Halloween events are coming right up

FIRST FREEZE--We must be pretty special here in West Valley, as this past Sunday, Oct. 14, we woke up to temperatures below freezing and everything was very frosty, and very cold! The sunny skies were certainly welcoming though and with temperatures up in the 70s, we went from heavy coats to t-shirts in just a few hours. Monday was much the same, and while I'm not too fond of the freezing part, the clear skies and warmth later on are certainly enjoyable. Forecasters are saying we'll have this dry pattern all week long, so I hope you're out and about and soaking up some Vitamin D.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Oct. 18-24 are Louis Stornetta, Michelle Collupy, Justin Garrison, Brianne Helms, Elizabeth Dahlen, Kathy McClain, Maddie McClain, Piper McClain, Kristi Knowles Langston, Joel Havens, Terina Davis, Victoria Wallin, Mike Phelan, Davey Hoven, Gary Backman, Heather Backman, Mary Heagy, Kevin Gilligan, Myles Whitaker, Tricia Farmer, Myrna Fudge Brown, Bill Boylan, Craig Nielson, Hunter Baldwin, Jennifer Kyle, Debbie Chamberlain and 67'er, Mary Toste.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Greg and Lori Parke, Wayne and Karen Bell, Jason and Rochelle Wallin, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Boldt, Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Barth, R.J and Angel Brown, Matt and Lori Kyle, and belated wishes to Jeff and Shelley Hedges who celebrated their first anniversary this past week, so here's hoping they had a great day and we hope all the other birthday and anniversary celebrations will be terrific!

MULES PLAY--The Mules football team will head to Kalama this Friday night at 7 p.m., so we want to cheer them on. They've had some tough games and some injuries as well, so we hope they can pull off a win and an injury-free game. To those who have been hospitalized and gone through surgeries, we wish you the very best and hope you are on the mend and will have a full recovery from your injuries.

The Lady Mules will play their last home game against Rainier on Oct. 22, with both the JV and Varsity teams playing.

In Cross Country, the League Championships will take place in Rainier at 3:45 p.m., today, Oct. 18, so here's hoping all our Mule teams have successful outcomes.

FRIDAY MOVIE--The free movie and popcorn night will be held tomorrow night, Friday, Oct. 19, at the Community Center in Cathlamet on Main Street, so head that way prior to the 7 p.m., movie time. This week it will be an adult documentary. Stop by the center for more information about this show. Remember, you can also bring your own goodies into the movie, so if popcorn isn't your thing, bring something else with you.

FIFTH TIME--Another free thing will happen at the end of the month at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds, when the Fifth Annual Haunted House takes place; such fun! All the spookiness starts on Friday, Oct. 26 from 7 to 11 p.m. Those same hours will pertain to Saturday evening as well.

Sunday Oct. 28, the hours of admission will be earlier, from 6 to 8 p.m. The last day for the haunted house will be on Halloween night, Wednesday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. While there is no charge, donations are greatly appreciated, as a lot of work goes into getting this all set up, much of which is done by Jason Rainey and his family, so we hope you'll come down and check this out, and help support the fair as well. It's possible that there is still work to be done on it, so if you can help Jason out, give him a call at 360-795-0641.

The Halloween Carnival will also take place for the fifth time at the fairgrounds but it will be held on one day only, Oct. 28, in the youth building. There are always games and cake walks, and other fun stuff for the kids to do, so come on down and enjoy this Halloween fun!

GOOD NEWS--John (Johnny) Peterson of Skamokawa, who is currently at the Vibra Specialty Hospital in Portland, is doing much better now. He is able to converse with people, which wasn't an option awhile back, so all improvement is encouraging. We only hope that he continues to improve, but in the meantime, he could certainly use our positive thoughts and prayers. Calling down there is possible but I found it a hassle, but I'm sure he'd like to get a note from you, which you can send to the above named hospital, at 10300 NE Hancock St. Room 205, Portland, OR 97220.

MULTI-GENERATIONS--It's going to be an exciting time at the Tsuga Gallery, as Joan Wren tells me that there will be a four generation art display at the gallery with an artists' reception on the evening of Oct. 27 from 4-7 p.m. There will be refreshments and music, with Theresa Videan playing the harp. This generational exhibit will feature Joan's Mom, Helma Rohloff, and then Helma's daughter Joan, and then Joan's daughter Debbie Thoma and then her son Brian, so that's four generations! With each artist comes a variety of talent, with various works being displayed from jewelry making to textiles and more, so that's going to be quite the showcase of talent. The display will be featured from Oct. 27 through Nov. 18, so be sure to check that out when you're on Main Street. You can contact the gallery for more information at 360-795-0725.

COMING RIGHT UP--Just a few reminders: The Grand Opening of the Rosburg Store will take place on Friday, Oct. 19, so that will be exciting. I saw some pictures from the newly renovated building and it looks like it's nice and bright and will be a great place for folks to congregate and shop. On Oct. 25, the Blood Drive will take place in the lobby of the Hotel Cathlamet from 1-6 p.m., contact Patti Phillips 360-795-8821 to set up a time to donate. On Oct. 27, the "caretakers" will put on their gloves and use those hand tools to "Tidy up the Town" in Cathlamet, so be sure to meet at the Pioneer Church nice and early and Pat Battaglia will put you to work!

FOS--The artist's reception for Beth Bailey, at Redmen Hall/Central School this past Saturday, Oct. 13, happened on a really lovely day, and views from the hall were just outstanding, which matched the artwork that was on display. Beth has certainly been a traveler of the waterways and has captured some fantastic sites along the way. Listening to her talk about her weeks on a sailboat and other various travels was really interesting. Besides having her original paintings and sketchworks for sale, she also has some prints for sale, so I hope you'll get a chance to stop by and check them out. I really loved her array of note cards that she did, and they not only will make for a great item to use for a note to a friend, but a great gift item too. The hall is open Thursday through Sunday, noon to four, so I do hope you get up there on a nice day so you can enjoy the view along with the artwork. Don't forget, there is a wide array of items in the Gift and Book Shop too, and with Christmas just a couple months away, it's time to start looking for those unique items for those special folks on your gift list!

DONATIONS--This time of year can be pretty tough for some folks as there are higher costs for electricity and the holidays mean extra expenditures too, so often times folks need a little more help than usual when it comes to putting food on the table. With many sales going on at this time of year, like case lot sales on fruits and veggies and some of the holiday staples as well, we hope you'll think about buying a little extra if you can, and donate it to our area food banks.

For your convenience, the Wahkiakum Lions Club members hold a "Walk n Knock" event every year, and they go from door to door picking up the donated items so that may be an easy way to donate food as well, as you can just set it out on your porch and they'll come and get it. Until their next meeting, a definite date has yet to be secured, but just know that it will probably be coming up soon. I'll let you know when it's been decided, but in the meantime, here's hoping you set a few things aside to donate to those in need. If possible, you might want to include some items that people need all the time but cannot purchase with food stamps, like toilet paper, soaps, toothpaste and diapers, etc., so those items would also be appreciated.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1948, the first few days were pretty nice with some foggy mornings and evenings, but the last couple were really wet and nasty. It was hunting season and Leon Healy got his deer right away, so he was pretty happy. Grandma Everest served lunch to Marie Irving, Alva Mast and daughter, Marian and they had a good time gabbing she said. It was a sad day in Skamokawa, when William Lund, 77 passed away on Oct. 22 in a Portland hospital. In case you haven't ever heard, he was the first white child born in Skamokawa, in Middle Valley on June 22, 1871, so that made him pretty special. He was born to August and Mary Lund on their homestead farm, which in 1948, was the Charles Lund farm. He was very active in logging and farming, and logged in Alaska as well as Canada, and in 1911, bought the farm out in the Elochoman, which had been the Ralph Elliot's. Not only was he busy with farming and logging, but he also served the county as one of its commissioners at one time and was also the mayor of Cathlamet. He belonged to various groups, like the Grange and the Red Men Lodge and after marrying Katie Neville in 1898, they had five children. The surviving four were Mrs. Bertha Ackerman, Mrs. Lois Partible, Mrs. Della Knaus and Mrs. Dorothy Semple. He had two brothers, Charles and Albert and a sister, Carrie Below. This information was taken from my Grandma Elsie Everest's 1948 diary.