the town dandy / By Hank Sims

Good-Bye To All That

And so we close the curtain on this cast of characters, whose story grows stale. Ever shall it be thus — no trains, no trails, no big container ships, just a mammoth bureaucratic spin-out. Onward.

Quick addendum to this week’s cover package, the bulk of which was graciously provided by our heavy-hitting cousins at the Sacramento News & Review. First, we are pleased to welcome Richard Wall to these pages for a six-week run of his temporary column, Alt Prez. Here’s how Wall pitched his column: “The Alt Prez column will read like a warped political version of American Idol, with deluded losers and promising dreamers begging for attention in America’s sideshow election … Each column has a brief introduction that addresses an essential issue of third-party/independent campaigns (such as the concept of ‘throwing your vote away’). A profile features one or two of the probable top-10 finishers, followed by subheaded, entertaining snippets about other candidates — the nutcases, jokers, and earnest citizens from all over the political spectrum.”

Though Wall writes from Florida, his pitch was clearly tailor-made for Humboldt County. We’re trying to get him to keep it going straight through to Election Day, but he’d only commit to six installments.

Secondly, Mary Ann Lyons— the leader of the Humboldt County Obamanauts, profiled in Bob Doran’s brief sidebar (see Obama’s Go-To Woman in Humboldt) — called in at the last moment to let everyone know that she’ll be hosting a “watch party” at Humbrews in Arcata next Thursday, Aug. 28. The occasion? That would Obama’s massive acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, which will temporarily relocate to Denver’s Mile High Stadium for the evening. Come on down to Humbrews, watch the speech on the widescreen and celebrate with your fellow change-seekers.

Finally, the Journal would like to salute Humboldt State University professor emeritus and all-around good guy Don Garlick for his steadfast service to the community. As you’ll see inside, Garlick is sadly abandoning “Garlick’s Notebook,” his column of scientific curiosities, after 50 awe-inspiring installments. This isn’t the kind of “change” Barack is talking about!

Care to pick up where Professor Garlick left off? Do you have the cred and the chops, and a 15-year-old copy of MacPaint? Drop us a line.

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