| By Alvin Engelke
 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The big Creston auction will be Saturday, June 4 at 6 P. M. at the Creston Community Building. All sorts of donated items will be sold. One never knows what sort of bargain is to be found although, for sure there is some old china. Bobby Ray Starcher will cry the sale and he will bring along his special cheese, candy, pepperoni etc. If one needs a pickup for items call 275-3202 or 275-3578.
Rev. Carlos Nutter filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church and gave Holy Communion. Sierra Starcher who routinely provides uplifting special singing was not at the service as her family went on a fishing trip.
Bessie Arthur Belcher, age 79, passed away after a long fight with cancer. The daughter of Holly Roscoe and Ottice Saltkeld Greathouse she married Ira Arthur who retired from the Calhoun DOH. As long as she was able Bessie was active in various civic activities. It could also be said with certainty that she well understood honest toil.
Hallie Cunningham fell at her home and broke her hip. She is in the St. Joseph's Hospital in Parkersburg.
There were lots and lots of people in the area for Decoration Day. At the McCray (Snyder) Cemetery on the hill at Creston it was difficult to get near the graveyard because there were so many vehicles. The peonies were still in their prime so there were real flowers to use for decoration. Last year some had to resort to wild carrots (Queen Anne's lace), multiflora rose and such.
While many visited the graveyards others have been spending the weekend having fun. There have been lots of four wheelers and some of the younger set have been trying to catch some fish. Some of the better fishermen report that they have been doing real well and it was said that Eloit White got a 22 pounder.
Anna Engelke and the FunChester group went camping at the Ohio Pyle Park in Pennsylvania. The group wanted to announce their newest members Jim and Misty.
Jane Engelke and Wilbur Schenerlein III attended the wedding of Dr. Kumar in Charleston and went boating on Sunday with the Richardsons [after whom the Richardsonville Road is named].
The Shimer family held their reunion Saturday at the Creston Community Building. A complete report will follow later.
H. L. Stutler, Alvin Engelke and Anna Reno were among those who participated in the heritage day at the graded school in Elizabeth. Alvin ended up with a comely young assistant who did a great job telling the story of how Alvin's mother acquired the "Junk Boat" glassware.
"The Park Ranger", Dave McKain at the Burning Springs oil field park has been on the sick list but has had a lot of visitors at the local facility. A while back a tour bus brought a number of world wide oil history experts including one from London England. Mr. Bob Bonar from the Calhoun school fetched down a class too.
Sam Goines, the game warden reported being busy lately especially with folks on four wheelers who seem to have lost whatever common sense they ever had. He was spending "quality time" over in the Rock Run section.
A reader of the column from Arnoldsburg noted that Proverbs 11: 35 said that "The liberal soul shall be made fat." Would this mean that the current problem with obesity which keeps lots of state and federal officials busy doing reports and press releases about fat people, etc. is really caused by too many liberals?
Along the line of liberal hogwash the Clinton era requirement that Medicaid pay for viagra has now made the national news as the Medicaid administrators who still obviously answer to Hill & Bill insisted that even convicted sex offenders must have the enhancement drug at the expense of working men and women whose insurance will not pay "to play".
The United States Department of Agriculture's multiflora rose will soon be in full bloom. It seems that back 60 years ago or so someone had a friend who was selling rosebushes and the taxpayers got to pick up the bill. When the oriental roses spread they said, "Well we didn't know the seeds would germinate." But, of course they knew better and assumed that no one had ever heard about seed sclarification.
Mr. & Mrs. Don Rhodes, Mr. & Mrs. Glennie Edward Arthur and Euell Russell were among those calling on C. Glen Arthur.
The Gast family spent Memorial Day weekend at their place in the graveyard of the old Rose Hill church at the head of Beaver Dam.
A number of local residents have had various medical tests run recently.
The price of local Penn grade crude oil rose to $48.50/bbl over the weekend. A big crowd was on hand in Little Washington Pennsylvania for a workshop on Upper Devonian sandstone pays. Grantsville native Joe Morris was on hand as were a number of Parkersburg and Marietta area oil men. Bill Boss from Westside Exploration was there. He has been involved in deep drilling in Roane County and with some wells in Gilmer County. Those who attended were impressed by the interest and enthusiasm and several very interesting things were learned. First, the bulk of the natural gas consumed in America is produced from small (stripper) wells by small companies [not Sen. John D. "Jay Boy" Rockefeller's family companies]. Secondly, it was pointed out that the natural gasoline that is produced from stripping plants when propane and butane is also removed cannot be added to or used as a motor fuel as such "would be a violation of the clean air act". The chances are that Cap'n Drip and his family actually even voted for the people who came up with these rules.
Aunt Belle Wright and her family were spending time at their place down on the old Petty place.
From what one reads things are getting pretty rough over in Roane County.
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