Summer Fun at Bloedel Donovan Park
by Ginger Oppenheimer5/30/2008 2:00:24 PM
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Bloedel Donovan Park has the most amazing array of things to do in an amazingly small space. Just 12 acres, the park offers a playground, multi-purpose fields, picnic tables and barbecue pits, sand volleyball courts, and best of all: a beach and the lake for swimming. This is the quintessential summer park.
View of Lake Whatcom at Bloedel Donovan Park.Bloedel Donovan has the city’s only public boat launch and recreational access to Lake Whatcom. For those reasons alone, it’s a busy place. And a warm summer day can be a little nutty. But the truth is, all that refreshingly cool water is worth it. Bloedel Donovan is just plain gorgeous. Situated at the northwestern end of Lake Whatcom, the view down the lake is breathtaking. And a jump in the lake is invigorating.
In addition, the park has several buildings that the community can use, and there are any number of events that could keep you going to Bloedel Donovan again and again: a kids’ festival, environmental fairs and outdoor expos, arts events, Halloween fun, and flower shows. You just have to keep checking the local media for events and kids activities because there are too many to list here.
There are classes and events at the Bloedel Donovan Community Building.Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department's seasonal Leisure Guide alone lists any number of classes and day camps located at Bloedel Donovan: theatre and improv, “go green,” how not to get lost outdoors, “the magic of Hogwarts” are just several examples. Bloedel Donovan’s community building and pavilion are ideal for summer classes and camps, not to mention for all the other events you’ll find year round at Bloedel Donovan.
Summer is definitely the time to soak up the sun and let the kids be kids. Lifeguards are on duty and the swimming area is marked off with boundaries. There are lots of grassy areas to settle for a spontaneous picnic, or get there early and grab a table and a barbecue pit.
Don’t be surprised by the noise. Screaming kids (not yours, of course!) having the time of their lives on the beach and in the lake, and powerboats and jet skis sounding louder than you thought possible. It’s well worth the visit though—the whole family can enjoy the many amenities of Bloedel Donovan. The park is very pet friendly for the family dog. From May 1 to September 30, dogs can be off leash until 10 am. The rest of the year, the entire park is off leash for all hours.
Two girls enjoy a relatively rare moment of quiet at Bloedel Donovan Park this summer.A bit of history
Like many places in Bellingham, Bloedel Donovan Park has an industrial past. The park was the site of the Larson Lumber Mill owned by three men, two of which were—you guessed it—Bloedel and Donovan.
In the late 1800s J. H. Bloedel, an industrialist, met J. J. Donovan. They were both involved with hauling logs from the Lake Whatcom region. The two gentlemen went into business with a Mr. Larson to establish the Larson Lumber Mill in 1901 at the current park site and the company became the largest shipper of lumber products in the Northwest.
In 1913, the Larson Lumber Mill and several other Bloedel and Donovan businesses merged to become the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills, headed by Bloedel and Donovan. Despite the company’s successes, the Great Depression impacted their business and they began liquidating in 1946. That September, Bloedel and his wife Mina donated a 12-acre tract—the former site of the Larson Lumber Mill—to the City of Bellingham for use as a park and bathing beach, with around $100,000 for its development.
On August 11, 1948, Bloedel Donovan Park was dedicated. More than 1000 spectators attended. Bloedel, 84 years old at the time, formally gave the park to the Bellingham residents.
Kids enjoy open fields for play with Old Number 7 in the background.In the 1960s, the Bloedel Foundation gave a variety of donations to the park board for improvements to the park, including an improved swimming area, a new permanent float, a diving board, and a public boat-launch ramp. During the same time, the Permanente Cement Company donated a 1918 steam switching engine—Old Number 7—as a monument. You’ll find it today at the edge of the playing fields.
The final big change was the conversion of a caretaker’s house to the current Parks and Rec Preschool in 1980.
Other stuff to do
In addition to swimming and picnicking, there’s a kids’ playground with all the usual fun equipment, and you’ll find multi-purpose fields ripe for soccer, baseball, or t-ball for the little ones. The fields are on the other side of the busy parking lot, so be careful to watch for cars when crossing. Look for Old Number 7, a steam engine, at the edge of the playing fields, which, unfortunately, can’t be crawled on. It’s fenced off, but it’s still fun to look at the big engine and imagine this spot’s industrial past.
Kids can play in the shade at the Bloedel Donovan Playground.During the summer, you can rent boats, which gets you and the kids away from the masses and out onto the waters of the lake.
For the older set, a basketball court and a sand volleyball court are available.
And for you and the whole family: nearby, flat trails make it easy to get from Whatcom Falls Park to Bloedel Donovan. It’s a great way to spend the day as a family, seeing the falls in the cool shade of Whatcom Falls Park, pedaling the trail to Bloedel Donovan and popping out into the summer sunshine for a big splash in the lake.
Events
This August marks the 19th annual Kids’ Festival at Bloedel Donovan. Everything’s free (including the food) and the hours are great: 11 am to 3 pm. You’ll find clowns and performers and lots of fun activities all aimed at kids. This year, the festival is on August 2nd.
Bloedel Donovan Park
2214 Electric Ave.
Bellingham, WA 98229