45th Annual Maple Leaf Parade

The 45th Annual Maple Leaf Parade will begin at 9 AM on Saturday, October 15th on the Historic Downtown Square. Committee Chair Jeanine Poe says "The Maple Leaf Festival is a 45-year tradition in this community and the committee is committed to seeing the parade grow better with each passing year. We have marching bands from throughout southwest Missouri that attend our parade and the afternoon band competition. Our festival is truly family-oriented with a parade that lasts two hours, travels a 3-mile route, and draws a larger and more enthusiastic crowd each year."

In addition to the many bands that will be entertaining the crowd, other featured entries this year will include Maple Leaf royalty, Queen Anne Catherine Flanigan, Queen 1st Runner Up Ashley LeeAnne Hijoe and Queen 2nd Runner Up Mickenzie Kaitlynn Brock, Princess Allie Lambeth, Junior Miss Shayla Breanne Cliffman, Little Mister Justice Waldo, and Little Miss Layla Anne Jones, our Grand Marshal Frank Saferite will be leading the parade, Willie Arthur Smith’s Marching Cobras, a Clydesdale team and Shriners from all over the area. As part of the Sesquicentennial commemoration of the Battle of Carthage, the Civil War Color Guard will carry our country’s colors during the parade.

Poe added "This year’s committee is thrilled to offer a great parade that provides excitement, beauty and fun for our residents and visitors regardless of age." The parade will begin on the west side of the Historic Downtown Carthage Square, continue south down Grant/Grand Avenue, turn east on Centennial and end at the Carthage Middle School (River & Centennial). The parade will be broadcast live on KSN 16-TV and again on Thanksgiving morning.

The Maple Leaf Festival is sponsored by Leggett & Platt, Inc. and Southwest Missouri Bank. Media sponsors are The Carthage Press, KDMO AM/MIKE FM, KSN16-TV and Dynamic Signs and Graphix.

Jasper County Jail Count

? October 10, 2011

Total Including Placed out of County

I learned a couple a lessons back when I was ridin’ a motorcycle. Fortunately they were taught at relatively slow speeds so I only hurt my pride.

The first is don’t hit the front wheel brake when your on loose gravel. Plop, down ya go. I never had much experience with front brakes on a two wheeler, the bicycles I grew up with only had rear brakes.

The second lesson was ta not hit the gas while turnin’ when there are small water puddles on the parkin’ lot. Plop, down ya go. Fortunately on this one, I had learned to keep the leg up and out a little when turnin’. I simply stepped off as the bike slid out from under me. Scratched the fender some.

Ya never know when you’re in for a little learnin’, best be ready.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Weekly Column

To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Asthma Not Only for Children

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What gives? When I was a kid, I had asthma. Then it went away completely. Now, at age 37, it’s come back. As a child, I took only one medicine, and did well. Now I have a number of medicines and inhalers, and I’m confused. Will you simplify asthma for me? It isn’t the same as it used to be. Do you think I have developed allergies that brought it back? -- H.F.

ANSWER: In the more developed countries of the world, around 15 percent of children and 12 percent of adults suffer from asthma. Asthma resolves for many children as they reach adolescence, but it can come back. Adults also can develop asthma for the first time. It’s not strictly a childhood problem.

Cough, wheezing and shortness of breath are the signs of an asthma attack. Asthma comes in attacks separated by periods when the asthmatic is well. The goal of treatment is to extend the well periods and shorten any attacks, something that wasn’t all that possible when you had only one medicine as a child.

The basis of an attack is constriction of the breathing tubes, the airways, the bronchi. Along with narrowed airways, inflammation strikes them, and they fill with thick mucus. The combination makes it difficult to get air into and out of the lungs. Exhaling is particularly difficult.

Triggers for asthma attacks include cold air, exercise, viral infections like the common cold and allergens. If your doctor believes that allergens are leading to your asthma attacks, then testing for them is worthwhile. For many, allergy doesn’t lead to bouts of asthma.

Exercise as a trigger needs some clarification. Everyone gets short of breath when exercising, but recovery is quick, within five minutes. Breathlessness brought on by an exercise-induced asthma attack lasts much longer, 30 to 60 minutes.

An attack of asthma often can be stopped in its tracks with an inhaler medicine like albuterol (Ventolin and Proventil). For longer control, cortisone inhalers or inhalers containing cortisone and a long-acting drug that expands airways keeps a person attack-free. Advair is an example.