Show-Me Harmony Chorus
Goes To Austria.

The Show-Me Harmony Chorus, based out of Joplin, Missouri, has been selected to perform at the 2002 Austrian Alps Performing Arts Festival in Innsbruck, Austria. The 56 member Chorus is affiliated with Sweet Adelines International, and has been performing since 1971. Elsie Danner and Barbara Mitchell are Carthage members of the Chorus.

The Austrian Alps Performing Arts Festival is an annual event, and the Chorus will be performing from June 19 through July 1, 2002 in Innsbruck, Mayrhofen and Kitzbuhel, Austria. Their musical selections will range from traditional barbershop, country, rock-n-roll, to gospel and ballads.

The Show-Me Chorus was chosen because of their outstanding performance reputation, and will be featured as one of four barbershop choruses to represent North America.

The Show-Me Harmony Chorus will be competing in the Region 25 Chorus Competition on April 24, 2001 in Little Rock, Arkansas. They are consistent medalists, placing in the top five.

Jasper County Collection for March.

news release

Stephen H. Holt, Jasper County Collector, has announced $652,252.77 was collected by his office for the month of March, 2001.

This amount includes $191,979.28 in 2000 real estate taxes and $30,857.27 in 1999 real estate taxes.

Also collected was $411,140.33 in 2000 personal property taxes, $10,634.94 in 1999 personal property taxes, and $2,000.20 in 1998 personal property taxes.

$593.00 in duplicate receipts, $3,550.00 in merchants licenses, $1,319.00 in pool and billiard licenses, $112.00 in auctioneer’s licenses, and $66.75 in miscellaneous fees.

Distribution of the $469,175.90 allocated to schools in Jasper County is as follows: Carl Junction R-I, $66,669.42; Sarcoxie R-II, $16,402.48; Golden City R-III, $84.63; Diamond R-IV, $1,441.87; Jasper R-V, $11,693.82; Webb City R-VII, $84,723.89; Joplin R-VIII, $204,771.10; Carthage R-IX, $77,668.44; Avilla R-XIII, $5,720.25.

Summer Here We Come!

by Robin Putnam, artCentral

Don’t we have the whackiest weather !! Thank goodness it’s finally going to be warm !! We’re ready for some heat and some sun !!

We are very happy to let you know that we have the Bill Snow 3rd Annual Stone Carving Weekend Workshop all ready to go!!

June 1, 2 and 3 we will set up out in the yard for all the carvers to converge on us and begin the melee !!

This workshop is limited to 12 participants and will cost $125 with all tools being provided. It will be two full days of carving, 8am to 5pm, and Sunday until noon if you need the time.

Saturday evening we will host a barbecue for the car-vers and a guest. Joining us will be Art Forum and music will be provided by Plains Folks. For more info or a registration form stop in !!

We are very excited about this and hope that if you are not a carver you’ll come out anyway on one of those days just to see what all the ruckus is about !!

We are starting to sign up teachers for our artCamp 2001. Once that is done we will make out the class schedule and get all that info to you. Registration will begin in May.

Also this summer......we are again going to be at Mudstock 2001 !! Tom Jones has volunteered to haul tons of clay out there for any kids wanting to play with a finer version of mud !! We will even have the clay pieces fired for you to pick up at a later date !! We appreciate Tom helping us out again this year !!

This month our regular Borad of Directors meeting will be held the second week due to some conflicts. We want to welcome our newest member of the Board, Karen Rouse. Karen lives and works here in Carthage and we thank her very much for her time !!

That means we have a great big Board with only one little spot left open !! Our meetings are quick and we get things done !! A big thank you to all who volunteer their time for the arts !!

Next opening reception will be April 20th for the Spring River Artists.

Eight talented women exhibiting, oils, pastels, mixed media, pewter and sculpture. See you then!!

More.........next week. 358-4404. 1110 E 13th & www. ozarkartistscolony.com Tues. - Sat 9am - 3pm.

Master Gardeners Recognized
for Volunteer Service.

Forty-three Master Gardeners were recognized recently for providing volunteer service to their local communities. Nineteen completed their Master Gardener certification by donating at least 30 hours. Another 24 maintained their certification by donating at least 20 hours during the past year.

Completing their Master Gardener certification were Anne Beaver, Diamond; Sharron Cherry and Deanna Probert, Carthage; Vickie Christensen, David and Kimberly Clymer, Nancy (Lee) Faaborg, Karen Morgan, Linda Neymeyer, and Russell Ryan, Joplin; Judy Davis, Carol Kay, and Jennifer Ross, Monett; Jan Walker Griffith and Gene Houk, Neosho; Doug Kauffman, Verona; Randy Kessinger, Granby; Marianne Kibodeaux, Carl Junction; and Gail Leaming, Sarcoxie. Maintaining their certification were Glenita Browning, Beulah Courter, Keith Felker, Gary Hansford, Dallie Howerton, Dorothy Melton, Susan Primm, Benitas Shields, and Eddie Thomas, Carthage; Rosalie Garner, Stark City; Evelyn Hardwick, Purdy; Betty Holland, Virgil Jones, Dale Mermoud, Marilyn Ponder, Mike Shade, Diane Volk, and Nina Von Holten, Joplin; Nancy Hurt, Pittsburg, KS; Gene Houk, Lloyd E. Leonard and Jane Williams, Neosho; Sunny Scott, Liberal; and Mary Ann Simrell, Sarcoxie.

The Master Gardeners program begins with approximately 30 hours of classroom instruction. At the end of the training program, the participants are asked to donate a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer service in their communities within the following year. To maintain the certification, they are asked to give at least 20 hours of service per year. During 2000, local Master Gardeners donated over 2,400 hours.

For more information about the program contact the office at 417-358-2158.

I see all the other media types are busy analyzin’ the results of the election last Tuesday. The fact is the fact.

It’s like tryin’ to second guess a car wreck. If they’d only been drivin’ a mile an hour slower they wouldn’t a been at that particular spot at that particular time. Doesn’t change the outcome any.

The voters voted the way they did ‘cause at this particular time they felt that was what was best. Maybe next year it’ll be different, maybe that’s just the way it is.

I suppose elections draw attention partly ‘cause nobody ever knows the outcome ‘fore the votes are counted. No way to predict with any accuracy. ‘Course it’s always easy to say I told you so after the fact, so talk it up.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Oak Street health & herbs

Natural Nutrition

by Mari An Willis

Energy and spring just seem to go hand in hand...or so we hope. Fatigue appears to be a common complaint these days. It is just that spring offers so many opportunities to overwork and under love oneself? Is it a time when we have been given the opportunity to smell the roses and spring flowers and have forgotten how for any number of reasons?

Spring is often referred to as a time for cleaning and new beginnings. A time for cleaning the garage, yard, drapes, workshop and even one’s head. Letting go of past experiences so that new ones may enter our lives, going on a diet, new hair cuts and a look at where we stand with our "new year resolutions." This is a time to plant seeds and new ideas and traditionally to "spring clean" the body.

Traditionally this was a time of the year to drink sassafras tea. Sassafras was called a "spring medicine" to purify the blood and cleanse the entire system. It was used to flush out the system and the aroma was enjoyable. Sassafras is often found in combination with other cleansing herbs for its delightful flavor. It is suggested in Jethro Kloss’s book Back to Eden that the tea should not be taken for over one week at a time.

For internal cleaning Cascara Sagrada bark was used for chronic constipation. Again, Mr. Kloss considers it one of the most reliable and time proven remedies and states that he has used the product sagely for over thirty years when needed. Our native Americans called it "sacred bark." It is noted that only the aged bark should be used. One year seems to be sufficient.