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

NICE BEGINNING--As this week begins, it's a sunny Sunday morning around here, but it also started out very nippy, as it was only 24 degrees when we got up, so, we are truly hoping the warmer weather scheduled for the rest of the week, comes true. Those who had already started planting their gardens, found themselves scrambling to cover up their seedlings so they wouldn't freeze as solid as my water buckets did! Here's to "fun in the sun" and a nice dry spell, which I'm sure we would all appreciate as we head into the second half of April.

Just remember that while it may be warm outside, the river and creeks are still extremely cold, so be mindful of wearing flotation devices if you're out on the waterways this week!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 15-21 are Logan Britt, Bryan Ledtke, Dan Keilwitz, Gage Horman, Reggie Bonny, Janine Helms, Shiloh Hoven, Sophia McKinley, Tawnya Paine Munson, Darci Francis, Kassidy Holland, Derek Johnson, Esther Cothren, Lisa Cothren, Linda Mahitka, Nancy Granger, Mike Lawrence, Jeri Pierce, Nathan Frink, Myrna Apperson, Gwen Good Ronninghaug, JoAnne Pedersen, Sue Shane Edminster and 67'ers Sherrolin Powell and Sandra Davis. Plus, I have to give a super special first birthday shout-out to my great grandson, Kaiden Good, as he turns one year old this week!

Celebrating their anniversaries this coming week are Chad and Keri Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Robinson and Mr. and Mrs. Mike Walker. May all your special days be celebrated in the sunshine this week!

FREE SHOW--If you were looking over the river in the area of Puget Island this weekend, you might have gotten a real aerial treat, as it seems five planes were putting on quite the show over there! Thanks to some folks who were quick to grab their phones and cameras, we got to see them, too after they posted their pictures on Facebook. A big thank you to Lee Tischer and others for sharing their great pictures which showed them in several various formations. One just never knows what one will see when looking to the skies these days; but a free air show is pretty unique!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED--If you have some time on your hands and would like to help out, I see where the local vaccination site folks are asking for some volunteers. If you'd like to help, call Duncan Cruickshank at 360-795-6207 Ext. 243 and they'll tell you all about your duties. There will be a Vaccine Clinic this Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. until noon, so call right away if you're able to volunteer!

FOS--The Friends of Skamokawa would like to invite you to the historic Central School/Redmen Hall, which houses a wonderful Intrepretive Center, as well as a very nice Gift and Book Shop. They are open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon until four and according to FOS President, Pam Emery, have recently gotten many new gift items in the shop. So, come on down and check out those new t-shirts, travel journals, water bottles, tote bags, scarves and more, as I'm sure you'll be delighted by what you see. You can always check out their new items posted on Facebook or on their website as well. With these bright, beautiful days ahead of us, it would be a great time to climb the stairs up to the bell tower and take in the fantastic view from there; it's awesome! If you have any questions, you can call the hall at 360-795-3007 and find out all the latest scoop as well.

SKAMOKAWA GRANGE--Just in case you're wondering, yes, the Skamokawa Grange #425 is still operating and they plan to meet next month. Also, they are getting ready to have one of their big sales inside their historic grange hall, so if you're new here and would like to see what the inside looks like, keep your eyes open for the upcoming sale and you can check it all out. Once the rules and regulations are such that larger crowds can gather, I'm sure they'd be happy to rent it out to you for any special gatherings you'd like to hold there. It is handicap-accessible to those in need of such a thing. I'll keep you posted about the upcoming sale as soon as I get the green light!

SK. VISTA PARK--I hope you're taking advantage of all this sunny weather by enjoying a walk or bike ride around our valleys or the refuge or maybe a nice, long walk along the beach at Skamokawa Vista Park. There's always a wonderful view from the beach there and on a clear day, you've got wonderful views in all directions. If you or your family members have a camper/motorhome and would like to stay there for a few days, I'd call right away, as I'm sure they will fill up in a hurry, so don't delay. Call 360-795-8605.

The Great White Tail Run will also begin from the park, so keep May 15 in mind and join in the fun run around the refuge, as it's a good time to get out and about and support our local 4-H program. It's just a month away, so get those sports shoes ready to run!

TODAY IN ROSBURG--On Thursdays, there is a take out lunch program for seniors and you can pick those up between noon and quarter past twelve. However, if you'd like to take part in this program, you need to contact Diane Hollenbeck and get this set up. You can do that by calling 360-465-2991. Today they are serving roast pork, some roasted potatoes and a blend of veggies. Beings it may be too late for you to get in on that lunch (you'd have to call and ask) maybe you can take advantage of next week's meal, April 22, where they will serve chicken parmesan for the main course, along with some sliced peaches and cauliflower and peppers. It all sounds good to me, so if you'd like to enjoy those meals to go, be sure and give Diane a call!

MAY FOURTH--The Skamokawa Farmer's Market at the Fairgrounds will start in just a couple weeks, as May 4 will be their opening day. It will begin at 4 p.m., and this will go on every Tuesday until September, unless something unforseen occurs. Lori Cagle is in charge of this event so if you need to learn more about it, contact her at 360-703-7291.

MORE AT THE FAIRGROUNDS--In June we hope you will take part in the car show there, as we know how you like showing off those hot cars/trucks of yours, and a whole bunch of us like to gawk at them, too! This will take place on June 5 and those who entered last year will receive your info in the mail, and if you're new, I'd suggest you call the fairgrounds and leave a message for Patty at 360-795-3480 and she can fill you in on all of that.

YES, THE FAIR IS ON--I hope you'll spread the word that the county fair will be held this year, so mark August 19-21 on your calendars, and plan on enjoying a good time with family and friends once again. It's time to grab a fair book, and start figuring out what you want to enter, and that fair book will tell you all the categories that are going to be available and all the requirements needed to be met in order to enter your item. Please don't come unprepared and wind up having your items turned down because you didn't see which items could or could not be entered or that they needed hangers or frames, etc. Most things aren't all that difficult but there are rules to be followed, so please give the superintendents a break and follow your specific catergory's rules carefully. Also, check out the days of entry, as those are designated for certain days and certain times, so you don't want to upset little Johnny or little Joanie by bringing their things on the wrong day!

DEBBIE DOWNER?--Sometimes I know that it sounds like I'm being quite the nay-sayer when it comes to new ideas being brought up around our area, but being old has given me the advantage of having heard most of these ideas before. So, beings I've lived here "forever," most of what I have heard recently that people say they want in this area, has either been tried or it's already been discussed. Many ideas have not been acted upon due to a variety of reasons, but mostly it's been the cost of them. That's not to say that with all the newer folks in the area, some of these ideas might just work now, but I want you to know, it's not like we didn't have many of these wonderful things before; like a laundromat or rec hall for kids or a roller skate rink or a movie theater or a gym and we even had a taxi, so, even though you don't remember them, us oldsters do!

One of the main items I'm hearing about these days is the need of a laundromat in the Cathlamet area. I know we've talked about it before, but it's coming up in conversations once again. It wasn't all that long ago that we hoped to have one here in Skamokawa, but the cost of such an operation was extremely high. Between the actual build, the machines, the water and sewer and electricity and insurances, etc., it just didn't pencil out, so it was dropped. However, if a group of people were to go in on this endeavor together and want to risk their own money on their belief that the people in the area would use it, then, by all means, give it a go! It's certainly a business opportunity for those who believe it can pay for itself, but it's just not something that is going to be provided for you by the city or the county.

There has also been talk about covering the swimming pool and how much better that would be and having swim teams and such. Again, the cover was looked into years ago, and again, there was the expense of it. I also noted that in 2005 the pool almost closed due to a $50,000 maintenance cost that wound up going before the taxpayers, so after having to get bailed out, adding more expenses has never been seen as a good idea. However, if groups held fundraisers and wanted to cover the extra costs of having a cover and paid life guards, and vow to continue to have fundraisers to keep it going, there's a chance that it would be approved; but that's a big maybe and a whole lot of money to raise!

Then there's the "we need a gym" people, and once again, that's been tried multiple times and it's never been successful. A handful of people simply won't pay the rent of a place, let alone the utilities and insurance. But if you have a new and better idea of how to make one work that you are sure would appeal to the new residents, then here's an opportunity for you to open a business of this kind; complete with a juice bar or maybe selling health products too. Anything is possible, but someone will have to take that risk. Will that be you?

Yes, there are multiple wants and needs in our area and if you want to put in the money and hard work, you might just find your nitch and wind up as a successful business owner and we would certainly applaud your success. Good luck!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1946, the week began with a warm and just lovely day but it didn't last long, as the following day was misty and terribly cold. In the following days, it took turns being nice and being very wet but at least the week ended with a really beautiful day, which happened to be on Krist and Carol Pedersen's 11th wedding anniversary; that worked out slick for them! That same day, Susan Shane turned 10 years old. The Pocahontas Lodge met that week and they were celebrating Ellen Foster's birthday, so they had a very nice time celebrating her special day with her. Big "town" news this week with a new doctor in town, Mrs. Clarence started work at the telephone office and there was a new teller at the bank! There was also some sad news, as Mrs. Groves passed away that week. Marian Healy invited the family up to her place and they enjoyed a delicious pineapple upside down cake that she made! This bit of news from the past was provided by my Grandma Elsie Everest's 1946 diary.