The Bellingham Bells are a member of the summer collegiate West Coast League. The league in 2012 has nine teams in British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington. The teams play a ten week season. The Bells play at Joe Martin Field, which was built in 1964 and seats 1,600+. Previous tenants of Joe Martin were major league Single A affiliates of the Dodgers, Mariners, and Giants. Ken Griffey Jr. started here for the Mariners. The Bells were playing the Walla Walla Sweets losing 4 to 1. The box score was Sweets R-4, H-10, E-1 and Bells R-1, H-10, E-0. The field lines are RF-320', RC-350', CF-370', LC-350', and LF-325'. The Bells used six pitchers. This may have been because they were getting ready for the play-offs on Saturday or to have a number of pitchers pitch in the last game of the season before the home crowd. Before the game the host families were recognized and each play game their "mother" a bouquet. Most players were one to a host family, several families had two players, and at least two families had 3 players. The coach's son stayed with him and one player stayed with his grandfather. The owner, Eddie Poplawski, is shown thanking all of the people who made the season possible. At the top of the 7th inning the Bells 2nd baseman tagged out the runner heading to second and then touched 1st base for an unassisted double play to close out the inning. The sun was in the west, so the picture down the 1st baseline isn't the best. The boadcast booth is shown above the covered seating area. The mascot is Dinger. Between the innings at one point all of the children could chase Dinger from the 3rd base side of the field to the 1st base side of the field. After the game they celebrated the end of the season with fireworks. We talked with the General Manager Nick Caples before the game. He indicated that the league is considering adding two more teams next year. A big thank you to Nick for providing Jim with a game used league baseball. Very nice free program.
Attractions
Bellingham Railway Museum documents the railroad, logging and mining heritage of Whatcom and Skagit counties from 1883 to the present. Fee

Spark Museum of Electrical Invention collection covers human achievements dating as far back as 1589. Notable inventors saluted are Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin and Guglielmo Marconi. Fee.