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

Well, Mother Nature was pretty nice to us for a few days but topped off the weekend with a nice deluge of 1.3 inches of rain and wind, according to our weather station. Everything smells so nice with all the flowers blooming and trees budding out. The birds are picking up the dog hair off our lawn that we brush from the dogs. They actually fight each other in the air for the soft tufts. Fun to watch.

News from Naselle:

Naselle-Grays River Valley sports calendar for this week include: Thursday-track meet at Northwest Christian at 3:30 p.m., baseball and fast pitch in Naselle with Tahola at 4 p.m .; Friday-fast pitch with Knappa in Naselle at 4p.m .; Monday-baseball with Northwest Christian in Naselle at 4 p.m .; Wednesday-middle school track at Valley at 3:30 p.m. Go Comets!

Are you looking for an evening of family entertainment? Why not head to Naselle and take in the latest production being presented by the Naselle Drama Club? You won’t regret it. These kids and everyone else involved have worked very hard to bring this show to the community, and if others before this one are any indication—this one will be fantastic.

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland will be presented on several evenings spanning two weekends for your pleasure. The play will be performed on April 27 and April 28 at 7 p.m. and on April 29 there will be a matinee at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $8for adults and $5 for students. This is a wonderful way to spend an evening and support the efforts of these students. See you there.

Last week, Naselle School held their annual art show. Students from kindergarten through high school submitted art works. Thanks to Johnson's One Stop for supplying ice cream prizes. The winners of the contest, first, second, and third places, respectively, are: Kindergarten--Nancy Haataja, Dean Helvey, and Isaac Hinkle; First grade--Haley Eastham, Brodie Avalon, and Dakota Blackburn; Second grade--Carson Lanz, Grace Hunt, and Courtney Paul; Third grade--Emma Colombo, Joey Singleterry, and Shelby McEneny; Fourth grade--Belle Cousins, Chase Haataia, and Anna Kulp; Fifth grade--Samantha Gustafson, Cole Dorman, and Parker Dalton; Middle School--Emeri Wilson, Elyssa Hale, and Micah Cenci; High School--Amber Wirkkala, and Shaleesha Rose. The People's Choice Award, voted by students, went to Ethan Lindstrom. Artwork will be displayed at the Naselle Timberland Library in one week. Congratulations to all the winners and to all the participants.

Congratulations to Naselle resident, Annie Strange on her run in the Boston Marathon. Most folks don’t understand how much preparation is needed just to compete in this race. I understand that you have to qualify by doing lots of other races and then make sure you are really in shape to run with the thousands of others who have been doing the same kind of training. Awesome job, Annie.

Don’t forget the annual Salad Luncheon being held next weekend at the Naselle Lutheran Church on April 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy a wonderful array of salads for lunch for only $7. Then spend some time perusing the other items for sale including baked goods, crafts, quilts and all the plants ready to be put into your garden. The funds from this event are used to support the mission work of the church.

On May 12, the Appelo Archives Center will host a reception in honor of Carlton Appelo’s 90th birthday. The reception will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at the Archives Center located at 1056 State Route 4 in Naselle, Washington.

Other news from the Westend:

Get ready for an absolutely delicious chicken dinner this weekend. The Rosburg Community Club will host their annual spring chicken dinner on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10 for adults, $5 for kids six years to 12 years and $2 for kids under six years. Enjoy this home cooked meal featuring baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, hot rolls, a huge salad bar of delicious salads and home made pies and other desserts.

The chicken dinner is one of the main fund raisers of the year for the Rosburg Community Club and they appreciate all the community support to which they have become accustomed. This group meets on the third Thursday of each month at the Rosburg Hall at 7 p.m. If you are interested in joining the group they would welcome you. Over the years, the many duties that are taken on by these folks have fallen to a very few and they would like to have new members to help take over some of those responsibilities.

The Rosburg Hall has been a hub of the community for many years and the Rosburg Community Club is responsible for its upkeep, rental, maintenance and availability to members of our community. It is the home of senior lunches three days a week, many meetings, family gatherings, wedding receptions, showers, bazaars, etc. Needless to say, it would be a shame to not have the option of that historic building, so if you are at all interested in helping to keep it going, please take an hour or two each month and sit in on a meeting to find out how you can help.

Some of the other benefits to our community, besides running and maintaining the hall, that are provided by the Rosburg Community Club include upkeep and maintenance of the Rosburg Cemetery, and they also give scholarships to deserving local students.

You may have noticed that over the past year the building has had a nice facelift and a beautiful new paint job, thanks to local resident, Marlea Blain who donated her time and efforts to the cause. You did a wonderful job, Marlea and your efforts are certainly appreciated.

Johnson Park would like to host a community picnic this summer and has set a meeting date for a planning committee (open to the public) to discuss and decide on a date and the details of the event. That meeting will take place on April 25 at noon in the activity room of the Grays River Valley Center. Bring your ideas and let’s get as many community members involved as we can. Remember that the center and the park belong to everyone and we need to show our pride by getting involved. Hope to see many of you there. If you can’t make it to the meeting, please call 465-2960 or 465-2775 with your ideas or if you wish to volunteer to help.

The Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park will host its first fund raiser of the year on May 19. Come and check out all the activities available to community members and enjoy a light lunch of soup, bread, dessert and beverage. Then browse the bake sale, book sale and plant sale being held on the premises. More information in next week’s column.

On May 6 the Grays River Friendship Circle will hold its 10th anniversary Spring Tea and Luncheon. It will be held at the Rosburg Community Hall in Rosburg.

The theme this year is, "Even Some Cowboys Drink Tea." Homespun entertainment including music and poetry will be provided by Joel and Noreen Fitts of Grays River.

Ladies of the Grays River United Methodist Church sponsor this event as a fund-raiser for the Friendship Circle's special projects. The suggested donation is $8 each at the door.

Doors open at noon and lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. with entertainment to follow. The luncheon will include tea savories, delicacies, and desserts.

Raffle tickets can be purchased for $1 each for the general raffle with many prizes available to choose from. There will be a separate raffle, with a different ticket price, for a beautiful silver necklace with semi-precious stones that has been generously donated by Joan Chester of Cathlamet.

For more information, call 360-465-2740 or 360-484-7749.

The Wahkiakum Fair Foundation is in the process of a Mother’s Day Raffle as a fund raiser for the Wahkiakum County Fair. Tickets can be purchased from Fair Foundation members, Patty Durstler, Daria Lacy, Lore Twiet, Kay Walters and Martha and Cheryl Backman

The Mothers’ Day Raffle prize is dinner at Parkers Steakhouse in Longview and flowers from 'Tis the Season in Cathlamet.

For more information about the Wahkiakum Fair Foundation please plan to attend one of their monthly meetings held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Skamokawa Resort Meeting Room next to the Skamokawa Store.

Deadlines are approaching for pre-registration for the 28th Annual Great White Tail Run to be held on May 19 at the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge in Skamokawa. If you want to guarantee a shirt you must have your entries in by May 2. Mail in entries must be received by May 16. You can also register on the day of the race at Skamokawa Vista Park beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Registration fees are as follows: $10 without a shirt (pre run day), $20 with shirt (pre run day), $12 without shirt (run day), $25 with shirt (run day). A limited number of shirts will be available on the day of the run.

If you are registering as a family unit or a youth group there are special discounts. There will also be a special dog division if you wish to include your canine friends in your race adventure. Special rules apply for that division. Check out rules and regulations in the flyers which are distributed throughout the county, or call 360 465-2275 or 360 795-3278 for more information.

With Memorial Day coming up next month, I want to remind everyone that the American Legion Deep River Post #111 will be holding their annual breakfast on May 26 in Deep River from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. All you can eat pancakes, with ham or sausage, eggs the way you want them, coffee, orange juice and milk. All that for $5 for adults and $3 for kids under 12.

This breakfast will honor veterans and our men and women in uniform. Proceeds from the event will be used to support local veterans and youth groups.

The Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch that meets at Rosburg Hall will feast on the dishes brought in for their monthly pot luck lunch. There is always a variety of delicious favorite recipes to choose from and enjoy. Please join in and visit with a great group of folks while you enjoy lunch.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, lunches are also served at the above location and are sponsored by CAP. Menus for the coming week include: Thursday, the 19th-chicken pot pie, broccoli spears, mashed squash, orange wedges and bread pudding; Tuesday, the 24th-chicken and noodles, cauliflower with cheese, broccoli salad and peach crisp; Thursday, the 26th- roast pork with peach mango chutney, creamed kale and berry cobbler.

Happy Birthday this week to Nathan Carlson, Bob Fauver, Blair Gray, Mickey Bates, Will Walter, Tony Wirkkala, Marin Tienhaara, Emily Ashe, Sandy Boyle, Lorri T. Bryant Dlenn Carlson, April Zimmerman, Keely McGuire, Joseph Strange, Nina Berg, Devin Roberts, Ashlee Gilbert, Shawn Rogers, Haley Footh, Robert Eaton and Taylor Gilbert. Hoping that each of you enjoys your special day.

Happy Anniversary wishes to Steve and Cheryl Raistakka, Aaron and Toni Smith, Fidel and Rebecca Hernandez and Dan and Tari Zimmerman. Wishes you many more celebrations together.

Special Happy Birthday wishes go out to a couple of my favorite fellas this week. Son Shane Cruz of Cathlamet will turn 25 and grandson Trevor Prater of Redmond, Ore., currently in college in Eugene, Ore., will be 20 years old. We are very proud of you two guys, and hope you both have a wonderful day.