News Staff Writer

With September comes the beginning of many activities, clubs and more. September promised cooler weather and autumn, the time when leaves turn color, days are shorter and nights are crisper as the county wakes up from the lazier days of summer.

School activities start up and with that comes football, a big event in the state of Oklahoma.

Ponca City and surrounding areas wrestled with the problems and headaches that have plagued the country and the county with the economic downturn.

PCDA

Manufacturing has been hit hard in this recession and Ponca City is no exception. Some of the things that PCDA is working with companies on include the identification of potential new business through other Ponca City and Oklahoma companies, as well as the potential for converting a company's existing capabilities to serve new industries. PCDA continued its push for the Tyson facility by contacting various food processing companies. PCDA continued to stay very close to Ponca City's manufacturers to help them with any issues that may arise and might impact employment. Employment figures during the summer showed a slight increase.

2010 Census

Work on the 2010 Census campaign started. Signs have been displayed to encourage people to complete and return their Census forms when they get them in April. An accurate census count is critical to the economy and will help Ponca City access federal and state funds, attract retailers, grow the economy and more.

Photographers at ConocoPhillips

There were two reported instances of people taking photographs at ConocoPhillips. ConocoPhillips officials were contacted about why they believe people should not be photographing the refinery.

Spokeswoman Shanley R. Wells said the Department of Homeland Security had ruled that critical infrastructure facilities, such as refineries and chemical plants, are required to promptly investigate and report all significant security incidents to the appropriate facility personnel, local law enforcement, and the Department of Homeland Security.

"Security incidents include individuals who may be conducting surveillance of the plant through photography," she said. "ConocoPhillips complies with this and has signs posted around the perimeter with a phone number for people to contact if they have photography needs or questions."

Kay County Fair

BLACKWELL — The 92nd Kay County Free Fair was held in Blackwell Sept. 15-19. This is the largest free fair in Oklahoma. New this year was a petting zoo at the Whitman Arena. More than 100 vendors were in attendance with seven buildings of exhibits, livestock competitions, entertainment, carnival rides and food. New categories were added to the fair and there is a place for almost anything.

Osage County Fair

PAWHUSKA — The Osage County Free Fair ran Sept. 10-Sept. 12. 4-H Club projects ranged from the exhibition of livestock to Global Positioning System to crops and ornamental horticulture. In 2009 Oklahoma 4-H celebrated the Oklahoma 4-H Centennial with special exhibits to learn about and document 4-H heritage through the process of identification and preservation.

Smithsonian Exhibit in Newkirk

NEWKIRK — The Smithsonian Journey Stories exhibit arrived in Newkirk on Aug. 14 and was on display at the Newkirk Library until Sept. 25.

Newkirk Main Street invited guests to participate in a walking tour of downtown Newkirk. The crowd gathered in the program room at the Newkirk Public Library and listened to comments from various speakers.

Dr. William Corbett, Oklahoma scholar, assisted with the local display on Highway 77. He pointed out that the exhibits demonstrate three perspectives. The first is the fact that the exhibits tell the stories of common folk and not famous people. The second, they tell the story of change. "How many of you got up and tied the horses to the wagon to get to Newkirk today?" he asked. He cited the third perspective as the Oklahoma experience. Corbett believes that those who viewed the exhibits were left with a greater appreciation of their own history.

Ponca Opry

The Poncan Theatre kicked off the return of the Poncan Opry on Sept. 12 with Cindy Summers featured as Patsy Cline. The show also featured the Poncan Opry All Star Band performing country favorites. Master of ceremonies was ventriloquist Gary Owen, whose voice is the voice of television station OETA in Oklahoma City.

Po-Hi Wildcat Football

With a new head coach, several new assistant coaches and a pocketful of untested players, there were a lot of questions to be answered as Ponca City's Wildcats opened their football season. They kicked of the season with a see-saw win over Sapulpa at Sullins Stadium 37-36.

The first three non-district games of the season are supposed to give high school teams a chance to work out the kinks before district play started. For Ponca City's Wildcats, those kinks were still a work in progress. The footballers came face-to-face with the tough schedule as the Bartlesville Bruins beat up on the Wildcats 42-6. Next came Sand Spring with the Wildcats on the road ... Sand Springs 31, Ponca City 10.

Ponca City opened District 6A-4 play in Yukon. Original starting QB Brent Wilson suffered a back injury against Bartlesville in Game 2 of the season but was cleared to play against Yukon. His back-up, Tyler Wilson, started against Sand Spring, but suffered an ankle injury during the week. The game did not go the Wildcats' way as they fail to Yukon 31 to 14.

Gary Martin Inducted

Gary Martin, retired city manager of Ponca City, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials on Sept. 24. Martin was one of four inductees and the third city manager from Ponca City to be honored by the OMPA. The first recipient from Ponca City was Harold Pumford and the second was Leon Nelson. The induction was held at Oklahoma Municipal League's annual conference at Doubletree Hotel in Tulsa.

Martin retired earlier this year after a 36-year career with the City of Ponca City. He joined the City in 1973 as park superintendent, and served as public works director from 1977 until 1993, when he was named city manager.

United Way Campaign

United Way of Ponca City kicked off its campaign with the Small Business Blitz. United Way volunteers visited small businesses face to face to ask for their support for the campaign. Local radio stations partnered with United Way to announce those businesses that pledged or donated the day of the blitz as a United Way supporter.

Art Exhibit at NOC

TONKAWA — "24 Works on Paper," a traveling exhibition of work by living Oklahoma artists, was on display at the Eleanor Hays Art Gallery in the Kinzer Performing Arts Center on the Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa campus. Produced as a collaboration between IAO Gallery and the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, the exhibition is traveling the state for a year, bringing original, contemporary Oklahoma artwork to viewers in communities large and small. The "24 Works on Paper" exhibition featured 24 artists from 12 Oklahoma cities.

Cherokee Strip Golf Classic

A traditional benefit tournament with some new twists, the Cherokee Strip Golf Classic benefiting Opportunity Center continued its 48th consecutive event beginning Sept. 10. This is one of the longest running charity events in Ponca City. Winston Lindsay and Chuck Greenwood were the co-chiefs of the event at the Ponca City Country Club.

Thursday's event kicked off with the Marty McCarty Memorial Ladies' tournament teeing off at 7:30 a.m., practice rounds for the pro-amateur were slated for Thursday with a tailgate party for most of the day. The tailgate party included a DJ, several contests and outdoor grilling.

On Friday the tournament started with the five-man teams — four amateurs and one professional — teeing off with shot gun starts at 7:30 a.m., and 1 p.m.

Through the past 47 years, the proceeds of the Golf Classic have provided the developmentally disabled in Kay County many opportunities that would not have been available to them if the Opportunity Center did not exist. The Souled Out Band play for the Saturday night dance at the Ponca City Country Club.

Mark Maynard shot an 11-under par 68-65—133 to win the pro portion of the pro-am charity tournament by four strokes. Despite the wet weather Friday nearly a dozen pros shot below par. Dustin Wigingham led with a 67. Maynard's 68 was tied with former Ponca Citian Tim Graves. In addition, four other pros — Tim McGraw, Bill Delaney, Tyler Tull and Chuck Greenwood — were just a stroke behind at 69.

On Saturday, Maynard even improved his score while the others fell back. As for the amateurs, the team head by pro Brad Bruno won the Dee Sims Flight. The amateur players were Mark Jones, Tom Nowak, Joe Gerzina and Bruce Newman. The Robbie Roberson Flight team winner was headed by Chris Greenwood. The amateurs were Chuck Greenwood, Brice Chism, Bill Valenta and Mike Mott.

Blackwell Zinc Company

BLACKWELL — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 4 issued an order returning a class action case to state court in Kay County where it began. Plantiffs-appellees, Bob Coffey, Loretta Corn, Larry Jones, Mary Ellen Jones and others v. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., Phelps Dodge Corporation, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, and other defendants was filed in Kay County District Court on April 14, 2008.

The plantiffs allege their property has been contaminated through operation of the Blackwell Zinc Smelter. The Blackwell Zinc Company, Inc. owned and operated a smelter used to refine zinc and cadmium-ore concentrates in Blackwell, from 1922 until 1974. In 1974, BZC dismantled the facility and donated the land to the Blackwell Industrial Authority. The BIA developed the property as an industrial park.

According to the lawsuit, Freeport and the other defendants are responsible for 58 million pounds of lead, arsenic, cadmium and other toxins that now allegedly contaminate the homes, businesses, schools, and public spaces of Blackwell. The suit demands that the defendants thoroughly clean all contaminated property, reimburse residents for lost property values and provide for a public medical-monitoring program.

Grandma Lee

Frances Myers Strong, a 1952 graduate of Ponca City High School, advanced to the finals of this year's "America's Got Talent" variety talent show on NBC with her standup comedy act as "Grandma Lee." She won a slot in the finals. Strong, who is 75 and lives in Jacksonville, Fla., didn't begin her career as a standup comic until she was 62, in January 1997.

In the ensuing years, she entertained audiences in a variety of Las Vegas clubs, casinos and television appearances, including on HBO. Her act largely involves humor about older Americans with the brunt of her jokes about a mythical husband. Her own husband died in 1995.

Her comedy act name, Grandma Lee, comes from her middle name of Lee. Besides serving as associate editor of the school paper, The Poncan, Frances was involved in a variety of high school activities and won a creative writing award from the American Association of University Women. She attended Northern Oklahoma College two years and graduated from Otterbein College in Ohio in 1956.

Oklahoma's Pioneering

Women Of Rock 'N Roll

The Poncan Theatre, in conjunction with an exhibit at the Pioneer Woman Museum, presented a free concert billed as Oklahoma's Pioneering Women of Rock 'n Roll on Sept. 19. Wanda Jackson was the headliner with Becky Hobbs opening the evening. Both women are from Oklahoma and have found national and world success in the music field.

Ponca Playhouse

Ponca Playhouse showed off its new location by presenting "Tuesdays With Morrie" as the season opener. The new home for the playhouse is 301 South First. A complete renovation of an old auto building was made, transforming the facility into a setting to perform plays and house all operations for the organization.

Lake Road Closure

Repairs to the water control gates at Kaw Lake meant closures of Lake Road over the dam Sept. 29 and 30. Alltech Engineering Corp. of Mendota Heights, Minn., sandblasted and repainted two water control gates and performed some structural repairs. The road over the dam was closed when there was a crane on the road used in the work. One lane opened Oct. 1, but the south lane is scheduled to be closed through the end of January. The project manager stated that there will be a few times when there would be full lane closures and traffic would be detoured to U.S. Highway 60 between State Highway 18 and U.S. Highway 77. While traffic is narrowed to one lane, traffic lights will be set up at each end of the dam to control traffic flow through the area.

Ponca City Wall of Honor

The unveiling of the Ponca City Wall of Honor was held on the second floor of City Hall. The wall honors those outstanding leaders of Ponca City who have served as ambassadors at large, promoted the community, made long-term community enhancements, supported major projects and events and provided financial and in-kind contributions. They also invested personal time, skills and leadership for the betterment of Ponca City.

Those honored include Carl and Carolyn Renfro, Lloyd "Jerry" and Pat Evans, Gary Martin and Fred and Suzanne Boettcher. Mayor Homer Nicholson said the Wall of Honor, created by Steve Stobbe and John Brown of Stobbe Design. had been in the planning for more than a year and the dedication created another piece of Ponca City's history.

Children's Gazebo

The new Children's Gazebo placed on the grounds of Cann garden was dedicated. The Gazebo is funded through proceeds from the 2009 Ponca City Herb Festival — a production of Sage, Rosemary and Thyme garden club — and a grant from ConocoPhillips. Katie Caughlin, Kaley Branstetter and Ashleigh Elliott sang at the dedication, and an honor guard from St. Paul's United Methodist Boy Scout Troop 556 opened the ceremonies. The Children's Gazebo is in its new home at the northwest quadrant of Cann Memorial Gardens. It was built in Perkins by OK Structures and is a 14 x 20 foot octagon — the largest gazebo OK Structures makes.

Cherokee Strip Cook-Off

Professionals Today of Ponca City has generated more than $240,000 for Hospice of North Central Oklahoma over the past 23 years from the Cherokee Strip Cook-off. The mayor proclaimed Sept. 19 as National Great American BBQ Tour Day in Ponca City. Public tasting began at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Tasting kits were $6 at the event, but there was no admission charged to enter the cook-off grounds at Lake Ponca Park.

Aquatic and Family

Center — YMCA

Work on the Ponca City Aquatic and Family Center — YMCA took a big step forward in the pre-dawn hours when construction crews poured the concrete floor slab for the main building at 2 a.m. The concrete floor slab covers roughly 15,000 square feet and required approximately 250 cubic yards of concrete. The concrete floor slab is subject to very stringent requirements for the flatness of the surface, since it is for sporting events and additional sporting surfaces will be constructed above it.

Area Communities Gather

To Honor Kansas Soldier

Army Sgt. Tyler A. Juden, 23, of Arkansas City, Kan., was killed Sept. 12 during an attack in Turan, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. He was one of five soldiers killed that day. Close to 100 members of the Patriot Guard Riders escorted the motorcade from the Ponca City Regional Airport to Arkansas City. In Newkirk, schoolchildren and others lined the streets to pay their respects to the fallen soldier. The scene was the same in Arkansas City as members of the community welcomed Juden home. The funeral was held Sept. 22 inside Cowley County College's W.S. Scott Auditorium.

Delegates to Breeders Convention

A pair of Angus breeders were elected as delegates to the 126th Annual American Angus Association Convention of Delegates, Nov. 16 in Louisville, Ky. — Bill Majors and Scott Blubaugh of Ponca City.

Standing Bear Powwow

The Standing Bear powwow was held Sept. 25 and 26. The grand entries were 7 p.m. each evening. The event, which was held at Standing Bear Park, was free, open to the public and funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council.

PMA Alumni Reunion

More than 130 registered for the three-day Ponca Military Academy 2009 Alumni Reunion. The highlight of the reunion was the formal dedication of the cadet statue at the PMA Memorial Park on East Hartford. Former cadets came from Texas, Washington state, Kansas, Arkansas and Ponca City.

Touch a Truck

West Middle School hosted a Touch a Truck fundraiser at Robson Field House parking lot. This was the second year for West Middle School to host the fundraiser. Vehicles included a limousine, fire engine with ladder, backhoe, trencher, front loader, ambulance and others. This year the Fire Department's Smoke House was there and the Ponca City Police Department offered fingerprinting. Last year there were 15 vehicles, and this year there were 21. Kids got to climb the Fire Department ladder, ride in the back of the ambulance on a gurney, learn to operate big machinery, and be at the helm of the Channel 5 weather truck.

Homecoming Week

Homecoming Week began Monday Sept. 28. Dress-up days included Toga Day, Fake an Injury Day, Decade Day, Twin Day and Homecoming T-shirt Day. The 2009 Ponca City Alumni Band performed at the homecoming game on Oct. 2. The band consisted of Ponca City Alumni members along with any other musicians in the community who wished to participate.

Taco Stop Anniversary

Taco Stop celebrated 40 years of operation at the same location. It was originally established as a Taco Grande franchise in the mid-1960s.

Fine Arts Festival

The annual Fine Arts Festival brought artists from many states to Ponca City and presented Ponca Citians the opportunity to purchase a variety of art from the artists. It was a two-day event on the grounds of the Ponca City Art Center on East Central. Carolyn Mejstrik of Midwest City was awarded Best of Show.

Pecan Road

Resurfacing work on Pecan Road from Hartford Avenue to Prospect Avenue began in September. Sober Brothers Inc. of Ponca City removed seven inches of asphalt between the curb and gutter and replace it with concrete. Construction time was estimated to be 75 calendar days, depending on the weather.

New Tourism Coordinator

Mary Beth Moore resigned after four years as the Tourism coordinator to take a position at the University Multi Spectral Lab. Kristi Brown replaced her.