CAMOUFLAGE OUTHOUSE IS THE FAVORITE FOR BIDDERS
Ten outhouses were featured at Saturday’s First Annual American Farm Heritage Museum National Outhouse Festival. The event, held in conjunction with the AFHM’s yearly Fall Festival, drew a crowd of curiosity seekers as well as bidders. A camouflage outhouse gained the highest bid of $550 followed by a cedar-siding privy for $500 and a John Deere model for $425. Nine of the outhouses were sold for a total of $2,750.
AFHM President Ollie Schaefer told WGEL that he fielded a phone call on Friday from a New York radio station that had heard about the event. The first visitor to Saturday’s festival was a traveler on the Interstate from Ontario, Canada. An added attraction was a slide show and lecture by Frank Hubbell of Mapleton, Illinois on the vanishing architecture of the outhouse.
Hubbell’s father had taken photos of 200 outhouses in the last twenty years of his life with 80 of those now comprising the program. Hubbell said although his presentation refers to architecture it’s not really his focus. He encourages audience participation and asks everyone to share their own outhouse stories. Hubbell said it can be a humorous topic.
Hubbell also brought along some outhouse pop culture items including an outhouse jigsaw puzzle. The AFHM hopes Saturday’s festival will continue to grow and become one of their anchor events.
POCAHONTAS FESTIVAL RAISES MONEY FOR FIRE DEPT
Hot chili and porkburgers helped to take the chill off of Saturday’s fall festival on the Pocahontas square. The event was a fund-raiser for the Pocahontas-Old Ripley Fire, Rescue, and EMS department to construct a new firehouse on Route 40. Visitors enjoyed a variety of activities including a car bash and an old fashioned ring-a-bell as participants could test their strength. The day concluded with a live auction highlighted by the sale of autographed Gretchen Wilson items including a guitar which sold for $525. Another unique collectible was a “Ladder 49” movie poster autographed by John Travolta. It sold for $50.
FIRE DRILL AT GHS
In recognition of National Fire Prevention Week, the Greenville High School participated in a fire drill Friday afternoon. Greenville Fire Protection District responded to the scene and was back in service a short time later. National Fire Prevention week is always celebrated the same week as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
STATE'S ATTORNEY VICTIM/WITNESS PROGRAM QUARTERLY REPORT
Bond County State's Attorney Chris Bauer has released the Prosecutor Based Victim/Witness Program report for July, August and September 2006. There were nine new cases involving crimes against children: two for abduction, one for abuse, and two for sexual assault. On July 10 of this year, the State's Attorney filed criminal charges against a male defendant for Aggravated Battery to a Child. The victim and her family have been relocated to another state, and the Program Coordinator, James O. Stever, is in written and ongoing telephone contact with them. On July 14 of this year, charges were filed against an Indiana man for Child Abduction. Services and counseling are being delivered to the victims and their family.
Also in July charges were filed against a 49 year-old male for Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse involving four young males. Stever has continuing communication with the victims' families and is in the process of securing medical records from doctors for prosecution use in trial. On August 28, 2006 charges were filed against a male defendant for Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse involving a 15 year-old female. The defendant was sentenced to a term in the county jail and later placed on probation.
The goals of the Victim/Witness Program are to ensure victims have access to the criminal justice system and are provided support.
