Loca author Robert Michael Pyle at the Redmen Hall bookshop

The Redmen Hall book shop stocks local author Robert Pyle's The Thunder Tree.

First published in 1993, The Thunder Tree shows how powerful the relationship between people--especially children--and nature can be. An engrossing memoir and elegant portrait of place, this reprint of the classic book makes one of Pyle's important early works once again available for a new generation of readers.

Redmen Hall business hours are Thursday-Sunday, Noon to 4 PM.

The Art of Patrick Carrico

"My vivid impression of adulthood as a child was a looming indoctrination into a world of irritated servitude"

Artist Patrick Carrico showed his works earlier this year at the hall. His "day job", involves working in Cathlamet schools as a therapist for children at risk. A Cathlamet, Washington based artist, his work incorporates "found art supplies. He builds his palette from found building materials, cast off house paint and traditional "fine art' media to attempt to create a sincere visualization of the world around him – as it is from what it is.”
Carrico has published several works of fiction, made films and worked with bands. He has exhibited in Philadelphia, Portland and many smaller towns where he traveled and eked out a living over the years. His film: The Coatroom (2005 - Untitled Productions) won numerous awards and showed at film festival around the country.


Artist: Patrick Carrico

Antique Show and Sale Opens in Skamokawa

Friends of Skamokawa/Redmen Hall is sponsoring a 2-week-long antique and collectibles show and sale starting Saturday, March 26. There will be a wide variety of treasures offered, including furniture, vintage books and linens, pottery, wall art, jewelry, and much more.

The show and sale will continue Sunday, Mar. 27, and the following Thursday through Sunday, Mar. 31 to April 3. Hours are Noon to 4 PM Thursday through Sunday. Proceeds will go toward maintaining Redmen Hall, the 1894 historic school house at 1394 Ocean Beach Highway in Skamokawa, WA.

For more information, please call Redmen Hall during business hours, Thurs to Sunday, Noon to 4 PM, at 360.795.3007; or Keith Hoofnagle at 360.795.0561.

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.