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January 4, 2012 By Joanne Winer There's an old saying that "What goes around, comes around". This can be either a negative thing where someone who does something not so good, gets it back in spades, eventually, or it can be a positive thing, where you are rewarded in some way for doing something for someone else. This is an experience that a visitor to Quartzsite found so special that he called the newspaper about it and thought it would be a good human interest story. This man is a trucker, and he and his girl- Paying it forward has its own rewards... friend travel all around the country hauling loads of anything they are hired to carry--they are now putting in over 7000 miles a week on the road. Recently they were going from Phoe- nix to Fontana, Ca. with a load when they de- cided to stop in Quartzsite for a meal. I called this trucker and thought he was still in town, but he was already in Fontana. We spoke at length over the phone so I could do the story that he thought should be told. He de- scribed himself as a big man--well over 6 feet tall and very husky, with long hair and tattoos, a feather in his ear, and certainly not your av- erage looking guy—"almost like a biker", were his words. He and his girlfriend have travelled all over in their truck, and he said that in spite of his size and looks, he is really a gentle giant. He has been involved in all kinds of charity and volunteer work all his life--he was also in radio at one time. Anyway, now he is trucking for awhile, and has noticed that all over the coun- try in the truck stops and restaurants he has noticed that truckers look after each other. Some truckers have had a very good career, and they are able to keep going in spite of the economy. Others have had a harder time of it, and don't often have the means to keep their trucks on the road, let alone any other expenses. Some truckers have decided that if www.DesertMessenger.com they can, they will "pay it forward"--they go to a truck stop or restaurant where truckers eat, and when they go to pay for their meals, if they have extra cash, they will leave some at the register that can be used to help an- other trucker somewhere down the line who does not have the money to pay for a meal. He has seen this all over the country, but had never thought to be on the receiving end of all his generosity in the past. Until he came to Quartzsite. David Shelby and his longtime girlfriend Kelly decided to stop at the Times Three Res- taurant at the west end of town. He noticed another smaller truck in the parking lot when they went in. The only other person in the restaurant at the time was the owner of the truck. They ordered their meals, and noticed the trucker leaving. When they went to pay for their meals later, the waitress told them that the meal had been paid for by the man who had left. They couldn't believe it--they did not need to have it paid for since they were doing okay, but the man had already paid and left. This was the first time in all his travels that someone had done this for him, although he had done it for many others. He was very impressed, and thought that this man might have been a local since it wasn't a semi he was driving. David just wanted the people here to know how impressed he was with the town, how friendly everyone was to them, and how at 48 years old he found that all his years of pay- ing it forward himself had come back to him. He told me that the spirit of America is still strong, and that this kind of thing brings out the best in people. We made plans to meet when they come back this way, and he even- tually would like to spend some time here since he liked it so much. It was a wonderful interview for me, and we are looking forward to meeting them when they come back this way--just so nice to have some positive feed- back about our wonderful town!! Dick's Watches - Jewelry CLOSING! BLOW OUT SALE! Fri. Sat. Sun. JANUARY 6, 7, & 8 • 9am-3pm Everything Must Go! Tyson Wells Centre Front Row Booth 11 CRAFTS & YARN Lots of New Items! Discontinuing Macrame!! We're looking forward to seeing all our friends and customers! Tyson Wells Space #11 • Arlene & Dale 605-390-6379 AVIS & DICK CASSEM - 602-390-1613 Got something to share? Birth, Obituary, Anniversary, Wedding, etc. A FREE Service of Desert Messenger. Call 541-218-2560 FOR USED RV‛s, 5th Wheel & CASH Bumper Pull Trailers Call Steve 480-363-8025 Page 3 QIA Craft Fair 1st Sat. of every month! Daily Activities! RON & OPAL MUSICAL Tues. Jan. 3 • 7pm $5 Donation 928-927-6325 235 E. Ironwood St., Quartzsite THE 1880'S VARIETY SHOW Wednesday thru Sunday, January thru February 12:00, 1:00, 5:00 & 6:00 Guests planning to eat, please allow adequate time for dinner inside before show. Seating starts 15 min. before showtime. !!!Showgrounds!!! Look for our theater tent located in front of Times Three Family Restaurant West Main, Quartzsite Come on down for dinner, then after dinner take a trip back through time for some laughs at the "Old Tale Saloon" where you will experience comic silliness, dramatic overacting, original songs, plus a variety of timeless tunes from over five decades of popular music. A3 delivers old fashioned fun and entertainment in an imaginary 1880's town with a delightully fun cast of many characters; all in an intimate setting with old west attitude. Tickets only $5 "...this is unique entertainment that is healthy in its honesty and fun in delivery" -Laughlin Entertainer Magazine Serving Quartzsite area! 115 N. Emelia, PO Box 581, Quartzsite ABPA Certified No. 29-00027 International Stones Your Source for all Mexican Rock Products Calcites, Obsidians, Jaspers, Geodes and Many, Many More! Plus Mexican Finished Rock Products The Birthplace of the Famous Loose-Neck Critters Call for Information. Visit us at Tucson Electric Park Booth OS B5 & B6 Or in Beautiful, Safe, Queretaro, Mexico E-mail: ISTONESMEXICO@AOL.COM MEXICO TEL: (52) 442-228-3007 FAX: (52) 442-228-4088 USA DIRECT TEL: (718) 514-6119 OR (956) 373-9051 Resident! Local JOSEPH BRUNO • BACK FLOW SPECIALIST 928-916-4965 775-790-3260