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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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

Discover the hidden kingdom beneath your feet at the 34rd Annual Wild Mushroom Show, Bellingham's biggest celebration of all things fungi! Featuring hundreds of stunning species, presentations from renowned mycologists, whimsical Mushroom Gnomes, vendor tables, and food trucks.

Bring the whole family for a day of wonder! Kids can assemble their own take-home mushroom grow kit while adults explore the art, science, and smells of our region's fungi. Whether you're a seasoned forager or simply mushroom-curious, you'll leave with a greater appreciation for our region's fungal delights. Tickets are just $8 in advance ($10 at the door, free for kids and students).

I’ve had a funny thing happen over the last few weeks. While working on a lovely home with warm southern exposure, my endeavors were interrupted by the swarming of thousands of ladybugs. 🐞 On their own, they’re darling, and I’ve always considered it a lucky omen when one lands on me. When dozens were trying their hardest to invade my undergarments, however, it started feeling less lucky and more like a biblical plague. 😆

So what’s the deal? The Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis), an introduced species now common in Washington, gathers in large numbers each fall looking for a protected place to spend the winter. In their native range, they often overwinter in cracks and crevices along sunny rock faces and cliffs, and here they seem perfectly happy to substitute the warm south- and west-facing sides of homes and buildings. When a sunny afternoon follows cooler weather, thousands can suddenly take flight at once.

The truth is, they’re a genuinely useful little predator, gobbling aphids and other soft-bodied garden pests for most of the year… they’re just lousy houseguests. They can squeeze into cracks around windows and siding, occasionally give a little pinch when trapped against your skin, and release a truly gross, and very smelly, yellow fluid if crushed.

There have been a lot of fascinating artist workshops and presentations around town the last couple of weeks, and today brings us another. Coast Salish artist Jason LaClair is leading a hands-on workshop about how to recognize Coast Salish design and distinguish it from Northern Formline traditions. “Jason will share insight into the forms, visual language, and artistic traditions that characterize Coast Salish artwork.”

You may recognize some of LaClair’s work. His projects include the 700-foot “Salmon Run” mural along North Forest Street, along with murals around Bellingham, Ferndale, and the San Juans, and his work is also included in the Whatcom Museum’s permanent People of the Sea and Cedar exhibition. This evening’s workshop starts at 5 pm, then moves from discussion into making your own Coast Salish-inspired design with LaClair’s guidance. Tickets are $50 with materials included.

LOCAL READS

Campus food pantries see increased demand as students struggle with basic needs
By Bodey Mitchell · Salish Current
Basic-needs insecurity is affecting students beyond Western: at Whatcom Community College, 41% reported food insecurity in 2024, 31% housing insecurity and 25% both. Bodey details how campus pantries can ease food shortages more readily than housing problems, which often require referrals to outside agencies. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Paper Whale plans downtown art space
By Sadie Binford · The Front
Paper Whale is leasing the former Public Market building at 1522 Cornwall Ave. for $900 a month while WTA develops plans for a future downtown transit station. Sadie reports that the nonprofit hopes to open galleries and community art events there by late 2026 or early 2027. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Wednesday
All Hands Whatcom Summit, 8:30 am, Silver Reef Casino
Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Commission, 6:30 pm, City Hall

Thursday
All Hands Whatcom Summit, 8:30 am, Silver Reef Casino
Rock Hill Playground Ribbon-Cutting, 4:30 pm,

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Bellingham: Join NSEA to remove protective tubes and cages from older restoration sites. You will help maintain planted trees by returning materials that protected them from voles, deer, beavers, and maintenance equipment. Register

Thurs-Fri
SWIFT Center: Join Washington Trails Association at the SWIFT Center to improve a new trail across a rocky knoll. You will clear vegetation, gather and carry rocks, move large rocks with tools and rigging, carry rock or gravel, and help build rock structures. Thurs, Friday

Saturday
Connelly Creek Nature Area (South): Join Bellingham Parks Volunteer Program and NSEA to restore wildlife habitat and protect wetlands at Connelly Creek Nature Area (South). You can help with planting, ecological restoration, invasive species removal, and litter pickup. Register
Cloud Mountain Farm Center: Join Whatcom Land Trust and Growing Veterans to remove invasive blackberry along the stream at Cloud Mountain Farm Center. You will help stabilize stream banks and filter water while protecting salmon habitat as the farm transitions to its future permanent owners. Register

Sunday
Whatcom Humane Society Wildlife Rehab Center: Join Whatcom Million Trees Project to plant trees at the Whatcom Humane Society Wildlife Rehab Center. You will help continue a multi-year reforestation project in a 12-acre former hayfield. Register

Bellewood Farms & Distillery, Lynden (Wed-Sun 9-4)
Bellewood’s fall setup combines a U-pick pumpkin patch with apple picking, a free corn maze, farm store, bakery, cafe, and plenty of cider doughnuts. The pumpkin patch stays open through Oct. 31, and general admission is free.

Cramer's Western Town, Lynden (Fri-Sun 10-5)
If simply picking a pumpkin feels insufficiently Western, Cramer’s adds draft-horse wagon rides out to the patch, pony rides, a petting zoo, hay maze, tractor train, and other farm games. They grow more than 30 pumpkin varieties and are open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in October.

Stoney Ridge Farm, Everson (Fri 12-5, Sat 10-5)
Stoney Ridge packs a lot into its short fall season: U-pick pumpkins and apples, wagon rides, a corn maze, bin maze, playground, and farm animals, plus their well-known pumpkin and cider doughnuts made with apples grown on the farm. Admission is $6, kids 2 and under are free, and the final two days this year are Oct. 23 and 24.

Pumpkin Patch in the Pool, Arne Hanna Aquatic Center (Sat 4:30-6)
Skip the muddy field and pick your pumpkin from the pool instead. Arne Hanna Aquatic Center is filling the water with floating pumpkins for an afternoon that also includes treats, games, and aquatic safety activities. Admission is $10, and kids 6 and younger need to stay within arm’s reach of an adult in the water.

Trick-or-Treat on the Berm, Birch Bay Berm Pathway (Sat 3-5)
Birch Bay’s waterfront trail turns into a trick-or-treat route Saturday afternoon, with businesses and community groups setting up decorated stops along the berm. The event is free, costumes are encouraged.

Crave a Beer, Carve a Pumpkin, Stones Throw Brewery (Sat 12-5)
Stones Throw is setting out pumpkins and carving tools for its annual Halloween carving day in Fairhaven. It’s free, all ages, and carved pumpkins will stay on display in the taproom through Halloween, when voting wraps up and costumed visitors get $1 off pints. Pumpkins are first come, first served, so arriving earlier is probably wise.

Pumpkin Painting & Pizza, Fiamma Pizza (Sun 2–4)
Paint a pumpkin and eat some pizza at Fiamma’s all-ages Halloween afternoon. Each $25 ticket includes one pumpkin, painting supplies, and access to a buffet with cheese and pepperoni pizza, green salad, soft drinks, and water. Smocks and coveralls are not provided, so dress accordingly.

Pumpkins and Ponies, Mountain Meets Farm (Sun 12-3)
Mountain Meets Farm is combining its rescue animals with a little fall fun for this annual fundraiser. The afternoon includes pony rides, pumpkin painting, raffles, apple cider pressing, popcorn, and time to meet some of the farm’s rescued animals and learn their stories. Tickets are $20 and support the farm’s animal welfare and education work.

WWU Old Main Theater
Masks Play III: Return of the Masks (theatre) | Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat

Ferndale High School Theatre
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (theatre) | Thu, Fri

Lincoln Theater (Mt, Vernon)
Wild & Scenic Film Festival (film) | Thurs

BAAY Theatre
The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon (theatre) | Fri, Sat, Sun

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
Handle with Care (dance) | Fri, Sat

New Prospect Theatre
OBSCURA: Cabaret Atelier’s Fall Showcase (dance) | Fri, Sat

Bellingham Circus Guild
The Beastly Frightful Unspeakably Spooky Circus of DOOOOOM (circus) | Fri-Sun

Bellingham TheatreWorks @ The Upfront
New Play Cafe: Reading of Vacancies (theatre) | Sat

New Prospect Theatre
Action Fiction! Stories Performed Returns (theatre) | Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

B’ham Hop Swing - Hotel Leo - Wed 7 pm
Intermediate Hip Hop - Lost Giants - Wed 6 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Revolution Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance for people with PD and other neurological conditions - Firehouse Arts Center - Thurs 11 am
Foundations: Hip Hop, House, Shuffle - Lost Giants - Fri 5:45 pm
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 5:00 pm
Beginner Ballet - Karate Church - Sat 10 am
Beginner Contemporary - Karate Church - Sat 11:30 am
Dance Fusion - BSAC - 10:30 am
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sun 10:30 am

Two touring bands from Eureka, Hermit Crab and Gladys, stop at Karate Church on Wednesday, October 21, for an evening of experimental music with local opener Boris Budd. The visit marks Hermit Crab and Gladys’ first show at the venue, pairing their road set with a Bellingham act before the tour moves on. Music begins at 8 pm, and the all-ages show is $10.

Tom Hamilton brings his current band to The Shakedown on Wednesday, October 21, with local support from Biff Got Killed and Trip Hazard. The show starts at 8 pm. Hamilton has spent years at the overlap of jam, rock, and songwriter music, fronting several bands and playing lead guitar in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.

The 2025 Cliburn Gold Medalist Aristo Sham comes to WWU’s Performing Arts Center Concert Hall tonight, October 21, at 7:30 pm for the latest Sanford-Hill Piano Series recital. Sham’s program includes Bach, Brahms, and Chopin, offering a broad look at the repertoire that has made the Hong Kong-born pianist an increasingly prominent name on the international concert circuit. Details

Herb Alpert brings the Tijuana Brass to Mount Baker Theatre on Thursday, October 22, at 7:30 pm, revisiting the sound that made him one of the most recognizable instrumentalists of the 1960s. The program includes familiar pieces such as “Spanish Flea,” “The Lonely Bull,” “A Taste of Honey,” “Mexican Shuffle,” and “Tijuana Taxi,” alongside newer songs. Tickets

Cribbage Tournament, Beach Cat Brewing – Tournament-style cribbage starts at 6:15 pm with partner play, free admission, and $1 off beers while you play.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

Meet the Archivists: An Archives Building Open House, Goltz-Murray Archives Building – Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections and the Washington State Archives host a free 2 to 4 pm open house with collection samples, archivist Q&A, research guidance, and behind-the-scenes tours. Details

Fort George Brewing Tap Takeover, Sirens Cove Social House – A 6 to 9 pm tap takeover features a lineup of Fort George beers, plus games and prizes.

Open Jam Session, Schweinhaus Biergarten – A 7 pm open jam hosted by Taylor provides guitars, bass, percussion, and mics, with no sign-up required and all skill levels welcome.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

Advertise in Bham’s #1 Newsletter
Email me to include a note in The Wheel

Thanks for reading today’s edition. If you found something helpful, please share it with a friend and encourage them to click here to subscribe. 🙏

Reply to this email if you have news to share, an event you’d like me to know about, or to send me a love note. 💘