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

An Evening of Spoken Word set for Deep River

Pacific Northwest folk poet Gary Anderson and essayist Nick Nikkila will present An Evening of Spoken Word this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the Deep River Legion Hall.

Anderson published My Finnish Soul in 2010. His latest book, Bunchgrass and Buttercups-The Deep River Suite, was published in 2012. Nikkila writes about his experiences while also growing up in Deep River. His book of essays, A Collection of Recollections, was also published this year. All three books will be available that evening.

Naselle woodworking artist Steve Ullakko will sell his wooden cooling racks and other items at the event. Light refreshments will be served. There is no admission charge. Take either the west or east Deep River dike road off SR 4 and follow the signs to the legion hall.

Hounds to run

on Puget Island

The hounds are running this weekend at Misty Rivers Plantation, 117 Cross Dike Road on Puget Island.

A basenji specialty lure coursing meet will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday; Saturday and Sunday will be all-breed lure coursing tests and trials commencing at 8 a.m. The whole three day event is AKC sanctioned and sponsored by the Willamette Valley Basenji Club.

Besides the usual running contests between AKC registered sighthounds, the club is offering a new titling event, the Coursing Ability Test (CAT), which is open to all dogs of at least 12 months of age. These dogs will run alone, chasing the lure around a portion of the same course that the sighthounds use for their races. Dogs entering the CAT trials must register with AKC but this can be accomplished while signing up to run the course. Mixed breed dogs will be registered as "American" breed.

The general public is invited to attend. Well-leashed dogs are also welcome. Restrooms, refreshments, and a limited amount of handicapped parking are available. For further information call Judy Brawn 562-1925.

Linquist earns Masters Degree

Eagle reporter Melissa Linquist has earned her Masters Degree in Teaching from City University of Seattle. She finished the degree with honors at the top of her class. Linquist earned a bachelor's degree in English from Western Oregon University in 2005. She is married to Jeff Linquist and they have two children, Sawyer and Elsa. They live in Grays River.

YAP sets classes

St. James Family Center's Youth Adventure Program classes for this week are:

Helping Kids Deal with Unsafe Situations, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m., ages five to 10, free.

Blinged Out Flower Pots, July 16, 1-2 p.m., ages six to 10, $4.

Trip to Glazy Days Pottery Studio in Kelso, July 17, leave 10 a.m., return 2 p.m., sack lunch needed, ages six and up, $15.

Fire Safety, July 18, 10-11 a.m.. ages four and up, free.

Sheriff's Office Visit, July 18, 1-3 p.m., ages six and up, free.

Internet Safety, July 19, 10-11 a.m., ages eight and up, free.

Art Studio, July 19, 1-2 p.m., ages seven to 12, $5.

Field trip to OMSI, July 20, leave 10 a.m., return 5 p.m., sack lunch needed, ages seven and up, $15.

SJFC receives state

grant for home visits

St. James Family Center has been awarded a $71,335 grant to help sustain its home visiting services over the next year.

The grant, one of 10, comes from the state’s Home Visiting Services Account (HVSA), which matches public and private funding to help make sure more at-risk families have access to home visiting, a voluntary service in which nurses or other trained professionals meet with families in their homes and offer information and support related to healthy child and family development.

Depending on the program, these visits can happen during pregnancy up to a child’s fifth birthday. Evidence shows that when families receive this kind of support, their children are born healthier, are less likely to suffer from abuse or neglect and are better prepared for school.

Finn Festival hits

the golf course

by Melissa Linquist

On July 26, local golfers will gather at the Peninsula Golf Course in Long Beach ready to swing their drivers and fairway woods. The tournament is held as part of the upcoming 16th Biennial Finnish-American Folk Festival, in Naselle.

“This is an ongoing event,” said Mike Swanson. “The Finn Festival is biennial but there have been years when we’ve held the tournament in between.”

The event begins with lunch at noon, prepared in the new clubhouse. The golf scramble will begin with a shot gun start at 1 p.m.

“Everyone is welcome,” said Swanson who has participated in Finn Golf for some time.

The cost is $45 with proceeds benefiting the Finnish-American Folk Festival. Register by calling Dave Leeland at (360) 484-3277 or Mike Swanson at (360) 751-1565.

Woman's Club tour takes in local homes

The Cathlamet GFWC Woman's Club Tour of Homes will be August 11 from 1-5 p.m.

Homes on the tour include Mary Thomas' 100 year old home at 385 S. Second Street that has recently been completely remodeled; Steve and Ruth Doumit's home at 280 Spring Street with flower garden and examples of Ruth's tile art throughout; Gerry Brennan's home at 90 Forest Heights Road overlooking the Columbia River; Richard and Dixie Swart's home at 175 Columbia Street, built in the 1930s and added to by the Swarts; and the Hotel Cathlamet on Main Street.

Tickets are $8 per person and can be purchased from several merchants in downtown Cathlamet or from any Woman's Club member.