The WhatcomTalk Events Calendar shares things to do around Whatcom County including Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine and beyond. Find fun activities and adventures throughout the region on our comprehensive events calendar. Have an event that isn’t listed? Click the green “Post your Event” button and our editors will review and approve within two business days.
What does the world of manufacturing have to offer you?
High-paying, high-demand jobs for starters. Find out more at our Women in Manufacturing Event May 14 in BTC’s Settlemyer Hall, sponsored by the Alcoa Foundation.
Hear stories from women in the industry:
- Katie Johnson, Production Manager for Seattle Manufacturing Corporation
- Angela Davis, Director of Supply Chain for Zodiac Aerospace
- Katie Nelson, Instrumentation Technician for Alcoa Intalco Works
Talk to women who are thriving in their careers. Learn about the variety of jobs available in manufacturing. Hear about the BTC programs that can get you there.
Prizes and refreshments available.
Frequently referred to as a networking extraordinaire, Nicole Burdick is a fourth generation Bellingham resident who understands the importance of positive networking. Over the past six years, she has connected countless individuals to important resources and people in our community. Drawing on her business education and background in numerous industries, she will share tips, strategies, and resources to help you network successfully. Leave with practical skills to use immediately!
The Northwest Heat Music Video Festival was founded in 2014 with a simple mission: to showcase the talents of both musicians and filmmakers in the Pacific Northwest, where the communities of both are alive and kicking (out the jams). The northwestern United States is home to every kind of landscape: musically, culturally, and naturally; filmmakers recognize the way these art forms interact and realize them in the form of music videos. Beginning in 2016, Northwest Heat opened its swinging doors to all filmmakers and musicians in the United States, while adding special screenings for its Pacific Northwest submissions.
Join us for our inaugural Film + Music Networking event, meant to bring the Bellingham film and music communities closer together and to encourage increased collaboration on future work! A light brunch will be provided, first come-first serve!
Join our group of inspiring young professionals for a fun evening of casual networking, as well as drinks and appies.
Join our group of inspiring young professionals for an evening of casual networking, as well as drinking beer and cider to support the amazing Charity Water organization.
Join our group of inspiring young professionals for an evening of casual networking, with a Halloween twist. There will be a costume contest with a fantastic prize, drinks, food, and several other surprises. Make sure to bring a coat for this one!
The Women’s Professional Network Gala and Raffle Dash is a breakfast event where attendees receive a great breakfast, including mimosas and a waffle bar, and then run like mad to claim one of hundreds of prizes donated by fantastic local businesses. Proceeds from the Raffle Dash benefit Lydia Place and Agape Home for Women and Children.
Come help us reach our goal of $4,000 this year!
Local farmers, fishers, food buyers and producers are invited to come together at the annual NW Washington Farm to Table Trade Meeting hosted by Sustainable Connections. Valuable industry discussions, local product trade show, producer/ buyer roundtables, panel discussions and an amazing local lunch! Learn what’s new in the food world and how you can be a part.
A new quarterly series for all chefs, food buyers, and food businesses of all kinds. Includes a family style breakfast, networking and a speaker; with a focus on hot issues, ingredients, sharing best practices, and good food. Cost: $25, free for Chefs Collective members. At this month’s breakfast, we will focus on ocean acidification impacts to shellfish.
Join the Association of Washington Business Institute’s Leadership Washington Class of 2017, along with fellow and emerging Bellingham area leaders, and WGU Washington alumni, students, and partners for a hosted evening networking reception.
To RSVP or learn more please contact Jackie Riley at JackieR@awb.org or 360-943-1600
Come one, come all!
It’s Cinco de Mayo and we’re going to end the work week with a bang!
Invent Coworking is hosting a professional networking happy hour bash so you can make your first stop of celebrating with us! Come grab a drink and take the time to unwind and talk with other professionals, share thoughts and ideas, and learn about some of the great projects successful professionals in Bellingham are working on. We’ll have snacks, drinks and plenty of people to meet!
All are invited to attend the Whatcom Food Network’s Spring Forum on May 25 for a chance to learn from a panel of dairy farmers about the different sizes and types of dairies working in Whatcom County, their current challenges and opportunities, and where the Whatcom dairy industry may be headed. The panel will include Appel Farms, Twin Brook Creamery and MyShan Dairy, among others.
The Whatcom Food Network is composed of the various agencies, organizations and stakeholders working to strengthen our local food system. The Network hosts two forums every year in order to increase communication and collaboration and to raise awareness of work being done to create a sustainable, just and healthy food system.
On May 25, we will take a deep dive into one of our most important local agricultural sectors: dairy. Whatcom County’s dairy farms have played an important role in our county’s history and continue to be a major part of local food production. Whatcom County currently boasts over 90 dairy producers – more than any county in the Pacific Northwest region – with a unique mix of small, mid and large-size farms.
Come to the Spring Forum to learn more about the changing face of this important sector, network with other professionals working in our local food system and hear about the work the Whatcom Food Network has been doing to shepherd a Whatcom Food System Plan and update the Whatcom Community Food Assessment.
The Whatcom Food Network Spring Forum is free, but attendees must RSVP as space is limited. This event was made possible by generous support from the Whatcom Community Foundation.
Come for the networking, leave with experience! First Wednesdays September through November, hear from local business owners and experts on relevant topics to utilize in your everyday work. Half speed networking half presentation.
September 6
Eating Your Way To a Better Community: celebrate September Eat Local Month with us! How you eat can affect not only your health, your businesses’ health, but the broader health of our community, access to food and future generations. Hear from Christy Fox, head chef at Northwater, Tiffany Bell of Ten Fold Farm and our own Food & Farming Program Manager Sara Southerland as we have a conversation and dive deep in the world of good, local food.
Doors open at 7:50 a.m. Sign in grab some delicious local breakfast, coffee or tea. Join in on a brief networking session to break the ice, then hear from local business owners and experts on relevant topics. Local Breakfast, Coffee & Tea on us!
*Flyers, business cards and reusable mugs encouraged*
FREE for Sustainable Connections Members $10 for Non-Members Please RSVP to becca@sustainableconnections.org two days before breakfast to make sure we provide enough delicious food.
Businesses will come together for actionable, take-home knowledge on sustainability reporting and better business performance. The half-day summit will host inspiring speakers and powerful panelists including Kevin Wilhelm, who has more than 20 years of experience helping companies set and execute sustainability goals and has authored three acclaimed books in this field, Stephanie Ryan from B-Lab, one of the most celebrated sustainable business organizations, and Melissa Elkins the sustainability powerhouse from our local Community Food Co-op.
All business leaders, sustainability professionals and community-minded entrepreneurs looking to make the most of their efforts for people, planet and profit are invited to attend.
Following the Summit, all are invited to attend the reception and the Sustainability Champion Awards from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., an annual recognition of businesses that are pioneers in our local economy.
The Farm-to-Table Trade Meeting is NW Washington’s premier FOOD & FARM BIZ CONFERENCE. Gather together with more than 175 farmers, fishers, chefs, grocery buyers, food artisans, processors and distributors for a day filled with valuable networking and connection opportunities. Experience a day full of cutting edge education workshops, a vibrant expo, happy hour mixer, one-on-one producer and buyer consultations, and delicious, seven-course, locally-sourced lunch. Past attendees reported an average of six new sales connections as a result of the event, and the Farm-to-Table Trade Meeting in total generates $500,000 in new sales each year.
Sustainable Connections announces the return of Let’s Do Lunch, a popular networking and education series for local businesses this spring.
Join them for the first of three events, starting Wednesday, March 7, from 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. Each lunch focuses on a different topic while also providing ample time for facilitated networking.
March 7: Learn how to help your employees be healthier and our local economy happier with workplace CSA shares (Community Supported Agriculture) – the best way to support local farmers and for your employees to save an average of 30 percent off their produce bill.
April 4: Dig into accounting for sustainability using Quickbooks. Sustainability reporting is an important tool that helps businesses maintain and increase their value by reporting their economic, environmental and social (positive or negative) impacts.
May 2: Create your own DIY marketing booth! Are you a nonprofit that tables throughout the year or a budding farmer needing to “beef up” your display for the market? Join RE Store outreach master Samantha Hale for inspiration and examples on how to get started on creating a booth. Leave with a gift certificate and a one hour consultation with building experts at the RE Store!
Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP. Let’s Do Lunch is free for Sustainable Connections members and their employees, and $10 for non-members. A delicious local lunch, coffee and tea are provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own reusable mug and business cards and arrive a little early to dish up.
Inviting all organizations and people passionate about positively impacting our food system!
Every year, the Whatcom Food Network holds two forums to increase our awareness of work being done in our food system and to create a connecting point for us to come together, network and discuss important topics.
Though you may not work directly with the fishing sector, Whatcom is an active and productive hub for commercial fishing and it impacts us all! The fishing sector generates 1,781 direct jobs plus an additional 870 induced jobs, generates $320 million in revenue from the purchases by the fishing fleet at the Port’s marinas and $16 million in tax revenue for state and local governments. Learn about the economic impact, stock health, management issues and consumer issues, tribal fisheries and labor as it relates to this important sector.
Pete Granger, President of the Working Waterfront Coalition, member of Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee, former Program Leader for the Washington Sea Grant Program at University of Washington will be presenting along with Cliff Cultee, Former Chair of the Lummi Nation Indian Business Council; Kevin Riley, Assistant Plant Manager of Trident Seafoods; and Riley Starkes, Marketing Manager for Lummi Island Wild and longtime commercial fisherman.
Please join us for a morning of connecting and learning! Refreshments and delicious morning snacks will be provided.
Be confident! Be empowered! Be a leader! Be a Toastmaster! Mark your calendars for the Barkley Toasters Open House on Friday, October 19 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. at the Dorothy Haggen Building (2211 Rimland Dr. Suite 106) in Bellingham. Whether you’re new to public speaking or an expert, join us for an inside look at Toastmasters International and how you can hone your leadership skills and give award-worthy presentations. Enjoy free refreshments and find out why Barkley Toastmasters is a perfect club for you! More information at https://barkleyn.toastmastersclubs.org/. We meet the first, third and fifth Fridays of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m.
Victim Support Services is proud to present the first Annual Expand the Response Conference on January 15-17, 2019 at the Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, WA. Come network with and learn from professionals at the top of their fields. Connecting criminal justice, law enforcement, advocacy, social service and mental health professionals who respond to general crime victims. Topics include: mass violence response, identity theft and fraud prevention, working with families of homicide, stalking from a victim’s perspective, active shooter response in schools and working with foreign national victims of trafficking. Join us in learning how to more effectively assist crime victims.
Our featured presenter is Captain Christoper Vanghele of the Newtown Police Department who will address Mass Violence Preparation and Response.
Early bird registration price of $245 ends August 31. Standard Registration fee of $299 begins September 1, 2018. To register, go to
http://victimsupportservices.org/events/expand-the-response/ or call Julie Thomas at 425-252-6081.
Find Local Products. Connect to Buyers. Get Inspired! The Farm-to-Table Trade Meeting is NW Washington’s premier FOOD & FARM BIZ CONFERENCE. We bring together 180+ farmers, fishers, chefs, grocery buyers, food artisans, processors, and distributors for one day filled with valuable networking and connection opportunities, cutting-edge educational workshops, a vibrant expo, one-on-one producer/buyer consultations, and the ever-delicious 7-course locally-sourced lunch prepared by the BTC Culinary Arts Program and the NW WA Chefs Collective. Best networking event of the year! Spanish translation will be available.
Come by RE Sources’ very own office space for Green Drinks and meet our superhero staff! Get to know Whatcom County’s environmentally minded community, hear about upcoming sustainability-oriented events and opportunities, and try out delicious local brews. We will have beer and cider generously donated by Lost Giants Cider Co. and another local brewery TBD.
This will also serve as an open house for RE Sources and The RE Store! See where the magic happens and meet our dedicated staff. You might even glimpse Wayne and Saul, the *official* RE Store cats.
You’re invited to a Clean Water Happy Hour at Overflow Taps in Barkley, and your first drink’s on us!
Not only that, but we want to get into the spooky spirit, meaning everyone is encouraged to dress up in the Halloween Spirit!
The event benefits charity: water, a non-profit organization that has funded and coordinated over 64,000 water projects in 29 countries. From 12-2PM on Saturday, October 23rd, we’ll sponsor your first drink at the Barkley Village Overflow Taps.
We’re stoked to continue this tradition that became a community favorite! It’s a chance to have a pint with friends, family, neighbors, business partners, and community members. We also do a few giveaways each month, sponsored by local businesses – potted plants, snack baskets, massage certificates, coffee cards – you never know what you might walk away with!
This is a 21+ event.
**Please bring a mask to wear indoors when you are not actively eating or drinking so that we can abide by state & CDC guidelines. Masks are REQUIRED.**