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

Happy Mama's Day to all the moms out there!

~ Evan

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

Get ready to party like a bird! It’s a feather raising, bird-themed soirée benefiting Wild Whatcom’s free nature programs and scholarships. There will be festive music, delicious bites, drinks, and plenty of personality. It’s an opportunity to go glam, free your inner bird, repurpose your Procession of The Species costume, or just get a little goofy.

This is Wild Whatcom’s first party-style fundraiser and they are working hard to make it the most fun you'll have indoors all year. From a VIP meet and greet with a real barred owl to dancing under the Giant Goose Disco Ball, it’s a fundraiser where every ticket helps connect local kids to nature. Shake a tail feather and swoop up your tickets now!

Want to learn how to juggle, hoop, or dance? Do you have a skill to show off? The Cascade Juggling Festival kicks off today and runs through the weekend, offering opportunities to play, learn, or watch in wide-eyed wonder.

The festival includes performances from skilled professionals alongside opportunities for us noobs to pick up a few tricks. Catch all-level workshops today at 7 pm, and tomorrow at 11 am, then take your new juggling mastery to the Open Juggle Jam from 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

Or, grab tickets to the Cascade Juggling Festival GALA SHOW at 7 pm on Saturday to see “top-notch juggling, prop manipulation, and circus all-stars from throughout the West Coast.” Get all the details.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friday
Nooksack Cirque: Join the Washington Trails Association for logging out the trail using chainsaws. Register

Saturday
Memorial Park: Join the city, Rotary Club of Bellingham and the Sunnyland Neighborhood Association to clean up the memorials and park grounds for Memorial Day weekend. Register
NSEA Nursery Plant Potting: Join NSEA potting native trees and shrubs to restock their native plant nursery. Register

Sunday
Maritime Heritage Park: Join Re-Sources at the fish hatchery at the end of C Street then peruse the park and creek banks for any trash and plastic pollution. Register

Mother’s Day Tours, Roeder Home (Sun 1-4pm)
Whatcom County Historical Society offers guided tours of the historic Roeder Home, and the Master Gardeners will provide tours of the gardens.

Mother’s Day Brunch, Chuckanut Bay Distillery (Sun 9:30-2)
An elegant brunch experience featuring live music at Chuckanut Bay Distillery. Reserve

Mother’s Day Brunch, B-Town Kitchen (Sun 11-5)
A coursed meal that the whole family will enjoy. Reservations: 360.392.6520

Mother’s Day on the Bay, Community Boating Center (Sat 9am-8pm)
Celebrate this Mother's Day for an unforgettable afternoon on the water. Reserve

Mother’s Day Brunch, Structures Brewing (Sun 12-3)
An afternoon of food and brews, and poetry composed just for her by celebrated local poets with their trusty typewriters.

Mother’s Day Brunch, Lighthouse Grill (Sun 9-2)
An elegant buffet featuring a fish taco bar, chef‑carved meats, seasonal favorites, and decadent desserts. Reserve

Mother’s Day Bird Walk, Cornwall Park (10-11:30 am)
Join professional naturalist and experienced birder Kate Brown for a relaxed Sunday morning bird walk at Cornwall Park.

Mother’s Day on the Farm, Bellingham Flower Farm (10-3 pm)
Step inside the farm—typically closed to the public—for a guided walk through the fields and growing spaces. Details

Mother's Day Sound Bath, Bow Sanctuary (1 pm)
Share a potent afternoon, celebrating the divine feminine and Mother Energy in cosmic sound and vibration in this sound bath with Kristi of Mystic Heart. Details

Ankar Retirement Park Garage Sale (Fri, Sat 9 am)
These are always fun. 🙂 Judging by the photos, there are a lot of clothing, household, and collectable items.

1277 Aaron Drive, Lynden (Open Sat 12-3 pm)
This one’s a big ol’ modern-era rambler in Lynden sitting on a 1/3 acre corner lot. Steve Wade, the realtor showing this home, mentioned that he has ten flowering plants from VW Home & Garden that will be gifted to Moms who attend. And, a beautiful hanging flower basket to give away in a random drawing. Listing

2404 G Street (Open Sat, Sun 1-3 pm)
It’s a little hard to see this house behind all the shrubbery, but it looks charming and it comes with a whopping 23×30 insulated garage! In town, room for projects. Nice! 🙂 Listing

Nooksack Valley High School
Footloose (theatre) | Thurs-Sat

Blaine High School
Legally Blonde (theatre) | Thurs-Sat

Bellingham Circus Guild
Cascade Juggling Festival (circus) | Fri

iDiOM Theatre
All Our Tragic (theatre) | Sat, Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:30 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - Sun 1 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sun 10:30 am

Bellingham Story Hour is at New Prospect Theatre tonight , May 8 at 7 pm, for Hot to Trot 2 with an adults-only evening of live storytelling centered on “Odes to Exes.” The show features five-minute true stories, anonymous audience submissions, and improvised musical performances exploring relationships, breakups, and the strange aftermath people carry with them. It’s a a sex-positive storytelling event with humor, awkward memories, and personal reflection.

Bellingham Community Chamber Orchestra presents its Spring 2026 Concert with performances at the FireHouse Arts and Events Center tonight, May 8, at 7:30 pm and the Jansen Art Center in Lynden on Saturday, May 9, at 3 pm. Conducted by Cameron Nielson and led artistically by Jonathon Lyons, the program moves through a wide range of moods associated with spring, from darker, stormier passages to lighter and more lyrical works. The concert features Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite alongside music by Joseph Suk, Felix Mendelssohn, George Gershwin, and others.

Honey Moon Mead hosts Basement Tuesdays and Natural Israel on tonight, May 8, from 8 to 10 pm. The Bellingham duo of Dimitrius Brown and Chick Green performs a mix of original material and covers shaped by years of collaboration. The beast they have created is a live music set that will shake the crabs out of Bellingham Bay.

Bellingham Belly Dance Party “Hafla” brings dancers and the community together for an afternoon celebration of belly dance this Saturday, May 9, from 2–5 pm at the Karate Church. Hosted by BELLYham, this free, family-friendly hafla invites students and professional dancers to perform, share works-in-progress, and socialize in a relaxed, supportive environment. Open to all. Details

Bellingham author Heather Lea will be at Village Books tonight, May 8, from 6 to 7 pm to discuss Riding Full Circle, her memoir about traveling the world by motorcycle with a man she had only recently met. What followed was a journey that often pushed them both to the edge. From crashes and broken bones to roadside arguments and spoiled dreams, it seemed at times that every mile had its challenges. Yet even on the worst days, random acts from those they understood even less than each other, brought compassion and light. Reserve a seat

Spring Wine Walk, Downtown Bellingham – A 5:30 to 9 pm downtown tasting event featuring regional wines hosted inside 20 local shops, with attendees sampling wines, purchasing bottles directly from pop-up tasting rooms, and exploring participating retailers throughout the evening. Tickets

Frank Goss Goldsmith Trunk Show, Martini Mercantile – A 5 to 8 pm trunk show featuring Sudden Valley goldsmith Frank Goss showcases new jewelry pieces, custom craftsmanship, and repair consultations from the longtime local maker with more than 50 years of experience.

Friday Music & Trivia →

Beginning Birding by Ear at Point Whitehorn, Point Whitehorn Park – A 9 am to 12 pm guided birding walk led by Pam Borso and Stephen Chase focuses on identifying local and migratory bird species by their calls and songs in woodland habitats near Blaine. Register

Whatcom Master Gardener Plant Sale, Hovander Homestead Park – A 9 am to 2 pm community plant sale featuring perennials, trees, shrubs, vegetable starts, gardening tools, gifts, and more, with payment accepted by cash, card, or check.

Floral Market Pop-up, Aslan Brewpub – A Flower Lab pop-up runs from 11 am until supplies last, with build-your-own bouquets and prearranged flowers available alongside brunch specials, lunch, and beer service.

Saturday Music & Trivia →

🌸 Mother’s Day 🌸
See section above. 👆

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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