Skamokawa News

LOOKING SOGGY. If the upcoming forecast comes true it’s going to be a wet week, except for maybe Friday and Monday. I’m hoping for “dry times” during those other days, so we don’t have to buy a boat just yet. In the meantime, it would be advisable to slow down on these wet roads, as it’s better to get there in one piece than not at all. Back in 1994, this wasn’t a great week, with lots of wind and heavy hail there were frozen roads and a lot of wrecks by the end of it. On Nov. 18, the temperature dropped down to 23 degrees and I’d rather we didn’t see a repeat of that... t’was miserable!

SPECIAL DAYS. Those celebrating birthdays this coming week from Nov. 14 through 20 are Marina Snow, Rory Heywood, Samantha Havens, Tanner Collupy, Misty Holland, Jody Kephart, Layton Elliott, Katie Webb, Virgil Cothren, Andrew Prestegard, Linda Ashe, Jim Price, Susan Prestegard, Jake Leitz, Ashley Helms, Carol Werthman, Kylian Cochran, LuAnn Davison, Erik Pedersen, RJ Miller and Bennett Bach. Celebrating their anniversary this week are Roy and Cathy LaBerge. Enjoy everybody!

BUSY TIME. This past weekend was so busy that one needed a teleporter and a bunch of extra energy to attend the various events. However, I heard that the Skamokawa Grange Hall guests were plentiful and had a grand time listening and tapping their feet to the music of the Skamokawa Swamp Opera group. The Duck Inn had quite the crowd for their annual Shop with a Cop fundraiser, which helps raise money for the kids in our community who need a little extra help over the holidays. Kudos to Logan Britt and staff for the food and service, thank you to Tracy McCallum for doing an extraordinary job of getting gifts rounded up for donation and thank you to all those who donated something for the auction. If you missed this event but want to help our local Sheriff’s office in their quest for an extraordinary shopping trip for these kids, you can donate at the Bank of the Pacific. Please consider donating.

WALK-N-KNOCK. This Saturday, Nov. 16, the Wahkiakum Lions Club is having its annual Food Drive, and we hope you will gather a bunch of food to donate so that those in need can have a great Thanksgiving. Volunteers will be coming by and picking up your donations beginning at 9 a.m. Maybe later in the day depending on where you live. You can leave a marked bag on your porch if you are not home.

BINGO COMING UP. If you want to have some fun and maybe win yourself a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, go and play “Turkey Bingo” on Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds here in Skamokawa, in the Youth Building. If you haven’t been here before, the building is heated so no worries about being cold. The person lucky enough to win the last game of the night will receive a complete turkey dinner basket. Woohoo! Cards are 3 for $15 and are good for all 20 games. To top it off, there will be a raffle table and a 50/50 raffle; tickets are a buck each. A lot is going on next Saturday evening and it’s always a fun time.

FAIR FOUNDATION. Looking ahead, the Fair Foundation will be at the fairgrounds on Dec. 15. There will be a lasagna dinner and Christmas Bingo. Dinner will begin at 2 p.m. and Bingo will start at 6 p.m., so come on down and let someone else cook and maybe you’ll come home a lucky winner of their Christmas Bingo gifts and raffles. Mark those dates, as it’s getting to be a busy time around here!

BUY LOCAL. I do hope you’ll shop locally as much as possible this holiday season. You can’t go wrong with a gift certificate, and they are readily available in most stores and restaurants around here. They make the perfect gift for your friend or loved one, and it would be deeply appreciated by the businesses in our area. Remember, these are the people who back our kids in sports, and donate to multiple fundraising projects. So let us return their kindness by giving them our business.

CELEBRATION OF LIFE. To all of you who knew Larry Holland, there will be a gathering of his friends and family members on Nov. 30 at the Duck Inn here in Skamokawa at 2 p.m. to celebrate his life. This next Wednesday, Nov. 20, would have been Larry’s birthday and I know this will be a tough time for his family, so we’ll be thinking about them a little extra next week. With Larry leaving so suddenly, it’s a reminder that we can’t take tomorrow for granted, as tomorrow may not come for some of us.

HUSBAND BACK HOME. Former Naselle resident, Cat Bighill Phillips is happy to report that after almost three weeks, her hubby Tom is back home from the hospital. We all know that it’s a lot easier to heal when you are home and with the ones who love and care for you the most. We will continue to keep Tom in our thoughts and hope his health improves as he recovers.

WEEKLY DOINGS. As usual, folks are still meeting up at the Skamokawa Grange Hall on Thursday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon, so feel free to bring a mug and enjoy free breakfast and coffee while chatting with your friends and neighbors. Season Long and her crew always do a great job and as you know, they are also the ones who put together the Shoeboxes of Joy-Wahkiakum event. These boxes are filled with donated items, wrapped and then passed out to those who might not otherwise get a gift at Christmas time. If you would like to help you can donate or you can wrap one yourself and fill it up with goodies. Watch for dates and times and a “wish list” of items they will need. On Wednesdays, the Cathlamet Senior Friendship Group is meeting at the Our Saviors Church on Puget Island (549 SR 409) from noon to p.m. Nancy Nelson is the administrator of their Facebook page and was the one who started up this group to bring seniors together. This is a place to enjoy one another’s company, share a meal and chat about things you have in common. You can even join a group with like-minded interests. The rules are pretty simple: be kind and civil and enjoy yourself. Also, their Facebook page does not allow any politics on it and no bullying of any kind... it’s be civil or be gone! Sounds good to me.