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

COOLING DOWN--As I begin this column on Sunday morning, it is cloudy, cool and calm and we’re not worried about getting unbearably hot, so that’s okay with me, as those 90 to 100 degree temperatures were too much for me. The forecasters say we may get some rain, so we’ll see how that plays out. Fires are destroying acres of timberland, which is a tragedy for all of us, animals included. As always, be mindful of the fire restrictions that are currently in place in our area.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays Aug. 31-Sept. 6 are Nanea Carroll, Quin Bassi Jr., Teri Hoven, Travis Bain, Dan Lloyd, Paul Toney, Lucca and Bella Hummel, Grayci Thomas, Kim Herren, Frank Schubert, Nathan Takko, Dallas Gott-Burdick, Brett Deaton, Nichole Olsen, Daniel Elfers, Jade Havens, Zarina Hoven, Bobbie Gaines, Linda Cook, Donna Peterson Bernard, Scott Baldwin and Bill Chamberlain.

Those celebrating anniversaries are Mr. and Mrs. Lee Tischer, Mr. and Mrs. Josh Cochran, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Backman, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Johnson, Steve and Ruth Doumit, Todd and Kristen Souvenir and Blake and Michaela Sechler. May you all have wonderful celebrations this coming week!

NEW ADDITION--We have a new addition to our Special Days calendar as my grandson, Bryce Good married his long time sweetheart, the lovely Lauren Nicks this past Saturday, in East Valley at the Tracy farm. Lauren looked like a princess out of a fairytale with her long blond curled tresses and her absolutely gorgeous wedding dress. We were all thrilled for the happy couple as they shared their special day with us. The Best Man was Bryce's older brother, Austin Good, who flew up from Utah for the special occasion and brought his family, Nicole and son, Kaiden. This grandma was tickled to be able to see all of them. We welcome Lauren into our family and offer our heartiest congratulations to the happy couple and wish them many wonderful years together!

THIS IS IT--The Smoke on the Water Music Fest is this weekend, so I hope you’re ready to be amazed by all the country artists that will come to Skamokawa. If you didn’t buy a three day pass, there are day passes at the gate. Let’s pray for decent weather for this major three day event beginning this Friday. Music, food and fun; I can hardly wait! For more information you can check out their site online or their Facebook page. Headliners are Caanan Smith, Cort Carpenter and Rodney Atkins, with plenty of musical acts during the other times of day.

KITE FESTIVAL--As far as I know, the Kite Festival at Skamokawa Vista Park is still happening so if you are down here next Saturday, be sure to head to the park and check those kites out; they are awesome. Luckily, the park is located in an area where they almost always have windy conditions that are just perfect for flying kites.

FLEA MARKET--If you aren’t into kites, but want to check out some treasures, head over to the fairgrounds and check out their monthly flea market on the 9th. It runs from 9 to 3 on the second Saturday of each month.

BINGO IN PM--Once you’re finished enjoying the Skamokawa area, it’s time to take a bit of a rest before heading to the Norse Hall on Puget Island for their monthly bingo games. The hall opens at 5:30 with the games beginning at 6, so all you bingo lovers who like cash prizes, will want to check them out. The members of the Sons of Norway Lodge would love to see you there!

CANCELED--Unfortunately, the Farm 2 Fleece Fiber Show scheduled to take place at the fairgrounds Sept. 8-10 had to be canceled. Please spread the word about that, as many of us had been advertising it and sometimes it’s hard to un-advertise.

SOLD OUT--If you didn’t make reservations for the Covered Bridge Dinner, which takes place in October, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. The event is sold out again. Of course, every once in awhile somebody has to cancel at the last minute so an opening comes up, so maybe you could leave your name at the WSU Extension office, 360-795-3278.

SCHOOL STARTED--I never liked it when school started before Labor Day, as it often messed up that last, long holiday weekend, but, that’s the way it goes. I hope your family got adjusted to heading out to school this week and I hope all you drivers are minding the school bus rules. Here’s wishing all the kids a good school year and you get behind your teams and cheer as loud as you can. If you can, please drop off a few extra school supplies in the bins situated around Cathlamet which really helps those students in need. You could also stop by the grade school and give them supplies, or some snacks for the little ones.

GATHERING CLOTHES--The Puget Island Fire Department Auxiliary group will gather clothes again soon, so if you’ve got hats, scarves, gloves, coats and maybe some nice warm tops, that you no longer need, please think about donating them to this worthy cause. If you want things cleared out sooner than later, you might give Sherrill a call and see if she couldn’t make arrangements to get your donations a little early, 360-951-3985.

SHOEBOXES--I hope you’re all saving shoe boxes from those new sneakers, sandals or heels you bought this summer as they will come in handy once the Christmas holiday season is upon us. There’s a group that collects them, wraps them and fills them with items for those who might not otherwise get a Christmas gift. This is an awesome group to be a part of. You’re invited to wrap your own box and fill it with goodies to give away. Make sure it’s marked for a man or a woman, and it’s always nice to add things that a diabetic would use or a cat lover might like. The list of things one could put in one of these gift boxes is endless. Let’s make some really good ones! More information on this will come in the days ahead but it’s never too early to start thinking about these things.

KIND DEED--I knew that we had some kind and generous people here, so it didn’t really surprise me when a gal mentioned on Facebook that she’d been at the Duck Inn recently with her children and that somebody had paid her bill. How cool is that? We hear so much negativity every day, it’s just great to hear some good news for a change. When it’s happening in your own little town, it makes it even better. Kudos to the folks who treated this family to a free meal, and may you be blessed in many ways for sharing this kindness. I hope we can all be a Secret Santa now and then and continue to spread some goodwill in order to brighten up someone else’s day. You just never know how much of a positive impact your act of kindness makes! Let’s spread some more of that around shall we?