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

SOME DAMPNESS--We got a bit of rain last weekend; it was nice to dampen the dust for a bit. Of course, if you had hay bales in the field, that wasn't so great but hopefully you were able to get them dried out with the sunshine on Sunday. Needless to say, the weather by Monday afternoon was "steamy" as the wet ground and sunshine made for an uncomfortable amount of humidity, so I'll be happier if we don't have much more of that!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from July 16-22 are Jerry Ledtke, Pam Elliott, Rick Benfit, Bev Moonen, Stuart Bosch, Don Wright, Randi Curtis, Mary Ann Nelson, Marsha Cleveland, Mike Clark, Kaisha Davis, Cameron Havens, Rocky Rose, Don Twiet, Eric Ferguson, Kelsea Blix, Darlene Hoven, Luke Schmidt, Elisa Wallin, Steve Doumit, Theresa Libby, Raedyn Grasseth, Lisa Hannah, Bob Roseberry, Les Burns, Jensen Finkas and 67'er Sharon McKie.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Rick and Janet Bryan and Mr. and Mrs. Rocky Rose. Here's hoping all those with special days get to celebrate to the fullest!

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY--We'd like to say "Happy Fourth Anniversary" to the Tsuga Gallery in Cathlamet, as they celebrate with music and refreshments this Friday, July 17 from 5-7 p.m. We hope you'll take the time to enjoy our local artists that have their works there, which includes several from the Skamokawa area, and also check out their new things that they're just putting up in time for this weekend's events.

B.E.D.THIS WEEKEND--This is the big weekend with Saturday being the day that Cathlamet's Main Street will be closed off and there will be vendors galore, a parade, music, food and lots of fun for everyone, as once again, it's Bald Eagle Days! Hopefully you're all doing the sunshine dance so we have a wonderful day for all of this to take place! If you're one of the people taking part in the run/walk challenge, don't forget to register in front of the Cathlamet Pharmacy at 8:30 a.m., as the event starts at 9 a.m. By now most folks should have the rest of the schedule down pat, as there are posters up everywhere and there are online schedules up as well, and of course, The Eagle has had many notices about the goings on of this big event, so from the runs in the morning, to the Kiwanis breakfast, to the parade, to the fireworks at night, and everything in between, here's hoping you get to enjoy them all!

FUNDRAISER-- There will be an additional booth on Main Street during Bald Eagle Days this year, and while I'm glad it will be there, I am sure sorry to hear the reason that it is. You see, it's to raise money for a young man, Grant Turner, who was in a tragic accident recently, and he and his young wife, Ashley, really need our help. While there was an article about this in last week's paper, you may not realize the local connection that they have, as Ashley is the daughter of Cathlamet businessman, NAPA store owner, Joel Moore. Back in the 70s, the Bruce Moores lived on Puget Island and were just a few doors down from where I lived and our kids regularly played together at one house or the other. Needless to say, I was so sorry to hear that this happened to Joel's son-in-law, and now his daughter will have to relocate to California to be by his side while he's hospitalized, which could be for quite an extended amount of time. If you see this booth in town, we hope you'll buy a ticket for their raffle item, or whatever else they have going, or you can make a direct deposit at an account in the Bank of the Pacific that is set up just for them. Your positive thoughts and prayers for Grant's recovery is sure to be appreciated as well.

67'ERS--One of the fun things that the Class of 1967 will enjoy this Saturday, is the gathering of classmates at the home of Dale Jacobson on Second Street just past the dentist's office going towards the marina. We hope to see all you 67'ers around 1 p.m., with your favorite dish as Dale said he will have his BBQ going for those who feel inclined to grill things. There is public parking across from his house. If possible, maybe you could bring your own chair and beverage. And (perish the thought) if it's raining, we hope you've got an umbrella and some rain gear handy!

FAIR TIME--As this paper comes out, we are already half way through July, which I find almost impossible, but that also means our Wahkiakum County Fair will be upon us in just a little over a month's time; wow! For those of you who are making things for the fair, it will be time to get that project in high gear, and for those of you planning things for it, it's time to start advertising heavily, as this is a busy time and people need plenty of early reminders about all the things that are happening prior to the fair and at the fair or about the fair. One can never get the word out too early, so if something wonderful and new is going to be happening with your group during the fair, start letting people know now! Give me a call and I'll gladly help you spread the word! Afterall, there's only 23 weeks until Christmas; shock!

FOS in AUGUST--The Friends of Skamokawa will host a new exhibit at Redmen Hall on August 8 by Bob and Jenny Kizziar, who have showcased their talents from the west coast to the east, so we are lucky to have them here with us now. Bob is a ceramist who seems to be able to do anything in that field and his wife, Jenny, does some exquiste work when it comes to weaving scarves and shawls. I personally purchased some of her work and it feels as wondeful as it looks. While this exhibit may be next month, it's always good to jot these things down early on your calendar so you don't miss them! For more information, contact the hall at 795-3007.

SYMPATHIES--We were certainly saddened to hear about the sudden passing of one of our WA-KI-HI alumni, as Terry Everman died on July 2 while he was in Florida, and at just 69, his death was certainly a huge shock. Remembering Terry back in school, he was just one of those guys who was always smiling and polite and just an all-around nice guy, which we under-classmen certainly appreciated. Our deepest sympathies are extended to his entire family.

Belated sympathies to Dave Whitney and family, on the loss of his Mother, Florence, who passed away June 14 at the age of 85. Her services were at Our Saviours Lutheran Church on Puget Island last Saturday.

STP WRAP-UP--It was happy news from the Sechler clan last Saturday evening, as father and son, Pete and Luke Sechler, completed the Seattle to Portland bicycle ride in one day. According to an article in a local paper, over 10,000 riders were going to take part in the race and most of them do the trip in two days, so the fact that first timer, 15 year old Luke, managed to keep up with his Dad and surpass a lot of other riders to do the whole thing in one day, was a huge accomplishment. Actually, after crossing the finish line, Luke got a lot of pats on the back, as hardly anybody his age even takes part in this event, let alone finishes in one day, so Congratulations, Luke. Way to go!

ANYBODY KNOW?--Many Wahkiakum High School alumni have been asking who wrote our high school's Alma Mater and when, and so far, we haven't found anybody who seems to know for sure. There have been a couple of names tossed around but we've eliminated one and not very sure of the other. I don't want to taint the ideas of anyone else, so I won't say who they are. At any rate, we seem to have a puzzle on our hands and I'm asking all our "brainiacs" out there to put their thinking caps on and see if they remember who wrote it and when it all came about. Please give me a call if you have the answer to this great mystery as we'd like to give credit where credit is due and with the 100 year anniversary and all school reunion happening next year, we'd like to be able to obtain that particular information.