Catch the flea market this weekend

IT WAS NICE, THEN IT WASN'T — It's that time of year when we get a few nice days and then we get a few wet days, so trying to get a lot of things done during the drier days is a challenge. I hope you’re prepared for winter mode as it can appear at any time and you don't want to be wish you'd been more prepared for outages, slides, road closures, flooding and all that other fun stuff we often get around here.

SPECIAL DAYS — Folks celebrating birthdays this week are: Kalisha Mace, Cameron Collins, Heidi Heywood, Dixie Anderson, Randy Kuhn, Aron Havens, Davey Hoven, Heather Knowles Ratcliff, Heidi Knowles, Sami Olsen, Samantha Johnson, Curt Moore, (little) Hadley Caliman, Chris Johnson, Josie Parker, Lindsey Brown, Justin Robert, Alexzandria Watkins, Kimberlee Watkins, Myles Whittaker, Lisa Sauer, Katie Webb, Kevin Gilligan, Hunter Baldwin and Jennifer Kyle. Celebrating their anniversaries this coming week are: Mr. and Mrs. Brent Mahitka, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Reid, Brandon and Sami Olsen, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Wilkins, Jeff and Shelly Hedges, Joe and Sheryl Weaver and Keith and Karen Lawrence. I wish all of you wonderful days this coming week.

Highway is open — The direct route from Naselle to Astoria is open again. There is still a slight delay as they work on guardrails but we hope that's done by the time you read this. A slowdown is better than a closure, however, so we are happy to hear it is open. We hope this repair job will hold up and we'll get through the winter with no issues.

THIS WEEKEND — Don't forget that this Saturday, Oct. 14, is the flea market at the Skamokawa fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can always find a good deal there. Saturday evening, head to Puget Island to play bingo at the Norse Hall. Doors open prior to the games, which begin at 6 p.m. We hope you win a nice cash prize with a lucky bingo card.

LIBRARY BOOK SALE — Cathlamet Library will host a two-day book sale Friday, Oct. 20, 2-5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 21, 12-5 p.m. Mark this on your calendars and get a great deal on some wonderful books.

F.O.S. ONLINE AUCTION — The yearly fundraiser for the Friends of Skamokawa is happening now; it ends Oct. 21. Check out all the auction items—from pictures to gift baskets, vacation packages, and everything in between. Go to: 32auctions.com/2023fos1894

HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL — The St. James Family Center will have a carnival with games and prizes, a photo booth and a cake walk Oct. 21, 4-6 p.m. Bring the kids and have some early Halloween fun.

PET FOOD DRIVE — WAAG's Annual Pet Food Drive will take place Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Puget Island firehouse. They seem to have a real need for cat food, and also kitty litter. We hope you can support this great group that has helped so many pet owners in the area. It's even possible for them to pick up your donation if you're unable to bring it to the station yourself. Call (360) 504-6336. Naturally, if you'd like to make a cash donation, that is truly appreciated.

NEEWOLLAH FESTIVAL — Bring the kids to Cathlamet’s Main Street on Oct. 28, where a host of businesses will participate in a Halloween event. The Spar will have places to play Corn Hole and to go bobbing for apples, along with some hot cider and hot dogs.

FIRE DEPARTMENTS & SANTA — The Skamokawa Volunteer Fire Department will be working hard to bring Santa to all parts of our county during the holidays. In order to make this possible, they will host a Santa Run meeting on Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. at the Cathlamet Fire Hall. Everyone is invited to attend this meeting, whether you have ideas to share, or would like to help out in any way.

TRAVELERS RETURN — Don and Kitty Speranza recently returned from a fabulous trip abroad to France and Italy. Don was saying that sometimes he needs a vacation from his vacation but that was not the case this time. Everything went smoothly. The weather was great, they had excellent company, and all the food was delicious. After viewing their pictures on Facebook, I can't help but wonder why they don't weigh five hundred pounds—the food looked so good that I could almost smell it through the computer.

MORE TRAVELERS — Blake and Michaela Sechler traveled to Croatia recently and had a wonderful time in Dubrovnik, which looked absolutely gorgeous in their pictures. They had gorgeous weather to enjoy the beautiful waterfronts, interesting architecture, and yummy foods.

SHAKING — As I am writing this it seems the Puget Sound/Seattle area experienced an earthquake. I heard it was a magnitude 4.3 but that was from the first reports that I saw. Word from the Pete Sechler family in the Seattle area was that while they were outside cooking over the fire pit, they did a pretty good shake and wobble routine in their outdoor chairs, quite the surprise. Here's to calmness for the rest of the evening and for the year as well.