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

SMOKY START--As this week began, it was a pretty smoky Sunday morning, and forecasters say that we'll have more of that until mid-week. When it's smoky, it's a good idea to limit our time outside and if we have to be out there, then buy a really good mask that can filter out the fine particles that can cause lung damage. I guess we can all hope and pray that these wild fires come to an end soon so we can all breathe a little easier and our brave, over-worked fire crews can catch a break as well.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Aug. 23-29 are Clarity Gabbard, Kay Walters, Bryce Heiner, Larry Havens, Kathy Durrah, Greg Parker, Lou Ann Hedges, Katie Phillips, Mike Vincent, Bob Wegdahl Jr., Addy Helms, Kathy Perkins, Linda Ougendal, Meredith Cothren, Judy Danielsen, Jim Robinson, Vance Mosteller, Kelly Nettles Recupero, Lori Martin Carroll, Dolly Hartley, Darrell Trotter, Wayne Bell, Sean Pedersen and 67'er Anita Blix Kangas.

Happy Anniversary wishes this week go out to John and Nicole McKinley, Larry and Lesley Horman, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Doumit, Mike and Sara Brown, Pete and Patti LaBerge and Don and Kathy Ross. Here's hoping all your birthday and anniversary gatherings are just awesome!

THIS FRIDAY--At the community center in Cathlamet this Friday there will once again be a free movie and popcorn night and the movies always start at 7 p.m. You can also bring in your own snacks to munch on. This week there is a Youth/Comedy movie, rated PG-13. For more details, stop by the center, which is located on Main Street next to the grocery store.

SATURDAY DANCE!--The "Irish Ceili Dance," is an evening of Irish music and Ceili dancing and it will be at the Skamokawa Grange Hall this Saturday, Aug. 25 and you're invited: 18 Fairgrounds Road. Take a quick lesson or two at 7:30 p.m., and then all the dancing begins at 8 p.m. Of course, you can just watch and listen if you want, as the Live Irish Band should lead to some real good toe tapping music! There is no set fee, but a donation of $5 or $10 would truly be appreciated to help cover expenses. Here's to the Irish!

IN THE BOOKS--Our 110th Wahkiakum County Fair has wrapped up and is over and done with for another year. I have to say, I thought the weather was pretty perfect for this year's fair.There was some great music and the crew at the food booth, operated by the Assembly of God Church, were kept hopping most of the time. I enjoyed listening to Kerrie McNally sing with the blues and rock band, "Rockfish." Also back to the area were former Skamokawa residents, Layton and Pam Elliott. Attending the fair is always a good time to visit with everybody, and that's what makes this "little" fair so unique, as it's still a true country fair without all the slick glitz that others may have, but leaves you with a filling of "country," rather than lamenting about your empty wallet! Kudos to all the kids who showed up with their animals and who either exhibited them, showed them or took part in things concerning the horse shows, etc., as it takes hard work and dedication to get good results in some of these competitions.

FAIR CHECKS--If you entered something into the fair and you were awarded some ribbons, you'll soon be able to pick up your Fair Premium Check at the fairgrounds office. They will be ready on Sept. 8 from 9 to 12, and if you can't make it that day, then the next time they'll be available to pick up will be Sept. 22 from 9 to 12. If you don't pick them up by then, they'll be mailed out, but why wait? When Sept. 8 comes around, they hope to see you at the office so you can accept that reward for all your hard work and great entries!

HELP FILL THE BOX--If you didn't get a chance to bring something to the fair for the School Supply box they had, don't worry, as you can still help teachers and students with their supply needs by dropping off things at the Cathlamet Pharmacy. It is hoped you will do your part in helping our teachers and students out with some basic supplies for the upcoming school year. They would truly appreciate your donation! The Pharmacy is open Monday through Friday and is situated in the middle of Cathlamet, so it's pretty handy to drop things off there.

50/50 POT--We hope you were able to stop by the Sons of Norway booth at the fair and take part in the "Split the Pot" fund raiser that they were holding. At their next Bingo game, which will be held on the second Saturday evening of the month in September at the Norse Hall at 6 p.m., they will sell more tickets and then draw the lucky winner. Here's hoping one of you reading this is the big winner of this cash prize. Keep your fingers crossed!

As a reminder, their next regular SON meeting will be September 5 at 7 p.m., on Puget Island at the Norse Hall.

SK. KIDS MET--This past Friday, the Skamokawa Grade School "kids" got together and had a good time chatting and sharing stories. I was told there were 31 students plus spouses, so there was a nice sized group at Skamokawa Vista Park. I got a call from Bud Holten who said he'd been down there and while I didn't know everybody, I saw that the Martin girls were there, Chris and Enid, the McClain kids: Steve and Susan, Karen (Gene) Healy, Gary (Pam) Emery, Sherry Emery Ostling, Don and Judy Marsyla, Marjorie Bunn, Vicki Neely Bergseng, David Cook and Joanne Cook Brockway, Ruth Durrah Doumit, Glen Weist, Julie Engleson, E.A. Quigley, Kent Martin and the Clevelands and more that I can't remember/or don't know. Sorry if I left you out, but as you can see, there was a very nice turn out and they had a good time at their reunion that day.

FINALLY IN--I talked to Irene Martin at the fair, and she told me some good news: She and Kent are so happy to be back home at their place in East Valley! In case you've forgotten, Kent and Irene suffered a terrible fire at their home about six months ago, so they have been displaced for all that time while repairs were being made. While they had a wonderful view and enjoyed their stay at the Skamokawa Resort, beings it was still "in town," we all know that there's just nothing like being back home. We were happy to hear that they'd finally gotten to move back there. However, according to Irene, it sounds like things are still not 100 percent back to normal at their residence, but it's come a long ways and at least they were able to move back into their "new, old place."

SAD NEWS--We were so sorry to hear that the Saturday evening ambulance call out to an East Valley residence, was to the home of long time friends, Jim and Betty Koziel. It was with great shock and sadness that we learned that Jim had suddenly passed away, and left his wife heart broken. We send our condolences and deepest sympathies to Betty and all of her and Jim's family members. I spoke with Betty's daughter, Brenda, and a service for Jim will not be held immediately, but instead, be delayed until probably October. They will let us all know when they have definite plans. In the meantime, we'll keep Betty in our thoughts and prayers as she deals with the loss of the love of her life.

THIS SUNDAY--If you were a friend, neighbor or co-worker of Joan Evenson, her family hopes that you'll come down to a Celebration of Life gathering on her behalf this Sunday, Aug. 26, at the Skamokawa Resort meeting room., which is located behind the Skamokawa Store. Joan was a neighbor of ours for many years before moving to Cathlamet and she was always willing to lend us a hand when we needed one and vice versa. She loved to work in her yard and garden and grew some beautiful dahlias. Joan just loved to go camping with her best buddy, her chocolate Lab, Abby, who was smart as a whip, and seemed to understand everything Joan said. I'm betting that they're gallivanting around together in the skies these days. If you knew Joan, please join the family from 2 to 5 p.m.

NOT LONG NOW--September 8 is going to be a busy day in Skamokawa, as for one, that's the usual Flea Market day at the Skamokawa Fairgrounds, and it begins at 9 a.m., and goes until 3 p.m. You can either shop for your "treasure" or maybe rent a table and sell some of your own for a little extra spending money, as if you get paid monthly, dare I say it: There's only four more paydays until Christmas!

Also on the same day but being held that evening, is the Friends of Skamokawa Wine Tasting and Auction event, "A Cornucopia of Wines" which will be held at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. This is the biggest yearly fund raising event held for the Redmen Hall/Central School building which is really important to the FOS group, as these historic buildings are really important to our community and monies raised at this event, goes towards its maintenance and restoration. We hope you'll not only donate something for this event, but plan on attending that evening. If you've never been to one, come on down, as it's lots of fun and it's an adults only event, so it will be good to get out and about with the grown-ups for an evening. There are lots of things to bid on, so whether you take part in the silent auction items or the live auctions, or both, you are bound to come away with a great item and you'll be supporting a worthy cause. Contact Redmen Hall for more information at 360-795-3007. They are open Thursday through Sunday, noon to four.

TRAGIC--I couldn't end this column without mentioning the tragedy that occurred on Saturday, Aug. 18, which closed a section of SR 4 between Skamokawa and Cathlamet for several hours due to a tragic accident just east of Messinger Hill. Sadly, two lives were lost and two others were seriously injured when their motorcycles were hit by an oncoming truck that crossed into their lane. It is with profound sadness that we extend our sympathies to all involved. We also want to keep those who had to deal with this horrific scene in our thoughts as well, as these sorts of accidents weigh heavily on their hearts and in the minds of officers and first responders. Once again this is a wake up call to all of us, that our lives may be taken in the blink of an eye, and lives changed forever. So, "Live, Laugh and Love" your way through this short time we have on this earth, as in the end, nothing else really matters.