Fair Meadows Race Track, Tulsa, OK

Welcome back. The horse racing industry here in Oklahoma dates way back to before statehood and while I was in Tulsa this past Thursday to check out the new construction going on at the fairgrounds, I had the opportunity to catch a couple of races. Back in the days when Oklahoma was still known as Indian Territory, horse racing was the number one sport. Yes, according to Oklahoma Historical Society, horse racing was popular among both Native Americans and settlers. Even as recently as 2013, a survey showed that that racing brought in $223 million in revenues for the state and employed 6,400 people. The historical society also noted that at the time there were 14,000 race horses and 800 breeding horses in Oklahoma.

My research showed that the biggest jump in the racing industry took place after World War II when dozens of breeding and training facilities opened here and I didn’t know it but many towns had their own tracks back then. Of course there was no Oklahoma City Thunder, or professional baseball, just horse racing and it was the leading sport for entertainment.

In 1989 Tulsa opened its own horse racing track called Fair Meadows. Ron Shotts who was a well-known running back from the University of Oklahoma became the first racing director there. In the beginning, the horse races were held during the Tulsa State Fair. From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s Fair Meadows was a huge success with attendance averaging around 6,000 people per day. The famous soccer player Charlie Mitchell from the New York City Cosmos, opened a restaurant under the grand stands and live bands played before every race. As you can imagine parking was difficult in those days so shuttles ran back and forth from nearby malls.

The Tulsa Fairgrounds were wild and crazy all the time when the horses were running but all that changed when Indian casino gaming came into existence. Prior to the casinos, the race tracks were the only legal place to gamble but that ended. The crowds shrank and Ron retired but the track remains and friends it is still open every year from June to July, Thursday through Sunday. It’s a place where you can watch some of the finest athletes in the world run and it’s all free. Things are not as wild as they were in 1989 but it’s just as fun and for me being at the races has brought back some great memories. I worked for Ron at the track and lived right there doing security during those first few year of operation and all those stories and more will be coming out in a new book which I hope to publish this fall called “Before the Dew.”

Till next time I’ll see ya down the road……………….
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PAWHUSKA, OKLAHOMA AND THE PIONEER WOMAN

Welcome back. Pawhuska, Oklahoma is the home of the Osage tribe and of course Ree Drummond’s Mercantile. I had the opportunity to visit Ree’s place on Friday and friends there is still a long line to get in. Yes, a year and a half after opening there were hundreds of people waiting to get in and they were also shopping at the many new stores that have opened in town. Pawhuska has two new hotels that just opened right downtown as well. Ree opened The Boardinghouse in a building she renovated next to the Mercantile and the landmark Triangle Building has been converted into a hotel. I was told that the Triangle will be run by the same people who operated the famous Mayo Hotel in Tulsa. In addition, Ree has opened a pizza restaurant with a full bar which is a first for Pawhuska and I understand she and her husband Ladd are planning a steak house too.

In Bartlesville the Drummonds have bought several pieces of property including the old Page milk plant that sits across the street from the Schlumberger complex on Frank Phillips Boulevard. The building was abandoned for years but now my sources tell me it’s going to be a bakery. Whatever it is, everyone in Bartlesville should be happy.

The original purpose of my trip to Pawhuska was not to give a report on the Drummond business empire, but rather to visit with the folks who feed us. On June 14th-17th the Osage County Cattlemen were holding their 84th annual convention at the Osage County Fairgrounds. The three day event included a trade show, a dinner and dancing and a tour of area ranches all of which sounded like fun to me. You throw in the 65th Annual Ben Johnson Steer Roping on Sunday and Pawhuska needed a dozen new hotels.

As a fellow who travels year round to a lot of big events though, the main factor drawing me to Pawhuska wasn’t all this but the possible opportunity to say hi to a big time cattleman I thought might be there. When you read his biography I’ve put together, many of you will guess who he is before I’m finished.

Born in Enid in 1931, his grandfather for whom he was named, had settled in Hominy in 1905 where he established the town’s first mercantile. After graduating from Oklahoma State University in 1953, the man I’d come to see went on to get an M.B.A. from Stanford in 1957. A U.S. Army Veteran, after his service he came back to Oklahoma where he made a name for himself running the family ranch. The civic organizations and boards he’s served on over the years are too numerous to count. He is a past President of the Oklahoma Cattleman’s Association and a Director of the National Cattleman’s Association. He is also a founding member of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Nature Conversancy and was instrumental in establishing the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. He is also a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
If you haven’t figured out who I’m talking about yet, I’ll end with a quote from him:

“At the Drummond Ranch I am the spare cowboy, bookkeeper, trash hauler and bill payer.”
Yes it,s always great to say hi to Frederick Drummond.

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

Fires Across New Mexico

Welcome back. Regular readers know that I often travel to northern New Mexico or the “Land of Enchantment” as it’s called. Unfortunately as of this writing the precise area where I usually stay in this land of enchantment has been under siege by the Ute Park Fire. Last week the town of Cimarron, New Mexico had to be evacuated but I’m happy to report that the five hundred and forty-five professional firefighters who have been battling this fire with their ten helicopters saved the town.

The fire came within a few blocks of the historic St. James Hotel and from reports part of the fairgrounds were burned but no houses were lost. At last count about forty thousand acres have burned but it is now believed to be seventy-seven percent contained. Waite Phillips’ old ranch, the Express UUBar, has had some damage and sadly Philmont Boy Scout Ranch has had to cancel all of the treks that were planned into the mountains until July 14th. According to their website conditions will be re-evaluated at that time and events at the training center have also been cancelled until further notice.

Local scout master Charles Lewis had been planning to take his troop to Philmont this week and he and I estimate that over six hundred kids a day are missing out on the trip of a lifetime. Yes friends, kids from literally around the world who had been planning a trip to Philmont for years have now had their plans cancelled. It’s a real tragedy for many young people and I can only hope that they will be able to reschedule for another year. The heroic fire crews who have been fighting this fire around the clock deserve another mention and although the fire is still ongoing happily no lives have been lost so far.

I’m moving from one catastrophe to another as dry conditions are just as bad in southwest Colorado, another of my favorite places. Durango is known for its ties to Hollywood from a day that is now long gone as well as for an old train that takes you up the mountain to Silverton- a place that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. Durango is definitely a special place but I’ve just heard from my contacts that dry conditions are taking a toll there as well.

The “416” fire that has been burning in the area has doubled in size due to high winds and over 2,000 home in its path have been evacuated. If conditions don’t improve a lot more property and some important history may be lost.

Be safe and till next time I’ll see ya down the road….
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1967-Continued

Welcome back to Part Two of the 1967 football game between Dewey and Bartlesville. If you missed last week’s article, past issues of the newspaper are available at the Examiner Enterprise office or you can catch up on their website.

The game had been hyped up for weeks; a showdown between two undefeated teams both with players who had college potential. The game was tied up with just minutes to play and the Wildcats had the ball. The defensive play called for George “Junior” Durant, the stud of both teams, to blitz Bartlesville’s quarterback Bill Berryhill. A sophomore quarterback with Junior coming after him; Dewey’s hope was that just maybe Berryhill would fumble or throw an interception and it almost worked. Junior knocked down blockers down like flies and as he was about to sack Berryhill way back for a huge loss, Berryhill passed to his tight end Bill “Alex” Dingman. Unexpectedly, Dingman was wide open without a defensive player anywhere around and the seldom used sophomore player turned and headed for the end zone which was some eighty yards away. Dewey’s star player had flattened Berryhill and now turned his attention to Dingman. Already a state finalist in track even at 15, Junior wasn’t just fast, he was lightening in a bottle and soon he was closing in.

I was standing on the sidelines when first Dingman (with fear written on his face) ran past me and then Junior came by in hot pursuit. Later Dingman said he had never run so fast in his entire life. Yes friends Junior couldn’t catch up with the boy from Bartlesville and the Wildcats won the game on that one play.

Both teams went on to have successful seasons and several players on both sides played college ball. Junior would become a major force in high school sports over the next few years but it all ended there. Although major colleges did come to Dewey to recruit him, the boy wonder who had started playing high school sports at fourteen and who was obviously capable of playing at a higher level, had one big problem he couldn’t outrun. You see he couldn’t read or write. Somehow he had gone from grade school through high school never learning anything except how to write his name but could he play football!

interesting piece of local history about a boy who at one time in our past thrilled hundreds of football fans in Dewey and Bartlesville.
Another type of entertainment came to Bartlesville on Friday when gubernatorial hopeful Mick Cornett came to town. He spoke at Arvest’s Friday Forum and he and host Jim Bohnsack drew quite a crowd .Although I’m not much into politics, Cornett was an interesting guy and I expect we’ll see more candidates coming to town as the elections get closer.

I’ll end this week with another bit of history from 1967. Hulah Lake which in the Osage Indian language means “eagle” was completed in 1951. At the time it was the largest lake in the area and with million dollar hilltop views, Hulah was an immediate hit with campers, boaters and fishermen and in 1967 it was the most popular destination in the area. Today of course there are many more lakes that are easier to get to and Hulah has been mostly forgotten but friends it’s still there and open for business. Check it out, it’s worth the drive just for the scenery.

Thanks for reading and till next time, I’ll see ya down the road……..

The Year Was 1967….

Welcome back. In my travels I’ve had the opportunity to learn about history and also to see history in the making and for your pleasure this week I’m bringing a little bit of both. The year was 1967, the war in Vietnam was in full swing, President Lyndon Johnson was in the White House and in Bartlesville, Oklahoma gas was running about thirty cents a gallon. In Dewey, the historical old Dewy Hotel had been sitting empty, quietly deteriorating while on Main Street Mary’s Bar was packed six days a week with people coming from miles around to see the charismatic owner Mary Bishop.

Another big draw in the town of Dewey back in 1967 was the high school football team. Led by a coaching staff each of whom would create their own legacy over the years, the head man was Noel Due who held one of the highest winning percentages in the state. All fresh out of college Ken Bruno, Doyle Patterson and Ronnie Harmon rounded out the coaching staff and with plenty of talent the team was going into one of the biggest games of the year undefeated. The group of boys who were playing in the running back positions were mostly sophomores who had been playing together since grade school. Up front on the line, the players were all seniors and they were mean! They didn’t just block you, after the game you felt like you’d been beaten up and it was the same in practice.

Among all this, there was one player who stood out from the rest and his name was George Durant but because he was named after his dad, everyone just called him Junior. At 6’1” and a very muscular 175 pounds, even at 15 years old he was already a man among boys. On September 14, 1967 Dewey was scheduled to play the undefeated College High Wildcats at Bulldogger Stadium. The Wildcats were led by sophomore quarterback Bill Berryhill who after the game would quarterback the team for the next three years.

The hype of a showdown between Dewey and Bartlesville had the stadium packed with people hours before the game which right after the kick-off quickly became a duel between Junior and Berryhill, each setting the tone for their respective teams. Dewey quarterback Roger Woody was another talented kid who had been a two-year starter and along with Robert Walton, Larry Star and Junior they ate up ground for Dewey. But Berryhill’s passing and the strength of Bartlesville’s back field with Bill Patterson and Jon Humble had the game all tied up with just minutes to play. The crowd was going nuts.

A 140 pound 6’2” reserve split end for Dewey who had also hiked the ball on fourth down to the punter, I was standing on the sideline anticipating that the clock would run out. Junior, who was my friend, played both running back and linebacker so he literally never left the field of play. Bartlesville had the ball for maybe a play or two and all our hopes rested on him. If he could get to Berryhill for a sack or maybe a fumble we had a chance.
Next week, who is Bill “Alex” Dingman and the play that won the game along with my pick for a great summer getaway and friends, its close by. I’ll leave you this week with three good things to remember: SunFest, the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show and Dr. Stan Defehr.

Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road….
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Another Wonderful Event at the Mullendore Crossbell Ranch

Welcome back. The 20th anniversary of Elder Care’s The Good, the Bad & The Barbeque wrapped up Saturday night out at the Crossbell Ranch in perfect weather. The organizers told me that they had sold more tables than ever before and the live auction featuring auctioneer Roger Skelly had the large crowd in a buying frenzy. Since I was there I can tell you that Elder Care had everything from a ski lodge in Angel Fire, New Mexico to a football autographed by Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and friends all the proceeds went to support their programs.

For me this night is always special because of my association with the Mullendore family which dates back to 1965. Among many of my after school jobs, as a youth I cleaned tables at a fancy restaurant on highway 75 between Bartlesville and Dewey called The Embers. Long gone now of course, at the time the place had black waiters dressed in coats and ties each of whom had their own bus boy also somewhat formally dressed in slacks with black jackets and ties. For many years during junior high and high school if I was not playing sports I was busy working there. Over the years I got to know many of the local regulars like Leo Benefiel who owned the service station down the street and the Mullendores who came in almost every week. Always warm and pleasant to me, as many of you may know Gene Mullendore had started the Crossbell with his wife Kathleen and together they had grown it from a mere 160 acres to over 300,000 acres. Before their deaths on any given day Gene, Kathleen, their son E.C. and their daughter Katsy were all liable to come in together. They were a tightknit, loving family that I will always remember. Walking on the land they loved, where by the way, they are all buried now, I can feel their souls and if you think about it each one of them made history. If you missed this year’s party hopefully you can make it to the 21st year event where you might feel some of that Mullendore history.

I have to mention volunteers; Elder Care loves them and so does SUNFEST as dozens of volunteers are putting the finishing touches on their upcoming event. Hard to believe but its SUNFEST’s 36th year of bringing free entertainment to Sooner Park! Even though Richard Johnson and Lenny Baker who were two mainstays of the show have passed away, I’m sure their names will always be associated with the event they both loved. For any readers who have not experienced SUNFEST, there are dozens of craft vendors, music for all tastes and a wide variety of food trucks. Best of all there are plenty of free activities for kids of all ages. Yes, this town party has everything except your lawn chairs and blankets so put June 1st-June 3rd on your calendar.

Don’t forget the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show on June 8th and 9th and you also better make a note for Sunday June 10th when The Fabulous Midlife Crisis Band invades downtown Bartlesville for a free show.

Coming up next on my schedule is a short four hour drive up I-44 past Joplin to Springfield, Missouri. The trip to the largest gun show in the state is part of a story I’m putting together about changes in America’s gun laws. As always I also finding out about interesting people and places in history during my travels.
Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road…..
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H.T. “Tom” Sears: Celebrating Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Welcome back. This week I’m taking you back in time again. The year was 1997 and for Bartlesville, Oklahoma it marked one hundred years since the incorporation of the city. A year long celebration had been in the planning stages for months with three weeks of special events scheduled at specific intervals. The festivities kicked off in January with a birthday party for Bartlesville at the Community Center which included a concert and a huge cake that fed everyone! Other events throughout that week recognized the city’s founding and pioneer heritage and a replica of Jacob Bartle’s’ store was constructed in the community center parking lot.

A second week of events in the spring celebrated the role of the oil industry in the development of the city. Former President George H. Bush visited to unveil a replica of the Nellie Johnstone well and a major exhibition about the oil industry was opened inside a downtown Phillips Petroleum building. Visitors from all over the world came to Bartlesville to take part in panel discussions about the industry and its scientific contributions around the world.

Grand Finale Week in September brought entertainer Vince Gill to Custer Field for a concert after days of reenactments, music and the biggest parade the city had ever seen. The OU Marching Band, spectacular floats and dozens of other marching bands were part of the parade which was capped off by a jet plane fly-over.

Many members of the community contributed to the success of the Centennial including Scott Ambler, Dan Droege, Virgil Gaede, Ray Steiner, Jim Curd, Sr. and Bettye Williams among the hundreds of committee members and other volunteers who made all the events come together. At the beginning however there were two men in particular who had a vision for this great event celebrating the city they loved. Both successful business men now in retirement, Bill Creel and Tom Sears were the Co-Chairmen of the entire yearlong Centennial Celebration and folks if we ever decide to put up bronze statues of important community leaders these men should be the first two to be honored.

Bill had been an executive at Price Pipeline Company and I met him when I got a job on a Price Company pipeline in Texas right after high school. From the date of his retirement until his death in 2000? he focused his time and energy on projects to make Bartlesville a better place, serving on innumerable boards and committees.

Tom Sears was a Phillips man who graduated from high school in Bartlesville before going on to The University of Colorado’s School of Engineering and following that got an MBA from Harvard’s Graduate School of Business Administration. He joined Phillips in 1954 and had a distinguished career which included heading up several major divisions of the company around the country. After retirement Tom also played a leadership role in many community organizations, leading up to his co-chairmanship of the Centennial Celebration.

Yes, it’s a great story you may be saying but why bring it up now? Well, here’s the scoop. With the passing of Tom two weeks ago it puts history in a can so to speak. Over the past few years we have lost many inspiring community leaders the likes of whom I’m quite sure I won’t see again. We should never forget them and the great things they did to guarantee a great future for all of us.

A bit more current history was made in Dewey this past weekend when the Stray Cat Car Show came to town. From what my friends at the Rustic Touch told me, and after talking to the organizers, this may very well turn out to be the largest show ever. With wonderful weather, excellent food and a friendly crowd, it was all great fun.

This week is last call for Elder Care’s big party The Good, The Bad & The Barbeque at the Mullendore ranch and the staff at Elder Care is saying you don’t want to miss it!

Till next time I’ll see ya down the road…..
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The Good, The Bad & The Barbeque Coming Up at the Mullendore Cross Bell Ranch

Welcome back. From riding on the Santa Fe Trail in New Mexico to Governor George Nigh’s Northwest Passage highway and back through the panhandle of Oklahoma through the great salt plains and into Pawhuska, home of the Tallgrass Prairie and then finally Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Once upon a time this trip would have taken me a solid two weeks on horseback but fortunately in my car it’s a straight twelve hour drive. Friends the terrain makes it seems like a different world out there and there is an abundance of things for me to write about including the history of the old west, the Spaniards, meteorites, UFOs and cattle mutilations.

Of course here in Bartlesville we have a lot of interesting history as well and this week I thought I’d bring you some background on an important local organization many of us have had contact with. Washington County Elder Care started in 1983 in a small house on Douglas Lane with a staff of just two people with the mission to “help mature adults live happy healthy independent lives.” Over time as the population of older adults in our area grew so did the need for services and Elder Care expanded into the old Jane Phillips Memorial Hospital building. Then in 2005 after a highly successful building campaign that drew support from throughout the community, the organization completed a new state of the art facility on Swan Drive. Today Elder Care provides a wide range of services to seniors and caregivers including adult day health, social networking, specialized physical therapy, a health care clinic and care management. They serve over 850 people each month, one of them being me, and their client base keeps growing because we’re all getting older.

One person among the thousands whose lives have been touched by Elder Care was Kathleen Boren Mullendore and that turned out to be a great thing for them. Twenty years ago Mrs. Mullendore invited Elder Care to use her historic Cross Bell Ranch for a fund raising event and the rest as they say is history. With the dedication and hard work of a committee which initially included Betty Kane, Donna Allison and Joann Gallery The Good, The Bad & The Barbeque was an immediate success and has become one the largest and most popular events of the year.

After Kathleen Mullendore died her daughter Katsy continued to host the Barbeque which is held every Mother’s Day in honor of her mother. Now that Katsy is gone her children are carrying on the tradition in support of Elder Care and in honor of both their mother and grandmother.

This year committee Chairperson Virginia Sawyer tells me that her great team of volunteers is planning another wonderful event with many special surprises for the 20th anniversary celebration. In addition to the usual great music, wonderful barbeque and exciting auctions there will be a raffle, souvenirs and much more. Best of all guests will be able to experience the beauty of the historic Cross Bell Ranch which provides a unique setting for the evening.The proceeds from the Barbeque are used to support Elder Care’s services which we will all need sooner or later so I hope to see you out at the ranch.

Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road…..
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Lee Harvey Oswald’s Missing Gravestone

Welcome back. I’m currently traveling in the high country of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado where communications can be limited so national and local news often reaches me a bit late. For example, it was three days after the recent death of former First Lady Barbara Bush before I heard about it. On that day I also read the death notice in the Examiner-Enterprise of a man who died the same week. On November 23, 1967 this man brought reporters from around the country to little Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He drew another group of people to town at the same time and they were FBI agents. His name was Raymond Greenwood and I found him quite interesting when I interviewed him for my column in 2009, getting the details about a story that after forty years was almost forgotten.

It all started when Raymond and a friend decided to drive his VW bug to Dallas, Texas. On the return trip that same VW bug carried the gravestone of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who most people believe assassinated President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Oswald himself was assassinated a few days later and is still buried in Dallas but over the years his gravestone wouldn’t stay put. An interesting story for sure and you can find out all about in in the archives of the Examiner-Enterprise.

Another story I have discovered while in Colorado relates to the mystery surrounding a murder outside of Gunnison, Colorado. This story began when I attended the Western Heritage Awards two weeks ago. I was contacted by a man from Mustang, Oklahoma who knew I wrote a column for the EE and thought I might be interested in a murder he knew about. Dave, and I’ll leave his last name out to protect his privacy, is a serious hunter. He lives in southern Oklahoma but travels to Colorado regularly, hunting whatever is in season. He usually hunts on the same 700 acre ranch owned by Deborah Rudibaugh and her two kids Stephanie and Jacob. This beautiful property with several natural lakes and many unusual rock formations is valued in the millions. For several years Dave made all his arrangements for hunting through Deborah and her son Jake Millison but for the last couple of years Jacob hadn’t been around. Deborah and her daughter Stephanie told Dave that Jacob had left with his camping gear and never come back but that story didn’t sound right to him. Jacob’s friends were just as concerned as Dave and in May 2015 Jacob Millison was reported missing not by his mother or sister but by his friends. After filing the missing persons report they blanketed the area with posters and ran radio ads but there was no sign of Jacob.

Dave still hunted on the ranch but last July after a tip, which Dave tells me came from an unidentified source, the case broke wide open when 60 law enforcement officers searched the ranch and found Jacob’s body buried in one of the corrals. Speculation ran wild until this past March when the sheriff’s office arrested Jacob’s sister Stephanie and charged her with murder. This is a strange case alright because now just a few days ago Jacob’s mother has been arrested and charged with his murder as well. The sheriff says the murder was all about money and that the sister killed Jacob with their mother’s help. I’m sure you’ll be hearing more on the national news as this unusual case goes to trial.

Next week I’ll be bringing you more from out west as I search for interesting stories.

Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road…..
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Raton, New Mexico & Iridium Anomaly

Welcome back. The annual Western Heritage Awards held at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City lived up to the tradition of past years with another top of the line event last Friday and Saturday. Here’s a quick rundown: Masters of Ceremonies Katherine Ross and her husband Sam Elliott had the sold-out crowd in the palms of their hands all night as actors Bruce Boxleitner, Buck Taylor, Rex Linn and Barry Corbin all pitched in presenting awards and telling funny stories about working in Hollywood. Musician Michael Martin Murphy was there along with the famous stunt man Dean Smith and a couple dozen more T.V. and film stars, all adding up to quite a night and one which I hope you will be able to attend next April 12th and 13th.

From a museum built to preserve our western heritage to a town that played a major role in the development of the west; Raton, New Mexico was an important stopover along the famous Santa Fe Trail. Then in 1879 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad built a rail line there and the spot that was first discovered by Spaniards trying to cross the Sangre de Christo Mountains became a major town. Located in Colfax County, Raton has seen its share of famous people some good and some bad. Billy the Kid, Buffalo Bill and Wyatt Earp are just a few of the colorful characters that came through the area. As the days of the old west came to an end, the town still flourished and in in 1930 Raton got its own movie house. The El Raton Theatre was built by two friends, Dr. L.A. Hubbard and Thomas Murphy who wanted something special and special they got. Designed in the Gothic style, the theater resembles a Spanish castle with turrets, battlements and other embellishments and originally the inside was elaborately decorated with many murals. A real New Mexico treasure since the day it opened, the El Raton is listed on both the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Properties. It is also where my film, Footprints in the Dew, The Last Ten Tapes is making its New Mexico premiere and it is quite a thrill for me. I will also be promoting the book at the Raton Chamber of Commerce Gun and Boat Show so April 26th, 27th and 28th will be a busy time but this is not the only reason I’m traveling to northern New Mexico.

I’m looking for iridium anomaly, a substance which has been found just outside of town. .Scientists say this stuff is all over the place in an area called the K-T boundary and comes from what some believe was a giant meteor that hit the earth 66 million years ago. This is what killed off the dinosaurs and changed the earth we live on. I’ve been told that this remote hole in the ground contains a rock formation like none other and that it is also an area where many strange events have occurred over the years.

Raton is also the home of a band appropriately called “The Fireball” who in 1963 had the mega hit song “Sugar Shack” and later a top ten single “Bottle of Wine”. Maybe I’ll try a little of that iridium anomaly.

I’ll end this week with a reminder about Elder Care’s big fundraiser out at the Mullendore Ranch on May 12th. Tickets and tables are on sale now and from what the committee members tell this is one big party you don’t want to miss!

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