SUMMER?--The first true day of Summer wasn't too bad, nor was the next, but then came the weekend and a front moved in with lots of wind beginning on Thursday afternoon, with some rain nailing us on Saturday morning. By evening, the sky had cleared and it wasn't too bad, so while it wasn't perfect, it was certainly better than we expected.  Several days have begun wet and then turned out decent, which has caused a muggy effect, but that beats some of the other weather issues that parts of our country are dealing with that are far worse, like wild fires and massive flooding.
THIS IS IT...FOLLIES TIME!--The stage has been set, the singers and actors are raring to go and the sounds of music and laughter will be heard coming from the Skamokawa Grange Hall this weekend as the Fifth Annual Smoky Water Follies takes place.  This is a family variety show with a mixture of music and comedy and the skits and melodrama deal with different themes from year to year, so it's always great fun to see what the directors have come up with.  We always enjoy newcomers and we certainly love having the younger ones join us, so it's great to see a couple of the Patterson boys this year, the two Saari girls, Opal Whitaker, Nanea Carroll and Tanner Collupy amongst us oldsters!  Adele Swift and Sunrise Fletcher have been working to put together a great show for you, so we hope you'll come down and enjoy the music and have some fun, which will in turn support the Skamokawa Grange Hall as we continue to make improvements on this historic building.  Friday and Saturday shows will start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday's matinee will begin at 2 p.m., with the doors opening a half hour prior to the show. Tickets will be available at the Bank of the Pacific, Sharon's Pizza and More, Moore's NAPA store and the Video Store, as well as the Skamokawa General Store and Bank of the Pacific in Naselle, but only today, as they'll get pulled on Friday morning, so we can sell them this weekend at the door.  Don't forget our Family-Friendly Friday ticket for just $20!  Refreshments are being served by the 4-H kids, which will be a fund raiser for them as well, as they are sending 13 kids on a trip across the state, so we hope you'll support them.  See you there!
SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from June 28 to July 4 are Don Speranza, Cliff Garrison, Austin Luthi, Mary Nettles, Tim Doumit, George Exum, Clara Olson, Justin Norris, Sandie York, Shyley R. Johnston, Tim Pedersen, Nathan Chamberlain and 67'er Dale Jacobson.
Happy Anniversary to  Pete and Katie Sechler, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Brons, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Montgomery, Mr. and Mrs. Hap Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Florek, Jr., Mr.and Mrs. Dean Seaberg, Mr. and Mrs. Alan West and Mr. and Mrs. Al McClain.  Have terrific celebrations everybody!
VERY SPECIAL--Fellow 67er Elaine (Munson) and Phil Rolf recently celebrated their 25th anniversary by enjoying a wonderful morning at Green Gables on Prince Edward Island, then had a tasty lobster luncheon at Fisherman's Wharf and drove south to catch the ferry to Nova Scotia, where they spent the evening at Peggy's Cove in Halifax and had pictures taken at one of the famous lighthouses there.  That was quite a wonderful anniversary!  The only down side about it was that Phil had suffered a broken hand prior to them leaving so he wasn't quite as chipper as one would be without it, but they had a marvelous time in spite of it. Here's to many more happy anniversary travels for the couple!
GOT TOGETHER--A couple of other 67'ers, Noni Gilbertsen Meredith and Sherrolin Mace Powell, got together recently at Joe's Crab Shack in Vancouver and celebrated Noni's birthday, which was June 14, and they also celebrated their 57th year of friendship; how great is that?  The two had a great time as usual, and truly relish the fact that they have such special people in their lives.
REUNION NEWS--Susan McClain Kuhn has told me that we are getting more and more responses to the Mule Train All-School Reunion that is coming up on August 4.  Currently we have people coming from Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho and even Australia, besides our own local area.  You don't have to have graduated from here to attend; everyone who has ever attended school in the area is welcome  The reunion is from noon to 5 p.m. but don't forget that there will be an evening gathering put on by Wayne Gross at the Norse Hall beginning at 8 p.m. with music for a $5 donation.
If you haven't done so already, please send your RSVP with your name, maiden name if applicable, address, your class year (regardless of whether you graduated with them or not), and include $20 in the form of a cashier's check or money order made out to Mule Train Reunion, for each person attending if you want a dinner ticket and mail to Susan Kuhn P.O. Box 440, Cathlamet, WA  98612.  This is to help us get a head count for the FFA who are buying and fixing the food.  You can get all the official forms on Facebook via the Mule Train page, Classmates.com or Alumni.com or contact Susan via email at sjmcq1@yahoo.com.
To order a T-shirt or other clothing item that is being offered from our T-shirt makers, MVP Apparel that order needs to be in soon; the cut off date is July 16.  You can also contact them at 360-580-0204 or 360-749-0293.  For cool Mule mugs, check out Tsuga Gallery where Ruth Doumit has some on display!
PROUD--Lori and Steve Finkas are quite proud of their son, Ty Finkas who finished up his college year with a 4.0 average.  Congratulations to Ty for a job well done.
COMING UP-- A new exhibit will be coming to Redmen Hall July 7 through August 12.  A reception will be held July 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. for the artists.  More about this event next week or contact the hall at 795-3007 from Thursday to Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
SYMPATHIES--We send our deepest sympathies to Lee Tischer and the rest of his siblings on the loss of their mother, Artyce Quigley last Sunday; she was 89. I had many good visits with Artyce while she was at the Hotel Cathlamet Assisted Living when my own mother was there.  You may have seen some of her historical chronicles that she had written if you visited our county museum. Her services were held yesterday.  
Also, our sympathies go out to the family of Dan "Arnie" Smalley of Rosburg, who passed away on June 20 at the age of 78, and whose services were held last Sunday.
HELPERS NEEDED--For many years the Wahkiakum Fair has counted on volunteers to man the gates and do other work around the grounds.  As time has passed, the list of volunteers to take tickets has dwindled. So fair manager Becky Ledtke needs your help in filling in the gaps in the three day schedule for the fair August 16-18.  If you can fill in here and there, it sure would be appreciated.  Give the fairgrounds a call at 795-3480 and leave a message and she'll get back to you.  
IT'S IN THE ARENA--The gillnetter that used to be housed at the park garage is now sitting in its new home in the fairgrounds, under cover in the new arena area.  
Do you have any personal history with this double-ender, or knowledge of it, or a story to tell about it?  Please share it with me or the fair manager; the more we know about it, the more interesting it becomes!  A big thank you to the local volunteers who made this move possible!
GRAND OPENING-- Sugar Lilies and Cathlamet Consignment are having a grand opening this Friday, so we hope you'll show up at their nice new shop on Main Street in Cathlamet and enjoy the sweet treats and other great deals they have there. With fresh paint and bright colors, the store has been transformed into an inviting place to sit and enjoy your pulled pork sandwiches and other tasty lunch specials, as well as those goodies.  Congratulations to them on their new venture as they join the rest of the new places on that side of the street.
LOCATION--Do you want to know what's going on with our 4-H kids in the area? Contact Carrie Backman at 795-3278 and she'll fill you in, or go down to her office at 25 River Street, Suite E in Cathlamet and you can talk to her first-hand. All kids are welcome.  Deb Gribskov here in Skamokawa works with a group of kids as well and is on the fair board, so I'm sure she'd enjoy talking to you about the program.  Lisa Frink has a great group of kids who have been making movies and doing all sorts of interesting things. While funding dwindles for these wonderful programs, it's up to us to keep them going.  If you want to leave a legacy behind, why not help a child who needs help with some of the costs involved in this program.  Check out 4-H; Carrie will gladly help you!
GRADUATED--Congratulations to my grandson, Blake Sechler, who graduated from Ballard High School last week. I made a quick trip to see his big day and we were able to have a nice dinner with him and his other grandparents, Fred and Sally Nollan, so that was very enjoyable.  Blake and his brother Kyle will be attending Washington State University this Fall.