Live music this Sunday at Skamokawa Conference room

GORGEOUS--Wow, have we had some nice "winter" weather or what? Last weekend was great and from what I hear, we should still be seeing sunshine by the time you read this, so we have been very fortunate. To top off those nice days, we've had some gorgeous sunsets as well; totally breathtaking! For those of us out here in West Valley, we have been having night time and morning temperatures below freezing. But compared to the 7-8 feet of snow that has accumulated back east in the last three weeks, and temperatures down to 20 below zero, I will certainly not whine about a little ice! It is a little reminder though, that it is still winter, so while it may be tempting to plant some new things, it might be better to wait just a bit.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Feb. 19-25 are Sara Buennagel, Mac Johnson, Milli Elven, Rebecca Castillo, Melody Brown, Jade Hauff, Nick Tarabochia, Darrin Dow, Wyatt Parker, Amanda Zacher, Shari Gorman Parker, Truchet Miller, Morgan Spieth, Sally Nollan, Ursula Jorgensen and Logan Blain. Happy Birthday to each and every one of you!

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Terry Heagy and Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Wirkkala. Enjoy your special days!

NEW BIRTHDAY--We've welcomed another member into our Pedersen family, as my cousin, Art Pedersen became a grandpa on Feb. 7 when his daughter Naomi gave birth to a baby girl, who was named Aunika Rose Taylor. This was no "little miss" either, as she weighed in at 10 pounds 4 ounces and was 23 inches long; whew! Congratulations to one and all and we can hardly wait to see the pictures that I'm sure the proud Grandpa will be showing off soon!

VALENTINE'S DAY--It seems there were a lot of guys scoring points with their favorite lady this Valentine's Day, as I heard a lot of them boasting of great evenings out, complete with flowers and/or candy and that was great. Some guys, like Ronald Rust, celebrated by going out with 18 members of his family. They all had a wonderful time together, so that was neat. One former resident seemed to be enjoying the day immensely as she not only got to show off some new diamonds, but she was driving a new Mercedes as well; a double wow there. Way to go Gail and great job Rick! However, no matter what you might have received as a gift, or where you went to dine out, if you got to spend it with the ones you love, well, it was a super special day indeed!

LIVE MUSIC THIS SUNDAY--A three piece band called, "The Vintage Gypsies" will be starting off a series of Sunday concerts put on by the Redmen Hall (FOS) and you are invited to come to Skamokawa this Sunday from 2-5 p.m., to check them out. In order to be accessible to all, it will be held at the Skamokawa Store Conference Room, so that will be real handy. The cost is $10 for everyone over 12 years of age and $5 for those under 12. This is good music to bring the whole family to, so they hope you'll come down and enjoy the show and the view this Sunday afternoon!

SEEKING CONSIGNERS--The Friends of Skamokawa will hold their annual Antique Sale at Redmen Hall soon, and they're looking for more folks to put their antiques up for sale at the hall. Those interested in being a consigner need to contact Keith Hoofnagle at 795-0561 or Pam Emery at 795-0884 as soon as possible. You might also try calling Redmen Hall at 795-3007. The sale will begin on March 5, but all consignment items need to be turned in and set up by March 1-2. This only runs for two weeks, so don't delay getting up there at the beginning of it where hours are from 10 to 4 the first couple of days and with two floors of stuff to choose from, you're bound to find something that you just can't live without!

FEELING BUM--Kelly Nettles Recupero, our former Wah. county resident turned Aussie, is still feeling lousy and after a procedure to help her with her pain, she was only feeling much worse, which was certainly tough to hear, so we want to ask all that know her, to please say a few prayers on her behalf as she's really had a rough time lately. There's also a few who seem to have a bug of sorts and we wish all of you good health soon. Neighbor Nicole M. is one of those; take care, and we hope you feel better soon!

GOOD TURN OUT--In spite of a whole lot of things going on last weekend, the Valentine Diamond Dinner held at the Skamokawa Grange Hall was well attended. The fund raiser put on by the Wah. Co. Fair Board was spearheaded this year by Susan Rawls and her willingness to take on this big job was appreciated by everyone. It is not an easy task. Everyone who stepped up to help is to be commended as without the many hands of the community minded people, this event couldn't take place. Kudos to barbecue chefs, Blair Brady and Bill Coons for once again tackling the cooking of the steaks as it's not easy to feed 100 people in such a short time under those conditions. The serving crew is always kept mighty busy as they hustle around in the kitchen and back room, and go from table to table. For those who filled these slots this year, several of whom I didn't know, are certainly angels for jumping in there this year, as several of the usual waitresses were unavailable. The kitchen crew, led by Janet Bryan, is always given the huge task of getting the mess cleaned up as well as some other things, so all of them are surely appreciated as well.

There were a lot of great prizes given away and all of those people who donated things are truly appreciated for their generosity. They include Lance & Shannon Britt of the Skamokawa Resort, Drop Anchor Brewery, Maureen Zacher, Martha and Gary Backman, Mike and Carrie Backman, Bill and Kay Chamberlain and Brown's Plumbing. (If I left anybody out, I apologize and please call me so I can include you!) Many folks also donated items in order to help keep the overall costs down and for each one who donated those items, there's a big thank-you to them as well.

It goes without saying that everyone who attended the dinner is owed a huge thank-you, as by doing so, you continue to show your support for our Wahkiakum County Fair!

FAIR THEME--Speaking of the fair, the theme this year is "Boots, Buckles and Barrels of Fun," so we hope you'll start planning your booths and things around this theme. We'll all be anxious to see what you come up with this August when the Wahkiakum County Fair takes place Aug. 20-22. I know it seems like a long way off, but hey, the second month of this new year is almost over already and there are many things coming up, so it's wise to start thinking about your fair entries,displays and etc. early!

FLEA MARKET--Don't forget to head to the Wah. Co. Fairgrounds on March 7, as they will be hosting a flea market that day and all are urged to come and check out what they have for sale there. Jean Beerbower would be the one to contact if you'd like to take part in this or donate something, etc. so give her a call or come and pay her a visit down here!

CRAB FEED--If you missed the great crab and oyster feed at the Rosburg Hall last month, or you're just plain hungry for more of the same, the Norse Hall on Puget Island will be the place to go on March 14 as the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce puts on their annual feed. They have three different seating times, with the first one being at 3 p.m., designated as the "family friendly" one, as the other two seatings are for those 21 years of age and up and are at 5:15 and 7:30 p.m. They will be having a lot of raffle prizes available with tickets selling at just a dollar. Proceeds from this event go towards putting on the Bald Eagle Day Parade and Fireworks show, so it's for a good cause.

Note to the Bingo lovers: Usually on the second Saturdays of the month, there is Bingo at the Norse Hall, but due to the scheduling of this event, there will be no Bingo that evening.

RODS AND REELS--For those who have entered the wonderful Rods and Reels car show at the Wahkiakum Co. Fairgrounds and park before, you will be getting an entry form in the mail before long, so we hope you'll be signed back up again this year. The event takes place the Saturday after Memorial weekend, so that makes it May 30 this year. We hope you're planning on entering your vehicle and if not entering a car, we hope you'll be attending it. As usual, it's a fun day with music, prizes, good food and a trout pond for the kids and a whole lot of fun. All sponsors will be contacted once again and if you've got a new business or you are new to the area and would like to be a sponsor to this Dollars for Scholars event, or learn more about it, contact Lee Tischer at 360-430-4377.

GO MULES--Our Lady Mules basektball team has been doing great, but they'll be playing another game prior to my having to turn this in, so I'm not sure of how they did or where or who they'll be playing next, but I just want to say you've all been great and I hope you get to advance even farther. The Mules wrestling team has been doing well too, so go Mules! Here's to further advancements to both of these great teams.

NEXT YEAR--I hope you're spreading the news about the 100th year commerative WA-KI-HI school reunion that will take place next Aug.13, 2016. As always, it would be great to hear that you'd like to help in putting this all together and all ideas for what to do and how to do it, would be explored. First of all, spread the news so folks can start making plans to attend, then watch for meeting times and if you've never attended or gotten a notice about it, contact Susan Kuhn. She is best to reach by mail at P. O. Box 440 - Cathlamet, WA 98612. Remember, this is next year, so we hope you'll set some traveling plans aside and come and see your former classmates and the school. Everyone who has ever gone to WA-KI-HI is more than welcome to attend!