Today's Feature

Stone’s Throw BUS STOP.

Stone’s Throw Theatre, Carthage, Mo. is proud to present BUS STOP written by William Inge. Directed by Jonathon B. Peck, Produced by special arrangement with Dramatist Play Service, Inc. with financial assistance from Missouri Arts Council.

Performances scheduled for April 5,6,7,13,14,&15 2007. The box office will be open beginning March 26 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Reservations are required and may be made by calling Stone’s Throw Theatre at 417-358-9665 or 417-358-7268 or by e-mailing reservations to bbell23@ecarthage.com

The cast includes Imma J. Curl as Grace Hoyland, Cheyla Navarre as Elma Duckworth, Jonathon B. Peck as Carl, Sarah A. McElyea as Cherie, Kevin L. Provins as Will Masters, Douglas H. Dickey as Dr. Gerald Lyman, Pete Schlau as Virgil Blessing, Andrew Bary as Bo Decker.

Theatre doors open at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with dinner being served at 6:30 p.m. and the performance starting at 7:30 p.m. Sundays the doors open at 12:30 p.m. with dinner at 1:00 p.m. and the performance starting at 2:00 p.m. Admission is $20.00 for adults, $19.00 for seniors over 55 and groups of 10 or more. Youth under 16 are $17.00, and children under 5 are free.

THE STORY: In the middle of a howling snowstorm, a bus out of Kansas City pulls up at a cheerful roadside diner. All roads are blocked, and four or five weary travelers are going to have to hole up until morning. Cherie, a nightclub chanteuse in a sparkling gown and a seedy fur-trimmed jacket, is the passenger with most to worry about. She’s been pursued, made love to and finally kidnapped by a twenty-one-year-old cowboy with a ranch of his own and the romantic methods of an unusually headstrong bull. The belligerent cowhand is right behind her, ready to sling her over his shoulder and carry her, alive and kicking, all the way to Montana. Even as she’s ducking out from under his clumsy but confident embraces, and screeching at him fiercely to shut him up, she pauses to furrow her forehead and muse, "Somehow deep inside of me I got a funny feeling I’m gonna end up in Montana …" As a counterpoint to the main romance, the proprietor of the cafe and the bus driver at last find time to develop a friendship of their own; a middle-age scholar comes to terms with himself; and a young girl who works in the cafe also gets her first taste of romance.

Magical Spectacular.

World famous illusionist André Kole will present a Magical Spectacular March 31 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Carthage Senior High Auditorium. Sponsored by the First Assembly of God, tickets are $5. Tickets available at the door or by calling 358-8896.

If you use cast iron post and pans, you don’t ever wanna put them in hot, soapy water. It takes the seasonin’ out of ‘em.

Some that I’ve tried to explain that to think it’d be unhealthy to not wash a cast iron skillet or grill. But if you consider that sittin’ directly over the fire prob’ly heats up the pan just a little more than any hot water you got, it only makes sense that no germ is gonna hold up to that.

Cast iron should be reseasoned ever year or so. Just heat it up a little and put in a couple inches of lard and let it cook at a decent temperature for about an hour. The grease gets down in the pores of the skillet and keeps things from stickin’. To clean out a cast iron pot, just take a paper towel and wipe it down. Beats the heck outa that spray on stuff or that stickless coatin’ they put on.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

Downpour Detective Solves Ceiling Leak

Q: I read your column about the e-mail from Nancy V. and her inability to locate the source of a leak that caused damage to her dining-room ceiling but not to the bedroom ceiling above. I had the same problem several years ago and experienced similar frustrations. Nobody seemed able to find the source.

Finally I insisted that my husband remove what I thought was a damaged siding shingle. He found that the installer had bent down one corner of the eaves box when installing it. During heavy rains, the water overflowed and ran down between the walls, then across the dining-room ceiling to the center light fixture.

Having a new eaves box installed correctly fixed my problem. Perhaps this information will help Nancy V. and others. -- Mary D.

A: Thank you, Mary! I mentioned in a previous column that a house, besides providing shelter, is a system that can keep it occupants comfortable and healthy. If something in the system is damaged or incorrectly installed, that comfort is compromised.

The eaves box end is part of the fascia (the horizontal covering along the roof eaves that protects roof timbers) and is found at the corners of the eaves. Damage to this or any part of the roofline system can certainly cause interior leaks.

A visual inspection of the roof, its joints, flashing, eaves, soffits, gutters and other protective systems is a very important suggestion. Note any areas that are damaged or "not quite right" -- dirtier than the surrounding area, corroded or rusty, or clogged with debris -- and contact a roofing professional for further examination.

Also, remember to get a written estimate and a detailed explanation of damage and suggested repairs from the roofer before agreeing to have the work done.

HOME TIP: Spring is the most important time to inspect the exterior of a house for damage, warping or cracks caused by weather and debris strikes.