By Kari Mar
La Conner Community News
On a summer Sunday in La Conner, the music is supposed to drift easily — guitars humming, voices rising, people gathered in Gilkey Square with takeout lunches and a little more time than usual. It’s the kind of small-town ritual that feels both ordinary and essential.
But over the last few days, the music hit an unexpected — and for many, confusing — pause.
At the center of the conflict is a number: 55 decibels.
The figure surfaced in an addendum to a special event permit sent to Gloria Hulst of Skagit Cellars, the organizer behind La Conner Live, the nonprofit that has helped bring music to the town square. Hulst had applied months earlier for the permit, expecting routine paperwork. Instead, she received a condition requiring that all music remain at or below 55 decibels.
“In good faith, I can’t just sign that,” Hulst said. “There is literally nothing you can do to get it to that low of a level. At that point, I have to stop the music.”
The result was immediate. Hulst notified musicians via a post on Facebook. Some shows were canceled. Others remain uncertain. Bands regrouped and started to make new plans for those warm summery Sundays.
Fifty-five decibels is roughly the volume of a quiet conversation. A live band — any live band — would exceed it.
La Conner noise ordinance
7.05.060 Noises exempt – During daytime hours.
The following noises shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekends:
(1) Noises created by powered equipment used in temporary or periodic maintenance, repair, or new construction of residential property, including but not limited to grounds and appurtenances, such as lawn mowers, powered hand tools, and composters;
(2) Noises emanating from commercial businesses and industries that meet state standards set forth in RCW 70A.20.030 and Chapter 173-60 WAC as those laws now exist or are hereafter amended. [Ord. 1215 § 1, 2022; Ord. 576 (C), 1990.]
The result was immediate. Hulst notified musicians via a post on Facebook on April 30, calling it “the day the music died.” Some shows were canceled. Others remain uncertain. Bands regrouped and began making new plans for those warm Sunday afternoons.
By the weekend, the conversation had shifted from cancellation to community response.
Locals show support for music and dispel internet rumors
About 50 people gathered Sunday in Gilkey Square to voice their support for live music in La Conner. The afternoon became both a show of support for the concert series and an effort to correct misinformation that had spread quickly online. Attendees also began collecting signatures for a petition in support of the music, which they plan to present at next week’s Town Council meeting.
For reasons no one at the gathering could fully explain, much of the online criticism had focused on Mayor Marna Hanneman. In one case, a commenter compared her to the Gestapo, the secret police of Nazi-era Germany.
The facts tell a different story.
The ordinance referenced in the permit addendum was passed by the Town Council in 2022, according to Town Administrator Scott Thomas. Hanneman was elected in November 2023, well after the policy was in place.
Thomas said the addendum was his decision, made after complaints from nearby residents and some businesses about increasing noise levels on weekends over the past several years.
“Town elected officials and staff have received complaints about the volume of music on Sundays in Gilkey Square for several years now,” Thomas wrote in an email. “The music program is funded through lodging tax revenues, and at the last public meeting that considered applications for these revenues the issue arose. … (W)hen we received La Conner Live’s application, we thought it appropriate to add the condition that that the bands comply with the ordinance on the books RE: sound level. That decision was mine. Our ordinance adopts the standards set out in the WAC and adopted by the state, and that standard is what was imposed.”
Washington state’s administrative code sets maximum sound levels at 55 decibels for residential areas, 60 for commercial areas, and 65 for industrial zones. In the absence of more specific language in town code, officials defer to the state standard.
Another rumor that spread widely online involved Jerry and Jeri Kaufman, a well-known couple in La Conner for their boombox and joyful dancing in the square. Posts claimed they had been asked to leave because of noise violations.
Town officials denied any involvement, and the Kaufmans themselves were surprised to hear the story.
“I have no idea what that is about. Nobody has ever told me that,” Jerry Kaufman said. He added that he doesn’t use Facebook and had not seen the online discussion.
Kaufman said he was encouraged to see Thomas attend Sunday’s gathering and appreciated hearing that the mayor supports live music.
“I had a feeling it was a misunderstanding,” he said.
“We made a mistake”
Town officials acknowledge that the situation has caused confusion.
“We made a mistake,” Hanneman said. “We followed Washington code, and we didn’t go deeper to find out how absurd it was” when applied to live music in the square.
She emphasized that the town never intended to stop the concerts and is working toward a solution.
For now, conversations are ongoing. Organizers, musicians and town officials are trying to find a path forward — one that balances neighborhood concerns with the reality of live performance.
Hulst remains measured, even hopeful.
“We need to come together and have a discussion to find the line so we can continue to have the music series,” she said. “I’m not going to storm the city council meeting. That’s not who I am. We’ll find a spokesperson. We’ll work through this.”
She paused, then added what feels like the heart of it.
“We love La Conner. This has nothing to do with business. It has everything to do with helping La Conner survive,” Hulst said.
The concert series usually begins in late May. For now, the guitars are quiet — but if Sunday’s gathering is any indication, the music, and the community behind it, are far from finished.
Kari Mar is the editor and publisher of La Conner Community News.
