Early sightings of Santa abound in area

NASTY START--As this work week began, it started out wet and windy and it didn't take long for "lakes" to show up where green grass used to be. They say we are supposed to dry up but then comes some cold temperatures, so I hope you've gotten all prepared for the winter weather. Don't forget to make sure your outside pets get extra food and a shelter of some kind to protect them. For all of us on springs and wells, we might have to start letting the water drip in order not to freeze up our houses, so it looks like the "fun" has begun for us country folk!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Nov. 21-26 are Dana Montgomery, Cheryl Parker, Mike Brown, Cole Claussen, Sharon Deaton, Sandy Everman, Virginia Bacon, Toni Below, Harvey Good and Hank Ferguson. Happy Birthday to all of you!

Celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Bacon, Sherry and Mark McCormack, and Mr. and Mrs. Jim Mendoza. May all of you have super happy celebrations this year.

HEARTBREAKER--We were one of the many avid Mule fans that traveled to Stewart Field in Aberdeen last Friday night, and boy, what a miserable night for football that was, as the rain came down in sheets and the wind made it descend sideways for most of the night causing numerous slippery balls and terrible kicking and running conditions. While we were thinking it was going to be a real blow out with the Seagulls making two quick touchdowns, we were all pumped to see the Mule Train kick it into gear and tie up the game. Needless to say, it was just a real heartbreaker to get so close to going into OT and a tie-breaker, only to wind up losing in those last 11 seconds and I really felt for those boys. Regardless of the outcome, our team has had a terrific year and made it much further than a lot of other teams did, so I hope they aren't beating themselves up too bad, as they have done our town proud to get that far.

BINGO THIS FRIDAY--It's time for Turkey Bingo at the JA Wendt Elementary School this Friday evening, (Nov. 22nd) with doors opening at 5:30 and games starting promptly at 6 p.m. If you bring a can of food, you'll get an extra card, so we hope you Bingo players will take advantage of that, as it benefits you and our local food bank at a time of great need. Midway through the games, there will be a break to get some snacks from Janet Bryan and staff in the kitchen, so if you didn't grab something prior to the games, we hope you'll enjoy a hot dog, nachos, or a goodie and a pop at this time. The big raffle prize, with tickets costing just a dollar each, is a "Kindle Fire". That would be a great Christmas gift! This is the time to win that turkey or ham for your holiday dinner and as in the past, this is a Wahkiakum Fair Board fund raiser; they hope to see you there!

THIS SATURDAY--From 10 to 4 this Saturday, you can head up to the St. James Family Center and enjoy a bite to eat and do some shopping. They'll have lots of items for you to choose from, as there will be everything from jewelry to pastries, so here's a great opportunity to do some early holiday shopping. There's also a "store" for the little ones to shop at a very reasonable cost, along with live music from 1-3 p.m., so we hope to see you at the St. James Holiday Gift Fair.

EARLY SANTA--With the "Festival of the Trees" going on in Cathlamet this Saturday, you'll be able to check out the decorated trees at the Bank of the Pacific and join folks in the courthouse square for the lighting of the trees in that area, along with some music and singing, and Santa will be making an early arrival there, as well as going over to the Hotel Cathlamet where parents can take pictures of their children with Jolly St. Nick.

MORE SANTA--On Sunday, Dec. 1, Santa will be making another early stop at the Norse Hall between 2 and 4, where kids from 0 to 10 can chat with Santa and get a little gift and goodie bag. It's another great time for parents to get that snapshot of their children with Santa Claus and kids will also get to decorate some cookies if they'd like, so there's plenty of chances to see Santa coming right up.

GALLERY--The Tsuga Gallery which features the works of many artists, including Skamokawa Grangers' Mike Rees, so we hope you stop by the Holiday Open House at the gallery this Saturday evening between 5 and 8 p.m. and check out his photos as well as all the other artists' work. If you love piano music, you'll want to be sure and stop by and listen to Kathleen Petersen tickle the ivories throughout the evening.

NEXT WEEK--It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week and I'm sure all of us will be super busy as we bake those pies and cookies and get that turkey and all that goes with it, ready to go. Beings many folks from out of the area don't get the paper for several days, I'll say an early "Happy Thanksgiving" to them, as otherwise, they won't get those wishes until after the holiday. We will have early deadlines next week and then we locals will get the Eagle on Wednesday, so I'll repeat myself a bit next week!

DUCK INN--In case you're wondering, the restaurant part of the Duck Inn will be closed on Thanksgiving Day so that workers may enjoy the holiday with their families. However, later on in the afternoon, the lounge will be open for business for those who want to kick back and digest that turkey with their friends and neighbors, as they watch some football on one of five televisions mounted around the lounge

THYME SQUARE BISTRO--It doesn't happen often, but one area restaurant is actually shortening their dinner hours because they were too busy! You heard correctly, TSB had just begun serving dinner hours on the weekend, when they got slammed with so much other business that they've opted to just serve dinner on Saturday nights so they can handle all the other parties, etc., that they've got booked on the other weekend hours. Having a lot of business is a good thing this time of year, so I'm sure our local cooks, Ginger Schmitz and Jake of "Jack and Jill Catering" are pleased with the response that they have received since joining Audi Belcher at the Bistro. Once the holiday crowds and the big demand for a spot to hold holiday festivities die down, then the bistro may start up weekend dinners during all three days again, but for now, it's limited to Saturday evenings.

ADDITIONS TO BASKET--I just wanted to let you know that the big holiday basket offered up as the grand prize during the free Holiday Spaghetti Dinner put on at the Skamokawa Grange Hall on Dec. 14, has gotten even bigger. I'm happy to say that the Skamokawa Resort, operated by Lance and Shannon Britt, has offered a free night stay at a room there and Janet Bryan has also added one of her new cook books as well, so the value of this gift basket has gone up even more. Remember, you can purchase your tickets at the Skamokawa General Store for just a $1 each or get six tickets for $5. If you see me around town, I've probably got a batch to sell as well, so give me a shout!

REDMEN HALL--You've probably seen the great posters that are currently up regarding the "Deck the Hall" Holiday Open House at Redmen Hall; they were made by local Keith Hoofnagle. Their big weekend starts right after Thanksgiving, so we hope you'll stop by and have a cookie or two and check out all the awesome things they have on display.

SHOP LOCAL--There's a nationwide movement called "Shop Small" on Nov. 30, and I hope you'll be one of those that does just that, as our local, small, private businesses are always here for us and we should take this time to help support them and purchase items locally. There are lots of opportunities at the various stores and restuarants to buy gift certificates from them and other places offer unique, homemade items as well, so we hope you'll be a smart shopper and do some of your holiday gift shopping right here in our area.

METHODIST CHURCH--When shopping local, don't forget to head to the Skamokawa Methodist Church on Dec. 7, where they will hold their Holiday Bazaar.

GRANGE--Members of the Skamokawa Grange #425 and the Skamokawa Fire Department will meet o Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. for a tree decorating party at the grange hall, then on Dec. 9, the grangers will hold their own gift exchange party after a brief meeting. Their big holiday dinner that Saturday evening, Dec. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. will round out their busy holiday time. As is customary, their second meeting of the month, which falls on Dec.23, will not take place, as it's just too close to Christmas.

VOLLEYBALL--A big congratulations to the Lady Mules, as they brought home some hardware from the State playoffs in Yakima last weekend for the first time in 29 years! While they lost the opening round, their tenacity and determination paid off when it counted, so good job ladies! Way to go!

OUT OF THE PAST--During this week in 1948, the weather was stormy at the first of the week but turned out quite nice by the end of it. On Nov. 22, the Skamokawa Community Church, led by Reverend Murray Hyde, was the gathering place for the family and friends of Ida Benson McEvoy who had passed away on Nov. 18. She was survived by two sons: J.Roy McEvoy of Salem and Leslie McEvoy of Skamokawa and daughter, Loida Kelly of Portland, as well as two sisters: Alice Schmidt of Clatskanie and Minnie Iverson of Poulsbo and two brothers: Robert and John Benson of Skamokawa and granddaughter, Bernice Scott of Longview. On Wednesday of that week, the Everests boarded a bus and headed to Seattle where they would spend Thanksgiving with her sister, Jean Shane and her husband Frank. Thanksgiving was on Nov. 25 that year and it snowed in parts of the area that day. While they were there, cousin Catherine Schroder and Janis came to visit. Also stopping by was Ida Maines. The family took a drive through the Ballard area and enjoyed the many lights and decorations.

During this time in 1963, the nation mourned the death of President John F. Kennedy, and where the picture of little John saluting his father's casket outside of St. Matthew's Cathedral on his third birthday, will be forever remembered by those of us who witnessed it that day. I remember clearly that we were in school when we got the news. I was in band/choir practice with musical instructor, Mr. Sanders. It was a quiet and somber time throughout the school that day. As it was then, and as it is now once again, that sad day, Nov. 22, was a Friday. A memorial in his memory was held at the church in Skamokawa that evening and the Everests, along with Mayme Johnson and Kathleen Clay, attended the services in the very full church.

All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.