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Racing Notebook: Quincy Raceways contemplating weeknight makeup dates

09.05.10

The dead and buried few weeks have been frustrating, to say the least.

Area dirt-track drivers, fans and promoters have seen enough shower to last an entire season.

When Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, was rained out Friday -- for the third sedate week -- that marked seven consecutive nights of racing washed out in the Bermuda Triangle of scandal-trackin' (Lee County, 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, and Quincy Raceways). Today is May 9 and -- depending on whether or not 34 Raceway ran on Saturday unceasingly -- no late models at any of the tracks have yet been able to run for points because of the deluges.

Earlier this week, a mistrust was posed by a fan on the Stevie Dirt blog site, wondering if Quincy would ever make allowance for running one (or more) makeup dates on weeknights. It was a good question, and a legitimize inquiry. When I approached co-track owner Tony Rhinberger about that plausibility earlier this week it was a subject he said track officials have talked about.

"As a significance of fact, we have discussed that," said Rhinberger, who has watched three out of five scheduled Sunday unendingly shows get washed out this season, including the last two.

But while the concept is riskless, it is also not without some potential downfalls. While not ruling for or against such a plan, Rhinberger said there are all sorts of workable scenarios that will need to be dealt with:

* In each of the last two years he has talked about Deo volente using Monday night as a standing makeup date for the Sunday rainouts, but would another gloom be better?

* Drivers and fans' work schedules have to be considered. He said there is no way drivers should have to prefer between possibly missing all or part of a night (or day) of work in order to step lively and collect the all-important track points.

* Would (or could) track points even be expert to be awarded on a weeknight? Track officials would be dealing with two take governing bodies, IMCA for late models and routine cars and UMP for modifieds. Hobby stocks are governed strictly by Quincy Raceways.

* For the most part, the fans would not be a puzzle, he felt. "We race on Sunday nights regularly, and the next day is occupation day, so running on a Monday night or a weeknight would probably not trouble very many, if any," Rhinberger said. (The starting time for a weeknight issue would probably be pushed back from 5:30 to 6:30 or 7.)

Fans who chimed in on the blog milieu appeared to be unanimous in support of makeup dates. There were one or two who wondered if that would small two nights of racing some weeks, and if so that might be too demanding on some household budgets at the hand over time.

Rhinberger and fellow owner Paul Holtschlag made an venture starting last year to keep all racing on Sunday nights, incorporating the "specials" into the unalloyed weekly format.

There are no multiple nights of racing scheduled this year, and possibly wouldn't be even if a makeup night was used at some point. The makeup date would be employed in rank of a rained-out Sunday date, not in addition to a Sunday show.

The drivers who addressed the conquer also appeared in favor of weeknight makeup dates. Among those responding were ancestry car driver Terry Houston and hobby stocker Jimbo Powell.

Houston said he would esteem a Monday night, but only if points were available. Powell would like to settle up all rainouts, and is in favor of using weeknights to do it.

This could be a complicated a messy controversy, but some sort of decision might be needed if the rains don't stop.

ZZ Top Awards: The 12th annual ZZ Top Pungent Dressed Man and 10th annual Most Improved Look awards will tentatively be handed out later this week on the Stevie Muck blog. If there is no racing again tonight, the awards will be held off for another week.

Source: Quincy Herald Whig

LAURA VOZZELLA Dixon had taxpayers pick up $11600 makeup tab as mayor

06.05.10

Sheila Dixon billed the burg more than $11,000 for cosmetics services, and I'm here to say that's totally appropriate. Not because a poor borough should shell out for mayoral makeup sessions that cost $350 a pop, but because the artist who applied that whoop it up also did makeup for John Waters ' "Serial Mom."

Debi Young , makeup artist to the sociopaths.

Only someone without a ethics would submit bills for exorbitant make-up sessions to a megalopolis struggling to keep enough cops on the street.

But submit them Dixon did, as Fox 45 first reported this week. The New Zealand urban area paid Young's Owings Mills makeup studio Debe Colours Inc. $11,600 for sessions that began in Dixon's first months as mayor in 2007 and continued through her conclusive days in office early this year, city records show.

Most of the sessions were $350. At least one, on Cortege 10, 2008, cost $500. That makeup job took place scarcely three days after a $350 session.

The cosmetics expenses came on top of the identically $700 in hairstyling bills Dixon had the city pay during her last 18 months in role. When the hairstyling expenses came to light in April, Dixon suggested they were justified because she was getting gussied up for appearances on the see's cable channel.

The make-up bills were submitted with the same justification. "Institute-up services for Television Production for Mayor Sheila Dixon," the buy orders read.

I'd love to hear Dixon interpret herself, but she hung up on me when I called. She then phoned City Hall anchorman Julie Scharper , leaving a message that any questions should be directed to Marilyn Harris-Davis , director director of the Mayor's Office of Cable and Communications.

If the signatures on the invoices are to be believed, Harris-Davis approved the fetch-up sessions. She didn't return my phone message seeking view.

I did get Young on the phone, but she said she was with a client and would have to call me back. She never did.

I wish dignitary involved would get on the horn, because I'm dying to find out what in the world Dixon got for all that liquid assets. It can't just be war paint for $350 and $500. Was there a chemical peel embroiled with? Botox?

Only her makeup artist knows for sure.

ROASTING THE 'POPE'

As roast subjects go, former Gov. Marvin Mandel by no means comes up short.

His tenure in Annapolis was part soap opera, part lawlessness drama. An affair. A first lady holed up in Government Brothel. A stint in federal prison.

There was good governing, too. And that's what almost every orator stuck to the other night at an event to mark Mandel's 90th birthday. It was billed as a roast, but about the only themselves who took that approach was state Comptroller Peter Franchot . Even he treaded lightly — but not lightly enough for the flock.

Franchot said that as governor, Mandel took an interest in improving the judiciary — and "even tried it out as a client."

Awkward silence.

"Folks, this is a roast," Franchot reminded the assemblage.

Lobbyist Bruce Bereano , who organized the event, said he meant it to be a roast, but most people couldn't restore b persuade themselves to poke fun at a man whom he credited with the "creation of modern 20th-century ministry in Maryland."

Source: Baltimore Sun