🐹 Groovebot and Pie 🍕🍕

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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Puzzlers: A new game section is in the works. The first games are three daily Sudoku puzzles that range from easy to hard. I’m still debugging the solver-based difficulty validation and I need your feedback. Try solving a Sudoku and let me know how it goes.

I’m working on a daily leaderboard. Not sure if it will be live by the time this goes out but it should be up in the next few days. 👍

Or, hit reply to send me photos via email. 📧

Memorial Day weekend in Bellingham brings with it the annual Ski to Sea relay race starting high on the slopes of Mount Baker and finishing and the pebbly shores of Marine Park in Fairhaven. Accompanying the race, are crowds of onlookers, live music, beer gardens, and an abundance of businesses in and around Fairhaven hosting festivities.

Use the map provided by the Ski to Sea organizers to find safe locations along the 93 mile route, where you can cheer on racers. Then head down to Fairhaven for full-tilt block party mode.

Southside parking is notoriously painful on race day, so Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) will offer buses every 10 minutes 👆 between Downtown Bellingham Station and Fairhaven Amtrak Station bringing you straight to the finish line excitement at Marine Park.

On Saturday, be sure to grab a spot downtown to watch the traditional Memorial Day Parade (formerly the Ski to Sea Parade) from 12-3 pm, with dancers, marching bands, new and old classic cars, local heroes, veterans, and unforgettable performances coming together in one place.

This year, the parade starts at the corner of Alabama and Cornwall, then continues south on Cornwall through downtown Bellingham.

If Fairhaven’s Memorial Day weekend crowds are not your jam, you might consider heading east on the The Whatcom Chief ferry for the Lummi Island Memorial Weekend Art Tour.

This year, more than 30 artists and craftspeople, will be displaying their work, offering paintings, drawings, prints, note cards, jewelry, photography, sculpture, woodwork, pottery, metalwork, stonework, quilts, clothing, knitwear and more at 14 locations around the island. You’ll find an interactive map of the venues and a printable flyer here.

Great Blue Heron colony: I got a note this week from Holly Roger, Environmental Education and Outreach Specialist at the City of Bellingham Public Works, about taking care of the unique colony sites we have here in Bellingham. Her words below: 👇

“Here at the City we've been hearing reports about folks flying drones near the Great Blue Heron colony near Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in Fairhaven. This is concerning because Great Blue Herons are very sensitive to disturbance and unusual activity during their nesting season and while feeding their youngsters - they may even abandon their babies when disturbed! Here's the City's website all about Great Blue Herons, which includes a map that shows where the nesting and feeding areas are, and specific guidelines to help protect our local herons. We have two colonies now -which is a really rare occurrence in urban environments!”

4520 Orcas Way (Fri, Sat, 8 am)
This one’s a great excuse to take a lovely drive out towards Sandy Point. Take the Red River road and do some bird watching along the way, or beeline over on Slater to Lake Terrell. Looks like there are treasures in the mix! map

1517 Fairvew Street (Open Fri 4-6, Sat 12-2, Sun 1-3)
It’s hard to beat Geneva when it comes to nook hoods with endless charm. This historic cottage style home just takes it to the next level. I love the size at 1250 sqft, and it’s surrounded by mature gardens including a rhododendron that looks like it’s been there since the home was built in 1918! So pretty. Listing

517 Lawson Street, Sumas (Open Sat 10-2, Sun 2-4)
Holy smokes. The difference a few miles make. This home is gorgeous. A beautiful craftsman built in 1916 with just over 2000 ft of living space. And look at that price!! What a gem. 💎 Listing

Bellingham Christian School
Little Women: The Musical (theatre) | Thurs, Fri

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
Ha Ha Da Vinci (theatre) | Fri

Sehome High School
Anything Goes (theatre) | Fri-Sun

BAAY
Honk! Jr. (theatre) | Fri-Sun

iDiOM Theatre
All Our Tragic (theatre) | Sat, Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Ballroom, Swing, Latin - The Majestic - Fri 6:30 pm
Foundations: Hip Hop, House, Shuffle - Lost Giants Cider Co. - Fri 6 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:30 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - Sun 1 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sunday 10:30 am

Bellingham musician Brian Martens brings Fickle Spring to Honey Moon tonight from 8 to 10 pm for an evening of original folk and bluegrass-inspired music in his self-described “electric-mountain-pirate-folk” style. Listen for sea shanties, acoustic storytelling, and roots influences.

Make.Shift Art Space hosts Surreal, August is Loud, and Devils Advocate on Saturday from 8 to 11 pm, showcasing three Whatcom/Skagit bands. Surreal, is an alt-rock band from Mount Vernon. August is Loud has a following for shoegaze and punk energy. It’s an all-ages show.

Acme Diner hosts Haley & the Haymakers tonight from 6 to 8 pm as part of its Beer Garden Nights series. The Whatcom County country group, featuring Haley Holmes, Mark Williams, and Jacob Hoffman, is known for easygoing live sets that blend classic country energy with a relaxed local feel.

Ha Ha Da Vinci, FireHouse Arts & Events Center – Award-winning performer Phina Pipia presents a 7 to 8:30 pm solo production combining illusion, puppetry, live music, and theater as a grad student travels back to Renaissance Italy to unravel a mystery involving Leonardo da Vinci and mathematician Luca Pacioli. Tickets

John Giordanengo: Ecosystems as Models for Restoring Our Economies, Village Books – International speaker John Giordanengo presents a 6 pm discussion exploring how natural ecosystems can inform more resilient and sustainable economic systems, drawing from decades of research, conservation work, and global restoration projects. Reserve a seat

Friday Music & Trivia →

Groovebot, Zeeks Pizza Bellingham – Groovebot performs from 7 to 9 pm with a mix of funk, soul, and dance music spanning the 1960s through today, featuring horn arrangements, vocals, and rhythm-driven live sets.

Saturday Music & Trivia →

Awkward Family Photos (Mini Sessions), Karate Church – Think Sears Portrait Studio. Think Glamour Shots. Think soft focus. Stiff shoulders. Emotional intensity that does not match the situation. These are intentionally awkward, hilariously dramatic, frame-it-without-explaining-it portraits. Find an open slot here.

SEA&WIN World Games Ticket Raffle, Stones Throw Brewery – Visit Bellingham hosts an in-person raffle from 12 to 6 pm for a chance to win two match tickets to Belgium vs. Egypt in Seattle on June 15, with the first 1,500 entries also receiving a commemorative poster by Pacific Northwest artist Shogo Ota. Those who can’t attend the festival can still earn a chance to win match tickets by downloading and using the SEA&WIN App, a free mobile game created by SeattleFWC26 to engage soccer fans with fan zone communities across the state.

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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