Fair Flea Market will be held this Saturday

BRRR--As the skies cleared this past weekend, the temperatures took a nose-dive and we wound up freezing here in West Valley, so I hope you had your hoses drained and your faucets covered and all your plants insulated from the cold as well. Of course, the middle of November will soon be here and I guess you know, we have had some pretty horrendous weather events around here during this time of year, so for all you new folks, please get yourself prepared for what could happen as around these parts, it's better to play it safe now, rather than to be sorry later. For now, our freezing spell is over but a super soaker may be headed our way, so keep the boots handy!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Nov. 12-18 are Rory Heywood, Tanner Collupy, Layton Elliott, Zachary Stewart, Ashley Helms, Pat Ohrberg, Virgil Cothren, Andrew Prestegard, Misty Holland, Martina Snow, Hap Anderson, Heidi Souvenir, Samantha Havens, Brandi Seaberg, Dean Seaberg, Jim Price, Ty Briscoe, Roberta Trotter, Jody Kephart, Linda Ashe, Kylian Cochran, LuAnn Davison, RJ Miller and Erik Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Cathy and Roy LaBerge, Linda and Danny Ashe, Lisa and Ryan Nortrup and celebrating 50 years together this coming week are Jim and Karen (Chamberlain) Blain; a big congratulations to them!

THIS SATURDAY--If you're wanting to support some of your local folks during this holiday shopping time, won't you come to the Wahkiakum Co. Fairgrounds this Saturday (Nov. 14) and check out what they have for sale? Along with other things, I've been told that the Kiwanis will sell Christmas decorations there this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and they hope you'll come down and help them raise some money for the good works they do around our area.

STAR PROGRAM--Some folks have already asked about our annual "Star" program that we have here, and I'm happy to say, we are super thrilled to hear that so many people are inquiring and wanting to pitch in! The Wahkiakum County Star Program, while not a county agency, does cover kids in need in our county, and "trees" are set up in different locations (For us: Duck Inn, Skamokawa Resort) with "stars" on them, which represent a child and their list of gift wishes. Those "trees" should come out by Nov. 23 - Dec. 14, then the gifts will be picked up from Dec. 14-18. We hope you will take one and be a part of the joy that this program gives to those in need. Remember, cash donations are always appreciated so that stars that aren't chosen, can still be fulfilled, and you can leave those at the Bank of the Pacific in Cathlamet. Need more info? Please contact the director of this important program NovaLee Knopp at 360-431-5232.

Do you need help with your gifts this year for your children under the age of 17? If you do, be sure to go to either the Health and Human Services office at 42 Elochoman Valley Rd., or go to the Sheriff's office for an application, which must be returned no later than Nov. 23. That's not too far away, so be sure to get your paperwork filled out and turned in as soon as you can. We are a caring community and we'd love to help you during the holiday season if you truly need it.

SUBMIT SCHEDULES ASAP--Once again, the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce will put out a calendar of events for this coming year, so they will need you to submit those events with the "who, what, where and when" details by November 20, so don't delay. To get on their list, please submit your event and all its details via an email to: info@wahkiakum.us. Of course, if you have any questions, you can always call them at 360-795-9996, or stop by if you're in Cathlamet. They are in the Scarborough building which is "kitty corner" and across the street from the Cathlamet Market.

We realize that many events are up in the air due to the continuing Covid-19 restrictions, so things may or may not be able to happen, or happen on a more restricted level, but hopefully some things will be able to go forward this year. The unknown has us all in a bit of a quandary but we're hoping for the best!

FOS HOLIDAY EVENT--The Friends of Skamokawa would like to invite you to their annual "Deck the Hall" event, starting Nov. 28. You will be able to buy books by local authors and buy gifts and crafts from local artisans as well, so we hope you'll stop by the historic Central School/Redmen Hall and shop local. Due to restrictions, wearing masks will be required, and they will have very limited hours, so you will only be able to visit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays through Dec. 12. That doesn't give you a whole lot of days to shop, so don't let the opportunity pass you by!

AMERICAN PANCAKE BREAKFAST-- You will be able to enjoy a wonderful pancake breakfast at the Rosburg Community Hall on Nov. 21, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., complete with meats (ham or sausage) and eggs, plus coffee, juice or milk. This fund raiser is put on by the American Legion and honors our veterans, with funds going to help local veterans in need as well as community and youth groups. The cost is just $6 for adults and teenagers and just $4 for those 3-12 years old and your littler ones can nibble for free! I hope you'll head down that way for that annual event and help support this important cause.

If you're new to the area here on the east side of KM mountain (Skamokawa and Cathlamet side), then you'll need to take SR 4 over KM to the west side and travel through Grays River, until you get to the Rosburg Store, at which time you will take a left hand turn on Pillar Rock Road and then just before the bridge, you'll see a big building and you just take that road/entryway to the right.

NEW BUSINESS--I was just made aware of a new business that is opening between Cathlamet and Skamokawa, called "Emmi's Cottage" and she will open this week! Starting Thursday, Nov. 12, the doors will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. She will be open the same hours on Friday, Nov. 13. On Saturday, her hours will be shortened, from 9 to 1 p.m. There will be leather items, like shoes and bags and candles and lots of handcrafted items like dolls and wood items and more and of course, there will be holiday gift items as well. This business is located at 1054 SR 4 West and you can check Facebook for pictures of her items, or you can reach this business by calling 320-224-3860 or email: judygten@hotmail.com. Congratulations on the opening of your new business, Judy Grangroth!

ASKING FOR PRAYERS--Former Island girl, Sharon Lloyd Ackerman and her husband John, are currently in need of some prayers and family members have given me permission to mention their plight. I got a call from classmate and good pal, Greg Lloyd about his sister, Sharon, who had taken a fall coming from a medical appointment, in which she broke her leg and dislocated her shoulder. Needless to say, this was very unfortunate and she needed to find a place where she could be taken care of, and that wound up being in Longview. As we all know, lots of protocols have gone into place when people come into a hospital or care facility, so when her husband John came in, they found that he was running a temperature. Needless to say, a Covid test was performed and he was found to be positive. Beings this couple have been inseparable for 58 years, it was no surprise that after some time went by, Sharon too has tested positive for the virus, which was truly devastating news for the couple. These are wonderful folks who have roots to our area, and although they no longer live here, they will always be a part of our community. When I asked if I could mention them in my column and ask for prayers, the answer was: "The more prayers, the better!" So, if you would be so kind to keep them in your prayers, they would truly appreciate it. Those of us who are no longer spring chickens need all the help we can get, so thank you in advance!

IN OUR THOUGHTS--Little Miss EmeryTomlinson is going to have a surgical procedure this week and we want her to know that we'll be thinking of her, as all that kind of stuff can be scary for our little ones. Also, after five surgeries on her foot, Debbie Beebe-Olson has been able to get up and walk a little bit, and we hope she continues to heal and be able to be home for the holidays! She has definitely been through a lot and we send her our heartiest get well wishes!

MORE LOSSES--Until last week's paper, I had not heard of the passing of longtime Puget Island resident, Gordy Oman, so I was sure sorry to hear that news. Gordy was a Wahkiakum High School alumni, class of 1951 and was well known for his support and involvement in the school and his work in building the football field. We certainly send our sincerest sympathies to his wife, Vera and daughter, Debbie and the rest of his family.

We also heard of the passing of Phil McKinley last week and we send our sympathies to the members of his family as well.

MISS IT?--Just in case you missed being able to donate food to the Lions Club Food Drive this past Saturday, you can still send a check or money order to them and just designate on it that it is to go towards the food drive. The cash is always nice as it helps fill in the items that will be needed for the holidays but that weren't included in the donations. Please send to: Wahkiakum Lions Club, P.O. Box 214, Skamokawa, WA 98647.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1950, the weather was just beautiful. However, within a couple of days, it went from beautiful and sunny, to all white with snow on November 14! The next few days were just miserable with rain and wind and cold. Grandma Elsie was forced to buy an electric blanket for hubby, Ralph, as he was bedridden and just couldn't keep warm without a little extra help!

The "W" Club at the Wahkiakum High School put on a carnival that week and mulitple school organizations were going to run it and would operate the concessions and games, like bingo, a penny toss, and football and basketball tosses that took place. All the prizes were donated by various individuals and businesses. The goal was to donate the money they raised towards the High School Student Body Fund, so they could get it out of debt.

The Tuesday Bridge Club met at the home of Mrs. Charles Lund of Seaside and lunched with her after a sight seeing tour on the way there. In attendance were Mrs. Harold Olsen, Mrs. Harold Bradley, Mrs John Doumit, Ida Mae Vollmer, Lulu Heron, Lillian Feeley, Lillie Rose Coates, Clara Thorsen, Janet Orth, Mathilda Olsen, who were all from Cathlamet and then Mrs. Ford Quarles of Seaside joined them as well. High scorer at bridge that day was Mrs. Lulu Heron. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries and a special edition of The Eagle.