🐹 Species On The Move 🐯🦁

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

The number of open houses exploded this weekend! 🙂 It’s a good time for house hunting.

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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

This Saturday is the annual Procession of the Species, where Bellingham families, friends, and neighbors unite to celebrate the natural world through colorful nature-themed costumes and imaginative art. It really is one of the best things in Bellingham. 😁

This year’s parade will begin at Bellingham High School (Cornwall Ave & Alabama St) at 2 pm. The procession then moves onto Cornwall Ave toward the parade start at Cornwall & Ohio, finishing at Maritime Heritage Park.

Luckily for us, the procession organizers, Gabriel’s Art Kids and COB Parks & Recreation, have provided us with this helpful map. 👆

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friday
Elk Flats: Hike through the forest to complete an annual site visit while removing invasive species to support native habitat along the South Fork of the Nooksack River. Register

Saturday
Big Rock Garden Park: Join the city for spring cleanup on National Garden Meditation Day! They will be cleaning sculptures, removing invasive plants, and mulching. Register
Maple Creek Reach: Join Whatcom Land Trust and Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association for a day removing invasive Scotch broom. Register

4351 Gooding Ave (Fri-Sun 10 am)
This will be a fun one folks. Tin toys, tools and toothpick holders out the wazoo! Colorful collection of art glass, dozens of sterling silver rings, hifi stereo system with speakers that could make your neighbors call the cops, and much much more!

The Bellingham Dockside Market is open tomorrow, Saturday, from 10 am to 2 pm at the Fishermen's Pavilion in Squalicum Harbor.

This weekend, enjoy being serenaded while you shop at Dockside by local musical group Ki’ihele Music. They describe themselves as “multi-style PNW musician including classic rock, country & traditional/ contemporary Hawaiian music”. They will be playing from 12:00-2:00pm.

Plus look for a new vendor, Alaska N Dumplings, serving dumplings and pierogies!

2715 Cedarwood Avenue (Open Sat 10-12 pm)
Half acre lots in the Wood-hood are where it’s at. And this one, while slightly under a half acre, essentially has the entire Birchwood Park as a back yard. Kiddo heaven right here! Listing

5560 Hillard Road, Everson (Open Sat 12-2 pm)
You’ll need to check all the photos to grasp what this home, built in the early aughts on 15 acres, has to offer. Just off the Mt Baker highway, it comes with both a main home and a cabin, plus an orchard, a vineyard, and a huge shop. Pretty sure I would never leave home. 😍 Listing.

Blaine High School Theatre
Legally Blonde The Musical (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

WWU Performing Arts Center
Dance in Concert (dance) | Thurs-Sat

WWU Performing Arts Center
An Introduction to Devised Theater with the coldharts (theatre) | Fri

BAAY
Seussical JR (theatre) | Fri-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
Veil of Secrets (burlesque) | Fri, Sat

WWU Performing Arts Center
The coldharts present: Edgar Allan (theatre) | Sat

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
An Evening of Improv (improv) | Sat

iDiOM Theatre
All Our Tragic (theatre) | Sat, Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Foundations: Hip Hop, House, Shuffle - Lost Giants Cider Co. - Fri 6 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:30 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - Sun 1 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sunday 10:30 am

This weekend, Kulshan Chorus presents We Tell Each Other Stories at First Congregational Church, bringing together choral music and live storytelling in a collaborative performance. Directed by Dustin Willetts, the program features storytellers Eva Abram and Harvest Moon, whose spoken narratives are interwoven with the chorus’s music. Tonight, May 1 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, May 2 at 3 pm. Tickets

Rachel Reid presents her Senior Violin Recital at Western’s Performing Arts Center tomorrow, May 2 at noon. The program features classical works, including Enrique Granados’ Spanish Dance No. 5 “Andaluza”, Julius Röntgen’s Violin Sonata in E Major, and Aaron Copland’s Violin Sonata. Reid performs with student accompanist Cordelia Loyd and faculty pianist Rebecca Manalac.

Vox Pacifica Choir brings Seeds of Hope and Promise to Faith Lutheran Church with performances tonight, May 1 at 7 pm and Saturday, May 2 at 3 pm. Under the direction of guest conductor Dr. Leslie Guelker-Cone, the concert explores themes of renewal through choral music and guest performances by Eli Schille-Hudson, Kian Dye, and Ibidunni Ojikutu. Each artist contributes both as a soloist and as part of the ensemble. Tickets

Casaundra May & James perform at El Capitan’s tonight, May 1 at 7 pm, presenting a roots blues set grounded in Delta and Hill Country traditions. The duo pairs May’s expressive vocals with James’s resonator guitar work, creating a sound informed by early blues while rooted in the Pacific Northwest.

The Magic of Belonging, Chuckanut Bay Distillery – A 6 to 8:30 pm spring fundraiser benefiting Kulshan Community Land Trust, featuring a gourmet dinner, entertainment, and storytelling centered on affordable homeownership. Tickets

Heart of Play Community Mural Painting, Allied Arts – A collaborative, family-focused art event during the Children’s Art Walk where kids help paint a community mural with Coast Salish artist Jason LaClair, alongside a mobile museum experience across the street.

Friday Music & Trivia →

Bellingham Roller Betties Roller Derby Bout, Lynden Skateway – A 5 to 9:30 pm doubleheader featuring South Sound Roller Derby and a Bellingham Roller Betties home team, followed by a semifinal championship bout, with a beer garden, snacks, and bake sale.

Birchwood Garden Club’s 33rd Annual Plant Sale, Bellingham Public Library – A sale from 11 am to 2 pm featuring locally grown annuals, perennials, vegetable starts, and houseplants, all suited to the local climate.

Community Boating Center Opening Day, Community Boating Center – A season kickoff from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with rentals, classes, and a full day of on-the-water activities, plus a weekend discount on equipment for those looking to get out on the bay.

Saturday Music & Trivia →

Facing Stage Fright Workshop, Karate Church – A 1 to 3 pm class focused on managing performance anxiety through practical exercises, group activities, and techniques to build confidence in public speaking and performing. Register

Beach Cat 2 Beach Cat Bike Ride, Beach Cat South Paw – A 9 am group ride from South Paw to the Birch Bay location covering a scenic 1 hour 45 minute route, with time for a beer before returning to Bellingham.

Native Plants at Birch Bay State Park, BP Heron Center – Join Pam Borso for a 1:30 to 3:30 pm plant walk in the rich, diverse plant community at the Birch Bay State Park. The walk will go from the beach through the uplands along a forested trail to the Terrell Creek estuary. Meet at the BP Heron Center by the beach in Birch Bay State Park.

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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