Columbia River Country Days ahead

NEW MONTH--Welcome to October, everybody! Can you believe it? It will soon be time for all the ghosts and goblins to visit us, so be sure to be stocked up on all those goodies for the little ones. Hopefully you'll bring your kids down to Skamokawa and take part in the Halloween Carnival and Haunted House at the Wahkiakum Fairgrounds; it's going to be a "spook-tacular" event, so mark that down on your calendar today!

MIXED BAG--We saw some rain last Thursday night and part of Friday, which according to one report, was not supposed to have shown up, but then we do live in Skamokawa and one reporter did say we might have some showers, so it looks like that one guy was right! It was okay though, as we'll take all the moisture we can get after all the very dry months we've had. However, it was a bit shocking to find everything frozen at our house on Sunday morning, so I'm hoping we aren't skipping Fall and going straight into Winter! By now, the burn ban should be lifted, but just to be sure, contact authorities first before you start burning anything; better safe than sorry!

SEE IT?--The big eclipse of the moon happened last Sunday evening, and it was pretty neat. We saw it a lot later than I thought we were going to but we've got a lot of hills in our area, along with a lot of trees, so it had to make its way up in the sky quite a ways before I finally spotted it. There was just a light pink crescent of a moon left visible by the time I saw it, and it looked pretty cool, but I don't have a fancy enough camera to take a picture that would have done it justice, so hopefully you got to see it as it got darkened up and then became its big, bright self once again.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Oct. 1-7 are Stewart Moonen, Ginger Schmidt, Debbie Gribskov, David Blalock, Sara Jester, Joan Evenson, Linda Wright, Brian Elliott, Tony Silva, Patti Bergseng, Kennedi LaBerge, Allen LaBerge, Kevin Vik, Lauren Brockway, Holly Luthi, Lisa Nortrup, Carrie Nortrup, Richard Robinson, Kylee Montgomery, Arlene Sauer, Becky Larsen, Kari Claussen and Jesse Ellison.

Celebrating their anniversaries this week are Quin and Connie Bassi, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Wright, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Cleveland and Jerry and Rosie DeBriae. Here's wishing all of you a wonderful celebration to mark your special days!

CORRECTION--My apologies to David and Kathi West, as I mentioned last week that they were the grandparents of a granddaughter, which is not true. I mistakenly heard the name Gracie when in actuality, the name was Grayson Lee,which means they have a new grandson, so congrats to them!

HOMECOMING--The Mules will play Morton/White Pass this Friday night (tomorrow), so let's cheer for the boys and a safe game, regardless of who wins. Go Mules!

The Lady Mules volleyball team are on a roll and they will play Napavine at a home game tonight, Oct. 1, and then they will play again on Oct. 6, only that game will be away at Toutle Lake. Go team!

COLUMBIA RIVER DAYS--The annual CRD activities start tomorrow, Oct. 2, at the Puget Island Farmers Market which begins at 3 p.m. There will be entertaiment and a Pie Social with pies being made by 4-H'ers, so it's a great time to buy a tasty dessert without all the work and helping out the 4-H group as well.

Then, on Saturday, Oct. 3, the day starts out at the Skamokawa Creamery at 7 a.m., and it will stay open until late afternoon. Then there is the usual, first Saturday of the month, Flea Market at the Fairgrounds (9 to 3) here in Skamokawa put on by the Fair Foundation. There will be new and used things to purchase. If you'd like to sell items, contact Patty Dursteler at 795-3480. It's also the day where you can pick up your premium check from the fair that was held in mid-August if you haven't gotten that yet.

Later that evening, it's the big Grays River Covered Bridge dinner, with seating at 4:30 so I hope you've purchased a ticket for that as seating is limited. As usual, there will be great food and wonderful entertainment and several auction items as well, so once again, it's going to be a unique dining experience and a great fund raiser too.

ON THE THIRD--Also on Saturday, Oct. 3, the 30th anniversary of the St. James Family Center in Cathlamet will be happening, so you are invited to join them from 1 to 4 as they celebrate this milestone. It seems almost impossible that it's been in existence 30 years already, but I'm sure all of those who have used their facility are grateful for its presence over the years as they provide a wonderful service that the area truly needed.

STILL OPEN--The Ship Channel coffee and espresso stand in Sk. Vista Park is still open this coming week from Thursday-Sunday, 7:30 to 2, but next week they will only be open Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10 and 11.

SYMPATHIES--We were so saddened by the news that our friend and neighbor (Carol) Ann Brown passed away last week and we send our sincerest sympathies to all of her family. I will miss her smiling face and great hugs on Taco Tuesdays at the Duck, and down at the crab feed in Grays River, which she loved attending with many of her family members. She was born January 20, 1930 and died on Sept. 22, 2015. Her services will be held at the Norse Hall on Sunday, Oct. 4.

Also our sympathies to the family of Daniel Mahitka, 71, who passed away last week on Sept. 21, and his services were held last Sunday. Dan was a brother to our neighbor, Bill Mahitka, and he also leaves behind another brother, Jim, as well as his three children: Robert, Monica and Brent.

GRANGE--The Skamokawa Grange #425 wants to remind you that they will be holding their upcoming meetings on Oct. 6 and 20 this month, which is the first and third Tuesdays of the month, and anyone is welcome to attend. The grange is located at 18 Fairgrounds Road and their meetings begin at 7 p.m.

NEW EXHIBIT--Charlie Funk will be the latest artist to hold an exhibit at the Redmen Hall, and the Friends of Skamokawa would like to invite you to come up and see his works beginning Oct. 10. While he currently lives in Chehalis, he calls himself a Chinook artist, and his work reflects our wonderful Columbia River, the surrounding area and his heritage. His exhibit will be at Redmen Hall through Nov. 22 and the hall is open Thursdays-Sundays, noon to four. If you have questions, call the hall at 795-3007.

GOOD TIME--It takes more than a little bit of drizzle to put a damper on the spirits of the members of the class of 1967 that showed up to have a "Fireside Chat" last Friday evening at Skamokawa Vista Park. There was plenty of chatter and lots of delicous food items, which could have fed a few dozen more people, and capped off with homemade pies made by Ed Bussone; yum! The covered pavillion area made for a great meeting place, and with the big logs situated around the fire pit, which was once part of the fountain that was located in the Seattle World's Fair, it was a terrific place to gab for several hours! We had a good laugh over how our conversations have changed through the years, as we've gone from kids to grandkids, wanting big houses to wanting something smaller to clean, from looking forward to retirement, to being retired or almost dreading it and from buying luxieries to buying Medicare supplements and instead of planning vacations, we're making arrangements for the next knee or hip surgery! Enjoying the evening were Phil and Elaine Rolf, Kathy Bond Peek and friend, Mickey, Keith and Karen Lawrence, Bill and Kay Pedersen Chamberlain, David and Kathi West, Shari Gorman Parker and Roger, Jimmy and Connie Gorman, Dale Jacobson, Ed Bussone and Pam Below Lazor. Stopping by during the week were Don Seaberg and Truchet Madden Miller. Several of the same group enjoyed a late breakfast at the Duck Inn the following morning and we certainly appreciated the extended use of the table for some more gab and the great attention we got by server, Nicci Bergseng.

While we 67'ers have often enjoyed monthly gatherings, we are going to skip our October get-together beings we've just spent a week of visiting with each other, and instead, we'll meet on Nov. 14, which is a Saturday, at 1 p.m., for lunch at Yan's Chinese Restaurant. The actual address is 300 Long Ave. and it's situated at the base of the Cowlitz Way Bridge in West Kelso and is combined with the Best Western motel there. We are all hoping that Kathy will be able to show off some of her latest creations by then as she is an avid seamstress!

REMEMBERING--Last Sunday afternoon, the covered area at Vista Park was used once again, when Kathy held a Celebration of Life memorial for her brother, Tom Bond. A wonderful array of family, friends, classmates, fishermen and golfing buddies gathered together to remember Tom and share some stories as Kay Cochran led this informal gathering with memories from the family, and of her own and she also read an email from Reed Dasch as he remembered his good friend. There were many chuckles after several of the stories told! Those who knew him loved "that look" that accompanied that charming, sly smile that he so often flashed, and while he may be gone from this world, he will surely not be forgotten by those who knew and loved him the most, as he will always be in their hearts.

As a little side note for those that didn't know Tom but are great sports fans, it was Tom that made the winning basket in the last seconds of the game, when our Mules basketball team went to Spokane for the State basketball playoffs and which allowed the Mules and Coach Ernie McKie to come home with a First in State Trophy (1964). The entire town was ecstatic and erupted in joy! For the other half of the town that were actually at the game, it was "crazy time" with George Mylett throwing confetti all over the team! That bit of info was provided by Kay Hollar Cochran How cool was that?

While I knew all about the basketball stuff, I didn't know that it was also Tom and Kathy's Dad, Wayne Bond, that along with Ralph Rodahl, started the Skyline Golf Course, so the family has had a wonderful, positive impact on our community over the years.

NEXT YEAR--The Columbia River Kayaking group has hosted a special series for several years now, and it's really great that you can get this hands on training right here in Skamokawa. Sign up early for the Wilderness First Responders Training or Wilderness Advanced First Aid, which is being offered by this group next April.

There are three different options for the courses, but they are all within a couple of weeks in April, so call 360-747-1044 to get all the information and prices, or you can check them out online.

ACTORS NEEDED--If you've got a bit of "ham" in you, then this would be right up your alley, as the director of "Scrooged in Astoria" is holding a casting call on Oct. 14, 6 p.m., at the ASOC Playhouse in Astoria, behind the Pig 'n Pancake Restaurant at 129 W. Bond Street. This is a holiday tradition and is a lot of fun. There seems to be room for everyone, whether they be young or old, men, women or children, as with 28 different parts and back stage help needed, etc., you could probably find a niche somewhere. If you're interested, contact Judith Niland at 503-791-1037 or email her at jniland@pacifer.com.

FFA IN OCT. & NOV--If you're an FFA member or alumni, you're being reminded that the National FFA Alumni Convention is coming up on Oct. 28-31, which is being held in Louisville, Kentucky. On Nov. 14, the Regional Alumni Development Conference will take place in Kansas City, Missouri.