LOOKING GOOD--This is it! Wahkiakum County Fair time and it starts today (Thursday) which is Senior Citizens Day until 4 p.m. From all weather reports I'm seeing, we should have some very nice weather for the fair; that would be great! It's also quite rare, so we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that it stays decent all week!

For the first time, I'll be sitting in a booth inside the T-building, so it should be a fun experience. I'll be selling tickets for the beautiful coffee table made by John Gustafson. It's going to be given away on Saturday as we'll draw the lucky winner at 7 p.m. You do not have to be present to win, but hopefully you are and you can take it home with you!

This looks to be a great fair. Come on down and check out the new mini stage as well as the newly improved walkway through the horse barn, the fresh paint and wonderful looking grounds and of course, all the animals, all the food and all the exhibits, it's going to be great fun, so we hope to see you there!

The fair dance for the kids is on Friday, 10:30 p.m. at the Skamokawa Grange Hall.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from August 18-24 are John Gustafson, Chip Perkins, Becky Ledtke, Riley Emlen-Petterson, Jessica Fletcher, Kay Walters, Clarity Schmitz, Kathy Durrah, Greg Parker, Cathy Stuart, Darrell Trotter, Deanna Dachtler, Bobbie Leingang, Nicholas Keithley, Cindy Faubion, Vicki Gregory, Toni Sue Ostling, Larry Havens, Lori Pedersen Finkas, Sean Pedersen and Shannon Ellison....may all your birthdays be super special!

We wish Mr.and Mrs. Russ Durrah and Mr. and Mrs. Larry Bonds a very Happy Anniversary this week.

COMING UP--A group is coming to the Skamokawa Grange Hall on August 27 in a Celtic festival; that should prove interesting. The public is invited but I don't have many more details at the moment, but hope to have more information next week.

ALSO THAT WEEKEND--Not only will there be a Celtic celebration in the area on the 27th, but that weekend will also bring the long boarders for their Downhill Corral Racing event, with different parts on Puget Island as well as zipping down Cathlamet's town hill over the weekend. Some traffic revisions will be in place while they are in town. It is a fun, action packed event, and it's gotten rave reviews from those who participated, as well as those who watched, so we hope you'll check it out.

During the day, golfers will take part in a fund raising event at Skyline Golf Course for the Search and Rescue Group. Registration deadline is Saturday. Contact Eric Schwarze at 795-3000 if you're interested in taking part in this or Arlene Stefan at 360-465-2919. If you're a registered player, you'll need to check in at 9 a.m. the morning of the 27th.

If you'd like a different venue from any of the above, head to the Stockhouse Farm on the 27th for a fund raising event held by the Blanche Bradley Memorial Library Foundation for the Cathlamet City Library. Tickets for that event are $25 and include music, appetizers and speaker and local author, Cathy LaBerge. Hours are from 6 to 8 p.m.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND--Labor Day weekend will have action at the Elochoman Slough Marina. All the yachts will be coming to the marina and the best chili cooks as well, as the annual Buzzards Breath Chili Cook-Off will take place September 3. Contestants will start cooking their prize winning chili at 10 a.m. and the rest of us get to start sampling it at 1 p.m. It's always a fun event and if you like chili, good music, visiting with friends and others , then we'll be seeing you at the marina on the third of September!

CLASS OF '91--I got a call from Tony Aegerter who wants to remind all those in the class of 1991 to meet at the Elochoman Slough Marina by the BBQ area for a get-together at 7 p.m. Saturday. A picnic is planned for 11:30 a.m. at Skamokawa Vista Park the following day. Happy 20th reunion to all of you!

WINNER--During the recent Skamokawa Park's 30th anniversary event, the Friends of Skamokawa announced the winner of their drawing for a dinner for six at the Inn at Crippen Creek Farm. The lucky winners are Rick and Char Damitio of Puget Island. Congratulations to them, we are all so envious! Happy eating!

FOS WINE TASTING--September 10 at the Skamokawa Grange Hall, "Cornucopia of Wines" takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. There are also two auctions along with the wine tasting and cheeses and other goodies. This is great fun and the bidding wars can get very "spirited!" If you have something to donate for either of these auctions, contact Redmen Hall as soon as possible, 795-3007. This is a major fund raising event for the FOS and they do a great job of putting it on. We hope you'll support them in their efforts to keep Redmen Hall up and running. Tickets can be purchased at The Bank of the Pacific, Redmen Hall or at the door. They are $20 each or two for $35.

SPONSORS--The Wahkiakum Cheerleading squad is looking for sponsors and if you'd like to help them bring about more positive things in our school and community, they could really use your help. Depending on the size of your sponsorship, 25, 50 or 100, you will get a different colored poster hung in the gym. You can pick up a form at the Chamber office or request one online or for more information call 795-3338. Take forms to Penny Paulsen at The Bank of the Pacific.

POST OFFICE--The residents of Skamokawa are upset about the possible closure of our post office. I'd like to hold a meeting, get a petition going and fight like crazy to save our post office. I hope you will join me in this endeavor as I'm sure the cost of operating this post office is so miniscule in the scheme of things that it's just ridiculous to close it and make a hardship on everyone here. So, keep watch for a day and a time and we'll get together and unite against those who think we don't count!

MORE VOLUNTEERS--The Wahkiakum Historical Society is looking for volunteers at the museum. If you've got three hours to spare on the weekend, they could sure use you. I was down there on Sunday and met a lot of nice folks who came in and even met a new resident of Skamokawa, so it's a great place to meet people and spend a few hours among a whole lot of history. Maybe you don't feel comfortable talking to people, but wouldn't mind coming in and doing a little dusting or cleaning the bathroom.

If you'd like to volunteer, call the museum at 795-3954 and leave a message. Kari Kandoll has done a phenominal job of updating things in the museum so check out this priceless array of things that make up our county's history. They are still selling bricks, so you can help out the museum and get your family's name engraved in a brick which make up the entrance area.

FIRST MEETING--A handful of people met at the Julia Butler Hansen Heritage Center last Saturday and started putting the wheels in motion for the all school reunion to be held August 4, 2012. We're hoping more people will show up to represent their class and find out what's going on first hand, not to mention, adding their ideas. For now, it's an all day picnic and then that evening or the next day, the individual classes will be holding their own gatherings. So spread the word, just join the Mule Train All School Reunion on Facebook and keep in the loop. The next meeting will be announced at a later date.

SYMPATHIES--It seems we are sending sympathies out to way too many families lately and just recently while I was having so many computer/server problems, one of those families that was left out of my sympathy list was the family of Eleanor Elliott. My sincerest sympathies go to her daughter Roberta Trotter of Pillar Rock, her son Thomas and brother George and all of their extended family members as well.