🐹 Wednesday

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. 📧

I’m always impressed by the output of the Ferndale Arts Commission. Over the two years that I’ve been writing this newsletter there’s been a consistent drumbeat of murals and sculptures unveiled across the City of Ferndale.

This weekend they announced the completion of the most recent on the east wall of 1985 Main St. It’s a colorful floral design with big butterflies for folks to use for photo ops. 🦋 Honestly, it makes me a little nostalgic about Bird Alley that was lost when the Railroad Ave fires took Hohl, and Clarks in 2019.

I wasn’t able to find the full story, but for a lot of these works, the city has entrusted the painting the local volunteers and based on the photos 👆 it looks like that may be the case here too. Such a great way to bring local talent together to create something beautiful for the community.

As a carpenter myself, I thought this looked pretty rad. Empyrean Farm out in Deming is hosting a three-day Women’s Intro to Carpentry workshop starting this Friday, built around framing a tiny home from the ground up.

The beginner-friendly course covers hand and power tools, jobsite safety, reading and creating basic architectural drawings, and conventional wood framing, with no previous construction experience required.

The class is limited to 15 people and is open to women, including trans women, and nonbinary folks. Meals made with seasonal produce from the farm are included, and camping on the property is available as part of the workshop. Details

Tomorrow, Sept. 24, the Whatcom Horticultural Society is bringing the North Carolina designer to the Whatcom Museum for My Greatest Design Secrets, a talk about using rhythm, lines, shapes, light, and even a bit of theatrical thinking to make a garden feel more immersive and intentional.

Sifford has spent about 20 years designing gardens, with work featured in Fine Gardening and Southern Living, including modern meadow gardens and dry creek beds. His talk runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Whatcom Museum. Tickets are $15, or $10 for Whatcom Horticultural Society members.

If you know the Mount Baker Toppers as the folks slinging curly fries at the Northwest Washington Fair, tomorrow, Sept. 24, is a chance to hear what they do when they step away from the fryer. Bellingham’s all-voices barbershop chorus is putting on a free Why We Sing concert at The FireHouse 7 pm. The show is a preview of the music they’ll take to Honolulu next month for the Pan Pacific Harmony Convention, where they’ll compete alongside barbershop choruses and quartets from around the Pacific.

The Toppers have been part of Bellingham’s music scene for a while. They were officially chartered with the Barbershop Harmony Society in 1959 and opened membership to all voice parts in 2023, with a repertoire that now stretches from traditional barbershop to pop and doo-wop. Seats are free to reserve, with donations accepted at the door.

LOCAL READS

Acrobats, Video Game Scores, and a New Piano: Bellingham Symphony Unveils Its 2026-2027 Season
By Margaret Bikman · WhatcomTalk
The Bellingham Symphony Orchestra opens its 2026–2027 season Oct. 4 with Shoestring Circus performers joining the orchestra for Ravel’s “Bolero,” followed later by programs mixing classical works with video game music. Margaret details how the season also introduces seven musicians, a new audience-selected piano and expanded community programming. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Bellingham Herald reporters cut amid layoffs at major newspaper chain
By Sophia Gates · Cascadia Daily News (free)
Two Bellingham Herald journalists lost their jobs in a broader McClatchy Media layoff that cut at least 90 newsroom positions nationwide, including seven unionized journalists in Washington. Sophia reports that the cuts follow months of contract negotiations and a May strike over wages and company spending on artificial intelligence. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Wednesday
What. Co. Surface Mining Advisory Committee, 3:00 pm, Central Conference Room
Ferndale Planning Commission, 6:00 pm, City Hall Annex

Thursday
Whatcom County Planning Commission, 6:00 pm, Northwest Annex

Friday
What. Co. Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force, 11:00 am, Whatcom County Council Office

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Lakeway Community Garden: Join Bellingham Parks Community Gardens at Lakeway Community Garden. You can weed and mulch paths, remove invasive plants, and tend community spaces. Register

Thursday
Olsen Creek: Join Washington Trails Association at Olsen Creek. You will help construct new trail by clearing branches and logs, digging tread, building retaining structures, and creating drainage. Details

Saturday
Birchwood Park/Squalicum Park: Join Recreation Northwest Trails Coalition and the City of Bellingham to care for the Bay to Baker Trail. You will remove invasive species and litter, apply mulch, plant native plants, and learn trail stewardship practices. Details

Lake Whatcom Park: Join Whatcom Million Trees Project, Whatcom County Parks and Recreation, and Whatcom Land Trust to remove invasive English ivy from a forested area along a trail at Lake Whatcom Park. You will help save trees and make way for native undergrowth to regrow and thrive. Register

Chanterelle Trailhead: Join the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition to help build and maintain trails at Brown Pow. You will spend the day supporting the trails at this Wickersham-area site. Register

Aslan Depot
The Afterglow Comedy Hour (comedy) | Thurs

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

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

Larrabee Lager Co
Laughs at Larrabee (comedy) | Thurs 8 pm

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
12 Minutes Max Bellingham (dance, theatre) | Fri, Sat

Unity Spiritual Center
Midnight Mystery Players (theatre) | Fri, Sat

New Prospect Theatre
Fractured Fairy Tales (dance, theatre) | Fri-Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

B’ham Hop Swing - Hotel Leo - Wed 7 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Revolution Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance for people with PD and other neurological conditions - Firehouse Arts Center - Thurs 11 am
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 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

Gabey Lucas headlines The Afterglow Comedy Hour at Aslan Depot tomorrow, September 24, from 8 to 9:30 pm. The 21+ show gives Lucas the spotlight for a full evening of stand-up in the downtown Bellingham space. Tickets

Throwback Thursday digs into The Upfront Theatre archives tomorrow, September 24, with Giggles & Goblins at 7 pm. The all-ages improv show borrows from the world of Dungeons & Dragons, sending performers on a brand-new fantasy quest shaped by audience suggestions.

A century after John Coltrane’s birth, Jazz Center of Bellingham is putting his music at the center of an evening at the FireHouse tonight, September 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Pianist Tal Cohen joins tenor saxophonist Josh Cook, bassist King Dahl, and drummer Jerry Steinhilber for the tribute. Details

Bellingham Senior Activity Center Open House, BSAC North – Explore classes and activities from 2 to 4 pm, meet instructors and group leaders, and learn about membership options for adults 50 and older.

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, Kulshan Roosevelt Taproom – Weekly trivia runs from 7 to 9 pm with teams of up to six, a $2 buy-in per person, cash prizes, and themed rounds.

Wednesday Music & Trivia →

History Happy Hour, The Ranch Room at Horseshoe Cafe – The Good Time Girls dig into the Horseshoe’s past at 6 pm, tracing its history from saloon to smoke shop to cocktail lounge, with stories, a sideshow, and games. Tickets

Sugar: A Cabaret 10th Anniversary Show, Bar 211 – The 21+ cabaret marks 10 years at 7 pm with live music, vocals, and dancing in the room where the show began.

Thursday Music & Trivia →

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