Technical difficulties require patience and persistence

Marble Hill, Mo., firefighter Jack Watt recently sent a note with two pieces of good news. Efforts to raise $7,000 to build a community stage in his city have netted $2,500.

"The community stage in Marble Hill has been given the go-ahead by FEMA/SEMA," he wrote. It was good news worth keeping in mind, during a week's worth of annoying incidents. You know the kind — not life threatening, but completely distracting — the coffee splashed on your outfit as you get out of the car, the video with pictures but no sound, the pen that drains itself into a pocket.

The other day I encountered a quote by writer Samuel Butler that seemed to sum up the feeling a week full of strikes and errors can elicit.

"Life is playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on."

So it was a tonic to read Watt's note and recall that when the unexpected happens, a single choice can make a difference. For some in Marble Hill, it means looking at a flood plain and asking what options exist to make it usable, at least part of the time. In Marble Hill, it means putting a performance space on the highest part of ground and using it when possible, which could be often.

Watt, ever a Marble Hill booster, ended his note with a reminder of the upcoming Bollinger County Fall Fest.

It starts at noon Thursday and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday. The schedule is online at www.bollingercountychamber.com/festivals.asp.

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I started and ended the SEMO District Fair on happy notes, talking to folks like Joey and Jane Haines about their venture into the world of raising and showing Boer goats, watching the first-ever mother-daughter, father-son look-alike contest and working at the Southeast Missourian's booth Saturday night. The bonus: watching the fireworks while people streamed past the booth.

I always feel a bit nostalgic when a big community event, like the SEMO District Fair, wraps up and we resume business as usual. In this case, it was nice to get beyond a week that started with some frustrations with the newspaper's website, on a day when we reporters had big stories to tell.

But others had a rough week, too. Missouri Lottery officials, for example, after a computer glitch allowed 473 or so people to place wagers later than the scheduled drawing Sept. 7. The people were trying to buy tickets for the following day's drawing. Oops.

On Monday, lottery officials issued a statement saying people who thought their tickets were misprinted could get refunds, unless their numbers matched the Sept. 8 drawing. I'm not much of a lottery fan, but for those who are, check out the details at www.molottery.com.

The good people of Chaffee, Mo., seem to be bouncing back from a river of errors, after getting a green light from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on their water plant. The city still faces the challenge of bringing the water system up to standards that are getting stricter. In that situation, they are not alone. DNR officials tell me most communities will be required to raise the bar on water quality.

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If you're the type of person who likes combining staying healthy with doing good things, check out Capaha Park on Saturday for the annual Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and walkers stop off for one to 3 miles at 9 a.m.

Questions, suggestions or tips for Lost on Main Street? E-mail pmcnichol@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 127.