Cleanup doesn't go unnoticed

Mildred Lykens, 365-0060

mildred@gorge.net

Barbara Sexton, 365-5374

madison@gorge.net

Nine Sundowners camped at Beacon Rock in September. Hosts were Hunters and J. Brashers. New members welcomed were Dwain and Carol Cox. Visitors were Dennis and Sondra Clark from Lyle and Kathy Schoales and girls from Clackamas. The Sorensens and J. Brashers served homemade ice cream Saturday evening. The next outing is a no host event in October at LePage Park.

Huge thanks go to the person or persons responsible for cleaning the grounds along the highway and around the old grade school. Such an improvement does not go unnoticed. This is a wonderful way to show pride in our community.

The Lyle Lions and the Lyle Community Council will be walking the streets on Wednesday, Oct. 8! Time to clean Highway 14, from the tunnels to the rest area. Those interested in lending assistance should be at the Lions Community Center at 4 p.m. Many hands will make lighter work. Thirty-eight bags of trash were gathered in April's clean up. Will we get more or less this time?

Mark your calendar for Oct. 18, bring your appetite, and come prepared to vote for your favorite chili recipe and to watch the firemen's competitions. This annual fundraiser is sponsored by the Lyle Community Council and benefits both it and the fire stations involved. Come and show your support for your local volunteers.

Doug Miller of KPUD attended the Lyle Community Council meeting on Sept. 22 and fielded questions regarding the water and wastewater rate increases and other items pertaining to future needs of the area. It was an interesting give-and-take of information and a shame that more residents didn't take advantage of this meeting. The agenda for each meeting is posted a week before the meeting in three businesses in the community. Please read, attend and participate in the future of your neighborhood.

The Lyle Community Council will have three seats up for election at the Nov. 24 meeting. Position #6 has Pam Essley and Stefanie Boen both declaring their candidacy. Running unopposed for Position #4 is Terry Mills and Position #7 Mildred Lykens. Council by-laws state "no write in candidates are permitted, and those running for office must have lived in the council boundaries for six months prior to the election and be registered to vote in Klickitat County. They must also have declared their intent to run 60 days prior to the Nov. 24 election."

Lyle history from The Lyle Pioneer, Special Edition 1978 -- "Town of Lyle started as mail station in year 1859"

"Other early settlers were William Gilmer in 1864, Jack Perry from New York in 1866, Harry Lamont, a great prankster and handy man and Mr. And Mrs. C.L. Howard who owned the general store. Many more moved into the area during this time."

"The Balch or Lyle Cemetery was plotted sometime between 1878 and 1883. The first person buried there was Sarah James in 1883. She was the grandmother of Herb, Ira and Forest Hewett."

"The first lumbering was cutting cordwood for river steamboats in 1858."

"During the 80s there was a large general migration of home seekers in western Klickitat county. The newcomers had to find homes farther back from the river."

"Localities in the Lyle area were the heights above Lyle, Panakanic, Timber Valley, Missouri Flats, now known as Appleton, Wrights Landing near the present site of Klickitat and Hartland on High Prairie."

"Among these settlers was Frederick Homer Balch who moved here with his parents in 1880. The Balch homestead was on a bench flat about 4 miles NW of Lyle, it was located directly opposite Memmaloose Island."

Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?