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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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

Celebrate the strange, unforgettable world of Twin Peaks with an afternoon of stories from the people who helped bring the cult classic to life. Cast members Sheryl Lee and Ray Wise join Sabrina S. Sutherland and Josh Eisenstadt for a special conversation on stage.

Hear firsthand memories from in front of and behind the camera, revisit iconic moments from the series, and get a rare look inside one of television’s most influential mysteries. VIP photo opportunities and autograph options are also available.

The Lynden Lions Club Model Train and Toy Show rolls into the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds this weekend, Oct. 3 and 4, filling the Henry Jansen Agricultural Building with working layouts, exhibits, and trains in every gauge imaginable. This is the Lions Club’s 41st annual show. I went to this years ago and it was a Hoot-Hoot! 😛🤦

Along with the running layouts, the show includes circus displays, railroad memorabilia, a swap meet, dealer tables, workshops, and vendors selling trains and toys. Model railroad clubs from around the region also bring layouts to exhibit, which means plenty of miniature towns, bridges, mountains, rail yards, and other scenes assembled by people with considerably more patience than I possess.

The trains run from 9 am to 5 pm Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm Sunday at the fairgrounds in Lynden. Proceeds support Lynden Lions Club community projects.

A few new local businesses are introducing themselves this weekend, starting Friday with The Deep End Art Space at 301 W. Holly, Suite M5. 👇 Artist Adrien Converse is opening the new studio and gallery during the First Friday Art Walk from 6 to 10 pm, with free entry and music from local DJ @lumbergash_.

Saturday brings a joint grand opening for Cafe Hazeltree and Emmaquatics at 1135 Railroad Ave. from 2 to 9 pm. The two businesses are sharing the space, combining Hazel’s new cafe with Emmaquatics’ aquarium lounge and fish and pet shop.

The opening includes flash tattoos, tooth gems, and body piercings from Cherry Bomb, plus a DJ from 5 to 9 pm. Local author Eduard Schwan will also be there selling and signing four of his books, including his My Word activity books, which mix puzzles with subjects like coffee, owls, and dragons, and Off I Go, Indigo, a Roman fable featuring watercolor artwork by Bellingham artist Sarah Lane.

Also Saturday, Naaman’s Necessities is holding its launch party at Stemma West from 2 to 5 pm. The new Whatcom County nonprofit plans to provide backpacks filled with essential items to children and teens experiencing homelessness or living in foster care, with a first-year goal of 100 backpacks. The launch is free and includes live music from Out of the Ashes, raffles, and games. The afternoon is meant to introduce the organization and raise money to begin assembling backpacks, with distribution planned through the school district’s Community Resource Center.

This weekend is the annual Whatcom Artist Studio Tour, where working artists around Bellingham and Whatcom County open their doors and let the rest of us see where their creative magic happens. The free, self-guided tour runs Oct. 3 and 4, then again Oct. 10 and 11, with dozens of artists working in painting, sculpture, clay, glass, woodworking, jewelry, photography, mixed media, hand-bound books, and more. The tradition dates back to 1994, when the tour started with just ten artists.

Studios are open from 10 am to 5 pm, and there is no prescribed route, so you can use the tour map to build your own little art crawl and visit as many or as few stops as you like. Part of the fun is getting beyond the finished piece and seeing the tools, workbenches, kilns, paint-spattered nooks, and other evidence of how the work comes together. Many artists will also have original pieces available to buy directly from the studio.

LOCAL READS

WWU student journalists win top international award
By Mary Lane Gallagher · WWU News
Klipsun’s spring 2026 issue, “Language,” won top honors for student-produced magazines in an international contest drawing entries from 22 universities across the U.S. and Canada. Mary reports that judges also gave Julieta Larios the top essay award for her piece on language and Latino identity. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Remotely Operated Vehicle Expands Marine Conservation Efforts
By Calvin Lowe · Whatcom Watch
The Salish Sea Alliance is using a new remotely operated vehicle to recover derelict crab pots from depths beyond the 100-foot limit for commercial divers. Calvin details how sonar, a robotic arm and grappling line help crews locate and remove gear that can keep trapping marine life on the seafloor. Read more →

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friday
Spruce Roost Reserve: Join Whatcom Land Trust at Spruce Roost Reserve to remove invasive species, maintain the access trail, and enhance riparian areas for local wildlife. You will help care for this forested reserve along the North Fork of the Nooksack River. Register

Saturday
Catalyst Reserve: Join NSEA and Whatcom Land Trust at Catalyst Reserve. You will remove invasive Himalayan blackberry that is overtaking native tree and shrub plantings, helping protect the restored habitat. Register
Whatcom Creek by City Hall: Join Bellingham Parks Volunteer Program and the Bellingham Kiwanis Club to restore salmon habitat in Whatcom Creek and clean up the trail corridor behind City Hall. You can help with invasive species removal, ecological restoration, habitat restoration, and litter pickup. Register

Bellingham Theatre Guild
The Importance of Being Earnest (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
Fractured Fairy Tales (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

Blaine High School's Black Box Theater
Clue (theatre) | Fri-Sun

WinkWink Boutique
Battlestar Galacticunt (drag-gameshow) | Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

The Gnomecoming Dance [21+] - Circus Guild - Fri, Sat
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 6:00 pm
Beginner Ballet - Karate Church - Sat 10 am
Beginner Contemporary - Karate Church - Sat 11:30 am
Dance Fusion - BSAC - 10:30 am
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sun 10:30 am

The Blue Room hosts an all-ages night of local rock tomorrow, October 3, with music starting at 8. Sonitus leads the bill with a hard rock and grunge sound shaped by influences including Deftones, Paramore, and Nirvana, joined by Bellingham alternative rock band Third Space and Mount Tahoma.

Maya de Vitry brings her latest album, All My Faith, to Mount Baker Theatre tonight, October 2, at 7:30 pm. The Nashville-based songwriter first built a following with Americana trio The Stray Birds before launching a solo career in 2019. Tickets

Four bands with very different takes on indie music share the stage at Make.Shift Art Space on Saturday, October 3, from 7:30 to 10:30 pm. Bellingham’s Hiding From Marcy brings indie-folk, Seattle project Eggshells blends lo-fi indie with trip-hop, Hey Sport leans into guitar-heavy grunge, and California Death Worm mixes electronic sounds with live instrumentation. Tickets

Bellingham Symphony Orchestra opens its 51st season with Star-Cross’d Dreams at Mount Baker Theatre on Sunday, October 4, at 3 pm, joined by violinist Dawn Posey and Shoestring Circus. The program moves from Mel Bonis and Chausson to Saint-Saëns, then into Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé Suite No. 2 and Boléro. Posey is featured on Chausson’s Poème and Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. A pre-concert talk begins at 2 pm. Tickets

Open Roller Skate, Depot Market Square – A free all-ages skate runs from 6 to 8 pm, with roller skates or inlines welcome and helmets and pads recommended.

Sugar: A Cabaret 10th Anniversary Show, Bar 211 – The 21+ cabaret starts at 7 pm with live music, vocals, and dancing as Sugar celebrates 10 years back at the venue where it began. Tickets

Bluegrass First Friday, Stones Throw Brewery – High Mountain String Band hosts free live bluegrass from 6 to 8 pm, continuing a monthly tradition that dates back to the brewery’s opening.

Fresh Hop Party, Kulshan Brewing Roosevelt Taproom – Fresh hop tasting flights run from 5 to 9 pm with beers from Kulshan, Fremont, North Fork, Wander, and Stemma.

Cuarto Sueño & Friends, The FireHouse – The acoustic jazz quartet plays high-energy flamenco guitar, modern Latin jazz, original songs, and creative arrangements of familiar classics starting at 6:30 pm.

Friday Music & Trivia →

Creative Corner Saturday Market, 201 E. Chestnut Street – Local vendors sell jewelry, art, teas, vintage clothing, and glass art from 10 am to 2 pm.

Dave Benedict: Bill’s War, Village Books in Lynden – Ferndale author Dave Benedict discusses his first novel from 4 to 5 pm, a true-story account of WWII Army Air Corps pilot Lt. Bill Gump and his family’s experience with battle-induced schizophrenia. Reserve your seats

Apple Fest, Chuckanut Center – A family-friendly fall gathering from 10 am to 3 pm features cider pressing, a pie contest, and apple block printing. Sign up

Drop-In Improv Class, The Upfront Theatre – A one-hour improv class from noon to 1 pm welcomes all ages and experience levels, with registration encouraged but not required.

Phillip’s Spooktacular Market, Jett Movement Academy – Local artisans, raffles, hot cocoa, and cider fill a family-friendly market from 10 am to 4 pm, followed by an 18+ market from 5:30 to 9 pm.

Oktoberfest, Pioneer Pavilion – A 21+ celebration from 5 to 10 pm features music, dancing, a costume contest, traditional Bavarian games, and a returning Power Wheels drag race.

Saturday Music & Trivia →

Sunday Night Trivia, Stemma OG – Weekly trivia runs from 5:30 to 7:30 pm with teams of up to four, a $2 buy-in per person, and cash pool and bar prizes.

Red Rum Trivia, Red Rum Tiki Bar – Weekly trivia runs from 6 to 9 pm with a $2 cash buy-in, a cash prize for first place, and a treasure chest prize for second.

Sunday Music & Trivia →

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