Skamokawa News

CLOUDY BEGINNING. Well, as this week begins, our sunny Saturday has been replaced by a cloudy, dry Sunday—not too bad. My weather app for the week only shows a couple of days with a chance of showers, so that would be great—it certainly beats a week of rain! We may catch up on some yardwork, as there seems to be a six-inch growth spurt of the weeds every other day… tough to keep up with all the grass and weed-eating these days!

SPECIAL DAYS. Those celebrating birthdays the May 29 through June 5 are Serene Snow, David Michaels, Jeanne Paulsen, Wes McClain, Benjamin McClain, Katie Vegvary, Asher Frink, Sharon Hart, Rena Cramer Morris, Cynthia Mayr, Brayan Prestegard, Steve Howarth, Amanda Wisdom, Amy Knowles, Lennie Clark, Tylor Nortrup, Kim Stone, Albert Bergseng, Stephanie Prestegard, Gary Emery, Tracy Cleveland, Gale Luthi, Jesse Stone, Robyn Longtain, Marti Florek, Tylor Russell, Derrick Bardsley, Justin Sailing, Michael Wegdahl, Chloe Cothren, Riker Phelps, Becca Keilwitz, Tori Wegdahl, Jeff Barth, Barb Bain, Tarryn Blouin, Brian Swanson, Terry Vik, Annika Vik, Mark Olson, Derrik DeBolt, Tim Rushing, Brooklynn S. Blain, Shannon Cochran, Scot Ahrndt, Brian Good and 67’er: Mike Hicks. Celebrating their anniversaries this week are Scott Kennedy and Eva Snow, and Robert and Karla Kyle. May all of you have wonderful celebrations this week.

MULTIPLE HAPPENINGS THIS SATURDAY. A quick reminder that the fairgrounds area down here in Skamokawa will be full of cars and trucks of all kinds as the big Cruzin to the Fairgrounds is this Saturday, May 31. There’s always something to eat and music too. So head on down to the fairgrounds for a good time and some awesome vehicles! This is also the day that family and friends will gather together at the Skamokawa Grange Hall to remember Cherish Collupy-Smith. Her services will begin at 1 p.m. On Puget Island this Saturday, at the Norse Hall, the Sons of Norway will put on the Salmon Dinner event. We hope you’ll come by and enjoy a delicious dinner. If you’ve gotten your tickets already, that’s great, but they are still selling tickets at the door, so don’t miss out on a great dinner and help support our local lodge. Also, this is the last Saturday to see Mel and Leah, and Friends at the Pioneer Center in Cathlamet at 4 p.m. If you have time to squeeze them into your already busy schedule, they’d love to see you.

DINNER AND AUCTION. Next Thursday, June 5, the place to be is the Skamokawa Grange Hall. A Dinner and Auction will be held there from 6 to 8 p.m. This is being held to benefit Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group (WAAG), which run by volunteers who truly do an amazing job of helping the animals around here who get dumped, need care, need fostering, and need food, or other service. They are an awesome group of people, so we hope you’ll come down and support them. The other group is the Wahkiakum Shoe Boxes of Joy, which are boxes of goodies handed out during the holidays for those who may not otherwise get a gift or need a bit of holiday cheer. There are some great auction items already gathered, but more is always appreciated. If you want to donate something, please email Season at ShoeboxesofJoyWahkiakum@gmail.com

LIONS CLUB BERRY SALE. It’s that time of year again when our Wahkiakum Lions Club members are taking orders for their Frozen Berries sale. They will be taking orders until June 15, and there are many places in area where you can find their order forms. If you have any questions or need an order form, call Renee Robert at 360-355-0871. All orders must be paid for in advance, and the pick-up date will be June 21. There are six 40-ounce pouches in each 15-pound case. Strawberries and blueberries are $55, blackberries are $62, And raspberries are $66. There will be three places for berries to be picked up: Wahkiakum High School, Skamokawa Grange parking lot, or Rosburg Store lot.

INDOOR BAZAAR. Coming up next Saturday, June 7, don’t forget to come down to the Skamokawa Vista Park office at 5 Vista Park Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where they are holding an “Indoor Bazaar” so no matter the weather, you can shop and stay dry! This is their first time having this event in the new space, formerly the Skamokawa Methodist Church, so come on down and check it all out. The park is located just west of downtown Skamokawa at milepost 29.

FOS/RLIC. Also at milepost 29, the historic old schoolhouse sits right across the road from the Skamokawa Store, and you’re invited to stop by and check them out. Many of us know the building as Redmen Hall, which started out as the Central School. These days, it houses a wonderful gift and book store, with the River Life Interpretive Center upstairs. The Friends of Skamokawa are presenting a “Wahkiakum Arts and Craft Exhibit” there from June 28 through August 31, so all of our local artisans will be able to display their photography, glass works, pottery, leathercraft and more, so that will be a wonderful time to maybe do a little pre-Christmas shopping for some unique and local gifts from talented local folks! For more information, call 360-795-3007.

DON’T FORGET FRIDAYS. For many vendors who like to be somewhere on a weekly schedule, the place to be is at the Elochoman Marina Street Market in Cathlamet. They have a wide variety of vendors who set up every Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. This began last week and will be go until Sept. 26. There will be handmade crafts, flowers, produce and many other items down at 500 2nd street. With the brewery in walking distance, you can enjoy a quick brew and a bit of shopping too. If you’d like to become a vendor, give them a call at 360-849-9401.

WHAT ABOUT THURSDAYS? Yes indeed, Thursdays mornings from 10 a.m. to noon, the Skamokawa Grange Hall is again the place to be. Season Long and her crew serve up a free Community Breakfast there that day, so stop on by and have a cup of coffee, a bite to eat and visit with your friends and neighbors, both old and new. While this is free, your donations help make this happen every week, so if you can, drop a couple of bucks in the jar, or maybe donate some of the food items they use weekly. All in all, it’s a great place to share ideas, hear what’s happening in the area, and donate to a good cause. Win, win!

In the evening hours, our local volunteer fire departments meet up and if you’re looking for a way to help your community, please think about joining one of our fire departments. Skamokawa, Cathlamet and Puget Island Fire Departments are the backbone of our community. When we need help, they come running, so if you can, join them. If you’re unable to join, we hope you’ll support them when they hold fundraisers. A big Thank You to all of our fire and ambulance department personnel. We are blessed to have you!

GET WELL. One of those people who had to rely on our volunteer crews recently was Beau Renfro, and I hope he knows that we are all wishing him the very best and that he makes a complete recovery. When we first heard of his need for medical help, his situation was quite dire, and so we were all pleased to hear that he was making improvements. We will continue to keep him in our thoughts and wish him all the best in his recovery from his medical emergency. Get well soon, Beau.