Skamokawa News

DECENT START. As this week begins on Sunday morning, I’m seeing some sunshine that’s making the wet grass and trees sparkle, so it’s a nice change from Saturday, when it poured on and off all day. We had an inch of rain by noon here in the West Valley, so it was definitely soggy. This last weekend in June is looking much nicer… fingers crossed!

SPECIAL DAYS. Those celebrating their birthdays from June 26 to July 4 are Lance Britt, Cliff Garrison, Don Speranza, Sandie York, Austin Luthi, Tanya Cleveland, Heidi Boehler, Andrew Nortrup, Cooper Steevens, Monroe Hammons, George Exum, Matt Helms lll, Jaxton Nicolazzi, Nayte Chandler, Chris Wika, McKenna Spieth MackIntosh, Tim Pedersen, Briggs Bach turns two, Blaze Taylor, Nathan Chamberlain and 67’er: Dale Jacobson. Those celebrating anniversaries this week are: Susan and Randy Kuhn, Tim and Haley Batt, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Hendrickson, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Montgomery, Mr. and Mrs. Dean Wesner, Mr. and Mrs. John Adams, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Florek Jr. and Mr. and Mrs Peter Sechler will be celebrating thirty-five years together at the end of this month. Hooray to all!

THURSDAY/JUNE 26. If you receive this newspaper on Thursday, please note that the free Community Breakfast will take place at the Skamokawa Grange Hall every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. Everyone is welcome to join them, and even if you don’t want breakfast, bring your own cup and share a cup of coffee, sit a spell and gab with your neighbors, or meet some new ones.

If you are a friend of Sandra Peterson Davis, please note that her memorial service will take place on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Bridge Church on Puget Island. Tragically, we had all been visiting with Sandy at the Skamokawa Grange Hall while attending Judy Smith’s memorable event, and only found out the tragic news about her sudden passing after returning home. It seems that she and her two friends went over to the Duck Inn after leaving the Grange Hall and, while there, she suffered a medical emergency that, despite the heroic efforts of the staff to save her, resulted in her death. We were all so shocked to know that she was gone.....she was here one minute and gone the next.....it seemed so surreal. Sandy grew up in Skamokawa and had attended school there until it closed, and everyone moved to Cathlamet. She had been a graduating member of the Wahkiakum High School Class of 1967, so she was a classmate of mine. Because we shared the same last name, albeit with a different spelling, we wound up as locker mates as well. Fast forward a few years, and her name wound up being the same as mine when she married my brother, so my classmate became my sister-in-law. Fast forward some more years, and she was no longer my SIL, but she was my boss’s daughter, as I went to work for her Dad, Skamokawa Pete, at the Duck Inn, so like many others, we’ve had a long connection. We are all still in shock at her sudden passing, and we send her family members, along with all of her close friends, our sincerest condolences.

ANOTHER LOSS. We also want to extend our sympathies to Laurie Miller, who lost her “baby” brother, Chris Starr, on June 16 at the age of 55 in Seattle. Chris was the last of Laurie’s three brothers, as Glen and Joe had preceded him. You may remember Laurie; she was a former resident and WHS graduate, and she is also someone who has sung our National Anthem for us many times during Bald Eagle Days, so she has many connections to our area. Laurie shared that all of her brothers died due to complications from various heart diseases, many of which were undiagnosed, so she urges everyone to be vigilant about their heart health. Again, we send her and the rest of her family our deepest condolences as they cope with this sudden loss.

DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS/CAR SHOW. Well, this is the big weekend for the Dollars for Scholars group, which is celebrating twenty-five years of gathering folks together and raising money for the scholarships given to our Seniors at Wahkiakum High School. What a great job they’ve done! Various venues have hosted this event over the years, and this year it will be held at River Mile 38 Brewery, located in the Elochoman Slough Marina in Cathlamet. There will be a silent and live auction on Saturday, June 28 from noon to 4 p.m., so you can win a grand prize and help that way or you can also just make a direct donation if you want as all the money goes towards the kids’ scholarships, but hey, it’s way more fun to take part in the auctions I think. Ha! Additionally, there will be a Rods and Reels Rod Run Reunion Car Show, making for a fun time. Also, the Duck Inn food trailer is going to be there, so you can purchase a bite to eat there and have yourself a nice drink at the brewery. I mean, what’s not to like? Food, drink, awesome old cars, a bunch of fantastic auction items, and a great feeling of donating to a good cause, all with a gorgeous view of our beautiful Columbia River.

INTO JULY. Yes, next Tuesday we will be heading into yet another month, which means half of 2025 will be over and the Fourth of July celebrations will be taking place the following Friday, so get prepared for some noise! This means all your pets need to be either inside, sedated or confined so that they don’t wind up running around the neighborhood in a panic. Also, please be respectful and have your loud activities cease at a decent hour....that would really be appreciated by one and all I’m sure!

FOS. The Friends of Skamokawa have announced that they are canceling the Arts and Crafts Exhibit that was scheduled for July 28 through Aug. 31. However, there will be an exhibit upstairs in the Interpretive Center highlighting the Skamokawa Creamery’s History from 1898 to 1945, and that should be very interesting. They will also have a lot of old photos of the area; it’s always interesting to see how things looked around here a long time ago. These photos, dating back to before 1935, will be particularly interesting to see and compare with the “then versus now” look. Come on up to the Central School/Redmen Hall/Interpretive Center, located here in Skamokawa at milepost 29, on weekends from noon to 4 p.m.