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

BIT OF A CHANGE-- We started this month on a bit cooler note and even had some sprinkles a couple of mornings, so if you were one of those people who still had hay down, I'm sure you were not happy to wake up to a couple of wet mornings. My lawn liked it, though.

Last weekend saw the sun come back and it got downright warm, which made for a good time for all the events going on in our area. They included Skamokawa Fair Princess Aaliyah Montgomery's all-day fundraiser at the fairgrounds, along with the 4-H horse camp that was going on there too, plus the 70th birthday of Nance Collupy at the Skamokawa Grange, the rummage sale at the United Methodist Church and the wedding of Annie Howell and Adam Phelps at Skamokawa Resort. It was a busy day indeed, so I'm glad the sun was shining for all of them!

SPECIAL DAYS-- Those celebrating birthdays this week are Judy Smith, Jenny Benfit, Treasure Collupy, Marsha Helms, Jeremy Bennett, Rick Bryan, Tim Schmitz, Tenneal Harris, Wendy Blix, Troy Blix, Barbara Blix, Penny Pithoud, Bob Hendrickson, Butch Free, Mike Backman, Jeff Tracy, Eileen Free, Kassy Burdick, Jeff Nicol, Paydn Pedersen and Sally Palmer. Belated birthday wishes go to Susan Brown and Judy Lindwall Bergman.

Happy anniversary wishes this week go to Gene and Karen Healy, Mackenzie and Kristen Allen, Mike and Mary McLaughlin, Janna and Steve Doumit, and Kyle and Deb Gribskov. Enjoy your special days, everyone.

ALMOST HERE-- Fair time is just around the corner, so I hope you've got your things just about ready to enter into next week’s Wahkiakum County Fair. If you've got a few hours to spare and would be able to take tickets, give the office a call at 795-3480 to see if there's a spot open for you. A three-day pass costs $6. I’ll be looking for you next Thursday, Friday and Saturday as once again, our county fair with all its treasures will be taking place.

SAD TIME--It seems almost impossible, but it was five years ago already that Skamokawa lost two "greats" on exactly the same day, as Skamokawa Pete (Arthur) Peterson of the Duck Inn and Wanda Rudy of the Oasis passed away on August 11th in 2008. It was with much shock and sadness that this town lost those two, who were so well known in our area and were special characters in our lives, each being unique in their own special way. I think of them fondly on this fifth anniversary of their passing, as they may be gone, but they will never be forgotten!

GAB FEST--Last Wednesday there was a gaggle of gals from the Wahkiakum High School class of 1967 sharing stories and lots of laughs over lunch at the Duck Inn in Skamokawa and it was great fun! Elaine Munson Rolf sent an email and said she would be in town, as well as Kathy Bond Peek, so we just had to meet up and visit for a bit. Also able to show up on short notice were Linda Holland Toste, Marnee Ostervold Davis, Pam Below Lazor, Truchet Madden Miller and Kathy's cousin Vicki, so the noise level grew louder with every addition and every "blast from the past" story! The 67'ers are going to get together during the third Saturday in September at Vista Park, so I hope those who are in the area, and/or reading this elsewhere, will be able to come by and visit for a bit.

SLEUTHS--Speaking of the girls of '67, we have a couple of real detectives in our midst. If you're thinking about hiding from us, forget about it! Elaine Rolf, Kathy Peek and Linda Toste have gotten mighty handy when it comes to finding classmates, and I was pumped when they located one of our stars, as Scheris Knight Shephard has finally been contacted. We have learned that she and her husband of around 40 years have retired and are now building a home in Arizona. Scheris and Larry have had a grand life with their work in the movie business and you might even have seen their name in the credits of the acclaimed movie The Help. She and Larry have traveled to a lot of countries while working in the business, as well as for leisure, and they really enjoyed it. They still have a small company in L.A. so they're not totally retired but considering all that they had been doing, this house building and decorating thing is very laid back and enjoyable to Scheris. I hope to be able to stay in touch with her more now that she is settling down. Maybe we can get her to come and see us during the all school reunion that will be happening in 2016!

REUNION--Speaking of the WHS All School Reunion, event coordinator Susan McClain Kuhn is hoping that once the fair gets over she will be able to get a group of people together to start tossing around ideas about the big event on August 13, 2016. You may be a little confused as to why we would be having the 100-year anniversary in 2016 when the school was built in 1915 and the first graduate came in 1917. The celebration will be held that year because the school district was formed in 1916. Start digging out those old photos and keep watch for the first meeting of this massive undertaking in the coming months.

COMING RIGHT UP--Speaking of reunions, students who attended Skamokawa Grade School will be gathering at the upper level covered area at Vista Park on August 17 at 1 p.m. to hold a potluck. Bring your favorite dish, maybe an extra chair and your gift of gab and be ready to have a fun afternoon. Contact Gary Emery at 360-200-5869 if you have any questions.

SINGER--One of Skamokawa’s local young ladies, Nanea Carroll, will be singing the National Anthem at the opening of the Wahkiakum County Fair this year. Congratulations to Nanea for being chosen for this honor. If you've come to the last few Skamokawa Grange Follies productions, you might’ve seen and heard Nanea perform there. She has a wonderful voice and is a great actress as well.

GET WELL--Get well wishes go out to Rick Bryan, who had surgery last week. I hope he's on the mend and doing just fine by now. This is the second hospital trip that he’s taken in the last month or so, and I know first hand how not fun that all is. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

KAYAKERS--The Columbia River Kayakers have a long list of tours that one can sign up for ranging in price from $64 on up. There's a tour for everyone from beginners to experienced kayakers.

The featured CRK guide this month is one of our Skamokawa residents, Andrew Emlen. He is very experienced and is a Wilderness First Responder as well as being certified in kayak rescue. Andrew began the kayak program here in Skamokawa in 1998. He was a teacher of environmental education programs for many years prior to that and has taught college students various environmental classes as well.

The CRK will feature a Babes in Boats weekend for women only at the end of the month. It's all about kayak safety with instructor Ginni Callahan teaching during the two day class on August 24 and 25. Call to make reservations at 360-747-1044.

END OF THE MONTH--After a bit of a breather from all the fair hoopla, it will be time for the Buzzards Breath Chili Cook-Off at the Elochoman Marina. This annual event is in its 10th year and is always held on Labor Day weekend. It’s a fun day with music, prizes, a beer garden and more, so contact the Chamber at 795-9996 to enter a batch of your very own chili. We need a Skamokawa entry this year!

NEXT MONTH-- The Friends of Skamokawa's annual wine tasting and auction will be here before you know it! A Cornucopia of Wines will be held on September 14 and will feature an evening of fine wines, tasty food, great conversations and spirited bidding. The event will take place at the Skamokawa Grange hall beginning at 6:30 p.m. This evening is for people aged 21 and older. Tickets for couples cost $25 and individual tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Skamokawa Store, the Rosburg Store, the Bank of the Pacific in Cathlamet and Redmen Hall prior to the event. Auction donations are still needed. This is an important fundraiser for the continuing maintenance and improvement of historic Redmen Hall, so your support is truly needed and appreciated.

COMPLAINTS--Lately people have been dumping garbage at the recycling boxes near Skamokawa Fire Station. Old mattresses, boxes of junk and other trash have been dropped there recently and it's not only an eyesore but it's a costly problem for recyclers. If you have stuff that you need to get rid of, please drive a few extra miles to the top of KM Mountain to dispose of your items in a proper manner. The dump is open on Thursdays and Saturdays and is reasonably priced, so there's no reason to dump garbage at the recycling bins. As they say, "Give a Hoot - Don't Pollute!"