I tagged along with Publisher Kyle Troutman on Friday to the annual Career Day at the Southwest school district. He manned one of 26 tables filled with a myriad of local professionals who love their jobs enough to spend 90 minutes sharing the ins and outs of their industries. From banking to firefighting, military to pharmecuticals and construction to plain ole entrepreneurship — and fortunately for me, no fly fishermen — middle and high school students had no shortage of minds to pry at the event. Troutman has done a few of these recently, and he says there’s nothing greater than a community offering its youth a bit of real world guidance for choosing a career. He talked to dozens of bright minds on Friday, many of whom were excited about the prospect of publishing a newsaper! I am sad, however, to report that a whole zero students had interest in being a fish — just catching them.

Trout Brown is the comics correspondent for the Cassville Democrat, aiming to point out entertaining happenings in Barry County.