Tattoos, graffiti, babies and your chance to be a cowboy

I don’t have a tattoo.
Go ahead and search me. I won’t mind.
Not that there’s anything wrong in using ink to paint your body.
In fact, a new exhibit at the Hannibal Arts Council celebrates tattoos, as well as train car graffiti and traditional china painting.
How’s that for a combo?
The show is called “Tats, Tags and a Bull in a China Shop” and it’s on display in the council’s gallery at 1221 Market.
Best of all, it’s free and open to everyone. The gallery’s regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
If you’d like to know more, call (573) 221-6545 or go to www.hannibalarts.com.

Lofty ambitions
Wouldn’t it be great if you could help out for the holidays without wearing a winter jacket?
Well, you can on Sunday. The Historic Hannibal Marketing Council is hosting a Downtown Loft Tour.
It’s from 1 to 4 p.m., and includes six sites in the historic area.
Adult tickets are just $8 and you can bring the kids along for free.
The stops are:
• 201 N. Main, a bed and breakfast owned by Michael and Pam Ginsberg.
• 112A N. Main, a loft apartment owned by Jeff and Kristy Trevathan.
• 219 N. Main, a gallery, studio and luxury loft owned by Nancy Kaufman.
• 201A Broadway, a gallery and studio owned by Cheryl and Harold Pickern.
• 214 N. Third, a luxury loft owned by Bobby and Lynn Boland.
• 119 S. Main, a home and office owned by Jerry and Janet Welch.
You can buy tickets at any of the locations the day of the event or in advance at the Alliance Gallery, 112 N. Main, or the Native American Trading Co., 115 N. Main.
Proceeds will be used to buy seasonal decorations in the historic area.

Strutting their stuff
The Little Miss and Mr. Hannibal Pageant and Tom Sawyer Baby Contest will be held from 10 a.m. to noon today.
Originally scheduled for the Admiral Coontz Recreation Center, the events have been moved to Hannibal Middle School because of flooding.
The deadline has passed for entering the Little Miss and Mr. pageants, but you can still get your kid in the Tom Sawyer Baby Contest.
It’s for boys and girls ages birth to 35 months. Registration is at 9 a.m. with the contest at 10.
Groups will be divided at six-month intervals with separate categories for boys and girls. Other competitions are planned.

Be a cowboy
I can never get enough of John Wayne in “Two Mules for Sister Sara.”
One of my favorite lines is “Lady, if you weren’t a nun, I’d let you save your own bacon.”
My old buddy Adam Thiele is offering a chance at stardom.
He and Greg Ellery of North End Productions are making a western.
They’re looking for men ages 25 to 65 and women ages 18 to 45.
A casting call for actors is from 1 to 3 p.m. today. Crew members also are needed, and can sign up from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Actors and crew should stop by 1104 Monroe in Quincy.
Thiele and Ellery are looking for real cowboys, so if you can ride a horse or handle a gun, you’re perfect for the part.
Also, if you have a horse you wouldn’t mind making a star, stop by. Just leave the pony at home for now.
The month-long shoot will be done in and around Quincy starting in August.
“You want that gun, pick it up. I wish you would.”
OK, that wasn’t me. That was from “Rio Bravo.”
All’s fair
Griggsville is the place to be through Sunday.
The 120th Western Illinois Fair will have everything you’d expect, plus something new this year.
The traditional horse racing, tractor pull and demolition derby will be enhanced with the addition of live entertainment.
Regional artists Antidote and Slick Woody take the stage tonight. There’s also a new carnival this year.

Radioheads
The Hannibal Amateur Radio Club is participating in a national field day exercise this weekend in Huckleberry Park.
Equipment will be set up at 8 a.m. today, with the 24-hour contest starting at 1 p.m.
The object is to contact as many places as possible in a day, all while running on generators with portable antennas. 

Heads up
If you haven’t gotten your fill of Independence Weekend events, you’ll want to stop by this space next Saturday.
“Hey, pilgrim, be careful with that firecracker or I’ll have to cook your bacon.”
So, did I channel John Wayne or should I hang up my saddle?
Fine, I’ll go get a tattoo of the Lone Ranger on my belly.
Come to think of it, I have enough space there to fit in Silver while I’m at it.