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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Bellingham Circus Guild's longest-running show is back! Through circus spectacle, aerial performance, object manipulation, and live music, My Circus Valentine unfolds like a living photo album, bringing moments of tenderness, power, delight, and connection to life.

A beloved annual tradition since 2010, this year’s show invites guests to linger in the sweetness of loving, dreaming, remembering, and being fully present. Don’t miss out!

Valentine’s Day has a way of sneaking up on us. Luckily, the Mount Baker Toppers are here with a delightfully old-school way to mark the occasion: Singing Valentines. So fun! 👇 I love it. 😍

Reserve a slot now. Then on February 14 the Toppers will deliver chocolates, a rose, and two songs: “Your loved one will be greeted & serenaded by a finely dressed barbershop quartet delivering old fashioned charm in four-part harmony.” Or, opt for a personalized (or not) video gram.

The Mount Baker Toppers are a mixed-voice barbershop ensemble and the local chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, a volunteer chorus dedicated to bringing people together through song. Proceeds from Singing Valentines help support their year-round work.

Last October, the Salish Current teamed up with Bellingham’s Deputy City Administrator Forrest Longman for a pair of public workshops focused on how to read a city budget. If you didn’t make it to one of these events, be sure to watch the recorded version on YouTube to catch up on the discussion. 👇

Now that the city budget has been adopted, the Salish Current is hosting a follow-up workshop about the current budget and how to make your views heard most effectively in the 2027 budget process. Meet Forrest and the Salish Current team at the Bellingham Senior Activity Center (315 Halleck) tomorrow, February 3, at 7 pm to join the discussion.

CIVIC CORNER

Monday
Ferndale City Council, 5 pm, City Hall Annex

Tuesday
Lynden City Council, 7 pm, City Hall Annex
Bellingham Arts Commission, 5 pm, Mayor's Boardroom, agenda, view online
Port of Bellingham Board of Commissioners, 4 pm, Harbor Center, view online
Whatcom County Health Board, 10 am, Council Chambers, agenda, view online

Wednesday
Lake Whatcom Policy Group, 3 pm, Pacific Street Operations Center, view online
Ferndale Schools State of the District, 6 pm, Ferndale High School

Thursday
WTA Board Meeting, 8 am, WTA Office, view online
Greenways Advisory Committee, 7 pm, view online

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Galbraith Mountain: The only thing better than being on a beautiful trail, is knowing you helped build and maintain it. Meet at the top of the Breaux Zone at 1 pm. They're planning on working till 4 pm. Register to participate.

Friday
Craver Site: Join WLT in their annual property monitoring visit, to explore winding game trails, while tackling essential restoration work. Tasks for the day include trail clearing and removing invasive vinca and blackberry. Register to participate.

Saturday
Lake Padden/Galbraith Mountain Trailhead: Help plant native trees and shrubs near Bellingham’s favorite new trailhead and recreation hub. The city hopes to be joined by volunteers and friends from the Whatcom Mountain Biking Coalition and the Whatcom Land Trust! Register to participate.
North Fork Nooksack River: Join NSEA along the North Fork Nooksack River in Deming as they return to a property to continue cutting back Himalayan blackberry and replacing it with native trees and shrubs! Register to participate.

Most money problems aren’t math problems. They’re story problems—the stories you’ve absorbed about worth, security, and what you deserve. Those beliefs began long before your first paycheck, and they still shape every financial choice you make today.

Financial therapy helps you uncover and rewrite those stories. It’s not about budgets or spreadsheets, but about understanding why you spend, save, or avoid money the way you do. I’m Susan Fee, a Certified Financial Therapist. I help individuals and couples heal financial stress at its roots—transforming anxiety into clarity and self-compassion into sustainable change.

Uisce Irish Pub
Guffawingham (comedy) | Mon 8:30 pm

Whatcom Hills Waldorf School
Screenagers (film) | Thurs

Bellingham Theatre Guild
American Son (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

The Claire Theater
The Nerd (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

iDiOM Theater
Serial Killers (theatre) | Sat

New Prospect Theatre
Cupid’s Island (comedy) | Sat

New Prospect Theatre
Punch Line (comedy) | Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Salsa & Bachata - Viking Union - Mon 7 pm
Bellingham Embodiment Collective - Majestic Ballroom - Mon 6:30 pm
Contact Improv - Aikido Peace Education Center - Mon 7 pm
Beginning Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 6 pm
B’ham Hop - Crystal Ballroom - Tues 8 pm
Taster Tuesdays (hip hop) - Lost Giants Cider Co - Tues 6 pm
Int. Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 7:15 pm
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 4:30 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - 1 pm

Ira Echo performs at the Admiralty Lounge on Tuesday, February 3, from 7–9 pm, bringing a solo set shaped by years of studying and traveling to learn folk traditions from around the world. A classically trained violinist with roots in jazz, Echo now weaves looping violin, guitar, vocals, and rhythm into a live performance that draws on global folk music and improvisation.

Los Angeles–based Grateful Shred brings their nationally touring Grateful Dead–inspired project to the Wild Buffalo on Tuesday, February 3, with doors at 6:30 pm and music at 7:30 pm. Known for their laid-back groove, three-part vocal harmonies, and reverent-but-relaxed approach to the Dead’s catalog, the band channels the spirit and spontaneity of the music without drifting into nostalgia.

Stemma Run Club, Stemma West – A free, all-levels weekly run starting at 6:00 pm, offering 3- or 6-mile routes at your own pace, followed by optional hangout with $1 off your first drink.

Monday Music & Trivia →

Courtney Fortune – The Songwriter’s Notebook, Village Books in Fairhaven – An interactive songwriting workshop in the Readings Gallery at 6:00 pm where award-winning singer-songwriter Courtney Fortune guides participants through lyric writing, creative prompts, and song structure, with no instruments or prior experience required.

Clothing Swap, Wander Brewing – A casual community clothing swap from 6:00–8:00 pm welcoming gently used clothes and accessories, offering a relaxed way to reduce textile waste, refresh your wardrobe, and connect with others over beer and thrifting.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

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