Covered Bridge dinner to be held Saturday

GREAT START--We couldn't have ended the weekend any nicer, or started this work week any better either, as the skies were blue, the sun was shining and the evening hours were perfect for being outside around the BBQ and enjoying a wonderful time with friends. It also made for great weather for those who needed to get those gutters cleaned, mow the lawn or any other array of "get ready for the rainy season" chores!

I'm guessing that in spite of the work that needed to be done, all Seahawk football fans took some time off to watch them take on the SF 49'ers and beat them quite soundly, so hey, that was an extra plus to a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

The weather people are saying we're in for a down-turn in our weather, so it looks like we may need those umbrellas Friday through Sunday; drat!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Sept. 29-Oct. 5 are Stevan Morgain, Stewart Moonen, Ginger Schmidt, Debbie Gribksov, Kylee Montgomery, David Blalock, Sara Jester, Kevin Weaver, Cheryl Backman, Blake Anderson, Lyric Rose, Mary Wingate, Caitlin Heiner, Linda Wright, Tony Silva, Becky Larsen, Arlene Sauer, Mary B. Cothren, Patti Bergseng, Richard Robinson, Kari Claussen, Robert Blain, Joan Evenson, Karen Healy and Jesse Ellison. Hope your birthdays are full of good fun and great memories!

Anniversary wishes this week go out to Chip and Kathy Perkins, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Bardsley, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Cleveland, Scott and Kelly McClain and Mr. and Mrs. Jerry DeBraie Jr. and some 67'ers who wish not to be named.Enjoy your special days!

MULES FB HOME--Sadly, the three win streak came to an end this past Friday with a loss to Raymond, but we hope that the mighty Mules will kick it back into gear this Friday, when they host Mossyrock. Having a small roster can really wear on a team, so we totally understand the hard fight these boys have, but here's hoping they can persevere and get back on the winning side of things. Go Mules!

The Lady Mules will host Toutle Lake tonight, Thursday, Sept. 29, and then they'll be away on Oct. 4 at Toledo, Oct. 6 at Winlock with only the varsity playing and then the R.A. Long tournament begins on Oct. 8 with just the varsity playing. They will be busy girls with such a schedule so here's wishing them some extra strength and stamina in the coming week. Go Lady Mules!

The Cross Country Mules team will be at Rainier on Oct. 4 and at Mark Morris on Oct. 5, so once again, these athletes will also have a busy schedule. Go CC Mules!

COMING UP--This is the big weekend for the Wahkiakum 4-H'ers, as there will be events at the Island Market on Friday and on Saturday at the fairgrounds during the day and then the big dinner on the Covered Bridge in Grays River on Saturday evening. Here's hoping the weather holds for a very nice evening dinner at this historical site, which also includes an auction and music. Call 795-3278 for more info or to see if there are any tickets left. Hurry, hurry!

MEETINGS COMING UP--Just a reminder that the Skamokawa Grange #425 members meet on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, and you're invited to join them. Meetings are at 7 p.m., at the grange hall, located at 18 Fairgrounds Road.

Don't forget that the Sons of Norway meets on the first Wednesday of the month, which will be Oct. 5 with bingo being held on the second Saturday of the momth, unless the hall is being used for a special event. You can call Pres. Jan Silvestri for more info. Meetings start at 7, while bingo starts at 6 with doors open at 5:30 p.m.

DUCK INN SPECIAL EVENTS/CLOSURES--Just wanted to mention a few things that were going on at the Duck this month, as with special parties and larger events going on, the bar will be closed a couple of times this month for part of the day, so here they are: On Oct. 4, the bar will be open during the day but will close at 5 p.m. Then on Oct. 8, the bar will be closed all day for a large gathering, as the Ducks Unlimited event will be held there beginning at 3:30, but it will open back up by 9 p.m., for your Saturday evening fun! The big Halloween party will take place at the end of the month, on Saturday, Oct. 29 and the music will be provided by "Sucker-Punched" a band with local ties and they are always a big hit! Hopefully these partial closures won't mess you up, but with banquets and such going on, it can't be avoided.

CHURCH BAZAAR--I hope you've marked Oct. 15 on your calendar, as that's when the Skamokawa United Methodist Church will hold their Harvest Bazaar Sale. There will be arts and crafts and baked items, and if you've got some things you'd like to sell, call 795-0628 and you can rent a table for just $10 and join the fun. You'll have quite a few hours to check this out, as their hours will be from 9 a.m., until 3 that afternoon, so hopefully you can find some time to come on down to Skamokawa!

FOS--While you're already down here at the church's sale, why not head to Redmen Hall and check out all the items in the gift store, which would make great Christmas gifts, and you can also check out the second floor, which holds the River Life Intepretive Center, where all the exhibits are held. Beginning Oct. 8, the last exhibit of the season, prior to the holidays, is from Tsuga Gallery with a wonderful group of local artists, so you'll want to check those out.

If you're healthy enough to climb another flight of stairs, it's always neat to climb to the bell tower on a nice day with your camera and get a great shot of our mighty Columbia River with one of our awesome local spots, the Skamokawa Vista Park. If you aren't a member of the Friends of Skamokawa yet, they'd be happy to get you set up as a member, with different prices depending on the length of time you'd like to sign up for. Call 795-3007 Thurs. through Sun., from noon to four for more info.

WEEKEND GUEST--David and Connie Shrum enjoyed having Connie's cousin, Donna from Idaho at their home here for the weekend and the cousins enjoyed a little side trip part way down the Oregon coastline to check out the scenery and shops there. Sunday saw the trio enjoy one last BBQ at the home of John and Mary Gustafson, along with the Bill Chamberlains, while it was still super nice and everyone was in the area. Before getting on a plane and heading back home, the cousins looked around downtown Portland during the day before the flight, so they had a real good visit and some quality shopping time together as well.

SAD TIMES--It's been a sad time for a couple of families this past week, as Amanda Gibson-Horman, daughter of Karen Gibson Arness, wife of Larry Horman Jr., passed away last week, much too young. She had recently had heart surgery but later on battled an infection that wound up taking her life. Besides her husband, she leaves behind a teenage son, Gage Horman and darling daughter, Amy. Her grandfather is Henry Blankenship and in-laws include Larry and Lesley Horman, with the childrens' great grand-parents being Ron and Jean (Olson) Horman of Puget Island, as well as many other extended family members. Her services will be held today, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m., at the Assembly of God Church in Cathlamet. Her entire family has our sympathies.

We also learned of the death of Terry Norberg this past weekened and we want to send our condolences to his family as well. As of this writing, I had no particulars to share about the date or whereabouts of his service.