Skamokawa News

WET AND WILD. Well, I guess you know, this past Saturday and Saturday night was pretty doggone exciting as the winds were howling and the rain was falling so hard that one couldn't even see if you were out driving in it, so it was pretty crazy out there. There were power outages due to falling trees and of course, the tree debris was everywhere, so the safest place to be was at home I think. Of course, those of us with a lot of trees were holding our breath as we love them but not when they fall on our houses or garages...ha! I'm thankful that the winds came from such a direction that we fared pretty well, unlike other wind storms when it seemed like more of a tornado with whirling winds that went thru and made a real mess for us. Now I guess we all know what to have completely secured when a wind storm is predicted, as it's not even winter yet, so if you found your patio furniture in the neighbors' lawn, well, you might want to get prepared now for the next "gully washer" and whirlwind event.

SPECIAL DAYS. Those celebrating birthdays this coming week from Oct. 30 through Nov. 7 are Michelle Nickolaus, Niclole McKinley, Greg Parke, Bev England, Elaine Britt, Phil Corbin, James Turner, April Murdock, Starla Hanson Aubrea Helms, Anna Kuhn, Hayden Johnson, Robert Shannon, Chris Spitzer, John Hannah, Miley Montgomery, Carol Blalock, Lisa Robinson, Mary Simpson Moonen, Pete Cooper, Jeff Conner, James Julien, Ginger Moonen, Jessica Drake, Marsha Souvenir, Shannon Duscha, Michael Watkins, Ashlynn Grasseth, Chelsea Paulsen, Diane Tischer, Lindsey Anderson, Diane Tischer, Carol Carver, Riley Hogland, Debra Fogarty, Teylor Sauer, Olivia Gill, K.C. Beery, Jesse Holm, Brody Ashe, Linda Palmer Spieth and Libby Davison. Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Gene Dixon, Trevor and Shyanne Gorley, Kyle and Elizabeth Anger, Eric and Rachelle Velazques, Mr. and Mrs. Tim Dickson, Skylar and Shelby Grasseth and Lucas and Austyn Getman. Here's hoping the weather lightens up a bit so you can all go out and enjoy your special days with those you love and make terrific memories too!

ANOTHER ADDITION. It seems like the family of Kerry and Susan Brown just keeps growing as once again they welcome a new baby into the fold. It seems that their oldest son, Brock and his wife Molly, welcomed a baby boy into this world on Oct. 15 and they have named him, Hudson. We send them all a very hearty "Congratulations!" back there in their home in Michigan.

HALLOWEEN DOINGS. It's going to be a busy time with a lot of things going on this coming week, beginning with Halloween falling on a Friday night...wow! So, once you have all the kids taken care of, how about the adults getting all dressed up and come to Skamokawa for a really great costume party at our favorite place along the highway, the Duck Inn. There will be a live band to dance to and of course, prizes for the best costumes as well, so come on down and have some fun!

VISTA PARK FALL BAZAAR. The following day, Nov. 1, you can head back down here and check out all the vendors at the building just to the left as you come into Skamokawa Vista Park, as it's time to check out those local vendors where it's nice and warm and dry inside.....it's that time of year, to be holding indoor events and the former church spot is just perfect...check it out. This spot is now called the "Appelo Annex" and is located at 5 Vista Park Road and is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.

SHOP WITH A COP. Later on that Saturday evening, it's time to show your support for our local kids who are in need of a great Christmas, which they will get with our help if you come to the Duck Inn and bid on donated items with the money going to our local law enforcement officers, so they can take these kids on a grand shopping experience...awesome! The doors open at 4 p.m., and then there will be something to eat, and that begins at 6 p.m. Let's make these kids really happy and bid, bid, bid!! This event has always been a great time and a great success, so let's do it again! You can still donate something if you'd like to, but hurry and get it to the Sheriffs' office or bring it to the Duck Inn. We hope to see you there!

SAD NEWS. We were very sorry to hear about the passing of Don Jester, who is the Uncle of Logan Britt and Lance Britt, who are the current operators of the Duck Inn and the Skamokawa Resort and who was instrumental in reviving this town with these two businesses who brought new life to our small town. So, we are very sad to hear of Don’s passing and send our deepest sympathies to all of his family, but we will always be very grateful that the Jester family stepped in and with a little prodding from Don's wife, Arlene, opted to invest in our community. It should be worth noting that if you weren't familiar with Don, he was a fisherman and a business man; one of his other passions was that he loved collecting cars and currently has a place up in Chehalis called the "Jester Auto Museum" and it's a unique place to check out.

COMMUNITY BREAKFAST/CHRISTMAS BOXES. Here's my last reminder for the weekly free breakfast that happens at the Skamokawa Grange Hall every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon, as it's a great time to bring your own coffee cup if you like and pour yourself a "cup of joe" and have a bite to eat and enjoy gabbing with the other folks in your community. It's also time to drop off shoeboxes that will be wrapped and filled with things that will be handed out to those who may need a little boost at Christmas time. It would be really great if you could wrap them and fill them up and then donate them but it's certainly not mandatory. All shoeboxes are appreciated and items to fill them up are most welcome to, so here's hoping you can give them a hand. In case you didn't know, the grange hall is located by the fairgrounds here in Skamokawa at 18 Fairgrounds Road.

THIS IS IT! Yes indeed, this is my final column and ends thirty-one years of "officially" writing this column after the passing of the former columnist, Mary Ann Madden. I certainly appreciated Bob Nelson and his son, Rick Nelson for giving me this opportunity and it's been a good outlet for me, but it's time to move on....I'm not getting any younger ya know?! Ha! So, before I go, I want to thank all my loyal readers who have supplied me with so much information over the years to add to my column and who gave me the support I needed to keep on doing this when the early years weren't always the easy years! So, "Thank-You" all and with that, I bid you "Adieu"!