JACKSON POLICE, FIRE SHOW SCHOOLS SPIRIT

Drivers passing through the Hwys. 61, 34, 72 and 25 intersection in Jackson have been noticing a strange appearance in the front lawn of the Police and Fire Department.

And we're not talking about crop circles.

The mysterious "Jackson Indians" appeared Oct. 29, just one day before the 1998 Jackson-Cape football rivalry was held.

"We discussed what to put in the yard," said Patrolman Rick Whitaker. "We wanted something to promote school spirit."

"Actually, it was more of a dare," clarified Fire Department Mechanic Steve Grant. "We thought about it and decided to do it."

Whitaker and Grant both take credit for the large words in the grass, but say that it's the school spirit from everyone who comes to the games year after year that helps create the fun atmosphere.

"It took over two hours to mow," said Grant. "You just don't know how hard it is to write with a lawn mower when you're mowing downhill."

"We had to rake it down and then paint it, so it really took longer than that," Whitaker said.

The departments have received positive feedback on their creation. But some wonder why the "J" looks funny.

"Rick wasn't here to help me like he said he would," joked Grant. "I was out there mowing and he wasn't there and we started getting calls from Rhodes and a bus full of kids saying that the 'J' was backwards. We even got a call from the City Administrator who said that someone from Cape had cut that in our grass to make us look silly. It's all been a lot of fun."

"That's true, I wasn't there," Whitaker said in his defense. "He started without me, but what he did looks great. I think it really helped to promote the fun atmosphere of the game."

Both men agree that the Jackson-Cape rivalry is a great time for both teams. People come from miles around to see the game and visit with other people that they only see at the contests.

"It will be there for a couple of months, until it grows back," said Grant. "We just decided to do it for fun and might add something else later. We're not in the advertising business, but we like to promote good spirit so keep watching the lawn!"