School sports are afoot in the county

BEEN NICE--As this work week began, we got a few clouds and sprinkles but it wasn't too bad, as the sun came out and all signs of wetness soon disappeared. However, this Tuesday morning has things much wetter, but I'm sure my plants are loving it, as the ground was hard as a rock and the dirt was nothing but dust, so a little drink is probably a good thing. Last week, the daytime temperatures were in the mid-70s and they were some of my favorites; great if you had to work outside.

THIS WEEKEND--The annual chili cook off at the Elochoman Marina this Saturday has been canceled.

BACK TO THE ROUTINE--The kids are getting back into the routine of school buses, school work, school sports schedules and all that other school related fun stuff. For those of us grown ups who enjoy attending the kids' sports events, we have several to choose from such as football, in three different divisions: Mule Varsity, Mule JV and Warrior; Mule Volleyball and Warrior Volleyball and Cross Country, so that should keep the parents and the fans busy! The Mule Varsity football plays Adna at home tomorrow (Friday.) The JV team will be at Adna on Monday and the Warriors will play at home on September 9 at 6 p.m., against Pe Ell. Go Mules, go Warriors!

SPECIAL DAYS-- Those celebrating birthdays from September 2 -7 are Quin Bassi, Kathy McNally, Thea Pyle, Don Ostling, Zarina Hoven, Jade Havens, Don Witham, Cora Irving, Orville Lindsey, Jasmin Lindsey, Shirley Rose, Fred Bennett, Tristan Collupy, Troy Davis, Scott Baldwin, Jo Reed, Art Vik, Donna Peterson Bernard and Bill Chamberlain. We wish you all the best on your special days.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Mr. and Mrs. Steve Doumit, Todd and Kristen Souvenir, Mr. and Mrs. Buzz Moore, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Tracy, Mr. and Mrs. Brad McNally and Jim and Betty Koziel. Here's to wonderful anniversary celebrations for all of you.

NEW BIRTHDAY TO ADD--I got some good news this morning from my niece Katrina Pedersen Freeman and it seems she and husband Matthew will be welcoming another new addition to their household in early February. They will be having a baby girl, who will join three year old sister Paydn when she arrives at their home in California next year. Katrina is the youngest daughter of my brother, the late David W. Pedersen. We sent the couple our heartiest congratulaions on the upcoming arrival and can hardly wait to see the new bundle of pink in the family!

DONATIONS?--Have you taken your donation to Redmen Hall for the live and silent auctions that the Friends of Skamokawa will be holding in conjunction with their annual Wine Tasting event? No? There's still time to offer them some items so that folks can get into those fun bidding wars; all in good fun and all for a good cause. They already have some great items to bid on, like an overnight stay in Astoria or up at Vashon Island. All proceeds go towards the continuing efforts to keep Redmen Hall's doors open and maintained; a big job these days for everyone with a building to take care of, so we hope you'll support this event by coming to the Skamokawa Grange Hall on September 11 from 7 -10 p.m. This year the theme is "Wines from Down Under," with wines from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile and Argentina. Along with the various wines, there are non-alcoholic beverages and some tasty treats to go with it. Once again, Rob Stockhouse will be your auctioneer and his participation in this event is greatly appreciated. Tickets are $15 and are available at the Bank of the Pacific and Golden Ladder in Cathlamet and Redmen Hall in Skamokawa and of course, they will be available at the door of the grange hall. Hope to see you there! Call Redmen Hall at 795-3007 or event co-ordinator Bernadette Goodroe at 795-8031 for more information or if you'd like to help with a donation.

TIME IS TICKING--If you haven't been to Redmen Hall to see the Columbian Artists Association exhibit yet, you only have until September 5 to do so. Coming up beginning September 11 will be the "River City Strippers Quilt Show" and that's always an amazing site to see as those quilts are just gorgeous with their wide array of colors and patterns. Hopefully you'll get up that way soon to take in all that Redmen Hall has to offer.

GREAT JOB--Did you check out the latest edition of "Smoke Signals" put out by the Friends of Skamokawa? Wow, what a great looking newsletter, which was designed by new office manager, Lisa Mooers. It's terrific! Kudos to Lisa for putting out such wonderful work and to all those who pitched in and wrote articles and took pictures, it was great!

25th ANNIVERSARY-- It's hard to believe that it has been 25 years since we, a whole band of grass roots volunteers, first got together, formed the Friends of Skamokawa and bought the old school. We tore out walls and flooring, added a beautiful staircase, made a parking lot and got grants for paint, etc. It was a huge undertaking, but as it is such a focal point in Skamokawa, it was sure worth all the work. As everyone knows, saving an old building is a labor of love and commitment and all of those who join the FOS or donate to it, are preserving our history and keeping it alive, so a big thanks to all of you who continue to do so.

GREAT REUNION--According to Gary and Pam Emery, the "all Skamokawa school/classes" reunion went over real well at Skamokawa Vista Park on August 21. They had about 60 people there who enjoyed sharing stories and information about themselves and their memories of the days spent in the old school. Gary tells me they sold a lot of T-shirts and mugs at the reunion and still have some left if you'd like one, and they can be purchased at Redmen Hall.

INFORMATION NEEDED--We've had several people ask about the old Lamont Mansion that used to be in Skamokawa and I'm looking for someone around here who may have some pictures or memories of it or of it being torn down or moved. We've heard a couple of different stories about it, but we'd like some more if you have it. We do know that the stairs across from the Skamokawa Town Center/Post Office, used to lead up to it but once the road came through, the Mansion had to be removed. Some say it was destroyed while others insist only part of it was taken apart and the other part moved. So, if you want to get in on the debate, give me a call and tell me what you know! The Duck Inn has a great picture of it, so I know about that one, but I'm looking for any others. Give me a call!

BRAGGING RIGHTS--I got a message from daughter-in-law, Katie Sechler in Seattle, telling me that my grandson Blake had just been made captain of the Ballard Beavers football team. The family was pretty proud of course, and considering that this honor is usually given to Seniors and Blake is only a Junior, it was a special honor and surprise, so we have to say "congratulations" to him. Good job Blake!

SYMPATHY--Linda and Myron Ougendal have our sincerest sympathies as they lost their mother, Lilly Ougendal recently at the age of 93. She was laid to rest last Saturday. Our condolences to the rest of her family which consisted of two sisters, two grand-daughters and numerous other relatives. We'd also like to send our sympathies to the family and friends of Jack Knopski; may he rest in peace.

THE PLAN/FORUM--On September 27 the Skamokawa Grangers are planning to have a Candidates Forum beginning at 7 p.m. The invitations went out this week to those top two runners in their divisions and so we have 18 people invited, eight locally and eight that are running for various state offices. This is the time to get your questions answered from these candidates. Of course, this is a busy time for them so we know that not all of them will be able to show up, but hopefully we'll have enough of them to make for an interesting evening. All of the details have yet to be worked out, but usually each person gets an allotted time to speak and there is a set time for questions as well, but I'm guessing that this is all going to depend on how many people show up. Please keep in mind that we would like to keep these events informative and interesting, but not hostile, and that all participants may be direct in their questioning but yet must act in a civil manner. Charles Parker will be the moderator for this forum. This is your chance to be heard.