John Stark has the story in the Bellingham Herald:
The community’s annual 4th of July festivities will be ramped up this year in hopes of pulling in some tourist dollars from outside the area.
At a Wednesday, May 6, press conference, Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Ken Oplinger announced that the chamber and Port of Bellingham will join with Haggen Inc. to expand the annual waterfront event.
Haggen, the Bellingham-based supermarket company, will continue to sponsor the fireworks display, as it has every year since 1995. But this year, the fun will start long before it gets dark. The port’s Zuanich Point Park at Squalicum Harbor will be the site of a free festival from 1 to 9:30 p.m., including live bands and a children’s activity area. Vendors will be selling food and crafts, and Boundary Bay Brewing Co. will set up a beer garden.
Oplinger said many communities in the region are scaling back or eliminating their holiday events this year because of the recession. That creates an opportunity for Bellingham to attract people from outside the community.
