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From the pages of The Ponca City News, Thursday, April 1, 1999 LOCAL DEATHS NEWS BRIEFS SPORTS GARDENING LOCALVolunteer Crews Working To Beautify U.S. 60 Entry Volunteer Crews Working To Beautify U.S. 60 EntryBy PATTI PFEIFFER News Staff Writer A one year dream may soon become a reality as the west side entrance into Ponca City is being transformed from a “eye-sore to an “eye-land” full of beauty. Volunteers have worked over a year, planning and preparing for the beautification project. Crews were busy Wednesday installing the donated automatic sprinkler system. “We were happy to donate the installation of this system because I felt landscaping this entrance into our city is an important project,” owner of Rainmaker Sprinkler Company Dave VanBuskirk said. “We were happy to be part of the effort.” It was Karen Furman on Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG) that spear-headed the lengthy project and today marked the beginning of the end of her efforts. “This has been a real volunteer project with ONG and the Ponca City Council of Garden Clubs paying for the sprinkler system and Bridgeway, Conoco, Ponca City, the Chamber of Commerce and Evans and Associates donating workers,” Furman says. “It should be completed within the next few weeks and I’ll be happy to see the product of the community’s fruits and labor.” Nearly NewsParents are reminded that all schools will be closed Friday. Nearly News, however, presumes students need no reminding about the day off. Classes will resume at the regular time Monday, April 5. Oklahoma Christian Honors P.C. CoupleOKLAHOMA CITY — The Spring Dinner is one of the greatest traditions at Oklahoma Christian, because it honors the persons who mean the most to the university. The 1999 Oklahoma Christian Spring Dinner will recognize Lyle Harms, a member of the university’s Board of Trustees and his wife, Mary, of Ponca City. “We are honoring their lives, their work, their faith and the encouragement and inspiration they have been to their friends, family and the university,” said Kevin Jacobs, president. The Spring Dinner will be held Friday, April, 2, 1999, in the Edward L. Gaylord University Center, on the campus of the university at 6:30 p.m. Lyle and Mary Harms began their association with Oklahoma Christian more than 25 years ago when he was asked to serve on the Oklahoma Christian Board of Development. In 1981, Dr. J. Terry Johnson, the third president of Oklahoma Christian, asked Lyle to serve on the Board of Trustees, the governing body of the university. “During his years of service, the university has advanced academically, spiritually and financially,” said Dr. Jacobs. Because of Lyle’s expertise and knowledge about engineering, he was an integral part and an ardent supporter in establishing the College of Science and Engineering more than ten years ago. “Today, the College of Science and Engineering is one of the university’s most prized gems. It is nationally accredited and attracts the best and the brightest students from all over the world,” said Jacobs. “Lyle and Mary continue to support the engineering programs and have provided dozens of scholarships over the years that have helped students attain their goal of receiving a valuable engineering degree from Oklahoma Christian,” said Jacobs. The Harms also are being honored for the work they have done at Oklahoma Christian’s branch campus, Cascade College, in Portland, Oregon. “From building a dormitory to securing financial support, no job has been too big or too small for Lyle and Mary,” said Jacobs. Lyle served for 35 years with Conoco, Inc., at its corporate headquarters in Ponca City, in various positions in the company’s corporate engineering departments. The Harms are long-time members of the Hartford Avenue Church of Christ, where he served as an elder for many years. They have two children who attended Oklahoma Christian, and four grandchildren. Larry and his wife, Paula, have two sons, Ryan, 14 and Adam, 11. Larry works for Dubai Petroleum (Conoco), in the United Arab Emirates. Janice and her husband, Rick Hendricks, live in Tulsa and have two children, R.F. who will turn 12 this month, and Mary, 9. Janice is a consulting dietitian. Oklahoma Christian University is a private, four-year liberal arts institution with 2,000 students. In addition to a broad academic agenda that offers more than 70 areas of undergraduate and graduate study, students at Oklahoma Christian experience an education that is centered on traditional values. It’s an education that has been nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Petroleum Knowledge Available at P.C. LibraryThe Ponca City Library recently received a gift of knowledge from the Northern Oklahoma Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). SPE donated several petroleum engineering textbooks and a complete collection of over 30,000 SPE papers to the library to enhance the Library’s role as a source of technical information for persons working the petroleum industry. The donation will also provide a resource for students as well as those interested in petroleum. Over 40 years of SPE technical knowledge is now available at the click of a mouse through the public library. The entire collection of papers is contained on a set of computer CD-ROM Discs. Patrons may search the collection for specific technologies by typing in key word, subjects, titles, authors, dates or geographic areas. All of the text, charts, photographs, drawings and tables contained in the original papers are included on the disks and may be printed out. Users may be surprised to find that many papers contained in this collection were written by Ponca City residents working for Conoco’s Research and Development Groups. The reference books deal with reservoir engineering, the properties of petroleum fluids, petrophysics and basic formulas used for drilling, production and workovers. These are college level texts and provide in-depth coverage of their topics. A useful aspect of these works is that they contain detailed examples and information on how to solve real world problems, according to Paula Cain, librarian. Though much has been said and written lately about the demise of the Oklahoma oil and gas industry, the local members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers hope this gift has a positive impact. Crime StoppersTwo Churches Burglarized The Ponca City Police Department is seeking assistance in solving two local church burglaries. According to police they both occurred within a week of one another. The Four Square Church, 700 West Broadway Avenue, was broken into sometime between 7 p.m. March 21 and 10 a.m. March 24, entry was gained through a window. The Grace Episcopal Church, 109 North Thirteenth Street, was also broken into. Entry into the administrative offices was gained after the burglars broke a window. If anyone has any information regarding these church burglaries or any other crime, they are urged to contact the Ponca City Police Department at 767-0370 or Crime Stoppers at 762-5100. The caller may remain anonymous and may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward. Cricket Eating Contest Highlight Of Bug o’ Rama Benefit SaturdayA giant “Bug O’ Rama” benefit will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Parker Pest Control, 3616 Lake Road. Included in the event for children and adults will be numerous activities including dance contests, Karaoke contests, an auction, and a unique cricket eating contest. Proceeds from the event will be contributed to the Domestic Violence Program and to Peachtree Landing Shelter for the homeless. Also in the event will be an animal petting zoo, the Kay County Clowns, face painting, a radio controlled airplane demonstration, free balloons, an emu booth with emu chicks and decorated eggs, a moon walk, Purple Dinosaur and Tweetie Bird, a best bug picture contest, a food booth, a ball bounce and Eggstravaganza Creations. Karaoke contests will be held for adults and children at 11 a.m. with prizes awarded for winners. Prizes may also be won at the Children’s Macarena dance contest at noon. At 12:30 p.m. the Po-Hi cheerleaders and Po-Hi Steppers will present a demonstration. Also on tap is a unique Cricket Eating contest for $100 for first place prize. Parker Pest Control, who is donating the crickets, guarantee (with tongue in cheek) the crickets to be certified grade AAA young and tasty under three months of age. Other nutritional information about the crickets include 32 calories each, 6 grams of fat each, and 3 percent protein with fiber content better than oatmeal. Kidcare Photo’s will be offered to parents as a courtesy of MIX 100 KIXR and Parker Pest Control for children’s safety. At 1:30 p.m. Tom Hawkins will begin the auction for donated items of art, and other items of interest. Mix 100 KIXR will be broadcasting live from the Bug O’ Rama Benefit. DEATHSGeorge Henry Reese Jr. George Henry Reese Jr.BARTLESVILLE — George Henry Reese Jr., former Ponca City area resident, died Saturday, March 27, 1999, in Houston, Texas. He was 53. The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 3, at the Arnold Moore Funeral Home Memory Chapel in Bartlesville. The Rev. Jack Lucas will officiate. Burial will be in the Stokes Cemetery in rural Bartlesville. Friends may visit at the funeral home until time for the service. George Henry Reese Jr. was born in Bartlesville on May 25, 1945, to George Henry and Ila Geraldine (Cox) Reese Sr. At age six, he moved with his family from Bartlesville to Blackwell, where he grew up and graduated from high school in 1965. Reese was employed at the ACME Foundry in Blackwell for eight years, then moved to Houston, Texas, where he was employed in pipeline work. He later returned to Blackwell, then moved to Tonkawa, where he was employed by the COOP Foundry and was active as a bee keeper. He later moved to Ponca City and was employed by Conoco. Reese had made his home in Houston, Texas, for the past nine years. Survivors include his mother, Ila Geraldine (Cox ) Stevens of Blackwell; three brothers, Merl Clift Stevens of Topeka, Kan., and Larry Dee Stevens and Melvin LeRoy Stevens, both of Blackwell; five sisters, Evelyn Jobe, Teresa Suggs and Geraldine Mae Tipton, all of Blackwell, Sharon Abernathy of Ponca City and Rita Kay McWilliams of Lamont. He was preceded in death by his father; his stepfather, Edwin Theodore Stevens; two brothers, Edwin Delbert “Eddie” Stevens and John Theodore Stevens; and one sister, Victoria Christine Stevens. Elizabeth Marie BergstenTONKAWA — Elizabeth Marie (Gaden) Bergsten, former Tonkawa resident, died early Tuesday morning, March 30, at Regent Care Center in San Antonio, Texas. She was 84. The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 3, at the First United Methodist Church in Tonkawa. Dr. John Bartlett of the Tonkawa First Christian Church and Dr. Brian Kovacs of the Tonkawa First United Methodist Church will officiate. Burial will be in the Tonkawa IOOF Cemetery under the direction of Roberts and Son Funeral Home, Blackwell. Elizabeth Marie (Gaden) Bergsten was born Jan. 17, 1915, in Woodward County, Okla., to John Francis and Marie (McNinch) Gaden. She grew up and attended schools in the Woodward County area. She was married to Dr. Marcus Lorenzo Bergsten on Oct. 1, 1936, in Mutual. The couple made their home in Tonkawa where Mrs. Bergsten worked as bookkeeper for her husband’s business, Tonkawa Veterinary Clinic. She remained in Tonkawa after the death of her husband in August 1981. In 1995, she moved to Illinois to live near a granddaughter, then later moved to San Antonio, Texas. Mrs. Bergsten was a member of the Tonkawa First United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women. She also held memberships in the DAR, the Delphi Study Club, and the American Red Cross, in which she was an active volunteer. Survivors include four granddaughters, Jackie Lynn (Legg) Sartin of San Antonio, Texas, Carissa Burkhart of Salem, Mass, Wendelyn Burkhart of Main, and Raenya Burkhart of Ohio; one grandson, John Legg of Tonkawa; one sister, Jeanne O’Neil of Oklahoma City; one brother, Tom Gaden of Ponca City and five great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by two daughters, Jan Legg and Jeanne Burkhart; two brothers, Julian and George Gaden; and a sister, Roberta Craighead. Casket bearers will be Gerald O’Mealey, Jerry Legg, John Lucas, Joe Kreger, Jim Legg and Billy Scott. Memorial contributions may be made in Mrs. Bergsten’s name to Campus Crusade for Christ, c/o Roberts and Son Funeral Home, 120 West Padon, Blackwell, OK 74631. Woodrow LabenskeFAIRFAX — Woodrow “Pedro” Labenske, lifelong Fairfax area resident, died Tuesday evening, March 30, 1999, in Fairfax Memorial Hospital. He was 86. The funeral will be held graveside at 2 p.m. Friday, April 2, at the Fairfax Cemetery with the Rev. Robert Glasgow officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Hunsaker-Wooten Funeral Home. Woodrow “Pedro” Labenske, was born Dec. 11, 1912, in Fairfax to Felix Bernard and Mary Mozella Coulter Labenske. He grew up and attended schools in Fairfax and graduated from Fairfax High School. He was married to Elma Neely in January 1942 in Tulsa, and they established their home in Fairfax, where they owned and operated the American Cleaners. During World War II, Labenske served in the U.S. Army. He was a member of the First Osage Baptist Church, American Legion, and a former member of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce. He enjoyed fishing. Survivors include his wife, Elma, of the home; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers and three sisters. Family members will receive friends and family, Thursday evening and Friday morning, at 237 North Seventh Street in Fairfax. Jack D. MitchellJack D. Mitchell, Ponca City resident, died Wednesday, March 31, 1999, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. He was 62. The funeral service will be held Friday, April 2, at 2 p.m., at Trout Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Joe Howard officiating. Burial will be in Lamont Cemetery, Lamont. Jack D. Mitchell was born Nov. 23, 1936, in Anthony, Kan., to Donald John and Nina Maude (Williams) Mitchell. He graduated from Lamont High School and then attended Northern Oklahoma Junior College for two years. He served in the U.S. Army. Mr. Mitchell owned a used car dealership in Ponca City until 1974 and then was employed with Matco Tools. On Feb. 13, 1986, he married Margie M. Silva in Santa Maria, Calif. He retired from Apex Aerospace in Santa Maria, Calif. in 1990 and then returned to Ponca City. Mr. Mitchell was a member of the Ponca City Aviation Boosters. Mitchell was a 32nd Degree Mason with the Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie. He was an avid pilot and handy man. He enjoyed camping. He is survived by his wife, Margie of the home; and two sons. His parents preceded him in death. Casket bearers will be Bob Frazier, Merle Helt, Bert Blanton, Scott Burdett, Charles Depuy and Bruce Eberle. Honorary bearers will be Dr. Bob Gibson, Dale Randall and John Farris. Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Heart and Cancer Research, 825 N.E. Thirteenth Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 or Ponca City Humane Society, PO Box 2311, Ponca City, OK 74602. The family will be at 1607 East Prospect. Robert Lee GoldsmithRobert Lee Goldsmith, former Ponca City resident, died Sunday morning , March 21, 1999, at DePaul Medical Center in Norfolk, Va. He was 55. The funeral is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, April 3, at St. John Baptist Church in Ponca City with the Rev. Robert Palmer officiating. Arrangements were under the direction of P.G. Thomasson Funeral Service, Virginia Beach, Va. Robert Lee Goldsmith was born Jan 28, 1944, in Ponca City, to Ardell Payne and the late Leonard Goldsmith. He attended Attucks High School and served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1963. Goldsmith was later employed in the refinery at Conoco from 1972 to 1995. Survivors include one son, Jacob Goldsmith of Rockford, Mich.; two step-sons, Sam Trice and Richard Trice, both of Ponca City; two daughters, Thelma Goldsmith of Ponca City and Kenya Goldsmith of Rockford, Mich; two step-daughters, Erin Wakefield of Rockford, Mich. and Sherri (Trice) Lane of Ponca City; and his mother, Ardell Payne. Also one brother, Nathaniel White of Tacoma, Wash.; four sisters, Jenny Goldsmith of Greenville, Texas, Udell Allen and Sherry Miller, both of Ponca City and Carol Stitt of Irving, Texas; one grandchild; one aunt; and one uncle. In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by one brother, Johnny White; one sister, Thelma Lester; his grandmother, Martha Collins; and his great-grandmother, Emma Nivvens. The family will be at 1917 John Street. ObituariesKennedy Nicole ShererSTILLWATER — Kennedy Nicole Sherer was born and died March 30, 1999, at Stillwater Medical Center in Stillwater. She was the daughter of Robert and Shelly (Powell) Sherer of Ponca City. A graveside service will be held at Fairlawn Cemetery in Stillwater at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 2, with the Rev. James P. Gragg and Father Bob Schlitt officiating. Friends and family may visit at the home of Kennedy’s grandparents, Dick and Carol Powell, 1104 South Willis in Stillwater, where Kennedy will lie in state until 9:30 p.m. today. In addition to her parents, Kennedy is survived by one brother, Ryan Sherer of the Ponca City home; her maternal grandparents, Dick and Carol Ann Powell of Stillwater; her paternal grandparents, Richard and Sharil Sherer of Kismet, Kan.; maternal great-grandparents, Nadine and Charles Evans of Stillwater and Billie and Herb Kannady of Tulsa; and paternal great-grandmother, Wilma Means of Kismet, Kan. Memorial contributions may be made in Kennedy’s name to Stillwater Medical Center Foundation, Maternal Child Health Unit, P.O. Box 2408, Stillwater, OK 746-2408. paid obituary Services PendingNellie Mae WisemanNellie Mae Wiseman, Ponca City resident, died Wednesday, March 31, 1999, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. She was 87. Arrangements are pending with Trout Funeral Home. NEWS BRIEFSCommunity Performance — The Ponca Playhouse is making plans for a community performance of “Curious Savage” prior to attending regional competition in Albuquerque, N.M. Date, place and times will be announced. Paris Concert for Amnesty International starring Bruce Springsteen and Tracy Chapman. Seen only on Pay Per View, Sat- urday, April 3rd at 8:00 p.m. Call for your front row seat 762-6684 Cable One. adv. Free Clothing Available — Free clothing to anyone with a need on Monday, April 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at First Assembly of God Church, 1308 Bradley. Use the furthest northwest door of the church to enter. We are in need of clothing to donate, and clothing may be left inside the same northwest door. Give away is available every first and second Monday of the month from 6 to 8 p.m. Being Relocated, or in town for a short time? We have homes available by the month or longer. All homes are full furnished with appliances, furniture, linens, pots and pans. Inclusive of cable, local phone, and utilities. Please call 580-762-7980 or 580-718-0681. a-dv. KOFPS Music — The Walnut Valley Chapter of the Kansas Oldtime Fiddlers, Pickers and Singers, will meet at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Senior Citizen Center, two blocks east of Summit Street in downtown Arkansas City, Kan. Musicians and members are invited to participate. Individuals will perform at 6 p.m., followed by dancing to several band groups until 10 p.m. No alcoholic beverages or drugs are permitted. A spokesperson said this is a good opportunity for an evening of music, entertainment, dancing and fellowship. Now Available, tomato plant, seed potatoes, onion sets and plants, asparagus. Keathly’s Nursery. adv. Just Going Batty — The Ponca City Library is going batty! Join in the fun for the “Secret World of Bats,” on Monday, April 5 at 7 p.m. to learn about bats and their habitat. Refreshments and door prize drawing. All ages welcome. Pauline's Shrimp peel. All you can eat, $11.95, Friday the 2nd. For reservations, call 765-5460.adv. Warrant Served — A Ponca City police officer arrested an 18-year-old man at 9:49 p.m. Wednesday in the 1000 block of Knight Road for failure to pay a city warrant. Vandalism — A resident on Stoneridge Road contacted the Ponca City Police Department at 8:32 a.m. Wednesday to report a mailbox was vandalized. An officer was assigned and took a report. Red Bud trees, five gallon. Regular $39.99. Sale $27.99. Keathly’s Nursery. adv. Bogus Checks — A Ponca City police officer arrested a 24-year-old man at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday from the 3500 block of North Union Street on a Kay County warrant for bogus checks. Dougan's Bar-B-Q Friday special from 4-8 p.m., all you can eat ribs with beans, potato salad and coleslaw, $7.49. 215 South 14th, 765-7979. adv. Arrest — A 47-year-old man was taken into custody by a Ponca City police officer at 8:51 a.m. Wednesday for driving under suspension. Having A choice is what “The Works” can do for you. Wait no more to subscribe to the best of HBO package. Sign up now and receive a limited edition die cast replica of the Titanic. Call Cable One at 762-6684. adv. Burglary — At 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, a resident in the 600 block of North Osage Street contacted the Ponca City Communication Center to advise a female entered a vacant residence at 608 North Osage Street. Three Ponca City police officers responded and arrested a 14-year-old girl and a 36-year-old woman. Both were charged with burglary. Vandalism — A resident in the 2200 block of Oriole Street advised the Ponca City Communication Center at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday that a vehicle was vandalized. A Ponca City police officer responded and took a report. All Cole crops 1/2 off regular price $1.69 except lettuce and strawberries. Keathly’s Nusery adv. Arrest — A Ponca City police officer responded at 1:55 p.m. Wednesday to West Cherry Avenue and South Washington Street about a report of an intoxicated woman in the area. A 38-year-old woman was arrested for public intoxication. Easter Egg hunt for all children through 8 years. Saturday, April 3 at 10 a.m., south side of Hutchins. adv. Reckless Driving — At 3:51 p.m. Wednesday, the Ponca City Communication Center was advised of a gray jeep driving recklessly in the 800 block of North Pine Street. A Ponca City police officer responded but did not locate the vehicle. Spring Carpet cleaning-most modern method. Trained person- nel, reasonable prices, references. Floorcraft. 762-8381. adv. Young Shoplifter — At 6:01 p.m. Wednesday, an employee of Sav-A-Trip, 501 West Highland Avenue, reported a juvenile male had shoplifted. Two Ponca City police officers responded and arrested an 8-year-old boy for petit larceny, assault and battery and public intoxication. Accident — Two Ponca City police officers responded to the report of a two-vehicle accident in the east bound lane at East Hartford Avenue and Joe Street, at 4:28 p.m. Wednesday. No injuries were reported. Crimson Beauty canna bulbs. Regular $0.59 each. Sale $0.39 each, Keathly’s Nursery. adv. Warrants — At 5:21 p.m. Wednesday an Osage County deputy arrested a 35-year-old man from Timberline Mobile Home Park and took him to the Ponca City Police Department. The subject was charged with two Kay County warrants for failure to pay fines. Free Pregnancy test. Birth Choice cares. Confidential. Hours: Monday, 4-6 p.m., Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, 1-3 p.m. and Thursday, 6-8 p.m. 700 West Broadway. adv. Grass Fire — A Ponca City fire unit responded south of the landfill at 5:56 p.m. Wednesday to extinguish a grass fire. Dougan's Bar-B-Q Thursday special from 4-? 1/2 BBQ chicken with 2 vegetables. $4.25. 215 South 14th. 765-7979. adv. Arrest — A 28-year-old woman was taken into custody by a Ponca City police officer at 5:59 p.m. Wednesday for a Kay County warrant. Head Country all day Friday special All you can eat, smoked BBQ ribs, beans, potato salad, and coleslaw, only $7.49, all day. 1217 East Prospect. 767-8304. adv. In Custody — A 25-year-old man was arrested at 10:49 p.m. Wednesday in the 900 block of South Twelfth Street by a Ponca City police officer. He was charged with driving under suspension and driving not reasonable and proper. Arrest — At 12:48 a.m. Thursday, a resident in the 600 block of North Palm Street advised the Ponca City Communication Center that a 19-year-old man had assaulted her. Three Ponca City officers responded to discover no assault had occurred. However, the man was arrested for two Kay County warrants. DUI — Two Ponca City police officers responded to a 911 call from an employee of Cornerstone, 718 South Waverly Street at 1:41 a.m. Thursday. Apparently, the subjects had been inside the business causing problems, then left prior to the officers’ arrival. One officer took a 34-year-old man into custody for driving under the influence, no insurance and resisting arrest. Lights Out — The Water and Light Department advised the Ponca City Communication Center at 4:06 a.m. Thursday that electricity would be off at Ronny’s Market and Car Wash, North Union Street and East Prospect Avenue for a couple of hours. GARDENINGGarden A Good Place Local Event Listed With Herb FestsHerbs make the ingredient list of festivals happening all year long in Oklahoma, but with more than 15 herb festivals scheduled between April and June spring is the best time to stop and smell the rosemary. Learn about the medicinal, culinary and aromatic value of these multipurpose plants and buy a flat of your favorite herb: fresh cilantro for salsa, sprigs of peppermint for iced tea, or fresh basil for homemade pesto. Homemade herbal soaps, herb infused oils, vinegar and potpourri make great gifts, and workshops teach participants to make their own herbal products. Here’s a list of herb festivals that have been provided to the Oklahoma Travel and Tourism Division: April 3, Spring Medicinal Workshop, Granny’s Herbs in Porter, OK (918) 483-6013 Workshops run from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. Bring a sack lunch. April 3, Jenks Herb and Plant Festival, sponsored by the Jenks Garden Club in Jenks, OK (918) 299-5005. April I0, Herb Day at Brookside, The Herb Shoppe in Tulsa, OK (918) 743-5136. April 10, Will Rogers Herb Show, Will Rogers Garden Center in Oklahoma City, OK (405) 943-0827. Show runs from 8 a.m.12 p.m. April 17, An Herbal Affair and Festival, Main & Broadway in Sand Springs, OK (918) 246-2561. May 1, Medicine Park Spring Rites Fest in Medicine Park, OK (580) 529-2225. May 8, Central Oklahoma Herbfest; Harn Homestead and 89er Museum in Oklahoma City, OK (405) 524-1000. May 8, Annual Wildwoman’s Festival, Wildwoman’s Wildflowers in Eufaula, OK (918) 689-5481. A celebration of spring and growing things. May 22, Uniquely Herbal Spring Garden Tour, Bluejay Gardens Herb Farm in Haskell, OK (918) 482-3465. Living history tour of gardens designed in the Colonial America Style and French and English gardens of the Victorian Era, Artisans in period dress demonstrate blacksmithing, basket weaving and spinning, while dancers and singers perform to old style music makers. May 29, Open House, Golden Trowel Herb Farm in Newalla, (405) 391-4769. June 5, Ponca City Herb Festival, Cann Memorial Garden Center in Ponca City, OK (580) 767-1957. Herbal lectures and workshops, fresh herbs, demonstrations, samples, herbal products, food, music, vendors and hourly seminars. June 12, Oklahoma City Herb Show, Will Rogers Garden Center in Okahoma City, OK (405) 943-0827. For more information about Oklahoma herb festivals, clubs, gardens and growers, contact Rita Holder, owner of Holder’s Herbs & Gifts, and president of the Oklahoma Herb Growers and Marketers Association, at (405) 390-2233, For more information about travel in Oklahoma, contact the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department at (800) 652-6552 or (405) 521-2409 or at the website at www.travelok.com, Garden A Good PlaceBy GEORGE BRIA POUND RIDGE, N.Y. (AP) — In the midst of ever-dizzier speeds, a good place to slow down is the garden. You get time for reflection. For sure, this is easier for retirees than for working people. But I’ve known dedicated gardeners who would find time for both job and garden, even rising earlier in the morning to tend their beloved plants and breathe easy among them. Drop a seed in the ground, or in a flat under lights, and you’ve got to wait for it to sprout. Maybe it won’t, if the seed is sick or dead or if the light, soil, humidity and temperature aren’t right. But it will take at least a few days, and maybe a couple of weeks, or even more than a month, for you to find out. That’s part of the scene — the waiting, the anticipation and then the delight of seeing that first touch of green or the sense of failure if nothing shows. But no message flashes across a screen saying you’ve goofed and telling you to retry or press any key to continue. In a culture of sound bites and fast chips, slow motion may be tiresome to some. In fact, speed lovers have made some inroads into gardening. To cut time, many people have abandoned seed-sowing altogether in favor of ready-to-go plants. At a nursery, I’ve seen people spend hundreds of dollars in a single day on plants. They’ll have lettuce patches and flowerbeds overnight. Of course, with perennial ornamentals and trees, the time involved in getting growth makes it sensible to buy plants. But annual flowers and vegetables may easily be raised from seed, depending on your interest. Gardening completely with store-bought plants resembles painting with numbers or eating only in restaurants or bringing takeout meals home. It’s not art or cooking. But you might ask what’s wrong with beautifying your place with store-bought plants or cutting nursery-bred fresh lettuce leaves out of the garden? Who cares that they come from the nursery or, if you’re well-off, that you hire somebody to do all the work? Augusta Carter, a Georgia-born master gardener I knew, once told me, “A gardener has to get grimy and dirty and enjoy what comes out of real work. If you’re one of those people who are afraid to get your fingernails soiled or broken and you don’t want to put on dirty old jeans and old sneakers and get out and dig, you’re not really a gardener.” Now dead, she was 81 at the time, but still intensely involved in the gardening she first got to love as a child in Georgia’s red soil. There are levels of gardening, of course. For some, it’s just a kind of decor, like wallpaper or furniture. For others, it’s a passion. Even today, these aficionados not only plant from seed packets, they know how to save seeds from their own plants and propagate them. Many old-time tomato and pepper growers are reproducing heirloom varieties year after year with the seeds they expertly save. But the signs seem to point the other way. I’ve just seen two new books — “The 20-Minute Gardener” and “The 20-Minute Vegetable Gardener,” both by Tom Christopher and Marty Asher. They give helpful hints on how you can garden in just 20 minutes a day, or 40 if you’re doing both veggies and flowers. In this time-saving climate, more and more seedhouses nowadays are offering pots of annual plants to be shipped to you at the right time, all set to go in the ground. Even the great American pastime of mowing the lawn is affected. I do mine with an easy-to-use cordless electric mower. I asked my hardware store recently why they don’t stock them. The answer I got was, “Few people around here are even buying gas-driven mowers any more. They hire landscaping crews to come in and do the lawn for them.” Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Garden Club Plans Herb Festival for June 5Planners for the Sixth Annual Ponca City Herb Festival on Saturday, June 5, at the Cann Gardens, urge the public to visit the event. Nestled among the lovely garden paths will be many booths selling herbal and Americana crafts, herbal products, aromatherapeutic oils and fragrances. Also available will be garden-related items such as birdhouses, Willow furniture, decorative gourds, and, of course, live herbal and perennial plants. Other festival activities include demonstrations and free seminars held throughout the day in the Cann home and on the grounds with topics ranging from cooking with herbs, herbs for health, edible Wild plants, herbal vinegars, aromatherapy, potpourri, and the basics of growing and harvesting herbs. Strolling musicians, madrigal singers, and a variety of local musicians will add to the ambiance of this year’s festival. As always, an assortment of festival foods will be available again this year. Garden lunches, herbal fruit salads, shish-kabob, baked potatoes with herbal toppings, German bratwurst, hot dogs, German-style roasted pecans and almonds, fresh lemonade, and funnel cakes are just a few of the treats that will be sold at the Ponca City Herb Festival. The proceeds will be used by Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme Garden Club to enhance the public gardens of Ponca City. Visitors to the Cann Gardens are able to relax on several park benches that were purchased with last year’s profits. The SRT mission is to “promote the joys of gardening, to raise funds to enhance and enrich the many public gardens in the Ponca City area, to educate the public concerning various aspects of herbal gardening and related subjects, to bring as many visitors as possible to enjoy our beautiful town, and to-increase awareness of the multitude of uses for herbs and herbal products.” For more information about the festival, or to join Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Garden Club, call Mary Anne Potter, at 580-767-1957, or Helen Widner, 580-767-1076. A website has been developed for the Ponca City Herb Festival. The website address is www.onlineshops.com/herbfest. The site provides information to visitors, and vendor forms. More than 27,000 people have visited this site since its inception in 1998 said a spokesperson. SPORTSJV Netters Second In Quad Meet JV Netters Second In Quad MeetPRYOR — The Wildcat junior varsity netters came up with a gutsy performance in Prior, recently, gunning past varsity squads from both Prior and Guthrie to finish second in a quad meet with 8 points. The Cats were beat out by the Tulsa Memorial varsity, with 11 points. Prior finished with 3, while Guthrie had 2. “They played real well down there,” said coach Steve Larimer. “Tulsa Memorial finished just one point behind our varsity in (the Ponca City Tournament), and Prior and Guthrie have some good players. It was a pretty decent finish.” With Cory Landes in No. 1 singles, Mark Parson in No. 2 singles, Matt Caine and Scot Mitchell in No. 1 doubles and Mark Goddard and Squire Lawrence in No. 2 doubles, the Cats swept Guthrie, 4-0, finished 3-1 against Guthrie, and finished 1-3 against Memorial. Goddard and Lawrence finished a perfect 3-0 on the day. The junior varsity play again today, hosting Enid. Results Ponca City 4, Guthrie 0 1S — Landes def. Latham, 6-1, 6-4 2S — Parson def. Gilbertson, 6-4, 6-0 1D — Caine-Mitchell def. Hookan-Warfel, 7-5, 6-3 2D — Goddard-Lawrence def. Hay-Huffman, 6-2, 6-3 Ponca City 3, Prior 1 1S — Landes lost to Webster, 6-0, 6-1 2S — Parson def. Webster, 6-0, 6-1 1D — Caine-Mitchell def. Gate-Elan, 6-4, 6-2 2D — Goddard-Lawrence def. Walker-Osborne, 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 Ponca City 1, Tulsa Memorial 4 1S — Landes lost to Lee, 6-0, 6-0 2S — Parson lost to Monhollow, 6-2, 6-3 1D — Caine-Mitchell lost to Singh-Maricle, 6-1, 7-5 2D — Goddard-Lawrence def. Brown-Krueger, 6-0, 6-1. Lady Cougars Get Strong Finish in Catoosa MeetDespite a huge field of athletes, the seventh grade girl’s track team stepped up to finish sixth out of 23 teams at the Catoosa meet on Tuesday. Distance runner Chelsie Baldwin placed first in the 1600 meters and second in the 800 meters, and led the 1600 relay team — including Kim Evans, Kari Lawson, and Jessica Roland — to a first place finish. Hannah Garrison picked up a pair of sixth place finishes in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles, while Roland finished seventh in the long jump. The eighth grade girls finished 20th in a field of 30. “It’s extremely hard to score points when you compete against 60-70 athletes and only the top six score,” said coach Penny Surber. “We’re extremely proud of these girls.” Results Seventh Grade 200 meters Kim Evans 32.65 Jessica Bushman 32.26 Sarah Goodbear 33.47 400 meters Sara Goodbear 80.79 Jenny Mena 80.3 Jessica Bushman 83.07 800 meters 2 — Chelsie Baldwin 2:43 Jenny Mena 3:09 Jenny Rutter 3:18 1600 meters 1 — Chelsie Baldwin 6:02 Jenny Rutter 7:17 100 hurdles 6 — Hannah Garrison 20.14 Jeniffer Jenkins 20.83 300 hurdles 6 — Hannah Garrison 62.63 Jeniffer Jenkins 64.48 long jump 7 — Jessica Roland 12-9 400 relay Evans, Lawson, Leach, Roland 1:00.54 800 relay Evans, Lawson, Leach, Roland 2:09.91 1600 relay 1 — Baldwin, Evans, Lawson, Roland 4:58 shot Jessica Bushman 17-1 Eighth grade 100 meters Halli Martin 14.64 Alison Ford 15.96 Laura Sprehe 15.44 200 meters Halli Martin 31.94 Alison Ford 33.6 Laura Sprehe 32.96 800 meters Melissa Stangeland 3:19 Katie Emmons 3:22 Jenny Rupert 3:26 1600 meters Katie Emmons 7:17 Melissa Stangeland 7:19 Jenny Rupert 7:36 Stephanie Powers 8:15 400 relay Jacobs, Coldiron, Murray, Mitchell 58:51 800 relay Jacobs, Coldiron, Murray, Mitchell 2:09.68 1600 relay Hill, Coldiron, Jacobs, Murray 5:07
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