| By Alvin Engelke
 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The neighborhood watch flea market is the big event for May 19. For details contact Jerry Poling or Tammy McFarland. There will be something for everyone as well as yummies. Both Newark and Elizabeth are following Creston's lead and establishing neighborhood watch programs to help minimize criminal activity. The location for the big event will be in Jerry Poling's lawn which is at the end of the dePue or Creston straight and the activity starts early for the best deals.
Rev. Juanita Lockhart filled her regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church and served Holy Communion.
The Louden family spent the weekend camping at their place on the Richardsonville road. This time it didn't rain on them. Speaking of rain, there hasn't been much lately and even some lawns are turning brown. Earlier Jim Bush had predicted a dry summer and such seems to be right on schedule. Last week Jacques Frost paid a professional call which would show that, for the last few decades the last killing frost for tomatoes, etc. is still May 10.
Some fine hay has been made in the area although many meadows are short and some pastures already look stressed, long before hot weather sets in.
Locust blossoms are coming into their prime, which means that those who love them deep-fried will get to savor the seasonal delicacies.
The spokesmen for the highway department sounded a little testy as they denied that they were up to big changes as to how roadwork is to be done. While the mouthpieces spouted the mantra, "Business as usual, ignore what others tell you." state employees were grateful that the word about the impending debacle was being spread, hopefully to avoid the impending "train wreck". One feller said, defending the "plan", "We'll sell $4 million worth of equipment and then save $8 million." He should take a load of freezers up to Esquimeax land for he could clean up.
The folks over at Brickstreet Insurance, the state run monopoly that took over Workmen's Compensation, were peeved that the word got out about their luxury meals and other perks, usually reserved for Arab potentates, federal bureaucrats and those whose real cash flow sources remain mysterious. They said they were entitled even though the state is poor and average workmen and even most employers cannot afford such.
The postal people, in their infinite wisdom raised letter postage to 41 cents for a first class letter. They also did a whole bunch of rate changes which are so complicated that the post office employees will have to go for training to understand "the improvements". Margie Webster, who works most Saturday's at the Creston post office calculated that a "first class flat" that was mailed certified on Saturday would cost something over $2 more if mailed on Monday after the rate change.
Mrs. V. E. Norman, E. H. Russell and Kevin "Weasel" Wease were among the local residents attending to business in Grantsville.
The price of gasoline locally went above $3 which should make those on the big scene happy who wanted higher gasoline prices to curtail consumption. Some years back Albert Gore, Jr. and others who have concerns that "others might use fuel" wanted higher taxes to make gasoline in America high like it is in Europe. Of course those folks fly around in private jets and, obviously, that fuel "is different" and "must not pollute". Apparently the elite feel that the peasants should still be using ox carts that is if the oxen are fed beano so they won't generate and discharge methane 'to pollute'. The price of local Penn grade crude rose to $57.75/bbl. while May natural gas on the Dominion system was $8.01/dth. Locally line pressure on Mother Hope's lines have been high even though gas storage is not nearly so high as it was last summer.
Some comely local ladies attended the prom dance.
A former local resident who swerved to miss one of the DNR's deer and wrecked the chariot of another was charged with operating after consuming too much persimmon nectar.
A fellow who owns a tract of land with valuable timber with others was approached by a real estate agency who said, "We got signatures from other owners allowing us to timber - you cannot stop us." To make a long story short a timber outfit moved in and the owner was told, "We're armed, don't mess with us!" The land had huge timber on it but the reports from the log buyers only showed 12" and 18" timber so it would seem that, perhaps, the big trees went elsewhere or maybe just " away" as the logs are gone. The state forestry folks said they couldn't do anything - seems they were afraid. Maybe that is what "Open for business" means in state government.
The Wirt County Farm Bureau will meet Tuesday May 22 at 8 P. M. at the Fire Station. | 
