Friends of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is looking for volunteers to do trailwork on Long Island on Saturday, March 27:

We’ve got two airboats scheduled to ferry us around the island to tackle trail clearing and garbage cleanup.    Need nine (9) people total for this workday, which will be physical (tossing limbs/logs) and involve hiking into and around all the campgrounds and trails.   We want to get this post-winter cleanup finished before marbled murralet and other birds begin nesting on the island, so we’ll proceed rain or shine (of course, if exceptional winds or storms that day render us unsafe on the water, we’ll postpone).

If interested (or have questions), email me Kelly volunteer@friendsofwillaparefuge.org.  I’ll share details of time-to-meet and what-to-bring/wear with our workteam.

• Friday – March 19th at 7:00 PM
• Saturday – March 20th at 7:00 PM
• Sunday – March 21st at 2:00 PM
• Friday – March 26th at 7:00 PM
• Saturday – March 27th at 7:00 PM
• Sunday – March 28th at 2:00 PM

Tickets are now on sale for the Peninsula Players production; get your tickets early as their musicals are always very well attended.  You can purchase tickets at Okies Thriftway in Ocean Park, Stormin Norman’s in Long Beach and the Imperial Schooner in Ilwaco, for $15 each.

Peninsula Player and Mame Director Bob Lindberg:

I am excited about the upcoming production of Mame. We have a hard working and talented cast who will bring this musical comedy to the boards. Along with our talented cast, we also are honored to have the talented accompanist, Barbara Bate at the keyboard.

Rita Smith  will be leading the cast with her portrayal of the title role. Her role is a challenging one since she is in all the scenes with the exception of one and is also the musical director for the show. I believe she takes the role to new heights as she fights for her adopted son with Mr. Babcock, played by Frank Lehn

Her confidant is Vera played by Joyce Jones. After some career moves they become estranged  which leads to the song, “Bosom Buddies”.  Joyce is playing another role in which she has to appear to imbibe on too much alcohol. She complains that she is being type cast. I don’t think that is necessarily true.

The young boy playing young Patrick is Joey Campbell. Joey returns to our stage after a successful performance in Fruit Cakes in December. It is a large role for someone as young. The older Patrick is played by Everett Pace who played the romantic lead in Oklahoma. Older Patrick gets involved with a snooty girl played by Brandy Ahlers whose parents (Laurie and Clint Carter) are shocked by some of goings on of Mame.

Dennis Howard plays the romantic interest of Mame. This comes at a time that Mame has hit bottom and eats Shredded Wheat for dinner. Dennis comes to the rescue and the plot leads on from there. It is only when the Nanny played by Carea Kuhn returns from some time in the big city that sky really falls. But, all is well as the finale is performed.

Directing a musical can be a challenge. Not only is it expensive to receive the rights to the show, but there are so many more things that are involved. George Power is in charge of  the set design. Laurie Carter is coordinating the “behind the scenes” work as the show’s Producer.

Two of the songs you may recognize are the title song “Mame” and “We Need a Little Christmas”. It is a fast moving comedy with several belly laughs and a few snickers. It will a fun way of spending some time enjoying local theater.

It is soon time for the Long Beach Slow Pitch and Fast Pitch Tournaments.  Baseball tournaments take place all summer long here in Long Beach.  Contact Joe Hightower for player information, or just come enjoy a free afternoon watching great softball.

long-beach-softball.pdf

Mike Stricklan
March 14, 2010 |  2:00 pm  | Raymond Theater, Raymond, WA
Mike is gifted pianist, arranger, stylist, and composer who presents a hybrid of jazz and popular music. His eclectic sets might include Beatles tunes, romantic Film themes, and piano-busting boogie-woogie numbers. Pianist/composer Mike Strickland is one of the Northwest’s most popular performers and concert artists. Clipper Anderson will be playing the bass.  Tickets: 360 875 5831    $10 pre-sales   $12 Day of performance or Pay-pal at sundayafternoonlive.org

Marking the start of the spring season, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has tentatively scheduled razor-clam digs on ocean beaches late this month and again in mid-April.

As always, final approval of both digs will depend on results of marine toxin tests that show the clams are safe to eat.

Prospective diggers should note that the first opening – scheduled March 26-April 1 at various ocean beaches – starts on evening tides, then switches to morning tides for the final four days, said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager.

“The digs planned this month span the seasonal change, when the lowest tides shift from evening to morning hours,” Ayres said.  “As in past months, razor-clam digging will be allowed after noon for the first three days of the opening, but will then switch to morning hours starting Monday, March 29.”

Tentative days, tides and beach openings for this month’s dig are:

• Friday, March 26, (4:29 p.m., +0.1)
• Saturday, March 27, (5:19 p.m., -0.1)
• Sunday, March 28, (6:04 p.m., 0.0)
• Monday, March 29, (6:35 A.M., -0.1)
• Tuesday, March 30, (7:22 A.M., -0.7)
• Wednesday, March 31, (8:07 A.M., -1.0)
• Thursday, April 1, (8:52 A.M., -1.0)

Another dig is also tentatively scheduled on morning tides in mid-April at Long Beach on the following days and beaches:

• Friday,  April 16, (8:32 A.M., -0.7)
• Saturday,  April 17, (9:12 A.M., -0.7)
• Sunday, April 18, (9:56 A.M., -0.6)

Any 2009-10 annual shellfish/seaweed license or combination license is valid through March 31. However, a new license will be required for anyone age 15 or older to participate in the April dig. Descriptions of the various licensing options are available on the WDFW website athttps://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov.

Ayres said WDFW expects to announce additional razor-clam digs in late April or early May on most beaches, noting that several natural events have left more clams than usual available for harvest in spring.  Those events include stormy weather in December, a marine toxin closure in January and last week’s tsunami advisory on the coast.

“Razor-clam diggers have had a bumpy ride this season, and we’re doing everything we can to add some additional digging opportunities,” Ayres said.

More information:

• WDFW Press Release
• Funbeach.com page on clamming, including Licensing | Season | Limit | How to Dig | Photos

March into the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in March…for Free!  Special free admission is courtesy of the Ilwaco Merchants Association.  The Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10am — 4 pm and Sundays from noon until 4 pm.  If you haven’t been to Ilwaco’s Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum lately, you have no idea what you’ve been missing.  So take advantage of this great opportunity to check it out for FREE!

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop is pleased to announce the next In Their Footsteps free speaker series event. This program is Shotgun on My Chest: Memoirs of a Lewis and Clark Book Collector by Roger Wendlick. This is scheduled for Sunday, March 21, at 1:00 p.m.

Shotgun on My Chest: Memoirs of a Lewis and Clark Book Collector is the title of a recently published book by Roger Wendlick. He spent decades acquiring the premier collection of literature related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. His collection is now in the Lewis & Clark College

Aubrey R. Watzek Library in Portland. Wendlick is a recipient of the National Daughters of the American Revolution Award for Preservation of History and is a past board member of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. He is an internationally recognized historian who continues to study and write about aspects of the expedition with a particular focus on civilian interpreter George Drouillard. Wendlick is a delightful and knowledgeable storyteller.

Wendlick’s book is available for purchase at the Lewis and Clark National Park Association bookstore in the Fort Clatsop visitor center. There will be a book-signing at this bookstore following his presentation.

This monthly Sunday forum is sponsored by the Lewis and Clark National Park Association and the park. These programs are held in the Netul River Room of Fort Clatsop’s visitor center and are free of charge.

For more information, call the park at (503) 861-2471.