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

NIPPY--As this week began, we had some very chilly temperatures and depending on where you were, you were either in the mid-20s or low 30s, and most of us had a whole lot of frost if you were in those "freezing zones"; brr! Certainly feels like winter is here, rather than fall.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Oct. 31-Nov. 6 are Elaine Britt, April Murdock, Miley Montgomery, Aubrea Helms, Brad McNally, Ginger Moonen, Britt Boldt, Pete Cooper, Mitchel Vik, Marsha Souvenir, Ryan Vincent, Anna Kuhn, Gary Quigley, Jessie Hoven, Ashlynn Grasseth, Kennan Lindsey, Michael Watkins, Diane Tischer, Carol Carver, Chelsea Paulsen, Hanna Eaton, Jesse Holm, Starla Hanson, James Turner, Libby Davison Bach and Linda Palmer Spieth.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Ed and Sue Edminster, Mr. and Mrs. Tim Dickson, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Wegdahl and Brittney and Jesse Haddix. May all your birthday and anniversary celebrations be super special this coming week!

HALLOWEEN!--It's Thursday and it's Halloween time, so here's hoping you bundle up those little ones (and yourselves) real good tonight and here's to a safe and fun Halloween night. It's absolutely amazing to me that this month is over already and we've got Thanksgiving coming up in less than a month, and Christmas will be here in less than two months!

A lot of folks have been to early Halloween parties, and I know a couple of winners at the recent Duck Inn party included Marissa Longtain and Theresa Kuljis, so they were certainly happy! I haven't heard who the other winners of the various contests and raffles were, but I did hear about those two. Speaking of the Duck, don't forget to bring your kids by there this evening, as they'll be handing out treats, so here's to a safe and fun time out trick or treating as we wrap up another holiday for the year!

Plus, this is Neewollah Days in Cathlamet, so be sure to head to the Bank of the Pacific and get in on their kids and pets costume contest. This takes place from 4 to 5 but the sign up for the contest is at 4 and the drawing for kids prizes at 4:30 and a fun pinata time and balloon artist at 4:45, so don't miss out on the fun. Plus, the businesses will be handing out treats on Main Street!

REMINDERS--Here's just a quick reminder that the Lefse making at the Norse Hall on Puget Island begins today, Oct. 31 and you can buy other Norwegian goodies there too through Saturday. Here's hoping you get a chance to either learn how to make the lefse, or at least buy some. They have ready made or the rounds, so you can put as much butter/sugar and cinnamon in them as you want! Either way, come to the Norse Hall and enjoy those Norwegian goodies!

FRIDAY MOVIE--The first free movie of this new month actually falls on November first, and they are starting it out with a comedy that is PG-13, but suited for everyone so if you like a free night out, with a free movie and free popcorn, here's your chance. All movies begin at 7 p.m., at the Community Center in Cathlamet.

WALK N KNOCK--This Saturday, the Wahkiakum Lions Club members and their helpers will be out collecting food and toiletries (soaps, toothpaste, etc.) beginning about 9 a.m., so please have your items ready for them to pick up, and if possible, you can just leave them (clearly marked) on your front porch. This is a huge food drive for the community and with Thanksgiving coming up, and Christmas too, they could really use your help. If you'd rather hand them a check when they come by so they can buy the things they may be short on, you can do that too. You could also mail them one at P.O. Box 214, Skamokawa, WA 98647 and note on it that it is to go to the food drive.

CHANGE CLOCKS--It's time to reset those clocks as we "fall back" this weekend! So, before you go to bed on Saturday night, it's just easier to set those clocks back an hour, and enjoy that extra hour of sleep that you lost in the spring. Of course, that means it's going to be quite dark very early after we change, so it's going to mean turning on those headlights even earlier from now on.

SERVICES THIS SUNDAY--We received the sad and tragic news about the passing of 23 year old Kelsey Hedges this past Saturday, and like everyone else, we were totally shocked. It's tough enough to lose our loved ones, but when they are so young, and it's so unexpected, it's even worse. We want to send our sincere condolences to the Hedges, Johnsons, McNallys and Blain families, to name a few, as their loss has hit them especially hard.

Kelsey's service is going to be held this Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m., at the St. James Family Center in Cathlamet, 1134 Columbia Street. (Be sure to remember the time change that day.) In honor of Kelsey, attire for the event should be the colors of: red, white and blue, as she was known as the "all American girl," who brought so many smiles to so many people and joy to everyone who loved her.

MORE SYMPATHIES--We also learned of the passing of Don Witham, last Wednesday at the age of 76. He had been employed by the WA. State Fisheries department for over 30 years, was a reserve officer with our Wahkiakum County Sheriff's office at one time, as well as a member of the Cathlamet Fire Department and who was also a WHS graduate. He was the son of Walter Witham and Nina Snyder Witham, and leaves behind a son and a daughter and many other family members. His services will be held Nov. 8 with the Steele Funeral Home in charge. Our sincerest sympathies go out to his entire family.

DECK THE HALL--As I said, time is flying by and soon it will be time to "Deck the Hall" when the Friends of Skamokawa host their annual three week holiday event from Nov. 29 through Dec. 15. Vendors are needed for this event and if you'd like to participate, you need to submit items to the hall no later than Nov. 25 by 4 p.m. This is the perfect time for all artisans and crafts people to come and set up their wares and sell them, and of course, the more the merrier. The best part is, vendors do not need to be there, they just need to bring them in and members of the FOS will do the selling during that three week time. This holiday sale will be in the River Life Interpretive Center, located on the second floor of the Redmen Hall/Central School historic building.

STAR PROGRAM--Every year there are trees set up around our area with stars on them from those families who have kids that may not be able to have a very merry Christmas, and which you can take a star, buy the gifts listed and help make somebody's holidays so much brighter. Starting today, Oct. 31, those of you who think you qualify for this program, can go to the Sheriff's office in the Cathlamet courthouse, or the Health and Human Services office on Elochoman Valley Rd., and get an application to fill out. I don't know the exact qualifications, but the above agencies will fill you in. These applications must be filled out and turned in by Nov. 25 so that the shoppers have time to purchase things prior to the holidays and of course, to take advantage of the many sales that go on around that time as well. If you can't get out and about to shop, they do accept checks so that designated shoppers can fulfill the wishes of these children listed on the stars. Won't you please help bring a little joy into a child's life, by picking a star or donating money to this wonderful program? I know we have a generous community, so let's pick those trees clean and have all those star wishes come true!

FUND RAISER--The Wahkiakum Fair Foundation is having a Lasagna Dinner at the Hope Center in Cathlamet on Nov. 16 from 1 to 4 p.m., so if you want to leave the cooking to someone else that day, here's your chance to skip the cooking and the dishes and support the fair! In case you didn't know, the center is located on the corner of 3rd and Maple streets in Cathlamet.

TURNED NINETY--While the weather was decent and the occasion was special, we made a quick trip to Yakima where we met with many family members and friends of Bill's Aunt Barbara Shaver, who gathered to celebrate her 90th birthday. When you reach that age, and you're still doing good and looking good and baking pies for your own party, well, it's definitely a time to celebrate. Also there was Bill's sister, Karen Blain and husband, Jim from Benton City, and also Darrell and Roberta Trotter from the Rosburg area, as through a "long story" and a strange twist of fate, wound up being friends with Barbara as well. It's a small world at times! The party brought together a lot of folks we hadn't seen in a long time and some we'd never met before, so it was great to be able to meet them all and be part of this wonderful occassion.

EARLY CHRISTMAS--We didn't expect "Christmas in October" but when niece, Cindi Pedersen and Jeff Nicols showed up in Longview from their current home in Dusseldorf, Germany, it was definitely Christmas time! Not only did we get to enjoy seeing them but we got to share a meal with her folks, Frank and Carolyn, and to top it off, Cindi came loaded with gifts for the family, so that was a very nice surprise! The couple were only going to be in town another week so we gabbed as much as we could and got to see lots of pictures of the places they've been going to in their new home town and the surrounding areas too. Needless to say, we had to talk about all the foods there and that topic was quite popular as hubby had been there for years while in the military, but considering that was years ago, the prices had definitely gone up a bit. All the different cars there were another great topic and it seems the always popular classic, older muscle cars are still very popular. What's not seen? Well, in spite of quite a large Japanese population there, it seems there are no Japanese made cars there; interesting. At any rate, we enjoyed the early Christmas visit and treats and hope Cindi and Jeff have a safe trip back to their new home.

BALLOON WARNING--It's a festive time of year and lots of folks have balloons at their parties, but as I've stated before, releasing them is a huge environmental issue and harms wildlife. To make this a bit more personal, family member Jason Blain said that the last three of the seven fires on their ranch in Eastern Washington were caused by released balloons getting into the power lines there. With the windy gorge, it doesn't take long for a fire to spread. What's even scarier is that he and his kids and fellow neighbors and fire fighters, are often on tractors and in fire engines and trying to outrun a fire that is spreading faster than your tractor can travel on that rough and uneven ground, and how scary would that be? So, if you put yourself in their shoes, and it was one of your kids on that tractor, would you want to purposely put them in harm's way because you carelessly released a balloon? I don't think so. There are serious consequences with loss of property, loss of homes and even loss of life, besides the animals that are killed, so please, if you have balloons at a party, have a "popping party" at the end of it and dispose of those balloons properly. Your animals, planet and your friends and neighbors will thank you!