Crafts bazaar Saturday at Methodist Church

DAMP WEEKEND--Temperatures are finally cooling off this week and it seems more like Fall after some record breaking heat last week in some parts of the Northwest, as Portland was seeing temps in the 80s. Fortunately, we were cooler than that, and the mornings were cloaked in heavy fog that brought some needed moisture to our lawns and woods. By Saturday and Sunday, we were experiencing some light rains at times, so while it wasn't dumping, it was still fairly wet and gray looking out there.

However, that was mild compared to other places and we certainly feel for those who got a whole lot of rain in a short amount of time, which caused severe fllooding in several states and wiped out homes and highways from California to Texas last week.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Oct. 22-28 are Justin Garrison, Valle Mae Ledtke, Aron Kuller, Craig Neilsen, Don Wages, Nathan Norris, Madeline Rather, Nick Vavoudis and Joel Havens. Remembering one of our favorite guys this week with much fondness, as "Skamokawa Pete" (Arthur) Peterson would have been celebrating his birthday this Sunday, so we'll have to raise a toast to Pete ourselves. He was definitely one of a kind!

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Greg and Lori Parke, Ty and Jennifer Norris, Wayne and Karen Bell, Greg and Barb Bain, Herb and Anita Mosteller and Jack and Gwen Gorley. May all your special days be celebrated to the fullest!

LAST CHANCE--This is the last weekend to get your espresso and other specialty drinks at Skamokawa Vista Park, as the Ship Channel Coffee trailer will be pulling out on Sunday after they close at 2 p.m. Head this way between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and enjoy your favorite drink while you can! We have certainly enjoyed their presence there this summer and hope to see them return next year.

SK. METHODIST CHURCH--It's getting to be that holiday time of year, so you can begin to shop local by attending the Annual Art and Crafts Bazaar at the United Methodist Church here in Skamokawa this Saturday, Oct. 24 from 10 to 4. There will be jewelry, wood carvings, various needle work items, baked goods and more for sale, so head this way and check it out. It always has a lot of good stuff for sale, so get your special items here for those special people on your Christmas list!

ALSO THIS SAT.--If you've got some spare time and would like to help clean up one of the area's historic buildings, you are being asked to head to the Pioneer Community Center (once a church) in Cathlamet. The Pioneer Community Association hopes you will meet them this Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m., and give them a hand in their effort to spruce the place up a bit, so if you're willing and able, they'd love to see you!

GOOD WORKS--One very kind lady, Cindy (Mrs.Greg) Lloyd, is helping others in a very special way, as she makes hats for cancer vicitims. For awhile there, she was unable to do so because of the trouble she had with her hand, but since having surgery on it and recovering from that, she's back to work at crochetting her hats. She has made over 300 of these colorful hats and she and hubby Greg have distributed them all over the Seattle/Everett area to the various cancer clinics there. Needless to say, this is a wonderful act of compassion and caring and I'm sure those that receive them are thrilled to get them, and we want to give Cindy a big hug from us for putting others first. Selfless acts of kindness can bring overwhelming joy to our own lives, so it's a win, win situation for sure!

HAUNTED HOUSE/CARNIVAL--Next week you will be able to enjoy the Wahkiakum County Fair's second annual Halloween events, as not only will there be a carnival on Friday, Oct. 30 from 5 to 8 p.m., but there will be three days where you can come down and go through the Haunted House. Each evening that it is open has different hours so be sure to jot down the correct times so you don't miss it. They are: Thursday, Oct. 29, from 5:30 to 8 p.m .; Friday, Oct. 30, it will be open from 5:30 to 11 p.m., and then on Halloween, which is Saturday Oct. 31, it will be open 5:30 to 10 p.m. There is an entrance fee of $3 or you can get in for just $1 and three cans of food, which will then be donated to a local food bank. There should be a day and evening in there that will work for everyone so they hope to see you down here next week! More info? Call Patty at 360-747-3195, or Jeri at 360-318-3674 or Jason at 795-0641.

MUSIC SPECIAL--Coming to the Skamokawa Methodist Church on Oct. 31, will be the Internationally renowned artist, John Nilson. He has played his inpsirational music in all 50 states and held multiple concerts in the UK as well. So, for an afternoon of musical delight, come to our local Methodist Church at 2 p.m., on Halloween and enjoy the wonderful sound of this talented musician.

REMINDER--Also with the coming of Halloween, comes the setting of our clocks back one hour, so don't forget to run around your whole house to set those back an hour that night. This is also about the time that some businesses start their winter hours, so be sure to check with all your local stores or restaurants as to when they might be doing that.

IMPORTANT INFO--Beau Renfro is Wahkiakum County's Co-ordinator of Emergency Services and there have been some terrific articles in this paper recently which we hope you read, then clipped out and saved, so that you can be prepared to implement your own emergency plan if necessary. If you need help in this, remember, there is a free class on getting ready for a disaster, and it will take place Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the River Street Meeting room in Cathlamet. To reserve your seat, contact him 795-3242 or online at refrob@co.wahkiakum.wa.us . While it is mild now, you never know when a disaster could strike, so be prepared to be on your own from three to five days and be prepared to deal with all that this entails.

MISS IT?--I hope you didn't miss the last Puget Island Farmer's Market that was held last week but you know, it's that time of year as we're heading into the last part of October, so it's time for them to close up shop for yet another winter. However, they will be back in business on May 27, 2016.

SYMPATHIES--We were sorry to learn of the passing of one of the "gentle giants" that had been in our WA-KI-HI Class of 1967, as Dennis Havens passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 13. His services were held last Monday at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Cathlamet. We want to offer our sincere sympathies to his wife, Jill, his children and his entire family. May he rest in peace.

DIFFERENT NIGHT--Unless things change between the time I'm looking at the schedule and my deadline, the Mules football team will be playing their last home game, which is Senior night, on Oct. 29. This is a Thursday night, so be sure to post this to your calendar as it will be just a week away, rather than eight days away. Go Mules!

DO YOU KNOW?--Do you happen to know what today is? According to sources who specialize in these "special" days, it happens to be "National Nut Day" so hey, who knew? Don't forget, this coming Monday, Oct. 26, is National Mule Day and we all know what that means for us who live here. It's time to put on the "red and black" and celebrate our own Mule teams!

COMING IN NOV--I hope you'll try to get over to the Norse Hall on Nov. 5, where the ladies there will teach you how to make lefse and you can try your hand at that and help them out as well. The teaching/helping part runs along with the selling part and so if you're not interested in making any, maybe you'd like to stock up and buy some. More on this event as the days get closer to it.

LIONS CLUB--The annual Food Drive put on by the Lions Club is coming up on Nov. 14 so set a bag of groceries out for this group. As the holidays are approaching rapidly, the need for all things grows even greater, so please be generous and give as much as you can.

OUT OF THE LOOP--By the time this goes out, I am hoping my nasty head cold is no longer keeping me home and my internet problems are resolved, as it's tough to be "out of the loop" for so long. For all you Facebook followers, I'm not ignoring you, just not able to get there, so if you have info for me, please contact me on my land line at home; thanks!