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IT USED to be you could tell the students had returned to Bellingham when moving vans—or family vehicles that serve that purpose—would arrive in front of dorms, apartment complexes and rental houses, disgorging young folks and their possessions alike, typically in the company of wearylooking parents. These days, the signal that the students are on their way comes in the form of lights. A whole lot of them—$150,000 worth. If you’ve been anywhere in the downtown core during the past couple of weeks, you’ve seen the strands of lights wrapping of the trees on the sidewalks, making downtown look like a blue-tinged fairy realm of sorts. Those blue lights are a harbinger, but not one of evil. Instead, they’re part of the effort to “Paint B’ham Blue,” which also happens to be the name of the event they signal.