High fives for the good things
Thursday afternoon I trotted up to the high school to snap a picture or two of a staged "prom night drunk driving accident." I'd been given advance notice by several of the people involved. I admit I thought it might be a bit hokey. I thought maybe the kids would be a little too jaded to buy into it.
But they watched and I think they paid attention. They were a bit put off at the sight of Danielle Savage being zipped into a body bag. It was uncomfortable to watch an angry and hysterical Dorothy Rucker portray the mother of Rachel Berns, who "died" going through the windshield of the car. She was savage in her grief and aimed a vicious tirade at a confused, drunk, and frightened Jonathan Foth, the driver.
Although the whole staging lasted a mere 30 minutes, it seemed to take a lifetime for the fire fighters to dismantle the roof of the car with the Jaws of Life and get to Dalli Hammond, trapped and bleeding in the back seat. Her date, Justin Mayfield, had "died" on the pavement where he was thrown from the vehicle on impact.
Originally, I intended to take a picture and write up a caption. I ended up with a full story on the event and it is printed elsewhere in this issue. Prom is Saturday night in Peabody. Have fun, youngsters. Be smart and be careful and remember what you saw. Kudos to Karen Larsen and all the volunteers who helped with this project.
And while we are on the topic of good things happening, I have a few more high fives to pass around.
Thanks to all of you who ran for public office and thanks to all of you who voted. Is this country great or what?
If you were downtown on Saturday, you could hardly miss the people who braved the sudden drop in temperatures and the gusty winds to do spring cleaning in our business district. They picked up trash, swept sidewalks, and scraped icky stuff out of the gutters. Sponsored by Main Street, the project was completed by a group that was diverse and energetic. Many thanks to all participants — it really does look better!
On April 10, Sorosis Beta will sponsor a community meeting on drugs in our county, especially methamphetamines. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of the grade school. This meeting is important and you should make plans to attend. Meth labs have been uncovered in every community in Marion County and in much of the rural area. They are deadly operations and they affect all of us. To protect yourself and your family, you need to attend this meeting. This is not a problem that impacts only families with teenage children. You need to be knowledgeable about what might be going on in the house behind you, on your rural property, or down the street. Please plan to attend!
Congratulations to the City of Burns as it holds the grand opening of its new community building on Wednesday. The official ceremony will be over by the time most of you read this, but the building will stand for decades as a tribute to the volunteer spirit of small town America. You should drive over and check it out.
And speaking of high fives, how 'bout those Jayhawks?
— SUSAN MARSHALL
