Concert to be held at Redmen Hall June 14

TOASTY--We were back to sunny weather last weekend and several days before and after that, so I hope you had plenty of sunscreen handy! If you happened to stay at Skamokawa Vista Park this weekend, the windy conditions made for perfect kite flying opportunities. The newly installed power and water spaces along the riverfront area were being taken advantage of as well, so they were definitely a great addition to the park. We're still going to have some dry conditions so be sure to call and see if there is a high fire danger warning in our area before lighting any fires. With the drier weather comes drought conditions so here's to being prepared for all the consequences of that if this dry weather pattern continues.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from June 11-17 are Matalyn Longtain, Robert Montgomery, Jason Ledtke, Kelsey Briscoe, Gina Robbins, Kylee Souvenir, Mike Paulsen Jr., Deloris Wages, Erin Turner, Nikolai Almer, Vernoica Gilbertsen, Megan Vincent, Sarah Phillips, Shane Kehrli, Sheriff Mark Howie, Mike McLaughlin, Andrea Hess, Sandra Kay Hess, Kristian Pedersen, Bailey Pedersen, Karen Blain, Shirley Good and 67'er Noni Meredith. Belated birthday wishes to Mike Hicks who I somehow overlooked earlier. Hope you had a great day!

Celebrating their anniversaries this week are Stevan and Kathleen Morgain, Stewart and Ginger Moonen, Mr. and Mrs. Justin Watkins and Mr. and Mrs. Wally Wright. Enjoy your special days everybody!

THIS IS IT--The seniors from Wahkiakum High School will be donning their caps and gowns and saying good-bye to their high school years and enter into the big, wide world ahead of them. Whether they continue their education, go into the military or start working right away, it's going to be a big step and a big change in their lives. I say this every year, but my bit of advice is the same: "You'll never get a second chance to make a first impression." A hearty "Congratulations" to the WA-KI-HI Class of 2015 and may all your dreams come true!

CORRECTION--The Sons of Norway will have some tasty food to eat during the Puget Island garage sale, as well as their own sale, but they won't be serving the steak sandwiches which are listed on the community calendar, and which I also mentioned, but instead, they will have pulled pork sandwiches. We hope you'll stop by there and check them out during the last weekend in June!

DOWN THIS WAY--The Skamokawa Grangers are looking for vendors to take advantage of their indoor facilities, and be part of the Vendor's Fair on June 27. Last year it rained pretty good that day, so for those who were seeking a dry spot to shop, the grange hall turned out to be the perfect place. Contact Carol Blalock at 795-8729 for all the details.

Just a reminder that the Skamokawa Grange meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays now. The next one will be held on June 16, with the July dates being the 7th and 21st. Potluck starts at 6:30 and the meeting begins at 7. The grangers have recently passed a resolution supporting at-large elections for the local sewer district after concluding that exclusive voting districts do not make sense for such a small jurisdiction. The Skamokawa Grange wants to continue their tradition as a musical grange, and are ending their meetings with wonderful sing-a-longs and jam sessions and all are welcome to participate. Recently, Robert Pyle and Krist Novoselic have been helping out the Skamokawa Grange and with their help, their numbers and participation are growing.

THIS SUNDAY--The Friends of Skamokawa are happy to bring "PureFusion" to the second Sunday concert series at Redmen Hall this Sunday, June 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. Donna Lewis and her husband moved here last year and opened the "On the Rock" music studio in Cathlamet, so they are locals that we'd like to support. This band is a Christian Rock Band, with upbeat music. We hope you'll check them out this Sunday. Admission is $10 with children under 12 costing just $5. The group is also debuting their new CD, which you can purchase.

MORE FOS DOINGS--While you're up at the hall, you can also enjoy the current exhibit of Carol Peacock's works, which will only be there until June 21. There are plenty of great books in the gift/book shop too, so you might want to check those out.

The FOS is also asking anyone with a picture of a boat that used to fish on the Columbia River, to please bring a copy of it so they can display it with their permanent poster of the award winning, "Legacy of Columbia River Fisheries." It's always great to see the local fishermen in their element and would be a great tribute to all of them, and a neat thing for your family members to see. So, if you have a picture you'd like to share, no larger than 8 x 10, you can contact Gary Emery (795-0884) or Redmen Hall (795-3007).

One of the big fund raisers for the Friends of Skamokawa is their annual wine tasting and auction event held on the second Saturday of September every year. The hall is open from Thursday-Sunday, noon to four.

FIVE WEEKENDS--It's hard to believe, but the Bald Eagle Festivities are just five weekends away. We hope you're building a float or gathering friends together to march in the parade or shining up your car, as the more things in the parade, the better. Contact the Chamber of Commerece for all the details, 795-9996 or if you have a computer, you can look this up online and print out an entry form that needs to be filled out in plenty of time to be able to get into the event.

KAYAKING TIME--With all this great weather we're having, I hope all those who enjoy being on the water are signing up for tours or classes at the Columbia River Kayaking Center located at the Skamokawa Landing building on Steamboat Slough. You can check out their full schedule online or call them at 360-747-1044.

LOCAL ENTERTAINS--Local musician and entertainer, Layton Elliott will take part in several gigs in the coming months with July 3 and July 12 bookings as well as being one of the entertainers at the fair in August, so stop by and see him during his shows; more on them at a later date.

SPECIAL VISITORS--Ralph and Peggy Pedersen got to meet their latest great grandchild this week, as grandson, Adam Pedersen and wife, Samantha hopped on a plane with their two daughters, two year old Bailey and four month old Mackenzie, and came to visit family members out west. It's always great to see the kids via a computer, but nothing beats a hands on experience when you're a grandparent, so this was definitely a special visit for the Pedersens! Adam is the youngest son of Mark (Rhonda) Pedersen and Cindy Taylor of Vancouver. This great, great Aunt didn't mind getting in on the action and cuddling the latest addition to our family either, so that was fun! I got to take pictures with the little one with her great grandma Peggy, and grandpa Mark and Bailey was happily tugging me, Aunt Kay, to the goodie table where "chips" seemed to make her pretty happy. Of course, that came on the heels of Grandma Rhonda making the rounds as well. She had all of us at her beck and call! Baby Mackenzie was baptized in Vancouver last Sunday and little Miss Bailey was going to enjoy an early birthday celebration while she was out west, so when she heads back to Virginia, I'm pretty sure she'll be enjoying another party back there; a lucky little miss indeed!

Also coming by the Pedersen household this week were Peggy's brother, Brian and his wife Mitzi from California, so the front door has been swinging one way or the other lately with family members coming and going.