Summer full of programs, events

Welcome to summer. Today, it actually feels like summer with the sunshine and blue sky. Let’s just hope it continues.

News from Naselle:

During the last four days of school, the Naselle High School football team held a football camp for elementary students. The youngsters were taught the basic fundamentals and plays by the more experienced team members. This up and coming group will perform during half time at the first home football game. What a wonderful way to build up camaraderie with kids of all ages.

Even though school is out for a couple of months it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot going on. Check out the different programs at your local library, play ball at the park, go on a bike ride, hike or fish up in the hills or near the rivers. Kids need things to keep them occupied and out of trouble.

If you live in the Naselle area and know of any events being planned, please let me know and I will get the information out. Thanks in advance.

Other news from the Westend:

A group of about 40 local landowners, including some from Puget Island and Pacific County, met at the Covered Bridge in Grays River with Anna Canzano, anchor and investigative reporter for KATU Channel 2 from Portland. She had contacted county commissioner Blair Brady after receiving information from private citizens regarding the dumping of septic sludge on fields in the flood plain in Grays River and the subsequent adoption of an ordinance restricting the use of any biosolids in the county except Class A. The passing of that ordinance led to a lawsuit being filed against Wahkiakum County by the Department of Ecology. Reminds me of the story of David and Goliath.

Mrs. Canzano asked for statements from Commissioner Brady, Senator Hatfield, who also made an appearance in support of the people, and from any other residents who cared to speak. She also asked some very pertinent questions about our area and was told that the dumping of sludge is not the only issue that the citizens are burdened with here with regard to agencies and their “bully attitudes.”

This segment will be aired sometime this week, and may have been shown already. I want to thank Mrs. Canzano, her cameraman, Commissioner Brady, Senator Hatfield and especially all the residents who took time in the middle of the day to meet with us and tell our story. We can make a difference if we stick together.

The old Rosburg School building at Johnson Park will now be known as Grays River Valley Center as was reported in last week’s Eagle. By choosing that name it will give us the opportunity to write grants and, as was our intention from the very beginning, it will not compete in any way with the name of Rosburg Community Hall.

More good news on the kitchen renovation at Johnson Park. As I write this column our new dishwasher is on its way from Tacoma. A new 40 inch, two oven stove has been ordered and will probably be installed in a couple of weeks. We are in the process of upgrading the rest of the kitchen as well. Thanks to the advisory board and the volunteers for all your support and hard work putting this together.

On that same theme, it looks like we are getting closer to combining the Community Computer Center with our Grays River Valley Library. We hope to have that task completed within the month. If you have a few extra hours, we could still use some volunteers on several different fronts.

A new sign that says “Johnson Park” will be placed in an area where it can be readily seen from the highway in both directions, and is ready to be picked up. The sign was made at the Youth Camp and a generous donation from Bill Karwoski made it possible. Thanks Bill.

I want to welcome Zenaida Toftemark home from her latest trip to the Philippines and let her know that we missed her. She had a good trip I’m told and made some progress in their effort to adopt a little boy named Elmer.

Another local traveler is home again and looks very well rested and relaxed. Marilyn Gudmundsen has been gone about a month visiting with family and friends in Guam and Japan. I don’t have all the details as yet, but hope to hear all about it. Welcome home ladies.

The Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch that meets at the Rosburg Hall will enjoy Pat Potter’s yummy meat loaf, whipped spuds with gravy, mixed veggies and dessert. Thanks to Pat and her volunteer crew, our seniors can have a nutritious lunch and visit with their neighbors, sometimes play a little bingo, and take part in special event lunches several times a year. This is truly a community lunch.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays seniors can also have a wonderful meal at the same location that is sponsored by CAP and staffed by volunteers. This weeks menus are: Thursday, the 23rd-chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli Normandy, sliced oranges and carrot cake; Tuesday, the 28th-oven fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad, collard greens and peach crisp; Thursday, the 30th-salmon patties with tartar sauce, Capri vegetables, fruit salad and tapioca pudding. Come on in and check out these two venues for great lunches and good company.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to the following celebrants this week: Andy Mattson, Matt Blaine, Brandice Warra, Paula Braniff, Chelsea Johnson, Tim Trimble, Sophie Scrabeck, Lilia Larson, Doug Miller, Quinn Donlon, Reiko Dziados, John Larson, Mitzi Hunter, Lynn Boyle, John Hess, Adelynn Meghan Crozier, Henry Varila, Garth Ullakko, Madison Headley, Samantha Donlon, Andrew Nortrup, Keegan Magee and Don Raistakka. Have a perfectly wonderful special day.

Happy Anniversary to the following couples this week: Will and Carol Walters, Stacy and Rachel Katyryniuk, Keith and Diane Wirkkala, Jeff and Katie Bjornsgard, Joel and Noreen Fitts, Jon and Stephanie Gudmundsen, Rod and Darlene Ammer and Wilho and Kaisa Saari. Wishing you many more.

I want to wish an extra special Happy Birthday to Judy Durrah of Grays River. She is a wonderful asset to our little community, and does an excellent job of taking responsibility as the events coordinator at Johnson Park as well as her volunteering at the Community Computer Center since its beginning. Thank you so much for your service to the community and for your friendship. Wishing you an absolutely wonderful day.

We had a wonderful weekend in Redmond, Ore. with two of our kids. We took the opportunity to celebrate our great grandson’s second birthday and the birthdays of our grand daughter and daughter-in-law as well as Father’s Day. Nice weather and relaxing. As an added bonus, our daughter and son-in-law had purchased a steer to raise and have it slaughtered in the fall, but they found that it was lonely and their pasture was large enough to feed a couple more calves, so, we also bought one. Now, let’s see who wimps out first, when it comes down to the slaughter date. They have been named T-Bone and Pork Chop. Any bets?

Today is a wonderful day to work on my article and watch my new seamless gutters being installed. We hired Sta-Dry Gutters from Long Beach to come in and make them right here on site. What an awesome machine. It takes a flat piece of metal and molds it into a gutter as it comes through the end of the machine, where John puts an end piece on it and he and his wife attach it to the fascia board. Some things in construction have really come a long way. Thank you, John and Tammy for a job well done, and reasonable too.