New York City and Points East

I’ll be in New York City for the next few weeks, pursing contacts for a business project I’ve been working on the past six years. Stay tuned for my experiences in the big city.

The Great Train Expo

Some local news that could be a hit anywhere…………

                  Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back.  The Tulsa fairgrounds were hopping last Saturday with a big gun show, the weekly Saturday flea market, a couple of livestock shows and what was billed as “The Great Train Expo”. The line was 150 deep at the entrance to get into the gun show most of the day and once I got inside it seemed every dealer was busy, buying and selling every kind of firearm you can imagine. Because I was on a tight schedule, I only had time to make a quick pass and then it was on to the flea market but it definitely rates another visit. There are horse and cattle events in the livestock barns every weekend and I also come away with a great positive feeling after watching kids with their animals.

All of this was very interesting, but the real purpose of my visit was simple. I was looking to buy a model railroad cattle car and some miniature Black Angus cattle to fill it up as a gift for a friend. My friend’s hobby is model trains and the Great Train Expo seemed like the perfect place to find what I was looking for.

The Expo is the largest touring model train show in the country and had over 150 vendors displaying toy and model trains. There were elaborate train sets where the trains would pass through miniature cities and mountain villages complete with bridges and streetlights. There were sound effects and even smoke in many of the displays and I was amazed at the level of detail and the effort that went into building them. I am also happy to say that I found exactly the type of car I wanted and it even loads and unloads the cattle from an attached pen. This was a very fun event that I would recommend for next year and I suggest taking a kid along.

I have some more details about Youth & Family Services’ annual Celebrity Sing which will be held on March 28th at the Bartlesville Community Center. The confirmed “celebrity” singers include Maria Swindell-Gus, Brian Lawrence, Claudia McCurry, Travis Whitaker, Larri Lindsay, Lona Ware, Rachelle Wilson with a group from ARVEST Bank, Robert McGuire, Jon Hargis, and Celeste Drowatzky. Tickets are $40 per person and include drinks and hors d’ouvres. From what I hear, they will be having a great spread with food from many different local eateries. Don’t miss the opportunity to support this great organization which helps over 600 children and families every year. For more information call (918) 335-1111 or stop by their offices at 2200 SE Washington Boulevard.

I also want to remind you once again about the big Beatles show on March 29th. Also at the Bartlesville Community Center, the concert is a benefit for the Washington County SPCA and tickets are available at the Community Center box office.

Elder Care’s big party, The Big, The Bad and The Barbeque is coming up on May 10th and I understand that they will be announcing some great auction items, including one that involves a private jet. The party is held at the historic Mullendore Cross Bell Ranch and just keeps getting bigger and better every year.

Spring in Oklahoma is always a good time to get out and enjoy a great event, a day trip to Woolaroc or maybe a drive to Tulsa or Oklahoma City, reminding us of all the great resources we have nearby. It is also a good time for a longer trip which I will soon be taking. Hopefully, I will be able to convey all the beautiful sights and experiences I encounter along the way. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more travels.

Till next time I’ll see ya down the road…………………..

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Recent News about Chub Anderson and The Mullendore Murder

  I wrote this article in response to a recent story that appeared in The Oklahoman and was reprinted in the

                          Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

 Welcome back. Many people have asked me to comment on the recent newspaper article concerning Chub Anderson and the Mullendore murder. The following is my recollection of the time I spent with Chub, which I hope reflects my respect for all the parties involved in this tragedy.

It was July 5, 2006 when I had my first real visit with a man who had become a legendary figure in this part of the world. The wrinkles in his face showed he’d spent many a day outdoors in severe weather and his bowed legs spoke of hours on horseback. Several of his fingers were gnarled from various mishaps but he was still able to write. Captured with little but the clothes on his back and facing severe medical problems, much of his life was focused on sheer survival.

He first asked to meet with me after a chance encounter at his sentencing hearing in Sedan, Kansas and to this day I’m not sure why. There were plenty of reporters on hand who were willing to pay to gain his attention and his trust. His life experiences had taught him to read people through eye contact, facial expressions and body language. He could see right through people and understand their motives almost immediately. On many occasions I saw him quickly assess the people who came knocking on his door, some of whom were friends and some of whom were complete strangers. Regardless, they all called him Chub.  That’s how it was when we first met and that’s how it was when he died.

After several months spent getting to know one another while he was incarcerated, I eventually agreed to make a trip to Alder, Montana. This is the small mountain town where he had been living for most of the last sixteen years before his capture.

In the time just before his arrest Chub had been living in one seedy hotel after another in Helena, Montana keeping his few remaining possessions in an old travel trailer which was stored on a friend’s property high in the mountains outside of Alder, There were several boxes of handwritten notes and paperwork, old clothes and some home movies he had made of himself in better days. He’d bought the camera right after he went the run in 1990, fleeing the charges related to his most recent arrest for pot growing in Kansas. As a result he had also violated his probation for similar charges in Oklahoma.  He created a new life for himself as “Jack Everett” and managed to avoid capture for sixteen years.  This is when he purchased a top of the line (for the day) movie camera and tripod to film what he would later describe “as the best time in my life.”

Chub asked me to retrieve these films along with the boxes of paperwork and a few personals items. He kept a few clothes and left the rest with me to refer to while I was writing the story of his life.

Over time Chub told me about the most important things in his life; the good and the bad things he had done, his relationships with friends and lovers, his family and his enemies. In the months before his capture he hadn’t had much company and later when he was paroled in Kansas and eventually moved into a small apartment, things didn’t change much. I visited him several times a week to work on my project and I found there were a few people who were devoted to helping him but many others came to see him out of curiosity rather than genuine friendship. Chub could be charming to these people and would usually entertain them with well practiced stories from the past.

With all that said, its time for March Madness and with Oklahoma State beating Kansas on Saturday, I am ready for the playoffs! Although it was cold and blowing ice outside, those of us who were inside Gallagher-IBA Arena for the game didn’t care. The arena was sold out from the court side seats to the rafters and everyone was there; Big Country Bryant Reese, Eddie Sutton, Danny Manning and even the Oklahoma City Thunder including Kevin Durant. There were also a large number of Kansas alumni and fans all dressed in Kansas blue. With emotions running high I’m happy to report that good sportsmanship was practiced all the way around and everyone had a great time.

Till next week I’ll see ya down the road………………….

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Oklahoma State University Basketball & An Update on the Mullendore Murder

 Check out the website for the Examiner-Enterprise (examiner-enterprise.com) to read their story from Thursday February 27th about the latest on the Mullenodre murder.

                         Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

 Welcome back. Eddie Sutton, Tubby Smith, Marcus Smart, along with the family ofthe late Bob Kurland. Gallagher-IBA Arena was the place and this was the seating for Saturday afternoon’s 12:30 tip-off between Oklahoma State University and Texas Tech.

For those of you who may not be basketball fans, Tubby Smith was the head coach at the University of Tulsa from 1991 through 1995. From there he went on to win a national championship at Kentucky in ’98, and an Olympic gold medal at the 2000 games. He’s in several halls of fame and has been to 23 NCAA tournaments. In addition to being a legend in basketball, he also has a reputation for being a true gentleman.

Eddie Sutton is another member of basketball royalty who needs no introduction. I’ve interviewed him several times and he’s very approachable and easy to talk to. Looking out over Gallagher-IBA Arena you have to wonder how many people have a basketball court named after them.

Saturday was also the first game back for Marcus Smart since his suspension and if you haven’t heard the Cowboys gave Texas Tech a solid thrashing. You can’t talk about basketball at Oklahoma State without mentioning Bob Kurland, the first seven footer in college basketball history. He holds more records than I even have room to write about. With all of his family in attendance, Kurland number was officially retired at half-time during the game.

It was a proud and emotional moment on several fronts and watching the Cowboys play I’d just have to say don’t count Oklahoma State out just yet! I’ll leave all the statistical analyzing to the real basketball junkies but I for one would recommend getting tickets to the Kansas game in Stillwater this Saturday. The college atmosphere is always fun, the arena is fantastic and tickets are cheap, cheap, cheap. You never know if you might be part of something special but for sure you’ll have a great time.

In my travels this past week I had the chance to meet with Janice Robertson Young, the director of the Bartlesville Chapter of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross is one of those organizations that tend to be overlooked until there is a crisis- then they are always there to help out. Their annual “Chili to the Rescue” luncheon is coming up on March 14th and you can get carry out for a big party at the office or eat in at the Red Cross building on Keeler. I’ve been going for years and I can tell you from experience its good stuff.

I also recently had the opportunity to visit with Dawnette Brady about the British invasion that’s coming to town on March 29th. The first British invasion took place in the 1960s when bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones took the states by storm. Now its about to happen again. I’ve seen this four piece Beatles tribute band several times in Branson and two years ago they almost caused a riot when they played at SUNFEST.

George Harrison’s sister put the band together and they look like the Beatles, sound like the Beatles and they make the crowds go nuts just like the Beatles. Dawnette is on the board of the Washington County SPCA and she is one of the organizers for this event which is a benefit for the SPCA. If you want to sit close you might think about getting those tickets now.

Another event I want to mention is a four part series called “Surviving the Elements: Land and Water Issues of the West” happening in Oklahoma City.  Every Friday in March from 9AM-2PM different experts will be speaking on topics such as land and pasture management, water usage and resource management and preservation. The series is hosted by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and it sure looks interesting to me. There is a $10 charge for each seminar and lunch is included. For all the details go to: www.survivingtheelements.org

Till next week when March Madness really sets in, I’ll see ya down the road….

 

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