🐹 Pickleweed Limbs 🌿🌿

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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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

Have you been to the city’s new Pacific Street Operations Center? It’s an aesthetically unique building for Bellingham, with a mix of exterior cladding that includes a 3D topographical map on flat panels of cement fiber material. 🤯 Very cool, and a fun addition to the Roosevelt neighborhood.

Now there’s another reason to stop by. Last month, the city unveiled a 54-foot-wide sculpture by artist Clayton Binkley in the building’s lobby. 👇

Titled Between the Ocean and the Sky, the sculpture is made from glazed stoneware ceramic with a metal skeleton, giving it a form reminiscent of river tributaries or the jointed limbs of a pickleweed herb (Salicornia pacifica).

I look forward to seeing it in person soon. In the meantime, the city has created a great video featuring Clayton discussing his inspiration and process. 👆

Bellingham Mountain Rescue responded over the weekend to a call from a backcountry skier with an unstable lower leg injury. The call came in Saturday evening from near Table Mountain, where the skier was prepared to overnight. Early Sunday morning, the Mountain Rescue team located the individual and transported him off the mountain.

The organization shared a reminder on social media that “being prepared to stay the night is a foundational skill when recreating outside - and can often improve a tough situation.”

We’re very lucky to have these folks doing the work they do. Huge shout of gratitude to this all-volunteer team! 🙏

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friday
Whatcom Land Trust Office: Join Whatcom Land Trust for a special Field Friday on a different kind of land trust land, their downtown Bellingham office. Register to attend.

Saturday
Fairhaven Park: Spend your Saturday helping Bham Parks & Rec steward the Outdoor Classroom and Native Plant Garden! They'll remove pesky weeds, plant native plants, and spread mulch. Register to attend.
Kenney Creek: Join NSEA in the continued planting of Kenney Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Nooksack River that provides spawning habitat for Chinook, chum, coho, and pink salmon, among other salmonids (steelhead, bull trout, cutthroat trout). Register to attend.

2284 Yew Street Road #D3 (Open Sat 12-2 pm)
This is an awesome opportunity for someone to get into the Bellingham housing market at a reasonable price. It’s a 70s era manufactured home on a beautiful double lot in a really sweet park-like community. Listing.

3023 Lynn Street (Open Sun 1-3 pm)
I find Lynn to be a fascinating street. It’s the place in town you can most clearly feel the transition from boomtime building in the roaring 20s, to the midcentury building in the post-war period. This cute home is on the sunny midcentury end. Think big lots! Listing.

Lynden Christian High School
Frozen (theatre) | Thurs, Sat

iDiOM Theater
The Illusion (theatre) | Thurs, Fri

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

WWU Old Main Theater
Hip Hop Theatre (theatre) | Fri-Sun

iDiOM Theater
Serial Killers (theatre) | Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Dance Fusion - BSAC - Sat 10:30 am
Honky-Tonk - Majestic - Sat 1 pm
Honky-Tonk - Cof& - Sat 7 pm
Contra - Christ the King Hall (Norway Hall) - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 4:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - 1 pm

Saxophonist Karl Denson and his Tiny Universe band bring their dynamic fusion of funk, soul, and jazz to the Wild Buffalo this Sunday, January 25, at 8:00 pm. For more than 25 years, Denson has energized audiences worldwide, performing alongside legends like James Brown, Lenny Kravitz, and The Rolling Stones. Backed by his powerhouse ensemble and joined by the Maxwell Friedman Group, Denson delivers a night of grooves, improvisation, and musical joy for fans. Tickets.

The Bellingham Folk Festival closes its twelfth year with Femme in Folk V2 on Sunday, January 25, at 6:30 pm. This special finale highlights the artistry of local women in folk music, featuring Zaia, Wyatt & Willow, the collaborative trio of Bellingham songwriters Zaia Grace, Hannah Wyatt, and Claire Willow. Their sound weaves fiddle, cello, and harmonies, transporting audiences with their original songs inspired by myth & folklore, love & loss, and finding one’s place on this wild earth. Tickets.

Ira Glass, host and creator of This American Life, brings his acclaimed live presentation Seven Things I’ve Learned to Mount Baker Theatre on Saturday, January 24, at 7:30 pm. Blending audio, music, and video, Glass reflects on the art of storytelling and the lessons he’s gathered over four decades in public radio. From his early days as a 19-year-old NPR intern to his role shaping groundbreaking shows like Serial and S-Town, Glass offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at how stories are made and why they matter. Tickets.

Tonight, January 23 at 8:30 pm, Shakedown hosts DJ @dark.chisme for a night of your favorite goth, post-punk, new wave, and alt rock, with tracks from Depeche Mode, The Cure, Caifanes, Joy Division, and more. Expect deep shadows, driving beats, and a dance floor steeped in nostalgia.

Misty Flowers, The Thirsty Badger - Misty Flowers is a timeless, passionate performer blending folk, blues and country elements into her own unique style. Music starts at 7 pm.

Fingerstyle Guitar Showcase, Welcome Road Winery – An evening, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, featuring three accomplished guitarists exploring the art of fingerstyle performance. Dan Carollo shares Celtic-inspired pieces, Devin Champlin blends ragtime and blues traditions, and Taylor Molzhan reveals his acoustic side with soulful, expressive picking.

Friday Music & Trivia →

Tradwife Stringband, The Blue Room – A quintet of biological women and Moose, traveling the country with some traditional old time music. Taking to the stage at 7 pm.

Sip & Singo, Lost Giants Cider Company – An evening of music bingo, prizes, and local craft cider from 4:30 to 8:00 pm. Tickets are $30 in advance and include a drink, commemorative glass, and game card, with proceeds supporting the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center.

Crankie Show! Handmade Moving Picture Stories, BAAY – Sue Truman, Jerry Gallaher, and WB Reid weave music, dance, and hand-cranked illustrated scrolls into tales of resilience and community. From 5 to 7 pm.

Saturday Music & Trivia →

The Glory-Beaming Banjo Concert, BAAY – Banjo player and teacher Harper Stone offers mix of performance, discussion, and demonstration from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. The event features a range of banjos—four, five, six, eight, and ten strings—and styles spanning old-time, bluegrass, Irish, ragtime, classical, and klezmer traditions.

Fix-It Fair, Pumped Goods – Bring worn, broken, or dulled items to Pumped Goods at 112 Ohio Street from 12:00 to 3:00 pm for free or by-donation repairs. Volunteers will offer clothing mending, small appliance repair, knife sharpening, jewelry repair, and leather conditioning.

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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