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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

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Bellingham Circus Guild

A Celebration of Aerial Dance

December 4th-7th

The Bellingham Circus Guild's Aerial Showcase returns this weekend! Prepare to be enchanted by artistry and athleticism on aerial silks, trapeze, corde lisse, hoop, and more.

Creativity takes flight in this fully airbound display, where dedicated performers weave strength, skill, and creativity into a tapestry of inspiration.

Hamster Wheel readers can get 20% off their tickets with code HAMSTER at checkout!

Whatcom Weather

The Raindrop Report

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Sunspots Raise Chance of Auroras

A massive cluster of sunspots, including one over ten times the size of the earth 🤯, are currently rotating toward the center of the Sun’s visible disk. This marks one of the most magnetically active solar events in recent years and increases the likelihood of viewing the northern lights (weather permitting) in Whatcom County. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center reports a 75% probability of minor to moderate (R1–R2) solar flares, with a chance of a strong (R3) event.

Just a few days ago, on November 30, a powerful X1.9-class solar flare erupted from one of the spots in this cluster. This (X) class of flare ranks among the strongest, capable of causing radio blackouts and communication disruptions across the sunlit side of Earth. Indeed, the event produced a brief but intense radio blackout in Australia.

While the flare itself emitted radiation that reached Earth in minutes, scientists continue monitoring for any associated coronal mass ejection (CME), a slower-moving cloud of charged particles that, if directed toward Earth, could spark geomagnetic storms and auroras today or tomorrow.

My favorite tool for tracking the potential for Aurora viewing is the two-day viewline prediction page at the Space Weather Prediction Center. They also provide a 30-minute forecast.

State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, will officially close for the winter season at 6 pm this Thursday, December 4. The current closure extends from the Ross Dam trailhead at milepost 134 to the Silver Star gate at milepost 171, covering the high mountain passes of Rainy Pass (4,862 feet) and Washington Pass (5,475 feet).

WSDOT crews made the decision to close the highway due to growing avalanche risks and incoming snowstorms forecast to begin Friday. Snow accumulation in avalanche-prone corridors has reached unsafe levels, and ongoing storms are expected to increase the danger for both travelers and maintenance teams.

The historic Granary Building on Bellingham’s waterfront went up for sale this week. The 38,315 square foot commercial building was the first project completed under the ill-fated 2015 agreement between the Port of Bellingham and Harcourt Developments an Ireland-based developer. Harcourt officially got the boot earlier this year, but for what it’s worth, I think the Granary Building turned out pretty rad.

The listing, posted by Steve Brunette of CBRE, describes the location as “a mainstay of Bellingham commerce for over 100 years has been extensively and lovingly remodeled to today’s exacting standards. Benefiting from a strategic ‘anchor’ location within the Waterfront District, and proximate to downtown, the asset is well-situated to contribute and benefit from the dynamic Bellingham economy for the next generation.” Yeah, that sounds about right. 🙂 

CIVIC CORNER

Wednesday
Lake Whatcom Policy Group, 3 pm, Pacific Street Operations Center, agenda, watch online.

Thursday
Greenways Advisory Committee, 7 pm, watch online. 
Community Conversations w. County Councilmembers, 5 pm, Bellingham Public Schools District Office - Room 102, agenda.
WTA Board Meeting, 8 am, 4011 Bakerview Spur, watch online.
Bellingham Planning Commission, 6 pm, City Council Chambers

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Stream Team: Help Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) maintain older sites that need love. Meet at NSEA’s campus by 8 am and your group leader will shuttle everyone to the site. You can expect to be back to NSEA at 12 pm. Register.

Friday
Stimpson Family Nature Reserve: Join Whatcom Land Trust as they focus on removing invasive English holly, creeping buttercup, and herb Robert along the trail. Register.

Saturday
Birchwood Park: Join the city in removing invasive species, mulching, and planting at Birchwood Park near the pump track. Register.
Deer Creek: NSEA with landowners, volunteers, and Fourth Corner Fly Fishers have been planting a buffer along Deer Creek in recent years. Help them maintain this young buffer so that salmonids can continue enjoying cold, clean, and clear water that restoration can bring them. Register.

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

Bellingham Senior Activity Center
Holiday Variety Show | Thurs

The Claire
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | Thurs-Sun

iDiOM Theater
Shark Tank: Island Time Edition | Thurs-Sat

Bellingham Circus Guild
Aerial Showcase | Thurs-Sun

BAAY
Esme’s Adventures in Another World | Fri-Sun

Blaine High School
Christmas in Oz | Fri-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
Watch Out For Flying Chairs | Thurs-Sat

Bellingham Theatre Guild
Sister Act | Fri-Sun

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
A Holiday Evening of Belly Dance (Dance) | Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 4:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Movement - Presence Studio - Sun 10:30 am

Events & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

FEATURED

Like the powerful mandolinist and composer at its helm, Grammy winning John Reischman and the Jaybirds fashion a stylish take on bluegrass that seamlessly blends original songs and instrumentals with Appalachian old-time music for a truly unique band sound. Catch them tonight, December 3, at the New Prospect Theatre from 8 to 10 pm.

Go boldly where no trivia team has gone before... Transport yourself to Aslan Depot for Star Trek Trivia Night and test your knowledge of the final frontier! Tomorrow, December 4th, from 6-8 pm. Teams of 4 or less, free to play, first place gets a gift card prize.

Cellist Samantha Sinai and pianist Michelle Huang perform a free morning concert presented by the Bellingham Music Club at Trinity Lutheran Church, offering a program of Romantic works including Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano and Clara Schumann’s Three Romances, Op. 22. The recital begins today, December 3, at 10:30 am, closing out the club’s 2025 season with an exceptional collaboration.

Join Bellingham Senior Activity Center’s own The Golden Players Theatre Troupe at BSAC North for their first Holiday Variety Show tomorrow, December 4, at 12:30 pm. Look forward to songs, music, dance, skits, jokes, trivia, improv, and more. Get ready to laugh, sing, and have fun! It’s a fundraiser with 100% of donations going to BSAC & Meals On Wheels. You’re invited. All ages are welcome. No RSVP required.

WEDNESDAY

Move Slow and Make Things, Dakota Eye (at Dakota Art) – A partnership between Dakota Art and i.e. gallery debuts featuring works by seven artists who began meeting during the pandemic to share and discuss their creative journeys. The show offers an intimate glimpse into their collaborative process, showcasing pieces by Claudia Fitch, Robert Hardgrave, Patricia Hagen, Shirley Scheier, Tim Cross, Margy Lavelle, and Sue Danielson.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

THURSDAY

Purple Haze, Zeeks Pizza Bellingham – A Jimi Hendrix tribute band that brings the fire and soul of Hendrix’s electric rock and jazz-inspired sound to life. The show runs from 7 to 9 pm, paired with pizza, and brews.

Wintering: A Poetry Reading with Sheila Sondik & Nancy Canyon, Voxel Gallery – Voxel Gallery hosts Wintering, an evening of poetry and art with local poet-artists Sheila Sondik and Nancy Canyon. Blending visual and literary expression, their work reflects the moods and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. The free event begins at 6 pm and includes refreshments and wine in the gallery’s downtown Bellingham space.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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