Contact: Office of University Communications, (360) 650-3350

BELLINGHAM - Western Washington University will sound Bellingham's historic steam whistle "Big Ole," in observance of the Fourth of July holiday.

The Haggen Family Fourth of July Celebration's fireworks display is scheduled at approximately 10:30 p.m. Saturday and before then the steam whistle will sound four times, starting at about 9:45 p.m.

This will not be a test or signal of an actual emergency. Normally, during a test or actual emergency, the sound of the whistle is a signal for students, faculty and staff to look for text messages, e-mails, or go to the University's homepage or the Emergency Information Web site at emergency.wwu.edu for more information.

"On this special occasion - celebration of the birth of our nation - it is fitting to sound the historic 'Big Ole" steam whistle to celebrate Western's history and many connections with the Bellingham community," said WWU President Bruce Shepard.

The whistle, affectionately known in Whatcom County as "Big Ole" is currently on loan to Western from the Whatcom Museum of History and Art. It was cast from aluminum-bronze by the Bellingham Bay Iron Works in 1899. The 2,000-pound, five-foot whistle operated at the Bloedel Donovan cargo mill on the waterfront at the foot of Cornwall Avenue from 1899 until 1942, when the mill closed. Prentice Bloedel moved "Big Ole" to his Canadian mill in Port Alberni, where it operated it until 1997. "Big Ole" returned to Bellingham in 2002 - after a 60 year absence - and was later installed at the Encogen NW Cogeneration Plant at Cornwall Avenue, where it was operational and blown on special occasions such as the Fourth of July.

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