🐹 Share Spot 🌲🌲

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

It’s that time of the year again. Garage sales are back! 🎉 Check the sale section below before planning your g-sale route, and shoot me a note if you’re planning to host a sale.

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Or, hit reply to send me photos via email. 📧

The Bellingham Community Tree Program team is setting up shop at the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters Share Spot this Saturday with free tree saplings on offer. The Community Tree Programs are an effort by the city to “grow our urban forest and increase tree canopy cover citywide” in an effort to meet the goals of the city’s Climate Action Plan and upcoming Urban Forest Plan.

Species available through the Tree Giveaway program include Douglas Fir, Paper Birch, Cascara, Western Hemlock and Ponderosa Pine. 🌲

They will also be at the Sunnyland Earth Day Event on April 18, and the Earth Day Work Party at Squalicum Creek on April 25.

The Birchwood Food Desert Fighters Share Spot is currently held in the parking lot of the Industrial Credit Union on Northwest Ave. Look for it across from That's What I Like! Restaurant & Lounge. If you’ve not heard about the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters before, or their share spot, you can learn more on their Facebook page.

An interesting Facebook post by the Bellingham Fire Department last week describes how 73 years ago the Clover Building at Holly St and Commercial St caught fire.

“At the time, the building suffered an estimated $200,000 in damage, with Jerry's Radio Shop sustaining the most damage. Every firefighter in the city was called to the fire, and firefighters from as far away as Mt. Vernon assisted with extinguishing the blaze.”

It’s interesting to see how little that block has changed over the last seven decades. Many streets downtown have seen at least some redevelopment over the last half century, but for whatever reason that part of commercial has remained largely intact One of these days I’ll get organized enough to compile a series of then-and-now shots. It’s been on my list ever since starting this newsletter. 🤷‍♂

No more taking the low road on the Southwest side of the Whatcom Creek estuary at Maritime Heritage Park. The city announced this week that they are permanently closing two stretches of the lower trail that have experienced erosion and pose safety concerns.

“The work will take place April 13-17. Park Operations staff will use woody debris to cover the gravel trail and will remove bridges, benches, stairs, and native plant signs. You will still be able to use the upper Whatcom Estuary trail to walk through the park”

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Saturday
Samish Crest Trail: Help the city enhance trailside habitat in the stunning Samish Crest Open Space. Tools, gloves, and instructions are provided. Register to attend.
Jensen Family Forest Park: Join Whatcom Million Trees Project to maintain the 23-acre multi-generational Jensen family property held under a conservation easement by WLT and Whatcom Parks. Register to attend.
Catalyst Reserve: Join the Land Trust and Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association to help protect a vital habitat by removing invasive blackberry, which is overtaking previous plantings of native trees and shrubs. Register to attend.

59 Stable Lane Sudden Valley (Fri-Sun 10 am)
What a fun estate sale to have kick off the spring treasure hunting season. 😁 Padlocks, tools, books, collectables of all kinds. Check out all the photos on the listing. map

2905 Cedarwood Avenue (Open Sat 2-4, Sun 11-1)
1200+ square feet, with 3 beds and 2 baths, in the Wood Hood. Hard to beat that. Plus, a sweet fully fenced backyard to boot! 🐶 Listing

250 N Forest Street (Open Sat 1-3 pm)
Here’s another South Hill beauty. This time with a really interesting fir on white interior aesthetic that I’m a little obsessed with. I wouldn’t expect it to work, but it’s fabulous. The white coffered ceilings are a nice touch. Listing

iDiOM Theatre
All Our Tragic (theatre) | Multiple

Black Squirrel Children’s Theatre @ BAAY
A Year with Frog and Toad (musical theatre) | Mon-Sun

Bellingham Theatre Guild
Kodachrome (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

Bellingham Senior Activity Center
Sherlock Holmes Radio Plays (theatre) | Fri 2 pm

District Brewing Ferndale
Next Stop Comedy (comedy) | Fri 8 pm

New Prospect Theatre
William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (theatre) | Fri-Sun

Firehouse Arts & Events Center
Bellingham Repertory Dance - Hindsight (dance) | Fri-Sun

Bellingham TheatreWorks @ The Upfront
New Play Cafe (theatre) | Sat-Sun

Jensen Art Center
Swept Away (musical theatre) | Sat-Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Honky Tonk - Corner Taphouse - Sat 8 pm
Dance Fusion - BSAC - Sat 10:30 am
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sunday 10:30 am

The Rising Tide Speaker Series continues tonight, April 10 at 7 pm at Paper Whale with Ancestral Geometry: She Wove Without Hunger. Keynote speaker Vina Brown, a Haíɫzaqv and Nuu-chah-nulth artist, jewelry maker, and entrepreneur explores how storytelling, identity, and personal history shape not only what we create, but how we show up in the world. Tickets

Ron Hardesty, playing at the Admiralty Lounge on Sunday, April 12, is a longtime Bellingham singer-songwriter, who performs topical, historical, local songs. He is a Bellingham treasure, and not to be missed. Music starts at 6:00 pm.

Cascadia Daily News hosts Rick Steves tomorrow, April 11 at the MBT for a lecture titled Travel as a Political Act. The presentation focuses on how travel intersects with global politics, using examples from Steves’ career as a writer and tour operator. The evening includes a discussion with CDN’s Ron Judd. Tickets

Willie Reavis, a country singer and songwriter from Ferndale, plays at Honey Moon tonight, April 10, at 8:00 pm. With backing by His Weary Boys, he writes and plays rockabilly, western swing, blues, folk, and country music. He has been performing around the Northwest corner of the country since 2015.

Bellingham Beer Week Kickoff Party, Wander Brewing – A 4:00 to 9:00 pm kickoff event featuring a ceremonial tapping of gravity kegs from multiple local breweries, along with on-site screen printing and extended happy hour offerings.

Friday Music & Trivia →

Master Gardener Early Bloomer Plant Sale, Hovander Homestead Park – A 9:00 am to 2:00 pm plant sale featuring early-season bloomers and garden plants selected for spring interest, hosted by local Master Gardeners.

Introduction to Earth Pigments: Watercolor Paintmaking with Julie Kim, Whatcom Museum – A 1:00 to 4:00 pm workshop on creating watercolor paints from natural minerals, including pigment processing, binder recipes, and hands-on paintmaking with provided materials. Register

Nettle Foraging and Cooking Class, Whatcom County (NE of Bellingham) – A 1:00 to 4:00 pm hands-on class exploring identification, harvesting, and cooking with stinging nettles, including a guided foraging walk and recipe-based food preparation. Register

Saturday Music & Trivia →

Birding at Little Squalicum Estuary, Little Squalicum Park – A 9:00 to 11:00 am guided birding walk led by local experts Pauline Sterin and Bob Stocco, with a chance to see the new Great Blue Heron rookery taking shape by the dog park, and a walk out the pier to see which ducks are on the bay. Reserve a spot

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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