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Tuesday, July 2, 2019
TRENTON
REPUBLICAN-TIMES
Trenton, MO 64683
WEEKEND VISITORS
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 155th Year - No. 86
75¢ per copy Check out the Republican-Times on the Internet: www.republican-times.com ©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
Fourteen Pages
Travels Bring Men To Community
Trenton: The Place To See And Be Seen Trenton Visits Trenton
N.C. Man Headed To Idaho
by Ronda Lickteig R-T Staff Writer It’s true that Trenton can hardly be called a tourist destination, but that wasn’t true on Saturday when a young man came here simply because of our name - and stayed awhile because he just liked the feel of the town. Trenton Thornburg, a 24year-old from Muncie, IN, showed up in town on Saturday as part of a trek across the country to visit as many communities and townships named Trenton or Trent as he can before he reports to a new job on July 12. Thornburg said he quit his job and set off on his journey on May 18, traveling first to Trenton, IN. He has traveled to the northeast and the south and is slowly making his way back to Indiana. He has found over 35 Trentons or Trents and, as he left Trenton, MO for Trenton, IA on Saturday, he had six more to go before returning home. Thornburg, who has been sleeping in his car during his more than 13,000-mile trek, said his parents weren’t thrilled with his plan for the summer but he looks at it as a calculated risk, with a high probability of it being a great experience and a low probability of any type of catastrophe occurring on the journey. He does admit, however, the sheer number of miles he’s driven means his luck could run out. “I’ve put a year’s worth of driving into a month or so, so
by Diane Lowrey R-T Editor A North Carolina man traveling by mule to visit his wife’s family in Idaho stopped in Trenton on Thursday, spending three days in town before heading to his next stop on a trip that is anticipated to take six months to complete. Bernie Harberts is an author, photographer and filmmaker who left Lenore, NC on April 5 with his pack mule Brick and his saddle mule Cracker and, after 900 miles, found himself in Trenton. Harberts is hoping to be in Hailey, ID, located east of Boise, sometime in October. Harberts said his journey averages around 15 to 20 miles a day, depending on the weather and the people he meets along the way. It’s those people who provide him with a place to stay during the night, whether it’s letting him pitch his tent in their yard or offering him a bed and a chance to sleep in a more normal environment. “I get the chance to meet people I’ve never met and don’t necessarily need to meet,” he said. “And it also gives me a chance to get a deep look at America.” On his trip through Trenton and Grundy County, Harberts spent Wednesday night with the Brubaker family, a Mennonite family living in the north part of the county. He came upon two of the children in the family as they were
R-T Photo/Ronda Lickteig
Trenton Thornburg of Muncie, IN spent Saturday in Trenton, MO as part of his travels across the United States to visit as many “Trenton” or “Trent” communities or townships before he begins a new job later this month.
you know, the odds are getting better that I might have some sort of accident,” he said. Even so, he said that once he started looking into the number of “Trentons” in the United States, he felt absolutely compelled to hit the road and see them. “I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but something came over me and I felt like I had to make this trip,” he explained. “I felt almost an urgency and like this was something I absolutely had to do and I needed to do it now.” In discussing his Trenton travels, Thornburg mentioned Trenton, GA and its Cloudland
Canyon State Park as one of his favorite “Trentons,” but noted that tiny Trenton, LA left him with a “really weird feeling” and was a place he was ready to leave. Trenton, NJ was the largest Trenton he’s visited on the trip. Trenton, MO will stand out, he said, because of the people he met. He mentioned meeting Tim Bland at Tim’s Barber Shop (“I knew the barber would be a local”), who told him Dino’s Diner would be a good place to get breakfast. He’ll remember that meal because, as he said, he was See Trenton, Page 8
Photo Courtesy of Bernie Harberts
Bernie Harberts, along with his mules Brick and Cracker, spent a few days in Trenton this past week as part of his journey from Lenore, NC to Hailey ID. He hopes to be in Idaho by October.
working on a roof and it was the children who invited Harberts to be their guest for the evening. The stay included a hot meal before getting up the next morning and heading into Trenton. Because he likes to rest his mules gor a few days every four to five days, Harberts said he began looking for a place that would accommodate not only himself but Brick and Cracker as well. A conversation at Orschlen’s led him to Affordable Vet Care and Dr. Dale Alumbaugh, who agreed to house the two mules and let Harberts pitch his tent in the grassy area near the business building. While taking a break, Harberts wandered into Trenton to do what he likes doing best talking with people and learning their story. “I’ve met a lot of great people on this trip and Trenton is no exception,” he said. Harberts’ first stop was at the Trenton Post Office, which also has general delivery services and allowed him a place to
JULY FOURTH End-Of-Year
See Closings, Page 3
See Harberts, Page 8
Briefs...
Holiday Office Closings Several offices and businesses have announced their plans to close on Thursday, July 4 in observance of the July Fourth holiday. Closed will be the Trenton City Hall/Trenton Municipal Utilities, the Grundy County Courthouse, the Grundy County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce/License Bureau, the Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library, the Grundy County Health Department, the North Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center, the North 65 Center, Green Hills Regional
pick up a sorely-needed canvas bucket mailed to him by his wife. A conversation at the post office led him to the Republican-Times and from there was headed out to “see the sites.” “I love history and architecture,” he said, adding he had plans to visit the Rock Barn, Crowder State Park and other places suggested to him by those he had met along the way. An avid photographer and “a compulsive chronicler of stuff,” Harberts said he likes to record his adventures through photo essays of unusual things he finds along the way. This trip involves road-side trash, which he said he is using to “classify” the states through which he travels. “It’s amazing the crap people throw out,” he chuckled. “Until I got to Missouri, I would find all kinds of things. But here, the roads are cleaned up and what I am finding now is a lot of seeds. I’m sure that
Courthouse Flag Help The Trenton Kiwanis Club will be placing U.S. flags around the Grundy County Courthouse on July 4, but could use assistance in this effort. Persons who would like to help are asked to meet at the courthouse at 7 a.m. to help put them up and/or at 5:30 p.m. to take them back down. Kiwanis member Dave Woodson said all help would be appreciated.
Officer Leaves Hospital
R-T Photo/Seth Herrold
The Ketcham Community Center is getting an update, at least in the gymnasium, where new wall art and bleachers are being installed. The wall wraps, which went up last week, feature photos of past North Central Missouri College players and teams on the south side of the gym (including last year’s Region 16 champion and national-tournament qualifer squad) while the north side is reserved for the “Pirate Crew” or the student section. The new bleachers arrived on Friday and will be installed this week, allowing them to be controlled electronically rather than manually.
Trenton Police Officer Jasmine Diab has been moved from a Kansas City hospital to a rehabilitation center in the Kansas City area. Officer Diab, who was shot June 14 while transporting a subject for a mental health evaluation, was transfered on Friday and is undergoing physical therapy to help her recover from wounds that have so far required three surgeries. The community is invited to show their support for Officer Diab with the July 4 Blue Smoke for Jasmine event, which will take place at 1:05 p.m. Thursday on Seventh Street, between the Grundy County Courthouse and the Grundy County Law Enforcement Center. Those planning to participate should bring their blue smoke bombs and be in place by 1 p.m. ************ This Week’s Food Truck Wednesday: Uprooted Kitchen
Independence Day Celebration At Trenton July 4 at Dusk - Grassy Area Near the Rock Barn
National Weather Service Hot and humid during the first part of the week with highs in the upper 80s and lows in the low 70s. There’s a chance of pop-up showers each day. The high at Trenton on Thursday, June 27 was 91, Friday’s high was 90 and Saturday’s high was 95 . Sunday’s high was 94 and the overnight low was 74. The high on Sunday at the Government Weather Station at Spickard was 92, the low was 71.
What’s Inside... The Galt-Humphreys Panthers are champions of the CVA Pee Wee League, finishing with an 11-0 record and winning the league tournament played at Galt. See page 2 of today’s Republican-Times for a photo of the team.
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What’s Inside Sports.............................page 2 Local News.........page 3, 4 & 8 Community ...................page 5 Calendars ......................page 5 Across Missouri.....page 6 & 7 Comics .........................page 10 Crosswords..................page 11 Dear Annie...................page 11 Church Page ...............page 13