Highway to reopen ahead of schedule

WHAT A STORM — Last week was exciting, and not in a good way. That wind that ripped through really did a number on dozens of trees, destroyed carports, and caused multiple power outages. West Valley wound up with a six-hour outage. Thankfully it wasn't in the midst of freezing weather or a foot of snow. Kudos to the lineman working from Altoona to Puget Island; since the downed trees have to be moved first, it's always a big job. Once again, Mother Nature has given us a heads and has shown us how prepared we are. Considering it is only October, one thinks of all the things they need before the next storm, which could happen in the winter when conditions are even worse. They say we're supposed to have a milder winter, but we've heard that before. It's best to prepare for the worst and hope we wind up sailing through the months ahead with without a care in the world.

HIGHWAY OPEN? ­— Speaking of dreams, I heard that the highway from Naselle to Astoria (Hwy 401) may be opened a little sooner than planned. If it's true, there are a lot of folks who will be happy to hear it! That link to Astoria was closed on Sept. 11 and was to be closed for five weeks, according to the highway department, but I recently learned that the latest update had it shorter. Let's keep our fingers crossed; with a little luck, there will be some very happy commuters soon.

SPECIAL DAYS­ — Celebrating birthdays this coming week are: Debbie Gribskov, Kylee Montgomery, Collin Montgomery, Matt Helms, Jeff Baldwin, Justin McClain, Allen LaBerge, Peter and Paul LaBerge, Zoe Doiron, Lisa Nortrup, Kevin Vik, Ryan Nortrup, Carrie Nortrup, Jessie Havens, Breanna Lorenzo, Ron D. Cothren, Kristina Heiner, Holly Luthi, Erica Biem, Cheryl Nelson, Sandra Gibson, Ron Britt, Mike Hartley, Cindy Turner, Lisa Frink, Natalynn Hoven, Trevin Bennett, Erin Phillips, Kari Martin and my only granddaughter, Tessa Sechler. Celebrating anniversaries are: Bryce & Kelly McClain; and Adam & Samantha Pedersen will celebrate their West Coast wedding, after celebrating their East Coast wedding last month! I hope all of your birthday and anniversary celebrations are fun and memorable.

CALENDARS — If you ordered one or more of the birthday/anniversary calendars from the Wahkiakum Lions Club, you should have gotten your notice of payment by now. Be sure to send that in as soon as you can. If you haven’t ordered yet, please contact a WLC member as soon as possible. Get a few for Christmas; they make great gifts. For more info, you can contact Renee Robert at (360) 849- 4003 or Carol McClain at (360) 795-3337.

MUSEUM RAFFLE WINNERS — The Wahkiakum County Historical Society had a booth at the Wahkiakum Fair; you may have gotten a ticket for their raffle there, or at the museum. They drew the winners and announced them after the fair. According to WCHS member Linda Wright the winners were Kay Chamberlain, who received a $200 Cathlamet Market gift card; Carol Kriesel, who won a two-night stay at the Hotel Cathlamet, which included gift cards to the Duck Inn, Marias' Place, The Spar, Patty Cakes Cafe, and two milk shakes at BackRoadz; and Rose Rendler, who received a one-night stay at the Hotel Cathlamet, gift cards to the Pizza Mill and Patty Cakes Cafe, and a free beer at River Mile 38 Brewery. Congratulations to my fellow winners and thank you to those that donated items for the drawing. All money raised will go to the operation of the museum. If you'd like to make a donation, you can send it to the Wahkiakum County Historical Society at 65 River Street, Cathlamet, WA, 98612.

FOS AUCTION BEGINS — On Saturday, Oct. 7 at 10 a.m., the Friends of Skamokawa will host their annual auction and fund raiser, the “Cornucopia of Treasures.” This online auction runs thru Oct. 21 at 5 p.m., with an in-person sneak peek at Redmen Hall on Friday, Oct. 6, from 5-7 p.m. To bid, go to 32auctions.com/2023FOS1894.

BUSY DAY — It looks like this weekend is going to be busy, and not only with the FOS auction. There will be a comedy show and dinner at the Duck Inn, the Covered Bridge dinner in Grays River, Oktoberfest at River Mile 38 Brewery in Cathlamet, and the Pumpkin Patch & Farm Stand at Little Island Farm on Puget Island. There's plenty of things to take part in around the area.

WARM CLOTHING DRIVE — As you get ready for the cooler season, and also the holidays, maybe you could spare that extra coat, scarf, or gloves that happen to be sitting up on a shelf. The Puget Island Fire Auxiliary will hold their warm clothing drive once again and there are drop-off bins at the Puget Island Fire Hall (475 SR 409), as well as River Mile 38. Sizes are for kids and adults are needed.

GET WELL WISHES — Former Naselle resident, Cat Bighill Phillips, now of Texas, recently asked for prayers for her son Sean Flanagan, who has been in a car accident recently and had to undergo several surgeries. We were happy to learn he is doing better after some painful days. We wish him continued healing, and Cat is thankful for all the get well wishes that were sent his way.

SAD TIME — I got to see the Buennagel family from Hawaii recently, and while it was good to see Sharon, John, Abby and Sara, the reason behind it was not as good; Sharon lost her mother, Dolly Hartley, age 94, on Sept. 20. Dolly was a very sweet lady and never seemed to have a grumbly bone in her body. Our deepest condolences to Dollys' family. If you knew Dolly and would like to honor her memory, you can send a memorial contribution to the +Cowlitz County Humane Society - P. O. Box 172 Longview, WA, 96632.