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

NEW CONTACT INFO--I’ve been “out of the loop” lately, and my former email address is no longer working and I can’t contact everybody all over again, so I’ve opted to put my new email address on here for those of you who would rather contact me that way: klouise49@outlook.com. Here’s hoping this computer stays up and running!

COLD START--As I begin this column, the hills around us are white and we even had some snow on the windshield of our rigs this morning, so when they said that snow levels were dropping, I guess they weren’t kidding! Folks up on Beaver Creek were posting they had sticking snow Saturday night; wow! Just when we thought we were going to be enjoying a little more warmer weather, here comes another cold front with freezing temperatures and hail and some snow too! The poor flowers that bloomed are probably in shock and are certainly taking a beating. Here’s hoping everyone slows down during these weather events so that there aren’t any major avoidable accidents.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 14-20 are Logan Britt, Brent Mahitka, Phil Doumit, Cody Peterson, Sean Miller, Anver Paulsen, Janine Helms, Bryan Ledtke, Bennett Everman, Richard Wilkins, Dan Keilwitz, Reggie Bonny, Sophia McKinley, Shiloh Hoven, Tawnya Paine, Randy Voight, Darci Francis, Kassidy Holland, Esther Mendez, Charly Childers, Gage Horman, Linda Mahitka, Jeri Terpsma Pierce, Mike Lawrence, Nancy Granger, Carolyn Pedersen, JoAnne Pedersen, 67ers Sherrolin Mace Powell and Sandra Peterson Davis and I just have sent super special birthday wishes to my one and only, great grandson, Kaiden Good. Happy second birthday, little guy!

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Mr. and Mrs. Tim Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Robinson, Mr. and Mrs. Les Pugh, Mr. and Mrs. Chad Peterson and Mr. and Mrs. Mike Walker. Here’s wishing all of you wonderful celebrations this coming week.

NEW ADDITION--It looks like we’ve got another little one to add to the birthday calendar, as Craig and Ashley Nielson welcomed their third son into the family on April 9. The new addition weighed in at eight pounds and two ounces and was 20 inches long. He has been named Costner James Nielson. With an easy pregnancy and a smooth delivery, the new Mama was feeling mighty thankful and we want to offer our hearty congratulations to her and her hubby on this latest addition to their family.

BOOK SALE AT LIBRARY--Don’t forget, there is a Book Sale going on at the Cathlamet Library which is located to the right of the Cathlamet Market. This sale will happen Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16. Friday hours are from 2-5 p.m., and Saturday hours are from Noon until 4 p.m., so come and get a used book for a great price! With all the nasty weather we’ve been having, it’s definitely time to curl up with a good book and chase away those gloomy day views!

EASTER WEEKEND--This Friday is Good Friday then Passover is Saturday and Easter is this Sunday, April 17, so we want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter!

LOCAL EASTER EVENTS--The annual Easter Bingo games will take place Friday evening at the Wah. Co. Fairgrounds in the Youth Building, so it’s hoped that you’ll all come down and have a good time with your family and friends. There’s nothing like a little friendly rivalry on who wins the most games/prizes and the raffle items are certainly sought after. The doors open at 5 p.m., and bingo starts at 6 p.m., with cards being three for $10.

LIONS CLUB EGG HUNT--The following morning, Saturday, April 16, it’s time to head back to the fairgrounds, where the Lions Club will host their annual Easter Egg Hunt. Be sure to get here early as the kids get let loose promptly at 11 a.m., and they clear out a site in no time, so don’t be late! There are prize eggs for three different age groups: Preschool, K-3 and grades 4-6. Have your cameras ready, as the Easter Bunny will be there and it’s a great time to snap pictures for their scrapbooks or memory pages. Here’s to decent weather that day; it’s supposed to be nice, so fingers crossed!

FAIR FOUNDATION--After the kids have wiped out all the eggs set out by the Lions Club, the Fair Foundation will hold an Easter Carnival and they too will have an Easter Egg Hunt. According to Lore Twiet, the carnival will begin with kids games at 11:30 a.m., and then their Easter egg hunt will begin at 3 p.m. It is hoped that after the Lions Club hunt, you’ll just stick around and enjoy the carnival while the “hunt” gets set up. Naturally, this carnival includes the ever popular, cake walk game; fun, fun! Bring the kids to Skamokawa and enjoy a great time this Saturday at the fairgrounds!

SAD NEWS--We were very shocked and saddened by the news last week of the passing of Skamokawa resident, Quin Bassi Sr. who just turned 72 last month. We send our sincere condolences to his wife, Connie and his son, Quin Jr. and the entire extended family who he treated like his own. At his request, no formal services will be held.

ANOTHER LOSS--I was saddened to learn of a family member who had passed away, who was a relative of my Grandma Elsie on the Walker side of her family. Nancy Mott Summerill was the daughter of Joyce Walker and Orville Mott and was just 20 days shy of her 82nd birthday when she passed away at her home along the Oregon coast. Our condolences to her only son, Daniel and his sons, Issac and Evan and all the rest of her family who loved her and were deeply saddened by this sweet lady’s passing.

PUBLIC SERVICE NEXT WEDNESDAY--It was sad to hear of the passing of our county's beloved Canine Officer, Dakota, who had worked with the Wahkiakum County Sheriff's office for many years. To honor this dear K-9 for her services, a service is being held on Wednesday afternoon, from 4 to 6 in the multi-purpose room at the Julius A. Wendt Elementary School. This is open to the public and you’re all invited to attend. She was a great dog who sadly developed serious health issues. It’s always tough to say goodbye to our loyal four legged friends.

OVER THE HILL--If you’re headed west on April 23, be sure to stop by the Johnson Park Super Sale, which will take place that day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. They always have a room full of fabulous items, so it’s a great place to shop and support your local folks too. You may still be able to get a table but be sure to contact Shona at 360-465-2722 right away.

DRESS A GIRL--Remember, if you’d like to help sew some dresses for girls around the globe who may not have one to wear, be sure to contact Pearl Blackburn at dressagirlpearl@gmail.com. She says the pattern will be provided and is simple to make, and your material is provided for you too, so if you can sew at all, please think about helping out this great cause. If you’re at the sale at Johnson Park on April 23, there is a DAG room open that day so you can see what Pearl and her volunteers are talking about.

IN MAY--Mother’s Day is early this year, so keep May 8 in mind. There’s also going to be the monthly Flea Market at the fairgrounds on May 14 from 9 to 3. That evening, the bingo callers will be happy to call out your winning numbers at the Norse Hall. Bingo is at 6 p.m., with doors open a half hour prior to that. May 21 is a real biggie down here at the fairgrounds, as it’s going to be Mud Wrestling time. You won’t want to miss that and hey, why not get a crew together and take part in it? There’s a first time for everything! At any rate, the days and months are already flying by and listing all the things that there are to do seems to make the time go by even faster; yikes! Anyway, check out your community calendars and be sure to spread the events to all your friends and make these fundraisers a big success.

OUT OF THE PAST--Seventy years ago, the week may have begun a little cool and misty but then it warmed right up with a couple of beautiful days and then some very hot ones with very low humidity. It was definitely time to be outside and everyone seemed to be doing just that. While things were nice here, sadly it was flooding badly in the Midwest.

This week's big news was the naming of the summer festival that Cathlamet was going to have. Mr. Ed Hanson was a man from Portland who came up with the winning name and got the $10 prize money. The name Wahkiakum “Funtasia” was the one most favored. Mr. Hanson was a real winner in two ways, as he not only won the prize money but then he opted to donate it back to the high school chair fund, so that made him a real winner in the eyes of the community too!

Leon Healy was headed to Seattle to have some surgery and luckily his mother, Gertrude Healy was able to go up to spend some time with him there.

At the end of a long week, the Everests had dinner at The Spar; they thought it was very good. All this according to my Grandma Elsie's 1952 diary.