| By Alvin Engelke
 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The first Creston auction of the season will be Saturday September 3 at 6 P. M. at the Creston Community Building. There will be all sorts of good things including cheese which goes well in dinner pails both for work and fall hunting excursions. Those who haven't been to Creston for a spell can check out the new paint job.
The Ground Hog (Mt. Pleasant) reunion will be Sunday, September 4 at the church set high atop the hill at the head of Pete's Run near Creston. Folks come from far and near to see those and the descendants of those who formerly lived on Ground Hog and its environs.
There were good crowds at the Cedar Grove and Cremo homecomings it was reported.
Some area residents went to the Mt. Zion Ox Roast to get some fine beef and fixins. The Brownie Girl noted that the had placed 2nd at the Blue Grass pageant and that she was going to participate in a big one in Braxton County. Her strawberry preserves also took a first prize. She, of course, has a Creston connection.
Rev. Juanita Lockhart filled her regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.
Stephen Settle returned home after spending 3 weeks fighting wildfires in Montana. He has lots of experiences to relate.
A goodly amount of hay was made in the local area before the rains came. However, if the hurricane makes it this far there may be significant rain and resultant flooding. The storm is so big and dangerous that it already has had an impact on Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations. The price of local crude dropped Saturday to $62.50/bbl while the price in the big markets rose to $70.80/bbl.. If major damage is done in the gulf some feel that the price of oil will soar.
It was learned that the drilling contractor on Eastern American Energy's new deep well in Roane County got the bit hung in the red rock above the salt sand. A bigger rig is being moved in to try to resolve matters. The well is not too far from Zona. Roy G. Hildreth, Jr. has permitted several wells recently while Russell Hupp has been obtaining leases on the Howard Cooper place.
Mr. & Mrs. Carl Ferrell were vacationing and visiting in North Carolina.
Bob Graham and the Wyoming County Commission on Aging were back in the news. Because of the refusal to issue new certificates of need (CON) local providers must pay Graham a percentage of what the federal government pays for care of those who need help. One year Graham had a salary of $460,000 plus benefits, all complements of the taxpayers. He even has a state senator on his payroll who makes $28/hour serving food at catered dinners put on by the "organization".
Nancy & Jane Engelke spent the weekend at the Americas Mart in Atlanta where they made next season's purchases for Jane's store in Vienna. Since Nancy wasn't really up to a long car ride they took the big bird from the airstrip down at the Mouth of the Elk River. Even though Nancy had a letter from her doctor the always and ever politically correct (P. C.) guards had to check her out to make sure she wasn't a Mohammedan terrorist with a sharp pointed object. They even had to check out her antique wooden cane to make sure that no grenades or bazookas were hid therein. Elsewhere in the country the P. C. guards have singled out well-endowed Scandinavians while letting shifty-eyed swarthy fellows with towels wrapped around their heads pass through uninspected. They do not "believe" in profiling those would be likely terrorists so they can say that "They were fair." This is just about on the level of the 911 Commission ignoring the Able Danger report that showed the terrorists were in the country and up to no good back in 1999, that they met with Saddam's foreign agents in Europe, etc..
In spite of the rain a good crowd was on had for the auction of the personal items in Wm. Paul Lee's estate.
Bernard Wyatt was calling on Alvin Engelke.
The highway carrier route 70 at Creston is open for bid again as the current contractor is going to move nearer to her daughter in the Carolinas. The route is 33.4 miles long and mail must be delivered 303 days/year. Details are available at the Creston post office although the decision as to who is hired will be made in Pittsburgh as they obviously know best there, being a big city and all that. The route goes up Little Creek, over the Asa Haney hill to Big Rowell and then back down the Richardsonville road to Creston and down Route 5 to the mouth of Chestnut Run. Bids are due by September 20.
Kathy Collins was visiting Keith Collins and friends in Front Royal Virginia. She was taken for a trip on the Skyline Drive but low-lying clouds precluded seeing the scenic sights.
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