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

ANOTHER MIXED WEEKEND--There's nothing like being in the 80s one minute, and within an hour, in the 60s, followed by rain the next day, only to be followed by sunshine; what a way to end spring and start summer. With a little luck, the forecast of decent weather all week will come true, but as we all know, that can change in a heartbeat, so if you're planning a special event, always have those alternative indoor plans on the back burner, or you might be attending that outdoor BBQ in your boots, wearing a rain coat and packing an umbrella!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from June 25-July 1 are Lance Britt, Don Speranza, Cliff Garrison, Scott Tomlinson, James Anderson, Judy Marsyla, Mary Nettles, Bruce Datchler, Kris Bergseng, Austin Luthi, Tanya Cleveland, Clara Olson, Justin Norris, Hope Neilson, Kathi West, Tim Pedersen, McKenna Spieth MacIntosh and Annette Miller's grandson!

Those celebrating anniversaries are Mr. and Mrs. Maury Mooers, Randy and Susan Kuhn, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Hendrickson, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. David Whitney, Dave and Sandra Gibson, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Montgomery, Dean and Judy Snyder and celebrating 30 years together next Tuesday, are Pete and Katie Sechler, who I hear are planning something extra special that day. Here's to wonderful celebrations for all you folks with special days!

TRIPLE CELEBRATION--Larri Palmer was celebrating this past Sunday, as not only was it Father's Day, it was a day to celebrate his anniversary with his wife, Sally, and to top it off, it was his only daughter's birthday! To make it even more special, this triple celebration fell on the exact same day that his daughter was born all those years ago, so that was indeed, quite the unique day.

FOS REMINDER--The Friends of Skamokawa would like to remind all of you about the live streaming event on YouTube on June 28 at 2 p.m., featuring Kyleen Austin and her "Exploring the Waters of the Pacific Northwest" talk and photos. In case you hadn't heard, Kyleen kayaked from Ketchikan, Alaska to Puget Island last year, so she will share her story and her photos, which should be awesome! Donations to FOS and Willapa Audobon Society would be appreciated.

WLC FIREWORKS--It won't be long and the Fourth of July will be here, and as always, our local Wahkiakum Lions Club members will sell fireworks in our area. They will start selling them at noon on June 28 at their booth set up behind the BackRoadZ Diner near the Dollar General store. If you're going to buy fireworks, we hope you'll buy them there in order to help support a local group that does so much for others. Please practice the strictest safety measures when using fireworks as we certainly would not like to hear of any personal injuries or possibly fires started because of carelessness. Have fun but be safe!

MORE LIONS CLUB--I heard from Carol McClain, member of the Wahkiakum Lions Club, and she tells me that they will offer buckets of frozen berries in August. The berries being offered are the same: Strawberries, Marionberries, Raspberries and Blueberries. I will let you know the prices and availability date in August, once it's been determined.

CHAMBER OFFICE--The Wahkiakum Co. Chamber of Commerce office will be open this Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m., to 2 p.m., to help visitors or newcomers to the area with all their questions as to what's happening in Wahkiakum County. They are open daily, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m., to 5 p.m., so with many new folks in the area right now, you've got a great source to come to with all your questions. You can also call 360-795-6999.

RESORT OPEN--The Skamokawa Resort is now taking reservations for their rooms/condos, but that means they do not take walk-ins, so you must make reservations. According to the owners, Lance and Shannon Britt, the General Store should be open in the next week, so here's to having the store up and running real soon!

B & B's--We are happy that our local Bed and Breakfasts are able to open, with certain restrictions in place, so if you want to stay at any of them, you need to make that reservation and see just what changes have been implemented to ensure your safety during this time of COVID-19, Phase 3 restrictions. Check out: Twin Gables B&B, owner, Kathleen Morgain, which is located right across from Skamokawa Vista Park and has a separate dwelling, along with a dock on Skamokawa Creek for those who like to canoe or kayak. Call 360-795-3942; and the RoadHouse at the Inn at Crippen Creek Farm out in Middle Valley, owned by Don and Kitty Speranza, is also a separate dwelling so you can be on your own in a lovely pastural setting. Call 360-795-0585. The Inn at Lucky Mud should be contacted at 360-795-8770 to see when they will be open for business, as well as their Lucky Mud Disc Golf course. With so many ongoing changes, it's always hard to say if rooms are still available or events will still take place, so check out their websites or if they don't seem current, just call them and find out for sure if they are accepting guests. All these places have websites and you can view all their info there as well as make reservations.

JUST OPENED--The former Skamokawa Landing is now called, "Viewpoint Landing" and is open for business. Owner, Jarrod Hogue said they opted to open a little earlier than orginally planned, so that's great news for those who are really looking forward to coming to our area and staying in one of our many unique establishments. If you're new here, this huge building is located at 957 Steamboat Slough Road in Skamokawa and has some very large suites with spectacular views of our majestic Columbia River. If you happen to be one of those folks who love to go kayaking, you're really in luck, as the Columbia River Kayaking business is located on the lower part of this building and if you book a tour with them and a room at the same time, you'll save 15 percent. You can either check this place out online and view all the great photos and videos, as well as book your room that way, or just call 360-329-2622. Welcome to the neighborhood, Hogues!

SYMPATHIES--We were very sorry to hear that Michele Hattrick Eaves passed away towards the end of last week. Many of us know her one sister who lives in our county, Carol Danker, as she worked at our local bank for many years before retiring. Michele was also a member of the Wahkiakum High School Class of 1977. Her dear friend Tammy Brons-Peterson spoke of the loss of her dear childhood friend and classmate, and how this kind-hearted and loving person will be missed. My nephew, Ty Finkas, knew her as well and was shocked and saddened to hear of her passing as she was always the friendly face who visited with him at Wallace Elementary in Kelso, where they both had worked. We offer our sincerest condolences to Carol, as well as to all the members of Michele's family and her close friends. For now, no public services have been planned.

STAY SAFE--As we continue dealing with the recent COVID-19 virus, I hope we will enjoy our more relaxed restrictions, and yet still take every precaution to stay safe and healthy. Experts say the "wash your hands frequently" - "don't touch your face"- and "sanitize frquently touched surfaces" routines are still important. I think that, if nothing else, maybe we will have stepped up our sanitation skills, which might even help stop the spread of the common cold and yearly flu!

Also new this week was the announcement that several hand sanitizers had methanol in them and should not be used. Please check your hand sanitizers to make sure you don't have any of the ones that are currently being recalled, which were manufactured by Eskbiochem, with the complete list being available online.

NEW MONTH--We are saying goodbye to June and welcoming July next Wednesday, so half of 2020 has already gone by! However, considering the current conditions, here's hoping the last half of this year turns out better than the first half.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that if you get paid monthly, you've only got six more paydays until Christmas! Here's to shopping local and helping them rebound from what has been a really tough year for many of them.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1950, the week began warm with a bit of mist, before turning blazing hot for the next five days. The river was running high and some seepage appeared on the dike near the George Ohrberg farm, a 50 foot stretch of the Puget Island dike was replaced with a four foot deep blanket of sand by the Army Engineers. The sand was hauled from a stockpile that had been located at the John Berg place. Another few spots that were leaking were taking place over on Welcome Slough, with the worst spot occurring near the Harry Olsen place so it was under a very close watch. Over 60 volunteers had been patroling the Island dikes as waters had been steadily rising. Another group of men and four trucks were "at the ready" to assist in sandbagging where necessary. The Norse Hall was set up as the control center for this operation.

It was a big week for George Hanigan this week, as he left town to head to Valley Forge, where he would attend the International Boy Scout Jamboree as a "Second Class" Boy Scout, along with 40,000 other scouts! He left Portland on the "Jamboree Train" via Vancouver, BC and then traveled through the Canadian Rockies. President Harry Truman was going to be giving the opening speech to address the scouts on June 30. George was not expected back from this exciting trip until July 15, said his mother, Mrs. G.H. Hanigan.

Roy Johnson, who had been the deputy Sheriff in Cathlamet, resigned this week but he would be continuing on as a night watchman for the town. Harry V. Hayes, who was the Wahkiakum County Sheriff at the time, was on a 10 day vacation when Roy opted to resign, so Billy Blair was stepping in to serve as the deputy sheriff while he was gone.

Nationally, there was a "Korean incident." Pres. Truman dispatched planes and warships and the British Naval Forces said they would be at the disposal of the United States if necessary.

This week in 1960, the week began misty but turned out nice the rest of the week with a few clouds and some wind included. Margaret Hollar came by the Everest home with a bouquet of lovely roses and Mrs. Duthie came by with some fresh strawberry jam, which were both happily received. The Home Ec Club had a housewarming for the Russell Irving family, as they moved into their new home in Rosedale and everyone had a real nice time and the Irvings received many lovely gifts. On June 30, Elsie Everest called her great grandson, R. Timothy Pedersen to wish him a happy 4th birthday. He shared that day with his grandpa on his Mother's side, as well as a cousin, Janet Ballard. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.