Time to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

WET AND WINDY--As this week starts, it's a damp one here in West Valley and for most of SW Washington and depending on where you are, you got a little extra rain and some extremely breezy conditions as well. It seems that we're always dealing with weather challenges this time of year, and with a big storm coming in at the beginning of this week, it makes things a little more treacherous for us. Hopefully nothing too serious will happen around here, other than "normal" flooding and a bit of wind, but it helps to be prepared so hopefully everybody was ready.

LAST FOR THE YEAR--It seems hard to believe that 2018 is coming to an end and 2019 is right around the corner. With no paper coming out on Dec. 27, this will make this column the last of the year, so I've got an extended birthday and anniversary list, and some other things that will happen during the first of January, so you'll have a bit of a heads up on those things. It's time to get those new calendars out and fill in the spaces with events, and as always, here's hoping some advance notice gets some good results for most of them!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those enjoying birthdays from Dec. 20--January 2 are Duncan Cruikshank, Kyle Gribskov, Grant Turner, Jose Costillo, Garrett McClain, Steve Smith, Gwen Gorley, Wendy Lechner, Trevor Gorley, Lee Tischer, Lorraine McNally, Kohl Bergseng, John Hoven Jr., Don Seaberg, Kimmie Wright, Mary Gustafson, Bob Stewart, Trynity Mendez, Carol Hadley, Dan Bardsley, Terry Cleveland, Tony Danker, Greg Bain, Charlene Montgomery, John Hoven, Libby Thomas Ravandar, Brooke Luthi, Robbie Kerstetter, Larry Fancher, Jim Blain, Sherry Stewart, Ron Clement, Toby Bell, Nancy Summerill, Emma Pedersen, Luke Pedersen, Ron Pedersen and Frank Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries during this time are Mr. and Mrs. Mark Helms, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Lindsey, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Jungers, Mr. and Mrs. Danny Eaton, Mr. and Mrs. David Eaton, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bigler. Here's wishing all of you a truly memorable birthday or anniversary celebration.

CONGRATS--I didn't get all the details, but I do know that Kerrie McNally was happy to announce that she is now a great-grandmother to a baby boy! Congrats to her and the rest of the family; in these trying times, babies brighten even the darkest days!

FRIDAY MOVIE--The last Friday night movie for the month will take place this Friday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m., at the Community Center in Cathlamet. It is listed as a movie that will be suited for everyone and is a documentary. As always, free popcorn is available.

BUSY TIME--This past weekend was a busy time around our area, as we had the Redmen Hall's special guest, Robert Michael Pyle doing a reading of his new book, "Magdelana" as well as wrapping up their open house, and as of this past Sunday, the hall is closed for the winter. I hope you were able to get up there to see all the goodies they had to offer during their Christmas Open House Bazaar. Of course, if you couldn't get up there to help their cause, but you'd still like to help support this historic hall, a Christmas donation would surely be appreciated! Just mail it to FOS, P.O. Box 67, Skamokawa, WA 98647.

Also happening in town, was the Duck Inn's annual Customer Appreciation Party and what a fun time that was! We thank our host, Logan Britt and his crew for having us there and treating us to a nice array of tasty treats and some fun karaoke with Glen Crown! Once again, we can't stress enough how important it is to shop local and keep the doors open of our local businesses. Need a little extra gift still? How about a gift certificate from the Duck?

Arriving just in time for the holidays, a new batch of shirts and sweatshirts showed up at the Skamokawa General Store/Resort, so if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by and check them out. The resort is also a great getaway for your city family members, so you might even think of a gift certificate for them.

Treasure Collupy held his annual Christmas sale this past weekend at the Hotel Cathlamet, and of course, I just had to go and check that out! I always marvel at the extraordinary colors and shapes he comes up with, so I hope you got to stop by and see them for yourself. If you couldn't, you might check out his website and if you want something, you could probably arrange to meet with him and still get that unique item for somebody special on your Christmas list!

The first lighted parade held at the Elochoman Marina was a big hit for those who were able to participate in it. With a little luck, next year will be even bigger and better but from the pictures I saw, it looked great and it sounded like everyone had a great time.

The WHS sports teams were busy, busy this past weekend as the Lady Mules were playing at home, and there was the huge wrestling match invitational going on at the high school and the boys were playing out of town, so, many folks were at one of these events, which kept them from coming to some of the other events I mentioned above. We always cheer on our athletes as they work hard to make the wins a reality and even if they don't always wind up winning, we are very proud of them and applaud their efforts.

COMING UP/SEWING--On January 4, 2019, the "Dress A Girl Around the World" project will resume at the Community Center in Cathlamet from 1 to 4 p.m. This first meeting will be to share patterns and give out information about the project and to encourage others to take part. Pearl Blackburn will be your contact person, and she can be reached at 360-465-2347. The vision is to see to it that "every girl deserves at least one dress." We seem to forget that not everybody is able to attain that seemingly simple thing, so it's nice that these folks are trying to make that happen. They will meet monthly, and whether you're a beginner or a seasoned seamstress, you are welcome to join them and share your knowledge and have some fun while doing something good for other people in need.

SPECIAL MEETING/HELP NEEDED--You may not know this, but the only building in Cathlamet that is on both the National Register of Historical Places and the Washington Heritage Register, is the Pioneer Church in Cathlamet. Just like our historic buildings here in Skamokawa, they need our help to keep them in functioning order. The Pioneer Church is now the Pioneer Center and they are in need of new members and donations to keep this one of a kind historical building, going. There will be a Save the Center informational meeting held on January 10, a Thursday, at 7 p.m., at the center and everyone is urged to attend. They are striving to get some heritage funding but in order to do so, there is much to be done, so in order to get all of that in motion, it's important to attend this meeting to find out what steps need to be taken. The building will be celebrating their 125th birthday in 2020 and it is the goal of the group to make sure this building is still going to be there in order for it to celebrate such a monumental occasion. So, if possible, won't you please help them out?

Donations may be sent to Cathlamet Pioneer Center, P.O. Box 24, Cathlamet, WA 98612.

LAST MINUTE--Remember, for those folks who have everything, you could still get them a subscription to this paper, a membership to our WCHS Museum, or gift card to one of our various local businesses, as they are an investment in our community. Here's to shopping small and keeping important organizations, buildings and businesses up and running in Wahkiakum County!

IT'S TIME--It's time to say "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year" as next Tuesday is the big holiday of the year with the new year beginning the following Tuesday. We hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day and we hope you'll have a very fun, yet safe, New Years Eve so that you can enjoy New Years Day 2019!