| By Alvin Engelke
 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Cap'n Spock was doing some work on a piano over at Cremo. He, Aunt Verda and C. Romeo Griffin, Sr. were visiting friends and kinfolk in Canal Fulton Ohio.
Nancy June Hall said that she quit taking her cancer medicine. She is going to visit family out west.
The comely Samantha Wilson, otherwise known as the brownie girl, won in her age division of the Miss Teen Firecracker contest. She is a winner in any contest because she has a great personality and is good looking and can make fine baked goods.
Rev. Juanita Lockhart filled her regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church. She noted that there would be a county wide gathering on the fifth Sunday at the Sportsman's Park in Elizabeth with preaching, picnic, games for the children, etc.
The big Creston ATV Poker run is Saturday July 23. A fine route has been laid out with some water holes for those who want to stop and play while making the round. There are lots of prizes and new tee shirts have been ordered. In addition the Creston cookbooks are now available.
Workmen's Compensation sent out "pretty in pink" forms for local employers to place up on the walls in the workplace. Perhaps the new color is to reflect "diversity".
It is definitely worth a trip out the ridge toward Spencer from the head of Ann's Run to see Mrs. Chancy Shaw's flower bed. Not that there are several others that are fine but her lilies and other perennials are absolutely striking.
Amy N. Ferrell passed the test for her learner's permit. Some family members seem to be concerned.
Shock's Well Service of Sycamore has been doing some work with a track hoe on the old Hunter F. Pell place for the Louden family.
Reflecting the volatility of the world oil markets local crude fell $1.00/bbl on Saturday to $56/bbl which was more than the price a week earlier. High prices for oil and gas have stimulated the drilling business. Many new wells have been drilled in nearby counties and some have been spectacular. Some say the price of crude will go to $80/bbl. Natural gas produced in Roane County fetched $12/MCF while some gas produced in Gilmer County only brought 20 cents while some produced down south was only worth 12 cents/MCF.
Speaking of oil and gas, it will be the "Shootout at the OK Corral" at 10 A. M. on Friday, July 22 at the Court House front door in Grantsville when 25 wells and leases, mostly located along the deep trend that was tested by Exxon back in the 70s, will be sold to the highest bidder. The wells and leases are owned jointly by Spencer tycoon Roy G. "Junior" Hildreth, Jr. and Grantsville businessman Steve "J. R. Ewing" Satterfield. The plaintiff's attorney was said to be a partner in the firm, Tarry, Linger and Waite as the case has been in the court system for a number of years awaiting resolution. It was reported that several folks with deep pockets, promoters and deep well people will be on hand with wads of big bills and impressive looking letters of credit from Texas and New York banks.
Chuck & Sally Haavik, daughters Emily & Rebecca, and Chuck's mother were calling in the area looking after their oil interests. They checked out Columbia's Parker deep well in Roane County, checked on some non producers they own part of in Wirt County and stopped to see the progress at the Oil & Gas Park in Burning Springs. They also picked some wild red raspberries, looked at J. R. Pell's General Store building and checked out Jane Engelke's new store in Vienna.
Dave McKain reported that the park which has the oldest producing well in the world [the Rathbone well] was listed in a national magazine as well as the state tourism book. Dave and Deaver's Fork resident Duane Spencer have been working on the park's 1949 GMC.
Some of the folks involved with the slow going pile drilling job down near the old Tom Alec Hopkins place noted that if the Buckeye Drillers who apparently are being paid by the taxpayers by the hour could apply pressure to the bit and get the job done sooner. In the real world drillers are paid by the foot, not by the hour.
Workmen at West Virginia Paving said they were being cut back to 4-day weeks because of the "shortfall" of funds down at the Mouth of the Elk. Most find it very hard to believe that gasoline and fuel tax revenues are down but even so DOH salaries were increased 15% in three counties recently since over in that part of the state McDonalds pays $11/hour. For many years workers in certain parts of the state were paid differently than the local folks who brought up the bottom.
A number of local residents attended 4-H camp at Camp Barbe. One unlucky fellow broke his arm and had to go to Columbus to see a specialist to get repaired.
The WVU Extension will hold a two day meeting at Glenville State College July 20 - 22 on non traditional ways to generate money from forest land including, but not limited to growing ginseng, high dollar mushrooms, etc. For details and reservations contact Dave McGill at 293-2941 extension 2474. Local forest (and other land) is currently under assault by the invasive Japanese stilt grass which spreads like wildfire. Speaking of wildfire if there is a dry fall the dead dry stilt grass burns like it had been soaked in gasoline.
Jeff & Austin Westfall, Brandon and Andrea Ferrell were visiting Mr. & Mrs. Carl Ferrell and family.
Denver McFarland was the master chef at a big cookout on the fourth. Those partaking of the goodies were Ira J. & Margaret Lynch, Noble & Betty Rae McFarland, Tim Lynch and Kathy Pullins, Eric Newsome, Jayson (Hoss), Tara Dakota & Brittani Donley, Stephen Settle, Travis, Kerry, Josh, Jocie & Brayden Lucas, I. Jim, Carol, Luke & Levi Lynch, Rev. Gladson Grim, Dennis Maze, Preston and Patty Ball. After the food was devoured a number of the crew motored to Spencer to watch the fireworks.
The Wirt County Farm Bureau will hold its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, July 19 at 8 P. M. at the road garage in Elizabeth. Last minute plans for the Wirt County fair will be discussed.
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