The Hamster Wheel
Posts
🐹 Fields of Gold 🌻🌻

🐹 Fields of Gold 🌻🌻

March 19, 2025

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

On Sunday, while the crowds were crowding at the St Patrick’s Day parade, June and I slipped out of town to spend an afternoon shooting bows at the Intalco Archery Range. It might be the county’s most underutilized amenity. It’s gorgeous, and we had the entire range to ourselves. A true hidden gem. 🏹

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Val & Evan

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

Rainbow Over South Hill - 📷 by Izzy Benson

Sailboats at Sunset - 📷 by Jacy DD

Daffodils and New Snow - 📷 by Cliff Knitter

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

Pacific Northwest Opera

A Hauntingly Beautiful Fairytale

2025 Season

Experience Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka, a hauntingly beautiful opera based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tragic “Little Mermaid,” at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon, WA, with four performances starting March 2025. Unlike Disney’s cheerful twist, this Czech fairytale—sung in Czech with English subtitles—follows a mermaid’s doomed love for a prince. Pacific Northwest Opera brings this global favorite to life with Puget Sound’s finest singers, a Bellingham-packed chorus, and rising stars making their big debuts.

Opera is for everyone! Tickets start at $25 (just $10 for students), and subtitles make every word accessible. Join the Pacific Northwest Opera for a romantic, affordable night of world-class music and drama. Grab your seats now and see why Rusalka enchants audiences worldwide!

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: 52°F 🌡️ 41°F | 🌧️ Light Rain | 🌧️ 100% | 💨 ESE 6 to 9 mph

Thursday: 52°F 🌡️ 41°F | 🌧️ Light Rain | 🌧️ 90% | 💨 S 9 mph

Bellingham Bay Tides

Day	Time	H/L	FT
Wed	2:50 AM	L	5.28
Wed	7:59 AM	H	7.69
Wed	3:22 PM	L	0.37
Wed	11:05 PM	H	7.01
Thu	3:38 AM	L	5.96
Thu	8:20 AM	H	7.46
Thu	4:06 PM	L	0.30

Moon Phases

Weather & Tides from NOAA. Moon data astronomyapi.

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

Gray Skies Over Fields of Gold

The Tulip Festival gets lots of fanfare, but did you know Skagit County has a second flower festival that’s taking place right now? This would be a great week to pack up the family and meander down Chuckanut onto the north Skagit flats, where you’ll find around 500 acres of Dutch Master, Flower Carpet, and Standard Value daffodil varietals in full bloom at the La Conner Daffodil Festival.

While Skagit produces more tulip, iris, and daffodil bulbs than any other county in the nation, it hasn’t always been our region's primary source of flower bulbs. In 1899 George Gibbs planted a small bulb stock in the brickyard site of old Fort Bellingham. The success of this early planting led the USDA to send 15,000 imported Dutch bulbs to grow under contract as an experiment. Thus began Whatcom County’s bulb industry! 🌷

In 1920, Whatcom’s bulb industry was celebrated with the first Bellingham Tulip Festival, which the Seattle Times describes as “a flower show, ball games featuring the Bellingham Tulips, boat races, band concerts and a 5,000-person parade, with 75 floats.” By 1930 the Depression and a series of freezes crippled the industry bringing the festivities to an end.

Don’t forget to bring binoculars if you head south to the daffodil fields. Snow Geese continue to roam the fields of Skagit Valley, and there’s a plethora of raptors to admire. Send photos!

Learn About Starfish Recovery From Sea Star Wasting Disease

Ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) are a common find in our tidepools, yet a devastating disease has jeopardized their existence for over a decade. Is this key species on the path to recovery? Join Bellingham’s Melissa Miner, a researcher from the University of California Santa Cruz, tomorrow from 7-8 PM at the Community Boating Center to explore the Ochre Sea Stars' status on the West Coast and the impact of sea star wasting disease.

Following the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a question-and-answer session and participate in a brief training on monitoring sea stars using resources from MARINe. Details and registration.

In other news…

🏙️ On our drive to the Bagelry yesterday morning, we noticed that work had begun in the empty lot under the old Parberry's sign on Holly. It turns out, this is one of 8 blocks in the Old Town neighborhood where new building will bring approximately 800 residential units to Bellingham over the next ten years.

📸 COB

The City announced on Monday that work on these developments has commenced. Mayor Kim Lund described the development as “a visionary project that will inject new energy into Old Town, support economic vitality in our city center, and create hundreds of new housing opportunities over the next decade.”

🏙️ The Bellingham Planning Commission meets tomorrow in City Council Chambers, located on the 2nd floor of Bellingham City Hall at 6 PM. Attend in person or watch via zoom. This meeting will include a presentation about The Bellingham Plan’s Land Use and Housing section, including impact on citywide planning, small-scale commercial uses in residential zones, the future land use map, and transit corridor planning.

Food & Drinks

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Wednesday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Big Stick Barbecue @ Stemma Brewery
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
Calcutta by Simmering Tava @ K2
Dumpling Girls @ Goods Local Brews
El Pollo Feo @ Kulshan Brewery (Roosevelt K2)
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Falafel Feast @ 4370 Meridian St
Galley 2 Go @ Stones Throw Brewery
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Mobile Mouth Hole @ Lowes Parking Lot
New Public Vegan @ Evil Bikes (700 Harris Ave)
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
Calcutta by Simmering Tava @ K2
Dumpling Girls @ Goods Local Brews
El Pollo Feo @ Kulshan Brewery (Roosevelt K2)
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Falafel Feast @ 4370 Meridian St
Galley 2 Go @ Stones Throw Brewery
Greektown @ Kulshan Brewery (James St. K1)
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Mobile Mouth Hole @ Lowes Parking Lot
New Public Vegan @ Evil Bikes (700 Harris Ave)
Sammies Vegan @ Wander Brewing
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)
Tam Tam Pizza @ Lost Giants Cider Co.
Tezpoteco Taco @ Stemma Brewery
The Galley @ Ponderosa Beer + Books

Test Your Knowledge

Bellingham & Whatcom Trivia

What Bellingham destination was built on the demolition debris from the razing of the old Fairhaven Hotel?

The correct answer to the last question: “What invasive species was discovered in Lake Padden in 2018?” was the New Zealand Mudsnail.

In late August 2018, the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Program discovered New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in Lake Padden, with confirmation on September 10 by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. These tiny invaders, measuring just 4-6 millimeters with narrow, dark spiral shells, were the first confirmed sighting in Whatcom County, though they’d been in Washington since 2002 in the Columbia River estuary. Known for rapid reproduction and no natural predators here, they threaten native species by outcompeting them for food and space.

These mudsnails are ovoviviparous and parthenogenic, meaning they are live-bearers, which release live young rather than eggs, and those offspring are clonal (genetically identical) females that are asexually reproduced. When born, offspring already contain developing embryos within their reproductive system. Upon reaching maturity, females can produce 230 new females per year with estimates indicating that one snail and its offspring can result in over 2.7 billion snails within 4 years!!

Since their discovery, AIS staff have worked to map the infestation—mostly along Lake Padden’s northwest shoreline—and educate the public. Signs warn users, and staff recommend thoroughly cleaning gear, watercraft, and pets after contact, as the snails can survive weeks out of water or even passage through a fish’s gut.

Advertise in the #1 Newsletter in the Ham
Want to include a note in the Wheel? Let’s Chat.

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

THEATRE - DANCE - FILM

BAAY Theatre:
Snoring Beauty | Sat, Sun 11 AM

iDiOM Theater:
Serial Killers | Sat 7 & 9 PM

New Prospect Theatre:
Bellingham Puppet Slam | Sat 5 PM

COMEDY

Corner Taphouse:
Southside Comedy Hour | Fri 8 PM

Uisce Irish Pub:
Guffawingham | Mon 8:30 PM

The Blue Room:
Bo Johnson | Fri 8 PM

Boundary Bay:
Laughs on Draft | Sat 7:30 PM

The Upfront Theatre:
IMPROV the Musical | Fri 7:30 PM
March Madness | Fri 9:30 PM
Drag-Prov | Sat 7:30 PM
March Madness | Sat 9:30 PM

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Tango : Tango Practica @ The Majestic Ballroom | Wed 6:30 PM
Bachata : Bham Bachata @ ‘ONO Kitchen & Bar | Thurs 7:30 PM
Social Partner Dance : Flow Fusion @ Karate Church | Thurs 7 PM
Party : Equinoxx Rave @ The Shakedown | Sat 8:30 PM
Party : Diva Up! @ Make.Shift | Sat 8 PM
Belly Dance : Belly Dance Workshop @ FireHouse A&E Center | Sat 12 PM
Silent Disco : Sunset Silent Disco @ Zuanich Point Park | Sat 6:30 PM
Party : Brunch Beats @ The Blue Room | Sat 11 AM
Salsa : The Salsa Collective @ The Majestic Ballroom | Sun 5:30 PM

Help Spread The Word

Refer three Bellingham friends to join our newsletter community, and we’ll include a birthday callout to one person you specify on their B’day 🎂. Get your referral link here. Your current referral count is: 0. You’re so close!.

Music & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

Hakuna matata

To All Our Readers

Thanks for reading today’s edition. If you found something helpful, please forward it to a friend 🙏, and tell them to follow this 👉️ link to sign up.

You can reply to this email if you have something we should know about or want to send us a love note.

Have a great Wednesday!!