STRICTLY BUSINESS: 'MOOVING' COWS, DEALS BY THE MILE AND MARBLES

It's that time of year when we scan our special "everything you wanted to know about, some things you never even thought about" mailbox.

Going through the daily mail in the news room of a newspaper can be a chore, but it can also be a learning experience and provide some enjoyable trivia.

You have your hard news items, your statistical data, political assessments, club meetings and other information vital to any news media day.

Then, you have the little unusual tidbits that may be unimportant to some, important to others, but usually always interesting.

Let's look at some of the year's notes we have tossed into the "trivia" box during 1999.

For instance:

A herd of cows will be "mooving" to the Missouri state Capitol next month.

The special herd, which includes cows from the famous 1999 Chicago "Cows on Parade" exhibit, will be displayed from May 2 to May 15 at Jefferson City to help promote May as Beef Month in Missouri.

Gov. Mel Carnahan will officially kickoff the Beef Month celebration and open the Chicago Cows exhibit at a news conference and proclamation signing May 2 at 8:50 a.m. at the Capitol.

Following the proclamation-signing that declares May as "Beef Month in Missouri," the cows will be exhibited on the sidewalks around the Capitol building.

The exhibit is on loan to the Missouri Beef Industry Council through the courtesy of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Here's more about the Chicago Cows.

The Chicago Cows were exhibited last summer throughout metropolitan Chicago. About 330 of them grazed the Chicago landscape. At the end of the exhibit, many of the cows were auctioned with proceeds going to charity. Television celebrity Oprah Winfrey purchased three of the cows, and football color-commentator John Madden bought two of the famous Chicago Cows.

Who needs keys?

Lost your car keys again? Don't worry about it, they may become obsolete soon.

Mercedes is developing "Keyless Go," an electronic-pass system.

Drivers carry an electronic card that activates the system as they approach the car. The door unlocks as soon as the driver touches the handle. Once inside, the driver simply presses a button to start the engine.

But, hey, what if you lose your card?

Losing marbles

Have you lost your marbles?

If you were a young lad during the 1950s and 1960s, chances are the answer is yes.

Most of us owned marbles as a kid and maybe even played marble games, including "keeps."

"Keeps," of course, is just what it says. You play marbles, you "keep" the ones you won.

Marbles were back in the headlines last week.

The British World Marbles Championship has been held every Good Friday in Tinsley Green, England, since the 1600s, maybe longer. And, sometimes, the British Marble Control Board invites teams from other countries. Like this year, teams from the United States and Germany joined the British.

Players of marbles is not only for kids. Youngsters and oldsters alike participated at the Tinsley Green tournament.

There is a tournament for youngsters only, the National Marble Tournament, held every year in Wildwood , N. J., open to youngsters 14 and younger, with divisions for boys and girls.

And there's the Rolley Hole Tournament in Cumberland County, Tenn., each September for youngsters and adults at the annual marble festival and a tournament at Standing Stone State Park.

Bargains by the mile

Bargains by the mile will be available again this year.

Plans are being formulated for the region's second annual "100-Mile Yard Sale."

The event will be held during Memorial Day weekend, starting Thursday, May 25, and running through Monday, May 29.

The event is expected to increase traffic along a 100-mile stretch of Highway 25 from Jackson to Kennett.

The 100-mile yard sale was the idea of Ellen Lowe of Bloomfield, who organized the event in 1999, with more than 100 yard sales along the route. Cities and communities along Highway 25 include Jackson, Gordonville, Advance, Delta, Dexter, Bernie, Bloomfield, Clarkton, Malden and Kennett.

Yard sale mania has long been in existence in Southeast Missouri and the nation. It is a way to get rid of the junk and make money. And it is an opportunity to find that certain item at a bargain.

Many stores in the towns along the route conducted weekend sidewalk sales.

The Malden Chamber of Commerce is heading up this year's event and will coordinate a "flyer" to be distributed along the route. Additional information is available by contacting the Malden chamber, (573) 276-4519.

Smiles, more smiles

The 2000 Missouri State Fair, Aug. 10-20, in Sedalia promises fairgoers will zoom into the first fair of the new millennium with a smile on their face. Specifically, they proclaim you will experience 2000 Smiles An Hour.

This is the new theme for this year's State Fair.

The theme's graphic has an out-of-this-world look. The now familiar family that has been featured in the fair's theme graphic since 1997 is traveling in style this year. Their new millennium car is a yellow space ship zooming around a large neon pink 2000. The new theme made its debut on the fair's Web site this week.