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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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Discover the craft and science of ancient breads fermented with wild microbes, including sourdough, salt rising, and gluten free traditions. In this hands-on session, you will knead dough, explore time-tested techniques for flavor and crust, and learn the remarkable history of breads shaped by place and culture, from Appalachian salt rising to global sourdough traditions.

Tasting samples and recipes are included, along with mini loaves to bake at home, a gluten free starter, and a historic sourdough culture from 1890s Cripple Creek, Colorado. Guided by master baker and researcher Genevieve Bardwell, this class blends culinary skill, folklore, and fermentation science into an engaging afternoon of bread and story.

Submissions are now open for the 2026 Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest, a long running Whatcom County program honoring local writer Sue Crocker Boynton. Boynton moved to the county in 1906 and, though she described herself as an amateur poet, spent much of her life encouraging others to write and share their work. Today the contest continues that spirit by inviting Whatcom residents to submit one unpublished poem during the March 1 to March 31 entry period.

The contest, now in its 21st year, offers a $100 prize for both a youth and an adult poem winners. Selected poems will be paired with artwork and displayed on Whatcom Transportation Authority buses and in Whatcom libraries. Ten will be engraved along the Poetry Walk outside the Bellingham Public Library.

Winners will be notified by the end of April and invited to read their work at the awards ceremony on May 28 at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. The contest is open to all Whatcom County residents, and full submission guidelines are available through The Poetry Department website.

The Bellingham Festival of Music is looking for local households willing to host visiting orchestra musicians during this summer’s festival residency, which runs from June through July. Home hosting has long been part of the festival’s tradition, giving musicians a welcoming place to stay while they spend several weeks performing in Bellingham.

Hosts simply provide a bedroom and bathroom while musicians largely take care of themselves. In return, hosts receive a pair of concert tickets and the chance to get to know musicians from around the country, often leading to memorable conversations, shared meals, and lasting friendships. The festival is still looking for about ten homes this year for visiting players. Contact Barbara Young for details. [email protected].

LOCAL READS

OPINION: The rock that refused to leave
By Eva Breitinger · The Front
Behind the Mount Baker Theatre, a massive sandstone outcrop rises from an alley and even forms the back wall of a dance studio utility corridor locals call “the cave.” Eva explains that most of the surrounding ridge was removed for early construction, leaving this single structural remnant in place. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

After the End of the Line: A Retrospective on the Bellingham Railway Museum
By Anna Diehl · WhatcomTalk
From 2003 to 2020, the Bellingham Railway Museum on Commercial Street displayed large G-gauge model trains recreating local rail lines alongside lanterns, railroad china, and artifacts from the Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad. Anna reports that after the museum closed during the pandemic, much of the collection moved to the Northwest Railway Museum while its founders continue researching regional rail history. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Monday
Bellingham City Council, 7:00 pm, City Hall Council Chambers; agenda, YouTube
Blaine City Council, 6:00 pm, Council Chambers; agenda
WWU Police Chief Katy Potts Information Session and Q&A on Immigration Enforcement Procedures, 2:00 pm, details

Tuesday
Everson City Council, 7:00 pm, City Hall Council Chambers
Whatcom County Council, 6:00 pm, Council Chambers; agenda, Zoom

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

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: Plant native trees and shrubs with Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association along Smith Creek, a tributary of the Nooksack River. 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

Uisce Irish Pub
Guffawingham (comedy) | Mon 8:30 pm

BSAC North
The Golden Players Theatre Troupe (variety show) | Thurs

The Blue Room
Comedy night with Henry Sir (comedy) | Thurs

iDiOM Theatre
The Roommate (theater) | Thurs-Sat

New Prospect Theatre
Seasons and Celebrations (cabaret) | Sat, Sun

BAAY Theatre
The Wizard Of Oz (theater) | Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Salsa & Bachata - Viking Union - Mon 7 pm
Bellingham Embodiment Collective - Majestic Ballroom - Mon 6:30 pm
Contact Improv - Aikido Peace Education Center - Mon 7 pm
Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 6 pm
B’ham Hop - Crystal Ballroom - Tues 8 pm
Taster Tuesdays (hip hop) - Lost Giants Cider Co - Tues 6 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance Fusion - BSAC - Sat 10:30 am
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 6:30 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - Sun 1 pm

Cayley Schmid and Aaron Guest perform as part of the Music Monday series at the FireHouse Arts and Events Center this afternoon, March 9 from 3:30 to 5 pm. The duo plays instrumental Celtic music on fiddle and piano, blending tunes from Scottish, Irish, and Cape Breton traditions. Both musicians are longtime figures in the local folk scene and previously performed together in the band Polecat. The event is free to attend, with donations welcomed.

Logan is a musician/songwriter based in Bellingham. Join him tomorrow, March 10, at the Admiralty Lounge from 7 to 9 pm, for an evening of original and interpreted folk and pop songs featuring his fingerpicking style. You can expect to hear music by Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Townes Van Zandt, Mississippi John Hurt and more!

Monday Miles: Barkley Village Run Club, Barkley Village Green – A 5:30 pm weekly community run with optional 2 mile and 4 mile routes through Barkley led by coaches from Anytime Fitness Bellingham.

Billy Frank Jr. Day Fundraiser, Northwest Yarns & Mercantile – A weeklong shop event with 10 percent of sales donated to Northwest Indian College in honor of treaty rights advocate Billy Frank Jr., running during regular store hours from March 9 through March 15.

Monday Music & Trivia →

Pour It Forward Benefitting Whatcom Literacy Council, Kulshan Brewing Sunnyland Taproom – A daylong fundraiser from 11 am to 9 pm with 10 percent of Sunnyland taproom sales donated to the Whatcom Literacy Council, plus community bingo from 6 to 8 pm.

Chess Night, Aegis Taphouse & Tam Tam Pizzeria – A weekly 4 to 8 pm community chess gathering open to all skill levels, with casual games, friendly competition, and boards available or bring your own.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

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