From Oklahoma City to Claremore and A Visit with John Wooley

What better place to promote my project than a gathering of cowboys….

Welcome back.  A trip to Oklahoma City to promote my project had me holed up at night surrounded by buffalo in my Rialta motorhome on the grounds of one of the largest and busiest events centers in the country. Known as the “Horse Show Capital of the World” State Fair Park also hosts concerts, rodeos and lots of different arts and crafts shows. Throw in the big Oklahoma Youth Expo and the annual Oklahoma State Fair and it’s no wonder there’s something going on there constantly.

The facilities at the fairgrounds are also undergoing a major renovation and upgrade although the activities are continuing despite this work. The Express Professional Bull Riding competition was just wrapping up in the main event hall when I arrived and Montgomery Productions was already setting up a big tackle, hunting and boat show in the Cox Center. This show will be coming to Tulsa March 27th-29th and if you’re into fishing, hunting or boating this is the show for you.

Another Oklahoma City treasure which I plan on visiting soon is the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden which they claim is the number one attraction in Oklahoma and number three in the nation. Look for more on that, Bricktown, the fine museums and Stockyard City where the world’s largest cattle sale is held every Monday.

This week I also had the opportunity to attend a book signing for John Wooley’s new book Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park which is the history of a unique attraction created by Mr. Galloway when he built a gigantic concrete totem pole on his property in Foyil, OK and opened it to the public. After falling into disrepair following Galloway’s death, the totem pole has been restored and visitors can once again come to the park. Wooley’s book also offers insight into the life of Ed Galloway.

For those of you who may not be familiar with John Wooley, he is a native Oklahoman with a passion for Oklahoma history and western swing music. Wooley has written over twenty-five books, several screen plays and numerous comic strips. He was a staff writer for the Tulsa World for twenty-three years and is the host of Swing on This, a radio program devoted to western swing music which airs every Saturday night on public radio station 89.5. Among his many honors, Wooley is a member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. After reading the book, I am definitely planning a visit to the Totem Pole Park this spring.

The book signing was held in the Belvidere Mansion in Claremore. Despite my many trips to Claremore I had never been to this historic Victorian style mansion which was built by the Bayless family in 1907. The 9,000 s.f. home which includes a 3,200 s.f. ballroom on the third floor, is now owned by the Rogers County Historical Society. In addition to the ballroom which can be rented for events, there is also a tearoom and gift shop on the first floor.

Speaking of Claremore, I just learned that Woolaroc and the Will Rogers Museum have entered into an agreement to honor one another’s memberships. Now your membership card for Woolaroc will give you free admission to Gilcrease Museum, the Western Heritage Museum and National Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Will Rogers Museum! You can’t get a better deal anywhere.

Moving forward, I have had many requests for updates on the future of the book I have written about the life of Damon “Chub” Anderson. I will be posting daily updates about the project on my website (www.originalbuffalodale.com) along with information about places like Ponca City where I will be speaking this Friday so stay tuned.

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

 

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