Haunted House to open Friday at fairground

NIPPY--Last weekend was sunny and nice during the daytime but those late night temperatures were below freezing out here in West Valley, so we were definitely feeling the "nip" in the air. Unfortunately, the sunshine will be replaced with more rain and maybe even some strong winds by the time you read this, so let's hope it doesn't last too long and we catch another break in systems, as most of us are really not ready for weeks of cold and rain!

The change in weather does remind us however, that we need to be ready for "anything" and so it's time to stock the shelves, keep those gas tanks filled and have a good supply of all your emergency needs on hand, as going to get them during or after a weather event is not always possible. Get things ready now and be sure to have that "grab and go" pack that FEMA suggests that you have, all ready to grab and go!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Oct. 19-25 are Justin Garrison, Kathy McClain, Brianne Helms, Michelle Collupy, Louis Stornetta, Valle Mae Ledtke, Tricia Farmen, Maddie McClain, Piper McClain, Joel Havens, Don Wages, Randy Zacher, Myrna Fudge Brown, Victoria Wallin, Gary Backman, Mary Heagy, Kristi Knowles Langston, Bill Boylan and Debbie Chamberlain. Here's to some super birthday celebrations this week for all of you!

Belated birthday wishes to Heidi Knowles who obviously should have been mentioned along with her sister Heather this past Sunday, but her name was missing from the calendar, so "oops," sorry about that!

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Greg and Lori Parke, R.J. Brown and Angel Hall, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Boldt, Mr. and Mrs. Greg Bain, Jason and Rochelle Wallin, Matt and Lori Kyle and Wayne and Karen Bell. Here's to wonderful anniversary celebrations for all of you!

HAUNTED HOUSE OPENS--This Friday and Saturday, Oct 20 and 21, from 7 to 11 p.m., the much larger Haunted House will be opening at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds for the fourth year, so we hope you'll come down and check it out. I got a sneak peek at it the other day and holy cow, it's almost three times as long as it had been, so that's a whole lot of work done by Jason and Jami Rainey and friends. Kudos to them for all their endless hours of work getting this set up! Just in case you are afraid of the dark, having a little mini light with you might just come in handy, as those strobe lights can be a bit overwhelming, but then again, the ghosts and goblins will surely guide your way through there if you trust their lead!

The following weekend, the Haunted House will be open Friday through Sunday, Oct. 27-29, with the Friday and Saturday hours being 7-11 p.m., but on Sunday, it will be open from 6-9 p.m. Admission is free but they will gladly accept your donations, as they really appreciate them and they ensure that this Haunted House continues to get set up for the community in the coming years!

CARNIVAL--Also at the Fairgrounds at the end of the month, Saturday Oct. 28, there will be the annual Halloween Carnival, which will be held from 4-7 p.m. There will also be a costume contest, so get the kids dressed up and head to the fairgrounds!

SKAMOKAWA GRANGE/SALE--Also happening in Skamokawa on Friday and Saturday, is a big four party sale taking place at the Skamokawa Grange Hall, from 9 to 5 both days. Irene Martin tells me this will be featuring a lot of vintage/antique items, from tools to logging things and more, so they hope to see you either Friday or Saturday. You can always contact Irene if you''re looking for more information.

FRIDAY NIGHT FB--Congratulations to the Mules for their win over Toledo last Friday at home. Now the WHS Mule team will head to Winlock this Friday night, Oct. 20 and hopeully they will come home with another win. Go Mules!

The Lady Mules will be playing their volleyball matches tonight, Oct. 19, at home against Kalama and then playing away for the next two games: Pe Ell on Monday, Oct. 23 and Napavine on Oct. 25. Go get ‘em Lady Mules!

FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIE--The free movie this Friday night is of the fantasy type genre and is for youth and adults. This movie will be shown at 7 p.m., at the Community Center in Cathlamet and is not only free but offers free popcorn as well; a great date night for everyone in these days of high prices! Remember, kids under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

PROUD MOM--I got a call from Jonnie Knowles who told me that her daughter, Kristi Knowles Langston, was recently given the position of Lieutenant in the state of Florida Fire Department division. She is the first woman to receive such a promotion. Kristi has served the department for 11 years. Congratulations to Kristi and kudos to her proud Mama!

CONGRATULATIONS--Recently, at the Wahkiakum Lions Club meeting, Susan McClain Kuhn was honored with a 10 year pin award, called a Chevron Bar, so congratulations to her for her service to one of our long time, local clubs. They do good works for those in need, especially in the testing of eyes and getting people glasses that need them at low or no cost to them, as well as their many other services.

RECUPERATING--As if having wrist surgery wasn't bad enough, son Pete Sechler then got the flu, so his recovery is coming along a lot slower than he would like. We all like to think we're tough, but there are just times when we have to really kick back and rest and do nothing, which isn't easy to do for those get up and go types. At any rate, we're hoping he feels fit as a fiddle real soon!

Kassy Burdick had some wrist surgery of her own, and we wish her a speedy recovery as well.

Dave Heiner is also doing some major recuperating after a fall through a roof, which resulted in a broken back, according to wife Rhonda. Luckily he has some great helpers she said and is able to still be the boss while he continues to recover from his injuries.

Glenn Gehrman made a hospital trip lately and we hope he will be back to one hundred percent real soon!

DONATION TIME--Are you doing some winter cleaning? Maybe you just bought a new coat for the cold weather and you've got an extra warm coat in good shape that you could donate; if so, please think about giving it to the local clothing bank, which would serve those in our area that may be in need. Naturally, they'd enjoy some warm sweat pants or shirts and hats, scarves and gloves too, so if you've got some of those nice, clean useable items, please think about donating them. The clothing bank is located at the intersection of SR 4 and Fern Hill Road in Cathlamet; first left hand turn up Fern Hill, and is just to the right of the church. You can also call the Charlotte House and see if they need any donations or any other community outreach program you know about.

SHOP SMALL--There's always an official "Show your Love - Shop Small" day in November, which means shop local, but instead of waiting until November, why not start now? The holidays are fast approaching and if you buy a few things around town every week, instead of just one weekend, it will help all our local businesses. There are many that have great gift items, handmade items from locals, or gift cards, so don't wait until the real Shop Small weekend; do it every weekend and we'll make sure we keep our local shops going. Christmas is just a couple months away folks; start shopping!

FOS/DECK THE HALL--The Friends of Skamokawa are looking for vendors to take part in their annual Holiday Open House, which takes place Nov. 24 through Dec.17. This is a great opportunity for talented artisans to come and sell their wares, such as soaps, or jewelry, paintings, drawings, wood work, pottery, jams & jellies, scarves, aprons and quilts, etc., and all these goodies help to "Deck the Halls" with your creativity! This display will be held in the River Life Interpretive Center, located at 1394 West SR 4 in Skamokawa. If you're interested, contact the hall at 360-795-3007 or email them at fos1894@gmail.com.