Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Skamokawa News
READY FOR A CHANGE--By the time you read this, forecasters have promised that we will be in for warmer and drier weather and I sure hope so! I think most of us agree this cold, damp and gloomy weather is no longer welcome and needs to exit the area and bring us some really nice springtime weather. As I’m writing this on Sunday evening, it’s coming down in buckets; enough already!
SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 27-May 3 are Ricky Montgomery, Eva Snow, Carol Danker, Anita Hoven, Carrie Backman, Jenna Engle, Darrin Olsen, Connie Luthi, Wolfgang Hoven, David Faubion, Troy Heagy, Patience Nortrup, Carolyn LaBerge, Brandon Bennett, Jeff Ostling, Tom Blalock, Bob Cothren, Aaron Bernard, Abby Pedersen and Matthew Freeman.
Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Mr. and Mrs. Mike Paulsen, Tim and Margie Pedersen, Gabe and Annie Pedersen and Matthew and Katrina (Pedersen) Freeman. May all of you have a splendid time on your special days.
LOOKING FOR FAMILY PICTURE--Recently a gal named Kelly Fitch asked if anybody might possible have any pictures of great grandmother, Edith Jane Dunoyier (Denoyer) who went to school in Cathlamet in 1935 and 1936. Her married names are McCord and Hurt. She evidently lived at her Grandpa Edwin Ross’s farm here in Skamokawa and somewhere out East Valley. She lived out there with her mother, MaryJane Ross, (later Sworkmo), along with her three siblings: James, Claire and Dorr Dunoyier Jr. It’s possible some of these kids were in school pictures as well. Anyway, Kelly has never seen a picture of her and would really like to be able to find one, so if you’ve got some family members who just might have hung onto old memorabilia from high school in the 30s, I hope you’ll look through them and see if you happen to find Miss Edith!
SOFT OPENING--The new Taproom at the marina will have a soft opening this Saturday, April 29. If you’re curious as to what it looks like, then you’ll want to go and check it out at 4 p.m. Folks will go down to the old River Mile 38 location at 2:30 to toast farewell to the old building and then parade on down to the new building closer to the water. There’s only beer being served for now but more things are coming soon.
MAY DAY--On Monday we will celebrate “May Day” and if you don’t want to celebrate it the way that those in the 1800’s did, which was by hanging baskets of flowers and treats on a neighbor's door, then, maybe you’ll just be sending a loved one some flowers via your local florist, Nicole Emery! May Day was supposedly started by the Celts of the British Isles, who thought that May first divided the year in half and was the beginning of summer and it was also when the festival of Beltane took place, so it was a great day to celebrate.
In other countries May Day is known as “Workers Day” or International Workers’ Day” as this is the day that some use to recognize the struggles incurred by the everyday worker and the labor movement. However, in America, we have our own day for that, which is called Labor Day and it’s held on the first Monday in September.
Personally, I’m all for the giving of flowers, be it by the wild flowers one can find about one's yard or heading to a local florist or garden center and picking up some and then giving them to somebody who just might need a bit of cheering up right now.
CINCO DE MAYO--Next Friday is May 5 and it’s definitely time to hit up the local spots in our area for some great tacos or nachos or whatever else they are serving to celebrate the day. I’m pretty sure there will be a few margaritas served along with those meals, but please celebrate wisely!
SUNDAY DINNER--Just another quick reminder of the chicken dinner fundraiser at the Rosburg Hall on May 7 from 11:30 to 1:30. It’s for a great cause and it’s always delicious! For more info check out my column from last week.
RLIC/REDMEN HALL--There will be a new art exhibit at the hall beginning May 12, so I hope you’ll check that out. This exhibit by Stan Riedesel is called “Water Colors” and has a lot of artwork depicting SW Washington and a lot of things we are familiar with like all of our gorgeous outdoor scenery, waterways, boats and such.
On May 13, there will be a reception for the artist as well as a demonstration by him, so come and meet Mr. Riedesel as he’ll be there between noon and 4 p.m.
This exhibit will run through July 2 in the River Life Interpretive Center, located on the second floor of the hall. Check It out Friday-Sunday, noon to four. You can always email them at fos1894@gmail.com or call 360-795-3007.
Don’t forget the Gift and Book Shop at the hall has some wonderful books and other gift items that might make for the perfect gift for Mother’s Day, May 14.
TWO THINGS MAY 13--This is the second Saturday of the month and as usual, the fairgrounds will hold their Flea Market from 9 to 3.
Also that evening, the Sons of Norway will hold bingo, so head to Puget Island and enjoy some rousing games and maybe win yourself some cash prizes! Doors open at the Norse Hall on SR 409 at 5:30 with the games beginning at 6 p.m.
KAYAKING OPPORTUNITIES--Our local kayak business, Columbia River Kayaking, is located at 957 Steamboat Slough Road in Skamokawa, and with the nicer weather coming, it would be a great time to sign up for one of their classes or tours. They have a “Smooth and Easy Mini Tour” most Saturdays, so with the calm sloughs in the area and an abundant of wild life to see, this might be perfect for you. To get signed up you can either check their website or give them a call at 360-747-1044, or email them at info@columbiariverkayaking.com.
B.E.D THEME--It’s time to get those thinking caps on and figure out what your group can do about entering a float or display during Bald Eagle Days, now that the theme has been chosen. In case you haven’t heard, it’s “Fisherman Frontier.” That should give you all kinds of choices for a float or decorations on your booth, etc. Remember, the big parade and all the fireworks will occur on Saturday, July 15, with a few things happening the day before, so tell your friends and family and get ready for a really good time once again!
DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS DEADLINE--Just in case you missed it, the deadline to confirm your sponsorship or donation to the WDFS online auction, is May 22, so the sooner you let them know that you’re interested in helping out, the better. This auction will run from May 25-June 11 and all you folks who like to do your online shopping, will have a good time taking part in this as there’s always some great prizes. If you haven’t gotten a letter about this event, you can ask Diane Tischer to send you one by calling 360-562-6467. If you don’t want to donate an item and would like to send a check or money order or even a cashier's check to them right away, you can mail it to Mule Power c/o Diane Tischer, 223 N. Welcome Slough Rd, Cathlamet, WA 98612 or Wahkiakum Dollars for Scholars, P.O. Box 498, Cathlamet, WA 98612. If you’re new here, these funds are raised to give scholarships to WHS graduates, so it’s a great cause.
WRAP UP--I was happy to hear that so many came out this past Saturday to support the Mecha Mules Robotic team as they held a car wash at the Bank of the Pacific to raise money to go compete back east. I heard that 75 cars came through to get their cars washed, so once again, our community really showed up to help out our kids; totally awesome!
I also heard that the Grand Opening of the Puget Island Gardens was a great success and it appears they had a much nicer day on the Island compared to here in West Valley. They have a wide variety of just about everything for those who love to garden, so with the warmer weather coming, now’s the time to shop for those pots and plants and make a plan to dress up your flower beds a bit. In case you didn’t know, the address is 520 SR 409 and is just kitty-corner from the big white building, which is the Our Saviours Lutheran Church.
GET WELL--I hope those who are currently “under the weather” are feeling better now, as there have been quite a few folks who aren’t feeling so hot, and who are dealing with a variety of issues, (but don’t want to be named) so we hope you will all “Get Well Soon” folks!
DID YOU KNOW?--During this same week back in 1990, the weather was exactly the same with some terrible rain storms for a few days and then turning nice for the last several days.
It was a sad week for those of us who knew her, as long time Puget Islander and teacher, Mrs. Roy (Vyra) Bowman passed away at the age of 91 on April 29. She was a busy lady and had been in multiple groups, like the Christ Child Society at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Cathlamet, where she knitted hundreds of baby items to donate to their cause. She also belonged to the Delta Kappa Gamma sorority, American Legion Aux. in Grays River, the Puget Island Grange, the Cathlamet Mothers Club and the Friendship Club as well as being a life member in National Education Association and Cowlitz County Education Association and she’d also been the Superintendent of schools in Cathlamet from 1936 to 1940. She had the distinction of being the very first woman to drive on Puget Island and the first woman school bus driver! Quite the lady indeed.
I have to admit, when I had her for my sixth grade teacher I thought she was “really old,” so imagine how silly I felt when I realized she was still going strong some 30 years later!
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