Today's Feature

Maple Leaf Arts & Crafts Registration.

News release

The planning committee of the 41st Annual Maple Leaf Festival hosted by the Carthage Chamber of Commerce is currently accepting applications for arts and crafts vendors to be featured during the Arts & Crafts show held in conjunction with the festival’s one-day celebration scheduled for Saturday, October 20.

The Arts & Crafts booths are available in a single (10 x 12) and double (20 x 12) sizes. The fees are $50 for a single and $100 for a double. A $10 non-refundable jury fee is included with all booth reservations. Only hand-made arts and craft items are allowed in the show. Electricity is available, but must be marked required on the application.

The deadline to register for the Arts & Crafts show is September 1. Booth availability is based on a first-come, first-served basis.

Applications are available at the Chamber office or interested parties may call the Chamber at 358-2373 or email info@carthagechamber.com and request a form be sent to them. Space is limited. For more festival information contact the Chamber at 358-2373.

No Quorum for Safety Meeting.

The City Council Public Safety Committee meeting scheduled for Monday evening was not held due to a lack of quorum. Committee members Mike Harris and Thomas Flanigan were present and discussed some of the agenda items without taking any action on them.

City Attorney Nate Dally was present and spoke to the committee members about a proposed ordinance which would increase police enforcement for minors in possession of intoxicants. Dally said that the new ordinance would effect "house parties" where alcoholic beverages are available, making the owner of the house responsible if minors have access to and obtain alcohol. If houses are left in the care of an adult other than the owner then the responsibility would fall on that person. Dally suggested a $250 fine for first-time violations and a $500 fine for subsequent violations.

The committee agreed to discuss the ordinance further during next month’s meeting.

Fire Chief John Cooper spoke to the committee about bids received for the Battalion Chief’s vehicle. Cooper said that one bid was received for $13,950 for a Chevrolet Trail Blazer. The price includes the trade-in vehicle. As the item needed no committee approval, Committee Chair Harris said he would present the bid during the next Council meeting.

Always used ta hear about subliminal messages. Secret text hidden in the ice cubes in the beverage ads ta influence our buyin’ habits. Most of the scientific studies I’ve seen say that subliminal advertisin’ doesn’t have any effect.

I guess the good news about that is that we don’t have ta worry ‘bout bein’ brainwashed by the Madison Avenue types.They can convince us we want the stuff, but it’s gotta be an up front, in your face kinda convincin’.

The bad news might be however, that we are ultimately responsible for the choices we make about ever’thing we purchase. We can’t blame some slick ad campaign for takin’ control of our subconscious mind and leadin’ us down the path to bell-bottom pants or skinny little ties.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Here's A Tip
By JoAnn Derson

• "To keep the fabric belts in place on my daughters’ shorts and pants, I stitched the center of the belt to the back loop of the garment. The bow never pulls to one side, or falls off! It’s great for keeping them with the right pair of pants or shorts." -- O.S. in Wisconsin

• "I bought one of those French memo boards (the ones with the crisscrossed ribbons to tuck things under) for my foyer. I put up reminder cards for upcoming appointments. I check the board before leaving for the day to note if there is anything upcoming. Sometimes, I have to make an appointment way ahead of time, like dentist’s appointments or follow-ups. It’s handy to have them all in one place." -- P.V. in Washington

• "I belong to a supper club, and when it is our night to host, I type up the recipes of the dishes I make and slip them into a photo frame. Guests can see if there are any ingredients they won’t tolerate, and I can easily make a copy if a guest wants it." -- F.L. in Virginia

• Substitutions in a pinch: When a recipe calls for a square of unsweetened chocolate, use 3 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 tablespoon of nonflavored oil, such as vegetable or canola.

• "For a recent garage sale, I purchased a pack of colored dot stickers that came in five or six different colors. I made a big board that assigned a price to each sticker, then used the stickers to "price" each item. It made prep for the sale a lot easier. And, customers seemed to like the system as well, since I had less people asking what the price was. I also put the stickers on a sheet of paper with a figure for any discount given. That way, I could "balance up" the till at the end of the sale. Quite clever, I say." -- A.N. via e-mail