Fairhaven…