The O-town Scene

R.o.B.S. A. Forget Words With Friends. In Smithton, Mo., the latest game craze is Signboard Scrabble. The best part? You don't need an iPhone or other 21st-century gadget to play _ just a little creativity. What started as a series of pranks perpetrated on a few local businesses has become, Smithton Mayor Joe Brautigan says, "a new tradition in the making." Brautigan says that, about three weeks ago, he started getting complaints from sev- eral businesses along the commercial strip on Smithton's west side _ many of whom use old-fashioned signs with plastic letters that must be rearranged manually. "Merchants were coming in Monday mornings, and finding that their sign letter- ing had been rearranged," Brautigan said. But not all merchants were annoyed. Some seemed amused by the whole thing. "One guy said, 'I don't know who's doing this, but whoever they are, they're pretty creative,'" Brautigan said. Smithton Autos owner Royce Thompson was the first merchant to invite the vandals rather than deterring them. After his sign was modified four or five times, Thompson It's hard to tell what's true these days. Take a gander below, and guess if A. and B. are Real or B.S. (Answers at the bottom of the page.) Letter swap seen as more creative than criminal decided that "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." His signs for the past few weeks have featured tongue-twisting phrases full of Qs, Xs and Zs that would vex even the most avid Scrabble fan. Thompson has added a link on his website where virtual vandals can submit their responses; each week, he picks a winner, who is entered in a drawing to win a 2010 Chevrolet Aveo. "I thought, why not have some fun with it?," Thompson said. Following Thompson's lead, many other West Side merchants have joined in the game. Signs featuring words usually only seen during a spelling bee ("appoggiatura," anyone?), or familiar phrases ("She sells sea shells down by the seashore") seem popular. The original sign vandals are still walking free, but Brautigan said he's gotten fewer complaints since the merchants embraced the idea of leaving their signs open to interpretation. "People seem to love it," Brautigan said. "It's a little odd, but it's harmless enough." Man really misses B. his hometown pizza STOUGHTON, Mass. _ A Mississippi man who grew up in Massachusetts goes to great lengths for a good pizza. About 1,400 miles. David Schuler returned to Jackson, Miss., last weekend with 150 pies from Town Spa Pizza, a restaurant in his home town of Stoughton, just outside Boston. It's a tradition he started years ago when he couldn't find a good slice in Mississippi. ess.eal, by The Associated Pr. is r.S., by Emily Popek; BA. is B Aug. 18, 2011 O-Town Scene 19 He returned with 150 frozen, vacuum- sealed pies. That was a record for him. They cost $1,200. He made the 16-state trek in 24 hours, munching on Town Spa pizzas he kept on the passenger seat. Restaurant manager Kerry Hughes told The Enterprise of Brockton he ships pizzas as far as California and Florida, but Schuler is his best out-of-state customer. WUOW Featured Artist Nickel Creek, Sara Watkins, Punch Brothers Nickel Creek and two of its musi- cians' new projects are this week's WUOW featured artists. Each week, SUNY Oneonta-based NPR affiliate WUOW features a worthy musician in its Friday Night Featured Artist radio program from 8 to 9 p.m. at 104.7 FM in Oneonta and online at wuow.org. Progressive folk group Nickel Creek blended three-part harmony and bluegrass instruments from 1989 through 2006, when its young members began work on new proj- ects. Sara Watkins started a solo career. Chris Thile put together the modern bluegrass group, Punch Brothers. Sean Watkins formed alternative rock group Fiction Family. Tune in Friday night for an hour of music by Nickel Creek, Sara Watkins and Punch Brothers. Punch Brothers will perform at the Belleayre Music Festival in Highmount on Aug. 27. For info, visit www.belleay- remusic.org.

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