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

That burst of rain early Saturday morning left the smell of fall in the air. Tidings of what’s to come! 🍂 

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

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Cirque Cadia & Bellingham Circus Guild

Gnomecoming

October 3rd & 4th

Join Bellingham Circus Guild and Cirque Cadia for a one-of-a-kind interactive performance experience, costumed dance party, and enchanted circus celebration! Imagine a dance straight out of an '80s movie - except thrown by mythical forest creatures like talking mushrooms, fairies, walking trees, and even some feral raccoons.

Expect aerial arts, juggling, giant puppets, and magic alongside DJ sets, vendors, interactive games, and a bar at this 21+ enchanted extravaganza. Gnomecoming isn't just any party – it's weird, wonderful, and unlike anything you've ever experienced!

Weather Forecast

Monday: 69°F 🌡️ 51°F | ☀️ Sunny | 🌧️ 2% | 💨 S 5 mph

Tuesday: 73°F 🌡️ 54°F | ☀️ Sunny | 🌧️ 3% | 💨 N 1 to 6 mph

Moon Phases

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Classical Education for All Ages

No screens, real books, literature, philosophy, mathematics, and Ancient Greek… these are some areas of focus at The Fairhaven Program, a two-day-per-week offering developed as an educational supplement for homeschooled high school students in Whatcom County.

I’ve admired this program since I first learned about it two years ago. Recent reports highlighting declining literacy among U.S. 12th graders only reinforce my sense that opportunities like this, that emphasize long-form literature, no screens, and classical studies, are profoundly valuable.

The Fairhaven Program was founded by Bellinghamster Donald Antenen 👆️, who noticed that while Bellingham offered many K-8 options, there were few for high schoolers. His goal was “to create a place for students in Whatcom County to discover for themselves the confidence to think and to speak and to write.”

Adding additional value to our community, Donald also offers regular seminar series focused on important classical texts. “The format of the seminars is simple: read the assigned section of the book before you arrive and come up with a short question about the reading.”

On October 13th, the second fall seminar begins, this one centered on Vergil’s The Aeneid. Everyone is welcome, and no background in classics is required. Learn more about the fall seminar series and register on the Fairhaven Program website.

In other news…

🤝 This Thursday, at the All Hands Whatcom Summit, you are invited to explore the intersection of the opioid crisis, mental health, and incarceration through personal stories, local data, immersive learning experiences, and community-driven solutions.

Wednesday’s half-day event is full, but spots are available for Thursday’s full-day summit at the Ferndale Event Center from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. This year’s summit, themed “It’s All Connected,” is a chance to hear local truths about the opioid crisis, mental health, and incarceration. And, by understanding how it’s all connected, create comprehensive solutions that lead to healing and lasting change. Register for the summit.

🦅 The last few days, I’ve been enjoying a game of cat and mouse playing out in the sky above our home. A Norther Harrier has been prowling the street and our resident crows will have none of it! 🤣 In round after round, the crows chase the much faster Harrier away from their favorite trees, or surround the poor bird and scream endless warnings. All of which makes tomorrow’s presentation, When Pray Attack - Mobbing Behavior in Birds, by the North Cascades Audubon Society perfectly timed in my life!

Guest speaker Nora Carlson, PhD is a behavioral ecologist who focuses on questions regarding animal communication, predator-prey interactions, vocally mediated mixed-species cooperative behavior, and the impacts of anthropogenic noise on these systems. The presentation, in the Rotunda Room of Old City Hall is free (with donations accepted), and starts at 6:30 pm. Details.

🌊 Longtime Bellinghamster and ALL lecturer Eric Hirst reached out to let us know that the registration window is closing soon for his 2-hour class, Whatcom Water Woes: What a Mess, happening October 9th. Below is an introductory video about the class. 👇️

Expect to learn about declining Nooksack River watershed streamflows, their impact on salmon and human water use, and the growing irrigation demands brought on by hotter, drier summers. The session will also cover supply and storage options, water-use efficiency, state water law issues, tribal water rights, and the Nooksack adjudication—plus why so little action has been taken. Register to attend.

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

Uisce Irish Pub
Guffawingham | Mon 9:00 pm

New Prospect Theatre
Molly’s Comedy Cabaret | Wed

iDiOM Theater
No Man's Land | Thurs, Fri, Sat

Bellingham Theatre Guild
The Play That Goes Wrong | Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun

New Prospect Theatre
The Shark Is Broken | Fri, Sat, Sun

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

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances.

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Salsa & Bachata - Viking Union - Mon 7 pm
Bellingham Embodiment Collective - Majestic Ballroom - Mon 6:30 pm
Beginning 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
Int. Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 7:15 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance Fusion - Senior Activity Center - Sat 10:30 am
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 6 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 Bellingham Pinball, an organization for the advancement of Pinball in the Bellingham and Whatcom county area, at Doug’s Burgers for a Pinball Tournament. $5 buy in, IFPA Sanctioned. Tonight at 6 pm.

An award-winning violin legend Tim Kliphuis (Holland) and rising star on manouche jazz guitar Jimmy Grant (LA). The duo celebrates the music of Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. Re-creating the 1930s in Paris, and drawing inspiration from current-day classical and folk music as well, they alternate moments of dazzling interplay with melancholy and sheer exhilaration in an inspired conversational journey that is different every night. Starts at 8 pm, tonight, at the Shakedown.

At a momentous first meeting at a coffee shop in Fez, Moroccan vocalist Lamiae Naki and multi-instrumentalist Nat Hulskamp composed their first song and decided to get married. Brought together by their deep knowledge of the music of both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar Spanish flamenco and Moroccan Arabic music, they created Seffarine. Doors open at 6:30 pm tomorrow, September 23rd, at the Firehouse Arts & Events Center.

Join Bellingham Story Hour for the start of their third season. Stories can be entertaining, heartwarming, educational, cringe inducing, shame releasing, vulnerable, weird, and all of the things in-between but they are always true, always your own experience, and always rewarding to tell and hear. September's Theme is "CROSSROADS." Snag tickets to attend.

MONDAY

Fall Equinox Sound Bath, Woodstock Farm Barn - Kristi Moseley will offer a meditative soundscape to unwind and carry you into deep listening and renewal. Bring padding to remain comfortable while reclined on the floor, a cozy blanket for warmth and a small pillow. Check-in 5:45 pm.

Author Discussion: Michael Cremo, Village Books - Join Michael Cremo, hailed as the "forbidden archeologist," on a fascinating exploration of anomalous evidence from his new book, Extreme Human Antiquity. Tickets.

Monday Music & Trivia →

TUESDAY

Fiber Arts Workshop, Stones Throw Brewery - A unique creative evening with fiber artist Sulai Lopez! Explore the wonderful world of fiber arts while enjoying craft beverages in a relaxed brewery setting. No experience necessary. Register to attend.

Life Drawing Bellingham, Karate Church - These are uninstructed events for anyone who enjoys or is curious about drawing from a live model. First-timers always welcome. The poses are timed, starting with shorter poses to warm up, gradually building up to longer poses, with breaks throughout. Details.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

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Hakuna matata

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