Veterans Wall work ongoing

By JOEL WILSON

GLASGOW — Been absent from this space for quite a few weeks now but intend to do better in the days to come.

Applications for the new Barren County-Glasgow Veterans Wall of Honor are coming in at a good rate with anticipation of having a dedication ceremony on Veterans Day with several hundred names.

I’ve had the honor of serving on the committee overseeing the launching of the wall effort, even though I’m not a veteran myself.

Application forms are available in the City Clerk’s office on the first floor of the Glasgow City Building and the offices of the Glasgow-Barren County Chamber of Commerce next door to the city building. The applications can be picked up there, completed, and returned there with the payment. Or you can also use the application that was published in the newspaper a couple of Sundays back.

Cost of the plaque to be placed on the wall at the Beula Nunn Park on the South Public Square is $40 each.

A 6-by-6 inch black marble plaque, inscribed with the name of a Barren County veteran, will be placed on the wall of honor. Engraving and placement on the wall is included in the $40 fee. The committee has chosen a local professional company for the work and a large number of the plaques are already in stock.

Any Barren County veteran, regardless of length of service, rank, or citations, is eligible to be represented on the wall.

The Glasgow council recently adopted a resolution approving the wall of honor. Two councilmen who are veterans, Doug Isenberg and Marlin Witcher, serve as ex-officio members of the Wall of Honor Committee. It is estimated that there is room on the wall for over 2,000 names.

Only the name of the veteran and branch of service will be placed on the plaque. The application form includes the name of the veteran being honored, last name first, first name second followed by a middle initial, and the branch of service. The form also asks for proof of service such as the military form DD214, which is available in the office of the Barren County Court Clerk. The application asks for the name of the person submitting the application plus an address and phone number in case the committee has a question.

Although only the name and branch of service will be on the plaque, the application is seeking any other pertinent information such as rank or military honors, which might be used in any future recognition by the Barren County Veterans Association. Barren County’s two Congressional Medal of Honor winners will be represented on the wall.

The applications are to be completed and placed in a sealed envelope bearing the name of the person making application, along with payment, and returned to either the Chamber office or City Clerk’s office.

Anyone wishing further information can contact a member of the Wall of Honor committee, Bobby Travis, Barlow Ropp, W.S. Everett or this writer.

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According to all I read from the weather predictors, we’re in for a hard winter. Among the signs that amateur forecasters use is the wooly worm. The darker the wool, the colder the winter.

I must admit I’m a bit confused. I’ve seen exactly two wooly worms. The first was crawling up the side of my garage and it was as blonde as Marilyn Monroe. The other I saw on my driveway was as dark haired as Jane Russell. So I don’t know what to make of the wooly worm forecast.

Since the hillside with the persimmon trees are no longer in the family, I can’t say I’ve seen the inside of a persimmon seed, also said to be a reliable predictor. A spoon shaped interior means a bad winter and a fork shape means a mild winter. I didn’t count the morning fogs in August and I can’t honestly say I remember even one so that method is out. I have seen squirrels busily burying acorns in the mulch around my trees but they do that every year.

I have read Dick Frymire’s predictions thanks to Margie Kinslow and he missed his first call, at least for here, when he predicted the first frost for yesterday. He calls for a killing frost Oct. 30 but personally I believe we’ll have one before then. He’s predicting snow flurries for Nov. 15 and an inch of snow on Nov. 27 and Dec. 8. He thinks there will be a four-inch snow on Christmas Day and five on Jan. 11. According to his calculations, the coldest day of the year will be Jan. 12, 11 below zero. He thinks the last snow will be April 5.

Some members of my wife’s family keep meticulous weather records but I just wait ’til it happens and let it be a surprise. I wouldn’t be surprised if the first killing frost comes Oct. 24 and the first measurable snow comes Nov. 16. How is that for a prediction?

Joel Wilson can be reached by e-mail at afwilson(at)glasgow-ky.com.