Skamokawa News
by Kay Chamberlain email 795-3425
Fair is over but Labor Day is coming soon
MIXED BAG--After a big scare last week with rain coming down in buckets around our area, it cleared up in time for the fair which marked its 100th year in our county, and rained the day after; whew! As I begin this column at the start of a new work week, we’ve had some sun and some showers but it’s not too bad, especially if you’ve been looking at the news reports of the tropical storm Fay that just hammered Florida and other areas down South.
With this month about to end, let’s hope we can celebrate Labor Day weekend with some sunshine. As usual, the traffic is bound to be thick as everyone celebrates these last days before school starts, which for us is September 2. I can hardly believe the kids are headed back to school; this Summer went by way too fast!
SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays August 28-September 3 are Arlene Luthi, Quin Bassi Jr., Nanea Carroll, Kathy McNally, Carol Thacker, Jamie Quigley, Judy Danielsen, Meredith Cothren, Don Ostling, Thea Pyle, Sharon Rich McCarthy, Linda Cook, Elinor Ellison Bridenhagen, Donna Peterson Bernard and Bill Chamberlain is turning the big “65” next Wednesday, so it’s a big day for him. Belated wishes go out to Susan (Rogers) Pedersen.
Happy Anniversary wishes go to Ralph and Ruth Bautista, Beryl and Randi Curtis, Mr. and Mrs. Lee Tischer, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Doumit and John and Melissa Thompson. Here’s to all your special celebrations this coming week!
THIS WEEKEND--It’s time for the annual Buzzard Breath Chili cook off this Saturday. It’s time to eat, drink, play games and listen to some music by the terrific kids from Naselles’ Marimba Band; head to the Elochoman Marina if you want to get in on the action. Don’t wait, as the chili and all the condiments seem to disappear real fast, so check this out from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the chili tasting beginning at 1 p.m.
EVENING HOURS--On Saturday at 7 p.m., you can take in the music offered by Edward Downs and Steve Peterson at the Valley Bible Church. Along with their wonderful voices, they will be playing the trumpet and saxophone, so along with special vocalist Miguel Verazas from southern California, you will have an array of musical talent to enjoy.
LABOR DAY--Next Monday is September first and if you’re going by the Meserve park in Grays River, you’ll be able to check out their Farmer’s Market hosted by the GR Grange from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no seller’s fee to participate in the market, with all transactions being between the seller and the buyer. The park is in the heart of Grays River and has plenty of parking and a rest room. You can sit and rest on the picnic benches under the elm trees while your “better half” shops! With a huge response from travelers last time, it was decided to have another one as people head back home from the beach after their three day weekend; here’s to another successful event!
TROLLEY--Don’t forget that if you want to head over to the Two Islands Farmers Market or Sargasso Sea Antiques Barn, you can catch the trolley going over there by being at either the Marina on the hour, 3, 4 or 5 p.m. or at the Scarborough building at the end of town five minutes after the hour. Chief Wahkiakum is a free service offered by the Chamber of Commerce but donations are welcome to help cover the cost of fuel. Anyone under 16 must have an adult with them. Call the Chamber for more info: 795-9996.
ANOTHER TRAGEDY--We were very sorry to hear of the death of Steve Dobbins last Friday night due to a car accident on Pillar Rock Road and offer his entire family our sincerest condolences. His wife, Lori, is the daughter of Linda (Thacker) and Leon Gollersrud of Pillar Rock and the granddaughter of Hoby Thacker here in our area. Again, our sympathies to all of Steve's family members and close friends on their loss.
BERRIES AVAILABLE--You still have a couple of days to order containers of frozen berries from the Lions Club, as they are taking orders until Saturday, August 30. The berries come in 10 pound containers and you can get strawberries and marionberries for $20, blueberries for $22 and raspberries for $35. You can pick them up at the Wahkiakum High School parking lot or the Skamokawa Grange parking lot from 10 a.m. to noon on September 6. Call 849-4003 today for more info and orders, which must be paid in advance. The monies made from this sale help the Lions Club with scholarships for kids, and also help pay for eye exams for those who cannot afford them and their eye conservation program.
FAIR IS OVER--Once again, our Wahkiakum County Fair is over and for many of us who worked at the fair, it just flew by as we were busy, busy, busy! If you’ve ever operated a restaurant or worked in one, you know all about the million things that need to be done when you have one, and for five days last week, the grangers from Grays River and Skamokawa had to set one up and operate it. It takes many people to pull this off and for all of those who volunteered, I offer you a huge thank you!
To get this Grange Food Booth up and running requires an overwhelming amount of time, energy and organization. Our “Wonder Woman” for this endeavor has been Donna Moody; without her intense amount of work beginning in early August, it would not be possible. Unless you walked in her shoes the last few weeks, you cannot possibly imagine the amount of time she has spent on this project, which of course means that she has put her entire life on hold in order to see to it that this important fund raiser for the granges, takes place. She is really something else and while I tried to keep up with her by putting in 12 hour shifts a day, it was Donna who was still working before I got there and after I left; she’s amazing! However, she will be cutting way back in her duties next year, so now is the time to start thinking about how many people it’s going to take to do what she did. Volunteers anyone?! Remember, many hands make for light work, so the more folks we get to help plan and organize this, the easier it will be on everyone, as unfortunately, none of us are getting any younger!
We had a very successful booth this year as the folks who came to see the fair, all came hungry and by the last day we were running out of food and that was after buying extra, so we thank all of you who stopped by and ate, which helped support the Grays River and Skamokawa granges.
HERE FOR FAIR--Veryl Chamberlain, who had been a long time Grays River resident but now resides in Benton City, made it here for a couple of days for the fair. He was able to visit with some of his former neighbors there and by taking a ride with son Bill, he got to “go over the hill” and see some more of his friends and dine on a delicious roast beef dinner prepared by Bob and Bev Paul at the Grays River Café; I heard nothing but rave reviews on that tender and tasty roast beef they had! By Monday evening Veryl was back at home after a trip over White Pass and a visit with relatives, Don and Barb Shaver in Yakima.
IN TOWN--A couple of my grandkids came down from Seattle this week with their Grandma Sally and Grandpa Fred Nollan, so I got to share some time with Tessa and Luke Sechler between aunts and cousins and fishing and playing! School starts soon, so the older boys, Kyle and Blake, were already involved in football practice and didn't make it down, but hopefully we’ll take in a game before the weather turns too nasty for this dry weather driver!
The Wahkiakum County Eagle Location: 77 Main Street,
Mail: P.O. Box 368,
Cathlamet, WA 98612
Phone: 360-795-3391 Fax: 360-795-3983
