🐹 Super Jam 🎸🎸

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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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

If you have not made it down to Downtown Sounds this year, tonight’s Bellingham All-Star Super Jam is as good a reason as any to venture out. More than 30 local musicians will perform in quick-paced sets, with food trucks, family activities, a free bike valet, and YMCA childcare for kids ages 4 to 11 available nearby. I’m not finding much online about the playbill, but with that much variety there’s bound to be something for everyone, and nothing beats a late-July block party in Bellingham.

Last week, the City of Bellingham announced plans for a third tiny home village, building on the two existing communities on Northwest Avenue and near Lakeway Drive and Old Woburn Street. The new village will include 35 to 40 homes on City-owned property at 2140 Division Street in the Irongate neighborhood.

“Opening this new tiny house village is an important step in expanding housing opportunities of all kinds in Bellingham,” said Mayor Kim Lund. “This new village builds on what we’ve learned from our existing sites, and together with HomesNOW!, we’re creating a community that helps residents rebuild and move toward long-term housing.”

HomesNOW! will manage the site using the same resident-led model as North Haven. Construction is expected to begin this winter, with the village opening in early 2027. The initial project cost is $1.2 million.

Mark your calendar. The Pickford kicks off their free Bay St. Outdoor Cinema series this Friday, July 31, with a classic of the over-the-top action flick genre, Speed starring Keanu Reeves. “Tensions run high when a crazed bomber rigs a Los Angeles bus with a device that will kill everyone on board if the vehicle's speed dips below fifty miles per hour.” Yep, don’t pretend like you didn’t enjoy it as much as the rest of us. 😉

The party starts at 7:00 pm outside the Pickford Film Center on Bay Street, with a beer garden and food vendors on site. The movie starts at dusk. Some chairs will be available but you’re best bet would be to bring your own. Kids and dogs are welcome. 🧒🐶 But keep those pups on a leash an review the film rating to ensure it’s appropriate for your kiddo.

LOCAL READS

How Northwest Tune-Up Fest is shaping the future of Bellingham’s bike scene
By Benji Cook · The Front
Northwest Tune-Up has grown into a showcase for Bellingham’s mountain bike culture, bringing together professional riders, local businesses, musicians, and thousands of visitors around the city’s trails and waterfront. Benji reports that the festival reflects decades of freeride history while strengthening the partnerships and community that continue to shape Bellingham as an international riding destination. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Bellingham rec nonprofit switches focus to trails
By Libby Williams · Salish Current
Recreation Northwest has reintroduced itself as the Recreation Northwest Trails Coalition, shifting its work from youth mental health programming to regional trail advocacy after the Parkscriptions program lost grant funding. Libby reports that the organization now plans to focus on completing the Bay to Baker Trail and the Salish Coast Trail while building support through grants and memberships. Read more →

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friday-Sunday
Olsen Creek: Join the Washington Trails Association as they develop this multi-use recreation opportunity just outside of Bellingham. Part of the Baker to Bellingham Recreation Plan adopted in 2018, this will be the first sanctioned non motorized recreation in Whatcom County on DNR managed lands. Resister

New Prospect Theatre
Bits of the Bard (theatre) | Wed

New Prospect Theatre
Agnus of God (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

FHS Performing Arts Center
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (theatre) | Thurs-Sat

BAAY
Exorcism Gone Awry (theatre) | Fri & Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Revolution Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:30 pm
Beginner Ballet - Karate Church - Sat 10 am
Beginner Contemporary - Karate Church - Sat 11:30 am
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sun 10:30 am

Brett and Janet Dodd perform as String Creek at Stones Throw Brewery on Wednesday, July 29, from 6 to 8 pm. The duo combines original and contemporary folk, bluegrass, and Americana with close harmony singing and a rotating collection of instruments, including mandolin, guitar, accordion, bass, fiddle, and melodica.

Stemma West hosts Classical on Tap today, July 29, at 6 pm, offering an informal chamber music program in its family-friendly beer garden. The evening begins with a youth string quartet coached by BSO Principal Second Violin Yuko Watanabe. Kevin Woods, Cat Toren, and BSO bassist Joel Kruzic follow with a set blending jazz standards and melodies inspired by the orchestra’s 51st season. The event is free.

Bellingham native Morgan McHugh brings his indie-folk songs to Honey Moon Mead tomorrow, July 30, from 8 to 10 pm. McHugh began writing songs as a teenager and moved into solo performance in 2023, later touring through California, the Pacific Northwest, and Colorado.

Trivia Night, Chuckanut Bay Distillery – Free live trivia runs from 7:30 to 9 pm, with prizes plus food and drink specials.

Flower Market, Ohio Street Work Studios – A market from 9 am to noon offers locally grown seasonal cut flowers from North Sound Flower Cooperative farms to floral professionals and the public.

Trivia Night, Schweinhaus Biergarten – Weekly trivia runs from 7 to 9 pm with host Amber, teams of up to six, a $2 entry fee per player, food prizes each round, and a cash pot for the highest-scoring team.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

Blues, Brews & BBQ: Space Band, Hotel Bellwether – Space Band performs R&B, hip-hop, funk, Motown, and dance hits from 6 to 9 pm, with barbecue service from 5 to 7:30 pm on the Waterfront Terrace.

The Barkley Market, Barkley Village Green – A weekly community market from 11 am to 2 pm featuring local vendors, food trucks, live music at noon, and Bellingham Public Library Story Time at 11 am on the Barkley Village Green.

Blue Collar Grass Band, Kulshan Brewing Sunnyland Taproom – Five string players perform traditional and progressive bluegrass from 6 to 8 pm, blending familiar roots music with a broader, genre-crossing approach.

Lone Quail, Skylark’s Hidden Cafe – A 5:30 to 7:30 pm set blending classic Americana, early alt-country, and rock with songs about lost places and moving forward through uncertainty.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

Advertise in Bham’s #1 Newsletter
Email me to include a note in The Wheel

Thanks for reading today’s edition. If you found something helpful, please share it with a friend and encourage them to click here to subscribe. 🙏

Reply to this email if you have news to share, an event you’d like me to know about, or to send me a love note. 💘