Welcome back. The good guys and the bad guys. One wants to protect us, the other wants to take advantage of us and a week ago this past Monday one of the good guys paid the ultimate price for protecting us. It was a day that not just the brave police officers of our state cried but all the good hardworking people of Oklahoma as well shed a tear for Sgt. Craig Johnson, a 15-year veteran of the Tulsa police force. As I’m sure some of you readers know Sgt Johnson’s partner was also attacked but somehow survived after being shot in the head execution style. By all accounts it was a brutal and totally senseless act by a man who changed the lives of two families forever.
Friends these men and women in blue who often risk their lives are just as vital to us as the nurses and firemen I’ve written about over the past weeks. So, after contacting Tulsa lawyer Gentner Drummond once again for sponsorship, I can now offer free copies of Footprints in the Dew not only to nurses and volunteer fire fighters around the country but to cops as well. Yes if you know a police officer, highway patrol person, county deputy or any other kind of cop who may have helped you with life’s struggles just email their name to Nan Hight at Best of Books bestofbooks@gmail.com or call her at (405) 340-9202. Their copy will be sent out free of any charges and if you’re ever in Edmond stop by her bookstore, there’s something for every reader. Once again, we’ve got to thank these men and women for their service and this is one way to do it but you can just say thanks to the next cop you see. I guarantee they need our support right now.
Coming up for me is a show and book signing in what used to be the state capitol back in 1907. Guthrie, Oklahoma began as a railway station stop and experienced a population boom in 1889 after the Land Run added 10,000 new residents to the town.
Today Guthrie is known for its beautifully preserved late 19th and early 20th century architecture. The Guthrie Historic District is a National Historic Landmark and encompasses over 2000 buildings. The downtown has been featured in well-known movies such as Rain Man and Twister and is a popular tourist destination, offering carriage tours, shops, restaurants and art galleries. The town hosts several annual festivals including the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival and A Territorial Christmas Celebration. In addition, Guthrie is home to the Lazy E Arena which holds rodeo events throughout the year. The Little Britches Rodeo Finals will be going on there while I’m in town and I’ll be at the Badshot gun show on the Logan County Fairgrounds on Saturday from 9AM-5PM and Sunday from 9AM-4PM. There’s a lot of history in this town so I’m sure I’ll be bringing you some stories next week about Guthrie.
Since I’ve agreed to do a number of weekend book signings this summer at Lorec Ranch which is next door to the Mercantile in Pawhuska here is a quick report on the waiting line for food at Ree’s place this past 4th of July weekend. From 11:30 on Friday until I left at 1:30 there was a two and a half hour wait. On Saturday during the same time period the wait was three and a half hours. All the retail merchants I talked with said business is good and from what I saw things seem to be coming back to life, at least on weekends.
Till next time I’ll see ya down the road….