Burn ban lifted after enough rainfall

PRETTY WET--We had some pretty wet times last week but the sun came out after a rainy spell and boy, did it get steamy. The humidity was almost worse than the hot/dry days, as the mugginess was enough to make one melt. Thank goodness for AC and ice tea; both helped to cool us down a bit. The sunny weekend was great but it sure came with some cooler, super foggy mornings, so it definitely feels like Fall! The rains that returned at the beginning of the week were welcomed by some, but we're told the sun is to have returned by the time you read this and that will be quite welcome I believe.

BURN BAN LIFTED--According to the Sheriff's office, as of yesterday, Oct. 1, the burn ban has been lifted. However, you must still be very careful about having a fire, have a current burn permit and contact the Sheriff's office and let them know that you'll be burning prior to doing so.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Oct. 2-8 are Ginger Schmitz, Debbie Gribskov, David Blalock, Kylee Montgomery, Sara Jester, Brain Elliott, Richard Robinson, Arlene Sauer, Rolly Armstrong, Tony Silva, Kevin Vik, Jesse Ellison and Kari Claussen. Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Quin and Connie Bassi, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Cleveland, Mr. and Mrs. Scott McClain and Mr. and Mrs. Adam Pedersen. Happy days to all of you celebrating your birthdays and anniversaries this coming week.

THIS IS IT--Pray for sunshine as the Columbia River Country Days activities start tomorrow, with the big Lamp Lit Dinner on the Covered Bridge in Grays River is happening on Saturday at 4:40 p.m. We hope to see some dry weather so the festivities at the Farmer's Market on Puget Island on Friday and the 4-H Open house on Saturday afternoon and dinner later on will be a little more fun, as sloshing through the rain and wind won't make for ideal conditions. Here's to a fun weekend for all those who are taking part in this fund raiser for our 4-H'ers! Needless to say, the activities at the Covered Bridge will keep it closed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., so you'll have to detour around that site for the day.

SAD TIMES--We were sorry to hear about the death of Don Wolcott, who had been working in the woods for years and years, and passed away in a logging accident last Wednesday. Our hearts go out to his family and they have our deepest sympathy. There was also a fiery crash that killed two local people just east of county line and we offer their families our condolences as well. This was a horrific crash scene and we feel for the families of those two individuals.

MULES--The Mule football team is headed to Morton/White Pass this Friday evening so here's to a good, safe game for both teams. The Volleyball team heads to Napavine today and they will play Toutle Lake at home next Tuesday. They've been getting the job done lately. Go lady Mules! The Cross Country team will be at Ilwaco taking part in the Joe Williams International. Here's to a good meet for them.

FARMER'S MARKET--Don't forget, the food and fun at the Farmers Market on Puget Island will soon be ending this current season, so take advantage of them while you can! They will be open through Halloween. Remember, only four more Fridays after this one!

MUSEUM--Another thing coming to an end is our Wahkiakum County Historical Society Museum, so I want to remind you now that you've only got until Oct. 26, 4 p.m., to check out the new addition to the museum and the newly arranged items within it, as well as the rest of rearranged items in the main part of the museum.

Also, the annual meeting of the WCHS will be held at the Julia Butler Hansen house on Oct. 18 at 11 a.m., and it will include a potluck luncheon, so all members are urged to attend and bring their favorite dish. Also, there is a position open on the board, so if you're interested in helping out this wonderful organization contact President Ralph Keyser, VP Judy Brawn, or any of the board of directors: Evelyn Huerd, Kari Kandoll, Hans York or Janine Oman and they'll get you steered in the right direction.

Becoming a member is easy and that helps keep the doors open, so if you're thinking of joining, its $20 for a single person, $30 for a couple and it's $50 for a Corporate/Associate Membership. If you don't want to be a member of one more group, but would like to help them out, you can send a check to WCHS, P.O. Box 541, Cathlamet, 98612. Your help would be truly appreciated!

KAYAKING--Also winding down is the kayak season with Columbia River Kayaking. This Friday and Saturday there will be a Price Island half-day beginners tour and then a Wildlife Refuge Tour, respectively, so call right away to take advantage of either of those. Then the following week, Oct. 11 and 12, there will be another Price Island half day beginner's tour on Saturday with a tour to Three Tree Point on Sunday. You can check the CRK online or give them a call at 360-747-1044.

COME TO THE FAIRGROUNDS--I hope you'll be saving up a few "sheckles" so that you can come down to the Haunted House and Carnival at the end of the month at the fairgrounds. One building will hold the Haunted House and it's going to be open both Oct. 30 and 31. The carnival part will just be open on Oct. 30 and will feature great games for the kids and contests too, so get out your best costume and see if you can win a prize, or bring an awesome carved pumpkin and you can be a winner of something cool. There's going to be a lot to do for the kids so mark the dates on the calendar and have some Halloween fun at the fairgrounds. Games will only cost $1 to play, and the Haunted House will be $3 to get in unless you bring some canned food and then it's only $1, so that's a good deal for you and the food bank gets helped out as well.

LEFSE MAKING--If you've always wanted to learn how to make the Norwegian treat "lefse", you'll have the chance to do that at the end of the month at the Norse Hall on Puget Island. The Sons of Norway members will be there beginning on Halloween, Oct. 31 from about 9 to 3, and you're welcome to come and learn and help them make some! They will also be there Saturday and on Sunday, (Nov. 1 & 2) the selling of the lefse treats begins, so if you don't want to learn how to make it, you can just buy some and enjoy eating it! You can always freeze it and save it for your holiday doings that will be coming up before you know it so mark those dates on your calendar and we hope to see you at the Norse Hall at the end of the month!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1944, a couple of days were wet and stormy but then it got nice and it was "lovely." Grandma Elsie left on the bus to go on a little vacation up to Seattle and the surrounding area. At her sister Jean's home, she dined on trout and she also went to a movie, "The Song of Bernadette" which she thought was very good. She and another relative went to Bremerton on one of the nice days, where she saw thousands of sailors, had a nice trip there and went to a show starring Bing Crosby called "Going My Way" and again, gave it good marks. It was obvioulsy movie week, as she also went to see "Down Home in Indiana," "Seven Days Leave," "The Open Road" and "The Great Moment." The whole family went to Puyallup, enjoyed a chicken dinner out and went to see a friend's new home and new baby.

In 1949, it was another week where the weather took turns being wet and being nice. Big news that week was that for the first time in history, the Pacific NW power pool fell apart and Bonneville's two major substations, Ross and Covington, went dead! The culprit was a direct hit with a lightning bolt, which meant most of the NW from Seattle clear down to Eugene, OR, were without electricity. The Kelso Lady Elks were busy planning a Halloween carnival and one of the new members, Mrs. George Everest was busy helping them plan that fund raising event. After the business meeting, all the ladies played either pinochle or bingo. Back in Cathlamet, Grandma Elsie was busy selling tickets for the the Rebekahs, who were raffling off a beautiful, big quilt.

In 1964, the weather was beautiful but it got gray and cooler by the end of the week but still not bad. Hurricanes had hit the Southern states with the worst they'd ever experienced. Grandma's Monday didn't start out so good as the hot water bottle she took to bed with her burst and she had a very wet mess. She was happy that it was a beautiful day so she could hang all the bedding outside to dry. Bertha Shuster, Gertie Healy and daughter Marian came by and they all worked on clothing to be sent to a mission for about three hours. They were quite tired at the end of the day but they had three huge boxes of clothes. It was obvious that Grandma favored the St. Louis Cards baseball team as when they beat the Yankees that week, 9 to 5, she had a big "ha-ha!" written by the score! She was not nearly so happy the second day, when the Yankees beat the Cards 8 to 3! All this according to Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries!