22 OCT 07: ANOTHER PERSON'S TREASURE

A bit of history came down in the Historic District Sunday. A group of men did it during the late morning, and even brought an all-terrain vehicle to do it. But don't worry - the shotgun houses on Fifth Street still are standing today....

As I stepped outside for a Sunday road trip, I found three men uprooting a set of four tall gas lanterns. The natural gas kind used to be common outside houses in some neighborhoods. But then I guess people exercised their freedom of choice -- and only chose to turn on an electric porch light once in a while.

These four gas lanterns actually had dates on them, indicating they were made in 1894. So to borrow from a country song, I suppose "the old lamplighter of long, long ago" walked by and turned them on. Nowadays, the only time people "light the lamp" is when the Columbus Cottonmouths score a goal.

So who were these guys digging up gas lanterns, and even their concrete bases? I stopped to ask, and happened to meet the man who owns my apartment complex. He said he's owned it about 30 years, while I've dealt with a separate landlord for the last ten. It's a good thing I didn't mention the lack of a rent increase in all that time....

The complex owner told me he was taking the gas lanterns to his home in Anniston, Alabama. He indicated he'll put them up in his front yard - which seems like a lot of work to set up a clothesline.

The owner admitted the gas lanterns hadn't worked in about 30 years. It seems they hadn't been adjusted for natural gas, either. I didn't smell anything unusual from the uprooted lanterns - and no one in the complex had moved their grills over, to try for a low-priced Sunday cookout.

"Have a good day," the complex owner then said to me. I took that as my cue to move on, so I did. Either the men wanted to keep busy on their project - or they thought I might be a spy for the Historic Columbus Foundation.

There was a busy day ahead of me, anyway. Before a Sunday afternoon in the office, I drove to southern Troup County for the big yard sale we mentioned here in recent days. It was set up next to a gas station - but sadly, the gas was NOT on sale at half-price.

We first brought up Shirley Smallwood in a "church picnic report" here a couple of years ago. She's waiting for a kidney transplant - but the waiting list for such things can stretch for years. Kidney donors are almost as scarce as University of Georgia alumni giving up football season tickets.

The Smallwood family decided during the summer to organize a yard sale, to raise money for the kidney transplant. The Kidney Foundation agreed to match her, dollar for dollar. With plenty of donations from church members and friends, the result was an extra-large sale Sunday. It almost made you wonder if the Lee County Flea Market started the same way.

The yard sale had a little bit of a lot of things, but the most unusual thing on sale was the Smallwood family's horse. No, I did NOT buy it - because I simply didn't have room in the trunk of my little Honda.

I donated several items to the yard sale, but did NOT have to buy them back. I bought several others items instead, including a very nice crystal decanter for ten dollars. It was tempting to call it the "steal" of the sale - but church members put this on, so it seems wrong to talk positively about stealing.

Church members offered baked goods for sale as well - and I carted home a big round chocolate chip pound cake, which even came with the recipe attached. Maybe someday I'll make one of my own. But the entrepreneur in me would be tempted to sell the recipe to Paula Deen, for a hefty "finder's fee."

Our thanks to all of you who made the drive to Troup County and bought items at Sunday's yard sale. If you missed it, Charter Bank in LaGrange has a "Shirley Smallwood Fund" where you can leave donations - and the Kidney Foundation still will match them for several months. I can't guarantee you'll wind up with a horse. But the Smallwood family certainly won't neigh-say you.

(By the way, we need to correct something from last week. We found out Exit 30 from Interstate 185 is NOT the exit with a Waffle House. The restaurant must blend into the scenery very well, because we never saw it.)

Let's wind down the antiques road show now, and check some Sunday news stories:

+ City Manager Isaiah Hugley spoke at Carver Heights Presbyterian Church, and urged men to "take a stand" in their community. Of course, that doesn't always work - such as when Mr. Hugley lobbied for a big raise a couple of years ago.

+ Port Columbus finished its annual "Pirates of the Chattahoochee" weekend. So who played the role of the Army Corps of Engineers?

+ The annual Ossahatchie Pow-Wow ended in Hamilton. Did you see the TV ad for this festival - which used phrases like "we will share stories of courage and triumph for our people"? I almost expected the ad to end with, "War Eagle, fly down field."

+ Montgomery attempted to have a "crime-free weekend," as officially declared by the City Council. We mention this for the benefit of Columbus Police - because it could help solve that holdup at the River Road Piggly Wiggly.

+ Atlanta Police arrested Kid Rock, after a fight broke out at a Waffle House. Several other people were arrested as well - but apparently Tommy Lee knew what to do at a Waffle House, and he scattered.

+ The Atlanta Falcons lost to New Orleans 22-16. Come to think of it, doesn't the team logo look like the bird is in a nosedive?

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