Stories from Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Craig and Angela Burns will open their farm to the public on Saturday, Oct. 12 to demonstrate traditional farming methods and offer interested individuals an opportunity to participate in the experience. The event will begin at 10 a.m. and end at dusk...

Absentee voting continues for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 special election for the Wheaton Fire Protection District. Absentee voting will continue from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Barry County Clerk's Office, located at 700 Main, Suite 2, in Cassville...

Floyd Hinkley Thornton, 75, of Monett, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Freeman West in Joplin. He was born on July 2, 1935, in Moultrie, Ga., son of Herbert Floyd and Blanche (Wills) Thornton. At a young age his family moved to Brawley, Calif., where he grew up and attended Brawley High School. ...

Charles Wilbur Stipp, 86, of Wheaton, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. He was the son of Oscar Wade Stipp and Addie Mae Hill. He was born May 19, 1927, at Sarcoxie and spent all of his adult life on his farm at Wheaton. He was a Charter member of Wheaton Southern Baptist Church...

Patricia "Patti" Kobashigawa, of Shell Knob, passed away Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. Arrangements will be announced by Fohn Funeral Home, Shell Knob. A complete obituary will be in next week's paper.

Jackie Francis Horner, 69, of Cassville, passed away at his home Friday, Oct. 4, 2013. He was born May 28, 1944, in Butterfield, the son of Amos E. and Ellen (Anderson) Horner. On April 7, 1978, he was united in marriage to Linda Louise Groves, and she survives...

Thomas E. "Tom" Johnson, 75, of Cassville, passed away Friday, Oct. 4, 2013, in Red Rose Health and Rehabilitation Center, Cassville. Arrangements will be announced by Fohn Funeral Home, Cassville.

Rev. Cecil Ray Naffziger, 93, of Kansas City, formally Cassville, passed away Oct. 5, 2013, at St. Luke North Hospital. He was born Oct. 4, 1920, in Bloomsdale, Ill., to the late Benjamin, and Dora Mae Naffziger. Survivors include: his daughter, Eva Swovelan...

Robert "Bob" Milne, 85, of Washburn, passed away on Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, at his home. He was born on Feb. 9, 1928, in New Haven, Conn., son of Frederick and Marie (Schmitt) Milne. He graduated from high school and served his country in the U.S. Army. In the late 1960s, he accepted a job in Mena, Ark., with U.S. Motors as an engineer. In 1968, he was united in marriage to Linda Burris in Mena. In the 1980s, they moved to Cassville, where he worked as a engineer with Fasco until his retirement...

James Marshall "Jim" Echols, III, 79, of Shell Knob, passed away Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. He was born Aug. 13, 1934, in Marshall, the son of James Marshall Echols, Jr., and Lillie Pauline (Smith) Echols. On July 14, 1968, in Nettleton, he was united in marriage to Velma Pauline Pilant, who survives...

BF Babb, age 93, passed on October 3, 2013, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon, where he had lived for the last year and a half. The caregivers and staff of the Veterans home, as well as those from Hospice Compassus, provided exemplary care and compassion during his last days...

Ruby Pauline Crawford, 93, of Marshfield, passed away Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, in the Webco Manor. She was born Oct. 25, 1919, near Marshfield, the daughter of Royal Tunnell and Eva (Morrison) Tunnell. She was a homemaker and member of the Prospect Methodist Church. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, George; daughter-in-law, Peggy; son-in-law, Don Trotter; a grandson; two great-grandchildren; two brothers, Norman Tunnell and James Crawford; and a sister, Helen Tunnell...

John Lee Katz, 67, of Shell Knob, formerly of Wichita, Kan., died Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013, at his home. He was born Sept. 22, 1946, in Dodge City, Kan., the son of Clarence and Mary Katz. On June 21, 1967, he married Roxy Fitzgerald, who survives. Additional survivors include: his children, Kami (Scott) Sjoberg, Jaci (Mike Watkins) Katz; three grandchildren; and siblings, Jolene Katz, Stanley Katz and Traci Brown...

Padoua Chang, 72, of Fairview, passed away Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, in Freeman West Hospital, Joplin. Services will be held on Nov. 2, 3 and 4 in McQueen Funeral Home, Wheaton.

The Barry County Athletic Association announced that it is expanding its youth boys basketball league. The BCAA will include all players in the first through sixth grade. The league fee is $20 dollars per player and registration deadline is Nov. 2. Player evaluation will begin at 9 a.m. at the elementary gym in Cassville...

The Purdy Lady Eagles defeated College Heights 10-0 in six innings on Oct. 4 The Lady Eagles (15-5) recognized their lone senior, Carleigh Hall, before the game. Hall helped put Purdy on the board in the first. Jayse Henderson led off the home half of the first by reaching base on an error. Hall then tripled to score Henderson...

The Southwest Lady Trojans volleyball team defeated the Wheaton Lady Bulldogs in straight sets on Oct. 3. The Lady Trojans (18-2-1, 3-0) won 25-13, 25-18 over the Lady Bulldogs (7-7-2, 2-1). Senior middle hitter Montana Hendrix led Southwest with seven kills, four blocks and five digs...

The Cassville Lady Wildcats volleyball team defeated Monett in three sets on Oct. 3 The Lady Wildcats (5-7-6) won the first set 25-17, but dropped the second set 25-2. The third and final set was a seesaw affair but Cassville prevailed 26-24. Monett (2-14-1) was led by Kiley Franke with five kills and two blocks. Megan Ballay dished out 19 assists. Faith Schmidt collected 20 digs and Brooke McLean served up three aces...

Cassville's freshmen football squad hosted Carl Junction on Monday, Sept. 30, hoping to build on their convincing win over Bolivar a week earlier. The Bulldogs, however, had other intentions and after the dust settled Carl Junction had earned a 32-18 victory...

On Oct. 4, the Cassville Wildcats put their September losing streak behind them. After dropping three consecutive games to conference opponents, the Wildcats upset unbeaten and state-ranked Monett, crushing the Cubs 27-0 at Wildcat Field. The spectacle of Homecoming was overshadowed mightily by the inaugural "Barry County Brawl."...

Georgia Hart has received the Award of Merit from the Missouri State Genealogical Association for her work with the Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society. She has been a member of the Society for almost 20 years and has served the organization in a variety of ways. ...

50 Years Ago Oct. 16, 1963 A former Cassville postmaster and produce businessman, E.K. Horine, passed away Friday. He retired from the Post Office in 1934. He is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Rubey Bird and Mrs. Mona Eaton. He devoted much of his time as secretary of the Barry Electric Cooperative Board. He had been a board member since the cooperative was organized in 1946. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Cassville...

An adult ag class, Post-hunt Trophy Preparation, will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21 at the Cassville High School Ag Department in room 504. Scott Odenbrett, from Scott's Taxidermy, will present the basics of caping and rough scoring a deer. He will be available to answer other questions on the topic...

The Seligman Fire Protection District is hosting its 16th annual spook trail on Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12. The trail runs from dark until everyone has made it through. Concessions are available. The event will feature a bonfire but participants are asked to dress warmly for the weather...

The McDowell Gold Jubilee returns for a 36th season on Oct. 12. The jubilee will be held every other week, except in December, through the first week of May 2014. The music begins at 6:30 p.m. Unlike other music venues, the Jubilee offers an open microphone and no set performance schedule. Musicians are welcome to come to play a set and jam with others as the night progresses...

TrueCare Assisted Living and Memory Care will host its first Alzheimer's Support Group meeting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17 at the TrueCare Building, located on YY Highway in Shell Knob. The Dementia Support Group will provide education and support to those who are part of the management and care of an individual facing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. ...

The Barry County Health Department will host a flu shot clinic from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Cassville Senior Center, located at 1111 Fair St. The shot, which costs $25, will contain four strains of influenza. Medicare Part B and other supplemental insurance cards will be accepted...

Dove Haney, Mindi Artherton, Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick and Amanda Miller, librarian, pictured above, took time to speculate about the outcome of Friday night's homecoming football match between the Cassville Wildcats and the Monett Cubs during the First Friday Coffee, sponsored by the Cassville Chamber of Commerce. The monthly event encourages Chamber members to network and discuss upcoming activities and events...

The Purdy High School Ag I class recently attended the annual FFA Greenhand Conference at Crowder College in Neosho. Pictured above in the front row, from Left, are: Samantha House, Megan Whitcomb, Diana Villa, Morgan Grissom, Megan Thomas, and Rion Boyd. Second row: Matthew Wilson, Hannah White, Logan Easley, Madison Easley, Brittany Bricker, Raul Garcia, and Thomas Burch. Back Row: Kaden Propps, Steven Murray, Justin LaNore, and Leonardo Garcia...

Five members of the Purdy High School Choir were accepted into this year's All-District Honor Choir. The students will perform at Missouri Southern State University on Saturday, Oct. 26. Pictured above, from left, are: Emily Wolf, Dana Cunningham, Kaden Propps, Katherine Wise and Alissa Graham. The Purdy High School Choir performs under the direction of Mrs. Lauren Lee. Photo submitted...

Wheaton R-3 School District has announced Students of the Month for September. Pictured above, from left, are: Samantha Sherwood, eighth grade, daughter of Jonathan and Cindy Sherwood and Kelly Alvarado, junior, daughter of Max and Onory Alvarado. Submitted photo...

Members of Cassville High School's Future Business Leaders of America, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, FFA and Technology Students Association are collaborating on a food drive to benefit families in need this winter. Students will take part in Trick or Treat so Others can Eat from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22 collecting non-perishable items for the effort...

Future Business Leaders of America, the largest and oldest student business organization, held their National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Calif., on June 27-30. Taylor Reynolds and Brittany Schultz, of Purdy High School, received national recognition at the conference...

First failure As successful as Cassville was in the 1970s in acquiring payrolls for the community, there was an earlier failure that could have started Cassville's industrial growth much earlier than experienced. Ironically, the opportunity came from a Cassville native who had been successful in the invention and manufacture of truck trailer components...

Move over CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and NCIS. The hottest drama in the fall line-up isn't being filmed in Hollywood, New York City or Las Vegas, but rather our nation's capital. The 2012 season of "Washington, D.C. 20500" kept us guessing with the presidential election followed by the cliffhanger finale complete with threats of plummeting off of the fiscal cliff and being annihilated by the taxmaggedon...

This week the Haven of the Ozarks has a special group of very cute and playful kittens found at the Haven inside a storage trailer at the age of four weeks old. They are now 16 weeks old and ready to meet their forever families. The Haven is offering a reduced price of $35 on all cats and kittens through the month of October. ...

Approximately 475 people attended the luncheon sponsored by Freedom Bank in Cassville last Friday afternoon culminating a week of customer appreciation activities. "We have a Customer Appreciation Week at every one of our locations," said Stan Kelley, CEO of Freedom Bank of Southern Missouri. "We try to split them up so that we can have different associates help out."...

By Melonie Roberts Ten people were injured in a two-vehicle crash at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Farm Road 1090, about three miles north of Purdy. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, the crash occurred when the driver of a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, Darren M. Prater, 41, of Purdy, turned onto an intersecting roadway and into oncoming lanes where it struck a 2012 Dodge Avenger, driven by Rodolfo Vargas, 22, of Verona, head-on...

In September, Arvest Bank announced the beginning of its third annual 1 Million Meals initiative, which challenges bank associates, customers and communities to fight hunger in the more than 120 communities the bank serves by providing at least one million meals to those in need...

Clay to Sculpture two-day workshop set Creative Arts of Shell Knob will present a Clay to Sculpture workshop, led by professional sculptor Lew Aytes, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Lakeside Christian Church in Shell Knob. Cost of materials is $65. Those planning to attend are urged to take a sack lunch. Beginner and experienced artists are welcome. To register, call Jo Daniels at 417-858-0423 or Eunice Blazek at 417-858-3130...

Purdy High School students and staff experienced a devastating tragedy on Friday, Sept. 20, as they observed the death of a fellow classmate, the arrest of another and the injury of several others as a result of an automobile accident caused by drinking and texting while driving. ...

I've never quite understood how someone can take a bit of chicken wire, a few wooden stakes, and some special green plants to create a display of fanciful creatures and popular characters. The closest I've ever come has been a chia pet and sadly that experiment never quite really succeeded...

The 2013 Cassville High School Football Homecoming Queen is Audra Shumaker, and the King is Brent Thompson. The couple were named during a school assembly on Friday before the evening match against Monett, which the Wildcats won 27-0. Democrat photo/Roberts...

Due to the shut-down of the federal government and all national parks and historic sites, the annual Homer Sloan Buddy Bass Tournament in Shell Knob has been officially postponed. Harold Coonrod, chairman of the tournament, will announce when the event has been rescheduled...

The Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for its 2013 Fall Festival and Chili and Salsa Cook-Off, which will be held on the downtown square in Cassville on Saturday, Oct. 26. The theme for this year's event is "Hillbilly Chili Bash." Vendors and chili and salsa cook-off participants are encouraged to decorate their booth space with hillbilly memorabilia...