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

NEW MONTH--Here we are in the third month of the year already; amazing! We had some mixed weather to end February as a couple of days last week were just gorgeous, with plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures, while the last couple of days of the month were a bit wet and windy. I do hope you got to enjoy the nice part as it's not often that things are that great in February. With parts of the midwest and eastern states reeling from super cold temps and lots of snow, as well as some tornados in the southern states, we will count our blessings that we're just dealing with the effects of some heavy rain, which we're pretty used to by now!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from March 3-9 are Deb Holland, Audrey Petterson, Sara Fletcher, Micaela Sause, Ian Turner, Gladys Mace, Ryan McNally, Joanne Brockway, Jessica Hoven, Tyler Hoven, Philip Vik, Karlie Helms-Lampitt, Curtis Lindsey, Ray Brooks, Mel Barnes, Sandy Wirkkala, Jean Wallen, KaraLin Reynolds and Jonas Owen.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Brandon and Debbie Chamberlain, Frank and Cynda Webb, Joe and Carol Abeyta and Adam and Sara Fletcher. Enjoy your special days everybody!

THIS FRIDAY--Don't forget, there's a new free movie showing at the Community Center in Cathlamet at 7 p.m., tomorrow night, (Friday, March 4) so with free admission and snacks, there's no reason not to show up! This time it's an animated adventure/romance film first shown in 2009. The following Friday, March 11, is a movie that I think everyone should see, as it is a true story of a coach and what he managed to do with a bunch of boys that no one thought was possible. It truly is a terrific, inspiring movie for young and old alike.

THIS SATURDAY--We hope you'll head this way and take advantage of the big Flea Market at the Wahkiakum Fairgrounds this Saturday, March 5. There's lots of things for sale and various vendors selling their items as well, so come on down and have a look and see what you can't live without!

CONGRATS!--We have to send a hearty Congratulations to the Lady Mules in their victory last Saturday over Friday Harbor, which now means they will head to the State basketball playoffs in Spokane, which begin on Thursday. This has been a great team effort to get them to this point and we applaud all the young ladies who sacrifice a lot as they attend practices, travel to and from places at all hours, while still having to maintain their grades, as they represent our school in the sport they love. Way to go girls! Kudos to Peyton Souvenir for being such a "little dynamo" even when she's not feeling well!

CORRECTION--I can either blame old age or a slip of the fingers, but at any rate, I made an error last week when I said that the next 67'er's gathering would be April 19, as we will be meeting April 16, which is a Saturday. So if you're a '67'er, please be sure to jot down April 16 as our next lunch date at the Duck Inn at 1 p.m. Hope to see you there!

REDMEN HALL--Next Saturday is the big grand opening of Redmen Hall for their new season and the Friends of Skamokawa want to invite you to their exhibit featuring students from the Wahkiakum School District. There will be elementary students who will present their original art work under direction from Mary Moonen, and there will also be middle school students and high school students under Tina Merz and Sue Garn who will exhibit their works. Kyle Hurley's Ag/Science class will show off their art and science projects as well. This exhibit will only be there until April 10, so don't wait too long to visit the hall, or you'll miss it.

A special one day only event will take place on Saturday March 26 at the hall from 1 to 3 p.m., and it's going to be "Battle of the Robots" time, so you're definitely going to want to come and see this bunch of students with their own creations as they "battle" their robotic masterpieces! More on this later, but mark that day down on your calendar as it's going to be a very exciting time at Redmen Hall!

SKAMOKAWA GRANGE--The Skamokawa Grange #425 holds their meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m., and welcomes you to stop by and see what's new at the grange and what their future plans are. Officers for this new year have been elected and they are Master: Ray Prestegard; Secretary: Amelia Raine; Treasurer: Carol Blalock; Lecturer: Bob Pyle; Steward: Chuck Parker; Asst. Steward: Krist Novoselic and Chaplain: Sheran Parker. If you have any questions regarding the grange, please contact the current grange master. You're welcome to attend the next meeting which will be March 15.

SAD TIMES--Our family has been dealt quite a blow recently, as a beloved niece of mine, Lori (Pedersen) Finkas, died suddenly last week at the age of just 52 on Feb. 24. Lori Ann was the first born child of my brother, Frank and wife, Carolyn and was the first granddaughter in our immediate family. Lori leaves behind her husband of over 30 years, Steve in Castle Rock, and her only son, Ty (Kendra) and only grandson, Jensen of Spokane. She also had two siblings, Cindi (Jeff Nicol) Pedersen and Scott (Jen) Pedersen and nephews, Kristian and Nathan. She was not only a part of a our large Pedersen/Everest family, but she was also a part of a large family on her Mother's side, besides her church family and her work family, as she worked at St. John's Hospital for many, many years, so she knew a lot of people. Lori had a beautiful voice and often sang in church, at weddings and was the soloist at her Grandma Carol Smith's service a few years back. Lori had a sweet smile and a cozy nature and she will be sorely missed by all who knew her. Lori's services will be held this Saturday, March 5 at 2 p.m., at the First Christian Church located at 2000 East Kessler Blvd. in Longview. We may have lost our beloved Lori last Wednesday, but heaven gained another angel.