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

SPRING IS HERE--According to the calendar, we are now officially done with winter and as of this past Monday, spring is here! There’s just one little issue that we may have however, as forecasters have said by the time you read this, we will be back into a wet and chilly mode! In some places, temperatures will be in the lower 30s and forecasters say that the higher elevations could even see some snow in some areas, so it looks like winter may not be done with us just yet! I can only hope that we valley dwellers escape any of that “white stuff” and our freezing night time temps are over with as well; fingers crossed!

THURSDAY MORNINGS--Quicky reminder that you’re welcome to come to the Skamokawa Grange Hall from 10 to noon on Thursdays, where they will serve coffee and breakfast or a snack or two. You’re welcome to bring something to share, and of course, donations of cash or items used to put this on, are very welcome.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from March 23-29 are Makenzie Anderson, Vance Miller Jr., John Elfers Sr., Jason Wallin Jr., Elizabeth Struntz, Jordyn Wirkkala, Chase Grasseth, Aaliyah Montgomery, Gordon Souvenir, Alexis Nortrup, Sig Hjaltalin, Sharyl Iblings, Jeri Webb Foster, Daniel Rust, Dave Whitney, Peyton Helms, JoAnn Prestegard, Sandi Cik, Judy Bates, Trease Nielson, Addlynn Masters, Emily Tanksley, Dawn Pedersen Maccione and 67’ers Melvin Brown, Sandy Firkus Quigley and Larry Firkus.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Joel and Pam Moore, Mr. and Mrs. John Hannah, Aron and Wendy Williams, and celebrating their very first anniversary this week are Ken and Michelle Nickolaus; congrats! Here’s wishing all of you some great days as you celebrate them this coming week!

THIS WEEKEND--Here’s wishing all you fishing enthusiasts a lot of good luck as the the annual “Hook the Hawg” Salmon Derby takes place this week, starting today, March 23! You’ll need to get those rods and reels ready to go as you’ve just three days to get that big fish on your line and enter it in the contest that’s held annually around here. You’ll want to contact the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce for all the rules and costs, but there will be somebody at the Elochoman Slough Marina each morning from 7-10 a.m. to fill you in on all that you need to know about this event. The award ceremony will be held in front of the new brewery location at 5:30 p.m. Happy fishing, everyone!

REMINDER--The “Bigfoot Boogie” event is on Saturday, March 25 at the Skamokawa Grange Hall from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Here’s to exercising and having fun while you groove to some music; a fun way to get that body moving and your blood flowing! More info: althea.pnw@gmail.com.

SAYING GOOD-BYE--We also want to remind you that services for Terry Heagy will be held this Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m., in the multi-purpose room at JA Wendt Elementary school in Cathlamet. Once again we send our sincerest condolences to all the members of the Heagy family as Terry was a great husband, brother, father and grandfather and he will truly be missed by all he left behind.

APRIL EVENTS--April is just a little over a week away, so that means there will be lots of things going on as Easter is on April 9 this year, and will be here before you know it. It also means getting those Easter greeting cards in the mail a whole lot earlier this year!

There will be Easter Bingo at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds on April 7, so be sure to mark that on your calendar as you could win the main dish for that Easter you’ll be hosting and that would be pretty neat! Of course, winning other prizes is fun too, so here’s hoping you’ll be sitting in that nice warm Youth building on Friday, the 7th at 6 p.m., when all the fun begins!

The very next day, April 8, the Flea Market at the fairgrounds will take place so you’ve got from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to check out all the vendors items as well as the items put up for sale to help with fair expenses.

According to the Chamber's calendar of events, while you have the chance to find some treasures at the Flea Market that day, you will also be able to bring the kids to the fairgrounds, as the annual Easter Egg hunt by the Lions Club will also take place at 11 a.m. For more information about the hunt, call 360-795-3337.

FOS--The Friends of Skamokawa will present a new event on April 22, as they will hold a Spring Tea that day from 1 to 3 p.m. in the River Life Interpretive Center at Redmen Hall. There is limited seating for this event so make your required reservations right away! The cost is $25 per person. Call the hall either Tuesday or Thursday 360-795-3007. There will also be door prizes and a Spring Basket raffle and along with the tea and goodies. It should be real fun. This event will be hosted by Linda Elliott.

P.I. GARDENS NOW OPEN--Since we no longer have Skamokawa Gardens Nursery anymore, it’s really nice to see that you can buy plants and gardening supplies at a new place called Puget Island Gardens. They held their opening this past weekend and it was really nice out and just in time for all those who want to do their spring planting! The new business is located at 520 SR 409, near Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, and will be open Thursday through Sunday from 10 to 6. The number to call for more info is 206-390-4980 or email them at: info@pugetislandgardens.com.

COMING TO AN END--While I have enjoyed sharing my grandmother's diaries with all of you over the years, the “OUT OF THE PAST” part of my column featuring my grandma Elsie Everest's diary posts will soon be ending. While I really hate to part with all this family history and all these stories, it’s time for me to pass them along to another member of my family so that they too can read them and enjoy them and share with their family members. As we get older we realize that some of our things are easily disposed of and you wouldn’t mind if they wound up at a rummage sale, but there are other things that really need to be kept in the family and to ensure that happens, I’m going to part with them now. It will also be fun to get their feedback on these family treasures and continue to share these precious memories.