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

SUPER NICE--This past weekend was super nice and it looks like we'll have some more great weather this week, although one forecaster did say we may get a bit of drizzle on the coast mid-week, but that is really up in the air as of this writing and totally depends on where you are located. I'm thinking we have it pretty good here in the Pacific Northwest!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthday from July 25-31 are Suzet Parker, Adam Fletcher, Kyler McKinley, Levi Helms, Ebby Blouin, Mike Anderson, Robert Fritzie, Carol Cooper, Jon Hauff, Mandi Knowles, Adrianna Ashe, Madison LaBerge, Brady LaBerge, Darcy Tischer, Tyler Burdick, David Eaton, Aaron Mahitka, Heather Kehrli, Jeff Lundborg, Natasha Twiet, Lesley Horman, Jennifer Blain Cochran, Caleb Holtz, Paula Monroe Olson, Hannah Davison and yours truly, Kay Chamberlain.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Jerry and Becky Ledtke, Tim and Sharon Schmitz, Brenda and Craig Nielsen and Bill and Kay Chamerlain. Here's hoping we all have spectacular celebrations for our upcoming birthdays and anniversaries!

FRIDAY MOVIE--The Community Center in Cathlamet will show another free movie this Friday, July 26 and it comes complete with free popcorn, so if you're an adult who likes historical dramas, then this one is for you. Movies always begin at 7 p.m., and you're welcome to bring in your own snacks.

NEXT BIG EVENT--If you like boats and cars and vendors and such, then mark August 3 and 4 on your calendar and find everyone in the area of the Elochoman Slough Marina for the Wooden Boat Show Festival, along with an Ugly Car Show at the River Mile 38 Brewing Co. The Kiwanis Club will begin the day with their annual breakfast at the marina's covered area from 8 to 10, so we hope you'll support them, as they do a lot of good works for our local area.

THINKING OF THEM--One of my fellow "slough rats" and a 67'er, Greg Lloyd, is laid up with some back problems and we hope he is feeling as good as new in no time. Another person who has had multiple back surgeries, with no relief, is Kelly Nettles Recupero, and she's asking for some prayers as she endures her fifth back surgery soon, so we will be thinking of her and hoping the results are much better this time around. We also wish for some speedy healing for one of our local artisans, as Kyle Gribskov is sporting crutches after a fall he took, so here's hoping he heals quickly.

BALD EAGLE DAY WRAP-UP--Wow, what a perfect day we had for this year's Bald Eagle Day festivities and what a great turn out! A great big congratulations to Megan and Stephanie for all their hard work, which brought more vendors to town than ever before; fantastic! I believe there were between 85 and 90 vendors so there was bound to be something you liked to eat. Then of course, there were t-shirts made to order and collectibles and multiple crafts people and on and on, so it truly was a very wide variety of booths that lined up along Main Street. Great job, ladies and kudos to all those who took the time to set up a booth or be in the parade, as I know how much work is involved in both. Here's to next year, July 18, 2020; write it down now!

67'ERS GATHERED--As the Bald Eagle Day parade got over, several members and honorary members of the Wahkiakum High School Class of 1967 gathered at the home of Dale Jacobson. Those attending this year were David West, Sharon McKie, Noni Gilbertsen Meredith, Nancy Jacobson Brady, Elaine Munson Rolf, Pam Below Lazor, Marnee Ostervold Davis, Don Marsyla, Keith Lawrence, Linda Holland Toste, Kathy Bond Peek and Mary Toste, who came the furthest by coming up from California, so that was a nice surprise.

We'll be adding another retiree to our list soon, as Noni Meredith will put an end to her 26 years of working at the Country Village in West Kelso. Congrats to her as she moves forward to the next phase of her life; she deserves a break!

We had several people stop by to chat, like Elaine's brother and sister, Alan and Gail and a friend, and Sheryl Irving McMahon, Dennis Emery, Don Doumit and Stoney Anketell; it's always fun to chat with them. Also stopping by was this year's National Anthem singer prior to the parade, WHS graduate and friend, Laurie Miller from Puyallup, so it was great to see her and chat a bit. She also got to chat with her cousin, Nancy Jacobson Brady who joined us 67'ers from Woodland.

The WHS Class of 1967 also donated enough money to buy a brick to have placed in their name in front of the Wahkiakum County Historical Museum so we were very pleased to be able to be "etched in stone" and help support the museum.

This year, most of the class has either turned 70 or will be, so the cake Elaine Munson Rolf had made up, that said, "The 67'ers turn 70! Happy Birthday!" was quite fitting. Of course, we are all wondering how we've gotten so old! With a little luck, we'll all be able to gather next year on July 18; same place and time, so spread the word and mark that down on your calendars.

ANOTHER WHS GATHERING--While I thoroughly enjoyed my WHS class gathering on Saturday, my hubby, Bill Chamberlain also enjoyed his yearly WHS gathering, but his "W" stands for Washougal, so he had to travel a bit further. As we get a little older, having separate class reunions may result in very few attendees, so Bill's gathering was an "All School" class reunion. While it's great to visit with old friends, realizing the loss of many since the year before always makes one a little sad. It's just another reminder to enjoy our friends and family while they're here, as tomorrow is never promised and they may be gone before you know it.

WHS 60th REUNION COMING UP--I got a call from Helen Keyser and she is spreading the word about the upcoming Wahkiakum High School Class of 1959's 60th class reunion on August 17 (Saturday) during the Wahkiakum County Fair. The Class of '59 will gather in the fairgrounds park at noon for a meet and greet/no-host lunch and they are inviting the classes of 1958-1960 to stop by and join them.

That evening, just the class of '59 will enjoy a no-host dinner at the Duck Inn at 5:30 to chat, with dinner at 6:30 p.m.

NICE CHAT--When I went to Seattle recently, I was able to stop by the home of Bernice Tover Ellison, and I certainly surprised her, as I had been up there in May so she hadn't expected me to stop by again so soon. You may recall that I said Bernice had celebrated her 93rd birthday in January, and I'm happy to report, she's still looking forward to turning 94, and delivering Avon products! One can never leave her house without something, and last time it was lefse, but this time, she'd just made a batch of berry jam so I was more than happy to bring that home with me. Thanks, Bernice!

CRUNCH TIME--With the first of August being just next week, it's really coming down to the wire for those of you who are thinking of entering things in the Wahkiakum County Fair. August 15, 16 and 17 will be upon us in no time, and entry dates for items are prior to that, so grab a fair book and check out those rules and regulations and all those various entry times for the different categories and I'll be looking forward to seeing your items on display!

CONGRATS--We've watched Marissa Apperson grow up from a little bitty wisp of a girl who used to help her Grandma Judy Smith at the Duck Inn years ago, to these days, where she will soon be graduating college. This cow loving, sharp shooting little dynamo will celebrate her big day soon as she graduates from Texas A & M University and of course, her folks, Mike and Myrna and her Grandma Judy are very proud of her! It's "watch out Texas" as the family heads there to be on hand to celebrate this terrific accomplishment. We offer Marissa our heartiest congratulations as she's overcome some serious health issues to reach this goal; You go girl!

FOS--We are certainly pleased to see that the painting job at the Redmen Hall is finished and this historic building is now looking better than ever, so the Friends of Skamokawa invite you to come down and check it out. While you're here, at Milepost 29 in Skamokawa, head up to the hall and check out their gift/book shop and the current display. Don't forget, they've got a big fund raiser coming up on the second Saturday in September and they'd love to have you attend, and I can tell you, these Wine and Auction events are lots of fun. Of course, they are hoping you'd be willing to donate an item for the auction as well, as the more things we have to bid on, the more fun bidding wars we can get in to! The hall is open Thursday through Sunday, noon to four. Call 360-795-3007 for more information.

SYMPATHY--We want to send our sincerest condolences to all of the family members and friends of Roger Davis, as I heard that he passed away this last weekend. Roger was always such a great, easy-going guy and we certainly are sorry to have him leave us. As of this writing, I don't know any details regarding his services.

Sympathies are also being sent to fellow 67'er, Scheris Knight Shephard and her family, as her mother, Dorothy Knight recently passed away. Sadly, it was just about this same time a year ago that her father passed away. Scheris and her sister, Brenda have our deepest condolences.

GREAT TIMING--As I was headed home from Seattle last week, I found myself feeling a bit weary, so with the Chehalis exit coming up, I zipped into the mall there. After getting refreshed a bit, I wandered in a nearby craft store. I was just about to check out, when a "clearance" sign on the other side of the store caught my eye and I opted to check it out. Nothing really caught my fancy so once again, I headed to the cashier counter, but as I passed a lady coming around the corner, I had to do a double take; is that someone I know? Sure enough, there was former Wahkiakum resident and all time Grays River Grange organizer, Donna Moody. What a chance meeting! I guess you just never know when that "sign" might steer you in the direction of an old friend.