Bellingham Beer Week Sept. 11-20

September is Eat Local Month in Whatcom County, and includes various events and a total of 21 participating restaurants, all with the main focus on local farmers and the food they grow and produce. Following are some of the events taking place this month:

• Eat Local Month Launch Party & Film Showing: Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Pickford Film Center, 1318 Bay St, Bellingham.

• Co-op Farm Fund Hootenanny: Sunday, Sept. 6. A few farmers wil be honored during this celebration in the Boundary Bay Beer Garden starting at 6:30 p.m. The New Farm awards go to Mariposa Farm and Springtime Farm, and the Innovator Farm award will be presented to Misty Meadows Farm. Broadleaf Farm is being honored with the Mentor Farm award for their years of mentorship and help with starting farmers and those in the community. The Hootenanny includes live music and food. This event kicks off the “Let’s Grow It” fundraiser campaign, which raises money for agriculture projects and farmers in Whatcom and Skagit counties.

• Eat Local Incognito Dinners: Ciao Thyme is doing it again with this amazing dinner on Thursday, Sept. 10, followed by another on Friday, Sept. 25 with Burk Ridge Farms. For more details see ciaothyme.com.

• 3rd annual Bellingham Beer Week: Friday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 20. This 10-day celebration of local craft beer includes tap takeovers, brewer nights, beer-and-food pairings, beer-themed movies, special beer releases, beer trivia, visits from beer authors and respected brewers, and many other events. For more information, visit BellinghamBeerWeek.com.

• Field Dinner at Bow Hill Blueberries: Saturday, Sept. 12. Check in and see what’s being serving at this dinner presented by Bow Hill Blueberries, one of the oldest blueberry farms in the state. The on-farm dinner takes place at 15628 Bow Hill Road in Bow. For more information, see bowhillblueberries.com.

• Demo Days at the Market: Saturday, Sept. 12. Learn how to prepare delicious meals with simple, local ingredients, shown at the Bellingham Farmers Market.

• Chef in the Market Series: Saturday, Sept. 19. Closing out the 2015 chef series will be James Pitzer of Streat Food, showing Bellingham Farmers Market visitors how to prepare a delicious meal with simple ingredients bought at the market.

• Shuckin’ on the Farm, a Whatcom Water Weeks: Saturday, Sept. 12. On the same day of the farm tour, visitors to Bellewood Acres can also enjoy oysters, music, information from local organizations, meet oyster farmers, and more. The celebration begins at noon at Bellewood Acres, 6140 Guide Meridian, Lynden. For more details, see whatcomwaterweeks.org.

• Good to Go Meat Pies Open House & Tasting: Saturday, Sept. 12. Also in conjunction with the farm tour, this eatery is holding drawings at both of their locations: 128 W Main Street in Everson and  305 Grover Street in Lynden. See goodtogomeatpies.com.

• Taylor Shellfish Farms Tour & Cooking Demo: Wednesday, Sept. 16. Take a tour of the farm and enjoy a cooking demo, as well as some shellfish starting at 5:30 p.m. at 2182 Chuckanut Drive in Bow.

• Bite of Bellingham: Sunday, Sept. 20. The food of Bellingham is on display during this annual event, giving attendees the chance to enjoy some bites from more than 20 local restaurants and then vote on their favorites. This year’s food vendors include: Alice’s Pies, Bare Bones BBQ, Bayou on Bay, Black Drop Coffeehouse, Boundary Bay, Casa Que Pasa, Chow Dogs, Danielle’s Back East BBQ, Deli’cious Mischief, Electric Beet Juice Co., Kombucha Town, Leaf & Ladle, Mad Batter Cupcakes, Mi Casa, Pure Bliss, Rock and Rye, Simmering Tava, Slo Pitch Sports Bar & Grill, Street Dogz, Sweet Petite, The Rickshaw, The Shakedown, The Table, and Trapeze Café. The Bite happens from noon to 4 p.m. at Depot Market Square, 1100 Railroad Ave., in  Bellingham. The Downtown Bellingham Partnership helps sponsor the event.

• Wander Brewing Beer Dinner: Monday, Sept. 21. Ciao Thyme focuses on the flavors of Wander Brewing for this meal. See ciaothyme.com.

• Readers to Eaters: Wednesday, Sept. 23. Head to Village Books at 4 p.m. to check out some great books for children. See villagebooks.com.

• OktoberFest Cruise w/Boundary Bay Brewery: Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25-26. Get on board with Boundary Bay, now celebrating 20 years of beer!

For a complete list of activities, see sustainableconnections.org.