Skamokawa News: No fresh strawberries from Lions Club

PRETTY WET--I hope you used those sun breaks earlier this week to get your lawn mowed and those other outdoor chores done, as we are supposed to get pretty wet during this week. Last weekend I was happy to get out and about and get a bit of yardwork done before the raindrops came back. These days it's "off and on" with the rain so we have to get out there when we can. With a little luck, I may have some flowers left to put up at the cemetery for this Memorial Day on Monday, but sadly there's a couple of bushes that are "toast" already, which is a bummer, as the big red blooms had been gorgeous! Have a safe holiday, everyone.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from May 21-27 are Bryson Havens, Elle Britt, Lois Nelson, Mary Jodi McClain, Mitch Moonen, Scarlett Engle, Bonnie Bigler, Nathaniel Danker, Natalie Emery Wise, Jon Peterson, Kelly Hammond, Signe Peterson, Eil Charles Parker, Patti LaBerge, Jeffrey Vik, Davin Helms, Mark Schubert, Marilyn West, Tiernan Cochran, Julie Holland Black, Brenda Baldwin Nielson, Donna Healy Palmer, Mary Jo Brown, Katrina Pedersen Freeman, Deanna Healy Ahrndt and 67'er Linda Holland Toste.

Belated birthday wishes go out to Shelby Hoiland who celebrated her birthday this past Monday. Hope it was a good one!

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Mr. and Mrs. Tony Danker, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Faubion, Tylor and Chandlor Nortrup and Bill and Linda Mahitka. May you all have wonderful birthday and anniversary celebrations in the week ahead!

55th CANCELED--Many of you from WHS Class of 1965 have probably heard by now that the reunion that had been planned for later this summer, has been canceled. If not, and you're reading this, you're being asked to spread the news to others that were in this class. I got a call from your classmate, and former Island girl, Jennifer Neilson, who now lives in Portland, and while she's pretty sure most of you have gotten the word, she thought I might be able to let a few more know via my column. The class is erring on the side of caution and safety and hopefully all will be better soon so you can have a belated 55th reunion later on!

CONGRATS--I understand that this week's winner of a gift card to Julie's Java was one of our very own local gals, Susan O'Connor, so "Congrats to you!" It's always fun to win a little extra something once in awhile, and during this time, any added measure of joy is special. A big thank you goes to owner, Julie Black for adding this extra bonus to her loyal customers!

SYMPATHIES--We just heard of the passing of former county resident, Tony Malakowsky, who passed away last Thursday, May 14, and we want to offer our sympathies to all his family and friends.

HOSPITAL TRIP--We were sorry to hear that Ric Murdock had to make a trip to the hospital, and according to his wife, April, it appears that he has suffered a stroke. We know that there are varying degrees of problems relating to strokes and we hope Ric can heal up and return to his old self real soon. Take care, Ric! We are all thinking of you and saying our prayers for your complete recovery.

Also, we were sorry to hear that former resident Nancy Corbin, had to make a trip to the hospital recently, but fortunately she was able to come home after a few days, and we hope she can stay out of there for awhile. Take care, Nancy and best wishes for a full recovery!

NOT HAPPENING--I heard from Wahkiakum Lions Club member, Carol McClain, and she told me that the Lions Club would not sell their buckets of freshly sliced strawberries this year due to the supplier having to shut down his operations. That's really too bad as those are really great berries and were a terrific fund raiser for the Lions Club. We will have to wait and see if it's possible to have frozen berries available in the fall.

OPENING SOON?--I heard from Duck Inn owner, Logan Britt, and he said they are hoping to reopen the first of June, so we certainly hope that gets to happen. We are looking forward to the new menu and daily specials that have been planned, and I know lots of folks who are more than anxious to have our favorite eatery and watering hole open back up. If you still don't feel comfortable going out amongst folks, remember, you can still support them by ordering food to go or buying gift certificates from them which you can use to give away for upcoming things like Father's Day, birthdays or anniversaries, etc. Remember, we need to support our local businesses that have been so great in supporting all our local causes over the years!

Please realize that our businesses have been under a great deal of stress and are trying very hard to open up in order to save their business, as well as give their customers a chance to dine and shop. However, there may be changes/restrictions that may have to be put in place in order for us to gather, so please "mind your manners" and give the wait staff/servers a break by being patient while you're out and about. This is our time to be kind, or stay home!

PARTIALLY OPEN--We have had some changes in our current situation regarding all the closures due to COVID-19, and while we are encouraged by some of the restrictions being relaxed, things are far from being normal. We hope we can enjoy some of these openings of our local businesses without overwhelming them too much so that they would be forced to close again, as that would be truly devastating. Plus, we hope that everyone is packing some extra patience around these days as we deal with various sitations and to be on the safe side, continue practicing social distancing.

As always, if you don't see a notice in the paper and you don't want to waste a trip to town, please just call ahead to your business of choice and ask if they've got special days and hours of operation, as often times these are changing between when I find out about them, put it in my column and then the paper's delivery, so here's hoping we can get this all sorted out.

UNCERTAIN TIMES/HELP--Many questions have been raised about whether certain businesses will ever open, or if big events like Bald Eagle Days or the Wahkiakum County Fair will take place. Some decisions have yet to be made and some meetings wind up being held after my deadline or even the Eagle's deadline, so some things are really up in the air. My very latest info has it that a "scaled back version of BED" might happen but nobody knows for sure just yet. Beings most of our events are also fundraisers, it's extremely difficult for them right now and of course, if you'd be willing to donate some money to them, I'm sure they'd gladly accept it.

While we often have phone numbers to call these places, we don't always have an address to send money to, so if you're a food bank or a local group, it would sure be great if you'd not only list a current, working phone number, but also a mailing address (which is not always the same as the physical address) and maybe the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce could help get that list out to the public. We have a lot of generous folks, but many of us don't or won't, do things via Paypal or GoFundMe options, so you might be missing out on donations that many are willing to give. You can also contact me with your address information and I'll try to spread the word.

LOCAL ADDRESSES--I have a few addresses that I do know and I'm sure they would gladly accept your financial help and they are: Skamokawa Fire Dept, P.O. Box 145, Skamokawa, WA 98647; the Skamokawa Grange #425, P. O. Box 123, Skamokawa, WA 98647; the Friends of Skamokawa, P.O. Box 67, Skamokawa, WA 98647 and the Wahkiakum Lions Club, P. O. Box 214, Skamokawa, WA 98647.

OUT OF THE PAST--This coming week in 1950, the week began misty but then the rest of the time it was just "beautiful" and May 24 was described as "hot" so it was quite nice out. As a matter of fact, with such low humidity the logging camps were all closed and the rivers were rising. It was this week that Miss Anita Sjogren married Ralph W. Rodahl. Their marriage took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sjogren on Puget Island. The Matron of Honor was Mrs. Ivar Klingberg and the Best Man was John Rodahl, brother of the groom. The wedding cake was made by Miss Neva Holland and the tea table was decorated with pink rhododendrens and Mrs. William Blackwell, the sister of the bride, poured. On May 24, Carol Everest Pedersen celebrated her birthday, and the Phelps had a baby girl and the Faubions had a baby boy. On May 27, Flora Tonkin came by the telephone office and she was brought in to train on the board so that she could be a permanent operator.

This week in 1960, the first day began wet and cold with lots of wind and rain. It was a good day to be baking bread and other goodies however, as it not only warmed up the house, but those who would be heading to the "Paul Bunyon Feed" at the Elochoman Youth Camp would be sure to enjoy it. The next day was a nice day and Mayme Johnson, Kathleen Wright and the Everests all headed to Naselle for a Firemen's Smorgasbord, which was thoroughly enjoyed with all that great food. It was a family get together at Marian Healy's as they celebrated her daughter, Donna's birthday as well as her sister, Carol's birthday by making a very pretty cake after enjoying a nice lunch. Marshall Pedersen was not having a good week and was feeling under the weather and it was determined he had to have his tonsils out in the hospital on the day of his Mother's birthday! His sister, Kay, stayed at the Everests' during this time. That same day, Donna Healy, soon to be Donna Palmer, started work at the 88 cent Store in Longview, while her soon to be husband went to work at Fibre. The last three days of the week were showery so it was a good time for some baking and sewing. Elsie Everest was busy making a garter for Donna Moke's bridal shower, as she was going to marry LeRoy Burns in July. May 27 was a big day at Wahkiakum High School as it was Graduation Day. The Class of 1960's theme was "Unto You is Given" and their class motto was "Onward and Upward," with their class flower being the lilac and their colors for the occassion were lavender and silver. The five senior speakers were Clifford Smith, Dorothy Petersen, Gilbert Vik, Norma Gorman and Linda Kerstetter. Gweneth Jacobsen performed two saxophone solos: "Andante" and "Nocturne." The high school choir sang three songs under the direction of the music director, W. Willard Clutter. The Wahkiakum High school Principal was Walter A. Lindman at the time, and Julius Wendt was the superintendent, who introduced each class member and it was Jack Linquist who handed them their diplomas. Betty Ohodt gave the benediction and the glass marched out of the auditorium as Sharon Lloyd played the recessional. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.