ELVISWith the movie “ELVIS” airing throughout the country this summer with some “Oscar Buzz” for the actor Austin Butler portraying the King as well as in observance of Elvis’ passing on August 16th, 1977, here is some information about him that you may or may not know….

Whereas, The people of Rooks County have generally signified their intention of attending the Fair to be held in this city, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week, and Whereas, The citizens of Stockton are desirous of assisting all visitors in the enjoyment of said Fair, and that all business men should be enabled to lend their presence a portion of the time; Now therefore, I, Chas. Alexander, Mayor of Stockton, by the request of many citizens, do hereby recommend and request that all places of business within this City be closed between the hours of 3 and 5 p.m., upon Thursday and Friday of this week. Done at my office in Stockton, this 1st day ofOctober, 1895.

In a few months, we Stocktonians will have opportunity to celebrate our town’s “sesquicentennial” — the 150th anniversary of this town’s settlement. Sesquicentennial is a mouthful of a word, but easier to say than the word for the 125th anniversary: “quasquicentennial.” Say that three times, as fast as you can!

Dear Editor: I read Sheila Latham’s letter to the editor in the July 28th edition of the Sentinel. She is absolutely right in all that she says.

* Some of my favorite fair memories over the years include riding over and over again on the Octopus and the Tilt ‘o Whirl with my friend Tessy Korb; eating a funnel cake with my mom every year and now eating one in memory of her since I KNOW she would want me to do that; motorcycle races; harness horse races; concerts and grandstand events including Montgomery Gentry, Blackhawk, Ronnie Milsap, the Swenson Thrillcade, the Grand Old Opry with Pee Wee King and Minnie Pearl, the Lawrence Welk Show featuring Myron Floren and Jo Ann Castle; and Chris LeDoux. And we can’t forget the carnival rides with Ottaway Amusements or the Heart of America Carnival!

This piece was not written by me, but it sure resonated with me when I read it on a Facebook share. Since it gets passed around umpteen-thousand times all over the world once it gets on Facebook, I call it fair game to share in this spot of mine. I was blessed with the opportunity recently

When Dee and I began our teaching careers in Stockton, we knew we had come to a very special place. The school system was second to none. Its administrators ran a tight ship, and the teachers were some of the most gifted and caring people we had ever met. And we can't say enough

THIS AND THAT * I watched a segment of a TV reality show, “Claim to Fame,” where the people participating are somehow related to an actor, singer, professional athlete, etc. The premise of the show is that each of the guests has to guess who the other people are related to with the last one standing winning $100,000.00.

Even though she is three years old, I still call Charley a puppy. She certainly still acts like one, especially one morning not too long ago when she was playing with a little frog. I was watching from a distance as I watered my flowers, but I suddenly realized what was going on, and I went over to her and tried to chase the little frogger away a bit faster. Charley was clearly wanting to make a point that I was spoiling her fun, so she quickly snapped at the small frog and then ran away from me. In just a matter of a few seconds, I saw Charley drop that frog, and almost immediately she began foaming at the mouth. Spitting, frothing, coughing, over and over, but still interested in where that blankety-blank frog was going. I quickly ran inside and grabbed my tablet, asking “what should I do when my dog picks up a frog and begins foaming out her mouth?” The first thing that popped up told all about this inevitable trick that frogs will do to get the last laugh when they feel threatened, and the information assured me that she would be alright; but if she continued to foam at the mouth after a couple of hours, I should take her to my pet vet. I stayed home with her for 30 minutes or so until I knew for sure that the foam factory had shut down. I’d like to think that Charley learned a lesson in this, but I would be giving her way too much credit because she was having a lot of fun with that little hoppy-toad.