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

WET START--As our big Valentine's Day arrived, so did the rain and boy, it didn't take long and all the fields around were "lakes" once again! Of course, between Saturday night at midnight and Sunday evening, we had two inches of rain out here, so it was no wonder we were seeing lakes materialize and grow before our eyes. Not only was it wet, but the fog-like clouds settled in real low and ship horns were blowing and visibilty was bad all over in the morning hours, so it wasn't nice. Throw in a mudslide on SR 4 between West Valley and Skamokawa, and well, it was just not a nice day!

However, considering the folks back east that are dealing with sub-zero temperatures, which include some of our relatives, and folks down south having to deal with tornadoes as well as cold temperatures, this rain is nothing. Some areas back there were reporting over 2000 wrecks a day due to icy roadways, and other areas hit by tornadoes were dealing with total devastation, so we certainly feel for all those having to endure such hardships and loss.

BLOOMING--While some folks are definitely singing the winter blues, we are seeing a lot of flowers blooming and even some of the fruit trees blossoming. That is not always a good thing because we often have freezing temperatures and have even had snow fall on us in March and even April, so all those plants could be lost. If that were to happen, remember, we have a terrific place to shop for plants, as Danny Silverman, who owns Skamokawa Gardens Nursery, will once again have a wide variety of healthy plants for you to come and check out. If you're not sure about what plant is best for your area, he can probably answer just about any question you might have, as not all plants like to be in the direct sun all day, while others may need it.

If doing some new landscaping, don't forget that you could have underground utilities, like power or telephone or water lines, and you certainly don't want to get tangled up in any of those, so when in doubt, stop and call those in the know!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Feb. 18-24 are Chuck Parker, Nyomie Kuljis, Gail Munson Steigleman, Christa Hoven, Dale Strueby, Melody Brown, Milli Elven, Jade Hauff, Mac Johnson, Shari Gorman Parker, Sara Buennagel, Rebecca Costillo, Nick Tarabochia, Amanda Zacher, Sally Nollan, Logan Blain, Morgan Spieth, David A. Pedersen Jr. and little great niece, Mackenzie Pedersen, turns one year old this week.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Dale Strueby, the Kevin Wirkkalas, the Terry Heagys and Gaylene and Ron Johnson. Enjoy those special days everybody!

MOVIE TIME--Just a reminder that the free Friday night movie at the Cathlamet Community Center will take place tomorrow at 7 p.m. This time it is a PG-13 movie which was released in 2004, and is about a social experiment in fast food gastronomy. Remember, there are free snacks and you can also order a pizza from Sharon's Pizza (795-3311) ahead of time and have it delivered right to the center prior to the show.

THIS IS CRAB TIME--This is the big weekend for the Crab and Oyster Feed held by the Wahkiakum Chamber at the Norse Hall, so here's to having a wonderful feed this Saturday! May you also be a winner of the many raffle items that will be given away. If you find yourself with some extra time on your hands and would like to help out, be sure to give the Chamber a call at 795-9996 and they'll be happy to put you to work!

67'ERS--At 1 p.m. this Saturday, members of the Class of 1967 are reminded that we will meet at 1 p.m., at Izzy's in Kelso. We'll be gathering in the back room that they have so just mention my name or the Class of 67 and they'll get you pointed in the right direction.

FOLLOWING WEEKEND--The historic Redmen Hall will be the place to be for a special program featuring two of our local guys, Andrew Emlen and Keith Hoofnagle, on Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. Andrew will be filling you in about his vast knowledge of the birds of the Columbia River. After Andrew finishes his presentation, Keith will be reading from his book, "The Story of Linda Lookout" and copies of this work will be for sale and with Keith right there, you'll be able to have your very own autographed copy. These presentations will be held on the second floor of the hall, which is the River Life Interpretive Center, while the lower floor houses a gift and book shop.

The Hall will not be officially open until March 12, so watch for their special re-opening doings that weekend.

VALENTINE WRAP-UP--The Duck Inn was packed last Saturday evening as folks poured in to enjoy the King Brothers band, and also enjoy an early Valentine dinner. It seems many took advantage of this early celebration and then just kicked back and stayed home on Valentine's Day. Others said they were going to the smorgasbord in Naselle, while others were taking advantage of the three-day weekend and were headed out of town to enjoy a little mini-vacation.

I know for sure that Elaine Rolf had a great Valentine's Day, as she got to zip down to California and spend it with her newest grandchild, so that was a great Valentine treat indeed! Her classmates are eagerly awaiting the newest pictures of this special baby boy!

COMING UP--It will soon be time to head to the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds, as the next Flea Market will be held on March 5. I'm told there will be lots of goodies with a variety of vendors, so come on down and check that out.

MEETINGS--Skamokawa Grange members would like to invite you to their meetings, which are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7 p.m., at the Skamokawa Grange Hall at 18 Fairgrounds Road.

The Sons of Norway will hold their next meeting on March 2, at 7 p.m, so you're welcome to join them at the Norse Hall on that day. Don't forget, all you bingo lovers can enjoy their bingo games on the second Saturdays of each month.

OUT OF THE PAST--Back in 1946, it was nice for a few days but then it got very wet and stormy. The big movie playing that week was "The Thrill of Romance" starring Esther Williams and Van Johnson. In 1951, it was a wet few days before turning colder and then snowing for several days. In 1956, once again, this week was wet and nasty with flooding occurring all over the west coast, including California. This according to Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.

Just 20 years ago this same week back in 1996, it was snowing on Feb. 21. This came after a whole lot of heavy rains, which caused a massive slide at county line, and they closed SR 4 and rerouted everyone over Beaver Creek. There were even slides on that road, so traveling around the area was getting risky. A "cryptic message" was left on the Chamberlain phone by the Pete Sechlers. Turned out they were expecting child number four in the Fall! The Friends of Skamokawa were busy planning their musical revue which would take place on May 3, 4 and 5, at the Lurline Auditorium (Skamokawa Landing) so everyone was looking forward to that. Bill Chamberlain had just been elected as the southwest director of the Lower Columbia Sub-section of the American Water Works Association. Don and Carol Smith had just returned from a trip to Florida and cruise to the Bahamas. They returned from the sun to find themselves waiting for almost two hours near Woodland where a massive slide was blocking part of the road. The Mule boys had lost their first game in district playoffs, but wound up winning the next three straight to keep their hopes alive. The win over Naselle, 54 to 39, was a big one and that in itself was a huge ego booster for the team. Sadly, Clarence Hedlund of Rosburg/Deep River area, passed away that week. He left behind his wife of 56 years, Glenrose (Lindgren) and three children. This 1996 news comes from the diary of Kay Chamberlain.