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

BEEN NICE--I hope you were able to take advantage of the nice weather we had last weekend as it was prime time for traveling to the beach or working in the yard. It seems there were tractors and mowers running everywhere, so I know many folks were extremely busy. With the warmer weather comes the reminder about not leaving animals or children in your vehicles as even 70 to 75 degree temperatures can be lethal for them. We also need to remind ourselves to start slathering on the sun screen.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 23-29 are Marie Allen, Alyssa Braman, Susan Kuhn, Kent Martin, Mike Snow, Tom Blalock, Debbie McClain, Kelly McClain, Shannon McClain, Macie Helms-Masterson, Carrie Backman, Nathan Kincaid, Delaney Doumit, Seth Doumit, Sarah Doumit, Darren Olsen, Shawn Woods, Mike Swift, Emma Keithley, Mary Vik, Aaron Bernard, Max Scudder and 67'er Dennis Havens. Belated birthday wishes to Mike Lawrence who celebrated his birthday last Monday.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Kent Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Justin Robert, Erval and Carol Cooper and Robert and Melody Blain. May all of your special days be memorable this coming week.

As you can see, we'll be coming to the end of yet another month while it seems this one just began! If you have a special day that you think I may not have on my list, give me a jingle and we'll get it marked down.

BIRTHDAY TREAT--Former Wahkiakum county resident, Gwen Good Ronninghaug just recently had a birthday and she said she treated herself to a 14 day stay in the Canary Islands to celebrate, so that sounded like a great idea to me! Gwen currently resides in Norway and while she has a beautiful view of the fjords from her deck, she was enjoying a little different view there of sandy beaches and turquoise waters, while relaxing by a gorgeous pool. Way to go Gwen; nice gift!

LUNCH--The two 67'ers that I have listed for May birthdays include Linda Holland Toste, as well as my gone, but not forgotten, cousin Ray Pedersen. All 67'ers are invited to join the "no host" lunch gathering at the Masthead in Longview on May 8 at 1 p.m., to celebrate Linda's special day and remember Ray as well. If you are a 67'er and have a May birthday that did not get mentioned, please give me a call so I can get you included on my list, as I know it's not complete!

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT--If you like that full band sound, which includes a great saxophone player, then you'll want to head to the Duck Inn this Friday night as the King Brothers will be playing there. They play a lot of different kinds of music but the golden oldies of the 60's are my favorite and they always get the audience up and dancing, so it's a fun evening out with your friends who like good music.

COMING SOON--With our mild winter and almost summer-like spring, I have been told by Lions Club member, Carol McClain, that their big strawberry sale will be early this year. They don't have an actual date set just yet, but they wanted to get the word out now so that you will watch for their order slips that will be here in The Eagle, and in local stores, as they don't want you to miss out on this great berry sale. Also, the proceeds go to help the many programs being supported by the Lions Club so they could definitely use your support.

KAYAK TIME--All this nice weather has brought out the water enthusiasts, so if you're into fun and exploring on the water, it's time to call Columbia River Kayaking and get enrolled in one of their tours or classes. There is something for everybody, from beginners to the experts, so if you are new to the sport, there's a class for you, or if you're an expert already, why not join them for their Advanced Road Scholar program. Either way, there's a program for you! Check them out online or call 360-747-1044 for all your questions and information.

CONDOLENCES--We send our deepest sympathies to the family of Jim Mast who passed away last Friday. Jim's Mother and my Grandma Everest were very dear friends and I can remember going to their house with my grandma when I was little. When I moved back to town, Jim was one of the people I first met up with again, as he was working for Troy Laundry at the time and he came to pick up the sheets and towels at the Hotel Cathlamet which my Mom and step-Dad owned at the time. That was definitely awhile back! Over time, many school kids got to know him as their bus driver and many more folks, from near and far, got to know him from his time working at the Elochoman Slough Marina. Needless to say, just about everybody knew Jim from one place or another and he'll be missed by all.

PRAYERS REQUESTED--Pam Elliott has asked for all of her friends and family to please be thinking of her and saying a few prayers on her behalf as she's having some medical difficulties and so far, after several tests at different hospitals, there have been no answers. When one has a problem but no actual diagnosis given and no solution offered, it's just all so frustrating and scary, so we hope the doctors find Pam's problem and in the meantime, we'll say a few prayers on her behalf.

We'll continue to hope and pray that Kelly R. gets some pain relief soon, and Stephanie P. and Peggy P. sound like they could use some good thoughts and prayers said on their behalf, and cousins, Pamela P. and Sandy M. are being thought of right now as both are dealing with some very serious health problems too. For all those dealing with various issues who wish to remain anonymous, we'll be thinking of you as well.

Recovering nicely from their recent knee or hip surgeries are Janelle Gilligan, Linda Toste, Sharyl Iblings and Shari Parker, so we are happy to hear that they are doing so well and soon they will be going gung-ho once again. Physical therapy is not always pleasant but necessary for recovery, so these gals are doing great and will be enjoying those new knees and hips more and more each day. We send them our best wishes for continued healing and mobility.

FIVE WEEKS--The Wahkiakum Co. Fairgrounds will be roaring to life in just five short weeks, as the Saturday after Memorial weekend means the Wahkiakum Dollars For Scholars Rods and Reels car show will take place and we sure hope we get another sunny venue for it. May 30 will see cars and trucks of all makes and models cruising through town and settling at the county park and fairgrounds area, where good food, good music, fun games, free trout fishing for the kids and fantastic prizes will be on hand. All monies earned go toward scholarships for our Wahkiakum High School kids, so you can have a great time and support a good cause too. You can look this event up online or contact Lee Tischer (360-430-4377) if you want to know more.

MORE BIG DOINGS COMING UP--As fast as the time is flying, it won't be long and we'll be having a couple of very big, and special events in our county, namely Bald Eagle Days in July and our Wahkiakum County Fair in August. I've been hearing rumblings about how great things "used to be" at these two events, but that recently, they just don't seem to be the same. I don't know for sure what people expect out of these events, but, for those that seem to think they need something else to make them better, then I would expect them to be at the planning meetings, help out with the preparations for it, volunteer hours and hours of their time toward making it better and that includes putting up some of their own money, or raising it via fund raisers, so that they could have something there that they would like to see and enjoy. As they say, "actions speak louder than words," so if you think these events could be better, then go ahead and prove it by becoming involved in it!

REUNIONS--One great thing I like about both of the events mentioned above, is that it is a time that former alumni gather and others use that time to hold family reunions as well. One of our former classmates, Sharon McKie, sounds like she's going to be in the area then, so several of us hope to get together with her. If you're wanting some places to stay, you'd better start booking now, as places start filling up rather quickly during those times. I hope you don't forget the Skamokawa Hotel and Resort when thinking of places to stay, not to mention Skamokawa Vista Park and all the B & B's in the Skamokawa area like The Inn at Crippen Creek Farm, Inn at Lucky Mud and Twin Gables B & B; but call soon!

NOT GREAT TIMING--It was pretty discouraging to find out that a fairly new, yet big event that folks seem to enjoy, the "Cathlamet Downhill Corral," has been scheduled in the area on almost the same days as the Wahkiakum County Fair. With only a few exceptions (due to the State fair) our fair is held at the same time, the third week of August which includes a Thurs.-Sat. in it. This year, the fair is from Aug. 20-22 and the longboarding event is Aug. 21-23. It's impossible to be in two places at the same time and I'm afraid that both events may suffer, but maybe folks will find a way to attend both. Hopefully next year we won't have this conflict of interest so we can all fully enjoy both events.