Silver Jubilee Show

The 2011 season for Redmen Hall opened with a retrospective of the work of local artist Dory Hicks. Paintings and drawings done over a span of many years were shown, all on loan from many homes near and far.

Dory Hicks Retrospective Opens 25th Jubilee Season

Dory Hicks originally wrote and illustrated the Redmen Hall Coloring Book in the 1980s as a “Restore Redmen Hall Project” to raise funds for the repair of the building.

When Friends of Skamokawa board member and archivist Keith Hoofnagle was searching for a special project for the “Silver Jubilee,” he chose Hicks’ original coloring book. “Though produced on a very limited budget, Dory’s drawings bringing the Skamokawa Central School of the 1890s to 1910s to life, exuded great charm,” Hoofnagle stated. “The reprint is a way of celebrating by stepping lightly into the past, retrieving something very special, giving it new life and recycling it as interpretive publication and fundraiser.”

A limited number of editions have been reprinted. The books will be available during normal opening hours this year, Thursdays through Sundays from noon till 4 p.m.

Annual Clean Up at the Hall

Many hands helped with a myriad of jobs around the all this past week. The gift shop now sports a new shelf for more books, some original art by Dory Hicks was found, the school room display has had a complete cleaning. Display racks have been repaired, light fixtures have been cleaned and lightbulbs replaced. Fresh paint was applied and general repairs were caught up on. All is ready for the re-opening of the Hall in February!

All photos by Lisa Mooers

Holiday gifts from Redmen Hall

New at Redmen Hall: The Magic of the Backwoods Kitchen, by local author Donna Gatens-Klint. Much more than a collection of recipes, this charming book uses historic photographs and stories to illustrate local kitchen life and mealtimes in the early 1900's. You'll find Scandinavian recipes galore, plus the photos include local sights such as the Grays River covered bridge, also historic and recent photos of area families.
Next Sunday (Dec 5th) from 1 to 3pm, Robert Michael Pyle, lepidopterist, naturalist and writer from Grays River, will be on hand to sign copies of his recent book:

Mariposa Road, The First Butterfly Big Year. He was commissioned to search for as many butterflies as he could find in a one year road trip. From his mobile office in a used car purchased in Longview, he documented finding over 800 American butterlies during 2008.

David Lee Myers and July Vander Maten

An exhibit of photographs by Northwest photographers Judy Vander Maten and David Lee Myers is on now at Redmen Hall. The exhibit runs until December 19th. Both are teachers at local community colleges, Vander Maten at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash., and Myers at Clatsop Community College.

River City Strippers Quilt Show on now

Tom and Cora Irving of Cathlamet, are just two of the members of the quilting group, who are showing their work at Redmen Hall, now until October 10th.


photo: Bill Wagner, the Longview Daily News

Celebrate 25 years with the Friends of Skamokawa with "Wines From Down Under"...

At the annual Wine Tasting and Silent and Live Auction, to be held at the Skamokawa Grange Hall, Saturday, September 11th.

Once again, your auctioneer will be Rob Stockhouse. A variety of wines from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile and Argentina will be offered for tasting, accompanied by appetizers and a dessert table.

Tickets are available at Redmen Hall, Bank of the Pacific (Cathlamet) and Golden Ladder $15.00