LOCAL

Writing Art Contest Celebrates The Spirit of the Pioneer Woman
Seat Belt Compliance Up in City
Kay County Conservation District Winning Scrapbook at PC Library
Ponca Citian At St. John’s To Boys State

Writing Art Contest Celebrates The Spirit of the Pioneer Woman

During April, Ponca City students participated in a special writing and art contest, celebrating the “Spirit of the Pioneer Woman,” and sponsored by the Marland Estate Foundation.

An anthology of the winning works has been published and is available for purchase in the gift shop at the Marland Mansion.

The winning students will participate in a Young Author’s Conference on May 27 at the Carriage House on the Marland Estate. Two sessions of the conference will be conducted for kindergarten through third grades at 10:30 a.m., and fourth grade through high school at 1:30 p.m.

Brod Bagert, poet, and Gary Dulabaum, songwriter, will conduct the conference, performing original works of writing and music that they have specifically developed in celebration of the “Spirit of the Pioneer Woman.”

The children will also participate in workshops designed to enhance their understanding of creativity in art, music and writing. The artists are sponsored by a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Students who competed in the writing contest submitted an original essay and/or a poem, using the “Spirit of the Pioneer Woman” as the central theme. For the art contest, students created their interpretation using the same theme in a drawing.

“Since this is the 70th anniversary of the unveiling of the Pioneer Woman Statue, the Marland Estate Foundation felt it was appropriate to honor all women who have been pioneers,” commented Karen Furman, chairman of the contest. “E.W. Marland was responsible for commissioning this wonderful monument, so we are honoring him, too,” she said.

Winners in the writing contest were Robin Maril of Ponca City High School, Reema Patel from First Lutheran School, and several from Garfield Academy including Cassie DeBoard, Erica Dennis, Marina Vela, Anna Bookout, Annabelle Tsai, and McKennah Cook.

Other winners were Lindsey Gonzales of Lincoln Elementary, Shawn Calhoun, McCord School, John McEnany and Evan Jordan, both at St. Mary’s School; and Kayla Hover, Trout Elementary.

Ponca City students winning in the art contest were Amy Heick from First Assembly School, Gina Staton, Jeremy Humble, Elizabeth Conchos, Alex Brown, Tori Bell, Tim Gilliland and Angel Howard, all of Garfield Academy, and William Spears, Julian Gamboa, Jessica Chamberlain and Sydney Pruett, Lincoln Elementary.

Also, Kacey Burries from McCord School, Kylie Brookshire and Kristen Stangeland, both of Roosevelt Elementary, Grant Detten, Katherine Moriarty and Justin Glowacki of St. Mary’s, and Mark Chaney, Andrea Sanford, Katie Tracy, Katlyn Ford and Torri Kem, Trout Elementary.

Seat Belt Compliance Up in City

A Ponca City Police Department report indicated a 67 percent seat belt compliance rate among drivers following a survey taken by police last week.

According to estimates, this marks a nine percent increase over a similar survey performed by officers during last quarter, which showed a 58 percent compliance rate among drivers.

The same survey also revealed a 67 percent compliance rate among front-seat passengers.

The survey is funded through the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office and part of a program designed to increase safety belt and child safety seat usage in our city, explained Sherry Bowers, department information officer.

The funds pay for officer overtime hours while they participate in the program, she said.

In addition, this year the effort to combat aggressive driving has been added which includes enforcement in the areas of DUI, speeding and reckless driving.

Patrol Captain Carl Porter stressed that the safest place for a child to ride — whether in a child safety seat, booster seat or belted in — is in the back seat.

“If you have children and passenger side air bags, please read and follow the manufacturer’s suggestion for size and weight for riding safely in the front seat,” cautioned Porter.

He also warned that infants riding in a rear-facing child safety seat in a vehicle equipped with passenger side air bags should never be placed in the front seat.

Kay County Conservation District Winning Scrapbook at PC Library

The winning scrapbook of the Kay County Conservation District is on display at the Ponca City Library from May 24 through June 27. The scrapbook will be available for viewing during regular Library hours.

Kay County Conservation District was the winning district for Group IV (Conservation districts in which four or more newspapers are published) for the Scrapbook award. Conservation Districts that have done an effective job of using newspaper and periodicals to carry out a planned program of conservation information may submit a scrapbook entry.

The OACD segment of the award is given annually to the district that submits the best scrapbook, documenting its use of the media to communicate with the public during the year. “We could not have won the scrapbook award without the outstanding coverage we receive from the four newspapers in Kay County,” says Hessel Purdy.

The OPA segment of the award is to acknowledge the newspapers and writers — members of OPA for bringing environmental and conservation issues to the attention of the public.

In addition to Kay County Conservation District winning the scrapbook award, two other awards were given from our scrapbook. Mark Galvin, formerly of The Ponca City News, won an award for the outstanding feature story and Dayle McGaha of the Blackwell Journal Tribune won an award for an outstanding editorial.

Ponca Citian At St. John’s To Boys State

Jake Pruett Redd, son of Dr. Fred and Jinger Henke of Ponca City, is a Cadet at St. John’s Military School in Salina, Kan.

He has been selected by his school as the sole representative to Kansas Boys State which will be held in Manhattan, Kan., June 4-10.

Since attending St. John’s Military School, Jake has maintained a 3.3 GPA, earned a place on the honor roll, achieved the rank of Sergeant, and holds the position of Presidential Liaison.

Redd has participated in football, soccer, swimming, riflery and skiing. He has also received the Good Citizenship Award from the Salina American Legion.

He plans to pursue a career in the military.

DEATHS

Ralph Gittings Duckwall
Fern A. Christenson
Harry M. Stucky
Theodore R. Gregory

Ralph Gittings Duckwall

STILLWATER — Ralph Gittings Duckwall, resident of Stillwater, died Tuesday, May 23, 2000, in Stillwater Medical Center. He was 88.

The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 26, in the First Church of the Nazarene with the Rev. Mark Jones officiating. Burial will be in the Fairlawn Cemetery in Stillwater under the direction of Strode Funeral Home.

Ralph Gittings Duckwall was born Feb. 29, 1912, in Tuttle, the son of Robert Callahan and Mary (Gittings) Duckwall. He moved to Stillwater, graduating from Stillwater High School in 1931. He attended Oklahoma A&M. He married Lucile Mable Ash on Sept. 26, 1934, in Guthrie.

He was employed with Hoke Lumber Co. for seven years until World War II. During the war, he taught aircraft construction at Oklahoma A&M. He later joined the United States Air Force procurement division, helping the Air Force buy C-47s.

After the war, the couple operated Duckwall Furniture and Appliance in Stillwater for 29 years. He was an amateur horticulturist, working with roses. He is known for breeding a thorn less rose. He was a cabinet maker and built some of the furniture that was placed in the OSU president’s home. He was also a published author of the Okie Thots and Quotes. He was active in the First Church of the Nazarene and held a Sunday school 20-year perfect attendance pin. He was also active in the Republican Presidential Task Force.

Survivors include his wife of the home; two sons, Robert Duckwall of Ponca City and Donald Duckwall of Stillwater; five grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Glenn Duckwall.

Casket bearers will be Ron Duckwall, Bob Duckwall, Joshua Duckwall, Mike Duckwall, Kelley Hitch, Tyler King.

Memorial contributions may be made in his name to Stillwater First Church of the Nazarene, 1023 E Will Rogers, Stillwater, Okla. 74075.

Obituaries

Fern A. Christenson

Fern A. Christenson, Ponca City resident, died Wednesday, May 24, 2000, at Tender Heart Health Care. She was 88.

A graveside service will be held Friday, May 26, 2000, at 10 a.m. at Odd Fellows Cemetery with the Rev. Chris Cooper, pastor of First Baptist Church in Burbank, officiating. Burial will be under the direction of Trout Funeral Home.

Fern A. Benningfield Christenson was born Jan. 2, 1912, in Dacoma, Okla., the daughter of Otha Burr and Lizzie Farris Benningfield. She grew up in Dacoma and graduated high school there. On Oct. 12, 1931, she married William F. Christenson in Woodward.

In 1932, Mrs. Christenson moved to Burbank and was employed as a cook at the Burbank High School for 20 years. After the death of her husband in 1974, she moved to Ponca City.

She is survived by two sons, Bob Christenson of Burbank and Gene Christenson of Rogersville, Mo., and three daughters, Mrs. Walter (Billie) Druckenmiller and Karen Graham, both of Ponca City, and Carrie Patterson of Tulsa. Additional survivors include a brother, Kenneth Benningfield of Alva, 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. In addition to her parents and husband, a sister, Alta Morris, and two brothers, Pat and Jess Benningfield, preceded her in death.

Honorary casket bearers will be grandsons, Rick Coffelt, Bobbie Christenson, Mason Patterson, Donald Christenson, Brian Graham and Warren Graham.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for heart research, 825 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104.

paid obituary

Services Pending

Harry M. Stucky

Harry M. Stucky, Ponca City resident, died Wednesday evening, May 24, 2000, at the Shawn Manor Nursing Home. He was 77. Survivors include his wife Ruth, of the home. Arrangements are pending with Grace Memorial Chapel.

Theodore R. Gregory

Theodore R. Gregory, Ponca City resident, died Wednesday evening, May 24, 2000, at the Tender Heart Nursing Center. He was 78. Survivors will include his wife, Beatrice Kiser Gregory. Arrangements are pending with Grace Memorial Chapel.

NEWS BRIEFS

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Accident — A clerk at a local business reported a two-vehicle accident in the 400 block of South Fourteenth Street to Ponca City police at 7:38 a.m. Wednesday. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Pauline Steak and shrimp dinner $11.95 Friday the 26th. For reservations call 765-5460. adv.

Stolen Vehicle — Someone in the 400 block of North Birch Street reported to Ponca City police at 7:56 a.m. Wednesday that a vehicle had been stolen. All units and surrounding agencies were advised.

www.HeartandHealth.com -Buy or sell Rexall natural

health products online. adv.

Accident — A motorist in the 100 block of West South Avenue reported to Ponca City police at 8:03 a.m. Wednesday that a semi truck in the eastbound lane had hit the underpass. The vehicle was located and a report was taken.

Free Pregnancy test. Birth Choice cares. Confidential. Hours: Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, 1-3 p.m. and Thursday, 6-8 p.m. 700 West Broadway. 765-9689. adv.

Accident — An officer in the intersection of North Waverly Street and Industrial Boulevard reported at 8:12 a.m. an accident involving a city vehicle.

Fun For kids! Brod Bagert and Gary Dulabaum performing songs and poems. Friday night 6:00 to

8:00, Brace Books on North Fourteenth. adv.

Subject Held — An officer in the 1300 block of South Fifth Street reported at 10:58 a.m. Wednesday, after a routine traffic stop, that a 21-year-old man was being taken into custody on a city warrant for destruction of private property.

Free- 8 potatoes and 8 rolls with purchase of 20 piece tub now thru Memorial Day. Snyder’s Grocery 762-4686. Open 7 days a week. adv.

Shoplifting — A clerk at a business in the 700 block of North Fourteenth Street reported to Ponca City police at 1:53 p.m. Wednesday that a man had stolen a pair of shoes. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Stormescape Shelters, perfect for garage, under vehicle, installation. $1,695. 765-2633. adv.

Subject Held — An officer in the 3000 block of Crown Avenue reported at 12:14 p.m. Wednesday that a 35-year-old man was being taken into custody on city warrants for failure to appear and failure to obey and for no insurance, driving under suspension and careless driving.

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.

Gas Drive-Off — A clerk at a business in the 4000 block of Lake Road reported to Ponca City police at 10:25 p.m. Wednesday that someone had driven-off without paying for their gas. Kay County Sheriff’s Office was advised.

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.

Burglary — Someone in the 1800 block of Holbrook reported a burglary in progress to Ponca City police at 2:49 p.m. Wednesday. Two units responded to the scene. Officers were unable to locate anyone in the residence, and a report was taken.

Gas Drive-Off — A clerk in the 2000 block of North Fourteenth Street reported that a woman left without paying for $10 worth of gas. An officer was assigned and a report was left to be filled out.

Accident — Someone in the 2000 block of North Fourteenth Street reported an accident to Ponca City police at 4:35 p.m. Wednesday. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Subject Held — An officer reported at 5:23 p.m. Wednesday that 25-year-old man was being taken into custody for possession of marijuana.

Burglary — Someone in the 500 block of South Twelfth Street reported to Ponca City police at 6:17 p.m. Wednesday that they had seen someone trying to break into an unoccupied residence. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Gas Drive-Off — A clerk at a business in the 400 block of East South Avenue reported to Ponca City police at 2:12 a.m. Thursday that someone had driven off without paying for their gas. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

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GARDENING

Diggin in the Dirt
When the Spring Blooms Fade, What Comes Next?

Diggin in the Dirt

By Kathy Zehr

The hardy perennial boasts an endless selection of varieties. Everything from trees, shrubs, bulbs, and houseplants are included in this catch-all category.

It’s also every gardener’s favorite because a perennial lives year after year. All the trees and shrubs in our yards are perennials. Most perennial garden flowers are called herbaceous perennials — the tops die back to the ground with the first freeze, then new plants arise from the roots in the spring.

Most blooming perennial shrubs and flowers blossom only a short time so it is necessary to plan their permanent placement so flower beds will have continuous color or interest throughout the spring, summer and fall. Annuals can fill in the holes and help provide continuous color. Often perennials just function best by providing a beautiful background for the showier annuals.

Many perennial flowers, shrubs, bulbs and other plants require transplanting or dividing occasionally.

If you are planning some landscaping in the future, or want to make some changes, spring is a good time to take a hard look at yards in your neighborhood. Note the blooming times, color, height, and shape of various trees and shrubs and plan according to your permanent needs. Plants and shrubs can be seen in bloom at the garden center.

Blooming perennial plants are often chosen with a purpose in mind such as for edgings, or masses of color, rock gardens, etc. Consult plant societies, specialty books, and nurseries that specialize in herbaceous perennials for detailed information.

To select the proper plant for a specific location, learn about its shape and height at full maturity, blooming habits and any special needs. Azaleas and hydrangeas require a more acid soil! Consider the plants needs for full sunlight (bulbs and tubers) or partial shade or mostly shade (hostas). Good drainage is necessary.

Map Your Yard

Map your yard and house on graph paper and draw the plant in (at full maturity) where you want it to be located. Many growers plant too many plants, which get too big and become an expensive problem to remove. Study the drawings carefully to see if your tree, shrub or plant will fit in the location happily. Will your tender plant burn up against a brick wall where it will get too hot, or a tree get too tall under electrical lines? Will it shade your vegetable garden?

As a rule, fall flowering perennials should be planted in the spring, while spring-flowering perennials are usually planted in the fall. Spring blooming perennials are usually pruned or trimmed after blooming in the spring, and fall blooming bushes and plants are pruned in the late fall.

Proper watering of perennials is crucial since the plants grow back from the roots every year. Make certain that all the roots are reached by deep watering. Shallow and frequent watering causes shallow roots and endangers the health of the plant.

Mulching gives an orderly look to the garden, cuts down on weeding during the flowering period and maintains uniform moisture conditions. Soil is modified to various degrees by various kinds of mulch. Bark, pine needles and shredded leaves are common organic mulches for perennial beds, but pine needles work best under acid loving plants. Perennials should also be mulched heavier in the winter to keep the roots protected from heaving (alternate freezing and thawing). Only add extra winter mulch after the first freeze and be sure to remove it early in the spring.

To keep soil from leeching, a light fertilization program gives a continuous supply of nutrients to keep your perennials healthy. Use 5-10-5 fertilizer in March and repeat about every six weeks. Some plants need less, so check your plants requirements.

After perennials have bloomed, spent flowers should be removed (deadheaded). Cut flower stems down to a healthy leaf to make the plant look neat. . Do not remove the foliage or leaves on bulbs and tubers — let them die naturally then cut them back.

Delphiniums can be forced to reblossom if cut back severely after the first bloom. Cutting spent blossoms will prevent plants from trying to set seed and sapping a lot of strength from the roots.

To gain larger blooms disbud the small side buds and allow the plant to concentrate its energy to produce one or a few large blooms. Peonies and chrysanthemums are often disbudded. Perennial plants usually show up best when planted in clumps or groups of plants of the same variety.

Little Sprouts

A perennial flower or plant is an excellent first plant for a little sprout. He can water, trim, fertilize, pick flowers and watch for his very own plant to return each year in the same spot. Caring for the plant establishes good gardening habits. Bulbs are especially practical — and he gets to dig in the dirt and find the new bulbs when its time to divide!

When the Spring Blooms Fade, What Comes Next?

People often wonder what to do when tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, Easter lilies, and other spring-blooming bulb flowers have faded. Here are tips provided by the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center in New York City.

When Spring Gardens Fade

After spring-flowering bulbs have faded, snip off the dead flowers so they won’t go to seed, but let the green foliage die back naturally, a process which generally takes about six weeks. (A dead-heading exception: daffodils do not require dead-heading — though many people choose to do so for aesthetic reasons. Large naturalized beds of daffodils can be left au naturale after blooming and suffer no ill effects.)

Avoid the urge to tidy up bulb plantings after bloom by tying up the leaves with string or rubber bands, as some suggest. The six week leaf die-back time is a critical work period for leaves busy with photosynthesis (the process by which leaves combine chlorophyl and sunshine into the starches that recharge the bulb with food for next years bloom). The leaves must be free to soak up sunshine during this crucial period.

If dying foliage seems unattractive, the best solution is camouflage. Interplant with hosta or other leafy perennials. They will grow up and around fading bulb plants and disguise the dying foliage of the bulbs. Remember that some bulbs such as tulips and hyacinths do not always come back strongly in subsequent years. If the variety you planted wasn’t a variety marked good for perennializing, then it’s probably best to treat them as annuals and compost or toss them after bloom, and re-plant new bulbs in the fall.

What about Planting Faded Forced Bulbs in the Garden? Planting out indoor forced bulbs (potted daffodils, crocuses, etc.) into the garden after they’ve faded is never a sure thing. Unlike bulbs planted in the ground during the fall planting season — or even spring-planted pre-sprouted bulblettes which can mature in place in your garden — forced bulbs that have bloomed and faded indoors have been through a pretty exhausting process and may or may not re-bloom in the garden next year.

It is possible to replant some forced bulbs outdoors after they bloom indoors, but not all. For example, bulbs like crocuses and daffodils, which are good at naturalizing, generally do well planted out after forcing. Just plant them out in the garden when they've finished flowering. Give them water and some slow release bulb food. Then wait till the leaves brown and die back before chopping them off at ground level. No guarantees, but there's a good chance they’ll do fine and come back (if conditions for rebloom are generally good in your area).

It’s a different story with bulbs such as tulips, which do not readily come back even when originally planted in the garden in fall. With tulips, it’s generally not worth the trouble to plant them out. The same is true of paperwhite narcissi. These should be enjoyed during their initial indoor bloom — and then composted or tossed out.

Forced hyacinths may come back in the garden, but not with same full, robust blooms that they had in the first year. (This is also true of hyacinths planted in the garden). For these bulbs, it would be a matter of preference. If you don’t mind the smaller blooms, fine — otherwise, forget it.

Lilies

About Easter Lilies! Everyone asks! In a nutshell: Easter lilies cannot be counted on to bloom nicely again indoors — but quite often they do nicely if planted outdoors, depending on circumstances. Bottomline: What we call Easter Lilies in America are actually Lilium longiflorum, a much loved garden lily! The potted Easter lily has been forced into bloom early — so it has been under stress. Should you try it outdoors? Yes! What’s to lose? They’ll either take hold and come back to bloom for years to come — or they won’t. But you’ll have given them a chance.

Here’s what to do: once the Easter Lily bloom has faded, remove the plant from its pot and plant it outdoors in a sunny protected location, where the soil has good drainage. Plant it a little deeper than it was in the pot. Water well. A light sprinkling of timed-release fertilizer is appropriate. Be sure to allow the foliage to die back fully, until yellowed. When established, the lily will bloom in midsummer, during its normal bloom period. Remember, it was originally forced (tricked) into early bloom for Easter. Now it is living on its own clock!

(Note: don't plant Easter Lilies near other garden lilies as they may have picked up a virus during the nursery forcing process.) A protective mulch is appropriate in colder climates.

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