Busy week ahead in the county

BIG CHANGE--Last weekend was certainly a lot different from the previous one, as we were pretty much stuck in spring showers mode for a good deal of last week, with a tad bit of wind thrown in to boot. At least we didn't get the mini-tornado thing that hit parts of Pendleton and even Portland had some heavy wind damage too, so I guess having the rain wasn't so bad. With tulips in bloom, along with the daffodils, camellias and my one red rhododendren, it is looking like spring in spite of the weather, although those pounding rains did not make some of them look so great. This week is sort of cloudy and drizzly off and on so far but with my "lake" retreating, it's definitely drier, thank goodness!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 11-17 are Andrew Emlen, Dan Keilwitz, Bryan Ledtke, Brock Cothren, Charity Childers, Kael McKinley, Brent Mahitka, Janine Helms, Sara Brown, Chris Doumit, Savannah Burdick, Stephanie Olsen, DeDee Crouse, Margaret Strueby, Ray Prestegard, Sean Miller, Phil Doumit, Reggie Bonny, Lori Smith, Jack Burdick, Shiloh Hoven, Leota Souvenir, Mike Brown, Floyd McClane and Carolyn Pedersen. Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Tim Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Greg Parker and Mr. and Mrs. Mike Johnson.

Belated birthday wishes go to fellow 67'er Keith Lawrence and Sylvia (Blix) Link, and belated anniversary wishes go out to Mike and Ronda Rose. Sorry guys, hope your special days were just wonderful!

CELEBRATE--Ralph and Peggy Pedersen celebrated their anniversary this week, but their sons, Tim and Mark, showed up last weekend for an early celebration of their Dad's birthday as well as their folks' anniversary. The four took advantage of Sharon Buennagel's new place, The Diner on Main, and had a great visit in the new surroundings.

THIS SATURDAY--It's time for all you Bingo lovers to head over to Puget Island and enter the side door into the basement and enjoy the monthly Bingo games there. They are held on the second Saturday of each month at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Cash prizes are awarded for Bingo winners and there are goodies available to purchase as well.

SAYING GOODBYE--It's going to be hard to imagine going into the Cathlamet Pharmacy and no longer seeing Vicki Bergseng behind the pharmacy counter, as she's been there forever it seems like! On the other hand, after all those years, it's time for Vicki to kick back and enjoy the time off, so we wish her a very Happy Retirement and do all the things that she'll be able to do now that she's not working in the store. Have fun Vicki, catch a lot of fish, you will be missed!

DOING GREAT--One of our local gals is really excelling in college, and that's Valle Ledtke. I think everyone knows how great of an athlete that she is in track and field events, as she's really turned in some awesome times recently, but she's also a fantastic student. Valle is double majoring in Kinesiology and Psychology and took on 18 credits with classes like functional anatomy, seminar in motivation, movement and culture, research methods and statistical analysis and experimental approaches. Even with all that to learn, she still pulled off a perfect 4.0 grade average this quarter and will be graduating from Western Washington University in June, so a big congratulations to her for a job well done. After leaving WWU, she'll be headed to sunny Florida, where she will be continuing her education at the International University where she will complete her Masters in Athletic Training. I'm sure she's going to enjoy that sunshine down there in Florida after living here in the NW, but with her graduating one day and having to move and get settled in and going back to school, all within about a week, she's not going to have too much time to relax and soak it all in right away. Good luck Valle!

It goes without saying that Valle's parents, Jerry and Becky Ledtke are very proud of her. They can also attest to the wonderful sunshine in Florida as they recently returned from a trip there, where they visited Becky's sister and enjoyed all the traveling, snorkeling, kayaking and sunshine that the Florida state had to offer.

BIG DAY--One of our local folks, Kathleen Morgain, works at the radio station, KMUN in Astoria and she is delighted to spread the word about the fact that the City of Astoria is honoring KMUN for its 30th year on the air. In honor of that great feat, the city has named April 17 as KMUN Day in Astoria. Congratulations to them for all their many years on the air.

BUSY NEXT WEEK--Just a reminder that next week is going to be quite busy, as there is the Traditional Tea up at St. James; the Follies actors and singers will be gathering on Saturday, April 20 at 3 p.m. at the Skamokawa Grange, there will be a new exhibit at Redmen Hall and the chicken dinner will be taking place at the Rosburg Hall on Sunday, so we hope you'll be able to attend one, if not all, of these doings.

GRANGE--The Skamokawa Grangers met last Monday and had a nice turnout for their welcoming ceremony for some new members, and their potluck and meeting. Many things were discussed as there will be many things going on in the upcoming months, such as the spring contests held by the grange, which are open to everyone, not just grangers. If you enter items in the fair, then you can enter those items for these contests as well and who knows, your item may just fetch you some money if it goes on to State level. Just go to the WA State Grange website and check the tabs at the top of the page, and then look under Lecturer and you'll find all the info you need to take part in that. The Skamokawa Grange will be open on April 27 from 10 to 1 to accept any items that you'd like to submit.

Also on our minds is our annual musical, the Smoky Water Follies, which takes place at the end of June, so we hope you'll come and see the new show either during the evening shows June 28 and 29 or the matinee on Sunday, June 30. Tickets are $12 with a family ticket on Friday night only for $25, so that's a good deal.

Once the dust has settled a little from the show, we'll be holding the Vendor's Market at Skamokawa Vista Park on July 27 from 10 to 3. I will be sending out the forms for that soon, but if you don't get one, and would like one, give me a call and I'll get one in the mail to you. We'd like to have all of the forms back as early as possible so we can see where we stand with room and all. I believe the deadline is in June but the earlier we have your information, the better it is. There is only a $10 fee for a 10x10 space, so it's not a big expense and it's a good way to bolster your home business, or have a fund raiser for your group or organization, so please think about joining us!

In August, the grangers will be putting up fair booths and with the new theme, Treasures Shown, Made at Home, that should be an easy one to work with. The grange will also be hosting the Ag Summit that weekend, so look for more about that as the time gets closer.

CAR SHOW--It will seem strange to not be using the Skamokawa Grange Hall this year for the upcoming Car Show put on by Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars but I'm sure everyone will enjoy having it all in the fairgrounds this year with no ramp or stairs to deal with. If you have yet to be approached, we are looking for those who would like to be sponsors for the show and if you give over $200 in cash or prizes, you'll have your name on the t-shirt, so it's great advertising as well for you or your business. I'll be seeing my usual folks real soon, and you know who you are, and if you're new and want to be added to my list, give me a call. For all car show information, you can check things out on the web, (www.wahkiakumchamber.com) or Facebook or call Lee Tischer at 360-430-4377 and he'll fill you in.

You'll want to get those car show registration forms filled out and mailed in early, so you can take advantage of the package deal which includes the dinner, a goodie bag and a t-shirt, so don't delay as time is flying by. The Car Show will be held June 1, and with half of April about gone already, the deadline for entries, which is about mid-May, will soon be upon us. This is a fun day for the whole family with a trout pond, live music, dart games for prizes and more, so let's pray for a sunny day on June 1.

GET WELL--Several folks have not been feeling so great lately, and one of those was Kelly Nettles Recupero, who came back to her hometown of Cathlamet from her new home in Australia. Unfortunately, Kelly is feeling the effects of a nasty sinus infection and we hope she's feeling better by now. Other folks were saying they had the clogged head thing too, so we hope all of you are feeling better, including my great nephew, Sean Pedersen. Chuck Parker was feeling a little puny recently so we hope he's feeling better now, and Donna Moody said her son was also hospitalized last week, so we send our get well wishes to him as well.

MOTHER'S DAY--Mother's Day is coming up next month and I'm sure she'd love one of Danny Silverman's hanging plants from Skamokawa Gardens Nursery which is located on Steamboat Slough Road, and/or a dinner at the Duck Inn, so start thinking about what to get Mom on her special day as that day will be coming up in a month, May 12. On that same day, 45 years ago, my Mother's Day gift to my Mom was a new grandson named Peter Sechler, and he was a great gift to me as well!

OPENING SOON--One of our local treasures, the Museum in Cathlamet, will be opening soon. They are looking for those who would have some spare time to man the museum on weekends and if you'd like to help out, you can drop them a note at WCHS P. O. Box 541 in Cathlamet or contact Kari Kandoll. Remember, the museum is still selling bricks that can be inscribed and be a lasting memory of your loved one that has passed on, or your current family, or group, which in return helps support the museum. They are working hard to get everything squared away in their new addition and are having several fundraisers to help generate funds for it. Of course, if you'd like to send a donation, please feel free to do so at the above address. This is a county treasure that we need to keep open and that can only happen with your support.