CARTHAGE, Mo. — There is life in 95-degree plus temperatures. I proved it to myself Saturday morning when I took a turn around Carthage to see if anyone was moving in this unbearable heat, and if so, how they were coping.

At Kellogg Lake, I was surprised to see a tent canopy set up at the northeast entrance. It hadn’t been there before. Manning the tent were Julie and Josie Vaughn, of Monett, who were checking in motorcyclists taking part in a poker run on historic Route 66.

The run between Republic and Joplin was a benefit to help tornado victims of Joplin, sponsored by the Helping Hands of Joplin, a volunteer organization. While I was there a whole slew of motorcyclists pulled in to draw their cards. Most were not too lucky with their draws, but I’m not telling who tried to buy an extra card!

Julie and Josie were doing their best to keep their cool under the canopy, which was shaded by trees, with an occasional light breeze off the lake.

Out at Southtown Plaza, Bob Winters, of Carthage, also was set up under a large canopy, but on white-hot pavement and without the benefit of shade trees. Winters has been selling produce for Daniels Produce, of Anderson, for the past four years.

His secret to managing heat stress was to keep a cooler full of iced towels that he puts around his neck. “That cools you down in a hurry,” he said,

His usual inventory includes my favorite variety of corn — peaches and cream. I had my first taste of the season a couple of weeks ago when a friend and I stopped by. It is fresh, tender and oh, so sweet!

He also has watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches and tomatoes. The corn is raised in Anderson, the watermelon comes from the Texas Valley, the cantaloupe from Colorado, the peaches from Georgia, and the tomatoes from a farm south of Fayetteville, Ark.

He had brought 100 pounds of tomatoes that morning and was down to probably less than 15 before noon. Winters told me that they will continue to have those wonderful-tasting ears of corn right up until the first frost.

The bright red concession trailer on Fir Road near the bypass, which has housed Michael’s Kansas City Style Barbecue for 17 years, seems to have baked that color in the unrelenting sun.

Owner and barbecue master Mike McGee, when he isn’t waiting on customers from the air-conditioned trailer, spends some of his time in his air-conditioned pickup truck parked nearby.

“It isn’t too bad,” he said.

“We have to deal with weather all the time. I’m used to it.”

 Brisket, ham and chicken sandwiches and dinners are Mike’s specialty. While the concession is open only Friday through Sunday, he also caters. He said business may slow in the heat of the day, but picks up between 6 and 9 p.m.

Mike also had some good news. The Pistol Creek liquor store, located just behind and west of his trailer, will soon be moving to a larger location, and Mike will open his barbecue restaurant full time in the Pistol Creek building.

He said the landowner, Ron Sturgeon, is constructing a mini-mall that will provide spaces for the liquor store and other commercial enterprises. The old stone house that housed the Block by Block Quilt Shop directly behind Mike’s will be torn down and removed.

At Municipal Park, the heat failed to discourage golfers and swimmers, but the most activity was centered around the last big day of the Jasper County Youth Fair. Parking space was at a premium, and several families had found choice spots under a large shade tree or a park shelter to spread their lunch.

Driving back by Kellogg Lake, I found people fishing from the shade of the pavilion and along Spring River. The area by the old bridge approach was filled with the cars of people enjoying the wetness and coolness of the river.

It all just proves that with a little caution and the right coping mechanisms, you don’t have to spend the entire summer inside. Get out, enjoy and get used to the heat; it’s going to be with us for some time to come.

Address correspondence to Jo Ellis, c/o The Joplin Globe, Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802 or email news@joplinglobe.com.