COCOA’S PICKS
Lynden Music Festival
Oct. 9–13, Front Street, Lynden
Lynden has a storied musical history — so storied, in fact, that the town’s music scene merited an exhibition at the Lynden Heritage Museum this spring. With that in mind, it only makes sense for the town to have its own festival.
2024 is a special year, as it marks the Lynden Music Festival’s 15th anniversary. Throughout the week, locations from Village Books to the Jansen Art Center will transform into pop-up venues, and concerts occur at all hours of the day. Legendary vocal quartet The Four Freshmen headline this year’s lineup, which also includes genres ranging from country and jazz to German Lied. Info: lyndenmusicfestival.com.
Laura Ramoso
6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St.
Earlier this week, a video popped up on my TikTok spoofing “that one girl who just got back from the Pacific Northwest.” The jokes, while good-natured, were also spot on: Think references to reusable coffee cups, Blundstone boots and “seasonal craft bites.” I laughed out loud more than once — so you can imagine my delight when the comedian mentioned an upcoming show in Bellingham.
The entertainer in question is Laura Ramoso, a sketch comedian who’s garnered a social media following for her clever characters. (Seriously, she has upwards of a million followers and 56 million “likes” on TikTok.) She’s in town as part of the Bellingham Exit Festival, though she’s not the only big-name act coming to Mount Baker Theatre: Songstresses Joseph and fellow comedian Reggie Watts will also headline shows throughout the festival weekend. Info: mountbakertheatre.com.
Blaine Oysterfest
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, H Street Plaza, 701 Peace Portal Drive, Blaine
A few months back, Mark and Steve Seymour of Drayton Harbor Oyster Co. taught me a memorable saying: “The oysters on Jersey’s Coast have justly won a name, but we grow better-flavored ones, yessir, right here in Blaine.” While the quote was published in the Blaine Journal in 1913, it still rings true a century later. Blaine’s oysters are renowned for their quality and taste — and if you haven’t yet sampled one, the Oysterfest is the best time to do so…