Kids Christmas party at Norse Hall on Saturday

WET ENOUGH?--This last weekend of November has definitely been a wet one, as once again we've had inches of rain per day and the creeks and streams have risen and our fields are more like lakes again. By the time you read this on Thursday, it's supposed to be dry for a couple of days so I certainly hope that's true as we've all got things to do and places to go in order to get ready for the holidays.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Dec. 2-8 are Menoka Martin, Maria Snow, Mackenizie Allen, Hank Bassi, Dennis Reed, Kitty Speranza, Julia Iverson, J.R. DeBriae, Mark Slape, Jamie T. Jacobson, Karen Bertroch, Johnny Burdick, Justin Watkins, Chris Barnes, Gary Bergseng, Ryan Prestegard, Rachael Cook, Kendra Finkas, Mark Pedersen and Gabe Pedersen. Belated birthday wishes to Cole Claussen who celebrated the big 3-0 this past week.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Mike Clark, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Robin Herren, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Buckholter and Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Vik. May all of you who are celebrating special days get to enjoy them to the fullest!

SMILEMOBILE--I heard there were still a few openings for those who need some dental work done, but the Smilemobile is only here until Dec. 3, so you need to hurry and contact them at 888-286-9105 to make an appointment. Their rig is set up just behind town at 80 Division street, which is just east of the museum.

4-H AUCTION--There is currently an online auction to benefit our local 4-H'ers and we hope you'll go and check that out. The group used to hold the Covered Bridge Dinner in Grays River as a way to help with their funding, but due to Covid, have had to turn to other means, so we hope you'll check out this website and see what they have available: https://www.32auctions.com/Wahkiakum4H. I know one item that folks will really be bidding on, and that's the delivery (within 50 miles) of 12 whole cooked crabs which are being donated by Derick Frank; yum! If you have any questions or want to make a cash donation to help the cause, you could contact the WSU Wahkiakum Co. Extension Director, Carrie Backman, at 360-795-3278. If you'd like to stop by, they are located at 25 River Street Suite E, which is in the lower level of the building to the left of the PUD in Cathlamet.

NEW MONTH--Here we are in the last month of the year already and December is one of the very busiest! Here's what's happening:

At the fairgrounds, the Holiday Bazaar will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are always local vendors there who would love to have you buy their goodies for your loved ones, or yourself, this holiday season!

Don't forget to stop at Redmen Hall and do some shopping as well, as there is some beautiful jewelry made by Becky Ledtke, some tasty honey from the Thompson Apiary folks in Grays River along with some fantastic glass creations by local, Theresa Videan. This is the first time I've ever gone shopping on Black Friday and I went as far as Redmen Hall to do it! I'm glad I did as it was the first time I'd seen Theresa's work and it's definitely unique with its copper foiled stained glass and fused glass techniques so check them out. Don't forget to cruise through the book section while you're there as it's always nice to receive a great book by a local author. The hall will be open Fridays through Sundays, 10 to 4 through Dec. 12. Need more info? Call 360-795-3007.

P.I. OPEN HOUSE--You are invited to the Puget Island Fire Hall this Saturday, Dec.4, as the P. I. Fire Auxiliary will hold an Open House from 1 to 3 p.m. that day. They would like to tell you about the auxiliary and how you can participate with Fire District #1 to help the community. I'm told they will serve refreshments as well, and it's open to everyone in Wahkiakum County, so stop by if you get the chance. For more information, call Sherrill at 360-951-3985 or Liz at 360-200-2247.

NORSE HALL KIDS PARTY--If you have children up to the age of 13, you are welcome to stop by the Norse Hall this Saturday between 2-4 p.m., as the Sons of Norway will hold their annual Kids' Christmas Party! Your kids can decorate cookies and have a chat with Santa and get a little goodie bag too, so please join the fun at the hall this Saturday. Need more info? Contact Jan at 360-431-1705.

FYI: the Sons of Norway does not hold Bingo during the month of December and when it resumes, it will be held on the second Saturday of each month.

OVER THE HILL--If you're heading west this Saturday, you might want to stop by the Grays River Grange from 12 to 4 p.m., where they will hold an Art Show, and where local artists will be featured and selling their works, so there's some more local items for you to buy!

SHOEBOX GIFTS--I just heard of another great idea to help others, and it's called "Shoebox of Joy." This project is aimed at helping the low income elderly or disabled who may not have family around to present them with any kind of a Christmas gift, so this is a way to give a little something to those that need it most. Donated boxes can be found in our local businesses and churches, and you're asked to fill them up with various items that they might need or want and give them a great surprise gift this holiday season. The box and lid should be wrapped separately so they can just lift the lid to access their gift. There is a full list of suggestions of things that you can get, and not to get, and you can check that all out by finding it on Facebook, or by going to the Chamber of Commerce (102 Main Street, 9 to 5 Mon-Fri) and get the list. You can also drop off your box, or just a donation of items at the Chamber office. If that doesn't work for you, you can call 360-215-5281 for more drop off options. The Chamber can help you out with any questions you may have, 360-795-9996.

If you don't want to shop or pack a shoebox yourself, but would like to help out, you can make a monetary donation at the Bank of the Pacific in Cathlamet. Also, you can make a shoebox that's just for a man and one for a woman, or possibly even one for a diabetic or maybe add a little pet food treat for a cat or a dog, but be sure to mention that. Anyway, I think these boxes sound like a great way to give folks a nice surprise treat, so I'm up for the challenge of filling that box with all the little goodies I can find so it's filled to the brim! I hope you'll join in as well. It will be fun and rewarding too!

SECOND WEEKEND IS BUSY TOO--The fire departments will be joined with several other groups to take part in the big parade, the Santa Sleigh Ride, that will happen on Dec. 10 on the West end and then again on Dec. 12 on the east side of the county. They will make several stops (Vista Park, out to Monroe Acres, High School, Norse Hall and ending at the Elochoman Marina) to collect food donations, toys or monetary donations for this big Toy Drive, so we hope you can pitch in and help out. You can also drop off a toy at the Dollar General, or take one down to the Sheriff's office, or donate on Facebook under Skamokawa Fire Association. It should be fun for the kids to see the parade led by a big red fire truck; honk, honk!

Don't forget to come down to the fairgrounds in Skamokawa on Dec. 11, which is their usual Flea Market day and there will be a spaghetti dinner served that day. Also, the Christmas Lighting Drive-thru in the fairgrounds will take place Dec. 10 and 11 and then again on the following weekend, Dec. 17 and 18, so make sure you jot all this down on your calendars so you don't miss any of it!

In Cathlamet, don't forget the Lighted Parade and market that begins and ends at the Elochoman Slough Marina on Dec. 11. Remember that some streets in town will be closed off so the parade can go through, so don't get caught unaware that evening.

NICE VISIT--It was great to see Laurie Miller this past weekend, as she came down to help kick off the Christmas tree lighting ceremony by singing some Christmas carols, so that was definitely nice of her, and as always, she sounded awesome! I also got to have lunch with Laurie so we could do some catching up, as it's always hard to do that in a crowded setting like Bald Eagle Days and Christmas ceremonies, so that was a nice treat. I've known Laurie since the early 70's when her family lived at the Hotel Cathlamet, which my folks owned and where I lived as well with my kids so we had lots of memories to share.

Speaking of performing, this former Cathlamet girl will also entertain folks from Dec. 1 through 5 at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup during their Victorian Country Christmas, so if you're up that way, stop in and enjoy that large, fun event and enjoy some more songs sung by Laurie.

SEE SKAMOKAWA MUSICIAN--Are you planning a little trip to the mountains soon? Like maybe up to Leavenworth, where it's Christmas time all the time? I'm pleased to announce that one of our local musicians, Greg Parke, will once again entertain at their annual Christmas Lighting Festival. Greg has done this for a multitude of years and beings the festival is "back on" this year, you can listen to him play at the beautiful gazebo in downdown Leavenworth Dec. 10 - 12. Let's hope there's a great turn out for Greg this year!