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

WORK WEEK--At the start of this work week, it is definitely wet out there, so nobody has to go out and water the plants for a few days I guess. This dampness came on the heels of a very warm and toasty weekend, with Sunday being an especially muggy day, which just makes me wilt! While we're dealing with some raindrops right now, forecasters say we're going to zoom back up into some very high temperatures by the end of the week, so slather on the sunscreen, limit your time in the direct sun, drink those fluids and have a wonderful, fun-filled weekend as we bring in yet another month; can you believe it's June already?!

STILL OBLIVIOUS--I don't know how many people I've heard from who are still seeing and reporting animals being left in their vehicles during these sunny days. I can only guess that they hate their animals and want them to suffer and die a miserable death. Of course, if you were to accuse them of that, they'd say that they loved them so much that they have to bring them everywhere. Well, that's just crazy! Whether it be your pet, or your child or your elderly mom or grandma, don't leave them in the car on a warm day, period! If you see this happening, call authorities immediately as death can come in minutes. I hate to harp about this but trust me, thousands of people are still seen doing this exact thing, so I guess it's up to us to keep our eyes open and take care of the things they choose to put in harm's way.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from June 4-10 are Ryan Helms, Becca Keilwitz, Brenden McClain, Justin Andersen, Tori Wegdahl, Roger Davis, Blain Fritzie, Gwyn Heriford, Rodney Ingersol, Nick Danker, Lamar Blix, Chris Songer, Shannon Cochran and Colton Reynolds. Hope all your birthday celebrations are extra special this year!

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are David and Connie Shrum, Mr. and Mrs. Cleave Hedman, Mr. and Mrs. Al Bergseng, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly Melton and Mr. and Mrs. Skip Nortrup. May all your anniversary days be memorable!

NEW BIRTHDAYS--We've got some happy parents and grandparents as little Elle Britt came into the world on Memorial Day, May 25, and it goes without saying that this first baby was welcomed with lots of love and snuggles from her Mom Shannon and Dad, Lance Britt. You may know them as operators of the Skamokawa Resort and we are just tinkled pink for them! The little miss showed up a little early but she still weighed in at six pounds, 12 ounces, so that wasn't too shabby. I got to see baby Elle in the arms of her great uncle, Don Jester and it was great to see him out and about at the Duck Inn this weekend. Congratulations to everyone in the family!

A few days later on May 29, Asher David Daniel Frink arrived and he was a tiny little guy, weighing in at just four pounds and three ounces and was 17½ inches long. However, his Momma, Becca and Daddy Nathan Frink, say he's "tiny but mighty" and doing just fine and as we all know, they grow really fast, so he'll be right up there in no time. Congrats to the happy couple and some local grandparents: the Keilwitzes and Calverts.

FUND RAISER THIS FRIDAY--The former Drop Anchor Brewery in Cathlamet, now known as the River Mile 38 Brewing Company will host a benefit for Eric Bergseng this Friday, June 5 to help him in his battle with cancer. Money is going to be raised by selling raffle tickets for some items and there will also be a silent auction with a wide array of items from local artists and businesses to help this cause. The raffle items being drawn will start around 6:30 p.m., with the silent auction being held after that. Kelly Guest is the person in charge and you can contact her at 360-747-1141. Raffle tickets can be purchased from various businesses in Cathlamet and if you'd like to preview the items in question, they can be viewed at the Bank of the Pacific. An account has been set up there for Eric if anyone would like to donate directly to that. Once again, our Skamokawa Farmstead Creamery is offering up a wonderful array of hors d'oeuvres for the occasion, so if you haven't had a chance to sample their products, now's your chance to do that and help Eric fight this miserable disease called Cancer.

ON SATURDAY--For those of you who ordered strawberries from the Lions Club recently, we hope you'll remember that they are to be picked up this Saturday. There were two spots for picking them up: the parking lot near the Skamokawa Grange and up at the high school. If you don't wind up getting your order, they will be donated to charity, so beings you paid for them already, be sure to get to the appropriate place and get those yummy berries of yours!

REMEMBRANCE--Last Saturday, family members of the late Elinor Ellison Bridenhagen gathered at the Norse Hall to remember her with great fondness. It was good to see Bernice Tover Ellison and her son Glen, who had come down from Seattle, as did my cousin, Dave Pedersen and his wife, Ulana. Other family members of the girls came from as far away as Spokane so their efforts to attend were greatly appreciated.

FARMERS MARKET--As you may know by now, the Puget Island Farmers Market has begun, so you'll want to head there on Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. It is located at the Stockhouse farm at 59 West Birnie Slough Road. They have a wide array of items from fresh eggs, veggies and yes, you can purchase that great goat cheese from our Skamokawa Creamery if you haven't already picked it up at our local stores. While you shop, you can listen to the live music, or just sit back and enjoy the music after you've shopped. It's a fun place to meet your fellow neighbors and all those other folks who love fresh, locally grown/made food items.

GRADUATED--McKenna Spieth graduated from Linfield College last Sunday with a Bachelor of Science degree and a minor in Biology. Not only was she great at keeping up her GPA, but she did it while playing sports full time and got extra awards in leadership, etc., so her parents, Linda and Larry Spieth, are quite proud of her. You may recall that I mentioned her in a bit about going back east to play softball, and after going through all the divisions, regionals, super regionals and then nationals, the team came away with a third place trophy. Considering this meant that they finished the third best in the entire nation, that's not too shabby. It was quite a way to end one's four years of college softball. Congrats to McKenna and here's to bigger and better things to come as she sails off into this big wide world!

CAR SHOW--I hope you were able to come down and enjoy the car show that was held at the fairgrounds last Saturday, as boy oh boy, there were lots of cars and lots of people and yes, the weather was perfect! As we know, the weather is an iffy thing around here, as today it's very wet and this coming Saturday it's supposed to be in the 90's, so last Saturday's weather was just right! As usual, the Tischer/Kehrli combination did an outstanding job, as did all those that volunteered for the various positions needed to put one of these shows on. All of those that donated something and/or sponsored big prize tables are to be applauded as the array of items up for raffle was just awesome. Great job everybody! Kudos to those car clubs who came to visit our little town too, as it was so great to see them lined up in front of our businesses, as well as the ones in Cathlamet and from what I heard, everybody just loved staying in our hotels and resorts and they loved the Duck Inn as well as the brewery, so I'm guessing these first time visitors will return someday soon, and we certainly will be happy to have them back!

Next year the car show will be held June 4 so mark that down today and plan on another great time here next year! Don't forget to spread the word, as there's nothing like a personal invitation to motivate people to attend.

NOT THIS MONTH--The Class of '67 has been meeting regularly every month, but this is a reminder to all of my former classmates, that there will not be a get together this month due to a multiple of obligations elsewhere. However, next month is Bald Eagle Day, so we are going to meet at classmate, and Mayor, Dale Jacobson's house that Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. potluck. Give me a call if you have any questions, as the menu is already in the works with some ribs, chicken and some side dishes so filling in with your favorite dish will work out great. If you are able, please bring a folding chair and your beverage of choice. We hope to see you there!

Also, a little further down the road, there will be the 67'ers' camp-out in Sept. and you are welcome to bring a dish and join in the "Fireside Chat" on the evening of Sept. 26. This is always a fun time and we'll hope that the weather will co-operate for the get together!

SKAMOKAWA KIDS--For all you who went to school in Skamokawa, Gary Emery and the rest of your classmates want to see you on Aug. 22 at the upper covered area in Skamokawa Vista Park that afternoon. They will have their usual potluck gathering at 1 p.m., and if you have any questions, call Gary at 795-0884. Beings not everybody gets The Eagle (shame on them) please spread the word to all those you know who once attended school down here as I'm sure they'd want to attend if they knew about it.

BIG NIGHT OVER THE HILL--The Naselle Class of 2015 will graduate Saturday at 4 p.m., and we wish them a happy, and safe, graduation day as well and a hearty congratulations to all of them!

Don't forget: WA-KI-HI graduation is set for the next Friday, June 12.

NEWEST BUSINESS--I hope you have been able to check out the newest business in Skamokawa, as Ship Channel Coffee is just waiting for you to stop by their location in Skamokawa Vista Park and check out their cart and list of goodies. In case you missed their hours of operation, they are open Sunday through Thursday from 7:30 to 2 and then on Friday and Saturday 7:30 to 4. If you want some espressos, tea, Italian sodas, smoothies and more, this is the place to go! Let's keep Nicole Burkhalter and her sister, Rachel Katyryniuk busy while they're here as they'll be closing up shop in mid-September, so we want to make this worth their while! Good luck on this venture ladies!