Maple Leaf Changes.

The Carthage Chamber of Commerce will host the 36th Annual Maple Leaf Festival beginning Thursday, October 10th and running through Saturday, October 19th. The annual event, which brings over 60,000 visitors to the community, is being co-sponsored by the Carthage Press, KMXL/KDMO, Leggett & Platt, Inc., and Southwest Missouri Bank.

An event brochure has been created and distributed throughout the area. Two events listed within the brochure are incorrect. The correct information is as follows:

Little Miss, Junior Miss and Mister Maple Leaf Pageant is to be held on the 12th at the Carthage High School Auditorium and will begin at 5 p.m., not 3 p.m. as listed in the brochure.

The Maple Leaf Quilt Show/Contest will be held throughout the week of October 14-19 with viewing and voting of the quilts at the Main Street Mercantile, not at various downtown businesses as noted in the brochure.

The Chamber also announces that the first annual Three Minutes of Fame competition applications are available at the Chamber office, along with applications for craft and vendor booth space, Maple Leaf Parade, baby contest, queen pageant and car show.

Also available are festival brochures. For further information about the Carthage Chamber of upcoming Chamber events, contact the Chamber office at 358-2373.

With the general election just five weeks away, the political activity should start to increase again.

This year is a little unique for this part of the country bein’ how there are more than the typical number of Democrats on the Jasper County ballot.

In the primary races, the first to register as a candidate gets the first spot on the ballot. In a general election, the party of the then sitting governor gets the first spot.

Now seein’ as there is a two or three to one ratio of Republicans to Democrats in Jasper County (actual percentages are a little tough to come by), the slight edge that some attribute to bein’ first on the ballot may not come into play. It’s been several years since a Democrat has been elected here, but I’m guessin’ there may be some close races.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Q: We live in a house that was built in the 1890s, and I think the original knobs and locks are on all the doors. Most of them are fine, though a little loose. However, the doorknob on the entrance to the third floor always falls off when I tug on it. Can I fix this, or should we replace all the old doorknobs? — Sarah M., Oklahoma City

A: Fixing the handle on that old doorknob may be as simple as repositioning it. On the back of the handle you’ll see a single attaching screw (called a setscrew) that holds the handle in place on the spindle (the piece of metal to which the handle attaches). Loosen that setscrew, rotate the handle to a different position, and replace the setscrew, making certain it is tight. This should solve the problem of the handle coming off.

As far as replacing the old doorknobs, remember the adage: "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." If the doorknobs work smoothly and aren’t corroded or otherwise damaged, don’t replace them. (Besides, most old lockset doorknobs are good-quality, solid metal pieces that fetch a good price at antiques shops. Why throw away that investment?)

The old keyholes in those locksets aren’t used very often by modern homeowners, who don’t need them inside the home. However, if you have keys to fit each door but can’t turn them in some locks, consider removing and cleaning the locksets.

Loosen the setscrew and remove the handles on both ends, as well as the spindle. Then, loosen the faceplate screws (on the side of the door) and gently pry the entire lockset from the inside of the door. Several layers of paint applied over the years could make this difficult; try scoring the paint along the edges of the faceplate with a razor blade before prying the lockset out.

Scrub away any dirt or rust with a small brush and wipe clean. Spray all-purpose lubricant on all the parts and wipe away any excess.

Replace the lockset, reattach the spindle and knobs, and test the assembly by turning the handles left and right. The latch should move smoothly. Try turning the key in the lock; if it doesn’t work at first, give it a couple more attempts. The lubricant should work in as you work the key. However, be gentle when trying to turn the key in the lock; don’t force it, or you could bend or break the key.