🐹 Remembering 99 🎣🎣

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

Pack your bumbershoot! There’s rain on the way.

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

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Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Remembering the Summer of 99

Hamster Wheel reader Sarah B. sent me a note yesterday suggesting I take a listen to the newest episode of The Wild, a podcast by Bellingham local Chris Morgan. The episode, The story of Whatcom Creek: an explosion, a tragedy, and a rebirth, tells a story that many of us lived through in the summer of 1999. The story of fire in the heart of Bellingham, and of young lives lost.

My best friend Liam was one of those who lost his life that day. It’s a story I lived, and one I sometimes struggle to hear retold. Not to hold memories at bay, but because there’s a tendency to strip away the wonderful foibles and human character from those lost in tragedy. It's a desire on my part, I suppose, to preserve the memory of a lovely, gangly boy who loved to fish.

Chris approaches this subject with grace. Maybe it’s that 26 years have passed, but it was touching to hear Liam’s story told with such care and kindness. The podcast’s second half contains a reflection on environmental renewal in the charred creek waterway, entwined with the words of some whose lives were touched by Liam, Wade, and Stephen. It’s a thoughtful retelling and worth a listen.

Browsing through this weekend’s events, this one jumped out as particularly fascinating: A Poets Laureate Discussion with Rena Priest and Derek Sheffield at Village Books. The event brings together two Washington State Poets Laureate for an evening of poetry and conversation.

Priest is the state’s sixth Poet Laureate and the first Indigenous person to hold the role, while Sheffield was recently appointed as the eighth Poet Laureate (2025–2027). The conversation begins at 6 pm on Saturday, November 22, at Village Books in Fairhaven. Seating is limited, and reservations are recommended.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Saturday
Cornwall Park: Join the city in continued efforts to remove invasive Himalayan Blackberry and English Ivy. They will also be replanting with pollinator-friendly native trees and shrubs near Squalicum Creek. Register.
California Creek Estuary: Join the Land Trust, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, and Whatcom Conservation District to make a lasting impact by planting new trees and caring for last year’s plantings. Register.

Sunday
WHS’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: Join Whatcom Million Trees, this Sunday, as they continue work converting a 12-acre former hayfield into a complex forest of native trees and undergrowth! Register.

Holiday Markets & Bazaar

Fruitcake For Hamsters ✊

Holiday Festival of the Arts, Sunset Square in the old Rite Aid (Fri-Sun, 10-6)
Starring over 100 booths with local artisans and craftspeople presenting their holiday goodies; consisting of one-of-a-kind gifts, specialty food and treats, stunning jewelry, and paintings.

Holiday Market, Sudden Valley (Sat 10-3)
Showcasing a diverse mix of local vendors and seasonal offerings. Held in the historical barn located in beautiful Sudden Valley.

Holiday Bazaar, Rome Grange (Sat 9-4)
Home-made arts, crafts, and foods. Whole, fresh hand-made pies!

Farmers Market, Depot Square (Sat 8-4)
A one-stop shop for holiday gift giving and groceries! All locally grown and handmade products.

Wiser Lake Craft Bazaar, Ten Mile Grange #399 (Fri-Sun, 12-4)
Come check out our unique variety of vendors with lots of goodies for everyone!

Craft Fair, Deming Logging Show (Sat 10-3)
Free to attend. Kid friendly. Local vendors.

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Because it’s fun to be a lookie-loo

Crash an Open House

1077 Hampton Road, Lynden (Open Fri 4-5:30 pm)
Look how adorable this 1930s cottage is. Maybe we could describe it as a farmhouse cottage? Whatever it is it’s cute, and just south of Lynden. Listing.

2591 Taft Drive, Lummi Island (Open Sun 1:30-3:30 pm)
It’s been a while since a Lummi Island house perked my interest but this Zen-retreat like beauty certainly does. It just drips PNW. Plus, check out the shop and detached studio. 😍 Listing.

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

iDiOM Theater
Twelfth Night | Thurs-Sat

New Prospect Theatre
Bellingham Improv Festival | Fri-Sat

Bellingham TheatreWorks
Bigfoot | Fri-Sun

Bellingham High School Theatre
 The Importance of Being Earnest | Fri-Sat

Squalicum High School
 Julius Caesar In Space | Fri-Sun

WWU Performing Arts Center
A Streetcar Named Desire | Fri-Sat

BAAY Theatre
Ferdinand and the French Fry Factory | Sat, Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance Fusion - Senior Activity Center - Sat 10:30 am
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 4:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Movement - Presence Studio - Sun 10:30 am

Events & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

FEATURED

Bellingham’s most mischievous holiday tradition returns as Krampus Night 2025 takes over the new Chuckanut Bay Distillery Ballroom on Saturday, November 22, from 6:30 to 10 pm. Expect an evening of music, dancing, and devilish fun, hosted by DJ Aireekah of Glitt3r Lyfe and featuring appearances from Krampus Seattle. Costumes, from holiday best to full Krampus regalia, are highly encouraged. 🎟️ Tickets.

Whatcom Chorale presents Lest We Forget at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, this Saturday and Sunday, honoring Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II through music and reflection. The program features mezzo-soprano Kimberly Sogioka performing Sarah Mattox’s Heart Mountain Suite, alongside works by Scott Henderson and Stephen Sondheim. Includes a post-concert talk by civil rights attorney Lorraine Bannai, who helped overturn wartime convictions of Japanese American resisters. 🎟️ Tickets.

5CC Wrestling comes to The Majestic Ballroom with Cornercopia, an all-out brawl of high-flying action and hometown rivalries this Sunday, November 23. The card features Darwin Finch’s rematch with Zeb Saint One for the 5CC Championship, debut bouts from Yung N’ Fly, Skylar Hope, and Magnum Mel, plus a heated showdown between Kyle Knyx, Joe Macho, and Nathan Foxx. Doors open at 5:30 pm. 🎟️ Tickets.

The Bellingham Improv Festival brings hilarity to Bellingham with unscripted comedy and creative collaboration at The Upfront Theatre and New Prospect Theatre. The festival brings together top troupes from the Pacific Northwest and beyond for an ever-changing lineup of performances and workshops. Festival passes and single-show tickets are available. 🎟️ Tickets.

FRIDAY

Neighborhood Songwriter Showcase, Stones Throw Brewery - Enjoy performances by local singer-songwriters J. Chang, Kerry Hastings, Jessica Gigot & Kate Smith and Robert T McDonald III. Starts at 6 pm.

Friday Music & Trivia →

SATURDAY

Last Rites, Majestic Ballroom - Facades crack and long untold truths rise to the surface in this premiere production by Mystery Dance Theatre. Last Rites is an immersive murder mystery told through movement. Details

Bellingham Ukulele Orchestra Fall Harvest Concert, Ferndale Public Library - Enjoy a harvest of fun, and a fruitful earful! Lively and eclectic music with ukuleles, voices, bass, and occasional percussion or flute. 2 to 3:30 pm, free admission.

Saturday Music & Trivia →

SUNDAY

To Whom It May Concern, New Prospect Theatre - A live monthly show where folks read their letters on stage; real letters they've written or received, correspondence back and forth, old family letters and those letters we only wish we could write. 7:30 pm.

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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