Covered Bridge Dinner will be held Saturday

COOL START--In West Valley, it was a very foggy and very chilly 32 degrees at the beginning of this week, which was also the last day of September, so it feels like our Winter showed up a little bit early to me!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Oct. 3-9 are Deb Gribskov, Matt Helms, Ronald Britt, Cindy Turner, Collin Montgomery, Kylee Montgomery, Mary B. Cothren, Tony Silva, Richard Robinson, Patti Bergseng, Allen La Berge, Kevin Vik, Lauren Brockway, Jessie Havens, Erica Biem, Breanna Lorenzo, Kari Good Martin, Sandra Gison, Lisa Frink, Cheryl Nelson, Mike Hartley, Jesse Ellison and my only granddaughter, Tessa J. Sechler. Here's hoping all your upcoming birthdays are celebrated to the fullest. Belated birthday wishes go out to Pete Swift and Jan-Erik Ronninghaug; hope you had a great day!

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to the Bryce McClains, the Scott McClains, the Jerry DeBriae Jrs., the Wayne Wrights and the Frank Schuberts.

FREE MOVIE--Just a reminder that the free movie and popcorn night this Friday, Oct. 4, will feature an R rated adult Comedy/Drama. Movies begin at 7 p.m., at the Community Center on Main Street in Cathlamet. A big "thank-you" goes out to Mike Rees for getting the "free movies" list to me every month! Please note, there will be no movie shown on Oct. 11.

C.B. DINNER--For those of you who have tickets, don't forget to bring your coat, as the annual Covered Bridge Dinner, put on by the Wah. Co. WSU Extension office will be held in Grays River this Saturday night! The future forecast even shows some rain, so you might want to bring a rain jacket too. I am sure it will be a wonderful time whatever the weather may be, as it always seems to be a big hit no matter what, as with great prizes for their auction, good music and good food, what's not to like? Proceeds go towards supporting the Wahkiakum Co. Extension office and the 4-H programs. Enjoy, everybody!

WINNER--Patricia Battaglia sent me some good news, which I'm more than happy to share, as the winner of the quilt that was being raffled off was drawn this past week. So, congratulations go out to Pearl Blackburn of Rosburg, as she was the lucky winner of the beautiful quilt made by the River City Strippers. The RCS is a very kind and generous organization, as they donated this gorgeous quilt to help raise funds for the Pioneer Center, and lucky winner Pearl is also a very kind and generous person, so she was a very deserving winner!

NEXT WEEKEND--While the Farmers Market may be over for the season at the Elochoman Marina, you can still find lots of items for sale in Skamokawa at the monthly Flea Market, so come on down and do a bit of shopping. It will take place on Oct. 12, which is at its scheduled time of the second Saturday of the month, so here's hoping you will find a treasure that's just right for you. Of course, if you'd like to sell some things of your own, new or used, you can always rent a table for $10. Contact the fair at 360-795-3480 and leave a message.

Once you finish shopping, stop by the River Life Interpretive Center on the second floor of the Redmen Hall/Central School, located at the corner of SR 4 and East Valley Road at Milepost 29 and check out their latest exhibit, "Falling Leaves."

BINGO TIME--Now that the cooler weather is upon us, it seems only fitting that one must find fun things to do indoors, and bingo is one of those things. Head to the Norse Hall on Puget Island and play bingo with your friends and neighbors. Doors open at 5:30 with games starting at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 a card and we hope you'll be one of the lucky cash winners; just in time for the holiday shopping season!

LIKE TO ACT?--If you're one of those folks who loves to act and maybe do a little singing, now's your chance to take part in one of Astoria's most fun events, and that's: "Scrooged in Astoria." This takes place at the Astor Street Opry Company, 129 West Bond Street, just across from the Pig and Pancake Restaurant.They will hold auditions Oct. 12, at noon and then again at 6 p.m., and on Oct. 13, they'll hold more auditions at 6 p.m. Rehearsals will begin the very next day and the show takes place the first three weeks in December.

STILL OPEN--The museum in Cathlamet is still open through the month of October, so if you want to check things out, stop by Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., and say hello to the docent of the day! If you'd like to help the Wah. Historical Society with their expenses for the winter, as heat is required to keep all these items preserved, you can send a check to WCHS at 65 River Street, Cathlamet, Wa 98612.

CRITTER SIGHTINGS--It's that time of year when the elk are in rut, the mama "critters" are kicking out their young and everything seems to be on the prowl, so after hearing reports of cougar sightings in Cathlamet near Columbia Street/Erickson Park, bears out the Elochoman and "everything" being seen out here in Skamokawa, it only makes sense that we need to be vigilant of our surroundings. Some of these animals can be aggressive, so be careful and if you think they are being overly so, it may be time to contact authorities, as in some cases, they are a real danger. You can avoid some of the critters just by eliminating any food sources near your home and having bright, automatic lights come on seems to help shoo a few kinds of animals away, but not all. If you have to go out at night, making noise is good, as they usually bolt and run, but again, not always so be on guard. Plus, don't be afraid to call the non-emergency number for the sheriff's department and at least let them know that there could be a dangerous animal in the area; 360-795-3242. It's better to be safe than sorry and certainly your neighbors will appreciate it as well.

LOOKING AHEAD--I know you probably don't want to be reminded, but there are only a dozen more Saturdays until Christmas, which is on a Wednesday this year, so I hope you'll think about buying from our local stores and gift shops and support all our local places when you're making out that Christmas gift list. I managed to buy throughout the year when sales were taking place, or various crafts items were being shown, like at Bald Eagle Day, and I took advantage of those Friday markets as well, so I'm pretty happy with my dwindling shopping list!

SYMPATHIES--We'd like to send our deepest sympathies to Connie Bassi and her family members, as just recently, her father, Charles Havens, passed away just short of turning 86 years old. His services were held this past Tuesday. Again, our condolences to Connie's family which includes her daughters, Jordyn, Kaylyn and Nicole as they truly will miss their wonderful grandfather.

SAID GOODBYE--Our family said goodbye to one of its younger family members, as Jeremy Pedersen's services were held this past weekend. Jeremy was the son of Tim Pedersen of Vancouver and Jenny Madsen Dobbins of Castle Rock and was just 41. The Patriot Guards showed up on motorcycles and lined up outside the Legion Hall in a military "missing man" formation and two Army honor guards from Tacoma were on hand as well, and that was very heart warming to see. Once we went back inside, the flag was presented and given to his mother, and then the leader of the group also presented her with a special coin in rememberance of Jeremy and by the time they got done with the service, which included a 21-gun salute, there wasn't a dry eye in the whole place. What a wonderful tribute to our veteran, who served in both the Army and Air Force, and his veteran "family" members who showed us all the meaning of true respect and love for one of their own. Patriotism at its finest; thank you ladies and gentlemen!

NOT MUCH RESPONSE--I'd like to thank Dennis Blix for giving me a call about the request I made for information on Tetz Oil Co. and the Vog Lumber Co., but unfortunately, we both had about the same amount of information on them, which wasn't much. So, once again, if you have any info, I'd appreciate hearing about it. Let's try a new one: how about "Scott's Garage"; another Skamokawa business I haven't heard of. Anyone else know anything about it?