FIRST DRUG FAIR A BIG SUCCESS

Saturday of education about drugs was culminated by a heart-wrenching
talk from former meth addict David Parnell of Martin.

Parnell spoke for a solid 90 minutes about his drug history, starting
with marijuana and leading to other drugs, especially meth. Parnell
is married and he and wife Amy have seven children. He almost died
twice, first as the result of attempting to hang himself and a second
time when he put a shotgun under his chin and pulled the trigger. Amy
knocked the barrel just as it was going off and the blast tore away
the front of his face. He has undergone several surgeries including
periodically having to have his jaw rebroken and put back together.

David Parnell is a Motivational speaker. According to his website
www.facingthedragon.org, he travels across the country to share his
story and struggle with methamphetamine. David has devoted his life
to fighting meth.

He speaks to schools, churches, jails, rehabs, and community groups
to warn about the dangers of methamphetamine. His story hopefully
will not only prevent others from trying methamphetamine but also
give hope to those already addicted.

David's programs include education about drugs, particularly
methamphetamine, his personal story, before and after pictures of
himself and others, photos taken by investigators moments after his
suicide attempt, and a 20 minute video. His presentation is in
PowerPoint format. The video could not be shown Saturday because of
technical problems, but a power-point presentation replaced it.

Before Parnell spoke, former Special Agent and current county
commissioner Gary Evans talked about a friend of his who was shot
while serving the border patrol and who underwent so much therapy and
so many operations that he succumbed to addiction to pain pills and
ultimately took his own life.

"This is everybody's problem," says Evans, chairman of the Anti-drug
Coalition who devoted many hours preparing for the event. "We are
grateful to all those that attended the drug resistance fair. This
problem effects all ages.

Evans spoke of making a Drug Awareness Day an annual event, the 3rd
Saturday in August.

According to Evans, Benton County is #4 in the state per capita in
drug abuse, exceeding Nashville and Memphis. Methamphetamine is the
worst problem of this area.

Richard Wright, along with Jimmy Townsend and John Shelton, cooked
about 320 hamburgers and a passel of hot dogs on a sweltering grill
outside and members of the local congregation helped served the meals
under the awning. The food was served free to those who stopped by.

The Benton County Genealogical Society brought a unique hand-made
quilt for silent auction. Bids will be accepted until November 15.
Anyone wishing to bid on the quilt can do so by contacting Jean
Gilley, 731-584-2332.

The National Guard brought a trailer and parked it in front of the
church building alongside U.S. 70. The trailer contained many
displays about drugs and drug paraphernalia, including some sample
marijuana plants. It was a popular attraction, along with booths that
lined both sides of the hallways throughout the church building.

Local educators were given the opportunity to use the Drug Resistance
Fair as a day of in-service to gain knowledge and information about
drugs. The state requires all teachers to have five days of
in-service each year. Face-painting was provided for children.

About 400 attended the 4.5 hour Drug Resistance and Wellness Fair at
the Camden Church of Christ which was co-sponsored by several groups
including the Camden Rotary Club, the Camden Lions Club, and the
Tennessee National Guard.