Good morning, Bellingham. This is your Wednesday 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.

Support the local immigrant community and lift your spirits through Dorky Dance this Sunday at the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Fundraiser! The world feels bonkers right now. Come together to share some laughs, tears, honor your grief and work it through your body… by doing some hilarious dance moves! Learn more.

Feeling the midweek doldrums and ready for a creative reset? Two local exhibitions offer distinctly different ways to step out of routine and into reflection. One looks outward, at the use of wit and satire to interrogate power; the other turns inward, lingering on light and the form of everyday objects. Both are on view now.

At Western, Centuries of Caricature: Critiquing Cultural Conflicts brings together 19th- and 20th-century political caricature from Europe and the United States, exploring how artists used exaggeration, symbolism, and humor to critique war, ideology, and social conflict. On view through March 20 in Archives & Special Collections on the 6^th floor of the Wilson Library, the exhibition was co-curated by students in Julia Sapin’s Exhibition Theory and Practice course. The exhibit is free and open to the public, and viewable weekdays during open hours.

Meanwhile downtown, Meloy Gallery presents FRUIT, a watercolor exhibition by local artist Rachel Foreman, on view through February 22. Foreman’s still lifes span decades of work and reflect a lifelong, quietly rigorous exploration of light, form, and the spatial relationship of objects. Painted from direct observation and completed in single sittings, the pieces draw inspiration from artists like Giorgio Morandi, Pierre Bonnard, and Paul Cézanne.

Local Read: Be sure to check out local historian Jennifer Crooks’ new piece in WhatcomTalk exploring the role of the Whatcom County Minute Women during World War I.

The article traces how local women, organized under the Council of Defense and led by Susannah Roberts Campbell, built a countywide network that mobilized neighbors, sold war bonds, supported relief efforts, and carried government messages door to door.

CIVIC CORNER

Wednesday
Ferndale Planning Commission, 6:00 pm, City Hall Annex and Council Chambers
Drayton Harbor/Portage Bay Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee, 3:00 pm, W.C. Civic Center Annex (Conference Room - Garden Level)
Whatcom County Ferry Advisory Committee, 6:00 pm, The Gathering Place, Lummi Island

Thursday
What-Comm Administrative Board, 1:00 pm, 625 Halleck St, watch online

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Stream Team: Help Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) maintain older sites that need love. Meet at NSEA’s campus by 8 am and your group leader will shuttle everyone to the site. You can expect to be back to NSEA at 12 pm. Register.

Saturday
Harriet Spanel Park: This park in the York neighborhood near the Loving Space School needs some love. Join the parks dept. and the York Neighborhood Association to help remove weeds, spread mulch, and pick up litter to revitalize the space! Register to participate.
Kenney Creek: Support 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). This property is owned by the Whatcom Land Trust and NSEA is supporting the large-scale planting that will increase the riparian buffer of lower Kenney Creek. Register to participate.

ʻOno Kitchen & Bar
Comedy Night ft. Jaci Terjeson (comedy) | Wed 8:00 pm

iDiOM Theater
The Illusion (theater) | Thurs & Fri

iDiOM Theater
Serial Killers (theater) | Sat

Larrabee Lager Co
Laughs at Larrabee (comedy) | Fri 8:00 pm

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
Documenting Grace Film Series - Wicket (film) | Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance Fusion - BSAC - Sat 10:30 am
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 4:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - 1 pm

Caitlin Canty brings her album release tour to the New Prospect Theatre tomorrow, January 29, at 8 pm, performing songs from her new record Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove with a full four-piece band. Known for her gritty, electric Americana sound, Canty’s latest work reflects major transitions in her life, and was recorded live in the studio while she was nearly eight months pregnant! Tickets.

Jazz Center of Bellingham presents Duende Libre ft. Pedro Vargas at the FireHouse Arts & Events Center tonight, January 28, from 6:30–8:30 pm, featuring the acclaimed jazz trio joined by master percussionist Pedro Vargas for an evening of original music rooted in Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and West African traditions. Tickets.

The Moving Hats bring their high-energy quartet to the Odd Fellows Temple Room at the Orion on tomorrow, January 29, from 8–10 pm, performing traditional songs, ballads, and dance tunes rooted largely in the music of the British Isles, with a mix of lively instrumentation and storytelling.

Glurge, the current Artist in Residence at Lookout Arts Quarry, culminates their January residency with a live concert tomorrow night, January 29, at 7:30 pm. The Minneapolis-based duo—Stu Cline and Jessica Dzielinski—creates music described as “scary and cinematic, with bizarre chord changes laid atop droning organs and explosive, tympani-like drums.”

Book Swap, Wander Brewing – A casual community book exchange where attendees can bring a book to share and take home something new, with drinks available and the swap beginning at 6 pm.

Tod Kimbro, Stones Throw Brewery – Singer-pianist Tod Kimbro brings an intimate, request-driven set spanning pop, rock, and classics from the 1960s to today, blending strong vocals with humor and audience interaction from 6–8 pm.

Out of Office: A Remote Workers’ Social Event, Skylark’s Cafe – A casual, in-person gathering for remote workers and entrepreneurs to connect, share ideas, and meet new people outside the digital workspace, running from 5–7 pm with drinks available in a relaxed café setting. Reserve a spot

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

Chuckanut Radio Hour 19th Anniversary Show, Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom – A live variety-style celebration featuring music, poetry, literature, and comedy, marking 19 years of the beloved radio program, with special guests and musical performances in an intimate ballroom setting from 6–8 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 pm. Tickets.

Jeffrey Slough, Honey Moon Mead & Cider – A solo evening of Americana, folk, and blues from the singer-songwriter and storyteller, featuring original songs and reimagined favorites delivered with a warm, conversational style, 8–10 pm.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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