Downriver Dispatches

This is my 50th Downriver Dispatch - 2022. It's hard to believe time shot by so fast this fall. I want to make sure you're aware of all the activities scheduled for this weekend because we have another busy set of days celebrating Christmas in the area. Saturday, December 17, the Naselle Youth Sports Club (NYSC) will sell chowder and chili at the basketball games at the school. Funds raised will support NYSC's purchase of sports equipment and other supplies (more info about NYSC in another article). On Sunday, December 18, there will be a light parade beginning at 84 Knappton Road and ending at the north corner of Knappton Road and South Naselle Road. Lights will be lit on cars and other moving vehicles of all sorts. Bring your car, tractor, and even horses. The parade will begin at 5 p.m. After the light parade, everyone is invited to drive around the area looking at houses with lights and decorations and Christmas trees both outside and in. Warm up the car so it is warm inside and bring a thermos of hot chocolate along with gloves and hats. Stop and sing some carols, if you'd like.

On December 21, the Senior Lunch group at Rosburg Hall will have their Christmas luncheon. It's a potluck, so cook or grab a pie at Okie's for the folks coming. At the last Wednesday Senior Lunch, there were almost 50 people attending and eating a great stew on a cold, wet day. Not everyone comes from close by; some come from Skamokawa and some from Naselle, joining with others in the good food and fellowship. We who attend regularly want to thank the kitchen ladies who are so faithful and such good cooks. This is a large group of older folks that benefit from the healthy country food and visits with friends. Thank you so much for all you do for us. God bless you.

Some of the local churches will have Christmas Eve services. Naselle Lutheran will have two services, one at 5 and one at 9. The Grays River Methodist Church will have a service at 5. I am not sure about the time at Valley Bible or at the Assembly of God, but if they let me know their times, I'll pass the information on in next week's Eagle.

Photo of the Week: Denise Blanchard's photo shows her decorating Johnson Park for the holiday season. Denise and other board members have been decorating the whole building. Denise showed me seven Christmas trees throughout the rooms and halls. When walking through, it becomes obvious that every room has a purpose. For instance, there is an activity room with big couches and a TV. The Sheriff's Department has its own office, too. Then there's an exercise room with lots of equipment, a sewing room, a meeting room, a large commercial kitchen, and the West End Food Pantry is always busy on Thursday afternoons. The library is well set up and available a couple days a week. Denise said they're starting a new walking group, Walking with Walkers, for folks who feel more steady and secure with a walker. Walkers without walking aids are always welcome, too, on a couple mornings a week in the gym. For those of you who may recall, the building was chilly a few years back, even downright cold, but it's warm now since the county commissioners had heating installed. Thanks so much to the commissioners for taking care of that. The walls in the hallways have recently been painted and it really perks up the whole building.

The rest of December will go quickly. Let us all think about the season of Advent, the time for preparing for the birth of the baby boy who brings light and love and hope and joy. Here are some thoughts for the coming light, a poem by Luci Shaw, Writer in Residence at Regent College.

Night's Lodging

Across the purple-patterned snow laced with light of lantern glow, dappled with dark,

comes Christ, the Child born from the skies.

Those are stars that are his eyes.

His infant face is wise seen by my candle-spark.

But is he cold from the wind's cold blow? Where will he go?

I'll wrap him warm with love, well as I'm able, in my heart stable.

CALENDAR:

December 17: Chowder and Chili at ball game at Naselle GRV School.

December 18: Light Parade down Knappton Road at 5 p.m. Park in the parking lots along the route. After the parade, drive around the area to see holiday lights from 6 to 9. – light up your own house and yard, then take a fun drive and pray for a clear sky!

December 20: Naselle GRV School Board meeting at 6:30 in the school library.

December 21: Christmas themed Senior Potluck Lunch at Rosburg Hall at noon.

December 24: Christmas Eve service at Grays River Methodist Church at 5 with light refreshments afterward and at Naselle Lutheran at 5 and at 9.

December 31: New Year's Eve Party at Johnson Park from 9-12 a.m. Bring snacks and family food, games for family and friends. Weather permitting.

Senior Lunches: CAP/Thursday Senior Lunches are now located inside Rosburg Hall at noon. The next Wednesday Senior Lunch will be on December 21 at Rosburg Hall at noon.

January 1: 2023. New Year's Day (and Football!)

January 22: FAFF sponsored concert with Skamokawa Swamp Opera at 3 at Naselle Community Center sponsored by the Finnish American Folk Festival (FAFF) at 3.