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

I don’t know about you, but I certainly enjoyed the little bit of rain we got last week. Our nephew from California thought it was great, as they don’t see much down in the desert. He actually turned on the windshield wipers of his new jeep for the first time since he bought it.

News from Naselle:

Only another month until the kids are back in school for the new year, but there are activities beginning to take place in preparation for getting back in the groove.

There will be a special Naselle-Grays River Valley School board meeting on Tuesday, August 13 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the budget extension.

Kindergarten screening will take place on Thursday, August 15.

Registration will begin on Friday, August 23 for new students at 9 a.m. and the following week for high school students at 6 p.m.

The Appelo Archives Center will host an art auction/fundraiser on Saturday, August 17. For more information please call 360 484-7103.

Other news from the Westend:

Another new activity has been born at the Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park. Shellie Burkhalter, the new bride of Kyle Burkhalter, is a dance instructor and held a dance camp last week with an impressive turnout just by word of mouth. It looks like she had almost a full house. Regular dance classes (all types I’m told) will begin in September and I will get more information in my column next week.

Free Friday night movies at the Grays River Valley Center continue to be well attended and enjoyed by all. This week’s movie is a drama/mystery/action film first released in 2013 by Warner Brothers where enduring love threads through a story which unfolds in multiple timelines spanning 500 years. The movie is rated R. Join us for a great movie on the big screen with concessions available. Remember, family-friendly movies are shown on the first and fourth Fridays of each month.

A special showing of the movie “Bully” will be shown on Friday, August 23, and it is presented by St. James Family Center and The Charlotte House. This movie is geared to grades 6-12 and adults. Parents are recommended to accompany their children in grades 6-8. For more information on this special event please call Renae Hauff, Prevention Advocate, at (360) 795-8612 or (360) 795-6401.

Ongoing activities at the Grays River Valley Center include the card group that meets on Mondays for an afternoon of fun; the Grays River Valley Library/Community Computer Center that is open Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) that meets on Thursdays in the exercise room at 2 p.m.; and yoga classes and the art group, who will resume their meetings on Thursday evenings in the fall.

The open sew classes have been suspended for the rest of the summer and will resume in the fall. If you want more information or have a suggestion for a project class, please call Arlene Stefan at 465-2919.

Tickets are on sale now for the beautiful handmade quilt on display in the Grays River Valley Library, which will be raffled off at the Second Annual Oktoberfest on October 12 at the Grays River Valley Center. Tickets are available for $1 in the Grays River Valley Library or from Johnson Park Board members. If you have questions, please call 465-2960. This gorgeous quilt was made of donated fabrics and labor, and is being raffled as a fundraiser for the Grays River Valley Center. Proceeds will be used to help maintain the building for you to enjoy.

If you would like to provide your family with a sponsorship to Johnson Park and access to all the common areas of the Grays River Valley Center, you can do so by contacting Penny Gregory at 465-2775. Sponsorships cost $60 per year and cover immediate family members. For a single person it is $45 per year. That allows you to use the exercise room (with a pool table as well) and the gymnasium whenever you want to.

The activity room and the kitchen and cafeteria are available for rent if you are looking for a large meeting place for a family gathering, wedding, reception, shower, birthday party, or other event for a reasonable fee. The outside grounds are great for picnics, barbecues, and baseball games, walking on the trail through the woods or just plain relaxing on the grass. If you are interested in reserving a date for a special occasion, please contact our events coordinator, Judy Durrah, at 465-2331 for details and availability.

Do you have an hour or two to spare each week? Why not do some volunteering at your Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park? We can always use your help. Let us know if you are interested and we can find a job for you, or if you have an idea for an activity you would like to lead, we would appreciate that as well. The more things we have going, the more fun we can have.

Over the next few weeks there will be some changes happening inside the building of the Grays River Valley Center, making room for more and better activities for you, the community. Stay tuned.

Not only has the Rosburg Store expanded its hours, they have also expanded their menus to include seven different pizzas as well as burgers and other sandwiches in a basket to eat there or take out. You can also purchase home grown eggs and fresh baked bread. The wheat and the sourdough are both delicious. Thanks to the Bolton family for all the efforts you have been making to please community members and those passing through.

The Rosburg Senior Lunch Bunch meets weekly at the Rosburg Hall for a friendly lunch and a nice outing with friends. Thanks to Pat Potter and her volunteer crew, these meals are made available for our seniors.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, senior meals are also served at the Rosburg Hall and are sponsored by CAP. The menu for this week includes Thursday-turkey pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots and mushrooms and strawberry shortcake; Tuesday-Swedish meatballs, egg noodles with kale, tossed salad and peach crisp; August 15- no lunch will be served so that seniors can attend the Wahkiakum County Fair.

Happy Birthday to the following celebrants this week: Bob Torppa, Rob Dalton, Carol Rose, Danielle Thompson, Roxanne Didion, Chuck Hendrickson, Scott Johnson, Ryan Wirkkala, Jakob Pakenen, Mike Bighill, Hannah Badger, Jeremy Bennett, Jason Genn, Kelli Revis, Kim Tarabochia, Debbie Bighill, Maia Wise, Rhonda Smalley, Carol Ervest and Anna Ehrlund. I wish you all a more-than-perfect day.

Happy anniversary wishes go out to Jeff and Amber Eaton, Gary and Lori Hamp, Andy and Kristi Mattson, Derrill and Michal Corbin, Robert and Shannon Maki and Greg and Karen Wirkkala. I wish you all many more celebrations together.

Prayers and hugs go out to the Gregory family, as Alan’s Dad isn’t doing well in Tacoma. We wish for the best, and know that he is being well taken care of with his family near him.

We had a nice visit with our nephew from California last week. We took him on a drive to Long Beach where he was amazed that he could drive his new Jeep Wrangler for miles on the beach. It was just a quick tour of the area but he has decided that he will be back again to see more of our beautiful country. He says he likes the desert in the winter but even though he was raised there, he doesn’t like the heat in the summer, so now he has another alternative to staying there in the heat. Thanks for a wonderful visit, Donnie.