CLARKSDALE HAPPENINGS

May 2024

"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." – Coretta Scott King

Dog Clinic May 4th Mother’s Day May  12th

City Council Mtg (6pm City Hall)  May  21st

Memorial Day (City Hall Closed)     May 27th

Fish Fry       June 1st

https://clarksdale-mo.com/ Find this newsletter, pay your bill, official minutes, reports, agendas, news about current projects, and more!

Consumer Confidence Report – The current 2023 Consumer Confidence Report is available at https://dnr.mo.gov/ccr/MO1010167.pdf. Call City Hall at 816-393-5363 for a paper copy. Or it can be viewed at https://clarksdale-mo.com/water-quality-report

Here is a link for PWSD No 1 of DeKalb County:https://pwsdco.com/documents/1577/MO1024191__3_.pdf

Here is a link for Missouri American:      https://pwsdco.com/documents/1577/MO1010714__3_.pdf

Dog Clinic - Sat. May 4th 9am -Noon at the City Park.  Dr. Stan Goodwin will be here to give shots to your dogs and cats. The City Clerk will be there for you to purchase city licenses. Payment accepted as cash or check, but pay the City and Stan separately.

Cash or check. Separate payments for City of Clarksdale and Maysville Veterinary clinic.

*Proof of rabies shot required to receive dog license.

MO-KAN-Mon. May 13th between 4-8pm at June Conley Bldg, 701 E Main St, Maysville, Mo. MO-KAN is developing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and needs community feed from you. Thinking of our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats regarding agriculture, animal health corridor, education, broadband access, housing, economic development, waterways, transportation, infrastructure, and more. 

Clarksdale Advancement Foundation  is looking for great people who want to make Clarksdale fantastic and help us achieve our goals. Come to our next meeting Thurs., May 9th at 6:30pm at City Hall. Snacks provided. “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in”.~Author Unknown

Fresh Mobile Pantry - Second Harvest Community Food Bank - Wed., May 15th , 2024. Clarksdale City Park - 10am - 12pm  - While Supplies Last- Open to the Public. Please tell your friends and neighbors. Everyone is welcome. {NOTE: mandate from 2nd Harvest, we have been limited to three families per vehicle.} To sign up for our text alert system email your full name, phone number, and zip code to info@shcfb.org. This is the quickest and most effective way to get information on schedule changes. Visit www.shcfb.org  for more assistance options.The 2nd Harvest Food Pantry, sponsored by the Clarksdale Lions Club and the Clarksdale Christian Church.

Chic- Chat Group - May 20th All ladies welcome! 3rd Monday of the month at 6:30 pm. Bring a snack if you want, but not required. Enjoy an evening of fellowship and no children. Meeting at Meta Sampsel’s, 103 S. 4th Street, Clarksdale.  

Men’s Movie Night - Same time as women’s Chic-Chat group. At the Baptist Church, 213 N. 2nd Street, Clarksdale.

The Clarksdale  Lions Club meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month and we welcome anyone to come and hear what our club does for the community and we are always looking for new members.

Lead Service Line Grant - Total H2O Solutions is the company that received the grant to complete our Lead and Copper Service Line Inventory. They may be contacting you to get the information required to complete the inventory.  Please give them a warm Clarksdale welcome and help them help us make the deadline for completing the survey. ????

Tri-County Health Department Survey-It would mean a lot to me, Teresa McDonald, BSN RN Administrator, if you could take a few minutes to complete this survey. Please share this with anyone else you can think of who lives or works in Dekalb or Gentry County. Thank you!  (On phone or tablet, open the built-in camera app. Point the camera at the QR code. Tap the banner that appears on your Android phone or tablet. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish signing in.)

Coming! 

Fish Fry- Saturday, June 1st in the City Park. Fried Fish dinner or Hamburger dinner with all the fixings. Come enjoy the festivities! $10 Adults, $5 kids 10 yrs old and under. 

Farmers Market -Free! 9-12pm, 2nd Saturday of the month June -  Sept. at the large pavilion City Park. Looking for vendors and shoppers! Call or email  City Hall at 816-393-5363 or cityofclarksdale@yahoo.com 

Concert in the Park - Bud Drowns is hosting a Gospel Concert in the Park to raise money for Cancer research on Sat. June 22nd. More details to come! 

Clarksdale Christian Church - VBS -Aug 4th thru 9th -Aug 4th Kick-off at 6:00 pm in the city park with a water side. Aug 5th - 8th VBS 6:30 - 8:30 pm Games, Songs, Bible Stories, Crafts, and Snacks. Aug 9th Family Night program and refreshments. 

Don't Fry Day

Ozone layer depletion decreases our atmosphere's natural protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Understanding these risks and taking sensible precautions will help you enjoy the sun while reducing your chances of sun-related health problems.

The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention designated the Friday before Memorial Day as Don’t Fry Day. The Council’s goal is to encourage sun safety awareness by reminding everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors on Don’t Fry Day and every day.

Remember to Slip! Slop! Slap! and Wrap! when you're outdoors. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, slap on a hat, and wrap on sunglasses.

UV Index Overview

The UV Index provides a forecast of the expected risk of overexposure to UV radiation from the sun. The National Weather Service calculates the UV index forecast for most ZIP codes across the U.S., and EPA publishes this information. The UV Index is accompanied by recommendations for sun protection and is a useful tool for planning sun-safe outdoor activities.

Ozone depletion, as well as seasonal and weather variations, cause different amounts of UV radiation to reach the Earth at any given time. Taking these factors into account, the UV Index predicts the level of solar UV radiation and indicates the risk of overexposure on a scale from 1 (low) to 11 or more (extremely high). A special UV Alert may be issued for a particular area, if the UV Index is forecasted to  be higher than normal.

Calculating the UV Index

The U.S. National Weather Service calculates the UV Index using a computer model that relates the ground-level strength of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation to forecasted stratospheric ozone concentration, forecasted cloud amounts, and elevation of the ground.

The calculation done by some other nations also includes ground observations. The calculation starts with measurements of current total ozone amounts over the entire globe, obtained via two satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These data are used to produce a forecast of stratospheric ozone levels for the next day at many points across the country. A computer model uses the ozone forecast and the incident angle of sunlight at each point to calculate the strength of UV radiation at ground level. Sunlight angle is determined by latitude, day of year, and time of day (solar noon). The strength of UV radiation is calculated for several wavelengths between 280 and 400 nm, the full spectrum of UVB (280-314 nm) and UVA (315-400 nm) radiation.

Ozone in the atmosphere absorbs (attenuates) shorter UV wavelengths more strongly than longer wavelengths. The strength of ground-level UV radiation differs significantly across the UV spectrum. As an example, UV strengths for a point might be calculated as shown in the table below. (These are hypothetical values. A National Weather Service chart shows typical UV irradiance values.)

The next step in the calculation adjusts for the sensitivity of human skin to UV radiation. Shorter UV wavelengths cause more skin damage than longer UV wavelengths of the same intensity. To account for this response, calculated UV strength is weighted (adjusted) at each wavelength using a function called the McKinlay-Diffey erythema action spectrum.

Continuing with our example, the table below gives skin response weighting factors for the UV wavelengths. (These are hypothetical values for the example, not actual McKinlay-Diffey weighting factors.) We multiply the ground-level UV strength by the weighting factor to calculate the result, the effective strength of the UV radiation, at each wavelength.

Next, the effective UV strength at each wavelength across the 290 to 400 nm spectrum is summed (integrated), giving a value that represents the total effect of UV radiation on skin. In our example, the total UV effect is 280 (60 + 130 + 90).

The next step of the calculation adjusts for the effects of elevation and clouds. UV intensity increases about 6% per kilometer elevation above sea level. Clouds absorb UV radiation, reducing ground-level UV intensity. Clear skies allow virtually 100% of UV to pass through, scattered clouds transmit 89%, broken clouds transmit 73%, and overcast skies transmit 31%.

For our example, let us assume that the elevation is 1 kilometer and there are broken clouds overhead. The total UV effect, adjusted 6% for elevation and 73% for clouds, would be calculated as: 280 x 1.06 x 0.73 = 216.7

The final step of the calculation scales the total UV effect, dividing it by 25 and rounding to the nearest whole number. The result is a number that usually ranges from 0 (darkness or very weak sunlight) to the mid-teens (very strong sunlight). This value is the UV Index.

For our example, the UV Index would be:  216.7 / 25 = 8.7, rounded to 9

UV Index Scale

The UV Index scale used in the United States conforms with international guidelines for UVI reporting established by the World Health Organization. Learn how to read the UV index Scale to help you avoid harmful exposure to UV radiation.

1-2: Low

No protection needed. You can safely stay outside using minimal sun protection.3-7:Moderate to High

Protection needed. Seek shade during late morning through mid-afternoon. When outside, generously apply broad-spectrum SPF-15 or higher sunscreen on exposed skin, and wear protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.

8+: Very High to Extreme

Extra protection needed. Be careful outside, especially during late morning through mid-afternoon. If your shadow is shorter than you, seek shade and wear protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses, and generously apply a minimum of  SPF-15, broad-spectrum sunscreen on exposed skin.

The Shadow Rule

An easy way to tell how much UV exposure you are getting is to look for your shadow:

• If your shadow is taller than you are (in the early morning and late afternoon), your UV exposure is likely to be lower.
• If your shadow is shorter than you are (around midday), you are being exposed to higher levels of UV radiation. Seek shade and protect your skin and eyes.