There’s a famous quote that says, "It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."
Under normal circumstances, that is such good advice. However, there are times where you simply MUST open your mouth!
Professional golfer Tommy Bolt (who was better known for his temper than his swing) was playing in Los Angeles and had a caddy with a reputation of constant chatter.
Choctaw continues to dominate the One Act State Play competition with the sixth state tech crew award and ninth state championship under the direction of Mary Jane Burton.
The tech award is given to the school that scores the highest for set design, make-up and costuming, lighting, sound and load on/off set. Heath Weselak, set construction leader, explained, "Tech is behind the scenes. [We are] everything that happens magically. [We are] the support of the cast. We’re back stage making sure everything is running smooth and making everything as perfect as possible."
The tech crew sets the scene for the play, deciding how the audience will see the actors on stage.
This year the stage turned dark with the production of The Bad Seed by Maxwell Anderson.
Numbers 32:23 in the Bible says, ". . . and you may be sure that your sins will find you out." If you don’t believe it, consider THIS modern day parable:
A hiker was charged with killing and eating an endangered species while hiking in the woods of California. After hearing the man had eaten a condor, the judge quickly passed a harsh sentence of 10 years behind bars.
The man pleaded with the judge to hear his side of the story because he felt circumstances justified his actions. The judge was interested to hear how anyone could rationalize killing a protected bird so he allowed the man to speak.
Do you have lots of green tomatoes on your vines? Last week’s cold snap reminds us that we will soon have a killing freeze in our area, probably in the next few weeks; your tomatoes will most likely not ripen before that freeze comes, usually the first week in November. So how do you harvest them and what can you do with green tomatoes?
There are two methods of picking and ripening your green tomatoes, and both of them require that you pick your tomatoes before the vines are killed by a hard freeze.
The first method is simple, requires some space, and involves pulling up your entire vines. When a freeze is predicted, you should pull your entire vines up by the roots, being careful not to bruise the fruit. Simply hang the vines in a garage or crawl space where the temperatures remain at 50 degrees or higher.
I don’t know if you’re anything like me but, sometimes my mouth works faster than my brain. If only my mouth would slow down and consider the consequences of what it’s about to say, I could avoid so much embarrassment. Then again, maybe what I need is a faster brain! Consider this modern day parable:
A young man had just started his new job in the produce department of a grocery store when a woman came up to him asking to buy a half head of lettuce.
As politely as he could, the young man said, "In this store, we don’t sell half heads of lettuce, we sell whole heads of lettuce."
The Oklahoma Welcome Center in Midwest City is quite the welcoming place 363 days out of the year.
Closed only for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, the center first opened in the fall of 1998 and sees thousands of visitors seeking travel information, directions and clean restrooms.
Visitors have come from everywhere from Australia to Czechoslovakia, manager Susie Hall said.
Do you ever do something so embarrassing that you’d like to find a hole to crawl in? We all embarrass ourselves from time to time and, if you’re like me, most of the time it happens as a result of making assumptions about other people.
Now if you think about it, an assumption is really nothing more than just a conclusion based on incomplete facts. Does that sound like a good way to make decisions? And yet we ALL do it! And it will get us in trouble almost every single time!
Mr. Sprigg’s Bar-B-Q Since 2004, when the restaurant opened, Mr. Sprigg’s has been serving Bar-B-Q with flavor and good plate proportions.
The ribs were a little dry but my chopped brisket sandwich packed in flavor with every bite. For a side item I tried the curly fries. They tasted perfectly crisp and not overly greasy.
Drinks and a side are included with every meal and family proportions are available.
Dr. & Mrs. Steven Ditto of Choctaw announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Jordan Ditto, to Colton Lovelace of Blanchard.
The couple will exchange vows at 4 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 12 in an outdoor ceremony at the home of Don and Mary Moore, grandparents of the bridegroom, 189 East Maple, Washington, OK.
The Midwest City Police Department headquarters, located on Reno, became a permanent drop-off location provided by the Oklahoma Burean of Narcotics for safely disposing of prescription drugs.
Now community members have the opportunity to dispose of unused or expired medications. Thursday, October 03, 2013
The weather is cooling down and football is in the air; and it’s also time for Soccer.
If you have a child or know a child that can kick a ball and is between the ages of six and 14, then bring them down to the soccer field and let them give it a try.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Your Metropolitan Library System joins with Oklahoma City’s Wookies, Padawans and Jedis to celebrate all things Star Wars. And reading, too.
The Second Annual Star Wars Reads Day is Saturday, Oct. 5, and MLS has scheduled special events at five libraries.
For some kids the longest hours of the day are the ones between the end of school and supper. Now that time can be filled with a variety of art projects.
“’After School at Your Library’ is a series of fun afternoon events,” said Metropolitan Library System Young Adult Services Coordinator Emily Williams.
The Midwest City Police Department is sponsoring a new type of fundraiser, called a Golf Ball Drop, on Friday, Sept. 27, at John Conrad Golf Course that will benefit Special Olympics.
“Each year law enforcements agencies throughout Oklahoma conduct fundraising activities for Special Olympics. This year, the Midwest City Police Department wanted to try something new, so, one of our officers, Sgt. Terry Tilley, came up with this idea of a golf ball drop,” Sgt. Roland Branham said.
Participants may purchase golf balls, one for $20 or six for $100. Each participant will be given a numbered ticket that will correspondingly be placed on a golf ball. Wednesday, September 25, 2013
On August 24, BancFirst hosted an event in Oklahoma City where 116 high school basketball players and 104 coaches from 45 BancFirst communities across Oklahoma had the opportunity to meet one of the biggest stars in the NBA.
Russell Westbrook, point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, sat in the Devon Auditorium and fielded questions from Oklahoma student athletes and coaches with Bob Barry, Jr., Sports Director for KFOR, moderating the two sessions.
Student athletes and coaches from Carl Albert, Choctaw, Del City, Harrah, Jones and Midwest attended the event.
Over the last three years, Kelli Foster has learned more and more the impact of the words, “If tomorrow never comes.”
Being the parents of Kannon Foster has not been an easy journey but it’s one Zach and Kelli Foster would not change for a lifetime. On Sunday, Sept. 29, the community will have a chance to show their support for Kannon by participating in the Tee Off For Kannon! Charity Golf Tournament
OKLAHOMA – Students are in the full swing of a new school year. Here are some healtthy recipes from the Made in Oklahoma Coalition. The recipes include ingredients from MIO Coalition members.
The Girl Scout community will gather in Choctaw Sept. 24 for an annual town hall meeting for the #638 Service Team.
Beginning at 6 p.m. the meeting is open to Girl Scouts, volunteers, alumnae and community leaders in Midwest City, Del City, Choctaw, Nicoma Park, Harrah-Newalla, Jones, and Spencer.
There are only so many stories to be told, and whether it is the budding author or the seasoned professional, the monthly meeting of Mid-Oklahoma Writers encourages writers to not only tell these stories, but how to bring them come to completion.
Writers gather at the Rose State College’s Learning Resource Center in room 110 to give each other tips how to improve their writing, for constructive criticism and to welcome guest speakers
From Massachusetts, the new leader of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Midwest City will be welcomed into the church when she is installed this Sunday, Sept. 8.
The 4 p.m. special rite ceremony, which will be led by the bishop and other local clergy, will be followed by a reception. All of the events are open to the public, she said.
O’Shea is the fourth pastor in the church’s history. While small with 45 to 50 members, St. Mark is made up a strong, loyal gathering of followers and is welcome to new family members.
Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma and its Community Service Team serving Eastern Oklahoma County are co-hosting a recruitment event 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church's Family Life Center in Midwest City.
Activities will include: crafts, paper making demonstration, tattoos, indoor camp, games, video presentation and Girl Scout cookies.
Celebrating its 100th Anniversary last year, Girl Scouts is now offering six different pathways (troop, events, travel, series, virtual and camp) and provides programs for girls at six levels to meet their interests and needs: Daisies (grades K - 1), Brownies (grades 2 - 3), Juniors (grades 4 - 5), Cadettes (grades 6 - 8), Seniors (grades 9 - 10) and Ambassadors (grades 11-12).
Hi there! It’s me Reggie. I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from Ellie and me; I hope you haven’t forgotten about us! I have been telling you about cool places in Oklahoma, but our latest trip took us far away from home.
Gatlinburg, Tenn. was our destination this time. It was a long way to get there and I don’t like to sit still for very long, so we stopped a lot and stayed all night at a few places along the way.
The first place we stayed was Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas. Man, what a beautiful place! Ellie loved the lake and going to eat at the lodge, the view was amazing so we went back to eat breakfast there. I just wanted to hike.
A simple request on Facebook from Schwartz Principal Rondall Jones to the school’s PTA led a group of more than 40 volunteers to have a work/clean-up day at Schwartz Elementary on Saturday, Aug. 17.
An overwhelming response from parents, students, teachers and other community supporters turned out to beautify the school grounds.
"The generosity of those who gave of their time, tools, and teamwork to make our school look great on the first day of classes was overwhelming," Jones said. "Our school’s theme this year is centered around baseball. Our volunteer team truly hit one out of the park!"
Ralph Duncan came to Wickline United Methodist Church on the first Sunday in July 1983.
Since that time, he has been at Wickline leading the choir, heading the music program, arranging and providing special music for 30 years.
Of course, when he auditioned for the position and when he became the director of music, he had no idea that 30 years later, he would still be using his gifts in that position.
Duncan said however, it is a blessing to still be working with the Wickline choir.
He has always been interested in the performing arts — or at least since his early school years. He believes that he has been blessed to have many of the instructors and mentors he has studied under and with.
One characteristic that many of them shared in addition to their musical knowledge was enthusiasm. They were eager to encourage others in their love of music.
Duncan said he has followed that example in all of his endeavors.
The City of Midwest City’s parks and recreation department has a busy few months ahead of them.
Starting next Monday, Aug. 26, the first session of recreation classes begin. On Monday nights, cheer and pom class for ages seven to 12 will start at 5 p.m.
Cost is $54. A combination class of ballet, tumble, jazz and beam for ages four to six follows at 6 p.m. Cost is $69.
The first session of classes goes from Aug. 26 to Oct. 21. The second session is Oct. 28 through Dec. 9.
A Safe Kids Self Defense class also is available for ages four to 15. Held Tuesdays at 6 p.m., the class cost $5 per class with $5 registration fee.
He wants to be a pilot and dreams of being able to fly, but it doesn’t matter to him if it’s in the clouds or floating in space.
To become a pilot would be a dream come true for the 12-year-old, who said he is soaking up everything he can in science class and always makes A-pluses on his tests in the subject.
Hutcheson said he wanted to attend Rose State College’s Kids Camp for something to do, but more importantly, to help him achieve his dream.
At 11:45 a.m., Monday through Friday, children form a line inside the Midwest City YMCA basketball gym.
They wait patiently, some more quiet than others, to be handed their brown paper sack lunches.
On Monday, bags were filled with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, fruit and string cheese.
Then there was the choice of beverages to drink: either milk or chocolate milk.
Laura Schwartz, the summer feeding worker at the YMCA, said the chocolate milk is the first to go. It can be difficult to get children to drink the "white" stuff, so she has had to get crafty and only put out a certain number of chocolate milk cartons, she said.
OK, now her secret is out, but shhhh... don't tell the boys and girls.
It's a good thing the speed limit down Sunnylane Road is 40 miles per hour because if it were any faster you might miss one of Del City's almost-hidden treasures, J.T.'s Bar B Que & Catering at 505 S. Sunnylane Road. It's not just the ambience of the parking lot surrounded by large shade trees but also the homey, inviting indoor décor. And if you're not wooed by the antiques and eclectic touches then the aroma of heavy smoke will win you for sure.
"My wife has great taste, she decorates everything herself, she and my niece just redecorated the place," J.T. Moon said.
J.T.'s Bar B Que is very much a family enterprise. Moon, his wife Susan and daughters Misty and Angie have been serving up southern style barbecue since they moved to Del City in June 1994. Misty still fills in part time despite her duties as a registered nurse at Integris Baptist Medical Center, and Angie lives in Indiana but helps when she is visiting "home".
