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.
Ahoy! Join us as we set sail on the Orion, a classic, beautifully-restored 1934 wooden sailboat, to explore the biological riches of some lesser-known San Juan Island treasures. This natural history voyage will focus on seabirds, marine mammals and island wildflowers. Participants will also have the chance to learn the art of sailing and navigation on a historic vessel.
We’ll depart from Anacortes and head first to Jones Island, where we’ll explore the beautiful forests and rocky shores of this 188-acre state park. We’ll learn about madronas, tidelands, pelagic birds and other natural phenomenon of the area. After a day of sailing and island exploration, an evening of fireside stories and music will be shared with Captain Kevin Campion and an Institute Naturalist before retiring to our tents in the island campground.
The next morning, we’ll sail for Yellow Island — a jewel of the San Juan archipelago. This tiny island, owned and stewarded by the Nature Conservancy and accessed only by special permission, has one of the most brilliant and diverse native wildflower displays in all of the Salish Sea. After a morning botanizing with field lenses, flower keys and knowledgeable guides, we’ll again raise our sails and turn our attention back to the water to search for seabirds and marine mammals as we make our slow way back to Anacortes.
Watch a beautiful video of the Orion exploring the Salish Sea at www.vimeo.com/82632034.
All meals are provided. Bring your own tent and camping equipment, or let us know if we can loan you gear.
Ahoy! Join us as we set sail on the Orion, a classic, beautifully-restored 1934 wooden sailboat, to explore the biological riches of some lesser-known San Juan Island treasures. This natural history voyage will focus on seabirds, marine mammals and island wildflowers. Participants will also have the chance to learn the art of sailing and navigation on a historic vessel.
We’ll depart from Anacortes and head first to Jones Island, where we’ll explore the beautiful forests and rocky shores of this 188-acre state park. We’ll learn about madronas, tidelands, pelagic birds and other natural phenomenon of the area. After a day of sailing and island exploration, an evening of fireside stories and music will be shared with Captain Kevin Campion and an Institute Naturalist before retiring to our tents in the island campground.
The next morning, we’ll sail for Yellow Island — a jewel of the San Juan archipelago. This tiny island, owned and stewarded by the Nature Conservancy and accessed only by special permission, has one of the most brilliant and diverse native wildflower displays in all of the Salish Sea. After a morning botanizing with field lenses, flower keys and knowledgeable guides, we’ll again raise our sails and turn our attention back to the water to search for seabirds and marine mammals as we make our slow way back to Anacortes.
Watch a beautiful video of the Orion exploring the Salish Sea at www.vimeo.com/82632034.
All meals are provided. Bring your own tent and camping equipment, or let us know if we can loan you gear.
Expand your electronics knowledge and skills to include SMT (surface mount technology)! The Foundry has recently acquired the tools and expertise to support surface mount soldering and de-soldering and we want to teach you how!?
SMT is used in a growing number of commercial and industrial products. Due to their small size, prototyping, rework, and repair can be difficult and are best performed using specialized techniques. Learning these techniques will help you succeed when working with these small components.
You will learn:
How to solder and de-solder surface mount components with a billion pins using heat gun, rework solder, solder paste, flux pen, flux remover and USB microscope as well as different SMT size standards, temperature ranges and more.
All materials and tools supplied.
Learn the basics of programming the fantastically versatile and affordable Arduino board.
An Arduino is an open-source microcontroller development board. In plain English, you can use the Arduino to read sensors and control things like motors and lights. This allows you to upload programs to this board which can then interact with things in the real world. With this, you can make devices which respond and react to the world at large.
This hands-on workshop will prepare you with the fundamental skills and knowledge that you need to get your Arduino up and running. Additionally, we will show you easy projects for you to do on your own, with clear instructions and parts lists as well as information about additional reference material.
Bring a laptop with “Arduino IDE” downloaded on to it. All other tools and materials will be provided, including your own Arduino Uno R3. If you can BYOA (bring your own Arduino Uno) you can purchase a class reservation for a discount.
Cost is $50 for Foundry members, $65 for non-members, $35 if you bring in your own Arduino Uno R3. Appropriate for adults, teens, and younger kids with accompanying adult.
Please reserve your seat now! We have a limited number of seats and need to purchase the supplies ahead of time. If we don’t have at least 2 students 3 days before the class, we may cancel and reschedule.
On Saturday, May 7 a free, girls-only Ultimate Frisbee clinic will be held at Harrington Field (WWU) from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30. Girls of all skill levels in grades 3-12 are invited to participate in this event called Girls Ultimate Movement (GUM). Ultimate (Frisbee) is an exciting, fun, non contact team sport that mixes elements of soccer, basketball, and American football into one high energy game. Ultimate is self refereed, emphasizing mutual respect between players.
This girls clinic is a collaboration with USA Ultimate, WWU Women’s Ultimate Team (Chaos), and Bellingham Youth Ultimate where participants will learn the skills and strategies of the game of Ultimate from coaches who are former and current players on the WWU Women’s Ultimate Team (who just earned a bid to play at Nationals)!
Bellingham Youth Ultimate is a nonprofit whose mission is to inspire youth to be exceptional humans through playing and competing in the sport of Ultimate. Other programs include elementary after-school enrichment, a middle/high school club, and a summer camp. Parents of past participants have commented on how much their kids enjoyed our events, “they seemed to have a real sense of sportsmanship, community, and developed real skills over the course of the session.”
We are excited to bring this free GUM event to girls you know in our community. Register online at gum.usaultimate.org or by filling out paper form at the event.
Taste the outdoors! Using a Dutch oven, Deborah Morgan will demonstrate how to cook a main course and dessert over an open flame. Taste the results for yourself through small samples. Just in time for summer camping season! For: Adults, Grades 9-12.
Don’t throw away that valuable soil building material; compost instead! Learn the basics of food waste recycling with compost bins. Or, become a worm wrangler and discover how easy it is to manage worms indoors and out. Presented by the Blaine Community Orchards for Resources and Education (CORE).
Fire Walk with Me, bushcraft enthusiast, ecologist, and your host, Jazmen with NWN.
For many of us who live in the PNW, not only is the borrowed name of this course very familiar, so are the verdant rainforests of the Salish Sea that surround us. If you go camping, hunting, or exploring in the woods, could you build a fire with limited tools in the PNW if you needed to? Fire Walk with Me is a basic survival course, a walk in the forest, and an opportunity to learn the principles of firemaking through collecting materials and building one on your own (without a lighter) in the wild Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
We strive to be as hands-off as possible, so you walk away with a new skill that you can practice successfully on your own time and time again.
In this course, learn the basic principles of fire-starting, land use laws, and how to procure burnable material in the notoriously damp PNW.
We will walk through the woods together, collecting tinder materials and firewood while learning ethics of foraging and harvesting wood from natural areas.
Each person will build their own fire without a lighter and use our 5-step fire-building that will likely be your new go-to fire-building method.
Firelighting is the most important bushcraft skill to learn. If you want to increase your preparedness for a survival situation through learning how to procure the right materials to successfully start a fire with only a knife and a simple fire tool, this class is for you!
This class will take place rain or shine!
Learn more and register through the website link.
Don’t miss this deeply moving collection from a diverse group of writers inspired by national parks!
Inspired by America’s beloved national parks, Campfire Stories Volume II is a collection of modern prose, poetry, folklore, and more, featuring works from a diverse group of writers who share a deep appreciation of the natural world. Contributors represent a range of rich and diverse voices, including from the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Award winners such as Lauret Savoy, Rae DelBianco, and Terry Tempest Williams; newer voices including Derick Lugo, Rosette Royale, and Ed Bok Lee; and even a poet laureate, Rena Priest–all share their unique perspectives on our national parks and trails. These new campfire stories revel in each park’s distinct landscape and imaginatively transport the reader to the warm edge of a campfire ring.
Certain to have an immense appeal for readers with an interest in travel writing and outdoor adventures. A fun and informative read from cover to cover… an extraordinary anthology.– Midwest Book Review
Ilyssa Kyu is a design researcher focused on inclusion at frog design, a global creative consultancy, and the founder of Amble, a sabbatical program for creative professionals to take time away with purpose in support of nature conservancies. Dave Kyu is a socially engaged artist, writer, and arts administrator. Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in the United States, he explores the creative tensions of identity, community, and public space in his work. They live with their two daughters outside of Philadelphia and are always seeking adventure and connection in the outdoors. Find them online at campfirestoriesbook.com and on Instagram @campfirestoriesbook.
You will be provided with a fixed-blade knife and seasoned wood to use for the day, and a ferro rod that you can take home with you.
The goal of this course is to familiarize you with:
Flammability of several types of tinder
How to process natural materials for optimal flammability
Ferro rod techniques
Feathersticks
Fire-building techniques
Knowledge of how to process natural materials in order to catch a spark to produce a lifesaving fire, or just a recreational one imparts a closer understanding of the world around you and thus a more intimate connection to the outdoors.
We strive to be as hands-off as possible so the people who learn with us gain an unforgettable experience. After taking this course, your confidence in your ability to make a fire will be just one of the takeaways.
If there is one bushcraft skill to have, it is how to make a fire!
Come learn with us!
The goal of this course is to familiarize you with:
Charcloth (what it is and how to make it)
Creating sparks with a stone and steel
Flammability of several types of tinder
How to process natural materials for optimal flammability
Transferring a spark to tinder to build a fire without a lighter
Feathersticks
Fire-building
Knowledge of how to process natural materials in order to catch a spark to produce a lifesaving fire, or just a recreational one imparts a closer understanding of the world around you and thus a more intimate connection to the outdoors.
We strive to be as hands-off as possible so the people who learn with us gain an unforgettable experience. After taking this course, your confidence in your ability to make a fire without a lighter will be just one of the takeaways.
If there is one bushcraft skill to have, it is how to make a fire!
Come learn with us!
Bring your family along to experience the outdoors with tasty rewards as an alternative to traditional Thanksgiving!
We will forage leaves to make tea, prepare a cozy soup and bake bread ALL over an open flame.
If you’ve ever wanted to try cooking from scratch outdoors, this is your chance to learn with some guidance.
In this course you will assist in foraging, preparing and making soup, bread dough, and of course enjoying a hearty meal. The meal will be vegetarian. If you have dietary restrictions (vegan, GF, dairy-free, etc; please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate you!)
Individuals will receive an email with directions and information a few days prior to the event.
Space is limited!
Bring your family along to experience the outdoors with tasty rewards as an alternative to traditional Thanksgiving!
We will forage leaves to make tea, prepare a cozy soup and bake bread ALL over an open flame.
If you’ve ever wanted to try cooking from scratch outdoors, this is your chance to learn with some guidance.
In this course you will assist in foraging, preparing and making soup, bread dough, and of course enjoying a hearty meal. The meal will be vegetarian. If you have dietary restrictions (vegan, GF, dairy-free, etc; please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate you!)
Individuals will receive an email with directions and information a few days prior to the event.
Space is limited!
This is an outdoor wildcrafting event scheduled in early winter. In this course you will forage for materials to make an entirely wildcrafted wreath. Here’s what you can expect:
-Guidance (foraging and wildcrafting)
-Independent foraging and exploration along the Nooksack River and surrounding forest.
-Using pliable branches to weave a wreath ring.
-Wildcrafting with foraged evergreens, lichen, berries, moss, and other beautiful things from the forest.
-A lesson in ethical foraging as wildcrafters.
-Campfire warmth during the wreathmaking process.
For more info visit the website
Join Naturalist, Jazmen Yoder on a gentle walk through the forest of Point Whitehorn State Park to learn about traditional and modern uses of PNW native plants.
We will go over how to ID several native plants and what their uses are (food, fiber, medicine, and shelter).
Details on location will be provided to registered participants.
Come out and enjoy an afternoon learning survival firelighting and how to bake bread over a campfire with Northwest Natura!
This course is designed to be highly engaging with hands-on activities. Here’s what you can expect from this class:
Opportunities with Guidance on the following:
-Coaching and practicing firelighting with a ferro rod.
-Independent foraging; locating materials for fire making.
-Craft your own fire without a lighter using foraged materials.
-Learn Jazmen’s outdoor bread recipe to share with your friends and family.
-Preparing and baking (and eating!) at camp.
Northwest Natura is a small Bellingham business owned by naturalist, Jazmen Yoder. She directs but maintains a hands-off approach with this class so you can successfully make a fire in damp conditions and bake outdoors on your own again without guidance.
At every NWN class there is a sense of community. Expect bonding, laughter, and total joy in the woods!
This course will take place on State Lands in Whatcom County off Highway 542 near Deming, WA. Details on location will be provided in an email 3-4 days prior to the event.
Bushcraft is a term used to describe the practice of skills which aid in living outdoors. Here are the skills we will cover in this crash course:
Survival Basics
-Rule of Threes
– Fire making without a lighter
– Water sources and sanitation
– Shelter – temporary shelter construction
– Food – winter wild foods
– Knot-tying and lashing basics.
– Tarp deployment
– Cooking tripod
– Tools of the trade and practice using them.
– Knife and ax skills
– Containers
– First aid kits
We will practice all of these skills together in this full-day course. Knives and ferro rods provided for the day.
A list of basic things to bring to this course will be provided in an email 3-4 days before the event.
Feel free to bring your own outdoor tools such as a knife, ax, fire starter, tarp, containers (pots, water bottles), paracord, first aid kit, etc. so you can practice with your kit and/or I can answer any questions about your gear and help you troubleshoot issues you may have with them.
Space is limited to 8.
A weekend campout of intimate live performances, workshops, collaborative art projects, film screenings, studio tours, and independent book and record fair. Beautiful forested campsites and private lake for swimming. Turn toward the sun with us. Notice: full access tickets are VERY LIMITED, this is a cozy smaller event.
~ FEATURING ~
Bruce Hamilton, CrimethInc., Marc Bell, Chris Icasiano, G.T. Thomas, Arrington de Dionyso, PIRAMIDES, Indigo Spell by Sulai Lopez, Chuckie Ray Gun, Robert Millis, The Magnificent Horse, Louise Crowley Library, Sun Professor, Sublime Frequencies, Alternative Library, Detritus Books, Neoglyphic Media, Transitory Tapes, Zine Hug, PM Press, and more ?
~ TICKETS ~
TROPISM will feature free public hours from 12noon-5pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with an independent publisher’s fair, and open studios with some of the artists who work year round from the Lookout Arts Quarry!
We have very limited full access tickets available, which include parking and camping, and access to all programming through the weekend. Full access tickets are available through a sliding scale ticketing structure. Pay what feels accessible and good for you. All money goes to pay artists and into improving and maintaining the Lookout Arts Quarry programs.
$0 (by donation) – Book, Record, Publishing Fair, 12-5pm Saturday and Sunday
Full Admission – for full access to live performances, presentations, artist talks, and more. Gates for full access ticket holders open at 10am on Saturday, May 25th, and you may camp through Sunday night, check out by 11am on Monday.
$0 – Kids 12 and under
$110 – Creatives, artists, low income, and needs based discount
$130 – Supporter, standard general admission
$160 – Sustainer, for those able to pay a little bit more to support the livelihood of the cultural creating artists involved
A weekend campout of intimate live performances, workshops, collaborative art projects, film screenings, studio tours, and independent book and record fair. Beautiful forested campsites and private lake for swimming. Turn toward the sun with us. Notice: full access tickets are VERY LIMITED, this is a cozy smaller event.
~ FEATURING ~
Bruce Hamilton, CrimethInc., Marc Bell, Chris Icasiano, G.T. Thomas, Arrington de Dionyso, PIRAMIDES, Indigo Spell by Sulai Lopez, Chuckie Ray Gun, Robert Millis, The Magnificent Horse, Louise Crowley Library, Sun Professor, Sublime Frequencies, Alternative Library, Detritus Books, Neoglyphic Media, Transitory Tapes, Zine Hug, PM Press, and more ?
~ TICKETS ~
TROPISM will feature free public hours from 12noon-5pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with an independent publisher’s fair, and open studios with some of the artists who work year round from the Lookout Arts Quarry!
We have very limited full access tickets available, which include parking and camping, and access to all programming through the weekend. Full access tickets are available through a sliding scale ticketing structure. Pay what feels accessible and good for you. All money goes to pay artists and into improving and maintaining the Lookout Arts Quarry programs.
$0 (by donation) – Book, Record, Publishing Fair, 12-5pm Saturday and Sunday
Full Admission – for full access to live performances, presentations, artist talks, and more. Gates for full access ticket holders open at 10am on Saturday, May 25th, and you may camp through Sunday night, check out by 11am on Monday.
$0 – Kids 12 and under
$110 – Creatives, artists, low income, and needs based discount
$130 – Supporter, standard general admission
$160 – Sustainer, for those able to pay a little bit more to support the livelihood of the cultural creating artists involved
