Yearly Archives: 2016

Some interesting history  I have picked up along the road…….

Welcome back. Living in northeast Oklahoma I am always looking for stories that might fall through the cracks in terms of mainstream media reporting and also in hopes of bringing you a fresh perspective very week so here we go.

Oklahoma is home to 39 tribal nations which according to the Oklahoma Indian Country Guide means that there are more different languages spoken here than in all of Europe. In this area we are all familiar with tribes such as the Osage, Cherokee and Delaware and many of you may also be members of one of these nations. However there are many other tribes we may not be aware of such as the Kituwah who have 14,300 members or the Modoc whose chief Captain Jack was the only Indian in American history to be tried by a military commission for war crimes and executed.

The Tonkawa tribe which is headquartered outside of Ponca City is another small group of 600 but once the tribe was made up of many small bands who were considered some of the most warlike on the plains by both the early Spanish explorers and the first American settlers. Stroud, Oklahoma is home to the 3,600 member Sac& Fox nation whose 1832 battle with US infantry men resulted in the slaughter of hundreds of unarmed Indian women and children while they were crossing the Mississippi River in retreat. The Sac& Fox also count among their members the man whom the King of Sweden called the greatest athlete of modern times during the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Jim Thorpe.

Other small tribes in Oklahoma include the Euchee tribe with 240 members, the Kialegee with 439 and the Kickapoo with 2,713 who were the first Indians to encounter Lewis & Clark after the expedition left St. Louis in 1802.

Oklahoma is rich in Indian history and if you want to learn more there are many great museums to explore around the state. The Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva is a good place to start as is the Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum in Woodward.  At the Museum of the Red River they have a large display of both Indian artifacts and dinosaur bones from the area.

In northeastern Oklahoma there’s the Osage Tribal Museum, the Webbers Falls Museum, the Creek Council House Museum and a dozen others.

There are also around 80 tribal casinos in Oklahoma including the Riverwind near Norman run by the Chickasaw Nation and the Choctaws’ casino in Durant. The Osage Tribe operates seven casinos in Osage County, claiming they occupy the only federally recognized reservation in Oklahoma.

If you’re thinking about a road trip, there are dozens of historical sites around the state and I’ve been to several. At Fort Reno in western Oklahoma many of the original structures are still intact and the cemetery there has a story of its own as several German pows from World War II are buried there. The Jim Thorpe home is another neat place as is Chief Lookout’s memorial and gravesite on Lookout Mountain east of Pawhuska. Two of my favorite places, Woolaroc and Gilgrease Museum have large collections of Indian art and artifacts right in our backyard.

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

My travels this week showed me the best of people and the worst….

Welcome back. Saturday morning found me at the Regional Food Bank in Oklahoma City where I had   heard there was going to be a big food drive and volunteer event. Their massive distribution center is located just a few miles south of town on Purdue Street. When I got there Express Employment Professionals had a team of over 150 staff, family and friends, along with CEO Bob Funk, who were getting ready to work. The volunteers unloaded trucks, prepared and packs meals and baked bread and then they cleaned up the place. It was quite a day’s work but everyone left with a smile on their face. While I was there I learned that Express has been sponsoring this event for four years. Known as Brand It Blue day, this year the event provided over 50,000 meals in the Oklahoma City area alone. Express offices also donated 1,700 pounds of food and a cash donation of $6,633. In the past four years they estimate that Brand It Blue Day has provided 265,000 meals in the United States and Canada.

A few years back I wrote a story about Express and Bob Funk and their outstanding support of causes not only in Oklahoma but all over the world. I also knew of their support locally for Elder Care but I was not familiar with this event or the food bank. According to their website, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma serves 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. Through a network of community based hunger relief agencies they feed 116,000 people every week! In our area, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma operates in a similar fashion, distributing food and other grocery items to partner agencies in 23 counties, including Washington County. Both food banks depend on private donations and when you see these numbers you realize how great the need is across the state. For someone who knew very little about this situation it was quite the eye opening experience. I’ll leave you with the motto of the Regional Food Bank: “Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope.”

From Oklahoma City I went on to Pawnee, OK and the home of Gordon W. Lillie, or as the world now knows him, Pawnee Bill. The Pawnee Bill home, museum and ranch is open 7 days a week during the summer and folks if you don’t know about this man’s place in American history you need to learn. Trapper, buffalo hunter, interpreter, teacher and cowboy, he traveled the world with his Wild West Show and teamed up with Buffalo Bill to have the largest and fanciest show of its time. This weekend was the reenactment of his show and the promoters told me it was one of the biggest ever, playing to a full house. If you missed the show this is a must see place and one of my favorites. When in the area,  check it out.

Moving from two positive stories to Monday’s wrap up of a trial dealing with mass murder, torture, drugs, prison gangs and jailhouse snitches. The verdict in the so called Cathouse Murder Trial brings an end to one of the bloodiest crimes in Oklahoma City’s history and I myself am glad it’s almost over. If you haven’t been following my coverage of the trial over the past three weeks you can check it out on my website www.originalbuffalodale.com or pick up back issues at the offices of the Examiner Enterprise.

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

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A little more on the Cathouse Murders trial and another little known gem in Oklahoma. Congratulations to the OU Women’s Softball Team on their 3rd National Title!

Welcome back. According to Assistant D.A. Merydith Easter the estimated cost of the “Cathouse Murders” trial that is currently underway in Oklahoma City has not been tallied up but with a couple of dozen witnesses left to testify and at least three more weeks of proceedings I’ll let you add it up. One of the state’s witnesses this past week was a man who calls the federal prison in   Terre Haute, IN home. This man, who will remain unnamed for his own safety, testified that Danny Phillips, who if you haven’t heard is one of the defendants, told him about the murders in a jailhouse conversation. A snitch as other inmates call them, he also told the judge and the jury that he would be a dead man if he was not moved to another prison.

Listening to all the details that go into this type of witness protection program, and after asking Assistant D.A. Easter a few questions, I learned that these programs are quite secretive and add significantly to the costs of a trial. Secret witnesses, the South Side Locals and the names of other gangs I’d never heard of along with tales of killings, robberies and intimidation, I’m hearing it all which makes me even more eager to thank every cop I see and I hope you will as well. I’ll keep you up to date with any tidbits from the courtroom that catch my interest.

In case you haven’t heard there was a huge crowd numberings in the thousands at the state capitol this week, I was there and it wasn’t for basketball this time. I’ve written about the Remington Park horse racing track in the past as well as the Oklahoma City Zoo which is next door. Adjoining these properties is a museum which I just had the opportunity to visit and that is the National Softball Hall of Fame. There is a regulation ball field with a huge seating area outside of the museum but friends it wasn’t near big enough last weekend. The college softball World Series wrapped up here. With the overflow crowd sitting in the farthest section of the outfield, you can imagine that it was almost impossible to find a parking spot anywhere close. I can tell you from personal experience that the sounds of the game and the enthusiastic roar of the crowd could be heard for miles. The playoffs are having a big financial impact on the OKC area as well. I found that motel rooms were scarce and the restaurants were packed.

The exhibits at the museum trace the development of the game and offer profiles of the 366 current members, both male and female. Originally founded in Newark, NJ in 1957, the museum moved to OKC in 1966 and the current building was completed in 1973. Since then there have been 2 major renovations and expansions to accommodate their growing exhibitions. With the racetrack and the zoo nearby this is quite a complex and a lot of fun to visit. There’s nothing like a ball game and the National Softball Hall of Fame is certainly worth a trip.

On the local front, the OK Mozart is gearing up to fill all the hotels in Bartlesville this week as hundreds of music lovers visit our city. With dozens of free shows and good weather predicted this is a good time to sample everything our community has to offer including Woolaroc, the Price Tower (where I hear the Peanuts show is great) as well as the Phillips66 Museum, the Dewey Hotel and the Tom Mix Museum. I could go on and on about how much there is to do right here or just a short drive away so enjoy and have a great summer.

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

I am still following this trial and there have been some dramatic developments…..

Welcome back.  This is part two of my coverage of the ongoing six count murder trial of Denny Edward Phillips and Russell Lee Hogshooter in Oklahoma City. Referred to as the “Cathouse Murders” because one of the victims Brooke Phillips worked as a prostitute at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada. Last week’s evidence included graphic photos of the charred remains of the six victims which included two unborn children. Firemen and detectives testified to the severity of the fire which left the remains completely unrecognizable. In all, the state plans on calling about fifty witnesses before they rest their case which means this trial will last awhile.

Comparing this trial to the other high profiles trials I have covered over the past couple of years, it appears that the judicial system is similar in every state. These two men are considered innocent until proven guilty by the twelve jurors. Whenever they are led into the courtroom they are not handcuffed so as not to prejudice the jurors against them. The same procedure was followed at the Whitey Bulger trial in Boston, the American Sniper trial in Texas and the Colorado movie theater shooting trial. In every case the defendants were brought into the courtroom unshackled.

Both Denny Phillips and Russell Hogshooter have two lawyers each defending them. At the state’s table are the two investigating detectives who are testifying and two assistant district attorneys. Assistant D.A. Gayland Geiger is a tall man with a commanding presence and he stuck to the facts as he walked the jury through the gruesome photos of the crime scene.

The other Assistant D.A., Merydith Easter, gave the opening statement and it appeared to me that several jurors were in tears while she was speaking. Looking around I saw several courtroom observers also crying. Easter is a slender woman, about five foot eight or so with shoulder length black hair and the youthful face of a college student. When I first saw her before court started I figured she was an intern, helping the prosecution but I had her all wrong. After looking into her background I discovered she is a graduate of O.U.’s law school and a veteran of several other major murder trials. I also learned that her father is special judge Donald Easter. Merydith Easter is a tough prosecutor and the citizens of Oklahoma can only hope that she will have a long career putting the bad guys where they need to go.

From a spectator’s perspective, Judge Timothy R. Henderson appears to have little trouble keeping his courtroom in order as there have been no outbursts from either the defendants or observers.  Hogshooter has sat quietly through the proceedings with very little expression on his face but Phillips talks frequently with his attorneys, often smiling and seeming to be very involved with his defense.

Now that the excitement of the opening few days of testimony are over, the following days of the trial will be dedicated to a tedious review of the many factual details and the crowd has thinned to just a reporter from the Oklahoman and a few others that’s it. Any fast breaking developments will be posted on my website www.originalbuffalodale.com.

Next week I’ll be bringing you some scoop on interesting things to do and places to stay within walking distance of the courtroom. In the meantime I’m back on the road with OU legend Joe Washington as we will be at the Hall of Fame Gun Show in OKC on June 4^th and 5^th.

Hope to see you there or if not I’ll see ya down the road…..

Once again I find myself observing a major trial…

Welcome back.  Downtown Oklahoma City has all the attractions of a large metropolis and more as I have been learning over the past few days. Professional baseball and basketball both played in beautiful arenas, a boat ride down a lazy river lined with restaurants and entertainment venues, botanical gardens and of course the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. There are also a handful of high rises which are home to corporate giants such as Devon Energy.

Tucked in the middle of all this is the Oklahoma County Courthouse where I have been and will be over the next few weeks. The building itself is small compared to the ones around it but as you can imagine it is quite busy with a steady flow of people coming and going. My destination every morning is the second floor where there are two judges holding court. Full of spectators, the room I’m in has twelve rows of seating for six people in each row. There is a heavy police presence with eight cops inside the courtroom and another half dozen outside. Last Friday I heard the opening statements of Assistant District Attorney Meredith Easter and learned that the case I am following actually began on November 9, 2009 when one man and three women were brutally murdered in Oklahoma City. The man was a well-known drug dealer and two of the three women were pregnant. In all, D.A. Easter filed six counts of first degree murder, four for the adults and two for the unborn children.  Even the most seasoned cops found the murders gruesome Easter said, as the victims were hit, stabbed, shot and then their bodies were set on fire. Unfortunately this type of crime may not be all that unusual in the underground world of drug dealing but the national spotlight has been on this particular crime because one of the victims was Brooke Phillips of Moore, OK.

A beautiful twenty-two year old, her life as a stripper and professional prostitute has been reported in detail by the media. According to these stories, Brooke didn’t have any parental support while she was growing up but even as a young girl she was determined to have a better life. Trading on her looks and her ability to connect with people, she started off dancing in men’s clubs and then moved on to the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Carson City, Nevada where prostitution is legal. She became something of a celebrity after appearing on an HBO reality TV show about the ranch and by all accounts was a real money maker for the owners. All that was nine years ago and now all that remains of her is a small plaque on a stage in Carson City where Brooke danced for customers. A sad story from the get go for this young woman. The media have called the crime the ‘cathouse murders” because of her association with the Moonlite Ranch and it is drawing a lot of publicity.

The death penalty is on the table for accused killers Denny Edward Phillips, 38 of Salina (no relation to Brooke) and Russell Lee Hogshooter of Oklahoma City. Phillips is a known war chief in the Indian Brotherhood Gang and is charged with ordering the killings. It’s a trial I’m sure you’re going to hear a lot more about.

As for me, I’m planning to be in Claremore at the opening ceremonies for the 70^th Annual Will Rogers Stampede PRCA Rodeo. Then it’s on to Tulsa on Friday and Saturday for the R&K Gun Show at the Tulsa Fairgrounds.

Till then, I’ll see ya down the road…

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Another story of the influence of the oil business in Oklahoma which is still relevant today….

Welcome back. If you are in the oil business you’ve heard the name before because at one point in time he controlled close to 10 percent of the world’s oil supply. If you are in politics you may know him as a governor of Oklahoma in the 1930s. In Ponca City he built parks and statues and paved the streets while also supporting most every charity and church in town. Personal friends with Will Rogers, Ernest Whitworth Marland was a true wildcatter of the early 1900s era who made and lost millions and then through sheer determination made it back again only to lose it all again. He left Ponca City with a story made for the big screen and folks I just saw the premiere on Thursday night at the Circle Cinema in Tulsa. The stars of the film were all there along with the directors and producers. The women were dressed in their best attire and the men were decked in tuxes so the event had all the glitter of a Hollywood opening.

If you don’t know, the Circle Cinema itself has a rich history beginning with its construction in 1928 at a cost of $62,000 in Tulsa’s historic Whittier Square Shopping Center on Lewis Street. In its heyday the theater was popular with teens, showing films like the Green Hornet. Today the building is on the National Register of Historic Places and it is Tulsa’s only remaining historic movie theater. Circle Cinema has become a not-for-profit art house with screening that include current documentaries, premieres of locally produced and directed films and student made films. The Marland film was a perfect fit for this venue.

The film tells how E.W. Marland lived, gave back to the community and built two impressive homes in the depression, providing hundreds in the Ponca City area with good paying jobs. Marland’s Grand Home is right in town. Construction started in 1914 and finished two years later and the house boasted several “firsts” for the state including a central vacuum cleaning system, an automatic dishwasher and Oklahoma’s first indoor swimming pool. The film does a great job showcasing the house which I’ve recently toured and it’s a must see.  Today the house also contains an extensive Native American art collection, an archaeological exhibit created by the Daughters of the American Revolution and a large collection of artifacts from the 101Ranch.

The Marland Mansion outside of town is also thoroughly depicted in this film. The 43,561 square foot villa was built in the Italian Renaissance style and features extensive ornamentation both inside and out, including exterior gargoyles and carving of jackals and owls. One can only imagine the excitement in Ponca City during the 1930s when this elaborate home was under construction.

Throughout the film I noticed several scenes that were shot in Bartlesville, including shots of the Nellie Johnstone well. As I left I felt lucky to have the opportunity to see this very interesting film premiere which was sold out. I would gladly pay to see it again but you folks won’t have to because “High Stakes: The Life and Times of E.W. Marland” will be shown soon on OETA. If you can’t wait call the Mansion at 866-763-8092 to purchase your own copy. Running time is 57 minutes and they are twenty bucks each and worth every cent. I’ll leave you with one last tip: it is well worth it to take a couple of days to visit Ponca City and tour both the Marland Grand Home and the Marland Mansion. I’ve been there several times over the last year and I know there are quite a few affordable motels in the area.

As for me, my next coming attraction will be two days at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds this weekend where one of the largest gun shows of the year will be going on.

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

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Welcome back. Sonny Smith, Johnson County, Arkansas Sheriff’s office, Sean Renfro, Jefferson County, Colorado Sheriff’s office, Kerrie Orozco Omaha, Nebraska Police Department, Joseph Abdella, Detroit, Michigan Police Department. What do these men and women, along with one hundred and thirty-seven other law enforcement officers have in common with Dee S. Nicholas from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol? If you guessed that they all died in the line of duty you would have guessed right but this isn’t over a period of years, friend these are the officers who died in the year 2015 alone and I for one find this number quite staggering.

If you haven’t heard its National Police Week and it was  President John F. Kennedy who signed the proclamations for May 15h to be set aside as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week following that date to be Police Week.

Washington, D.C. will be packed as events are planned all week for the thousands of men and women in law enforcement who will be gathering there. Through the official police week website I also found there are over nineteen guard teams spread around the country and six pipe and drum teams equally spread across the U.S. who will be coming to Washington to pay tribute to the fallen. After some more research I realized that I am guilty of forgetting to recognize these honorable individuals and I need to thank those who protect us. Many of these people give their lives so this week join me in thanking a cop for their service.

Now here’s a quick wrap-up of Elder Care’s The Good, The Bad and The Barbeque. The party went without a hitch, good music, food, friends, fine weather and fantastic scenery.  Well if you missed it, the Elder Care committee is already planning something really special for 2017 so mark Mother’s Day weekend on your calendar for next year at the Cross Bell Ranch.

I also want to thank all the folks at Mid America Feeds in Talala, OK for their hospitality Saturday morning during what has to be one of the biggest customer appreciation days around. While I was there it came to me that these farmers and ranchers, in our area and around the country, are providing our groceries and we need to support them. One way is to shop at the local farmers’ markets. The Bartlesville Farmers Market opened last weekend in the park next to the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce Headquarters in the historic Santa Fe Depot. If you haven’t been to the market before they always have a wide selection of locally grown produce, as well as baked goods, honey and handmade items. With live music and giveaways thrown in this is a tasty and entertaining way to spend Saturday mornings.

On another subject, as you readers know Reserve Deputy Sheriff Robert Bates was denied bond last week. I was there and talked to several family members on both sides, putting together one last piece which I plan to complete after Bates’ sentencing on May 31^st.

In the meantime I am scheduling several book signings with OU legend Joe Washington in Oklahoma City. Those dates are coming up soon and I’ll keep you readers in the loop.

Till then I’ll see ya down the road…..

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It looks like the best weather in years so come out and party at the historic Cross Bell Ranch! There’s still time to get tickets at (918) 336-8500 or www.eldercarebbq.org

Welcome back. The Tulsa, Oklahoma County Courthouse buts up to the Tulsa Convention Center, the newly renovated Mayo Hotel is close by and so is the old Tulsa YMCA building. The YMCA is no longer in the building which is undergoing a complete renovation and as you can imagine it has a rich history which I hope to write about at a future date. All of these buildings are in downtown Tulsa which was my location last week on the fifth floor of the courthouse where Tulsa County’s Sheriff’s Office Reserve Deputy Robert Bates was on trial for second degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Eric Harris.

Court usually started around 9:00 AM and reporters for all the major networks arrived about an hour early hoping that their film crews would get a shot of Bates and his family or Harris’ family as they got off the elevator on their way into the courtroom. As you can imagine there were lots of cops and I had to pass through several metal detectors. Once inside I found that the courtroom was quite small. The spectator seating consisted of three rows of church pew type seats and the first row was reserved for the Bates and Harris families. That left two rows with fourteen seats each for reporters, friends and spectators. At the far end of one row sat Evelyn Petrosik, a professional artist who was hired by the TV networks to paint pictures of the courtroom proceedings as cameras of any type, including cell phones, were not allowed. Reporters filled over half of the other available seats. Of the remaining seats, maybe four or five were taken by general spectators and the rest were occupied by an assorted group of lawyers and paralegals.

After asking around I found these folks were watching the trial because of the defense that Harris had actually died of a heart attack.  I also discovered that defense attorney Clark Brewster was a drawing card for spectators. Brewster is a frequent face on the TV news and he also plays a role in my newly released book, Footprints in the Dew which according to The Oklahoman became the #1bestselling non-fiction book in Oklahoman a couple of weeks ago.

By now you know that Bates was found guilty of manslaughter but it’s not over. Brewster has said that he is looking into appeals and the Harris family is also suing. Bates will learn his fate at the sentencing hearing on May 31^st and I plan on being there.

On the local front, it’s time to get out your cowboy boots and your best western duds to head out to the Mullendore Cross Bell Ranch for the 18^th annual The Good, The Bad and The Barbeque on Saturday night. As you drive past hundreds of horses and cattle on the three mile road leading into the ranch you will experience the beauty of one of Oklahoma’s foremost ranches which dates back to statehood. The event benefits Elder Care and the services they provide for seniors and caregivers in our community. For tickets give them a call at (918) 336-8500 or visit eldercarebbq.org

As for me I will start off Saturday at a big gathering in Talala where Mid America Feeds is hosting their annual customer appreciation day in the morning. Last year there were close to a thousand people there. In the afternoon I will be at Dewey’s new store “The Market” during the Stray Cats Car Show. If you haven’t been to Dewey lately let me tell you every building on the main street is filled with unique shops and with the car show in town it would be a great time to check things out.

A great evening at the 7 Clans Casino…………………….

Welcome back.  Music, I often travel many miles to listen to good music and I found out last night Friday night that Newkirk, OK is quickly becoming a showcase for many of the best bands in the country.. Located 12 miles east of I-35 on highway 77 and about 5 miles south of the Kansas border, Newkirk is the county seat of Kay County. The town was established during the Cherokee Strip land run in 1893 and there’s lots of Native American history here. There is still a big population of Cherokees living in these parts and they maintain many traditional customs. Never in this part of the state before, this is where I was headed for a big concert at the 7 Clans Casino.

The 7 Clans are the seven traditional family units of the Cherokee tribe and after doing some research I learned that five of these seven clans own casinos in Oklahoma, two in Red Rock, one in Chilocco, one in Perry and this one in Newkirk. It is a beautiful place with all the glitter of Las Vegas but you don’t have to travel, its right here in Oklahoma.

The band I came to listen to Friday was called Credence Clearwater Revival and they became famous on a wet Saturday night back in 1969 playing at an outdoor music festival called Woodstock. Two of the founding members, Stu Cook and Doug “Cosmo” Clifford are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and in 1995 they formed a new band changing the name of the group from Credence Clearwater Revival to Credence Clearwater Revisited. They have been playing to sold out crowds ever since. I had seen these guys a few years back and if sixties rock & roll is your thing, this is your band “for sure man.” To wrap up the trip: a concert with a great hall to have it in, throw in some really good grub, a friendly staff, a nice hotel to stay in and I’d say this town of Newkirk with a population of 2,243 is an overachiever and definitely worth a visit if only to catch a good show.

And speaking of a good show here are two you might want to check out this weekend.

On Friday it’s a rescheduled visit to Bartlesville for OU superstar and Super Bowl Champion Joe Washington, Joe was originally supposed to be in Bartlesville a month ago but a medical problem forced him to change his visit to this Friday. He will be at Arvest’s Eastside Branch from 9-11:30. Then he will be at Jude’s Coffee House (next to Food Pyramid) from 1:30-3PM. On his way back to Oklahoma City Joe has also agreed to stop by for a visit to Vera around 3:30 or so. If you want to meet a darned nice guy who’s as humble as they come, that’s Joe. I’ll be with him all day and we’ll both have our new books to sign.

That’s Friday for me. Then Saturday and Sunday I’ll be at another gun show and this time it’s in Tulsa at the Metcalf Gun & Knife Show. Held at the Tulsa Fairgrounds, the Metcalf Show has been coming to town for years and although it is not the giant Wannamaker show it is still big.

From there I’m headed back to Oklahoma City Sunday night for a couple of days before I start what will probably be a multi week story about a local case that has gone viral. I will be at the Tulsa Court House where the Robert Bates trial is drawing worldwide attention to Oklahoma with what I hope will be some behind the scenes details.

Stay tuned and till next week, I’ll see ya down the road…..

It will be a busy weekend starting on Friday when I’m spending the day with OU great Joe Washington. His visit to Bartlesville was rescheduled due to health problems and now he will be at Arvest’s Friday Forum from 9:30-11:30 at the eastside branch.

After lunch he will be signing books at Jude’s from 1:30-3:30 PM and then he will make a quick stop at the Vera Café.

Joe is a darned nice guy and someone everyone should meet. I’ll be riding shotgun with him all day so I hope to see you there.