 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Don Rhodes suffered a stroke and was hospitalized in Spencer.
Those who attended the Creston Homecoming included James & Royce Henthorn, Mr. & Mrs. Ronnie Henthorn, Kyle & Jamie Huston, Vera Headley White, Jerry Campbell, Harold Grimm, Charles & Euell Russell Helen Elliott, Diane Founds, Ted & Timothy L. Grim, Elliott & Sue White, Logan Lowe & family, Rodney Lynch, Don, Jack, Helen & Jackie Nutter, Jim & Wanda Tucker, Robert Wix, Tom & Barb Wright and Nancy Belle Wright, Roger Meadows, Pauline Cline, Hazel Powell, Marie Snyder, Jim & Rose Merrill, Gray & Fayetta Campbell, "Commodore" Steve Mowrey, Fred & Betty Bish. Those visiting shared family pictures & stories and compared family history notes. Helen Elliott's daughter Diane said that the Boggs Family History beat most soap operas. Fred Bish made some nice table decorations for the event. Ted Grim had spent some time in Creston doing some painting on the building.
Rev. Carlos Nutter filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church.
Gay Park who had been in the hospital a while back was able to return to her work.
Many area residents were among those who attended & participated in the Wirt County Fair. Numerous area residents won prizes and, generally speaking, had a great time. Nine-year-old Bradley Lacy placed first in four of the rodeo races and second in another. There were 10 - 12 kids in each race and this was his first experience.
Emma Miller had the grand champion heifer at the fair and she and sister Lyndsey packed home a whole passel of ribbons for their entries.
Mary Griffin Newton who lives in Florida is recovering after going surgery to deal with cancer. Her brother, C. Romeo Griffin Jr., wrecked his four-wheeler and ended up hospitalized in Parkersburg. Among other things, he ruptured two discs in his back.
The Creston area and other regions of Wirt County have been suffering from telephonic problems Some thought that the "Whoopee Doo Water Line Co." may have prospected for and found buried cable. At the junction with the Chestnut Run Road such seemed to be the case as phone company men were thick in the area.
Red Richardson who was back working temporarily for the highway department had a flat tire just down below Creston and had to borrow a four way lug wrench to remove the wheel. He was assisted by Jeremy Ferrell. Red was checking on paving projects. He noted that his son is working for an engineering firm in Myrtle Beach. The housing market there is so hot that they are digging up golf courses to get places to build more houses.
Local residents are concerned about the war between Russia and Georgia. It was said that the fellow who used to travel around on an Indonesian passport, when told about the war asked, "How did the Russians get to Atlanta?"
Nancy Engelke, daughters Jane & Anna, Scheny & Harrison are visiting Nancy's brother and family and her sister's family in Peoria Illinois.
Dermal Smith noted that she had been canning tomato juice and hot peppers and Ruth Self noted that she planned to make a bunch of pickled beans. While some put away food for winter others expect the taxpayers to feed them so we can show "compassion" for those who elect not to work and won't put in a garden, etc.
Helen "Peggy" Cooper has been on the sick list for some time.
Chester Jarvis who donated several carvings to the Creston Community Building has been on the sick list and is in a Florida rest home where he has been overmedicated.
Reflecting the "burst of the oil bubble" the local price of crude dropped $4.75/bbl to $108.50/bbl. When the price was going up the politicians who like to demagogue were getting on the speculators but now that the price is dropping they don't mention the short sellers who, of course, are also speculators.
While the price of crude oil and gasoline has fallen the price of natural gas is to take a big jump. Equitable which still buys natural gas for 12 cents/ MCF is asking for a 46% raise for domestic customers while Mother Hope asked for a 43% increase. Mountaineer which took over the local Cabot utility operations is asking for a 42% increase even though they still purchase gas for 20 cents/MCF. When asked for increases in the price they come back with verbiage referring to "the sanctity of contract."
The W. Va. PSC has approved a big power transmission line that will provide no service to W. Va. Landowners in the area were not happy but the PSC has a long history of looking after the interests of the utility companies at the expense of W. Va. citizens. Now there is another big power line in the works that will cross Calhoun County and take out 25 acres of land/mile. These new lines will assure that the big liberals who live on the east coast who talk about the "carbon footprint" of others, will have ample power to maintain their lifestyles with air conditioning, etc. Some of the folks up in the northern counties were able to negotiate for free electricity on the big power lines. It was noted that the taxpayers will have to pay the land taxes for the area taken by the towers & power lines.
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