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

Looking forward, the sun will be out this weekend. In the meantime, I’m really enjoying these warm, wet, days. ☔️ Best of both worlds!

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

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Chuckanut Flying Club

A Pilot Never Stops Learning

40 years of flying!

Cruise over the most scenic areas of the country with friends and family. Stop at Friday Harbor or Port Townsend for lunch. Plan a daytrip to East Sound on Orcas Island, only twelve minutes away by plane.

The club operates two planes out of the Bellingham Airport. A 1977 Piper Cherokee Warrior II, and a1971 Cessna 182 Skylane. Members pay only by tach hours for all flights including overnight and cross-country flights.

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: 67°F 🌡️ 55°F | 🌧️ Chance of Rain | 🌧️ 65% | 💨 S 9 mph

Thursday: 65°F 🌡️ 55°F | 🌧️ Rain Likely | 🌧️ 65% | 💨 S 6 mph

Moon Phases

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Huggable Rodent Below

This week I wandered down a new rabbit hole… no, a pika hole. An American pika (Ochotona princeps) hole to be exact. Who knew we had a native rodent that looks like a cross between a short eared bunny and a guinea pig? 🤷 Lot’s of photos because these little stinkers are beyond cute!!! 👇️ 

The American pika, is a small 6–8-inch, 4–6-ounce mammal, sporting round (Micky Mouse-like) ears, no tail, and grayish-brown fur. These agile herbivores dart among alpine talus slopes in the North Cascades, caching vegetation in haypiles for winter survival. Thriving above treeline in cool, rocky refuges, they’re vulnerable to warming climates.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife indicates that the population size of American pika in Washington is unknown. If you spot one, they ask you to share your observation using their Pika Observation Survey App.

In other news…

📻️ Grab tickets for Thursday (June 26), at the Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom, where the Chuckanut Radio Hour kicks off the 2025 Chuckanut Writers Conference with poets Rena Priest, Robert Lashley, and Kevin Murphy, plus 3-oh’s acoustic harmonies. Enjoy music, stories, and comedy.

Doors open at 6:30 PM, recording starts at 7:00 PM. Space is limited—register now to join the fun.

🚗 Avoid Hannegan Road today. Whatcom County Public Works has announced alternating single-lane closures at Bridge 252, starting at 8 a.m.

Bridge 252 crosses the Nooksack River just south of Lynden. They describe how “crews will inspect and repair the mid-span expansion joint.”

😷 Whatcom County Health and Community Services (WCHCS) has identified a second case of measles in Whatcom County based on reporting by Cascadia Daily News. A post by WCHCS indicates that individuals who visited the Family Care Network — Lynden Urgent Care on June 18th, from 5pm to 9pm, may have been exposed. They ask that “if you develop symptoms, stay home and call your healthcare provider before visiting any medical facility.” 

🏡 The Whatcom County Charter Review Commission meets tomorrow (June 26) in the Civic Building Garden Room at 6 pm. Attend in person or watch via Zoom.

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

iDiOM Theater
48-Hour Theater Festival | Sat & Sun, 7 & 9 pm

Mount Baker Theater
Chapters: Tell Me a Story | Fri t 6:30 pm

Bellingham Theatre Guild
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | Thurs-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm

New Prospect Theatre
Carrie: The Musical | Fri-Sun 7:00 pm

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 pm

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances.

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

 Salsa & Bachata 
Salsa & Bachata - Viking Union - Mon 7 pm
Beginning Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 6 pm
Int. Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 7:15 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm

 Tango  
Urban Salon Tango - The Majestic - Mon 7 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm

 Other  
B’ham Hop - Crystal Ballroom - Tues 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 8:00 pm
Country Night - Bar 211 - Fri 7:30 pm
Open Floor Movement - Presence Studio - Sun 10:30 am
Family Dance Party - Boom! - Sun 10 am

Events & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

Feature an Event. Reach out. 
Tell us about an event. Use this link.

FEATURED

The Sweet Goodbyes are a Bellingham based folk duo who started in 2015. The Sweet Goodbyes offer their audiences a chance to witness something rare. Taber Darland and Lisa Harmon wear their hearts on their sleeves and together their voices blend flawlessly. Catch them at Boundary Bay’s Happy Hour BBQ on Thursday from 4 to 8 pm. 

Swagger down to Backcountry Essentials on Thursday for a showing of “Dear Mother: A Climber’s Transracial Adoption Story.” In Dear Mother, climber and transracial Asian-American, Cody Kaemmerlen, searches for connection with his birth parents after a near-death fall leaves him shaken and grasping for answers. Doors open at 7 pm.

WEDNESDAY

Café con Conversación, Cafe Rumba - Café con Conversación is a relaxed Spanish conversation group where language learners and native speakers come together over coffee and pastries to practice, connect, and have fun! Led by Nikki, a bilingual Spanish speaker and experienced teacher, each session includes light guidance, fun games, and the chance to ask questions or get gentle corrections along the way. 6 to 8 pm.

Summer Fun, Central Library Lawn - Fun for children of all ages. Library staff present a variety of fun – bubbles, hopscotch, StoryWalk, and more! 10 am to noon.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

THURSDAY

Library Card Night, Joe Martin Field - Wenatchee AppleSox vs. Bellingham Bells in the final game of the series. Show your library card and receive 1 free general admission ticket. First pitch is at 6:35 pm.

Jamnesia, Beach Cat Brewing (Southpaw) - Get ready for a jam-packed journey with a powerhouse crew of all-star musicians hailing from the PNW and California, coming together to deliver high-energy, expertly crafted covers of Grateful Dead and Phish tunes. 6 to 8 pm.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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Hakuna matata

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Have a great Wednesday!!