Holiday break starts Tuesday for schools

News from Naselle:

Sports calendar for the Naselle Comet teams for this coming week includes: Friday, high school boys and girls basketball at Mary M. Knight at 5:45 p.m. Go Comets!

The regular monthly meeting of the Naselle School Board will be held on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Students will be celebrating the holidays beginning on Tuesday with their winter holiday break and returning to classes in 2017 on January 3.

The Naselle Massage Clinic is celebrating its five year anniversary. Bryon Parrino is an amazing healer in this field and now is the time to treat yourself or a family member or friend to some of his magical therapy.

Westend news:

Today (Thursday) is the day you need to return your “Fill a Feedbag” items to the West End Food Pantry in the Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park. These donated food items will help the pantry volunteers to make up the Christmas food baskets for some of our local families.

The West End Food Pantry is located in the Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park and is open on Thursdays, 1-5 p.m. every week.

Get ready for the next blood drive at the Valley Bible Church. Set your appointments now by contacting Susan Burkhalter or the Red Cross. The drive will be held on January 6 in the church social hall. I have my appointment already. This is a perfect way of giving and it doesn’t cost you a thing except a little of your time, and as an added incentive, you are rewarded with good company and one of April Zimmerman’s delicious sliders.

Get your tickets now for the annual Crab and Oyster Feed, sponsored by the American Legion Deep River Post #111, and remember, only 200 tickets will be sold with a price of $28 per person.

For that price you are treated to crab, oysters, baked beans, garlic bread, cole slaw and potato salad. The evening continues with a wonderful raffle with the grand prize being a gun and followed by a dance for the whole family. You would be surprised who you might see on the floor doing the chicken dance.

Get your tickets by calling Ken Elliot at 465-2274, Nick Nikkila at 465-2595 or Dale Rose at 465-2234.

The Grays River Cafe is now open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Ruch family is doing an outstanding job of satisfying many of the local residents with delicious home cooked food for reasonable prices. So if you just don’t feel like cooking on one of those days, head to the cafe for a delicious meal.

Happy Birthday to Caleb Haataia, Chase Haataia, Ron Salme, Brian Macy, Luke Dalton, Rylee Varila and Emma Zimmerman.

Happy Anniversary to Monte and Mona Givens.

Things seem to be slowing down a bit with all the bazaars and other events so if you have something you would like me to include in this column, please contact me by phone or e-mail.

Today (Thursday) marks the six month anniversary of the death of my life partner, Delvin. It makes the holidays especially difficult this year without him and some of our family traditions from years past. They say life gets easier as time goes by, so I’m hoping for those days to come soon. I know life goes on, but there is still a huge empty place in my heart. Thank you to many in this incredible community who have given me strength and support through all of this. This is home, and always will be.