Down To Two Proposals.

The ad hoc Tourism/Lodging Tax Committee has narrowed the number of proposals for the formation of a Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

The Committee has been presented proposals from the Carthage Chamber, Main Street Carthage, Victorian Carthage, City Administrator Tom Short, and a joint proposal from the Chamber/Mainstreet. The Committee has also received a tourism plan funded by Lodging Tax funds and prepared by the marketing firm of Phillips-Ward, and Associates.

Of those proposals, the Committee voted on two that will be considered at their next meeting Wednesday, December 12. Those proposals are the joint Chamber/Main Street and the recent proposal by Short.

Short’s proposal would incorporate existing City personnel and house the CVB in Memorial Hall. The direct administrative cost of this plan would be the least of any of the proposals.

The Chamber/Main Street plan would bring the two organizations under one roof with Main Street Director Carol Green becoming the part time CVB Director.

Note for Note

sponsored by Main Street Mercantile

Arlington plays primarily gospel while still keeping a hand in bluegrass. The first half of this husband and wife duo that leads the group is Bruce Punches. Bruce sings a great deal of the lead while playing the mandolin. He has been involved with many groups throughout his 25 year career.

Bruce’s wife, Bobette Punches, sings lead and harmony while laying down a solid, driving bass line.

Banjo perfection is realized when Arlington’s Heath Todd begins to play. Heath comes to the group from Oklahoma based Heartland Express where he played bass and sang harmony for several years.

Last and certainly not least is guitarist, Joey Wright. Joey’s driving rhythm and smooth baritone harmony produce a blend unequaled in the industry.

Having grown up around bluegrass and gospel music in the Missouri Ozarks (Norwood to be exact) Joey is at home in any bluegrass setting and holds a steady foundation for the groups timing.

NASCAR to the Max

The NASCAR season has now come to a close and the Annual NASCAR Awards Banquet was held last Friday in New York City. Numerous Awards are presented during the evening. The most prestigious is the Winston Cup which is presented to the winner of the season long points championship.

Drivers earn points based on their finish during each race. There is a five point differential between each of the first five places starting with the winner receiving 175 points down to 155 for fifth. Sixth through tenth there is a 4 point differential between positions with sixth earning 150 and tenth earning 134. The remaining finishers from 11th through 43rd earn points in three point differentials with 11th earning 130 and 43rd earning 34 points. Only 43 drivers are allowed to start each race. Additionally, any driver that leads at least one lap is awarded five bonus points. To be credited with leading a lap, a driver must be in the lead at the start/finish line.

The driver that leads the most laps during a race is also awarded a five-point bonus. In actuality, the winning driver will receive 180 points, 175 for first plus five for leading a lap.

It is also possible for the second place driver to earn as many points for a race as the winner. If the driver finishing second leads the most laps during a race, he will receive 170 points for second, five bonus for leading a lap, plus five for leading the most laps for 180 points, the same as the winner. NASCAR designed the system to award consistency throughout the season and as an incentive for drivers to finish races.

The points earned by the top ten in the final points standings were Jeff Gordon – 5112, Tony Stewart – 4763, Sterling Marlin – 4741, Ricky Rudd – 4706, Dale Jarrett – 4612, Bobby Labonte – 4561, Rusty Wallace –4481, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 4460, Kevin Harvick – 4406, and Jeff Burton – 4394. As winner of the season points championship and other contingency awards, Jeff Gordon took home over 4.7 million dollars from the banquet.

I’ve always liked gadgets. Shucks, I just like the word gadget. Sounds kinda off the wall and fun. Most gadgets are based on some real great idea, but most just don’t seem ta be that practical.

I’m sure that little fishin’ rod you carry around in your pocket makes a lota sense to some folks. I don’t spend a lota time at the fishin’ hole, but I’ve never actually seen anyone usin’ one a the things.

Now a fly swatter, that’s a real practical gadget cause most anyone can use one effectively. If ya run into someone who can’t operate a fly swatter, keep your distance.

As a kid I put together a series of pulleys and cord to make my bed. ‘Sides nearly gettin’ strangled one night, it really didn’t save any time. It was just a fun gadget like most ya see.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click & Clack
TALK CARS

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

I’m a registered nurse and I have a question that is somewhat medical in origin. The appendix is an organ that is believed to have once had a function but is now without purpose (except as an income generator for the surgeon who removes it).

And yet, there it is- a stubborn piece of our anatomy, refusing to succumb to the laws of evolution. Is there a part in a car that has not evolved over time but continues to exist even though we don’t need it anymore?-Linda

TOM: Great question, Linda! The "part" that comes to mind is the parking lights.

RAY: Right. In the old, old days, when my brother still had a few brain cells left, cars were not that common. So when you parked yours at the side of the road, you left your "parking lights" on. That way, when Ichabod Crane came whizzing by in his buggy, he wouldn’t smash into you.

TOM: There’s also one other part that was starting to go the way of the parking lights but has recently had a reprieve: the cigarette lighter.

RAY: Apparently, fewer people are smokers these days, and many people decided they didn’t want cigarette lighters in their car.

TOM: So the manufacturers figured out that by slapping a plastic cover on the cigarette-lighter socket, they could save the cost of the lighter itself and brag about their "power ports." So that’s a part whose function has changed and evolved with time.

RAY: Sort of like my brother’s head. It was once believed to have some thinking function. But now we mainly use it as a hat rack.