July 16, 2008 06:22 pm
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By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
Area residents can find their fill of ice cream, watermelon, cookies and a heaping helping of politics at candidate forums that have been scheduled leading up to the Aug. 5 primary elections in Jasper and Newton counties.
All the Jasper County candidates on the Republican ballot, plus some candidates for state office, will be on hand Monday for the “meet the candidate ice cream social” in Carthage.
Then on Monday, July 28, candidates on the county ballot and state candidates including GOP gubernatorial contenders U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof and Sarah Steelman, state treasurer, will be at the Newton County Watermelon Feed in Neosho.
The same night, Jasper County candidates and other contenders will be featured at a Carthage candidate forum sponsored by Jasper County Farm Bureau.
The ice cream social and the watermelon feed are long-standing events that have taken place prior to elections for at least 20 years.
“It’s a big tradition, and I’ve had people tell me they don’t decide how they’re going to vote until they come to the ice cream social to hear the candidates speak,” said Jenny Mansfield, a member of Lincoln Ladies Republican Women’s Club, which puts on the event.
The social, set for 6 p.m. at Carthage Memorial Hall, normally attracts large crowds to hear the GOP candidates. Candidates who attend will be given three minutes to speak, starting with statewide candidates, then working down the ballot. As in year’s past, sample ballots will be distributed to allow those attending to participate in a “straw poll” on the races. Mansfield said those who wish can “cast their vote” at the end of the evening, though others use the ballots to keep track of the speakers and then take them home.
Though votes are counted, the outcome is not revealed until after the August primary. Often, Mansfield said, the results “are pretty much on the money.”
To finance the event, Lincoln Ladies will be selling chances on a basket containing gift certificates valued at more than $300. The $5 chances are available from any club member, and will be available at the event, she said.
Free watermelon and the two front-runners on the GOP gubernatorial ballot will be among the attractions at the Newton County Watermelon Feed set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 28, at Big Spring Park in Neosho.
Hulshof and Steelman both have confirmed for the event, according to Nick Myers, chairman of the Newton County Republican Central Committee, which sponsors the gathering along with the Republican Women of Newton County.
Myers said he “started working a long time ago” to line up the candidates for governor.
“They have confirmed, and we’re expecting some other state candidates, but we don’t have confirmations yet,” he said.
For the program, three minutes each will be allotted for Republican candidates in contested primary or general election races in Newton County. Steelman and Hulshof each will be allowed five minutes to speak, Myers said.
Those attending the event at the park are asked to bring lawn chairs. In case of rain, the venue will be moved to the city of Neosho Lampo Building at 500 E. Spring St., which is about a half-mile east of Big Spring Park.
Also Monday, July 28, the Jasper County Farm Bureau will be the host for a candidate forum at 7 p.m. at Carthage Senior Auditorium.
All the candidates on the primary election ballot have been invited, according to Bradley Moll, of the Farm Bureau. He said most of the county candidates already have confirmed. He said each candidate will be given three minutes to speak, followed by a two-minute period where candidates will answer questions from the audience. Cooper Banks, of KDMO radio, will serve as emcee.
He said cookies and punch will be available prior to the forum.
Absentee voting
Interest in the August election is fairly low, so far, at least based on absentee ballots cast. About 200 absentee ballots have been voted in Jasper County and about 85 in Newton County, according to officials in the clerks’ offices. They said most of the votes have been returned by homebound residents who are on permanent lists for absentee voting.
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