Welcome Weekend: Honors Prologue

Discover the thrill of boomerangs, where you'll learn techniques that blend physics, sport, and outdoor fun. Dr. Ed Love, Marketing, will teach you to throw, catch, and do tricks with a variety of specialty handmade boomerangs - just bring your arm and a smile. If you happen to be left-handed, please let us know in advance.

Bowling is a game of calculation and skill, but it’s also a sport of leisure, camaraderie, and humor. Have a good time with new friends bowling at Bellingham's oldest bowling alley. 

CreativiTea is a pottery paining studio located in Fairhaven. Students will paint their piece during the session and will be able to pick up their finished piece from the Honors Center after it has been fired.

Western's backyard, Sehome Hill Arboretum, is a City of Bellingham park jointly owned and managed by the City of Bellingham and Western Washington University. Meander through its many trails with your peers and Western faculty and see how close the forest can be in the middle of Bellingham!

Explore Whatcom Falls Park with WWU Environmental Science Professor Dr. Manuel Montaño. The trails wind through the forest, overlooking the creek gorge and still pools, through open meadows, and past Lake Whatcom's Water Treatment plant. Dr. Montaño will discuss how the city's treatment plant can produce 24 million gallons of drinking water per day and serves residents of Bellingham.

WWU’s Outback Farm is a student-driven, 5-acre farm on south campus. Started in 1972, the Outback is a place to learn about permaculture practices, chickens, bees, production rows, vernal pools, and wetlands. This guided tour will be led by Fairhaven faculty, John Tuxill and Outback Farm Manager, Terri Kempton.

Bike through Bellingham with the WWU Outdoor Center! A great way to get around town, learn the ins and outs of navigating Bellingham on bike. Equipment supplied unless you prefer to ride your own bike. 

Learn about Western's campus heating distribution infrastructure on an Underground Tunnel Tour.  Led by professional staff in Facilities Management, you'll learn how nearly every building on campus receives steam for heating and building hot water through a central system, served by boilers at a central steam plant. This session will open your eyes to an important function of the university...under the classrooms.

Bellingham's Old City Hall has been home to the Whatcom Museum since 1941, and was the first site in Washington State to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Old City Hall is open with historical exhibitions, and will be hosting Art & Science Survey the Fossil Record and Carving Birds & Conserving Land during our visit.

Writing—Bookstore—Waterfront Walk + Juggling —Farmer’s Market: Gather at indie bookstore Village Books for a sociable writer’s workshop and bookstore browse with Honors professor, Dr. Julie Dugger. Lunch on the Fairhaven Village Green will be followed by a walk along Bellingham Bay through Boulevard Park. Here, connect with Psychology professor and Honors Faculty Fellow, Dr. Christie Scollon, to learn the art of juggling. No experience needed AND you'll get to take home handmade juggling bean bags from Dr. Scollon! If time allows, the group will meander to the Saturday Farmer’s Market in downtown Bellingham (less than 3 miles, flat terrain, bus accommodation available). Meet fellow students with an interest in writing and spend time at one of Bellingham's favorite parks!

Join Zoë Fejeran, Museum Educator, on a tour of Western's sculpture collection. Sited throughout the 10 acre campus, the collection includes works by 35 different artists.

Escape room adventure for avid puzzle solvers! A rival band has locked you in your green room the day of your debut show, and you'll have to figure out how to get on stage before it's too late.