Committee Agrees With Ban.

The Public Safety Committee agreed Monday evening with a plan for enforcement of the ban on sledding at the Municipal Golf Course. The Public Services Committee has already approved the ban.

Police Chief Dennis Veach reported to the Committee that he and Parks Director Alan Bull had originally felt Police Officers would be called to enforce the prohibition. But they ultimately agreed that during times that sledding would be a problem, it is also one of the busiest times for police due to traffic accidents when it snows.

The plan presented to the Committee is for Park Department personnel to advise anyone attempting to sled on the Golf Course of the ban and then contact the Police Department only if the warning is not observed.

Park Director Bull told the Committee that he not only wanted to protect the turf of the newly renovated course, but was also concerned due to changes in the landscape that could be dangerous for sledders.

Ditches have been enlarged and boulders have been placed to discourage erosion in the vicinity that has traditionally been used for sledding.

Where I grew up there wasn’t a problem with sleddin’, there weren’t any hills big enough ta slide down.

The small community pretty well kept off the streets durin’ good snow storms however, and although I wouldn’t advise the practice, most of our sled entertainment came at the end of a rope tied to the bumper of the family car. My brother and I would pack into several layers of clothes and with Dad drivin’ and Mom warnin’ of bein’ careful, we’d wander the unplowed back streets. Control of the sled came mostly from draggin’ one foot or the other to steer and both to brake. ‘Course the main rule was the same as water skiin’, if ya fall off, let go.

The experience was onea those if ya think about scares ya to death, but at the time, we were havin’ too much fun to think.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

YOUR AMERICA

By Amy Anderson

As a child, I was fascinated by miniatures — those in my homemade dollhouse, miniature cake mixes for my Easy-Bake oven and sample-size beauty products. It seemed to me that because of their smaller stature, these babies were more precious, something better than their standard-size counterparts.

I wasn’t alone. There are millions who delight in the diminutive, and if you are one of them, here are some places you can go to get your fill of the teeny.

• The Delaware Toy and Miniature Museum is located in Wilmington, Del. It has a collection of more than 100 dollhouses filled with antique and period furnishings. The museum also exhibits tiny toys and sample pieces.

Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can contact the museum by calling (302) 427-TOYS or by logging on to www.thomes.net.

• If you are into miniatures that move, check out the National Model Aviation Museum of Muncie, Ind. Here you can lay your eyes on a model airplane enthusiast’s dream — the largest collection of model aircraft in the United States. If you plan a trip in the summer months, you are likely to see many model airplanes in action, as there are competitions held at the 1,000-acre flying grounds.

For more information, call (765) 287-1256 or log on to www.modelaircraft.org. The museum is open seven days a week; admission to the flying site is free.

• The Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City consists of 24 whole rooms devoted to miniatures of every shape and variety, from dolls to cast-iron toys. It is located on the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and is open Wednesday through Saturday.

Admission is $4 for adults, with discounts for seniors, kids and students. For two-for-one admission through the end of the year, log on to its Web site, www.umkc.edu/tmm for a coupon.

• The Museum of Miniature Houses and Other Collections in Carmel, Ind., is a dollhouse lover’s wonderland. Whether it’s antiques or moderns, this museum just north of Indianapolis houses them all. It also includes other miniature art and non-miniature collections.

Open Wednesday to Sunday, the admission fee is a mere $3. For directions and details, call (317) 575-9466.