The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Carthage, Jasper County

Discussion

October 19, 2008

Jo Ellis: Fest's over, but the party rolls on

CARTHAGE, Mo. — It was a great feeling to see that Marge Housh, a longtime friend, served as the grand marshal of the Carthage Maple Leaf Parade on Saturday.

Marge is a beautiful person, inside and out, and this was an honor truly deserved for all her years of community volunteerism. I can’t begin to tell you the number of boards on which she has served.

While the Maple Leaf Festival, our big fall celebration, is now in the history books, the party isn’t quite over. The Maple Leaf Quilt Show at the Powers Museum continues Tuesdays though Saturdays, through Oct. 29, during regular museum hours.

Next Sunday and Monday, the museum will open from 1 to 5 p.m. At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Vern Feaster will present his third and final program on Missouri history, “You Thought You Heard It All, But There’s More.” Sounds intriguing.

Also, Stone’s Throw Dinner Theatre’s production of “The Glass Menagerie,” originally scheduled to take place during the festival, was postponed to this weekend because of a death in the family of a cast member. The play dates are Thursday through Monday, including a matinee performance Sunday afternoon. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, the doors open at 12.30 p.m., with lunch at 1 p.m. and the show at 2 p.m.

This Tennessee Williams play examines a dysfunctional family, dragged down by one who is unable to let go of the past. Like glass figurines, the characters, the story and even the set are broken by the end of the play. Cast members are Dustin Sisney, Raven Micale, Cheyla “Fox” Navarre and Nick Kubicek. Imma Curl is set and costume designer, and Jonathon Peck directs. Funding is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, and Schmidt & Associates. Details: (417) 358-7268.

I was happy to hear that the “Re-Leaf Campaign,” sponsored by the Carthage Convention and Visitors Bureau, has received more than 100 orders for trees to repair some of the damage from last winter’s ice storms. Linda Redshaw, of the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, said orders for the trees will be accepted through October. White dogwood, redbud, Cleveland select pear, and three kinds of maples (Autumn Blaze, October Glory and Red Sunset) are available from Pinewood Nursery.

The cost is $40 per tree. If you live in Carthage, Pinewood Nursery will plant and fertilize the trees for free. It’s a great opportunity to continue the city’s reputation for having beautiful, colorful trees in spring and fall. Order forms are available at the chamber office or by calling Pinewood Nursery at (417) 246-5256.

My husband and I have this discussion every year (short-term memory loss), but it’s the shorter days and cooler nights that reduce the energy leaves need to maintain their green color. As the chlorophyll breaks down, the leaves reveal the yellow, orange and brown colors (carotenoids) that have been there all along. The reds and purples (anthocyanins) are new colors created when sugars made during the day are trapped in leaves during cooler nights. Oaks turn red, brown or copper; dogwoods become a purplish red; beeches turn tan; sugar maples reveal an orange-red; and red maples produce bright scarlet leaves.

As the seasonal wheel turns, it’s wise to note that the dreaded flu bug may soon be invading. Members of Golden Reflections, a senior group associated with McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital, are being offered flu shots free of charge from 9:30 to 11 a.m. this Thursday in the hospital’s Community Room. Bring your Medicare or Medicaid card and look for the registration table across the catwalk from the south (physical therapy) entrance.

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Carthage, Jasper County
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