Fisherman’s Table replica ready to be viewed

At long last, the replica of the Fisherman’s Table is ready to be viewed. Bellingham-based company The Sign Post hung the replica in the meeting room of the Blaine Harbor Boating Center on June 17.

The community is welcome to attend the dedication of the replica at the boating center on Saturday, June 22 from 1 to 3 p.m. It will be an informal open house-style event, and cookies and coffee will be served.

The project has been ongoing for months, as the Blaine Fisherman’s Memorial Committee, Whatcom County artist Jim Williamson and Dave Freeman of AMS Print and Mail came together to recreate the legendary Fisherman’s Table once located at the Harbor Café.

The original table used to sit in the center of a room at Harbor Café, which was a gathering place for members of Blaine’s fishing community. Harbor Café eventually closed for financial reasons. The original table, engraved with the names of local fisherman alongside illustrations of renowned local fishing boats, is now hung at the Blaine Fisherman’s Memorial along Marine Drive.

However, the original table has faded and yellowed over the years. The names have blurred together, and the illustrations have retreated into the wood. This is why Gary Dunster, chairman of the Blaine Fisherman’s Memorial Committee, decided to lead an effort to create a replica of the table, one that time and sun couldn’t take away from the community.

The replica is framed behind UV-resistant acrylic. It cost roughly $1,200 to produce.

“This has been a huge project,” said Dunster. “It has taken the cooperation of a lot of people.”

Though Harbor Café owner Joe Slevin has passed away, his family wrote a check for $700 to support the project. The committee has also been able to raise nearly $900 from sales of prints of the Fisherman’s Table. These prints will be available for pick-up and purchase at the open house on Saturday, June 22.