From farm to plate and sea to table, celebrate local cuisine of the Pacific Northwest in Bellingham, WA and the surrounding Whatcom County every week this September.

In the height of harvest season, Sustainable Connections presents Eat Local Month to highlight the bounty in Bellingham's backyard and support the folks who grow, raise and prepare the region's local food. The celebration is divided into four themes: Farm Week, Market Week, Seafood Week and Restaurant Week. Each week features events, prizes, and ways to delight in local foods and flavors.

Farm Week, Sept. 3 – 9, 2017

Sept 3: Farm Fund Hootenanny: Kick off Eat Local Month with the Farm Fund Hootenanny, which will feature live music and local farmer awards.

Sept 8-10: Whatcom Food Fest: Eat your way through the weekend with the Whatcom Food Fest, a new event featuring six distinct events, including a Farm Tour Brunch at Goat Mountain Pizza and a Farms, Fishers & Fermentation Fete at Boundary Bay.

Sept 9-10: Whatcom Farm Tour: The 10th annual Whatcom County Farm Tour – also a part of the Food Fest, has expanded to both Saturday and Sunday, featuring 13farms across Whatcom County with a mix of veggie, meat, cheese, berry, and flower producers. Free, family, friendly and self-guided.

Market Week, Sept. 10 – 16, 2017

Sept 16: Downtown Bellingham Market Walk - An exploration of Bellingham's local food scene, partake in a self-guided tour that showcases the best of downtown's local grocers, markets, and specialty food shops and play “market walk” bingo for the chance to win big in local food prizes. All throughout the week, shoppers at participating grocers and markets who spend $10 on local products get their Eat Local Month passport stamped for a chance to win one of five locavore prize packs.

Seafood Week, Sept. 17 – 23, 2017

Sept 22-23: SeaFeast – Bellingham's historic connection to Pacific salmon and its internationally renowned fishing and seafood industries are the focus of SeaFeast, a free weekend-long event. Highlights include “Meet Your Fisher” activities and competitions, dock tours, fishers' skill-set demonstrations, “Skill of the Grill” competition, “Oyster Shuck 'n' Slurp” contest, live entertainment, and the centerpiece of the entire event: Seafood, including a grand finale feast-ival. Visitors are sure to leave with a full belly and a new appreciation for the fishing industry that distinguishes this corner of the Pacific Northwest.

Restaurant Week, Sept. 24 – 30, 2017

All week, diners at 19 participating Bellingham and Whatcom County restaurants enjoy local specials and earn stamps on their Eat Local Month passport.  

Eat Local Month passports, Farm Tour and Eat Local Month Guide are available at the Bellingham Visitors Center, participating restaurants, farmers markets, public libraries, Village Books and the Community Food Co-op in Bellingham, or online at eatlocalfirst.org.

For more information about travel to Bellingham, visit www.bellingham.org, call Bellingham Visitor Center at 360-671-3990 or email: tourism@bellingham.org.