Congratulations to the 2019 graduates

WARMED UP--We've had some wild weather recently, with last Friday being really wet, wild and windy at times, which meant falling trees on SR 4 and people's yard things getting blown all over. The pounding rain certainly did not do my flowers any good; poor things look pretty squashed now! However, this week the weather has turned on its summer switch and it's much hotter and drier, and is supposed to be so for over a week. While we shouldn't have to say this, it's already happened, so once again, if you see animals or children left unattended in a hot car, please report it immediately!

TAKE NO CHANCES--With forecasters predicting 10 days of very high temperatures, please be aware that a burn ban could take effect at any time, so please don't take any chances with any fire and call authorities to find out for sure if you can burn. It's a lot simpler if we always just err on the side of caution and avoid burning when it's hot and dry. If it's windy, just forget it! Fires are raging in Canada, eastern Washington and parts of California, so we'd really like to keep our county's name off of that list.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from June 13-19 are Mike McLaughlin, Robert Montgomery, Jason Ledtke, Megan Vincent, Gina Robbins, Sandy Boldt, Terri Elfers, Kylee Souvenir, Kelsey Briscoe, Lacey Vik, Sarah Phillips, Shane Kehrli, Deloris Wages, Brienne Howell, Krista Fritzie, Lore Twiet, Nikolai Almer, Dawn Wika, Dean Snyder, Amy Horman, Sandra Hess, Karen Blain, Kristian Philip Pedersen, Bailey Pedersen and 67'er Noni Gilbertsen Meredith.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Stevan and Kathleen Morgain, Stewart and Ginger Moonen, Chris and Lacey Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. Justin Watkins. May you all have wonderful celebrations for your birthdays and anniversaries this week.

CORRECTION--My apologies to Pam Emery, as I gave the credit of the current exhibit at the River Life Interpretive Center in Redmen Hall/Central School, to someone else last week, instead of her, so I'm sure sorry about that. Obviously, my interpretation of a memo I got was not quite right, so again, if you'd like to see a wonderful "Down on the Farm" exhibit of the past and present goings on in the dairy world around our area, I hope you'll head to the hall and check it out. Hours for the hall are Thursdays through Sundays, noon to four. Call 360-795-3007 for more info.

NO MOVIES--Don't forget that there are no movies at the Community Center in Cathlamet for the next month. The next movie being shown there will happen on July 12 at it's usual time of 7 p.m. Here's hoping they have a nice summer break!

THIS IS IT: GRAD TIME--This Friday is a big night for all the senior class members at Wahkiakum High School, as they will be graduating! This is always a joyful time for everyone, with families celebrating their child's or grandchild's big day and of course, there are various graduation parties going on. During this exciting time, we hope everyone has fun and has a great time celebrating this major step into adulthood, while preparing for whatever the future holds.

The best advice I ever heard from a man who owned a large corporation, and who made the final decision on who would be hired at his company, was this: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." So if you're going to be out in the world interviewing for a job, let them always see you at your best. Here's to the Class of 2019. Congratulations on your recent accomplishment and may your future bring you many more!

BERRIES/LAST CHANCE--This Saturday, June 15, is the last day that you can order the fresh sliced strawberries by the bucket being sold by the Wahkiakum Lions Club. These are great for so many things, like jams and jellies or desserts or to put in your freezer for later use, so don't miss out, order them today. There are order forms around town, but with time running out, you might want to call Carol at 360-795-3337 or Renee at 360-849-4003 and get them ordered ASAP. They need to be prepaid so your window of opportunity is limited. These unsugared berries are $32 for a 14-lb. bucket or they are $52 for a 28-lb. economy sized bucket. There are three convenient places where orders can be picked up on June 22, and that's the Wah. High School in Cathlamet, the parking lot by Skamokawa Grange Hall or in the parking lot of the Rosburg Store. Don't miss out, call and order today!

CELEBRATE DAD--This Sunday, June 16, is Father's Day. I hope that if you have a dad that is still alive, that you do something special for him as many of us no longer have a dad to celebrate with, so enjoy them while you have them. For those of us without, we'll certainly be thinking of them on this special day. We will also be thinking of the other men in our lives, like our sons, who are also dads now and we wish them all the best too. So, for all the guys out there who are dads, whether it be our husbands, our uncles, nephews, cousins and/or best buddies, we hope you all have a truly wonderful and happy Father's Day!

KITES/VENDORS WANTED--Skamokawa Vista Park is an awesome place to camp or hold a reunion or just see the ships go by. You'll want to be sure to come down on June 29, as those big, awesome kites will be flying at the park. These kites fly when the winds come up, so while they're hoping they can get them up by around 10 to 11 a.m., and keep them going for quite awhile, it's pretty much up to the wind gods! There will be vendors again, and they'd like you to be a part of this fun event, so if you've got something for sale, you can call the park office at 360-795-8605 and get yourself included. As always, the more vendors, the better things are, so come down and enjoy a coffee or a goody or two from Patty Cakes little trailer and check out what the artisans of the area have to sell. If you're a school group trying to raise money, or an individual trying to sell things for a good cause, this is a good opportunity for you as well. Don't delay and call the park office right away!

GOOD CAUSE--I've had many folks ask me where they can donate good, usable items and one of those places is on Puget Island. The VFW annual garage sale will take place June 21 and 22 and monies raised go to help veterans. It's truly a worthy cause to support, as you can do so with either your donation or by coming by on those days to purchase something. You can call Danny Eaton at 360-849-4451 to find out a good time to drop off your donations and it's easy to find as his home is at 739 SR 409, which is the last house on the left before you get to the ferry landing.

LOTS OF SALES--June 28-30, the annual PIGYS (Puget Island Garage and Yard Sale) will take place, so hopefully those of you who have things for sale, will have already signed up with event coordinator, Sandie York, so that you are included on the map that is handed out to all the shoppers. If you haven't done that yet but want to be a part of the annual event, call her at 360-430-0951 right away and get included. The cost for inclusion is $10 and helps to defray the cost of publication and map making. The last day to be signed up is the morning of June 26, so don't delay. Have fun shopping but you're advised not to block mail boxes or driveways.

NORSE HALL--If you want to take a little break from shopping around the Island during the above sale and get "refueled," then head to the Norse Hall where they will be selling pulled pork sandwiches once again. They will only be doing this during a portion of this event, but they hope to see you there either Friday or Saturday, 28 and 29.

TIME IS FLYING BY--For those of you new to the area, be sure to mark July 19 and 20 on your schedule, as the "Challenge of Champions" bull riding event will take place in Skamokawa at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds on July 19 and I know a lot of folks are looking forward to that once again.

The following day, July 20, will be another huge event. While many will be having their Fourth of July celebrations as one of their big events of the month, here in our area, we have the one and only, Bald Eagle Days, with a parade and vendors that shut down the main street of Cathlamet for most of the day, and they have music on the main stage, games for the kids by the Bank of the Pacific and fireworks down at the marina in the evening hours, and a whole lot of other things too! So, be sure to spread the word about these events for next month, as they'll be here before you know it. The Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce welcomes vendors, musicians and parade participants, so contact them right away if you'd like to take part in this wonderful, home town, one-of-a-kind celebration! 360-795-9996.