🐹 Live From The Alley 📻️📻️

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

There was something both fascinating and a little terrifying about those F-35 Lightning fighter jets looping over Bellingham the other night. If you’re wondering why military aircraft have been in our skies, it’s because the Abbotsford Airshow is happening this weekend. Don’t be surprised if more unusual aircraft appear overhead in the coming days.

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

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Weather Forecast

Friday: 72°F 🌡️ 56°F | 🌤️ Mostly Sunny | 🌧️ 2% | 💨 SSW 2 to 6 mph

Saturday: 75°F 🌡️ 58°F | 🌤️ Mostly Sunny | 🌧️ 2% | 💨 SSW 1 to 7 mph

Sunday: 79°F 🌡️ 61°F | ☀️ Sunny | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 NW 1 to 7 mph

Moon Phases

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Live From the Alley Behind Make.Shift 📻️📻️ 

It’s going to be hard to choose what to do this weekend. The Northwest Washington Fair is revving up in Lynden, Custer Days is back at Custer Elementary, and tonight is the second day of the Whatcom Wav festival at the Fairhaven Village Green. But there’s one more option in the mix: Radio Forever Festival, a free outdoor celebration of community radio happening Saturday at Make.Shift Art Space. Expect large-scale art, vendors, and live music in a transformed alley behind Flora Street.

Jessyca Murphy, Make.Shift’s Executive Director, describes the event as “all about celebrating the community in community radio,” adding, “We want to bring lifelong fans together and spread the word about independent media to a new generation of listeners.”

The festival runs August 9 from 4 to 11 p.m. at 306 Flora Street. Performances include Negativland, a multimedia art collective known for their audio collage and “culture jamming,” along with sets from Fantasy A, Pyrocene, and KZAX DJs. Inside Make.Shift, guests can explore interactive gallery installations (by Matt Gilmore, Jim Ward Morris, Barrett Lizza, Frank Stepek, and others), vintage radio tech from the SPARK Museum, and large-scale outdoor pieces by Seattle’s KitBash Studio. Entry is free and all are welcome.

In other news…

🌊 Whatcom County Parks and Recreation announced that beach access is restored at Point Whitehorn Nature Reserve after last week’s trail closure due to structural damage.

“The stairs that lead down to the beach reopened this weekend after necessary repairs were made due to rotted wood.” If you’ve not been, the Point Whitehorn beach is one of Whatcom County’s hidden gems. 😍 Bird watching, agate hunting, scenic vistas in every direction, all the best stuff!!

🏃‍♀️ The Wander Women Adventure Group is meeting this Sunday, August 10th, for a walk/run through Whatcom Falls Park. All ages and paces are invited to run or walk a four-mile course, which begins at the upper playground off Electric Avenue at 8:00 am.

Wander Women is focused on creating a supportive space where participants can enjoy nature, connect with others, and have fun. The group promotes inclusivity, celebrating all paces and experiences, and aims to provide encouragement, build community, and offer a break from the weeks stresses.

🍃 Susan Hutton, executive director of Whatcom Million Trees Project (WTMP), reached out to let us know that a statewide ban on the sale of English and Atlantic ivy goes into effect this Saturday, August 9th. WMTP, led by founder Michael Feerer, spent four years trying to persuade the Washington State Department of Agriculture to enact this ban. It worked!

Susan describes how “Ivy opportunistically climbs the trunks of any tree in its path. If it reaches the tree's canopy, it competes for sunlight and gradually weakens the tree. Ivy also makes the top so heavy it's much more likely to snap off during the windstorms climate change has made common in our state. Virtually every tree burdened with English or Atlantic ivy will die within a few years. Sadly, the carbon-rich, mature trees that are so critical to our biodiversity and ecosystems are the ones frequently lost to ivy.”

Whatcom Million Trees Project holds regular work parties 👆️ to plant seedlings and remove invasive English ivy from mature trees. In fact, there’s a work party this Saturday, August 9th, where volunteers will work to remove ivy along the Railroad Trail west of Niagara Street. Pull out your sun hat and register to join the work party. ⚒️ 😎 

Garage & Estate Sales

Your Source For Vintage Can Openers

4567 El Dorado Way (Sat 9 am)
Lots of nice newer items like a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, or a Electric Fat Trike, but a few photos jumped out to me including some lovely antiques. Looks like a fun one to peruse. map 

• 1998 Midway Lane, Fri, Sat, 9 am, map

• Hillside Dr Neighborhood Sale, Fri, Sat, 10 am, map

• 5566 Seavue Road, Fri, Sat, 9 am, map

• 3608 Brown Rd, Sat, Sun, 9 am, map

• 5362 Northwest Dr, Sat, 8 am, map

• 3304 Cedarside Ct, Sat, 8 am, map

• Sandy Point Heights Neighborhood Sale, Sat, 8:30 am, map

• Hatley Road, Sat, Sun, 9 am, map

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Because it’s fun to be a lookie-loo

Crash an Open House

1692 Galbraith Lane (Open Sat Noon-2 pm)
This might be the ultimate PNW home. 🌲 Cedar cabin style exterior, with a cozy interior, comes with an ADU and a Yurt! 😂 Too perfect. Add to that you’re practically living at the main access for miles of mountain bike trails. It’s a winner on all fronts. Listing.

2101 H Street (Open Fri 4-6 pm, Sat 1-3 pm)
Here’s a great example of melding an interesting modern aesthetic into a older (1897 vintage) home. Bonus points in my book: the lawn has been replaced with stone. 😁 I can envision drinking coffee on that back deck and watching the rain fall in the Lettered Streets hood. Listing.

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

Mount Baker Theatre
Missoula Children's Theatre: The Jungle Book | Fri 5:30 pm, Sat 11:30 am

iDiOM Theater
A Tourist's Guide to the End of Magic | Fri, Sat 7:30 pm

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances.

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:30 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 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.

FEATURED

It’s Demolition Derby time at the Northwest Washington Fair. Discover the thrill of crashing cars as drivers compete to be the last car standing. This show is fun for all ages. Grab your seat and see why it sells out year after year!

At first breath, The Polish Ambassador was an experiment, David Sugalski’s sound-art passion project that came to life. Musician. Producer. Beatsmith. Recording artist. Composer. Dance-floor general. Label head. The Polish Ambassador rocks more than just a trademark jumpsuit, authoring sublime, intentional artistic works, animated safaris in technicolor sound. Tonight at the Wild Buffalo.

Charlie Partin is a soulful PNW singer-songwriter with a down-to-earth, no nonsense, and humble way of weaving stories into song. Pulling from raw country and Americana, Charlie’s passion & raspy vocals will make you a believer on site. Charlie plays at Acme Diner tonight at 6 pm.

While only a relatively short time since the van-dwelling singer-songwriter Olive Klug has fully pursued the nontraditional life of a touring musician, their sophomore album Lost Dog finds them contemplating a propensity for adventure no matter what avenue of love and loss it leads down. At New Prospect Theatre this Saturday at 8 pm.

FRIDAY

Margaret Wilder Band, Lake Padden Golf Course - A fun night of music on the patio at Lake Padden Golf Course. The Margaret Wilder Band, will get the crowd jumping and moving with their electric sound. A free, family-friendly event for all ages starts at 5:30 pm.

Salsa & Bachata Night, Tom Glenn Commons - Get ready to dance under the summer sky! Bring your friends, your moves (or your two left feet), and let’s turn the commons into a dance floor! This is an outdoor event, weather dependent. Please bring jackets & water as appropriate. Move your feet at 6:30 pm.

Friday Music & Trivia →

SATURDAY

Northwest Singles Social Club, Bellingham Cruise Terminal - A vibrant community of single, divorced, or widowed individuals in Whatcom and Skagit Counties who are over 55 and share a passion for connection, engagement, and simply having a good time. Bring your own coffee, from 10 am to 11 am. Learn more.

Perennial Party, Garden Spot Nursery - It’s and excellent time to add to your summer flowering perennial collection. Learn about top perennial picks for color from late summer into fall. Bring your questions. Register for the 10 am class.

Saturday Music & Trivia →

SUNDAY

Vintage Bike Show, Kulshan Brewing K2 - Vintage bike lovers unite for a Retro Ride & Vintage Bike Show at the Kulshan Roosevelt Taproom (K2) from 1–4 PM! Whether it’s a vintage mountain bike, classic roadie, or a one-of-a-kind garage build, bring your ride and show it off! Pre-register.

Inspiring Compassion for Feral Cats, Spay Neuter Northwest - Are you concerned about the welfare and ever growing number of feral cats in Whatcom County? Join SNN for a discussion about the current challenges facing community cats and how we can unite to reduce the overpopulation and improve the lives of these often over-looked members of our community. Coffee, bagels, and pastries provided. Grandview Business Complex, Suite 110, at 10 am.

Birchwood International Market, Park Manor Shopping Center - A market with crafters, international snacks, non-profits and activities for the kids. At 2pm, the Upbeat Vibe Collective cover band will bring the event to life. They will play songs that let the audience relive infectious moments of music history as the band plays a repertoire of upbeat pop and rock hits spanning several decades. Market opens at 1 pm.

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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