From axe throwing to music festivals, here are the top stories from The Herald’s Life section in 2022:
The 2022 Lexus NX 250 seats five, and offers more room for front passengers than the previous version. (Manufacturer photo)
10. Lexus goes all out on the all-new 2022 NX luxury compact SUV (March 1)
Local columnist Mary Lowry is a bit of a car connoisseur. Out of all of her car reviews, her piece on Lexus’ 2022 NX luxury compact SUV made our top 10 list. The car’s interior includes a state-of-the-art infotainment system and several clever touches. The new Digital Latch feature provides smooth push-button operation of the doors. When pulled, outside door handles stay fixed and doors shut with a magnetic feel. “The system is wonderful for protecting manicures,” Lowry said.
The fortified ghost town of Vathia, on Greece’s Mani Peninsula, was once as wild as our Wild West. (Rick Steves)
9. Rick Steves: The best way to spend two weeks in Greece (Oct. 2)
Travel expert and Edmonds local, Rick Steves, writes a weekly column for The Herald where he shares tips and tricks for your next vacation. In October, Steves gave travel advice for those who are interested in visiting Greece and skipping the typical tourist attractions. “Many tourists spend their entire time on Greece just island-hopping, setting foot on the mainland only to fly in and out of Athens,” Steves said. “But there’s much more to see, learn, and experience in this ancient land.”
Scott Schrock throws an axe inside their newly renovated axe throwing building on Oct. 14, in Camano Island. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
8. Axe throwing hitting a bull’s-eye in Everett and Camano Island (Jan. 9)
While the International Axe Throwing Federation claims this new form of axe throwing is the world’s fastest growing sport, it’s still relatively new to our area. Locally, you’ll find it at High Trek Adventures in Everett and Arrowhead Ranch on Camano Island. Brad Halbach, co-owner of High Trek Adventures, says axe throwing is a social sport — he even compares it to bowling. With axe throwing, “there’s the thrill, the weight and the thud of it,” he said.
Phaedra Dunko, of Courting Frogs Nursery in Stanwood, brings out tray after tray of pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants as vendors prepare for Sorticulture Garden Arts Festival June 9, on Colby Avenue in downtown Everett. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
7. Sorticulture, Everett’s garden arts fest, returns to downtown (June 10)
Sorticulture, the three-day outdoor garden and arts festival, brought huge crowds to downtown Everett in June. Festivalgoers enjoyed the beer and wine garden, live music and gardening vendors at the annual event. “Sorticulture is one of the most popular events that the city puts on,” city spokesperson Julio Cortes said. “It brings folks from all over the region.”
Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” (A24)
6. A filmmaker from Mukilteo takes on ‘Everything Everywhere’ (May 29)
Mukilteo locals may see a familiar name in the credits of A24’s 2022 film, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Over the course of a year and a half, Kamiak High School graduate Zak Stoltz worked as the film’s visual effects supervisor, leading a team of five visual effects artists. The movie debuted in theaters on March 25 and became A24’s largest domestic box office hit, grossing over $50 million. “It was a process,” Stoltz said of the project. “We figured out how to do it on the relatively cheap, but still make sure everyone got paid well, and didn’t burn out too hard.”
The poster for the Fisherman’s Village Music Festival in Everett May 19-21. (Fisherman’s Village Music Festival)
5. Fisherman’s Village fest lineup: 50 bands from near and far (Mar. 7)
In May, Everett hosted the tenth annual Fisherman’s Village fest, a three-day event filled with music, food trucks and beer. Headliners included hip-hop trio Digable Planets; Portland songwriter Haley Heynderickx; Austin blues group Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears; Seattle-based indie band Deep Sea Diver; and Issaquah-born indie pop project SYML. The goal of the event’s conception ten years ago was to bolster the local music scene. “As I walk through town it’s like, ‘Yes, there are local bands. They’re here and they play music,’” Everett Music Initiative organizer Ryan Crowther said. “But what is the quilt of this scene? How can it be stitched together in a better way, to have representation and actual resources for bands?”
Joshua Jacobson opened a video game store in Lake Stevens called Stupid Geeks as result of COVID. Jacobson needed a brick and mortar to contains his inventory. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
4. Lake Stevens shop deals in nostalgia for all things 8-bit (Feb. 6)
After opening its doors in December 2021, Stupid Geeks strives to be a hub for retro video game enthusiasts in Lake Stevens. Specializing in “everything that is a geeky desire,” the store is owner Joshua Jacobson’s childhood dream. “I’m still in the surreal stage,” Jacobson said. “This is my living now. This is what I do. It hasn’t really fully clicked in my brain.” Although much of retail is moving online, Jacobson purposefully wanted to take an in-person approach and he is excited to grow his company and community over time.
Real Estate consultants and twin sisters Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb staging in the newly renovated downstairs family room in the Thaut House, as seen on “Unsellable Houses.” (HGTV)
3. Snohomish sisters shine in new season of ‘Unsellable Houses’ (April 12)
In the third season of HGTV’s “Unsellable Houses,” Snohomish twins Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis flip and sell 13 local houses through their real estate business, Lamb & Co. “Our prices have absolutely changed this season: The actual price of the home and what we are investing into the home, because materials have gone up,” Davis said. The twins also incorporated local businesses in their series, including a Lynnwood contractor, a Marysville closet company, a Snohomish iron worker and a Mukilteo painter.
Dan Neumeyer has been fascinated by yurts for decades. He built this yurt, which is currently on display in South Whidbey. (David Welton)
2. Otherworldly structures constructed on Whidbey Island (Sept. 25)
Over the years, Dan Neumeyer has spent his time building custom yurts for Whidbey Island residents. More recently, Neumeyer has focused on two structures in particular — The Siskin and Hummingbird Yurt. The yurts were for sale and on display outside of the Bob Bowling Rustics workshop on Bayview Road. “I can’t wait to see where these two find a home,” Neumeyer said. “Somewhere, they’re going to find the right bluff or the right little grove in the woods.”
Shrubs that flower in spring, such as rhododendrons, should be pruned right after they’re finished blooming. (Getty Images)
1. Last chance to prune spring flowering shrubs and perennials (May 27)
In his weekly column, The Whistling Gardener, Steve Smith shares tips and tricks for fellow gardeners. His most read column was published at the end of May and warned gardeners that the pruning of flowering shrubs, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, lilacs and forsythias, must be done ASAP or they will have to cut off all of next years buds. Smith calls this rule “prune after bloom.” Pruning, especially for new gardeners, can be intimidating, but Smith urges everyone to give it a shot. “Everyone has to start somewhere and it is easier to get the hang of than you think,” Smith says. “Plus there are always horticulture experts to help you along the way… Stay safe and keep on gardening.”
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