Sign petition to save post office

HOT ONE--Several days last week were quite toasty, as was half the weekend, so while school started, hunting season began and we are thinking Fall, it felt like Summer had finally shown up and about cooked us all! I'm glad it was cooling off as it was a bit much for some of us, and the poor kids who had to practice and play football in this heat, were certainly not enjoying it. Of course, when it starts raining and blowing, it won't be much fun either. As this work week begins the clouds have moved in and it's about 25 degrees cooler. We may have a chance of rain by the end of the week, and with a light mist falling now and then, I'm thinking they may be right.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from September 15-21 are Dory Hicks, Tracy Carroll, Frank Bosch, Korina Hoven, George Bates, Jay Mace, Gerry Brennan, Wade Cothren, Ray Peek, Linda Roseberry, Linda Elliott, Brenda Peek, Michelle Smith, Bruce Holland, Roger Reed, Adam Pedersen, Susan (Peterson) Shook and Veryl Chamberlain. Happy Birthday one and all! Belated birthday wishes go out to Samantha Pedersen and Mike Rose!

Happy Anniversary wishes to Ray and Judy Danielsen, Gwen and Arve Ronninghaug, Adam and Samantha Pedersen, Mr. and Mrs. Grant Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Keilwitz and Mr. and Mrs. Ray Prestegard. Happy days to all!

BELATED--Last Sunday was Grandparents' Day but unfortunately it was pretty much over-shadowed by the fact that it was the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, so little was said about it. However, we want to extend a belated wish to all grandparents, as you truly should not be forgotten, and we hope you had a blessed day. One set of grandparents, Mike and Darlene Balch, spent the day at the J.A. Wendt Elementary Multi-Purpose room, where a spaghetti benefit was being held for their only grandchild, two year old Austin Balch, who has leukemia. Janet Bryan was kind of enough to cook up the meal and other family members helped serve it and see to it that we had a wonderful meal, with the donations going for Austin's medical expenses. If you want to help donate to Austin's expenses, please know that an account will be set up at the Bank of Pacific and you'll be able to donate directly to the bank. Your support will be deeply appreciated.

GREAT TIME--The Friends of Skamokawa held their annual Wine Tasting and Auction last Saturday at the Skamokawa Grange Hall and it was well attended. Everyone appeared to have a good time, even though it was a very warm evening and even the fans couldn't keep some of us cool enough. You can't say that very often in Skamokawa, or at the hall! The commemorative wine glasses were selling for $15 to mark the 25th year of the FOS and were a nice way to honor the occasion. As usual, the donors of all the auction items were generous and those that bid on them to help raise funds for Redmen Hall was appreciated, and to top it off, the food was great, so I would say it was a success.

ALL SCHOOL REUNION--The second meeting for the Mule Train All School Reunion will be held on September 24 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Julia Butler Hansen Heritage Center on Main Street in Cathlamet. If you are unable to attend, but would like to add your comments or suggestions to the group, please contact Susan Kuhn at sjmcq1@yahoo.com and she'll share your thoughts with us at the meeting. You can also go to the Facebook Mule Train site and post a comment or send a message.

FIRST HOME GAME--While the Mules didn't win their first home football game, it was great to see half the town show up to support them and cheer them on a gorgeous Friday evening. A great array of Mule clothing was on sale, with T-shirts being just $5, and sweats for $10, as well as hats, shorts and other things, so check them out at the next game! The only muttering I heard was the fact that the away team is over by all our fans and our cheerleaders for the first time that any of us can remember, while our team is clear across the field away from their supporters. The change is one that no one I talked to was enjoying, so we were hoping it was an experiment that will not be continued.

Tomorrow, (Friday), the Varsity team will play Winlock, with the game beginning at 7 p.m., while next Monday the JV team will play Winlock at home at 6 p.m. Go Mules! The Warriors will play today (Thursday) at Morton/White Pass. Go Warriors!

OTHER SPORTS--Don't forget the Mules cross country team as they have meets coming up at Mossyrock today (Thursday) and next week at Ilwaco on September 23. Also, the Volleyball team will host Adna today for both the JV and Varsity teams and then they'll travel to Mossyrock for a tournament on Saturday, and then playing both JV and V at Mossyrock on Tuesday and then back at home next Thursday against Napavine, so they have a very busy week ahead of them! Go teams!

DOINGS IN OCTOBER--Once again, the Covered Bridge in Grays River will be transformed into a unique setting for you to enjoy a fantastic dinner served on October 1. Head to the Bank of the Pacific in either Cathlamet or Naselle for tickets, or to the Wahkiakum County Extension office in Cathlamet, located by the PUD at 25 River Street. There are two different prices, as children under 12 or those over 72 can buy one for $25 each, and all others are $35 each. The Columbia River Country Days is being put on for the fourth year now by the Friends of Extension and Wahkiakum 4-H, and also includes events at the Stockhouse farm on September 30 and the Deep River Lutheran Church on October 2. For more information, contact the Extension office at 795-3278. We'll hope for wonderful weather and a grand turn out for this one of a kind chance to dine out in the state's only daily used covered bridge!

PLEASE SIGN--For all of us who are reeling with the thought of our post office closing its doors, we have a petition for you to sign at the Skamokawa Resort store. If you are in the 98647 zip code area, or a regular user of this post office in Skamokawa, please sign the petition. Lets' fight to keep our post office in Skamokawa. Losing it would be a true blow to our community.

SKAMOKAWA GRANGE--The Skamokawa Grangers met last Monday evening and discussed quite a few issues. One of them is that the grange may take the lead in having another market next year at Skamokawa Vista Park, just like the Port District did July 30. They held it as an anniversary to the park, but there's no reason this couldn't be held again. We're hoping to gather everyone together and mull this over. The grange is also supporting the no spray zones in our area which seem to have gotten sprayed anyway, so we'll be looking into that, and we're also backing the effort to keep the post office here. Grangers are always busy!

Right now, the Skamokawa Grange is focused on just a couple of upcoming events. One is a dance at the grange hall on November 12 with a band called Detour. We'll keep you posted on the cost and more as the date gets closer. December 10 will be our free Christmas spaghetti dinner for the community, that we are coordinating with the Skamokawa Fire Department.

SPECIAL MONTH--Did you realize that September is National Preparedness Month? Do you have a grab and go kit? Your kit should have food, water, first aid supplies, matches, candles, flashlight with extra batteries, and the list goes on. Needless to say, each family has to assess their own dwelling and what their risks are and plan how to escape their home, where to meet up, etc. Don't forget to have things on hand for any pets you have. Sometimes tough decisions have to be made in regard to leaving pets behind, but you can leave supplies for them and put them in the safest place possible. Many variables here but it's something to think about ahead of time and not in the midst of confusion. You'll be glad you did.