From Tulips to Snowfields: What Makes Skagit County Perfect Year-Round

Are you ready to uncover Skagit County’s hidden treasures? Join host Scott Cowan as he chats with Kristen Keltz, CEO of the Skagit Tourism Bureau, to explore everything this remarkable region has to offer—from breathtaking landscapes and charming small towns to vibrant cultural events and unique culinary experiences.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

1. Skagit County’s Hidden Gems
2. Think you know Skagit? Think again! Kristen shares the lesser-known highlights of the area, including delightful towns like Edison and Concrete, incredible hiking spots, and awe-inspiring views that stretch from the water to the mountains.
3. Coffee, Food, and Local Flavor
4. Whether sipping coffee at cozy shops like Penguin Coffee or enjoying a meal featuring locally sourced ingredients, Skagit County is a foodie’s dream. Kristen dishes out her top recommendations to fuel your next adventure.
5. The Iconic Tulip Festival and Beyond
6. While the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is world-famous, Kristen reveals why every season in Skagit County offers something special—from vibrant summer markets to winter birdwatching and holiday magic in its charming towns.
7. Tourism’s Role in the Community
8. Kristen explains how tourism fuels Skagit County’s economy and helps create lasting memories for visitors, highlighting the importance of sustainable travel practices.
9. Why Skagit Feels Like Home
10. From her early days in hospitality to becoming the CEO of the Skagit Tourism Bureau, Kristen’s deep-rooted love for the region shines through as she shares what makes it unique.

Why You Should Listen:

Whether you’re planning your next weekend getaway or love hearing about incredible places, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration. Kristen’s passion for Skagit County will make you itching to pack your bags and discover this magical destination.

Your Next Steps:

• Visit Skagit County: Plan your trip today! Explore hidden gems, savor local flavors, and experience a slower, more connected way of life.
• Explore Events: Visit Skagit Valley.com to check out its exciting lineup of events, from lighted boat parades to scenic winter hikes.
• Follow the Podcast: Don’t miss a single episode! Subscribe to the Exploring Washington State Podcast for more stories, tips, and travel inspiration.
• Share the Love: Know someone who loves discovering new places? Share this episode and help spread the magic of Skagit County!

Tune in now and discover why Skagit County is more than just a stop along I-5—a destination that deserves exploring. Click play and start your adventure!

Kristen Keltz Episode Transcript

Scott Cowan [00:00:04]:

Hello, friends, and welcome to the Exploring Washington State podcast. My name is Scott Cowan, and I’m the host of the show. Each episode, I have a conversation with an interesting guest who is living in or from Washington State. These are casual conversations with real and interesting people. I think you’re gonna like the show. So let’s jump right in with today’s guest. After many hours of technical difficulty, Kristen Keltz and I finally decided to hit record. I’m exaggerating.

Scott Cowan [00:00:32]:

It was just a few minutes. Kristen is the CEO for the Skagit Tourism Bureau. So, Kristen, welcome.

Kristen Keltz [00:00:38]:

Thank you for having me. I’m very excited to sit down and and chat with you today.

Scott Cowan [00:00:42]:

So I what’s the let me ask let’s let me ask this clarifying question. What is the difference between the Skagit Tourism Bureau and the Chambers of Commerces in Skagit County?

Kristen Keltz [00:00:55]:

Oh, that is a great question, and I think I can speak to that probably pretty clearly as I served as the CEO for the Mount Vernon Chamber for, gosh, nearly 14 years.

Scott Cowan [00:01:06]:

Oh,

Kristen Keltz [00:01:06]:

wow. So our chambers of commerce serve a very crucial role, in each of our communities. We’ve got 6 chambers of commerce, and they are really, integral in our business community. So they’re providing, you know, networking opportunities, government advocacy, workforce development, you know, all of those crucial things within those. They’re a membership organization. They do, have, you know, a little bit of marketing arms to to market their cities, and so we partner very closely with them. While the the tourism bureau is that destination management organization, and so we look at the entire county, we don’t have membership. We’ve got our stakeholders in which we represent the tourism business.

Kristen Keltz [00:01:58]:

Right? We are here to promote overnight stays and experiences in Skagit Valley, for those businesses. So, you know, there there might be a couple tiny things we overlap in, but we work very, very, closely and and hand in hand on. Yeah. So we, you know, work you know, I work closely with their workforce development, arms because, obviously, hospitality is a huge driver of jobs in our community. And, so, yeah, I think they they they serve a, a a really key role and and but definitely different, missions and focuses for sure.

Scott Cowan [00:02:37]:

So we were introduced through through Katie who works for PR firm that you guys are organizing with. So she probably didn’t warn you that, I’ll ask a question, you’ll answer me, and then I’m gonna go in a completely different direction. You you answered a question there about tourism being, you know, important for, employment. Ballpark, what is the percentage, that tourism plays in in Skagit County?

Kristen Keltz [00:03:05]:

It it plays a a pretty decent, role. I do have those numbers. I will, actually, I can

Scott Cowan [00:03:13]:

Okay. I’m just curious what you know, it’s it’s interesting because so I grew up in the Tacoma area, Pierce County.

Kristen Keltz [00:03:19]:

Mhmm.

Scott Cowan [00:03:19]:

And, when I think of Skagit County, I kind of I think of the 5 miles on either side of I 5. Okay?

Kristen Keltz [00:03:29]:

Mhmm.

Scott Cowan [00:03:30]:

I I I think, you know, Mount Vernon, I think L’Connor, there’s a place in Conway called the Conway Muse, which is a great musical venue. I love going up there to see live music. Yep. I I didn’t even realize that this is embarrassing. I didn’t even really think that concrete was in Skagit County in so I’m I’m telling you that my perception of Skagit County is this narrow corridor. There’s much more to it than that.

Kristen Keltz [00:03:59]:

Much, much more. So, so the the share of employment for tourism is almost 4%. So it it’s a pretty a pretty decent share

Scott Cowan [00:04:09]:

Yeah.

Kristen Keltz [00:04:10]:

For that. So, you know, and that is hospitality, jobs, restaurants, you know, attractions, tour companies, things like that. So while it’s not, you know, our top, it definitely has an impact, in our communities. But, yeah, we we cover a vast amount of geography in Skagit Valley. All the way from Anacortes, all the way up, you know, past New Halem, up into Diablo, as you get into, you know, the pass at highway twenty and everything in between. So, we always like to say, if you’re a local, you know you’re coming home when you come over that hill and Conway off of I five. And, you know, you see the valley and it just kinda opens up and you can see the the water on, you know, to the west and the mountains to the east, and, it’s a pretty vast and amazing county that we cover.

Scott Cowan [00:05:05]:

Yeah. The the the topography there is different. Mhmm. It’s just in I yeah. And which is a good thing, by the way. That’s a that’s a good different, not a Yeah. It’s just interesting to me. When I was in college, I had friends that have a house in Bow.

Scott Cowan [00:05:22]:

So we’d go up there once again driving through the highway park just not and it’s just interesting to me the differences. Yesterday when we were talking on the phone you made the comment and I’m paraphrasing for you basically from the sea to the mountains, and I had never really once again, yes, I thought of it, but I’ve never connected the dots if you will. And then now you said, you know, Diablo, and I’m like, you guys go all the way, which makes perfect sense that you would go up there because Okanagan County is on the other side. It doesn’t creep over the the summit, so it makes sense. Alright.

Kristen Keltz [00:05:59]:

Yeah. There’s a there’s a little piece and we tease. We have a great relationship with our neighbors, you know, to the North in Whatcom County, but there’s a small piece that kinda comes down, you know, and and you and you cross into Whatcom County and then come back into Skagit. But, you know, we we tease them that we’ll just claim that as our own, since, you know, you can’t really get there from Whatcom County anyway. So

Scott Cowan [00:06:20]:

Yeah. When we were laying out the maps who would’ve, you know, sometimes we question the whole, like, you know, alright. What got you into what’s your career path? Like, fast forward, you know, let’s do it really super compressed, but how did you become the CEO of the of the bureau? What what led you here?

Kristen Keltz [00:06:41]:

So, I I I everybody teases me that, my career path led me to this seat. It really just could not have been any better. So I started in the hospitality industry, working when I was going to Scatter Valley College, I was working at a small little boutique hotel, in O’Connor. I then moved to, a a larger convention hotel in Mount Vernon, worked there for about, 8 years, and, you know, moved my myself up the ranks from front desk to to front desk manager and then director of sales and marketing, did a lot of statewide work with, the Best Western Co op team. And, and then we had the opportunity to to take the helm at the Mount Vernon Chamber, and that really opened a lot of doors. And, you know, after I left there, I got back into hospitality. I just kinda seemed to gravitate towards that. It’s just a really, great passion of mine.

Kristen Keltz [00:07:46]:

Spent about 6 years with a a hotel management company, as their regional, director of sales and marketing overseeing a a team of 9, sales or 9 hotels with, sales team. And then did a brief stint as the CEO of Spinach Bus Venture Group. My husband is a partner at that venture capital company, and they own some tourism related companies, a tulip farm and a retail garden center and a kind of flour mill. And so that was really educational and, spent a couple of years doing that. And when this position opened up, I had really, been kind of a part of this whole building of this organization and getting things going. And and I got a little bit of a nudge, and and folks said, hey. This just is really where you need to be. And and it it has by far been the best decision I think I have ever made in my entire career.

Scott Cowan [00:08:44]:

So so how long have you been sitting in that seat?

Kristen Keltz [00:08:47]:

January 1, 2024. So just under a year.

Scott Cowan [00:08:51]:

Just under a year. Okay. Well, that’s you know, in most jobs after 11 months or so, words are recording this, you know, sometimes the honeymoon period’s over and we’re like, okay. Now it’s a job, but you seem genuinely like, this is where you should be.

Kristen Keltz [00:09:06]:

This is definitely, yeah, definitely where I should be. I absolutely love it. Every day is you know, we’re working on some great projects and, everything’s, you know, fun, and we’re doing things to help support people in their businesses and, you know, create jobs and and help, people, you know, keep keep jobs in this industry that I have been a part of for, you know, better 30 years. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:09:34]:

Let me I I kinda have a rhythm, but you you’ve thrown me off and so I’m gonna I’m gonna no. No. No. That’s actually okay. This is gonna be kind of fun. And because you just, you just, she’s drinking coffee everyone, I just have to disclose that. So since she’s drinking coffee, I have to ask the question I normally ask much later in the conversation, but put you on the spot. Skagit County, you can’t I know you’re not gonna name 1, I’m not asking you to name 1.

Scott Cowan [00:10:01]:

I’m gonna ask you to give me some choices. I love coffee and I’m gonna challenge you. This is the challenge, this is a little variation of my question. Remember I told you my my knowledge of Skagit County is kind of the I5 thing? Yep. Stretched me out of my comfort zone, but help me find coffee in Skagit County. We’re some great coffee shops up there.

Kristen Keltz [00:10:19]:

Oh my gosh. We I I could probably spend an entire, half hour segment on

Scott Cowan [00:10:25]:

Let’s do it. Pull a

Kristen Keltz [00:10:26]:

little pull a little coffee shops, in the valley. You know, Anacortes, is, you know, a waterfront community and just really quaint. They’ve got this amazing historic downtown area and, know, some great coffee shops down there. They’ve got, you know, Penguin Coffee. They’ve got a really cool coffee shop with that’s inside of a bookstore Mhmm. That is you walk in, and it’s just you could just get this feeling of cozy, fun, where you can just sit and grab a book. You know, people meet up there all the time. It’s, yeah, it’s, Pelican Bay, books.

Kristen Keltz [00:11:17]:

It’s just phenomenal. There’s, you know, of course, downtown Mount Vernon. There’s Pelican Bay or I just said that, Ristretto Coffee

Scott Cowan [00:11:27]:

Mhmm.

Kristen Keltz [00:11:27]:

Downtown is in a meeting spot. You know, just everyone you go there and you we’ve got Woodby Coffee, in Burlington that they built a really cool, the fireplace and couches and a a little meeting room where people meet up and Mhmm. You you go in. And, again, I love walking in and seeing everybody I know. And yeah. So, Sujalwuli, we’ve got and and I’m gonna fail on the name of it, but there’s a a really cute little coffee shop, at a at a pharmacy. And so it you know, people have gotten so creative. Schaffner Pharmacy, and they’ve got just a little coffee shop.

Kristen Keltz [00:12:19]:

You can grab a coffee. They’ve got a little gift shop, and and folks are grabbing their things. So, yeah. It it’s just, you know, every community, you know, folks have just done a really great job and, you know, all the Beau, you can go up to concrete and, you know

Scott Cowan [00:12:38]:

Okay. Help me out here. I’m gonna put you on the spot.

Kristen Keltz [00:12:40]:

K.

Scott Cowan [00:12:41]:

First off, I’m gonna add add a comment. Number 1, books and coffee kind of cliched Mhmm. Well done. And I’m a coffee nut. I love coffee. In fact, I wrote a series of articles, a 100 coffee shops in a 100 days. I traveled the state, went to a you know, so a lot of these places that you’ve named I’ve heard of or have been to, I have never in my travels heard of a coffee shop in a pharmacy. Like, that to me is like, okay, there we go.

Scott Cowan [00:13:08]:

Not not a combo that I think goes together. Putting you on the spot though, concrete. I drove through there this spring. I drove over the North Cascades for the first time ever, which was Oh, it’s not even And we’ve talked about that a lot on the episodes. I’ll spare everybody my my gushing for the Cascades highway. If you haven’t done it, you’re don’t wait. I regret my choices. I stopped in concrete because I wanted coffee.

Kristen Keltz [00:13:35]:

Okay?

Scott Cowan [00:13:36]:

And I was a little disappointed that there was I wasn’t welcomed with a dozen coffee shops. I it’s you know, I’m kidding. But I I did find one place, and I’m gonna put you on the spot because I can’t think of the name of it.

Kristen Keltz [00:13:48]:

Was it was it 5 B’s Bakery?

Scott Cowan [00:13:50]:

Yes. It was. Yep. I was so so one question I didn’t ask you earlier. So have you lived your entire life in Skagit County, basically?

Kristen Keltz [00:14:00]:

I have been here about 31 years. Okay. But I was born and raised in Oak Harbor, so I didn’t really go too far. So Carver’s, you know, 45 minute drive away.

Scott Cowan [00:14:12]:

Right. So you you you you’re you’re a local. I mean, you’re by me. Okay. Why on earth is there a gluten free business in concrete Washington that is blew my mind. My wife eats gluten free. Mhmm. And so I brought home a box full of gluten free desserts which, you know, I earned good points.

Scott Cowan [00:14:35]:

That place is amazing, but Concrete Washington, I would have never expected that ever.

Kristen Keltz [00:14:40]:

Yeah. It is amazing. They, I think they do some wholesale, but, yeah, they are and every time I go there, they are busy. People know about them. They’ve really made a name for themselves in that, you know, gluten free market. And, yeah, you eat stuff and you’re like, this does not at all taste gluten free.

Scott Cowan [00:15:03]:

No. I had no idea what I was going into. I just walked in and say, hey. They have coffee. I’m gonna go in, you know. And and I walk into this place and I started talking to somebody and she explains to me that everything in here is gluten free and I’m like, what? Yeah. And it was in concrete. And no disrespect to concrete, it’s just not something that’s something I expect to see in, like, Seattle, Bellingham, Olympia, Spokane, not in a small little community.

Kristen Keltz [00:15:32]:

Mhmm. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:15:32]:

That was a pleasant surprise.

Kristen Keltz [00:15:34]:

Yeah. No. It’s yeah. Concrete has really, emerged as it just an amazing little town. I don’t know if you saw, you know, the concrete theater.

Scott Cowan [00:15:45]:

I did

Kristen Keltz [00:15:45]:

not see that. They have a, they’ve got a historic, theater that a a couple purchased several years ago that, you know, Val was born and raised in concrete and went away and then came back, and they purchased this building and, have, you know, restored it. It’s incredible. They do a lot ton of community events and stuff there.

Scott Cowan [00:16:07]:

Right.

Kristen Keltz [00:16:08]:

And then they created an ice cream shop right next to it. And they have the best ice cream they, bring in from Wisconsin. Let me tell you, if you’re an ice cream connoisseur, it’s pretty phenomenal.

Scott Cowan [00:16:22]:

I’m not a connoisseur, but I’m a consumer. So that’s I win. There you go. I’m gonna win there. Alright. Yeah. So you’re telling me that the the county throughout the county, we’ve, you know, most of our communities, we’ve got some interesting little coffee shops. Now, for you personally, when you go to and you’re having coffee, what’s your go to coffee drink?

Kristen Keltz [00:16:43]:

I’m pretty boring. I have one drink. I’m not really allowed to have a lot of caffeine, so I have a single Americano with caramel sauce. It has to be the real caramel, and cream. So that’s that’s my order.

Scott Cowan [00:16:59]:

And now during the summer, you’re not deviating, you’re not doing an iced version, you’re you’re you’re you’re a you’re a hot coffee drinker.

Kristen Keltz [00:17:07]:

I’m a hot coffee drinker.

Scott Cowan [00:17:08]:

There’s no I drink. Yeah. I am a black coffee all the time. That’s, you know

Kristen Keltz [00:17:13]:

Yep.

Scott Cowan [00:17:14]:

Okay. Cool. Alright. So the other question I always ask in tandem to this, once again, I want you to kind of, you know, put your thinking cap on. Lunchtime, I’m gonna get I’m a you’re you’re gonna pull me off of the I 5 corridor though, I guess, unless you tell me there’s some place that I need to check out. But where’s where’s some great places for lunch?

Kristen Keltz [00:17:32]:

Again, that one could be an all day thing. Our restaurant scene is magical, especially the fact that we have so many restaurants and chefs that are utilizing local Skagit Valley produce and items that are grown here, our berries, our, you know, our vegetables, things like that that they’re integrating into their menus. It’s just spectacular. The seafood, you know, Taylor shellfish is just right right up the road here. Yep. So I let’s see. I’ll start in Anacortes, of course. You know, during the summer, the rooftop bar out at Majestic is phenomenal.

Kristen Keltz [00:18:14]:

The views are amazing. The food is great. Anacortes is really in the last, gosh, probably 3 to 5 years. Some of the restaurants they have are just phenomenal, known as Italian and, yeah. The list could go on, and I’m gonna get in trouble for naming names. La Conner. Oh my gosh. Quite again, below Waterfront.

Kristen Keltz [00:18:38]:

They’re right on the channel. Knellthorn, phenomenal food. Just I’ve never ever had a bad meal there. La Conner Seafood and Prime Rib, They’ve just done some spectacular things there, the brewery in Laconner. Gosh. Chuckanut Drive, you’ve got, you know, Chuckanut Manor has the absolute best. We’ll just go up for lunch and have oyster, Oyster Rockefeller. I meant spectacular.

Kristen Keltz [00:19:10]:

I’m getting hungry now. Thanks a lot.

Scott Cowan [00:19:12]:

Yeah. Okay.

Kristen Keltz [00:19:14]:

Yeah. We really, if you want authentic Mexican food, Koa’s kind of a go to for us. Viri and her team do amazing. She’s got restaurants in La Conner and Mount Vernon and Bellingham.

Scott Cowan [00:19:28]:

So if you go there, what’s your what what are you grabbing? What’s your what’s your lunchtime dish for my sister? What do you

Kristen Keltz [00:19:33]:

like? I I do the enchiladas with the poblano sauce. Yeah. So that’s pretty good. And then I just eat a little bit, and then I have leftovers for dinner.

Scott Cowan [00:19:42]:

Perfect. Yeah. So what you’re telling me is that I have an abundance of choices.

Kristen Keltz [00:19:48]:

You have an abundance of choices, and I haven’t even made it to Burlington or Seager Woolley or Beau. You know?

Scott Cowan [00:19:55]:

I’m trying to think this this trip I took over the North Cascades. I came over we actually came over on opening day, not not because we wanted to be special, but because I was taking my son up to Bellingham. And so that turned into I had to take him to Blaine. So I dropped him off in Blaine and I stayed in Burlington overnight and I drove back the next day. And I ate at some little cafe in Cedro Woolley, for breakfast and I wish I could re remember the name of it. And I hadn’t been in cedarwoodley since I was a kid. And that downtown is pretty cool. And I I like I like the wood carvings everywhere and all, but I eat at this unnamed local and I was the only guy in there that didn’t look like I was a lager.

Scott Cowan [00:20:46]:

I mean, it was and I kinda look like a lager. So, you know, I but, you know, it was obvious I wasn’t the local. And I think I’m still full from that meal, 6 months later. I mean, it was just crazy.

Kristen Keltz [00:20:58]:

Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:20:59]:

But I also the other thing that I did that day that I had never been to was the Northern State Hospital and I walked around the grounds. Oh. And how interesting to me that that place is both how well it’s maintained in the sense, like, the the pathways to walk are great and

Kristen Keltz [00:21:19]:

Yep.

Scott Cowan [00:21:21]:

You know, I meandered around probably for an hour. And I I’m not a great photographer, but I took some what I think are some really cool I got lucky, you know, blind squirrel can find it in that once in a while, I got lucky with great photos there. And, yeah, I just had a really that’s a very, storied place.

Kristen Keltz [00:21:40]:

Yes, it is.

Scott Cowan [00:21:42]:

And, I think it’s interesting. But really why we agreed, you know, we were working together and we’re way off target, but so I’m gonna force myself to go back to target. The reason you and I were gonna talk today is we wanted to talk about the the holiday season here in Skagit County. Because once again, I have a layman’s view of Skagit County. I think of the Tulip Festival. I that’s that’s kind of to me the iconic thing of Skagit County, which I it probably is because you guys have those amazing tool fields.

Kristen Keltz [00:22:13]:

Yep.

Scott Cowan [00:22:14]:

But I think I’ve been missing out and sleeping on the holidays up there.

Kristen Keltz [00:22:21]:

We’ve got a lot going on. All again, we have, and I’ve been, you know, obviously, I have this position now. I and when I travel, I look through with a different lens. And so I come back, and I realize we just have so many special places and and places that I think people don’t get to experience. So all of our downtowns are so unique and so special. And so all of these holiday festivities, you know, I know that so many communities do great tree lightings and do all of the things. But, I think that we have something that, you know, folks don’t get in some of the bigger cities. You know, you really do.

Kristen Keltz [00:23:09]:

Is doing this weekend their Hallmark Christmas, where they’ve got, you know, some local, markets and, you know, Santa’s gonna light their they have a giant giant when I say giant, probably 50 foot tree in the center of town that’s in the street. It’s just in the middle of the street, and they’ll light that up, and do their their their parade. You know, downtown Mount Vernon has their, you know, lighted Christmas parade on Sunday, and, you know, Burlington lights the the tree. Everybody just has these really cool holiday traditions that they do. La Conner does a lighted boat parade where the boats, you know, come by with, you know, all lit up and that’s so cool. You know, Anacortes has their crab pot tree to, you know, that is just it’s built with crab pots to, you know, really honor honor the tradition of our, you know, fishermen and and our, you know, crabbers in the area. And then, you know, just all of the local shopping from, you know, all of these folks that live and work, in our community that that own these small businesses that we can support. And, so a lot of these holiday things are just so special.

Kristen Keltz [00:24:24]:

We’ve got this weekend that our children’s museum puts on this huge winter wonderland and that includes reindeer and Santa Claus, and they they truck snow in from Mount Baker. And, it’s a pretty epic and spectacular event that, you know, we hope people from all over travel to come. So, I I think the holidays are are are pretty special, here. So

Scott Cowan [00:24:49]:

Well, in on on this the Skagit Valley, the visit Skagit Valley website, you’ve got this this article on a holiday magic in the Skagit Valley, your ultimate return escape. And I’m I’m chuckling because I’m in Wenatchee right now. Right? And that’s where I live, and it’s we’re recording this in early December, and I don’t have any snow on the ground. And, you know, and one of the headlines is winter hiking and snowshoeing in the Skagit Valley. Once again, never think of snowshoeing in Skagit Valley. I just won’t think of it, but yet, go east. There we are.

Kristen Keltz [00:25:19]:

Yeah. Yeah. You’ve got yeah. Yeah. We’ve and we we’ve got the North Cascades Mountains. Right? Yeah. You know, 45 minutes to an hour drive east of us. So Yeah.

Kristen Keltz [00:25:29]:

Lots of different, you know, snowmobiling activities. You know, there’s some cross country skiing, snowshoeing, opportunities.

Scott Cowan [00:25:37]:

Is that

Kristen Keltz [00:25:38]:

I have. It’s not top on my list, as I will say. I’m I’m more of a warm weather person. So but, you know, if I have the right people that are, taking us out, we will we will do it. But You

Scott Cowan [00:25:51]:

have a choice. Yeah. Snowmobiling, cross country skiing, or, snowshoeing. What are you gonna pick?

Kristen Keltz [00:25:59]:

Probably cross country skiing. That’s pretty fun. I do like I do like that.

Scott Cowan [00:26:04]:

Okay. Are you a downhill skier at all? Do you go up to baton?

Kristen Keltz [00:26:07]:

I use I used to be. Okay. I have not done that in years. My my husband is an assistant basketball coach. So usually from about the 1st December to March, we are at basketball games on the weekends. And so that’s

Scott Cowan [00:26:24]:

So pretty good.

Kristen Keltz [00:26:24]:

Kinda what we do.

Scott Cowan [00:26:26]:

Okay. Alright.

Kristen Keltz [00:26:28]:

And I have a grandbaby now, so grandma can’t be getting hurt on this on the, you know, on the hill. You

Scott Cowan [00:26:36]:

got responsibilities.

Kristen Keltz [00:26:37]:

I got responsibilities. Awesome. So

Scott Cowan [00:26:43]:

we have a on on our website, we have a a statewide events calendar, and we are able to import things from other organizations’ events calendars. Basically, well, stealing, but we’re not profiting from it in the sense that we’re we’re just trying to help amplify the word out for everybody. Mhmm. But one of the places that we get a lot of events from is is your your children’s museum up there. What in your opinion makes that place so prolific and special? Because there’s a lot of children’s museums around the state, and I don’t get as much content from other museums as we seem to get from that museum. Yeah. What what do you what can you tell me about that museum?

Kristen Keltz [00:27:25]:

The this museum, our staff is absolutely incredible. Kate has been with the museum, I think since day 1. She is phenomenal. Kate and and her team, they just they know what they’re doing. They have curated and created an atmosphere that people want to be. They have added programs that fit our community. It’s just they they’ve really done a great job with that place. So, you know, we love obviously taking our little grants on there and, you know, I mean, they’ve got a a Peterbilt truck inside and a tugboat and, you know, all of these really cool things where kids get to actually climb inside and experience some of the things that we have in our valley.

Scott Cowan [00:28:17]:

So you’re telling me that they’ve got a Peterbilt truck, and they let the kids climb on this thing?

Kristen Keltz [00:28:22]:

In it and drive it and honk the horn and push the buttons. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:28:26]:

Alright. So I need to warn you that I am totally teasing when I say this now. Okay? So this is attempted humor, don’t take me seriously. But what is with you guys up there? And I say that because one of my big takeaways at the Northern State Museum was the old barns. You can yes. They say do not enter, but there’s nothing stopping you from entering the barns. Well, you know people are gonna walk. Right? And so I’m walking through these buildings, and I almost got hit in the head and not complaining.

Scott Cowan [00:28:56]:

I’m just saying, I almost got hit in the head because a piece of pipe was hanging down. So these are these are in today’s sanitized world where everything is, you know, plexiglass off, we can’t touch anything, Up in Skagit County, I can go walk through abandoned barns that have pipes hanging down and you’re letting kids play in trucks. What’s going on up there?

Kristen Keltz [00:29:16]:

Oh, I meant they, you know, the the truck is not going anywhere, and they’ve made it safe. And, no, it it gives you it it is phenomenal. I mean, when they first started I mean, I remember when they first started having the conversations about it, and we thought, like, this is the absolute coolest thing ever. And then how often do kids get to climb up into a semi truck and see what it looks like inside and play with it? It’s phenomenal.

Scott Cowan [00:29:41]:

That’s yeah. And I think that’s I think that’s awesome. I think we have gone so far to protect ourselves from ourselves that we’ve taken exploring out of the equation. So I’m just laughing because, believe me, when I came back from from that trip, the yes. I wasn’t completely blown away by the North Cascades, but I was also more surprised by the fact that I could walk around these buildings that had

Kristen Keltz [00:30:07]:

Mhmm.

Scott Cowan [00:30:08]:

Broken glass and beams hanging down in rotting wood, and they’re amazing. And it’s not a complaint. And I hope that they don’t ever sanitize that space. It’s not it’s not unsafe. I don’t know like that. Yeah.

Kristen Keltz [00:30:19]:

No.

Scott Cowan [00:30:19]:

No. But in today’s day and age, it’s like, oh my god. It’s not Disneyland. Yeah.

Kristen Keltz [00:30:22]:

The history of that place is it’s it’s just fun to walk around and think like, oh my gosh. What was this like, you know, 30 years ago, 40 years ago?

Scott Cowan [00:30:32]:

Even more than that. But yeah. I mean, it’s just it’s just crazy. So I’m just teasing that, you know, County, you guys, I like this. You’re letting them play in trucks and go in barns and all that. Yep. The tugboat, now are you telling me it’s a full size is this a working tug that they brought indoors, or is this a replica?

Kristen Keltz [00:30:48]:

Or I think at I think at one time it was. It’s the shell.

Scott Cowan [00:30:51]:

Okay.

Kristen Keltz [00:30:52]:

And they have it set, and there’s stairs that they you know, you climb up to go on the stairs, and you can go in and, you know, drive it. Yeah. It’s, yeah, it’s pretty fun.

Scott Cowan [00:31:01]:

Why do kids get to have all the fun? Why can’t we do that? You know? Come on.

Kristen Keltz [00:31:04]:

Hey. My husband and I go up and climb around with there’s there’s no signs that say no parents or no grandparents.

Scott Cowan [00:31:11]:

Alright. Alright. Alright. I like this. Help me out because I’ve I’ve I’ve mentioned this multiple times about how my my narrow perception is the the I5 corridor. What am I missing up there? You know, I’m not trying to put you on the spot and and say, you know, but for somebody, so the listener that’s sitting, they’re listening to this podcast and maybe they’re in Seattle or Spokane, you know, you know, maybe down in Vancouver, maybe in Tri Cities and they’re thinking about, you know, we wanna do a weekend getaway And sure, we’ve all heard of Anacortes, we’ve all heard of Mount Vernon, you know, and and those are awesome. But what aren’t people aware of that they’re they’re missing out on?

Kristen Keltz [00:31:55]:

Oh, gosh. There are probably a ton of things that, we could talk about. You know, there’s, you know, Edison, this cute little town with that’s got the bread farm that makes just incredible, you know, bread and pastries and things like that using local, you know, flours from some of our local flour mills and, you know, some great little restaurants. You know, there’s a amazing barbecue place, you know, Brando’s Barbecue, you know, Cobb and I think it’s Cobb and Cork who, just this amazing farm to table restaurant that is just, you know, out in this amazing set in this amazing scenery where you can see the water and the mountains and, you know, just these small little experiences, and then you can, you know, go out to the Chukanut Highway and and and drive up. And, you know, the the hiking is incredible. I I don’t think people understand the opportunities that we have, you know, not just up in the North Cascades, but, you know, all over the valley where you can go, you know, up Oysterdome and get some amazing, vistas. And, you know, if you’re not a huge, you know, hiker, you can go to Little Mountain and get some amazing views of, you know, the Puget Sound area to the west. So there’s so much water activity as well up here on the Skagit River.

Kristen Keltz [00:33:28]:

Right? We have the scenic you know, wild and scenic Skagit River with all of our bald eagles. Our birding is, I meant, second to none. It you know, right now, we’re kind of in the thick of it with our, you know, our bald eagles, our trumpeter swans, and snow geese, where you can just see literally thousands and thousands and thousands of snow geese and trumpeter swans and fields. And when they, you know, get up and fly away, just listening to that is something that you’ll never you just don’t ever forget. And even as someone who’s seen it, you know, my whole life, I I just still kinda stop and go, wow. This is really cool, to see. So I I think that there’s a lot of things that, yeah, are just kinda go under the radar just a little bit.

Scott Cowan [00:34:23]:

Alright. Now, you know, you have more than 1 child kid kids. Right? Yep.

Kristen Keltz [00:34:28]:

I have 2 daughters.

Scott Cowan [00:34:29]:

So the next question’s the equivalent of asking you which one is your, you know, which one’s your favorite

Kristen Keltz [00:34:33]:

child, you know. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:34:35]:

But if I I’m putting you on the spot and I’m I’m gonna ask you to give me your your opinion, and there’s no wrong answer and you are only speaking for yourself. Okay?

Kristen Keltz [00:34:43]:

Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:34:44]:

What is the best time of year to go to Skagit? Oh, gosh. For you? Like, if you moved away, I’m gonna transplant you to New York City, 5 years later you get to come back, when would you wanna come back for you yourself?

Kristen Keltz [00:35:03]:

That’s really hard because I I love the tulips. I really, really I mean, as much you know, we are partners at a farm, and I Sure. I still every time I walk out and I just look at those, you just get this sense of calm and peace. But I also love summer. I just I love summer, those clear days where it’s sunny and you can walk out. So

Scott Cowan [00:35:32]:

Okay.

Kristen Keltz [00:35:32]:

I don’t know if I can give you an answer. Alright. I like I like the spring and the summer.

Scott Cowan [00:35:36]:

Spring and summer. Okay. Yep. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask why, historically, why did the Skagit Valley Tulips, how did they I mean, they’re not native there. So how did what’s the history of tulips in the Skagit Valley?

Kristen Keltz [00:35:54]:

Well, I think that we are, you know, pretty similar in our climate, and the soil is very similar Okay. For growing tulips. And so we had a lot of the, you know, Dutch immigrants that came over and and realized that they could grow, you know, tulips here. Our our soil is so fertile, and it just really lent itself to, you know, being a productive crop and, you know.

Scott Cowan [00:36:38]:

It it’s interesting to me because, you know, you think of Valley and you think of the tulips, you think of the Puyallup Valley and you think of daffodils and it’s just it’s just interesting how these areas have niched down to you you you grow daffodils up there but you’re not known for them And Mhmm. I’m Cal Valley grows tulips, but they’re not known for them. But Mhmm. It’s just interesting to me and how Yeah. How, how a region anywhere. It it, you know, anywhere. It’s like Wenatchee and apples, you know, it’s, you know, how did we how did we become I mean, we claim we’re the apple capital of the world, but, you know, I think we can claim a lot of things, but, you know Yeah. Anyway.

Scott Cowan [00:37:20]:

I just think it’s interesting to me how at the county levels, you know, we’ve got in Washington state, we’ve got 39 different counties, they have their own personalities, they have their own strengths, they have their own, you know, quirks and oddities that somebody who’s never been to Skagit County might go, what? And and yet if you go to Stevens County, you’re like, what?

Kristen Keltz [00:37:42]:

Yep.

Scott Cowan [00:37:42]:

And and and assist interesting to me. Yep. And so, like, when I get to talk to people, especially someone like yourself who’s your your your day job is promoting your county. I mean, you you you you’re out there, championing Skagit County. So from a tourism standpoint, where do most of the tourists from to Skagit County come from?

Kristen Keltz [00:38:08]:

Majority of our our tourists come from the Seattle metro area.

Scott Cowan [00:38:12]:

K.

Kristen Keltz [00:38:13]:

A large part of that, the data that we’re, seeing is about 56% are coming through that Seattle Metro, and then Portland is right underneath that.

Scott Cowan [00:38:25]:

Really?

Kristen Keltz [00:38:26]:

So yeah. Interesting. Yeah. So that is Couple of couple of

Scott Cowan [00:38:31]:

Canada down. How does the

Kristen Keltz [00:38:33]:

We have not seen the Canadian market come back, since COVID, like it was.

Scott Cowan [00:38:41]:

Okay.

Kristen Keltz [00:38:41]:

So it’s certainly something that we’re looking at, and we’re, certainly putting some of our advertising towards, but have not seen some of that.

Scott Cowan [00:38:50]:

Because isn’t isn’t it Vancouver approximately about the same distance as Seattle is? So okay.

Kristen Keltz [00:38:58]:

Yep. Just with the border crossing and Right. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:39:01]:

Interesting, though. And so you’re you’re saying that post COVID that the Canadians haven’t resumed traveling at least down to Skagit.

Kristen Keltz [00:39:09]:

Yep. Interesting. Yep. Just haven’t seen those haven’t seen those numbers come back.

Scott Cowan [00:39:13]:

How about how about internationally? Do you do you have a is there a an international component to visitors?

Kristen Keltz [00:39:20]:

Yeah. We do have, I don’t have the numbers right off the top of my head, but we do have a a decent amount of, international travel, and we work with the state of Washington tourism pretty closely on some of those international, traveler opportunities. So we’ll be doing some trade shows and, you know, look at identifying that. So the state really kind of takes on that international

Scott Cowan [00:39:45]:

Right.

Kristen Keltz [00:39:45]:

I think marketing for us, and we just work closely with them. But we do have folks, especially during the Tula Festival, we have people from all over the world that are coming Yes. Coming to visit the the Tula Festival.

Scott Cowan [00:39:57]:

It’s certainly iconic. Mhmm.

Kristen Keltz [00:40:00]:

And also the North Cascades, National Park is a big one for us where we’re getting people traveling from all over.

Scott Cowan [00:40:07]:

Right. Right. Yeah. Once again, I just can’t believe I never went over that thing. It’s just, like, so amazing that it’s it’s in our state and it’s just it’s so just jaw dropping up there. And I I hope to spend more time up there this next next year in the spring, to go back out.

Kristen Keltz [00:40:25]:

We’d love to have you.

Scott Cowan [00:40:26]:

Yeah. Well, and that’s just it. I, you know, I I think I said this before we hit record, one of the things my wife and I like to do is we’re we’re music fans so we we love to go see live music and in Conway of all places, the Conway Muse, have you’ve obviously been there. Yep. Right? And what a great little little venue with 3 different options to, you know, 3 little separate performance areas. And, we were up there September. And, lovely little lovely little venue. It held about a 100 people in the in the in the dairy barn.

Kristen Keltz [00:41:08]:

Yeah. It’s it’s a really cool facility.

Scott Cowan [00:41:11]:

Yeah.

Kristen Keltz [00:41:11]:

She’s done such an amazing job. So Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:41:13]:

With a little art gallery there in the back and, really committed. I have not been, but I wanna ask because a musician, that I enjoy, his name is Dave Alvin. He played up at the Mount Vernon Theatre.

Kristen Keltz [00:41:28]:

The Lincoln Theatre?

Scott Cowan [00:41:30]:

Yes.

Kristen Keltz [00:41:31]:

Our historic Lincoln Theatre is amazing.

Scott Cowan [00:41:35]:

Yeah. And I didn’t I didn’t go to that show, and I wanted to. But what can you tell me about that building? Sell me on sell me on going to live music at that building.

Kristen Keltz [00:41:47]:

Well, live music, they they have stuff going on almost every day of the year at the Lincoln. Our historic Lincoln Theatre, is one of the coolest theaters that I have ever been in. It you know, it’s been around since okay. I’m I don’t even wanna say the year because I might get that wrong. But it’s they’ve got the, you know, oldest working Wurlitzer organ.

Scott Cowan [00:42:11]:

What?

Kristen Keltz [00:42:12]:

It’s just this yeah. It’s just this really cool historic theater where they do live live plays with some of our local, you know, theater production crews. They do movie, you know, shows. They do, you know, a lot of our, you know, corrals and things, you know, show there. They have live bands and performances going on. So it is so rich and and incredible, with some of the arts and entertainment, in our in our community.

Scott Cowan [00:42:45]:

That’s awesome. We’re gonna wrap this up, but I wanna ask you a couple of questions really quick. When you’re not sitting in the chair, when you’re not the CEO, what do you like to do? You already mentioned your husband’s a basketball coach, so your your your winter hours are are spent, you know, in the in the stands. But what do you what do you and your husband like to do for recreation?

Kristen Keltz [00:43:07]:

So we volunteer a lot in our community. We’re both members of our rotary club, so we’re pretty active in our community, you know, volunteer with our, you know, the local 4 h, horse 4 h, and, my my daughter and son-in-law rodeo. So we Oh, really? We we follow them, on on the rodeo trail during the summer. So I use that opportunity to check out, you know, other amazing destinations and kinda see what other people are doing and you know, maybe things that we can bring back to to Skagit Valley.

Scott Cowan [00:43:41]:

So do both of them participate in rodeo? Mhmm. So what what are their what what are they what are they competing in?

Kristen Keltz [00:43:48]:

My son-in-law is a steer wrestler

Scott Cowan [00:43:50]:

Okay.

Kristen Keltz [00:43:50]:

And my my daughter is a barrel racer.

Scott Cowan [00:43:53]:

Wow. My, my wife’s young nephews, they’re not they’re kids. They’re in there. They’re doing junior rodeo, but they’re doing bull riding and all this.

Kristen Keltz [00:44:03]:

Oh, fun.

Scott Cowan [00:44:04]:

And their mom is, you know, I think she’s kind of the type of parent that’s like, I can’t look. I can’t, you know, I can’t look. I can’t look. And then Yeah. And, so they’re traveling all around. I mean, they were in, you know, Cooley City in in Yep.

Kristen Keltz [00:44:18]:

We well, we did that one.

Scott Cowan [00:44:20]:

You did. You made the Cooley City, you know, all around the state where rodeo is, there’s a if you if you’re a satellite, you don’t think of rodeo. I mean, like, you know, it it it yet when you get outside of the city centers of of of Washington state, they’re rodeos?

Kristen Keltz [00:44:37]:

Yeah. And and we’ve got one of the best. We we do a we do a July 3rd 4th rodeo up here in Seadrill Willie, the PRCA sanctioned rodeo with part of the, you know, logger rodeo, which is one of the longest, going 4th July celebrations in the state of Washington.

Scott Cowan [00:44:54]:

Oh, really?

Kristen Keltz [00:44:55]:

The yeah. Big parade and wood carving and, yeah, big, rodeo. We had some visitors in from Wales over the summer, and, we took them to the rodeo. And, I I saw them in September when I was over in Wales, and it was the highlight of their trip was going to the rodeo in Sedgrawully. So they thought that that was the coolest thing.

Scott Cowan [00:45:19]:

So when when you say whales, all I can think now is Ted Lasso. And, and not even Ted Lasso, but Wrexham, you know, because I think of Ted I I think of Ted Lasso and Wrexham kind of interchangeably there, but Wrexham, did you, by chance, did you did you go

Kristen Keltz [00:45:33]:

We talked about it, but we just couldn’t fit it into our schedule. It was for a boys and girls club

Scott Cowan [00:45:37]:

Okay.

Kristen Keltz [00:45:38]:

Trip. And so we we were visiting some clubs that we just couldn’t squeeze it into our Yeah. Into our itinerary.

Scott Cowan [00:45:45]:

It’s so funny here. We’re talking about Scaggy County and yet, oh, Rex.

Kristen Keltz [00:45:47]:

Oh, you know, just I know. I know.

Scott Cowan [00:45:49]:

How how how the world has shrunk. Alright. Now I warned you about this. Okay? Now I warned you about this question. When you’re happy to answer it, are you gonna agree?

Kristen Keltz [00:45:58]:

I I will answer it.

Scott Cowan [00:46:00]:

You have to explain why.

Kristen Keltz [00:46:01]:

Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:46:02]:

Alright. Very important.

Kristen Keltz [00:46:04]:

Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:46:05]:

Cake or pie?

Kristen Keltz [00:46:08]:

Oh, probably pie.

Scott Cowan [00:46:10]:

Okay. Why?

Kristen Keltz [00:46:12]:

I just am not I just I’m not a cake person. I think pie, I like the you know, I have either apple pie or like a cherry pie, like the fruit. K.

Scott Cowan [00:46:27]:

Yeah. Alright. There’s no wrong answer.

Kristen Keltz [00:46:28]:

Yep. With a homemade crust.

Scott Cowan [00:46:31]:

Okay. So So apple or cherry, homemade?

Kristen Keltz [00:46:34]:

Yep. Yep.

Scott Cowan [00:46:34]:

With or without ice cream?

Kristen Keltz [00:46:38]:

With homemade whipped cream.

Scott Cowan [00:46:39]:

Oh. I

Kristen Keltz [00:46:40]:

make a homemade whipped cream.

Scott Cowan [00:46:41]:

Okay. Solid. Solid. So the joke here is that some people answer it super easily, and some people are, like, you’re asking me to pick between children. I can’t I can’t and it’s gotten easier for people. I think it’s, you know, I gotta I gotta figure out how to make it harder, make you sweat more.

Kristen Keltz [00:46:57]:

Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:46:57]:

But it I heard this question and I was like, it’s so silly, but at the same time so follow-up question. Growing up, you grew up in Oak Harbor?

Kristen Keltz [00:47:06]:

Mhmm.

Scott Cowan [00:47:07]:

As a kid, family did family gatherings and all that. Did you guys have cake or pie?

Kristen Keltz [00:47:20]:

I think my aunt did a lot of pies. Okay. I remember I remember her being a pie lady, and we did have birthday cakes and things like that, but I remember pie a lot.

Scott Cowan [00:47:29]:

So that’s that’s what I’m finding is that the the decision is almost always, excuse me, childhood. Yeah. It’s almost what we what our families did, you know. If you came from a cake family, you you’re you’re just camp cake and you’re, you know, if you pie was the thing, it’s pie. Also, proximity to fresh fresh fruit so that you, you know anyway. So apple or cherry? Any no no no no no no good pie? Any

Kristen Keltz [00:48:03]:

I don’t like pecan pie.

Scott Cowan [00:48:04]:

Okay.

Kristen Keltz [00:48:05]:

We had one for Thanksgiving, and I tried it again. I’m like, yeah. I don’t think I like it.

Scott Cowan [00:48:10]:

Yeah. I’m pumpkin minor than pumpkins. No. No. Yeah. Yeah. No. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:48:14]:

Alright. We’ve covered a lot. I think that I learned a lot, which is always the important thing for me is that I I learned something about the person I’m talking to and the place that we’re talking about. But I still feel like I’m missing something. So I want you to give me one last takeaway. Skagit County.

Kristen Keltz [00:48:35]:

Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:48:35]:

Give me give me give me a give me the sales pitch for Skagit County.

Kristen Keltz [00:48:40]:

So I think Skagit County is that amazing, you know, rural small towns, communities that you can come to that really have a little bit of everything. And, you know, we we want you to come up here and experience our the way that we live and, you know, see things. You know, obviously, we we want you to leave it better than you found it. You know, we wanna make sure that we’re practicing, you know, sustainable turn up tourism so that we’re not ruining the place that we live in by just opening the floodgates. But I think that just experiencing a different, a different pace of life. Right? Just things are, yeah, just things are a lot of history, a lot of you know, people think of rural, and they think, oh, they don’t have anything. And we we we are rural, but we have the arts and culture. We have the outdoor recreation.

Kristen Keltz [00:49:44]:

We have the amazing scenic views, the amazing food, and, you know, all of that. And it’s just you get a little bit of everything here in Skagit Valley. Again, from the water to the mountains, we and everything in between, we really got it all. So we just we encourage you to you know, our tagline is discover the magic of Skagit.

Scott Cowan [00:50:08]:

So There we go.

Kristen Keltz [00:50:09]:

We invite you to come do.

Scott Cowan [00:50:10]:

Well, Kristen, thank you for sitting down with me today. I’m looking forward to my next visit there because it’ll probably be to the Conway Munoz because my friends are gonna be playing up there again and, that will bring me, as long as the passes cooperate because I choose to hibernate and not drive over them very much if I don’t actually have to but, you know, lovely, it’s lovely up there and I do genuinely enjoy it so I’m looking forward to my next visit and now I’ve got some coffee shops to check out that I haven’t checked out before. So I appreciate that. And, again, thanks for your time.

Kristen Keltz [00:50:41]:

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.