Special Easter service, breakfast this Sunday

At least we are seeing some real spring like weather the past few days. The temperatures are still colder than normal, I think. The poor cherry trees and apple trees aren’t sure whether they should start to bloom or not. I guess we just have to chalk it up to “global warming.”

News from Naselle

Naselle-Grays River Valley School sports calendar for the coming week: Thursday-baseball at Naselle vs. Northwest Christian at 3:30 p.m., track at Wahkiakum at 3:30 p.m .; Friday-JV baseball at Wahkiakum at 3:30 p.m .; Monday-fastpitch and baseball in Naselle vs. Ocosta at 3:30 p.m .; Wednesday,-middle school track at Valley, fast pitch and baseball at home with Wishkah at 3:30 p.m. Go Comets!

If you have extra summer clothing in good condition, there is a collection box at the Naselle School where you can donate them. The clothing will be sent to the Philippines through the World Charities Organization. I’m not certain but I think this drive is probably sponsored by a Naselle student. For more information you can contact the school.

It’s Easter Egg Hunt time in Naselle. Bring the kiddos to the Naselle Football field on Saturday at 11 a.m. and see what the Easter Bunny has left behind. Good luck and happy hunting kids.

“Farm Fresh” is the theme for this year's annual bake sale/craft sale/plant sale and salad luncheon sponsored by the Priscilla Circle of the Naselle Lutheran Church located at 308 Knappton Road on April 30. There will be a special gardening area for the plant sale which will feature over 500 of Alfred Simukka’s tomato plant starts. The plant sale will open at 10 a.m.

You can purchase traditional Finnish delights baked by the church group as well as many other baked goods. Enjoy the many varieties of salads at the luncheon for only $6. Quilts made by the members of Priscilla Circle will be on sale in the sanctuary and the craft room.

With the exception of the garden area which will open promptly at 10 a.m., the hours will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All the proceeds from this event will be used for Mission work both abroad and here at home. Each year the Priscilla Circle uses the monies from this fund raiser to benefit worthy charities. Enjoy a wonderful day of shopping and a delicious lunch as well. And all for a good cause.

Do you have a T-shirt from a former Finnish American Folk Festival that you would like to donate to the 2012 festival? It seems we have a very generous and ambitious former Salmon Creek resident, Judy Anderson, who wants to make a quilt out of previous celebration T-shirts, to raffle off in 2012. What a great idea! She would like to begin the project right away, so if you have any shirts to contribute, please contact Anita Raistakka at 360 484-3376 or e-mail her at anita@finnam.naselle.net. You can also send or deliver them to Anita at 92 Bighill Rd, Naselle, WA. 98638.

Other news from the Westend:

Another reminder to get those running shoes laced up and the body in shape for the 27th Annual Great White Tail Run to be held on May 21 and sponsored by the Wahkiakum County based 4-H programs.

Registration forms are available throughout the county at post offices, stores, bulletin boards and banks or by calling 360 465-2275 or 360 795-3278. This year's run will include a 10K, 5K and two mile run through the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge in Skamokawa and you can also register for the run on Saturday morning at Skamokawa Vista Park beginning at 8:30 a.m. To be guaranteed a T-shirt you must have your entry in by May 4. There may be a limited number of shirts available on the day of the run.

Cost for the run is: $10 without a shirt (pre-run), $20 with shirt (pre-run), $12 without a shirt (race day), $25 with shirt (race day).

There will be discounts for more than one family member participating and for youth groups. A special division is available if you wish to bring your dog. Special rules apply and an added fee of $1 will be charged for your four legged companion.

It’s Sturgeon Derby time once again. The 11th Annual Dollars for Scholars Scholarship BBQ and Sturgeon Derby will be held on June 4 with lots of family fun, food and prizes for everyone. This event is sponsored by Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars Foundation and the Naselle-Grays River Valley Education Association. Proceeds from this annual event go to scholarships for students from both Wahkiakum and Naselle, and is an event not to be missed.

Pre-registration forms are available at many locations in the county, such as stores, post offices, cafes, and most local bulletin boards. For more information you can also contact Pat Kehrli at 360 849-4193.

The pre-registration forms must be postmarked by May 14th to be guaranteed a T-shirt and the final day to drop off your forms (no T-shirt) is June 3. Drop-off locations are the Bank of the Pacific, Cathlamet Chevron and Naselle Hardware.

More information coming in the next few columns.

A special Easter service will be held at Grays River United Methodist Church beginning at 9a.m. with a pancake breakfast to which everyone is invited. The Worship service will follow at 10 a.m. as usual. The service to be officiated by Pastor Richenda Fairhurst. The church is located at 3624 SR 4 West in Grays River. All are welcome.

The Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch that meets at Rosburg Hall will enjoy lasagna, salad, garlic bread and dessert on the 27th.

CAP sponsored Rosburg Senior Community Lunches are also served on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Rosburg Hall. Their menus for this week are as follows: April 21-chicken pot pie, broccoli spears, mashed squash, orange wedges and bread pudding; April 26-chicken and noodles, cauliflower with cheese, broccoli salad and peach crisp; April 28-roast pork with peach mango chutney, creamed kale and berry cobbler.

Birthdays being celebrated this coming week are Mickey Bates, Tony Wirkkala, Emily Ashe, Will Walter, Sandy Boyle, Marin Tienhaara, Lorri T. Bryant, Glenn Carlson, April Zimmerman, Nina Berg, Keely McGuire, Devin Roberts, Ashlee Gilbert, Shawn Rogers, Haley Footh, Robert Eaton, Taylor Gilbert, Gerry Clifford, Robert Maki, Gene Dotson, Rheanne Wirkkala, Renee Smith, Tari Zimmerman and Chuck Torppa. Happy Birthday everyone.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to the following couples this week: Steve and Cheryl Raistakka, Fidel and Rebecca Hernandez and Dan and Tari Zimmerman. Wishing you many more celebrations together.

I checked out the rummage sale at the fairgrounds last weekend, in my search for a dresser, and it looked like it was pretty well attended. The grounds are really shaping up and I want to compliment the volunteers on their work in the T-Building as well as the whole area. Job well done.

While browsing in the T-Building I had the pleasure of running into Stevan Morgain and his lovely wife Kathleen. We had a very pleasant chat and Stevan looks quite fit and healthy again. It was a pleasure seeing the two of you.

Do you ever think of things you did as a kid? Well, I had the chance last weekend to relive a really simple but memorable task that I did when I was quite young. Growing up in Maine, all the youngsters in the neighborhood would run up the road to the dairy farmer’s house when we heard he had a baby calf to bottle feed. If you were the lucky one, you got to name the calf and feed it. Last weekend Derek Heitsch came by and asked if I would consider feeding one of his new calves a bottle so he could go home to Longview early that day. I jumped at the chance.

My sister went with me to the barn, armed with a warm bottle of milk replacer and we were met by the farm dog Dufus. Of course, we were strangers and he informed us that we shouldn’t be there. After a few minutes everything was OK, so we headed for the barn. Once again, we were strangers and no well behaved baby calf would stand still for strangers in her stall. This little dark beauty with her eyelashes at least four inches long, looked at us like we were going to really do her harm. But then, she settled down in a corner of the stall, and she spied the bottle. After a quick bit of shoving and sucking it only took her a couple of minutes to empty the jug and then it was, "OK, now you can scratch my head and neck, I guess you’re all right." What fun, and what memories it brought back. Thanks, Derek! Now do I get to name her?

Happy Easter to all the readers.