🐹 Cephalopod Quest 🐙🐙

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

It’s going to be a hot week with temps in the 80s most days. Reapply that SPF liberally!! 😉 

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

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Weather Forecast

Monday: 76°F 🌡️ 60°F | 🌤️ Mostly Sunny | 🌧️ 1% | 💨 SW 3 to 7 mph

Tuesday: 85°F 🌡️ 62°F | ☀️ Sunny | 🌧️ 1% | 💨 NNW 2 to 8 mph

Moon Phases

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Find The Hidden Octopuses

This is such a cute idea! 🐙 The Opal the Octopus Scavenger Hunt, organized by Gabriel's Art Kids (GAK), kicks off this Tuesday in Bellingham. Finding hidden octopuses at participating businesses across town earns you the chance to win fun prizes like tickets to "Art in the Dark," $10 GAK bucks for the Bizarre Bazaar, a GAK t-shirt, a family pack of four tickets to Spooktacular, two complimentary UpFront Theatre tickets, and an Avellino Coffeehouse gift card.

Joining the hunt is easy. Just use the interactive map to find participating businesses like BAAY, Makeshift Art Space, UpFront Theatre, Sweet as Waffles, and many more. Search for the cleverly concealed octopuses at each location, snap a photo of your finds, and submit them together in a single online form to enter. Be the first to discover all the octopuses for a chance at the grand prize, or simply complete the hunt to enjoy a variety of rewards!

In other news…

📻️ Reserve your seat for this Wednesday’s Chuckanut Radio Hour at the Lairmont Manor with author Maria Reva. The Chuckanut Radio Hour is a radio variety show that includes guest authors, musicians, performance poet Kevin Murphy, and episodes of "As the Ham Turns" serial radio comedy performed by the Chuckanut Radio Players Les Campbell, Tonja Meyers, Sarah Hawley, and Robert Muzzy.

Maria Reva 👆️ was born in Ukraine and grew up in Canada. Her debut novel Endlings is set in Ukraine. “An eccentric scientist breeding rare snails crosses paths with sisters posing as members of the marriage industry to find their activist mother. As Russia invades, they embark on a wild journey with kidnapped bachelors and a last-of-its-kind snail. This darkly comic novel explores survival, love, and the impact of war.” Reserve your seat. 

🚢 Port of Bellingham Board of Commissioners meets tomorrow, July 15 at 4 pm. The agenda is available online. This public meeting is held at the Harbor Center or can be watched via the port’s YouTube channel.

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

Uisce Irish Pub
Guffawingham | Mon 9:00 pm

New Prospect Theatre
Two Player Game | Thurs 7:30 pm

iDiOM Theater
Strange Birds | Fri, Sat 7:30 pm

BAAY @ New Prospect Theatre
Our Town | Fri, Sat 7pm, Sat, Sun 2pm

WWU Performing Arts Center
King of the Neuroverse staged reading | Thurs 2pm

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
Bellingham TheaterWorks Summer Repertory Theatre
Translations | Tues & Fri 7:30 pm
The Foreigner | Wed & Sat 7:30 pm
The Language Archive | Thurs 7:30 pm, Sun 5:00 pm

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances.

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Salsa & Bachata - Viking Union - Mon 7 pm
Bellingham Embodiment Collective - Majestic Ballroom - Mon 6:30 pm
Beginning Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 6 pm
B’ham Hop - Crystal Ballroom - Tues 7 pm
Int. Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 7:15 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Summer Heat - Presence Studio - Thurs 6:30 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 8:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Movement - Presence Studio - Sun 10:30 am

Events & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

Feature an Event. Reach out.

FEATURED

A night of circus and spectacle! Vaudevillingham is a monthly community open stage that’s uncurated, unexpected, and UNBELIEVABLE! Every month is a completely new & amazing show. The best part is that you never know what might happen... Axe juggling? Aerial silks on roller skates? A mad-lib singalong? A symphony made purely from conch shell noises? You'll have to show up to find out! Grab tickets for Tuesday night’s shenanigans.

Get ready to groove at the Taster Tuesday Choreo Dance Class, starting Tuesday night from 6 to 11 pm at Lost Giants Cider Co., exclusively for adults 21+! A fun, supportive class blends hip hop and house music with a laid-back vibe, offering a chance to learn dance moves, connect with like-minded folks, and enjoy delicious ciders—perfect for beginners looking to shake things up. Sign up to boogie or drop in

MONDAY

Bellingham Festival of Music - You Had Me....At Cello! - FireHouse Arts & Events Center - The Bellingham Festival of Music cello section will dazzle you with music by Bach, Prokofiev, Fauré, Paul McCartney and Queen! Enjoy a coffee from the cafe and join FireHouse for a performance featuring the 8 cellists of the Bellingham Festival of Music. This concert is free to all! Begins at 2:30 pm. 

All Comers Track & Field - Civic Field Stadium - A Monday evening of track and field events for children and adults. The meet starts with the youngest participants in the 50-meter dash and the 50-meter hurdles, height adjusted for the age group of 4 and under. Throughout the event join in shot put, javelin/mini-javelin, 200m, 400m, etc. Register to run.

Big Band Monday - Boundary Bay Brewery - Every Monday in July, head to the beer garden to dance the night away with Jimmy Lindquist’s Big Band. The Backyard BBQ and Garden Bar open at 5 pm, with live music from 6 to 8 pm. All ages are welcome, and there’s a $5 suggested cover to support the band. Expect classic tunes from the 1930s and ‘40s, performed by Dr. Jimmy & The Swingtime Serenaders—a Whatcom County big band with members ranging in age from 19 to 90!

Monday Music & Trivia →

TUESDAY

Country Swing Dance, the Elk Lodge - Learn how to country swing dance! There's no experience or partner required, just come ready and open to learn. Flat-bottomed shoes or leather sole boots are recommended, but not at all necessary. $10 Beginner lesson 7 - 8 pm. $5 Social Dance 8 - 11 pm.

Lindy at the Leo 4th Anniversary Dance, Hotel Leo - Join the Dixieland All-Stars for a toe-tapping, high-energy night of live jazz and social dancing! 7:30–8 PM – FREE Intro Dance Lesson. 8–10 PM – Social Dance to Live Jazz.

Tuesday Tunes, Barkley Village Green - A free concert with Bilongo. Bring your lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Dance up an appetite then get food from one of the several food trucks that will be attending. Tunes kick off at 6 pm.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

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Hakuna matata

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Have a great Monday!!