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

I’m curious if anyone has started finding fun mushrooms on your hikes around the county? With so many dry weeks this summer, it will be interesting to see what fruits.

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

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Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association

Salmon Sunset Soirée

Saturday, October 11th

Raise a glass to healthy watersheds and thriving salmon! You're invited to a joyful evening of community, connection, and conservation at NSEA’s Annual Gala Cocktail Party. This highly anticipated event brings together supporters, friends, and local leaders who are passionate about protecting Whatcom County’s natural legacy.

Whether you’re a longtime supporter or new to our mission, this is your chance to celebrate the impact we've made together—and fuel the work still to come. Every dollar raised supports salmon habitat restoration, environmental education, and community outreach programs across our region.

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: 68°F 🌡️ 54°F | ⛈️ Showers & Thunderstorms | 🌧️ 91% | 💨 SSE 14 to 18 mph

Thursday: 65°F 🌡️ 51°F | ⛈️ Showers & Thunderstorms | 🌧️ 87% | 💨 SSE 8 to 14 mph

Moon Phases

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Hoofing it Around the Ham

Do you think you have a 20-mile walk in ya? Yeah? You’re in luck! This Saturday, you can gather with other intrepid Bellinghamites at the downtown Bellingham transit center around 9 am for the start of the Subdued Saunter which will loop around the northside hoods, head east to Barkley Village, then wind its way through the southside before heading back downtown for snacks and refreshments at Brandywine Kitchen. 👇️ 

Holden Minor Ringer, one of the organizers of the Saunter, let us know the event is totally free and intended as a fun way to “show off Bellingham, [..] build community, and just enjoy some outdoor fall fun.” And, there’s no pressure to complete the full 20 miles. There are bus stops all along the route so join or leave the walk at any point along the way. 😁 Check The Subdued Saunter website for more details and to sign up.

County Council Comedy

If you’re like me, and you dork out on local government shenanigans, this one’s for you. 😉 Last Tuesday’s Council meeting took a comic turn when outgoing councilman Todd Donovan surprised the body with a motion to double the number of meetings for the incoming council. While likely meant in jest, the motion was immediately seconded by outgoing councilman Tyler Byrd, which forced the council to address the motion.

What followed was a mix of nervous laughter and procedural confusion before the motion was finally voted down. Several members, including council chair Kaylee Galloway, remarked that the idea of more frequent meetings was worth revisiting in the future. As far as local government goes, this is good TV. 🤣 Here’s the recording if you’d like to watch it. Scroll through the index and click on the “6. AB2025-585 Approval of special standing meeting dates for 2026” link.

In other news…

🔥 Burn bans have been lifted both in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex and in unincorporated areas of Whatcom County. Effective Monday, campfires were again allowed in designated sites within the North Cascades National Park. The Park Service asks that campfires are kept “small to decrease the chance embers will spread” and “must be fully extinguished. An extinguished campfire is completely out when it’s cool to the touch. If it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.“

In Whatcom County, the Fire Marshal’s Office will lift restrictions on outdoor burning beginning at 12 am Saturday, October 4. Recreational fires are allowed without a permit, but larger burns still require county approval.

🍓 Northwest naturalist and author Jennifer Hahn will share stories and images from her new book, Pacific Harvest: A Northwest Coast Foraging Guide, in an in-person talk on foraging as a “passport” to place, plants, animals, and nature.

Held tomorrow in the Meeting Room at the Ferndale Public Library, this event features popcorn “SEA-soned” with locally farmed kelp 😜, along with reflections on sustainable harvesting, culinary exploration, and the ways wild foods connect people to place. Hahn, a wilderness guide and educator at Western Washington University, has been featured on NPR and won the Barbara Savage Miles from Nowhere Award for her first book Spirited Waters: Soloing South Through the Inside Passage. Registration is encouraged.

💧 The Lake Whatcom Joint Policy Group meets today, October 1, from 3 to 5 pm. This is a hybrid meeting with an in-person option at the Pacific Street Operations Center and a remote option on Zoom. The group will view a presentation, and discuss, the Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan.

🌲 The Greenways Advisory Committee meets tomorrow, October 2, at 7 pm. This meeting will take place on zoom due to limited location availability.

🚜 The Whatcom County Council’s Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee will participate in the Sumas Area and North Fork Nooksack Conservation and Wildfire Resiliency Tour today from 9 am to 1 pm. The tour begins at the Whatcom Conservation District Office and highlights local properties implementing climate-friendly, fish-friendly, and wildfire-resilient practices. Stops include the Zylstra Property, Graves Property, and Peaceful Valley Country Club, with community members welcome to join at any of the listed locations. Full schedule and details.

⛏️ Volunteer Opportunities This Week: There is one outdoor work party this week.

• NSEA’s Campus: Join Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) this morning for a morning of restoration upkeep. Volunteers will meet at NSEA’s campus by 8:00 a.m. to shuttle to the site, with return by noon. All tools and guidance are provided. Details and registration.

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

Bellingham Circus Guild
Gnomecoming | Fri, Sat

Mount Baker Theatre
Pressure Drop (film) | Fri

iDiOM Theater
48 Hour Theater Festival | Fri, Sat

New Prospect Theatre
The Dope Show (comedy) | Sat

The Claire
Matilda the Musical | Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances.

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance Fusion - Senior Activity Center - Sat 10:30 am
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 6:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Movement - Presence Studio - Sun 10:30 am

Events & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

Feature an Event. Reach out.

FEATURED

Join the South Fork Country Kickers tonight, from 6 to 9 pm, for an all-ages night of country fun at the Chuckanut Distillery Ballroom in Bellingham. The evening runs three hours, with beginner line dance lessons filling the first two, followed by social time, requests, and open dancing. No advance ticket needed—just pay at the door and hit the floor.

Hopnotic brings their jazz-funk grooves to Zeeks Pizza tomorrow night at 7 pm, with a lineup featuring Michael Iris (keys), Jeremy Elliot (guitar), Stephen Blair (bass), Kevin Candela (percussion), and Chuck Loos (drums). The Bellingham-based quintet blends covers from The Meters, Medeski Martin & Wood, and the New Mastersounds with an expanding catalog of funky originals.

The Bellingham Music Club is hosting a free preview of Echoes and Departures this morning, October 1 at 10:30 am, at First Congregational Church. Pianists Rebecca and Gabriel Mañalac will perform selections for two pianos, featuring works by Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Rachmaninoff, Carlos Guastavino, and Ravel’s La valse.

Apes of the State brings a fiery blend of folk, punk, and bluegrass grit to The Shakedown tonight, October 1, with local openers Noog and Porch Cat. Formed in Lancaster, PA, from songwriter April Hartman’s post-rehab folk project, the band has built a reputation for sharp lyricism, driving strings, and spirit. Doors open at 7:30 pm.

WEDNESDAY

Monk Slippers, Stones Throw Brewery, Somewhere - Bellingham’s own jazz quartet brings keyboards, upright bass, baritone sax, flute, and drums together for a set inspired by Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, and jazzy spins on the Beatles and Neil Young. Expect a mix of jazz, pop, and funk in this two-hour set that starts at 6 pm.

Militarie Gun, Make.Shift Art Space - Los Angeles–based post-hardcore outfit Militarie Gun headlines an all-ages night of heavy hooks and cathartic energy, joined by Death Lens, Cat Positive, and The Hobby. Doors at 6:30 pm, show at 7.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

THURSDAY

Kyle’s Cosmic Country Band, Honeymoon Mead – Psychedelic-tinged country music at the Honeymoon with Kyle’s Cosmic Country Band, joined by Hunter Preston and special guest Benny Sidelinger. Free, 21+. Doors at 7 pm, music at 8.

Old Dirty Buzzard, The Shakedown – Hard-hitting rock with punk and metal grit as Old Dirty Buzzard (ex-Zeke) headlines, joined by Unsheather and Done to Death. Doors at 8:30 pm, show at 9.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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Hakuna matata

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Have a great Wednesday!!