I was track-side for the annual Barry County Truck and Tractor Pull on Saturday night. I saw a ton of local folks showing off their rides, like siblings Saige and Otto Miller, of Seligman, and Cassville’s own Brian Kirk. My favorite moment of the pull though actually happened in a trailer behind the track. Someone brought a fancy truck with the body on hydraulics. When it was lifted up at first, I though the truck fell of of something. Then I saw the guy hop in a seat and I thought, oh no he’s working on it somehow. Wrong again.

When I was a kid, I always felt time was crawling. I remember walking up the steps of Little Rock Central High School my freshman year thinking the four years I would spend there would be a lifetime.

All things happen according to the glory of God. At least, that is what we as Christians should believe. So much heartbreak has rocked our small town as of late and I would like to encourage those who have been affected as well as shed light to these dark situations.

It happens so easily. We oversleep, shut off the alarm and roll over, or just invest a bit too much extra time tackling a bad hair day.

I got in on the slip-n-slide action last week at the Cassville Intermediate School playground. The Cassville Volunteer Fire Protection District hooked up to the hydrant and turned the playground into a sprayground.

Anyone who has ever found themselves in the Roaring River State Park administrative office has very likely met Elise Buchman and very likely remembered the encounter. In her trademark hat, scarf and boots, Buchman has been a staple of the office for more than a decade as the administrative assistant to the park superintendent or natural resources manager.

Saturday, July 1, 2023, will be a sad day at the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library system. On this day, all library cardholders ages 6-17 will expire due to new State of Missouri regulations.

I have been in the ministry for over 40 years. I have, in that time, served three different churches in vastly different communities. I have observed many changes in the church and our country over these past four decades, and many of them are heartbreaking.

After taking a couple weeks off from reporting, I found myself last week at the Cassville Aquatic Center for the last day of the Safety Around Water program. This is the fifth year of the partnership between the school and the Cassville Area YMCA, and we can’t think of a better summer school offering.

In the late spring and early summer, my office devolves into a racket at least three or four times a day. It’s not my almost-twoyear- old; she’s been in daycare for a while now despite an extra playpen and bouncer still taking up space in my office.