🐹 The Suit 👨‍💼👨‍💼

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. 📧

A small mystery has quietly taken up residence in a few familiar places around town. Visitors to Village Books, Hardware Sales, and The Coffee Shop by Hammerhead Coffee might notice something a little out of place.

The setup is simple. As part of a local film project called The Suit, a team of Bellingham filmmakers has created a story-driven scavenger hunt that invites you to search for hidden props across the three businesses. Each item leads to a second, with clues tied to both the film’s mythology and pieces of local history pulled from the Whatcom Photo Archives.

“Making dynamic, excellent films in Washington is our greatest goal,” says Executive Producer Rochelle Robinson. “Forging the world of The Suit with our local community feels like a very big, truly beautiful step forward. We hope our character’s grit and heroism brings a depth of humanity to the thriller genre, even as they fight against a villain only pretending at personhood. Stories become us. Washington championing uplifting and gorgeous cinema is a tale we can all get behind.”

I caught wind of this a little late so you’ll want to make it a midweek adventure. The scavenger hunt ends on Friday. Learn more about the hunt.

Western’s College of Business and Economics is celebrating its 50th anniversary tonight with a public conversation featuring two alumni entrepreneurs from 5 to 7 pm at Chuckanut Bay Distillery. The evening begins with a social hour, followed by a discussion focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and local business growth. The event is free and open to alumni, students, and community members, with light food provided and a cash bar available.

Stephan Aarstol, founder of Tower Paddle Boards, built a direct to consumer brand that gained wider attention after appearing on Shark Tank, and has since written about productivity-focused work culture. Kelly Andrews, founder of Fairhaven Health and now majority owner of Chuckanut Bay Distillery, has focused much of his work closer to home, including real estate and business development across Whatcom County. Register to attend.

The port has announced that 109 additional parking spots will soon be available at the Downtown Waterfront across from the Granary Building. Short-term, this seems like a good plan. Frustration with parking has been voiced at Port Commission meetings by owners of businesses in the Granary, and most of us have struggled to park at the Waterfront at one time or another.

That said, I sure hope whatever revamped vision the port comes up with for the GP Mill property takes a more dynamic approach to accessing the waterfront. It would be really wonderful if pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the greater downtown could flow effortlessly into a community space filled with attractions.

Shellfish Alert: The Washington State Department of Health has closed all recreational shellfish harvesting across Whatcom County after unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin were detected in multiple locations. The closure includes all molluscan shellfish such as clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops, and applies countywide, including Point Roberts.

Officials note that these toxins occur naturally and “are not destroyed by cooking or freezing. Crab meat is not affected, but ‘crab butter’ and crab entrails can harbor biotoxins and should always be discarded.” Biotoxin levels can change quickly and are not visible in the water, making it important to check current conditions before harvesting. Luckily for us, the Department of Health maintains a Shellfish Closure map.

LOCAL READS

Sprucing Up the City
By Ben Stebbins · The Planet
Bellingham has extended an ordinance protecting large “landmark” trees, including those with trunks over 36 inches in diameter, to preserve urban canopy and neighborhood character. Ben reports that the policy aims to balance development with environmental benefits like shade, habitat, and stormwater filtration. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Should hunting be allowed for mountain goats?
By Sam Fletcher · Salish Current
Washington’s mountain goat population has declined sharply over the past century, with some recent estimates suggesting fewer than 1,000 animals remain in parts of the state. Sam reports that the new game management plan allows limited hunting while researchers and advocates debate whether current populations can sustain any harvest. Read more →

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

General
Adopt-A-Highway: Calling all Roadside Litter Hunters! Gather your friends and family and Adopt-A-Highway today. We have numerous 2-mile sections and ramps available. Email me at [email protected] for more information.

Wednesday
I & J Waterway: Join RE Sources at I & J Waterway to help ensure our beaches are clean and pollution stays out of Bellingham Bay. Register
Stream Team: Help Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) maintain older sites that need love. Meet at NSEA’s campus by 8 am and your group leader will shuttle everyone to the site. You can expect to be back to NSEA at 12 pm. Register

Friday
Church Mountain: Join the Washington Trails Association for a chainsaw logout up Church Mountain. Chainsaws require a USFS Chainsaw Certification, other crew members may use handsaws to limb trees, or clear smaller branches. Register

Saturday
Squalicum Creek Re-Route: Remove invasive species to improve fish and wildlife habitat and help water quality near the Squalicum Creek Re-Route Project with the City of Bellingham and other community partners. Register
Church Mountain: Join the Washington Trails Association crew for a chainsaw logout up Church Mountain. Chainsaws require a USFS Chainsaw Certification, other crew members may use handsaws to limb trees, or clear smaller branches. Register
Baker Field trails: A community Scotch broom removal event led by Bronwyn Glor of the Point Roberts Park and Recreation District, the event is open to anyone interested in helping improve local park land. 10 am.

Mount Baker Theatre
Captain Nemo's Undersea Academy (storytelling) | Thurs-Sat

iDiOM Theater
All Our Tragic (theatre) | Thurs-Sat

Jansen Art Center
Swept Away (theatre) | Thurs-Sat

WinkWink
Pareidolia by Billie Fox (theatre) | Fri-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
The Great Refusal (theatre) | Fri-Sun

WWU DUG Theater
Failure: A Love Story (theatre) | Fri-Sun

BAAY
Seussical JR (theatre) | Fri-Sun

Firehouse Arts & Events Center
Bellingham Repertory Dance - Hindsight (dance) | Fri-Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Country Night - Stemma West - Wed 6 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Revolution Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Foundations: Hip Hop, House, Shuffle - Lost Giants Cider Co. - Fri 6 pm
Dance Fusion - BSAC - Sat 10:30 am
Mainstream Square Dance - Ten Mile Grange - Sat 7:30 pm
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sunday 10:30 am

Western’s Musicultural Series continues with Boka Kouyaté at the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall tomorrow, April 23 at 7:30 pm. Kouyaté, a Guinean singer and multi-instrumentalist, comes from a griot family tradition where music and oral history are closely linked. His work reflects that background, combining instruments such as balafon and djembe with vocal performance shaped by years of touring and directing a traditional arts group in Guinea. Tickets

Arlen Coiley headlines a midweek show at the Wild Buffalo tonight, April 22, with doors at 7 pm. Based on Lopez Island, Coiley has spent years writing and performing with others before moving into a solo project, culminating in his debut album Swimming Lessons. Toby Bruce and Zach Miller open the night.

Constellation of Nows, led by trombonist Naomi Moon Siegel, will be performed at The Orion’s Odd Fellows Temple Room tomorrow, April 23 from 7 to 9 pm. The quartet includes Andy Coe on guitar, Geoff Harper on bass, and Chris Icasiano on drums. Tickets

Stories of Trees Earth Day Walk, Western’s Viking Union – A 5:30 to 7 pm guided outdoor tree walk led by a naturalist instructor, focusing on local tree species, ecology, and the stories behind campus landscapes. Free Registration

100+ Women of Whatcom Meeting, YWCA – A community giving event where members gather to nominate, present, and vote on local nonprofits to receive collective donations, with each participant contributing toward a shared funding pool. Learn more

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

Barkley Village Wine Walk, Barkley Village – A 5 to 8 pm tasting event where participants visit local businesses hosting pop up wine stations featuring regional wineries, with proceeds supporting Lydia Place. Tickets

Artful Pairings Printmaking Workshop, Lightcatcher Studio – A 5 to 7 pm workshop exploring drypoint printmaking with Mandy Turner, including instruction, materials, and the opportunity to produce a finished print. Signup

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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