Gimmicks are sometimes the centerpiece of much successful fundraising. And, the Rev. Tim Bupp of Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church in Butler hopes the fundraising gimmick in which he — or, rather, his ponytail — is the centerpiece will raise a lot of money for a good cause.

His is such a worthy project that it is to be hoped he will greatly surpass his goal.

What Bupp has agreed to do is allow his ponytail to be cut off by the pastor whose church raises the most money for Locks of Love, the organization that distributes wigs of human hair to children with medical hair loss, mostly those battling cancer.

The removal of Bupp's ponytail will take place at 5 p.m. Sept. 16 at his church's booth on Main Street during the local Fall Festival. If $10,000 is collected for Locks of Love through the fundraiser, Bupp will allow his head to be shaved.

Meanwhile, the second-highest fundraising church will get to cut off the ponytail of Renee Lyon, Grace @ Calvary secretary, who proposed the fundraising project.

For Bupp, the sacrifice is significant, albeit presumably temporary; he has worn a ponytail for most of his adult life.

It would be gratifying if his willingness to give up his hair would encourage others to do the same. In fact, others will have the opportunity to donate their hair at the Grace @ Calvary festival booth.

People seeking more information have been asked to call Lyon at 724-482-9246.

"It grows back — at least I think it grows back," Bupp said.

Bupp and others willing to go through the temporary inconvenience of a shearing deserve praise for the long-term gift they give to others.

The vandalism and graffiti at the farmers market between Race and Shore streets in the Island section of Butler over the Labor Day holiday weekend are a blemish that should disturb both residents and city officials.The immature individuals who take pleasure in defacing property should consider the ramifications of their destructive acts.The costs of supplies and labor to repair the damage are paid out of tax revenue collected from city residents — possibly from their parents or other relatives and maybe even from themselves.Damage is not without financial consequences, contrary to what they might think.That money would be better spent for something other than farmers market repairs — like street repairs. The money from fines and costs associated with the offense, if the vandal or vandals are caught, also could be better spent by those paying them.Perhaps a solution to the vandalism at the market — this is not the first time the facility has been vandalized — is for the city to make it off-limits from dusk to dawn.Such vandalism and the resulting waste of city resources must not be tolerated.Likewise, farmers who sell their products at the farmers market should demonstrate their appreciation for the facility by sweeping up debris and other litter before returning to their farms. The city shouldn't have to clean up for them.

Apparently a new sport is evolving in Butler County. Unfortunately, it is a sport that many people will regard as repulsive.In the Aug. 3 edition of the Butler Eagle, a letter to the editor from a Butler Township man expressed dismay over an incident in which a deer's antlers, and the skull area to which they were attached, were removed after the deer was struck on Evans City Road."When I viewed his remains in the morning and became quite reproachful at the sight, I suddenly felt pride that I'm no longer a trophy taker, and shame for the one who was," the man wrote.But what took place at the site where the Evans City Road deer was struck and killed was not an isolated incident. Shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday along Mercer Road at the edge of the Links housing development, a young man who arrived on a bicycle was observed removing the antlers of a dead deer along the road.The deer, minus its antlers, remained at the site Friday morning.It must evoke a strange sense of pride to display a deer's antlers acquired from roadkill such as this. And, those taken Thursday, considering their size, probably would merit classification as a conversation piece, had they been acquired as part of the legal hunting season.As this new "sport" evolves, the roadkill trophy hunters should find something better to do with their time.