45th Annual Maple Leaf Festival Theme.

Carthage, Missouri – Planning for the 45th Annual Maple Leaf Festival, hosted by the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, is well underway as the theme for this fall’s event is unveiled. The theme "Celebrating Carthage: Innovation & Legacy" was submitted by local resident Sheila Gunlock and is meant to showcase the companies and people behind Carthage’s industrial revolution.

Maple Leaf committee co-chairperson Jeanine Poe says she is "thrilled that we are recognizing the rich heritage of Carthage’s industry and the legacy it has left and continues to leave".

The planning committee is now accepting entries for the Maple Leaf Artwork Contest to select the graphic design for the festival. The selected art will be included in all coordinating marketing, including the official brochure, for the annual city celebration set for October 8-15 in Carthage. Parade entries, booth vendors, event contestants, and other Maple Leaf Festival participants are encouraged to incorporate the theme into all parts of this year’s festivities.

Guidelines for submitting artwork:

• Submitted artwork must be no larger than 8.5" X 14"

• Digital artwork is accepted (JPEG and PDF format only with a minimum output of 600 dpi)

• Non-digital pieces must be submitted on white paper (no 3-D images, sculptures or animated entries will be accepted)

• For maximum reproduction quality, vivid colors are encouraged

• All entries must include the phrases "45th Annual Maple Leaf" and "Celebrating Carthage: Innovation & Legacy" and should incorporate images representing Carthage, the Maple Leaf Festival and this year’s theme

All entries become the property of the Carthage Chamber of Commerce

All entries must be received by the Chamber office by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 15th. For information, contact Mary Jo at the Carthage Chamber, 358-2373.

I’ve seen those ads for the gizmo that attaches to the water hose to blow leaves outa the rain gutters. ‘Course they don’t show the folks usin’ ‘em gettin’ soaked with all that water splashin’ around.

What I want to see is a gizmo that attaches to the vacuum cleaner to clean bugs outa those chandeliers. You know the ones, they look like big bowls suspended down from chains. They always have a handful a dead bugs in the bottom of ‘em and are usually hangin’ from a twenty foot ceilin’. The bigger the bowl, the more bugs are collected.

I’ve often wondered what bugs did at night before street lights were invented. Maybe lightin’ bugs were the big attraction back then, givin’ a brief glimpse of the future social activity of bug kind. Then, ever’one knows bugs are for the birds.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Weekly Columns

HERE’S A TIP

By JoAnn Derson

• Have stubborn stains in the toilet? Put some teeth in your cleaning job by dropping in a denture-cleaning tablet and letting it sit overnight. In the morning, scrub and flush. It just might do the job.

• "Lighten blemish spots on your skin with lemon juice. Just dab on several times per day." -- O.M. in Georgia

• "Collect small bits of soap into a cup or jar. When you have several, add a tablespoon or two of water to the cup to soften the soap pieces. When they are moderately soft, pour out the contents on a washcloth, fold it over and press into a bar shape with your hands. Peel away the cloth to reveal what should be a reasonably solid new bar of soap." -- C.T. in Pennsylvania

• Save power with this tip: Use cold water to wash towels and jeans. Then hang them to dry -- preferably outside, but on an inside line is OK, too. When they are mostly dry, pop them in the dryer on air dry to fluff them up. Towels and jeans take the longest to dry in the clothes dryer, and use a lot of electricity.

• Take soap scum right off your shower curtain -- spray with a vinegar-and-water mixture, then throw it in the washer. Hang it right back up, and those mildew stains are gone!

• Another great suggestion from L.D.W. in Illinois: When canning or doing another job, "always do the thing you hate first, and then the rest will be easier."