As 2021 comes to an end, we thought we’d look back at what the most-read stories of this past year were. The list was compiled using Living Snoqualmie website traffic statistics/analytics.
The list includes a sad business closure, an unsettling rockslide, a flood event that had the falls roaring and one oddball story that keeps getting clicked two years after it was written.
Here are the most-read stories on Living Snoqualmie in 2021.
10) The Valley gets snowy and windy overnight; PSE reporting power outages: February 13th, we had a snowy and blustery night with wind gusts reportedly up to 67 mph on Snoqualmie Ridge and 59 mph in North Bend. Close to 2000 Valley residents were without power with no estimated restoration time that cold morning.
9) Business Goings | The Riverbend Café Says Goodbye After 12 Years in North Bend: In October, many locals were dismayed to hear the Riverbend Café was closing after 12 years in operation. The cafe’s lease wasn’t renewed when the property sold, and longtime owner Rich Maki was on to new adventures. After one last great night with all the regulars, the café closed its doors for good.
8) Loud Rockslide Startles Valley Residents Thursday Evening: On October 14th, after dark, a loud rockslide startled many Moon Valley and Ernie’s Grove residents. Locals reported the slide went on for about a minute and sounded like the mountain was exploding. King County Sheriff deputies found no destruction street-side that night, and even daylight brought no reports of damage.
7) Church on the Ridge Announces Fifth Annual Free Fireworks Show Red, White & Boom: In early June, the Church on the Ridge made a welcome announcement. The much-loved Red, White & Boom annual fireworks show would be back after a year’s absence due to the pandemic.
6) Snoqualmie River at Phase Three Flood Alert as the Falls Roar- video: This wasn’t much of a story, honestly. Made up of three sentences, the star of the post, as always, was a video of the falls at its most magnificent, full of water and roaring loudly
5) Is a ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Going to Make it to the Snoqualmie Valley?: Written by our weather Extraordinaire Mark Davis, this post was likely clicked a lot because of the term ‘bomb cyclone.’ Fortunately, Davis explained what that meant for us and how to prepare for the coming explosive weather system.
4) Snoqualmie Valley Windstorm, Power Outage Update: Lengthy Outage Possible: One of our first storms of the year blew into the valley on January 13th. Extensive power outages affected 4388 customers in North Bend and 6010 customers in Snoqualmie. It took several days to get utilities back and the roads cleared of trees and debris.
3) Production Company Working in the Snoqualmie Valley: In August, word came from the City of North Bend that a film production crew would be working around town. Speculation ran wild, and reports of stars being seen all over the valley came rushing in. In the end, alas, I never did spot Chris Hemsworth and don’t believe him to be in the movie shot over the summer in various valley locations.
2) Two-Vehicle Fatality Collision Blocks Traffic WB I90 at SR-18: A rainy day accident on September 18th took the lives of two people on westbound I90. The accident completely closed WB I-90 near SR-18 for 3 hours while police investigated the tragic accident.
1) Washington’s Most Deadly Animals: In September 2019, Living Snoqualmie ran an article about the most deadly animals in Washington State. Admittedly a bit tongue in cheek, the article was written to calm fears about some of our state’s largest carnivores and make a point about the real dangers we face when it comes to animals. Nearly two years later, the article still gets clicked daily and is the sixth most-read article of all time.
