Fire safety program at Grange hall

THE LION ROARS-- We definitely had Spring and April arrive with a roar; wind, rain and power outages were the norm the last few days. It's been boots and galoshes weather rather than sleeveless dresses and cute sandals, which we all thought we'd wear for Easter! Spring sprung a leak, I believe. Let's hope some nicer weather arrives soon as these low and mid 30 degree temperatures at night are keeping the flannel sheets on much longer than expected!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 8-14 are Tim Parker, Kylie Thacker, Paul Toste, Janna Doumit, Wendy Westover, Trygve Gilbertsen, John Kehrli, Kim Lindsey, Sara Havens Brown, Andrew Emlen, Kael McKinley, Stephanie Olsen, Ray Prestegard, Margaret Strueby, Ralph Pedersen, Carolyn Pedersen and Pat Ballard. May all of you have terrific birthday celebrations this week. Belated birthday wishes to Nathan Pedersen, who celebrated his special day last Friday. Happy Anniversary wishes go to George and Judy Bates, today, and a very special Happy Anniversary wish goes out to Ralph and Peggy Pedersen, as they celebrate their 55th anniversary tomorrow!

CELEBRATED 92--A birthday party for Marian (Everest, Healy) Vik was held last Friday in Longview to help her celebrate her 92nd birthday! I got a message from Sandra Cleveland Chilbeck and she could hardly believe her eyes when she read my column on-line and saw that Aunt Marian was celebrating her 92nd birthday. How time flies! There were 25 close friends and family members besides the other folks at Campus Towers to wish her the very best according to daughter, Donna (Healy) Palmer. With the wind howling and the power out in West Valley, I was afraid to go traveling, so I missed out on the fun, but I had called Aunt Marian and wished her a wonderful day. We'll get up and visit with her on a calmer day, which will hopefully come real soon. That was a busy day, as my cousin's wife, Karen Bell celebrated her birthday that day and great nephew, Nathan Pedersen, celebrated his birthday too!

THIS WEEKEND--At the fairgrounds this week, you will be able to hunt for treasures and bargains at the 4-H and Fair Rummage sale, this Saturday and Sunday. You've still got time to get your good used items over there, but you'll have to hurry. For more info, call the fairgrounds at 795-3480.

At Redmen Hall, beginning this weekend, you can check out their new exhibit: "American Folklife-Commonwealth of Cultures." This exhibit will feature some local pictures which represent what goes on in our rural area and what kinds of things bring community members together for that real country flavor. They are going to give the public a chance to comment on what they see and maybe share some of their own memories about what they did while living in this country setting. This exhibit will run through May 9.

There is also a great book sale at Redmen Hall with a wonderful selection of historical and local books. Hurry for the best selection!

COMING THIS MONDAY--The public is invited to the Skamokawa Grange Hall Monday as we forego our usual meeting time and have a public fire safety program by our local Skamokawa Fire Department. Any pressing grange matters will be discussed after the program. With the temperatures staying colder, we may be using our fireplaces longer and our heaters more, so having the latest info on how to prevent a fire in your home, would be a very good thing.

NINE DAYS AWAY--The movie King Corn will be shown April 17 at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. The Skamokawa Grange and the Wahkiakum WSU Extension will co-sponsor this Free Movie Night once again. Come and check this show out and also view the new movies that the 4-H kids did. The show starts at 7 p.m. and with the short films and a break, should last until around 9 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come; free popcorn is available.

MORE PRAYERS--I got an email from 1966 WA-KI-HI graduate Phil Settles, who told me that fellow classmate Vicki (Jacobson) Groce had a daughter in serious condition in the hospital and she could use all of our prayers. Well, Vicki e-mailed him back and said that all those thoughts and prayers and good wishes must have done the trick, because her daughter Jaimee was now out of ICU and doing better and so it was her best Easter ever! We are all thrilled that Vicki's daughter is recuperating and we hope everyone will continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to recover.

HOME NOW--We've had a few folks we know that have been in and out of the hospital lately; here's hoping John Lindsey, Mac Johnson and Enis Danielsen will stay clear of that place for a long time. Also, I understand that June Mattson is recuperating in the hospital and will be at our local nursing home for awhile to do a little more recuperating. We hope you'll go by and visit.

BUSY HOLIDAY WEEKEND--Sue and Ed Edminster kept busy over the Easter weekend with family. Granddaughter Michelle showed up with her youngest daughter Morgan and spent the night, so it was only right to have son Brian and wife Jeanette and four kids come over to share in the fun as well. Then a couple of Ed's kids came by with their partners and gabbed, so there was lots of action at their house. Soon there will be more when daughter Sandy comes from Montana at the end of the week. With a trip to Bellingham to visit Sue's son and family mixed in there, along with a trip to the tulip fields later on, it sounds like they'll be ready for a good rest by the following week!

BIG TRIP--The Pete Sechlers took off to Montana over Spring Break and they got in some excellent skiing and snowboarding opportunities with the mountains covered in snow and the sun shining.

NOT THAT FAR OFF--Time is whizzing by and June will be here soon. The Rods and Reels Rod Run will take place on June 5, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration for this event takes place at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. If you are on Facebook, you can become a fan of the group and see the new T-shirt for this year. Lee Tischer is instrumental in getting this all put together. The T-shirt has the Grays River Covered Bridge with three colorful cars featured on it this year--a must have! You'll also see hundreds of pictures of the really awesome cars from last year's show. This event raises money for scholarships for the kids from both our Naselle and Cathlamet high schools. This is only half the fun of the day, as the Sturgeon Derby is at the fairgrounds that day as well.

MID-JUNE--The Wahkiakum Fair Board has come up with a great fund raiser as they will be having a series of Horse Gaming events, with the first one being held on June 19. The best way for this to be a success is for everyone to spread the word. Let's see about having a really great horse show and make good use of our new arena. Call Becky at the fairgrounds for more information 795-3480.

AFTER THAT--The 3rd annual "Follies," a musical revue put on by the Skamokawa Grangers, will be held on June 25, 26 and 27. All who would like to be in this show need to call Sunrise Fletcher or Adele Swift right away. These directors are busy planning a dandy performance. This is a fund raiser for the Skamokawa Grange Hall. We hope you will continue to support us, while we continue to entertain you. It's great fun!