 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
There will be a clothing giveaway on Saturday, May 17, starting at 9 A. M. at the Creston Community Building. Donations of nice clean clothing, clean working small appliances and baked goods will be appreciated. For details call Tammy at 927-6164, Donna Sue at 25-3202, Jim at 275-3387 or Jerry at 275-1028. The event is sponsored by the Creston Area Neighborhood Watch.
The donation auction at the Creston Community Building will be held on Saturday June 7, starting at 6 P. M. Those wishing to donate items to the sale can contact any community member. Bobby Ray Starcher will bring down cheese, pepperoni and other goodies so local residents can lay in enough to tide them through the summer.
Rev. Carlos Nutter filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.
Eva G. Pennington has started her radiation treatments.
There was a big crowd for the Sgt. James Blankenship auction on Chestnut Run. Sgt. Jim had "died with his boots on" last winter while feeding his animals. Two highways employees had their eyes on the big tractor and each noted that he was going to purchase it. One fellow who is politically connected and who draws a big salary said to the other, "Just how are you going to pay for it?" The other man pulled out his billfold and said, "With all of this old, mouldy money, that's how!" As it turned out neither of them bought it as a gent whose wife's family is from Creston outbid both of them.
The other day a tractor "just turned up" in Creston. The owner of the land where it was left thought he recognized the machine so he asked the wife of the presumed owner if he had "inherited" a Hesston. Seems the repair folks just dropped it off without telling anyone.
Local residents have been among those having Toyota trucks recalled because of frame problems. One Little Creek resident who had a wrecked truck was approached by a fellow who worked for Toyota to buy his chariot and he "jawed him down" since the local resident didn't know about the recall (it hadn't been announced yet). Then the fellow with the insider knowledge resold the truck for six times as much to Toyota.
A family with Creston connections who live in Elizabeth had someone come to the front door and pound at midnight. When the residents came to the door no one was there so on the second go around the big dog was turned loose and some gentlemen made tracks. The man of the house then went after them and he eventually found some young teens in camo walking who said, "We didn't do it but we know who did. We have two knives and know where to get a gun. Give us a ride in your car to his house and we'll take care of him."
Of course no ride was given anyone and a call to 911 was made. The 911 operator said they would make a note of the incident but there was no one on duty in Wirt County so no law could be called.
The big university up at Morgantown continues to have public relations (PR) problems over the giving of an unearned MBA degree (bean counter degree) to the governor's daughter who works for her daddy's (and the big university's) sugar daddy. The faculty voted against the governor's handpicked president Garrison, a political hack who looks like a barroom bouncer with acute acromegaly. Those who have internet access should log onto the Pittsburgh Press Gazette's website and read the articles taking especial note about all the threats that were made against the newspaper. Apparently, they didn't get scared when told their feet would be set in concrete and then tossed into the river. Of course since the university president only has to answer to the big boss down at the Mouth of the Elk, he could not care less what others might think. The powers that be don't really want educated voters in West Virginia anyway.
Garlic mustard, one of the new introduced pests in the area, has already bloomed and seed pods have sit on. There is a patch near the Little Creek bridge. Also the Japanese stilt grass is up and the USDA's multiflora rose will soon be in bloom. On the positive side every locust tree is covered with bloom. If there were honey bees there would be lots of fine honey and for those who like to deep fry the blossoms there are all one can eat.
The Wirt road crew mowed the berms on W. Va. Route 5. Also, a plate was put over a hole in the Little Kanawha River bridge.
The local area received more rain but was spared the bad storms that hit elsewhere. Amphibians, ducks and geese have been having a great time and grass has been growing at a spectacular rate.
Nancy Engelke attended the Black Walnut Festival pageant in Spencer Saturday evening. She was accompanied by Susan Myers.
Local residents who attended Jennifer Baileys wedding shower in Elizabeth included Margaret Lynch, Sarah & Bill Johnson, Nancy & Jane Engelke and W. Harrison Schenerlein IV. Jennifer loves iced tea and she received five (5) iced tea makers. Kinda like the time Nancy Engelke noted that she needed pajamas and received five new sets.
Not so long back (just a very few years) the great liberal powers that be said America was using too much gasoline and that prices should be raised to cut down on consumption. The proposal was to place a hefty tax so that gasoline would be expensive like it is in Europe where Socialism is the norm. Proposals to drill on American soil to obtain more reliable crude oil supplies were killed and labeled "environmentally dangerous." Now their dreams have come true --- they wanted $2 gasolene but soon they'll have $4 gas. These same fellows are now blaming everyone else and saying all the high prices are wrong and Exxon (the Rockefeller family) is/are getting too rich. Next time one fills up one can thank Al Gore, Ted Kennedy and their friends and, of course, Bill and Hill who have been given millions & millions by the Arab sheiks.
The price of local Penn grade crude rose $2.25/bbl to $119.50 on Friday.
It was learned that Range Resources, formerly known locally as Pine Mountain, is taking up leases in Wirt County. They have been offering leases with 16 to 17% royalties (as opposed to 12 ½% [1/8]royalties and bonus payments of $350/acre. They are leasing the Marcellus shale.
Several local residents attended Jack White's visitation in Sistersville. He fought a long battle with cancer.
Various folks have noted that there are and have been billboards and lots of other advertisements for various government health care giveaway programs - often with pictures of mothers with their children but with no father shown. One might gather that the government people want more people to get on the dole and have working folks pay their expenses for them. Some would claim that the parents (including the fathers) should pay to raise children which would include the cost of health care. With DNA tests there is no longer any doubt about who belongs to whom.
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