 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The big news in Creston is that the tornado didn't hit Creston although it certainly did a number on Palestine and sections along W. Va. between Red Cut (where one turns on the Munday road) and Cherry (the mouth of Chestnut Run, Cherry ferry, et al). Tourists have been viewing the area now that the roads have been cleared.
Thursday evening one of the twisters hit Athens Ohio and then moved to Belleville in Wood County where one man was sucked out of his house, as it was being destroyed and killed. The next reported area was Palestine where the Bethesda Baptist Church was badly damaged and some buildings were blown to bits and scattered all over the town.
Along W. Va. 5 treetops were snapped off, roofing removed from residences and buildings and trees, power poles & large trees etc snapped and tossed in all directions. When coming from Elizabeth one can look across the river at the red cut and see a patch of woods with almost all the tops gone. Some homes had severe damage with large logs laying on the roof, etc. One Cherry area resident was on the road when a tree fell on his car but neither he, wife nor baby were injured. The damage also went up High Log & Still Runs and, no doubt other areas.
The fire department, the Wirt DOH and volunteers opened up W. Va. 5 so folks could get home or to where they needed to be. Those who lived in the area reported that, "It sounded like a freight train was coming down the Little Kanawha!"
One resident of the Freeport area (over on W. Va. 47 near the mouth of Goose Creek) reported that there were papers with Ohio addresses and telephone numbers in his pasture field and that a baby wading pool was in the middle of another field. He reported that there was no wind there during the storm period and folks in Parkersburg reported that before the storm the sky turned green (a sure sign of tornado weather).
There were 204 riders in the Creston ATV poker run. Jim Goff won the 50/50, Tivis E. Newsome came in first followed by Skip Starkey and Sharon E. Waugh. Max had been in third place but got knocked out of the running. The community would like to thank all those who participated, rode, worked the stations, kitchen, signups, did the mailings, distributed the flyers, donated door prizes, etc. The next ride will be next April.
Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church. There is a revival scheduled for the week of September 27. On the 27th and 28th the meeting will be at the Bell Chapel church at Munday. On September 29 & 30 the revival will be at Burning Springs and on October 1 & 2 the revival will move to the New Home (Mayberry) church above Palestine.
Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Boggs & Charles Russell were attending to business in Spencer.
Bessie Arthur went for a training in Vienna. Those visiting Mr. & Mrs. R. W. Arthur included Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Stutler.
Austin Westfall & Anna Reno were dining in Parkersburg. Austin noted that his friend from school lived in the house that had all the big poplar trees on the roof.
John Raese, candidate for U. S. Senate will be speaking Saturday evening, September 25 at the Senior Citizen building in Elizabeth.
A number of Brooksville & Creston oil men (& women) attended the SOOGA [South East Ohio Oil & Gas Association] meeting, training and trade show at the Washington County Fair Grounds in Marietta. The topics were worthwhile and the meal, provided by C & S Smokin Bar-B-Que was fine. One Ritchie County oilman noted that he wasn't about to give his producing zones in the proposed storage area to the Rockefellers for $50/acre.
The Big Eared One's drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico continues while the Chinese Communists and the Mexican government continue to drill. Recently it was learned that the U S taxpayers gave another $1 billion to the Mexican government for additional drilling in the Gulf and a few months back the Big Eared One gave $10 billion to the Brazilian government oil company to drill wells in 10,000 feet of water in the Atlantic Ocean. Many wonder why all this is being done but one analyst noted that in the book Dreams from my Father it is noted that both pappy & grand pappy were active in the Mau Mau terrorist group and had a very definite "anti colonial" attitude. This view seems to be held by the Big Eared One who either consciously or subconsciously wants to "cut America down to size". It should be noted that before the Mau Mau took over Kenya that nation was a net exporter of food but thereafter foreign aid had to be used to feed the populace.
The work was completed at the Hastings extraction station and local wells have been turned back into the line.
Joe O'Ferrell reported that he had a good gas well but that water broke in so now he plans to do a cement job and then fracture the well. It was reported that the offset, now operated by Buckeye was something less than a "barn burner".
Steve Loudin & Nancy Engelke were both consulting their dentists. Steve had a bunch of company from Ohio over the weekend.
Ted Grimm of Erie Pennsylvania was visiting area relatives & friends. He also helped Garry Anderson, Elliot White, Chancy Shaw & Fred Bish set up the poker run.
The ground in places is covered with acorns so the wild turkeys should be as fat as butterballs, the deer should be rolling in fat (and taste good) and the squirrels (what few there are) should be fat enough that one would not have to put lard in the skillet before frying them (& making squirrel gravy to go over fresh biscuits & baked sweet potatoes).
The price of local Penn grade crude fell to $68/bbl. Area oil men attended the Ergon catfish fry and many are looking forward to BD's oily pig barbecue on September 24 at their terminal in Marietta.
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