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🐹 Brown Eyed Girl 🐄🐄

🐹 Brown Eyed Girl 🐄🐄

January 08, 2025

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

Well friends, sometimes life throws a curveball, and we got a doozy Tuesday morning. We woke to find that the supply valve to our washing machine had burst overnight, and most of our first floor and all of the basement was flooded! 😲 Nearly a foot deep in places 🤦‍♂️

It’s times like this that friends and family make all the difference in the world. Thank you to everyone who pitched in to help! Here we are having a chuckle about the absurdity of the whole thing. 👇️

Flood Remediation Crew

I guess the moral of the story is… check those shutoff valves once in a while… who knew. 🤷‍♂️

~ Val & Evan

In today’s Hamster Wheel:

Jersey Calf
Shellfish Harvest Closure
Food & Drink
Music & Nightlife

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

Sugar & Co - 📷 by Emily Goodin.

Sudden Valley Marina - 📷 by Johanna Krouzian.

Barkley Tree Lights - 📷 by Cathy Miller.

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

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: 50°F 🌡️ 36°F | 🌥️ Mostly Cloudy | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 NNE 2 mph

Thursday: 50°F 🌡️ 40°F | ⛅ Partly Sunny | 🌧️ 90% | 💨 NE 2 mph

Bellingham Bay Tides

Day	Time	H/L	FT
Wed	1:02 AM	H	5.80
Wed	4:41 AM	L	4.91
Wed	10:54 AM	H	9.37
Wed	6:51 PM	L	-0.04
Thu	2:57 AM	H	7.00
Thu	5:55 AM	L	6.25
Thu	11:27 AM	H	9.28
Thu	7:40 PM	L	-1.01

Moon Phases

Weather & Tides from NOAA. Moon data astronomyapi.

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Newborn at Lagerwey Family Farm

I was scrolling through Facebook to see what was happening around the Ham, and this popped up. 👇️ Seriously, that face!! 😍 Brand-spanking newborn Jersey calf (only hours old) on the Lagerwey Family Farm.

Who needs an advertising budget when you post photos like that! 😊🐄😊

The farm was founded 35 years ago by Curt and Suzanne Lagerwey, and today, a new generation continues the tradition by offering farm-fresh milk from their herd of Jersey cows under the brand name Goldcrest Creamery. Their website stresses that they “work hard every day to ensure that our milk has no added hormones and is antibiotic free.”

Goldcrest Creamery specializes in raw milk and raw milk products which they offer through a self-serve cooler on the farm at 5643 Aldrich Road. 👇️ Prices on their website.

Shellfish Harvest Closed in Drayton Harbor

If you have plans to go clam digging or harvest oysters around the Drayton Harbor over the next few weeks, you’ll need to retool your itinerary. The Washington State Department of Health has issued an emergency closure for both recreational and commercial shellfish harvest due to “recent illnesses [..] in people who ate raw oysters harvested in Drayton Harbor.”

Oysters are a slippery business. Although Drayton Harbor Oyster Company has paused the sale of oysters, the restaurant is open and serving up other delicious seafood with a killer view and great vibes. We plan to make our way up there in the coming week. It’s always a great experience.

The good news, if you don’t mind a little travel, is that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced coastal razor clam digs on several beaches this weekend and into next week.

📷️ WSFW

The following are digs during evening low tides:

Jan 10, Friday, 3:47 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Jan 11, Saturday, 4:39 p.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Jan 12, Sunday, 5:27 p.m.; -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Jan 13, Monday, 6:10 p.m.; -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Jan 14, Tuesday, 6:50 p.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Jan 15, Wednesday, 7:28 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Jan 16, Thursday, 8:03 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

In other news…

🏫 Bellingham Technical College announced a $780,000 anonymous donation to support students and programs. This donation comes on the heels of a $1.2 million donation by the same individual in 2022.

"This latest generous gift will make a big impact on our students, both relieving their financial stress and giving them access to train on equipment that might have otherwise been out of reach without this donation,” BTC Foundation Director Dean Fulton said. "We are so grateful for this donor’s continued support."

👮‍♂️ Bellingham Police Department announced the return, after many years, of a downtown bike patrol unit that will focus on “quality of life calls, providing information on services available, getting to know the business owners and merchants downtown, and working to reduce drug related crimes.”

📷️ BPD

Sergeant J. Aspessi will lead a four-officer team with Officer T. Thompson, Officer J. Terry, Officer R. Alves, and Officer A. Ridlon. These officers will patrol in teams of two, covering the downtown core, Waypoint Park, Maritime Heritage Park, and the Lighthouse Mission area.

Congratulations to the officers on the new bike patrol. We are grateful for everything you guys and gals do to keep our community safe. 🙏

🏙️ The Community Development Advisory Board meets tomorrow (Jan 9) at 6 PM in the Mayor’s Board Room at City Hall. The agenda lists a presentation from the Whatcom Council on Aging. Attend in person or watch online.

Food & Drinks

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Wednesday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Big Stick Barbecue @ Stemma Brewery
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
Dumpling Girls @ Goods Local Brews
El Pollo Feo @ Kulshan Brewery (Roosevelt K2)
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Galley 2 Go @ Stones Throw Brewery
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Mobile Mouth Hole @ Lowes Parking Lot
Outpost Eats @ Kulshan Brewery (James St. K1)
Sammies Vegan @ Wander Brewing
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)
The Galley @ Ponderosa Beer + Books

Thursday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Big Stick Barbecue @ Stemma Brewery
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
Dumpling Girls @ Goods Local Brews
El Pollo Feo @ Kulshan Brewery (Roosevelt K2)
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Galley 2 Go @ Stones Throw Brewery
Greektown @ Kulshan Brewery (James St. K1)
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Mobile Mouth Hole @ Lowes Parking Lot
Nana J’s @ Kulshan Brewery (James St. K1)
Sammies Vegan @ Wander Brewing
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)
Tam Tam Pizza @ Lost Giants Cider Co.
The Galley @ Ponderosa Beer + Books

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE THEATRE & EVENT

The Brothers’ Grimm Spectaculathon:
Blaine High School Theater ($10 Donation at the door) | Thurs, Fri, Sat 7 PM

Hot Box:
iDiOM Theater | Fri, Sat 7:30 PM

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Salsa : The Salsa Collective @ The Majestic Ballroom | Sun 5:30 PM Details.
Salsa : Salsa & Bachata Dance Club @ WWU Viking Union | Mon 7 PM.
Swing : B’ham Hop @ Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom | Tues 7 PM Details.
Scottish Country : Scottish Dancing Workshops @ Fairhaven Library | Wed 7 PM
Tango : Tango Practica @ The Majestic Ballroom | Wed 6:30 PM.
Line Dancing : MoonShine @ Bar Two Eleven | Fri 7:30 PM
Senior : Belly Dance, Bollywood, and Jazz @ Bellingham Senior Activity Center | Sat 10:30 AM
Cuban Salsa : Beginning Cuban Salsa @ Rumba Northwest | Tues 6 PM
Cuban Salsa : Intermediate Cuban Salsa @ Rumba Northwest | Tues 7:15 PM
Bachata : Bham Bachata @ ‘ONO Kitchen & Bar | Thurs 7:30 PM
Contra : Jolly Pollywogs + John Hatten @ Fairhaven Library | Sat 7 PM

Help Spread The Word

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Music & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

Thursday Games & Trivia
Dungeons & Dragons @ CHeBA Hut | 6 PM
Trivia Night @ Stones Throw Brewery | 7 PM
Trivia Night @ Great Northern Bottle Shop | 7 PM
Trivia Night @ Bayou on Bay | 6:30 PM

Hakuna matata

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Have a great Wednesday!!