Today's Feature

National Talent to Perform.

News release

The Carthage Convention & Visitors Bureau has partnered with the Carthage Chamber of Commerce to bring a new event showcasing national talent to Carthage this fall.

The City of Carthage will celebrate the 41st annual Maple Leaf Festival October 13 through 20, 2007. Traditional festival events include southwest Missouri’s largest parade, quilt show, car show, marching band competition and much more. This year, the Carthage CVB and Chamber have teamed up to bring something new to the festival.

Boots, Bands & BBQ is a free, outdoor concert that will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, October 20. The Carthage CVB and Chamber have secured nationally recognized talent to headline the concert this year, as well as a local restauranteur to serve up fantastic barbeque to the crowd. The show will be the first live entertainment production of its kind to join the Maple Leaf Festival lineup.

Carthage Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Kate Massey and Chamber of Commerce Director of Member Services Debra Smith plan to explain the event and give a very special preview of the entertainment during a news conference at 10 a.m., Tuesday, August 14 at the Bykota Community Center, 430 West Elk Street, Carthage.

"The Maple Leaf Festival is a hallmark of Carthage. The Convention and Visitors Bureau is thrilled to stand behind such a great event at this year’s festival," says Massey. "We hope to see Boots, Bands & BBQ as a permanent fixture at Maple Leaf."

For more information, contact the Carthage Convention & Visitors Bureau by calling 417-359-8181.

I haven’t seen any upscale type of overalls that would be appropriate with a tie. I bet there’d be a lot a folks that’d be more comfortable in a good pair of overalls than wearin’ a coat and tie when it gets warm.

‘Sides, when ya have on a pair of overalls, it just makes ya feel like ya oughta be workin’ on somethin’.

Oh, sure, they’re great for just loungin around in too, but overalls were meant ta be worked in. Plenty a pockets for small tools and pocket knives. That little loop on the side is handy for carryin’ a tennis racket.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Natural Nutrition
By Mari An Willis

Food bars are a healthy choice for those who are up and running late. The food industry has gone far beyond the days when a food bar tasted like cardboard to having some delicious choices. Many are higher in flavor and nutrients than the average meal with digestive aids included to help absorb what you have gulped down in your rush to get everything done on your lunch hour or in the case of students one half hour or so.

Food bars may be full of carbohydrates for the quick energy and amino acids to help maintain after the initial surge of energy. Throw in a few vitamins and minerals, a nice chocolate, peanut or fruit flavor and you have a winner. Our brains require several nutrients to stay focused and to think clearly. It is hard to put in a good day’s work when these are not present.

This type of eating is quite prevalent in larger cities with food establishments offering shakes which include herbs for boosting mental energy. One may make their own by adding a few drops of Ginko Tincture to water or most any other beverage. Bee pollen is still a high energy food and easy to consume.

Lunch, or breakfast for that matter, need not be skipped because of lack of time.

artCentral
Art Notes from Hyde House
By Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

An organization like artCentral, as a business, has seen it’s ups and downs over the 20+ years of its existence. I am sure in the early years, things were pretty simple and needs were few. As membership grew and the constitution and bylaws established, a board of directors was created to see to the monthly needs and doings of the director, and these individuals were all volunteers starting out . The directorship is now a paid, part-time position, but the directors are still volunteers from the community, serving three year terms and meeting at the gallery monthly, and they do a great job for the organization. This board met yesterday to hear of the results of kid’s artCamp, just completed, and the other business of artCentral and the Hyde House. As usual, funding is a primary concern, and even though our membership is way up, membership fees can in no way fund the operation of the gallery. Our kid’s camp was a great success, and though it does not pay for itself, we consider its continuation a service to our members and the community. Even so, the numbers must happen every month to make it all go, and that’s where the community comes in to help us. You HAVE helped us, in so many ways! I thank again our friends who have partnered with us to produce the 8 shows per year to fill the gallery. Because we charge no admission and have open invitations to our various functions, the cost to hold these shows is considerable. Occasional sales do not produce the commissions necessary to cover the cost of shows. I am following up some written requests that were made earlier this summer by a phone call to additional businesses and individuals who are known to be very generous in many ways to our community. Until you get my call, won’t you consider again helping artCentral in any way you can? As you know, the fine arts in so many ways are being neglected, made second-class in schools, or eliminated completely. I am so glad that here, we can help meet the needs of the community to teach and foster the arts that many of us learned to love as children. Next week I hope to tell you a bit about our next gallery opening on August 24th, new photography from artist Bill Perry III of Joplin and new sculpture and jewelry work of Rebecca Perry.