I Heart Yakima Newsletter

The strange week before the New Year is upon us. We are cooking, baking, cleaning, and reading.

Mostly, we are feeling very grateful for all of you, who are buoying our wonderful Yakima Valley through a pandemic with your commitment to our community. We see it in your support of local businesses and your kindness with each other and strangers as we practice social distancing. It is a bright light to see during a tough year.

We - along with many of you - are looking forward to seeing how 2021 unfolds.

Until then, if you find yourself needing some comfort food during this time (or anytime), we have some suggestions this week. We've been doing some snacking.

We are thinking of all of you, wishing you good health and a very safe holiday.

Checking in – how are you doing? We’re hanging in there and we hope you are, too. With our COVID numbers high and our only hospital with limited acute care capacity, we are grateful for all those who are able to hang at home, mask up, and stay safe as much as you can. And it seems a vaccine is upon us! The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. We have much to be hopeful about.

Even if you are among the lucky ones who haven't been sick, lost your job, income, health, loved ones, sanity ... it’s been a rough one. We’d like to congratulate all of us for getting this far, and supporting each other.

Speaking of supporting each other, there are so many local businesses joining forces to help each other out right now – and it’s made for some great local holiday shopping. Here are a few we’re crushing on right now.

It’s the week of Thanksgiving. Perhaps one of the most memorable of our holidays yet, simply for the fact that our hearts are breaking a little as we plan for FaceTime dinners and missing many of our friends and family with whom we would usually gather. However, a Zoom Thanksgiving is much preferable to an ICU Thanksgiving. And for that, we’re here to celebrate and give thanks.

Once more, with feeling: Yakima, you have our hearts. We’re so thankful for you all. We’ll make it through this.

In the meantime, here are a few things we are crushing on.

Central to IHY is our love for living and loving everything local. A core part of that love is dedicated to our locally-owned businesses. We promote them. We celebrate them. We cheers them every chance we get. A thriving local economy is the foundation to a healthy community.

The pandemic has revealed and highlighted how amazing and innovative Yakima entrepreneurs are, from launching online storefronts overnight to changing their business models to address community needs, and fully embracing Zoom as a meeting place.

While not under ideal conditions, we see YOU adapting and pivoting, business community. We see your drive-thrus and curbside pickups, we see your use of technology, we see you implementing protocols to keep our friends and families safe. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!! We know this is not without sacrifice.

With the uptick in COVID-19 numbers, our businesses and community need to adjust again. We are all in this together.

What are we doing?…

Winter is coming.

Well, for a day this week, anyway. Check your water pipes and bundle up! This cold snap is a reminder that it can’t be delightfully warm forever, and that we’re all about to move inside. Also, big thank you to all for embracing masks! 😷 They will continue to play a big role in keeping our community safe and keeping our businesses open for the winter season.

Even with a pandemic still afoot, there are great things to shout about in Yakima. Here’s who we’re following and cheering for this week…

We're still here, loving our valley and all of you from our homes. And like many of you, we have lost track of time. Recently, we had a text message convo that started with, "Um, when was the last time I saw you IRL?" To which the response was 🤷.

It's been strange times. A little surreal, too. Like - it is really already October? Wasn’t it just June? Anyway…we’re going to do our best to pull ourselves out of our COVID time-warp and be back in regular touch.

Two updates.

First, it is voting season! Ballots are arriving on or around Friday, October 16th. And nothing says I Heart Yakima like voting. Of course, we have a big election coming, but every year, something is in motion and the best way to show your love for the community is to be engaged with your VOTE at the local, state, and federal levels.

We love voting so much, we teamed up with the wonderful folks at Hogback Development…

We’ve been struggling and bumming. And this is SO not our style. We are competition-level cheerleaders for Yakima. Our platform and our messages to you exist to connect you with the good things in our valley - businesses, people, and organizations. And circumstances have made that difficult lately.

We have a couple of things going on.

First, it’s nearly impossible to do what we do when

Our local living game is HOT.

To stay smart, clean, and caffeinated, we're ordering books from Inklings, soap from Selah Lavender Farm, and coffee from Basalt Roasters. We're supplementing our Pacific Northwest Fresh and McIlrath Farms produce boxes with extras from Dagdagan Farms, and picking up gift cards from Wrays (for We Are Yakima - extra thanks to Chris Brown at Wray’s and Banner Bank for their speedy help). We won't even share our most recent takeout orders. There's not enough room.

We are overwhelmed by all those who are jumping in to support We Are Yakima.

Georgetown Brewing Company announced that they are doing something they've never done before -- they're making Manny's Pale Ale six-packs available for six weeks. This is a big deal. Manny's has NEVER been canned. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to beverage and food industry workers throughout the state of Washington, distributed through We Are Yakima, Big Table, and the Plate Fund.

Swoon. When we lived in Seattle in our younger years, we spent our paychecks on pitchers of Manny's, so this gesture is filling our hearts a little extra. Our westside neighbors are shining bright, and in true Georgetown fashion, they are using what helped start them to pay it forward to the entire state that helped launch them. Georgetown Brewing, you are a class act.

Look for them in stores starting May 27th (May 23rd out of their taproom). Georgetown gave shout outs to many who helped make it happen, including these locals: Hollingbery & Son Hops and Roy Farms.

'Tis the weekend for celebrating mamas, hunting down plants, and purchasing beverages that benefit We Are Yakima (shameless, we know).
 
Because YOU are an insider, we tell you things first, like when to obsessively refresh your web browser.

• Gilbert Cellars is releasing their "We Are Yakima" Unoaked Chardonnay early next week. It will be ready for local delivery or shipping via their online store. Be on the lookout on social or just, you know, keep refreshing that browser.

• Our other We Are Yakima partners, Tieton Cider Works, has the goods online and for pickup, and the Bale Breaker drive-thru this weekend is OPEN. Additional details down below.

Proceeds will benefit the We Are Yakima fund. Don't forget to refer someone you know in the food and beverage industry who has been negatively impacted the COVID-19 crisis so we can connect with them.
 
Lastly, send us a note if you are or a local business you know is selling masks, bonus if there is a local spin on them. We'd love to support a Yakima Valley business and halt the spread of the disease. (Did you know science says if 80 percent of the population wore masks, we could own this pandemic? Check out the Czech Republic, Israel, Hong Kong, and Singapore!) Sign us up.

We know we were just in your inboxes, but we can't help ourselves. Our local love persists.

There's so much: blooming plants, grilled asparagus with sprinkles of Guerra’s seasoning (ICYMI, they now sell a Guerra's box ONLINE.), two places to get Mercedes’ enchiladas, kids have space to be outside after Zoom school, and most importantly, we are figuring out how best to support one another, including fundraisers that are kicking in to help those who are impacted more than others during the pandemic.

Last week, we - with our friends at Bale Breaker Brewing Company - launched We Are Yakima, a referral-based fund that alleviates the financial burden of those in the food and beverage industry who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. You can learn more here.

Additionally, we are donating to La Casa Hogar and Nuestra Casa's Emergency Relief Fund, and we are on the lookout for #nofarmersnowine stickers. Like We Are Yakima, all donations and proceeds go directly to locals in need.

Please continue to shop small and local for your everyday purchases. If you have more in you, consider supporting one of any of the funds popping up with monetary donations, forward this email, purchase a We Are Yakima beverage, make some face masks for warehouse and farm workers.

Today, we launch We Are Yakima.

We Are Yakima is on a mission to alleviate the financial burden of those in the food and beverage industry who have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

We are a referral-based fund, founded as a collaboration with Bale Breaker Brewing Company. Gilbert Cellars and Tieton Cider Works have recently joined us, and we hope many others will, too.

If you or someone you know in the food and beverage industry is in need of financial assistance, head over here.

While we are in a perpetual loop of days à la Groundhog Day, each day is just a bit different, which is making us grateful for the small things. Like a few quiet minutes with a cup of coffee. Or the longer, warmer days. Or when your jeans still fit after four weeks of wearing only sweatpants.

What’s making us happy? McKinley Elementary’s music teacher Al Fischer has started a YouTube channel called McKinley Musical Moment, so his students – and anyone else! – can tune in, sing along, and stay connected. Now he’s got us singing along…(“Be a maverick…”). ere are so many local things we are loving on these days. Our shortlist for the week is below.

Helloooo April, where we will stay-at-home (but still go outside). When we get antsy, we remember, the flatter the curve, the better for the health and well-being of all, including our local and global economy.

We hope all of you are hanging in there.

To all the frontliners at grocery stores, farms, warehouses, clinics, hospitals, mental health offices, the city, and state: you are keeping us nourished, safe, and healthy. You are calming our minds. You are keeping our streets clear of trash, and our water and electricity flowing. THANK YOU. A thousand of these are not enough.

Onward.

Our motto these days: Every day is Small Business Saturday. There are so many local things we are loving on these days. Our shortlist for the week is below.

The world has changed at a wild speed, and we know many of us are just trying to catch up while social distancing and staying healthy. It’s challenging, and we're up to the challenge, along with so many of you.

We are beyond impressed with the ingenuity, kindness, flexibility, and generosity of our community. Local businesses are pivoting real-time in order to keep their businesses viable, and also serve the community.

Shout out to Ken and Jackie Schlieman from Premier Fitness, who are not only creating online videos of workouts but also loaning out their equipment (EVEN SPIN BIKES) to their members (um, who needs Peloton?). McIlrath Farm Market and Produce Delivery kicked into high gear and expanded their produce delivery and pickup service (you can also add local goods like bread, honey, and coffee to your box). And we have spied so many free meals for kids at restaurants and changing policies to accommodate this unique time.
 
This is what Yakima stands for, and we want to do what we can to help. We don’t have fitness equipment or healthy treats, but we do have a website. So, we’ve changed the Yakima365.com homepage into a Community Connector, where you can find all the information on our local establishments who are changing the way they do things.

With officially confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Yakima and a state of emergency for the city and county, we’re here to gently remind us how best to support our community, especially the most vulnerable. We are stronger together. We've got this.
 
That said, social distancing has proven to slow the pace of the virus, so avoid large gatherings, wash your hands, clean your phones, listen to the experts. Scroll down for links we've found useful.

Remember, if you do feel sick, stay home and call your doctor. Stay informed, stay healthy, and let’s keep our neighbors in mind now more than ever.

We've been plotting our spring and summer adventures, here and afar, following the keep calm and carry on mantra as it pertains to that pesky virus all over the news. But before planes, trains, and automobiles, we've got backyard adventures on the mind, like the Yakima Arboretum and close-by trails (we're thinking the Yakima Skyline Trail with a stop off at King's Row for a burger and onion rings this weekend). Got something we should check out? Tell us!

We can feel the days getting longer, and we are so down with it. We hope you are finding ways to enjoy the winter sun!

ICYMI, last week's newsletter was all about things we're looking forward to in the coming months. We spied a few more: High-Steppe Climbing Center, McIlrath Farms greenhouse goodies, the re-opening of the Stop and Go, and Rainier Square is getting another new hotel! The #dryside is expanding and growing. We like it.

Good people of Yakima: we've been on the interwebs, looking around, bookmarking things. Here's a run down of some of the things we are looking forward to checking out in the months to come. Got something we should know about?! Tell us about it!!

It’s been a minute. We’re glad to be back in your inbox.

The holidays were the perfect time for us to take a breath and a step back – we hope the same for you. Now, we’re just as energized as ever to continue where we left off in 2019, sharing our favorite Yakima bits and tips with you so you can find your Yakima. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over these last few years, it’s that our valley is full of distinct and varied viewpoints on this lovely place. As the saying goes, there’s something for everyone.

If you’re new to Yakima365, WELCOME! This is a spot where we unabashedly love on all things Yak. We share our completely biased thoughts on everything, from restaurants to our favorite place to get our cars washed.

Everything we write about and share with you has been vetted, visited, obsessed over, and yes, loved by us personally. In short, don't look to us for objective reporting, that's not how we roll. Also, we are not paid for our opinions.

Team Y365 has been taking it easy this holiday season. So easy, in fact, we are a bit behind on our shopping. We're not worried. There are plenty of local places for shopping. Are you in the same boat? This week, we have a few suggestions for last-minute gifts. 

And the end-of-the-year is a time of cash donations because 'tis the spirit of the season (and maybe you are looking to ease your tax burden). If this is you, check out our Give Local List, created in partnership with Sagebrush Kids.

Lastly, business friends, if you missed the release of our Shop Local List earlier this month, check it out! This is the first version, and we are adding to it in real-time. If you don't see your business listed and you are locally-owned, contact us here.

📷: TwinB/Instagram

We here at Y365 like to dominate the list-making game. We've got two new ones for you, in time for Cyber Week and #givingtuesday: Cyber Yakima and our Give Local List (created in partnership with Sagebrush Kids). Enjoy. 

Last week, we released our Shop Local List for the Yakima Valley in time for Small Business Saturday (yesterday). We got all the feels after seeing the response from locals and business owners alike. Please keep sharing and adding to the list.

Are you not on the Shop Local List, but want to be?! Contact us here. Also, if you are an online-only business, but located in the Yakima Valley, we want to hear from you! You support the local community and economy, too!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD

In light of it being National Native American Heritage Month, and in the spirit of this upcoming week, we thought it fitting to share this piece from time.com about the history of Thanksgiving. It's written by Sean Sherman, who is the founder and CEO of The Sioux Chef and the author of The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, which won the 2018 James Beard Award for best American cookbook. We are grateful for the re-frame and the reminder of the origin story of our Thanksgiving feasts, among other things.

We hope you celebrate the heck out of your turkey, tamales, rice, beans, squash, pumpkins, wedge salads, and the like. We are grateful for our community and the many ways in which we connect, be it over an event or a gas station eatery. There are amazing things in Yakima, including, of course, all of you.

📷: Mighty Tieton

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

"We're grateful to have CCC (Cowiche Canyon Conservancy) lands featured (a few times!) on Yakima365's recent 'Guide to Getting Outside'. It's a concise display of the diverse outdoor recreation options that exist within 30 minutes of downtown Yakima."

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, thanks for the 🙌 and for protecting our sparkling backyard! Yaki-friends, the CCC website is a fab resource. There are maps and tips about dogs and coyotes and bears. We highly recommend their newsletter so you can stay in touch with their happenings.

THIS MONTH

November is National Native American Heritage Month. It's a good time to head out to the Yakama Nation Cultural Center and taking a moment with local history.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

About Halloween 2019: "Barge-Chestnut folks, you are truly the best of the best. Thanks for giving kids and their families a chance to have such a great trick-or-treating experience." 🙌🙌

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

"It's cool." - one teenager's rave about the Union Gap Corn Maze. Add it to your October list of things to enjoy. We have more to say about this fun down below.

📷: Mighty Tieton

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

"That’s all I want to eat from now on." - In response to The Abundant Table's fancy meat and cheese spread. Start planning your next party so you can get in on this action.

📷: Lacie's Regret/Facebook

This week, we highlight local #girlpower because tomorrow is International Day of the Girl (Fri 10/11). And if you have post Fresh Hop Fest blues, not to worry, the calendar has so.much.stuff for you to check out. This weekend is a little, um, FULL.

Speaking of the calendar, as of today, we are 24 days to the end of Daylight Savings (November 3rd), 83 days to 2020, and 18 days to October 28th which is the last day to register to vote for the November 5th elections. Mark your calendars! Time is flying by.

Last week, we were waxing poetic about fall. This weekend, we got a taste of winter and all we can say is BRRRR. Hope you stayed warm.

This week, you - our Insider-friends - get the password for a sneak peek at our brand new Guide to Getting Outside. We tell you about our recent visit to the YWCA, and we've got a new business shout-out. Lots of things happening as always, so don't stop scrolling until you peruse the calendar.

Fall is in full swing. The crisp mornings and shorter days are reminding us to slow down a bit. It's been a big year of building and launching. And while we are winding down, the calendar is doing the complete opposite. The Valley is a HAPPENING place. Fall and winter events are lining up and while we highlight some things here, we can't do it all, so make sure you check the full calendar out. Happy Thursday, friends.

- ❤️ Team IHY

We've been up to fun fall things. Today, in partnership with the Fresh Hop Group, we are excited to pre-launch the Locals Guide to the Fresh Hop Ale Fest, exclusively available to YOU, our beloved insiders. Password: WEGROWYOURBEER. Give this to your west side buddies who are visiting the dry side to try out the fresh hop ales.