Today's Feature

Acoustic Music Festival.

The Sixth Annual Carthage Acoustic Music Festival will be held this Saturday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m on the historic Carthage courthouse square. The event is free to the public.

A special show will also be offered this evening, Friday, June 8 at 7 p.m. This show will feature the 2006 SPBGMA Midwest Entertaining Group of the Year, the Faris Family. Other performers will include Rice & Corn and the songs you’ve never heard before, and Joe Smith with his Instrumental Ensemble. The concert will be held in the Carthage High School Auditorium. Admission for Friday’s concert is $7.00, under 12 years old may enter for free.

During the all-day event on Saturday, an open stage will be available from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Interested performers may sign up for the open stage beginning at 9 a.m. Groups will be allowed 20 minutes and individuals will be allowed 10 minutes. No pre-recorded music or electric instruments are allowed.

The scheduled performers will begin at 1 p.m. and will include; The Miller Family, Bluegrass Brigade, the Faris Family, Rice & Corn and the songs you’ve never heard before, the Johnson Family, Drywood, On The Edge, Joe Smith and No Apparent Reason.

In case of rain, Saturday’s events will be moved to the Carthage High School Auditorium.

The event is sponsored by the Powers Museum with funding assistance from the Helen S. Boylan Foundation. Other considerations provided by the City of Carthage, Jasper County Commission and the Mornin’ Mail. The event is produced in cooperation with Carthage Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The event boasts "plenty of shaded jamming area" for musicians. It is recommended that those attending bring lawn chairs.

For more information, including schedules and maps of the area, visit the Mornin’ Mail website, www.morninmail.com

From the looks of the variety of goods at the farmer’s market on the Square, the growin’ season is in full swing. The rain certainly hasn’t hurt any.

My strawberry patch looks like it’s gonna be a good one this year.

Last year I had ta start pickin’ the berries a little ‘fore they really got ripe. They didn’t have quite the flavor, but it seemed be the only way ta beat the varmits from gettin’ the first crack at ‘em.

‘Course my other choice for fresh grown is corn on the cob. I’m not sure I’m up to cultivatin’ a corn crop yet.

Asparagus will likely be my next venture. Another couple years for any results though. Once ya start expandin’ a garden, there always seems ta be just one more thing ta plant.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Natural Nutrition
By Mari An Willis

Some traditional herbs to take during the allergy season are: nettle root, licorice root, slippery elm, marshmallow and fenugreek.

Nettle root has been used throughout England for many years. It is an astringent and tonic plant. It is used to strengthen and support the whole body. It can be taken either in the tea form or in capsules. It is also available in combination in some very excellent Allergy Support formulas.

*Licorice root is traditionally used as an expectorant, demulcent and antispasmodic. It has a wide range of uses in bronchial problems such as phlegm, bronchitis and coughs. It is widely known for its use in gastric and ulcer conditions.

Slippery elm is a very soothing anti-inflammatory. It is one of my favorites. Not only does it help remove excess phlegm, but it calms the stomach and allows for easier digestion. It is especially good for sensitive or inflamed mucous membranes.

Marshmallow is another soothing herb. It has an abundance of mucilage, as does slippery elm, which makes it beneficial in inflamed conditions including those in the respiratory tract. We use it to calm a cough or dry throat. It, along with slippery elm, is much better if consumed as a tea or in some apple sauce.

*An Elder’s Herbal by David HoffmannThis article is meant for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. References available by request. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

artCentral
Art Notes from Hyde House
By Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

No one who attended last Friday night’s Opening of the Annual Membership Exhibition could say it was a dull experience. Like the military, we hurried up so we could wait, and then the best laid plans of erecting the tables and chairs outside at 5:30 would have worked out except for the monsoon that dropped down upon Carthage at exactly the time we were struggling to put up three tents to protect the visitors as they ate. At exactly that moment, our guests began to arrive and naturally all remained in the gallery viewing the show until the rain stopped. We scrambled with towels to wipe off the tables and chairs and add the cloths in time for the herd to pile out with their full plates and sit down. To all who came, we thank you for being brave souls! Our barbeque ran a little late due to the weather and the meat finally caught up with the many excellent dishes you all prepared--- I promise next year we will have the rain plan in place earlier and more space for the food. Our thanks to the special guests who attended, Lowell Davis, Marvin Vangilder and Dallie Miessner-Howerton lent a special aire to the gathering and shared some interesting stories, we thank Dennis Sowers for covering the event for the PRESS and for the nice coverage in Sunday’s paper, and most special thanks to our friend and patron Wendy Christensen, who with her generous gift of the 2 drawings, made the whole event possible! Thanks to Don Knost for his usual great grilling and for the time he and Susan took to haul the grill and all to us, and to my great board for their help and participation in the set up and carrying of the tables and chairs. Thanks to ALL THINGS GRAND for the lending of the tents.

Finally, my thanks to the 40 member artists of artCentral who entered their 90 works for the display, and to announce that first award went to Jack Sours for his white marble sculpture of "LIZARD", second award to Marilyn York for her watercolor "39 DOWN" and third award to Jerry Ellis for his watercolor SUNDAY MORNING". This year’s new Underwriter’s Award went to Barbara Courtney for her oil painting ‘SPAVINAU CREEK". Each of these awards carries a cash prize as well, and we congratulate all 4 winners! We also congratulate Robin Putnam who received the honor of a stone placed with her name honoring her contributions to artCentral with the naming of the ROBIN PUTNAM POTTERY HOUSE! Come out now and see this wonderful show which will remain on display through the 17th.