Christmas pageant December 18

News from Naselle:

Sports calendar for the coming week: Thursday-high school boys basketball in Naselle with North Christian at 5:45 p.m .; Friday-high school girls basketball with Ocosta at home at 3 p.m. and high school boys basketball with Ocosta at 5:45 p.m .; Monday-high school girls basketball at Raymond at 5:45 p.m .; Tuesday-high school boys basketball in Naselle with Raymond at 5:45 p.m. Go Comets.

There will be no school beginning on Monday, the 19th for the Christmas holiday. Classes will resume on January 3, 2012.

The 13th issue of the Comet Booster Club Birthday/Anniversary calendar is now available for only $4. You can purchase one at the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District office, and they are usually available at the Rosburg Store and at Okie’s Select Market in Naselle. If you need more info contact Marilyn Strange at the District office.

Other news from the Westend:

Everyone is welcome to join the Grays River United Methodist Church as they host a Christmas celebration with music and pageantry on December 18, at 6 p.m. A free-will donation will be collected and will be given to a local needy family. Enjoy refreshments after the entertainment, served by the ladies of the church.

The church is located at 3624 SR 4 West, in Grays River.

The Pioneer Community Association is sponsoring and evening of music featuring Greg Parke in a Christmas Concert. The event will take place at the Pioneer Church in Cathlamet on December 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Bank of the Pacific in Cathlamet or at the door for $10.

The Sugar & Spice 4-H Club is sponsoring a Christmas Food Drive. The club will donate all the food collected to the Wahkiakum Food Bank. Drop boxes for depositing food items are located at the Grays River Cafe and the Rosburg Store.

This is the last weekend to enjoy the annual holiday shopping and entertainment event. “Come Home For The Holidays” at Redmen Hall in Skamokawa. The Hall will be open this Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. for your shopping pleasure and holiday enjoyment. For more information please contact Diane Stockhouse at 849-4145.

Redmen Hall features items for sale by local talents, including art work, books and other gift items, and they welcome new artists. In fact, one of the new artists is my friend, Beverly Wallace of Grays River, who has several paintings on display for the event.

The Grays River Valley Library and Community Computer Center will be closed from December 24 through January 1, reopening with regular hours on January 2.

A note for the folks who are utilizing the paperback and magazine exchange in the hallway of the Grays River Valley Center: Would you please leave your name and the books you are taking either with the librarian or on the clipboard in the hallway, and return them or exchange them within two weeks. We are in the process of creating a list of borrowed items for future additions to our inventory. Thank you in advance for your help.

The library and computer center could use a few more volunteers. Do you have time to put in a two hour shift on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday? Are you a student who needs community service hours? We can use your help in putting plastic book covers on the books or inserting pockets and cards into the books for checkout. Please call me at 465-2960.

A new elliptical exercise machine has been donated to the exercise room at the Grays River Valley Center by Fred Lair. Thank you so much for your generosity.

Cindy Lahti is showing her expertise in the sewing room at Johnson Park, by teaching a couple of local ladies how to make baby quilts. If you are interested in the sewing room or have some ideas for a sewing project, please contact Cindy at 465-2880.

The Wednesday Senior Bunch that meets at Rosburg Hall will celebrate the holiday season with their annual Christmas Social on December 21. This is always a wonderful gathering, so don’t miss it. Traditional Christmas dinner fare and a request for you to bring a dish to share (salad or dessert) and enjoy the festivities. Hot turkey sandwiches, whipped spuds and gravy, veggies and dessert will be served on the 28th.

Senior lunches are also served on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are sponsored by CAP. This week’s menu include: Thursday, the 15th-sweet and sour chicken, brown rice, broccoli and mushrooms and berry parfait; Tuesday, the 20th-chicken fried steak with country gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots and pineapple upside down cake; Thursday, the 22nd-spaghetti, Sicilian veggies, sliced oranges, garlic bread and raspberry meringue bar.

Happy Birthday wishes go to Rebecca Busse, Dale Tienhaara, Gary Olmstead, Breanne Smith, Ron Salme, Samantha Henry, Sonja Engebretson, Christina Jackson, Brian Macy, Kaycee Headley, Rylee Varila, Tyler Trimble, Marilyn Nikolas, Amanda Wilson, Brandi Van Dusen and Brandi Tarabochia.

An extra special Happy Birthday to our good friend, Alan Gregory. Hoping that your hunting luck will be better on your special day. Thank you for being such a great friend.

Happy Anniversary to Jim and Lynn Laney and Monte and Mona Givens. Wishing you many more wonderful celebrations.

Last Friday evening our family lost a wonderful wife ,mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, confidante, mentor and a blessed friend. My aunt, Claudine Hammonds passed away in Modesto, Calif., having made the trip for a special mini reunion with her sister, Clara York from Gustine, and her brother Jim Harvey and his wife Pat from Maine. She was born on March 8, 1938, the youngest child of Herman and Gertrude (Emerson) Harvey in Maine.

My memories of this beautiful lady are many. She and my uncle David have been married for more than 55 years, raising their six children in Juneau, Alaska. After we moved to Grays River they stopped to visit on their way south to California and she loved it here. A second trip through the following year, they decided to move here, and on Valentine’s Day they bought their home in Grays River. She had decided that was the house she wanted on their first trip, so nothing else even interested her.

Her youngest son, Tom and his family also moved to Grays River and live next door to them. She enjoyed frequent visits from daughter, Melinda and her family from Portland. Claudette, Walter, David, Mary and their families still live in Alaska but have visited several times. Family was so precious to her, that she spent hours and hours online doing genealogy for both sides.

She and Uncle David also enjoyed their many outings to see sites in the area, picnics to watch the ocean, trips to the casino, her hundreds of beautiful plants, her pond and waterfall, watching the birds, knitting socks for everyone, and she loved life itself even though her health was not good for several years.

Rest in peace, dear Aunt Claudine. We will all miss your laughter, your calmness, your good advice and your big heart. God Bless you for your inspirational life and love.