Free movie night Saturday at grange

WAS NICE--We had a pretty nice weekend, although there was rain in the middle of the night on Saturday, but that was okay because it was sunny during the daylight hours and that's all that mattered to most of us. But now the work week has begun and so did the rain. It's this kind of weather that makes things grow like crazy, unless they drown! Let's hope we see the return of the sunshine real soon!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 15-21 are Janine Helms, Bryan Ledtke, Dan Keilwitz, Lori Smith, Floyd McClane, Brock Cothren, Jack Burdick, Leota Souvenir, Mike Heriford, Trevor Whitney, Nancy Granger, Nathan Frink, 67'er: Sandra Peterson Davis, Gwen (Good) Ronninghaug, Lynn Good Fancher and Sue Edminster. Happy Birthday everybody!

Belated Anniversary wishes go to Cliff and Judy Garrison who celebrated their 31st anniversary April 10.

THIS IS IT--"Free Movie Night" is this Saturday at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. We hope you'll come by and see the 4-H kids' new short films and the feature movie King Corn; the show begins at 7 p.m. This free movie night is sponsored by the Skamokawa Grange #425 and the Wahkiakum WSU Extension office.

BUSY TIME AHEAD--Here we are, in the middle of yet another month. I don't know about you but I wish things would slow down just a little bit because I don't have my winter chores done yet, and spring has already begun, which means summer is right around the corner. I can't keep up! With that being said, the count down is on to the grange contests being held on May 8, bring your items to the Skamokawa Grange that day and get them entered. Everyone is welcome to enter something. Items are similar to those that you would enter in our county fair. Don't forget Mother's Day on May 9; there are bound to be dinner, candy and flower specials in town, so make sure you take advantage of one of those and remember your Mom, special lady or significant other, on her special day!

The Great White Tail Run will be on May 15. It's hard to believe but this is 26 years of this event. This is a fund raiser for the Wahkiakum based 4-H youth program and all proceeds will go towards benefitting this program. This event takes place around the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge and there are several options: 10 K, a 5 K or a 2 mile stint. You can walk or run or even bring your dog for an extra buck! At any rate, there are different costs depending on whether you pre-register or not and if you want a T-shirt or not. For all the scoop, you can look for the green flyers that are all over town, or call 360-795-3278 or 360-465-2275. This is just a month away, so don't delay in getting registered!

In June, it will be a very busy month: Car Show/Sturgeon Derby on June 5; WA-KI-HI graduation on June 11 and the three day musical extravaganza, "The Follies" put on by the Skamokawa Grangers at the grange hall on June 25, 26 and 27; not to mention Father's Day on June 20.

FOLLIES MEETING--Speaking of the Follies, if you want to be in this year's production, come to a meeting on April 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. The skits are done and the music ready, now we just need you to come and join the fun. Other than the last couple of weeks, your practice schedule is up to you, so it's very easy to be a part of this musical extravaganza. See you the Friday after next!

BIG REUNION--The Skamokawa "all school" reunion will be taking place this summer, so plans are underway for that according to Pam and Gary Emery. Every even year, the group holds this reunion and they wanted me to be sure and have you mark down August 21 for that. This is also the last day of the Wahkiakum County Fair, so you can come and support the fair and enjoy your classmates at the same time. Of course, anyone is welcome to come to Vista Park and join the crowd. This potluck lunch will take place at 1 p.m., so bring some food and say hello! New this year is a T-shirt for $18.95. The money raised from the T-shirt sales will be given to the Dollars for Scholars group, which raises money for our kids' scholarshipst. For more information about the reunion or ordering a T-shirt, call Gary at 360-200-5869 or contact him via email at summervind79@hotmail.com.

DECADE REUNION--The WA-KI-HI graduates from the 1970s are planning a decade reunion to take place July 24 at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. If you graduated in the 70s, they hope you were notified of their plans and if not, you can come to their next meeting April 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Riverview in Cathlamet. Susan Kuhn has put together a huge list of graduates from the school and if you are on Facebook, join the group, "Mule Train All School/Decade Alumni Reunion" to get on the list so they'll be able to contact you. They are also hoping to have an "All School Reunion" around the year 2015. You can email Susan at: sjmcq1@yahoo.com for more information.

CLOSER TO HOME--I have good news for family and friends of Robert Fritzie, as he is now in Longview. We hope you'll be able to visit or drop a line or give him a call now that's he's much closer to home. According to Mike Gregory, Robert is looking good and still working hard to recover. He's at the Canterbury Retirement Inn at 1324 3rd Ave. You can call him at 425-2974. I have to thank Cheryl Nelson for the heads up, as he'd been moved from one place to another and and would probably be in Longview soon. Thanks to Mike and Phil Settles, I got the word that he is indeed in Longview. Great news!

CELEBRATIONS--Ralph and Peggy Pedersen had dual celebrations this weekend, when they celebrated their 55th anniversary (April 9) and Ralph's 74th birthday (April 8) with their sons, Tim and Mark, and their spouses, Susan and Rhonda. Of course, there isn't a birthday or anniversary that little sister, me, isn't invited to as well, so I tagged along for lunch and got to enjoy a chocolate chip cheesecake made by Susan. Little did they know that Ralph, Peg, Roger and Jo Reed and yours truly had celebrated Ralph's birthday on Thursday with German Chocolate cake. Time to diet!

SAD TIMES--We got word last Friday that former Skamokawa resident, Bill May, had passed away peacefully in his sleep in Oregon. All of us who knew him here called him "Little Bill," and he was one sweet guy. We'd like to extend our deepest sympathies to all of his family and friends. Services had not yet been set by family members as of this writing.

IN OUR THOUGHTS--I heard from former Wahkiakum resident and 67'er, Sharon Stout Servis, who said that her husband BJ could use our thoughts and prayers as he battles with some health issues. We'll even say a few extra for Sharon as she stands by her hubby and helps him deal with these issues. We are hoping you are feeling better soon, BJ!

FIRE SAFETY--Duncan Cruickshank of the Skamokawa Fire Department was kind enough to come to the Skamokawa Grange Hall last Monday night and give us some tips on what we can do to keep our homes and ourselves, safer from fire. This meeting was open to the public so they could hear first hand what they should do in case of a fire in their home; how they should have a fire evacuation plan and practice it; how to plan escape routes from each room of their house and have a meeting place away from your home, just to name a few. Ask yourself what you are doing to minimize the risks of having a fire around your home. Are you guilty of "fanning the flames" by having fire wood stacked too close to your home? Do you fail to check your smoke and fire alarms regularly? Did you know that they should be replaced every 10 years, even if the tester beeps at you and you think it's okay? Do you have alarms that are hooked together so that if one goes off they all go off? Is your house and driveway "fire engine friendly"? Maybe one of the most important parts of getting help is having your address very visible to an ambulance or fire truck, four inch (at least) reflective lettering. We thank Duncan for doing this, and if you'd like to have him talk to your club or group, give him a call.