10A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2009
CELEBRATION
Georgian town has parade for peanuts
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PLAINS, Ga. — The small southwestern Georgia town of Plains has two famous exports: peanuts and peanut farmer-turned-president Jimmy Carter.
Both were feted Saturday with a parade and a celebration of the legume whose reputation struggled after a salmonella outbreak earlier this year.
The outbreak, linked to a plant in nearby Blakely, forced state legislators to adopt new food safety regulations after it sickened hundreds and may have caused the deaths of as many as nine people.
But the peanut is bouncing back, boosters say: Sales are up about 15 percent last month after plunging 20 percent in the wake of the salmonella scare.
"It's a miracle," said Tyron Spearman, executive director of the National Peanut Buying Points Association. "It has come back at an unbelievable pace."
The outbreak sent shudders throughout Georgia's peanut industry, which employs more than 50,000 people and packs an estimated economic impact of $2.5 billion.
For Plains, the crop is a way of life even if there are fewer farmers
than there used to be.
"We've always depended on peanuts here," said Carter, who has been involved in peanut production since he was a 5-year-old on his family farm. "It's still a great factor in my life. Peanut growers, peanut producers — we all feel like a giant family and we're celebrating one of the greatest products here."
Saturday's festival featured fried peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter ice cream, peanut brittle, boiled peanuts, roasted peanuts and enough peanut candies to supply Halloween treats for the whole town of more than 600 people. Peanut sculptures, toys and antiques were on sale.
The president, who turns 85 on Thursday, said he always goes out of his way to clear his schedule so he can preside over the annual parade.
Peanut princesses and farmers driving antique tractors snaked along the parade route, turning to acknowledge the 39th president as he stood on the balcony of the Plains Historic Inn.
Besides, Spearman quipped, it wouldn't be much of a celebration without him: The festival's motto is: "Plains, peanuts and a president."
Making a splash
Members of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity mud fight at their annual Watermelon Fest. Participants are watermelon, participated in tug-of-war contests and watermelon baseball. Many sororities and fraternities attended the philanthropy event to help raise money.
Amanda Kistner/KANSAN
ODD NEWS 92-year-old celebrates her birthday by skydiving
KEENE, N.H. — A 92-year-old New Hampshire woman has celebrated her birthday by skydiving from a plane at 13,000 feet.
Swanzey resident Jane Bockstruck tells The Keene Sentinel newspaper she doesn't know what overcame her when she decided to take the parachute jump.
But tandem partner and jump instructor Paul Peckham Jr. says she had perfect form and landed without a hitch.
crawling up the right side of the 82-year-old pontif' face.
sky-diving club in Orange, Mass., west of Boston. She says she doesn't remember jumping from the plane.
PRAGUE — President Barack Obama had his fly. Now Pope Benedict XVI has his spider.
With a group of friends and relatives watching, Bockstruck leaped Sept. 19 at the Jumptown
Bockstruck says she's been married seven times, has traveled the world and has had jobs ranging from hotel desk clerk to seamstress for the John Wayne movie "True Grit."
He says she's the oldest person he's taken on a jump. The second-oldest was 78.
Pope Benedict XVI swats spider during interview
When it reached his ear, Benedict gave it a swat. But it didn't go away — it reappeared on the pope's left shoulder and scampered down his robe.
A large arachnid appeared on the pope's white robes as he addressed politicians and diplomats in Prague on Saturday afternoon. The pope didn't seem to notice at first — but journalists following the speech on a large screen flinched as the spider inched toward Benedict's neck.
As the pope left the medieval Prague Castle's ornate Spanish Hall, the spider could be seen hanging from a piece of web.
It disappeared from view for a moment, but then could be seen
In June, Obama now famously swatted and killed a fly that intruded on an interview for CNBC at the White House.
Associated Press