| By Alvin Engelke
 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The big Creston ATV poker run is scheduled for Saturday, September 15 at the community building. Folks from far and near have been calling about details and those who checked out the ride said it should be a good one, just under 50 miles. Signup will be from 9 til noon on Saturday at the building. In addition there will be 50/50, door prizes, good food, mud holes for those who want to "play", beautiful scenery and a trip through places most folks have never seen.
There were in excess of 40 people present for the Grim reunion at the Creston Community Building. Ted Grim fetched down from Erie Pennsylvania some of those special hot dogs for which he has become famous. Among those at the gathering was Grace Hall of Little Hocking the great granddaughter of Ed & Maude Grim. She is noted as a country music performer and was able to meet lots of folks for the first time (as did other members of her immediate family).
Except for the razor at the banker's throat, local residents almost had to chuckle at the big bank heist in Spencer by a welfare king who draws SSI because he elected not to work. Someone suggested that maybe Calhoun and Wirt Counties could come up with a bank robber gang with better skills. The would be desperado got $63 and then went to a barbershop to have his haircut to change his appearance but the barber recognized him.
Fred & Betty Bish, Gloria & Eddie Norman (Cap'n Eddie), Rodney Lynch, Vera White, Wanda Juart, Jimmy Tucker, Jack Nutter and Garrell McKown went on an ATV ride through the country and had a great time. However, Cap'n Eddie, (who pilots one of those big tows with scads of barges loaded with coal & other goodies), ran aground and had to be pulled off the sandbar by those who were with him.
Also, Cap'n Eddie wanted folks to know that he was selected as Creston's "Calendar Girl" and he thought that he could be reached by calling BR-459. Some commented that likely there won't be much in the way of calendar sales this time around. On a more serious note, if one wants to reserve the Creston Community Building, one should call him at 275-4710.
It was learned that Jimmie Tucker purchased a new mule but it has four wheels rather than four feet. He sold his "old" ATV to Gloria Norman.
Some folks have been busy putting up no trespassing posters.
Area tobacco growers have been busy working their crops and starting burley tobacco harvest.
Larry Jarvis, age 60 of Pettyville, passed away as the result of Alzheimer's disease. A former employee of the Shell plant in Belpre he was the son of Chester Jarvis who grew up in Creston and now lives in Florida. His father, Chester, returned for the Creston school reunion and donated several more items to the community.
Don Rhodes reported that there was a forest fire somewhere over in the Tom's Run country and Saturday evening a fire truck came down Ann's Run with siren screaming. When they got to Creston they stopped and asked directions, as there was no smoke to be seen or smelled in Creston.
Charlie Stout's crew continues their "logging" operations out on Ground Hog. Peck Jones gets some fine logs but the stuff the 18-wheelers haul is little pine and 3" poplar poles, too small to use for hay stacking poles. It would seem to be an awful waste to cut such young poplar which would make fine logs in 20 or 30 years. Of course "quick buck artists" don't deal in such.
Brandon Ferrell watered some flowers for Nancy Engelke. He also brought Nancy a beautiful rose.
Richard McFall has been looking after his oil interests.
The other day a local fellow went to purchase some replace fluorescent light bulbs but he was told he would have to buy "another kind because of global warming". It is certainly a sad situation when some pampered pothead who now maintains 3 or 4 mansions and flies about the world on a luxury jet can influence decisions so that ordinary folks cannot buy replacement bulbs. What is particularly galling is the fact that he likely never ever studied science and probably knows that his pronouncements are all nothing but "hot air", sort of what one might experience after an excess of cooked cabbage, beans, buttermilk, etc.
Rev. Juanita Lockhart filled her regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.
After skipping town and a $2 million bond "Norman" Hsu, the Chinese money man for big political figures is back in custody. Claiming to be a clothing merchant he gave Hillary, Jay and other big names vast sums of money. It turns out his address was that of a public library and some of the donors (one who 'gave' $200,000) only makes $49,000/year. Could the communist Chinese be trying to buy another election? Has Charlie Trie ever returned from Peking? Hill & Bill used to meet friends at his Chinese greasy spoon in Little Rock.
The price of local Penn grade oil rose to $71.25/bbl while natural gas prices remain lower. Speaking of oil, all the oilmen, as well as several oil women, will be gathering at the Ergon oil hauling terminal north of Marietta on September 19 for the annual catfish fry. To RSVP call Judy at 1-800-278-3364. They say the fish taste so good because they add a little crude to the deep fryer. In the past they noted that the top Ergon officials go out on a big fishing expedition down in Mississippi just before the big fry.
Joe Echard reported that both his tomatoes and his melons did well this year but the wild turkeys decided that his melons were especially tasty and they had first dibs. Apparently the turkeys had PC (political correctness) training and don't understand that Joe is a carnivore and likely would eat dead birds, especially melon flavored birds. They are in the same class as those who think we can "get along with the Iranian crazies, Osama and the rulers of Cuba & Venezuela.
Some local folks have been concerned about the increase in the price of corn which is related to all the new stills being built to make ethanol because of government mandates for motor fuel and new car design. This is one of the PC feel good things that takes more petroleum resources to make the alternate but it sounds good and shows that "we care", enriches Archer, Daniels Midland Co. and pleases some of the political class.
In the CNR & Chesapeake lawsuit, the judge denied the defendants monster (400 page +) motion and allowed the plaintiff's lawyers to advise the members in the class of the Big Boss's promise to have the legislature set aside the verdict and any future verdicts where farmers, minerals owners and such were wrongfully defrauded of their royalties. At present interest is accumulating on the initial judgment at $108,000/day.
Euell Russell was attending to business in Brooksville & Grantsville.
Don Rhodes was calling on C. Glen Arthur.
Carl Ferrell was consulting his physician. | 
