General store welcome addition

WET START--As this week began, it was a very wet and nasty Sunday, so everyone who had been out working like crazy on Friday and Saturday, got to take a rest on Sunday, as it was not fit for man nor beast out there. Some of us even took this great opportunity to head to the Fair Foundation's chicken and dumpling dinner prepared by Janet Bryan. We not only got a rest from working in the yard but from cooking as well!

Monday wound up being super nice after a cloudy beginning, and the folks trying to take advantage of the nice weather were working their tails off as they puttered in their gardens, flower beds, wood piles, etc. With several nice days promised this week, it looks a little more promising that our plants will grow instead of drown and we'll be seeing more smiles, instead of frowns!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from May 19- 25 are Betty Koziel, Ellen Anderson, Kris Parke, Linda Mahitka, Courtney Helms, Julie McKinley, Mike Phelps, Susan Whitney, Tina Ray Vincent, Lois Nelson, Carol Cothren, Mary Jodi McClain, Signe Peterson, Dexter Meyer, Bobby McNally, Rochelle Cothren, Julie Black, Bryson Havens, Mitch Moonen, Doris Takko, Johnnie Peterson, Bonnie Bigler, Kevin Wirkkala, Kelly Hammond, Tiernan Cochran, Mary Jo Brown, Donna Palmer, Brandon Chamberlain, Brenda Baldwin Ferguson, Lainie Ferguson and Katrina Pedersen Freeman. Hope all your birthday wishes come true.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to the Wayne Cochrans, the Tony Dankers, the Bill Faubions, the George Silvas, the Bobby Byrums and John Fitzpatricks.

NEW ARRIVAL--Cousin Sherry Stewart called to tell me she is a great grandma again, as grandaugther Felicia gave birth to a baby girl on May 11. She weighed in at seven pounds and 8½ ounces and was named Auvery Jayde. This new baby is Sherry's third great grandchild. Congratulations to Felicia and her immediate family and here's to another branch on our family tree.

STORE OPENS--By the time you read this, the newly refurbished General Store in Skamokawa will be open for business and boy, are we all thrilled with this news! The grand opening is to be held on May 27 from 3 to 6 p.m. We hope you stop by and welcome our latest community/business members, the Don Jesters, to the neighborhood. Living on site and managing the place, which includes newly refurbished hotel rooms for rent, as well as vacation rentals and a paddle center, is Logan Britt and wife, Debra. Helping out as one of the assistant managers, is our very own Michelle Collupy. There's a great coffee and juice bar, and also a snack bar. The new deck to the side of the building is a great spot to watch the river.

GOLF DOINGS--If you're into golf, this is the weekend to be at Skyline Golf course. I hope somebody wins that $10,000 for the hole in one event. That would be something to whoop and holler about; here's to some good luck to somebody in town. Warm up is at 9 a.m. with all the fun starting at 10 a.m. All proceeds to benefit the Wahkiakum HS Sports fund. Call 795-8785 for more information.

WONDERFUL VISIT--In April, Sharyl Hjaltalin enjoyed having her daughter Jamie and husband David, along with their four little boys Tyson, Brandon, Hayden and Nathan, come for a week long visit. It had been six years since the last time Jamie had been home, as her family lives in Fort Bragg, N.C. David had never spent any time in Washington state and it was a very different kind of place compared to his home state of Alabama. While they were here, the youngest boy, Nathan, celebrated his first birthday on Easter, which Sharyl says will not occur again for another 95 years, as Easter is always a moving holiday. Wow, that's a long time! The whole group went to Seattle and visited the Bruce Lee Memorial, the Trolls under the Freemont Bridge, which the kids just loved, Pike Place Market, the Seattle Center, and took a walk around the Safeco and Qwest fields. They stayed with Sharyl's sister on Mercer Island. While Sharyl and her sister watched the boys, Jamie and David enjoyed a date night and dined at the top of the Space Needle. They also went to Olympia and shared Easter dinner with Jamie's grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins too, so they had quite a reunion. Sharyl said the house was certainly quiet after they left and hoped they'd be able to return again and not wait six years to do it this time!

SENIOR LUNCH--If you'd like to enjoy some good food and company, the Dennis Reids say the Rosburg Senior Lunch, served at noon on Wednesdays at the Rosburg Community Center, is a wonderful place to go. If you're looking for a different place to have lunch and you've reached that golden age, why not head over to Rosburg and try out their meals and maybe make some new friends while you're at it?

NEW NAME--Remember when I asked if anybody knew Bergman Grundstad? Well, I didn't get any hits on that name but records show an Ivor Bergman Grunstad for this area, so maybe you knew this man by that name--clues anybody? Also, it seems the Marsh Ranch was listed in this area between the Archie Silvernan and Frank Eggman's parents' places, so anybody know where they were? Sure would like to hear from anybody that lived in this area that could fill in some of these questions. Call me at 795-3425.

NEW ITEM--A beautiful fishing rod made in honor of Mike Brennan is going to be auctioned off at the upcoming Derby For Dollars Sturgeon Derby on June 4 with the funds raised to go towards the memory of Mike for scholarships for Wahkiakum students. Mike was a huge supporter of the Dollars for Scholars program and this pole embodies Mike's passion for fishing and some of his favorite things, like the hickory wood used for the handle and the camouflage coloring for the guide and fore grip. The copper trim on the pole represents his job as a lineman for the PUD for 30 years. This pole is a great tribute to Mike and is really gorgeous. It says right on it "Custom Made by Doug Martin, In Memory of Mike Brennan." Mike's volunteerism is missed by the groups that he helped out over the years. You can see the pole in the window of The Wahkiakum County Eagle office from May 19-23.

NOT LONG NOW--The other half of the Sturgeon Derby is the Rods and Reels Car Show and we're hoping for our sixth year of sunny days. As usual, we've got some awesome raffle tables and prizes. New this year will be a poker run; people will travel to various businesses and get a card and try to get the best hand of the day. Remember, June 4 is the day for fantastic cars, music, a fish and chicken BBQ and a trout pond for the kids, as well as a dart game started by Mike Brennan where you can win a great prize and also see some big sturgeon, we hope!

THAT MORNING--On the morning of the car show, you can enjoy a wonderful breakfast at the Skamokawa Methodist Church from 7 to 10 a.m. They will be serving biscuits and gravy, sausage and eggs and pancakes. One dollar from every breakfast sold will go to the Dollars for Scholars scholarships, so this event helps not only the church but the DFS foundation and our kids as well.

COLUMBIA RIVER KAYAKING--Starting Memorial Day weekend, May 28th, the Paddle Center at the Skamokawa Center will be open from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Friday and Sunday. Expanded hours will begin in July. If you'd like to kayak during the week, the center would do their best to make this possible. Call the Paddle Center at 360-795-8300. Formerly known as Elderhostel, the New Road Scholar program in Skamokawa was highly ranked among 300 providers; quite an accomplishment. Their program this year is almost full and there's a waiting list until October. However, advanced paddlers are being offered a new RS program with BCU certified coaches Mark Whitaker and Karl Andersson, with a 20 mile downstream paddle to Astoria on the last day. You need to register for this event. Check out the program on the Columbia River Kayak website or you can contact the Paddle Center.

STILL NEW--This is one of those special anniversaries as Bill and I will have lived in our home on West Valley Road for 24 years as of the 24th of this month, which had been my mother's birthday and my niece's birthday, so it was quite a day to remember. Back then, we were waiting for a decent, dry day that fell on a weekend and so when it turned out nice, we grabbed tables and chairs, beds, dressers, drawers and all, loaded it all on a flat bed trailer and we moved! It's hard to believe that our coming down here to talk to Bernie Schroeder about cows, would wind up being instrumental in us buying this house. Bernie, who was here putting on a new roof, said, "You guys should buy this place." Mrs. Quigley was inside and after a brief talk, we headed down the dirveway and looked at each other and said, "We should buy this place." The handshake deal we made with Frank and Carol Quigley that night cemented our purchase of the house and just like that, we were moving to Skamokawa!