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

COOLER--This week began with some clouds but no rain, and Monday wound up much nicer than they said it was going to be as we even managed to get the lawn mowed before noon when the heavier cloud cover came in! By the time you read this, we're supposed to be warming up a little more so here's to some more summer weather coming our way for those sun lovers or for those who need some dry days to get that hay in, get the house painted, get the new roof on and of course, play at the beach in the sunshine!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from July 21-27 are Stuart Bosch, Brian O'Connor, Randy Montgomery, Suzet Parker, Al McClain, John Buennagel, Diane Stockhouse, Linda Wright, Lesley Horman, Jon Hauff, Carol Cooper, Skip Nortrup, Lisa Hannah, Raedyn Grasseth, Steve L. Doumit, Joel Galliard, Tanner Bergseng, Ruth Doumit, Ashley and Kelsey Hedges, McKenna Longtain, Mandi Knowles, Darcy Tischer, Frank Webb, Jerry DeBriae Jr., Julie Pedersen, Molly Jorgensen, Big Art Pedersen and Mrs. Ralph (Peggy) Pedersen. Here's to super special days for all of you!

Belated birthday wishes to Ron Miller who had a double five birthday last week and last Sunday, Kalei Ahrndt Myers celebrated her 28th birthday, so here's hoping they had terrific celebrations on their special days.

Celebrating their anniversaries this week are Andrew Emlen and Audrey Petterson, Becky and Jerry Ledtke, Rick and Janet Bryan, Mark and Patti Phillips, Mike and Erla Crouse and Joel and Jessie Havens. Happy Anniversary to all of you!

NICE CELEBRATION--John and Mary Gustafson just celebrated 50 years of marriage and they celebrated the occasion by going to Port Angeles and taking the ferry up to Victoria BC in Canada where they stayed for a couple of days before returning home. They had a wonderful Italian dinner out on their special evening and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and getaway, so kudos to them for getting to celebrate this landmark anniversary!

NEW ADDITION--If you've been to Skamokawa Vista Park lately, you'll notice a new set of swings, which is a nice addition to the existing play area. It's so great when people step forward and donate things for the enjoyment of others, so a big thank-you goes out to Wally Wright for donating them, as well as helping with all the prep work to be able to get them set up properly. Well done; great job!

I couldn't be there to take any pictures, but over the Fourth of July celebration, there was a parade around the park with lots of kids and parents joining in as they circled the park in honor of Independence Day. The park is always busy this time of year, and with each addition and more planned, the park is just a huge hit. I always enjoy hearing from the people who just discovered Skamokawa. They just love the beach, our general store, the paddle board and kayak rental place (503-791-9619) just across the highway from the park and more, so we're happy to have them spread the word and keep our jewel of a park hoppin'! From May through September, the SVP office hours are Monday-Saturday 9 to 5 and Sundays 10 to 3, so call 795-8605 with any inquiries you may have regarding the park or campsite availability.

FIRST TIME RIDER--Jeff Brewster spent the night in Skamokawa with his family after he took part in his first STP (Seattle to Portland) bicyle ride this past Saturday. He did the trip in two stages, getting from Seattle to Vader the first leg and then finished off the next day. It's always great to finish a "first ever" attempt, so kudos to him! He spent the night at his sister, Connie and her hubby, David Shrum's place here in Skamokawa, so the family had a good visit together as well.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT--There's always plenty going on around the area, and with August creeping up on us in no time, you'll want to watch for "National Night Out Against Crime" events, which take place on Aug. 2 around the nation. We hope you may consider having a block party or community gathering to meet and greet one another, as I'm not sure what all is taking place here officially this year. Considering recent events, please give your thanks to those who put their lives on the line every day, as they have truly had to overcome some difficult times lately.

ALL SCHOOL REUNION--Don't forget, August 13, at noon, at Wahkiakum High School, there will be a potluck, finger food, kind of gathering in recognition of the 100 year Commemorative reunion/anniversary of the school, so bring your classmates and let's celebrate! Susan McClain Kuhn is in charge and says there will be tables and chairs but if you'd like to bring your own, that will be fine too. According to Susan, special t-shirts remembering this occasion should be available to purchase.

COUNTY FAIR--"Catch the Fair Bug" is the theme of the 108th annual Wahkiakum County Fair. We hope to see you on at least one of the three fair days, Aug. 18-20 at the fairgrounds in Skamokawa. Volunteers are always needed to take tickets at the entry booths or help at the food booths, so call and leave your name and phone number if you can help out 795-3480.

As always, the first day of the fair, Thursday, is Senior Citizen/Red Hat Day where they get in free until 4 p.m .; Friday is Kid's Day where kids under 12 get in free until 4 p.m., and the last day is Armed Forces Day, where those with military ID get in free and it's also the big salmon BBQ day. Plus, this is the day of the last of the three part Silver Buckle Series, so that should be great fun and with a fancy silver buckle at stake, I'm sure all the riders would love to win it. So, as you can see, with animals, music, food, exhibits, etc., there will be something for everybody. See you at the fair!

IMPORTANT DEADLINE TOMORROW--Speaking of the fair, all animals must have their pre-entry forms turned in by July 22. That's tomorrow, so don't mess up and get left out. Those entering horses are encouraged to read the fair book instructions regarding horses very carefully!

B.E.D. RECAP--The skies were a bit cloudy and just about an hour before the Bald Eagle Day parade was to begin, the skies opened up and it got pretty wet. Thankfully, the shower didn't last long and the skies cleared up, it dried out and warmed up and the parade took place with nary a drop falling on the crowd, so that was great timing. Main street was once again bustling with folks who came to take part in the festivities or to see their friends or family, or go to reunions, so it's always a great time to get together.

The WA-KI-HI Class members of 1966 were celebrating their "golden" class reunion, and they looked like they were having fun riding on a fire truck in the parade!

As I was walking along, surprise, I ran into another alumni, and former Cathlamet resident, Abby Buennagel, who now resides in Las Vegas, so that was an awesome surprise! She says it's been 108 degrees down there, so this cooler weather was a nice break for her. I also got to yak at her Aunt Mary Wingate for a minute, who many of you know from working in the Cathlamet Pharmacy.

I ran into another former resident and WA-KI-HI alumni, Laurie Miller, who had come down from Sumner and stayed with the Thomas family during the B.E.D. event. She not only had a great time here but she was also lucky, as she won one of the cash pots at bingo that evening at the Norse Hall. She had also just gotten some wonderful news, as out of 300 contestants, she was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the upcoming Washington State Fair. To top it off, she'd be performing that just prior to country star, Tim McGraw's performance, so she was thrilled about that. Congratulations to her for this achievement! If any of you get a chance, head to Puyallup to hear Laurie sing. All that WA ST Fair info will be online.

67'ERS' RECAP--One of those classes getting together during this past weekend was the Class of 1967. We met down by the marina at the home of Dale Jacobson and while it wasn't a big group, attending were Keith and Karen Lawrence-Kelso, David and Kathi West-Cathlamet, Nancy Jacobsen Brady-Woodland, Sharon McKie-Naples, Florida, Elaine Munson Rolf--Rainier, Ore., Linda Holland Toste-Wesport, Wash,, Kathy Bond Peek-Ellensburg, Pam Below Lazor-Cathlamet and Kay Pedersen Chamberlain of Skamokawa. Stopping by to visit were Mike Lawrence, Mike Bain, Janelle Peterson Bond and a couple of Dale's friends as well. The potluck table was full of great salads and snacks and terrific chicken from our local Chevron station. As usual, we had an enjoyable day visiting and catching up and also wishing Sharon McKie a very Happy 67th Birthday that very day. She even brought her own cake, which was filled with two pounds of chocolate mousse frosting, wow! It was nice of her to share with all of us, including the other July birthday "kids": Dale J., David W. and yours truly! Sharon lives in Florida and we don't get to see her much, so it's always a pleasure to visit with her. It's also the perfect time for her to come and see her Mom (Oregon), attend the Bald Eagle Day festivities and see a lot of other family and friends, as well as share this mini-reunion with us. She says she's still in the real estate business and will continue on "till she dies," so she obviously loves her work! She said her home in Florida was heavily damaged due to one of the massive storms that came through but they're plugging away at fixing all the damage, so we hope that she's able to get that all done soon. Of course, here's really hoping no other storms come up to undo all their progress!

One of our classmates, Kathy Bond Peek, just got moved from up around Arlington to east of the mountains in Ellensburg, where she's now closer to some of her younger grandkids, which includes a set of twins, so that will be fun for her. She is also a very prolific quilt maker and we all took advantage of her bins of various colors, designs and sizes and picked out a favorite--or two! A big thank you to her!

It seems July is always a busy time for Keith Lawrence and wife, Karen, as they were once again in the midst of another remodeling project at this time. What was really funny was that when she mentioned their favorite plumber, it just happened to be our very own local guy, Rob Brown, who had also been a neighbor of mine. Small world isn't it?!

With the 100 Year Commemorative All School Reunion taking place on August 13 at Wahkiakum High School at noon, the monthly luncheon that the group usually has, was pushed to September 17 at Izzy's in Kelso at 1 p.m. All 67'ers are invited to join in the fun!

The group took this opportunity to make plans for next year's gathering which would be their 50th (golden) class reunion. At our age, easy seemed to be the highlighted feature, so what's easier than just doing what we've been doing? Well, nothing! So next year, we'll be right back at Dale's place, enjoying a potluck after the Bald Eagle Day parade. Having to co-ordinate a fancier dinner or spending a lot of time and energy planning it, or spending more money to get it all decorated and money to attend it, well, it just didn't seem to be high on anyone's priority list, so easy it is! If all goes as planned, and the B.E.D. events are at their usual time, July 15, 2017 will be our big, golden anniversary WA-KI-HI reunion day for the Class of '67; 1:30 at Dale's place. Mark that down 67'ers!