Fair premium checks ready September 26

NICE WEEKEND--We had some heavy fog in the morning hours over this past weekend and part of last week, but it turned out sunny and nice, so all of those big fund raisers got to be held without getting soaked, and the huge "End of the World Rod Run" down in Long Beach, got to travel around in mostly sunshine at least. They say we're in for cooler weather rolling in Sunday evening and more on Monday, well, we may be a little wet by the time you read this. However, as I send this in on this Tuesday morning, it may be a little cool out there but the sun is still shining.

BE PREPARED--Don't forget, September is "Disaster Preparedness" month, so I do hope you've got some provisions put together and can deal with whatever may come for a few days on your own. The weather has been so nice that we tend to forget how fast it can change, so if you haven't gotten some sort of kit together yet, now is the time to do so. Just pretend the emergency officials are knocking on your door right now. Are you ready to go?

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Sept. 17-23 are Frank Bosch, Tracy Carroll, Shona Heywood, Jay Mace, Korina Hoven, Merle Brockway, George Bates, Bruce Holland, Elisa Anderson, Wade Cothren, David L. Vik, Theresa Jacobson, Ty Norris, Sam Longtain, Monte Longtain, Janelle Gilligan, Bob Ohrberg, Michelle Smith, Jim Watkins, Dan Turner, George Wilde, Bob Bacon, Darlene Almer, Karla Kyle, Lori Kyle, Susan Peterson Shook and Adam Pedersen. Here's to celebrating many more birthdays in your future as well!

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Dan and Carla Keilwitz, Ray and Judy Danielsen, Arve and Gwen (Good) Ronninghaug and Philip and Ivy Lou Vik. May your anniversaries be full of the love you shared when you first got married!

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY--If you've ever been to Astoria to the ASOC playhouse, and seen "Shanghied in Astoria," then you already know what a fun time it is. But if you haven't seen it and want to get a "topsy turvy" view of it, then you should head down there either Friday or Saturday, as this rendition of the show runs for two nights only, September 18-19 with the box office opening at 6 p.m., doors at 6:30 p.m., and show time 7 p.m. What makes it so different? It's because all the men take over the women's parts and vice versa, which is cause for some really outrageous and hilarious moments. That's at the Astor Street Opry Company's Playhouse behind the Pig 'n Pancake restaurant in Uniontown/Astoria.

ON WEDNESDAY--On Sept. 23, Pastor Theron Hobbs Jr. of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, will lead a prayer service on behalf of all the First Responders at 5:30 p.m. This is not for just our own great group but for those across our nation as they are dealing with multiple events lately, from shootings to massive wild fires and everything in between. They are putting themselves in harm's way every day and so we want to pray for their safety as they go about their often treacherous jobs, but also thank them for their service. We hope you can gather with the Pastor in front of the Wahkiakum Courthouse, as folks "Gather Around the Flagpole" in honor of these folks who are putting others before themselves.

FOR THE HAWK FANS--After an overtime loss by the Seattle Seahawks to the Saint Louis Rams this past Sunday, we can only hope that we don't have a season with losses like that, and especially after a very questionable call when it came to trying an onside kick at that time. But, win or lose, a fan is a fan, and I'm guessing you may have a lot of Seahawk signs and banners around your house but you probably don't have this: a Seahawk fishing pole! This rod was made by Fred Hoven and is valued at $300. Englund Marine Co. of Astoria has topped it off with a beautiful blue Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reel, so it's a mighty fine looking rod and reel set, that could be won by you! Appelo Archives of Naselle is raffling off this great rod and reel set that anyone would be proud to own, and if you're a Seahawk fan, it would be a unique item to have in your collection! Tickets are being sold at the Appelo Archives Center or Archives Cafe for just $5 until Nov. 19 at 4 p.m., with the winning ticket being drawn on Nov. 20 at 1 p.m., at the AAC. This is a fund raiser for the center and a great chance for you to win an awesome prize, so we we hope you'll buy your tickets soon, and good luck!

FAIR THINGS--If you put something in the fair this year and you have a premium check coming to you, you can pick it up on Sept. 26 at the fairgrounds. After that, they will be available there on Oct. 3. In past years, those not picked up on that last day, will then be mailed. Also on Oct. 3, the fairgrounds will be the site of their monthly flea market which takes place on the first Saturday of each month, so come on down and see what goodies you can find.

The biggie for next month is the Halloween Carnival and Haunted House, which was a huge hit last year, with Jason Rainey doing a whole lot of work to make sure that it got done, so we sure appreciated all his efforts. If you'd like to help out this year, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction as to who you can contact. In the meantime, write down Oct. 30 on your calendar as a date to head to the fairgrounds for a "spook-tacular" good time!

CAMPERS--Several members of the Class of '67 will be at the Skamokawa Vista Park from Sept. 20 to 27, and for those of you who would like to stop by and chat, they will be located to the far left of the park along the river. You will need to come into the park, turn to the right when you get in there, and go past the park office and veer left towards the river and once you get almost down there, you'll take the sandy road to the left and go all the way to the end campsites on the right. They are planning a potluck "Fireside Chat" on Friday evening, at 6 p.m., so you're invited to bring a dish and stay and visit for awhile, as the food will be great and the company exceptional; of course!

MEMORIAL PLANNED--You may remember that Tom Bond passed away awhile back, and for all those who knew Tom, you are invited to attend a potluck memorial on his behalf on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m., at the covered area in Skamokawa Vista Park. His sister, Kathy Peek, will be at the campground all week, if you aren't able to attend the memorial. He knew a whole lot of people over the years, so we hope you'll come and share your memories of him with his family members, friends and other class and work mates.

SYMPATHIES--We were so sorry to hear of the passing of L. D. Mahoney, 84, so we send our sympathies to his family members. His services were held last Saturday at the Congregational Church in Cathlamet.

WRAP UP--The venue couldn't have been more different from the first time I'd heard her sing, but Kyleen Austin's CD release party last Saturday at the Little Island Creamery was certainly unique. Held in the upper loft of the big barn that had belonged to Wally Kaste for many, many years, it made for a great place for the instruments and voices in which to resonate. The newly installed and polished floor of the loft shone like glass from the sun filtering in the back exit door with its new set of stairs leading behind the barn and the craftsmanship was truly appreciated by everyone there. The new CD, entitled, "If I Were" matched the new surroundings, and as always, our very own Andrew Emlen was outstanding in his accompaniment, as were the many other musicians and singers.

Later on in the evening, the Skamokawa Grange Hall was bustling with activity as the Friends of Skamokawa once again hosted a wonderful Wine and Auction event, with some terrific items to bid on; whether it was the silent or live auction. Honored for their work at Redmen Hall were Irene Martin and Keith Hoofnagle. While there, we had the pleasure of meeting a couple who had recently settled into the community on Puget Island, so it was great to see newcomers, Ken and Margaret McCart, attend this event and take part in some lively bidding wars and come away with some great auction items while supporting the FOS and Redmen Hall. Welcome to the area folks! We got outbid on several things we were interested in but that was okay, as we knew some lucky folks were going to enjoy those items immensely. I did happen to come away with something that I now have on my dining room table, so hey, I was a happy bidder! A hearty "great job" to those who set up and decorated the hall, as it looked great and those who have to figure out who gets what and gets all the paperwork in order at the end are to be given a hand too, as it's always a lot of work to get that all put together. New this year, was the food prepared by caterer, Annie Heineck; it was delicious! She took salmon donated by C&H Smoked Salmon and turned it into some splendid spreads and did the same with some cheese from the Skamokawa Farmstead Creamery, so kudos to her for a job well done.If you were unable to attend the event but yet want to support the FOS and their efforts to keep the historic Redmen Hall up and going, then you can mail a check to them at P.O. Box 67, Skamokawa, WA 98647 and your donation is tax deductible.

COMING SOON--Don't forget, there is a Harvest Days Vendor's Market on the 26th at the Elochoman Slough Marina in Cathlamet, as well as Lasagna Dinner fund raiser at the old Rosburg School Cafeteria, Johnson Park, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., and for a complete dinner, it is just $10. Contact our Wah. Chamber office for more info: 795-9996.

The following weekend begins the festivities for the eighth annual "Columbia River Country Days," which includes dinner in the Grays River Covered Bridge along with some entertainment and auction, so if you're interested in going to that, you should buy your tickets right away, as seating is limited. You can buy them at both the Naselle and Cathlamet branches of the Bank of the Pacific. More on this later, but if you want more information, contact Carrie Backman at our WSU Wah. County Extension office at 795-3278.