Today's Feature

Maple Leaf Begins Saturday.

The 40th Annual Maple Leaf Festival, hosted by the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for October 14-21. The annual event brings over 50,000 visitors to the local community.

This year’s festival will kick-off with five events scheduled for Saturday, October 14th, followed by over two dozen events planned throughout the week, leading up to the one-day celebration on Saturday, October 21st.

A complete schedule of Maple Leaf events will be listed in the Mornin’ Mail later this week.

The week-long event is being sponsored by Leggett & Platt, Inc., Southwest Missouri Bank, Beimdiek Insurance Agency, Hometown Bank, McCune-Brooks Hospital, Grundy’s Body & Frame Shop, Fair Acres Family YMCA, Four Corners Quilter’s Guild and the Carthage Humane Society. Media sponsors include The Carthage Press, 95.1 Mike FM, Fabulous 1490AM, and KSNF-TV.

For more festival information or to inquire about an event application, contact the Chamber at 358-2373.

Stench Report:

Friday,
10/6/06

No Stench detected on the
Carthage Square

Growin’ up, walkin’ trails were gravel roads. The small community I lived in had a few blocks of sidewalks in the business area along with four or five blocks of paved street. The biggest problem with walkers was cuttin’ cross the neighbor’s yard. The kids created their own walkin’ trail through the back alleys and empty fields. ‘Course if it was rainin’, most of the kids had enough sense not ta be out walkin’ round anyway.

I say most ‘cause a few of us didn’t have the sense to get in outa the rain.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Winter may still be a ways off, but as the weather cools it is important to make preparations for safety during the colder months. Fireplaces, stoves and heaters all present a risk to homeowners, in fact, kitchen stoves and space heaters cause the greatest number of injuries and deaths each year.

So, it’s important to keep a smoke detector on every level of your home, as well as a fire extinguisher, and to keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from any object that can burn — like blankets, clothing and furniture.

Kidde, a leading maker of fire extinguishers, offers several tips to maximize fire safety at home:

• Test smoke detectors every month. Replace the batteries twice a year, and replace the detector every 10 years.

• Check fire extinguishers monthly. If the pressure is low or the cylinder is damaged or corroded, replace it.

• Have the fireplace and chimney inspected once a year, and cleaned if necessary.

• Check all appliances to make sure they work properly, and inspect electrical cords for signs of fraying or other damage.

• Keep matches and lighters well out of reach of children, and dispose of cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobacco properly.

• Learn to deal with cooking fires correctly. Fire departments and related services often host fire-prevention classes that address these types of fires.

• Create an escape plan and have the entire family practice it once a month. Show everyone the exits nearest each room, and have the family crawl to the exits on hands and knees to stay below smoke. (Have everyone practice this a second time, blindfolded, to illustrate the disorientation smoke and darkness cause.)

Designate a meeting area outside in a safe place, and tell everyone never to go back inside a burning building.