Guess WhereThe Donation Box Is:  Village Hopes
Outhouse Humor Will Help Pay Streetlight Bills

CHAUNCEY, OHIO -- A citizens' group is trying to
pay the streetlight bill with a little potty humor.

The Chauncey Emergency Management Group
places an old-fashioned, wooden outhouse on a
resident's lawn with a donation box where the
toilet bowl should be, and a sign on the door that
says, "Redneck Wishing Well."

People who find the latrine in their yard have to
chip in to get it shipped out.  They also get to
pick the next home it graces.

Jerry Dowler, whose phone number is posted
inside the outhouse, hauls it in his PU truck.

The money _ donations of any size acceptable _
helps cover the SE Ohio village's $500-a-month
bill for streetlights.  Voters defeated a tax levy
last year, a committee that gets money from
local cable TV bingo has paid the bill since then.

In its first two days, the outhouse collected $200.
The primary purpose of the group, made up of
officials and citizens, is to keep the lights on.

The group takes over the bill this month, and the
levy is on the ballot again in the fall.  If passed,
enough money to pay the light bill would not be
generated for about a year.

In the meantime, the group has raised $3,000
through bake sales, car washes, and the privy.

"There's a lot of people who really care about
Chauncy.  There's a spirit in this community,"
said group member Ronnie McKibben.

...Paranoia:  Believing this line is written about you.