FOS virtual auction set for October 9-18

CHANGE IS COMING--This past weekend wasn't too bad although Saturday was pretty cloudy with a bit of light mist in the evening hours in West Valley but Sunday was pretty decent and we even managed to see the sunshine. However, forecasters are saying that the rain is coming in this Saturday and will last for a few days, so I hope you were able to enjoy most of the dry weather we had. However, we all know how things can change around here in a hurry, so if it's a nice day, put your worries on the back burner and enjoy these wonderful Fall days while they're here.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Oct. 8-14 are Matt Helms, Jeff Baldwin, Justin McClain, Kalisha Mace, Collin Montgomery, Breanna Lorenzo, Ron D. Cothren, Kristina Heiner, Paul and Pete LaBerge, Erin Phillips, Lisa Sauer, Josie Parker, Cameron Collins, Aron Havens, Alexzandria Watkins, Kimberlee Watkins, Lisa Frink, Doug Manary and Tessa Sechler.

Belated birthday wishes go out to Cheryl Nelson as she celebrated her birthday this past Tuesday. Sorry about that, Cheryl, hope it was a good one!

Celebrating their anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Brent Mahitka, Mr. and Mrs. William Owens, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Weaver and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Wilkins. May your special days be celebrated to the fullest.

Belated anniversary wishes go out to Deanna and Bruce Dachtler who celebrated their special day this past Saturday.

CONGRATS--I'm happy to announce we have another couple to add to our anniversary list, as this past weekend, Erik Schillios and Marissa Washington were married. We want to wish the newlyweds all the best and a hearty congratulations.

FOS AUCTION BEGINS--It's time for the annual auction held by the Friends of Skamokawa to help keep the historic Central School/Redmen Hall's doors open, and this will be their 30th year of holding one; quite the feat! However, due to the pandemic, this will be a new kind of auction as it's going to be virtual, which you can take part in beginning tomorrow, Oct. 9 and going through Oct. 18 by checking out http://www.32auction.com/fos. There are gift certificates, artwork, trips and lots of other things up for auction so please check it out and let the bidding wars begin! You can call the hall for more info: 360-795-3007. Leave a message if need be, as they are only there for limited hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

GRANGE SALE--Becky Ledtke tells me there will be another large sale at the Skamokawa Grange Hall this Saturday, Oct. 10, and with lots of new things added, they hope you'll come by and check it all out, find yourself a new treasure and help support the Grange. If you're looking for tools, fishing poles, furniture, camping cots, exercise equipment, baby clothes, toys, books and many other things, this is the place to go! Hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

FLEA MARKET--While you're down here checking out the Grange sale, you can pop over to the Youth Building at the Wahkiakum Co. Fairgrounds right next door, where they will hold their monthly Flea Market from 9 to 3. It's also the last time to buy a few tickets from the Fair Foundation for the Great Wolf Lodge getaway that they are raffling off, as the winner will be drawn that evening. With tickets just a dollar each, it would be a great bargain if you win!

DRESS A GIRL--Once again, the gals sewing dresses for the "Dress a Girl" project will meet on the first Friday of each month, and they hope all those that can sew and would be willing to help, will join them at the "Jabbershack" on Main Street, where the flower shop had been. The material and pattern will be furnished for you and they would love to have you join them.Their next gathering will be November 6 from 1 to 2 p.m.

They will follow the current guidelines for meetings during this pandemic, so masks will be required. For more information, contact Pearl Blackburn at: dressagirlpearl@gmail.com.

COLUMBUS DAY--Looks like we've got a holiday coming up next Monday, Oct. 12, in celebration of Christopher Columbus finding of America. These days that's being questioned, but in the meantime, that's why it's named what it is. However, we seem to remember the day for a more personal reason, as back in 1962, this day fell on the exact same date, and those of us around at that time, remember the horrendous "Columbus Day" storm, which brought strong winds and hundreds of downed trees and power lines, but thankfully, I don't see anything wild in the forecast this year, so that's good!

PLEASE DON'T BLEACH--There is a suggestion going around about how to keep your pumpkins fresher and lasting longer, by using bleach, but please do not do this! The chlorine is harmful to animals and the soil, so we wouldn't want the critters to eat that and get sick, or to have that go into the ground. In order to "recycle" and feed your leftover pumpkins, squash and other items to the animals after Halloween, please use a vinegar and water solution, with just one part vinegar to 10 parts water, and that will help keep them fresher and yet still make it safe for the deer, squirrels or other critters to eat later on. It's a win win for the animals and our earth!

NEEWOLLAH DAYS--If you're new to the area, you probably haven't heard of "Newollah Days" which is Halloween spelled backwards! It's going to be different this year, but our Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce says they will still have some fun, and it's all taking place on Friday, October 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. You can check in at the Community Center stairs (to the right of the Cathlamet Market) at 3 p.m. and then there will be a parade through downtown which starts at 4 p.m. Candy will be thrown for the kids. Then there will be a "Doggie Runway" after the parade, located in the Chamber parking lot, which is across the street from the community center. There will be raffle prizes given out at 5 p.m. If you have questions and want to find out how all of this is going to work out, please call the Chamber at 360-795-9996 or you can email them at info@wahkiakum.us.

CANDY DONATIONS--If you would like to help out the above event by making a candy donation, that would be great! You can drop off your donations at the Cathlamet Market, the Cathlamet Pharmacy or bring them to the Chamber office prior to Oct. 30. Beings this is a nice, safe, children's event, we hope you'll check it all out and also help support it by donating a bag or two of indivdually wrapped candy to pass out to the kids.

ROSBURG BAZAAR--I just wanted to let you know that the annual Rosburg Bazaar will take place Oct. 31, so if you'd like to be a vendor at this event, you'll need to call 360-465-2574 and get your name on the list. This event will last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it's always full of crafts and food and all things good, so head that way and check out all they have to offer. As with all indoor activities these days, masks will be required.

SAD NEWS--I was certainly sad to hear of the passing of former resident, Nancy Adams Corbin, who slipped into God's hands on September 29 at her home in Lewis County. Her family is having a service this Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m., at the Bethel Church at 132 Kirkland Rd., Chehalis. There are restrictions in place so you are asked to respect social distancing, wear a mask and bring your own sanitizer as well, although a limited supply will be provided. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, if you possibly can, that you can do the most good and really help, by donating to the gofundme account of her granddaughter, Mariah Corbin who has brain cancer. Your donation of any amount would really be appreciated! https://www.gofundme.com/f/mariahmiracle. We send our sincerest condolences to her husband, Phil and her children and the entire family, as she was just one of the sweetest ladies I'd ever known.

KEY FOUND--Did you happen to be walking along West Valley Road and lose a key, or maybe you happened to have stopped and checked out the water level of the creek or had to pull over to unload equipment, etc.? Well, somebody did, as I found one the other day and it was on the bridge before my house, so I'd like to get it to its owner. It's just a single key with a specific kind of decorative key chain, so if you can tell me what that key chain looks like, just give me a call at 360-795-3425 and it's yours! I'm pretty sure somebody would like to have this key back.

THINKING OF THEM--Please don't forget that while many other things are taking center stage right now, there are still a lot of firefighters out there that are working to battle fires that are yet to be contained. So, please keep them in your thoughts as they do this difficult and dangerous job. We want to thank them for all their hard work, and that includes all the supporting staff that it takes to run these huge teams. May they all come home to their families safe and sound.

IN NEED?--I talked to the gals at the Clothing Bank just off of Fern Hill Road and they let me know that there are plenty of clothes to be had there, with lots of mens jeans and such and if you're a person who was displaced for some reason, there are extra items for that too, like blankets and dishes. If you have any of these items to spare, they would love to have them. They are especially short on silverware, so if you plan on switching over to a new pattern and have some extra silverware, they'd gladly take them off your hands. FYI: The one thing they don't need is hangers as they've been given plenty. They are there on Wednesdays beginning at 10 a.m., for a few hours.

SHOP LOCAL--I know many of you are already shopping for Christmas, and hopefully some of you will be doing this locally, as many of our small town stores took a big hit in the pandemic. Here's hoping you are able to buy items that are for sale in our area, and if not an item, then maybe a gift certificate to a store/restaurant they like and that way it will be something a person could use at a later time, while still supporting local. I hope you'll support them as they have supported us over the years, as with all fundraisers in this area, our businesses are more than generous with their donations, so it's only right that we support them too!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1950, it began cool and cloudy but then got nice for several days but by the end of this time, temperatures were cooling down and there was a lot of fog and wind. It was hunting season and Dick Johnson got his deer as did Leon Healy on Oct. 9. Ralph Everest was still in the hospital in Portland and family members were taking turns going down to see him. Following his surgery, he was finally able to move both legs on Oct. 11, so that was good news. The Rebekah Lodge met on Oct. 13 and it was a grand time with the initiation of Mary Anne Risk.

In 1960, the first day started out nice but rained hard in the night, but then it was nice again for the next couple of days, albeit cooler in the evenings. However, it then turned very wet and it was very nasty for a couple of days before ending the week with a very "lovely" day. For Krist and Carol Pedersen, it was an unexpected surprise when Frank Pedersen showed up at home, as he had been stationed aboard the destroyer, USS Barton in Norfolk, VA. His Grandma Elsie was very happy to see him but she said he just looked "way too thin," which meant she was headed to the kitchen to bake some bread and fatten him up a little while he was home on leave. With Jonas Pedersen having some diabetic problems, daughter Peggy and daughter-in-law, Carol Pedersen, headed to Portland so they could take the diabetic course offered there and be able to tend to him, as his current condition was not good. The town was in a joyous mood that Friday night as the Cathlamet football team pulled out an upset over Vernonia and beat them 30 to 20; yay Mules! All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.