The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

CLOUDY--The beginning of this week has begun cloudy with a few sprinkles now and then, but considering we had a nice stretch of dry, warm weather, I guess we can't complain too much. If you see the sun, you'd better take advantage of it, as our spring weather forecast for this week sounds liked an off-and-on mixed bag to me!

SPECIAL DAYS-- Those celebrating birthdays this coming week are Betty Koziel, Linda Mahitka, Masen Andersen, Marty Kuller, Mark Phillips, Donna Moody, Julie McKinley, Ellen Andersen, Tayler Stornetta, Courtney Helms, Signe Peterson, Kevin Wirkkala, Tina Vincent, Patrick Lee Thompson, Kris Parke, Doris Takko, Rian Blain, Rachael Reynolds, Brandon Chamberlain, Donna Palmer, Lainie Ferguson and her mom Brenda.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Deal, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Cochran and Ron and Bobbie Leingang. Here's wishing all of you wonderful memories as you celebrate your special days!

BERRIES FOR SALE--For the seventh year now, the Lions Club is offering fresh, cleaned, sliced strawberries for sale. They come in buckets of 14 pounds for $26 or 28 pounds for $46. Order forms were in the Eagle last week or you can call 795-3337 or 849-4003 to place your order before June 1. You have a choice of where to pick them up, as they will be delivered at the Wahkiakum High School parking lot or the Skamokawa Grange parking lot on June 8 between 10 a.m. and noon. The money raised during this event will go to sight conservation, eye exams and scholarships.

RUN, RUN, RUN-- This Saturday is the Great White-tail Run at the deer refuge. I hope the participants don't wind up getting wet, as the weather has taken a bit of a change since last week and the forecast is sort of iffy for that day. Rain or shine, the dedicated runners will be out and about and I sure appreciate their support of Wahkiakum’s 4-H program. There are three different lengths of runs and the female and male winners of each race will be recognized.

OPEN MIKE--This Saturday it's Open Mike Night at the Oasis beginning at 8 p.m. Anyone can come and perform, so whether you sing or want to try out your comedy skills, the mike will be open for you. Have a band? They’re welcome too. The last time they held this, it was a great hit. If enough people enjoy taking part, they might make this a monthly happening.

ROCK AND ROLL CONGRESS--When was the last time you saw an all school-age children’s art show? Starting June 1, there will be a new exhibit up at Redmen Hall showing just that- artwork by kids. The show will last for six weeks and will include any and all artwork, including poetry. This event is sponsored by the Rock ‘n’ Roll Congress musical group.You can contact the hall for more information at 795-3007.

CIMINO ARTWORK--In the meantime Redmen Hall is continuing their sale of the art collection owned by the late Janet Cimino. This is a fundraising event for Tsuga Gallery in Cathlamet. The art really has been selling, so head up to the hall soon before it’s all gone.

LOOKING AHEAD--The Friends of Skamokawa are already looking towards September when they will be hosting another Wine Tasting and Auction event at the Skamokawa Grange Hall on September 14. They are looking for folks who would like to donate something to this event for either the silent auction or live auction. There are always a huge variety of items to choose during the great evening of fun with good food, company and great bidding wars. This is a major fundraiser for the FOS for the continuing restoration and maintenance of historic Redmen Hall. If you haven't received a request from them in the mail, just call the hall (795-3007) and let them know you'd like to help sponsor this event. Your help is truly appreciated.

CAR SHOW--Two weeks from this Saturday the hot rods will be filing in the Wahkiakum Fairgrounds and park area for the Eighth Annual Car Show. For those who want to enter a car and get all the perks for entering early, you've only got about six more days to take advantage of that, so get that paperwork turned in ASAP. The kids will have fun at the trout pond, so be prepared with a cooler on hand so that you will have a place to put them when they catch one. You'll be able to enjoy salmon or burgers this year for lunch and you can also go over and have strawberry shortcake and a hotdog from Sharon Buennagel’s booth with all proceeds going to the Dollars for Scholars program.

CAR SHOW BREAKFAST--The congregation at the Skamokawa Methodist Church want to remind you that prior to the car show, they will once again be serving breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. There will be pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage and biscuits and gravy available at $7 for adults and children under seven at $4. Naturally, there will be plenty of coffee and juice on hand.

NEW CD--It's taken a lot of writing, rewriting, singing and resinging, but Greg Parke is about to release another CD. It is entitled "Mermaid's Whisper." Greg is a talented songwriter, singer and musician, so I am anxious to hear his new CD. Congratulations to Greg for completing this newest set of tracks!

TAKES TUMBLE--I am happy to hear that Eileen Free is feeling decent once again after a fall. She has moved to the Divine Health Care center overlooking Lake Sammamish, closer to son Butch, so that will be nice for her. I wish Eileen the very best in her new surroundings and I'm sure the kids will be happier knowing she's close by.

FOLLIES--The Skamokawa Grange #425 will be holding our major fundraiser, the sixth annual "Smoky Water Follies," on June 28-30. I'm looking for a couple of ticket takers- one for the Friday evening show and one for the Saturday evening show. I like to have two people at the door taking tickets, so while I have one person lined up for those days, they still need some company. If you can help, please give me a call at 795-3425. Both the program director and musical director would like to have some more children join us, so please give Sunrise Fletcher a call at 795-8770 and get on the list. Often times we need fill-ins with very few lines, if any, so while you may not want to do a big number by yourself, we could always use you as a background performer.We'll be having individual or small group practices with the piano player during the next couple of weeks.

VENDOR'S MARKET--Responses are coming in for the Vendor's Market at Skamokawa Vista Park on July 27, so if you'd like to sell something or just hand out information that is beneficial to your group or the community, $10 will get you a 10 by 10 spot. Give me a call at 795-3425 if you’re interested. The kids are going to love the little train operated by Ralph Keyser which benefits the Museum in Cathlamet. Grown ups seem to enjoy it too, so ride together on the only train cruising Vista Park at the end of July! The Skamokawa Grange will be giving away a couple of kids' kites that day and will be selling tickets to win a gift basket valued at $300. Linda Elliott will be selling t-shirts and more, Kathleen Morgain will be selling her tasty pies, Pam Elliott will be selling her jewelry and the ladies at the Methodist Church will be holding a rummage sale at the church on the way in, so there will be plenty of things for you to look at while you're enjoying the beautiful and newly improved park.

MOTHER'S DAY DOINGS--How was your Mother's Day? I heard many moms boast about their wonderful children making special, homemade cards for them, which they will treasure forever, like Nicole Kaattari. Others like Theresa Carroll-Kuljis say their husbands made them dinner and the kids made them cards and gave them gifts, and some had large family gatherings over for a BBQ like Serene Snow and Tracy Carroll. Becky Ledtke got a surprise bouquet of flowers from her daughter Valle. Those moms along with many others had a truly wonderful day last Sunday. Way to go, families.

Tim and Mark Pedersen showed up from Vancouver for an early Mother's Day, and made their mom Peggy Pedersen very happy. Not only did they take her out for a nice meal at the Duck Inn and bring her nice gifts, but they spent a wonderful afternoon of gab, which is always an extra special treat to a mom of busy, grown-up kids.

Pete and Katie Sechler of Seattle had a double whammy day on Mother's Day as that was also Pete's birthday but they both had to work like mad all day long. By late that evening, it was time for a nice steak dinner out, which sounds like they richly deserved after the busy day they had.

My hat is off to all the moms that had to work that day. Hope you got some special time worked in later.

NO GRANGE MEETING--The Skamokawa Grange has decided to cancel the next scheduled meeting, May 27, because it falls on the Memorial Day holiday. The next meeting will take place June 10 at 7 p.m. with potluck beginning at 6:30.