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

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope every reader hooked up with a leprechaun and found his pot of gold! Oh well. It was a nice thought anyway. I didn’t find one either.

News from Naselle:

Sports on this week’s calendar include: Today (Thursday)-home track meet in Naselle at 3 p.m., baseball and fast pitch at North Beach at 3:30 p.m .; Saturday-baseball at Ilwaco at 3 p.m. and fast pitch at Seaside at 3 p.m. Go Comets!

Wednesday is an in-service day with early dismissal at 12:30 p.m.

The two performances of “King Arthur’s Quest” last weekend were both a huge success and enjoyed by the community. The programs were directed in part by the Missoula Children’s Theatre, which was co-founded in 1970 by Jim Caron and Don Collins, and they currently serve as CEO and Senior Development Officer respectively. The group train “tour teams” to go into communities with six original musicals, and at this time 32 teams of MCT Tour Actor/Directors-including the one here in Naselle.

This season, more than 60,000 young people will participate as performers in the Missoula Children’s Theatre International Tour Project in nearly 1100 communities in all 50 states, two Canadian territories and four provinces while visiting 16 countries.

If you would like to support the Missoula Children’s Theatre program, you can contact Don Collins at his office: 406 728-1911.

Special thanks were given to the Comet Booster Club, Naselle-Grays River Valley School District, Wahkiakum Community Network and Mike and Barbara Swanson for hosting the directors at their home. All of the performers did an outstanding job, with little time for rehearsals. Thank you to everyone involved for such a special event.

The February students of the month displaying the character trait of compassion at Naselle elementary school are: Amera Larson, Kaylin Shrives and Isaac Marble (kindergarten); Aston McMullin (1st); Abigail Knopski and Joey Singleterry (2nd); Chase Haataia and Abbie Moten (3rd); McKenzie Glenn and Broghan Zimmerman (4th); Austin Shrives, Angel Evans and Erik Lund (5th). Congratulations to these hard working students.

The junior class at Naselle High School is selling World’s Finest Chocolate Easter Candy as a fund raiser. You still have time to contact a junior class member before their orders go in on March 27. If you need more information, I’m sure you can call the school.

Other news from the Westend:

Like to play pool? Come join a few other brave souls challenging each other on Saturday at Johnson Park beginning at noon. This get together is a prelude to next month’s community challenge to our Sheriff’s Department with a date yet to be set. The pool table was donated to the park by Teresa Search as well as all the accessories to go with it. Bring your own cue if you prefer and check it out this weekend. It’s free!

The Sheriff’s Department now has a satellite office at Johnson Park with a welcome/open house event coming in conjunction with the pool tournament next month. Along with the new office space, there is heightened security in the old school building and on the grounds. Cameras are being reactivated as well as recorders, due to the fact that there have been several attempts to get in to the building. If you have any knowledge of these attempts, please contact the Sheriff’s Department. Remember, this building and the grounds belong to us and we need to help out where we can, even to the point of keeping up with security.

If you have entered Johnson Park by the front entrance, you will note that there is new carpeting on the floor of the foyer. There is also a rug on the outside of the door, so if you would be so kind and at least wipe some of the debris off your shoes, before stepping onto the new carpeting, it would be appreciated.

Speaking of carpet, the park could use a heavy duty vacuum cleaner in good running order. If you have one and would like to donate it, please call Penny Gregory at 465-2775.

The Grays River Valley Library at Johnson Park is open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thank you to a new volunteer, Beverly Wallace for filling in on Saturday. You are really appreciated, as are all the other volunteers. Our library is free to anyone wishing to use it. We have more than 10,000 books for all ages as well as audio books, movies and music CDs. If you haven’t been in to check it out, I know you will be pleasantly surprised.

Within the next few weeks we hope to have the library and computer center combined into the same area. It will make it much better for scheduling volunteers and increase hours for both venues, for the convenience of the users.

Johnson Park is a great place to visit and have fun; however, it seems that some have decided to have a little more fun than they should have. The baseball field is used by quite a few kids to play ball on, and the park advisory board tries to make sure the field is game ready when players want to use it. Someone has driven their vehicle out onto the field and done a few brodies in the muddy grass, leaving deep ruts in the field. Though this kind of activity is fun, there is a time and a place for it. Johnson Park’s ball field is not the right place. Please, think about others as well as yourself when you engage in destructive activities such as this.

The parking lot is quite expansive and not muddy, so when you park your vehicles, make sure you are on the asphalt and not on the grass. It is much appreciated.

Also remember the ball players when you bring your puppy dogs up to the park to play. If your dog does its business on the ball field or in another area where people will be, please bring a plastic baggie and dispose of it, so someone doesn’t have a mess on their shoe (voice of experience, here). The park is the perfect place to take your pet to exercise, and there are lots of places off the lawns and ball field for doing their business. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

One last thing regarding Johnson Park, this week at least, if you engage in activities at the park, you will note that there are donation boxes and cans in all the areas being used. The park is run on donations and rentals and is not funded by taxes. We are self sufficient so far, but would certainly appreciate it if you donated $1 toward the heating costs (which have been exceptionally high this winter), each time you participate in activities at the park. It really helps. Thank you from the advisory board.

The Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch that meets at Rosburg Hall will enjoy meat loaf, mashed spuds with gravy, veggies, hot rolls and dessert on the 23rd. Sounds like a good old “comfort food” meal to me, especially in all this rainy weather we seem to be having.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays the Rosburg Senior Community Lunches are served and sponsored by CAP at the same location. Menus for the coming week include: Thursday, the 17th-baked ham, colcannon with kale, dinner blend veggies, apricot halves and caramel apple cake; Tuesday, the 22nd-spaghetti with meat sauce, Caesar salad, garlic bread and berry cobbler; Thursday, the 24th-beef chili, corn bread, Caribbean vegetable blend, spinach salad and brownies. Nutritious meals, three days a week at Rosburg Hall, a little socializing with your neighbors. Hard to beat a deal like that.

Birthdays being celebrated this coming week include Mijia Alves, Jordan Smith, Bill Grimberg, Stephan Costello, Devon Cash, Caitlin Smith, Chloe Zimmerman, Steve Forbes, Rebecca Mattson, Ryan Rangila, Robert Rangila, Savannah Zimmerman, Kathy Saari, Dorothy McLain, Corey Sherik, Lisa Nelson-Fields, Evan Erickson and Paul Forbes. Wishing each of you a very special and wonderful day.

We have just received some good news. Our son Shane will be home on leave for 10 days at the end of this month. He is currently serving in the US Army and is stationed in Iraq. He will be welcomed home not only by us, but by his wife Delena and his 15 month old son Emmett.

Our house is beginning to really take shape. Sheetrock is done; radiant heating wire installed in the ceilings and plastered over. Last Monday, the final texture and finish was put on the ceilings and walls. The attics are all insulated and a temperature of about 65 is being maintained inside. Now the fun begins. Painting, flooring, doors, cabinets and hopefully it won’t be much longer.

Finally, I want to wish my wonderful husband a very special Happy 44th Anniversary on the 23rd. I also want to let him know that I appreciate all the hard work he has put in to rebuilding our home, and even after all these years (including the past few months living in the motor home) I still consider him my best friend and soul mate.