Sedro-Woolley's Fall Calendar Keeps Circling Back to the Old Northern State Grounds

Three of the most specific things on Sedro-Woolley's fall calendar take place on, or are about, the same stretch of land off Helmick Road. On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Sedro-Woolley Chamber of Commerce runs its Halloween 5K on the Northern State Recreation Area trails. On Nov. 5, Central Skagit Library hosts a talk about how newspapers covered Northern State Hospital. And the trail network out there grew by four segments this year, after volunteers finished their 2025-2026 build season in June.

The biggest new arrival downtown is Montoya House of Arts on Woodworth Street. It booked a show for that same Saturday at the same hour. Until the holiday events move the calendar back to Metcalf Street in December, most fall evenings come down to the old hospital grounds or a venue that has been open for about a month.

Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. has two answers

The Chamber's event page describes the glow run as "a spooky adventure through the trails at the Northern State Rec area," with the route going around the barns and buildings. It also warns that the trail will have hazards in the dark, so families should plan for that before bringing children or dogs, and everyone should dress for an October evening. The $15 early-bird price ended Oct. 12. According to the Chamber, the first 125 people who registered are guaranteed a medal and a goodie bag. The two listings disagree on when it ends. RunSignup shows 6 to 8 p.m., and the Chamber shows 6 to 8:30 p.m., so leave room in the evening either way.

The evening timing is part of what makes the race unusual. The Port of Skagit owns the former hospital campus next door, which it calls the SWIFT Center. It limits public access there to designated outdoor areas from dawn to dusk and does not offer public access inside the buildings. An organized race that starts around nightfall puts people near the old farm buildings at an hour most visitors never see them.

Montoya House is the indoor choice for the same night. Kylie Dodd runs it with her mother and stepfather, Michelle and Eli Montoya. It opened in late September with a café and stage up front, a courtyard, a lounge hung with local show posters going back to the 1980s, and a back room for music lessons, according to the Skagit Valley Herald. The café pours coffee made with Fidalgo Coffee Roasters beans. It also serves beer, wine and soda, along with bagels from Whidbey Island Bagel Company and piroshkies from West Coast Dumplings.

Dodd explained to the Herald why the family opened it: "A lot of people go to Anacortes or Bellingham or downtown Mount Vernon, and those are all great spaces. But Sedro-Woolley needed its own home, and this space specifically fits so well."

The next date on its calendar is "Halloween with Pavlov Jones" on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 6 p.m. The venue says it holds daily classes, weekly workshops and live events, but it doesn't post regular hours, so check montoyahoa.com or join its email list before stopping by.

Four new trails, and what they connect

The race course is only part of what's out there. The trails at Northern State Recreation Area are built by Skagit Trail Builders, a program of United General District 304. It works with Skagit County Parks and Recreation, the Port of Skagit and the City of Sedro-Woolley. Its 2025-2026 build-year report lists four new segments:

1. Winfield Trail, built on property the Port of Skagit manages, which connects with Olmsted Park.
2. Quarry Trail, also on Port-managed land and also connecting with Olmsted Park.
3. Thompson Pond Loop Trail, a loop around Thompson Pond at Olmsted Park, planned as four volunteer work parties in March 2026.
4. Norlum Trail, Phase 1, which links the Hansen Creek corridor with the Winfield, Brickyard Creek and Quarry trails.

Norlum is the piece that ties the network together, because it connects the older creek-side trails to the newer ones near Olmsted Park. Crews laid the last 800 feet of trail surface and finished trail-side restoration on June 13, 2026, ahead of schedule, which let the group cancel its June 27 work party. Over the season, 440 people gave 2,895 volunteer hours. Students from Varsity in Volunteerism contributed 288 of them, and the Mountaineers GoHike team contributed 272.

This year's additions build on the season before. By June 28, 2025, the same group had finished the Song Sparrow Bridge Connector Trail, Elk Trail, Pump House Trail and Hill Creek Trail. A ribbon cutting followed at Song Sparrow Bridge on Sept. 19, 2025. That's eight named segments in two build seasons.

The Skagit County trail guide describes trails that wind across the old hospital farm, along Hansen Creek and over upland meadows. It calls the area prime elk habitat, recommends bringing a flying disc for the disc golf course, and singles out the wetlands on the south end for birding. The Professional Disc Golf Association lists that course as an 18-hole layout at 25588 Helmick Road. The downloadable recreation area map was last updated in May 2025, before this year's four segments were built, so it may not show them. Check conditions before heading out on the newest sections.

The park's name has a history behind it, too. The Port of Skagit notes that the hospital campus was laid out by the Olmsted firm, the landscape architects behind Central Park in New York City.

Nov. 5: the hospital's headlines, at the library

The second Northern State event moves indoors and downtown. On Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m., Northern State Hospital researcher Amy Muia presents "The Headliners of Northern State" at Central Skagit Library, 110 W. State St. The event listing describes the talk this way:

Step into the headlines of history with Northern State Hospital researcher Amy Muia as she explores the most talked-about stories from the earliest days of the hospital in 1909 to its closing in 1973.

According to the listing, the talk will cover how news coverage tracked changing treatments and philosophies, along with notable patients and staff and the scandals, both real and rumored, that made the papers. It's the same hospital whose barns and buildings the glow run route goes around.

The campus has kept changing since 1973. The Port of Skagit took ownership of the SWIFT Center property in July 2018 and opened designated outdoor areas to the public in fall 2019. Its stated vision is to redevelop the campus into a mixed-use destination for education, research and development, manufacturing, hospitality and commercial uses, while keeping its historic character and public spaces. A SWIFT Center Business Advisory Council is advising the Port on that work.

December moves everything back to Metcalf Street

Once November ends, the calendar returns downtown. The Chamber's 2026-27 guide lists Saturday, Dec. 5, for the Lighted Christmas Parade and Festival, with "Polar Express" and children's activities. The Chamber's event page gives these details:

• Holiday market: 2 to 6 p.m. at 810 Metcalf St.
• Tree lighting and parade: 5 p.m.
• Parade route: Metcalf, Ferry, Murdock and State streets

A week later, on Saturday, Dec. 12, the Santa Breakfast runs from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the Community Center, 703 Pacific St. It's free for children, and adults may make a donation. The Chamber notes that its listings may change, so check its site the week of each event.

Before then, the glow run starts at 6 p.m. Saturday from 25625 Helmick Road, and SWAMP goes on at the same hour on Woodworth Street.

Some people come away from a fall like this wondering which part of town fits how they actually spend their evenings, whether that's near the Northern State trails or within walking distance of Woodworth and Metcalf. If that's you, Christine Rasmussen is glad to talk through what each part of Sedro-Woolley is like day to day. Let's Connect.