Tulips! Puzzles! Recycled art! Fresh local produce! No foolin’ — it all adds up to a great kickoff for April.
Great Puzzle Hunt
The annual Western Washington University Great Puzzle Hunt is a fun, full-day, team puzzle-solving event that is open to all, wherever you are. Registration is open now, but the live event takes place on Saturday, April 9.
In the past, teams traveled around Western’s campus solving puzzles and gathering clues to break the final meta-code. This year, the event is virtual so teams may consist of members from all over the world — or closer to home, if that’s your preference.
Lots of prizes will be awarded. Whether your team places first or 251st, competing in a puzzle hunt is a great way to stretch your mental muscles, bond with your teammates and have a lot of fun.
Teams of up to six solve a collection of four puzzles involving logic, patterns, decoding and a variety of skill sets, with a final meta puzzle. Each puzzle results in a code word or words which must be entered to stop the clock for that problem. Time is a factor, so make sure everyone on the team is assigned to a job. Some members can cut out objects if needed. If a problem has several parts, see if different members can tackle different parts independently.
Once the proper code word(s) are entered, your team will be sent to the next destination. If a team is stuck, you may ask for hints. Each hint will add time to your clock. See “Rules of play” and sample puzzles on the website. Details can be found on Facebook, or at greatpuzzlehunt.com.
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is one of the destination events for the Pacific Northwest, held from April 1 through 30, celebrating millions of tulips bursting into bloom. Of course, you never can tell precisely when the tulips will be showing their gorgeous colors, but the festival does allow us to share our corner of the world and showcase Skagit Valley agriculture.
The fields of tulips are scattered throughout the valley, as are the many events and activities that comprise the festival. The tulip fields are the crops of RoozenGaarde/Washington Bulb Co., Inc. and Tulip Town. Due to crop rotation, the fields are in different locations each year. Both RoozenGaarde and Tulip Town also have displays of flowers in gardens for visitors to view and photograph. Find out more at tulipfestival.org.
Recycled Arts Resource Expo (RARE)
The 10th annual Recycled Arts Resource Expo (RARE) highlights creative reuse in the form of art through an exhibit at the Allied Arts Gallery, and a virtual gallery on Allied Arts’ website.
The exhibit opens with an artists’ reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, April 1, during the First Friday Downtown Art Walk, and shows through the month of April.
RARE also promotes art organizations and facilities that incorporate sustainability in their facilities and programs. Attendees are inspired to take home innovative ideas that recognize the value of using resources creatively. Get details at alliedarts.org.
‘Wacky Willy Wonka’
Tour Wonka’s factory with singing, dancing and lots of giant cardboard candy, with kids ages 5 and 6 retelling the classic tale by Roald Dahl with some reimagined wackiness, ridiculously delightful music, and new quirky characters at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 1 and 2, at Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY), 1059 N. State St. Lisa Markowitz directs.
BAAY is still requiring masks, and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for audience members. The full details are listed under COVID Protocols for Indoor Performances at baay.org/policies.
Bellingham Farmers Market
Mayor Seth Fleetwood will be joining the community for the first day of the Bellingham Farmers Market’s 30th season, with the annual cabbage toss on the west side of the pavilion near the goat statue at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, April 2, at Depot Market Square, 1100 Railroad Avenue. There will be local produce, artisan foods and crafts from more than 80 vendors.
Market hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 17. The Wednesday Market opens in June and runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through September at the northeast corner of West Laurel Street and Granary Avenue near Waypoint Park. Info can be harvested at bellinghamfarmers.org.
ÓNIX Ensemble
Mexico’s highly acclaimed ÓNIX Ensemble will perform a free concert of adventurous 20th- and 21st-century works for flute, clarinet and percussion at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at Western Washington University’s Performing Arts Center’s Concert Hall. The concert includes the world premiere of a new work by composer and WWU faculty member Charles Halka.
Considered one of the best chamber music projects by the Royal Philharmonic Society of London, ÓNIX Ensemble is a well-known and acclaimed group of Mexican musicians dedicated to promoting the best of Latin American and Mexican contemporary music today.
All members have the experience of soloists and are virtuosi musicians: flutist Alejandro Escuer; clarinetist Fernando Domínguez; violinist Abel Romero; violoncellist Edgardo Espinosa; and pianist Edith Ruiz. Get details at cfpa.wwu.edu or onixensamble.com.
Margaret Bikman’s column runs every Wednesday. Reach her at margaretbikman@gmail.com.
