Final two weekends for exhibit at Redmen Hall

RAINS RETURN--As Fall officially began there was definitely a change in the weather, as when I was headed to bed, the rain was coming down quite heavily and lightning lit up the sky and the thunder shook the house! I'd say the seasons were changing right on schedule! Hopefully we'll still have nice days that forecasters are predicting for the weekend, as I'm not ready to let the nice weather go completely just yet. It seems hard to believe that we are ending another month; time just seems to be flying by, as Christmas is only three months from today; scary isn't it?!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from September 25-Oct. 1 are Rownen Vegvary, Matthew Keilwitz, Sue Kuller, S. Morgain, Marrissa Apperson, Dillon Hoven, Stewart Moonen, Kennedi LaBerge, Marie West, Linda Newton, Leah Clark, Evelyn Clark, Mike Danker, Brett Havens, Shannon Lewis, Carl Linquist, Kevin Weaver, Ron Leingang, Becky Keithley, Mary Wingate and Karen Healy. Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Matt and Marsha Helms, Tom and Tami Bosch, Chip and Kathy Perkins, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Bardsley, Michael and Kaelee Paulsen and Linda and Larry Spieth. Enjoy your special days everyone!

MULES--The OT loss last week for our Mules was sure a heart breaker but by golly, they put up a real good fight. We can only hope that the cooler temperatures will help with the leg cramps and other problems that seem to be plaguing some players. As we all know, exerting oneself for long periods of time and becoming overheated without proper fluids, can have serious consequences. We hope all goes well this Friday as our mighty Mules are playing at home once again against PeEll/Willapa Valley and we wish them a great game. Go Mules!

Tonight, both the JV and Varsity volleyball players will be here at home and they will be playing Onalaska. Here's to a clean sweep for them! JV games begin at 5:45 with the Varsity game following. Go Lady Mules! The Cross Country team will be holding their meet at Morton/White Pass at 3:45 p.m. Here's hoping they don't get too wet this Thursday afternoon and that they do well too!

COUNTRY DAYS/DINNER--Coming up next Saturday evening is the big dinner at the Grays River Covered Bridge so we hope you've gotten your tickets and are planning on attending. As I said before, there are some doings by the Wahkiakum 4-H group on the Island on Friday, and then an open house at the fairgrounds on Saturday afternoon, so that will certainly fill up next weekend. Remember, the Columbia River Country Days doings are held to raise funds for our Wahkiakum 4-Hers, so it's a very good cause. For more information, call Carrie Backman at the WSU Extension office: 795-3278.

BINGO--The Sons of Norway host Bingo on the second Saturday of each month unless otherwise posted over at the Norse Hall, so you're invited to join in the fun and win some cash prizes. Doors open at 5:30 with the games beginning at 6 and they also have goodies for sale for your enjoyment. Watch for dates for their usual lefse making event, where you can learn how to make it and you can buy some as well; it's great for the holidays! Don't forget, the Sons of Norway hold their meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Norse Hall.

METHODIST CHURCH--Members of the Skamokawa United Methodist Church will host an Arts and Crafts event on Oct. 25, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with tables available for just $10. According to Carol McClain, this is not a "garage sale" type of event, nor will it be for raffles and such, but a true arts and crafts event where talented folks can show off their handmade items and sell their work. There will be jewelry makers and quilt and hat makers, etc., so it will be a great place to get a really unique, homemade craft item for that person on your Christmas list who has everything but a true homemade gift! Contact Carol at 795-3337 to rent a table or for more info.

HAUNTED HOUSE--According to fairboard member Jason Rainey, there are currently tentative plans for a Haunted House at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds this year. We'll keep you posted as to the particulars as the details are available. If this all comes together, we hope you'll bring the kids and take part in this new event. If you've got some decorations you'd like to donate or would like to help out, be sure to give him a call.

GREAT MUSIC--After the kids have gotten their candy on Halloween night, the adults will be flocking to the Duck Inn Lounge I'm sure, as "The King Brothers" will be there to entertain the masses! If you like good music with a full band sound, including a mean saxophone, then this is your group; they are awesome! Don't forget to dress up in your favorite costume and maybe you'll be one of the lucky winners of one of the great prizes they always give out. I realize this is over a month away, but there's no time like the present to plan out what you're going to wear and invite your friends to come along with you!

SYMPATHIES--Several folks have suffered many losses of dear friends or family members lately and that includes two of my former classmates, as Ed Bussone lost his Mother, Jean on Sept. 15 and LeeAnn (Elaine) Rolf lost her father, Roger Munson on Sept. 19. We also heard of the passing of Mel Dominique of Puget Island and we want to send our sincerest sympathies to all of the family members and dear friends of these people, as they were well known and had many relatives in the area.

SKAMOKAWA GRANGE--The members of Skamokawa Grange #425 met last Monday evening and agreed to cancel the first meeting in October, which would have been Oct. 13, due to other obligations by their members. They will hold their second meeting of Oct. on the 27th, with just a dessert/snack potluck at 6:30 with the meeting at 7 p.m. Once we hold that meeting, we'll only have about six weeks until we hold our free, holiday spaghetti dinner on Dec. 13, barring any weather complications of course!

CHECK IT OUT--There are some great paintings and photography at Redmen Hall right now, so the Friends of Skamokawa are urging you to come and check out the works of Nell Coulson, Mitzi Christensen and Judy VanderMaten while it is still there. This exhibit will be showing until Oct. 5, so if you haven't seen it yet, you've only got a couple of weekends to view their work. This exhibit is entitled "All Over the Place" and features scenic works from multiple areas.

LUCKY GRANDSON--It's not often that I am happy that a loved one didn't get to go on a nice trip to a sunny, tropical place, but this Grandma was very happy to hear that grandson, Blake Sechler did not make it to Cabo San Lucas as planned! As we now know, Cabo got hit very hard by a hurricane, which left tens of thousands of tourists trapped with no power, little food or water and no way to leave until emergency travel plans were put in place, but which took days to facilitate. Those that were there witnessed armed guards and looters, and very scary conditions down there, so thankfully, he was not among those that we had to worry about. Fortunately for Blake, he was able to get a full refund on his ticket and headed off to calmer waters--in Hawaii!!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1944, the week began nice, then it got down right hot before it rained a couple of days and then got nice once again. The BPW (Business and Professional Women) group had a banquet in Longview and there were seven women that attended from Cathlamet and had a "splendid time." Amy McPherson passed away that week. She was founder of the Four Square Gospel Church. On the hottest day of the week, Mitchell Doumit broke his foot. Krist Pedersen called his family to tell them that he had landed in Seattle and would be home on the bus in the morning. The whole family went out to dinner and a show that evening. That was also Leon Healy's birthday, Sept. 28. Sunday dinner was spent at the Coffee Shoppe where the Everests enjoyed baked ham with raisin sauce and then to the show, "Destination Tokyo" which they thought was good.

In 1949, it was nice almost all week and even got quite hot with Portland sporting 90 degrees and Aberdeen broke a record for the day at 86 degrees. The humidity was so high here that logging camps were closed. This was also the week that clocks were set to "fall back" so they were looking forward to an extra hour of sleep that Sunday. At the show that week, "Little Women" was playing. The Everests traveled to Longview with the Wests so they could see Albert West's new home. The biggest news in the community was the end of an era for one long time connection with Astoria, as Cathlamet Mayor Harry Foster and his brother, Ernie, made their final run with their passsenger vessel, "The Imperial" that Saturday, Oct. 1. The Imperial boasted of carrying an average of 10,000 customers a year, as well as never having had a collision or an injured passenger. They would leave Cathlamet at 7:30 a.m., get to Astoria at 10, stayed until 2 and would return by 4. The Everest family, who had no car, used this mode of transportation to and from Astoria for years, as did many others. On their last run, many took the ride for fun, knowing it would be the last time they would be able to ride the Imperial and visit the Foster brothers on the Columbia River.

All this according to Grandma Elsie Everest's diaires.