One of my favorite topics, the dedication of the many volunteers who make our community great.
Welcome back. Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes, rain delayed by two hours. Oklahoma State vs. Baylor delayed by lightening while the game was in progress. The OK Mozart concert at Clyde Lake moved indoors, the Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion moved into the museum, Prairie Song’s big Wild West Show cancelled and all because of rain. No one I know complains about rain here in Oklahoma but there is one group that never calls time out or fails to how up in rain or any other bad weather and that’s the American volunteer spirit.
Ten years from now or maybe even five, few people may remember the effort of people like Larry Thrash, Nolan Jones, Janet Vermillion and dozens of others who worked tirelessly for moths to put together a top notch western show only to have mother nature step in forcing a cancelation. At Woolaroc, after many hours of planning for a big party in the one of a kind setting of Clyde Lake, the committee was forced to make the decision to move into the museum. Showers on the night of the OK Mozart concert caused their concert to relocate to the Community Center but in every case dedicated volunteers jumped in to insure that ticket holders were notified and whenever possible I’m happy to say the events went off without a hitch. In the dictionary a volunteer is defined as a person who provides services for no financial gain that benefit another person, group or organization and we have certainly seen this in action lately. With all that said, next time you’re at a not for profit event make sure and thank the staff, most of whom are volunteers.
On another note, as I drove out to Woolaroc on Saturday night, I noticed a very unusual structure being built next to highway 123 just a few miles outside of town. When I asked around during the party I learned that this building is part of the set for a new movie that’s getting ready to shoot out there. It’s all kind of hush hush right now but it’s a great time of year for a ride through Woolaroc anyway so you can check it out for yourself. While I was exploring inside the museum on Saturday night I was reminded that you see something new there every time you visit and what a true treasure the place is. Don’t forget that membership is a bargain and gets you in free for a full year not only at Woolaroc but at many other museums around the country.
I also attended Tom Mix Days in Dewey during the day on Saturday and with no rain in sight at the time, the crowd was in for a treat. Dewey of course is home to the Tom Mix Museum, the Dewey Hotel and a variety of other historical building many of which have recently been restored. If you’re looking for good shopping or good food, a drive down the main drag on Don Tyler will show you that Dewey has a lot to brag about.
I’ll end this week where I started, with a recognition of a few of the community leaders who gave so much of their time to bring us wonderful events, some of which are still going strong today: Virgil Gaede, the Fly-in, Bill Creel and Tom Sears, the Centennial Celebration and Ernie McAnaw, Sunfest, Dee and Annette Ketchum, Indian Summer Festival and the list goes on…Today there are many young people who are carrying on this type of commitment making not only our town but all of America such a great place to live.
Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road……
#