Search Results

Any visit to Mt. Erie provides opportunity to see this striking art piece by Guemes sculptor Philip McCracken. According to the Museum of Northwest Art in LaConner McCracken, a third generation member of a Skagit Valley family, was born in Bellingham in 1928. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of […]

The W.T Preston on “R” Avenue has “gone into hibernation” until March of next year. Still open to the public is the Maritime Heritage Center located between the Preston and the Depot. The Maritime Heritage Center is open Thursday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. It is […]

Most who have lived in this area for any length of time are familiar with the EA6B “Prowler,” now retired after more than 40 years of storied military service. The jet flew out of NAS Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor. “In 1960, as part of the development of the A-6 Intruder all-weather attack aircraft, Grumman […]

It was July 2009 when I joined a friend on a most memorable road trip to the Evergreen Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. A mutual friend, Jim Ray, gave us a personal tour including a tour of the massive “Spruce Goose,” a one-of-a-kind aircraft designed and built by Howard Hughes. A note on the Evergreen Museum […]

It is always exciting to see the Anders Men — (Maj. Gen. Bill Anders, Lt. Col. Greg Anders and Alan Anders — take to the skies for Fly Day performances at Heritage Flight Museum (HFM) in Burlington. One-time NASA astronaut Bill Anders (Apollo 8) and his wife Valerie founded the HFM in Bellingham in 1996, […]

With the end of Fly Day flights, audience members at the Heritage Flight Museum were invited to take a closer look at vintage aircraft. The ropes came down, cameras came out … and memories were made. Saturday, June 17, 2023.

It was the night before Christmas in 1968 when the Apollo 8 astronauts beamed back a message for “the good Earth” while circling the moon. NASA Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders became the first to orbit the moon on Dec. 24, 1968. NASA managers had told the Apollo 8 astronauts […]

From the beginning, Anacortes has been blessed with a long string of talented photographers, from newspaper people to commercial/industrial professionals. To see a few “all stars” from this group visit the Anacortes Museum at 1305 8th Street in the old Carnegie Library building. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, […]

The late Bill Mitchell, Anacortes muralist and historian, loved a parade! Here he is in the 2002 parade, busy promoting a fishing museum.

Former astronaut Bill Anders, founder of the Heritage Museum of Flight in Burlington, was recently honored with the National Air and Space Museum’s Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime Achievement. The museum reports that the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum awards its Michael Collins Trophy annually “for lifetime and current achievements in aerospace science and […]

It was 25 years ago this week that I published an article detailing the efforts to restore a 1924 American LaFrance fire truck owned by the Anacortes Fire Department. That goal has since been met after many years of commitment and investment by a dedicated team of restoration supporters. In fact, the truck is often […]

Heritage Flight Museum was founded in 1996 by William “Bill” and Valerie Anders. The museum’s vintage aircraft collection began with the P-51 Mustang “Val-Halla” and has steadily grown. In 2014, HFM moved to Skagit Regional Airport in Burlington, Washington. The museum currently houses 15 aircraft, several antique military vehicles, a library and many artifacts donated […]