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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Puzzlers: A new game section is in the works. The first games are three daily Sudoku puzzles that range from easy to hard. Try solving a Sudoku and let me know how it goes.

Several updates on the sudoku front:

First, thank you to Eduard Schwan for catching a bug in the solver that was causing it to generate games with multiple solutions. 🙏 That bug should be resolved.

There’s now a pencil-mode toggle above the number-pad so you can pencil in candidate numbers. Key in the number a second time to remove it when in pencil-mode.

The medium difficulty puzzles now require moderately more advanced techniques. The hard version is still a work in progress.

And finally, you’ll find a link on the games page to a top ten leaderboard for each puzzle.

Let the games begin! 😛

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

If you can sneak away today from 12:45 to 1:15 pm, there’s a fun event happening on the Whatcom Community College campus. The Arts, Humanities and Languages Department is holding a Busking Day with students from the Music Degree program playing “arrangements of pop bangers, jazz standards, musical theater belters and folk tunes.”

These performances will be held outside Heiner, Syre, Cascade and the Pavilion. You can check the full size version of the map above to find each destination. This would be a fun opportunity to enjoy some great music, support young performers, and check out what’s new on the amazing WCC campus.

Tomorrow, May 28 at 7:00 pm, Whatcom Poetry Series invites you to the 21st annual Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony at the Bellingham Ferry Terminal in Fairhaven. This free public event will include live jazz, refreshments, visual art paired with poems, and poets of all ages performing their poems.

The contest is named for Sue Crocker Boynton, an early resident of Whatcom County, who helped organize Bellingham’s PTAs, St. Luke’s Hospital Assistance League, taught classes at the YWCA and, in 1917, climbed Mt. Baker. Sue was a poet who poured her emotions and thoughts into verse, and inspired others to write.

This year’s 20 winning poems by young and adult writers, selected from over 300 submissions, will be displayed on WTA buses, placards outside the Bellingham Public Library, and celebrated in a reading at tomorrow’s awards ceremony.

Burn Ban Alert: The Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office has announced a burn ban to begin at 8:00 am on June 15th, lasting until mid-September. This ban includes all land clearing and yard debris burning, but allows for recreational fires under certain circumstances. Check the press release for details.

LOCAL READS

Northwest Geology Field Trips: A Practical Guide to Citizen Geology in Whatcom County
By Anna Diehl · WhatcomTalk
From Racehorse Creek palm fossils to glacial erratics along Point Whitehorn, the Northwest Geology Field Trips blog introduces readers to the geology of western Washington. Anna details how Dave Tucker combines field observations, accessible writing, and community input to make geology fun and approachable. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Bambi versus Godzilla: Pipeline Safety Trust
By Jason Mark · Salish Current
A small office on Cornwall Avenue houses a national advocacy group that regularly confronts one of the world’s most powerful industries over pipeline safety standards and public accountability. Jason explains how the Pipeline Safety Trust grew from local activism after the Olympic Pipeline disaster into a federally supported organization influencing policy across the country. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Thursday
WhatWhat-Comm Administrative Board Meeting, 1:00 pm, 625 Halleck St

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Fairhaven Community Garden: Help the city tend to the community spaces at Fairhaven Community Garden. Register

Thursday
Horseshoe Bend: Join the Whatcom Trails Association crew to perform annual maintenance and logout on trails in the Mt. Baker District of the Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest. Register

Friday
Baker Lake: Join the Whatcom Trails Association for annual maintenance and fun projects on the east bank of Baker Lake. You'll stay in a tree-lined campsite, wake up to views of Mount Baker, the sound of cascading water, and loons calling across the glacier-fed lake water. Register

Saturday
Sehome Hill Arboretum: Join the city, WWU E.R.C., & WWU L.E.A.D. to kick off the Arboretum Day 2026 celebration by removing invasive species at a trail entrance near the southern entrance of the Sehome Arb at Western Washington University. Register

Sunday
South Bay Trail: Join Whatcom Million Trees Project for this student-led project for the L.E.A.D. (Learning, Environment, Action, Discovery) seminar at WWU, in removing ivy at South Bay Trail. Register

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New Prospect Theatre
The Problem Party (theatre) | Sat, Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Revolution Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 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

Monica Nevi headlines Comedy Night at ‘Ono Kitchen tonight May 27 from 8 to 9:30 pm, joined by Bellingham comedians Dan Mills and Nikki Kilpatrick for a 21+ evening of stand-up. Nevi, originally from Washington, has released multiple comedy specials and albums while touring nationally and internationally. Admission is $15 presale and $20 at the door.

Kelsey Mines Sextet performs tonight, May 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, at the FireHouse. A Seattle-based bassist and educator, Mines studied at the University of Washington and the Prince Claus Conservatoire in the Netherlands before establishing herself as a performer, composer, and teacher in the Pacific Northwest music community. This show, which sounds amazing, is currently listed as sold out, so you’ll need to hustle for tickets unless they’ve held any in reserve for sale at the door.

Elise Leavy joins The Murphy Beds at The Orion tomorrow, May 28 at 7 pm. Leavy’s songwriting draws from folk and classic West Coast singer-songwriter traditions. Headliners The Murphy Beds, the longtime duo of Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer, are known for their interpretations of traditional folk music alongside original songs shaped by Irish and American roots traditions.

The Northwest Classical Guitar Society: Duo Recital, Lairmont Manor – Dieter Hennings Yeomans and Mark Hilliard Wilson perform works by Leo Brouwer, Eduardo Martín, and Enrico Chapela at 7 pm in a classical guitar program centered on musical traditions and landscapes of Cuba and Mexico.

Trivia Night, Schweinhaus Biergarten – Weekly trivia hosted by Amber runs from 7 to 9 pm with teams of up to six competing for food prizes and a cash pot through multiple rounds of play.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

Centerpiece & Tablescape Workshop, North Sound Flower Cooperative Studio – A 6 to 8 pm floral design workshop explores foam-free centerpiece techniques and botanical tablescapes using Whatcom and Skagit-grown flowers, with bowls, tools, refreshments, and photography space provided. Register

Whatcom Young Professionals May Social, Aslan Depot – A networking gathering from 5:30 to 7:30 pm brings together local professionals for a casual evening at the brewpub, with indoor and patio space depending on weather.

Happy Hour Jazz with Cheryl Hodge, Hotel Leo – Cheryl Hodge brings live jazz to Hotel Leo every Thursday this month from 4 to 6 pm.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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