I was walking through Union Cemetary behind the Bellefonte courthouse on Saturday, and heard the roaring whine of a dozen weed-whackers, employed by a squad of gentlemen in teeshirts and shorts, overseen by another gentleman in the uniform of a Centre County Prison guard. The guard confirmed upon questioning that the work team was the result of a request from the borough for help in keeping the grass and weeds under control. I honestly couldn't tell if the work gang were volunteers from the prison office, or inmates dragooned for service to the state. Since the county prison is generally populated by drunk drivers, folks up on minor drug offenses, and domestic-disturbance types, the inmates would be generally indistinguishable from the employees, at least to my unpracticed eye. Whoever they were, they did a passable job.

Wish I knew whether it was civic virtue or slave-labor, though.