Just so you understand the power of the press, I want everyone to know that I finally got rid of all 10 pieces of school house blackboards from the original Peabody High School in the 200 block of Maple Street. It only took two columns in this space to nudge readers into admitting they really did want a piece of Peabody memorabilia that was unwieldy, oversized, and tough to handle. I was pretty pleased to have found new homes for all those blackboards.

I spent Monday evening at the city building with our mayor and city council. They heard from several department heads about their needs for the future. Some items that would seem to be a high priority will probably not make the cut and that department will do without. Others will require some creative financing. Some will never see the drawing board. Before the meeting adjourned members of the finance committee agreed to meet at 5:30 p.m. May 16 in the council room to begin budget planning with city employees. These meetings are open to the public and if you are a regular in the Downtown Hall of Knowledge, you probably should attend the meetings so that you really will know how your tax dollars are spent. I know you are interested in hearing actual facts about our city budget so I will remind you again before the meeting to be sure you do not miss it.

Some enjoyable events took place in Peabody this past weekend and by the looks of our community calendar, there are more coming up as school winds down for the year and the weather encourages outdoor activities. Check out the activities and take part in a couple of them.

The first Peabody Cruise on Sunday had a good turnout of motorcycles and vintage cars. Vendors were on hand and we had live music from a young man with a ukulele who hailed from Hutchinson. I did manage to go looking at several garage sales, but exercised serious self-control and did not buy a thing. That is probably a first for this old woman.

Peabody Dreamers installed new American flags downtown in the main business block. I believe they plan to expand the display a bit, but ran out of time before the weekend. It is nice to have another active group of Peabody people helping promote the community. I think they have an open membership if you would like to join in the fun and help them.

The students involved with Warrior Soil greenhouse at the high school spent an afternoon filling downtown planters with blooming flowers that will add summer color to the business district. More students are scheduled Friday to provide labor for community service projects. If you see them, tell them thank you.

In addition, National Honor Society students and friends will begin packaging food packets for Numana, Inc. at 10 a.m. in the new gym at Peabody-Burns High School. Volunteers are welcome.

There you have some miscellaneous odds and ends that you should know. Thank you for reading about them.

—SUSAN MARSHAL