It's a classic tale. In 2005, after a career that included 24 years in coaching, teaching, and administration at Poplar Bluff High School, Bill Ray was packing it in for good at Camdenton when a unique prospect came his way. Soon enough, the newly-minted retiree became the area rep for Fellowship of Christian Athletes programs in a whopping 16 counties throughout Southeast Missouri. He recently spoke to me of an upcoming FCA event called Fields of Faith, to be held locally for the first time on October 8 from 8 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at Fred Morrow Stadium (Poplar Bluff Varsity Football Field).

The Margaret Harwell Art Museum is gearing up for its 15th Annual Fall Arts Festival, to be held on Saturday, October 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. along Main Street in Poplar Bluff!

“Americans like fat books and thin women.” --Attributed to Pulitzer Prize-winning essayist Russell Baker Frankly, I was not aware that we were all that big on books. But that last bit sounds about right. Which is why it was very cool chatting with a Poplar Bluff acquaintance who apparently never got the memo.

In ambling about the ’Net for my recent pieces on actress Lily Tomlin, I came across a most fascinating tidbit of information related to her formative years. Tomlin is a graduate of Detroit’s Cass Technical High School---where, she quips, she wound up becoming “the best white cheerleader” in the entire city!

Stacey Million, Executive Director of the Poplar Bluff-based Claudia Foundation (www.claudiafoundation.org), is seeing to a host of administrative details as Friday evening’s Lily Tomlin fundraiser for the Foundation draws near. “People are really excited about the show,” she says. “[Ms. Tomlin’s] doing her one-woman, 90-minute show that has sold out across the country.”

The Claudia Foundation of Poplar Bluff presents “An Evening with Lily Tomlin” A Fundraiser for the Foundation, Timed to Commemorate the Restoration of Balcony Seating at the historic Rodgers Theatre in Poplar Bluff Friday September 19th, 2008 at 7:00pm (for more information, click here, or call the Foundation at 573-686-3040) * * * * * * Unless you have spent the last few weeks in a campaign-ad-induced coma, surely you’re aware that Poplar Bluff is gearing up for a rare evening of entertainment, courtesy of the Claudia Foundation’s very special guest, Tony Award-winning comedienne Lily Tomlin.