New exhibit at Redmen Hall

MIX OF WEATHER--One thing about last weekend's weather, if you didn't like it one minute, it seemed to change the next, at least down this way! It was pouring in West Valley when I left our house on Saturday, but just two miles east, it was sunny and warm and I felt sort of silly in my coat and hat! It was cloudy all day Sunday here, with showers coming and going, so while it wasn't super nice, it was pretty good weather to work in as it certainly kept you from working up a sweat! However, by late afternoon, it was just plain wet, so it was time to come in and call it a day. Our work week began with nothing but warmth and sunshine so it was time to get back out there and tend to those outdoor chores before the next bout of rain which arrived on Tuesday.

PRAYERS ASKED--In other parts of our country, there are millions of people in the path of some massive storms, tornadoes, flash floods and other horrific weather problems as I write this, so we pray for all their safety, as of this writing, the weather folk said there were 20 active tornadoes in just 24 hours. We will also think of those in Nepal, as the earthquake there left thousands dead and many missing, including some folks from America.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 30-May 6 are Sweet Pea Snow, Ricky Montgomery, Conner Emlen-Petterson, Stephanie Moonen, Orville Lindsey, Jeff Ostling, Dan Cothren, Nick Deal, Lars Blix, Rosie DeBriae, Matthew Freeman, Abby Pedersen and grandson, Austin Good. May your birthday celebrations be super happy ones this year!

Happy Anniversary wishes this week go out to Mark Whitaker and Shannon Meeker, Treasure and Michelle Collupy, Matthew and Katrina Freeman, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Everman, Mr. and Mrs. Lamar Blix, Mr. and Mrs. Monte Robinson and a special Happy First Anniversary to Gabe and Annie Pedersen this Saturday.

MAY DAY/ BIG OPENINGS--Tomorrow, Friday, is May 1, so we hope you get a bouquet of flowers from somebody to celebrate May Day this year. However, if you don't, why not celebrate the grand opening of Ostlings Fish and Chips and More that evening from 5 to 7 p.m.? They will be serving up some samples, have a few refreshments and a drawing as well, so stop on by. They are located on SR 4 across the parking lot from Lulu's Burgers (formerly Mace's Drive-In). On both Friday and Saturday, they will be donating part of their proceeds to charity.

If you are in Cathlamet already, you might want to celebrate May Day at Tsuga Gallery during that same time, 5 to 7, with Bob Kizziar as their featured artist and some fine piano music by Kathleen Petersen.

Another place that is holding its Grand Opening is Daisy Chain Floral and they'll be celebrating their big day from 10 to 5 that day. Congratulations to Nicole Emery for opening this new business and we wish her the best.

REDMEN HALL--The Friends of Skamokawa hope you'll head up to Redmen Hall this Saturday, May 2, for the opening of their new art exhibit by resident Carol Peacock. You can meet the artist and enjoy some refreshments from 1 to 3 that day, but her exhibit will be there until June 14. Carol is a world traveler and has had many successful shows and won many awards, so it's a great pleasure to have her here and be able to enjoy her artwork. This exhibit will showcase the work she has done while here in Wahkiakum County.

Don't forget to come back to the hall on May 10, as our well known and very talented, Kerrie McNally will be there to entertain you as the FOS continues its "Second Sunday Concert" series. Proceeds are split between the artist and the River Life Interpretive Center located on the second floor of the historic Redmen Hall. Kerrie will have CD's available for you to purchase and they would make nice Mother's Day gifts as well!

SERVICE REMINDER--Friends of Jim Mast are being reminded that they are invited to gather at the Norse Hall this Saturday, May 2 at 2 p.m., to remember him and share in the Celebration of Life service with his family.

PERFECT TIMING--Cinco De Mayo is coming right up, and how fitting that it lands on "Taco Tuesday" at the Duck Inn this year! They serve up a special menu every Tuesday along with drink specials, so we hope to see you there on this extra special day!

SHOWER--Mom-to-be, Shannon Britt was the guest of honor at a baby shower held for her by Rochelle Cothren and Elaine Britt last Saturday afternoon. The sun was shining, although it was a bit breezy, but hey, it wasn't raining there, so the view of the river from the conference room at the Skamokawa Store/Resort was gorgeous. Speaking of pretty things, Shannon and Lance's little girl, Elle, will be dressed to the nines, as she received many, many darling outfits and of course we ladies did a whole lot of "oohing and aahing" over them. I do have to mention the most touching moment of the day came when Shannon opened the gift from Lance's Mom, which included baby pictures of Lance and some of his own baby things, and of course, that got the Mama-to-be all choked up and brought tears to her eyes and many of the other Moms as well; such a special gift indeed! After a wonderful lunch, and several baby games, the day ended with a delicious cake with whipped cream frosting and of course, nothing but best wishes for Shannon and her hubby as they look forward to their new arrival who is due the first half of June. We can hardly wait to meet her!

FAMILY GUESTS--David and Connie Shrum enjoyed some family guests this weekend as Connie's Mom was here from Idaho and her brother and his wife came to spend some time with them from the Seattle area. The timing was great, as they all got to enjoy the big band sound of the "King Brothers" that were at the Duck Inn last Friday evening. The entertainers start playing early, so many of the crowd had dinner and music at the same time. There was a nice crowd there and if there's one thing we can agree on, it's that the saxophone player makes "Louie, Louie" a must to dance to! The band is always a big hit when they are in town and folks will be able to enjoy them again when they come back to town on May 30.

SURPRISE GUEST--When Carolyn Pedersen stopped by the Ralph Pedersens the other day, it seems she had quite a surprise with her: a former resident and pastor's wife, Janice Hobkirk! It had been many a decade since Peggy had last seen her, so she was thoroughly surprised by the visit, and of course, the group had quite a lot of catching up to do after all those years. Sometimes surprises can be unpleasant but not this one, as it made for a wonderful day at the Pedersens.

A GOOD READ--The Linfield Wildcats recently featured McKenna Spieth in their paper, as she has been an awesome catcher for the softball team, is an inspiration to her team and she has great leadership skills as well. A catcher's job is one with many responsibilities and takes a lot of focus and physical endurance too. Her Mom and Dad, Linda (niece of Gene Healy) and Larry Spieth of Vancouver are very proud of her, and grandparents (and my first cousin) Donna (Healy) Palmer and husband Glenn, are beaming over her accomplishments. The team recently became the NWC Tournament Champions after a couple of wins in Spokane and will now be headed to the NCAA Regionals. Congratulations to them and I'm sure the rest of the family will be cheering on McKenna and her team as they advance.

CONGRATS--Valle Ledtke, daughter of Jerry and Becky Ledtke, will graduate soon from college (FIU) in Miami and so we want to offer our congratulations to her and the whole family. She has been working in the field of Athletic Training Professionals and she and her classmates put out a good video discussing what all this entails. We wish her well in her new career and I'm sure Becky will have a great time in Florida real soon!

S of N--The Sons of Norway will hold their next meeting at the Norse Hall on Puget Island.on May 6 at 7 p.m. Visitors are always welcome and you can become a member even if you aren't Norwegian, so stop on by if you're interested in what this group does. Unless otherwise posted, the Sons of Norway also hold Bingo on the second Saturday of each month. Doors open at 5:30 and games start at 6. You can contact Pres. Jan Silvestri or secretary Susan Brown for more info.

SKAMOKAWA GRANGE--The first and third Tuesdays of every month are the newer meeting days now for the members of the Skamokawa Grange, with potluck a half hour prior to their 7 p.m. meeting. The grange is located at 18 Fairgrounds Road and guests are always welcome.

COMING SOON--There are a ton of coffee drinkers around here and soon there will be a place to get your Espresso fix in Skamokawa. Look for this latest business to open up inside Skamokawa Vista Park and I'm sure all the campers will love seeing this cart. I'm sure there will be a big following for "Ship Channel Coffee" when it opens; projected for May 15. We'll be waiting for those iced mochas and vanilla and caramel lattes!

MONTH AWAY NOW--May 30 is just a month away, and that means the big car show in Skamokawa at the Wahkiakum Co. fairgrounds will take place, which is put on by the Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars organization. If you want to enter a car, we hope that you've gotten your forms turned in to Lee Tischer as with your early entry, you get the extra goodie bag, so don't miss out and get that paperwork done soon. Remember it costs nothing for onlookers to get in and wander amongst the hundreds of awesome cars, and you can purchase meal tickets for their burger/salmon BBQ, and more tickets for all the great raffle items, all the while listening to some great music and watching the kids fish for trout; free! Entry forms are available online or contact Lee: 360-430-4377.