Good time had by all at the fair

CLOUDY START--As this work week begins, it's pretty doggone cloudy out here in West Valley this morning, but it's not all that cold, so it's just right for this non-sun lover! It's pleasant enough to be outside in, but not hot and the wind's not blowing, so it's not nippy, so one of my personally preferred, perfect days!

According to the weather folk, it seems the cloudy morning, sunny afternoon routine will continue throughout the week and they say there is no rain in the forecast, although it is certainly very dark out there this Tuesday morning and sure looks like rain! Plus, with super crispy grasses all around and wild fires everywhere, and water systems needing a drink, we could use some rain, but if it rains right now, it certainly won't make the folks who have clothes on the line too happy!

OVER ONCE AGAIN--Well, the Wahkiakum County Fair is over yet once again and it seems like the time flies by faster every year, unless you're one of those who are putting in 12 hour shifts, and then I'm sure you thought it would never end! At any rate, the grounds looked fantastic, the music was terrific each and every day as the performers were all just outstanding this year, and of course, I enjoyed my yearly dose of fair food as I tried my best to support every booth and enjoy all the things that I don't have any other time of the year, like elephant ears! Yum!

The Youth Building contained a lot of great work by our young people and so that was terrific to see. The 4-H kids and FFA kids, as well as individual youth, had a wide variety of entries. It's great to get the kids to take part at a young age, as they learn to be a part of the community, try to do their best and learn as they go how to attain those blue ribbons.

The teen dance at the Skamokawa Grange was well attended and we hope to continue to be able to encourage the young folks to attend the dance every year. If any of you have any ideas on how to make this a more enjoyable evening for you, just let me know. A good time means good memories and most of us old timers have some great memories of the fair dances, so we're hoping our kids are able to look back on those days and say the same thing.

blacksmith Michael Neely was a big hit once again, as he provided a great many useful items that he made on the spot. One of those items was a meat/steak turner and those seemed quite popular.

The mini-train operated by Ralph Keyser and representing the Wahkiakum Historical Society seemed to be full of kids and grown ups alike as it cruised the fairgrounds through-out the three day fair, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

The Lions Club Bingo was a huge hit when they played "blackout" for a calf or pig, and there were people sitting at multiple tables and the midway itself just so they could play, so it was definitely a popular game!

As usual, I had a great time seeing everybody as I sat in our grange booth. I had a lady from Seattle tell me that she heard about the granges in our area from a book written by Robert Pyle and she was delighted to come and see our exhibits and hear we were active in the community, so that just goes to show you how what we say and do really does impact people near and far. Well, having our booth next to the Sons of Norway booth always helps make the time fly by, as Jan Silvestri and I can definitely keep up a steady stream of conversation with ease, so we had a great time!

GREAT RAFFLE--The Grays River Grange is holding an awesome drawing this year as Grange Master Krist Novoselic, of Nirvana fame, is signing a brand new Gibson bass guitar and some lucky winner will be going home with a really fantastic prize if they've got the winning ticket! There are only 2500 tickets available and they are $2 each, with the winning ticket to be drawn at their holiday doings on December 11. You do not have to be present to win.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from August 23-29 are Kay Walters, Kathy Perkins, Clarity Gabbard, Mike Vincent, Greg Parker, LouAnn Hedges, Arlene Luthi, Larry Havens, Bryce Heiner, Kelly Nettles Recupero, Ashely Silva, Linda Ougendal, Jamie Quigley, Meredith Cothren, Judy Danielsen, Kathy Durrah, Joey Toste, Dolly Hartley, Darrell Trotter, Wayne Bell, Elinor Ellison Bridenhagen and Sean Pedersen.

Happy Anniversary wishes this week go out to: Lesley and Larry Harmon, Beryl and Randi Curtis, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Doumit and Duncan Cruickshank and Heidi Heywood.

SURPRISED--Dolly Hartley got a nice surprise this past Monday morning, when daughter Sherry brought her to the Duck Inn for a little breakfast out of town. Well, she not only got a great breakfast, but waiting for her behind the menus at a big table, was her other daughter Sharon Buennagel and granddaughters Abby and Sara and friend Kay Chamberlain for a little early birthday gathering, so she was tickled to see us all there.

ROUGH WEEK--It seems some folks had a tough week with surgeries or falls so we'd like to send a hope-you're-better-now shout-out to Chip Perkins, Greg Parke, Jean Kenner and Veryl Chamberlain. Here's hoping you're doing alright and feeling much better today, as well to better days ahead!

COMING RIGHT UP--If you hear of anybody say there's nothing to do around here, I just want you to spread the word about a few things coming up in our area, as there's almost always something going on, like:

The Downhill Corral skateboarding competition takes place this weekend in Cathlamet. They are always fun to watch, as they provide the thrills and spills as they come down town hill! As they have various races on Puget Island and in town, be aware of some road closures and detours around the town as the riders compete. There will be booths set up around town with extra food vendors and such, so we hope you'll check them out as well.

LIBRARY--The Blanche Bradley Library Foundation presents An Evening at the Farm this Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. This is a fund raiser for the library and features music by Fred Carter over at the Stockhouse Farm on West Birnie Slough, Puget Island. Tickets are available at the Bank of the Pacific or Cathlamet Realty West. Contact Cheryl Nelson at 360- 431-7120 for more info.

FOOTBALL STARTS--Don't forget the Mules football team has a game here at home on August 31, so we hope you'll be there cheering them on. It's hard to believe that the kids will be back in school and the sports programs will be going great guns already, as it seems like they just got out! However, here we go again and we hope you'll take advantage of the season passes offered by the school, as that helps the ole pocketbook for sure! Go Mules!

FOS DOINGS--I hope you get to go and check out the new Friends of Skamokawa exhibit up at Redmen Hall, with stuffed birds up there I understand that the Audubon Society has donated for this display, so come and check out the birds of the Lower Columbia River Wildlife Collection if you get a chance. Call 795-3007 for more information during business hours, which are noon to four, Thursday through Sunday, and you can leave a message after hours.

The Friends will also be having their annual Wine Tasting and Auction on September 8, so it's not too far off. So head down to the Skamokawa Grange Hall and take in all the bidding wars, be they silent or live, and enjoy some great food, taste some wonderful new wines and with a table of friends to enjoy it with, you'll have an even better time, so we hope to see you in a couple of weeks. If you'd like to donate something for this event, or find out more about it, just call the hall.

CHILI TIME--So, do you think you make mean bowl of chili? Well, come on Skamokawa folks, let's head down to the Elochoman Slough Marina with a big batch and try to win the Ninth Annual Buzzard Breath Chili Cook-off sponsored by the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce! Call 795-9996 for all the rules and regulations and costs to enter. If you aren't up to entering it into the contest, then just show up and pay $7 and go around and sample all the various chilis and vote for your favorite and comes with a beer garden to boot. There's also live music and a tortilla tossing contest and other raffles too, so head to the marina on September 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. I'll give you a little hint though, as If you really want to sample all the chilies, don't wait until too late, or you'll miss out!

BINGO--The Sons of Norway have set up a bingo schedule now, and so every second Saturday of each month, they will be playing bingo from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Norse Hall on Puget Island. They have a money pay-out prize system with cards for $5 each and you can play them the entire time, or trade them if you want, but that's a good deal. So, all you bingo players should head over to the Norse Hall on September 8 and check out bingo in the easy access, lower portion of the hall.