Committee Reviews Bid.

The Public Services Committee moved their location to Memorial Hall for last Monday evening’s regular meeting.

The Committee spent considerable time going over final plans and specifications of the renovations for Memorial Hall. In addition to major projects involved in the renovation, the Committee also selected the color palate for the interior colors of the building. This included carpet, wood work, tile, wall coverings and counter tops.

The Committee also approved a bid from Coss Painting Inc., of Joplin to paint the interior of the Hall auditorium. The low bid for painting totaled $7,846 and an alternate bid of $1,090 for vinyl base replacement. Galbraith’s of Carthage was one of the four bidders with a proposal for $10,650 for paint and $2,000 for the vinyl base replacement.

The Committee also approved a bid from Clear Creak Golf Car and equipment company in the amount of $124,471.20 for fifty new electric and two new gas powered golf carts, including trade-ins. There were no other bids submitted but the Committee compared the cost of carts four years ago and felt the bid was reasonable.

If you’re lookin’ for a unique yard ornament, tetrahedron from the old airport is goin’ up for sale. That’s the wind direction gizmo that ya used ta see at ground level.

I’m personally quite satisfied with the little whirligig wind direction contraption on my fence post thank you very much.

I’m guessin’ some airport might be interested in the odd shaped pointer, but most likely there is a slim market for the gadget.

Knowin’ the wind direction is critical to pilots, but I like ta have some knowledge of the wind when I’m thinkin’ ‘bout burnin’ leaves. There is this one guy that lives three or four blocks away that always seems ta burn when the wind brings his residue directly over my house. He’s a wizard at that wind direction stuff. Maybe he needs a job at some airport.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

PRIME TIME WITH KIDS

by Donna Erickson

The current issue in our household is weighing the amount of time the kids spend on athletic practice (basketball) and time spent on music lessons. Although some days I feel like it’s a "jock" vs. "get a little culture" debate, it’s really about balance and giving the kids experiences in a variety of areas without overloading them.

I’m supportive of their coaches and believe in the goals of sportsmanship, teamwork and skill building, not to mention the great exercise sports provide. But where does my daughter’s oboe or my sons’ baritone and piano fit on the extracurricular time curve?

As an incentive and to encourage my kids to keep up their interest in music, I’m planning on awarding them with their own "Gold Record." This incentive will commemorate their efforts to practice faithfully on a regular basis. The personalized awards will hang on the wall as a reminder of their accomplishments and the importance of music in their lives.

Here’s how to make a Gold Record Award:

Dig into boxes in your attic or garage and look for old record albums or 45’s. Don’t be surprised if your kids of the CD generation don’t know what they are! Choose a record you can part with and spray paint an entire side gold. Let dry. Over the painted label portion, print with a black marker an original record title such as "Violin Melodies" and your child’s name.

Meanwhile, cut a piece of posterboard or foam core to fit a 12 x 16-inch picture frame. Glue the record to the top center of the posterboard.

Below the record, glue a school picture of your child or a snapshot of him/her playing the instrument. On an index card, print the achievement, such as "Congratulations on reaching your goal of 50 hours of trombone practice" or any other accomplishment you and your child set as a goal, and glue it to the side of the picture.

Assemble the frame and present to your child. Hang the outstanding award in a prominent place in your home.