Today's Feature
Approved the Christmas Parade.

The City Council Public Safety Committee approved the request for the Carthage Christmas Parade route at the meeting Monday evening. The parade is to be held December 5. The committee approved blockades from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The parade is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

The committee also discussed ordinance options concerning miniature motorcycles but agreed to research the matter further before coming to any decision.

Youth Basketball Program.

News release

Sign-up for the Fair Acres Family YMCA’s Youth Basketball program will be starting October 20 through November 20 at the Y located at 2600 Grand Avenue in Carthage. The program is open to all boys and girls ages 4-12 years. Youth are organized by age or grade groups as follows:

• Iddy-Biddy 4-6 year-olds (not yet in first grade)

• 1st & 2nd Grades Co-Ed

• 3rd & 4th Grades Separate Divisions for boys & girls

• 5th & 6th Grades Separate Divisions for boys & girls

Cost to register for YMCA Youth Basketball is $25 for Y-Members and $37 for Non-Members with a $10 late-fee taking effect after November 20th.

Coaches & Parent’s Clinics will be held in December with games starting January 7-February 25. Games take place on Saturdays with practice during the week.

Bob Brower, new CEO of the YMCA, said, "Volunteers are critical to our youth sports program. We encourage parents to get involved as coaches, assistant coaches, timekeepers, scorekeepers, officials and in other capacities that render support to their children. Please let us know of your willingness to help at the time you register your child."

For more information about YMCA Youth Basketball contact Bob Brower at the Fair Acres Family YMCA at 417-358-2070.

Stench Report:
Monday,
10/18/05

No Stench Reported

One of the things I like to do in the fall is look for wild asparagus. I know it may sound a little strange to look for a spring plant this late, but now’s the time to spot it.

Asparagus grows two or three feet tall if left uncut, and in the fall its long stock stands out as other plants wither. Now is the time to make mental notes of where it stands so next spring, when the shoots are only a few inches tall, it can be found and harvested.

It is good to harvest asparagus, ‘cause the more it gets cut back, the stronger it gets.

I’ve been watchin’ this same kind of prunin’ and regrowth on the Square for the last several years. Ever’ year it gets stronger and a pattern is startin’ to develop. The Square will never be the shoppin’ center it was in the past, but it can be a shoppin’ center of today. Carthage can offer folks a unique setting to buy unique things.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin.

• "The place where I order my checks really hasn’t kept up with the times. I use my debit card all the time and hardly ever write checks. The problem is that I only get one register with a box of checks. When I order now, I request three (sometimes four) registers per box, and that makes it a lot easier to balance my checking account." — F.L. in Massachusetts

• "Pillowcases make great art smocks for kids. I just cut a head-hole and two armholes in worn ones. I can get them really cheap at the thrift stores." — N.O. in Virginia

• Now you can have your tea and clean something too. Teabags can be used to clean woodwork. Rub wood softly with a damp bag.

• "To keep sneakers from smelling up a closet, tuck a fabric-softener sheet into each one. Keep it in overnight, or just leave it there until you wear your shoes again." — D.F. in Texas

• Now is the time to prep your outside pipes if you live in a cold-weather area. Cover exposed spigots with a foam wrapper, and be sure to drain any in-ground irrigation systems if you expect a freeze.

• "I was always running out of dog food, and I still do, occasionally. My dog has a special kind of food that I can only get at a store that is inconvenient to get to. I keep two or three servings in plastic baggies in the fridge. That way, when I run out, I haven’t really ‘run out.’" — E.B. in California