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

GRAY START--As this week begins, it's gray but dry and I woke to temperatures in the 30s. This is Spring? They say we're going to get lots of rain and by the end of the week it will be below freezing, so obviously Old Man Winter has not let go of his cold and miserable grip on us just yet. On Saturday we were even dodging heavy hail storms, between some sun breaks, so we had a bit of everything.

SPECIAL DAYS--It seems I looked at the wrong month and got some dates mixed up last week so if you see a repeat of names this week, you'll understand why! Folks having birthdays from April 7-13 are Judy Wilde, Charlie Buennagel, Janet Bryan, Whitley Wirkkala, Tim Parker, Kylie Thacker, David McNally, Paul Toste, Janna Doumit, Pat Dennis, Wendy Westover, Patrick Thacker, Kim Lindsey, Trygve Gilbertsen, Sara Brown, Savannah Burdick, Mark Phelps, Andrew Emlen, Kael McKinley, Pat Ballard and brother, Ralph Pedersen.

Happy Anniversary wishes to Cliff and Judy Garrison, Mr. and Mrs. George Bates, Mr. and Mrs. Greg Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Johnson, and Ralph and Peggy Pedersen.

MADE THE MOVE--The Skamokawa Post Office is now open in its new location. Postmistress Luann Hedges is trying to get used to where everything is in her new spot, but I'm sure she'll have it all down pat in no time. The new post office now has handicap accessibility.

THIS SATURDAY--Anna York recently passed away and a celebration of her life will take place at the Cathlamet Christian Fellowship building at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday. Anna was a wonderful lady who had been a good friend of my mom's. May she rest in peace, now pain-free with no limitations by her physical body.

BOOKS ANYBODY?--If you want to get rid of a stack of books, now's the time to call Jean Beerbower at 795-0001. Or leave a message at the fairgrounds at 795-3480. I know I have a stack to donate so I'll be calling her real soon!

HOSANNA MUSICALE--Coming soon is the Hosanna Musicale that will be held at the Skamokawa United Methodist Church. If you're interested in singing at this doings, please call Randi Curtis at 795-0628 as soon as possible.

STATE GRANGE--The first of May will be the state grange contests. This is open to the public, so you don't have to be a granger to enter or show off your talents and you could win a nice ribbon and could be sent onto nationals, so we hope you'll enter your best work and see what happens.

FAIR TIME--Fair time is fast approaching and we're hoping you've all got some great things to enter in the fair. Whether you bake, sew, can or take photos, there's a spot for you to enter your items. Your participation is what makes the fair interesting.

As usual, the grange food booth is looking for some volunteers to help us out behind the counters, waiting on folks, washing dishes, flipping burgers, etc. All help is appreciated. Call me today to get put on our volunteer list. Thanks!

THIS WEEKEND--This Sunday head to the Julius Wendt Elementary Multi-purpose room between Noon and 5 p.m. to enjoy some yummy chicken and dumplings made by Janet Bryan! This is a fund raiser being put on by the Wahkiakum Fair Foundation (not fair board) but monies raised do go to help our local county fair, so your support is urged and appreciated. The cost is just $8 and includes a salad and dessert. Hope to see you there.

COUPLE OF WEEKS--On April 22 the Wahkiakum Fair Board will host Easter Bingo. You get three cards for $10 and if you donate a can of food, you get a dollar off; more change in your pocket and the food bank gets more food on their shelves! This event will be held at J.A. Wendt Multi-purpose room at 6 p.m. There are some great prizes and separate raffles with tickets for a dollar each. Winners can get prizes donated by local businesses and the other raffle winner will be getting an X-Box, so that's quite a prize. If you're a bingo person, mark April 22 on your calendar today.

TEA TIME--The third annual Traditional English Tea will be held at St. James Family Center on April 30, from noon to 2:30 p.m. All sales from tickets and tea benefit the center, which is such a great addition to our community. There's a wide variety of goodies, and you could be the lucky winner.

FOLLIES GROUP MEETS--Last Saturday several members of the upcoming Follies, a three-day musical put on by the Skamokawa Grange, met at the grange hall to work on this year's show, to be held June 24, 25 and 26. The first two shows are evening performances and Sunday is a matinee. We are happy to have Gwen Gorley returning this year with her saxophone and great voice, joining several other ladies in a new group. Also returning will be Kathleen Morgain, who has a gorgeous voice. Reuben Patterson is a young man we hear he has a great singing voice as well, so we'll anxiously await his number, accompanied by pianist Sheran Parker. We've got some other new kids showing up this year, but we'd sure like to have more, so give Sunrise Fletcher a call, 795-8770, and we'll get you included in the schedule of songs. Do you like to dance? We have some who say they're going to show up but we can always use more! For the most part, all acts practice on their own prior to the main rehearsals. The last week before the show is taken up with a couple of extra practices, with a dress rehearsal on June 19. Call Sunrise or Adele Swift at 795-8043 for more information.

NEXT MONTH--We've got a couple of big events in the area on May 21. If you're a runner, you'll probably want to sign up for the Great White Tail Run which takes place through the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge, with registration taking place at Skamokawa Vista Park beginning at 8:30 that morning. The run begins at 10 a.m. Call the WSU Extension office for more information 795-3278.

If you aren't into running, maybe you'd like to sign up for some golf and win a $10,000 hole in one prize? Wouldn't that be something? The field is limited to nine teams with four people per team, with a cost of a $150 per person, so get your group together and get signed up. For more information call Nick Vavoudis at 795-8785, Skyline Golf Course.

CAR SHOW--The Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars Car Show and Sturgeon Derby will be held on June 4. Everyone involved in this huge fund raiser for our kids' scholarships really appreciate all who are willing to donate items for this great cause, and in return, we urge everyone to support the businesses that support our kids. If you don't have a business but would like to donate, give me a call and I'll be happy to come and collect it. Remember, if you just want to come and look at the cars, there is no fee for that--browse all you want! However, be sure to check out the prize tables in the grange for the car show part of things and then the Youth Building for the sturgeon derby prize tables. Each are drawn at different times and you need to be present to win.

You need to register by May 20 for the best deal, as you not only register your rig, but you get a meal ticket for the chicken and salmon as well as T-shirt and goodie bag, all for $25. If you register the day of the show, you only get the meal ticket, so don't miss out, register today! If you have a computer, check it out at http://www.wahkiakumchamber.com or email Lee Tischer at tisch@cni.net.or just call him at 360-430-4377.