Weekend marred by fire, tragic drownings

STILL TOASTY--Maybe I’m in the minority but I have had enough of the heat wave thing already! We are supposed to cool down some by midweek, which would be nice as it’s in the mid-90s at the beginning of this week, and that’s too hot for me! Here’s hoping you and all your animals are staying cool and hydrated someplace during the hotter parts of the day.

TRAGEDY--Our sincerest condolences to the family of the two young men who lost their lives in the Columbia River this past Saturday; just so very tragic. A huge thank you to all those who responded to this emergency as they too feel saddened by any emergency calls that don’t have a positive outcome. Our prayers for the one young man who survived his water ordeal, and we hope he makes a full recovery. We will be keeping all of them in our thoughts as they work through this terrible tragedy.

FIRE--As you all know by now, our local fire departments and emergency responders wound up going east of town to a hillside fire on the North side of SR 4 at MP 41.3, which is an area that most of us locals know is just east of “Flandersville” and Little Cape Horn. As I begin this column, our local heroes, along with crews from Cowlitz County, were able to stand down and the DNR crews took over. The helicopters were busy dipping water right out of the Columbia River. The beach on the south side of SR 4 made it possible for the helicopters to land and drop off more ground crew as well; quite a sight for those close by. Everyone was praying that the fire would stay on the “other” side of the road as there are plenty of homes on the lower side. As I begin this column, the fire is still not out, but I’m hoping that it will be soon; and certainly by the time you read this!

THANKING OUR HEROES--A huge thank you to Logan Britt and the Duck Inn staff who came together and held a dinner for all our local crews who helped fight this fire Sunday evening! It’s also a reminder that our crews are all volunteers and they sacrifice a lot to come out at a moment's notice to come to our rescue, whether it’s from a fire or an injury at home or a vehicle accident, etc., but they are there. We want to say how much we appreciate them and if you can, please support them by either joining them or donating to them if you’re able.

We also hope you will continue to support your local businesses who help support our local causes as well, as a community is only as good as the people in it who are willing to pitch in and help make it a better place to live. I can remember when we flooded around here and Skamokawa Pete Peterson opened up the old Duck Inn to feed and care for those who were helping others or those who were displaced and I’m so happy to have another owner of the "new” Duck, like Logan, step up and take over that role as well. Kudos to all!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from August 11-17 are Kathleen Morgain, Shannon Britt, Tim Schmitz, Ricky Montgomery, Steve McClain, Macie Moonen, Judy Smith, Tyna Zink, Ezra Hoven, Devlynn Ferguson, Brooke Nielson, Brian Taylor, Judy Fritzie, Kassy Burdick, Cooper Grasseth, Erica Torppa, Joshua Grasseth, Krista McQuire, Addy Hauff, Olivia Brown, Dale Heiner, Greg Moore, Maddox Wilder, Naomi Pedersen, Denis Everest and Margie Wagner Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries are Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Gribskov, Larry and Deb Holland, Mr. and Mrs. Randy Kuhl, Mr. and Mrs. Randy Hoven, Robert and Terina Davis, Gene and Karen Healy and Kyle Sechler and Suzy Ekstrom. May all of your celebratory days be extra special this year!

TODAY, THURSDAY--If you are getting this paper on Thursday, August 11, don’t forget to come down to the Sk. Grange Hall and check out the free breakfast from 10 to noon. Donations are gladly accepted and of course, if you’d like to add to their coffee supply or bring a goodie of your own to share, that’s more than welcome too.

CLASS OF 1959 REUNION--Calling all members of the Wahkiakum High School Class of 1959, here’s a little reminder that it’s almost time for your class reunion! The days have flown by and soon August 18 will be upon us, so be sure you spread the word to all your classmates and contact Helen Keyser at 360-849-4236 so she can get a proper head count for your reunion at the Duck Inn at noon that day; have fun!

SCHOOL SUPPLY DROP OFF--I mentioned having folks round up some school supplies last week and I was happy to hear from Sandra Miller of Interstate Bank in Cathlamet, who said they’d be a place that you can drop those off if you’d like. That certainly was nice of her and with the bank being centrally located on Main Street in Cathlamet, that would be an easy spot to drop them off. So, if you’re shopping a little early and want to pick up some supplies at maybe the Pharmacy, then you can just zip across the street and they will gladly accept your donation! Every year students wind up coming to school without enough supplies and many teachers buy things for them, so we’re hoping to help the students and the teachers out once again this year.

BUSY WEEKEND--This will be a busy weekend, starting Friday with the weekly Farmers Market at the Elochoman Slough Marina on Friday, Aug. 12. Then on the very next day, Aug. 13, you can head back down that way for the Wooden Boat Show with all that they have to offer and then head to the brewery to check out their Funky Car Show; fun times!

FUNDRAISER--Also on Saturday, August 13, there will be a Car Wash fundraising event by the WHS Football team and they’d love to have you stop by between 12-2 p.m., and get your car/truck//boat, or whatever, washed. If you want to help support our Mule football team, here’s your chance to do that and get your rig washed!

JUST NEXT WEEK--This is my last “begging” you to volunteer notice, as the Wahkiakum County Fair is happening just next week from Aug. 18-20. They could still use volunteers from Aug. 15-17 prior to the fair. If you can help out, it would be truly appreciated. Leave a message at the fairgrounds, 360-795-3480 or contact Martie at mudwoman@live.com.

Don’t forget to check your fair book and get those entries in on the correct days as each item has specific days and times. Don’t miss out on having your wonderful things entered into the fair, and maybe rack up a few bucks too!

I hope all of you remember to buy those fair passes and remember the special days for admission if you haven’t, as those with children that might not be able to swing tickets for every day, can get their kids in free that are under the age of 12, on Saturday, Aug. 20. Also, Seniors & Red Hat Ladies get in free on Thursday and Armed Forces Day on Friday means all Military folks, active, retired and reserve, get in free. The famous Salmon BBQ happens on Saturday and in case you forgot, fair times are 9 to 9 daily. See you at the fair!