Skamokawa News

NICE START. Well, this week is starting off with some nice weather, although it was pretty chilly and very foggy out here in West Valley this Sunday morning but once the sun came out, it was super nice. By the time you read this however, we will most likely see some rainy weather as the forecast is showing rain on both Wednesday and Thursday, so we’ll see if that shows up or not. As long as it’s not a monsoon, it will be fine as my yard is still looking more on the dry side and having a little extra wetness will hopefully bring back that nice lush green grass. As always, the trees, creeks, streams, and our wells love the extra rain.

BURN BAN LIFTED. I was a bit surprised that the burn ban was lifted this past weekend as we were supposed to have multiple dry days and highs close to the 80s. I thought they’d wait until this next patch of rain to show up before they lifted it, but according to the site I saw, the ban is over. You do need a permit to burn, and there are restrictions, so please go to the courthouse and pick that up and read it carefully. Call the Sheriffs office non-emergency number (360-795-3242) before you start to burn so they can put you on the list they maintain to keep from responding to every “we see smoke” call. Your fire needs to be out by dark so plan to start your fire early. There are also small fires and larger pile burn permits and the larger ones naturally have more “rules”. Here’s to getting those trash piles eliminated in a safe and controlled manner.

SPECIAL DAYS. This month is coming to an end and so our next week is going to include some October birthdays. This month flew by. Those celebrating birthdays this coming week from Sept. 26 thru Oct. 2 are: Ginger Schmitz, Rownen Vegvary, Ava Marie Zurick-Doran, Matthew Keilwitz, Cherish Petrenchak, Sara Jester, Mathew Elfer, Stewart Moonen, Blake Anderson, Marie West, Cheryl Backman, Shannon Lewis, Caitlin Heiner, Pete Ringen, Mary Wingate, Sue Kuller, Becky Larsen Lloyd, Miles Nielson, Kevin Weaver, Robert Blain and Karen Healy. Those celebrating anniversaries this week are: Matt and Marsha Helms, Mr. and Mrs. Chris Doumit, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shannon, Mr. and Mrs. John Hoven, Tyler and Jenna Gorley, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Cleveland and Larry and Linda Palmer Speith. May all of your birthday and anniversary celebrations be happy and memorable. Don’t forget, if you are listed incorrectly on the Lions’ Club calendar, let them know and me too!

FOS AUCTION. Here’s some new information about an important fund-raising event for the Friends of Skamokawa, so be sure to note these dates on your calendar. FOS President, Pam Emery, has informed me that this year their online auction will take place from November 1 - 10. The title of this auction is “River Life Holiday Online Auction” and you can participate in this event by typing in: friendsofskamokawa.org/auction. The funds raised by this auction go toward maintaining and supporting the River Life Interpretive Center-1894 Central Schoolhouse-Redmen Hall. The gift shop and bookstore within these walls will have many items to purchase for your holiday shopping pleasure and will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday until Dec. 15. As always they thank you for your participation by donating items to bid on and then checking things out online and bidding on them when November comes along. With time flying by, it will be here before you know it, so please think about gathering a basket of goodies or other things and donate to this fundraiser ASAP.

LAST MARKET. Well, the time has come for the very last Elochoman Marina Street Market in Cathlamet. This is a great place to buy some holiday gifts and help support your local artisans. The weather looks to be decent and not overly warm but not pouring either so let’s hope that holds up as it’s no fun shopping in the wind and rain. The hours of operation are 3:30 p.m. -6:30 p.m. this Friday.

BOOK SALE. Another quick reminder that there is going to be a book sale at the Cathlamet Library Oct. 11, 2-5:00 p.m. and again on Oct. 12 , 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Time’s flying by and it will be here in no time so if you love books and you love sales this is for you.

SATURDAY SERVICE. Just a reminder that the Celebration of Life for Adam M. Phelps will take place at The Bridge Church on Puget Island, 503 SR 409 at noon this Saturday, Sept. 28. Refreshments will be provided. The family of Adam which includes his father, Mike Curry and mother, Becky Lloyd invite you to attend to remember this young man gone too soon.

CONDOLENCES. I saw in last week’s Eagle that Janice (Edmonson) Cothren recently passed away at the age of 84. We want to offer our sincere condolences to her only daughter, Bettie (Merle) Sorenson and her family and also her only sister, Rosalie (Tom) Webb here in Skamokawa and all their family members at this sad time. Also, John Ackermann passed away recently and we offer our condolences to his family, which includes a daughter, Val and her family, a son Wayne and his family, a sister, Cathy Smith and his brothers Joe and Ron. I remember John due to the fact that he was married to a Welcome Slough gal, Sharon Lloyd, who was the sister of one of my friends and classmate, Greg. I want to send my sincere sympathies to all of the family members of John and all the members of his church and his friends. His Celebration of Life will be held on Oct. 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the St. Stephens Church at 1428 22nd Street in Longview.

FANS HAPPY. Well, if you are a Washington Husky fan, you were pretty happy with their win this past weekend over Northwestern with a score of 24-5, so that brought out the purple Dawgs for sure. Now if you were a Washington State Cougar fan you may have almost had a heart attack while watching the game against San Jose State University, when the game wound up in a double overtime. The craziness that ensued with interceptions, missed conversions, and total chaos in the last 26 seconds was unlike any other game. Thankfully the Cougs pulled it out with a field goal and won, 54-52.

NEED HELP? Are you experiencing a shortage of food at your house? Maybe you lost some days of work due to an illness or got cut back in hours and the paycheck just doesn’t quite stretch far enough. Well, in case you didn’t know it there are a few options for you that will help you out so please use these resources if you are truly in need. The Wahkiakum Food Pantry is located at 42 Elochoman Valley Road and is open Tuesdays from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. You can call 360-795-3497 to verify this information. The St. Catherine/St. Vincent de Paul group might help you out and that’s located at 400 Columbia St. in Cathlamet (white Catholic Church.) It is open on the first and third Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. - noon with the commodities available on the 3rd Wednesdays. To double check on this information call 360-957-5676. Go to the West End Food Pantry located at 30 Rosburg School Rd, up the hill across from the former Rosburg Store. They are open on Thursdays, 1 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and you can call 360-465-2344 for more information. Now, right here in Skamokawa, the Community Breakfast takes place on Thursday mornings from 10:00 a.m. - noon at the Skamokawa Grange Hall and there is a small food pantry there. Stop by and check that out at 18 Fairgrounds Rd. If you need something be sure and to ask. Folks are quite generous around here and if you are truly in need folks will come together and help you. Please use our local services and you could also contact Wahkiakum Health and Human Services and see what they can do for you as they provide various services. You never know until you ask as to whether they could get you the help you need or steer you in the right direction. For more information call 360-795-8630.

FALL IS HERE. As you know by now fall has officially arrived as of this past Sunday, so I guess you know what that means. It’s going to be a blur of activities coming up with Halloween, Thanksgiving and of course, the holiday shopping that starts well before Christmas. It’s time to get those running shoes on so you’ll be able to keep up. There will be holiday bazaars and flea markets and sales galore. Here, there, and everywhere, so I hope you’ll shop local and give Christmas to our local folks who do so much for us throughout the year. Here’s to fall! May it slow down just a bit so I don’t have to deal with winter in the blink of an eye. Don’t forget the best gifts you can give on a daily basis, a smile and kindness - they’re free!