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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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

This Saturday, the Silver Foxes, an aerial performance collective from Seattle, bring their annual showcase to town for the first time. The premise is simple: performers over 45 taking to the air, proving age is just a number and you’re never too old to join the circus!

This year’s theme moves through the eras, with nods to everything from the roaring 20s to more modern influences. Expect a mix of aerial silks, hoop, and inventive choreography, all woven together into a show that feels equal parts spectacle and story. Ticket proceeds support the Bellingham Circus Guild.

Looking for the perfect sculpture for your lawn or garden? Bellingham Technical College’s Fab Week Auction, running through April 17, showcases the talents of Welding and Fabricating Technology students with one-of-a-kind sculptures and fabricated furniture. 👇

Student works are available for online-only bidding, and are available to view in-person at the Morse Center (the Welding Program shop). “We encourage you to come to campus and see them in person before placing your bids. Photos don't capture the size and details of each piece!” The Welding shop is on the corner of Nome and W. Illinois and is open from Monday-Thursday, 8am to 4pm.

I’m terribly impressed by all the lots in this year’s auction, but this table 🤯. It would not look out of place at any of the artsy-fartsy shops in La Conner. Way to go Joey Godici, Felix Johnson, Rachael Kuiper, Gavin Schmuckler, Kate Johnston, Andrew Zywica with Team Puddle Pushers!

Traffic Alert: Bridge inspections will bring several days of daytime lane reductions on both northbound and southbound I-5 through Ferndale this week. Work will take place between Main Street and just north of Portal Way, with closures shifting by day and direction. Today, March 30, the right lane of southbound I-5 will close from 9 am to 2 pm near the Nooksack River bridge. Tomorrow, March 31, southbound drivers can expect a left lane closure from 9 to 11 am, followed by a left lane closure on northbound I-5 from 11 am to 2 pm. On Wednesday, April 1, the right lane of northbound I-5 will be closed from 8 am to 2 pm. Delays are likely during these windows, especially through the mid-day hours. And still no word on northbound I-5 reopening south of town. 😬

LOCAL READS

Local org offers marine stewardship education, underwater archeology and more
By Aly McGee · All Point Bulletin
A new Point Roberts nonprofit, Sea Life Ocean Dreams founded by Alan Pezzuto and James Fu, teaches how to care for boats, explore local waters, and study submerged historical sites through guided fieldwork and training. Aly explains how the group hopes to address derelict vessels by demonstrating repair techniques and promoting long-term maintenance. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

The right to teach and study: a look at academic freedom
By Elliot Nicoletti · The Front
Western’s approach to academic freedom is being tested by external records requests and internal discussions about student rights and faculty autonomy. Elliot explains that tensions include whether syllabi should be disclosed publicly and how new expectations around student academic freedom could affect classroom authority. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Tuesday
Whatcom County Council, 8:45 am with regular meeting at 6:00 pm, Council Chambers, agenda

Wednesday
Lake Whatcom Joint Councils and Commissioners Meeting, 6:30 pm, City Hall Council Chambers, agenda

Thursday
Bellingham Planning Commission, 6:00 pm, City Council Chambers, agenda
Greenways Advisory Committee, 7:00 pm, Pacific Street Operations Center, details
WTA Board, 8:00 am, WTA's offices at 4011 Bakerview Spur

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friday
Spooner Creek: Help Whatcom Land Trust remove invasive Himalayan blackberry and other invasive species to support young growing native plants. Register to participate.

Saturday
Forest & Cedar Park: Join the city, L.E.A.D., and other Western Washington University student volunteers to combat pesky invasive plants and plant some new native shrubs and trees. Register to participate.
NSEA Nursery: Pot native trees and shrubs to restock the NSEA native plant nursery with plants that will be used in future restoration projects. Register to participate.

Ever wonder why you make poor financial decisions when you “know better”? Or why spending money causes anxiety even though the spreadsheet shows you have enough? These aren’t math problems. They’re story problems. The stories we learned about money, worth, and what we deserve. The stories we've picked up and stockpiled since childhood.

I’m Susan Fee, a Certified Financial Therapist™. Financial therapy is a process that combines therapeutic and financial skills to help people think, feel, communicate, and behave differently with money. I help clients get to the root of their money stories, so they tell better ones.

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

Outsiders Inn Theater Company
Protest (theater) | Wed-Sun

The Claire Theatre
The Play That Goes Wrong (theater) | Thurs-Sun

Odd Fellows Temple Room
Golden Hour Variety Show (vaudeville) | Thurs

Bellingham Senior Activity Center
Sherlock Holmes Radio Play Mysteries (theater) | Thurs, Fri

iDiOM Theater
All Our Tragic: Heroics (theater) | Fri

Bellingham Theatre Guild
Kodachrome (theater) | Fri-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (theater) | Fri-Sat

BAAY
Sweeney Todd (theater) | Fri-Sun

Bellingham Circus Guild
Silver Foxes (circus) | Sat

iDiOM Theater
All Our Tragic: Politics (theater) | Sat

The Shakedown
Love Handles Variety Show (burlesque) | Sun

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, class 5:30, jam 7 pm
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
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 7:00 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

The dynamic duo of Phil Sottile and Adrian Clarke bring the smooth sounds of acoustic guitar and lap steel to the Admiralty Lounge tomorrow, March 31, at 7:00 pm.

Stones Throw Brewery hosts Good Neighbor Night with Wild Whatcom tonight, March 30 from 5 to 9 pm. The event supports one of my favorite Bellingham-based nonprofits through a revenue share, with 10 percent of the evening’s sales donated to its nature and outdoor programs. Catch nature trivia from 6 to 8 pm.

Western’s Music Department hosts a piano masterclass with Cristina Valdés tomorrow, March 31 from 4 to 6 pm at the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. Open to the public at no cost, the session features the Cuban American pianist working directly with students on repertoire and technique.

Pad down to Beach Cat Brewing South Paw for a Spring Karaoke Party tonight, March 30 at 7 pm. “Whether you’re a shower singer or a full-on headliner, this is your night to shine.”

Sienum Jason LaClair: Art Exhibit, Deming Library – Open 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, this exhibition presents a range of LaClair’s work, including murals, carvings, and jewelry rooted in Northern Formline and Coast Salish artistic practices.

Monday Music & Trivia →

Top Ten Book Lists: Winter Reading Celebration and Best Whatcom READS Reads, Bellingham Central Library – A 4:00 to 5:45 pm session led by librarian Katie Bray featuring curated book recommendations across genres along with a discussion of Whatcom READS selections and a Winter Reading Challenge celebration.

Chuckanut Radio Hour, Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom – A 6:30 to 8:30 pm event featuring author Kim Fu discussing her latest novel alongside writer Jane Wong, with a musical guest performance by Havilah Rand. Reserve a seat.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

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