Sep 21, 2009 6 min read

?By Steve Barrett I?m just going to put this mildly: This has been such a wacky, busy and wildly unpredictable week.

On both professional and personal levels, I have rarely experienced such a hectic seven-day period in my lifetime as I?ve done this past week.

So this column is going to seem less like a typical ?column? and more like a diary as I try to sort out all the thoughts that resulted from the recent calamity.

The seven-day insanity began last Thursday, when I nearly had a heart attack watching the Steelers nearly lose, then almost win, then tie, and finally win in overtime.

And that was just the opening game of the NFL season! Something tells me the Black and Gold are going to be in a lot of close games this year. (I need to find my Tums.)

Then, on Saturday, which was supposed to be a relaxing day off, was anything but.

I spent some quality time at the 50s Fest and Car Cruise, snapping photos and chatting with quite a few owners of some awesome vintage vehicles.

I was also entertained by several of the contests, including the Hula Hoop contest. (Congrats, by the way, to Shirley Tennant of Ruff Creek, who wowed the crowd with her hula hoopin? skills.)

I only intended to stay for a little bit because I wanted to make my way to the Waynesburg University football game?but the truth is, I didn?t want to leave the 50s Fest.

I was having fun, and it was apparent that the huge crowd who flocked to downtown Waynesburg for the event was having just as much fun as I was.

(And seriously, it WAS packed. There were classic cars, trucks and motorcycles parked everywhere. As early as 1 p.m., there were already over 200 cars registered. That?s impressive.)

It was a busy day, taking pictures and talking to many people who stopped me on the streets to talk about the paper?Some suggested story ideas while others offered praise or constructive criticism about the Messenger.

And I appreciated all the comments.

Well, ALMOST all the comments. At one point I made the mistake of saying hello to WANB Radio?s Doug Wilson, who was broadcasting a live version of his great oldies show, ?Greene County Gold.? And after few pleasantries, Mr. Wilson made a comment over the microphone alluding to a ?rumor? that I am running for a local political office during the General Election in November.

And then, I spent the next 20 minutes having to deny to many members of the public that I was NOT, in fact, running for any office, and that my good friend Mr. Wilson was being a wise guy and was pulling a light-hearted prank.

(By the way, it?s four days later and I?m still getting phone callers inquiring about the ?rumor.? Thanks, Doug, I owe you one.)

Anyway, after a busy afternoon at the 50s Fest, I pulled away to catch the Waynesburg U football game, and once again the Yellow Jackets did not disappoint. It was a close and tense first half until they ran away with it in the second with an explosive and exciting attack. It was a good way to end a busy Saturday.

Then on Sunday, things got interesting on a personal level as I began rehearsals for yet another theatrical production with the First Presbyterian Church of Waynesburg. Each year the church presents a mystery dinner theater fundraiser, and I look forward to honing my acting chops in this endeavor.

I?m not exactly what one would call a great actor (even though my wife constantly tells me that I?m quite the ?Drama Queen? at home), but I always enjoy working with a great cast and crew.

And I think this year?s play ? which is once again under the excellent direction of Kathie Bortz ? is really funny. It?s a silly 1940?s-style whodunit called ?Capiche?? and it?s filled with Italian mobsters, tough-talkin? gumshoes and irresistible dames. Should be a blast, for a great cause. It?s going to be a lot of work, but I always love to see the rewards as a result of the dedication by the cast and crew.

My only worry? My character this year is a tough Italian mobster.

As someone who has never been tough or Italian his whole life, I have a feeling I have my work cut out for me.

Anyway, things got even more hectic on Monday through Wednesday as the Messenger was bombarded with phone calls, emails and visits to our office informing us of several major developing news stories, such as the Dunkard Creek situation and the sentencing of two suspects in a major drug bust.

And all throughout the week, our phones were ringing nonstop with requests to have us come out to various schools, businesses and meetings to provide coverage of many different events.

And even though the phone calls, emails and office visits certainly kept me busy, I want to simply say this to those who took time to contact us, write us or visit us: Thank you. We love it when Greene County folks let us know when things are happening here, good or bad.

We do try our best to cover as much local news as we can, but sometimes with our small but dedicated staff we just aren?t able to know about everything that?s going on.

And it makes us feel good knowing that when people let us know about news and events that we are able to bring the news to the rest of the county.

So, anyway: As I said in the beginning of this column, it?s been quite a busy week, to put it mildly. And now that I?m nearing the end of this column, I hope I can finally catch my breath.

Oops, two phone lines are ringing. And I just received emails reminding me about several events happening this coming weekend, such as the Heroes Run/Walk, the Covered Bridge Festival and the Truck Pull Finals.

Gotta go?