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

I’ve started adding photos to the food truck page. Be sure to shoot me a picture of any outrageously great food truck-prepared dish you devour. 🥙 

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

Tag @bellinghamsterwheel on Instagram or reply to this email to get your photos in The Hamster Wheel.

At the Mount Baker Theatre

Ghostbusters Galore!

Sunday, October 26

“Who ya gonna call?” Mount Baker Theatre conjures up a Ghostbusters Double Feature for one night only, pairing the 1984 classic with its 2016 reboot for twice the laughs, slime, and supernatural chaos. Fans of all ages can relive the original team’s proton-pack heroics before watching a new generation take up the ghost-hunting mantle.

From the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to spectral showdowns across Manhattan, this double feature offers two eras of paranormal comedy on the big screen. Grab your ticket, suit up, and settle in for a night of ectoplasmic nostalgia and ghost-busting fun.

Moon Phases

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

The Mysterious Fly Agaric

Don’t eat the red mushrooms!!! But do admire them. 😁 We’re reaching peak season for urban mushroom hunting in Bellingham, and some of my favorite lawn shrooms are flushing around the city.

None stand out quite so forcefully as the Amanita muscaria, currently growing like wildfire across university campuses, wet lawns, and grocery store parking lots all around you. A. muscaria, also know by such names as fly agaric, and the Super Mario mushroom, is most likely the mysterious mushroom upon which a disinterested caterpillar sat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. 🍄 

Once you train your eyes to see one, you’ll start to see them everywhere. Amanita muscaria is unmistakable with its bright scarlet cap freckled with white warts. Young specimens first appear like smooth white eggs pushing through the soil before their caps unfurl into glossy domes and, eventually, wide dinner-plate discs. Mature caps often reach six to eight inches across, their color deepening to crimson or fading to orange with age or rain. Beneath the cap, white gills radiate from a thick stem that rises four to eight inches tall, ringed near the top and swollen at the base like a boot heel.

The internet is full of bizarre narratives around this beautiful fungi. Yes, it contains small amounts of psychotropic chemicals, but it also contains others that will make you sick! Hard NO on the nibbling. 🤢 Leave the Amanita for the next Hamster to admire.

In other news…

👯 Registration is open for the Parks and Rec Department’s fall Scottish Country Dancing session at the Fairhaven Library Auditorium. Sessions last six weeks, and this one begins on the 29th of October. Register on the COB activity site.

🔥 This week, the Washington State Department of Ecology published a Wildfire Season: Air Quality Review looking at the impact of late season fires over the summer.

“Early season smoke impacts were localized, mostly around the Bear Gulch Fire near Lake Cushman and the Pomas Fire northwest of Entiat” but they describe how “conditions changed quickly at the end of August. A combination of lightning-sparked wildfires, hot and dry weather, and light winds caused unhealthy air quality days across Central and Eastern Washington.”

When it was all said and done, the totals for 2025 👆️ resemble those seen in the moderately smoky years of 2021 and 2022, but nowhere near the suffocating smoke we experienced in 2017-18, and 2020.

🌲 The City of Bellingham is asking the public to help shape the future of its newest neighborhood park in the King Mountain area. A second public open house is this Thursday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Bellingham Covenant Church to share updates and gather feedback on the developing park plan.

Following an initial open house and vision survey in July, city staff are now ready to present draft park concepts, trail designs, and recreation options for community input. You’ll have the opportunity to review survey results, explore design proposals, and share ideas for how this space can best serve the neighborhood.

Local Business Updates

Haggling With Local Folk

Organic Fruit and Veg, Delivered to Your Doorstep 🥕 

Hamster Wheel reader Kristin Rudy sent me a note about a neat local company called Dandelion Organic Delivery, that’s looking for hungry Whatcomites (west Whatcom that is) sorry Newhalem 😆, who would be interested in having fresh, organic fruits and vegetables delivered to their home or office.

They have been open for business since 2007, so if anyone has the fresh food delivery service mastered, it’s this family. 👆️ And, the process look simple. Pick from one of their box-size options, then customize your order for the week to ensure you don’t get something you’re not a fan of, and they deliver it to your doorstep. Love that!! 😁 

In a recent mailing to past customers, owners Jonny and Maria describe how it’s “a great time of year for local organic produce, and it’s always a great time to support local farms and businesses.” and go on to offer a “promo code EATFRESH, for new or returning customers, for 30% off your first delivery.” Dandelion looks like a fabulous delivery service and great LOCAL alternative to the growing dominance of Amazon in the home delivery space. Here’s the signup link, and be sure to use the promo code. 👆️ 

Food & Drink

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE ARTS & FILM

WWU, College of Fine and Performing Arts
Tartuffe | Wed-Sat

Mt Baker Theatre
Mt. Baker Film Fest (film) | Thurs

iDiOM Theater
DRACÜL | Thu-Sat

Bellingham Circus Guild
Circus of Doom | Fri-Sun

BAAY Theatre
 Noises Off | Fri-Sun

New Prospect Theatre
Comedy Show (comedy) | Fri, Sat

The Shakedown
ALL HAIL: Neo Noir (film) | Sat

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances
Hellingham

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

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

Bellingham pop artist Veronica North takes the stage at The Wild Buffalo tomorrow, October 23, bringing her band’s blend of poetic lyricism and indie-pop/folk melodies to life for an audience that likes to feel their music. Opening the night is local folk duo Silent Cowboy. Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7:30.

Get ready for three nights of Halloween thrills at Woodstock Farm, October 23–25! Presented by Gabriel’s Art Kids in partnership with Bellingham Parks & Recreation, this annual favorite transforms the farm into a haunted playground featuring a Haunted House, Witch Walk, Séance Room, Halloween Party, games & art, and live performances by BAAY’s Zombie Dancers. Designed for ages 4 and up, Spooktacular offers something for every level of brave, from lighthearted frights to the adrenaline-pumping Full Fright Hour. Get all the bone-chilling details and tickets.

The Subdued Stringband Jamboree’s Autumn Starlight Series continues Thursday, October 23, with Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms performing in the Odd Fellows Temple Room at The Orion. Known for their heartfelt blend of country, bluegrass, old-time, and Cajun sounds, the duo’s music channels the warmth of classic country duos while celebrating love, harmony, and community. Music begins at 7:45 pm. Dust off your Stetson and grab your ticket.

WEDNESDAY

Music Bingo, Beach Cat Brewing – Test your tune knowledge with a round of purr-fectly fun bingo at Beach Cat Brewing. Expect great prizes, cold beers, and plenty of laughs in a laid-back atmosphere where every round hits the right note. 6:00 pm & Free

Cat Toren’s Human Kind, FireHouse Arts and Events Center – The Jazz Center of Bellingham presents Brooklyn-based pianist and composer Cat Toren, known for her vibrant, spiritual sound and bold improvisational style. Featuring Xavier Del Castillo, Gord Grdina, Jake Leckie, and Matt Honor. Tickets.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

THURSDAY

Comedy Night, New Prospect Theatre – A benefit for Road2Home, this stand-up showcase features comedians Sam Miller, Monica Nevi, and John Gardner in an uplifting evening where laughter meets purpose. All proceeds help provide shelter and support for people experiencing homelessness in Whatcom County. Tickets, your future self will thank you!

Designed for the Deep, Backcountry Essentials – Join Black Diamond and AIARE for an evening of avalanche awareness, gear talk, and community connection. The event features safety tips, presentations, and a raffle supporting AIARE and NWAC, plus a talk by renowned mountaineer Adrian Ballinger. 6:00–9:00 pm, with free admission. Raffle proceeds benefit avalanche education.

Women’s Climb Night w/ Kat Schaumberg + Atoot, Vital Climbing Gym – A community climb night featuring local mountain guide Kat Schaumberg and international guests from Atoot, a Nepal-based nonprofit empowering girls through sport and education. 6:00–8:00 p.m. | 50% off day pass & rentals | All levels welcome

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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Hakuna matata

To All Our Readers

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Have a great Wednesday!!