How many times have you gone to a festival or event where the promoters have been so thorough that they allow you to have the experience of being in the country of the festivals roots? Well Saturday in Cole Camp was like being in Ireland. We started with sunshine, had a light mist during the parade, "a nice soft day," rain during the opening act, beautiful warm sunshine in the afternoon and clouds and a cool wind for the evening. Everything was green, the trees blooming, music and laughter filled the air. It was as close to being there as you could get in Missouri.  Even though the rain dampened the crowd and certainly held attendance down we still had a wonderful day. Friends, family and neighbors all joined in and the party went well into the evening. Town was full of shoppers and the restaurants and bars were packed. We felt like it was our best Celtic Fest ever. As with most events of this type they do not happen without a lot of help. And as you know I like to show my appreciation when I can. If I forget anyone I'll apologize now as I always miss someone.

First of all thanks to the Chamber of Commerce and the J.C's without their backing and use of the facilities we could not get this done. The city crews and some community service people helped us set up and spruce town up for our visitors. Local shops and restaurants helped sponsor advertising. The 4H cooked, The German Singers donated their time for the parade and opening act. Mike Cash cooked for our guests and entertainment. My son Chris who ran errands, daughters Holly and Wendy managed the children's area, Lt. Col. Jeff Johnson AKA Qirk the Clown, The Shriners who brought their calliope and Pipe and Drums, Cole Camp Fire Department, Rob Gavin, And Flannigan's Right Hook. And a special thanks to all who attended the parade and festival.  I was especially moved by all the positive comments concerning the festival by visitors and local residents alike. It is nice to know that our residents enjoy having these special days and when visitors remark how impressed they are with the town it is always welcome. One person who introduced herself is a new resident. She is so pleased to be here and is impressed by the friendliness of the people and quality of life in Cole Camp. Almost everyone I meet who visits here sees us as what small towns are supposed to be and so often aren't.


Finally, On the Police Front, our week was pretty peaceful. I handled a disturbance call on Grother St. that was resolved. Officer Ward made several traffic stops during the week. Officer Crider is finishing up a Larceny Investigation that we have not been able to clear.  Officer Ehlers handled a Harassment Complaint on Grother St. which he resolved. Saturday we began training a new Applicant, Officer Lesia Smith. Officer Smith is a former Knob Noster Officer. I was pleased to find an officer with her experience and training in our area. I hope she will become a valued asset to the city.

Carlisle S. Walker - Chief of Police

The cold weather has apparently driven everyone back inside. After our warm and wet March this has been quite a change. Officer Ward made a car check during the week that resulted in one arrest for a license violation and possession of drug paraphernalia. I was on hand at the Co-Co-Damen Easter Egg Hunt to prevent the anticipated riot and I was apparently successful. The temperature in the teens also seemed to take the combativeness out of the participants. Beyond those events we captured another dog at large. He was returned to the owner along with a citation. And we had a large city court docket on Wednesday which went smoothly.

 I also attended the State Emergency Management Conference last week. This is the first I had attended and was very impressed with the level of instruction and the quality of the speakers. Not only did I learn a lot but as always came away with more things to worry about. There are so many difficulties in dealing with a large scale emergency that it will be very problematic for a small city like Cole Camp. One area that I believe needs to be stressed is for everyone to be prepared for an emergency. Self reliance is the most important tool to mitigate the effects of a disaster. If you look at events like Katrina you can see how overwhelmed government services become. You will be in much better hands if you are capable of providing for yourself rather than depending on outside services, especially during the first few days of a disaster.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services have a new program called "Ready in 3." It offers some excellent suggestions and planning tools to deal with a severe emergency. I have some of the information available in my office or you can go online to www.dhss.mo.gov/Ready_in_3  to see everything they have.  

Doctor Heimsoth will be at the City Shed 52 Highway and Oak on Friday April 14th, between 11:30 Am and 12:30 Pm. To administer rabies shots. Dogs with a city license can get their shots without additional charge. Licenses are available at City Hall with a range from $8.25 to $14.25. As a reminder all dogs inside the city limits must be licensed or their owners run the risk of being cited and fined.

Carlisle S. Walker - Chief of Police

I just got back from a short vacation and am writing my report at the last minute. It will be shorter than normal but as normal we had a pretty quiet week. Officer Crider got involved in an interference with parental custody case that also was investigated by the Children's Services Division and the Benton County Sheriffs Office. The case is still under investigation at this time. Officer Crider was also called again on skate boarders on the sidewalk along North Maple; I intend to speak about this problem at the council meeting on Thursday night. Officer Crider worked a case involving harassing phone calls between persons living on Spring St. and in northern Benton County. He was apparently able to resolve this situation without filing of charges.  City hall has received several inquiries about the water project. The most common involves repair to the trenches dug to place the new pipe. When all the pipe has been set and the project is ready to run the construction company will complete final finishing of the trenches and should bring the construction areas back to the condition they were in prior to the beginning of the project. This is not done at this time because of the possible need to re-dig the pipe for repairs, tests and corrections. This is the way the project was completed in Lincoln and I understand that they are happy with the way it was finished.

Finally, I would like to report that I had a call from a gentleman in Iowa who was interested in moving to the area. He asked if we had all four seasons here?

I replied "Yes we do, we had them all this week."

Carlisle S. Walker - Chief of Police

It appears that we will soon be competing with K.C. for the title "City of Fountains." As I drove by Heimsoth's feed store last week the water project had about a 15 foot plume in the air. These impromptu fountains will occur occasionally as we continue replacing pipe but hopefully will only be a momentary attraction.

I reported that story also to talk about the potential for boil recommendations. As we continue with the Water Project it is likely that pipes will break. Our plan is to keep the pipe pressurized until it is capped and thus keeping any foreign materiel out. However, it is possible that some breaks will require that the city issue a water boil recommendation. If this occurs we will place notices on any user who could be affected. Also we will notify local news outlets of the situation and in severe cases we will use the notification system used by the weather radios. If you have a weather radio designated to alert to Benton County we will activate a voice warning in serious situations. I also add that generally a boil recommendation is to protect those with health issues. Those who are ill, very young, or the elderly should consume water during these periods that they know is safe. Boiling or the use of bottled water is recommended. We have advised that enough water for three days should be sufficient. Anyone that would like additional information concerning this issue can call me at City Hall.

On the crime front the "The Thin Blue Line" continues to hold crime at bay. Officer Crider, Ward and Smith have all worked this week on two men who have been stealing pallets in the area. Thanks to the assistance of some local citizens we think that a solid lead has been developed and hopefully the case will be solved quickly. As I repeat so often, citizens that involve themselves when they believe something is suspicious are the best deterrent against crime. In this case when a neighbor saw someone loading pallets that he did not recognize he confronted them and was able to describe both the thieves and their vehicle. Another person saw the truck acting in a suspicious manner and also gave us a description. These in turn helped us to locate and identify a suspect from which I hope an arrest can be made.  The last item this week is a special thanks to all those that helped or participated in the R.E. Harris Memorial Golf Tournament. W K Chevrolet, Citizen Farmers Bank, and the Chamber of Commerce were major contributors to the event. This year we were able to make over two thousand dollars to support the members of the military assigned

Carlisle S. Walker - Chief of Police