WARM ENOUGH?--This past weekend was plenty toasty for many of us, although I heard that right along the coastline, it was much cooler, which is probably why I saw a ton of traffic headed that way! When we are in the upper 80s and low 90s, it's way too warm for my liking but I know the heat lovers were thoroughly enjoying it. As we start this work week, we have cloud cover, which suits me just fine and I heard that temperatures that had been expected to be real hot, have now been forecasted for much cooler, so we'll see how it turns out, as by the time you read this, things could change again!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from July 19-25 are Luke Schmidt, Bev Moonen, Al McClain, Randy Montgomery, Stuart Bosch, Ella Doiron, Rick Benfit, Larry Hendrickson, Steve L. Doumit, Skip Nortrup, Lisa Hannah, Theresa Libby, Robert Roseberry, Chase Fritzie, Joel Galliard, Ruth Doumit, McKenna Longtain, Jerry DeBriae Jr., John Buennagel, Linda Wright, Ashley and Kelsey Hedges, Lesley Horman, Suzet Parker, Mandi Knowles, Frank Webb, Barbara Brewster, Molly Jorgensen, Julie Pedersen and Art Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Andrew Emlen and Audrey Petterson, Janet and Rick Bryan and Mark and Patti Phillips. May all of your special days make memories that will last a lifetime!

FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIE--The free movie and popcorn night will take place on July 20, and is a drama suited for all ages. All movies start at 7 p.m., at the Community Center in Cathlamet.

Speaking of the center, it now has new hours: Monday through Wednesday: 9 to Noon; Thursday 9 to 1 and Friday:11 to 1 p.m. (But then reopens for the Friday movie later that evening!)

BULL RIDING--The Challenge of Champions, Professional Bull Riding event is here this Friday evening, and we hope everyone who loves the excitement of that sort of thing, comes down to the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds at 7:30 p.m. This is a first for our area, so if you like bull riding, this is the perfect time to come and check this all out without having to travel very far, plus the price was very reasonable, $15 if you bought them prior to the event, and $20 the day of the event.

BIG WEEKEND HERE--Time has come for the 37th Annual Bald Eagle Days this weekend! Actually, some of the action starts on Friday, as there will be a Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest, the Farmer's Market in the Elochoman Marina and the Tsuga Gallery birthday celebration all in Cathlamet. But as stated above, there will be the bull riding event down here later in the evening, so there's a lot to do that day to kick this big event off.

Then on Saturday, July 21, we have the super special, awe-inspiring and totally unique Bald Eagle Day celebration with its varied array of vendors with crafts to sell and food to eat, and other things to see and do, like making ceramic hand prints at the museum, games, waterball and more, and then it's all topped off by some fantastic fireworks at the Marina once it gets dark! There are posters all around town with a full schedule, or go online or on Facebook and you can see it all there. We hope you've shared this wonderful event with your family and friends and we hope to see you there!

BINGO--The Sons of Norway are hoping that after all the hoopla of the parade and vendors and things in Cathlamet on Saturday, that they will take an evening break before the fireworks later that night, and head over to Puget Island, where they can sit and enjoy some bingo. The cards are $5 and the bingo winners receive cash prizes, so that might come in handy for having a little more fun later on in the evening!

REDMEN HALL--If you're between events in Cathlamet, you may want to venture to Skamokawa and check out the exhibit at the River Life Interpretive Center at the historic Redmen Hall/Central School building located on the north side of the highway at milepost 29; you can't miss it! They are open from noon to four, Thursday through Sunday. Call 360-795-3007 for more information.

CLASS WILL MEET--The members of the Wahkiakum Class of 1967 will meet after the Bald Eagle Day parade, (approx. 1 p.m.) at the house of our classmate on 2nd street. We are planning a little boat trip on the Columbia this time, so it should be fun. If you are a 67'er, and you want more information, give me a call at 360-795-3425.

MINI REUNION--Pete and Lisa Sechler got to meet with their Uncle John Sechler and Aunt Terry earlier this week, after John and some of his buddies from the music world back in the day got together at Porky's in Longview for an old-fashioned jam session. John was out here visiting from Florida, and it was a good time to meet with his niece and nephew and have a little fun with some of his old buddies as well.

Back in the 60s, John played in a band called, "The Chessmen," along with his brother, Ray, and they played at the Norse Hall a few times and even for a dance at Wahkiakum High School. Back then, garage bands were playing eveywhere and the Granges and halls around our area had dances going on all the time, so we kids were always dancing it seems. With new dances being invented all the time, like the Mashed Potato, the Twist, the Swim, the Jerk, and many more, it was a real fun way to get your exercise! Ahh, those were the good ole days!

COYOTES--Sadly, our neighbors lost a cat and a small dog to coyotes the other evening, right in front of them while they were standing on their porch, so that is so sad and we sure were sorry to hear that. The Scuito's children are truly devastated. With huge packs of coyotes out our way, one must take extra caution with our smaller family pets or they will be easy prey for the cunning coyotes. If you've got to let your critters out, it might be that you'll have to be out with them and keep them on a short leash as it seems the coyotes have gotten so bold that our nearby presence doesn't deter them.

MUSEUM--I got a chance to be a docent at our Wahkiakum County Historical Society Museum in Cathlamet recently and it was great fun. I met some new people and some even had links to our county, with an Emery and Kelly connection, so that was neat. They had a good time checking out the pictures and looking through some paperwork; always fun to check out one's family roots! The museum is truly a treasure for our county but without any funds from the county or the city, it could sure use some help. Could you possibly spare a few hours one weekend to take on the host/hostess/docent job? It's easy and fun and even educational, so if you could, please call Kari Kandoll at 360-849-4353.

If it's not possible to help that way, a donation of any amount would make it possible to keep the doors open. You can send them to the WCHS at 65 River Street, Cathlamet, WA 98612. Let's all pitch in to help preserve this historical, educational and local treasure. If you'd like your donation, "set in stone," you can buy a brick and have your name put on it, or buy one in memory of someone who has passed on, or truly loved our area and supported the museum. Your generosity would be deeply appreciated and go to a very worthy cause.

GOOD THOUGHTS--We are sending get well wishes to Rena Brookshire Havens, who has been having some medical issues lately, and had to make a trip to the hospital, so we hope she's feeling better by now. We've had a couple other folks who had to make a trip to the doctor or the hospital or even an emergency clinic, and while they do not wish to be named, we want them to know that we are thinking of them as well, and hope their health is improving every day!

COMING RIGHT UP--It won't be long and a couple of big events will take place. One is the Art Festival in Cathlamet, Aug. 3 and 4, and this "A River of Art" event is sponsored by the Tsuga Gallery. They will begin this event on the evening of the third with food and music and then the next day, there will be art classes, kids activities, authors and poets and an art walk on Main Street. This all hooks up with the Wooden Boat Festival, which takes place Aug. 4 and 5 at the Elochoman Marina and starts off with the Kiwanis Club breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m., on Aug. 4. This should be a fun time for everybody.

FAIR TIME--The two prior events are a warm up to another really big event of the year for our county, the Wahkiakum County Fair! It will take place at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds, Aug. 16-18. I hope you're planning on attending and you’re thinking of what to enter. Get those kids busy and have them enter things too. Remember, ribbons mean money and who doesn't want some of that? Fair books are out and you can read all the rules and regulations and the dates of entry in that. Don't miss out and don't get your item dismissed due to not reading the rules and the different dates for entering the various items. It's going to be great! We'll see you at the fair in less than a month. It's only $6 for a three day pass, so it's a great deal.