It's almost Mardi Gras time again

By BILL RICHMOND

City editor

The 62nd annual Winchester Mardi Gras Festival is Oct. 1-4 around the courthouse square, downtown. The theme of this year's festival, coordinated and sponsored by the Winchester Community Cultural Preservation Committee (WCCPC), is Mardi Gras Hawaiian Style.

The festival will continue its tradition of providing rides, games of chance, refreshments, informational booths, live entertainment, pageants and a parade.

Mardi Gras Senior Scholarship Award recipients, and kids royalty contest winners will be crowned as part of the festival's opening ceremonies which begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1. The Mardi Gras Kids Contest and Senior Scholarship Talent Contest are Sunday Sept. 28. at Husted Hall at the County 4-H Fairgrounds. The senior talent contest is closed to the public.

The traditional Mardi Gras parade will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 from the Winchester Armory. The parade route will follow Huntsville Road north to South Meridian Street where it will cross through downtown to West Washington St. Grand marshals of this year's parade are Leon and Ruhama Hendrickson and recently retired WCCPC board member Joyce Oakes.

Parade registration will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the armory.

The festival will conclude Saturday evening with the ever-popular amateur talent show which begins at 7 p.m. on the WCCPC stage.

Advance ride tickets are available at CVS, Country Kitchen, House of Flavors, Hair Crafters, Velia's Tacos and The News-Gazette in Winchester. Rides will be provided by Poor Jack's Amusements.

Proceeds from Mardi Gras help fund other WCCPC community projects held throughout the year, including: an Easter egg hunt, July Fourth fireworks, Thanksgiving food baskets and Angel Tree Christmas gifts for area residents.

2008 Mardi Gras schedule

Wednesday, Oct. 1

5 p.m.- Midway opens- family special night, all rides are $1 each; pre-registration for all events (baby/toddler pageant, talent show and parade) at the WCCPC information booth.

5:30 p.m.- Mardi Gras opening ceremonies on the WCCPC stage. Festivities include the National Anthem by Dave Rees and a performance by the Winchester Community High School band on the courthouse lawn.

6 p.m.- Presentation of Mardi Gras Senior Scholarship Contest candidates and announcement of winners. Also, Kids Contest winners. WCCPC stage.

8 p.m.- Door prizes.

9 p.m.- Midway closes.

Thursday, Oct. 2

5 p.m.- Midway opens

6-6:30 p.m.- Performance by WCHS vocal music department (WCCPC stage).

7-8:30 p.m.- Entertainment, Pete Mercer Band (WCCPC stage).

8:30 p.m.- Nightly door prize giveaway (Information booth).

9 p.m.- Midway closes for the night.

Friday, Oct. 3

5 p.m.- Midway opens

5-5:30 p.m.- Entertainment, Pearly Shells - Hula Girls (WCCPC stage).

6-7 p.m. - K-9 unit demonstration (courthouse lawn).

7-8:30 p.m. - Entertainment, Adam Cappa Band (WCCPC stage).

9:30 p.m.- Nightly door prize giveaway.

10 p.m.- Voting ends for baby/toddler contest. Midway closes for the night.

Saturday, Oct. 4

11 a.m.- Midway opens.

1 p.m.- Rides will open.

2 p.m.- baby and toddler contest winners announced (information booth).

3-5 p.m. - Entertainment, Hawaiian Group (WCCPC stage).

3:30 p.m.- Parade registration at Winchester Armory.

5 p.m.- Parade departs from armory north along S. Meridian St. to W. Washington St.

6 p.m. - Bicycle giveaway.

6:05 p.m.- Traditional cake cutting ceremony.

6:30 p.m.- Nightly door prize giveaway (information booth).

7-9 p.m.- Entertainment, open amateur talent show (WCCPC stage).

10 p.m.- Midway closes, end of 2008 Mardi Gras.

CAFO group continues setback discussion

By BILL RICHMOND

City editor

The Randolph County Commissioners CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) Panel Tuesday continued the difficult process of creating a compromise setback regulation for large-scale livestock farms.

The panel was appointed by the commissioners to create a plan to be considered for adoption as a county ordinance providing local control that is not overly restrictive. The committee has met twice monthly since June 2. Committee members include county commissioners Kathy Beumer, Ron Chalfant and David Lenkensdofer; County Farm Bureau representatives Tom Chalfant, Jerry Warren and Gary Foulke; and Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Randolph County (ECCRC) representatives Ralph Dalzell, Rachel Carpenter and Curtis Ramer. The meetings are facilitated by Indiana Environmental Institute director and Indiana Earth Day chairman Bill Beranek.

Beranek said setback regulations seem to be the main topic of contention in most CAFO discussions.

"All of us understand that setbacks won't solve the problem," Beranek said. "Effective setbacks would ameliorate the problem for a number of folks - but the problem won't go away. We need to realize this is not a yes/no issue."

At the group's previous meeting Beranek asked Ramer to create a variation of Al Heber's setback chart based on a standard of animal units (rather than specifying, for example - a sow or a finisher). Heber created a mathematical formula based on various factors such as wind direction and tree lines to give a rough understanding of what might work for odor reduction.

Ramer handed out copies of his updated chart based on the standard equivalent of an animal unit as 1,100 pounds of animal weight. Beranek said using the animal unit basis allows them to adopt Heber's standards for dairy cattle or chickens.

Beranek said creating a setback standard means balancing what will reduce the odor problem for neighbors without taking a lot of land out of use and hindering the future of livestock agriculture in the county.

Bob McCoy, a Winchester City Council member attending the meeting, asked if the group would consider 1-mile setbacks for cities and towns. McCoy noted that cities are not represented in this discussion as they were in the Area Planning Commission process.

"I don't know that there's any opposition to a 1-mile setback for cities and towns," said Ron Chalfant. All members of the panel expressed agreement.

Beranek said he is confident the setback issue can be settled and a compromise reached. He said a reasonable assumption, based on group discussion would lead to setbacks of 1 mile around cities and towns with the possibility of a Board of Zoning Appeals variance and a 1,000 feet setback for a quad (4,000 hogs) and 1,500 feet for a double quad (8,000) hogs.

"We have to take something and go with it," Beumer said. "For most people, I think these are fair numbers. We're here as a committee to work through this together."

Ron Chalfant said he favors 750 feet setbacks, noting that doesn't mean everybody will have a CAFO within 750 feet of their home.

"There has got to be some kind of a compromise," said Tom Chalfant. "One thousand feet is something we can live with."

David Lenkensdofer said that when Governor Mitch Daniels welcomed CAFOs into the state he felt the intention was the livestock farming operations would be spread out across the state.

"It seems to be there are only about four counties where they have decided to locate," Lenkensdofer said.

Carpenter said she doesn't think quarter of a mile (1,320 foot) setbacks would provide adequate protection for neighbors.

"I don't think 1,500 feet is significant protection," she said.

Dalzell said he feels 1,500 foot setbacks are something local residents could live with - but they couldn't do with less than 1,000 feet.

Beranek said he is satisfied they may have reached an agreement on general setback standards and asked if the group members feel they need to meet again.

"I feel we need to come to a resolution," Beumer said. "If we stop now, we've done a disservice."

Beranek said he will write up the principals of the resolutions the group has discussed to let them decide what degree of consensus they've reached.

The group's next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the county economic development office. The topic of discussion will likely be good neighbor practices.