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

I’ve been battling that cold that’s burning it’s way through the community so please understand if my phenetic spelling is worse than normal. 🙏 I’ll be back to back to my normal standard of spotty grammar and creative spelling once this bug has run its course. 😉

Have fun, and stay safe out there. And wash your hands! 😛

~ Evan

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

The voice behind one of public radio’s funniest hours is coming to Bellingham. Peter Sagal, longtime host of NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, brings his quick wit, sharp observations, and signature storytelling to the Mount Baker Theatre stage.

Expect a lively evening exploring politics, culture, comedy, and life behind the microphone. The event also includes an audience Q&A, giving you the chance to hear directly from one of America’s most engaging humorists.

Bellingham is going to the birds this week with the first Bellingham Bird Week starting today and running through Sunday, Oct 11. North Cascades Audubon Society and Audubon Washington have put together a slate of walks, talks, classes, films, and assorted bird awesomeness around town.

Monday starts with a Birding by Ear walk at Samish Crest, Tuesday brings scopes and binoculars to the deck at Beach Cat Brewing for family birding, and Thursday morning includes a Great Horned Owl walk through Cornwall Park. There are also native plant classes at Ferny’s, a Coast Salish art and birds talk with local artist Jason LaClair, bird trivia at Stemma, and a Sunday morning queer birding walk at Whatcom Falls Park. A few of the outings are already full, but plenty remain open. All are free, though some require registration.

Every city needs an official bird, and Bellingham is getting one. North Cascades Audubon gathered nominations last month, and the finalists will be put to a public vote during Bird Week, with the winner eventually recognized by city proclamation. My crows are already forming an angry murder on the unlikely chance they don’t win. 😛

I got a note last week from the amazing team over at the Salish Current about a fundraiser they are holding this Wednesday, Oct 7, at Hotel Leo. America at 250: Who are we? Where are we going? brings together Western Washington University historian Johann Neem and longtime journalist Ron Judd, formerly executive editor of Cascadia Daily News and current source of hilarity and opinion at The BellingHammer, for a discussion about the stories Americans tell about our country and where we go from here.

Artists from around the area have donated artwork for a live and silent auctions benefiting the Salish Current and local journalism. Find some of the artwork here. RSVPs to [email protected] are requested so organizers know how much food and seating to plan for. 👍 It’s a free event running from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, with appetizers and a no-host bar.

LOCAL READS

Author writes first full history of long-lost Mount Baker Marathon
By Todd Warger and Dean Kahn · Salish Current
The Mount Baker Marathon sent runners from Bellingham to the 10,781-foot summit by way of speeding trains, stripped-down cars, glaciers and rough trails between 1911 and 1913. Todd explains how 25 years of research uncovered family archives, lawsuits, weather records and other details behind the short-lived race. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Next up: The long buzz of the law?
By Ron Judd · The BellingHammer
Bellingham City Council will hear an Oct. 5 presentation on a proposed “Drone as First Responder” program that could send drones ahead of officers to some 911 calls and other emergencies. Ron details the potential uses while noting that privacy, data retention and public-records rules are likely to shape the discussion. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Monday
Bham Public Works and Natural Resources Committee, 1:00 pm, City Hall
Bham Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee, 1:25 pm, City Hall
Bham Budget and Finance Committee, 2:45 pm, City Hall
Bham Committee of the Whole, 2:50 pm, City Hall
Ferndale City Council, 5:00 pm, City Hall Annex
Lynden City Council, 7:00 pm, City Hall

Tuesday
Whatcom Co. Council Special, 9:30 am, County Courthouse
Whatcom Co. Health Board, 10:00 am, County Courthouse
Whatcom Co. Council Special Committee of the Whole, 1:00 pm, County Courthouse
Port of Bham Board of Commissioners, 4:00 pm, Harbor Center
Whatcom Co. Forestry Advisory Committee, 4:00 pm, Portable Building

Wednesday
Port of Bham Marina Advisory Committee (MAC), 3:00 pm, Harbor Center
Whatcom County Community Conversations, 5:00 pm, Bellingham Covenant Church

Thursday
Whatcom Co. Planning Commission, 6:00 pm, Northwest Annex

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Bellingham: Join NSEA to help maintain older restoration sites. You will remove blue tubes and cages that once protected newly planted trees and shrubs from animals and maintenance equipment. Register

Saturday
Terrell Creek: Join NSEA and the Whatcom Conservation District to clear invasive blackberry along Terrell Creek at a long-term restoration site. You will help restore stream habitat that supports local salmon and wildlife. Register
Big Rock Garden Park: Join the Bellingham Parks Volunteer Program and Friends of Big Rock Garden Park to clean sculptures and tidy this Bellingham park. You can help care for the grounds in a family-friendly work party. Details

Sunday
Whatcom Humane Society: Join Whatcom Million Trees Project to finish planting trees at the Whatcom Humane Society dog-walking field. You will help prepare the seedlings for winter as part of the planting project. Register
King Mountain Victory Garden: Join Bellingham Parks Community Gardens at King Mountain Victory Garden. You will gather final harvests, prepare garden beds for winter, and plant cover crop to grow food for the Bellingham Food Bank. Register

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

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
2026 Laughing Hamster Comedy Festival Opening Night (comedy) | Thu

Silver Reef Casino
Howie Mandel (comedy) | Fri

Wander Brewing
Cara Roselinni (comedy) | Fri

New Prospect Theatre
I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire (theatre) | Fri, Sat, Sun

Mount Baker Theatre
An Evening with Peter Sagal (theatre) | Fri, Sat, Sun

WinkWink
The Rocky Horror Picture Show! (theatre) | Fri, Sat, Sun

Mercato Delle Bonta
Scott Losse (comedy) | Sat

Aslan Depot
Lynette Manning (comedy) | Sun

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
Breaking Form (film) | Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Salsa & Bachata - Viking Union - Mon 7 pm
Bellingham Embodiment Collective - Majestic Ballroom - Mon 6:30 pm
Country Line Dancing - Corner Taphouse in Fairhaven - Mon 6:30 pm
Contact Improv - Aikido Peace Education Center - Mon, class 5:30, jam 7 pm
Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 6 pm
Taster Tuesdays (hip hop) - Lost Giants Cider Co - Tues 6 pm
Contemporary Dance - Aikido Dojo - 6:30 pm
B’ham Hop Swing - Hotel Leo - Wed 7 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Intermediate Hip Hop - Lost Giants - Wed 6 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 - CTK Downtown (Norway Hall) - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 5:30 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

Mike Fast and The Hot Swing Quartet bring an afternoon of swing-era jazz to the FireHouse tonight, October 5, from 3:30 to 5 pm. The group mixes gypsy jazz, swing standards, and Western swing, with tunes ranging from “Coquette” and “Swing 48” to “Sweet Sue” and “Georgia on My Mind.”

Wes Urbaniak and The Mountain Folk play at The Admiralty Lounge tomorrow, October 6, from 7 to 9 pm. Urbaniak’s music is backed by a band whose instruments carry a story of their own. Each incorporates reclaimed redwood from old Red Rocks Amphitheatre benches, with Urbaniak himself serving as the luthier behind the builds.

Movie Trilogy Mondays, Stones Throw Brewery – A free, all-ages screening series from 7 to 9 pm features the original Star Wars trilogy, with outside food welcome.

Mike Fast and the Hot Swing Quartet, FireHouse Arts & Events Center – High-energy jazz from 3:30 to 5 pm blends gypsy jazz, swing standards, and Western swing, with admission by donation.

Monday Music & Trivia →

It’s a quiet night.

Tuesday 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. 💘