Open mic night at Grange Hall Sunday

NOT SO GREAT--I suppose it depended on where you were, but as this week began, Sunday was definitely on the wet side in West Valley. We did have our dry moments, but for the most part, it was damp. Saturday was a bit better with more sun than rain, so I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the dryness on that day at least. However, the work week began dry after some very thick fog, which kept the ships' horns blowing all night long. Unfortunately the forecast for this week shows more rain than sun, and some very cold temperatues in the evening hours, which they say may be bringing more snow to the mountain passes, so if you're traveling, be aware of that. I hope it warms up soon, as after all, as of this past Tuesday, Spring officially arrived and we'd all enjoy a little more warmth with that sunshine!

SPECIAL DAYS-- Those celebrating birthdays from March 22-28 are MaKenzie Anderson, Vance Miller Jr., Sig Hjaltalin, Sharyl Iblings, Emily Tanksley, David Whitney, Daniel Rust, JoAnn Prestegard, Hap Anderson, Mary Dominique, Jimmy Montgomery, Taya Deal, Jordyn Wirkkala, Jeri Webb Foster, Jason Wallin Jr., Shelby Deaton, Melvin Brown, Sandy Firkus Quigley and Dawn Pedersen Macchione. Belated birthday wishes to Brandy Britt who celebrated her special day last Thursday; hope it was a good one!

Celebrating their anniversaries this week are Mrs. and Mrs. Brett Deaton, Mr. and Mrs. John Hannah, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Backman, Mr. and Mrs. Robby Fritzie, Rodney and Patty Ingersol, Aron and Wendy Havens and Joel and Pam Moore. May all of you enjoy your special days this coming week!

GREAT DINNER--As always, the annual chicken dinner held at the Rosburg Community Hall this past Sunday, was just delicious! The array of salads was wonderful, with the celery and crab, and the broccoli bacon and raisin ones being a couple of my favorites, but they were all enjoyed by those that had them. Kudos to the cooks and to the servers, as we all know the work involved in putting on one of these big dinners and everyone there looked like they were totally enjoying their visits with friends and neighbors. Good job people!

FRIDAY MOVIE--The free movie at the Community Center in Cathlamet, will take place at 7 p.m., March 23, and as always, you get free popcorn. The show this week is a fantasy, with a Youth/Adult (PG-13) rating.

OPEN MIC--All musicians, singers and toe tappers are invited to the Open Mic session at the Skamokawa Grange Hall this Sunday, March 25. Sign up is at 2:45 p.m., and the fun will begin at 3 p.m. After everyone has had their turn at the mic, they will have a jam session, which could lead to some wonderful things. That's how "Giants in the Trees" got together, so who knows, maybe your jam combo will be the next big hit! Don't forget, the coffee is always on. Need more information? Contact Jerry Ledtke at 360-795-3434.

BINGO--If you'd like to take part in some bingo fun and win your Easter dinner, then you might want to head to the Multi-purpose room next Friday, March 30, at 6 p.m. The fair puts on this event and everyone seems to have a great time, and if you wind up winning their grand prize of a television, then you'd really say you had a good time, so head to the J.A Wendt Elementary school next week and play a little bingo!

EASTER BUNNY IS COMING--On March 31, the Lions Club will hold their annual Easter Egg hunt at Skamokawa Vista Park. The Easter Bunny will be there and there will be prize eggs among the various regular eggs. There are separate areas for the kids, depending on age. The hunt starts promptly at 11 a.m., so don't be a minute late as those kids can scramble around and wipe the field clean in a matter of minutes!

I understand there will be activities at the fairgrounds that day after the hunt at Vista Park, so while you're down here, you might want to check out what they have to offer.

CONDOLENCES--We send our deepest sympathies to a former WA-KI-HI classmate, Nancy Jacobson Brady, as she lost her sister, Beverly J. Seaberg recently. Also we send all the family members our condolences, as with all the Seaberg family relatives and the Jacobsons as well, there are a lot of folks feeling the loss of this family member.

Also, my sister-in-law, Carolyn Madsen Pedersen, (Mrs. Frank) lost a member of her family recently, so we want to send her family and the immediate family of Chris Monge, our sincerest condolences.

A former Puget Island resident, Marilyn Rich, now Schwingdorf, just lost her husband of 26 years and we want to offer our sympathies to her and their family members.

FOS--The Friends of Skamokawa will hold another display involving wood workers/carvings next month, called "Creative Wood Designs" and they are looking for those talented people who deal with wood, to take part in this next display. This exhibit by wood crafters will run from April 13-29. The hall is open Thursdays through Sundays, noon to four. You can call the hall at 360-795-3007 so they can put you on their list of vendors, or call FOS President, Pam Emery at 360-218-6504.

NEW MAILING ADDRESS--It won't be too long until the Wahkiakum County Historical Society opens the doors to the museum in Cathlamet once again, so if you haven't been there before, or would like to show your guests some historical background of the place you live, you ought to bring them to the museum. It will be open Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 4, from the first Saturday in May until the end of October. As always, if you'd like to "meet and greet" folks at the museum by working a Saturday or Sunday, they would certainly welcome your help.

The WCHS wants to let you know that they now have a new mailing address, so if you want to contact them for some reason, or maybe mail in a donation, you can send it to: 65 River Street, Cathlamet, WA 98612. A big shout out goes to Frans Eykel for making this change possible. Thank you Frans!

NICE VISIT--It was great to have our friends, and former Skamokawa residents, Sharon, John and Sara Buennagel, back in town this past week. The family had first spent some time visiting with their daughter Abby in Las Vegas, before coming this way. Abby is almost done with her schooling and is also doing well in her job at CVS Pharmacy, where she is an Operations Manager. The Buennagels, along with Sharon's Mom, Dolly and John's sister Mary, came to the Duck Inn where they enjoyed lunch and a visit with Bill and me, so we had quite a chat. A couple of others came by as well, one of which was Gladys Mace. The family was headed north where they would be visiting with John's folks, Charlie and Kay Buennagel. The former Puget Islanders are doing real well in their new home in Kent. As always, we enjoyed seeing our friends and wish it could have been longer, but maybe we'll just have to drop in on them sometime on their own turf; now wouldn't that be fun?

COMING HOME-- Tessa Sechler has ended her WSU semester in Brig, Switzerland, and will be headed back to the States in just a few days. During this last couple of weeks she has ventured out to Barcelona and all those places in between, plus she's made it up to Ireland and gotten to see a lot of gorgeous places and wonderful historical buildings and landmarks. At least I know if I ever get a chance to go to Europe, I'd have a pretty great guide if I were to take my granddaughter with me. What wonderful memories she'll have!

SAYING GOOD-BYE!--Our mail carrier, Sharyl Iblings, is counting down the days until she is officially done delivering the mail around our neck of the woods, and we will certainly miss her. I had mistakenly thought she was going to be done at the end of last year, but actually, her contract was up at the end of March, so she'll have just a little over a week to go and then her days will be her own; good for her! Congratulations, Sharyl on your retirement and I'm guessing this will be a great belated birthday gift to herself as well; enjoy!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1948, it was really nice all week long, although it began with a pretty chilly evening but by March 27 it was even hot! That week there was a big group of ladies who headed to Longview as their Rebekah Lodge No. 305 hosted that meeting for other lodges of District 19. Attending from this area was District past president Effie Wright; Marie Irving, Mrs. Eva Mast, Mrs. Mary Olmstead, Rosemary Kinneson, Katie Lund, Alma Faubion, Gertrude Arness, Florence West, Gertrude Healy, Bertha Shuster, Elsie Everest, Odessa Osborne, Iva Lewis, Mary Irving and three gentlemen: Jim West, John West and Jack Lewis. George Everest spent some time this Easter week with his parents, and then along with them and his sister, Marian Healy and niece, Donna, they all drove to Astoria to enjoy dinner with Mr. and Mrs. John McCoy and Mr. and Mrs. Peter McCoy. At one time, the John McCoys operated a bakery in Cathlamet. The group had a nice trip on a beautiful warm day and had a wonderful visit with their old friends. This week, Marian Everest Healy spent her last working day at Johnson's Variety Store. According to Fire Chief Mitchell Doumit, the Cathlamet residents should not be alarmed by loud noises, as the Cathlamet Fire Department would be testing out their new fire siren soon.

This week back in 1958, there were several days of showers and sunshine, and then one evening there was a huge wind storm, before enjoying two beautiful days, with the last day of the week being just a cloudy day. It was a week of family and other visitors at the Ralph Everests as George and Ruby Everest came down and spent the night, and the Bunns came by to visit and watch some television. The following day Mrs. Wegdahl and Mrs. Liasjold (sp?) came by for a nice chat. The meeting for the Home Planning Council was a good one with a good group in attendance and they set up a day and plans for "Achievement Day," which would be held May 16. Grandson Frank Pedersen stopped by with Bob Davis and he came to say goodbye as he was joining the Navy the following day. Mayme Johnson and Grandma Elsie were busy making and delivering pies to the basketball banquet one evening, while Grandpa Everest was at the Grange Hall and in charge of parking cars. The Reverend Head, 91 and Mrs. Head 87, were honored with a reception at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Dewey Laughlin, in recognition of their 59th wedding anniversary that week and all their children and spouses were able to attend. Grandma Elsie received a letter from her sister Jean, telling her of the passing of a family member, as their Aunt Edith Leonard had passed away. The end of the week saw the Rebekahs bidding Mary Irving farewell and the group all had a very nice time. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.