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What a great 4th of July parade in downtown Anacortes! One of the stars among many parade entries was this narrow gauge locomotive, returned to Anacortes just last week following donation by designer/builder Tommy Thompson’s widow Anne. Following the engine in the parade were three custom-built cars that are part of the “package.” Pictured here […]

This 1890 global perspective, featuring Anacortes as the central point of travel via ship and rail, seems preposterous today. But when it was distributed in 1890, one year before the city was incorporated, visitors to the island city included Great Northern Railroad executive James J. Hill. He spent four days in the Northwest “shopping” potential […]

Undaunted by a massive collection of photographs and negatives, historian Theresa Trebon partnered with photojournalist Wallie Funk in the late Nineties to help put order to his collection so he could share it with libraries, museums and universities. Trebon, author of “First Views, An Early History of Skagit County,” presented slides and commentary at Funk’s […]

Among birthday surprises received by 90-year-old Wallie Funk Sunday was an All-American City banner re-created by the Anacortes Museum and presented by museum representative Bret Lunsford. Funk and former Anacortes Mayor Bud Strom were instrumental in this city’s distinction as an All-America City in 1962.

Sharing a light moment while perusing photo albums Saturday afternoon are retired newspaper publisher Wallie Funk (left) and friend Kirk Kennedy. Funk, who will celebrate his 90th birthday Sunday, April 29, spent several hours at The Depot Saturday with those who came to see a display of his photographs. The public is invited to attend […]

I took advantage of a break in the weather Wednesday afternoon to run around the downtown area with my camera. This small statue/fountain of a woman and a bird stands outside the Anacortes Museum, a former Carnegie Library. According to Anacortes Museum researcher Alex Dunn, the water fountain was donated by the Women’s Christian Temperance […]

Another page in the history of the one-time Burlington Northern Railroad Depot will be added this weekend with a public “Retrospective’ featurhing dozens of art pieces and historic displays. The Retrospective, coordinated by volunteer Karla Locke, opened Friday night with a celebration icnluding food and tribute to arts activists including Maria Petrish. Among displays are […]

I was sorting through old photo CDs this morning and discovered this gem, a photo of Wallie Funk signing a book while co-author Theresa Trebon greets a well-wisher in the background. The date was December 2, 2002. Funk and Trebon presided over a book signing event at the Anacortes Museum: First Views, An Early History […]

In the news these days is a beautifully restored 1924 American LaFrance fire engine owned by the City of Anacortes (pictured above at 2011 Fourth of July parade). The following is an article I wrote in 1997 about the beginning of the restoration process: By Steve Berentson One of the star attractions at the 1924 […]

American benefactor Andrew Carnegie greets guests to the Anacortes Museum, which once served this community as a public museum. Carnegie built libraries throughout the United States. His funding in this city was matched locally. The mural was created by local historian and muralist Bill Mitchell.

Replacing blanks with library centennial bricks Thursday evening was former museum director Garry Cline. A 5 p.m. brick-laying preceded a Chamber of Commerce “after hours” attended by several dozen local business people.

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 […]