Did Ya Know... Area Agency on Aging and The VantAge Point will have health screenings and explain the Hospice program at Northpark Mall on Fri., Sept. 19th. For information, call 417-627-0600.

Did Ya Know... A rummage sale will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19 and 20 at 526 Budlong. Assorted items.

Did Ya Know... The final form of the Constitution was put to a vote on Sept. 17, 1787. Thirty-nine of the delegates present voted in favor; three were opposed. Thirteen delegates were absent and of these, seven were believed to favor the Constitution. This is a sidelight for Constitution Week from Sept. 17 to Sept. 23.

"So how did your game go today?" the wife asked her husband.

"Great," he said. "I shot three under on the eighteenth hole."

"Three under on the eighteenth hole!" she exclaimed. "Even I know the eighteenth hole is a 425-yard par four. How could you possible have been three under?"

"Easy," he said, "I was one under a tree, two under my cart and three under the clubhouse."

Kid: Grandpa, did you once have hair like snow??? Grandpa: I sure did. Kid: Well, who shoveled it off?

Cornerstone of Carthage Marble.

The cornerstone for the new Catholic church at Denison, Tex., T. K. Crowley, pastor, will be laid on Sunday. The cornerstone is an elegant piece of Carthage marble furnished by the Carthage Stone Co. It was neatly carved, lettered and polished by E. C. Thym and presents a fine appearance. The church will be built of brick trimmed in Carthage stone and will cost $50,000 when completed.

Teachers Examination.

State superintendent of public schools, John R. Kirke, will be in Carthage to conduct examinations for state teacher certificates at the High school building. County superintendent, W. N. Wharton will conduct examinations at the high school building on the 19th.

Bits of Information.

An order has been issued forbidding the sale of liquor in the restaurants of the Maine Central railroad.

Parking Enforcement Vital Says Chief.

The regular meeting of the Public Safety Committee on Monday night yielded another round of discussion on parking enforcement in the city.

Questions by Committee member Bill Fortune pertaining to revenue from parking enforcement on the Square, the cost of the program and county versus City responsibility for the area led to a discussion of parking enforcement and the practice of "Square hopping."

Recently media reported seven summonses were issued to "Square hoppers," people who move their cars on the Square to avoid the two-hour parking limit.

"I intentionally didn’t put the names out, intentionally didn’t contact them," Police Chief Ed Ellefsen told the Committee, "...because I wanted more people to worry. We just touched the iceberg."

Ellefsen was outspoken on the need for parking control for the benefit of the Square’s economy.

"The only reason we enforce the law is totally so that people have the option to park," said the Chief. "As I get closer to the end of my tenure, I’ll probably blow my top and say alright, let’s take off the damn parking controls, park there 24 hours a day, and we’ll run that square into a ghost town."

"The other side of the equation is... if I’m gonna get quoted I might as well get quoted good... it’s really a tragedy, the foolishness of the parking situation... on the one hand you’ve got taxpayers’ money being wasted by people leaving their position of employment to go out and move their vehicle, and on the other side of the coin, you’ve got three people on full-time, are getting paid, to catch people that are wasting the tax dollars. So we’ve got both sides wasting tax dollars."

Ellefsen closed his comments by reiterating his belief that without parking enforcement the Square would shut down.

Both the Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Carthage have submitted suggestions concerning parking on the Square. Fortune said that his inquiry came out of a Main Street meeting where parking was discussed. The Joplin Main Street organization oversees the downtown parking control as a revenue source.

According to the police department’s 1996 Annual Report, there were two part-time parking control officers employed for a annual total of $22,662. Revenue generated from 1996 parking enforcement, including restricted parking throughout the city, was $7,621. Through August of 1997, revenues are $5,484.

Other news from the Monday night meeting, Chief John Cooper reported that the new ladder truck, purchased by the city for $270,000, is expected in Carthage on October 3. He also said the double decker bus is back and running well after the air conditioner installation. Payment of the approximate $13,000 bill, which was put on hold after some problems were resolved, can now continue through the appropriate channels.

The committee also voted to recommend the formation of an Emergency Response Task Force to update the City’s emergency response plan. Committee member Nolan Henry opposed the proposal citing an overabundance of committees.

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It's A Country Celebration.

News by University Extension Center

The 4-H club celebration will be held Saturday, September 27, 1997 at the Municipal Park on West Oak Street in Carthage, Missouri. Kick off activities will be on Saturday, September 20, 1997 on Sam’s parking lot in Joplin, Missouri. Activities that will be held at the celebration are:

• Community ‘Country’ Fair where you can exhibit works of crafts, gardening, quilting, sewing, cooking and other areas. Placement ribbons will be awarded and many exhibitors will receive prizes for outstanding work and displays.

• Quilt Show that Sam’s Club will host during the Kick Off activities on September 20th. Dig out your old (and not so old) quilts!

• The Pet Show is a fun event for all ages. A wide variety of awards and prizes will be given to the best-dressed couple (owner and pet) along with many other recognition’s.

• You Be The Judge is for all ages. Participants will judge beef, sheep and swine. Additional programs and activities are being planned that will make this judging contest unique.

• At the 4-H Animal Sale, Jasper County 4-H members will be given the opportunity to sell one animal, which has been raised as part of their 4-H project. The sale will not be limited to livestock. It may include cattle, rabbits, dogs, cats, horses, swine, sheep, poultry and more.

• At the Country Parade, bring your antique tractors, farm equipment, horses, and country clothes! The parade begins on the Carthage Square and travel to Municipal Park where the day’s activities will be held.

• Displays - Booths - Demonstrations will include a wide variety of programs, resources, working demonstrations and displays including antique tractors and more. Booth space is available at no charge to area businesses, organizations and individuals.

• Old McDonald’s ‘Petting’ Barnyard is a petting area for all ages. The barnyard will include a variety of fun things to do while providing educational information about animals. Try your talents at milking a goat, racing a turtle, jumping a frog or making a stick horse.

Persons interested in obtaining a registration form for any of the activities or those wishing additional information about reserving space, may write Jasper County 4-H, P.O. Box 64, Carthage, MO 64836 or telephone event’s chairman, Sherry Block at 358-9742.

It appears that the housin' shortage we've been hearin' 'bout here in town is bein' attended to. In the last couple a weeks there have been several with plans to begin buildin' house, duplexes, and apartment complexes at various locations within' the city.

At the contractors' meetin' last week, Assistant City Engineer says that the most heard concern among the contractors that showed up was the perception that some work was bein' done by less than qualified persons. There is some risk involved in contractin' with unfamiliar workers for major renovations. Some have even been discovered to be scam artists who take whatever money they can and run.

This isn't anything new, it's just that there hasn't been enough buildin' in Carthage to make it a problem.

I'd have ta figure that anyone who is in the buildin' business has references that could be verified and work that could be inspected. An easy test is ta call the Engineerin' Department. They usually know if a contractor is reputable.

This is some fact, but mostly, Just Jake Talkin'.