This is probably going to be one of those "C" columns -- that's "Conglomeration" for first-time readers -- a mixture of this and that and probably what's that? Did you go to the Benton County Fair held recently at its "new" location? That word new really doesn't fit. The fair moved from its original site in Bentonville to its new site some 10 years ago.
The change of location and possibly other factors resulted in less attendance and participation. Old habits and old locations die hard, but times do change and it has been a struggle for those who oversee the annual fair. They deserve much credit for all the work they have done and still do. Attendance dropped and last year, for the first time in many years, it reverted to a "free fair" with no admission. From those old free days, the admission climbed during the past several decades from a dime to several dollars. Last year it was decided to eliminate the admission and the attendance increased dramatically. Of course, the fair continues to change and its new, modern facility has become more attuned to a new generation.
This year the free fair was repeated. It's always nice to see the many exhibits. Even though they are displayed in a large building, it still doesn't seem quite the same as wandering through several small rooms at the old site. Of course, the work and exhibits are always new and improving, so if you didn't attend you missed some good experiences. Make plans to attend next year. Oh, one other thing that has changed is the earlier date for the fair and also there are not those "food booths" operated by local organizations and clubs where you could buy a burger or a piece of pie and stand around eating and visiting with friends and neighbors who always supported those money-making projects.
That's enough of that except to say "thank you" to the businesses and others who have supported the "free fair" project the last couple of years. Let's hope that support continues to grow and today's fairgoers will remember the fair times of today's generation.
Now it's time to talk golf. You think I'm kidding but, honestly, I enjoy watching golf on television. It's lots of fun to line up with the ball and make those putts which seem to evade even the best golfers sometimes. Makes the viewer think to himself, "Boy, even I could have made that one."
Seriously, if I remember correctly when I wrote similar lines several months ago -- was it really a year ago? -- about never playing golf but now wishing I'd given it a try, it's probably best I stayed away from that little white ball because somehow I feel I would never have been a success at it.
I mentioned I didn't have the name to be a good golfer and I don't think I ever explained why. So, here's why. The best golfers in the world have names beginning with the letter "J." Yep, that's right. Dodie or Robert just don't have it (note that big J on just). A year ago among the top 10 golfers in the world, five of the 10 had names which began with the letter "J." Whoopee, you say? Well, at the present time, six of the top 10 have the Js. They are Johnson, Justin (twice), Jon, Jordan and Jason. And scattered throughout the world rankings are Jasper and John and J.J. and Johnathan and Johnston and Jerry and Joel and Jon. Some make it every year while others happen along occasionally. So, you see, I just don't have the Js.
Let's try another "C" topic. It happened exactly at 12:44. I know because I glanced up at the clock. I had just finished a hot dog for lunch and was settled in to look at the stock market jump, either up or down, something that has been going on for some time now. I don't have any stock, but I just like to watch myself win or lose every day. It's just a habit after lunch, and it either settles or unsettles the digestive system depending on the ups or downs of the market.
But back to reality. It happened at 12:44 p.m. The TV went blank and I settled in to wait a while before I started punching buttons on the remote. Fortunately, the picture usually returns after I start hitting buttons, which completely destroys the programmed settings and hence it takes the expert of the house to get it back on track.
So time passed. It's kind of like the old saying, "A watched pot never seems to boil." So impatience began to set in. Let us just suppose the following had occurred:
The clock hands never moved. It became obvious that even the battery operated atomic clock had gone out. I pushed a button on the remote. Nothing. I decided to call a friend to see if it was black all over town. No phone tone. Silence. What's going on there? I decided to drive around and fill up the car tank and, yep, you know, on the way it hit, "no power, no gas." And heading out to get some groceries would be futile since the scanner and computer were probably not working. I flipped around and headed home and decided to make sure there were plenty of cubes in the ice maker. There were but, by this time, it began to hit. Would it be like the time in 2007 when the ice storm knocked out everything for several days?
I flipped on the car radio -- silence! What gives? I'm not sure what I thought was happening was happening. But this thought hit me. What would it be like if the silence continued on and on and on and what would be the result? In today's multicultural cyber computerized world, could something knock out everything we depend on to conduct our daily lives? What if the power pumps at Beaver Lake were unable to fill the pipes with water for the area? How would we know what was happening throughout the nation? What if there were no stock market readings? What type of chaos was occurring nationwide? How would we survive? Individually? Or as a nation? Could it happen? Scary, isn't it?
I remember reading something about a "space force" being proposed for the future and how it is being debated as unnecessary, impractical and unworkable ... just politics. And I remember how then-President Reagan was criticized and mocked and denounced when, during his term, he proposed developing an anti-missile system to protect the nation from potential incoming missiles; hopefully that would never occur. Fortunately, now we do have a system, but is it the answer for the future? There is so much out there in the big wide open that could paralyze an individual spot, an individual service, or even massive interruptions of the entire communications grid. Makes you wonder. And that's enough conglomeration for this time. Maybe a lighter subject for the next 'cuff. I promise. It's not politics; it's just wondering.
Oh, by the way, the TV recovered.
Dodie Evans is the former owner and long-time editor of the Gravette News Herald. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 08/22/2018