Covered Bridge Dinner Oct. 1

Fall is in the air! At least in the early morning hours and in the evening. I guess the few short weeks of summer is all we are going to get.

News from Naselle:

Sports calendar for the coming week for the Naselle-Grays River Valley District is as follows: Thursday-volleyball at South Bend at 5:45 p.m .; Friday-football at home with Raymond at 7 p.m .; Saturday, there will be a volleyball tournament at North Beach; Monday-middle school volleyball at North Beach at 5:45 p.m .; Tuesday-volleyball in Naselle with Willapa Valley at 5:45 p.m. and middle school football with North Beach at 6 p.m .; Wednesday-middle school volleyball with South Bend in Naselle at 5:45 p.m. Go Comets!

There will be a Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board meeting on Tuesday, the 20th at 6:30 p.m.

Students will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the 21st for an in-service day.

Other news from the Westend:

Wahkiakum Community Network is once again stepping up to the plate with their Strengthening Families Program. This program will begin on October 10 and run for seven sessions ending on November 21. Meetings will take place on Mondays at a location yet to be determined.

The weekly meetings are for parents and youth from the ages of 10-14. The sessions will include family discussions and games, family style potluck dinners, door prizes, parent discussions and youth activities. This program is geared to help our youth prepare for the teen years, avoid problems with drugs and alcohol, and how to strengthen family communication.

Youth will learn how to handle frustration, resist peer pressure, appreciate parents/caregivers and how to get along with others. The parents/caregivers will discuss what youth this age are like, making rules and what the consequences should be if rules are broken, how to solve problems when dealing with youth and ways to show love and support.

The program is funded by the Wahkiakum Community Network. To register your family please call Lisa Frink, program coordinator at 795-3278.

Mark your calendar for the upcoming Columbia River Country Days which will take place on the weekend of September 30th through October 2nd. This event is sponsored by Friends of Extension and Wahkiakum 4-H.

Dinner tickets for the Covered Bridge Dinner, in coordination with Columbia River Country Days are available now. The 4th annual lamplit dinner on the bridge will take place on October 1, and there are only a limited number of tickets. They can be purchased at the Bank of the Pacific at the Naselle and Cathlamet locations and at the Wahkiakum County Extension Office located at 25 River St. in Cathlamet. Ticket prices are as follows: $35 for adults and $25 for Grand Americans (aged 72 or older) and children under 12.

For more information you may contact the Extension Office at 795-3278 or Carol at 465-2275.

Johnson Park and the Grays River Valley Center will be hosting a Second annual All Hallows and Harvest Evening for the community on Saturday, October 29. Admission is free with extra goodies for sale. Treats (no tricks) will be available at the spooky west entrance of the building from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be food, fun and games in the Harvest Room at the north entrance of the building from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and at about 7 p.m. you can relax and enjoy a G-rated old movie.

If you would like to help out, please call Penny at 465-2775. Or you can sign up at the Grays River Valley Library. Johnson Park and the Grays River Valley Center is a community effort, so why not take this opportunity to have some fun and lend a hand.

GRVC has a great exercise room with lots of equipment for use. We are looking for a volunteer to be the exercise room advisor. It would help if you have had some experience with exercise equipment and are willing to lend your expertise to others. Waivers are required before using any of the equipment.

Do your kids like to make hand made cards? Our military men and women would love to get a special card from a child at Christmas. I have a request from Teresa Search to see if we can get some local kids to make cards to be sent out for Christmas. I will have more information on this project in next week’s column. Wouldn’t it be a nice way to thank our soldiers for all their efforts in keeping us free?

The Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch that meets at Rosburg Hall will enjoy meat loaf, whipped spuds with gravy, veggies, hot rolls and dessert on the 21st; on the 28th the group will meet at the Valley Bible Church for spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert. In order to defray some costs, this group will meet from now on, on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Valley Bible Church location.

Rosburg Senior Community lunches are served on Tuesdays and Thursdays, also at Rosburg Hall, and are sponsored by CAP. Menus for the coming week include: Thursday, the 15th- spaghetti with meat sauce, Caesar salad, Sicilian veggies, garlic bread and raspberry bars; Tuesday, the 20th- Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, carrots and mushrooms and berry trifle; Thursday, the 22nd- apricot chicken, Risotto style rice, marinated vegetables, Mandarin oranges and apricot bars.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to the following people this week: Katriina Ervest, Marie Fauver, Jennifer Blanchard, Amy Kittinger, Jimmy Strange, Tim Tienhaara, Betty Blain, Helen Rangila, Logan Scrabeck, Chris Maddux, Pete Donlon, Rylee Torppa, Max Smith, Linda Elliott, Steve Tolva, Scott Beaulaurier, Laura Edmondson, Emma Bennett, Melody Morgan, B. J. Kohn, Phyllis Carlson, Vince Miller, Marlene Wiitala, John Nelson, Mary Ann Comm, Tim Isom and Kathy Hillsberg. Hoping that your day was special.

The following couples are celebrating an anniversary this week: Jim and Josie Eastham, Jim and Darrylin Eastham, Phillip and Anita Raistakka, Jeff and Brandi Tarabochia, Doug and Marilyn Nikolas, Jeff and Sherry Fleming. A very special Happy Anniversary to Norm and Joyce Bolton. Wishing you many more.