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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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This two session course examines the lives and art of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, who helped shape Mexico’s cultural identity in the decades following the Mexican Revolution. Rivera participated in a government directed mural movement that celebrated public education, universal health care, expanded civil liberties, and the power of the Mexican people to determine their own history.

Kahlo, Rivera’s third wife, shared a similar political outlook but created intensely personal work rooted in Indigenous culture, feminism, and the physical suffering she endured after a devastating accident. Together, their art offers two distinct perspectives on politics, identity, and creative expression in twentieth century Mexico.

Mount Baker Theatre is preparing for its 100th season by collecting community memories through a project called 100 Stories for One Hundred Years. The historic theater invites you to share personal memories of performances, traditions, or moments connected to the venue as it approaches its centennial in 2027.

“On April 29, 1927 at 6:00 p.m. whistles shrieked from Bellingham Bay and fire engine sirens rang into the night: Bellingham's own luxury movie palace officially opened.”

The building opened as a large movie palace during the early era of cinema and is now the only surviving theater of five that once operated in Whatcom County. Over the decades it has faced several close calls, including plans in the late 1970s to divide the theater into multiple screens and later the possibility of demolition.

Public support ultimately helped preserve the building. Partnerships between the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, the State of Washington, the nonprofit that operates the theater, and many private donors led to restoration and renovation work that kept the venue operating. Add your favorite MBT story to its 100th birthday card.

Get ready to roll! Tickets for the remaining home bouts of the Bellingham Roller Betties Season 18 are now available, with four roller derby double headers still scheduled this spring.

The Betties, Bellingham’s flat track roller derby league, have been skating locally for more than a decade. This year’s schedule includes a season ticket option for those planning to attend multiple bouts, along with single event tickets for individual dates. The remaining bouts will take place at the Lynden Skateway.

Gardener Alert: The Whatcom Horticultural Society is hosting a lecture tomorrow, March 5, with local seed expert Ada Snyder. Her talk, How to Successfully Start with Seeds and Grow Flowers, Herbs and Vegetables in the PNW, focuses on practical techniques for regional growing conditions, including soil preparation, seed timing, transplanting, and plant varieties that tend to perform well here.

Snyder has spent more than 15 years working in the organic seed community, with an emphasis on regionally adapted seed breeding. In her role with High Mowing Organic Seed, she works directly with farms to identify varieties suited to specific growing systems. She is a Skagit Valley native and past board member of Viva Farms. The talk begins at 7 pm at the Whatcom Museum. Tickets.

LOCAL READS

How Van Zandt Is Reopening Their Community Hall: A Historic Schoolhouse and Spirit of Place
By Anna Diehl · WhatcomTalk
After years of community fundraising and renovations, the 1927 Van Zandt schoolhouse-turned-community hall east of Bellingham is nearing completion and set to reopen with events from history talks to potlucks this April. Anna reports on decades of volunteer work, expanded space for local gatherings, and how the hall anchors radio programming, rentals, and regular social activities in the rural South Fork Valley. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

In the Garden with Kelle: What can we plant in March?
By Kelle Rankin-Sunter · The Northern Light
March brings fluctuating temperatures and soggy soil, but hardy crops such as snow peas, kale, bok choy, carrots, and beets can germinate now and produce harvests by April. Kelle details how to prepare beds with organic matter, encourage worms to improve soil structure, and protect seedlings from heavy rain and pests. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Wednesday
Meridian-Birchwood Roundabout Open House, 6:00 pm, Parkview Elementary School
King Mountain Neighborhood Community Meeting, 6:00 pm, Bellingham Covenant Church

Thursday
WTA Board, 8:00 am, WTA's offices at 4011 Bakerview Spur, zoom
Greenway Advisory Committee, 7:00 pm, Pacific Street Operations Center, watch online

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friday
Bell Creek: Join Whatcom Land Trust at Bell Creek to remove invasive species and protect habitat for spring Chinook, bull trout, and other native wildlife. Register

Saturday
Native Plant Nursery: Help the city prepare its native plant nursery for another year of restoration projects. Volunteers will pot bare-root plants and tidy the Parks Native Plant Nursery. Register
Smith Creek: Work with NSEA to remove invasive blackberry and replace it with native trees and shrubs, helping ensure the water remains cold, clean, and clear for coho, chum, steelhead, and Chinook salmon. Register

Sunday
Whatcom Humane Society’s Division St. Shelter: Join Whatcom Million Trees Project in planting native trees in the dog-walking field to provide shade and support the nearby wetland. Register

Feeling off balance? At Desert Pine Chiropractic, Dr. Haley and Dr. Anna use gentle, evidence-based care to help your body heal itself — easing pain, improving sleep, and restoring energy.

They're offering a special Hamster Wheel New Patient Offer to begin your healing journey for just $63 (regularly $190). This introductory visit includes a full consultation, nerve and muscle assessment, digital X-rays, and a personalized doctor’s report — everything you need to understand your body’s alignment and start feeling your best. Learn more at desertpinechiro.com.

The Upfront Theater
Loving Karma (film) | Wed

iDiOM Theater
The Plague (theater) | Thurs-Sat

Squalicum High School
Urinetown (theater) | Thurs-Sat

Bellingham High School
Sister Act (theater) | Fri-Sat

BAAY Theater
The Wizard Of Oz (theater) | Sat

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
Tony Deyo (comedy) | Sat

Mount Baker Theater
The Moth Mainstage (storytelling) | Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Hip Hop, House, Shuffle - Lost Giants Cider - Fri 6 pm
Dance Fusion - BSAC - Sat 10:30 am
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 5:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - Sun 1 pm

Northwest Tune Up and Doc Swinson’s will host the Artist Showdown at 7:30 pm on Thursday, March 5. The event is the live final round of the Doc Swinson’s Opening Act Contest, where five emerging Washington musicians compete for a spot on the 2026 Northwest Tune Up bike and music festival main stage. Wasabi Samba, Henry Mansfield, Waves Crashing, Veronica North, and Loveli each perform short sets, with crowd reaction factored into the final score. Doors open at 6:30 pm, 21 and over, free with RSVP.

Paper Wings with Hannah Mayree comes to the New Prospect Theatre tonight from 8 to 10 pm for an evening of close harmony folk and banjo driven songwriting. Nashville duo Paper Wings, Emily Mann and Wila Frank, bring songs from their recent release Listen to the World Spin. They are joined by Hannah Mayree, a banjoist and multi instrumentalist known for weaving original and traditional folk into audience centered performances. Tickets.

Petunia and the Vipers play The Orion tomorrow, March 5 as part of the Winter Starlight Series presented by Subdued Stringband Jamboree, with doors at 6 pm, a dance lesson at 6:30, and music at 7 pm in the Odd Fellows Temple Room. Led by Canadian songwriter Petunia, the band blends early country, western swing, ragtime, jazz, and punk into a set of original songs shaped by decades of touring, joined by veteran players Stephen Nikleva on electric guitar and Jimmy Roy on lap steel.

Esther Rose plays at The Shakedown tonight, March 4, with doors at 7:30 pm and music at 8 pm. Rose, touring behind her fifth album Want, writes songs that balance sharp, everyday observations with country storytelling and pop structure.

Trivia with Good Time Girls, Lost Giants Cider Company – A fundraiser trivia night from 6:30 to 8:30 pm hosted by the Good Time Girls and Bellingham Roller Betties. The evening includes themed rounds, local history questions, and community competition. $5 per person.

Potluck Dinner, Red Cedar Zen – A 5:30 to 6:30 pm open community vegetarian potluck hosted by Red Cedar Zen Community, with shared dishes at 5:30 pm followed by meditation at 6:30 pm, all are welcome.

The Golden Age of Islam, First Congregational Church – A three part lecture series from 6 to 8 pm on Wednesdays, March 4, 11, and 18 with Lina Zeine, PhD, exploring Baghdad’s House of Wisdom, advances in medicine and science, and how knowledge traveled to Al Andalus and Europe, free admission. For information: 360-734-3720.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

FILM: “Category Woman,” Western’s Communications Facility – A 5 to 7:30 pm screening presented by Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival, followed by a 6:30 pm panel discussion with director Phyllis Ellis and WWU faculty, free and open to the public.

Salish Sea Dome Experience, Central Library Lecture Room – From 3:45 to 5:30 pm, this all ages 360 degree projection experience highlights local salmon and the Salish Sea ecosystem, offered by Bellingham Public Library with the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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