Maple Leaf Lighting Contest

Winners Announced.

The Maple Leaf Festival Committee and the Carthage Convention and Visitor’s Bureau are pleased to announce the winners of the Maple Leaf Festival Lighting Contest. The Winners in the residential category are Brandi Ensor, 1st Place, John Petticrew, 2nd Place and Gordon & Mary Benny, 3rd Place. The overall winner in the business category is Carthage Caring Communities, a coalition of the Alliance of SWMO & Carthage Area United Way. Addresses and maps of the lighting route are available at the CVB office on 402 S. Garrison.

As with the original campaign in 1967, Carthage residents decorated yards and businesses to illuminate and celebrate the changing of the season during Maple Leaf Festival Week. Winners have signs to display during Maple Leaf Festival and will be presented with garden stone awards at a later date.

"When the Maple Leaf Festival Committee made the lighting contest suggestion last year, I felt it was a great fit for the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to sponsor," says Wendi Douglas, Carthage CVB Director. "Carthage has been voted a beautiful city time and time again and highlighting the area at night seemed a unique opportunity for visiting leaf lovers. Additionally, the CVB has offered trees to residents and businesses the last three years through our Re-Leaf Program and the contest takes the Re-Leaf Program a bit further."

The displays are within Carthage city limits and available for viewing October 9-16, 2010 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, contact the Carthage Convention & Visitor’s Bureau at 417-359-8181 or wdouglas@ecarthage.com.

As you can see from this Jake from November 2000, there’s not much new goin’ on.

"Just ta keep the record straight, there will be two separate but somewhat related issues scheduled for discussion at next Monday’s Public Safety meetin’.

One is whether stores should be allowed to start sellin’ alcoholic beverages at 11 a.m. on Sunday rather than the current 1 p.m. Several business owners have requested the change.

The other Sunday situation is whether restaurants can sell alcoholic beverages on Sunday at all. The State of Missouri says they can, but they also allow some regulation by the City. Currently the City has no laws on the books that really addresses the question. Some restaurant owners are wantin’ some clarification."

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Weekly Columns

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Mouse in the House

Q: I went into my kitchen late last night, and when I switched on the light and looked up, there was a very surprised mouse looking back at me from the top of the cabinet next to the stove. I’m not real thrilled with this development. How can I get rid of this mouse? -- Farah in Framingham, Mass.

A: There are a number of ways to get rid of mice, including traps and poisons, but you also need to prevent any more from getting in.

House mice are most active in the fall and find their way inside homes through small cracks in the foundation, crawl spaces, open garages and anyplace they can access. They can slip through holes as small as a quarter-inch in diameter.

To rid yourself of this particular mouse, a spring-loaded mousetrap is loud and messy but pretty effective. It must be set up out of reach of pets and children. Poison is another method -- you place a poison pellet near the mouse’s suspected entry point. The benefit here is the mouse typically eats the pellet or carries it back to its nest, and dies somewhere else. The danger, again, is to pets and children, so make sure neither can access pellets or traps.

Preventing another infestation should be carried out on two fronts. First, locate possible entry points into your home’s living spaces and block them, either by sealing up or placing copper mesh or steel wool into the hole. Next, reduce the mouse’s chance to get at any food by storing grains, flour, pasta and other dry storage foods in plastic or metal containers. Clean the kitchen immediately after finishing dinner -- don’t leave plates or pots with food on them that will attract rodents. Take kitchen garbage out to a large garbage can or compost pile each night. Store the large garbage can away from the house or on the side of the garage farthest from the living area, and keep the lid securely fastened.

To reduce possible entry points from outside the home, trim shrubbery around the foundation so it’s at least 1 foot away from the house. Patch small cracks in the foundation and seal small entry holes on the home’s exterior. Repair damaged gutters and soffits and other roof damage. If your attic’s ventilation system looks to be easily accessible to rodents, check with a roofing or attic specialist for preventative measures you can take (don’t block up the vents, however).