LOCAL

City Calendar
Nearly News
Sweet Little Christmas Package Full of Love
P.C. Community Trail 2000 Grant Application on Agenda
Buffalo Post No. 38 Sponsoring Ponca Tribe Events Dec. 27
Health Department Changes Clinic Time

City Calendar

Items for the City Calendar should be brought in or telephoned (765-3311) to Bob Patterson, at the Ponca City News, by Thursday noon.

Anytime

FOLOBS (Friends of Library Ongoing Book Sale), anytime the Ponca City Library is open, North of Multimedia Room (downstairs).

Alcoholics Anonymous, Alano Group, Ponca City’s first established AA Group, meets at Noon and 8 p.m., seven days a week. All noon meetings open, all 8 p.m. meetings closed except Fridays, 603 South First Street.

Now through Dec. 31

Festival of Angels, Holiday Lighting Celebration, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly.

Oklahoma Watercolor Artists Exhibit, Wednesdays through Sundays, 1-4 p.m., Artist Studio, Marland Estate, sponsored by Ponca City Arts and Humanities Council, free admission.

Monday

Ponca City Board of Commissioners, Ponca City Utility Authority, Ponca City Development Authority, 5:30 p.m., Public Safety Center Commissioners’ Room, 200 East Oklahoma Avenue.

Thursday

Ponca City Noon Ambucs, noon to 1 p.m., Ponca City Country Club, interested in joining, come by.

KLVV 88.7 FM, the Millennium Commission, and area church youth groups present Big Tent Revival, Contemporary Christian Group, in concert, 7:30 p.m., Ponca City Hutchins Auditorium Fifth Street and Overbrook Avenue, admission free, call 767-1400 for more information.

Argus Hamilton, Poncan Theatre, Ponca City.

Friday

Skate World New Year’s Eve Party, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., for more information, 762-5348.

100 Years on Broadway, 8:30 p.m., Poncan Theatre, Ponca City.

Millennium Celebration, Downtown Ponca City.

January 6

Kay-9 Dog Training Club, 7 p.m., Ponca City Library, public welcome, for more information 762-9053 or 762-7360.

Ponca City Noon Ambucs, noon to 1 p.m., Ponca City Country Club, interested in joining, come by.

January 7

Church Women United Annual Meeting, 9:30 a.m., St. John Baptist Church, 1009 South Eleventh Street, annual reports, elections, installations of 2000 officers.

January 8

Pancake and Sausage Feed (all the pancakes you can eat), 6:30 a.m.-10 a.m., American Legion, 407 West South Avenue, adults $3.50, children under 12 $2, children under 6 free, proceeds to the rehabilitation program.

January 11

AARP, 12:30 p.m., Wheatheart Nutrition Center.

McCord Volunteer Fire Department, 7 p.m., McCord School Library.

Rural Water District No. 1 Regular Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Enterprise School on Lake Road, east of Ponca City.

January 12

Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Garden Club, 9:30 a.m., for more information 762-9866 or 718-0314.

January 13

Agrarian Club, 6 p.m., Southwest Meeting Room, Western Sizzlin’.

American Legion Huff-Minor Post 14, 7:30 p.m., Post Home, 407 West South Avenue.

January 15

Citywide Celebration Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 6 p.m., Poncan Theatre, 104 East Grand Avenue.

January 17

Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, 6:30 p.m., Albright United Methodist Church, 128 South Palm Street, call Lori White, 767-1668 for additional information.

United Ostomy Association, Stillwater-Ponca City Chapter, 7 p.m., St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Conference Room B, Ponca City.

January 18

DAV, 7 p.m., 401 South Lincoln Street.

Osage Cove Volunteer Fire Department, 7 p.m., Fire Station, corner U.S. 60E and Keeler Road, new volunteers always welcome.

January 19

Ponca City School Foundation, noon, Ponca City Library.

January 27

Alzheimer’s Support Group, 7 p.m., Conference Room A (in cafeteria), St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.

American Legion Huff-Minor Post 14, 7:30 p.m., Post Home, 407 West South Avenue.

Nearly News

NN wants readers to remember to save the official Commemorative Program for Ponca City’s Millennium Celebration that is included as an insert in today’s Ponca City News. The program has a map and detailed schedule of events for the New Year’s Eve celebration. Buttons cost $5 for admission to any or all events with the exception of specially-ticketed shows.

Sweet Little Christmas Package Full of Love

By KRISTI HAYES

News Staff Writer

’Tis the season for joy, for something innocent, pure, full of love and bundled in a sweet little Christmas package — a newborn babe.

As Santa and his elves delivered Christmas presents late Christmas eve, other helpers — labor and delivery nurses — were equally as busy delivering the gift of life.

They are the unsung heroes of the delivery room. They are the ones who tend to a mother-to-be and her every need ... however strange they may seem to be. According to many nurses, demands for pain medication tops the list.

Denise Pearson, R.N., assistant director of labor and delivery at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC), says natural childbirth rarely happens anymore.

“I would say 70 to 75 percent of the pain medication dispensed in this hospital comes from an epidural. Although they sometimes do not help,” she said.

A tour of the new Labor and Delivery Unit of the hospital allows a visitor to overhear a mother-to-be whose epidural hasn’t taken affect. “When will the pain medication work?” she asks.

“Soon,” replies the nurses.

“I’m ready for this baby to be born,” she yells. It’s obvious the contractions are coming closer and closer and a new baby is about to make an appearance.

It’s the appearance of a new babe — the beginning of a new life — that makes the endless hours of work that delivery room nurses perform rewarding.

Those rewards are what most of the nurses at the Labor and Delivery Unit discuss when talking about their chosen occupation.

Audrey Childers, R.N., said the rewards outweigh anything negative about her job. “We share such a bond with mothers and their babies. They let us be a part of one of the biggest moments in their lives.”

Nurses at the local hospital work 12-hour shifts. Often they struggle to keep a smile on their faces ... but not after a newborn appears.

“There’s nothing greater than being with a mother through her whole labor experience and then [you] get to see this little person being delivered,” explained Pearson. “I just can’t tell you how much that brightens my day.”

Babies born around the holidays are even presented with a special Christmas hat, made by volunteers from the hospital. The first baby born on Christmas Day will also receive a pair of booties embroidered with “Babies First Christmas.”

And, the Millennium Baby (the first baby born in 2000 at St. Joseph’s) has been promised a huge bundle of gifts!

The Christmas spirit even affects the delivering physicians.

According to the nurses, one of the local doctors who delivers babies during the holidays even wears a Christmas hat, one complete with ball and fur.

“We try to make the [Christmas birth] experience very special to the babies and their mothers. Some parents will even bring in special presents to give to the babies on Christmas morning,” said Pearson.

New Equipment, Furnishings

Another item monopolizing the nurses’ thoughts is the new delivery room equipment and furnishings purchased four months ago by St. Joseph’s.

“With our new addition in the hospital, most of the people comment about how it brightens their whole laboring process. The sunlight shines in and every room actually has a view,” Pearson commented. “That’s much better than looking at the four walls we once had.”

Pearson, a Ponca City native, received her associate’s degree in nursing from a community college in Arkansas and has been employed at SJRMC for 17 years.

“My mother wanted to be a nurse and her father said she could go to school and have one chance to attain that goal,” Pearson said of her decision to join the nursing profession.

“She couldn’t stomach it. I think that’s part of the reason I wanted to be a nurse. That and the fact that I love to help people.”

Pearson says she’s been in the profession for quite a while. “I’ve been here long enough that some of the babies I delivered a long time ago now have babies of their own. I don’t know how I should feel about that.”

Humorous Incident

In July of this year, the new Labor and Delivery Unit was added at the hospital. Now, mothers can labor and recover in the same room. A new central monitor system and baby alarm has also been added.

“The [central monitor system] has been a great addition to the hospital. This allows us to watch other laboring women from any room. If the mother or the baby goes into distress, an alarm will sound telling us which room to go to. This has happened to us several times already,” said Pearson.

The baby alarm has proved to be quite useful ... and entertaining.

Just recently, a discharged mother tried to take her newborn from the hospital when the alarm sounded. A nurse had neglected to remove the alarm from the infant’s navel.

The nurses scurried about, trying to stop the alarm. All the while, the baby was crying in confusion.

“[That] incident is proof that the alarm really works. We have long range plans to have the entire hospital under this alarm system,” Pearson explained.

Two Births a Day

About two babies are born each day at St. Joseph’s, which staffs two RNs and at least one Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in the delivery unit each day. The staff in the labor and delivery unit prides itself on its experience and teamwork.

Childers, one of the delivery unit RNs, agrees that working together as a team is very important.

“I feel we have the best nursing staff in the area here at the hospital,” she said. “I would trust them to take care of any member of my family.”

The more than 700 mothers and newborns who placed themselves in their hands last year would agree.

P.C. Community Trail 2000 Grant Application on Agenda

By BOB PATTERSON

News City Editor

A top priority by the Trails Master Plan Steering Committee will take another step toward reality Monday if the Ponca City Board of Commissioners act favorably on a grant application request.

The item on the agenda of the Board of Commissioners comes under new business, and would allow the city to submit a grant application with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation for the Ponca City Community Trail 2000 in the amount of $384,694.70.

The session will be held at the Public Safety Center, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The grant application request is for one of a series of connecting trails and street linkages connecting Standing Bear Native American Park, along Seventh Street to War Memorial Park, to Hartford Avenue, and intersecting Highland Avenue at Seventh Street, going east to the Pioneer Woman Museum and the Marland Mansion, then continuing northwest through Redbud Park to Hartford.

The trail would serve every segment of the community, connecting with seven schools, several recreation facilities, and provide a safe means of commuting to work by alternate means of transportation such as bicycle, and pedestrian access to downtown services and shopping.

By linking several of the major tourist attractions in Ponca City, it will serve regional and national tourists who come to Ponca City.

The grant application would include a request for $288,207.42 in grant funds, with the city matching share of $96,487.28. The city match would be $32,482.71 in cash, while the remaining portion, $64,004.57 would be “in kind” services by city work forces.

One other item under new business for the commissioners would be a resolution to create a joint airport zoning board with Kay County. That board would adopt, administer, and enforce airport zoning regulations which apply to the Ponca City Municipal Airport hazard area which overlaps political subdivisions.

The consent agenda for the commission includes minutes from two previous meetings, a grant request of $1,500 to Classic Cars of Ponca City to be used for promoting and advertising Draggin’ Grand to be held June 2, 2000, consider a resolution on the Mayor’s nomination to the planning commission, authorize Ratliff Inc. as an agent for the city on the Airport Industrial Park water pump station enhancements project at the water treatment plant and a resolution appropriating money for payment of claims.

There will be time for communications from the mayor, commissioners, a city manager’s report, and citizens’ comments.

The Ponca City Utility Authority will also meet Monday, with the commissioners considering an amendment to the Camp, Dresser and McKee Inc.’s engineering contract for design engineering services associated with the water treatment plant residuals dewatering improvements.

The consent agenda for PCUA includes minutes of previous meetings, authorization for submitting the monthly operating statement to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board as part of the requirements for the OWRB loan to the city, a request for payment of damages in association with the Turkey Creek sanitary sewer project, approval of septic tank haulers use of the city sanitary sewer and payment of claims.

Commissioners will also meet as the Ponca City Development Authority to approve payment of claims.

Buffalo Post No. 38 Sponsoring Ponca Tribe Events Dec. 27

WHITE EAGLE — A tradition that has been going on for some time in White Eagle will continue as the Ponca Tribe celebrates the holidays with special events from Christmas Day through New Year’s Day, according to Delbert Cole.

“Monday, Dec. 27, the American Legion Buffalo Post No. 38 will be sponsoring activities starting at 6:30 p.m.,” Cole said.

Plans are for hand games to begin at 6:30 p.m., with refreshments afterwards. The activity will be held at the Ponca Tribal Cultural Center in White Eagle.

Cole said that an invitation is out for anyone wanting to play the traditional hand games to come and have fun.

Health Department Changes Clinic Time

The Kay County Health Department has made a change in its evening immunization clinic. This clinic will now be held on the first Tuesday of the month.

The clinic in January will be Jan. 4, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. It is important that parents bring their child’s immunization record with them to the clinic. Anyone with any questions about this change, please call 762-1641.

DEATHS

Lora Dunlap McFarland
Judy Wilson
Elsie Mae Catlin
Donald M. Beavers
Jerald D. Gregg

Lora Dunlap McFarland

Lora Dunlap McFarland, 92, of Ponca City, died Dec. 23, 1999, at Westminster Village. Graveside service will be Monday, Dec. 27, 1999, at 11 a.m. at Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City.

She was born March 29, 1907 in Ponca City, Oklahoma Territory. She attended Oklahoma A&M, and was an avid golfer and gardener.

Survivors include a step-daughter, Pat Tonnell of St. Cloud, Minn., and two nieces, including Charlotte Paden of Ponca City.

She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, Pauline Dunlap and Margaret Brett, and a brother, John Dunlap.

Obituaries

Judy Wilson

Judy Wilson, Ponca City resident, died early Friday morning, Dec. 24, 1999, at the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. She was 59.

The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m., Monday at First Baptist Church Worship Center, with the Rev. Hance Dilbeck, pastor, officiating. Burial will follow in the Resthaven Memorial Park Cemetery under direction of the Trout Funeral Home.

Born Nov. 27, 1940, in Ponca City she was the daughter of Ross Dee and Nina Mae (Wilson) Fisher. She attended Ponca City Schools and was a graduate of the Ponca City High School.

On June 2, 1961, she was married to Douglas M. Wilson at the First Baptist Church in Ponca City. Judy worked for Dr. Laverne Merrifield, then worked for Conoco until 1967. She helped on the farm and was a very dedicated wife and mother to her family. From 1958, she followed the wrestling careers of her husband and sons. From 1985 until 1991, she worked as attendance secretary for Ponca City High School. Through the years she was active in the Takedown Club, the Starlighters Club, and volunteer worker for Land of Country and Angel Central. She was a member of the First Baptist Church.

Survivors include her husband Doug Wilson of the home, Ponca City; three sons: Eric Wilson and wife Shelley of Ponca City, Jodie Wilson and wife Andrea of Stillwater, and Cory Wilson and wife Tressa of Arlington, Texas. Also surviving are two brothers, Steve Fisher and wife Dorena of Fairfax, Okla., and Larry Fisher and wife Dee of Citrus Heights, Calif. Additional survivors include her father Ross Fisher of Ponca City, mother-in-law Willie Dee Wilson, Ponca City, Clara and Don Wilkerson of Ponca City, Steve Wilson of Ponca City and Shelby and Gretchen Wilson of Bloomington, Ind. There are numerous nieces and nephews.

Casket bearers will be Eric Wilson, Jodie Wilson, Cory Wilson, Jared Fisher, Lane Fisher, and Kent Wilson. Honorary bearers will be David Fisher, Brad Fisher, Kyle Rackley, George Parker, Steve Wilson, Buddy McCoy and Jody Linder.

Memorial contributions may be made in her name to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (Heart Disease), 825 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104.

The family will be at the Doug Wilson home 148 E. Riverview Road, south of Ponca City.

paid obituary

Elsie Mae Catlin

Elsie Mae Catlin, longtime former Ponca City resident, passed away in Broken Arrow on Dec. 24, 1999.

The funeral service will be held Tuesday, Dec. 28, 1999, at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church Chapel with the Rev. Hance Dilbeck, pastor, officiating. Burial will follow in Odd Fellows Cemetery under the direction of Trout Funeral Home.

She was born in Vinita, Indian Territory June 17, 1906. On June 28, 1926, she married Hugh C. Catlin in Springfield, Ill. They moved to Ponca City in 1930. During the manpower shortage of World War II, she worked at Continental Oil Co., staying until the war ended and the men returned to their jobs.

She was a long-time member of First Baptist Church in Ponca City where she had been active in the women’s missionary organizations, the Sunday school departments and the senior adult choir.

In addition to her family and home priorities, she was a past president of the Ponca City Mothers Club and the Garfield School Parent-Teachers Association. She had also been a leader in Cub Scout activities at Garfield. When not engaged in her other activities, she enjoyed fishing at Lake Ponca and sewing.

She is survived are two sons and daughters-in-law, Charles and Luana Catlin of Tulsa and Thomas and Betty Catlin of Redmond, Wash.; and a sister Ethel Evans of Tulsa. Additional survivors include four grandchildren, Dale Catlin of Wichita, Kan., Daniel Catlin of Tulsa, Kimberly Ekdahl of Marysville, Wash., and Thomas Catlin II of Cathedral City, Calif. There are also six great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Elsie was preceded in death by her husband Hugh on June 17, 1993; two brothers, Lee and Clarence Golibart; and a sister, Edith Moran.

Her love and smiles will be sorely missed by all of us.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to First Baptist Church, 218 South Sixth Street, Ponca City, OK 74601 or to a charity of your choice.

paid obituary

Services Pending

Donald M. Beavers

Donald Marion Beavers, 50, a resident of Ponca City, died Friday afternoon, Dec. 24, 1999, at his home. Survivors include his parents, Marion and Una Marie Beavers. Service is pending with Grace Memorial Chapel.

Jerald D. Gregg

Services are pending with Grace Memorial Chapel for Jerald D. Gregg, Ponca City resident, who died Saturday morning, Dec. 25, 1999, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. He was 64. Survivors include his wife, Carol, of the home, and a son, Gary Gregg.

NEWS BRIEFS

Robotics Workday — Po-Hi Robotics Team workday is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 29. Those participating, including parents, should meet at 1 p.m. at the PCHS teachers’ parking lot to caravan to the Conoco facility. There, the group will clean and arrange the robotics facility. Parents should bring moving equipment, such as a dolly, and cleaning supplies.

Have Pet? Can travel! In-home pet sitting service. We love them when you have to leave them! 762-4205. adv.

Rental Available — 801 South Ninth Street, large two bedroom with stove and refrigerator, $275, flexible payment plan, 762-7205.

Kenny Ladner of Quality Water Services, now servicing Kay County. Call 762-7555. adv.

Lights Vandalized — A man from the 1600 block of Cookson Drive reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 8:48 a.m. Friday that some Christmas lights had been vandalized. A request for an extra patrol of the area was made.

Bowl In the New Year at Ponca Bowl. December 31st, 9:00 p.m. till ? “Glow-Bowl” $15 per person. Reserve your place. Call 762-3333. adv.

Pasture Fire — The Communications Center received a 911 call at 3:22 p.m. Friday from a man in the 6100 block of West Fountain Road that a pasture fire was burning and getting close to a barn. Ranch Drive Volunteer Fire Department was notified and handled the situation.

Enjoy The sun, golf in Green Valley, AZ. Furnished two bedroom town house for rent. Utilities included. Available January and February. 762-6813. adv.

Grass Fire — The Red Rock Volunteer Fire Department requested assistance with a grass fire one mile east of U.S. 177 on Acre Road from the Marland Volunteer Fire Department at 4:24 p.m. Friday. The Marland department was notified.

Butter Braids: Plain, cream cheese plus five fruit flavors. Thaw-bake and enjoy. Great gifts. 114 S. 5th. 767-8336. adv.

Wallet Missing — A woman reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 10:36 a.m. Friday that her purse had been stolen while at a business in the 2900 block of North Fourteenth Street. Information was logged that she had found her purse, but a wallet with $125 was missing from it. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Court Allen Construction. Concrete and flagstone walkways, patios and yard curbing. Call 765-2720. adv.

Accident — The Ponca City Police Department received a report of a non-injury, two-vehicle accident at the intersection of North Fourteenth Street and East Hazel Avenue at 1:54 p.m. Friday. an officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Don Sawyer’s Chimney Sweep. 26 years experience. Call now before the rush and get on his list. 580-762-8883. adv.

Mailbox Damaged — The Communications Center received a 911 call at 6:10 p.m. Friday from a man in the 3500 block of West Oakland Avenue that someone had ran into the mailbox. The information was transferred to the Kay County Sheriff’s Office. A non-emergency ambulance was requested at 6:35 p.m. for the subject injured when he had hit the mailbox and an ambulance from the Ponca City Fire Department responded, but the victim did not use the ambulance.

Accident — The Communications Center received several 911 calls at 10:52 a.m. Friday that a two-vehicle accident had occurred in the 3000 block of North Fourteenth Street. Two officers of the Ponca City Police Department responded 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.

Juvenile Shoplifter — An employee at Wal-Mart reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 11:08 a.m. Friday that a juvenile girl shoplifter was in custody grand larceny. An officer was assigned and the 16-year-old girl was held for grand larceny.

Jueschke Carpet Cleaners. For professional carpet cleaning, call the professionals. Jueschke Carpet Cleaners. 765-3421. adv.

Collision — The Ponca City Police Department received a report of a two-vehicle, non-injury accident at the intersection of North Fourteenth Street and East Hartford Avenue at 2:21 p.m. Friday. An officer was assigned and information was logged that the drivers worked out information on the problem.

Windshield Chips repaired professionally. Guaranteed and insurance approved. Ponca Glass, 762-6522, 762-7957. adv.

Accident — The Communications Center received a 911 call at 5:57 p.m. Friday that a woman had witnessed a vehicle hitting another vehicle at the intersection of John Street and Young Avenue, and left heading south on Jane Street driving very recklessly. An officer of the Ponca City Police Department was assigned, the suspected driver returned to the scene, and a report was taken.

Lights Vandalized — A person from the 300 block of North Osage Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 6:22 p.m. Friday that someone had vandalized the Christmas lights earlier in the day. An officer was assigned and information was logged for a request of an extra patrol of the area.

Vehicle Scratched — A man from the 2100 block of Bainbridge reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 9:14 p.m. Friday that a vehicle had been scratched. An officer was assigned and the information was logged.

Accident — The Communications Center received a 911 call at 10:25 p.m. Friday that a woman had hit a vehicle in the area of Ponca City High School, but got nervous and left, parking the vehicle at North Seventh Street and East Brookfield Avenue. An officer was assigned and information was logged that the other vehicle was in the 700 block of East Albany Avenue. A report was taken.

Subject Held — The Communications Center received a 911 call from the 1700 block of Princeton Avenue at 11:53 p.m. Friday that a two-vehicle accident had occurred at the intersection of Princeton Avenue and Meadow Lane, but one vehicle had left the scene. Three officers of the Ponca City Police Department were assigned and the suspected vehicle was located in the 3300 block of Kingston Road and an officer took into custody a 22-year-old man for driving under suspension and having an expired tag.

Assault — An employee at the emergency room of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 3:06 a.m. Christmas Day that a woman was being treated for injuries received in an assault in the 200 block of West Grand Avenue. An officer was assigned and a report was taken on an assault with a deadly weapon.

Subjects Held — A clerk at Triple T, 201 West Hartford Avenue, reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 4 a.m. Christmas Day that a man and woman were fighting on the east side of the building. Two officers were assigned and a 21-year-old woman was held for actual physical control, and a 35-year-old man was held for public intoxication.

Need Help with an Event? — Pick up the telephone and call the Ponca City News at 765-3311 to announce a special event in the News Briefs column.

LIFESTYLES

‘Meaning’ Behind Christmas Story
Calendar Legacy for Area Family
Fords Celebrate Anniversary
Reception To Honor Couple
Couple Observing 50 Years
Newkirk Main Street Events Named
Singles Network Announces Social Plans
TOPS Chapter Members Meet
Memorial Musical Event in Texas For Kay Mrazek
Xi Zeta Lambda Chapter Holds Party, Meeting
Medical Minutes
Lookin’ With Lou
Musical Program Event Presented For DAR Meeting
Wheatheart Nutrition
Variety of Performers for 100 Years of Broadway
Little News
The English Language and Health Care in 999
Try and Read English From 999
Millennium Entertainment Abounds for Local Events
Contests Open To All
Ponca City Happenings

‘Meaning’ Behind Christmas Story

Editor’s Note: the following information about the club program was provided to The News by Jody Sanford and speaks about the “true meaning of Christmas.”

Kiwanis club members were treated to a program on the “true meaning of Christmas” at their recent gathering. Shaun Searle recounted a conversation he has with his wife every year. He said they always decide that “next year we are going to keep it simple and slow down to enjoy the holiday season. We are going to avoid the commercialization of the Christmas holiday and keep the emphasis on Jesus’ birth.” Searle said that some years are more successful than others, but that at least with this goal, his family knows what it is trying to accomplish.

Relating statistics about Christmas, Searle said that people polled said there was “too much commercialization, they would rather have cash than a present, and that an already overcrowded schedule was made even more hectic.”

For the Kiwanis program, Searle asked the group to listen to the real meaning of Christmas as found in the Bible in Luke 2:1-20. About this time Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation. (This census was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home for this registration. And because Joseph was a member of the royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, King David’s ancient home — journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth. He took with him Mary, who was obviously pregnant by this time.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born; and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them.

‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. “I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born tonight in Bethlehem! How will you recognize him? You will find a baby wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger!’

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God:

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,’ they sang, ‘and peace on earth for all those pleasing him.’

When this great army of angels had returned again to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Come on! Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

They ran to the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. The shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story expressed astonishment, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and often thought about them.

One of the objects of Kiwanis is to give primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than to the material values of life. Searle asked members to keep the “true meaning of Christmas in worship.”

Men and women interested in community service are invited to visit Kiwanis meetings on Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m, now meeting at Albright United Methodist Church, 128 South Palm.

Calendar Legacy for Area Family

Editor’s Note: Cathy Ferguson, Ponca City Tomorrow, executive, who is heavily involved in the Millennium events, was instrumental in informing The News about this story.

By LOUISE ABERCROMBIE

News Staff Writer

A lady with a fondness for dates, and also blessed with foresight, Adra Keathly saved half a dozen 1972 calendars for her six grandchildren for the year 2000. The days and dates are the same.

Adra gave the calendars to her son Jack in 1975 with instructions that the collector items be passed on to the grandchildren at the turn-of-the-century. The Farmer’s Union calendars were in a large manila envelope with “2000 calendars” written on it with a black magic marker.

Mrs. Keathly died six years ago, and her son Jack recently carried out her wishes, delivering in person and by Postal Service the unique 28-year-old calendars to his three children and the three off-spring of his sister.

A self-educated woman, Adra had a perpetual calendar, and when she got a free calendar from her Farmer’s Union salesman Charles Beck, she apparently realized that at the turn of the century 1972 and 2000 would be the same. So Jack speculates that his mother “conned Beck out of five more freebies.”

Born in 1906 in Caddo County, at Gracemont, Adra came to Uncas after her mother died. She came with her brothers and sisters in a covered wagon to live with her older half-sister.

Because there no money during her youth, Adra worked and was not able to attend school. However, she managed to educate herself and was particularly good at remembering dates such as birthdays and anniversaries.

She was married to W.C. (Bud) Keathly in Wellington, Kan., July 12, 1923. The Keathly family lived on a farm in Noble County for a time, and later moved to an acreage in Osage County.

The couple had two children, one son, Jack, and a daughter, Gerry Keathly Baskin. Gerry lives in Arkansas and Jack resides in Ponca City.

Jack gave three of the calendars to his children, David, Richard, and Jane Ann Trussell all of Ponca City. He mailed the calendars to his niece, Kari Bivins, Dover, Okla., and nephews, Tim Edmondson, Broken Arrow, and Trent Edmondson, Grapevine, Texas.

Because of the foresight of their Grandmother Keathly the grandchilden have a rare memento connected to the year 2000.

Fords Celebrate Anniversary

Dr. and Mrs. Robert E. Ford, 2316 Drake Lane, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 28. In honor of their anniversary, Dr. and Mrs. Ford, their children and grandchildren, spent a week in Estes Park, Colo. during the summer hiking, riding horses and sightseeing. An additional celebration is planned for Dec. 28

Ford and the former Patsy Martin were married Dec. 28, 1949, in Tahlequah. They have resided in Ponca City for 34 years.

Dr. Ford was principal of Ponca City High School from 1965 to 1975. He retired from the Ponca City Board of Education in 1987. He enjoys hunting, golf, gardening, and his grandchildren. Mrs. Ford taught kindergarten and first grade at Liberty and Woodlands Elementary Schools in Ponca City, retiring in 1988. She sews, reads and enjoys time with family, bird watching and cooking. They are members of Albright United Methodist Church. Mrs. Ford is an active member of Chapter EL, P.E.O.

The Fords have four children: Debby and Phil Brown of Abilene, Texas; Mardi and Gene de Verges of Tulsa; Bob Ford of Fargo, N. D.; and, Bill and Sheila Ford of Ponca City. They have nine grandchildren: Jeff Brown of Abilene, Texas; Natalie Brown of Waco, Texas; Christopher, Sarah, Phillip and Gene de Verges of Tulsa; Ashley, Alix and Tyler Ford of Ponca City.

Reception To Honor Couple

Friends and relatives are invited to attend the 50th wedding anniversary celebration honoring Mr. and Mrs. Carl McConaghy of rural Grainola. The event is planned for Jan. 2, 2000, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Shidler United Methodist Church in Shidler. The couple requests no gifts.

Carl McConaghy of Grainola and Aladayne Douglass of Fairfax met in April 1949 at a dance at Jump’s Roller Rink at Fairfax. They were married at the First Osage Baptist Church in Fairfax, on Dec. 30, 1949. The Rev. J. M. Jordan officiated. The now deceased Edna Anita Anderson of Fairfax, and the now deceased Jack Heath of Grainola, were attendants.

The McConaghys are retired from the farming and ranching business.

Hosting the reception will be the couple’s children: Neal and Sue McConaghy, Grainola; Glen and Debra McConaghy, Ponca City; Marvin and Susan McConaghy, Beloit, Kan.; and Barton and Carla Adair, Enid, will host the reception.

The couple’s grandchildren are Jeremy McConaghy, Erin McConaghy Corn, Kevin McConaghy, Lisa McConaghy, Justin McConaghy, Alex McConaghy, Megan McConaghy, Lauren Adair, Spencer McConaghy, Leann Adair, Steven McConaghy, and Scott McConaghy. They have three great grandchildren: Donavan Corn, Madison Hummel McConaghy, and Noah Corn.

Couple Observing 50 Years

The Mathis family home, where their wedding reception was held, will be the setting for a 50th anniversary reception Jan. 2 honoring Mr. and Mrs. Calvin C. Steinberger of Fairfax. Calvin Steinberger and the former Margaret Mathis were married Dec. 28, 1949, at the First Presbyterian Church in Fairfax.

The couple made their first home in Norman where both graduated from the University of Oklahoma. They later lived in Houston, Texas, moving back to Fairfax in 1963, where they own a ranch. Mr. Steinberger was an engineer with Standard of Texas Oil Company, and was later an independent oil operator. He is affiliated with Navy-Mars, ham radio, and both enjoy playing golf and bridge. Mrs. Steinberger is a member of Chapter BC, P.E.O., and they attend First Presbyterian Church in Hominy.

Hosting the reception will be their daughters and sons-in-law, Lynn and Perry Littlepage; Peggy and Doug Walker, all of Tulsa; and Gail and Phil Edmiston of Carrollton, Texas. Grandchildren are Cory and Eric Littlepage; Sarah and Adam Kessler; Katie, Scott and Ross Edmiston.

Newkirk Main Street Events Named

NEWKIRK — Eighty-one children participated in the fourth annual Newkirk Main Street Children's Christmas Shop. Mrs. Ross’ students and Newkirk Junior Main Streeters wrapped 536 gifts during the event.

Eight merchants participated grossing $1,864. Main Street offered the opportunity for parents to win $25 in Main Street Money by shopping downtown during this same time. Mary Austin was the winner.

Oklahoma Natural Gas and Vernon Merrifield assisted Main Street in this endeavor by cosponsoring the Children's Shop.

Other Main Street activities this past week included a visit to Newkirk by Ron Frantz and Ann Marie Funk with-ADG Architectural firm. They met with the, Economic Restructuring committee to discuss the possibility of housing in the downtown area.

Dorothy Gilbreath, Juhree Vanderpool, and Karen Dye attended a quarterly meeting in Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma Museum Association office. In addition to reporting on the progress of Newkirk's Millennium celebration, the group heard from Sandy Pantlik with the Oklahoma Department of Tourism about ways to advertise tile event.

Newkirk's celebration will be held the last week-end in May. In addition to Tombstone Tales on the courthouse lawn, there will be a parade, arts and crafts, children's games, and a special exhibit being prepared by the Newkirk Community Historical Society.

The Newkirk Community Museum was one of 12 museums in the state chosen to participate in this project.

Singles Network Announces Social Plans

Members of the Singles Network have announced a calendar of events for Dec. 26-31. The group will gather at 6 p.m. Dec. 26 for dinner at the Blue Moon restaurant. Phil is hosting a New Year’s Eve party at 8:30 p.m., and those attending should bring snacks to share, and an item for show and tell.

TOPS Chapter Members Meet

TOPS OK Chapter 308 met Monday. Ann McCool was in charge of the meeting, and Donna McCoy gave the devotional “My Ten Angels.”

Ann McCool led the TOPS Pledge, and Betty Flower gave the KOPS Kreed. Natalie McCoy called the roll, and Betty Flower gave the weight report. Ann McCool was the best loser, and Elaine Hoober won the Ha Ha Pot. Forbidden food for the week is chips.

Announcement was made that there would not be a Dec. 27 meeting of the chapter. Natalie McCoy demonstrated the making of scented bath salts, and presented each member present with a sample.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly is a non-profit organization whose members desire to lose or maintain weight. Members are encouraged to develop individual exercise programs, and contests are used to encourage weight loss. Weigh-in time is 6-6:45 p.m. Monday. For more information contact Betty Flower, 765-5448, or Delpha Clemens, 762-2844..

Memorial Musical Event in Texas For Kay Mrazek

A memorial Christmas Concert was held Dec. 12 in Fort Worth, Texas, in honor of the late Kay D. Mrazek, a former resident of Ponca City, who died in 1998. Among those attending were her mother, Myra Schultz of Ponca City; her son, Greg, from Ft. Worth; and teaching colleagues of Kay.

Kay D. Schultz Mrazek was born in Ponca City on March 12, 1933. She graduated from Ponca City High School in 1951 and the University of Oklahoma in 1956. Her major was Music Education with a piano minor. While a student at OU, Kay played clarinet in the band and was a member of Mu Phi Epsilon Music Sorority. Kay was choir director for her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, and in competition, the group was awarded first place.

Kay and Jerry Mrazek were married in 1956, and son, Greg, was born in 1959 while they were in Tucson, Ariz. Ms. Mrazek taught public school music in Ponca City, Fort Worth, and Arlington, Texas, where she remained for 24 years at Butler Elementary School. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and was president of the Fort Worth Chapter. Kay joined the daughters of the American Revolution in Ponca City.

Kay was Assistant Organist and Director of Children’s Choirs at University Christian Church in 1974. She studied organ with Professor Emmet Smith at TCU and was a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Choristers’ Guild. Kay’s son, Greg, was an active participant in the children’s choirs and in the handbell choirs during the years when the family was living in Fort Worth.

Gloria by Francis Poulenc was presented at UCC while Kay was on the staff, and it became one of her favorite choral works. Gloria was included on the program to fulfill Kay’s wish for this concert. A variety of music was sung and played in her memory by the various choirs and orchestra at the church.

Xi Zeta Lambda Chapter Holds Party, Meeting

Sixteen members of Xi Zeta Lambda of Beta Sigma Phi met at the home of Jeannine Gemmill on Dec. 16.

Cassandra Kifiak, president, conducted a short business meeting. She reminded members of the upcoming trip to Wichita on Jan. 22 in honor of Girl of the Year, Nida Austin. It was decided that Phyllis Pledger will be in charge of gathering pictures and items pertaining to the sorority to be put in the time capsule.

Judy Watt and Dottie Johnstone, social committee chairpersons, announced the next socials will be a Christmas cocktail party at the home of Judy Watt on Dec. 20, a New Year’s Eve party at the home of Jeannine Gemmill and New Year’s Day party at the home of Doretta Jackson.

Friendship basket was won by Jill Sims. After the program on the history of Christmas gift giving was presented by Jeannine Gemmill, a wine and cheese tasting party, and secret sister Christmas gift exchange, was held by members. Gifts were distributed by Phyllis Pledger and Carmelita Childers, historian chairpersons.

Next meeting will be on Jan. 6 at the home of Doretta Jackson.

Medical Minutes

Birth Control Pills

Dr. Ron Kreger, M.D.

Dr. Ron Kreger practices obstetrics and gynecology. He was born in Ponca City and raised in Tonkawa. Dr.Kreger received his Doctorate of Medicine in 1971 at the University of Oklahoma. From 1971 to 1975, he performed his residency in OB-GYN. In 1975 he established a practice in Ponca City. In 1977, he became board certified and a Fellow of the American College of OB-GYN. He has served as a trustee for the Oklahoma State Medical Association from 1986-1992. He has presided as Chief of Staff in 1982 and 1996 at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center. Currently, he serves as Chief of OB-GYN department. His practice is located at 1215 E. Hartford in Ponca City, and is limited to OB-GYN.

Birth Control Pills

Birth Control Pills (BCPs) rank as the most popular reversible method of birth control in the United States. Even though BCPs have been on the market 40 years, there continues to be confusion and misunderstanding about their risks and benefits.

Updated

Birth Control Pills on the market today are different from those prescribed in the 60s. BCPs have estrogen and progesterone. There are a few that have progesterone only. BCPs may be monophasic-constant daily dose, or multiphasic-the amount of daily hormone varies. With the many different choices, the physician can prescribe the pill for the patient’s individual needs, symptoms, side effects and lifestyle.

In a survey done by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists in 1993, 60% of the women surveyed felt the oral contraceptive (OC) use was more risky than childbirth. There are approximately seven (7) childbirth related deaths per 100,000, compared with 0.5 pill related deaths per 100,000 in women ages 20-24.

Another study revealed 29% believe OCs caused cancer. It has been shown that women who have been on OCs have a decreased incidence of both uterine and ovarian cancer.

A study of the long-term effects of OCs indicates the relative risk of death from breast cancer is the same in women who have used BCPs and in those who have not taken BCPs. Ten or more years after stopping OC use, mortality from breast cancer in post OC users is similar to that in women who had never used OCs.

There is a three fold increased risk of venous thrombosis and embolism (VTE) with the usage of low-dose OCs; however, this is half of the VTE risk during pregnancy. It is believed that the annual risk of death due to VTE associated with OC use is about one per one million women.

Non-smoking, normotensive, non-diabetes of any age who use OCs do not have an increased risk of myocardial infarction. However, estrogen containing pills should be avoided in women ages 35 and over who also smoke cigarettes because of an increased (4 times) risk of myocardial infarction. Other possible positive benefits of OCs are decrease in acne, cramps, menstrual flow and cyclic breast discomfort.

30 Varieties

There are over 30 different OCs on the market. It sometimes takes several different selections to find the pill that works best for a specific patient and their needs. Remember, missed BCPs, intermenstrual bleeding, or additional medications, may decrease your OC effectiveness and could require additional contraception for the remainder of the pack. Communication with your physician would be appropriate.

Have you had your pap smear this year?

Lookin’ With Lou

By LOUISE ABERCROMBIE

News Staff Writer

If all the broken New Year’s Resolutions were laid end to end there would be no end. But just in case you need an extension beyond Jan.1, 2000 to delay starting to change your ways there is always the Chinese New Year on Feb. 5th.

Just to make it simple when the Chinese celebrate their new year it will become the year of the Dragon or as it is known this year as “Geng-Chen.” Not every year of the Dragon is a “Geng-Chen” my advisor tells me. By the way it will be the Chinese year 4,698, the 17th year in the 78th cycle.

This brings to mind another question, how are the Chinese going to deal with Y2K or are they like some of us Americans who could care less?

In fact Y2K may be the most overated boondogle since Chicken Little sounded the alarm that “the sky is falling.” One thing about it, those two letters of the alphabet, accented with a numeral, have generated about as much copy as the ABC’s.

There seems to be a way to fool the computer calendars by setting the date back to 1972, which has the same dates and days as the forthcoming 2000.

Meanwhile, back at those pesky New Year’s resolutions. The News has managed to secure a copy of Santa’s resolutions the day after Christmas. Not quite good enough for Letterman’s Top Ten list — but interesting.

After popping three buttons off his red suit from eating all those midnight snacks, Santa vowed to go on a diet. What’s more he promised to make an appointment with the doctor to see if he is allergic to dairy products since he kept belching after drinking milk.

Number three is to check with the Humane Society on behavorial lessons for Rudolph. Seems the red-nosed antler topper did a lot of unscheduled choreography during the round-the-world trip, leading Cupid and Vixen astray.

The next resolution was to put a world time zone watch on Mrs. Santa’s gift list for next year. She had been a little cranky when she couldn’t keep track of himself all through the night.

Another promise was to take the sleigh into sleighmobile garage (next door to the Batmobile shop) to have overload springs installed to carry all those presents — not to mention the jolly elf.

Also jotted down was a note to inquire of his haberdasher friends if anyone produces red polyester suits anymore. The wool suit was getting rather fuzzy after all these years and polyster is so durable.

Santa, put on his resolution list to lecture those elves — they have to get over the idea that E-Mail is not Elf-Mail.

The News retrieved the list from Santa’s wastebasket. This could mean he has committed the resolutions to memory — or that writing them down was just good therapy. But either way good intentions are a commonality shared by all.

Musical Program Event Presented For DAR Meeting

A musical theme was the program for the December meeting of the Ponca City Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, held at the Ponca City Cultural Center. Mrs. Audrey Jones, chapter member, presented a variety of solos, accompanied at the piano by Leslie Rardin.

Mrs. Jones has sung at Carnegie Hall, and is a member of the choir at Asbury Methodist Church. The selection of American Christmas songs and carols was concerned with the American Christmas card and song as it developed from the early years of our country, particularly stemming from traditional folk melodies, Afro-American song, and early hymn tunes.

Preceding the program Jan Prough, regent, conducted the business meeting, and the group sang “The Star Spangled Banner.” Margaret Carter, a 90 year-old member from Blackwell, was introduced, and Elaine Fulton read the President General’s message.

Wanza Merrifield, national defense chair, presented a report on “Our Judicial System.” Anne Strickland gave the executive board report, and Paula Rowe registrar, announced that the chapter has 136 members. Gaye Norris and Beverly Tubbs became new members of the chapter.

Serving on the nominating committee for 2000-2002 are Rosalie Majors, chairman; Evelyn Coyle, Doris Stanley, Elaine Fulton and Dorothy Souligny.

Rosalie Bolene conducted a memorial service honoring the late Ruth Scoles. Hostesses for the event included Sue Allen, chairman; Elinor Hays and Patti Carmack.

Wheatheart Nutrition

For Wheatheart Nutrition Menu information call 767-1620. Volunteers are needed to deliver noon meals to the elderly homebound. Menus for this week are as follows:

Monday, Dec. 27: Spaghetti and meat sauce; buttered broccoli/cauliflower; cinnamon apples; garlic bread with margarine; chocolate chip cookie.

Tuesday, Dec. 28: Oven fried chicken; mashed potatoes with cream gravy; buttered mixed vegetables; whole wheat roll with margarine; tinted pears.

Wednesday, Dec. 29: Goldwater beans; double orange gelatin; crackers with margarine; applesauce cake.

Thursday, Dec. 30: Hamburger patty with barbecue sauce; tomato juice; potato chips; baked beans; bun with margarine; ice cream cookie.

Friday, Dec. 31: Holiday

Variety of Performers for 100 Years of Broadway

Ponca City’s musical celebration of the millennium on New Year’s Eve is a showcase of talented residents and former residents of Ponca City.

“100 Years of Broadway” shows one time only, at 8:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve in the Poncan Theatre. It is presented by the Millennium Committee under the sponsorship of Conoco, Smith Furnishings and Home National Bank. Following is information about some of the entertainers who will appear.

More than a dozen singers will join with the orchestra to bring Ponca City an overview of the most significant songs of the this century as presented in musical plays on Broadway.

Tim Muniz

Tim Muniz, the son of Mary and Joseph Muniz, has performed in the musicals “Guys and Dolls” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Grease” and “South Pacific” for various theatres, and for the Ponca Playhouse, he sang the role of Nanki Poo in “The Mikado” last spring. He is also a veteran of two national tours with the Los Angeles based Opera A La Carte. He is also a song writer and a vocal coach. He is the owner of Hi-Tone Vocal and Guitar studio. His most recent project is a CD “Styled by Grace.”

James C. Batcheller

Principal Conductor of the OU Symphony Band, James C. Bat-cheller, is also a collaborative participant in the Music Education Division, which is developing innovative methods for the education of instrumental music teachers.

In addition to his work with the Symphony Band, Batcheller performs various roles in the department of University Bands. His duties have included assisting with conducting the OU Wind Symphony and assisting with the famed Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band. He has numerous musical awards and credit and will be a part of the Ponca City musical celebration.

Danielle Carlisle

Danielle Carlisle lives in Stillwater where she attends Oklahoma State University and is working toward a degree in music performance, clarinet. She has been a principal in the OSU orchestra for four years and is also a principal in OSU’s Wind Ensemble.

She has played for the Tulsa Ballet, the Oklahoma Sinfonia, the Phillips Symphony Orchestra in Enid as well as having done studio work for OETA and playing in the orchestras of a number of musicals including “Chorus Line” and “Sweeney Todd.”

Bart Hawk

Bart Hawk of Tulsa will also be joining the orchestra on New Year’s Eve for “100 Years of Broadway.” Bart plays the trumpet.

Miles Smith

Miles Smith of Bixby will play viola for the musical celebration. He is a junior at Oral Roberts University

Melissa Bacher

Melissa Bacher is only ten years but she will be singing with the professional and semi-professional musicians in “100 Years of Broadway” on New Year’s Eve at the Poncan Theatre. A fourth grader at First Lutheran School, she is the daughter of Glenn and Marilyn Bacher.

She was an American Kids national finalist and an Oklahoma Federation of Music Clubs state finalist. She performed in the Playhouse productions of “A Christmas Carol” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes and in Ballet Oklahoma’s production of “The Nutcracker.”

Melissa also performed in the Conoco Christmas plays, “Salute to The Fine Arts,” Pioneer Community Day celebration, the Kid Fest at Woolaroc, OktoberFest at the Mansion, the downtown treelighting show, and the spring expo. In addition, she sings in the children’s choir of First Lutheran Church.

Jamie Childs

Jamie Childs will be playing the violin for Ponca City’s New Year’s Eve spectacular. She began her professional career in Los Angeles in 1980. She played in the Santa Barbara Symphony, the Peninsula Symphony and the Santa Monica Symphony.

Returning to Oklahoma to further her education, she completed her master’s degree in music history at Oklahoma University in 1987. Currently she teaches in the department of humanities and philosophy at the University of Central Oklahoma while working toward an interdisciplinary VhD at OU.

Childs plays now with the Lawton Philharmonic and free lances in the Oklahoma City area where she lives with her husband, Gary Opper, and their daughter.

Danny Burnes

Danny Burnes is a native of Broken Arrow. He is in his second year as assistant director of Bands in Ponca City. Burnes is a graduate of Broken Arrow High School and received his bachelor’s degree in music education from Northeastern State University, and is in the process of finishing his master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Tulsa. Burnes has played trumpet professionally for 15 years and brings 11 years of teaching experience to Ponca City.

Keith Powers

Keith Powers, the director of the Ponca City Elementary School Orchestra, will be one of the professional musicians joining the orchestra.

Keith received his bachelor’s in music education from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1994. He was the teacher and conductor of the elementary school and later the middle school orchestra in Stillwater before coming to Ponca City in 1998.

Dan Larson

Dan Larson, district instrumental music coordinator and director of orchestras at Ponca City High School, will be one of the professional musicians making up the orchestra.

Dan is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and completed his master’s degree in conducting at Wichita State University in 1995. He taught in the Ponca City public schools for 14 years, consistently leading the Senior High Orchestra and the East Junior High Orchestras to music competition awards.

In February 1996, he went to J. Frank Dobie High School in Pasadena, Texas where he rebuilt the program and led their symphony orchestra to top sweepstakes honors at the Texas state contest. Last year he was director of orchestra at Putnam City North High School when North won all superior ratings on its way to the Oklahoma Sweepstakes Award and Outstanding Orchestra at the Breckenridge Music Festival.

Dan has been selected for several editions of Who’s Who in American Education, Men of Achievement, and Who’s Who in the Southwest, but his favorite honor may be having received KWTV’s My Favorite Teacher Award in 1989.

Kari Bell

Kari Bell is a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma. She presently teaches non-major flute lessons and flute choir at the university. Karl has performed in masterclasses in the United States and Canada for flutists such as Bradley Garner, Walfrid Kujala, Alexa Still, and Bonita Boyd. In addition to her teaching responsibilities at the University of Oklahoma, she has also taught music camps in Oklahoma, Missouri and Montana.

Kari graduated from Ponca City High School in 1994 and attended Southwest Missouri State University. She received her bachelor’s of music degree from the University of Oklahoma and is currently working on her master’s of music degree and her certification to teach music in the public schools. She plans to graduate in May of 2000 and pursue a career in elementary general music, while remaining active in flute teaching and performing.

Shara Long

Shara Long will play cello in the celebration event. A Po-Hi graduate and a two year All-State performer, she is the daughter of Karen and Gary Long. She is currently a student at the University of Oklahoma studying cello performance with Greg Sauer. She is also a pianist and is studying with Danise Galoway. shara has played in several productions at the Ponca Playhouse, Northern Oklahoma College and the OU Theatre.

Gary Gackstatter

Gary Gackstatter is presently the director of bands at Cowley College, the Winfield Regional Symphony, and the Arkansas City Community Band. He is an active composer arranger, with band works performed by many major universities and high schools. He has arranged and premiered works for the Paul Winter Consort, rock groups, John Mccutcheon and Tom Chapin, and has released three CDs of his own songs with his group “The Renters.” He holds a BME from SWOSU, and a master’s in music performance from WSU.

Sheryl Martin

The husband and wife team of Sheryl and Doug Martin will be among those participating in the musical. Sheryl Martin graduated from Po-Hi in 1967 and graduated from NOC with an associate degree and from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in music education.

At OSU she studied with Gwen Powell. She graduated with honors and membership in Phi Theta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key. After 12 years teaching band, choir and general music in Carney and Shidler she is currently teaching general music at St. Mary’s school here.

She is a member of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association and the Music Educators National Conference. She is married to Doug Martin, who will also participate in the event, and they have three children.

Little News

Trinitie Brook Farley is the name chosen by Joe and Malinda Farley, 744 North Fourth, for their daughter born at 11:14 a.m. Oct. 26, 1999, at the Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton. The baby weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and measured 20 1/2 inches long. The baby has a brother, Tanner Wade, 2.

Maternal grandparents are Keith and Sue Behara of Ponca City, and paternal grandparents are Scott and Brenda Farrington of Tonkawa. Great-grandparents are Bessie Farley, the late Charles and Bonnita Hill, the late Bernard and Claudine Behara, and the late Frank Farley.

The English Language and Health Care in 999

By KENNIS WESSEL, Ph.D.

Editor’s Note: The Ponca City Millennium Committee has commissioned a series of articles on the subject of “Life in the Year 999.” The articles are researched and written by Dr. Kennis Wessel, Executive Director of the Poncan Theatre. Twelve articles will appear during the year 1999, anticipating the Second Millennium. This article is the eleventh of the series.

We are incredibly lucky. We are lucky to live in a time of sophisticated medical practice. True, we have problems with health care. But the problems of an HMO are light-years away from the problems of health in 999. We are frustrated if our health insurance doesn’t cover radiation oncology. At the first millennium, many women were relieved if they survived childbirth. At the first millennium, a broken ankle might mean amputation.

We are incredibly lucky in language, too. We enjoy, perhaps without knowing it, the most powerful, most expressive language in history. The English language is one of the greatest inventions of humankind. But in 999, English was only in its infancy. And it didn’t look like English. In fact, it was closer to modern Dutch or German than it was to modern English. If you plopped down in 999, you might even be confused asking for a drink of water (“waetr drinkcan”).

From Anglo-Saxon to Modern English

In 999, the language we now speak didn’t exist. In England, the language was Anglo-Saxon. The Angles and the Saxons, two closely related German tribes, migrated to the island in the fifth and sixth centuries. The Angle dialect was stronger, even giving its name to the island, which was called the “land of the Angles” or “Angle-lond.” Since language changes, “Angle-lond” became “England.”

If you could hear someone from Angle-lond of 999, it would be nearly impossible to actually follow a conversation. A few words from would still be recognized, such as “mann,” “hus,” and “drinkcan.” But many would be unrecognizable, such as “frumweorc” (creation), “mid-wyrhta” (co-worker), or “tungdwitega” (astrologer).

The magnificent epic “Beowulf” was written in the Anglo-Saxon language just before the first millennium. Several words in “Beowulf” show how much language has changed in 1,000 years. In the text below, “STraet” became “street,” “waes” means “was,” “STan” is “stone,” and so forth. The entire third line is full of cognates.

STraet waes STan-fah, STig wisode

Gumum aetGaeder, Gud-byrne scan

Heard, Hondlocken, Hring-iren scir . . .

The road was stone-paved, the way well-shown To the band together. The war-shirts shone Hard, locked by hand, the ring-iron bright . . .

Even with cognates, the language of “Beowulf” is not the English we know today.

Modern English has the most extensive vocabulary of any language on earth. But the most commonly used words in the language come from Anglo-Saxon roots. For instance, our names for the days of the week come from ancient Germanic pagan rituals: “Sunday” celebrates the Sun and “Monday” commemorates the moon. “Wednesday” is named after the Germanic god Woden, and “Thursday” comes from Thor. Some of our most common terms of labor come from Anglo-Saxon. “Sheep,” “shepherd,” “ox,” “earth,” “plough,” “dog,” and “work” all derive from Old English. “Mylen” is the source of the word “mill,” and “cweorne” is the source of “churn.” Many of our kitchen and culinary words go back to Anglo-Saxon roots.

By 999, the Anglo-Saxon tongue had begun to change. Two major influences enriched the language. First, Viking invasions by the Norse (the Danes and Norwegians) had brought another very similar language into the island also. Thus we may “rear” a child (Old English) or “raise” a child (Norse). By adding Viking words to Anglo-Saxon, English gained such shades of meaning as “scatter” and “shatter,” “sick” and “ill,” “wish” and “want,” “craft” and “skill,” “hide” and “skin.” In each pair the first term comes from Old English and the second from Norse.

Second, the spread of Christianity brought new words to the island. As the Church spread its wings, Anglo-Saxons learned about “God” and “hefen,” “synn”and “hel,” “engel” and diafol,” the “preost” and biscop,” the “nonne” and the “munuc.” And when”munuces” (monks) arrived from the continent, they brought new foods to England, such as the “persoc” (peach), the “bete” (beet), the “radisc” (radish), and such spices as “fenol,” “savery” and “gingifer.”

The Official Language of England was French

Anglo-Saxon was the language of England until the year 1066, when the Normans sailed across the Channel from France and invaded Angle-lond. As the conquerors, the Normans made their language, which was French, the dominant language of England. Anglo-Saxon was still spoken side-by-side with French, and England was a bi-lingual country. French was spoken in the royal courts, in law, and in the great houses of England. Anglo-Saxon was spoken by the common laborers.

In many prestigious homes, the French-speaking lady of the house would instruct the servants, “nappe plie en ordre,” or “fold and stack the linen.” And the Anglo-Saxon servants would hear the French in terms of Anglo words, so they heard a command to put everything “in apple pie order.” Thus a phrase began that made no sense, but which we still use today.

Because the Norman French dominated England, French was the high-class language and French terms came to be preferred over Anglo-Saxon terms for identical things. French, based on Latin, gave even another set of synonyms for things. “Sick” and “ill” were Germanic words, but “infirm” and “indisposed” enter English through French. “Wish” and “want” are Germanic, but “desire” comes from French. “Craft” and “skill” are Germanic, but “expertise” comes from French.

Many disagreeable words in English have equivalent words that are more socially acceptable. If you imagine our terms for sex and sexual parts, for instance, the most acceptable terms are Latin-French while the more disgraceful equivalents, often four-letter words, are Anglo-Saxon. One set of terms seems clinical and proper, while the other set of terms is thought to be coarse and vulgar. And even though two terms may refer to the same thing, one term is preferred because it was the language of the ruling class. The privileges of a conqueror includes preferences in language.

The French-speaking Normans were so dominant in England that French remained the “official” language of England for the next three hundred years. It took several more centuries after that, but Anglo-Saxon and French ultimately merged into one single language that we now call English.

Health and Medicine in 999

In 999, no one truly understood disease and sickness. One of the great tragedies of the middle ages is the loss of knowledge. When the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century, no one maintained the level of information that had been available in Rome. The Greeks and Romans, although still very primitive, had begun a process of inquiry that stopped cold with the fall of Rome.

Amazingly, before Rome fell, people and livestock were larger than in 999. In the Roman Empire, people had better nutrition and better health. After 999, people continued to become smaller for awhile. More food was available, but many more mouths were around, too. Poor nutrition meant smaller human beings.

In 999, no one understood that the heart pumped blood. No one understood how gasses work, as in the process of breathing. No one realized that disease was carried by tiny creatures that were too small to be seen. No one would understand any of those things for another 600 years.

On the other hand, one book from the tenth century had an exceptional set of sketches that showed foetal development through nine months of pregnancy. Even though scientific knowledge was not widely dispersed, some people of 999 clearly knew some of the inner workings of the body.

The words “till death do us part,” part of our marriage vows, took on a new meaning in the twentieth century. With the development of twentieth century medicine, human beings began to have a much longer life expectancy. At the end of our century, the average age at death has soared past 75. In 999, the average age at death was somewhere around 35.

In 999, it was not uncommon for a girl to marry around 15. Some married earlier. Males were often somewhat older, in the mid-twenties. But girls could easily die in childbirth, so the life expectancy for females was somewhat shorter than for males. With a short childhood and shorter lives, the quality of living was radically different.

Recently in a grave in England, a young mother was found from the tenth century. She had been buried with her partially born child. It appears that the child was too large to be delivered, and medical science didn’t have the ability to help. Caesarian deliveries take their name from the legend of the birth of Julius Caesar. But no attempts at caesarian deliveries were recorded in England until after 1500, and no successful C-sections took place until after 1700.

Personal Hygiene in 999

Across Europe, most people lived in single-family huts. Sanitation was a major problem. Bathrooms as we know them are really an invention of the 19th century. In 999, folks just went outside the hut. Sometimes it was bitter cold. Sometimes it was broad daylight. They had no privacy. They had no toilet tissue, and moss or grasses were used instead. Perhaps worst of all, they had no understanding of the problems of poor sanitation. Walking on unsanitary ground, people could get worms into their feet. It was not uncommon for people of all ages to be agonized by foot-long tapeworms that could literally pop out of openings, including the eyes. Insects carried disease from the latrine directly to foods. Sanitation was a major problem.

Bathing was rare in 999. Every spring, a family would share a bath. Often this meant warming up water in a barrel, each member of the family taking a turn in the barrel. There may have been other baths through the year, but not many. Most monasteries had much healthier habits. Monks bathed more frequently than the general population. One monastery required five baths per year, an obsessive number by public standards. In the next century, monasteries came to have running water for sanitation with a separate water source for drinking.

Sometimes illnesses were associated with specific occupations. People who worked with wool often contracted anthrax. Painters were susceptible to lead poisoning or arsenic. Injuries often left permanent scars. Without modern surgical procedures, a cut could leave a lifelong scar. If a tooth ached, it was pulled out. Child or adult, the tooth was gone. There were many eye problems, including cataracts and blindness. Bad midwifery could leave an infant crippled for life. Many images from the middle ages show cripples with crutches or crawling, struggling with half a leg.

Five hundred years earlier, Roman battlefield doctors knew how to cauterize a wound. They used wine, heavy with alcohol content, to disinfect. They knew how to suture a wound. They even developed a means of stapling wounds shut, and it was safer than sutures because it was more sanitary. But in 999, a battlefield wound wouldn’t have been treated as well. Any cut could mean serious blood loss. Any scrape could turn fatally to gangrene. Any head wound could be untreatable. War was hell, even then.

There were mild anesthetics. For surgery, various drugs might be used to help reduce the pain. None was ever sufficient.

Surgery was not uncommon in 999. Actually, surgeons had lower stature than physicians. Physicians were more thoroughly trained, and surgeons were thought of as manual workers. Surgery was the expected correction for many problems. Over Europe, fractured limbs were often amputated. Surgeons even operated on the cranium. Skeletal remains show that the skull was often cut open, presumably to allow evil spirits to evacuate the victim’s head. Usually the skull was opened with a drill that was for all intents the same as a carpenter’s tool.

The most advanced surgeons in the world were in Arabic countries. There, the medical wisdom of the Romans had been perpetuated. There, gallstones, cancer, and hernias might be treated with surgery. In Europe, medical science had fallen backward.

Healing Through Faith

999 was not in an age of science. It was in an age of faith. The solutions to medical problems were usually matters of belief rather than science. If God were the cure, the Devil must have caused the problem.

If someone were afflicted by disease, the remedy was to say oaths and prayers to get rid of the little devils that infected the victim. The imagined culprit was called the “elf-shot,” and it was presumed that a malicious little spirit must have shot an arrow into the victim’s wound. The solution was often “a hair of the dog.” Since an infectious arrow was the sprite’s tool, an actual arrowhead served as the “hair of the dog.” One German incantation had the physician place an arrowhead on the wound and then chant: “Come out worm, with nine little worms, out from the marrow into the bone, from the bone into the flesh, from the flesh into the skin, from the skin into this arrow, Amen.”

Pilgrims worked their way over horrible roads to find holy cures. Many churches and cathedrals came to have reliquaries with the remains of a saint. The sick and crippled would come to pray to the saint, hoping the saint would intercede with God in heaven. The idea was applied to every level of health need. If you drop your food on the floor, make the sign of the cross over it and it will be clean again.

One book of the tenth century provides a variety of recipes to improve health. Here is a lovely mixture of folk remedies with the power of belief, in a recipe to correct dysentery. “Take a bramble of which both ends are in the earth, take the newer root, dig it up, and cut nine chips on your left hand, then sing three times the Miserere mei deus from Psalm 56, and say nine times the Our Father. Take then mugwort and everlasting and boil these three in several kinds of milk until they become red. Let him then sup a good bowl full of it, fasting at night, sometime before he takes other food. Make him rest in a soft bed and wrap him up warm. If more is necessary, do so again. If you still need it then, do so a third time. It will not be necessary to do so more often.”

Perhaps the most common form of treatment was blood-letting. It was widely believed that “bad blood” was the usual cause of illness. The treatment was to remove the “bad blood.” This often meant leeches, pulled from stream beds and applied directly to the skin. Leeches would suck blood out of the body.

The other alternative was slicing open veins and removing blood more directly. Patients were often deprived of essential fluids and rarely were helped by blood-letting. But blood-letting was a preferred treatment for almost any malady well into the nineteenth century. For a time, the leach population of Europe was seriously endangered because of the widespread use of leaches for medical purposes.

In the fourteenth century, one of the worst medical crises in history struck Europe. The plague ravaged all, killing all members of society. Europeans were neither equipped to understand nor to cope. This was an outbreak of Bubonic Plague, which began in mid-century and wiped out almost half the total population of Europe in just a few years.

It was several hundred more years before scientists figured out that the plague was carried by fleas on a particular species of rat. Before the infestation ran its course, the legend of the Pied Piper began, luring rats out of town. And a famous nursery rhyme also began: “Ring around the rosey, Pocket full of posies, Ashes, ashes, We all fall down.”

In 999, language and health care would hardly be recognizable to a modern visitor. We can be grateful that we have been born in the twentieth century.

Copyright 1999 by Kennis Wessel

Try and Read English From 999

Do you think you can translate Anglo-Saxon? Here is a passage from Anglo-Saxon with some Christian terms included. If you give it careful thought, you might recognize enough words to figure out the translation for the entire passage.

Faeder ure, thu the eart on heofunum

Si thin nama gehalgod.

Tobecume thin rice

Gewurth thin wille

On eorthan swa swa on heofonum

Ure gedaegwamlican hlaf sylle us to deag, ond forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfat ure gyltendum. Ond ne gelaed thu us on costnunge ac alys us of yfele. Sothlice.

Just in case some words look crazy, here are some helpful hints. “Faeder ure” means “our father,” and “the eart on heofunum” means “that art in heaven.” “Thin nama” is “your name,” and “gehalgod” is “to be called holy.” “Tobecume” means “let come,” and “rice” is the early Germanic word for “Reich,” which means “kingdom.” “Gewurth” means “let-happen,” and “thin wille” is obviously “thy will.” “Gedeagwamlican” is the word for “every-daily,” and “hlaf” is an early form of the word that became “loaf,” or “bread” in our modern English translation. “Sylle” means to “sell,” which we translate as “give.” “To deag” means “this day.” Notice the words “forgyf” and “gyltas,” which mean “forgive” and “guilt.” “Ne gelaed” means “don’t lead.” “Costnunge” means “temptation,” and “ac” is the word for “but.” “Yfele” is an early form of the word “evil.” “Sothlice” means “forsooth,” which is equivalent to the Hebrew word “amen.”

The Lord’s Prayer sounded very different in 999.

Millennium Entertainment Abounds for Local Events

The Ponca City Millennium Commission has scheduled some great entertainers for the Millennium Celebration in Ponca City on Friday, Dec. 31. Some of the featured groups include Les Gilliam and the Silverlake Band, The Byron Berline Band, The Cruz Trio, FaIderal and ZAP! Zany Arts Players. These five performers are partially sponsored and funded by the Oklahoma Arts Council as part of their State Touring Artists Program.

Les Gilliam

and the Silverlake Band

Ponca City’s own Les Gilliam and his Silverlake Band will entertain folks with his special brand of western music at East Junior High Auditorium 1-3 p.m. on Dec. 31. Gilliam was named the “Oklahoma Balladeer” in 1998 by both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature and one of five finalists for Male Performer of the Year by the Western Music Association. Les has performed in Branson, Mo., OK Mozart Festival in Bartlesville, and has made four trips to Europe to entertain folks there to name just a few.

Les Gilliam’s presentation of country or cowboy music includes fascinating stories about the songs and artists who recorded them. Audience participation is customary. Kids love the cowboy stories and songs, and older adults particularly enjoy the touch of nostalgia frequently used in his shows.

Also performing will be Lida Rose Maze, the Ponca City jig dancer. Lida learned the dance from her mother who, as a young Cherokee girl, learned it from Irish immigrants in Arkansas in the 1870’s. The dance is closely related to the ancient Irish jig or “Highland Fling.” Lida Rose has danced at the Grand Ole Opry, on the show “Hee Haw,” at Mickey Gilley’s club in Texas and at bluegrass festivals around the country. She has performed with Bill Monroe, Roy Clark, Mike Snider and Merle Travis.

Byron Berline Band

For an exciting evening of traditional bluegrass music and western swing, join three-time national fiddle champion and Grammy nominated artist, Byron Berline and his band will play at East Junior High Auditorium on Dec. 31 from 8 until 10:30 p.m.

Members of Berline’s band include John Hickman, Jim Fish, Richard Sharp, Steve Short and Byron Berline. John Hickman is regarded as one of the great masters of the banjo. He has played with bluegrass greats like Red Allen, Frank Wakefield and Earl Taylor’s Stoney Mountain Boys. Jim Fish plays the guitar and says his greatest inspiration came from the late, great Clarence White. Richard Sharp is most at home on the left-handed upright and electric bass. He brings a nice variety to the band by his showmanship and vocal work. The drummer, Steve Short, is the most popular recorded drummer in the area, having recorded with almost every major artist imaginable.

Berline’s early career included playing fiddle with bluegrass legends such as Bill Monroe, Dillard and Clark and Country Gazette. Byron’s own performing and recording credits include: The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, The Byrds, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill Tammy Wynette, to just name a few. He has also performed in several films, including Star Trek, Blaze, Back to the Future 111, and Basic Instinct.

The Cruz Trio + 1

The Cruz Trio has performed the best in Mexican entertainment for over 10 years. They offer a wide variety of music featuring Manuel Cruz on vocals, rhythm, lead and bass; Edgar Cruz on guitarron (mexican bass) and guitar; Mark Cruz on vihuela and Alberto Aguillar on harmony vocals and requinto (lead guitar).

Manuel Cruz began playing guitar at age seven inspired by his father who played guitar and mandolin. He became familiar with all types of music from the Americas to classics around the world through his attraction to international radio programs in Mexico where he was born and raised. He began entertaining customers at his uncle’s El Charrito restaurants and soon had the first authentic mexican duet, trio, quartet and mariachi which he still maintains to date.

Edgar and Mark, both sons of Manuel, are graduates of Oklahoma City University and top prize winners of the Walnut Valley National Fingerpickin’ Championships. Edgar Cruz is internationally known for creating a symphony of sound unique to just one guitar. Mark Cruz is a guitarist capable of doing classical, jazz or rock. Alberto Aguillar has been performing with Manuel for over thirty years. He has also been a strolling musician for quite some time.

The Cruz Trio will be performing on the lower level of the Commercial Federal Building at two different times during the day. The first performance will be from 1 until 2 p.m. and their second performance will be from 4:45-5:45 p.m.

Falderal String Band

The Falderal String Band will be performing “Old Time Music of the Southern Plains.” These men continue the traditions of the medicine show, barridance and other traces of America’s past. Included are old-time skits, tall tales, short tales, stories of truth and lies, along with historical facts and fabrications. Their programs are suitable for all ages, events and places.

Falderal has performed at Silver Dollar City, Six Flags, the 1989 Olympic Festival, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Ozark Folklife Center and Australia’s Port Fairy Folk Festival to just mention a few.

Members of the band include: Alan Davis, basic bassist, harmonica player and the “Uncrowned King of the Cowboy Accordian”; Rodger Harris, guitarist, purveyor of the hammered dulcimer and “A “Giant among Jawbone Players”; Bret Heitzke, a well regarded fiddler, banjoist and mandolinist; and Phil Reid, fiddler, mandolinist, guitarist. whistle player and choreographer for 01’ Jack the dancing doll.

Falderal will have two performances on the lower level of the Commercial Federal Building on Friday, Dec. 31. Their first performance will be from 3:30-4:30 p.m. and their last gig will be 6-7 p.m.

ZAP! Zany Arts Players

ZAP! Zany Arts Players will be zooming their way to the Millennium Celebration by performing at the Ponca City Library for two shows. The first appearance will be from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and the last will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

ZAP! is made up of three performers, Clown, played by Doobie Potter; Small, played by Rhonda Clark; and Extremely Long, played by Joe Long. All three are well known entertainers in the Oklahoma City area and are all artists-in-residence for the State Arts Council.

Originally formed in 1980, ZAP! worked up a theatre company that would tour to the libraries and city parks in Oklahoma City. The traveling troupe does Noodlehead dramas about silly people in silly situations. The style is that of the Italian clowns in the Commedia del ‘arte style. They base their original playlets on folk tales from around the world. The idea for their character names, Clown, Small and Extremely Long, came from a book of plays called Silly Soup. The actors don’t show their real faces because they wear half-masks in the tradition of the Commedia theatre. Their show will certainly be a treat for young and old alike.

Contests Open To All

An “Old Time Fiddler’s Contest” will be held at Grand Central Station 2:30 and 4 p.m. on Dec. 31. Everyone is eligible and participants should sign up as soon as possible.

There is to be a swing dance contest to “In the Mood” type music at Grand Central Station between 6 and 7 o’clock. Everyone is eligible and welcome to enter.

In both contests, the prizes are: first prize is $200 cash, Second prize is $100 cash, and third prize is $50 cash for both of the individual contests above. The sign up sheets will be at the Chamber of Commerce until Dec. 31, and they will then be moved to Grand Central Station for sign up.

Ponca City Happenings

SUNDAY

Marland Estate Mansion, 901 Monument Road, open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Guided tours Monday-Friday, 1:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 and 3 p.m. Special tour information, 767-0420.

Pioneer Woman Museum, open Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and holidays.

Ponca City Art Center, 819 East Central. Wednesday through Sunday, 1-5 p.m.

Ponca City Cultural Center and Museum, 10th and Grand. Home of Ponca City Indian Museum, Bryant Baker Studio, 101 Ranch Museum and DAR Museum. Available for receptions, teas, bridge parties, etc. Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m. 767-0427.

Ponca City Tourism Office, 10th and Grand. Information about all tourist attractions and events in Ponca City and the surrounding area. Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. 763-8067.

11th Step AA meeting — open, 11 a.m.; AA Discussion meeting, 8 p.m. Harmony House, 212 South Third.

AA Alano Group — 8 p.m., closed topic meeting; 603 South 1st.

MONDAY

Al-Anon meeting, 8-9 p.m. Monday, upstairs in the Harmony House, 212 South Third.

Domestic Violence Group, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Mondays. Programs for women and children of family violence. Babysitter provided. For information call 76A-BUSE.

Fibromyalgia Support Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the parlor of the First Baptist Church. More information may be obtained by calling Betty Wilson, 762-3768; Mary Beth Guy, 765-9894; Martha Long, 762-5572. There will not be a meeting in December.

Multiple Sclerosis Support Group meets the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Albright United Methodist Church, 128 South Palm. Call Beth Wright, 765-6738, for additional information.

Ponca City Rotary Club, noon Monday, Marland Mansion Chapel.

Simple Steps AA — closed, noon; AA Step Study — closed, 8 p.m.; Harmony House, 212 South Third.

AA Alano Group — Noon, discussion; 603 South 1st.

TOPS OK 308 members weigh-in time is 6 to 6:45 p.m. with meetings starting at 6:45 p.m. on Mondays. For more information call Betty Flower, 765-5448.

Principles Before Personalities, Narcotics Anonymous, 8 p.m. Monday, Harmony House basement (use south entrance by parking lot).

Pioneer Area Guild meets the first Monday of each month at Community Christian Church on West Grand. Business meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. There will not be a meeting in July.

TUESDAY

The American Family Support Group will meet 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays at 1105 West Highland. The topic will be Child Welfare Services and child abuse.

Kay County Wheatheart Sweet Adelines, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Performing Arts Building (south entrance) Northern Oklahoma College, Tonkawa. All women welcome. For information call 765-6829, 363-1643 or 762-2885.

Kiwanis Club, noon Tuesday, Marland Mansion Conference Center.

New-Found Freedom Co-dependents Anonymous, 8 p.m., Tuesday, Harmony House (upstairs library).

AA Discussion meeting at noon; AA Big Book Study — closed, 8 p.m. Harmony House, 212 South Third.

AA Alano Group — Noon, Big Book; 8 p.m., closed, Step Studies with first Tuesday for Traditions; 603 South 1st.

Freedom Group of AA; Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Woodlands Christian Church (Room 202), Fourteenth and Hartford. Smoke-free meeting and building. We study and practice tradition. Study Discussion of “As Bill Sees it” and other AA approved literature. Call 762-3345 for more information.

Parent Support Group, 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Northern Oklahoma Youth Services Center. Focus on parental concerns and frustrations, as well as ways to increase understanding and communications between parent and child. Support, education, coping techniques, and introduction to non-punitive parenting styles.

Preschool storytime for 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds, 10 and 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays at the Ponca City Library.

Ponca Prairie Pleaters meet the first Tuesday evening of each month with the exception of the summer months. For more information call Cheryl, 762-9618.

Weight Watchers meeting, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. Weigh-in begins at 6 p.m.

Fanchon Chapter 53, Order of the Eastern Star, meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Masonic Temple, 1200 West Grand.

Free pregnancy test is kept confidential at Birth Choice, 700 West Broadway. Hours are 6-8 p.m. Tuesday; 1-3 p.m. Wednesday; 6-8 p.m. Thursday. Call 765-9689.

WEDNESDAY

Deadline for Happenings and items for Sunday’s edition of Lifestyles is 5 p.m. Wednesday. For Happenings include name of club, time and day of meeting, place and hostess.

Pioneer Toastmasters Club, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, R&D East Auditorium, Conoco Complex, 1000 South Pine. Guests welcome; public invited. For additional information, contact Bob Ennis, 767-5946.

Ponca City Bahai Community Discussion Group, 7:15 p.m. Wednesday. For location call 765-5695 or 762-5529.

Simple Steps AA meeting; Step Study — closed, noon. AA Discussion meeting, 8 p.m. Harmony House, 212 South Third.

AA Alano Group — Noon, discussion; 603 South 1st.

Al-Anon meeting, 8-9 p.m. Wednesday, upstairs in the Harmony House, 212 South Third.

Storytime for 2 and 3-year-olds, Ponca City Library, 515 East Grand, 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Short stories, songs, use of flannel board. Lasts about 15 minutes.

Ponca City Council of Garden Clubs meets at the Cann Center on the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. Anyone interested in gardening, flowers, birds, butterflies, conservation, historic preservation, landscape design or environmental education, is welcome to attend. For more information call 762-3695, or 762-3555.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) support group aids veterans of the Vietnam and Gulf Wars. The group is confidential and meets at the DAV, 401 South Lincoln, Wednesdays, 7-8:30 p.m. If you are a veteran suffering with PTSD or know someone who could use help, contact 762-3851 or Steve Mallory, 762-7561.

Principles Before Personalities, Narcotics Anonymous, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Harmony House basement (use south entrance by parking lot).

The Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Garden Club meets at 9:30 a.m. the second Wednesday of each month. Guests are always welcome to attend. For more information call 762-9866 or 718-0314.

THURSDAY

Al-Anon at Conoco, TBTV 50 on Mezzanine between North and South Towers, 11:30 p.m. Thursday. Call Linda, 765-7045, 767-5328.

AA Discussion meeting, noon; AA discussion meeting, 8 p.m., Harmony House, 212 South Third.

AA Alano Group — Noon, open, discussion; 603 South 1st.

Freedom Group of AA; closed Big Book Study at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Woodlands Christian Church (Room 202), Fourteenth and Hartford. Smoke-free meeting and building. We study and practice tradition. Open meeting the last Thursday of each month for birthdays. Call 762-3345 for more information.

Jaycees, 7 p.m., first and third Thursday, Chamber of Commerce meeting room. Interested persons welcome to attend any meeting.

Model Railroad Club, 7-10 p.m. Thursday, Stephenson Building, 113 North Third. For information call 762-8687 or 765-7996.

Parent Support Group, 9:30-11 a.m. Thursday Northern Oklahoma Youth Services Center. Focus on parental concerns, frustrations, as well as ways to increase understanding and communications between parent and child. Support, education, coping techniques and introduction to non-punitive parenting styles.

Ponca City Newcomers Club meets the third Thursday of each month at the Marland Mansion. For more information contact Joyce Fox, 762-9578. For more information and to make reservations call Joyce Fox, 762-9578.

Story hour for school-aged children Thursday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Ponca City Library.

Principles Before Personalities, Narcotics Anonymous, 8 p.m. Thursday, Harmony House basement (use south entrance by parking lot).

American Legion Post 14 meets at 7:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at the Huff-Minor Post home, 407 West South Avenue.

DAV meets the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at 401 South Lincoln.

FRIDAY

Simple Steps AA — open, noon; AA speaker meeting — open, 8 p.m. Harmony House, 212 South Third.

AA Alano Group — Noon, open, Step Study with the first Friday for traditions; 8 p.m., open, discussion, last Friday for birthdays; 603 South 1st.

Pioneer Rotary Club, 11:45 a.m. Friday, Marland Mansion.

Principles Before Personalities, Narcotics Anonymous, 8 p.m. Friday, Harmony House, 212 South Third, basement (use south entrance). Smoke-free building. For more information call 762-3345 or 765-9459.

Church Women United annual meeting will be held Jan. 7 at St. John Baptist Church, 1009 South Eleventh, at 9:30 a.m. Annual reports will be heard and election and installation of officers will be conducted.

SATURDAY

AA Discussion meeting at noon Saturday. AA Discussion meeting at 8 p.m., Harmony House, 212 South Third.

AA Alano Group — Noon, open, discussion; 603 South First.

New Found Freedom Co-dependents Anonymous, 8 p.m. Saturday, Harmony House (upstairs library). Smoke-free.

Order of the Amaranth meets the first and third Saturdays of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Masonic Temple.

Overeaters Anonymous group meets 11-12 Saturday mornings at Woodlands Christian Church. The meetings are open to “anyone who desires to stop eating compulsively.” For more information call 762-2161.

SPORTS

More Honors for Tonkawa Running Back
PC Bronchos Dodgens Giving Bronchos Lift
Basketball Camp Starts Monday

More Honors for Tonkawa Running Back

Tonkawa’s Klufa On All-State

Tonkawa running back Scott Klufa garnered still another post-season honor today as he was named to the Oklahoma All-State football team selected by the Oklahoma Football Coaches Association.

The McDonald’s All-State football game will be played July 28 ay Wantland Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma.

Klufa, who helped lead the Buccaneers to the Class A state championship, had already been named to the state’s super team and as the Class A Player of the Year by Pigskin Preview.

Klufa joins the East All-State team which included two players each from Jenks, Tulsa Union, Owasso and Broken Arrow,

Small school players apartently had an impact on the west voters. Two eight-man players were selected to the team, including Medford’s record setting quarterback James Kilian. The other was Burns Flat running back Preston McIntyre.

Russell Hull of Hominy will be the East head coach. He will be assisted by Bobby Ivens of Hulbert, Doc Wilson of Talihina and Lance West of Collinsville.

The West coaches are Rocky Carter of El Reno, Clarence Madden of Lawton, Steve Musgrove of Lone Grove and Ron Smith of Deer Creek.

East Offense

Quarterbacks

Justin Southerland (6-3, 215) Tahlequah; Mickey Nichols, 6-2, 205) Broken Arrow

Running Backs

Brian Odom (6-0, 195) Ada; Roswell Kinnard (5-9, 187) Claremore; John Brown (6-1, 185) Hominy; Chris Johnson (6-0, 185) Haskell; Scott Klufa (5-9, 180) Tonkawa

Wide Receivers

Derrick Williams (6-3, 205) Colcord; Luke Dobbins (6-1, 185) Tahlequah; David Porter (6-2, 195) Owasso

Tight Enid

Dan Cody (5-5, 230) Ada

Centers

Clay Mathes (5-11, 250) Nowata; Jason Pendergraft (6-2, 215) Foyil

Offensive Linemen

Derek Rogers (6-3, 255) T, Union; Brad Wiodger (6-1, 250) Muskogee; Drew Horton (6-4, 275) Jenks; Josh Nation (6-4, 305) Sapulpa; Gary Mishler (6-0, 245) Commerce; Murphy Howell 6-0, 310) Idabel; Clint Engles, 6-1, 185) Cascia Hall

East Defense

Defensive Linemen

Ben Buie (6-2, 280) Broken Arrow; Matt Black (6-2, 288) Claremore; Mike Dunkin (6-2, 250) Oologah; Mitch Coates (6-4, 230) Glenpool; Johnny Andrews (6-1, 280) Wewoka

Defensive Ends

Adam Austin (6-1, 215); Josh Reed (6-6, 245) Sand Springs; Paul Hudson (6-2, 190) Pawhuska

Linebackers

Teddy Lehman (6-1, 220) Fort Gibson; Ronbrose Jones (6-4, 235) Bristow; Andy Frose (6-1, 205) Owasso

Defensive Backs

Darrell Wimberly (6-0, 170) T. Union; Kevin Reed (5-9, 165) Muskogee; Buddy Blair (6-1, 185) Jenks; Jeremy Podany (5-9, 180) Idabel; Trent Bourland (6-1, 170) Colgate; Joe Spears (5-11, 160) Webbers Falls

West Offense

Quarterbacks

James Kilian, 6-4, 200) Medford; James Smith (6-2, 191) Deer Creek

Running Backs

John James (5-10, 190) Putnam City North; Wes Welker (5-9, 185) Heritage Hall; Preston McIntyre (6-1, 205) Burns Flat; Johnny Bizzell (6-1, 225) Carl Albert; L.J. Williams (5-11, 210) Clinton

Wide Receivers

Antonio Perkins (6-1, 170) Lawton; Ateleo Ford (6-2, 175) Ardmore; Cody Womack (5-11 155) Velma-Alma; John Wohgemuth (6-2, 180) Fairview

Tight Ends

Lance Donley (6-5, 225) Weatherford; J.D. McCoy (6-3, 240) Moore

Offensive Linemen

Stan Collier (6-1, 241) Chickaska; Dustin Pierce (6-2, 300) Edmond Memorial; Bryan Haddy (6-3, 207) Davis; Kyle Holt (6-2, 240) Clinton; Cliff Takawana (6-3, 315) Ardmore

Centers

Mark Tickner (6-5, 235) Yukon; Tyrone Goldman (6-0, 300) OC Northeast

West Defense

Defensieve Linemen

Mike Little (6-0-240) El Reno; Adam Duiron (6-4, 260) Duncan; Jmmal Brown (6-6, 310) Lawton MacArthur; Chris Akin (6-3, 290) Weatherford; Clay Coe (6-4, 262) Deer Creek

Defensive Ends

Brian Dunaway (6-0, 190) Lawton Eisenhower; Waylan Long (5-11, 255) Altus; Fath Carter (6-4, 220) El Reno

Linebackers

Jarrod Willis (6-1, 220) Marlow; Aaron Bull (6-1, 216) Davis; Dustn Caldwell (6-2, 205) Plainview; Justin Claborn ()6-3, 236) Apache

Defensive Backs

Tyson Brown (5-10, 175) Del City; Darren Flowers (5-9, 165) Moore; Jamin Clifton (6-0, 190) Sulphur; Chay Nease (6-1, 192) Thomas; Drew Beard (5-10, 165) Rush Springs

PC Bronchos Dodgens Giving Bronchos Lift

EDMOND — Former Ponca City standouts and twin brothers Mark and Matt Dodgen are members of the University of Central Oklahoma wrestling team for the 1999-2000 season.

Mark Dodgen is the starter at the 125 pounds for the Bronchos and he compiled an 11-6 record for the first semester. Mark, a Junior college transfer, is an aggressive, non-stop grappler who UCO Is counting on to be a big point-producer.

Mark was a two-time state champion and a one-time state runner-up while wrestling for Ponca City High School. Mark finished with a 115-10 record and was selected to the All-State team his senior year. Last season, Dodgen won four tournaments and finished 33-4 while wresting at Iowa Central Community College.

Mark is the second leading scorer for the Bronchos, trailing only 197-pounder T.J. Tallent, who is 14-6.

Mark has six falls and one major decision to his credit.

Matt is a redshirt freshman transfer who will vie for a starting role at 133 pounds the second semester when he returns from off-season shoulder surgery.

Matt was scheduled to return to action just before the holidays, but had to have his tonsils taken out.

Matt was a three time All-Conference pick. Dodgen finished at Ponca City High School with a 110-10 record, winning a state championship as a junior and finishing second as a senior.

Mark and Matt are the sons of George and Yolanda Dodgen of Ponca City.

UCO is off for the Christmas holidays and returns to action on January 7-8 at the Midwest Classic. The Bronchos will host Central Missouri State in their next home match on Jan. 29 at Hamilton Field House.

The Bronchos are 0-3 in duals, having lost to the University of Oklahoma (35-6), Cal-Poly San Louis Obisbo (26-11) and Fresno State (23-19)

Basketball Camp Starts Monday

A holiday basketball camp, conducted by Po-Hi coaches Ron Arthur and Dana Pulley will be held Monday and Tuesday at Robson Fieldhouse.

The camp, open to boys and girls grade three through six, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. The fee is $40 which includes lunches both days,

Sign ups will be held from 8 to 8:45 a.m. at Robson.