The Hamster Wheel
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🐹 Northern Pygmy-owl 🦉🦉

🐹 Northern Pygmy-owl 🦉🦉

February 10, 2025

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

Introducing… Whatcom Trivia! In today’s edition you’ll find a new trivia section, where you can test your local knowledge with fun and quirky questions about Bellingham and Whatcom County history, culture, and hidden gems.

Fellow history buffs: We need your help! Got a fun fact, obscure anecdote, or head-scratcher about Whatcom County? Reply to this email with your trivia ideas, and we’ll feature the best ones in future editions.

Thank you to the Mount Baker Theatre for partnering with us on this edition! Treat your main squeeze to a night of romance at one of MBT’s fabulous Valentine’s weekend shows. Scroll to learn more. 👇️

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Val & Evan

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

Kayaker on Lake Padden - 📷 by Kelly Sell

Bellingham Fire Engine - 📷 by Andrew Wiley

Portal Village - 📷 by Duffy Brook

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

Weather Forecast

Monday: 36°F 🌡️ 19°F | ☀️ Sunny | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 NE 6 to 10 mph

Tuesday: 35°F 🌡️ 17°F | ☀️ Sunny | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 NNE 6 mph

Bellingham Bay Tides

Day	Time	H/L	FT
Mon	5:07 AM	H	9.17
Mon	10:15 AM	L	6.71
Mon	1:56 PM	H	7.81
Mon	9:51 PM	L	-1.14
Tue	5:38 AM	H	9.21
Tue	10:52 AM	L	6.20
Tue	3:01 PM	H	7.71
Tue	10:32 PM	L	-0.87

Moon Phases

Weather & Tides from NOAA. Moon data astronomyapi.

From the Mount Baker Theatre

Two Incredible Shows This Valentine’s Weekend

Celebrate Valentine's Day at MBT! Kick off the festivities on Friday, February 14, with the Grammy-nominated sounds of DeVotchKa, known for their eclectic indie-global fusion. The celebration continues on Saturday, February 15, as Canada's most cherished male vocalist Matt Dusk delivers a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Tony Bennett. Join MBT for a weekend filled with music and romance! ❤️ Click below for tickets. 👇️

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

A Cute But Ferocious Hunter

Did you know that our forests are home to the adorable Northern Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium californicum), a tiny bird that measures only 7 inches when fully grown? I encountered one of these elusive creatures last winter while foraging for hedgehog mushrooms on Chuckanut. It blended perfectly with the bark of the tree it was perched on, its only giveaway being a pair of slightly annoyed eyes staring back at me. 👀

Northern Pygmy-Owl are active during the daytime and have a taste for songbirds. This makes them a potential visitor around bird feeders if you’re home is in or near a woodland environment. One source mentioned that their “high, evenly spaced tooting calls” and a propensity to get mobbed by songbirds are good ways to locate these ferocious little hunters who are otherwise easy to overlook.

Department of Ecology Seek Public Feedback on Harris Avenue Shipyard Cleanup Plan

Today (Feb 10) marks the opening of the public comment period for a legal agreement with the Port of Bellingham, which mandates the remediation of pollutants at the old shipyard site at the end of Harris Ave in Fairhaven. Community members are invited to review the proposal and share their feedback.

The shipyard location has long played an important role in Whatcom industry. In the early 1900s, Pacific American Fisheries (Bellingham’s largest employer at the time) maintained a sprawling complex at the site. According to an article on WhatcomTalk, the “compound included a cannery, shipyard, can and box factory,” and bunkhouse for workers. 👇️

During WWII, the shipyard was leased to Northwest Shipbuilding Company which built military vessels like those seen below. They employed as many as 1,000 employees working around the clock, seven days a week. By the end of the war, the shipyard here had built at least 25 ships.

In 1966 the Port began leasing the property to other industrial operations, then in 1998 a voluntary sediment investigation revealed high levels of pollutants which had accumulated over the decades. You can learn more about this project and provide feedback on the Ecology website.

In other news…

🚜 The Whatcom County Council meets tomorrow (Feb 11) at 6 PM in the Council Chambers at the County Courthouse or watch via Zoom. You can review the agenda online.

🏙️ The Bellingham City Council meets today (Feb 10) at 1 PM, with the Regular Meeting at 7 PM. You can review the agenda online. This public meeting is held in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall or watch online.

Local Business Updates

Haggling With Local Folk

Barefeet Farm School: Play, Learn, and Grow Outdoors

Erin Majeske, a graduate of Mount Baker High School and Fairhaven College, opened Barefeet Farm School in the summer of 2020 with six children in attendance and a vision for a play-based and child-led environment where children could run, tumble, and make noise when it suits them. Last year’s summer camp served over 75 families and Erin offers a year round licensed outdoor preschool for ages 3-5.

Erin describes how “outdoor preschool is easier in so many ways for both students and teachers,” and explains how “by taking a play based approach and focusing on building these non-cognitive skills (skills that aren't measurable), we find that kids actually are more open to learning academic skills like reading, writing, and math in an organic way.”

Barefeet Farm School is located just a few miles outside Bellingham along the Mount Baker Highway. Enrollment for Fall preschool (ages 3–5), and outdoor summer camp (ages 3–7) are now open. Perfect for families looking for sunshine, adventure, and a break from screens. Details and registration.

Food & Drinks

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Monday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
Calcutta by Simmering Tava @ K2
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Falafel Feast @ 4370 Meridian St
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Outpost Eats @ Kulshan Brewery (James St.)
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)

Tuesday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
Calcutta by Simmering Tava @ K2
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
Outpost Eats @ Kulshan Brewery (James St. K1)
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)
Tam Tam Pizza @ Fringe Brewing
The Galley @ Ponderosa Beer + Books

Whatcom Trivia

What location in Whatcom County once housed a “Yoghurt” Sanitarium?

Sanitariums of this 'flavor' were the brainchild of John Harvey Kellogg who advocated many health practices including yoghurt enemas.

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE THEATRE & DANCE

Bellingham Theatre Guild:
Home, I’m Darling | Thurs, Fri, Sat 7 PM; Sun 2 PM

New Prospect Theatre:
36 Questions | Fri, Sat 7:30 PM; Sat, Sun 2 PM

Western - College of F&PA:
The Storyteller | Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat 7:30; Sat 2 PM

Bellingham Circus Guild:
My Circus Valentine | Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (Multiple Times)

COMEDY

Uisce Irish Pub:
Comedy Open Mic | Mon 8:30

New Prospect Theatre:
Molly’s Comedy Cabaret | Wed 7 PM

Greene’s Corner:
Comedy Open Mic | Wed 7 PM

Nacho Problems:
Comedy Open Mic | Thurs 8:30

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Bachata : WWU Salsa and Bachata Club @ Viking Union MPR | Mon 7 PM
Tango : Urban Salon Tango @ The Majestic Ballroom | Mon 7 PM
Swing : B’ham Hop @ Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom | Tues 7 PM
Cuban Salsa : Beginning Cuban Salsa @ Cof& | Tues 6 PM
Cuban Salsa : Intermediate Cuban Salsa @ Cof& | Tues 7:15 PM
Scottish Country : Scottish Dancing Workshops @ Fairhaven Library | Wed 7 PM
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 : Tiny Dancing Queen @ Wild Buffalo | Sat 9 PM
Party : Heart Beatz Rave @ Blue Room | Sat 8 PM
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

Monday Games & Trivia
Trivia Night @ Ono Kitchen & Bar | 7 PM
Trivia Night @ Paws for a Beer | 6:15 PM
Trivia Night @ Zeeks Pizza & Fountain Brewing | 6 PM
Trivia Night @ Overflow Taps | 6:30 PM

Hakuna matata

To All Our Readers

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Have a great Monday!!