Easter eggs, Redmen opens, Hook the hawg

NICE WEEKEND Well, I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the sunny days. I have to say as I begin this column, it is foggy and I swear those ships tooting their foghorns are about ready to come into my back yard. The sun should be showing up soon. It's hard to get all the yard work done when we only get a few days of decent days in a row, not to mention those projects that require more than a day or two to accomplish. Then again, we are just into the first week of Spring, so we shouldn't be too surprised that the clouds are springing a leak once again.

SPECIAL DAYS. Those celebrating birthdays this coming week from March 21 thru 27 are: Makenzie Anderson, Vance Miller Jr., Sharyl Iblings, Emily Tanksley,Maurice Brown, Jeri Webb Foster, David Whitney, Daniel Rust, Shelby Deaton, Libby Davis, Jordyn Wirkkala, Lana Poe, Tonya Olson, JoAnn Prestegard, John Elfers Sr., Mathew Kyle, Sandy Firkus Quigley, Larry Firkus and Melvin Brown. Those celebrating anniversaries this week are: Ken and Michele Nickolaus, Mr. and Mrs. Brett Deaton, Mr. and Mrs. John Hannah, Mr. and Mrs. Aron Havens and Joel and Pam Moore. May all of you have wonderful celebrations on your special days this coming week.

NEW ADDITIONS. Kerry and Susan Brown are proud first time great grandparents and were happily sharing pictures of the new addition recently. Their grand-daughter and husband, Abby and Dillon Pierce, welcomed baby boy, Elias, into their family on March 1. He weighed eight pounds and twelve ounces. Congratulations to all. My nephew, Mark (Rhonda) Pedersen posted a picture of grandbaby number seven the other day, so we want to welcome Forrest Campbell into this world. He arrived on March 11 weighing in at eight pounds, six ounces and was twenty-one and a quarter inch long. He's a cutie. Congratulations to the parents and to all of the extended members of his family.  

COMMUNITY BREAKFAST AND MORE. The weekly Community Breakfast will be taking place at the Skamokawa Grange Hall on Thursday from 10 to Noon and so if you get this paper early on Thursday you still have time to make it. If you get your mail late in the day, please mark these days down on your calendar and come on down and share a bit of food, coffee and gab with the crew there. Be sure to mark the following Thursday down, as on March 28, the group will not only hold the breakfast, but after it's over, there will be an Easter Egg Hunt at 12:30. Bring the kids and enjoy an early Easter at the grange hall. If you'd like to help out, contact Season Long under "Community Breakfast" on Facebook.

EASTER DOINGS IN SKAMOKAWA. There will be Easter Bingo at the fairgrounds on Friday, March 29 in the Youth Building. You can contact the Patty at the fair: 360-795-3480 and leave a message. The fun begins at 6 p.m. but you can come earlier and enjoy a snack and check out the prizes. The following day, there is going to be an Easter Carnival and Easter Egg Hunt put on by the Wahkiakum Fair Foundation (WFF) beginning at 10 a.m. You can enjoy a double Easter Egg Hunt, as the Wahkiakum Lions Club is going to be putting on an Easter Egg Hunt at 11 a.m. at the fairgrounds. For more information on this Easter Egg hunt, contact: Terri Elfers at: elfers-1970@hotmail.com.

FISH NEXT WEEK. Not only will there be Easter fun next week, but those who love to fish can take part in the annual "Hook the Hawg" event that will be take place at the Elochoman Sough Marina in Cathlamet. This is a three day event beginning March 29 and last thru the 30th. This is a Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce event so if you have any questions, please contact them: 360-795-9996. There will be an after party at the Rivermile 38 Brewing Company in the marina on Saturday, March 30 at 6:30 pm.

PIGYS. If you are new to the area you may not have heard of this event. It’s the annual "Puget Island Garage and Yard Sale" and it's a big deal there every June. According to Darlene Jensen, the dates for this year’s sale are June 21 thru 23. Sign up to have a sale and for a small amount of money, you will be included on a map that gets handed out to attendees. She has a Facebook page so you can contact her to get added to the list and get all the information you need. For future reference, this is an annual event that takes place on the third week of June that includes a Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

SONS OF NORWAY. One of the places to check out during the PIGYS event is the Norse Hall located at 444 SR 409, which is the big white building located just south of the Bernie Slough Bridge and just north of the Puget Island Fire Hall. They WILL BE having their famous pulled pork sandwiches on the first two days of this event, so take a break from shopping and stop in there for lunch on June 21 and 22! Contact Jan at 360-431-1705 if you have questions.

WEDNESDAY GATHERINGS. The Cathlamet Senior Friendship Group wants to remind you of their Wednesday get togethers. It's not just for Cathlamet folks, it's Puget Islanders, Skamokawa folks or those living a bit east or west of either. This group meets at the big white church along SR 409 on Puget Island, Our Savior Lutheran Church, from 12 to 3 p.m. You're more than welcome to bring a snack with you to join them in their lunch time, or just pop in and say hi. They do have a Facebook page so if you'd like to see all the things they are doing, check that out. Nancy Nelson is also adding a fun Question of the Day to the page and has listed all the interest groups within the main group. There are over forty various interests, from Bunco to Crafts, from Scrabble to Woodcarving and everything in between.

HISTORIC HALL. The winter closure of the River Life Interpretive Center at Redmen Hall is finally over. It is now open from Noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in Skamokawa. This structure was built as a schoolhouse in 1894 and was called the Central School. The school used to be located near Vista Park, but once the highway was built, the industrious folks of the area pulled it up the hill where it stands today. Lots of changes occurred throughout the years and in the eighties it was in a sad state of affairs and really needed some TLC.In 1987, a group was formed called, "The Friends of Skamokawa" and with a lot of blood, sweat and tears, they bought the building and restored it to back to a wonderful, stately place on the corner of SR 4 and East Valley Road. The Book and Gift Shop offer a wide array of things to buy, most of which is local and it offers a wonderful view of the area from its second floor and even better from the bell tower for those who don't mind stairs. The group works hard to maintain this building and we hope you'll stop by and support it by either buying something or donating a few bucks while you're there. If you'd like to donate to this very hard working group that preserves this historic building for us, you can either become a member where your membership dollars will be used wisely or you can just send a check or money order to: Friends of Skamokawa, P.O. Box 67, Skamokawa, WA 98647.

FABULOUS PARK. There's no better spot to be in the area than our Skamokawa Vista Park just off of SR 4. Whether you love a good sunrise or a spectacular sunset, it's the perfect spot to sit on the beach and enjoy the wonders of the mighty Columbia River. It has an easily accessible park. Besides a great place to stop by, it's a great place to camp as there are several options now available. There are hiking trails to enjoy, a couple of playgrounds for the kids and basketball and tennis courts, along with a great place to hold family gatherings and nice bathrooms in two separate areas. If you don't want to travel too far, just come on down here and soak up all this beauty. Enjoy!