 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The Creston auction will be Saturday, April 7, starting at 6 P. M. at the Creston Community Building. Come and have a great time, talk about spring gobbler season, picking morels and eating ramps.
The Creston Community Easter party will be Easter Sunday after church at the Creston Community Building. There will be food, an Easter egg hunt for the youngsters, etc. For details see Bessie Arthur.
There will no be services Sunday April 8 at the Burning Springs M. E. Church as folks there will be at the Easter Sunrise service at the New Home Church at Mayberry (on Route 14 south of Palestine). The Sunday service will start at 6:30 A. M. and will be followed by breakfast.
Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. Church and served Holy Communion. He noted that he had chariot trouble and that he now had a new "sibling" named Oscar.
There was quite a bit of excitement in the area the other day when a fire was discovered in the Lost Run section. The Spencer, Reedy and Elizabeth/Wirt groups were all called. It was noted that lots of trees had to be cut so that the trucks could get near the scene to fight the blaze. It remains unclear how the fire was started, by whom & why. Inasmuch as there has been plenty of rain the lightening story seems quite unlikely.
Nancy Engelke was consulting with the medical experts.
Juanita Buchanan, age 86, of Parkersburg passed away. She was born in Creston the daughter of Jesse & Lou Blankenship Owens. Lou was a sister of Emma & Mildred Lynch, Bob, Basil, Dorr, George & James Blankenship.
Adam Yates is home from his trip to the scenic mountains of Afghanistan. He played an April Fool's joke on his wife telling her he would be home on Tuesday but returned on Sunday.
A large number of Wirt residents attended the Frank Burton benefit held Saturday at the Mineral Wells school house. There was a big turnout.
Several area residents took note of the purchase of 450 million rounds of hollow point ammunition by Big Sis Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security.
Local folks who have family members in the military have great concerns about how the reduction in military force is happening. For career folks any grounds are now used for dismissal. Some years back many military men and women purchased homes where they were promised they would be stationed but now they are half a world away and own houses that are "under water" [are worth less on the present market than what is owned on them]. Doing a short sale or letting the lenders foreclose is now grounds for dismissal, something not too surprising when the big eared one and his secretary of state both loathe the military.
Some of the invasive black buzzards were spotted along Left Reedy south of Mayberry. It is hoped that residents of that section will resolve the problem.
On Sunday a group of state police and other lawmen were in the area between Spencer & Creston. It was not known locally the reason for the activity but many of the chariots were muddy.
Charles Russell was calling on Ray Gum, Paris Parsons & Euell Russell. Both Paris & Euell celebrated birthdays last week.
Morton Frey was campaigning for sheriff in Creston the other day. The Wirt native is a retired California law enforcement officer.
Many have commented on the number of folks who have used the new walking trail at the Creston Community Building and the number of youngsters that are using the playground.
Harrison Schmitt, age 76, the last astronaut to walk on the moon was a speaker at the Ohio Oil & Gas meeting and he lamented America's retreat from scientific breakthroughs including but not limited to space exploration and all the things that have come from it such as cell phones, pace makers, etc. He noted that NASA is now nothing more than another federal bureaucracy incapable of being innovative. He noted that alternative energy was necessary and he put the current wind and solar hoaxes in their proper place. He said that fusion is the answer (that is what happens on the sun) and is now doable. He noted that the light isotope of Helium, Helium 3, is abundant in moon dust and that, given present electricity prices, the special helium could be mined on the moon and brought back to earth. This isotope also has other important uses including checking for hidden radioactive material (bombs, etc.). This would require private capital, government approval and a lunar colony. Not very long back a presidential candidate was ridiculed for suggesting such heresy; after all welfare payments those who refused to work 'must be made'. Schmitt noted that there was some urgency in getting back to the moon as the Chinese Communists are very interested and if they get there first it will be 'game over'. Presently the Chicoms are busy buying American natural gas. At the moment they have invested (that is known) over $17 billion and intend to purchase enough gas to last the communist country for at least 20 years.
Apache, one of the larger oil and gas outfits, announced that they had expanded their oil and gas operations in Egypt and that they were paying the government there something north of 50% in royalty. It is interesting to note that the companies have no problem paying world class royalty but squeal like stuck pigs when they have to pay West Virginians more than a piddling 1/8th (12.5%) royalty.
There have been a number of drug raids in Calhoun County. One local resident noted that he had to check every day to see if any more relatives 'got busted'.
Creston residents were among those who attended the Tyler County Farm Bureau prime rib meal at the Tyler County Fair Grounds, Del. Woody Ireland was the speaker and a famous magician charmed the crowd, a packed house.
The price of local natural gas produced in February fell to $2.24 while some from Gilmer County fetched less that $2/MCF. Mean times gasoline continues to go up which, according to Prof. Chu the energy secretary is a good thing as he wants Americans to pay the prices charged in Europe. One of the big eared one's spokespersons said drilling will not drop the price but he must live on another planet. Before the drilling of all the shale wells natural gas was fetching as much as $15/MCF and now it garners 1/6th the former price. Who says the laws of supply & demand don't work?
While gasoline is just under $4 locally for the most part, local folks who were traveling in Missouri [not really famous for its oil fields and refineries] paid $3.69/gallon on Sunday.
The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude is $101.57 with drip fetching $87.61, Marcellus & Utica light bringing $90.70 and medium bringing $103.07 (top dollar).
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