Mule golfer and baseball teams are champs

NICE START--This week began with some nice weather and I think the sunny and breezy conditions are just great, as it's not too hot out there while we catch up on those yard chores. While my rhodies are all popping out, the grass popped up as well, so it was definitely time to crank up the lawn mower and get that weedeater going, as nothing grows faster with some earlier sprinkles and then some sunshine than the lawn and weeds! Here's hoping the holiday weekend brings us some sunshine as well.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from May 24-30 are Bryson Havens, Elle Britt, John (Johnny) Peterson, Serene Snow, Wes McClain, Katie Vegvary, Pat Shanahan, Kelly Hammond, Keil Charles Parker, Julie Black, Devin Helms, Bonnie Bigler, Bill Faubion, Jon Peterson, Asher Frink, Jeanne Paulsen, Chad Marsyla, Patti LaBerge, Mark Schubert, Amy Knowles, Nancy Corbin, Jeff Vik, Natalie Emery Wise, Stephanie Prestegard, Tiernan Cochran, Brooklyn Blain, Arnie Good, 67'er Linda Toste, Katrina Pedersen Freeman and daughter, Lisa K. Sechler. Here's wishing all of you some terrific birthday celebrations.

Happy Anniversary wishes this week go out to Bill and Linda Mahitka. Enjoy your special day!

FRIDAY MOVIE--The free movie and popcorn evening will take place this Friday, May 25, at the Community Center located at 101 Main Street, Cathlamet at 7 p.m. This movie is for youth and is a drama/fantasy. As always, you are allowed to bring in your own snacks, and as in all movies, children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

NEW BIRTHDAYS--There was another member added to the Pedersen-Ellison branch of the family this past week, when Krystal (Ellison) and Jonathan Zickefoose welcomed a new baby into their home on May 19. This newest addition, a baby boy, joins a one year old sister, Everly in their home in Wasilla, Alaska. Krystal is the great-granddaughter of the late Bella (Pedersen) and Erling Ellison, granddaughter of the late Norman A. Ellison and daughter of the late Norman J. Ellison.

Classmate Kathy Bond Peek is bursting with pride after the birth of her very first great granchild, a baby boy named Joseph Jason MacDuff. He was born May 21. He was six pounds and nine ounces and his parents, Leah and Seth are naturally thrilled, as is the rest of the family! So, congratulations to all of them as they celebrate this latest addition to their family.

GREAT BIRTHDAY--Our wonderful "flower lady," Betty Koziel, celebrated her 85th birthday in grand style this past weekend she said. After all, when you have all three of your kids there, and two families which had four generations in them and a grandson and his family from California come up, well, it was certainly a wonderful day for Betty! We are so pleased she was able to celebrate her special day with so many of her family members and friends, too.

NIFTY FIFTY--Another person who celebrated his birthday with family members, was my son, Pete Sechler, as he turned 50 on May 12, and he got to do most of it in Maui, so that wasn't too shabby.

CHANGE OF DATES--Carol McClain, of the Lions Club, wanted me to tell you of a change regarding their 14th Annual Strawberry sale, that is currently going on. The last date to order is now June 9, (instead of June 2) and the berry pick-up date is now June 16 (not June 9). The prices and pick up spots are the same. If you have any questions, be sure to contact Carol at 360-795-3337 or Renee at 360-849-4003.

RECEIVES DEGREE--Jerry and Becky Ledtke are very proud of their son, Bryan, who recently earned his Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University. There are a lot of requirements to meet the conditions of this degree, so congratulations to Bryan for this accomplishment!

MULES GOLF TEAM--After winning the SW District title, the Mules Golf team was headed to State earlier this week, so kudos to them for being able to overcome some serious obstacles after they were involved in a horrible car wreck earlier and persevered to make the trip to Spokane. Their first round was going to take place when I needed to have this column submitted, so I don't know how things turned out, but we wish them well. It was great to see Coach Nick Vavoudis pictured with his team, and while he can't travel with them, just his being able to be there to send them off was a huge, uplifting gesture, and it was great to see him out of that hospital and doing so much better. Our thoughts will continue to be with him as he recovers, and are also with those other team mates that are still dealing with health issues and could not rejoin their team.

MORE MULE WINNERS--Congratulations to the Mule baseball team as well, as they have really poured on the steam on their way to become District Champions. Here's to more wins as they head into regionals. Way to go Mules!

BIG WEEKEND--It's the big Memorial Day Weekend, so here's to all those that we would like to remember that day, and we truly hope everyone will have a safe and carefree weekend. Many will be getting a three day weekend, which means a lot more traffic, so we hope you'll pack your patience along with your bags, if you opt to travel around this holiday weekend. It would really help if everyone turned on their headlights, as being a defensive driver these days is a real must!

COMING UP--The Skamokawa United Methodist Church members want to remind everyone that they will have their usual breakfast before the Rods and Reels Rod Run on Saturday, June 2. You can go early, park your car at the fairgrounds and then walk across the foot bridge and enjoy a nice breakfast before having lunch at the Car Show later on. A portion of the money raised by the church will also go towards the scholarship funds through the Dollars For Scholars program.

CAR SHOW--As I mentioned above, the time is drawing near for the very last "Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars, Rods and Reels Rod Run" on June 2, so bring everybody down to the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds and enjoy all these great cars, trucks, etc. As always, there will be a great lunch that you can purchase if you aren't already getting one free with your entry, so we hope you'll take advantage of that. Remember, if you want to look around, it is totally free to come in and check out the entries. It is hoped you'll buy some tickets and help support the kids this one last time, and maybe you will enjoy being the winner of a fantastic raffle item. All of the fun begins at 8 a.m., so be ready to hear the "rumble" as these rigs surely make their presence known when they come into town. It's going to be such fun, don't miss it!

NOW OPEN--You may notice when you head into the Car Show, that the Roadkill Saloon has reopened, so you might want to stop by and say hi to Ric and April Murdock for a minute. I understand that they are now open three days a week, Thursday through Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.

COMING UP--As this month comes to an end, we are reminded that the fun is just beginning around the area, as there are so many things going on.