News

News from July 3, 2008 issue

Local News
The Crittenden Press (PDF)
(Selected pages from Sections A & B)
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Donkeyball added to fair; talent sought
By EMORY WILLIAMSON
STAFF WRITER
From “Rupp’s Runts” to “Dr. Dunkenstein,” the Bluegrass State has had its share of legendary basketball.
But at this year’s Crittenden County Fair, scheduled for July 28 to Aug. 2, perhaps Kentucky will see some new names and faces forever etched in the memories of legendary hoops.
Subtract hands and feet, add lots of coarse hair and hooves and get ready for some donkey basketball.
Donkey basketball?
“It’s just like basketball, but you just ride a donkey,” said Shelby Belt, president of the Lions Club, which facilitates the fair and its events. “It’s n hilarious event.”
Donkey basketball will tip off on July 30 and will be featured for the first time at the county fair.
“People will get to see something they don’t normally see,” said Ronnie Heady, lead organizer for the event. “They can expect to have a good time and to have a good laugh.”
According to Heady, four teams will participate and prizes will be awarded to the winners. The theme will be an “old-timer’s basketball game” with teams representing the former elementary school districts of Frances, Mattoon, Tolu and Marion. Captains have been named for all of the teams, except the one from Marion.
Although donkeyball has generally been used as a fundraiser, this will be its first time at the Crittenden County Fair.
Heady said the donkeys are often uncooperative during the event, but that can be the most entertaining part to watch.
“The final score may be 4-2, but it’s more fun just to watch the show,” said Heady, a longtime Lion. “The more uncooperative the donkey, the better the show.”
However, the event has raised some questions in the past by animal rights organizations such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who claim the show is cruel to animals.
“I know how PETA is and they can be a little eccentric sometimes,” said Portia Kleinik, who used to operate the In His Hands Humane Society here in Crittenden County.
Kleinik said that as long as the animals are not abused then there isn’t any concern.
“I think as long as things are done appropriately and humanely, then I don’t see any problems with it,” she said.
Circle A Donkey Ball Company, which owns the donkeys participating in the fair, had no information on their Web site regarding the treatment of their animals in events, such as Donkey Basketball.
The ranch, which is located out of Henry, Tenn., was contacted by The Crittenden Press by phone and e-mail, but as of press time, had yet to return any messages.
Heady said, however, that the donkeys will be safe and won’t be mistreated.
“They don’t mistreat these donkeys,” Heady said of the Circle A Donkey Ball Company. “I certainly wouldn’t condone mistreating them.”
Heady also said that the donkeys will have plenty of breaks with food and water and that the games won’t be too long for them.

Talent Show seeks variety
Two weeks before the Crittenden County Fair last year, Chris O’Leary, head organizer for the Fair’s Talent Show, was biting his nails, nervous that the upstart event wouldn’t come together in time.
“Is anyone going to show up for this thing?” he said as he remembered the difficulties of organizing the event in its first year. “With it being my first year [organizing the event], it was pretty stressful, but it’s been a whole lot easier this year.”
Although easier to organize this year, O’Leary said additional changes to the Talent Show, which will take place on July 29, and the lack of sponsors has also made this year a little difficult. O’Leary said the event needs more than the one current sponsor and is seeking additional sponsors before the fair begins.
Changes in this year’s Talent Show include additional special guests, newer and more specialized judges, more lights within the show, cash prizes awarded to the winners and a performance by OneWay, a contemporary Christian band that will follow the show.
According to O’Leary, cost of entry for contestants will be $10 and no auditions will be held.
“If there’s anybody out there at any age that has any talent then we want to see it,” said O’Leary, who is Minister of Worship at Marion Second Baptist Church. “The main thing is to get the talent of this community some exposure and I want to provide wholesome, good clean fun for the whole family to see.”

Pageant seeks entries
The tradition of the beauty contest on opening night of the fair will continue this year.
The Miss Crittenden County Fair Pageant will be at 7 p.m., July 28 at Fohs Hall. Organizer Michelle Reddick has begun seeking contestants for the event.
Females who will be 16 by Oct. 31 and no older than 21 are eligible. There is a $35 entry fee and businesses are encouraged to sponsor their own contestants.
Events on other nights of the fair include: a horse show at the fairgrounds on July 28, truck and tractor pulls on July 31, antique garden tractor pull on Aug. 1, and demolition derby on Aug. 2.

4 incumbents plan to seek re-election
Filing deadline for fall non-partisan elections for school board and city council is just over a month away, and so far most potential candidates have been tight-lipped.
Three school board races and all six seats on the Marion City Council are up for grabs during the Nov. 4 general election.
Four of the current city council members are expected to seek re-election. Dwight Sherer, Janet Pierce, Donnie Arflack and Daron Tabor are each planning to run again. Arflack and Tabor are completing their first terms on the council. Pierce is in the second year of her third term after sitting out for a couple of years.
Jim Brown and Jason Hatfield, both council veterans, say they have not decided whether to seek a new term. The filing deadline is Aug. 12.
Brown received more votes than any other candidate in the 2006 election. He received 653 ballots while Pierce was next with 612. Sherer was third with 605, followed by Arflack with 542, Hatfield at 587 and Tabor at 519 in a 10-person race. The top six vote-getters are elected to at-large seats.
Mike Byford, a former city councilman who did not seek re-election two years ago while he ran unsuccessfully for mayor, says he will try to win another seat on the council. Also, Marion businessman Thom Hawthorne, who has run unsuccessfully for council a couple of times, says he is weighing whether to seek the post this election cycle.
Hawthorne filed to run two years ago, but was traveling outside of the country during the campaign season and garnered only 310 votes, about 200 short of winning a spot on the governing board.
Byford was the top vote-getter in past council races. He tried to unseat long-time Mayor Mickey Alexander in 2006, but lost by 62 votes in a general election race where 928 ballots were marked.
There are three school board races scheduled for the fall, but so far two-thirds appear uncontested. Incumbents Chris Cook, Ronald "Red" Howton and Bill Asbridge are each expected to seek re-election. Cook, current chairman of the board, is the only one who has filed at this point, but the other two say they will be turning in their registration papers before the deadline.
So far, Howton appears to be the only candidate who may have opposition. Pam Collins, a member of the middle school site-based council, says she will be running for school board in District 4, which Howton currently serves.
Howton, also the city fire chief, is finishing up his first term on the five-person board.
Cook is also a first-term school board member after unseating former board chairman Larry "Bird" Threlkeld four years ago. Asbridge is a two-term member and past chairman. He had opposition in 2006, but easily defeated challenger Darl Henley, a retired teacher, by nearly 400 votes in District 1.

County sees revenue from tourism grow
More than $4.5 million in tourism-related money was spent in Crittenden County last year.
Statistics released by the Kentucky Department of Travel this week show that tourism in Crittenden County was up by 4.6 percent in 2007, according to an annual report compiled by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) in Washington D.C.
“Attracting tourists to Crittenden County is an on-going process, and the Marion Tourism Commission has worked diligently to expand the number of visitors to the area,” said Michele Edwards, Marion Tourism Director. “This report is good news for the area and an indication that our efforts are paying off.”
Three years earlier, tourists spent just under $3.8 million in the county, according to Edwards.
She said the main attraction for visitors is the Amish community.
“The Amish are our biggest draw, but people also enjoy the shops and museums,” Edwards said. “All the things we tell people about, they come to see.”
The Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum and Crittenden County History Museum attract group tours, but many individuals also find a unique mode of transportation in the county worthy of a visit.
“They’ll drive down there just to see the ferry,” Edwards said of tourists intrigued by the Ohio River Ferry that connects Crittenden County with southern Illinois.
The TIA reports indicate a 6.5 percent increase in tourism revenue statewide, which added $10.7 billion to the state’s economy.
“We know that travel and tourism are an essential part of Kentucky’s economy,” said Mike Cooper, commissioner for the department. “Money spent on tourism throughout the commonwealth circulates several times into the economy, benefiting Kentucky communities through direct travel and in the service and retail sectors.”
The report shows that more than 176,000 people are employed statewide in the industry earning more than $3.46 billion in payroll. Nearly $7.25 billion was spent directly by domestic travelers in Kentucky in 2007. Combined with indirect spending, the total value of the tourism industry totals $10.72 billion. These amounts generate just over $1 billion dollars in local, state and federal taxes.
Voter registration deadline for the Nov. 4 general election is Oct. 7.