Lots of Halloween activities taking place

WILD ONE--Once again, we've had some nasty weather and it gave some of us yet another opportunity to gauge how ready we are for further winter storms that are sure to come. While I was prepared for a lot worse on Saturday, I was terribly thankful that we didn't get the brunt of the storm, unlike other nearby places, like Portland, which took a pretty hard hit with tens of thousands being left in the dark. Folks being interviewed on the news were terribly unhappy when they had to go over a day without power, and some almost two, but should they be?

Year after year we are told by the members of our Emergency Management teams, that we should all be prepared to be self-sustaining for at least three days. This means that we should plan on being without power or water or a way to buy food or leave our homes safely for that length of time; in other words, you need to have some supplies on hand and an alternate way to keep your food cold, to keep yourselves warm, to be able to cook and take care of yourself and your own needs.

TORNADO--Speaking of storms, I was in Longview last week, along with many of my family members and friends, when a tornado suddenly struck the area! I had just commented on the fact that the sky was just so black and that there appeared to have been a "tail" coming down from it, which looked like it could be a twister and sure enough, there was! It all seemed so crazy with half the area sunny, and the other part turning into chaos! Fortunately, due to a wrong turn on my part, we just missed being in the area that was hit, so that was a close call! This sort of weather event is rare to our area, but it just goes to show how quickly an emergency situation can arise with no advance warning at all. Those who reacted by getting under desks, etc. were all doing what they needed to do and thankfully no one was hurt. While officials couldn't prevent what happened, they did have a plan in place in case something like this did happen, and it didn't take long before all the various crews jumped into action and got traffic stopped, sent crews out to assess the damage, got linemen working on outages, tree cutters to clear downed trees and others started picking up the mess. We feel for the folks who had their businesses damaged and some wiped out. Let's hope these kinds of events stay rare!

TIME CHANGE--It's that time of year when we change our clocks once again and so this Saturday night before you go to bed, be sure to reset your clocks and "Fall back" an hour.

SPECIAL DAYS--Here we go into another month; amazing to think that November starts this Saturday! With that said, those celebrating birthdays this coming week from Oct. 30-Nov. 5 are Maury Mooers, Hoby Thacker, Tristan Parke, Miley Montgomery, Brad McNally, Ginger Moonen, Ryan Vincent, Anna Kuhn, Jessie Hoven, Lisa Robinson, Mary Simpson-Moonen, Britt Boldt, Starla Hanson, James Turner, Mike Wright, Linda Palmer Spieth and Elizabeth Davison. Happy birthday to all of you! Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Wika and Ed and Sue Edminster are celebrating their anniversaries this week, so hats off to them as they celebrate their special days. Belated anniversary wishes go to Herb and Anita Mosteller, as they celebrated 42 years together last Monday, so congratulations to them.

TODAY AND TOMORROW--Halloween is coming right up, so come on down to the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds and check out the first Halloween carnival there, as well as the Haunted House they've set up. The carnival is only going to be held this evening, Thursday, Oct. 30, so don't miss it! There are a lot of games with prizes for just a dollar and there will be a costume contest with prizes given away as well. The Haunted House will be open both Thursday and Friday and while it costs three dollars to get in, you can reduce that to just one dollar by bringing three cans of food which will be donated to our local food bank, so that's a win, win situation; food for those in need and lots of thrills and fun for you!

MUSIC, MUSIC--Head to the Duck Inn for a great evening of music and fun when the King Brothers come back to the area this Halloween night! If you are dressed to the nines in your best Halloween get-up, you could be a winner of one of the flat screen TV's being given away! Join the fun and dance to a fantastic band! Hope you come to celebrate at eight; it will be great!

THIS SATURDAY--The fairgrounds will also be holding a Flea Market this Saturday, so if you're looking for a bargain, you'll have a chance to go through some stuff that day and if you'd like to be a part of it or have any questions, call the fair office, 795-3480 and leave a message.

SONS OF NORWAY--This is the weekend for all those folks who love lefse to head to the Norse Hall, as not only will they be making lefse, and can teach you how to make it but they will also have it for sale. According to Sons of Norway President, Jan Silvestri, the fun begins on Friday, Oct. 31 with members of the lodge making the lefse and teaching others how to do the same, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Then on Nov. 1 and 2, (Sat. & Sun.) you can stop by to buy some, and of course, there will be other goodies for sale as well. It's getting to be "that" time of year once again, so freezing some of this tasty stuff to share with others later, may be just the ticket!

All members are being reminded that this Wednesday, Nov. 5 is their monthly meeting at the Norse Hall at 7 p.m. Visitors are always welcome. They also hold Bingo on the second Saturday evening of each month unless otherwise posted. Come join the fun!

GREAT WIN--I sure was happy that the Mules came from behind and wound up beating Mossyrock last Friday night, as nothing puts smiles on the Seniors' faces like a win at their very last home game; yeah Mules! This evening, Oct. 30, the Mules will be playing their last game of the month in Toledo at 7 p.m.

From the sounds of it, we've got some great kids coming up through the ranks, as the mini-Mules took home the championship with their win last week. Way to go!

WATCH FOR GHOSTS & GOBLINS--As I've said, this is the big weekend for all the Halloween festivities so I do hope you'll keep a watchful eye out for those little ones who will be out and about and who often don't think before they act. Here's to a safe, fun "Happy Halloween!"

GOOD THOUGHTS--I want to send some "get well - thinking of you" thoughts to Kelly (Nettles-Heiner) Recupero in Australia, as she's been dealing with severe back pain for ages and she sure could use our thoughts and prayers right now. Kelly suffered a fall many years ago and has undergone several treatments but they haven't worked, so we're hoping that the next visit to a specialist will give her some relief. Here's to you Kelly, take care and hang in there!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1944, it was a wet, windy and nasty week every day but one and that was on Nov. 2. That week, 400 veterans, who were war casualties from Guam or Saipan, arrived in Astoria and filled all but 100 beds in their new naval facility there. After arriving by train from San Francisco, they were then transferred to the hospital via special buses and ambulances. Sen. Guy Cordon said that there would be an additional telephone center and occupational therapy building added to the facility as approval by the Navy had already been given. The Wests and the Everests headed to the Norse Hall that week as Governor Langlee and others were speaking. A big crowd turned out. The Bernath family welcomed a baby boy into their family on Nov. 1. The Healy family was happy as Leon Healy bagged his elk that week. Many local folks met in the courthouse that week to discuss post-war activities and take part in a survey.

In 1949, the weather was warm and nice all week long with temperatures averaging at least six degrees above normal. Seattle was breaking records for this time of year and one article said it was experiencing the highest temperatures ever recorded. Krist and Carol Pedersen took their three month old daughter into the doctor for a check up and was found she now weighed 11 pounds, 14 ounces and was doing just fine. There was a big carnival held at the Puget Island school that week. "Camp" was closed with all the men going hunting.

In 1954, it was another "lovely, warm" week although there was quite a bit of fog at times. Ralph Pederen was hurt in football practice and was taken to the hospital via ambulance with a concussion. He was able to come home a couple of days later. Kenny Sorenson and Krist Pedersen went deer hunting that week; they both got their deer. Frank Pedersen was a happy football player that week as he made a touchdown at the Friday night game. Halloween evening was super nice and the Everests went to Millie's restaurant for chicken dinner.

In 1964, it was decent all week long but one day and that was Nov. 3 which was Election Day; the Democrats won by a landslide. However, Washington state had a Republican governor now. That week Grandma Everest's good friend, Elva Mast, was taken to the Haborview Hospital in Seattle. The Everest and Pedersen families gathered at Krist and Carol Pedersen's home on Puget Island for a farewell dinner for Peggy, Tim and Mark Pedersen who would be leaving Friday morning for Alaska, where they would join Ralph Pedersen in Cordova. Grandma Everest was sad that her first grandson (Ralph) and first great grandson would both be so far away. A big crowd gathered at the Congregational Church to bid farewell to Nell and Lewis Dowling, who had operated the Dowling Funeral home for many years but later sold it to the Max Moores of Longview, but they still managed it for many years until their retirement. The couple was now moving to DesMoines. All this according to Elsie Everest's diaries.