STILL WARM--It's not blazing hot outside like it was for awhile there, but it's still plenty warm, so don't forget to keep that hat on and slather the sunscreen on as well, as it doesn't take much to become a "crispy critter" when you're out on the water or playing on the beach! The forecast this week for temps in the high 60s and low 70s are much more welcomed to me, so here's hoping that these perfect temps continue for our upcoming big events this weekend; fingers crossed!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from July 15-21 are Marietta Montgomery, Jerry Ledtke, Beverly Moonen, Keri Moonen, Luke Schmitz, Rick Benfit, Barbara Brewster, Don Wright, Dave Heiner, Brysen Coleman, Randi Curtis, Jackson Hannah, Marsha Cleveland, Mike Clark, Rocky Rose, Cameron Havens, Kelsea Blix, Eric Ferguson, Darlene Hoven, Larry Hendrickson, Ella Doiron, Lisa Hannah, Raedyn Grasseth, Theresa Libby, Luna Deaton, Steve L. Doumit, Pam Elliott, 67'er Sharon McKie, with the following three members of my family all celebrating their birthdays on July 17: Kalei Meyers, Jensen Finkas, and Nicholas Rodriguez who is turning one! Happy Birthday, everybody!

A very special Happy Birthday goes to Delores Hanes, sister of Bev (Danielson) England, who will turn 94 this coming Sunday, and who, along with Bernice Tover Ellison, are the only two surviving members of their WHS graduating class, so that's pretty doggone special.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are John and Mary Gustafson, Mike and Julie Iverson, Mr. and Mrs. Rocky Rose and Mr. and Mrs. Keith Rutledge. May you all have very special celebrations this coming week.

NEW/OLD LISTINGS--Just a reminder that if you'd like to be on the birthday/anniversary lists to please give me a call and I'll get you included. Also, beings I get a lot of my info from the Lions Club calendar, if you're not included and want to be, give a club member a call and get added on for this year's upcoming calendar. Also, if there has been a change in your status, like getting married, remarried, divorced or you've added a member to your family or maybe a loved one is now deceased and should either have a cross by their name or removed, again, please contact the Lions Club members in charge of the calendar and let them add, fix or remove things for you. Carol McClain is our Skamokawa contact and can be reached by calling 360-795-3337 or contact Renee Robert at 360-849-4003.

THIS IS IT!--I hope you've spread the word to all your new neighbors and told them about the big celebration this weekend, as Bald Eagle Days is upon us and it should be a great day! Sadly, the Bull Riding event that was scheduled for Friday night, had to be canceled, and so did the Kiwanis Club breakfast on Saturday morning, but not to worry, there's still going to be a fun parade and lots of vendors on Cathlamet's Main Street during the day on Saturday, July 17, and down at the marina there will be a beer garden and music and then that night, the big fireworks show so it'll be a full day of food, fun and festivities!

67'ERS REMINDER--Members of the Wahkiakum High School Class of 1967 will meet at the home of Dale Jacobson this Saturday after the Bald Eagle Day parade, and they hope to see as many classmates as possible. If you'd like to say "hello" to those you may know from that class, feel free to stop by and see who's come back to town for the day! From what I hear, we're going to see a former classmate that many of us haven't seen since grade school, and that's Eddie Miller; just Ed these days, so that will be fun!

MUST RSVP SOON--This year, the WHS Class of 1961 will celebrate their 60th reunion with a gathering at Ron Shuley's place in Longview, and while it's a ways off, it's necessary for class members to RSVP by August 1, as it will be a catered lunch. If you would like to attend this milestone event, please RSVP right away by calling/emailing Jim Rodal @ 360-867-3257 or email: j_rodal@yahoo.com or Else Marsyla Dodge @ 253-777-2036 or email: heymert.heyvern@yahoo.com. The reunion will be September 15 from 1 to 5 p.m., at 1802 24th Ave. in Longview.

FAIR IS FAST APPROACHING--In just over a month, the Wahkiakum County Fair will take place at the fairgrounds in Skamokawa. It's hoped that folks will get a fair book and enter something into the fair. Please be sure to read all the instructions on just what can be entered and how to enter it, as well as the specified day and time, as otherwise you may miss out. Remember, ribbons mean money and who doesn't like to have a few extra bucks? I know the kids love it! The fair runs for three days, August 19, 20 and 21. There are special days for kids, and special days for seniors and also veterans, so watch for those as admission during certain hours will be free. Here's to fun times ahead. And if you'd like to be a vendor, please call the fairgrounds at 360-795-3480 and leave Patty a message.

FOS--Skamokawa's Historic Central School/ Redmen Hall with its very informative River Life Interpretive Center located on the second floor, has a great new display on the lower floor near the Book and Gift Shop, so the Friends of Skamokawa are hoping you'll come by and check it out. The building is handicapped accessible, so please don't be put off by the staircase on the outside of the hall that you see as you come up the driveway. The new display is called, "A Salute to the Order of Red Men," which gives you some history of who they were and what they stood for and what they did for their members and community. They are open on weekends from noon to four. For more info, call 360-795-3007.

"THE DUMP"--There are so many new folks around here asking where things are and where do we go for this or that, so I thought I would mention one of the things people had mentioned a lot and that was: "Do I have to go to Longview to dump my garbage?" The answer is no, as there is a spot much closer and that's Wahkiakum County Transfer Station. Or as it is most commonly called: the KM Dump. This is about 10 minutes west of Skamokawa on top of KM Mountain. The hours for the dump are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays with the exception of Thanksgiving of course. There's a single can (32 gallon) rate of $4.50 each, or there's a bulk rate per pounds, so from 1 to 140 pounds is $10, then 141 to 200 pounds is $14 and $3.50 for each 50 pounds over that. Things like appliances are charged by the bulk rate and things like refrigerators must have the doors removed. There are also recycling bins for various items, but they don't take things like batteries, tires or hazardous waste. For more information or questions, you can call the Wahkiakum County Public Works office at 360-795-3301.

For those who would like your garbage picked up, call Stanley's Sanitary Service at 360-795-3369.

HELLO AND GOOD-BYE--I heard we will shortly have someone new at our Skamokawa Post Office and I'll be sad to see Ashley go, as she was doing a great job. However, she had a chance to make a good career move, so we totally get her transferring out of here, and we will say our good-byes to her and wish her the very best as she moves up the ladder in her job.

We got a new person at one of our other businesses though, so we want to welcome David Quaschnick to the Duck Inn's cooking team. We certainly enjoy the new specials that are popping up already. You may recognize his last name, as his wife is Kelli Quaschnick, who opened the hair salon in Cathlamet next to the post office. These two have been a great addition to the area and we want to wish them a hearty welcome to Wahkiakum County!

SAD NEWS--We were so sorry to hear the news that Martha Backman passed away this past weekend, just one day before her 71st birthday on Sunday. You may remember that I mentioned the passing of Gary Backman, her husband, who was involved in a traffic accident just the week before, so this has just been a devastating time for the Backman family. We send our sincerest condolences to their family as they deal with this heart breaking double loss.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1946, the weather was "nice" to start out with, then it was "lovely," but then it turned brutally hot with a temperature of 103 degrees on July 20! For Elsie Everest, the week did not begin so good as on that first nice day, she fell while going for a walk and hurt her leg. Family members had come to town to visit and they all took a ride to Long Beach on the bus so that they could spend some time at the beach and swimming in the Pacific Ocean, which some had never seen before. They took the late bus back to Cathlamet and all were super tired after a long day down there. A couple of days later, David West drove Ralph Everest and the visiting family members back to Longview to catch the bus. The goal that week was trying to stay cool, and a ride on the Columbia in a skiff helped out some, as well as enjoying lunch out at Bozeman's and a movie in the evening. With it being so hot and Grandma Elsie's sore leg, there didn't seem to be nearly as many activities taking place that week, so there was only this bit of news from my Grandma Elsie Everest's 1946 diary.