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

Thank you so much to everyone who made a contribution on Monday! Your donations covered almost two months of this newsletters costs. I’m so grateful for your support. 🙏

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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

Six-time Emmy and Grammy nominee Randy Rainbow brings his razor-sharp musical comedy to Bellingham for a night of satire, show tunes, and laugh-out-loud takes on politics and pop culture.

Known for The Randy Rainbow Show and viral parody videos viewed hundreds of millions of times, Rainbow has built a devoted following with clever lyrics, powerhouse vocals, and theatrical flair. Catch the bestselling author and acclaimed performer live on the Mount Baker Theatre stage.

When you’re driving north on Pacific Highway, look up to your right for the RWC diesel repair shop sitting above the road behind that big boulder wall. That property and the one to it’s north, home to Mount Baker Roofing, were once a private landfill called the Olivine Corporation Landfill. Who knew! 🤯 Olivine burned municipal solid waste nearby, then buried more than 13,000 tons of the resulting bottom and fly ash in two cells on the property between 1985 and 1989.

Those ash cells are still there, underneath layers of soil, pavement, and other protective material including… and I thought this was interesting, a layer of “finely-ground Olivine rock dust.” I’m very curious why that was used.

For decades, the site has been monitored for groundwater, landfill gas, settlement, and leachate, the liquid that can drain through buried waste. There is even a groundwater interceptor trench designed to steer water around the old ash.

Now, after years of monitoring, the state Department of Ecology says the old landfill has become stable enough to end its post-closure monitoring requirements. Interestingly, elevated iron and manganese found nearby appear to be connected to old wood waste buried on an adjacent property, not the incinerator ash itself. The plan is to record an environmental covenant that preserves the landfill cover, protects the groundwater diversion trench, and restricts groundwater use.

The next time you pass that stretch of Pacific Highway, there is a whole buried chapter of Bellingham-area garbage history sitting just above you. 🤣

One of my most vivid road-trip memories is from far western Montana, just as Interstate 90 begins climbing into the Rockies, and suddenly finding the hillsides lit up with brilliant golden larch. Larches are a bit of a botanical oddball: conifers that turn yellow each fall and drop their needles, creating a brief window when parts of the Cascades glow with color. We’re just entering into that window now.

If you have ever wondered where to go looking for that color close to home, Backcountry Essentials and the North Cascades Institute are hosting Larch Madness tomorrow, September 17. It’s a free evening program that will cover favorite North Cascades hikes for seeing larches, when to go, what to expect, and a few practical tips for planning a larch-season outing. It runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Backcountry Essentials on State Street, and registration is encouraged.

LOCAL READS

Pumpkins and Patriotism: How Bellingham Celebrated Halloween During World War Two
By Jennifer Crooks · WhatcomTalk
Wartime Bellingham celebrated Halloween with dimout curfews, rationed sweets, youth parties and campaigns warning that vandalism wasted resources needed for the war effort. Jennifer details how schools, civic groups and the Hospitality Center helped turn the holiday toward organized celebrations, while pranks never disappeared entirely. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Unemployment drops — so does the labor force
By Frank Catalano · Franksplaining Business
Whatcom County’s July unemployment rate fell to 3.6%, but its labor force also shrank by 2,776 people from May to July, a 2.4% decline. Frank explains why a falling unemployment rate can mask fewer people working or actively seeking work, and why Whatcom’s drop stands out. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Wednesday
Whatcom County Business and Commerce Advisory Committee, 11:00 am, Mt. Baker Room

Thursday
Whatcom Transportation Authority Board, 8:00 am, WTA Office
Whatcom Conservation Easement Program Oversight Committee, 3:00 pm, Northwest Annex
Lynden Planning Commission, 7:00 pm, City Hall Annex

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Sven Hoyt Community Garden: Join Bellingham Parks Community Gardens at Sven Hoyt Community Garden. You will remove invasive plants, care for the orchard, and mulch community spaces. Register

Saturday
Cherry Point (Gulf Road Beach): Join Re Sources from 11-1pm for International Coastal Cleanup Day. Cleanup supplies will be provided, along with snacks from the Bagelry and Community Food Co-op.

Lookout Arts Quarry
The Mmmatchmaker! 💔❤️‍🩹❤️‍🔥 (dinner theater) | Fri-Sat

New Prospect Theatre
Much Ado About Nothing (theatre) | Fri-Sun

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

The Claire
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (theatre) | Fri-Sun

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
“Best of the Fest” Southside Edition of The Laughing Hamster Comedy Festival (comedy) | Fri

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Foundations: Hip Hop, House, Shuffle - Lost Giants - Thurs 6 pm
Revolution Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Ballroom, Latin and Swing - Cordata Senior Center - Fri 6:30 pm
Ballroom, Swing, Latin - The Majestic - Fri 6:30 pm
Square Dance: Potluck - Details - Sat 6 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 6:30 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

Guitars and Gratitude brings Dianne Ardourel, Lane Hoback, and Rick Baunach to Stones Throw Brewery tonight, September 16, from 6 to 8 pm. The trio mixes original songs with covers spanning folk, country, Americana, and pop, with guitar, harmonica, and accordion in the lineup.

Drummer and percussionist Kevin Chryst brings a few musical friends to Sunnyland Taproom tomorrow, September 17, from 6 to 8 pm. Chryst has spent years playing around Bellingham, including behind the kit with local funk and soul band Baby Cakes and the Tom Petty tribute project Petty or Not.

Yugwa’mala takes over The Shakedown for Björk Night tomorrow, September 17, beginning at 9 pm. The 21+ event centers an entire evening on Björk, whose catalog has moved through art pop, electronic music, experimental composition, and plenty of territory in between. She’s the raddest. 🥰

A former Upfront Theatre favorite comes back for one night with Throwback Thursday: Space Trek tomorrow, September 17, at 7 pm. The improvised show borrows the basic machinery of Star Trek, then lets audience suggestions determine where the crew goes and what happens when they get there.

North Sound Flower Cooperative Market, Ohio Street Work Studios – A weekly flower market from 9 am to noon offers locally grown, seasonal cut flowers from regional farms to both the public and floral professionals.

Trivia Night, Schweinhaus Biergarten – Amber hosts trivia from 7 to 9 pm with teams of up to six, a $2 buy-in per player, food prizes each round, and a cash pot for the top-scoring team.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

Thursday Trivia, Stones Throw Brewery – Weekly trivia runs from 7 to 9 pm with a $2 buy-in, teams of up to four, and families, pets, and outside food welcome.

Bellingham & Horseshoe History Trivia Night, Horseshoe Cafe – Aireekah of Glitt3r Lyfe hosts trivia from 6:30 to 9:30 pm covering Bellingham history, Horseshoe lore, and general knowledge as the cafe marks its 140th year, with admission $5 per person.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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