Good morning, Bellingham. This is your Friday update from The Hamster Wheel.

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Or, hit reply to send me photos via email. 📧

Join MBT for one night with three incredible artists taking the stage together on The Coast to Coast tour.

Colin James is a blues-rock legend with 20+ albums, eight Juno Awards, 31 Maple Blues Awards, and a career that began with the fastest-selling album in Canadian history.

Matt Andersen commands the stage, backed by a global touring career, major festival appearances, multiple international blues awards, and tens of millions of streams across Spotify and YouTube.

Terra Lightfoot has built an international reputation through marathon touring, two Juno nominations, millions of global streams, and her latest album Healing Power, showcasing her dynamic range as a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist.

This Saturday, April 18, Sunnyland Park is the place to be as the neighborhood gathers for their annual Earth Day Celebration from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. It’s a free, all-ages event that brings together local organizations, hands-on activities, and a steady flow of folks from the neighborhood and beyond. Everyone is welcome!

There will be a plant and seed swap run by the Sunnyland Garden Club, a mending tent run by Ragfinery, and a mix of kid-friendly activities like face painting, chalk art, and nature-based learning stations including bug logs. 👇 Which I hear are a big hit! Food will be available for purchase from Plantage.

A number of guest organizations will be there including Wild Whatcom, Whatcom Conservation District, Smart Trips, Walk and Roll, Whatcom Land Trust, Mount Baker Beekeepers, city of Bellingham, and the Salish Current.

The event also serves as the association’s main fundraiser, centered around a raffle with more than $4,500 in donated prizes from local businesses. There are some no messing around great items on the list… “Reubens for a Year”… um, yes please. 😋 Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the event, and winners do not need to be present.

I found this recording of the Bellingham City Club’s March 25 meeting fascinating. In it Hart Hodges, Professor in the Department of Economics at Western, and James McCafferty, Director of Western’s Center for Economic and Business Research, discuss how the economy is doing nationally, statewide and locally.

Lots of interesting questions from members of the audience, with a focus on topics like the price of gas, the impact of tariffs, taxes, and home prices.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Saturday
Happy Valley Park: Connelly Creek, which runs through this neighborhood park and flows into Padden Creek, needs help! Join the city to remove harmful invasive vegetation and spread some mulch to improve riparian habitat. Register
Lower Kenney Creek: Join Whatcom Land Trust, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA), and Whatcom Conservation District to protect and enhance critical salmon habitat along Kenney Creek, where the creek meets the North Fork of the Nooksack River. Register
Jensen Family Forest Park: Join Whatcom Million Trees Project to maintain the 23-acre multi-generational Jensen family property held under a conservation easement by WLT and Whatcom Parks. Register

5447 Barr Road (Fri, Sat, Sun 8 am)
There’s a whole lot going on at this one. It’s advertised as a 6-family garage sale, plant sale, and dahlia tuber sale. “We will have over 100 dahlia tubers and lots of misc. plants as well as garden pots and tools.”

The Bellingham Dockside Market is open tomorrow (Saturday), from 10 am to 2 pm at Fishermen's Pavilion in Squalicum Harbor.

Be sure to stop by Jean C Family Fisheries for their rich black cod pâté and try the new glazed donuts from Mug Up. Also, Lummi Seafood Market has been out harvesting fresh geoduck and catching halibut, which they will have for sale whole and by the fillet. Fresh off the boat!

Plus many fresh, frozen, and preserved options from various vendors.

4355 Jones Rd, Sumas (Open Sun 1-2:30 pm)
Got horses? Want horses? This property is the equestrian enthusiast’s dream. 13+ acres with an indoor riding arena, 21 stall barn, plus lots of equestrian amenities. Just south of the US/CA border. 🐴 Listing

2138 Woburn Street (Open Fri 4-6 pm, Sat & Sun 12-3 pm)
We’ve seen a series of homes come up for sale along this stretch of Woburn over the last year. This is my favorite so far. It’s a cute craftsman, with cement pad parking in the back that would be great space for projects. 🛠 Listing

iDiOM Theatre
All Our Tragic (theatre) | Multiple

Bellingham Theatre Guild
Kodachrome (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

Jansen Art Center
Swept Away (musical theatre) | Thurs-Sun

Mount Baker Theatre
Alice (theatre) | Fri

New Prospect Theatre
The Importance of Being Earnest (theatre) | Fri

Firehouse Arts & Events Center
Bellingham Repertory Dance - Hindsight (dance) | Fri-Sun

WWU DUG Theater
Failure: A Love Story (theatre) | Fri-Sun

BAAY
Seussical JR (theatre) | Fri-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
O Pole Spring Showcase (dance) | Sat

Bellingham TheatreWorks @ The Upfront
New Play Cafe (theatre) | Sat-Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Ecstatic Dance (Presence Studio Fundraiser) - O-Pole Studio - Fri 7:00 pm
Potluck & Square Dance - CTK Downtown - Sat 6:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sunday 10:30 am

Cheryl Hodge, an international jazz & blues artist and songwriter, and a former voice faculty member at Berklee College of Music, in Boston, MA plays at MJ’s Martini Bar tomorrow, April 18 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Hodge first made international notoriety in 2013 with her win for "BEST JAZZ SONG" (Tree People, from her album “One Day When I Wasn’t Looking”) at the 2013 Hollywood Music In Media Awards.

A preview of The Cheryl Hauser Effect, a documentary now in its final stage of production, will show at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship on Saturday, April 18 from 10:30 to 11:30 am. The film introduces Cheryl Hauser and her choice to face Alzheimer’s through VSED (Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking). Register

Founded in 2022, indie/alt band Full Color Dream has released three albums and toured the west coast and western United States extensively with a rotating cast of supporting musicians. Catch them at Honey Moon tomorrow night, April 18 from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.

WECU Shred Day, WECU Community Resource Center – A 10:00 am to 1:00 pm free document shredding event for members and the public, with a limit of two file-sized boxes or bags per person.

Friday Music & Trivia →

Dance Party and Silent Auction Fundraiser, Hotel Leo – A 6-9 pm dance party and silent auction raising funds for Immigrant Resources & Immediate Support (IRIS) and Indivisible of Bellingham, with a bar and food available from Amendment 21.

This Is a Dance Party, Downtown Bellingham – A dance party from 8 pm to 11:59 pm featuring a mix of reggaetón, hip hop, and familiar favorites in an informal, all-inclusive setting with a house-party feel. Tickets

Saturday Music & Trivia →

Plant Bingo, Stemma West – A 2 pm bingo event with 10 rounds and plant prizes for each round, with tickets priced $20 at the door.

Spring Plant Walk, Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve – A 10:00 am to 12:00 pm guided walk exploring spring wildflowers, shrubs, and trees, with a route through coastal forest to the beach led by Washington Native Plant Society members.

Letting Go: Yoga & Writing Practice, Granary Ave Studio – A 1:00 to 3:00 pm workshop combining yin yoga, guided meditation, and contemplative writing focused on reflection, presence, and creative expression. Register

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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