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

Welcome sunshine! At least intermittently, for the past few days. Looks like more wet stuff on the way, but at least we know there is a sun. I found my first trillium on the hill above the house. Kinda late but beautiful. They always remind me of my mom.

News from Naselle:

The Naselle-Grays River Valley sports schedule for the coming week: Thursday-track at South Bend, fast pitch and baseball with Ocosta in Naselle at 3:30 p.m .; Monday-fast pitch and baseball at North Beach at 3:30 p.m .; Wednesday-middle school track at North Beach. Go Comets!

The Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board meeting will be held on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. These are public meetings and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Naselle School’s Annual Art Show will be held tomorrow (Friday). Everyone is welcome to view the artwork which will be on display in the school’s commons area for the next two weeks. Check out the beautiful art work and see the winners. There are lots of talented students in our school, and they deserve this recognition.

April 30 marks the date for the 35th annual Spring Salad Luncheon held by the Priscilla Circle of the Naselle Lutheran Church. Farm Fresh, this year's theme, will be used throughout the event, which will feature a garden area with starts to add to your spring planting. The Lutheran bakers will provide an assortment of tempting products and quilts constructed by members will be on sale. A donation of $6 will satisfy your appetite as you indulge in a variety of salads at the luncheon.

With the exception of the garden area which will open promptly at 10 a.m., the hours will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Naselle Lutheran Church is located at 308 Knappton Road.

Proceeds generated from this event will be used to continue Mission work.

The quilting group from this church does a very nice thing for folks who have need for new bedding. After our house fire, they made a beautiful quilt for us and for my sister as well. To add a note to this story, our grandchildren in California bought us a set of flannel sheets and ironically the sheets matched exactly the pattern on the quilt backing. Go figure. Anyway, again I would like to thank these ladies for their warm gesture and thoughtfulness.

Judy Anderson, formerly of Salmon Creek, has offered to put together a quilt to raffle at the Finnish American Folk Festival in July, 2012. She will make it from previous FAFF T-shirts and wants to get started right away. If you have any of the T-shirts to contribute, please contact Anita Raistakka at 360 484-3376 or e-mail anita@finnam.naselle.net. You can also deliver or send them to Anita at 92 Bighill Rd, Naselle, WA 98638.

Have you noticed a little extra activity at the Deep River Campground lately? That’s because they are now open for the season. If you have a few minutes to stop in and take a look around the little building that serves as the office/store/antique display area and tanning salon, you won’t be disappointed. Pam Anderson has done an awesome job decorating and building little nooks and crannies for your shopping pleasure. She is even carrying a new line of all natural bath and body products, oils and scented soaps. When you step inside, it’s almost like going back in time, comfortably.

The campground is located at 9 Wainamo Road (just before Salme Hill) between MP 10 and 11) in Naselle. They are open April 1st through October 31, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information call 360 465-2638.

Other news from the Westend:

Though I wasn’t able to attend the spring chicken dinner held at Rosburg Hall on Sunday, I have heard that the chicken was excellent as was the salad bar, which is usually the main attraction at these events. Also kudos to the dessert makers. There was a good crowd even though the weather wasn’t very nice. Thank you to all the ladies who took so much time with the preparation, cooking and serving this wonderful community oriented meal.

As an aside, our pie maker extraordinaire Louise Beck has been a little under the weather. Let’s keep her in our prayers with the hope that she regains her strength and health very soon. She did attend the chicken dinner, but did not bake the pies.

Pre-registration deadlines are approaching for the 27th Annual Great White Tail Run sponsored by Wahkiakum County based 4-H programs, to be held on May 21st. You can pick up a registration form at most businesses, restaurants and stores in the county or you can call 360 465-2275 or 360 795-3278.

You can bring your canine friend to compete with you in a special class by adding $1 to your registration fee; however some additional regulations will be enforced. There are also family or youth group discounts, and they are explained in the flyers. To guarantee a shirt, your entry form with payment must be received by May 4.

You still have time to get in shape for this annual run featuring a 10K, 5K and two mile run through the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge in Skamokawa. Registration is also available at Skamokawa Vista Park on the day of the event. Fees are as follows: pre-registration: $10 without shirt and $20 with shirt; race day: $12 without shirt and $25 with shirt.

The Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch that meets at Rosburg Hall will hold their annual Easter Social on the 20th. This is always a wonderful gathering of friends and neighbors, good food, and generally a fun time. Bring a salad or dessert to share and enjoy a great feast.

The Rosburg Senior Community Lunches are also served at Rosburg Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are sponsored by CAP. Their menus for the coming week include Thursday, the 14th-beef barley soup, cheese and crackers, marinated veggie salad, orange Jell-O and Congo bars; Tuesday, the 19th-turkey pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots and mushrooms, melon and berries and brownies; Thursday, the 21st-chicken pot pie, broccoli spears, mashed squash, orange wedges and bread pudding.

Happy Birthday to the following celebrants this coming week: Pam Calvert, Pat Potter, Vicki Olmstead, Jessica Heriot, Baird Lehman, Shane Gilbert, Lori Scott, Walt Wirkkala, Earnest Wirkkala, Kathy Jackson, Bill Bocker, Jennifer Mussick, Gary Hamp, Sis Smith, Kyle Isaak, Adriana Bjornsgard, Sean Roberts, Philip Penttila, Jon Chapman, Tatum Littau, Carson Cooper, Nathan Carlson, Bob Fauver and Blair Gray. Wishing all of you a wonderful day.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Don and Marlene Wiitala, Lance and Blair Gray, and Josh and Kelly Weston.

A special Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Virginia Wendelin this week. I wish you only good times in the days to come, the wonder and the love of family and friends, especially your two beautiful great grand children. It would be nice to have some sunshine as well, but if not, you make the sun shine with your positive attitude and caring heart when it comes to others. Happy Birthday, Virginia! Wishing you many more.

Progress on the house is a little slower now that some of the details are being done. Lighting fixtures are all in and a new ceiling fan in the family room, as well as wiring up the phone and networking lines, which is not a simple task. We are putting in doors and some of the cabinets, but still need to order the flooring. Actually we ran into a little snag when the transmission went out on our hauling vehicle, and have had some complications getting the parts to put it back in running order. It’s coming along though.