Today's Feature

Christmas Parade Coming.

The 35th Annual Carthage Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Carthage Technical Center’s SkillsUSA, will be held this Monday, December 3rd at 7:00 p.m. The theme for this year’s parade is "I’ll Be Home for Christmas." Neel Baucom of Knell Mortuary will serve as the Grand Marshal of the parade. Baucom was chosen for his years of dedication and service to the Carthage Schools.

The parade will begin at the corner of Chestnut and Main, proceed north on Main, circle the Carthage Square, then proceed south on Grant street to end at Chestnut and Grant.

Trophies will be awarded to first place winners in each category immediately following the parade on the steps of the First Christian Church. Bands will be divided into sub-groups based on their size/numbers and trophies will be awarded accordingly. Trophies will also be awarded for Mayor’s Choice, Director’s Choice, Best Interpretation of Theme, and Best Use of Lights.

SkillsUSA is a youth organization, made up of high school students who are enrolled in classes at the Carthage Technical Center. These classes cover a wide range of interests such as Electronics, Health Services, Computer Maintenance, Carpentry, Drafting, Auto Mechanics, and Precision Machining. The 2006-2007 school year was very successful for our chapter. The local organization consists of 120 members which participate in several activities throughout the year. The main community service project is the Carthage Christmas Parade. Beginning with the very first Christmas Parade, SkillsUSA has worked jointly with either the Chamber of Commerce, or Main Street, Inc. In 2002 SkillsUSA became the sole sponsor. The SkillsUSA creed states, "We believe in the dignity of work and the American way of life."

Library Book Sale.

The Friends of the Carthage Public Library monthly used booksale will be held on Saturday, December 1st, 2007 at the Library Annex, 510 S. Garrison Ave. from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.

Letter to the Editor.

Opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Mornin’ Mail.

We have received information concerning a possible scam in connection with selling advertising on a mobile vehicle that would be located in shopping malls around the area, moving from location to location. The company name is BigAdCo and the person selling the advertising is a Dwight Flemming. They, apparently, have sold several packages in Oklahoma and Kansas without following through with any actual advertising being delivered. The contact numbers no longer work and the phone messages are not being returned. This same operation may be working in southwest Missouri as one Carthage Chamber member business has possibly been scammed recently. If you are approached for such an advertising package, check for references, business licenses, get names and license plate numbers and check with the Carthage Police Department before issuing a check for the advertising.

If you need additional information call our office at 417-358-2373.

John W. Bode

President

Carthage Chamber of Commerce

Then, later, I was drivin’ and a teenager stopped in the middle of a cross walk and just stood there as if to dare me to hit him. He and his buddy seemed to get a big kick outta makin’ the vehicle wait.

Now, I’m not sayin’ that I didn’t have a right to my piece of sidewalk when I was walkin’, or the kid didn’t have a right to be safe in the sidewalk. As a pedestrian the law protects us against automobiles. It just appears to me that sometimes folks get to thinkin’ just because they have a right, they want to flaunt it to the world.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Natural Nutrition
By Mari An Willis

The holidays are in full swing with Thanksgiving over and Christmas quickly approaching. Along with both comes some extra stress and we know that Chamomile and Valerian, St. John’s Wort and Kava Kava are readily available and may help one be less Scrooge-like. However, there is more to holiday shopping than stress. What about the exposure to crowds of people including some who may not be so healthy. That is where the immune system comes into play. Your chances of getting a cold or flu may be less if you have taken some nutrients to give it some extra steam.

Vitamin C is among the most common. Recent research choosing a Vitamin with some bioflavonoids and possibly zinc gluconate can shorten the duration of a cold. The research coming out of the University of Texas stated that the zinc gluconate needed to be dissolved slowly under the tongue. Makes a difference if you follow the instructions. Lozenges with both the C and zinc are available and taste pretty good.

Although the benefits of garlic have been expounded upon in many magazines, pamphlets and on the TV, it definitely deserves a mention. Take it! is all I will add as it will do you no good just sitting in the cabinet. That seems to be the most common reason why our herbs don’t work... they don’t get taken on a steady basis and for a long enough period of time. Remember that when taking herbs they are whole foods and will not, in most cases, act as quickly as a drug. We have become a "want it now" society, but I assure perseverance pays off.

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

The art is in place, the Christmas décor is hung and food underway! We are ready for our visitors this Friday night at the opening of our last show of 2007, and if you missed it, then don’t despair, as we will be open during our regular hours (call for those, 358-4404) until December 16th with the beautiful paintings of Donna Roberts, Joplin. There are several striking florals, great landscapes, and some unusual works that incorporate both acrylic and ink in a unique effect. Most interesting are a group of seven small 5" X 5" canvases priced very reasonably--- tiny original acrylic paintings painted like oils of some beautiful scenes. These will go quickly, and they would make darling Christmas gifts! I will tell you now about the show we are exhibiting upstairs in the Member Gallery, which is actually art-quilting by Kelly Moreland of Joplin. In this show called "FIBER COLLAGE" Kelly displays her unique style of framing fabric as a painting! She says, "As a child, one of my grandmothers taught me to crochet while the other introduced me to quilting. I have enjoyed the needle arts ever since! I consider myself an "art quilter". My work consists of representational as well as abstract themes. Using various techniques, I layer fabrics and threads as well as paint, image transfers, beads and embellishments to create depth. Art quilting frees me from the traditional quilting restraints and allows for much creative expression!" Come and see the wonderful scenes, florals, landscapes and even a baseball- pitcher that Kelly has created in colorful chips of fabric, then stitched over in colored threads. You will be amazed! I am pleased to tell you that we look forward to being open on the day of the Carthage Historic Preservation Christmas tour, "UPSTAIRS- DOWNTOWN" on December the 8th and will be serving some holiday refreshments to tour-goers that day during the tour hours of 11:00-4:00.

ArtCENTRAL will also be featuring a special display of gifts from the gallery at the Phelps House during that day, which will include some framed and unframed artist prints, cards and notes, jewelry and cookbooks. Come and see our holiday art show during the tour day and visit our sales area at the Phelps House!