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

BIG CHANGE--Last weekend we saw clouds, rain, wind, hail and a dash of sun, so there was a little bit of everything! Oh well, you know what they say about April showers! I have to admit, many of my "May flowers" that had already bloomed and were in the last stages of showing off their flashy colors, were definitely done in after a heavy hail storm came through late Sunday afternoon and just pounded the blooms off my camelia, rhododendren and azalea bushes.

HOT CAR WARNING--It was sunnier in some places last week than here and once again, we heard of babies and animals being rescued out of hot vehicles; unbelievable! What do we have to do to make people stop doing this? It should go without saying, if you see a child or animal in an unattended vehicle on a sunny day, call 911 immediately.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 28-May 4, are Shannon McClain, Ricky Montgomery, Eva Snow, Orville Lindsey, Conner Emlen-Petterson, Connie Luthi, Darren Olsen, Carrie Backman, Wally Wright, Troy Heagy, Wolfgang Hoven, Jeff Ostling, Lars Blix, Carolyn LaBerge, Nicolas LaBerge, Don Cothren, Aaron Bernard, Abby Pedersen, Matthew Freeman and grandson, Austin Good.Here's to extra special birthdays for all of you this coming week.

Happy Anniversary wishes this week go out to Treasure and Michelle Collupy, Carol and Erval Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. Lamar Blix and Matthew and Katrina (Pedersen) Freeman. Enjoy those special days!

Belated 40th wedding anniversary wishes to Ed and Nancy Granger who celebrated their milestone anniversary last Saturday. Adding to the anniversary list for next year will be Tim Pedersen and his fiance, Margie, as they are getting hitched this Saturday. Tim's brother, Mark Pedersen, will marry the couple so that makes the day a little extra special as well. So, here's a little early "Congratulations" to the soon to be newlyweds and may they enjoy many happy years ahead of them!

FRIDAY MOVIE--A great movie coming up this Friday at the Cathlamet Community Center at 7 p.m., is suitable for youth and adults. This 1941 drama is considered one of the greatest movies of all time and was nominated for nine Oscars.

URGENT!--Unfortunately, it looks like the 100 year commemorative all-school Wahkiakum High School reunion, that is scheduled for Aug. 13, is in danger of being canceled. Due to other obligations, Susan McClain Kuhn, who had been in charge of this event, is unable to go forward with it so, if you or somebody you know wants to take hold of the lead reins of this reunion, contact her ASAP!

According to Susan, some think we could have a less formal gathering and just have some sort of general picnic. However, this still takes someone to organize the scaled down version, so we hope someone will step forward and do this. No one person can handle these big events and there just seems to be so much on everyone's plate lately, that few people have had the time to take part in these huge undertakings. So, be prewarned, if someone doesn't step forward immediately, the Aug. 13 reunion (big or small) will be canceled. If you think you can organize this reunion, please contact Susan at sjmqc1@yahoo.com immediately. If you are on Facebook, you can also contact her that way. I will let you know as soon as I can whether this is going to be a go or not.

OWNER FOUND--I am happy to report that the pictures given to me that I mentioned in last week's column, and were a great mystery to me, have found their rightful home! A big thank-you to all those that called me with the knowledge of where they rightfully belonged! My former neighbor, Joan Evenson, was the first to notify me that her new neighbor, Betty Brown, was the owner of these photos in question. As soon as Betty called me, I ran them right up to her and she was very excited to have them back, as those are memories that just can't be replaced. It also means people are reading my column, so that was a satisfying thing for me. Thanks everybody for your help!

GOOD WORKS--There's nothing like hearing of a person performing selfless acts of kindness to brighten one's day, and I'm happy to say that Cindy Lloyd certainly qualifies in that category. Cindy is the wife of a fellow Puget Island "slough rat" and 67'er, Greg Lloyd, and he tells me that she has crocheted and delivered over 300 hats with the Swedish Cancer Institute being the happy recipient of these wonderful hand-made caps for their patients. Cindy just delivered another 50 hats to them and along with the hats, she also made some warm, cozy scarves, so I'm sure they (SCI) were thrilled to receive those items as well. Here's a big thank you to Cindy for her wonderful contributions and her selfless act of kindness!

THINKING OF THEM--I heard that Susan Neilson Olson has had to undergo some surgery in Harborview Hospital in Seattle, so we'll be thinking of her while she recuperates from that. Still keeping Robin Robbins and Jeanne Paulsen in our thoughts and prayers as well, and a few others who don't wish to be named, that are battling some serious conditions and could use all the positive thoughts and prayers they can get.

SK. GRANGE--The first meeting in May for the Skamokawa Grange #425 will be held on May 3 at the hall at 18 Fairgrounds Road at 7 p.m. All are welcome. The second meeting of the month will be May 17. Remember, the Cub Scouts meet there on Friday evenings at 6 p.m. If you have questions about the hall, you can contact the Sk. Grange Master/President, Ray Prestegard at 849-9051.

SONS OF NORWAY--On the first Wednesday of each month, the members of the Sons of Norway meet at the Norse Hall on Puget Island at 7 p.m. You are most welcome to join them at any of these meetings, with the next one being held on May 4. At the last meeting, three more members were welcomed into the lodge and they were joyfully accepted. Big plans are in the works for outside covered seating areas, so that's going to be a very nice addition. Remember, bingo lovers can come to enjoy some rousing games on the second Saturday of each month, (with a few exceptions), and those cash prizes are always enjoyed by the winners!

FLEA MARKET--Once again, just a quick reminder to come down to the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds and check out the Flea Market on May 7. If you're doing some spring cleaning and want to sell some of your items there, then you can rent a table, make a few bucks and chat with friends and neighbors while you're at it. Call the fair office and leave a message for Patty at 795-3480 if you're interested.

BIG CHANGES COMING--It won't be long until some construction takes place at the fairgrounds, as there will be new bathrooms this year. I'm anxious to see the new and improved facilities that should be ready by fair time.

The fair will be here before you know it, so here's hoping you've got something in mind when it comes to entering things in the fair. From photography to baked goods, to quilts to canning and everything in between, we hope you're busy quilting, sewing or doing something else so it will be ready to enter come August. Remember to check out the fair book when it comes out, as many things need to be put in early and others need to be arranged to have special accomodations, so don't miss those deadlines and miss out earning a little extra cash!

LIONS CLUB--According to Carol McClain, it's almost "White Cane Days" for the Lions Club, so we hope you'll donate generously when you see them around town on May 6 and May 7. These donations make it possible for the Lions Club's Health Screening Van to travel around and provide the public with vital health screenings and to schools with vision and health screenings throughout Washington and Northern Idaho. One of our own residents visited this mobile unit at our local fair a few years back and was able to avoid some serious health issues due to the early detection of a previously unknown problem, so please help support the Lions Club.

MOTHER'S DAY--Lest you forget, Mother's Day is just around the corner, as it's taking place on May 8 this year. There's bound to be dinner specials at all our local eateries and of course, there's nothing like a wonderful basket of flowers from our Skamokawa Gardens Nursery here on Steamboat Slough, or maybe a great gift item made by local artisans which can be purchased in the gift and book shop at Redmen Hall. Here's to finding that perfect something for that special lady in your life; whether it's your Mom, wife, girlfriend, aunt, etc.

CAR SHOW--It seems hard to believe but the Wahkiakum Dollars For Scholars organization will hold their annual car show at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds in just five weeks. June 4 will be the date you want to mark down as this is a really fantastic show, with lots of prizes, lots of cars, plenty of music, food and fun for everyone! According to organizer Lee Tischer, there have already been quite a few cars that have pre-registered, so that's good to hear. All those that pre-register get a meal ticket, t-shirt and a goodie bag, so it's a great deal. If you'd like to get your name or business on this year's t-shirt, and you've never been listed before, all you need to do is be a $200 sponsor. If don't want to be that big of a sponsor, but you'd like to donate something for a prize table, your donation would be greatly appreciated and it is tax deductible. Contact Lee at 360-430-4377 or email him at tisch@cni.net. Or you can give me a call at 795-3425 and I'll gladly pick up your donation. To find out all about this annual event, check it out at http://www.wahkiakumchamber.com. There is no admission fee for folks to walk through and see all the cars, so head this way the first Saturday of June. As a little FYI, this event is always held the Saturday after Memorial Day.