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

EVERYTHING--Last week was full of rain, hail, sleet, thunder, wind and sunshine and warmth; a typical spring mix! As long as the list doesn't include earthquakes and tsunamis, tornadoes or hurricanes, we'd better count our blessings! I received a picture of a funnel cloud near Wauna, from the wild weather we had last Thursday, but luckily it didn't build into anything serious!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 19 to 25 are Fred Bennett Jr., Mathew Miller, Marie Allen, Sunrise Fletcher, Mike Snow, Max Schmitz, Kent Martin, Susan Kuhn, Nancy Granger, Cleave Hedman, Jason Wallin, Shawn Woods, Trevor Whitney, Larry Quigley, Rochelle Stensland, Emma Mae Keithley, Gwen Good Ronninghaug, Lynn Good Fancher, Sue Edminster and 67'ers, Sandra Peterson Davis and Greg Lloyd. May you all enjoy super celebrations this year. Belated birthday wishes go out to Sue Anderson Sullivan who celebrated her birthday on the 12th.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Kent Martin. Have a wonderful celebration!

ALL SCHOOL REUNION--I hope you WA-KI-HI alumni are keeping up with what is going on via Facebook or other sources, as we have changed the site of the reunion to the J.A. Wendt Elementary and John C. Thomas Middle Schools due to the asbestos removal at the high school during that time. We hope we can make this work out.

If you contact Susan McClain Kuhn by email for more information or to get a form, please say "All School Reunion 2012" or "WA-KI-HI Reunion" in the subject line so that it doesn't go directly to a spam file. Email her at sjmcq1@yahoo.com.

A group of WA-KI-HI alumni met last Saturday and mulled over some of our options for this All-School reunion scheduled for August 4. Please spread the word; each class should have a spokesperson to let everyone know. Each class will be responsible for making this special in their own way. We're doing the basic lunch; the $20/person cost will get you registered with your name tag, a food ticket and pay for other expenses with any balance going towards a project which has yet to be decided. T-shirts marking the occasion will be available and if anyone wants either a sweatshirt or zippered hoodie, then they can be ordered directly from the supplier by you. The next meeting will be in June, date to be announced. Please send your reunion form and a $20 cashiers check or money order as soon as possible so we can get a head count. For more information, check out the Facebook, Classmate or Alumni pages online or contact Susan and she can email you the form. The event starts at noon but registration time is before then, so come a little early, get your name tag and plan on gabbing all day!

THINKING OF THEM--According to Jeanne Paulsen, husband Mickey will undergo heart surgery and they are asking for your thoughts and prayers as they deal with this latest medical issue. Jonnie Knowles asks that you keep hubby Jerry and daughter Brandi in your prayers as well, as they are dealing with some serious health issues in their family. Debbie Beebe was recently in the hospital and we hope she is able to get home and get her health issues put to rest. Keep good thoughts coming for BJ Servis as well, as his wife, Sharon Stout Servis, is continuing to ask for our support.

SYMPATHY--Sadly, former resident Katherine York lost her battle with cancer and passed away on April 11. We offer our sincerest sympathies to her family, which includes two sons that went to school here.

THIS SATURDAY--If you're into golf, I hope you signed up for the Spring Fun Golf Tournament at Skyline Golf Course, this Saturday, with sign-in for the four man teams beginning at 9 a.m. and play at 10 a.m. Kuldip Vaid, manager of the SGC, also has a $400 gift certificate towards a year long membership. Contact the golf course at 785-8785.

THIS SUNDAY--Head to the Rosburg Hall on Sunday for the fabulous chicken dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is an important fund raiser for the area so we hope you enjoy a Sunday dinner out and help keep the hall's doors open. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages six to 12, and under six is just $2, so it's a great place to take the family. This event is sponsored by the Rosburg Community Club.

THIS COMING MONDAY NIGHT--The public is invited to the Comprehensive Planning meeting held by Port District Two in regards to how to better utilize and improve the current holdings of the Port. This meeting will be held at the Skamokawa Grange Hall at 7 p.m. on April 23. If you have any questions about this event, please contact the Skamokawa Vista Park office at 795-8605.

NEXT SATURDAY--If you like tea, you might want to attend the Fourth Annual Traditional English Tea at St. James Family Center April 28. Seating starts at noon and lasts until 3 p.m. Tickets for the tea only, are $12. Authentic foods will be available and they will have several baskets to raffle off, and a plant sale as well, so we hope you'll get a chance to check the activity out. This event is being hosted by the St. James Episcopal Church with all proceeds going to help the St. James Family Center.

FOUNDATION RAFFLE--If you're looking for a great gift for Mother's Day, maybe you should buy some raffle tickets for a steak dinner for two at Parker's Steakhouse in Longview, along with flowers from 'Tis the Season in Cathlamet. Tony Parker used to cook at the Duck Inn years ago and he is a fabulous chef, so I know the winner of this raffle will have a truly enjoyable meal at his restaurant. Tickets are just $1 and can be found in various businesses around Cathlamet or from a Wahkiakum Fair Foundation member, such as Lore Twiet, Patty Dursteler, Daria Lacy, Kay Walters, or Martha and Cheryl Backman. The Fair Foundation group meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Skamokawa Resort meeting room, next to the store. Everyone is welcome to attend.

FAIR BOARD--The Wahkiakum County Fair Board will hold a raffle for a cord of wood that will be drawn at this year's fair in mid-August. The fair board will have a booth at the Vendor's Market on July 28 and you can buy some tickets for the wood there, or if you'd like to get them earlier, contact Becky Ledtke at 795-3480. They'll also be selling other raffle tickets and fair passes too, so we're happy to have them on board with us.

COUNTING DOWN--Half of this month is over and I'd sure like to have more vendors sign up for the Vendor's Market at Vista Park, which is to be held on July 28. This is a fund raiser for the Skamokawa Grange and we'd certainly appreciate your support. With the park being full of people that weekend, it's a great time to promote your church, group, or organization and for cheerleaders, sports teams and others, it's a good time to try to raise some money. If you want to do something involving food, you'll need to get a health permit at least two weeks prior to the event. Also, if you need power, it's limited so let me know right away, 795-3425. Forms can be picked up at the Vista park office and dropped off there as well, or contact me and I'll mail you one. It's going to be a fun weekend. We hope to see you there.

BIG BASKET--The Skamokawa Grange will sell tickets at the Vendor's Market for their huge $300 gift basket. This basket will be given away at the Skamokawa Grange's community spaghetti dinner on December 8. You do not have to be present to win. Once again, this basket will include everything you need for a wonderful holiday dinner, as well as a gift for a woman, a gift for a man, a couple of family gifts, a gift for your tree, some bubbly to celebrate with. Tickets will be just $1 with all funds to help support the Skamokawa Grange.

GREAT DINNER--Mike and Jane Rees were the hosts for a dinner at the Inn at Crippen Creek last weekend and their guests were Mike and Carrie Backman and Bill and Kay Chamberlain, with dinner prepared by innkeepers and super cooks Don and Kitty Speranza. The pasta dish with traditional Italian sauce and meatballs and sausage was great, as was everything else, and with some lively conversation about various books and movies, it was a wonderful evening out. If you haven't had a dinner at the Speranzas', you should call today 795-0585.