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

DAMP--As this week begins and the weekend ends, we're seeing some dampness out here in West Valley, which was definitely not in the forecast at least not for a couple more days. However, I'm sure all my plants and my poor dry lawn were happy to see the light misty stuff come down and give it a little drink. All of us on springs and wells were happy too, as every little bit helps after a long dry spell. On Monday morning the fog made for some heavy dew, but parts of my driveway were already dry by noon. This little spattering of rain isn't supposed to last long though, so you'll probably be basking in the sunshine again by the time this month comes to an end and another one begins. But remember, it's soon to be Fall, so if you're needing nice, dry weather to complete your outside projects, you'd better hurry up and get with the program!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from August 31 through September 5 are Nanea Carroll, Quin Bassi, Carol Thacker, Kathy McNally, Don Ostling, Debbie Melton, Joe Turgeon, Zarina Hoven, Jasmin Lindsey, Jade Havens, Don Witham, Scott Baldwin, Donna Peterson Bernard and hubby Bill Chamberlain.

Celebrating their anniversaries this week are Todd and Kristen Souvenir, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Doumit, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Linquist, John and Melissa Thompson and Lee and Diane Tischer. May all of you with birthdays and anniversaries this week have wonderful celebrations!

BIG WEEKEND--This coming weekend is Labor Day Weekend, so if the weather is decent, watch out for a ton of traffic out there. We've got a Mule football game opener against Mossyrock at home this Friday night before school even starts and don't forget the volleyball opener in Naselle on Tuesday, as well as the cross country team running that day in Naselle as well, once again, we're in the throes of a hectic sports schedule.

On Saturday, the Elochoman Slough Marina will be full of chili makers and tasters as the annual Buzzard's Breath Chili Cook-off Contest is on once again; it's always a fun time, with cooking beginning early and the tasters get to start in around 1 p.m.

Also, if you'd like to travel over the hill, don't forget the big swap meet at the Archive Center in Naselle, as they are holding it for the third year and it takes place for just two days, this Friday and Saturday, August 31 and September 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC--Just to let you know, the Duck Inn will be having another live band this Friday night. For more information on who's playing or maybe dinner specials, call the Duck at 795-6055.

NEXT WEEK--A Cornucopia of Wines and Auction will be taking place at the Skamokawa Grange Hall on September 8, with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m., with the silent auction and the wine tasting beginning at 7 p.m. and the live auction starting up at 8 p.m. The auctioneer is Brian McClain of McClain Auctions and so he will be manning the podium this year and he's got some great things to be auctioning off and for you to be bidding on, like dinner for six out at the Inn at Crippen Creek with your hosts and cooks Don and Kitty Speranza as well as live music; a two night stay at the awesome, and our newest place to stay, the Inn at Skamokawa Landing owned by the Arnold Andersens; a night out at The Villa at Little Cape Horn; a night's stay on Vashon Island with dinner included; a guided fishing trip for two adults; blown glass by Treasure Collupy and more. All of which are terrific live auction items! Tickets are $15 for singles or $25 for couples and are available at the Bank of the Pacific, the Redmen Hall and the Skamokawa Resort or they can be purchased at the door the night of the event as well. Remember, this is an adult evening so please leave the little ones at home! Hope to see you there!

RESCHEDULED--The Friends of Skamokawa are hosting a thank you reception for the Rasmussen family on September 15 at Redmen Hall and the public is welcome to attend. This event was due to take place on August 25, but due to illness, could not take place, so it's a couple of weeks out. The family has generously donated a chunk of land adjacent to the hall and a plaque, map and photograph will be installed at the hall in recognition of their gift. More details to come on the time of the event, but you can call the hall during business hours, Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. if you'd like more information sooner.

LIONS CALENDARS--If you'd like to get your name on this next year's Lions Club birthday and anniversary calendar, now is the time to give Carol McClain a call at 795-3337 and she'll get things taken care of for you. Having names put in the calendar does cost the Lion's Club some money, so hopefully if you opt to have your name added to it, you'll purchase one or more, as the money they raise during this fund raiser does go to many good programs which benefit our area.

GREAT STORY--Recently, Skamokawa Vista Park got a very nice write up by Karla Dudley of the Columbia River Reader entitled Man in the Kitchen's Picnic at Skamokawa Vista Park. This all had to do with a fancy picnic fixed up by her husband and shared at our wonderful park in one of the day use picnic areas. Photos of their day and our park were taken by David Bell. It's always great to hear about other people's experiences and thoughts about our area, and good publicity is always welcome!

You can check out the article on line at: http://crreader.com/2012/08/16/Man-in-the-Kitchen-s-Picnic-at-Skamokawa-Vista-Park

NOT ALL SO GREAT--This past weekend the Downhill Corral skateboarders arrived in the area and many folks had a great time watching them race around Puget Island and Cathlamet. They provided thrills and spills and many were very happy to have them in town as they were able to give various businesses a much needed boost in revenue. Here in Skamokawa, over 80 of them stayed at the fairgrounds park and unlike last year, were very well behaved, and other than some folks complaining about their music being too loud, did not cause any major problems there.

I heard of a couple of problems at Vista Park and at the Duck. Needless to say, this kind of behavior sheds a poor light on the group as a whole, even though only a few were involved. Still it's a reminder of what can happen when large groups of individuals come into the area for a short amount of time, as while some reap the benefits, others suffer the consequences. Hopefully only the good guys show up next year, as the others are no longer welcome.

KITS READY?--You may have seen Ora Lorraine and Ray Bauer sitting at a booth at the fair recently, in which they were handing out material about what you need to be prepared in case of an emergency. There were also some emergency kits in backpacks that were given away in a drawing that they had, and they were awesome but unfortunately, I did not happen to be one of the lucky winners of one of them. So, if you didn't win one either, well, we can all make our own, and according to the Wahkiakum County Emergency Management team, as well as every national emergency group, you should have a plan drawn up for your family and a 72 hour preparedness kit on hand as well.

While this nice weather we're having doesn't really make one feel like getting ready for an emergency, it's really the best time to prepare for one; when you don't need to. With earthquakes rumbling on the West Coast, the Big One could hit today; do you have enough food to get by for up to three days or even up to seven? What about water? Some basics are a three day supply of water for each person figuring one gallon per day, a good first aid kit, your medications, emergency tools, battery powered radio, flashlights with extra batteries, change of clothing, plus rain gear and good foot wear, sanitation items like hand soaps and sanitizer, a small shovel which could be stored in a bucket with the tools and garbage bags and toilet paper, as well as a waterproof container for important papers, some sort of blankets or sleeping bag and of course canned and non-perishable foods, can openers and other specialty items that you would need if you have younger or older persons in your home. Money is always a great thing to have on hand as well, as credit cards, debit cards or other electronic payments will not be working if the power is out, or you can't get to a place that still has power.

There's plenty more to learn about being prepared for a disaster, so check out http://www.fema.gov or the American Red Cross site, as well as many others. One major thing not to do, is to flood 911 lines with questions about what you should do; those lines are meant for actual emergencies. Being prepared can mean the difference between getting through a major ordeal relatively easily or maybe not at all. Don't count on someone else to save you. Be proactive and get prepared today!