Snohomish County Placemakers

Ari Glass and Leah Everett are two working artists with a passion for public art. They worked on the latest project from the Snohomish County Arts Commission: five giant painted buoys created as part of a countywide scavenger hunt.Today we talk to them about the importance of public art, paying artists a fair wage, and how public infrastructure can be both functional and aesthetic! (You don’t have to choose one or the other!)Tourism trip inspiration: @discoversnocoFollow the Arts Commission: @snocoartsandculture

The Everett Fan Zone is about to pop off. 💥🎉What can you expect when you attend the biggest multi-day waterfront party of summer? Boxcar Park has everything you need to celebrate global soccer festivities and, of course, watch the big games on an even bigger screen.We chat with Tammy Dunn (Snohomish County Sports Commission), Julio Cortes (City of Everett), and Cat Soper (Port of Everett) about all things Fan Zone. Gooooooalll!Follow us on social media @discoversnoco this summer for all the Beautiful Games festivities!Also, we're taking a break from the podcast. We'll catch you all next fall — stay tuned.

You know him. You love him. His soothing, NPR-friendly tenor voice puts into a trance and you wake up at a sidewalk café outside the Sorbonne eating a croissant…Rick Steves!Our favorite world-travelling Edmonds resident graciously joins us today to celebrate our 50th (!!!) episode of the Placemakers podcast.This is a super special episode for us, and we hope that you enjoy it, too.Discover Snohomish County where you’ll feel (as Rick puts it) within the “embrace of God.”

Archaeology: can you dig it? Or will it dig you… 🤯This week we catch up with the county’s archaeologist Gretchen Kaehler to talk about the buried stories of the Pacific Northwest.She may not carry a bull whip or wear a leather jacket, but Gretchen still has adventures in cataloguing and identifying unearthed relics from Snohomish County. In this episode Gretchen busts some myths around her profession (they don’t do dinosaurs), tells us about ritualistically buried otters, shares protocol for excavated human remains, and teases out the difference between pre-contact and post-contact archaeology.Dig in and chill out with this fun fossilized forensic foray into the strata of SnoCo’s past!Get here already: discoversnohomishcounty.com

We recently had the privilege of being guests on the Destination Marketing Podcast to talk about our work in tourism. It was fun to be on the other side of the microphone as interviewees and talk about what we do! We hope you enjoy this special episode as we chat it up with Adam from DMP.

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, a Colombian-born former professional soccer player, was among the core group of players that kicked off Seattle’s success in Major League Soccer. ⚽️ Today he calls Snohomish County home and has been tapped to be the World Cup ambassador for the Seattle area.We caught up with Hurtado to talk about his story and what the big soccer tournament will look like for the PNW region.

What’s it like to represent your country on the world stage? How do you go from the ice rinks of Snohomish County to the Olympic Village at Milano Cortina, Italy?Today we talk to the only 2026 Olympic athlete from our neck of the woods – Luc Violette! It’s an inspiring talk that will have you dusting off your ice skates AND booking a trip to Snohomish County, WA.Curl ‘em if you got ‘em… and go team USA! 🇺🇸 📸 credit: USA Curling/Michael Woolheater

RV Out West is a great podcast hosted by Brooks Smothers, an Everett-based regional traveler. You should definitely listen to his show and get inspired to roam the PNW. And when you roam, come to Snohomish County!In this episode, Richard and Nick learn about the world of RVing and Brooks advises us on how to get started RVing, what the heck a “gray tank” is, and where the best places are to camp in Snohomish County.

Today we are joined by the Sports Commission’s all-star lineup, which includes:· Executive Director Tammy Dunn· Sports Events Manager Nathan Caferro· Sports Development Coordinator Landyn Olson· Marketing Content Coordinator Taras McCurdieThis mighty team punches above its weight – helping to put Snohomish County on the map with some of the best competitions and events in the region.We talk big soccer, Snohomish County athletes, and how sports and tourism go hand in hand to make Snohomish County a great place to live and visit.

Happy New Year! Enjoy this minisode is a one-off convo. 🙏Last month we held a tourism roundtable, inviting folks from around Snohomish County to share their tourism-related experiences in 2025. As part of this meeting, Nick and Richard hosted a panel with representatives from different sectors. On the panel:⚽️Anthony Sardon, Snohomish United FC🤳Marlie and Anthony Love, Traveling While Black🎨Dr. Kate MacKenzie, Snohomish County Arts Commission⛰️Dan Moore, The Adventure HubWe enjoyed hearing from these thought leaders and know you will, too! Stay tuned this year for more great tourism content.