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

Had my first good haul of chanterelles over the weekend. A couple dozen at least. But mostly it was an opportunity to tromp through the woods and adventure into the foothills with my dad. No better way to spend time with family! 🍄

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

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Live at the Firehouse Arts & Events Center

BEFORE US

October 9th-12th

BEFORE US, Kuntz & Company’s newest work, is a dance theatre piece exploring how we navigate, manage, & survive what is to come with grace & humility. Not as merely spectators of our lives, the performers dive into images of what came before & what is coming next.

Ian Bivins, Cara Congelli, Atlas Hovdesven, Ingrid Hurlen, Pam Kuntz, & Richard Scholtz have discovered community, relationships, & humor are at the core of both the stories shared & their creative process. BEFORE US is a playful release of frustrations & fears while traveling into a glorious win…the win we all really need right now.

Weather Forecast

Monday: 69°F 🌡️ 48°F | ☀️ Sunny | 🌧️ 1% | 💨 NNE 1 to 5 mph

Tuesday: 67°F 🌡️ 48°F | 🌤️ Mostly Sunny | 🌧️ 36% | 💨 WSW 0 to 6 mph

Moon Phases

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Great Gourds of Whatcom County

Pumpkin season has returned to Whatcom County, and local farms have begun opening their fields to the public. 🎃 Here’s my updated list of Whatcom U-pick (or they-pick) sources for 2025.

Home Farm in Blaine, (Wed, Thurs 9-5; Fri-Sun 9-6) offers a classic fall outing across eight acres of pumpkins, squash, gourds, and sweet corn, open through October 31. Pick your own pumpkins, explore a kids corn maze, enjoy tractor train rides, and meet farm animals, including forest-raised hogs and piglets. The on-site farm store carries goods from local artisans and seasonal treats, making Home Farm a lively stop for autumn fun in Whatcom County.

Bellewood Farms, (Wed-Sun 9-4) celebrates harvest season with apple and pumpkin picking running through October 31. Hop aboard the Apple Bin Train to the orchard, fill a U-pick bag with Honeycrisp or Cosmic Crisp apples, and stop by the Ten Mile Café for apple cider donuts or a slice of pie. The farm’s distillery offers tastings of its apple spirits, and the on-site store stocks local goods and fresh produce.

Dan Cramer’s Western Town in Lynden, offers a full range of farm experiences alongside a pumpkin U-pick. Their website is currently out of date but an announcement on Facebook indicates they are open with two litters of piglets to visit.

I’ve never been to Hals Pumpkins at 5249 Imhoff Rd, Ferndale, but the reviews I’ve found online are all positive, scant though they may be... this one’s a bit of a mystery to me. 🤷‍♂️ 

Stoney Ridge Farm in Everson (Fri, 12-5; Sat, 10-5 ) offers a mix of fall favorites—wagon rides, live music, apple picking, and its famous mini cider and pumpkin spice doughnuts. Explore the corn maze, meet farm animals, and enjoy cider pressed from the farm’s own apples.

In other news…

🦌 I adore these WHS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center critter release videos. 🥰 This one, posted over the weekend, shows three Black-tailed fawns taking their first tentative steps into the vast wilderness of Whatcom County. 😁 WHS notes that these “fawns arrived to our wildlife rehab center last spring, as tiny orphans.”

“Deer are a particularly challenging species to rehabilitate as their nutritional needs are high and delicate (especially as fawns), fawns are highly prone to imprinting on humans (believing they are a human, which makes them unable to function in a healthy way in the wild). They are also exceptionally sensitive to stress from captivity.”

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

Uisce Irish Pub
Guffawingham (comedy) | Mon 9:00 pm

FireHouse A&E Center
BEFORE US | Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun

Mount Baker Theatre
Demetri Martin (comedy) | Fri

iDiOM Theater
DRACÜL | Thurs, Fri, Sat

New Prospect Theatre
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Thurs, Sat, Sun

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 8 pm
Taster Tuesdays (hip hop) - Lost Giants Cider Co - Tues 6 pm
Int. Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 7:15 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance Fusion - Senior Activity Center - Sat 10:30 am
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 6:00 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

Ono Kitchen & Bar hosts a guided evening of saké and Japanese whisky tasting led by PNW saké sommelier Hideyo Hayashi, a guest from Suntory Whisky, and Washington’s own ONO Sake. The event begins with a Saké 101 session, moves into a curated whisky tasting, and concludes with inventive low-ABV saké cocktails. Tickets.

Bellingham’s own indie folk act Natural & The Bellfounders bring a warm, acoustic-driven sound shaped by Natural’s tenor voice and troubadour-style delivery. Performing as a trio with Jesse Wolpow on upright bass and Luke Deryckx on drums. This Tuesday, 7 pm, at the Admiralty Lounge.

Join Salish Current for a free workshop on how to read a city budget, tomorrow at Bellingham Senior Activity Center. Bellingham Deputy Administrator Forrest Longman will lead the session and promises that city budgets don’t have to be boring. Register to attend.

MONDAY

Author Conversation: Sarah Hawley, Village Books - Author Sarah Hawley discusses Princess of Blood, the sequel to her USA Today bestseller Servant of Earth, in conversation with fellow novelist Ann Aguirre. The event delves into Hawley’s richly imagined Fae world and her heroine’s struggle with power, loyalty, and identity. Reserve your seat for the 6 pm event.

Monday Music & Trivia →

TUESDAY

Movie Trivia, Uisce Irish Pub – Movie fans, test your film knowledge at this monthly trivia night sponsored by Pickford Film Center. Teams of up to six compete for cash, movie passes, and free popcorn cards. $2 per player, 7:00–9:00 pm.

Taster Tuesdays, Lost Giants Cider Company – Move With Ranae hosts a beginner to intermediate hip-hop dance class for adults featuring a warmup, guided choreography, and a final run-through. The hour-long session blends athletic movement with an upbeat, supportive atmosphere. 6:00–7:00 pm.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

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Hakuna matata

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