Music at the Grange Hall Saturday night

OFF AND ON--Last Friday was a gorgeous day and some folks were even enjoying a nice Saturday right from the start, but for those of us here in Skamokawa, it began as a cool, drippy, cloudy and well, not all that great of a beginning. Luckily, by late afternoon, the clouds parted and the sun peeked out, so that was enjoyable while it lasted, as the rains returned once again that evening. Sunday was off and on again too, so the "nice day" that forecasters predicted showed up in spurts, but it was dry enough in the afternoon to get the lawn mowed at least. The foggy Monday morning gave way to lots of sunshine, and for that we are quite grateful.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 6-12 are Janet Bryan, Tim Parker, Kylie Thacker, Wendy Westover, Andrew Emlen, Janna Doumit, Pat Dennis, Trygve Gilbertsen, Patrick Thacker, Nikki Danker, Sara Havens Brown, Savannah Burdick, Leanndra Aragon, Charles Buennagel, Judy Wilde, Sylvia Blix Link and Pat Ballard.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Cliff and Judy Garrison, Mr. and Mrs.Don Wages and Mr. and Mrs. Terry Bonny. Here's hoping you all have very special days indeed!

SECOND WEEKEND IN APRIL--It seems impossible that we're headed into our second week of April already, but sure enough, this Saturday will be the monthly Flea Market held at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you're interested in taking part, give fair manager, Patty Dursteler a call at 795-3480 and leave a message. For all the rest of you, it's time to come down and see if you can find a treasure amongst all the items available that day. If you happen to be in the west end of the county, the Events Calendar put out by the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce has announced a Spaghetti Feed that day at the Grays River Valley Center, so here's hoping you get a chance to go to that. For more information you can call 360-465-2310.

SONS OF NORWAY--Also happening on April 8, the Norse Hall on Puget Island will be the place to be if you love playing bingo, as the Sons of Norway will hold their usual bingo game that evening. Doors open at 5:30 with games at 6 p.m., and cards are $5 each, so you'll be enjoying a cash prize if you're a winner that evening!

MUSIC EVENT--At the Skamokawa Grange on April 8, there will be "Music at the Grange" beginning at 5 p.m. Pearl Blackburn tells me that there is going to be some great sounds coming from the hall, and you're invited to attend. With the cost at just $5 per person and free for students, it's a good time to enjoy some music and some refreshments as well. One of our very own singer/song writers, Kerri McNally, will be performing with Russell Clementine. Jeff Blackburn will be playing the drums and Erik Friend will be on the keyboard as they accompany a five piece Portland based Indie Rock Band. To top it off, there will be several students from WA-KI-HI performing, which was encouraged by the high school's music teacher, Darla Mead. So, we hope you'll come to hear Kyrah Scuito, Izabel Lee, Ayesha Ahmed and Novella Hokkanen as they open up this musical event. If you have any questions, you can call Pearl Blackburn, who is the secretary of the Skamokawa Grange at 770-298-7164 or president of the grange, Levi Helms at 360-431-9506.

WEEK 3 IN APRIL--The following weekend will be a real busy one, as it will soon be time for Easter Egg Hunts and Easter dinners, so I'm sure all the ladies are looking forward to those ham ads, or if you're like me, looking forward to those restaurant specials! Bingo lovers will get a chance to win a ham for that Easter dinner instead of having to buy one, if they just attend the annual Easter Bingo event on Friday evening, April 14, which is always held just before Easter, and it's put on to help raise money for the Wahkiakum County Fair. Cheryl Backman has been busy running around getting lots of great items from businesses to give away as prizes, so there should be lots of neat things to win. As usual, this is to be held at the multi-purpose room at the J.A. Wendt Elementary School in Cathlamet.

Also, the Cathlamet Library is having a book sale on April 14 and 15, and then the morning of Saturday, April 15, the Lions Club will hold their annual Easter Egg Hunt at Skamokawa Vista Park. As usual, you don't want to be late, as those kids zip through the roped off areas like little tornadoes! There are different spots for different age groups, so bring the kiddos down for a fun morning. For all the latest, contact Carol McClain at 795-3337.

That same day, the Roadkill Saloon will have their "Bunny Hop" Car Show and Shine, so if you'd like to join the fun, go by the saloon and get signed up or give April a call at 360-606-0179. When I tried to call without dialing "1" first, it just rang busy, so if that happens to you, try dialing the 1 first.

If you're a logger or love to hear about the logging history in our area, the Seventh Annual Logger's Reunion will take place that day in Naselle, at the Appelo Archives Center. Contact Falon Hoven about all the particulars by calling 360-484-7103.

Easter is on April 16, so there will be lots of special Easter church services as well, and I hope all of you have a wonderful time at the church of your choice.

WEEK FOUR--Towards the end of the month, the annual Rosburg Chicken Dinner will take place at the Rosburg Community Hall, and I have to tell you, it's always just delicious, with a full meal, salad bar and dessert, yum! Contact Barbara Rose at 360-465-2234 if you'd like to help out or need more information.

NICE CHAT--It was so nice to answer the phone the other day and have former resident, fair worker, friend of my Mom's and all around great gal on the other end of it, as, out of the blue, Nancy Corbin rang me up. I've known Nancy "forever" and it was a sad day when she and her hubby, Phil, moved away, as they were great members of the church and Nancy's hard work at both the church and our fairgrounds, was well known. Nancy had been through a lot with some health issues that knocked her down for a bit, but as always, she bounced back and kept fighting on, so we were happy about that. Recently, she and her family mourned the death of a young grandson, which of course, just about breaks one's heart. But Nancy keeps the faith and continues to pass on her uplifting spirit, and by calling me that day, she definitely bolstered me up when I needed it, so I thank her for the compliments and am always glad to hear that others enjoy my column and reading about the "good ole days" from my Grandma's diaries.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1947, the week began with rainy weather, which lasted for several days before it started to clear up and was actually hot by the last day. The big news that week was the telephone workers strike, which really shook up people who were used to making those calls without a thought, and now were told that only emergency calls were going to be handled. The thought that the police calls, or fire calls or ambulance calls might be delayed or not put through at all, was a huge worry to all those areas affected by the strike. Long distance services were the most affected, but hopes were that the strike would be able to be worked out in short fashion. On April 7, the country learned of the death of Henry Ford Sr., 83, which was very unexpected as he had been in very good health. Ralph Pedersen rode his horse from Puget Island over to Cathlamet to spend the night at his grandparents' house. They gave him a brand new baseball mitt to help celebrate his 11th birthday.

This week back in 1957, the first four days were beautiful before the clouds came in and the rains showed up. Grandma Elsie Everest attended the Pocahontas District Meeting with Katie (Lund) and O'dessa, and gave the Address of Welcome speech. The following day, Helen (Danielsen) Rust came by and did up Grandma Elsie's hair. It was off to Donna Murphy's house the following day for the Home Ec club. Daughter, Carol Pedersen stopped by her folks house, as daughter Kay and son, Marshall had been to the doctor to get their measles shots. It was off to the Rebekahs for a farewell party for Hazel Cooper, who was given a nice afghan and a money gift. Mildred Kerstetter showed up to the Everest home as she wanted to borrow a formal gown to go to the Junior Prom. All this according to Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.