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.
Join Sustainable Connections for a month-long celebration of local food and those who grow, raise, fish, make, and cook it to share with us! All month long we’ll be highlighting opportunities to meet your chef, farmer, fisher, and grocer and experience the unique flavors of our region.
Date and time: recurring weekly on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Come Downtown every Wednesday with your Western Student, Staff, or Faculty ID to score deals and discounts all day long at 60+ businesses on everything from coffee to cocktails and everything in between. Check out all the participating businesses and learn more on our website at www.downtownbellingham.com/welcome-wwu.
Honoring the fact that water is essential to life and vital to our cultural well-being, join the Whatcom Watersheds Information Network (WWIN) in celebrating “Whatcom Water Week” from Saturday, September 14th through Sunday, September 22nd.
A series of fun, free, family-friendly events throughout Whatcom County offer residents a chance to celebrate the importance of water. In all, there will be many events to choose from, including some which require pre-registration.
Events include:
• Family activities
• Tours and explorations
• Contests and prizes
• Special community events
• And much more!
Visit WhatcomWaterWeeks.org for a full list of events.
M.A.D. H.O.P.E. (Making A Difference, Helping Other People Everywhere) is looking for volunteers for our Youth Suicide Prevention and Mental Well-Being Program, 2024-2025!
If you care about Whatcom youth, have availability during the school day, and are looking for a way to help our community, please join us for this impactful and in-person training series.
Each volunteer is required to attend the following training dates:
Tuesday, September 17, 11 am to 3 pm
Wednesday, September 18, 11 am to 3 pm
Thursday, September 19, 11 am to 3 pm
Wednesday, September 25, 11 am to 3 pm
Aaron Guest is returning to the brewery, playing piano in the taproom every Wednesday in September!
Head to the taproom on Wednesday nights from 6-8 pm to enjoy live music from the talented Aaron Guest. Aaron Guest plays familiar hits from the 50’s ‘til now, arranged in instrumental medleys. The taproom is 21+.
Aaron Guest revels in the space between the notes while simultaneously celebrating the power of expansive sound. As a charismatic performing musician working with several projects, he’s able to play many instruments in a large variety of styles.
Seed swap: As fall colors start to sparkle in the landscape, we resume chapter meetings, starting with a celebration of the bounty of Pacific Northwest native plants. We will hold a seed and plant exchange, so please start saving any seeds and fruits of Pacific Northwest native plants that you’d like to share with others. And if you have seedlings or plantlets of PNW plants that you can donate to a good home, please consider bringing them. We’ll provide seed envelopes, bags, and moist soil so folks can transport their treasures safely to their gardens.
Mast Seed: Periodical cicadas are not the only creatures that believe in boom-and-bust reproduction. Many perennial plants, especially woody plants and wind-pollinated plants, produce an exceptionally heavy crop of seeds (mast seed) in a coordinated manner in some years. This botanical profligacy sets off a chain reaction in the animal world as well and has even led to famine in human populations! Why do plants produce mast seed some years? How is masting coordinated, even across different species of plants? Can we predict a seed mast? Anu will discuss this fascinating phenomenon, with insights from recent research findings. Anu Singh-Cundy teaches in the Biology Department at Western Washington University.
Join Sustainable Connections for a month-long celebration of local food and those who grow, raise, fish, make, and cook it to share with us! All month long we’ll be highlighting opportunities to meet your chef, farmer, fisher, and grocer and experience the unique flavors of our region.
Honoring the fact that water is essential to life and vital to our cultural well-being, join the Whatcom Watersheds Information Network (WWIN) in celebrating “Whatcom Water Week” from Saturday, September 14th through Sunday, September 22nd.
A series of fun, free, family-friendly events throughout Whatcom County offer residents a chance to celebrate the importance of water. In all, there will be many events to choose from, including some which require pre-registration.
Events include:
• Family activities
• Tours and explorations
• Contests and prizes
• Special community events
• And much more!
Visit WhatcomWaterWeeks.org for a full list of events.
M.A.D. H.O.P.E. (Making A Difference, Helping Other People Everywhere) is looking for volunteers for our Youth Suicide Prevention and Mental Well-Being Program, 2024-2025!
If you care about Whatcom youth, have availability during the school day, and are looking for a way to help our community, please join us for this impactful and in-person training series.
Each volunteer is required to attend the following training dates:
Tuesday, September 17, 11 am to 3 pm
Wednesday, September 18, 11 am to 3 pm
Thursday, September 19, 11 am to 3 pm
Wednesday, September 25, 11 am to 3 pm
Join us in the beer garden on Thursdays throughout the summer for Happy Hour BBQs featuring free live music, craft beer, food, and family-friendly fun!
On Thursday, September 19th enjoy free live music from Biddy on the Bench!
Doors open at 4 pm with music starting at 5!
For 24 summers Robert Sarazin Blake has hosted Happy Hour in the Boundary Bay Beer Garden. Every other week he performs with a revolving band of Bellingham’s finest folk & jazz musicians. In the weeks between, Blake invites a wide variety of local and touring folk musicians to entertain.
Each week at 6 pm the beer trivia live game show THE PINT IS RIGHT gives everyone a chance to win a pint of Boundary Bay beer by having, not the most correct answer, but the best!
Biddy on the Bench’s origins go back to the winter of 2013, when the founding members met largely out of coincidence. Kevin, Casey, Maeve, and Nick began carving out a niche in Portland, Oregon’s folk scene with a combination of ballads, pub classics, rebel songs, harmonized shanties, and traditional tunes.
This event is part of the Bellingham Celtic Festival! Learn more here: https://bellinghamcelticfestival.com/schedule
A modern play about love, elections, and loyalty.
How do you embrace political ideology when embracing love, and what makes you let go of your truth?
New Prospect Theatre is proud to announce the upcoming world premiere of Michael Wallace’s new play, “SPEECHLESS: for love / of country”. Directed by Chris Coombs, this compelling production drills into the disintegration of human connection as characters make and unmake themselves within the battle arena of a Presidential election campaign.
“Our political debates are often crafted to appeal to, perhaps invade, our personal values,” says the playwright, Michael Wallace, “and the question I am exploring is ‘Just how personal can the political become?'”
This incredibly relevant, timely and insightful look at the warring camps early in an election cycle examines how our personal lives become the battle flags of competing campaigns by focusing on the fledging love of two young, star-crossed speechwriters, and their bitterly entrenched candidates.
“SPEECHLESS” boasts a talented ensemble cast, including acclaimed local actors:
– Ella Hieronymus as Ashley Jenkins, the ‘conservative’ speechwriter
– Alex McDuffie as Tyler Blackwell, the ‘liberal’ speechwriter
– Ethel Stephens as Governor Ettie Burroughs, the Democratic frontrunner
– Cash Keahey as President Neil Perry, the Republican incumbent
– Amanda Mills as Cassie James, the president’s press secretary
– Suzie Clark as Georgie, the governor’s campaign manager
Sept 6,7,12,19, Oct 24, Nov 1, 21, 22. 7pm. Eight nights, eight different chapters of ‘big jam stories’, the inter-related fables of a little boy living on top (and under) the historical “JAM” located below Ferndale’s pioneer park. The live theater experience features actors, readers, musicians, and even some puppets unfolding the story of a lonely but optimistic child, who, once great grandfather and great grandmother are lost under the jam, finds himself in search of the ‘all night dance’ to find people and play his jaw harp. Things do not go as well as hoped and the boy is himself lost under the jam where he searches for his family. Though the experience is not specifically just for kids, children are welcome. Tickets are free with rsvp at thereallybig.com/bigjamstories
Join us at Sehome High School for the launch of the newest book in our Chuckanut Editions Imprint, Sa’le Q’ewet Netse-lh/Our Hearts Beat As One!
Dive into the story of a young NW orca who was stolen from her family and sold to a theme park. Learn how she became a beloved performer, inspired people across the world to fight for her freedom, and how Lummi Nation worked to bring her home.
Follow the story of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, the orca also known as Tokitae or Lolita. Stolen from her family in 1970, this Puget Sound orca was sold to the Miami Aquarium where she performed for over 50 years. The Lummi people, a Native tribe in Northwestern Washington State, consider the local orcas to be part of their human family. Members of Lummi Nation worked to bring their relation back home, and succeeded in bringing tribes, politicians, corporations, philanthropists, and activists together for common cause. Sk’aliCh’elht-tenaut was on the verge of homecoming when she suddenly died in captivity.
This book tells her story in a way that honors the legacy of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, encourages readers of all ages to stand up to protect all our relations, and demonstrates the power of inclusivity and collaboration.
This book’s creative team includes members from the Lummi Nation. It was designed to be part of a school curriculum as well as a home bookshelf that aims to include and honor Native stories, values, and perspectives. Written by Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley and Julie Trimingham, art by Sienum Jason LaClair, translated by Na-tak-ul-tan Tino Kurtz.
Book includes:
-The story in both English and Xwlemi’ Chosen (Lummi) with a translation key
-A Xwlemi’ Chosen pronunciation guide and other key words/phrases
-Background Notes on historic issues experienced by orcas and Native tribes
-Discussion questions and activities
-Coloring pages
-A pledge for protection of orcas and all living creatures
Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley comes from a family where every generation since time immemorial has fished on the Salish Sea. Tah-Mahs started fishing with her dad, then she fished with her husband (the late Larry Kinley), and now she fishes with her sons. She feels most at home when she’s on the water. She has often been close to qwe’lhol’mechen (orcas) when she’s out fishing; after all, she and the orcas are both chasing salmon! Tah-Mahs was one of the leaders in the work to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut back home. She likes to say that it’s never too late to do the right thing.
Sienum Jason LaClair is a Lummi/Nooksack artist who has worked in both Northern Formline and Coast Salish traditions, and in many different media, including carving, jewelry, and painting. His murals can be seen throughout Whatcom County and in many area public schools. Jason lives in Lummi Nation with his family, and sometimes likes to go clam digging late at night, when he can feel the presence of his ancestors.
Now’ Si’am, Na-tak-ul-tan se ne na. Hello friends, my cultural name is Na-tak-ultan. My white name, is Tino Kurtz. I am a Lummi Tribal member and work in the culture department for the tribe. Working on this project was such a joy and I am very happy to have a children’s book made in our language. Hey’sxw’qe Si’am.
Julie Trimingham is a writer who lives with her son on traditional Lhaq’temish territory on the shores of the Salish Sea. She has dreamed about killer whales all of her life, and is happy to work with her friend Tah-Mahs at the Sacred Lands Conservancy / Sacred Sea. Julie believes in the power of kids to love and protect the killer whales, the Salish Sea, Mother Earth, and one another. Other titles by Julie Trimingham include Mockingbird, The Kitchen Garden Companion, and Way Elsewhere.
Doors open at 6:30.
This will be a free, family-friendly event to honor the Lummi community members who worked to bring their orca relation out of captivity; to announce the Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut Legacy Scholarship at Northwest Indian College, and to launch the bilingual children’s book that tells the story of the relationship between the Lummi people and the amazing killer whale Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut / Tokitae / Lolita.
“Sa’le Q’ewet Netse-lh / Our Hearts Beat as One,” published by Village Books’ Chuckanut Editions and illustrated by Coast Salish artist Jason LaClair, encourages readers of all ages to protect all our relations, and demonstrates the power of inclusivity and collaboration. Complete with helpful background materials and activities, “Our Hearts” is designed to be part of a school curriculum –as well as a home bookshelf– that aims to include and honor Native stories, values, and perspectives.
Event co-hosts include Children of the Setting Sun Productions; Village Books; North Cascades Institute; and Allied Arts of Whatcom County.
Doors open at 6:30pm. Books, as well as tee shirts and tote bags featuring Jason LaClair’s art, will be available for purchase on-site, and are also now available for pre-order in-person or online at www.villagebooks.com.
Join Bellingham Parks & Recreation for a FREE presentation with guest speaker Lance Ekhart in the Rotunda Room of Old City Hall.
Having explored the San Juan Islands by sailboat for 24 years – over 50 trips, Lance has found the 3 little northern islands; Matia, Sucia and Patos to be both the most inaccessible and by far the most interesting and photogenic.
Drawing from dozens of trips photographing what he affectionately calls the “3 Amigos”, Lance will share a rare in-depth view of the grand scenery, fascinating details and wildlife that he has discovered there.
Join us in the beer garden on Thursday evenings for our Garden Twilight Series!
The Garden Twilight Series presents Bellingham’s best roots musicians with performers from far and wide. Enjoy summer evenings in the beer garden with friends, beer, and live music from 8-11 pm!
On Thursday, September 19th enjoy live music from Kitty & The Rooster, Thee For Silver!
$10 – 20 suggested donation | All ages 8-10 pm | 21+ 10-11 pm
The Garden Twilight Series is co-produced with The Subdued Stringband Jamboree.
Kitty & The Rooster is a surf rock n’ roll duo from Vancouver featuring Jodie Ponto on the stand-up cocktail drumkit and Noah Walker on electric guitar. They are known for their big sound, laugh-out-loud lyrics, and ridiculously fun shows.
Three For Silver is a tatterdemalion ensemble of rotating musicians led by Lucas Warford, “the acid baby of Tom Waits and Les Claypool,” as NW legend Baby Gramps called him. It’s an aggressively original band that is impervious to easy description. Three For Silver features one-of-a-kind instruments you’ve never seen playing styles mixed in ways you’ve never heard.
Experience the vibrant coffee culture that Whatcom County has to offer! The Coffee Crawl is a digital passport program designed to percolate the senses and support locally owned businesses all in the same cup of goodness. Coffee, tea, and beverage lovers of all kinds are invited to visit the numerous local coffee shops and cafes in Whatcom County and be rewarded along the way! At each stop, visitors simply check in on their phones, collect points, and earn prizes.
This local promotion coordinated by Sustainable Connections and Visit Bellingham & Whatcom County is not just about indulging in delicious brews, it’s about supporting local businesses and contributing to the community’s growth – all while caffeinating at your own pace. Don’t miss out on exploring Whatcom County’s coffee hotspots while supporting local businesses all summer long!
Join Sustainable Connections for a month-long celebration of local food and those who grow, raise, fish, make, and cook it to share with us! All month long we’ll be highlighting opportunities to meet your chef, farmer, fisher, and grocer and experience the unique flavors of our region.
Honoring the fact that water is essential to life and vital to our cultural well-being, join the Whatcom Watersheds Information Network (WWIN) in celebrating “Whatcom Water Week” from Saturday, September 14th through Sunday, September 22nd.
A series of fun, free, family-friendly events throughout Whatcom County offer residents a chance to celebrate the importance of water. In all, there will be many events to choose from, including some which require pre-registration.
Events include:
• Family activities
• Tours and explorations
• Contests and prizes
• Special community events
• And much more!
Visit WhatcomWaterWeeks.org for a full list of events.
Saddle up and support affordable housing for local families at Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County’s 22nd Annual Raise the Roof Auction!
This year’s event consists of a week-long online auction that opens to the public on Friday the 13th, followed by an in-person ticketed event at Barnstar Events in Ferndale on Friday, September 20th. Between the live music, great food, games, and 200+ unique raffle items, it’s sure to be a rip-roaring good time!
Dust off your denim and don your favorite cowboy hat – there may even be a prize for best dressed!
Register today to try and lasso the top bid on our variety of auction items; from local goodies to adventurous excursions and more, there’s something for everyone in our online and in-person auctions! Any contribution helps Habitat blaze a trail toward affordable homeownership for Whatcom County families.
Purchase your tickets to the in-person party or register in advance and preview our auction items at auctria.events/GiddyUp
Welcome to Fish Fry Frydays, where the music is rockin’ and the fish is fryin’!
Join us in the beer garden on Friday, September 20th for a Fish Fry with
Enjoy free live music, a delicious fish fry menu, craft beer, and fun for the whole family! Doors open at 4 pm, with music starting at 6!
The Legendary Chucklenuts are a Bellingham-based band that plays a tasty mix of blues, rock & R&B.
Find the Fish Fry menu & future events here: https://www.bbaybrewery.com/fish-fry#/events
Date and time: recurring on the first Friday of every month from 6 to 10 p.m.
First Fridays is a monthly celebration that showcases local artists and galleries, places to dine and sip, late night shopping, events, live music, and more! Join us on the first Friday of every month from 6 to 10 p.m.
With fresh programming each month, First Fridays provide opportunities to engage with Downtown Bellingham and discover the city center throughout the year. Dozens of businesses host artists, feature signature dishes, become a stage for musicians, and more!
It’s a great night to experience Downtown!
Join us in welcoming local author and teacher Nancy Canyon to the Readings Gallery to celebrate her new book, Struck: A Season on a Fire Lookout.
In 1971, Nancy Nelson and her husband Jack, were hired as fire lookout attendants in the Clearwater National Forest of Idaho. Like other women of the times, Nancy wanted to be taken seriously. She also wants a child. In this coming-of-age story, the reader remains enthralled to the last page.
Set during the heyday of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll, Nancy Nelson and her young husband, Jack, take a job as fire lookout attendants on Corral Hill, a 6,000’ mountain located in the vast Clearwater National Forest of Idaho. As Nancy keeps firewatch, every emotion leftover from growing up with abuse is exacerbated by solitude, frightening lightning storms, wildfires, natural phenomenon, and the demands of her young husband. In this coming-of-age story, the reader remains enthralled to the last page.
Nancy Canyon is a writing coach for The Narrative Project, an instructor for Chuckanut Writers, and teaches art and writing privately. She is also a member of Women Painters of Washington. She lives near Lake Whatcom in Bellingham, Washington, with her husband, Ron Pattern and their dog, Lucy. Women’s Bodies, Women’s Words (anthology), Celia’s Heaven (novel), Saltwater (poetry), and Dark Forest (stories) can be purchased at villagebooks.com. For more about Ms. Canyon, see https://www.nancycanyon.com
Throw on your roller skates or roller blades and free skate with us! Bring your own skates; helmets and pads (elbow, knee, and wrist) recommended.
Fridays: Sept 20, Oct 11, Nov 8, Dec 13, Jan 10
This is a free, drop-in program! No registration needed.
A modern play about love, elections, and loyalty.
How do you embrace political ideology when embracing love, and what makes you let go of your truth?
New Prospect Theatre is proud to announce the upcoming world premiere of Michael Wallace’s new play, “SPEECHLESS: for love / of country”. Directed by Chris Coombs, this compelling production drills into the disintegration of human connection as characters make and unmake themselves within the battle arena of a Presidential election campaign.
“Our political debates are often crafted to appeal to, perhaps invade, our personal values,” says the playwright, Michael Wallace, “and the question I am exploring is ‘Just how personal can the political become?'”
This incredibly relevant, timely and insightful look at the warring camps early in an election cycle examines how our personal lives become the battle flags of competing campaigns by focusing on the fledging love of two young, star-crossed speechwriters, and their bitterly entrenched candidates.
“SPEECHLESS” boasts a talented ensemble cast, including acclaimed local actors:
– Ella Hieronymus as Ashley Jenkins, the ‘conservative’ speechwriter
– Alex McDuffie as Tyler Blackwell, the ‘liberal’ speechwriter
– Ethel Stephens as Governor Ettie Burroughs, the Democratic frontrunner
– Cash Keahey as President Neil Perry, the Republican incumbent
– Amanda Mills as Cassie James, the president’s press secretary
– Suzie Clark as Georgie, the governor’s campaign manager
