Flea market on Saturday at Wahkiakum Fairgrounds

HOT!--I don't know about you, but if the rain shows up during the latter part of this week like they are forecasting, I will be very relieved, as these high temperatures have just been miserable for a lot of folks without AC and it makes working outside just about impossible. Of course, as seen by the fact that there are fires burning all over our PNW, some rain would be welcomed for those as well, and the cooler/damper weather conditions would certainly be welcomed for all those firefighters who have been battling blazes all over Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Montana. They are to be commended for all their hard work in the most miserable of conditions. While Hurricane Harvey unleashed a ton of rain in the South, causing severe flooding, those of us in this part of the world are bone dry and are literally, burning up. Here's to some relief for all of us soon!

OUTAGE--Depending on where you were, you may have been without power for several hours in the wee hours after midnight on Sunday and into the early part of Monday morning. The culprit was a tree down on East Valley Road, in an area that had been a problem before and may very well be again. . A big thank you goes out to our PUD crew for working so hard on your day off!

Once again, it's a reminder to be prepared for everything and anything, so whether it's too much water, a fire or no power, it's time to make that list of things you need in a variety of emergency situations, as this seems to be the year for any and all of them!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Sept. 7-13 are Carla Keilwitz, Ed Johnson, Brittanie Helms-Lampitt, Rex Gilbertsen, Richard Bigler, Valerie Wallin, Tina Schubert, Ed Houston, Sherry Irving McMahon, Jo Reed, Samantha Pedersen, Naomi Pedersen and 67'er Rich West. Happy Birthday to each and every one of you this coming week!

Happy Anniversary to Jim and Betty Koziel, Brad and Kerrie McNally and Scott and Jen Pedersen. May you celebrate your special day to the fullest!

REUNION TIME--Former Puget Islander and 1962 WA-KI-HI graduate, Janice Peek Freeman, wants me to remind all her classmates that their reunion is Sept. 16, at the Duck Inn here in Skamokawa, at 5 p.m. They are still trying to locate three classmates: Jimmy Wendell, Joyce Knight and Jerry Philmlee. If you know where any of these people live, please let them know that their classmates would like to see them and they'll be at the Duck nine days from now!

CONGRATS--It was great to see our WA-KI-HI boys football team start off their season with a win over Naselle this past Friday night, which also meant we kept the KM Trophy on our side of the hill, so congratulations to our Mules! The Mules will play their first home game against Ocosta this Friday night, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m., and again, here's to a great game, no injuries and a favorable outcome. Go Mules!

The Lady Mules will play their first volleyball game at home tonight, as they take on Napavine, with the varsity games beginning at 7 p.m. Go get 'em Lady Mules!

LAST CHANCE--Carol McClain wants to remind everyone that you only have a few more days to order frozen berries from the Lions Club as the last day is Monday, Sept. 11. Call 360-849-4003 and order yours right away, and remember, these berries must be paid for in advance, they range from $22 to $32 in cost for a 10-lb. container and will be ready to be picked up on Sept. 16. Don't miss out; order yours today! Order forms are in local stores.

FLEA MARKET--Now that the county fair is over, it's time again to open the gates and hold the usual Flea Market in the fairgrounds, so head that way this Friday and check it out; you never know what treasures you will find!

CAR SHOW--During the early part of the day this Saturday, you will find the "Flames, Pipes & Chrome Show," at the Roadkill Saloon from 9 until noon. So, if you've got some fancy flames painted on your rig, or outrageous pipes or lots of shiny chrome, now's the time to show it off over at the Saloon! For more details, you can call April at 1-360-606-0179.

THIS IS IT--The long awaited "Cornucopia of Wine Tasting & Auction Benefit" is this Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Skamokawa Grange Hall and you're all invited! This is the major fund raiser for the Friends of Skamokawa, so we hope to see you there and help support the iconic and historic building that houses the wonderful River Life Interpretive Center and Book and Gift Shop, and which started as the Central School here in Skamokawa. It is rich in history and deserves to be preserved for the upcoming generations.

The auction part of this event is in two parts, as there are many "silent auction" items for you to bid on, with the highest bid written down during the allotted time getting that item at the end of the evening, and then comes the "live auction" part with Brian McClain as your auctioneer. Get those paddles ready and bid away! The Inn at Crippen Creek Farm, located at the end of Middle Valley on Oatfield Road, will be furnishing the food this year, so we're looking forward to seeing and eating, their creative cuisine! The doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event lasts until 10 p.m. See you there!

SUNDAY--You may or not have heard by now, but the American Legion Deep River Post 111 is now holding its monthly meeting and events at the Rosburg Hall. This will bring two organizations together to help maintain one bigger building, while hosting multiple benefits, so this will be a great thing for the Rosburg Community Center and the Legion. Coming up this Sunday, Sept. 10, the Legion and the VFW Post 5297 of Cathlamet will be co-sponsoring a performance called, "Sentimental Journey" at the hall, with the performance at 6:30 p.m. This will take the place of the Legion's usual September meeting. The group is sending out a special invitation to all veterans and current military personnel, but everyone is invited to attend. I'm sure everyone will enjoy the music of that era as performed by Dina Blade and pianist Hans Brehmer, while WWII veteran, Ray Puddicombe, recalls some personal wartime stories. Refreshments will be served after the hour long performance, which will be provided by the American Legion Auxilliary.

BIG EVENT--If you've been around here long, you know that the weekend after Labor Day is the "Rod Run to the End of the World" event in the Long Beach/Ocean Park area, so if you like hot rods, but don't want to make the trip down there, well, just sit along SR 4 someplace and watch them go by! It looks to be decent weather for them, so there will more than likely be the usual "thousands" of cars attending! Bring your suntan lotion, water and patience with you if you opt to go down that way however, as while it's fun, you're bound to run into some congestion, so be prepared. Needless to say, with this big event comes a lot more traffic so be extra vigilant as you travel to and fro!

ART FESTIVAL--"A River of Art" is a new event taking place in Cathlamet this year, and I know we have a lot of talented people around here, so I do hope you're going to be taking part in the Cathlamet Art Festival on Sept. 15 and 16. On Friday, there will be a welcome reception with music from 5 to 10 p.m., at Tsuga Gallery to kick things off, and then on Saturday is the big Art Walk, with Arts and Crafts vendors, musicians and much more throughout the town from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and ending with an evening program, so anyone interested in the arts, this is for you! There is plenty more going on that day and to see the full schedule, check out their website at http://www.tsugagallery.org or stop by and talk to a person at the gallery.

KITE FESTIVAL--If you're looking for something closer to home to attend in a couple of weeks, you won't have to go any further than Skamokawa Vista Park on Sept. 23, as their First Annual Kite Festival will take place there and it should be a whole lot of fun! There will be vendors on site so you can do a little shopping while you look to the skies at all the neat kites, and don't forget, you can bring your own and join the crowd. There is no fee to enter, so now's the time to "go fly a kite"!

CONGRATS!--We are happy to give our congratulations to local, Heidi Heywood, as she accepted the appointment of our District Court Judge recently. She will take the place of Judge Bill Faubion, who retired 16 months early, so we were pleased that she has this opportunity, and we wish her good luck as she takes in all her new duties!

NEXT MONTH--The calendar is still looking mighty full for October, so for those who think that small towns don't offer anything to do, well, you're just not paying attention! The first big event is the "Columbia River Days" with the big dinner inside the Covered Bridge in Grays River. That happens Oct. 7.

At the end of the month, there's the wonderful Halloween Carnival at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds. Admission is free but donations are gladly accepted. There are only a handful of people who put this together, and two of the main ones, which we want to express our deep appreciation to, are Jason Rainey and his wife. If you have Halloween decorations that you'd like to donate, or you'd like to help him set up, please give them a call; they're in the book!