Growing pains
If the Western Kentucky Youth Camp were a child, it might be complaining about growing pains every night.
According to Joseph Williams, a camp counselor and board member at WKYC, attendance at the camp has grown by about 10 percent each year for the past 10 years, causing the need for a new dining hall, recreational facilities, shelters and additional cabins.
But the growth has been worth it, said Williams, who has been a counselor at the camp for 15 years.
“It was designed from the beginning to give kids for the summer a good, clean environment,” he said. “It’s a place where they could come to enjoy the great outdoors and learn about the Bible.”
Although funded by the Church of Christ since its inception in 1963, Williams said WKYC doesn’t try to push its religious affiliations onto its campers.
“We just want the kids to go home with good memories and friendships that can last a lifetime,” he said. “And, hopefully, they can learn some things that can help them in their life as Christians.
“We’re a booster to what should be going on at church weekly."
Kristen Palmer, a camp counselor and past camper at WKYC in rural Crittenden County, enjoys the experience the camp provides.
“It’s away from everything,” said Palmer, who attends Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn. “It’s time away from the real world.”
Although she said working with kids can be stressful, she also said it’s worth the experience.
“There’s just times that you love them, and they mean the world to you,” she said. "You’re basically their parents for a week.”
The camp is in its first week, but will continue with various week-long youth sessions until late July. For more information, contact WKYC at 965-5126 or visit their Web site at www.wkyc.org.

Relay for Life fights cancer round the clock
June 10, 1994, is a day that Frances Teer will never forget. On that day, Teer, a resident of Crayne, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“That’s a day that kind of sticks in your mind,” she said. “It was quite outstanding in my mind, but it was just an ordinary day for everyone else.”
Fast forward 14 years and Crittenden Countians look to celebrate Teer, and other area cancer patients and survivors, with the annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life, a campaign intended to raise awareness and money for cancer research.
Ten teams and 16 sponsors will participate in this year’s Relay, which is scheduled to begin Friday at 5 p.m., and continue through the night until 5 a.m., Saturday at Marion-Crittenden County Park.
“Cancer never sleeps, and that’s why we stay up all night,” said Sue Padget, co-chair for the event.
Teer, who has participated in the Relay in the past, said she appreciates the support.
“It’s a satisfying feeling to see as many people as there are who have been impacted and to see they are still able to participate in that function,” she said.
According to Padget, the goal for the Relay is to raise $40,000, up from last year’s goal of $35,000.
“Cancer touches all of us in some way or another,” said Padget. “(The event) is something we shouldn’t let go away because cancer is always going to be here.”
With Teer, her experiences with cancer didn’t stop with her own diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
In December of 2002, her husband, Tom, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer.
“I was, of course, worried,” said Teer. “And since he had other health issues, I knew that would make treatment that much more difficult.”
Her ordeals and battle with the disease helped both her and Tom get through the roughest periods.
“I knew this would be a different trip,” she said. “But I had been down this road before, so I thought I could understand some of the difficulties he experienced.”
After treatment, like his wife, Tom is in remission from his cancer. The couple now joins more than 10 million cancer survivors in the United States, according to Stephanie Elder of the American Cancer Society’s Paducah office.
But that doesn’t mean the Teers don’t still feel the effects. Following treatment, which was 50 miles away in Madisonville, Teer underwent chemotherapy and has since been on three different medications.
“I’ve been on some kind of medication all these years,” said Teer. “That’s a long time.”
Others who have survived cancer and worked with the Relay in the past, such as Helen Lewis of Marion, also believe the event is an important part of the community. Lewis, who helped lead the first Relay in Marion in 1997, was recently honored with the Cancer Society’s St. George National Medal for her volunteer work with cancer patients.
“I heard people talking about these Relays, and I wanted to start them here in Marion,” said Lewis, a cancer survivor herself for more than 56 years.
However, according to Lewis, attendance at and financial support of the Relay have declined in the past few years and coordinators have struggled to understand why.
According to Elder, lead organizer for this year’s Relay, only $22,566 was raised last year, falling $12,434 short of the goal.
“We’ve all tried to think of some way (to increase attendance), but we can’t come up with a solution,” said Lewis. “I don’t know, maybe they’re just getting tired of it.”
Those who do participate this year can expect the Luminaria Ceremony, which will be held after dark along the walking track at the park, to highlight this year’s Relay. Luminarias will be available at the track for a minimum donation of $5 each until 8 p.m. Entertainment will include local cloggers and Tabatha Rowland of the band Southern Fry’d.
Padget said that purple ribbons symbolizing Relay week will be sold for $10 each. Local businesses are encouraged to place the ribbons on their doors.
For more information regarding the event, or if interested in becoming involved in Relay for Life, contact the American Cancer Society at 444-0384 or online at www.relayforlife.org.

Thefts continue throughout county
There seems to be no end in sight for the thefts being reported from all corners of the county.
"We're getting reports every other day at least," Sheriff Wayne Agent said. "We had two Saturday."
The sheriff is calling on citizens to be alert to unfamiliar vehicles in their neighborhoods.
"We need a very good description of the vehicle, and more importantly a license number," he said.
A farmer's disk was stolen from near Tolu and a resident on U.S. 60 East reported copper and aluminum cans stolen.
Aluminum cans are fetching about 65 cents per pound right now, the sheriff said.
Jones Pawn Brokers on U.S. 641 south of Marion was hit hard by burglars last Wednesday night. Sometime during the overnight hours, thieves broke out a window in an overhead door and gained entry to the pawn shop. Once inside they stole cash, jewelry, knives, a .410 shotgun, three ATVs and other merchandise valued at around $10,000.
The burglary was reported early Thursday morning and by the end of the day, the sheriff's department had recovered a large number of the items taken, including two of the four-wheelers.
A property owner in the southern part of the county had discovered some of the stolen items in a metal shed on his property. He reported it to police, who investigated at the scene.
"We found some good evidence left behind at that location," Sheriff Agent said.
Later that night, two of the stolen ATVs turned up on the same property. Agent said the property owner is not a suspect. He thinks the thieves were stashing the stolen goods at the remote location and planning to return later to recover their loot.
The sheriff said that many of the thefts reported in the county are directly related to the price of scrap metal, which is about $200 a ton for most items. Agent said many of the items being stolen are actually not scrap. In some cases, the thieves have been damaging the equipment before presenting it at the scrap yard.
"Some of it's perfectly good stuff," the sheriff said, pointing to a Ford tractor recently recovered at an area scrap yard. That tractor had been beaten with a club and its tires slashed to make it appear ready for the junk yard.
"If residents see anything out of the ordinary, make a point to write down a description of a vehicle, a license number and any other information. If something comes up missing later, we might be able to use that information," Agent said.

Bobcats impact still unmeasured
Gordon Guess hasn’t put a pencil to it, but the calculations in his head have him optimistic for the welfare of the Marion Bobcats.
The former bank president and baseball enthusiast could wax lyrical for hours about the game. When it comes to the finances of the team he’s managing, however, he’s a little more matter-of-fact.
“I know what I see,” he said of attendance driving the club’s revenue. “And it’s been good.”
Guess made the statement at the end of Tuesday’s game, which was the conclusion of the collegiate summer league team’s first homestand of the season. Like the June 4 home opener, the stands Tuesday were packed with fans. This time, though, they weathered an ugly 8-1 loss to Farmington.
“Everything was great except the outcome,” said Gareth Hardin, who threw out Tuesday’s ceremonial first pitch on Farmers Bank Night.
Hardin is president of the bank, which signed on to sponsor the night of baseball, offering give-aways and drawings to fans as well as information on banking services. Hardin is also one of the 20 investors who sank $1,000 into the start-up of the team.
“I never considered myself a big baseball fan, but I think this is a really neat idea.”
That’s exactly what General Manager Guess likes to hear. He also likes what he sees when he peers out of the press box during radio broadcasts of the games.
“People come out and stay. And there are people here I’m surprised to see,” he said.
On Tuesday, Farmers Bank brought their own contingency of fans to the park, making the game the center of a company-wide outing. More than 100 of the fans at the game were bank employees or their family whose tickets were courtesy of Farmers Bank.
“It was outstanding,” Hardin said. “The employees really enjoyed it.”
The bank president said what was most impressive to him after his first game in the stands was the play on the field.
“They are a great bunch of kids,” he said. “They’ve got some real talent.”
But Hardin is aware it may be difficult to coax even hard-core baseball fans to the park to see college-age men compete, especially when none of the players are from Crittenden County. That’s why he was proud his bank took the lead in an attempt to lure fans to the park with additional attractions.
“It’s important for other businesses to step up and help out,” he said. “It’ll help bring people out and get them used to the idea (of attending games).”
Guess is appreciative of those who have helped out thus far, from individuals to the business community. Crittenden Health Systems has scheduled July 18 for its own night of baseball sponsorship. Others, too, have committed to corporate backing this season.
“A bunch of people have come together on this,” Guess said. “It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been worth it.”
The Bobcats don’t keep attendance figures, but walk-up ticket sales, purchases at the concession stand and merchandising have all fared well during the seven-game homestand. The Bobcats were off Wednesday and hit the road today (Thursday) for a three game set in Fulton before returning home for four games beginning Sunday.
But Guess is not yet looking past this season. He knows the crowds are spending money with the team and at restaurants and convenience stores around town, but as on the field in baseball, he’s weighing the fiscal game one day at a time.
“I’m optimistic,” Hardin said of his investment.
If nothing else, Guess adds, “We’ve created quite a stir.”

Press intern adjusts to rural lifestyle
Continuing a long tradition of providing community newspaper experience to college journalism majors, The Crittenden Press is again hosting a summer intern.
Emory Williamson, a Louisville native and editor-in-chief of the University of Louisville’s campus newspaper, joined The Press last week for a 10-week internship. Williamson has already begun contributing to the weekly paper.
While in Marion, Williamson is eager to immerse himself in the community, meeting as many people as possible and experiencing life in a small town, which is unfamiliar to him. There were 415 students in his graduating class of 2005 at Eastern High School in Louisville, or about as many seniors as the total student body at Crittenden County High School. He is also working in a county with about as many residents as live within a few blocks of his college residence near historic Churchill Downs.
“I want to be like a sponge and absorb as much as possible,” he said of his time in Marion. “I would like to get to know and understand the community better.”
He hopes to take a different perspective back to Louisville and share it with his co-workers at The Cardinal, the university paper. Williamson has already begun visiting churches and volunteering in the press box at Marion Bobcat games.
“It can only help out my staff more,” he said of the 30 or so under his supervision at the campus newspaper. “It’s a good thing for me, and it’s a good thing for my staff as well.”
Williamson, who will be a senior at U of L this fall, became interested in journalism when he started taking news writing classes in high school.
“Once I got involved, I couldn’t stop,” he said.
He hopes to continue his career in journalism if he does not pursue a career in law. His father has his own practice in Louisville.
“He would love for me to take over,” the junior Williamson said.
His parents, Jim and Sondra Williamson, live in Louisville. He has an older brother and sister, both of whom also live in Louisville.
Though Williamson has traveled around much of Kentucky, prior to his initial trip to Marion in April for an interview, he had visited only Hopkinsville and Owensboro in the western portion of the state.
After less than two weeks in Marion, his initial impression has been a good one.
“It’s very peaceful, but a lot different from what I’m used to,” he added.
The 21-year-old is spending the summer with Scott and Melissa Tabor of Marion, a situation he couldn’t fine more accommodating.
“It’s absolutely a perfect fit,” he said. “They are a great host family.
Among his new experiences in Crittenden County, Williamson drove on his first gravel road; having never seen a mobile home park, he learned the difference between a single-wide and a double-wide mobile home; and he had someone else pump his gas for the first time.
“I thought that was so weird,” he said with a chuckle.
Apprenticeships like Williamson’s are offered to college students in cooperation with the Kentucky Press Association (KPA), of which The Press is a member. Each year, KPA gathers the resumes of interested college students and awards member newspapers interns agreed upon after conducting interviews.
Williamson agreed to accept the paid internship in Marion two months ago. He will remain with The Press through early August before returning to campus to resume his editorial duties at The Cardinal.