April 9, 2005
Indiana Man Wins 'Village Idiot' Award
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

STORY, Ind. (AP) -- The competition was fierce and foolish, but a man
who accidentally sawed through a live wire and topped that by

his truck hours after buying it more than earned the honorary title
"Village Idiot."

Mark Carmichael's blunders won him the good-natured award that's been
handed out for years in the tiny Brown County town of Story. The

is whoever gets the most votes from regulars at the Story Inn's

Carmichael, the inn's maintenance man, won in part for an incident in
which he cut through a live wire while using a circular saw to

the inn's galvanized steel roof. But he also damaged his

1998 Dodge truck -- the day after he got it -- by getting it stuck

a whiskey barrel planter outside the inn.

His foolishness earned the 27-year-old a $100 bar tab at the Story
Still.

Rick Hofstetter, who owns the inn about 40 miles south of

said the competition for this year's award was fierce.

For example, two Story Inn regulars were nominated for knocking
themselves unconscious while opening their car doors. Another was
nominated for burning down his front porch after not fully
extinguishing a cigarette in a full ashtray.

Bartender Evan McMahon was nominated for opening an $80 bottle of

Hill Chardonnay to make a $6.50 wine spritzer for a bar patron.

Not to be outdone, Story Inn housekeeper Kathy Newhall earned her
nomination for using French truffle oil from the kitchen, which costs
$50 for a 3-ounce bottle, to quiet a squeaky toilet seat.

But it was Carmichael who came out on top. The bar's patrons had more
than enough evidence to give him the honor -- not least of which was
the pig roast incident.

"I cooked a couple of hogs out there on some bed springs once," he
explained to a dismayed visitor.

Carmichael had cut the carcasses in half with a chain saw, then used

pitchfork to turn the meat as it cooked. He ended up serving up the
portions with a hatchet.

"People loved it," he said. "We called it Louisiana style."

------

Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.hoosiertimes.com

April 9, 2005
Indiana Man Wins 'Village Idiot' Award
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

STORY, Ind. (AP) -- The competition was fierce and foolish, but a man
who accidentally sawed through a live wire and topped that by wrecking
his truck hours after buying it more than earned the honorary title
"Village Idiot."

Mark Carmichael's blunders won him the good-natured award that's been
handed out for years in the tiny Brown County town of Story. The winner
is whoever gets the most votes from regulars at the Story Inn's saloon.

Carmichael, the inn's maintenance man, won in part for an incident in
which he cut through a live wire while using a circular saw to replace
the inn's galvanized steel roof. But he also damaged his just-purchased
1998 Dodge truck -- the day after he got it -- by getting it stuck atop
a whiskey barrel planter outside the inn.

His foolishness earned the 27-year-old a $100 bar tab at the Story
Still.

Rick Hofstetter, who owns the inn about 40 miles south of Indianapolis,
said the competition for this year's award was fierce.

For example, two Story Inn regulars were nominated for knocking
themselves unconscious while opening their car doors. Another was
nominated for burning down his front porch after not fully
extinguishing a cigarette in a full ashtray.

Bartender Evan McMahon was nominated for opening an $80 bottle of Chalk
Hill Chardonnay to make a $6.50 wine spritzer for a bar patron.

Not to be outdone, Story Inn housekeeper Kathy Newhall earned her
nomination for using French truffle oil from the kitchen, which costs
$50 for a 3-ounce bottle, to quiet a squeaky toilet seat.

But it was Carmichael who came out on top. The bar's patrons had more
than enough evidence to give him the honor -- not least of which was
the pig roast incident.

"I cooked a couple of hogs out there on some bed springs once," he
explained to a dismayed visitor.

Carmichael had cut the carcasses in half with a chain saw, then used a
pitchfork to turn the meat as it cooked. He ended up serving up the
portions with a hatchet.

"People loved it," he said. "We called it Louisiana style."

------

Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.hoosiertimes.com