Holiday activities are underway

NOT TOO NICE--Last weekend was definitely a cold, wet and blustery one, which brought down a lot of the leaves that had been making the hillsides so pretty. It was a complete turn around from the gorgeous day we had last Thursday. It is the middle of November already, so this windy, bone chilling, soggy nastiness should be expected as part of our normal Fall weather I guess, but it doesn't mean I have to like it! And to top it off is the snow they say may come down to the 1,000 foot level, which almost always includes us. Just as a reminder, we had snow last year on the 21, so it is that time of year!

SPECIAL DAYS-- Those celebrating birthdays from November 17-23 are Rory Heywood, Tanner Collupy, Barry Brown, Matthew Bennett, Larry Holland, Jody Havens, Samantha Havens, Brian Havens, Dean Seaberg, Heidi Souvenir, Linda Ashe, Toni Below, Katie Watson, Kylian Cochran, Harvey Good, Erik Pedersen and Dorothia Farmer. Happy birthday to all of you, especially to Granny who will be 93 this week!

Celebrating their anniversaries this week are Jim and Bernie Mendoza, Mr. and Mrs. Danny Ashe and Mr. and Mrs. Carl Linquist. Happy anniversary to all of you!

CALENDAR TIME--Lion's Club members want to remind everyone to get their orders in for their calendar this year along with their payment. Each calendar is $7 and your payment can be sent to P. O. Box 214 in Skamokawa, WA 98647. They're only taking these pre-paid orders for a couple more weeks so send in your order today!

CANCELLED--If you came down to the Skamokawa Grange Hall last Saturday night for the concert by the band, Detour, you would have found out that, in the words of Sunrise Fletcher, that the Detours' tour detoured. Sadly, the group's van with all their equipment in it, wound up breaking down in Chehalis and could not be repaired in time to make it down here. They hope to reschedule this country music concert sometime soon. It was not a dance as some folks thought, but I'm betting that if you wanted to get up and do a little swing, nobody would mind!

THIS WEEKEND--If you hear someone say that they've got nothing to do, then give them this list, as it's going to be a very busy weekend with many things to do. With the holiday season upon us, it's going to begin with the St. James Family Center Annual Holiday Bazaar, which starts, tomorrow, Friday and goes from 1 to 7 p.m. On Saturday, they are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be loads of fun. I see there will be speciality items too, like Scandanavian goodies or English fruitcake, so they would make for some terrific holiday gifts. Check it out November 18 and 19 at the St. James Family Center.

It's time to win a turkey or a ham, so head to the Julius Wendt Multi-Purpose Room Friday night at 6 p.m. and take part in the Wahkiakum Fair Board's Bingo games. They are a lot of fun and you can win your dinner for the holidays. If you bring a can of food, you'll be able to get an extra Bingo card. They have a bunch of prizes in the raffle they are having but their grand prize is a 42 inch flat screen TV, so that's pretty nice. Tickets for that are just a dollar, so get yours today.

Also on this Friday, there will be a book sale and signing at the Pioneer Church when Lars Nordstrom speaks about his book, "Ten Lives," all about the Scandanavian migration, admission is free and it begins at 7 p.m.

Don't forget, this is the Lions Club and Boy Scouts, Walk 'n' Knock food drive weekend and they'll be around on Saturday to load up all your things for the food bank, so we hope you'll give generously and make the holidays a wonderful time for those less fortunate.

For all of you who are interested in helping with the all school reunion, there will be another meeting this Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. at the Julia Butler Hansen house in Cathlamet, which is now housing the Chamber of Commerce office. I have to admit, we'd like to see more people there. If it's snowing or freezing, I'm going to be parked at home, but otherwise, I'll be there; hope you can make it and bring your great ideas and a list of your classmates with you!

On Saturday night, it's time to head back up to the Pioneer Church and listen to some of our favorite musicians "Fall Into the Classics" put on by the Pioneer Community Association at 7:30 p.m. Andrew Emlen will be on cello, Jeffrey Reynolds on piano, Ronald Thompson on violin and Jennifer Hanigan will be singing for us, and we all know this group of folks are super talented and so much fun to hear, so buy your ticket at the Bank of the Pacific or the door for just $10.

On Sunday, Redmen Hall will be the place to be to get the new book, When Logging Was Logging: 100 Years of Big Timber in SW WA, and two of the authors, Bryan Penttila and Karen Bertroch, will be there to sign it, so we hope you'll take this opportunity to come and buy this book and get it signed at the same time, which would make it a very special gift. Also, artist Mike Cullom still has his display "Re-Vision" at the hall in the River Life Interpretive Center, located on the second floor. We hope you'll check that out as well. It will run until December 18.

FOLLOWING WEEK--Make sure you check out the list of things to do next week which will include a book signing at Redmen Hall by our local author and historian, Irene Martin. She has a new book out, Flight of the Bumble Bee which has to do with the Columbia River Packers Association and their Bumble Bee brand of canned salmon. This book signing will be held on November 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. The Friends of Skamokawa begin their Holiday Open House on November 25, the day after Thansksgiving, so you'll find the hall decked out in style and there will be a wonderful array of gifts and various performers throughout their holiday doings and if you'd like more information, call the hall from noon to four, Thursday-Sunday, 795-3007 or call Diane Stockhouse at 849-4145.

Also on the day after Thanksgiving, Sassy Choclates in Cathlamet will be having a tax free day. They will have some tasty treats on special, so check those out while you're in town for the tree lighting and other festivities.

GETTING BETTER AND BETTER--The Christmas basket that will be given away by the Skamokawa Grangers on December 10 during their free holiday dinner, is getting better and better. Becky Ledtke has generously donated a beautiful hand-made amethyst necklace and earring set for our already wonderful basket. With all the gift certificates, the food items and special things donated by our local artisans, like Collupy Glass with their hand-blown Christmas ornament, we've really made this a basket that anyone would love to win, as there's something for everybody in it. Tickets are only a dollar and can be purchased at our store here in Skamokawa or at the Bank of the Pacific. Hopefully you'll be the lucky winner on December 10, so come on down and enjoy a free community dinner, from 6 to 8 p.m. and see about becoming a winner of this basket, or one of the other gift items being given away that night!

THINKING OF THEM--Wayne Cochran, Coral Linquist, Dixie Anderson, Marie West, Rick Bryan, Austin Good and Phil Moody have all been dealing with either surgeries or health concerns lately, and so we want to let them know we are thinking of them and sending them some hearty get well, stay well wishes, as it's no fun to be either laid up while you're feeling bum, or having to make those trips to and from the doctors' or the hospital. Take care one and all!

THE VP SECTION--I am happy to report that we have a wonderful group of people who are constantly monitoring what I say, and these Verbal Police wanted to let me know that the word "unthaw" was one of those words that made no sense in my column last week, as certainly I meant to say, that we were having to thaw out our frozen pipes, and not "unthaw" them, which would mean I'd be freezing them up again. Great catch Judy G! I guess that's what I get when I write in the wee hours of the morning!

THANKSGIVING COMING UP--I hope you've taken advantage of the specials in the area for the great turkey dinner that includes just about everything you need for just $20, as that's a great deal. If you're able to, maybe you could get an IGA card for the $20 and give it to the food bank, insuring someone a totally perfect Thanskgiving, complete with a ham and a turkey breast. That would be great!

EARLY NEXT WEEK--Just a little reminder that because of the Thanksgiving holiday, we will have early deadlines, so instead of getting our news in on Tuesday morning, we'll need to have it in bright and early on Monday. The paper will come out on Wednesday, prior to Thanksgiving on Thursday, so if you need to get something in the paper, it would be best to call me and leave me a message on Saturday or Sunday, at the latest--thanks.

SURPRISE--Would you believe that we've got people already asking when next year's Follies is taking place at the Skamokawa Grange Hall? That took me by surprise! But I'm happy to say, dates are June 29 and 30 for the evening performances and July 1 for the Sunday matinee. So, for those of you who are truly planning way ahead, I hope you'll spread the word and plan on coming down here to Skamokawa around that time for the Smoky Water Follies, a musical revue with lots of local talent. And of course, if you'd like to help out in some way, be sure to let me know and I'll get your name to our directors, Sunrise Fletcher and Adele Baker Swift, as we're always looking for more singers, dancers, actors and set helpers!