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

A NEW MONTH--June is over and that means we're on the downhill slide to the end of the year, amazing! But first, we've got the summer to get through and if this heat keeps up, we're going to have a challenging one as water is already in short supply in some places and the fire danger is very high. The rains that showed up on Sunday were welcomed by some, but were a huge headache to others who had a lot of stuff sitting outside for their big sale day on Puget Island, as well as for those who were in the midst of hay season, and for them it couldn't have come at a worse time. I think most got lucky though and the rain wasn't too heavy so with Monday's sunshine, they should have been able to dry out those wet bales and get them in the barn; or we hope so!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from July 2-8 are Irene Martin, Patty Dursteler, Matt Helms III, George Exum, Debbie Kuller, Sandie York, Lee Wages, Cameron Cothren, Jaiden Mahitka, Tyler Heagy, Justin Hoven, Nathan Chamberlain and 67'er Dale Jacobson. Here's to wonderful birthday celebrations to all of you. Belated birthday wishes go out to McKenna Spieth who celebrated her big day last Thursday.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Donna and Glen Palmer, Steve and Lori Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Hap Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Arvid Blix, Mr. and Mrs. Al McClain, Lance and Heidi Souvenir, Rex and Veronica Gilbertsen, Paul and Mary Ann Ehrensberger, Skip and Vickie Irving, Gary and Pam Emery and 67'er Greg Lloyd and wife, Cindy. May all of you have wonderful celebrations as you make more memories on your extra special days!

ON STAGE FRIDAY--If you go to the Farmer's Market on Puget Island this Friday, you will find Skamokawa musician, Layton Elliott performing for your musical entertainment. It's neat to be able to listen to music and watch our locals perform, and even better that we can do it while we shop for a host of locally grown food items, a win, win there! There's also pizza, artisan breads, some local cheese made at the Skamokawa Farmstead Creamery and crafts, so go check it out and spread the word to all your neighbors and new folks who may not know about this! As always, the P.I. market at 59 West Birnie Slough Road is open Fridays, 3-6 p.m.

BIG HOLIDAY--This Saturday is the Fourth of July and everyone knows what that means: fireworks, BBQ's and lots of fun in the sun! With the first two, we hope you'll be careful with the BBQ embers and those fireworks, as things are tinder dry. You might check to see if there is even a ban on them by now, as the heat continues to put restrictions on things that could potentially cause a huge fire danger. If it's as hot as it says it's going to be, I hope everyone is being wary of too much sun for themselves and their pets. While burns are nasty, skin cancer is even worse, so while it's easy to think it won't happen to you, unfortunately, it's a common reality. Be sure to wear out the pets during the day, so that by evening they'll be tired and less likely to freak out about all the fireworks going off, and be sure to keep them in where they will be safe and not run away. It's a big, fun holiday and we want to enjoy the wonderful day minus any of the bad stuff so the more precautions you take, the better time you'll have this holiday weekend!

BOOK IT NOW!--With all this great weather, it's time to book a kayaking lesson or tour at Columbia River Kayaking located on Steamboat Slough in the Skamokawa Landing building! For detailed information, go to their website or give them a call at 360-747-1044.

SURGERY NEEDED--Many of you may remember my aunt Peggy Pedersen, who was my Dad's (Krist's) younger sister. She married Don Peterson and had three children and later, married Frank Clement and had a son, named Ron. Well, that young cousin, in his 40s, recently had two heart attacks in one day and wound up with open heart surgery at the end of last week. Thankfully, he is recovering nicely and should be able to have visitors soon and get out of the hospital in Seattle after a 7-10 day stay. It was certainly comforting to have so many positive thoughts and prayers being said on his behalf, so a big thank-you to one and all for doing that.

DOING BETTER--Gary Bergseng wanted to let everybody know that son, Eric, who is still in a Seattle hospital, is doing much better right now, so he and wife, Vicki are pleased to share that news. Eric cannot have visitors right now but they certainly appreciate all the well wishes and thoughts and prayers that have been said with Eric in mind. We trust he continues to get better with each passing day.

FOS EXHIBIT--Just a reminder that the Friends of Skamokawa have been able to secure artist Carol Peacock's works through the fourth of July weekend. Come in on Saturday and enjoy some refreshments and not only will you be able to see Carol's wonderful exhibit but you can enjoy a display of American flags put together by Keith Hoofnagle, who is the current archivist at the hall. Redmen Hall is open to the public from noon to four, Thursday-Sunday. Call 795-3007 for more info.

COMING UP SOON--Bald Eagle Days is just a couple weekends after this big holiday weekend, so we hope everyone is planning on attending and supporting this great, one of a kind event. There are several things that get combined with this event, like a chalk art contest by the Bank of the Pacific on July 17, and a breakfast by the Kiwanis Club at the marina on the 18th, an AM run/walk challenge, then a parade on Main Street, some Bingo by the Sons of Norway over at the Norse Hall in the early evening and then it's back to the marina for the fireworks at dark. On Sunday, there is the Ralph Rodahl Memorial Scramble at the local golf course, so there should be something for everybody. Spread the word; it's going to be another great event I'm sure!

CLASS of 1967--All members of the Wahkiakum High School Class of 1967 are reminded that after the Bald Eagle Day parade on July 18, everyone who ever was a part of the class of '67 is invited to a potluck mini-reunion gathering at Dale Jacobson's house on 2nd street near the marina. It's the house right after the dentist office. We will gather about 1 p.m. to eat and have a great time sharing stories over what's been going on with ourselves and family members since we last met. It should be great fun. We'll have chicken and ribs and salads, etc., so if you don't like those things, bring what you like instead and between all of us filling in with chips, dips, cake, etc., I think we'll be just fine. Bring your favorite beverage and a chair if you are able, but as always, we'll make do with whatever we have! Sharon McKie, who is going to be here from Florida, is excited to see everybody so spread the word to fellow classmates and we'll see you soon!

CLASS of 1970--Judy Marsyla wants to spread the word that there will be an informal class reunion at the Skamokawa Resort on Sept. 12, which will probably be a potluck. You can find out more by calling her at 360-425-4231 or emailing her at auntjude52@msn.com or contacting her on Facebook. All those who know about this gathering are asked to spread the word to other members of the class of 1970!

GREAT JOB--It's nice to see all the big wooden signs being repainted and brightened up as it's tourist season and it's nice to have all the area's big signs looking nice and bright and new, so we're giving out a big "thank-you" to each of the Tsuga Gallery members who did so much work on all these signs!

TRIPLE CELEBRATION--If you're celebrating your 25th wedding anniversary, a 50th birthday and Father's Day, what would be the perfect gift? Well, Pete and Katie Sechler, along with their four kids and two others, took a two week plus trip to Italy last month where they thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Rome was a big hit, with it's ancient historical buildings surrounded by modern craziness, while the villa they stayed in while in Tuscany was a magical place with spacious rooms, fantastic views and a huge swimming pool to enjoy the sunny days. While they stayed at the Villa they visited multiple small towns nearby and soaked up the culture and dined on the local food. From there, it was off to Florence, Monerosso, Cinque Terre, then they had a fantastic anniversary dinner and then it was back to Rome the following day on a train and after another day there, it was back to the airport to catch a plane back to the USA. It was quite a trip, and one which they will all remember forever, so that was some gift indeed!

Happy Fourth of July, everybody!