Today's Feature

Ragtime Festival Labor Day Weekend.

The Carthage Ragtime Music Festival will be held Labor Day weekend, September 2-4 in Carthage.

Performers will include Susan Spracklen Cordell, Sue Keller, Donald Ryan, Clarke Beuhling and The Skirtlifters String Band.

Special events include Music at the Museum, Friday evening at 7 p.m. in Powers Museum 1617 W. Oak Street. Tickets are $5.00. The Junior Ragtime Contest will be held Saturday Morning at Powers Museum and is a free event. The Deluxe Concert will be Saturday evening in Private Events, 136 E. 4th St at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7.50 at the door. Sunday afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Music and Antiques will be held on the Carthage Square and will include various performers from the festival.

The festival is sponsored by Powers Museum and supported by the Helen S. Boylan Foundation. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Powers Museum during regular museum hours; Tue. through Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun. 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. For more information call Powers Museum at 417-358-2667 or email infonow@powersmuseum.com

Stench Report:
Friday,
08/26/05

No Stench

One resolution might be to put the general fund take on a percentage. That way if sales tax revenues went down, the Sherrif’s Department wouldn’t take as big a hit. One the other hand, of course, if the revenue went up, the Department would reap the windfall if the figure was held at the $500,000.

But then, to have any chance of anyone seein’ the cash, the issue has to face the voters. The County Commission holds all the cards there, includin’ the language of the ballot. Then it will be in the hands of the voters, and the intrigue continues.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Laying Carpet

First, gather your tools. In addition to specialty tools like a knee kicker and a seaming kit, you also want to consider renting a power stretcher to speed up the job. Other tools you’ll need include a hammer, utility knife, scissors, heavy-duty stapler, chalk line, double-sided tape and duct tape. You’ll also need to purchase tackless strips — thin wood strips with tiny spikes — to secure the edges of the carpet, and transition strips to mark where the carpet ends and different flooring begins.

Set the transition strips first, nailing them into place. These strips can be made of metal or wood, or, if you’re just switching from one color carpet to another without change in height or texture, seaming tape can be used. Next, install the tackless strips along the edges of the room, spikes pointing up so they’ll catch the carpet backing.

With the strips in place, roll out the carpet padding. The padding should be placed next to, but not over, the tackless strips and cover the entire floor. If you must roll out several pieces (you probably will), make sure the seams meet tightly and secure them in place with duct tape. Then, staple the padding into the subfloor every foot or so.

With the padding in place, bring on the carpet! Have a friend help you position the roll against one wall, letting the loose end extend up the wall about 6 inches. Get the roll as straight as possible and then unroll the carpet until you hit the opposite wall. Mark the back of the carpet where it first meets the wall, and make a second mark 6 inches higher. Fold the carpet back, stretch the chalk line across the carpet from the second mark, and snap the line. Cut the carpet — you may want to put a plywood board under the cut point to protect the rest of the roll. Tug the carpet into place and press into the corners.

Position and roll out or unfold the next section of carpet, remembering that the nap should all face the same way. Let the seam overlap the edge of the other section by 3 inches. Once all sections are in position, trim the edges so they match exactly, place seam tape centered under the edges, and use a seam iron to melt the adhesive. Hold the seams in place with a piece of plywood weighted with bricks.

Once the adhesive has set, stretch the carpet into place, following the direction of the original layout with the power stretcher. Secure the carpet onto the tackless strips, then cut away the excess carpet.