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. 📧

Clear out last season’s gear or find what you need for the winter ahead at The Swap, Bellingham’s oldest and largest ski swap. Shop a huge selection of new and used skis, snowboards, boots, outerwear, and winter gear for the whole family. Komo Kulshan Ski Club

Every purchase and sale also helps local kids get on the mountain, with proceeds supporting KKSC scholarships and the Mt. Baker Race Team. Come sell, shop, and get ready for snow season while supporting local youth.

The Whatcom Humane Society has posted a request to the community for help restocking their pet food bank shelves which were empty as of last Friday.

“Our pet food bank program provides pet food to the pets of low income community members. It operates entirely by donation. Donations of dry and canned dog and cat food and treats (any brand except we cannot accept prescription diets), litter and small animal food can be dropped off at our Division Street shelter Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 6pm.”

While you’re there, take the opportunity to meet this little firecracker of a pup. 👇 Meet Cho Cho. 🥰 She’s “a 3 year old female mixed breed whirlwind of energy and personality,” who “wants nothing more than to be your shadow (she'd crawl into your skin if she could) and would be great match for someone looking for a copilot to accompany them on all their hiking, biking, running, marathon-snuggle-seshing adventures!”

The combination of her copper colored eyes with the copper-red undercoat is just gorgeous. She’d make for a handsome trail companion!

You’re average bar crawl lacks one important element… poetry, the Salish Sea Poetry Festival has you covered. Their Fall Poetry Crawl takes over the Fountain District on Thursday, Oct. 1, with four stops and a different group of local writers at each one. It starts at 5 pm at Zeeks Pizza with Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater, then moves to Doug’s Burgers at 6 for Red Wheelbarrow Writers and Goods Local Brews at 7 for HamLit.

The final stop is Menace Brewing at 8 pm, where the mic opens up to anyone with a poem to share. Each venue gets about 30 minutes of readings before the crowd migrates to the next stop, with time built in for drinks, snacks, and general literary loitering. The whole thing is free, though buying something along the way is encouraged. 🍻🍕🍔

The Washington State Department of Ecology posted this video last week as part of an article about the Bellingham Bay cleanup turning 30. 👇

It’s primarily focused on Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) cleanup grants, but there are photos and discussion of the early process around the cleanup that I found interesting. Absolutely worth a watch. 👍

LOCAL READS

Peas used to make millions for Skagit County farmers. What happened?
By Sophia Gates · Cascadia Daily News (free)
Skagit County’s green pea crop once generated millions of dollars and nearly 8% of U.S. output, but by 2024 local production for processing had fallen to zero. Sophia explains how processor closures narrowed farmers’ options, pushed crop rotations toward potatoes and revived interest in local milling and other value-added businesses. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Braving the Sick Bay
Klipsun Magazine
Researchers have identified a strain of Vibrio pectenicida as a cause of sea star wasting disease in sunflower stars, opening new possibilities for treatment and selective breeding. This article reports how work at Friday Harbor Labs, including one surviving star named Sunna, helped move the decade-long mystery toward practical recovery efforts. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Wednesday
Blaine Tourism Advisory Committee, 9:00 am, Blaine Boating Center
Whatcom Co. Government Open House, 6:00 pm, Whatcom County Courthouse

Thursday
Whatcom Transportation Authority Board, 8:00 am, WTA offices

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Birchwood Park/Squalicum Park: Join Recreation Northwest Trails Coalition and the City of Bellingham to care for the Bay to Baker Trail. You will remove invasive species and litter, apply mulch or wood chips, plant native plants, and learn trail stewardship practices. Register
Fairhaven Community Garden: Join Bellingham Parks Community Gardens at Fairhaven Community Garden. You will care for the Green Belt along 10th Street, remove invasive species, tend the pollinator garden, and mulch. Register

Friday
Spruce Roost Reserve: Join Whatcom Land Trust at Spruce Roost Reserve to remove invasive species, maintain the access trail, and enhance riparian areas for local wildlife. You will help care for this forested reserve along the North Fork of the Nooksack River. Register

Saturday
Catalyst Reserve: Join NSEA and Whatcom Land Trust at Catalyst Reserve. You will remove invasive Himalayan blackberry that is overtaking native tree and shrub plantings, helping protect the restored habitat. Register
Whatcom Creek by City Hall: Join Bellingham Parks Volunteer Program and the Bellingham Kiwanis Club to restore salmon habitat in Whatcom Creek and clean up the trail corridor behind City Hall. You can help with invasive species removal, ecological restoration, habitat restoration, and litter pickup. Register

Beach Cat
Stand Up Comedy (comedy) | Thurs 7:45 pm

Bellingham Theatre Guild
The Importance of Being Earnest (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
Fractured Fairy Tales (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

Blaine High School's Black Box Theater
Clue (theatre) | Fri-Sun

WinkWink Boutique
Battlestar Galacticunt (drag-gameshow) | Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

B’ham Hop Swing - Hotel Leo - Wed 7 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
The Gnomecoming Dance [21+] - Circus Guild - Fri, Sat
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 6:00 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

BF Knowhere marks the release of two albums, CONSPIRACY and ARTCRIME, with an all-ages show at the Karate Church tonight, September 30, from 8 to 10 pm. Battle For Athens and Bobcat Goldchain join the bill, while Blabotz manipulates VHS tapes live for the evening’s visuals.

Ray Hughes and Sian Chandler, better known as The Black Feathers, perform at the Lucas Hicks Auditorium tonight, September 30, from 8 to 10 pm. Their music sits between Americana, folk, and acoustic indie rock, with vocal harmonies and Hughes’ guitar work at the center. The duo formed in 2012 and has since carried that sound from the UK to festivals and showcases across the U.S. Tickets

Resonator guitar, harmonica, and upright bass make up the Tin Pallies lineup at Kulshan’s Sunnyland Taproom tomorrow, October 1, from 6 to 8 pm. Steve Itterly, Jan Peters, and Andy Simmons play acoustic blues and swing rooted in the 1920s and ’30s, leaning on vocals and period instrumentation rather than a larger band setup.

The WSU Whatcom County Master Gardener Program is bringing a free Cane Berry Pruning Demonstration to Hovander Homestead Park today, September 30, from 11 am to noon. The one-hour session focuses on pruning cane berries, with Dr. Lisa Wasko-DeVetter joining as the special guest presenter.

North Sound Flower Cooperative Market, Ohio Street Work Studios – A flower market from 9 am to noon offers locally grown, seasonal cut flowers from regional farms to both the public and floral professionals.

Girl Dinner X Ferny’s Plant Pop-Up, Aslan Depot – From 5:30 to 8 pm, shop native and edible plants and organic gardening supplies from Ferny’s Nursery alongside a $20 fries, Caesar salad, and spritz special.

Trivia Night, Kulshan Brewing Roosevelt Taproom – Trivia runs from 7 to 9 pm with teams of up to six, a $2 buy-in per person, cash prizes, and rotating themed rounds.

WCA Pint Night, Aslan Depot – Running Up For Air hosts a group run and pint night from 6 to 10 pm, with proceeds supporting Washington Conservation Action.

Trivia Night, Schweinhaus Biergarten – Amber hosts trivia from 7 to 9 pm with teams of up to six, a $2 buy-in per player, food prizes each round, and a cash pot for the top-scoring team.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

Agora Fall Art Market, Aslan Depot – More than 15 vendors, zine making, drinks, and live music from Arcana, Pyrocene, and The Hobby fill this free 21+ market from 5 to 10 pm.

Throwback Thursday: Story Story Die!, The Upfront Theatre – Improvisers pitch competing stories at 7 pm, with the audience eliminating one each round until a single tale survives to the end.

Trivia Night, Stones Throw Brewery – Trivia runs from 7 to 9 pm with a $2 buy-in, teams of up to four, and a category clue posted earlier in the day.

Thursday Happy Hour Jazz with Cheryl Hodge, Hotel Leo – Cheryl Hodge plays free happy hour jazz from 4 to 6 pm, easing into the evening with live vocals and piano.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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