BY ANTHONY CHILDRESSSUN STAFF WRITER

JONESBORO — Ready, set, go.With the click of a key and a

foot thrust, engines rumbledthen jetted a sea of motorcy-cles from the parking lot ofthe NEA Hilltop Clinic, 4901East Johnson, on a journey inhopes of landing a Honda VTX1300 Retro cycle and to raisemoney for a pair of worthycauses.

The NEA Clinic D.A.R.E. ToRide Biker Classic ’05 mo-tored along at a rapid clip Sat-urday as hundreds of motor-cycle enthusiasts jauntedfrom Jonesboro to Paragould,Corning, Pocahontas, BlackRock, Bono and back again.

Holly Acebo, director of theNEA Clinic Charitable Foun-dation, said the event was onethat truly came togetherquickly and had already ex-ceeded her expectations be-fore the first group of bikesrolled by.

“This is the first year for theclassic, and we have close to1,000 bikes,” Acebo said. “Wedid not expect such a largenumber. The first bike left at8:30 a.m., but we had peoplehere registering two hours be-fore that. It is exciting.”

Nearly 100 volunteersworked the various stopsalong the bike route. Fromwatching the participants mo-tor along to live music, a bikeshow, games and entertain-ment for children and theHonda grand prize, crowdshad plenty to keep them busythroughout the day.

“There are bikers here fromOklahoma and Louisiana andas far away as South Dakota,”Acebo said. “It is great to seehow well we have done in thevery first year.”

Money raised from theevent will be split betweenthe foundation and the Jones-boro Police Department’sD.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resis-tance Education) program,which leads a series of class-room lessons focused on waysto avoid drug use and live vio-lence-free lives.

Cpl. Greg Lawson of theJPD said there is no way to ac-curately measure what theclassic will mean to officersin their efforts to battle thespread of drugs.

“Altogether it takes about$12,000 a year to do theD.A.R.E. program,” Lawsonsaid. “We will use some of the

funds to buy books and sup-plies for the kids in theschools.”

Biker Marvin Hargett ofJonesboro said he decided totake part because of his lovefor riding his bike, but also tohelp the foundation and lawenforcement.

“I go to a lot of these rides,”Hargett added. “I have riddenall over the country, but it’simportant to do things in yourlocal community.”

Fellow biker WoodyHaynes, also of Jonesboro,was anxious to hop on his bikeand enjoy the day. A militaryveteran, Haynes said he hadridden across 42 states.

“When you travel by bikeyou see and feel everything,”he continued. “You feel the el-ements; you let the air flow.”

Lawson scanned the grow-ing number of riders andsmiled broadly.

The mission had not onlybeen completed but managedto rise above his highest am-bitions for the first-everevent.

“When we first startedplanning we hoped to haveabout 200 bikers,” Lawsonsaid. “We wound up withabout 1,000. I think that says itall.”

anthony@jonesborosun.com

SUNDAYAUG. 14, 2005

EditorRoy Ockert

(870) 935-5525 | NORTHEAST ARKANSAS |A8 THE JONESBORO SUN

ON THE AGENDA |

MONDAYWestside School Board, 7

p.m., high school library.

TUESDAYLawrence County Fair begins,

fairgrounds at Imboden

TUESDAYJonesboro City Council, 6:30

p.m., Council Chambers, 900West Monroe.

TUESDAYNettleton School Board, 6:30

p.m., Central Office board-room.

David Stout | The Sun

Riders wave as they leave from the NEA Clinic at Hilltop for theD.A.R.E. to Ride Biker Classic ‘05 motorcycle ride Saturday morn-ing. Approximately 1,000 bikes took part in the event tp raise

money for the Jonesboro Police Department’s Drug Abuse Resis-tance Education program and NEA Clinic Charitable Foundation.

David Stout | The SunWoody Haynes of Jonesboro straps on his helmet as he prepares to leave for the D.A.R.E. to RideBiker Classic ‘05 motorcycle ride Saturday morning.

1,000 bikers ride for charities

Dr. Tom Volk | Special to The SunHeather Hallen holds a giant puffball.

BY ALDEMARO ROMEROAND MARTIN HUSS

SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Some years back a group of teen-agers in Wis-consin received medical treatment after inhal-ing the spores of fungi known as puffballs. Theywere operating under the false belief that themushroom spores from this “devil’s snuffbox”were hallucinogenic. They went on a trip, butnot the one that they were expecting. They end-ed up in a local hospital suffering from respira-tory distress.

Now that we are approaching the puffballseason (late summer to autumn), it is importantto know more about these fungi commonthroughout the country and especially inArkansas. Although not hallucinogenic, theseedible mushrooms are a culinary delight.

They have the outward appearance of whiteto brown spheres, sometimes with short stalks.Cutting open an immature puffball reveals

white flesh that is edible. A very moist summeris usually the prelude for a great puffball har-vest.

Depending on the species, puffballs rangewidely in size, from being as little as a marbleto larger than a soccer ball. Their shape alsovaries by species, from completely round tolooking like an inverted pear. Puffballs can befound growing on wood, often in large clusters,to living solitarily or in small clusters on theground in forests and open areas like lawns andpastures.

The giant puffball is one of the most unmis-takable fungi: It can reach more than a foot in di-ameter and weigh several pounds. So large infact are these fungi, that from a distance, the gi-ant puffball has been mistaken by some as sheep.Once it matures, a large specimen may containmore than 7 trillion spores; this is about 1,000spores for every person alive on earth today.

As puffball season approaches,it pays to know your mushroom

PLEASE SEE PUFFBALLS, A9

IMBODEN — If you want to see a county fair but don’t want to payto get in, then visit the Lawrence County Fair at Imboden, whichruns from Tuesday throughSaturday at the LawrenceCounty Fairgrounds.

The Lawrence County Fair isone of only a few local fairs inthe state that still doesn’tcharge an admission to get intothe fairgrounds, said fair offi-cial James Ratliff. “We are try-ing to stay away from generaladmission,” Ratliff said.

The only charge is for mid-way rides and the ProfessionalRodeo Cowboys Associationrodeo, which will be at 8 p.m. onFriday and Saturday of fairweek.

The fair features livestockjudging, crops, canning andmany other displays that com-pete for ribbons.

TuesdayThe first day of the fair will be a short one. Horse halter class

competition begins at 7 p.m. in the rodeo arena for the youth ofthe county. Food vendors will also open at that time to accom-modate spectators and participants.

WednesdayWednesday kicks off with livestock, poultry and field entries

check-in from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Check-in for educational entrieswill be from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Star Amusement’s carnival will open at 6 p.m. Wednesday, andthe free gospel music show featuring The Shaws and localchurch groups begins at 7 p.m. There will be a free “ice creamsocial” during the gospel singing.

ThursdayOn Thursday the late check-in for educational displays will be

from 8 a.m. until noon. At 1 p.m. judging of all exhibits gets un-der way, and at 5 p.m. the commercial building will open with allbooths ready for visitors.

FFA and 4-H students will exhibit their prize livestock withjudging to begin at 6 p.m. for the hog, sheep and goat show.

Also at 6 p.m. Thursday the midway will open, and it will be “armband night,” whereby armbands can be bought for unlimitedrides. The price of armbands is $8 in advance and $10 at the gate.

Continuing Thursday, the “cruise-in” of antique and specialtyvehicles begins at 7 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. the Gateway Cloggers willtake to the stage at the Park Pavilion. A line dancing perform-ance will follow the cloggers.

FridayThe cattle show kicks off Friday activities at 10 a.m. and ex-

hibit buildings will be open from noon until 8 p.m.The rodeo is the big draw both Friday and Saturday.

The first night of the rodeo will be at 8 p.m. Friday.“We’ve planned a very exciting Dodge PRCA rodeo, and every-

one will have a chance to win a new Dodge truck by registeringat the gate when entering the rodeo both nights,” Ratliff said.

People can also qualify by registering at Cavenaugh Chrysler-Dodge in Walnut Ridge, Ratliff said. Qualification can also bedone by taking a test drive.

Ratliff said all registrants for the truck must be 18 or older.Each night of the rodeo names will be drawn, one from the

rodeo registrants and one from the dealership. Toss a horseshoeinto a 55-gallon barrel and you win a truck.

Ratliff wouldn’t give all of the details of the toss. The barrelmight be standing up, laying down, swinging, rolling by or anyother configuration officials might devise.

“It’s a secret,” Ratliff said. “I can’t release too many details.”If both entrants are successful with the toss each night of the

rodeo, each gets a truck. “Up to four trucks will be given away,”Ratliff said.

SaturdayThe annual car show will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Sloan

Hendrix School in Imboden. Registration for the show begins at9 a.m., and the entry fee for each vehicle will be $15.

Entry for the show is free, and fair officials expect 150 vehi-cles for the event J. R. Rogers and the All Star Band will play forthe show. Persons attending who would want to sit during the carshow and music, should bring their own chairs.

Trophies will be awarded for first, second and third place anddash plaques till be given to the first 150 to enter. For more in-formation call Pat Roby at 878-6326 or Jack Dail at 869-2930.

Something new this year will be a special recognition for GizmoMcCracken, “gizmo the clown,” who will make his appearances atthe rodeo both nights. Gizmo will give away prizes and kids tick-ets to the midway rides and some rodeo tickets for kids Saturday.

The midway will be open from 6 p.m. until midnight Saturday.The PRCA rodeo with David Bailey begins at 8 p.m. and will

feature the best cowboys in the PRCA, officials said. There willbe a calf scramble for the kids and a “wild cow milking contest”for adults.

Lawrence County Fairto open at Imboden

Something new thisyear will be a specialrecognition forGizmo McCracken,“gizmo the clown,”who will make hisappearances at therodeo both nights.