Plant swap at Grange Thursday (today)

WARMING UP?--As the weekend comes to a close it’s not pouring down rain. The work week may start with some temps in the low 40s and include a bit of drizzle but the good news is, it’s supposed to warm up. I think we’ll all be happy to see that happen as long it’s a gradual thing and not a 40 to 80 thing!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from May 11-17 are Christeena Bassi, Don Nicholes, Bryce McClain, Mike Iverson, Hannah Helms, Shelly Hedges, Kamryn Watkins, Evan Quigley, Stacy Wegdahl, Steve Doumit, Kaelee Dearmore, Stephanie Cochran, Kooper Fritzie, Angela Dickson, Nikki Hoven, Mark Phillips, Dru Grasseth, Bonnie LaDoe, Sheri Davis, Jayden LaRoche, Sage Miller, David Rust, Ashley Rusk, Rachael Blain Reynolds, Leslie Monroe and Peter Sechler.

Those celebrating anniversaries are Jonas and Bofu Owen and Frank and Carolyn Pedersen. May you all have terrific birthday and anniversary celebrations!

THURSDAY--If you’re new to this area, I want to put out a reminder that there is a free Community Breakfast at the Skamokawa Grange Hall at 18 Fairgrounds Road from 10 to noon each Thursday. They invite you to bring your own mug and a treat to share, so please feel free to stop by and meet others in the community.

They will also hold a craft session from 10:15 to 10:45 so depending on who is there and the weather, the craft in question will be determined then.

There will also be a Guitar Club entertaining you beginning at 11:30 so there’s plenty of things happening that day. Donations are always welcome so all these activities can continue to take place each Thursday.

PLANT SWAP--Also happening at Skamokawa Grange this Thursday, May 11, besides the community breakfast, will be a Spring Plant Swap which will take place from 10 1 p.m. You can contact Tabitha Haynes via text at 505-918-9008 or via Facebook with any questions that you may have or if you want to be a vendor. With the weather turning nicer, this is the time to get those plants in the ground!

PIE DAY--The GFWC Cathlamet Woman’s Club will hold their annual Pie Social this Friday, May 12 from 1 to 4 at Tsuga Gallery, 70 Main Street in Cathlamet. This is the blue building located to the right of the Pharmacy for those who are new to the area. You can buy a whole pie for $15 and you can get one of their cookbooks for $15 as well. You might not realize it but this group has been serving the community for 93 years, so kudos to them for hanging in there and carrying on the traditions from past generations!

BUSY WEEKEND--As a reminder, the Flea Market will be at the fairgrounds from 9 to 3 this Saturday, so head this way for a great bargain; lots to choose from!

Also, the Friends of Skamokawa invite you to stop by Redmen Hall and check out their latest exhibit of watercolors and you can enjoy shopping in the Book and Gift Shop. There are many local authors and artisans showcased here.

BINGO--Head to the Norse Hall and play some bingo on Saturday evening and just maybe you could come home with some extra cash! Who couldn’t use some more of that? Besides that, it’s a fun way to meet your neighbors or come together as a family. The lower doors are open at 5:30 p.m. and the games begin at 6 p.m. Questions? Contact Jan at 360-431-1705.

MOTHER’S DAY--On Sunday it’s time to treat Mom extra special so we hope you have something planned for that day. If your Mom is no longer with you, I hope you’ll treat another “Mom” in your life to a special treat, whether it be a card or a phone call, as there are lots of special women in the family who could use a little pick-me-up. Here’s wishing all the Moms out there a truly wonderful day! And let me know if you got to do something special!

CAN YOU HELP THE SENIOR CLASS?--This year's senior class is a bit short when it comes to making their plans for a senior trip come true, so they are asking the community for our help. It’s always a good feeling to help out a deserving class when it comes to having a great graduation and a great Senior Trip, so if you can, could you please donate a few bucks? This is one of those times when if everybody gives a little, then they can raise a lot, and nobody gets stuck having to make a huge donation. If you know a senior, you can just give them the money to donate it to the cause, but if not, just go ahead and drop it off at the High School office. They really would appreciate our help. Go WHS Class of 2023!

GWTR 2023 coming up--The 39th annual Wahkiakum 4-H Great White Tail Run will take place May 20 with registration at 8:30 a.m., at Skamokawa Vista Park with the run beginning on Steamboat Slough Road and going through the Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge. All traffic will be denied access to the course during that time, so plan accordingly.

Congratulations to Olga Goldinov of Skamokawa for being the winner of the t-shirt design contest this year. Olga is a fifth grader and attends the elementary School in Cathlamet. She will be given a free shirt with her very own design on it and a bonus of $25; nice!

SALMON DINNER on 20th--If you’re a fish lover, then you’re going to want to enjoy this next fundraiser being held by the Sons of Norway! There will be salmon, baked potato, coleslaw, baked beans, garlic bread and a cupcake for dessert along with your choice of beverage. All this for $20; a great deal! This will take place at the Norse Hall on May 20 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. You can get advance tickets by calling Mike Backman at 360-431-4421 or Phyllis at 520-414-0024 or at the door. All funds raised will go to the continuing maintenance of the hall and your help would be greatly appreciated. So, here’s your chance to help them out and enjoy a nice meal without having to cook it or do the dishes, so a win, win there!

CLEAN UP TIME--Earlier in the day on May 20, the fairgrounds will also be the place to be if you want to pitch in and help with the clean up of the grounds, beginning at 10 a.m., and as we all know, “many hands make for light work” so it would be awesome to see some extra hands down at the fairgrounds that day.

The way time is flying by it will be Car Show time at the fairgrounds on June 3 and then on June 20, the Farmer’s Market begins and before you know it, it will be time for the Mud Wrestiling event to take place on July 14 and then the big Wahkiakum County Fair in mid-August, so mark these down on your calendars as it’s going to get super busy in the next few months! If at any time you want to pitch in and help out during these events at the fairgrounds, just leave a message for Patty at 360-795-3480.

DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS--Speaking of time going by, it’s almost time to commit to the Wahkiakum DFS online auction event and if you’d like to be a sponsor, by either donating an item to the auction or just donate cash, you should let them know prior to May 22. As always, these monies are given out to our next year's graduates, while last year's fundraiser allows ten thousand dollars to be given away to this year's graduates. This is an awesome and very worthwhile cause as nothing is more important that our children's education.

Have questions? Call Diane Tischer at 360-562-6467 or Doug Martin at 360-751-4497. If you’d just like to write a check out right now, you can mail that to Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars, P.O. Box 498, Cathlamet, WA 98612. All contributions are tax deductible and a receipt will be mailed directly to you.

If you are feeling extra generous, and are in a position to do so, you can always donate an item for the auction and some cash; sounds good to me!

DID YOU KNOW? --At the end of 1993, a wonderful thing happened west of Cathlamet, and that was the suspension of the toll on the Astoria Bridge by the State of Oregon on Dec. 24. By January 26, 1994 it was announced that those crossing the bridge would never have to pay a toll to cross it again. A celebration was scheduled with various speakers, including Washington state Senator Sid Snyder, Oregon State Senator Joan Dukes, Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen and other local and state officials and at the site of the Oregon toll booth site, the officials and the public met and Sen. Dukes, who spearheaded the efforts in the removal of the toll, paid the very last ceremonial fee. Yippee!

The article in the Daily News that day had the header: “Free Ride Forever,” and aren’t we all happy about that?