Today's Feature
Harmony Festival.

News release

Barbershop Choruses, Sweet Adeline’s, and Quartets will showcase their talents during the Harmony Festival at the Precious Moments Park on Saturday, September 17. All guests at the Park on this day may enjoy the performances free of charge in the Fountain of Angels Theater. Performances will be as follows:

Show Me Harmony 10 a.m., Arpeggio (Quartet) 11:30 a.m., D‘Ya Dig It (Quartet) Noon, Tristatesmen Barbershop Chorus. 1 p.m., Ozark Showcase 1:30 p.m. A ticket is required to view the Fountain of Angels performance.

Other events taking place at the Park this year include Christian Women’s Day on Sat., Oct. 8 with headliner Donna Douglas, best known for her role of Elly May Clampett on the Beverly Hillbillies. Ladies Day on Sat., Oct. 22 will host special guest Janie Jasin. Janie is the best- selling author of "The Littlest Christmas Tree" and many others. Lunch and all attractions are included in these registrations.

For information or to register contact Shelby Bates at (800) 543-7975 ext. 3089.

Stench Report:
Tuesday,
09/14/05

No Odors

He finally gave up and called the police to report it stolen and after they arrived called his wife to let her know what was goin’ on.

"Your trucks in the garage," she told him. "You drove my car to the store."

Sure enough, she was right.

Now I’m not sayin’ who this guy is ‘cause I don’t know if he’s told the story. I heard it from a friend of his that was on the scene. I suppose it’s just rumor at this point, but I’m tendin’ to believe it.

If you have any information that would alter the rumor, I’d be glad to hear it.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

My friends and I drove my Honda Civic to a hike in the Sierra Mountains last weekend. Unfortunately, the dirt road turned out to be quite a rocky toad, and at the trailhead, I smelled gas, checked, and found that gas was spewing out of the bottom of my car. We drove the car back down the mountain to a local gas station, where a very nice guy named James plugged up the hole with a screw and an O-ring, and emphasized that this was a temporary fix. Should I go ahead and get the tank replaced or patched up? One of your previous columns suggested an epoxy patch. Does that work for 1/4-inch holes within a dent? Thanks for any advice. - Carole

TOM: I’m amazed that the screw and O-ring worked at all, Carole. It’s a testament to James’ skills that it stopped the leak, even temporarily. If I were you, just to be safe, I wouldn’t smoke any cigars in or around the car until you get a permanent fix.

RAY: You definitely need a more permanent fix, Carole. The gas-tank epoxy is worth a try. You have to plug the tank temporarily, or drain it out, because the epoxy won’t work in the presence of liquid gasoline. Then you sand and dry the areas to be repaired, mix up the epoxy and spread it over a net mesh, which you use to cover the hole. If it does "take," that can be considered a permanent fix, because it’ll be as strong as the metal tank itself.

TOM: But if your mechanic can’t get the epoxy to stop the leak completely, then you’ve got to replace the tank. And that’s many hundreds of dollars. If that makes you wince, Carole, just be grateful that you didn’t tear open your oil pan instead of your gas tank. If you had, you’d still be hiking now.

RACING
by Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Remembering Marty Robbins

Q: I really liked the article you did on driver Herman "The Turtle" Beam. There were many other characters in NASCAR, and I was wondering if you remember Marty Robbins? How would you rate him? — Andrea H., South Carolina.

A: Andrea, yes, there are many characters who made an impact in NASCAR racing, and Marty Robbins was indeed a very special one.

Marty, as most people know, made a huge name as a country-and-western singing mega star. However, in addition to being a great musical talent, he also loved racing, and was pretty good at it. After a few years of amateur racing in the early ’60s, Robbins decided to give NASCAR a try and entered his first race in 1966 against the likes of Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and David Pearson.

Overall, Marty averaged four or fewer races a year and competed in a total of 35 Winston Cup (now Nextel Cup) races. His best finish was a fifth in the Motorstate 400 at Michigan in 1974, and he ended up with five top-10 finishes. His last race was a 33rd-place effort in the Atlanta Journal 500 on Nov. 7, 1982. Robbins died just one month later on Dec. 8, 1982, following a heart attack and bypass surgery. He was only 57.