Bits’n’Pieces

Welcome back to Bits’n’Pieces, a weekly look at some of the interesting, funny, comical and sometimes outright weird things that happen in and around Montgomery County. Have something you think should go into Bits? E-mail it to us at [email protected], won’t you please?

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THE IRONMAN GNCC returns to Crawfordsville and Tom’s Marine Saturday and Sunday – and as our pal Honest Hoosier would say, here’s a huge tip of the seed corn cap to all the good folks who make this happen. There are no other venues or events that draw as many people to Crawfordsville as those at Tom’s Marine do – not even the Monon Bell game. Crowd estimates always vary, but it’s safe to say that there are thousands and thousands of people in attendance. That means hotels are booked, restaurants are ringing up the cash registers and our local economy is getting another shot in the arm!

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NOW IF businesses could only find workers to serve all those folks . . .

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IT REALLY IS becoming a problem, this shortage of workers! Several reports have come in where people go somewhere (mostly fast food) only to find a note on the door saying that they are closed because they don’t have staff.

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ALONG THOSE lines, your friends here at Montgomery County’s favorite daily edition have an advertising special that includes a help wanted ad that will run every day from now until the end of the year! Someone said that it wouldn’t do any good because kids don’t read newspapers any more. We agree about the kids, but everyone has tried to hire young people for a while and how’s that worked out for them? Maybe it’s time to re-think things and see if some Baby Boomers might want a little extra spending money with a part-time job? As a group, they certainly know how to work and are dependable. Just saying. If you are interested, contact Judi at 361-0100, ext. 1.

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MAYBE IT’S because it’s so close to Halloween, but there are some weird events going on. First, several pretty good size meteors (as big as a pyramid) have been, or are going to, pass by the Earth. They aren’t close in terms you and we might think, but in terms of space, they aren’t that far off. One of the worrywarts among us says she always worries about what would happen if a much smaller asteroid slammed into one of these big guys and knocked it off course? Hmmmm.

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ALONG THOSE eerie lines, scientists have been monitoring what they are calling “unusual” radio waves that seem to be coming from the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy. No one is saying anything about alien life yet . . . but didn’t the movie Independence Day start this way?

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DID YOU know that Loch Ness monster sightings are up this year? Just saying.

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WELL, ALL good things must end (but why, we ask!), and so did the undefeated streak for our favorite college football team – those Little Giants! Next up is a trip to 5-2 Ohio Wesleyan then 2-4 Kenyan, 3-3 Wittenberg and the grand finale – those pesky Dannies of DePauw! Here’s to a 9-1 season and a trip to the NCAA playoffs!

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SPEAKING OF sports . . . it was indeed nice to see our Indianapolis Colts blow out an opponent for a change! They may not have a lot of wins, but perhaps things are looking up a bit?

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IS ANYONE else sad that our wonderful Farmers’ Market is coming to an end soon?

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IS ANYONE else sad that our wonderful streak of warm weather is coming to an end soon?

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HAVE YOU taken a drive or stroll down West Main Street lately? What a fun sight to see with so many houses all decorated up for Halloween – including one that has the neatest holograms projected on their front window. Whether it’s Halloween, Easter, Christmas or any other holiday, we sure enjoy seeing people get into festive moods!

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WE SAID something last week about coming up with some adjectives to talk about Montgomery County. We pointed out that we like to refer to our fair city’s middle section as “beautiful downtown Crawfordsville.” Well, thanks to some of you we got some tips – wild, wonderful Montgomery County (we think West Virginia might take offense); Montgomery County – where ag meets steel; courteous and countrified Montgomery County; and scenic Montgomery County. We don’t know. What do you think? You know how to reach us.

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MUMOCO! Mask Up, Montgomery County!

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VUMOCO! Vax Up Montgomery County!

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WE keep reminding everyone that we live in a free country and everyone is free to make their own choices. The Paper is not at all in favor of government mandates forcing everyone to be vaccinated. But neither are we in favor of others continuing to infect the rest of the population. If you don’t want to get the vaccine, that’s fine. Just stay away from everyone else. Remember, all of our rights only go as far as the line where our neighbors’ rights start.

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HERE’S OUR riddle this week. What question can you never answer yes to (accurately)?

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BEEN TO any fall festivals yet? Here’s a reminder to send us any festivals or outings you or your group are involved in. We have already published a bunch of these wonderful fall events and will continue to share schedules and details as we get them. Heck, send us a selfie from any festivals you go to and we’ll put your smiling face in there, too. Just text it to [email protected]           

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OK, CONTINUING the knock-knock jokes (and getting in the “spirit” of the season . . .

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Witch?

Witch who?

Witch is your favorite daily edition?

Are you kidding? That’s an easy one! That Paper of Montgomery County, of course!

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HERE’S A TONGUE twister from one of our favorite publications (besides The Paper of Montgomery County, of course), the Farmer’s Almanac. Theophilus Thistle, the thistle-sifter, sifted a sieve of unsifted thistles. If Theophilus Thistle, the thistle-sifter, sifted a sieve of unsifted thistles, where is the sieve of unsifted thistles Theophilus Thistle, the thistle sifter, sifted?

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CONTINUING our official countdown . . .

Halloween – 11 days

Party Night – 38 days

First Day of winter –62

Christmas – 66 days

First day of spring – 151 days

First day of summer – 244 days

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WE GOT SOME good responses to the photo contest from Mary Thompson, Karen Zach, Marvin Swick, Robby Switzer, Ellen Smith and Norma (no last name given). They include:

1. “Gees, all I asked you was what you had to eat?”

2. I don’t think waiting an hour after we eat is that unreasonable.

3. C’mon! You’re too young to have sciatica trouble.

4. What I’d I do this time?

5. All I said was it’s nap time. I like naps.

6. Who pulled your chain?

7. What’d I do to you?

8. I told you not to eat all those prunes!

9. Big crybaby!

10. Sorry dude. My mommy told your mommy not to buy those cheap diapers!

The winner, thanks to your votes, was Norma, no last name given. Norma, contact us because we’ve got $25 smackeroos waiting for you – and hey, with the experts telling us we need to do our Christmas shopping early, a little extra cash always helps!

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THE ANSWER to our riddle: Are you asleep?