Today's Feature

Maple Leaf Deadlines Approaching.

Deadlines are nearing for entry to several Maple Leaf Festival events. The deadline for the Little Miss & Mister, Junior and Queen Maple Leaf Pageant is scheduled for Monday, September 29th. The deadline for entry applications for the Maple Leaf Parade is scheduled for October 1.

The 42nd Annual Maple Leaf Festival is scheduled to be held from October 11 through 18 this year. The parade will be held on Saturday, October 18th beginning at 9:00 a.m. The parade, which is one of the highlights of the 8-day Festival, brings over 50,000 visitors to the local community. Entry forms may be obtained at the Carthage Chamber of Commerce office, 402 S. Garrison Ave. For further information call the Chamber at 417-358-2373.

Additional information received from the Chamber of Commerce notes that the First Annual Farm Girl Festival will be held on October 4 from 10:00 a.m. until dusk at Red Oak II in Carthage. Admission is free to this event. Activities include crafts, food, music, soap making, basket weaving, dutch oven cooking, jewelry making, hay rides, a petting zoo and a book signing by Lowell Davis.

Mornin'
I find myself on occasion wonderin’ what happened to those pieces of memorabilia I once had. Most are of no real significance, but from time to time I wish I knew where they ended up.

A couple a cap pistols I had as a kid were protected for a while, but I now have no idea where they disappeared. A Tonka Truck and the family favorite "lung tester" were stolen and a guitar I was particularly fond of. A guitar amplifier last time I heard was in Chicago. A stereo system moved with a family I tried to help out. A drill I forgot to pack from a job site.

I usually think of these things individually, but I’m startin’ to figure I’ve lost more stuff than I remember havin’. I guess as long as I can remember, the mind remains.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Here's A Tip
By JoAnn Derson

• "While painting the baseboards in our house, my husband came up with the most ingenious system for moving along. We have hard surface floors throughout the house, so he got a hold of two carpet scraps. He put them back-to-back so that the carpet was facing out on both sides. Then he used it as a kneeling pad. The double carpet buffered his knees, and he could just scoot along, since the carpet on the other side made for easy sliding. The baseboards were done in no time, and I am so proud of his smarts!" -- R.L. in Tennessee

• "When raking up leaves, I clip my leaf bags to the chain link fence using clothespins. They hold the bag open for me, and it’s much easier to do by myself." -- U.L. in Pennsylvania

• "To freshen up garbage cans, apply a little vanilla extract to a cotton ball and put it inside the can. This works well for me in the bathrooms. Every time the lid is lifted, the smell is pretty -- not yucky." -- D.S. in Oklahoma

• "I floss my teeth every day, but keeping my teeth clean is not the only use I have for floss. You can use the unflavored (not mint) kind to slice cheesecake and other soft items. Just stretch a piece across the cake and push down. When you get to the bottom, slide it out from one side. The cut is flawless." -- S.K. in South Carolina

• To get rid of hairspray buildup on your curling iron, wet a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and use it to scrub the residue off. It just melts right off. Just make sure you do this while the iron’s cold, not after you use it. And do it in a ventilated area, because the alcohol can be quite strong smelling.