| By Alvin Engelke
 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Vernon E. & Trampus Norman, Jack Nutter, Jerald Woodring and Fred Bish installed some under drain to take care of wet places at the Creston Community Building parking area and lawn. They also did some drainage work on the Norman yard. Now that calling Miss Utility is the law, they were very difficult. "Oh, you can't use that telephone number and FAX, that number was used 'for another company and we have strict guidelines'.
The big DOH auction is still on for Saturday, May 12. It will be a chance to pick up, for pennies on the dollar, like new equipment and many local residents, including state road employees (who must have someone else bid) are planning on attending. Of course the "select contractors" will get dibs on the stuff that they really want & need. After the sale the county workers can stay busy doing "core maintenance work" which translates to opening culverts with shovels and picking up dead deer, skunks, possums and litter removal.
In the vein of saving money for the state, there is no overtime and it is "save, save, save." With all this in mind it was very enlightening to note that on Sunday afternoon the out of state striping (painting) contractor was putting down fresh paint on W. Va. 53 near Elizabeth. One can calculate just what these folks were being paid for what certainly would appear to be non-emergency Sunday work.
Speaking of auctions the annual Creston donation auction is Saturday, June 2 at the Community Building. There have been some fine items donated & big items can be picked up and hauled to the building for those who have no way to move things.
The neighborhood watch flea market is still on for May 19. For details contact Jerry Poling or Tammy McFarland.
Anna Engelke & Paul Geibler visited his parents Paul & Donna Geibler in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania. The group dined on the 'famous' Philly cheese-steak sandwich at Anna's Sandwich Shop and attended a Doors Tribute Concert.
Anna, Paul, Keith, Matt, Jess, Dena, Joel & Corey attended the 80th Annual Shenandoah Valley Apple Blossom festival in Winchester and next week Anna will be serving fried locust blossoms at "must see" night.
Mr. & Mr. Don Rhodes & daughter were calling on Roger Godfrey. Members of the Rhodes family admitted that they were taking snuff and groceries from the Russell boys "especially at the end of the month".
The "do gooders" and poverty program promoters keep talking about "all the hunger" in America and the Appalachian states have a special program to deal with obesity and childhood obesity is said to be a bad problem too. One would think that if folks were really hungry they would plant gardens and grow food. Obviously it is easier to use food stamps and then sit around in the air conditioning and play video games.
Jeff & "Alley Oop" Westfall were visiting relatives and friends in Creston over the weekend.
Calhoun County Commissioner Bob Weaver was attending to business in Creston.
Turkey hunters report that some of the hens have little ones and others report finding nests. It was generally agreed locally that the season came in far too late.
Local residents have been feasting on poke and milkweed greens.
Logan Lowe was calling on Hope Starcher and Hop's grandpa, Cecil Starcher was also calling in Creston.
A big 'possum had an altercation with a rubber tire on the West Fork bridge in Creston and lost. Old Brer Buzzard came and worked on carcass removal so the state road crew wouldn't have to bother.
Some of the pointy-headed congress critters have introduced proposed new federal legislation that would make "hate speech" a crime punishable with a ten-year stay in the pokey. Under the proposed new law, several passages of scripture could no longer be used for texts by ministers nor could they be discussed in Bible study. One could no longer talk about why the city where Lot resided was destroyed, etc. Perhaps "revised" Bibles will have to be printed, ones that are PC [politically correct]. One local resident wondered too if Joel Chandler Harris' Uncle Remus will also be banned as "hate speech". It was learned that they are also planning on confiscating guns from law abiding citizens so only crazy galoots (like at Virginia Tech) and hardened criminals will be armed.
Ohio Oil Gathering trucks were in Creston last week hauling crude oil. On Saturday the price fell $1.25/bbl to $57.25. A new outfit picked up some leases in northern Wirt County while other outfits have been picking up both oil and gas and coal bed methane (CBM) leases in various parts of West Virginia, some of which have seen very little prior oil and gas drilling. Chesapeake Appalachia purchased some leases from Enron (or EOG as they now call themselves) in Mason County.
The Hart farm fetched $73,500 and it was reported that Randall Lynch's farm (the old Al Blankenship place) on Ann's Run would be sold before too long.
The dates for the summer and fall Creston poker runs will be July 21 and September 15, respectively. | 
