August 2 , 2007

People can amaze or touch you
by James Cook, Times Editor
People watching is fun. I love to watch how we interact with each other. If you watch long enough, you can tell a lot about a person.
Last week, my family and I took a few days to get away to the land of mountain hospitality. That’s right, Pigeon Forge. So I just wanted to make a few observations about this trip. So bear with me.
How come a buffet meal that costs $8 per person in Winchester, costs $12 in Pigeon Forge? The food is the same. The service is about the same. I get just as full and regret it just as much when I’m done. I guess I’m paying for the “atmosphere” and “down home hospitality.”
Why do we spend money like its going out of style when we go on vacation, knowing we have to work twice as hard to make it up? I guess it is because we only go around once, so we want to enjoy ourselves. But just because we go around once, does not mean we need to lose our minds. (Please note – I can write work excuses, school excuses or anything you need written. Low, low prices. – Just kidding.)
My daughter loves to go swimming, but since we do not have a big pool and Stanton has filled theirs in with dirt, she really has no where to go. So while on vacation, she stays in the hotel pool. We try to let her have a lot of fun and swim as much as she wants, between events we all enjoy. This year we even took a friend with us and they had a blast. But you could not enjoy yourself too much at the pool due to rowdy teens.
I like all kids. Even the teens who now apparently have gained so much knowledge they are far smarter than those of us who have gone through the School of Hard Knocks, College of Whoops I did it Again and University of What Was I Thinking.
I was privy to the ancient ritual of one-upmanship and attempts at falling in true-vacation-I-will–not-remember-your-name-next-week love. You can shrug it off or laugh but we’ve all done it.
The ritual is vicious. I watched four apparent friends and a little sister tear each other apart with harsh words and secrets best left unsaid, just to impress an “older” boy. It was fun to watch for a while. Then it got ugly.
Let me just say this to all you parents, please do not let your kids wear the same swimsuit they had when they were 10, when they turn 16. It is quite unsightly. There should never be that much adolescent skin being shown – EVER. I mean just because I could wear a swim suit a few years ago, when I was a bit smaller, does not flatter me now. Of course, no one would be looking at me like I saw old men looking at these girls.
As their conversations became more adult like and more skin was being shown, we decided it was time to go back to the room. Sure let the kids have fun, but draw a line somewhere.
Overall, it was great. I watched some folks just enjoy themselves. I saw others act like since they were the “guests” they deserved to be treated like royalty. Of course, with some of the prices we pay, I can understand in some ways. But overall, the workers at the restaurants, attractions and even the hotels and motels are just trying to make a living. So I treat them the way I want to be treated, even if I did pay a war pension to eat a buffet.
So remember, everyone needs a little relaxation. Keep your senses about you and enjoy. If everyone would relax and enjoy themselves, then everyone will have a great time.
•••
I wanted to take a little space to say farewell to a man I have known since I moved here some 30 years ago. He helped me to acclimate myself to the area through baseball. He showed me that being a catcher does not hurt – at least not as bad as I thought it would. I remember he stood me up, wearing the entire catcher’s equipment, and then threw the ball at me. Sounds crazy, but after that I did not want to play anywhere else. Now you’re thinking I’m crazy.
He had a sense of humor that was a little hard to get used to at first. But once you did, you would chuckle right along with him.
He gave me a place to stay for a little while when I was on hard times. His family was like a family to me. We have grown apart some over time, but we always try to say “Hello” and catch up a little when we see each other. In fact, his son Terry is one of my best friends from childhood. There is nothing I would not do for this family.
Herbert Ivan Goins passed away on Sunday. I was not able to see him before he passed on. It seems that we let our lives consume us so much we sometimes forget about things. Herb was not perfect. Like the rest of us, he was human. But he will be missed by not only his family and friends, but by some of us whose lives he touched in one way or another. We all affect each other, whether we want to believe that or not. For good or bad, someone will always be touched by what we do. I choose to look for the good. Herb was good to me and I offer my prayers, my sympathies and my shoulder to his family. We will all miss you.
I’m just saying . . .

View from the Mountain
The 'Little World's Fair'
by David J. Griffin, Times Staff Writer
With all the fairs and festivals occurring at this time of the year, I thought it appropriate to share some of my memories about the famous “Little World’s Fair” held annually in Brodhead, Kentucky. (This year the fair will be August 13 through 18.)
When I was a little boy, it was a yearly event for my Dad, Hobe Griffin, to put me into his pickup truck and head for the fair in Brodhead. Occasionally, he allowed me to take a friend. Because of the enormous crowds, we had to park about a mile away and walk to the fairgrounds. Daddy always complained about the heat and the long walk to the day’s events.
We usually spent some time at the horse show before venturing into the throngs of people who were purchasing tickets to board the joy rides. Daddy was not interested in riding himself, but he always allowed me to choose which rides I wanted to enjoy. He stood close by, watching me have fun.
Daddy was a “people person” and spent a great deal of time chatting with his friends. Everyone knew him and wanted to talk. Sometimes I became aggravated when he spent too much time chatting with his “buddies” instead of walking me through the ride area. I remember one year when Daddy actually rode the Mary-Go-Round with me. It was a real thrill to have him by my side. I was probably six or seven at the time. I don’t recall that he ever did that again.
Part of our tradition was to sample most of the food items that were available at the fair. Daddy loved pork bar-b-que and usually tried to find a vendor that was serving good pork.
After lunch we had to find an ice cream stand to cool us off. In the afternoon, a variety of candy and fruit was the standard fare. I remember sitting under a shade tree while we consumed a whole watermelon. We had the sweet juice all over us by the time it was finished.
One of my favorite parts of the yearly event was the games of chance that had booths around the circle. As a very small child I loved choosing the floating ducks to see which prize I could win. As I got older the games of chance became harder to produce a prize.
As we walked around the circle, fair workers barked at the crowd, trying to convince us to spend our money at their individual booths. One year Daddy got into a shouting match with a “pushy” carnival guy who wanted me to toss rings over Coke bottles.
Daddy threatened to “call the law” if he did not leave us alone. I am amazed that he did not pull his 38 special on the guy. (He carried his Smith and Wesson every where he went!) Daddy was capable of doing that if he was aggravated. I had seen him pull that trick before.
I distinctly remember one year when Daddy gave me a roll of quarters to play the games of chance. (A small fortune at that time!) He told me that he would be “right back.” I was about 10 at the time. As I saw him walking down to the tents at the back end of the carnival, I had an idea of where he was going—but I did not say a word. He returned about 30 minutes later. We never discussed where he had gone.
After I was old enough to drive, my trips to the fair involved taking a date instead of going with my dad. This was a totally new experience! Every girl that I ever met wanted her guy to win a “teddy bear” so she could take it home as a souvenir.
Because I wanted to please my date, my goal was to win the largest bear in the entire complex. Most of the time it took several rolls of quarters to accomplish that feat. I was willing to spend a fortune.
There was one special date. She wanted to see the horse show and even took a picnic basket for us to enjoy for lunch. After the horse show, we moved to a shady area and shared fried chicken, deviled eggs, and one of the best platters of fried apple pies that I had ever eaten. Not only was she extremely cute but she could cook! That evening we walked around the circle riding the rides. I even won her a large, white Teddy Bear. I think I was her hero that day.

(You can reach me at mtnman@mis.net I appreciate your comments and suggestions.)

Letters to the Editor
Relay committee says thanks
To the editor,
On behalf of the Powell County Relay for Life committee, I would like to thank everyone in our community who participated in any way in making our 2007 Relay for Life event successful. We surpassed our goal of $60,000, almost reaching $61,000!
Our event would not be possible without cancer survivors. This year we had 78 cancer survivors register at our event. Their spirit and determination are truly the heart of Relay for Life. Without their participation, all of the work and planning would be in vain. Thank you so much to those who came out to our event.
The fundraising for Relay for Life is not just a one-night event, but goes on throughout the year. This year we had 18 teams participate in the event. These teams are local businesses, schools, organizations, families and churches who are willing to take on extra work and at times aggravation to raise money for a worthy cause as well as be involved in a wonderful community event. The teams that participated this year are: Bowen Elementary, Powell County Bus Garage, Cat Creek Church of Christ, Clay City Elementary, Powell County Food Service, Hinkle, Kroger, MEPCO, PCHS/HOSA, People’s Exchange Bank, Powell County Clinic, Powell County Health Department, Powell County Middle School, Red River Healthcare, Roberts Family, Stanton Elementary, United Mountain Horse Association, and Whitaker Bank. Your tireless work and energy to support our event is very much appreciated.
As a small community, we know that many of our businesses get hit hard for donations to many worthwhile causes. A very special thank you to our corporate sponsors, donating at least $1,000 to our event: Walker Company, Red River Healthcare, Tanner Dodge, Red River Ranch, Rednour Properties, Oak Springs Farm, Spruce Valley LLC, Hurst Furniture and Kroger. A thank you also to all of our sponsors who helped in any way: Kentucky Pool Supply, Marine Corps League, Clark Regional Medical Center, Kiwanis, Stanton True Value, Dairy Queen, Dr. Ertyl, Family Home Health, Harbour Contracting, Stantek, Dennis and Daughters, Floyd Anderson Chevrolet, Justin Wickline, Powell County Band Boosters and Winchester Coating. We especially want to recognize the hard work provided by members of the Powell County Lions’ Club, Clark Energy and Hinkle Contracting for helping us make the successful move to the Lions’ Club Park.
Our community, like so many others, seems to be continually plagued by the devastation cancer brings. It is important to take a moment--or 12 hours, as in our relay--out of our busy everyday lives to celebrate...and remember. We are celebrating life, not just as cancer survivors, but also as friends, family and community, a tie that binds us all together. Thank you again to everyone who helped us celebrate!
Sincerely
Powell County Relay for Life Committee
Library thanks contributors
To the editor,
I would like to thank all businesses and individuals who have given a donation for this year’s summer reading program at the Powell County Public Library. Thanks to you, we have had another breaking attendance this year.
Cash or prize donations were received from the following businesses or individuals: Whitaker Bank, People Exchange Bank, Tanner Dodge, Red River Hardwood Inc., H & S Lumber, John Brewer Real Estate, Linda Porter, Angela L. Howard and J. Chris Howard, Kiwanis, Kroger, Ricks Music, Allen’s Hardware, Stanton Dairy Queen, Clay City Dairy Queen, Old Country Peddler, Daniel Boone’s Trading Post, Hoods Pizza, coupons from Natural Bridge, Shell Mart from Clay City.
The library also would like to thank the Clay City Times, WBFC, WSKV, Stanton Forestry Department, Greg Crabtree, Danny Rogers from the sheriff’s department, Kevin Neal from the Stanton City Police Department, Shannon Taylor and Travis Crabtree from the Clay City Police Department, to the Mayor of Clay City and staff for letting us use the community building, also the staff at the Powell County Public Library who helped with the program.
Thanks again,
Rose Benningfield, children’s librarian
Linda Rogers,
library director