
CASCADIA Board Members Sheila Goodwin and Audrey Sager with Volunteer Coordinator Tina England Colwell getting the merchandise organized.
CASCADIA was pleased to present three fun, family-friendly summer film events to raise awareness and continued financial support. Thank you to those that were able to make it and to the incredible businesses and organizations that partnered with us and donated fabulous prizes.
Sports Shorts: Outdoor Adventure Short Films Directed by Women
This summer evening was full of food, fun and short films directed by women at Fairhaven Village Green on Thursday, July 26, 2018. The event was a partnership between CASCADIA and Shifting Gears, a new non-profit creating welcoming recreation experiences that encourage confidence, wellness, growth and joy.
The evening kicked off with free samples of food and drink from Big Love Juice and Övn Wood Fired Pizza in their outdoor courtyard. Övn was a co-sponsor of the event along with American Alpine Institute and Baker to Bay led a free 30-minute physioyoga session on the Green. Sweet Bellingham donated a portion of the evenings sales to CASCADIA as well.
Before the films, The Scott MacPherson Trio played while patrons circulated among the tables full of local biking, hiking, climbing and running experts who answered questions and shared their incredible wares and tools.
At dusk we presented four exceptional short films directed by women.
Shift, directed by Kelly Milner.
A half-hour documentary about the indigenous youth from across the Yukon who have spent the past 10 years converting traditional trails around their community into a world-class mountain biking destination – and transforming their town and themselves along the way.
Choices, directed by Teresa Hoerl.
World-class rock climber/base jumper Steph Davis set the bar for what female climbers can do. But those passions have also brought great loss. “Choices” follows Davis’ path from suburban law student to globe-trotting climber, to reveal the motivation that keeps her scrambling up rock and taking leaps.

Director Sarah Menzies with CASCADIA Executive Director Cheryl Crooks.
The Mirnavator, directed by Sarah Menzies.
Follows the story of Mirna Valerio, an ultrarunner, author, speaker, and adventurer. She is the subject of Award-Winning REI Force of Nature Documentary. Director Sarah Menzies is a graduate of Ferndale High in Ferndale, WA. We were proud to have her on hand after the screening.
Dragging 235 lbs Uphill Both Ways directed by Christina Franklin.
Christina Franklin, a mother of four, takes matters into her own hands by taking her kids from fearing or ignoring nature to understanding and valuing its importance.
We also want to thank these incredible businesses and organizations for donating items to our raffle.
- American Alpine Institute
- Alexandra Hart, of Honey Salon
- Backcountry Essentials
- Bellingham Training & Tennis Club
- Fairhaven Bicycles
- Fairhaven Runners & Walkers
- Goat Mountain Pizza
- Leaf & Ladle
- Lotus Leaf Acupuncture & Wellness Center
- Joy of Pilates
- 1 Paperboat
- Outbound
- Skylark’s Hidden Cafe
- CascadiaNOW
Plans are already in the works for a repeat of this event next summer. Thank you to everyone who showed up to see some super Sports Shorts and share their support.
Twice as Much Wonder Woman, Directed by Patty Jenkins
CASCADIA hosted and sponsored two outdoor screenings of Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins. Jenkins has set the bar high and held her own among action and superhero film directors. Our audiences were wowed and inspired.
We sponsored Wonder Woman on June 30 on the Fairhaven Village Green as part of the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema and on August 9 as part of Lynden’s Hot Thursday Nights.

Thank you to CASCADIA Board Member Sam Ho and volunteers Lorelei LaBella and Elisa Claassen (taking the photo) for their time.
June’s evening included pre-screening music by Kuungana Marimba and food from Street Dogz.
August highlights included a Night Market, a performance by Bellingham Circus Guild, and music at Jansen Art Center.
Thank you to our volunteers. These events wouldn’t have been possible without them. A special thank you goes out to volunteer Elisa Claassen who also captured lovely photos at some of our summer events.
We enjoyed meeting everyone who stopped by our information tables, joined our email list, won or bought t-shirts and tote bags, spread the word, and made a donation to support our mission. We are truly thankful for the support of our staff, sponsors, volunteers, businesses, filmmakers, and community.
August also means that our festival opened for short film submissions via FilmFreeway. If you or someone you know might be interested, thank you in advance for helping to spread the word.