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BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Since 2009, the Sunnyland Neighborhood in Bellingham has held an annual “stomp” in July. Alice Cooper was a Sunnyland local who was inspired to organize the event after she spent time traveling in Scandinavia.
Since the stomp received the Mayor’s Arts Award in 2010, a steadily increasing rate of individuals have come to join in on the neighborhood’s festivities.
Almost every year the event begins with an afternoon chicken race in Memorial Park. The first chicken race was held during the fourth annual stomp and has reappeared several times in following years. Anyone who thinks their chicken has what it takes can register, and anyone without a poultry pal is welcome to cheer from the sidelines.
The rest of the Saturday stomp is dedicated to exploring behind the garden gates of Sunnyland homes, and visiting community stomp stops. This year, there were 45 different stops hosted by neighbors, restaurants and business owners in the Sunnyland neighborhood. Attendees are given a map to guide them through the area. The stomp is mapped across 10 blocks and stretches all the way from Illinois Street to Ohio Street.
Local beer gardens like El Sueñito Brewing, Otherlands Beer, Twin Sisters Brewing and Kulshan Brewing participated to show their support. Though there are plenty of activities, galleries, vendors and prizes throughout the event, there is a more significant takeaway felt by community members at the end of the day.
“I love meeting my neighbors, experiencing so many talents and giving my sons the opportunity to experience a real sense of ‘community’ which is a big reason we wanted to move to a place like Sunnyland,” shared Stephanie C., on the Sunnyland Stomp’s Instagram page.
Bellingham is home to approximately 25 different neighborhoods. Events like the Sunnyland Stomp help facilitate community wellness and remind residents of what it is that makes their neighborhood unique.
Though this year’s stomp has concluded, there are still communal neighborhood events coming this summer. The York Yard Crawl will take place next and is scheduled for this Saturday, July 27 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
