Behind the Sign

February 9, 2021

Tales From the Magic Skagit: Remembering Neil Hall

Neil Hall has probably forgotten more about trees than I’ll ever know. He is also personally responsible for the identification of scores of unique trees that found root in Skagit Valley soil in the wake of the westward migration, some of which he has since propagated through his nursery business. If you want to know just how much Neil loves trees, he once chained himself to one to keep it from being torn down. Neil passed away in January. This is a tribute to his memory.

December 8, 2020

Tales From the Magic Skagit: The Padilla Bay Reserve

Drive just 15 minutes west of I-5 in the Magic Skagit and you’ll find yourself on the edge of the Salish Sea. And tucked just off of Bayview-Edison Road, a bit north of my daughter’s little hamlet of Bay View, you’ll find the Padilla Bay Reserve.

September 2, 2020

Tales From the Magic Skagit: Confessions of a Fair Wrangler

Even for a self-professed “Type A” personality such as Aric Gaither’s, pulling off the Skagit County Fair every year induces a level of stress for which the motivating compensation is the sheer love of the outcome, and the promise of retreating to the mountains upon its conclusion. It’s a cycle that has defined Aric’s professional life since being thrust into his current role at a pivotal point in the Fair’s history.

August 14, 2020

Tales From the Magic Skagit: Valley of Our Spirits

The inspiration for the 20-foot metal sculpture that rises compellingly over the plaza of Mount Vernon’s Riverwalk, at the west end of Gates Street, is one that goes back 170 years. Its origin story was bequeathed to its designer, artist and Upper Skagit tribal member Jay Bowen, by his great-great-grandfather and is at the heart of the totem pole that he and two fellow artists created known as "Valley of Our Spirits."

Tales From the Magic Skagit: A Tulip Poplar Grows in Mount Vernon (Pt. 2)

In Part 2 of our story about one of the most magnificent trees of the Skagit Valley, we’ll work our way a little deeper into the mists of time in telling its story — and we’ll invite you to help us fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Tales from the Magic Skagit: A (Tulip Poplar) Tree Grows in Mount Vernon (Pt. 1)

I’ve been curious about the origins of Mount Vernon’s epic tulip poplar for a long time now, and it occurred to me that it really begged for a story. And who better than another long time resident of Mount Vernon to tell this story than Meyer Sign & Advertising.

A Corona Moment with Jeremy Stanek

As with all of our “Corona Moment” interviews, I started mine with owner Jeremy Stenak by asking how the family business was faring during the lockdown. I was relieved to hear his answer.

A Corona Moment with Dean Snider

We care a lot about our local YMCA -- and not just because we did their signage. We care because the Y touches so many lives here in the Skagit Valley, including our own. We wanted to know how the Y was doing during the current pandemic, so we called up the one person who would be in the best position to know: its executive director, Dean Snider.

A “Corona Moment” with Derek Wyckoff

In this “Corona Moment with Derek Wyckoff” of Mount Vernon's 192 Brewing Company, we offer this dispatch from the pandemic front lines of Skagit Valley businesses, starting with the most important question we could ask: can we still get beer?

February 4, 2020

Citizens Academy: Inside Cop Class

Meyer Sign & Advertising is pleased to sponsor an upcoming blog series that will take our readers “behind the scenes” of how law enforcement works in Mount Vernon. With the blessing and cooperation of Chief Chris Cammock and the Mount Vernon Police Department, our series will follow the 12-week program known as Citizens Academy -- now in its 26th year!

December 11, 2019

It’s More Than Fun to Stay at the (Skagit Valley Family) YMCA!

When we look back on our communal life in 2019, one of the high points of the year will undoubtedly be the opening of the new YMCA facility. It will certainly be a memorable experience for the organization’s executive director, Dean Snider.

For Derek Wyckoff, Brewing An Epic Beer Is as Easy as 1-9-2

The inspiration for 192 Brewing Co., located at the south end of 2nd Street in Mount Vernon, came about as the result of an amateur […]

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