And the Winners Are.

Winners of the various float categories in the Maple Leaf Parade: Sweepstakes; Butterball, Chamber Choice; SMB, Artistic Achievement; Precious Moments, Community, Adult; Church of Christ, Community, Youth; 4-H, Special Recognition; Charles Burt agency.

Queen Pageant winner was Emma Lambeth, with Samantha Williams as first runner-up, and Talia Triplett second runner-up.

The Junior Miss winner was Hanah Schrader.

The Little Miss title was won by Claire Sumvall and Little Mister was Gabriel Fewin.

In the residential lighting contest, Sandy Higgins won first, John and Connie Haover and Brandi Ensor got second, and Mike and Jeanie Goolsby ended in third.

Jayline Shae Bisbee won the girls 0-3 category and took the overall Grand Prize for the Baby Contest.

It has been reported that the dog contest set an all time record for participants this year.

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Sponsored by Curry Automotive

The Chase Has Been Divided.

Juan Pablo Montoya began the Chase for the Sprint Cup with 5,000 points, which meant he was 40 points out of first place. Since then, Montoya has finished fourth or better in every race. Now he is 58 points out of first place.

Isn’t that incredible? Is there any doubt that Montoya is wondering to himself, "What do I have to do?" (One obvious answer: win a race.)

In the fourth of 10 Chase races, the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in California, the top five in points finished in the top five in the race. Jimmie Johnson, now leader and three-time defending champion, won, followed by Jeff Gordon, Montoya, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart. It wasn’t in order by points, but it was emblematic of the first four races.

The Chase itself separates NASCAR’s top series into haves and have-nots. The first four races have further divided the fortunate 12 -- the drivers eligible to compete for the championship -- into haves and have-nots. Perhaps there are now three castes: have-haves, have-have-nots and just plain old have-nots. Have-not classic, maybe,

Johnson, Martin and Montoya have been almost faultless. Stewart has scrambled, but magnificently (and in some cases, luckily) averted disaster. Gordon is there, waiting for a sign of weakness.

It’s still a bit too early to rule out a few others, but drivers like Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards just don’t seem capable of outperforming the top five. Their cars just don’t seem fast enough, at least not on a regular basis.

At this point in 2007, Johnson and Gordon were doing this, but this is the first Chase in which so many have been so bulletproof. That’s likely to change, but the near-perfection of the top trio -- Johnson, Martin and Montoya -- is astonishing. Their finishes:

Johnson: 4, 1, 9, 1.

Martin: 1, 2, 7, 4.

Montoya: 3, 4, 4, 3.

"It’s incredible," said Montoya. "We have four (great finishes) in a row, and I’ve been losing points to the leader. It is what it is. ... You ain’t going to make any points on anybody. Everybody that runs good is going to be there. You just got to make sure you don’t lose any."

Three are right there. Stewart and Gordon are lurking. Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards have lost their grip. Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers are already off the radar.

*Monte Dutton has covered motorsports for The Gaston (N.C.) Gazette since 1993.

(This Jake was printed last Thursday and didn't get changed out. Sorry for any confusion)

If ya haven’t heard, there will be an auction at the new high school on this Saturday. The proceeds of the silent auction, and the live auction will be used to help pay for the bronze tiger sculpture that is bein’ created by Bob Tommey. The tiger is to be placed at the high school after it is completed.

The silent auction will begin at 2 p.m. with the live auction startin’ at 4. The auctions are comprised mainly of donations from various businesses of the community, include artwork from several artists that are well known in this area.

Accordin’ to Sandy Higgins, the fund rasin’ chairperson, tours of the new High School will also be available durin’ the day. If you’re lookin’ for a break from the hectic pace of the day, this could be the spot.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Dear Tom and Ray:

So I’m thinking of getting my car detailed, and an associate gives me a referral. While perusing the service sheet, under "Options" is listed "Claying, add $30-$40." I’m thinking, "Holy spa treatment, Batman!" The other side of the service sheet explains the process:

"Why clay your car? Claying your car produces dramatic results. Using a lubricant spray, clay is slid alongside your paint. It picks up microscopic pollutants, which a car wash cannot remove. The result is stunning! Your paint looks cleaner and feels much smoother to the touch. With a coat of wax, your car will look the best it ever has."

So my multipart question to you: Have you ever heard of this; what do youthink; is this for real? - Claudia

Ray: Do they lay slices of soothing cucumber over your headlights, too, Claudia?

Tom: Believe it or not, this IS for real, Claudia. We’d never heard of it. But we checked with our palls in the bodyshop underworld, and they say it’s a procedure that’s been accepted for a long time. It works sort of like Silly Putty works when you press it against a newspaper. Small particles stick to the clay, and then ar pulled off the car’s finish.

Ray: Apparently it’s one of the methods used to remove rail dust from cars. Sometimes new cars that are transported by train get covered in a fine coating of metal dust that’s created by the interaction between the rrain wheels and the tracks. Other methods would scratch the surface.