Buy local for holiday gifts

WARM WEEKEND--After some rain last weekend, it looks like things are heating up this week and it will feel more like Summer than most of Summer felt. So, when Fall officially starts this Friday, we'll be basking in temperatures in the 80s they say, so it's not time to put away the sun screen quite yet. The rain last weekend didn't make those with outdoor plans too happy, but I'm sure all the plants enjoyed the drink and it helped lower our fire danger in the woods, so it was really a good thing. With time ticking away, that batch of rain we had was a good reminder to get our Summer chores done and get ready for long stretches of the wet stuff that is sure to hit us all too soon.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from September 22-28 are Jim Mendoza, Sam Longtain, Monte Longtain, Christine Bigler, Ty Norris, Shona Heywood, Sue Kuller, Matthew Keilwitz, Rowen Vegvary, Carl Linquist, Leah Clark, Evelyn Clark, Brett Havens, Julia Ann Wright, Bob Bacon, Monica Heagy, Katrina Mikolajczyk, Marie West, Dan Turner, Linda Newton, George Wilde, Ron Leingang, Edith Erickson, Barbara Shaver, Lori Kyle and Karla Kyle. Happy Birthday to each of you on your special day!

Happy Anniversary wishes this week go out to Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Bosch, Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie Durrah, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Vik, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Bacon, Mr. and Mrs. John Hoven, Mr. and Mrs. Erik Grasseth, Mr. and Mrs. John Burdick, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Phillips and a special 25 year anniversary celebration for Matt and Marsha Helms. Congrats to you!

SYMPATHY--We want to extend our sympathies to Jay Mace, and the rest of his family, as he lost a brother recently. Our thoughts and sincerest condolences are with you during this difficult time.

GOOD NEWS--A cousin of mine, Donna Peterson Bernard, was one of those folks who were dealing with wild fires in Oklahoma recently. She and her family evacuated to Oklahoma City along with a lot of other families and they watched the news helplessly as fires raged through some of their neighborhoods. Many homes were lost and many were left with only the things they could take with them. Fortunately for Donna and her family, their home was spared and all was okay, so I was so happy to hear from her and find out that all was well.

FOOTBALL TIME--The Mules varsity team will be taking on Pe Ell this Friday night at home, so we hope you'll come to cheer them on. Go Mules! Congratulations to the team for their win over Winlock last Friday night, which was a real morale booster with a resounding win of 34 to 6. The JV game against them scheduled for last Monday was cancelled due to too many injuries on the Winlock team.

THIS SATURDAY--Just a reminder: The second planning meeting for the all school reunion next year is this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce in the Julia Butler Hansen house on Main Street in Cathlamet. All classmates of WA-KI-HI are invited to take part!

NEXT MEETING--The Skamokawa Grange #425 will hold its next meeting on Monday beginning with a potluck at 6:30 p.m., with their regular meeting to follow at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend and if you'd like to become a member, please stop by and we'll get you signed up. As always, many hands make for light work and we welcome new, do-able ideas and a fresh perspective on our current fund raising plans. With the Follies in June, the Vista Park Market in July and the Wahkiakum County Fair in August, it's been a busy time for the grangers, so we've taken a little break over the last couple of months to recoup. However, our free holiday spaghetti dinner for the community is scheduled to take place on December 10 and is a focus point for us right now, as while we hate to admit it, the Christmas season is coming up fast, and this event will take place in just two and a half months.

COMING UP--In only a couple of weeks, the Fourth annual Columbia River Country Days harvest celebration will take place. There's things to do for three days, beginning September 30, which include the Slow Moving Parade that begins at 2:30 p.m. at the Elochoman Slough Marina and winds up on Puget Island, where there will be some more things going on, like punkin' chunkin' and eating pie at the Two Islands Farm Market. The big dinner at the Covered Bridge in Grays River begins at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Seating is limited, so you need to get your tickets right away, at the bank of the Pacific in Cathlamet or Naselle, or at our Extension office in Cathlamet. Depending on your age, tickets range from $25 to $35. This is a terrific experience with excellent food and just a totally unique opportunity, so we hope you'll get your ticket today and support this fund raising effort which benefits the Friends of Extension and our Wahkiakum County 4-H program! A shuttle will be offered from Johnson Park beginning at 3:45 p.m. because parking is limited, so this makes it easy to get to and from the bridge. Don't forget the special service at the Deep River Pioneer Church on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

THINK LOCAL--Are you wondering what great gifts you can give to a loved one who has everything? How about buying a brick from the Wahkiakum Historical Society and have it placed at the museum in their sidewalk. This will be a lasting memorial to your loved one. Or they could take it home and place it in their own garden or pathway. Either way, it helps support the museum and is a lasting gift that won't clutter up anyone's house. How about a subscription to The Wahkiakum County Eagle? You'd be surprised how many people who have moved away, just love to catch up on their home town news and doings. Want to have your relatives visit but don't have any room to put them up? In Skamokawa, there are endless choices from the Skamokawa Resort with their comfy hotel rooms and luxurious condos, as well as the grand rooms at the new Inn at Skamokawa Landing. We also have three fabulous and each uniquely different Bed and Breakfast places: Twin Gables B & B, Inn at Lucky Mud and Inn at Crippen Creek Farm. Make your reservations today and treat your relatives to a wonderful stay in Skamokawa over the holidays! Need a book or other local craft item? Why not go up to Redmen Hall and check out their selection, as book lovers would love to read a book by one of our local authors. Out of the box ideas would also include a payment to the PUD on someone's behalf for part of their electric bill or water bill, or a library pass, etc., or if you have a sports fan in the family, maybe a season pass to the Mules games, or maybe pay for a sponsorship to the team or the cheerleaders in their behalf? The list of ideas is almost endless; let's spread the cheer by shopping local for Christmas this year!

ACROSS THE CREEK--If you're a lover of Timber Carnivals, like the ones we used to have in Cathlamet years ago, you can have some old-fashioned fun in Astoria on October 8 at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds, 92937 Walluski Loop. It's off Hwy 202, just a few miles, and it will start with a logger's breakfast at 9 a.m. and competitions will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free, so why not check that out? One of the sponsors is the JM Browning Logging Co. which earned the King of the Mountain award on the TV show Ax Men, so you know they'll put on a good show at this event. Also on that show, is another logging outfit, Gustafson Logging who will bring their best guys too. You can meet the stars of the show or sign up for the competitions and try to beat them! The Cannery Pier Hotel and the Astoria Sunday Market are the two other sponsors of this event. They hope to see you there!

ALL THINGS CRANBERRY--If you're not into logging, maybe you'd like to go to Ilwaco and check out the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum and their 91st Annual Cranberrian Fair on October 8 and 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They too will have lots of food and vendors and multiple events going on those two days. For just $5, you get a collectible Cranberrian button, which will get you into all the events.For more information, call 360-642-3446.