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

HOT, HOT, HOT!--Last weekend started out on a very toasty note, as temperatures were in the upper 90s at this house and even the "cool" side of the house registered 95, which is not exactly my idea of a cool day! With the traffic going non-stop in the westerly direction, I am guessing it was wall to wall down there! I know one person who touted it being only 73 degrees where he was, so yes, that's about perfect temperatures to enjoy the outdoors to me. Thankfully there was a smidgen of rain Sunday night and temps were in the 80s on Monday so I thought it was a much more bearable kind of day. Sadly, many areas got hit with some huge thunder and lightning storms, which caused many more wildfires, and caused the loss of many homes and thousands of acres of land, so we can only hope that by the time you read this, that those are all under control.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Aug. 20-26 are Becky Ledtke, Clarity Schmitz, Kay Walters, Riley Emlen-Petterson, John Gustafson, Bowe Dean Hamman, Cindy Faubion, Linda DeBriae, Kathy Durrah, Larry Havens, Bryce Heiner, Greg Parker, LouAnn Hedges, Kody Vik, Mike Vincent, Darrell Trotter, Nicholas Keithley, Bobbie Leingang, Anita Kangas, Bob Wegdahl Jr., Ashley Silva, Keith Kehrli, Cathy Stuart, Declan Haddix, Dolly Hartley, Patty Kellum, Shannon Ellison, Wayne Bell and Sean Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are John and Nicole McKinley, Mr. and Mrs. Duncan Cruickshank, Russ and Kathy Durrah, Bryce and Caitlin Heiner, Larry and Lesley Horman and celebrating their first year of marriage this week are Bryan and Libby Davison Bach. May you all have wonderful celebrations.

FARMER'S MARKETS--There are still two markets going on in our area, and vendors vary at both of them, so be sure to show up at the Elochoman Marina in Cathlamet on Fridays from 3 to 6 to check out their array of things, and on Tuesday, head to Skamokawa. From 4 to 7, the cow barn at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds is the place to check out, as there are a variety of vendors there, too. I almost hate to mention this, but really it's time to think about those unique Christmas gifts, as there are specialty soaps and clothing items or kitchen items, as well as fresh fruits and veggies. After all, we've only got four more months to go, which is like four paydays to go as well, so don't delay! Come on down and support our locals!

ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP--In case you hadn't heard, there is a new group that has been formed to help abused or neglected animals, or animals that have been left out in the woods or along the road to fend for themselves. They are also going to try to help with finding low cost spay and neuter programs for those who would take in an animal but can't afford the high cost of having them fixed. This group is called WAAG, which stands for "Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group." This group has a booth set up at the Farmers Market at the Elochoman Marina on Fridays, where they sell baked goods to help raise money, so if you'd like to support them, or even just contact them about joining and helping, then there's a handy place to meet with some members and get all the info you need. Remember, 100 percent of the money raised or donated is going towards helping animals. If you are on Facebook, you can also go to their page there.

IMPORTANT LOCAL SERVICE/VOTE--Beings we live out in the country, we truly rely on our local emergency services. This November there will be a "replacement levy" for our county's Emergency Medical Services. This helps us all with training and education for EMT's, plus the purchases for life saving equipment, life jackets for different parks around our area and bike helmets for the kids as well as public education and much more, so please spread the word and keep our EMS going. We truly need this to keep our residents safe, so I hope you'll support this important life-saving measue.

DON'T FORGET--The Friends of Skamokawa are asking for donations for their annual auction, which is usually combined with a wine tasting event, but due to Covid-19, that part of it can't happen this year. However, there will be virtual auctions, so folks can still donate things to be auctioned off and you'll have a little more time to view and bid on things as well, so we hope you'll give them a call and tell them you'd like to donate something. They can arrange to have you drop them off on Tuesdays or Thursdays, and I'm pretty sure if you just can't get up there, that they would be willing to come and pick up your item. So please join in for "A Cornucopia of Treasures," the online auction at: http://www.32auction.com/fos which will take place Oct. 9-18 this year. Call 360-795-3007 and leave a message if you need more info.

THINKING OF THEM--Just wanted to give a shout out to former resident, Nancy Corbin, as I understand she had to make a trip to the hosptial recently so we hope she is doing better by the time everyone reads this. We will continue to keep her in our thoughts. Also, Derrill Corbin's daughter had to have surgery for the removal of a mass that was discovered in her brain and she was to have surgery this past weekend to remove it. We hope and pray that this surgery was a success and she will be free of her migraines and not have any more problems once this tumor is removed.

Also, we'll keep Lori Wika in our thoughts as she's still dealing with lots of issues from her battle with this nasty virus. Beings it seems everyone has some of the same health issues, there are others who suffer from different symptoms as their bodies react to it, and recover from it, so it's important to be extra vigilant at all times so you don't wind up having to go through any of them first hand.

We will keep Kathy Elliott in our thoughts, too as she was admitted to the hospital this past week.

CONGRATS--We want to wish McKenna Mackintosh a hearty "Congratulations" as she and her fellow clinician and friend, Robby Trimbo, have opened a new physical therapy business together. It is called "TrueMotion Physical Therapy" and is located in Ridgefield, at Exit 14 off of I-5. You can check them out online of course, or if you are already in the need of a PT, call 360-309-6189 for an appointment. McKenna happens to be the daughter of proud parents, Linda (Palmer) and Larry Spieth and the grand-daughter of my cousin, and former Wahkiakum resident, Donna Healy Palmer. We wish her and her partner good luck on this new venture.

SCHOOL YEAR--I know things will be a little different this year, but I hope the opening of the school year on September 2 goes well for everybody. I think it's important for parents to ready their children on some of the extra precautions they will need to take in order to help protect themselves and others. Kids are pretty doggone smart these days and I'm sure that with the right techniques and patience, you can convey the seriousness of this issue without causing them to freak out. Here's hoping they will take this new school routine in stride and realize it's important to follow the rules so that they will be able to continue to see their friends and classmates, as that is certainly better than staying at home all the time!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1950, it began hot once again and evidently, it seems Portland was "fed up" with the all the high temperatures, as it had been in the high 90's for a couple weeks. Plus, a place called Eden Ridge marked a record low humidity reading of less than two percent; unheard of! In Cathlamet, temperatures were in the 90's as well, so when a storm started coming in and it rained on Wednesday, Aug. 23, everyone was happy. Grandpa Ralph Everest was still bedridden and Dr. Fritz was making frequent home visits. Several people stopped by the house and Mrs. Dryland was nice enough to bring homemade cinnamon rolls and some freshly made apple butter to boot. At the end of the week, Krist Pedersen headed back to Alaska after a brief time home.

Back in 1960, the week started out on a nice day but that evening a storm rolled in and it wound up bringing rain every day for the entire week. The Wahkiakum County Historical Society received the papers of the Talcott Family from Mrs. Jack Hilton. The contents started in the year of 1751 with King George II of England issuing a commission in the Connecticut Horse Troop. There was also a diploma from West Point dated 1818 and from the Civil War, there were letters written by General Robert E. Lee and other high ranking officers. Another letter wrote about the formation of the Corps of Engineers.

On August 21, there was an open house at the Krist Pedersen home where a party was being thrown for Marian (Everest) and Leon Healy in celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary. Grandma Everest got a ride over to Puget Island to attend the festivities with Rosella Schuley and Mrs. Arnett Danielsen, who was also in charge of cutting the cake. Mrs. Gertrude Healy poured coffee, Miss Carolyn Madsen was in charge of the punch bowl and Miss Kay Pedersen was in charge of the guest book. A gift of "silver" was presented to the couple for their silver wedding anniversary. A nice time was had by all.

Mr. Thomas Monroe McNally, who had been born in Marianna, Arkansas but was a Cathlamet resident for many years, passed away on August 22 at the age of 76. He was survived by his wife Artelia, and his three daughters: Olga, Geraldine and Geneveive and four sons: Glen, W.W., Bob and Kenneth. Services were held at the Assembly of God Church in Cathlamet with the Rev. Edwards Stockman officiating and assisted by Rev. John Turner.

It was Wahkiakum County Fair time that week and the first day was a wet Thursday, Aug. 25. Marjorie Bunn was going to be crowned the Queen of the fair that year. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.