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

MIXED WEATHER--While we have some clouds to start this work week, they say we’ll be heating up and drying. Personally, I really enjoyed the cool down. Of course, the cool down wasn’t too severe and our evening hours were still warm and a bit muggy at times. As always, our West Valley weather can be completely different from those just two miles up the road, so we just never know what we’ll run into when we leave the house. I do know that if it really rains mid-week like is forecast, I will be loving it and so will my plants. The heat is supposed to return by the weekend, so keep the sunscreen handy!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from August 10-16 are Kathleen Morgain, Shannon Britt, Tim Schmitz, Ricky Montgomery Jr., Jana Jacob, Addy Hauff, Judy Smith, Judy Fritzie, Krista Blix McQuire, Rick Bryan, Erica Keenan Torppa, Travis Wegdahl, Ezra Hoven, Kassy Burdick, Cooper Grasseth, Joshua Grasseth, Sarah Mahalovich, Brian Taylor, Jeff Nicol, Sally Palmer, Maddox Wilder, Margie Wagner Pedersen and Denis Everest. Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Gribskov, Larry and Deb Holland, Mr. and Mrs. Randy Kuhl, Robert and Terina Davis, Mr. and Mrs. Randy Hoven, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Healy and Kyle Sechler and Suzy Ekstrom. May you all have wonderful celebrations on your special days.

REUNION--The members of the Class of 1959 are being reminded that they have a gathering at the Duck Inn Thursday, Aug. 17 at noon. Classmates should spread the word amongst themselves and I hope you have a good turn out.

SKAMOKAWA REUNION--Those who went to school in Skamokawa are being reminded that they have a potluck reunion at Vista Park in the upper level covered area next Friday, Aug. 18 at 1 p.m.

FAIR STARTS--The big doings next week is the 115th Wahkiakum County Fair running Thursday-Saturday August 17-19. If you’re entering something, check out your fair book to make sure you show up on the right day at the correct hours, so that a superintendent can check you in. I can hardly wait for my three day “diet plan” which has always consisted of only fair food for those three days, and it must include a goodie or two providing they are still available; can’t wait!

SALMON DERBY--After the fair is over, the next week will see the fishermen headed to the river as they vie for the biggest salmon in the annual “Hook the Hawg” Salmon Derby at the Elochoman Marina. Register online at WAHKIAKUM.US and if you need more info, you can contact the Wah. Chamber of Commerce via an email at: info@wahkiakum.us and their phone number is 360-795-9996 if you don’t have internet capabilities. Be sure to check out the list of rules they have for entering your fish so you don’t get disqualified.

FRIDAY MARKET--The weekly Farmers’ Market held at the Elochoman Slough Marina on Fridays will end within the month. It seems impossible, but time has flown by and September 1 will be here before you know it. So, I hope you’ve purchased some of the local goodies that have been available as we step into fall!

SCHOOL SUPPLIES--Speaking of time going by, it seems like school just got out and we’re already talking about it starting back up; amazing! At any rate, there’s always a need for extra school supplies and multiple places in Cathlamet have made it possible for you to drop off supplies for this upcoming school year. I miss the old days when we didn’t need a backpack to carry all our school supplies. All we needed was pencils, a good eraser, a pen, some paper and a bit of glue.

MUSIC FEST--I can hardly believe that a really big, multi-talented group of entertainers are coming Sept. 1-4 and will perform right here in our little town of Skamokawa. I can hardly wait to see everybody and I hope you have purchased your tickets. For those of you on Facebook, just go to the “Smoke on the Water Music Fest” site and find out all the particulars. You can always catch Ryan Helms at the Duck Inn if need be or Patty Dursteler 360-795-3480 at the fairgrounds to get those tickets; it’s going to be a blast!

OCTOBER FUND RAISER--Once again the Friends of Skamokawa will hold their “Cornucopia of Treasures” online auction to help raise funds to maintain the historic Redmen Hall/Central School building here in Skamokawa. Prior to the Covid years, there would be in-person wine tasting events and an auction, but times have changed and the need for other alternatives brought about the online auction events. We hope you’ll donate something to this fund raiser, as the more items, the more money and of course, having a variety of things available to bid on, helps ensure a good outcome. It helps if you’ll let them know ahead of time what you’ll be willing to donate so they can start their promotional efforts to entice some bidders, and maybe even start a few bidding wars. This year, the time slot of bidding on these donated items will be from Oct. 7-21, so we hope you’ll participate. For more info you can call the hall at 360-795-3007 or email them at fos1894@gmail.com. I’ll mention more on this later but with time flying by, now’s the time to start thinking about it!

MUSEUM--I had a very busy day this past Sunday when I was the volunteer host at our Wahkiakum County Museum. Folks came from all over the place and not only by car, but by boat, so that was a first for me! Some of the folks were looking for historical information about Lewis and Clark and natives that were here, while others came by to check on some relatives that were known to have lived here long ago. One can live here all their lives and still not know much about where things were or who owned what. Many of our elders are no longer with us and we just weren’t interested in learning about those things when we were younger. I was happy that curator Kari Kandoll was there for a bit as she’s the genealogy wizard and has spent hours tracking down descendants of those who lived and worked here years and years ago and let me tell you, one needs to be a real detective/sleuth when it comes to that kind of work. We are blessed to have someone in our community who is willing to commit all those hours to do it, as I know I don’t have the patience. So good job Kari! The museum is currently holding a raffle for some great prizes so stop on by and check those out. If you can’t be there but would like to help keep the museum up and running, you can always send donations to WCHS at 65 River Street, Cathlamet, WA 98612. They will also have a booth at the Wah. Co. Fair.

GOOD TURN OUT--I heard that the recent “Senior Prom” was a big hit and I sure wish I could have made it. It sounded fun, but I had already made plans that evening, so I couldn’t attend. I hope someone took some pictures and is able to share them!

GIVE ME A CALL--If you’d like to hear some more personal doings that have been happening, please give me a call. I know it may seem silly now, but trust me, folks really enjoy hearing about your trips and excursions to other places, your reunions, the new baby in the family, that great anniversary party you had, etc. It makes for a much more interesting read when we get to hear about other people and not just upcoming events. So, don’t be shy; let’s chat and brag up those grandkids of yours and let me know about that trip you took and anything else you’d like to share. Hope to talk to you soon!