TOGETHER WITH

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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

Tag @bellinghamsterwheel on Instagram, or reply to this email to get your photos in The Hamster Wheel.

Music Together Fairhaven

Find Joy and Connection through Music-Making

Classes begin January 25th

Winter classes at Music Together Fairhaven begin January 25, bringing families across Bellingham together through rhythm, play, and song. Each week, babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids explore music alongside their grownups in classes filled with laughter, movement, and hands-on instrument play. These research-based sessions nurture children’s natural musicality in a relaxed, family-style setting where everyone can sing, move, and connect.

Classes are offered at the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY!) and the Chuckanut Center in Fairhaven. Registration is now open for the 8-week: Babies, Mixed-Age and Rhythm Kid classes—the perfect way to brighten the season and make joyful noise together.

Whatcom Weather

The Raindrop Report

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Native Plant Walk at Arroyo Park

This week, reader Anja Scholze sent me a note about the Koma Kulshan Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society, a group focused on plants native to the Evergreen State. They organize field trips and public talks, and advocate for an appreciation of the ecosystems that make our neck of the woods so rad.

This Sunday, January 18 at 11 am, they are hosting an Introductory Plant Walk at Arroyo Park, the forested area along Chuckanut Creek (you cross it on the Interurban Trail). Led by naturalist Eric Worden, the walk is an opportunity to learn about the common trees, shrubs, and plants that thrive in the cool, moist habitat of the park.

The outing runs until 12:30 pm, with an optional extension to hike to Chuckanut Falls (about two miles and 600 feet of elevation gain) for those who wish to continue exploring. To join the walk, meet at the North Chuckanut Mountain Trailhead parking lot, just south of Old Samish.

The Koma Kulshan Chapter also holds monthly meetings at the Sustainable Living Center at the ReStore. You can find more info on their website.

The Salmon Cam is back! 😁 If you’re not familiar, here’s the scoop: the Bellingham Central Library sets up a 55-gallon aquarium in the children’s space each year, and the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association fills it with chum salmon eggs. The whole maturation cycle, from eggs to fry, is broadcast live 24 hours a day on YouTube. I keep it open on one of my many monitors at all times. It’s very meditative. 🧘‍♂️ 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Saturday
Squalicum Creek: Join the City and the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) as well as other community partners for their annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service Community Work Party at Willow Spring in Squalicum Creek Park. They will plant native trees and shrubs to restore fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality to benefit salmon and other native species. Register to attend.

BODY SWELLS

Craniosacral & Massage Therapy

Relax, Transform, and Heal

Soleil Chappelle, MA LMT, offers a deeply restorative blend of craniosacral therapy and massage designed to help your body unwind and heal. Each session combines gentle, intuitive touch with skilled technique, supporting your body’s natural rhythms and capacity for self-repair.

With a trauma-informed approach and a grounding presence, Soleil creates a safe, nurturing space for transformation. Whether addressing stress, injury, or emotional fatigue, the work reconnects clients to their body’s innate wisdom and vitality. The touch is subtle, the effects profound. Mention The Wheel for 10% off your first session. 

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Because it’s fun to be a lookie-loo

Crash an Open House

3820 Ohio Street (Open Fri 2-4 pm, Sat 11-1 pm)
This cool house is in one of my favorite nook neighborhoods in town. It’s the little pocket of older homes — some on big lots — nestled between Electric Ave and Decatur. You get the lake on one side, Whatcom Falls Park on the other, and donuts within walking distance. 🎉🍩🎉 Listing.

222 Jerome Street (Open Sun 1-3 pm)
This home could be right off the set of a western. I love it! 😆 Lincoln Log red, with a great raw-wood style porch rail. And, setting at the end of a cul-de-sac. Listing.

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

Corner Taphouse
Southside Comedy Hour (comedy) | Fri

iDiOM Theater
The Illusion (theatre) | Fri

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
Biosphere (theatre) | Fri-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (theatre) | Fri-Sun

iDiOM Theater
Serial Killers (theatre) | Sat

Mount Baker Theatre
Stop Making Sense (film) | Sat

Pickford Film Center
Desert Angel (film) | Sat

Odd Fellows Temple Room
Bang Bang Burlesque x Cabaret Atelier (cabaret) | Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Line Dancing - Bar 211 - Fri 8 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 4:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm

Events & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

FEATURED

The Shakedown hosts a night of genre-blurring sound tonight, January 16, with Veronica North, Jaws of Brooklyn, and Forest Stoke. Veronica North, a Bellingham-based pop singer-songwriter, blends shimmering pop textures with poetic, folk-inspired storytelling, creating music that’s equal parts intimate and electric. Doors at 8:30 pm, show at 9:00 pm.

Mount Baker Theatre presents a special 40th-anniversary screening of Stop Making Sense tomorrow, January 17, at 7:30 pm. Directed by Academy Award winner Jonathan Demme, the film captures Talking Heads at their creative zenith, performing hits like “Burning Down the House” and “Once in a Lifetime” with electrifying precision. Tickets.

Mama Dirty Skirt rocks The Old Edison on Saturday, January 17, from 8 to 10:30 pm. Known for their energetic blend of classic rock, rhythm and blues, and funk from the ’60s through the ’80s, the band brings powerhouse vocals, tight musicianship, and a dance-floor-filling setlist of familiar favorites.

Guest artist Marija Ilić joins Western Washington University faculty member Milica Jelača Jovanović for a free piano duo recital on Saturday, January 17, at 7:30 pm in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. The program features works by Serbian and American women composers, including Dragana Jovanović, Ivana Stefanović, Amy Beach, Natasha Bogojević, and Milana Stojadinović Milić, concluding with J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Keyboards in C major. They will be joined by Jeffrey Gilliam on piano and a string ensemble.

The Shakespeare Read-Aloud Club meets at The Hedge House on Saturday, January 17, at 3 pm for a potluck followed by communal reading of The Merchant of Venice. Roles are randomized each act to keep things lively, and no acting experience is needed. For the address and invite, message The Hedge House on Instagram and bring your own copy of the play.

FRIDAY

Neighborhood Songwriters Showcase, Stones Throw Brewery – Hosted by Andy Bunn of High Mountain String Band, this monthly series highlights local songwriters sharing original music and stories in an intimate setting. Featuring three to four artists each month, the showcase supports both musicians and local nonprofits through shared proceeds. Music begins at 6:00 pm.

Friday Music & Trivia →

SATURDAY

Black Noise Record Fair, Aslan Depot – A full day of vinyl digging and live DJ sets featuring vendors from Seattle, Bellingham, and beyond. Browse thousands of records, hunt for rare finds, and enjoy the soundtrack spun straight from the turntables. Runs from 3:00 to 8:00 pm, free and all ages.

Whatcom Walking Bookworms, Downtown Bellingham Library – A new walking book club kicks off at 3 pm with a casual meetup for readers to chat about favorite books and local walking spots. Future gatherings will pair walks with book discussions. Bring a book or two to share at the exchange table.

Spinning Fiber, Bellingham Public Library – The SpinDrifters, Whatcom County’s spinning guild, demonstrate the art of fiber spinning using wheels and drop spindles. Visitors can stop by between 1:00 and 3:00 pm to watch, learn, and even try spinning donated fibers themselves in the library’s SkillShare Space.

Saturday Music & Trivia →

SUNDAY

Belly Dance, Karate Church – Weekly belly dance classes led by Jessica of BELLYham, open to all levels and ages. Each session explores new themes, offering a fun way to build confidence and connect through movement. Classes run from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Details and registration.

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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