Today's Feature

Artists, Musicians, and Cowboys

Eclectic Expressions

A unique combination of artists, musicians, and cowboys will be featured on the weekend of June 9-11 in Carthage, Missouri. The weekend activities are a combination of four distinct productions that include the Carthage Saddle Club Annual Rodeo, Arts in the Park, Art in the Heartland, and the 5th annual Carthage Acoustic Music Festival.

The entertainment begins Friday evening with the Rodeo beginning at 8:00 p.m. at the Carthage Saddle Club Arena near Municipal Park. Featured this year at the rodeo will be the Dandies, a precision riding group of 18 young ladies. Also making an appearance will be Miss Rodeo Missouri 2006, Kaela Holtmeyer. From 6:00 p.m. until 10 p.m., Art in the Heartland will be hosting music and dancing behind the Black hen restaurant in Red Oak II, just outside of Carthage.

Saturday will include Art in the Heartland artists displaying their talent at Red Oak II, entertainment and children’s activities from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The Rodeo will continue on Saturday beginning at 8 p.m.

The 5th Annual Carthage Acoustic Music Festival will be held on the Historic Carthage Square on Saturday, and feature live music on Stage from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Favorites such as Brightwater Junction, No Apparent Reason, Timberline, On the Edge, and Ebb and Flow will be performing.

Arts in the Park will be just off the Carthage Square in Central Park on Saturday. Over twenty artists will be demonstrating their talent as they create their particular art in the open air. Musical entertainment, dance, story telling, and other artistic activities will fill the day from 10 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Sunday will feature a driving tour of the area with a printed guide of unique art throughout the community. These guides will be available at the above events.

For more information, please contact Carol Klinginsmith at (417) 358-3316 or log on to the Carthage Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.visit-carthage.com, or email info@visit-carthage.com.

Stench Report:
Friday,
6/2/06

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square

The time is here for the day long Carthage Acoustic Music Festival. Next Saturday there will be LIVE music on the square from ten in the mornin’ til ten at night. This will be the fifth festival and is sponsored by the Powers Museum with funding assistance by the Helen S. Boylan Foundation.

Once again there will be an open stage from ten to one for those of ya that wanna perform on a great stage with a professional sound system. To get on stage all ya have to do is have the guts and be on hand to sign up startin’ at nine in the mornin’.

At one o’clock the booked acts will begin and continue throughout the day.

In case of rain, the event will be moved into the Private Events buildin’ on the Square. Be sure to bring the lawn chairs and be ready to stay a while.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This is a Hammer

Cleaning Stone Pavers

Q: I am having a new driveway installed and would like to re-use the Belgium blocks that run down the sides of my existing driveway. Do you have any suggestions as to how to remove tar and driveway sealant from Belgium blocks? -- Chris U., Huntington, N.Y.

A: Belgium (or Belgian) blocks, for those unfamiliar with the term, are natural stones used as pavers or curbing. They originally described irregularly shaped stones used as ballast in sailing ships of old; much of the stone at one time was hewn from quarries in Belgium.

When cargo ships landed in one port or another, they loaded or unloaded ballast stones as needed to properly balance the next cargo. The need for such ballast meant that there was a healthy surplus of Belgium stones in every major port. In coastal cities where native rock was scarce, the extra stones were used to pave roads. The next time you visit an old port city like New Orleans, Savannah or Boston, look down -- chances are the cobblestones you’re walking on were laid down hundreds of years ago.

Today, cargo ships have no need for ballast stones, and cobblestones can be tough on automobiles, so Belgium blocks and other types of stone paving have been relegated to a decorative role. Most are hewn far from Belgium (India is a major supplier), and many are manufactured from concrete. The result is that you can find these stones in standard sizes and shapes at your home-improvement store. Reclaimed stones are also sought-after, because of the history and character they bring to a garden or driveway.

Cleaning Belgium blocks can be a real chore, especially with old gobs of tar and discolored sealant staining them. If there are not too many blocks, the safest way to clean them -- without risking chemical discoloration or breaking from excess pressure -- is to gently chisel away hardened tar and scrub the stone with a wire brush and a bit of water.

If elbow grease doesn’t work on a particular stain, a chemical cleaner for stone can be tried (many types line home-improvement store shelves), but test it on an inconspicuous part of the block first. If your Belgium block is actually a concrete paver in disguise, using the wrong cleaning solution can damage it irreparably.