Sturgeon derby, car show huge success

PERFECT--No matter that it was raining last Friday or that it was just an all day soaker on Sunday, what really mattered was that on Saturday, the Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars annual car show and sturgeon derby was basking in sunshine all day long down here in Skamokawa at the fairgrounds and surrounding area! Everyone involved had all been holding their breath all week long, so when I woke up and saw the fog, I knew we'd have sunshine soon to follow, so it worked out perfect!

There were over 200 awesome cars and trucks registered this year and they all looked fantastic as usual. Sadly, there was a death among the car club members and with the Beach Barons in charge of the service, many car owners and club members were not there this year. We offer our condolences and hope nothing like that keeps them from showing up next year.

As usual, there were some awesome tables of prizes that were donated that folks had a chance to win for just a dollar, so those lucky people who had their names drawn were mighty happy, as each table or group setting was well worth winning. On the car show side of things, the BBQ that looked like an engine was the favorite, but not by much as the TV and DVD player and the scooter/cooler were neck and neck with it, so it was great to have so many vie for those prizes.

The Naselle Marimba Band entertained us for a couple of hours once again and those kids are just super; what great musicians and what a great sound! They have a CD you can buy and that way you can listen to that great beat any time you want, and I was happy to have my copy to keep me hoppin' the whole year long. Good job kids and we hope you'll be with us next year as well!

We sure enjoyed the food once again. The fish and chicken were great; that's a huge job and everyone involved in cooking and serving is to be commended. The kids showed up in grand numbers and they were great. Of course, dessert was a big hit as well, and was donated by Sharon and John Buennagel from "Sharon's Pizza and More" in Cathlamet. They sold many, many bowls of strawberry shortcake so that brought in even more dollars to the WDFS; too bad I am allergic, as they looked so good! Their hot dogs were a big hit with the kids and kept everyone else filled up until dinner was served, and with the Webbs serving up maple bars and coffee in the grange in the morning, you shouldn't have been hungry while you were there. Not to mention, the Methodist church members had been serving a full breakfast across the footbridge there, so there was definitely no reason to have a growling stomach, unless it was just too full!

At any rate, the whole day went great, I thought, and planning will begin almost immediately for next year, so there is a whole lot of work involved in putting this on, and everyone's efforts are truly appreciated. If you'd like to join the "team" and help out, give me a call and I'll steer you in the right direction. Remember that this event always falls on the Saturday after Memorial Day Weekend, so if you didn't make it down here this year, we hope to see you next year and we'll hope we have yet another perfect day!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from June 10-16 are Tyson Hjaltalin, Matalyn Longtain, Tom Almer, Gina Robbins, Erin Turner is the big 18 this weekend, Kelsey Briscoe, Robert Montgomery, Mike Paulsen Jr., Deloris Wages, Megan Doumit, Holly Moore, Nikolai Almer, Linda Bunce, Andrea Hess, Sandra K. Hess, Kristian Pedersen, Colton Reynolds, and Karen Chamberlain Blain.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Wally Wright, Stevan and Kathleen Morgain and Stewart and Ginger Moonen. Here's to wonderful celebrations for all of you.

NEW BIRTHDAY--The Jason Blain family increased from four members to five recently when daughter Rian Danielle came into this world on May 18. Her brother Matt and sister Brook are totally enjoying the new addition and we send our heartiest "welcome to the world" and congratulation wishes their way.

SPECIAL REMEMBERANCE--Tom Almer had a special treat arrive at his house the other day, as his mom Darlene said that country singer Gretchen Wilson had sent him an autographed hat and CD and a personal graduation card to him, so how terrific was that? It seems that when Tom was just 13, he met Gretchen and fellow country singer Kenny Chesney down in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, and it seems Tom made quite an impression on Gretchen as she was kind enough to remember him on this special event. Leading up to his graduation, his mom said that Tom has been given several awards as well, so congratulations to him on all his accomplishments!

RECUPERATING--Jonnie Knowles gave me a call from the Columbia View Nursing Home the other day as she is recuperating from a total knee replacement and will be there a while. We wish her the speediest of recoveries and hopefully her new knee will give her some pain free mobility soon. And of course, she could always use some visitors, so stop on by and say hello if you're in town.

MOVED--I got word from Sherry Ostling that Robert Fritzie is now back at the NW Continuum Care Center at 128 Beacon Hill Drive in Longview, 98632, so I'm sure he would enjoy getting a note or visit from any of his fellow classmates, friends, Islanders, Norskies, etc. We continue to think of him and wish him well.

HELP NEEDED--As we've all noticed, times are tough and cuts have had to be made here and there and one of those places that has been affected has been our county museum. They are now counting on their members and other volunteers to operate the museum on weekends, so if you've got a few hours to spare, why not give Bob Hendrickson a call at 795-8631 and let him know you'd like to help out? You can also call Kari Kandoll at 849-4353. While new things keep getting planned around the area, it's important to remember to take care of the long standing historical things that are already in place, so we hope you'll help keep our little treasure going and volunteer now and then. The museum is now open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., but can be opened on special occasions by appointment, so come and see all the great photos and other things that folks in our area have so generously donated and others are working so hard to preserve. While we can't always give $20 to help out, we can often spare five and if everyone just sat down and wrote a five dollar check today, our museum could continue to keep the heat on and the doors open. Why not do that today?

THIS FRIDAY--Well, it's graduation time for the high school seniors of WA-KI-HI and we hope they have a wonderful graduation and send them off with our heartiest congratulations as they head into the future. We hope that everyone has a fun-filled but very safe graduation celebration after the ceremony this Friday night!

4-H CLINIC--This Saturday, there will be a Dog and Cat Vaccination Clinic at the Wahkiakum Fairgrounds and Dr. Lisa Bartel of Naselle will be there to offer a variety of dog and cat shots, which range between $10 and $16, depending on what you want. If you are a senior, 65 and up, you could get a scholarship to have your animal taken care of at no cost. There is also an opportunity to have your animal fitted with a microchip and lifetime registration for just $35 and you can have their nails trimmed, and other things done to promote the good health of your animal as well, so come and check that out. If you have another type of animal besides a dog or cat, you need to call the vet prior to Saturday and make other arrangements for them: 360-484-7228. Other clinic dates are July 10 and August 7, and they all last from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and are sponsored by the Wahkiakum County 4-H clubs.

NEXT WEEKEND--It's back to the fairgrounds on June 19 for the first part of three events in the "Silver Buckle Gaming Series", which features a different kind of "horse power" compared to last week, as there won't be cars there but real horses! If you're a horse enthusiast, we hope you'll sign up and take part in this series which will also have events in July and August.

PRACTICE CONTINUES--Yes, those of us who are in the upcoming "Smoky Water Follies" are singing in the shower, singing in the car, and singing with piano player Sandi Wirkkala, as the dates for the third annual Vaudeville-styled show are coming right up at the end of the month. Ten bucks will get you in the door and is a darn good price for such a wide array of musical entertainment. The dates are June 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinee on June 27. We hope to see you there at the Skamokawa Grange hall sometime during those three showings!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1945, the week began cold and wet but got very nice and actually hot the last few days. Elsie Everest was busy make rhubarb preserves, and keeping up with grandsons Ralphie B. and Frank, as they headed to the ballgame, after spending the night with their grandparents. There was a visit to Mrs. Mast's house for a dress fitting and nice visit by Grandma Elsie later on that week. Mrs. Shamley and Grandma went to Mrs. Taylor's and had a nice evening visit with her the following day, with a trip out to the Wests', Gertie Healy's and daughter Marian's the following day; lots of visiting going on that week!

This week back in 1960, the weather was just the opposite of 1945's, as it was nice for the first few days but then turned wet and cool for the last three. Luckily, the Rose Festival enjoyed the first part of the week and got to enjoy all the good weather during their festivities. William Alfred Wise, 94, passed away in Cathlamet on June 11, having been born in Kentucky in 1865 and came to Cathlamet in 1892 where he was involved in logging and fishing businesses. His daughter, Mrs. Odessa Osborn of Cathlamet survived him, as did a son, Odell Wise of Portland. President Eisenhower started out on his trip to visit Japan, while protesters there made the rest of the world nervous. It was big news for Leon and Marian (Everest) Healy, as their daughter Donna had her engagement to Glenn Palmer announced in the paper, with a wedding date set for July 2. All this according to Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.