Ponca City Monthly May 2023

Let me tell you, if you want to get a good broad look into the inner workings of society, there is one place you can do just that. There’s one place in every town that people from all walks of life go, and that place is Wal-Mart.

Love it or hate it, Wal-Mart is a big part of most American’s lives. I actually worked at Walmart for several years in Ponca City while I was attending school at Northern Oklahoma College. I’ve never worked a job that I didn’t enjoy in some way. I always “find the silver linings,” so-to-speak, and Wal-Mart was no different.

I have always been fascinated by people, and the vast spectrum of curious and unique ways they live. When I worked as a cashier, I would see the healthy mom in her workout gear grocery shopping at 6:30am. I would see the fun-but-last-minute mom frantically buying birthday party supplies that she hadn’t had time to shop for until the day of. I saw the nervous teenagers who had never used a debit card before learning how to correctly make a purchase as their parent guided them through the process. I saw the free-spirited college kids buying all the unhealthy snacks that their parents never let them buy when they lived at home.

As I said, humans are fascinating. I loved meeting and talking with people and asking them about their lives. Some would talk, some would rather stay mum. I always used my best judgment as to whether they were in a talking mood or not.

I wasn’t always a cashier. I was moved around and learned different departments. I remembering being transferred to the Customer Service desk

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for a few months and I learned very quickly how to calmly deal with angry customers. I have to say, learning temperance is something everyone should learn at some point in their lives.

I was also assigned to work the layaway counter, back when Wal-Mart still had that as a program. This was nearly 20 years ago, and the world was a different place. I remember how impactful it was seeing people put a $150 item on layaway, pay a down payment, and then watch them bring $10 each week to pay it off.

In addition to the customers, I also worked alongside a lot of amazing WalMart employees. Young, old and everything in between, I met some really wonderful, hard-working people. In fact, some of them still work there today, and I always try and say hello when I stop in and see them.

I’ll always value my experiences and lessons learned working at Wal-Mart. I remember when a position came open in the Admin office, and I applied for it. It would have been a big promotion, and a pay raise, but unfortunately I was told I was “not right for the position.” At the time I was disappointed, but had I gotten that job, perhaps the trajectory of my life would be different than it is now? Perhaps this very magazine wouldn’t even exist.

To this day, I still have people meet me that say, “You know, you look really familiar?” It could be they recognize me from this magazine...but I always laugh and think to myself that chances are, I also probably checked them out at Wal-Mart a very long time ago, and they just don’t remember.

editor@poncacitymonthly.com

On the cover: Foxes Unleashed - Read more on page 32

Design by Andy Hicks

Cover

Photos by Chelsea McConnell

Monthly Fly-In Breakfast Fosters Youth Aviation Education

It is a crisp spring morning at Ponca City Regional Airport (PCRA) on April 1. The sun’s rays shine down on the facility as several rows of small aircraft line the parking lot in front of the Aviation Booster Club Building. They are flying in for the monthly Fly-in/Drive-in Breakfast, and Jack Hurst, clad in an orange safety vest, is part of a small team of volunteers who guide the incoming planes to a parking spot to save space, later guiding them back to the runway when they leave.

“The biggest majority come in about 8:30 a.m.; that is the peak,” he said. “The last one leaves about 11-11:30 a.m.”

Inside the Booster Club Building, a line snakes from a small table where patrons make $10 donations for the breakfast, and on to the breakfast area itself. Bert Blanton is president of the Ponca City Aviation Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that raises funding they pour back into the community for aviation education, both in schools and other groups. He seeks a quiet spot away from the commotion behind a blanket hiding storage in the front room.

“This is a fundraiser for our Foundation,” he said. “On average, we have about 25 planes landing. Zero if the weather is bad, but 25-50 otherwise,” he said. “Right now, we have about 20.” He added the event is held each month, regardless of weather.

The event is winding down after 10 a.m., and Lily Davenport sits down for a break from a long morning. She is a member of BSA Troop 501, based out of First United Methodist Church, and the Tenderfoot Scout takes pleasure in

volunteering for the event every month.

“I like seeing people smile when they get their food,” she said.

Ryan Smith is one of those pilots who flew into Ponca City that morning from Wichita, Kansas, in a 1965 Piper PA2814 with his son Apollo and friend Dennis Russell. He is no stranger to Ponca City, having eaten at Enrique’s in the past and performed training procedures at PCRA. It is, however, his first time at the Fly-in, he said, adding that he had been to other such events in Kansas.

“The food was amazing. There was a lot more selection than I thought,” he said.

It is the pilots and their families, and the community who come out to greet them, that make the Fly-in so successful, as organizers work to foster a love of aviation in the community, especially with the younger generations.

Walking into the facility, one sees a line of people waiting for breakfast, part of a large crowd sharing a meal together. Behind the scenes though is a team of volunteers who give their time the first Saturday of the month to put on the event, all organized by the Ponca

City Aviation Foundation as a fundraiser for local youth programs.

“Our primary purpose is aviation education for youth,” he said. “The price of the breakfast goes to college scholarships and other activities like that. We also donate to reading programs, especially reading enthusiasm around town.”

The biggest goal of the organization, however, is youth aviation education.

One way they do that is through scouting programs.

“For scouts, we do a merit badge,” he said, adding that they had a recent lock-in with Troop 501 to

Story by Everett Brazil, III/Staff Writer

study the merit badge.

They use a flight simulator as part of the curriculum, which includes both terrestrial aircraft and spacecraft.

“We also have a space simulator on the computer. They can go into orbit, they can (even) land on the moon. They learn a lot,” he said. “Space travel is not at all what people think.”

Each Fly-in takes planning in advance of the busy morning, including deciding what food they will provide. Breakfast offerings include scrambled eggs, sausage patties, bacon, pancakes with syrup, sausage gravy and biscuits, fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee and water.

“We begin cooking a little after 6 a.m., and have it prepared and ready to go about 20 minutes before 7 a.m., and begin serving at 7 a.m.,” he said. “Bruce Ebberly supervises the kitchen, and everybody in there is a volunteer.”

Some of those volunteers have an aviation interest, from members of the Ponca City High School pilot’s class, to the school’s Business Club, to which the Foundation has made donations.

A small group of volunteers are scouts themselves, who have an interest in the aviation merit badge.

John King is scoutmaster for Troop 501, and his scouts have been doing the community project every month

for the past two years.

The scouts themselves enjoy the day of community service as well.

“I enjoy the people, seeing the people, and I just want to talk to them,” said Phoenix Castro, also a Tenderfoot.

As for the work itself, they stay busy the entire morning, from when the first patrons walk through the door to when the last leave for home, whether flying or driving.

“We wait tables, help cook food and serve customers,” Davenport said.

The Fly-in wouldn’t be possible without the pilots themselves, and nice days with decent weather see planes come in by the droves, new planes filling parking spaces as earlier patrons leave for home.

As with jet airlines at a larger airport, the planes

must be guided to their parking spots when they land, a task that falls to Jack Hurst, along with air marshal team members Wayne Whittington, Randy Fontenot and Mike Caldwell.

“We flag them into a parking spot and give them a ride to breakfast if they want it, but most of them walk,” Hurst said.

Parking the planes is important to save space for as many planes as possible, as well as public safety.

“On a nice day, they come in and the parking lot is full, and you have to park them in another area,” he said. “If they come in on their own, they park where they want, and it is hard to get them out. Plus, there are a lot of people, and you don’t want them parking around a lot of people.”

For the pilots themselves, there is a variety of those flying in, some with a career in aviation, some who are hobby flyers, those who simply love seeing the earth from above.

Smith has a love of flying from family experience, and actually works on airplanes in Wichita as an avionics technician at Clemens Aviation.

“I work on the plane electronics, the radios,” he said. “My dad was an experimental engineer for Cessna for 30 years. I started flying when I got out of the Marine Corps.”

Terry Cox took a short 22-minute flight from Enid. He learned to fly through the military, something he has continued long after service. He flew in with friend Bill Hunnicutt.

“I was in the U.S. Air Force, and I was a fighter pilot. I flew the F-4 and F-16 when I was in the military,” he said. “At Vance Air Force Base, I flew the training aircraft.”

Even many of the volunteers have an aviation background.

“I’m a former military pilot and hobby pilot. I started flying when I was 14,” Blanton said.

Likewise, Hurst has his own experience owning a plane, and everyone in his air marshal crew also shares his joy.

“Just about everyone has been a pilot or worked for an airline,” he said. A question could be asked about why pilots and their families would take time out of their life to fly to Ponca City. For them, it’s the Fly-in itself.

David Schmidt flew in from Wichita as well, on a 1985 Piper Cherokee with his wife Trudy, granddaughter Jessa and friend Maurice Coulter. He flies into Ponca City for several Fly-ins a year.

“This is a fundraiser that goes to help a lot of kids in our community, different groups of kids,” he said.

“We’re getting breakfast on a good little flying trip,” he said.

Trudy added, “It is her first flight, and she loved it already.”

While the pilots fly in, the locals who drive in make it something special for everyone. All come for the event, but some come for the planes. Some come for the camaraderie. There are also some who come for both.

Jim Schmidt loves the planes, to share in a hobby he has always wanted to experience.

“I’ve always wanted to fly myself, and it is great to be near planes and the people that fly them,” he said. “It’s something the public doesn’t see every day.”

Marcina Overman loves visiting with family friends at the Fly-in. She has been attending the event for the past 15 years.

“It is a great place to see people that you know, and visit and have a great breakfast with,” she said. “I check up with what everyone is doing, and I just enjoy having the food.”

For many, it’s both, visiting with friends and also seeing the planes. That includes Brian Hermanson. The April Fly-in was his first in several years

“It is always nice to see the people, all the volunteers and the people that attend, and it is fun to see all the planes,” he said. “There are people I don’t see anywhere else so it is good to get to see them and visit with them.”

As for why they love flying, it’s a passion they have in their soul.

“I’m the only one in my group of friends that flies, and they think that is so cool,” Smith said.

Stained-Glass Business Brings

Colorful Beauty to Local Buildings

Story by Everett Brazil, III/Staff Writer

Many buildings in Kay County are adorned with bright, colorful stained-glass windows, from First Baptist and First United Methodist churches to St. Mary’s Church and Grace Episcopal Church. Each features uniquely ornate windows depicting a variety of scenes as a rainbow of color streams into their sanctuaries. While it may be easy to assume that the windows were created in a facility far away from Kay County, they were actually crafted locally in a small metal building outside Kildare. René Vap has found her joy in life by making stained glass, and her love has taken off in Kay County, the region, the United States, and across the world, bringing a colorful beauty to local buildings.

Vap operates out of a small metal building on her family’s farm, a business known as René’s Stained Glass Shop. A step inside the facility reveals a myriad of stained-glass creations, from tiny magnets to larger suncatchers, all created from a variety of glass panels in all

types of color and texture, each designed for the perfect piece.

It is only the latest facility in a dream job dating back to the 1980s.

“This year will be 25 years in the building,” she said. “I started out in a little 8 ft. x 8 ft. building, and in 2008, we expanded into this building.”

For many years, she did the job part-time as she juggled it with the Kay County Rural Water District in Kildare. Now retired, she has delved into it headfirst, devoting each day to stained-glass creations.

That love was actually by accident, coming from a neighbor when she lived in Kansas while she was working as a veterinarian.

“I was working in Manhattan, Kansas, at the veterinary school. My master’s degree is in veterinary microbiology,” she said. “I moved from Stillwater to Manhattan to work at the vet school, and my neighbor did it. We got to talking, and that is when the ‘bug’ hit.”

She would eventually move back home to Kay County, where she began her practice in that 8 ft. x 8 ft. building.

Word of her abilities soon started spreading, including through craft shows and newspaper ads, as well as testimonies of those who have worked with her to create designs.

“I do craft shows and word-of-mouth, and word-of-mouth has given me more business than the paper, but my website also helps,” she said. She added that she doesn’t do craft shows much anymore due to transportation costs, though she does still sell online all over the world.

Those seeking glass items from her shop can expect a variety of items from Vap. Her most common are “suncatchers,” which are glass displays hung from windows to spread colorful rays across a room as sun beams pass through them. They are hardly the only ones, however, as she also makes Christmas tree ornaments, window frames, bowls, lamp shades, clocks, mirrors, religious symbols such as crosses, and windows themselves. She even has a kiln that

THURSDAY

64th ANNUAL

THURSDAY - FRIDAY - SATURDAY

JUNE 8 - 9 -10 • 8 PM NIGHTLY

Rodeo Grounds - Ash & Prospect in Ponca City

THANK YOU

Countdown to the Greatest Show on Dirt!

6:00 pm Free BBQ with ADVANCE rodeo ticket purchase

8:00 pm FAMILY NIGHT & TOUGH ENOUGH TO WEAR PINK NIGHT - Wear pink… proceeds

to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness

10:00 pm Live Concert featuring Ben Burgess

FRIDAY

8:00 pm Rodeo performance honoring FIRST RESPONDERS

10:00 pm Live Concert featuring Chancey Williams

SATURDAY

8:30 am Steer Roping

10:00 am Rodeo Parade in downtown Ponca City

8:00 pm Rodeo performance honoring MILITARY

10:00 pm Live Concert featuring Dillon Carmichael

TICKET INFORMATION

BEST PRICES ONLINE

ADVANCE DISCOUNT

GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS at these locations now thru June 9 at 3 pm

Equity Bank • RCB Bank • Tractor Supply

Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce

Better prices than at the gate, however, online tickets are even less.

VIP Tables & Bundle passes are available online.

– THANK YOU TO OUR RODEO SPONSORS –

BUBBLE BULL

FIGHTING

all 3 nights!

to the City of Ponca City for our new ADA-compliant bleachers!

Ponca City’s Own Ten-Time PRCA Clown of the Year JUSTIN RUMFORD will perform nightly!

– NIGHTLY CONCERTS –Concerts require a SEPARATE ticket. Tickets are available online (BEST PRICES) or at the gate.

THURSDAY Ben Burgess

FRIDAY Chancey Williams

SATURDAY Dillon Carmichael

For online tickets or more information: 101wildwestrodeo.com

melts glass, themselves a rainbow of melted color, all made from her shop near the small town of Kildare.

“I also make ‘fans,’ and put a light behind it,” she said. “The sky’s the limit on colors.”

There are two ways to create those displays, each based on the design itself, and all start with customer interests.

“Somebody will give me an idea of what they want, and we go from there. I have books people can look at if they need an idea,” she said, elaborating that even if they have a thought, those books can help hone that idea into an actual creation.

“First you start with the size they want, the shape, round, arched. Then they give me an idea, something to start with, and I design them to the spec,” she said. “Once they OK the design, they come in and pick colors.”

Two patterns are created, which includes one that is cut out to fit the glass.

“Once you cut the glass out, you take it to the grinder and grind it down to the pattern so the pattern fits the glass,” she said.

There are two methods to create stained glass once it is cut out.

The first is the ‘foil method.’

“The next step is foiling the edges, then you solder. You treat the foil with an acid, and that attaches to the foil so the solder sticks to the foil,” she said. “Solder will not stick to the glass.”

She added that solder is a lead-tin alloy and holds the glass pieces together.

“I put a wax coat on it to keep it pretty and shiny, and I wipe it off and you put your chain on it and hang it,” she said.

A second method is known as the ‘lead method,’ which involves inserting the glass pieces into grooved lead, instead of soldering foil.

“Wherever the pieces are near is where you solder, at the intersections,” she said. “The ‘lead method,’ all you do is solder at the junctions. Once you finish soldering, you will cement it. That cement has a similar texture to peanut

butter, which seals the glass into the lead itself and also has protection against weather at the seals.”

With two distinct styles of stained-glass making, each has its own use, depending on the project.

“The lead method is less detailed, and it is usually for larger projects,” she said. “The foil method, you can get really detailed work. It’s about size, mostly, and how much design it’s going to take, how much glass you have in stock.”

The glass may be the limiting factor on some designs, depending on both the color and texture of the glass.

A shop like Vap’s easily contains a variety of types and styles. Each has its own use and cost.

“Clear glass comes in a wider variety of textures than any other colors,” she said.

There are a variety of textures available for

“Somebody just has to give me an idea. The sky’s the limit on what I can do.”

stained glass, some with colorful names like rough rolled, water glass, granite and glue chip.

“(With glue chip) they pour hot glue on a piece of glass and as the glue dries, it etches the glass,” she said. She added that the glue chip glass is her most popular form of glass.

Vap has crafted windows that have been installed in Ponca City, Kay County, regionally, and even across the country and world, including as far as Germany and South Korea. Locally, they can be seen in a variety of places, including Newkirk First Presbyterian Church; First United Methodist Church, Asbury Methodist Church and Silvertop Vineyards, Ponca City; Equity Bank in Newkirk, then known as Eastman

National Bank; and Chi Omega Sorority House at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.

“Somebody just has to give me an idea. The sky’s the limit on what I can do,” she said. “If they have an idea of what they want, they can look at my books.”

The busiest time of the year for her is the Holiday Season, due to Christmas and holiday gifts. Spring is typically a time to make repairs to windows and other displays, but this year, she sees a rise in special requests.

“Most of the time in spring you have improvements, fixing repairs and usually I have classes,” she said. “This year, I have more

commissions.”

Having recently retired from the Kay County Rural Water District, she now delves head first into stained glass, and spends most of her days in the shop, finishing as many projects as possible.

It is all out of a love of stained glass, bringing sublime colors to a building’s interior.

“It’s labor-intensive; I’m out here every day in my shop, (but) I love it. It is beautifying your home, business or church,” Vap said.

The Doodle Academy Celebrates Five-Year Anniversary

The Doodle Academy Celebration Events

Ribbon Cutting With Ponca City Chamber

Friday, May 5, 2023, at 2 p.m.

Open Hours

Thursday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m.

On May 5, at 2 p.m., The Doodle Academy will celebrate its five-year anniversary with a ribbon cutting with the Ponca City Chamber. We encourage you to be a part of the festivities! The Doodle Academy is more than just an art studio. It is located in the heart of our downtown and is a hub of creativity. The Doodle Academy exemplifies its core values of Education, Creativity, Kindness and Respect. Each is reflected in all its parties, classes and programs.

Their commitment to fostering healthy creative opportunities for everyone that visits is evident in everything they do. Since their inception, they have hosted 85+ fundraiser events, partnered with 60+ nonprofits/ programs and created two community outreach programs. The first is the Free Little Library Program, which has donated over 350 books since July 2022. The second is the Scribbles and Nibbles Program, which has

provided food and creative opportunities to over 400 families since June 2022. In fulfilling their mission to provide art education, they have hosted countless art classes and served over 3,100 local students for field trips.

The Doodle Academy is more than just a place to create art; it’s a place where people can come together to express themselves, build community and make a positive impact on the world around them. Their commitment to education and creativity makes them unparalleled and a valuable community resource that deserves support. So, whether you’re wanting to book a birthday party, fundraiser, learn something new, connect to a community of creatives or simply spend the afternoon painting a ceramic item, The Doodle Academy is the place for you.

Ryker Removals: Helps Reclaim Your Space From Junk

Story by Everett Brazil, III/Staff Writer

The Harkins Family

Junk can take up space in a home or property. Whether the junk is old cars, stuff not thrown away, or severe hoarding, junk can take a toll on one’s life. Jared Harkins knows all too well what junk can do to a person’s psyche, and is now reaching out to those who need help, with his business, Ryker Removals.

What Harkins does is, simply put, helping people take back their home.

“I help people reclaim their space; that is my business model, whether it be a house or garage,” he said. He knows from experience how junk can easily accumulate, and the work it takes to clean it up. Like so many others, equipment continued to accumulate around his family’s property.

“I’m a tinkerer, and I work on vehicles, and accumulating junk ended up taking the garage, and that was when I was working on cars, so I cleaned up the space, and as I got older, I realized everyone has this issue with junk,” he said.

Accumulating junk has many factors, whether that be simply buying new items for the household, to hoarding, where one cannot let go of personal items.

“It ranges from someone getting new furniture and needs to get the old furniture out, to hoarding,” he said.

That also includes property cleanup, including downed tree limbs following a storm, to real estate problems, like evictions.

“I’ve even done corporate jobs for corporations with lots of issues,” he said, adding that one corporate job removed 54 tons of wood.

One who has a problem with junk, something he or she needs help with, can easily contact Jared through www. rykerremovals.com. Once contacted, he will soon meet to discuss how to handle the cleanup, whatever it may be.

Photos provided by Tara & Jared Harkins

“They’ll contact me with what they need hauled off, and then I give them a date and a time when I can come load it all up and haul it away,” he said.

With such big jobs, it may seem that Harkins would have a team to help him with the projects. In general, he doesn’t, but he does have a few good people he can rely on.

“We don’t have a storefront or base of operations, I just work out of the house,” he said. “I have a few guys I can call to help me on bigger jobs.”

Safety on those cleanup jobs ranges, but special care is taken for indoor cleanups, especially with health risks at hand. All safety precautions are taken seriously.

“We wear Tyvek suits and respirators, always gloves, boots and jeans,” he said. “Depending on the jobs, sometimes there are a lot of bedbugs and cockroaches.”

Roaches and bedbugs are far from the only safety precautions for the cleaning technicians, and human and animal excretions are sometimes identified at the scene.

“I’ve done jobs that are really nasty and have lots of hazardous materials,” he said.

Harkins seeks to rehabilitate everything he can, giving the items to a new home, something that can see a new love. That includes junked cars.

Sometimes though, there’s nothing he can do.

“If it is metal that can’t be donated, it’ll end up at the scrap yard,” he said. “I try to go to Ponca Iron, which is located near the city dump.”

“At the service yard, they do require identification because with the scrap you have, people cut copper that doesn’t belong to them, or they’ll bring in cars,” says Jared.

Anything else that can’t be scrapped or donated will be transported to city waste facilities, and depending on the location of the job, that has included Stillwater and Enid.

While some jobs may seem simple (i.e. someone wanting limbs or old cars removed from the property) for their hoarding clients, there really is a mental health issue that goes along with the hoarding itself.

Harkins’ wife Tara weighed in on what may have happened to a person.

“It can start with an event, something traumatic in a person’s life, and it piles up,” she said. “Taking it out one piece at a time can be a daunting task.”

Harkins also commented on hoarding, both from experience as well as the cleanups he has performed, seeing the victims and hearing their stories personally.

“As far as hoarding and mental health, hoarding starts from another problem, and it piles up until it can be overwhelming and seem impossible,” he said.

Harkins has seen people who were hurting, spiraling into hoarding or other problems but his efforts at Ryker Removals has shown some level of aid for those who are hurting.

They have many repeat clients as well, specifically realtors.

“Realtors, a lot of times, are repeat because they see a lot of houses that have to close,” he said.

Harkins started his business more than a year ago, before their beloved daughter Jolene was born. Jolene is a sweet, smiling six-month-old baby. She has bright blue eyes and the sweetest baby laugh. Jolene also has spina bifida, a rare neural tube defect affecting only one out of every 100,000 births. Both Tara and Jared knew that they were meant to be Jolene’s parents, and though her medical needs are difficult, they say that it’s through God they have been given the strength to overcome those difficulties.

“Spina bifida is where the spine doesn’t completely close on a section of the spinal cord, and the spine can be outside the body, even the skull, sometimes,” Tara said.

Harkins added, “It causes a condition where spinal fluid doesn’t drain properly, and so she had a shunt inserted to eliminate the excess fluid.”

Because of Jolene’s condition, Tara became a stay-at-home-mom to take care of her. Jared’s home-based business was a tremendous relief for Jolene and the young couple.

“With Jared working from home, it’s helped a lot,” she said.

Jolene has her own following online, with Jolene’s Journey, a website built to show the world her story. Jolene has become a star in her own right, as the story of her life has become a viral sensation on Facebook.

“She has 31,000 followers on Facebook, and she’s a little celebrity,” Tara said.

It isn’t just the support of those 31,000 fans but also those who support her here at

“Sometimes they just hold onto stuff, a past loved one gave it to them,” he said. “They know they never use it and they don’t need it, but it is hard to let it go.”

home in Kay County.

“The support from our community and family and friends is tremendous,” she said. Because of Jolene’s pages, her story, her trial, they have been able to help other parents who have kids with their own disabilities. Maybe that is

the biggest support of all, reaching out to other parents, helping their own kids with their health issues.

“Because of Jolene, we’ve been able to help out other parents going through something with their kids,” she said.

To show help and support for Jolene, visit www. jolenerosesjourney. com or Jolene’s Journey on Facebook.

SOULFUL BEING:

New Beginnings

“Being flexible in your life allows you to adjust to changes without negative side effects.” The article goes on to explain that this skill allows a person to adapt to the unexpected, reduce stress and live life with the most satisfaction. Changes do not need to push a person off course.

The idea seems so simple. Of course, the beginning is always today, as Mary Shelley, author of the Gothic novel Frankenstein and so much more, posited in The Short Stories of Mary Shelley. The idea sounds lovely and inspiring, something to look forward to in our lives as we move forward. Oftentimes, that’s exactly what we find with our new beginnings.

When I began thinking about this idea of beginnings again (it comes up every so often), I decided to post on social media to see what responses I would receive. Watching for exciting posts about graduations, new or exciting jobs, retirements and maybe family additions, I was not disappointed. Cowley College alum Elizabeth Hall responded and discussed the new beginning when she graduated from Cowley and moved on to Southwestern College, saying, “I enjoyed my time at Cowley very much and was sad to start a new school.”

However, Hall understands the need for, and benefits of, flexibility, and she adapted and has blossomed yet again at her four-year college just as she did at her two-year. This adaptability will serve her well in life. In Indeed.com’s 2023 article “How to Be Flexible at Work,” they explain that

Retirement, which is certainly a change for individuals, was also a factor that many commented about, some knowing their plans and others simply looking forward to the adventures ahead. Cindy Zellmer Weber, a 1979 Po-Hi graduate, retired recently. When asked about what she saw as a new beginning, she said, “Retiring from a long-time career. It is frightening and exhilarating, but mostly, freeing.” Weber has enjoyed her time with family, and she still keeps in touch with colleagues from work who became her friends over the years.

Frank Arnold, Newkirk resident, and History and Government professor at Cowley College, is set to retire this May. Of upcoming retirement, he says, “New beginnings is like an adventure, getting nervous will be a part of it, but the journey will be worth it.” There’s a newness to freedoms that comes with discovering what you will spend your time doing now that all days are freed up, and your time is yours.

“The beginning is always today.”

~ Mary Shelley

Story & Photos by Marlys Cervantes/ Contributing Writer

For Leslie Lake Hoyt, another 1979 Po-Hi graduate (are you catching a bit of a pattern here?), new beginnings have been creative ones. Hoyt is an artist at Leslie Hoyt Fine Art, and you can find her work online and on Facebook, and I urge you to do so. Having just been inducted into Camera Craftsmen of America in March in Mexico City, her photography is quite amazing. Of new beginnings, she says, “This past year for me has been a new beginning of sorts –playing with new art mediums and learning (through making art) to embrace the beauty of imperfection and serendipity.”

Then, I had a friend, who I will leave unnamed here, who said, “Pain, regret, disappointment … kind of depends on whose choice it was … it can also be exciting, freeing, a chance for new opportunities.” I thought, yes, you are correct. We do not always choose our own new beginnings. Oftentimes, they are thrust upon us to deal with, and there we are. In the midst of pain we did not want. Canadian poet Rupi Kaur says, “Never feel guilty about starting again.” For this friend, it seems maybe time has healed some of the pain in order for the new opportunities to come forth, but even that may not always take place.

Another former student, Lonan Bain, mentioned he felt “the most important milestones are emotional. When you realize

your parents are only human, when you treat yourself better, realizing you should set boundaries and actually setting them.” Again, not the pretty side of beginnings, but a side that is critical to our development and well-being.

this tend to think they are not as intelligent or competent as others believe, and this will be exposed at some point. This is often found in many who hold office, have high positions in corporations, as well as high levels of academic degrees. Evidence is quite to the contrary, and yet their confidence on the inside may not be. They need self-discovery, if ever anyone did. The Buddha is quoted as having said, “There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth … not going all the way, and not starting.”

Seeming to agree with many of these sentiments, Robyn Hill, Social Science instructor at Cowley College, says, “New beginnings can be scary and filled with anxiety. You doubt that you can do it, and you really wish you could crawl back under the covers and not deal with them. Fish out of water. Can’t measure up. Impostor syndrome.”

In an online article titled “Impostor Syndrome,” Psychology Today describes it as that “gnawing feeling of self-doubt and incompetence coupled with the dread of being exposed as a fraud.” The article goes on to explain that people who suffer with

After viewing these posts, I visited with Brynn Nulik, who is also a Cowley alum, but one I know through a mutual photography course we took, as well as working together on a community project. Nulik now lives in Colorado Springs working as a mental health therapist, so she approached the question from the idea of being on a journey of self-discovery and healing, of giving yourself space and grace and reframing your life to renew your perspective. She mentions that new beginnings can be beautiful even if painful at first. Nulik suggests never denying your painful experiences, as is common to do, and never bottling them up. She says, “When we examine painful experiences, they are often informing our reactions and actions (selfdiscovery). We can either grow or wall up. Growth is hard and painful, and you have to look your demons in the face, but on the other side is usually that perspective shift. Now we can respond instead of react and be more present daily.” Overall, the idea is to become more ourselves through these experiences, and to do so we have to understand how what we have come through affects us.

Susan Crain Cornell (you guessed it, 1979 Po-Hi graduate) is certainly someone who has been through situations in life that have affected her and those who love her. When asked about new beginnings, her response was having to learn to live with cancer and stage 4 CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease). While most of us just cringe at the thought, tear up knowing someone we care about is

“Every day we have the opportunity to do something new, start something new, be someone new. Leave the weight, stress, worry, sadness, fear of yesterday and tomorrow there and just be present.” ~

Mercedes Avila

and always, the Renfro Family Foundation encourages you to celebrate, honor and remember the brave men and women who have served and are serving in our military.

through charitable grants.

dealing with this and become physically ill even when it isn’t us, Cornell comes to us with a different perspective. She tells us she has learned not to take life for granted, and if you know her at all, you see just that in her life. She says, “Each day is a blessing even on those dreaded treatment days. I’ve had to learn to live on my own understanding not what someone else thinks I should do or think.” We all understand how difficult this would be, and the importance of staying focused on the positive. Cornell goes on to say, “I have days when I have negative thoughts about myself, but I’m learning to turn them into godly thoughts and that has helped me.” For Cornell’s family and friends, her faith has always been a stronghold in her life, and it continues to be one even through this ongoing battle. She is an inspiration to many.

Then, there was another type of change, one I think upon almost daily, and that is death and loss. My friend Mercedes Avila commented about this, as she reflected on the loss of her father, founder of Enrique’s Mexican Restaurant, along with his wife Irma, who many of us knew and loved along with his daughter and sons. Avila said, “Every day and sometimes moment, after losing my dad, I am more aware of how precious life is and how every morning we have a new beginning, a new chance to start again. Maybe not like a career change or living somewhere new, but it is a chance to leave yesterday behind you and start new.” She went on to talk about how her father had meant so much in her life as her best friend, a father to her children, just so much more than she could even describe. Avila explained, “My days were so heavy there for a while, but

I needed that so every day was a fresh, new beginning. It helped me be more present.” Avila has been able to lean on the memories of her dad to get her through the challenges of life without him physically in it alongside her. She also relies on her faith: “As scripture says, His mercies are new every morning. Every day we have the opportunity to do something new, start something new, be someone new. Leave the weight, stress, worry, sadness, fear of yesterday and tomorrow there and just be present.” I cannot help but believe that Enrique would be so very proud of this daughter of his as she navigates life with his memory and her faith intact and strong.

New beginnings can be monumental, or they can seem simple. They seem to be around me and within me all the time. I feel I’ve lived my life always on the verge of a variety of beginnings, either

inside or out. I’m not certain if that’s a negative thing, to never quite feel completely settled, or a spectacular thing, to always be changing and moving. However, it is me. Today, I am working toward leaving my position teaching as full-time faculty at a college I love, and all that goes with the position I am in, to pursue new things, most of which I’m not quite certain of right now. What I know is, I want to write more, travel more and be outside more. I want more time with people I love and less time structured quite so stringently by the time on a clock. I’m not sure if I’m overly idealistic or if I’ve just decided to be more particular with my own time as I’ve gotten older (might be a class of 1979 thing – I told you there seemed to be a pattern here). Years ago I bought my daughter Alana a very old copy of Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women, which has such wonderful references to these different young women as they grow and change. One of my favorite quotes about change comes from the book in a conversation between Teddy and Jo, and I shall always continue to live by it, no matter my physical age: “I keep turning over new leaves and spoiling them, as I used to spoil my copybooks; I make so many beginnings there never will be an end.” Let us continue to have so many beginnings that we do not have time to worry about the end.

“When we examine painful experiences, they are often informing our reactions and actions (selfdiscovery). We can either grow or wall up. Growth is hard and painful, and you have to look your demons in the face, but on the other side is usually that perspective shift. Now we can respond instead of react and be more present daily.”

~ Brynn Nulik, Mental Health Therapist

Foxes Unleashed City Arts Fox Project Building on Marland’s Legacy

Ponca City has a long and storied relationship with the red fox. They can often be spotted running around local neighborhoods. The foxes were brought to our community from Pennsylvania by city father E.W. Marland so he could host fox hunts on the grounds of the Marland Mansion. They are not indigenous to our area, so any seen living in our region now are descendants of one of Marland’s foxes. It’s no surprise that given our community’s history with the creature, many citizens have found various ways to work these foxes into local projects, stories, artwork and even several murals that now bejewel our historic downtown.

Terron Liles, Director of City Arts, had been rolling around the idea of a fox statue project for our community with friends and fellow art enthusiasts for several years when the stars finally aligned, and the City Arts Fox Project took hold. While in the midst of the forecasting stage, one wall Terron continued to hit was finding the right company to create the kind of fox he wanted. It would have to fit criteria regarding size and sustainability. Jayne Detten located a manufacturer and gave Terron that lead. From there, things started falling into place.

Terron reached out to Icon Poly, a family-owned business out of central Nebraska. Icon Poly has worked with communities all over the nation

creating statues that have gone on to enhance local art scenes. Their work can be seen in Chicago, New Orleans and even New York City. Terron worked with them to create a mock-up of what the fox statues for Ponca City would look like. He then took the concept to the City Arts Board for approval. All projects must align with the Organization’s Mission. Terron explains, “City Arts is dedicated to enriching the cultural life in our community by promoting, teaching and nourishing the creation and appreciation of visual arts. So, part of our mission, vision and values is not only to serve the public, but also serve the creation of art. This project serves artists as well by helping them get paid for their craft.”

Cost of statues to date has been $2500 per fox and includes concrete base and installation. Patrons are responsible for paying the artist of their choosing and those fees vary. At a minimum, this project will accumulate $60,000 in revenue for Oklahoma artists, the majority of whom are local to Ponca City.

The Board approved the project and set a goal to sell 25 foxes. Terron then focused on contacting potential patrons to get commitments. His first call was to Jodi Cline, who had been a fan of the idea since the first time Terron shared it with her. Jodi bought the first fox without hesitation. Sales continued from there and excitement for the project began to brew. Terron was able to secure 25 additional patrons, allowing City Arts to place their first order for 26 foxes in May 2022.

Story by Chelsea McConnell/Staff Writer

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City Arts created an application process for artists and invited them to submit ideas. From the City Arts website, “City Arts is looking for creative individuals to bring life to approximately 3X life-size fox statues to be located all over our beautiful town. These statues are made in the USA from polyurethane resin casting and will be attached with aluminum brackets to a concrete base.” The foxes are 54” tall, 32” wide and 48” long.

They weigh less than 80 pounds.

The first order of foxes arrived on Oct. 26. Some patrons had artists in mind and some needed help finding an artist whose style worked with theirs. City Arts application process helped streamline pairing artist with patrons.

City Arts hosted a reveal for the Fox Project on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. Eight foxes were finished at that time and unveiled for the community to see at the John McNeese Art Gallery. By Monday, Dec. 5, the first fox was out in the wild!

Bases were needed for the foxes at each installation site. City Arts worked with Kyler Construction on this part of the project. Kyler created the design for the bases and poured the concrete structures. When City Arts has more foxes ready for installation, they reach out to Kyler who gets the job done.

3 4

“Part of our mission, vision and values is not only to serve the public, but also serve the creation of art. This project serves artists as well by helping them get paid for their craft.”

- Terron Liles

Since the initial reveal in December, City Arts has sold an additional 16 foxes, for a total of 42 foxes to date. The goal is for all foxes to be painted and installed by this fall. City Arts will be working on plaques for each fox that include the name of the fox, name of the patron, name of the artist and a QR code that will lead to a map with the location of all the other foxes.

There are still ways to get involved with the fox project for those interested. While sales for additional foxes are currently closed, they will reopen in 2024. Because prices are set by the manufacturer, prices for the statues could go up. If you would like your name on the 2024 waiting list, contact City Arts today to have it added. If you’re an artist interested in painting a fox statue, visit the City Arts website to make your submission today.

City Arts’ Fox Project is just another feather in the organization’s well-decorated cap that proves art is alive and thriving in Ponca City.

Marland’s Place – Family Fun

Day

Date: August 5

Time: 4-8 p.m.

Location: Marland’s Place, 1300 Summers Place, Ponca City

Ages: All Ages

Cost: $10 Per Vehicle

marlandsplace.com/familyfunday

Ponca City Astronomy

Address: c/o

Richard Jones, 2000 Meadowbrook St., Ponca City, OK 74604

Contact phone number: 580-352-5292 or 580-304-8963

Sidewalk Astronomy on Friday and Saturday nearest the First Quarter Moon we set up telescopes for the public to look at the moon and any

planets or other sights in the night sky. Friday evening we are in front of the Ponca City RecPlex, and Saturday evening we are at the entrance to the Lake Ponca Campground.

Age requirements: All ages are welcome (however under 5 have problems looking through the telescope and usually don’t understand what they are seeing).

Dates and times of activities:

Times for all activities will be 6-9 p.m.

May 26 – Ponca City RecPlex

May 27 – Lake Ponca Campground

June 23 – Ponca City RecPlex

June 24 – Lake Ponca Campground

July 21 – Ponca City RecPlex

July 22 – Lake Ponca Campground

August 25 – Ponca City RecPlex

August 26 – Lake Ponca Campground

September 22 – Ponca City RecPlex

September 23 – Lake Ponca

Campground

October 20 – Ponca City RecPlex

October 21 – Lake Ponca Campground

Note: All events depend on the weather (no cloudy skies or windy evenings).

No prior registration required. School, church or other groups may arrange for additional events by calling Richard Jones at 580-352-5292.

Edwin Fair Mental Health Center Mayfest

Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023, rain date Thursday, May 11, 2023

Time: 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Location: Edwin Fair, 1500 N. 6th St., Ponca City

Ages: All Ages

Cost: FREE

We invite you and your family to join us for activities, including games, jump tent, door prizes, health booths and more. All provided free to the public.

Pioneer Tech Summer Camp Enroll at www.pioneertech.edu/ summer-camp or call 762-8336.

Deadline for enrollment is May 1. Late applications are not accepted.

Summer Camp

Dates: May 31-June 2

Time: 8:15-11:30 a.m.

Location: Pioneer Technology Center, 2101 N Ash St., Ponca City

Grades: Students going into 6th and 7th Grade

Explore one of the following groups: Group A – Esports, Automotive, Health Careers, Culinary Arts, Criminal Justice, Precision Machining Group B – Firefighter/EMT, Visual Communications, Mechatronics, Biomedical Sciences, Cosmetology, Construction

Pioneer Tech Summer Academies

Pioneer Technology Center, 2101 N Ash St., Ponca City, OK 74601 Enroll at www.pioneertech.edu/ summer-academies or call 762-8336

Criminal Justice Academy

Dates: June 5-8

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Solve issues and learn about police operations. Deadline for enrollment is May 31. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be offered.

Horsepower Academy

Dates: June 5-8

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Learn the ins and outs of how a vehicle actually works. Deadline for enrollment is May 31. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be offered.

Culinary Academy

Dates: June 12-15

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Learn skills to create yummy treats. Deadline for enrollment is June 7.

Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be offered.

Computer Animation Academy

Dates: June 12-15

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Experience digital art through graphic design and computer animation. Deadline for enrollment is June 7. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be offered.

Welding Academy

Dates: June 19-22

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Learn the basics of an oxy fuel cutting torch, plasma torch and GMAW/MIG process. Deadline for enrollment is June 14. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand,

afternoon session may be offered.

Firefighting Academy

Dates: June 19-22

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Discover basic firefighting skills. Deadline for enrollment is June 14. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be offered.

Babysitting Academy

Dates: June 19-22

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Develop the skills needed to safely supervise and manage children. Deadline for enrollment is June 14. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be offered.

Engineering Academy

Dates: June 26-29

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Explore engineering concepts and use SolidWorks to print your designs on a 3D printer. Deadline for enrollment is June 21. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be offered.

Esports Academy

Dates: June 26-29

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Build and play on the perfect PC for Esports competitions. Deadline for enrollment is June 21. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant.

Salon Academy

Dates: July 10-13

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Practice the fine arts of nail polishing, hair styling, skin care and makeup. Enroll at pioneertech.edu/summeracademies or call 762-8336.

Deadline for enrollment is July 5. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be

offered.

Metalworks Academy

Dates: July 10-13

Time: 8-11 a.m.

Grades: Students going into 8th-10th Grade

Let your imagination run wild through designing projects made from metal. Deadline for enrollment is July 5. Late applications not accepted; class limited to 10 students per class and 2 academies per participant. Depending on demand, afternoon session may be offered.

First Lutheran FREE Summer Lunch Program

18 years and under at First Lutheran School (1104 N. 4th St., across from Po-Hi)

Dates: Tuesday, May 23 to Friday, August 11

Closed Monday, May 29; Tuesday, July 4; and Tuesday, August 8 Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Cost: $3.50 military & senior citizens; $4.25 for adults over 18

Northern Oklahoma Humane Society

For more information, visit www. nokhs.com

PetSense Spring Adoptathon

Date: May 20

Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Location: PetSense Ponca City, 2129 N. 14th St., Ponca City

Ages: All Ages

Cost: Adoption fees vary

Vortex Alley Adoption Event

Date: June 24

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Location: 220 E Central Avenue, Ponca City

Ages: 21 and over

Cost: Adoption fees vary

Vortex Alley Adoption Event

Date: July 29

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Location: 220 E Central Avenue, Ponca City

Ages: 21 and over

Cost: Adoption fees vary

PetSense Shelter Pet Birthday Event

Date: August 1

Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Location: PetSense Ponca City, 2129

N 14th Street, Ponca City

Ages: All Ages

Cost: Adoption fees vary

Vortex Alley Adoption Event

Date: August 26

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Location: 220 E Central Avenue, Ponca City

Ages: 21 and over

Cost: Adoption fees vary

Schooners Car Club

Cruzin’ Grand

Date: June 2

Time: 6-10 p.m.

Location: Grand Avenue, Ponca City

Ages: All Ages

Cost: $10

Website: facebook/schoonerscarclub

To cruise Grand, vehicles must be 1989 models or older. All motorcycles welcome. Must have proof of insurance and a valid driver’s license.

Line-up will begin at 3rd and Central.

Car Show and Swap Meet

Date: June 3

Time: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Location: Lake Ponca Park

Ages: All Ages

Cost: $20 Car Show Entry Fee

Website: facebook/schoonerscarclub

Any year car, welcome. Swap Meet vendor spaces available at no cost (as long as you’re selling car-related items or memorabilia.

Ponca City Main Street –

Crazy Days and Crazy Days Street

Party Dates: July 27-29 Crazy Days Retail

Event

July 28 Crazy Days Street Party

Time: 6-9 p.m. (Street Party)

Location: Shopping at downtown merchants; Street Party at Veterans Plaza

Ages: All Ages Welcome!

Cost: FREE Street Party! Crazy Days Street Party – Ponca City Main Street (downtownponcacity.com)

The annual Crazy Days Retail Event is taking place Thursday, July 27, through Saturday, July 29, with the Street Party happening Friday, July 28. Shoppers will enjoy three days of discounts and specials at downtown shops, with many merchants extending their store hours. The Crazy Days Street Party is a free community event which offers festivities for kids and adults alike, including food trucks and live music. In July, online registration for the Children’s Lemonade Walk opens on our website Crazy Days Street Party – Ponca City Main Street (downtownponcacity. com). Participants are responsible for making, selling, setting up their stand and marketing their lemonade. Crazy Days sponsors include Phillips 66, Team Radio, Waldorf Riley Heating & Cooling, City of Ponca City, MidCon Energy Services, KR Automation, Cherokee Strip Credit Union and Dorada Foods.

Dates: July 24-28

Time: 6-8:30 p.m.

Location: Connect Church, 1101 East Grand, Ponca City

Ages: 4 years/Pre-K thru 5th Grade

Cost: Free

Registration Opens June 1, Register here: connectchurchpc.churchcenter. com/registrations/events/1697656 or call Office to Register: 580-762-2367

Website: connectchurchpc.com

City of Ponca City, Parks and Rec Activities

Register for all City Recreation events at poncacityok.gov/parksandrecregistration

Tae Kwon Do

Dates: Tuesdays and Thursdays

Session 3: June 6-29 (June 3

Registration Deadline)

Session 4: July 10-Aug 3 (July 7

Registration Deadline)

Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Location: RecPlex Studio A

Ages: 7+

Connect Church – On the Case VBS

Cost: $75 Color Run

Date: May 6

Time: 9 a.m.

Location: RecPlex

Ages: All Ages

Cost: $15

Safe Sitter (Two-Day Class)

Dates: May 12-13 (May 5 Registration

Deadline)

Time: 5-7:30 p.m., 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Location: RecPlex Art Studio

Ages: 6th-8th Grade

Cost: $75 ($20 member discount)

Discover SCUBA

Dates: May 13-14 (May 10 Registration Deadline)

Time: 9-10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 2-3:30PM, 10-11:30PM, 1-2:30PM.

Location: RecPlex Lap Pool

Ages: 8+

Cost: $60

Lifeguard Certification Class

Dates: May 13-14 (May 12 Registration Deadline); May 27-28 (May 26

Registration Deadline)

Time: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Location: RecPlex

Ages: 15+

Cost: $150

Kids Night Out

Dates: May 20 (May 12*); June 17 (June 16*); July 1 (June 30*); August

12 (August 11*)

*Registration Deadline

Time: 5-10 p.m.

Location: RecPlex KidZone

Ages: 2-12

Cost: $35 ($25 sibling discount)

Paint Night @ the RecPlex

Dates: May 21 (May 18*); June 18 (June 15*); July 16 (July 13*)

*Registration Deadline

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: RecPlex Art Studio

Ages: 12+

Cost: $35

Murph Challenge

Date: May 27

Time: 7 a.m.-12 p.m.

Location: RecPlex

Ages: 13+

Cost: Free

Dodgeball League

Dates: June 4-July 9 (Sundays Only)

(June 1 Registration Deadline)

Time: 5 p.m.

Location: RecPlex Trampoline Court

Ages: 12+

Cost: $40/team

Summer Basketball

Dates: June 5-30 (May 19 Registration Deadline)

Time: 6-9 p.m.

Location: RecPlex and Unity Gym

Ages: 6th-8th Grade

Cost: $300

Beginner Youth Skate Camp

Dates: June 5-26 (Mondays Only) (May 15 Registration Deadline)

Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Location: Dan Moran Skate Park

Ages: 8-14

Cost: $40

Advanced Youth Skate Camp

Dates: June 5-26 (Mondays Only) (May 15 Registration Deadline)

Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Location: Dan Moran Skate Park

Ages: 8-14

Cost: $40

Youth Fishing Clinic

Dates: June 6 (May 29 Registration Deadline)

Time: 9-11 a.m.

Location: Marland Pond

Ages: 5-12

Cost: Free

Youth Volleyball Camp

Dates: June 6-8 (May 28 Registration Deadline)

Time: 1-3 p.m.

Location: RecPlex Gymnasium

Ages: 4th-7th Grade

Cost: $55 ($20 member discount)

Tiny Tot Sport Camp

Dates: June 6-July 20 (Tuesdays and Thursdays) (May 21 Registration Deadline)

Time: 9-10 a.m.; 10-11 a.m.

Location: RecPlex Gymnasium

Ages: Pre-K-2nd

Cost: $55 ($20 member discount)

Sunrise Kayak Tours

Dates: June 15 (June 14*); June 22 (June 21*); June 29 (June 28*); July 6 (July 5*)

*Registration Deadline

Time: 5:45 a.m.

Location: Lake Ponca Sailboat Marina

Ages: 12+ Years

Cost: $30 (Ages 50+ discount $30)

Swim Lessons @ Ambuc Pool – June Session

Dates: June 19-29 (Monday-Thursday) (June 16 Registration Deadline)

Time: 9-9:30 a.m., 9:45-10:15 a.m., 10:30-11 a.m.

Location: AMBUC Pool

Ages: 3-13

Cost: $55 (Member Discount $20)

Swim Lessons @ Ambuc Pool – July Session

Dates: July 10-20 (Monday-Thursday) (July 7 Registration Deadline)

Time: 9-9:30 a.m., 9:45-10:15a.m., 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Location: AMBUC Pool

Ages: 3-13

Cost: $55 (Member Discount $20)

Youth Basketball Camp

Dates: June 26-28 (June 21

Registration Deadline)

Time: 1-2:30 p.m.

Location: RecPlex Gymnasium

Ages: 3rd-7th Grade

Cost: $55 (Member Discount $20)

Fireworks @ Wentz

Date: July 4

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Wentz Pool

Ages: All Ages

Cost: $15

RecPlex Senior Games

Dates: July 7-15 (June 23 Registration

Deadline)

Free Throw Contest: July 7 @ 6 p.m.

Basketball Skills Challenge: July 8 @ 9 a.m.

3v3 Basketball: July 8 @ 10 a.m.

Pickleball Mixed Doubles: July 15 @ 8 a.m.

Swimming Events: July 15 @ 8 a.m.

Water Walking: July 15 @ 8 a.m. Location: RecPlex

Ages: 50+

Cost: $5/Event

Youth Tennis Camp (Ages 5-6)

Dates: July 10-13 (July 6*); July 17-20

(July 13*); July 24-27 (July 20*)

*Registration Deadline

Time: 9-9:45 a.m. Location: Wally Smith Tennis Center

Ages: 5-6

Cost: $40

Youth Tennis Camp (Ages 7-12)

Dates: July 10-13 (July 6*); July 17-20

(July 13*); July 24-27 (July 20*)

*Registration Deadline

Time: 10-10:45 a.m.

Location: Wally Smith Tennis Center

Ages: 7-12

Cost: $40

Youth Tennis Camp (Ages 13-17)

Dates: July 10-13 (July 6*); July 17-20

(July 13*); July 24-27 (July 20*)

*Registration Deadline

Time: 11-11:45 a.m.

Location: Wally Smith Tennis Center

Ages: 13-17

Cost: $40

Wars of Wentz

Date: August 26 (August 25

Registration Deadline)

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Location: RecPlex Art Studio

Ages: 7th-12th Grade

Cost: $5

Girls’ Basketball Camp

Dates: June 14-16

Time: 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Ages: Grades K-3

6718

Northern Oklahoma College

Northern Oklahoma College, 1220 E. Grand, Tonkawa

Register for all NOC events at www. noc.edu

Art and Adventure Camp

Dates: July 17-20

Time: noon-5 p.m.

Cost: $80

Phone: 580.628.6733, Greg Krause

Girls’ Basketball Camp

Dates: June 25-29

Time: Overnight Camp

Ages: Grades 3-6

Cost: Overnight – $330, Commuter –

18 - Medium

$220

Phone: 580.628.6733, Greg Krause

Girls’ Basketball Camp

Dates: July 9-13

Time: Overnight Camp

Ages: Grades 7-12

Cost: Overnight – $330, Commuter –$220

29783 126 6

Ages: Entering 6th grade to graduating seniors 2023

Cost: $125

Phone: 580.628.6763, Kerri Gray

Livestock Judging Camp

Dates: June 12-14

Time: All Day

Ages: 9-12

Cost: $150

Phone: 580.628.6293, Jennifer Bedwell

Livestock Judging Camp

Dates: June 15-17

Time: All Day/Overnight

Ages: 13 and Up

Cost: $250

Phone: 580.628.6293, Jennifer Bedwell

Phone: 580.628.6733, Greg Krause ]

ATTENTION ALL TRIBAL MEMBERS:

The Kaw Nation has an office in Ponca City to better serve all federally recognized tribal members. The Kanza Human Development Division staff offers assistance with education, employment/training and child care.

Kanza Human Development Division

Cradle To College & Beyond

EDUCATION Begins with Child Care, Johnson O’Malley Program, Higher Education and Graduate Assistance

If I can help you with your real estate needs, give me a call.

RUSS DIDLAKE

To set up an appointment, please call 580-749-5420.

Bring your Tribal card, driver’s license, proof of residence and Social Security card.

OFFICE LOCATION and HOURS

City Central Building, Suite 206

400 E. Central Avenue, Ponca City

Monday thru Friday 8 am - 4 pm

Closed Federal & Tribal Holidays

kanzahumandevelopmentdivision.com

MAY4ISSTARWARSDAY

by Patrick Jordan

ACROSS

1. "Go away, kitty!"

5. What "little things mean" (2 wds.)

9. Mannerly woman

13. Cruel, like some punishments

14. Jacob's first wife, in the Bible

15. Region

16. What would you call young Skywalker's identical twin? (3 wds.)

18. Humpty Dumpty sat on one

19. Golf ball holder

20. Containers for recycling materials

21. Mix up

23. Created

24. Former Laker ___ Bryant

25. What computer program allows a Jedi to open PDFs? (3 wds.)

31. Sleeper's sound

32. Bambi, for one

33. Ballpoint pen brand

34. Movie beauty Hathaway

35. 12-inch measurer

37. Walk in shallow water

38. Pistol or rifle

39. Flat-topped desert hill

40. Prepared to shoot a 38-Across

41. What would you call Princess Organa's personal reducing scheme? (4 wds.)

45. Happy

46. Mob scene

47. One who quarrels

50. Jokes

51. Recede, as the tide

54. Goodyear or Michelin product

55. What starchy vegetable turned to the Dark Side? (2 wds.)

58. Poems of praise

580.763.2760 russdidlake@kw.com 777 Legacy Trail • Ponca City • 580-765-0825

59. Shallowest Great Lake

60. Vocalist ___ Ronstadt

61. Seats for a sermon audience

62. Rooms that often have TVs

63. Historic time periods

DOWN

1. Bargain hunter's event

2. Rock group Mötley ___

3. Pose a question

4. Nickname for baseball legend Ruth (2 wds.)

5. Like a just-released product (Hyph.)

6. Flowery Hawaiian necklaces

7. Acorn-producing tree

8. Green-haired Batman villain (2 wds.)

9. Sheriffs in Western films

10. United ___ Emirates

11. Computer company

12. Prestigious Connecticut university

13. Magician's rabbit hider

17. Professional assistant

22. Ride-hiring app

23. What greedy people always want

24. Leg joint

25. Declare legally invalid

26. Classic English poet John ___

27. Stevenson who ran twice against Dwight Eisenhower

28. 29-Down was his vice-president

29. See 28-Down

30. Smeared frosting on

31. Epic story

35. Gave a bonus to, perhaps

36. Found a purpose for

37. Droop, as a flower does

39. Gender choice on census forms

40. Many a Last Supper attendee

42. Uncertain reply (2 wds.)

43. Prepares Parmesan for spaghetti

44. Far up in the sky

51. 1234 5678 9101112 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 2526 27 282930 31 32 33 34 3536 37 38 39 40 41 42 4344 45 46 474849 50 515253 54 5556 57 58 59 60 61 62 63

47. On the peak of

spots Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

48. Carousel or roller coaster

Sicily Answer on page 66

EMPLOYMENT/TRAINING Begins with Adult Education, Adult Vocational Training and on-the-job training. Developing business opportunities for tribal members to be employed in all areas of a business.

CHILDCARE Providing childcare assistance for tribal members who are parents, single or married, who need employment, education or training to be self-sufficient.

Each month Ponca City Monthly will be highlighting an area community member in our Good Citizen Spotlight. The goal of each spotlight is to honor a citizen who is making our community a better place every day through the goodness, kindness and strength of his/her character.

Renee Spears Conqueror of Her Destiny

Story by Chelsea McConnell/Staff Writer

Renee Spears has many titles. She is an author, daughter, wife, mother, teacher, friend, daughter of Christ and animal lover, among others. One of her favorite titles is Founder of New Life Trails in Ponca City. New Life Trails is a local nonprofit where Renee’s experience as a teacher combines with her love of animals to create a sanctuary where animal therapy can help individuals in need.

As Renee puts it, their mission is “partnering with animals to capture the hearts of individuals so that we can intervene academically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.” While New Life Trails exists to help anyone and everyone, Renee has a special place in her heart for Pre-K and Kindergarten students who need extra help learning math and reading fundamentals.

It all started when Renee and her husband moved to their current neighborhood

on the north side of town. They had two horses and needed a place for those horses to go, so they were looking for land nearby their home and found some. They worked with the owner of the property to rent the land so Renee could keep her horses close.

A few years later, Renee had a few students in class who were particularly challenging. Never one to step down from a challenge, Renee prayed about how to help these students. She knew there must be a way to break through, “and it just came to my heart to bring them to the horses. Their parents brought them two or three times and they just fell in love with the horses. Then, every time they’d come into class, they’d ask, ‘How

are the horses?’. It totally changed the dynamics and changed the child from having a disengaged attitude to being engaged academically. So that’s where we came up with our mission statement.”

Through this experience Renee had a breakthrough with those students, but also a bigger breakthrough regarding her purpose in life. That moment made her

Renee and Nibbles at New Life Trails.

Katlynn is a great asset to our team. She handles this rowdy crew of fellas just fine. She likes the residential division and she can power wash with the best of them.

• Loves her kiddo

• Tattoo Artist at heart

• Super-friendly and always smiling

•

rods & reels in stockall your favorite brands!

• Minnow buckets, tackle boxes, cast nets, fish baskets

• Lots of jigs, lures, soft baits, hooks, floats, fillet knives

• Fishing licenses, ice,

drinks, snacks, picnic supplies, more!!

see the true nature of how therapeutic animals can be for children who are struggling. With the help of her dear friend Ginger Henley, Renee eventually came to the idea to start a nonprofit. From there, Renee’s mom Donna helped her get the finances together to start a nonprofit. Local attorney Derrin Hiatt and accountant Chuck VanCleave helped Renee with paperwork and filings to make things official. Since then, Renee’s mother Donna has actually purchased a home near the farm where she lives today and has put the home in New Life Trails’ name.

The Trails started out with just Renee and her husband’s two horses in

2012. Since then, the farm has grown and now houses around 64 animals including chickens, horses, goats, donkeys, mini-horses, sheep, rabbits, cows, pigs and a llama.

Shortly after opening, New Life Trails had the opportunity to partner with the Northern Oklahoma Academic Tutoring Foundation on a summer camp called Jump Start Camp. The Camp targeted at-risk kids who needed help in math. Renee and Ginger worked together to create a curriculum. Even with the curriculum, they still hadn’t solved the problem of how to get the students to commit to attending camp. That’s where the animals came into play. Renee realized she could let the students experience a different kind of animal each day. They advertised they would have fainting goats for the first day of camp, but kept the rest of the animals a surprise in order to pique the students’ curiosity and keep them coming back. The camp also included character training, bullying prevention training and science lessons. The Camp was so successful, it was continued for six years. They took a break due to COVID-19, but hope to have camps up and running again this

summer. The camp motto is a reminder to the kids of their potential and a truth that Renee lives out each day, “We are conquerors of our destiny, not victims of our circumstances.”

Running New Life Trails can mean any number of things on any given day. Renee builds and mends fences, takes care of animals of all ages and recently even delivered a baby donkey. Taking care of the animals takes time and money. New Life Trails runs entirely on

Logan’s Barn, built and dedicated to Logan Blakey. From NLT website, “Logan Blakey was a terminally ill 10-year-old boy who touched numerous lives and had a simple dream he expressed to his family before passing away … he wanted to build a barn to look after the animals he loved so much.”

Lizzie the Donkey. Renee delivered Lizzie’s baby Lazzie.

Upon entry into Renee’s mother’s home, I’m served a wonderful cup of coffee and the most delicious pumpkin bread. Shortly thereafter, the tiniest baby goat walks into the room and is on my lap within minutes. Nibbles napped for an hour while Renee and I chatted. Best. Interview. Ever.

donations. Renee admits that more than once she’s been out of feed, hay or some other necessity and through prayer and her trust in God, opportunities have opened and she’s continued to be able to feed and house the animals. She often finds lessons in her circumstances. An animal with a broken leg might remind her of how at times, we are all a bit broken, but with the right nudge things can get set back into place. These types of lessons from the farm are what urged Renee to write her book, Enduring Pain, Finding Purpose, Experiencing Peace, released on April 14. It’s a collection of stories about all the characters you can meet on the farm and the things they have taught Renee.

Renee is open about her difficulties in life. She’s been through many hard things and experienced more grief than most can imagine. She says, “Everybody’s got a story. I grew up with a story, but in that story, I met God. And not only met Him, but got to know Him and instead of turning to the counterfeits of the world, I was able to find peace in my heart through animals, through nature and through His word.”

Renee was nominated as a Good Citizen by her friend Josie Busby who said, “Renee serves her community through the New Life Trails. She spends a lot of time with teens, kids and adults. She serves this community by taking the time to take her animals to nursing homes as comfort pets and to homes of children who are dying of cancer. Renee hears

of a need for clothes or food – she gives out what she has. She spends her personal time tutoring children with special needs and/ or struggling in school. And she does it with sheer love. She’s always giving her time and resources with a kind and generous heart. She loves God and shares his love with those she meets. She’s a light to this community and a great citizen.”

New Life Trails is available for Horseback Riding Lessons and Birthday Parties. They are located at 3420 Kingston Road in Ponca City. Donation information can be found on their website at newlifetrails.org and on their Facebook page, New Life Trails Ministries.

“partnering with animals to capture the hearts of individuals so that we can intervene academically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.”

Baby Goat Nibbles in my lap!

llama, named “Dalia Lama”

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! TRIAD WOMEN’S COMPLETE HEALTHCARE

Backyard Gardener For Mental Health

Story and Photos by Kat Long / Contributing Writer

Happy May!

This is your friendly reminder it is NEVER too late to plant, start seeds or get your hands dirty in the garden. Dirt is your friend and playing in the dirt (otherwise known as gardening) is excellent for your mental health. In July of 2022, the Mayo Clinic stated on its website, “It’s (gardening) been shown to lighten mood and lower levels of stress and anxiety. It’s very gratifying to plant, tend, harvest and share your own food. Routines provide structure to our day and are linked to improved mental health. Gardening routines, like watering and weeding, can create a soothing rhythm to ease stress …”. The post also goes on to point out other benefits of dirt-play such as time in nature, social connection and an improved diet.

Now maybe you aren’t a veggie or fruit gardener. That’s okay. Dirt has beneficial microbes whether you are tending flowers or growing your own food. Breathing fresh air while pulling weeds or harvesting food gets you moving outside. In the sun. Not in the house. Outside.

Sun = Vitamin D

Getting a little extra Vitamin D from sun exposure will help your mental health. The National Institute of Health stated in 2021 that over 40% of the population in the United States is Vitamin D deficient … 40 percent. Yes, I know about sun protection. But going outside in the morning or early afternoon for 15 minutes a couple of times of week in the month of May in Oklahoma will not burn you … July, maybe, but not May. Don’t overdo it; 15 minutes, people. Benefits of

extra sun and Vitamin D include building up the immune system, baby hairs on your head, sleeping better and alleviation of depression and sadness. Give it a try. Set your phone for 15 minutes. Expose some skin. Be dangerous. Wear shorts. You can only get that Vitamin D absorption if you

have some skin showing to absorb. Better yet: plan your gardening time for 15-minute intervals and combine sun exposure with some plant time. Fifteen minutes in the garden a day keeps the weeds, slugs and squash bugs away. Promise.

Not too late to plant

You didn’t get those seeds started? Do not fret. If cooler weather seeds like kale or lettuces, find a shady place and put the seeds in the ground. Seeds will take longer to germinate, but are great for mostly to all shade areas in Oklahoma. And though these plants might bolt in July, you can still get some greens picked before that happens. Bolting is when you go to bed one night and the next night you have seed heads forming on your cilantro and lettuces.

If you are fretting because you didn’t get your herb seeds planted, just plant them now. I have started basil seeds in June in the shade and had pesto by August. Use what you have as far as shade and sun in the yard. Okra, Malabar Spinach, Loofahs, cucumbers and gourds love that hot weather, and planting seeds now will still get you a good crop by September.

Remember Ponca City Herb Festival is just around the corner on Sat., June 3 at LA Cann Gardens. This is a great opportunity to pick up plants for the yard and garden. I always visit

the $1 herb lady located on the south side of the Festival. Get there early: the aromatics like lavender, rosemary and basil go fast. Also opening that Saturday is the Farmer’s Market located at the Pioneer Woman Circle at 14th and Hartford. It’s a two-fer. Take a wagon to the Herb Festival and make sure to check out the Farmer’s Market before you go.

Pretty as a picture

One more thing to remember about planting or seed starting in May, or any time of the year: Document what works and what doesn’t for next year. A little gardening journal is so helpful to record germination times or lack of them, as you plant either flowers or food. Bonus if you can take pictures of your plants and put them in the journal. This helps remind you of what the plants/flowers looked like when you are saving seeds. Because you are going to save seeds, correct? You always need to save seeds.

Enjoy the flowers. Stop to smell the roses. Celebrate with all the graduates this month, and I hope to see you at HerbFest. And of course, Happy Gardening.

Review By: Tara Anson

PROVIDED BY BRACE BOOKS & MORE

No Two Persons

BY ERICA BAUERMEISTER

“Books speak to specific people for specific reasons, and it has everything to do with where they are in their lives.”

If I could describe this book in as few words as possible, it would be soul changing! This book spoke to me in ways no human ever has.

As a bookseller, my main goal is to put a book in your hands that best fits you as an individual. I look at each person and each book as their own entity. In No Two Persons, we visit a singular book and how it reaches many people, with the idea that even though each person is reading the exact same words, they have a completely different feeling.

We start with the author, who struggles to put her words together, but with the help of those around her, creates a beautiful story. We then visit with the publish-

er’s assistant who was drawn in by the book enough to pass the book up the line to her boss. Followed by the audio recorder who delves into each piece of the book as he reads it aloud. We then venture through a series of characters, which seem slightly irrelevant, but all chose this particular book to read. Each character is touched by the story, but in a very different way than the previous. Some are able to relate to one character as they’ve lived a similar story, while others feel as though they are on the outside looking in, wishing they could help change lives, while others are sparked by a singular setting that attracts them.

It is a wild thought to imagine someone, somewhere else in the world could be reading the exact same story as I am, yet has completely different feelings about it.

Review by Lorrie Layton

CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW

PROVIDED BY BRACE BOOKS & MORE

Those Kids From Fawn Creek

BY ERIN ENTRADA KELLY

Fawn Creek, Louisiana. Nothing ever seems to change. Every student at Fawn Creek K-12 was there last year and the year before.

The 12 kids in seventh grade have known each other forever and have been in the same social groups forever, as well. There are:

• The jocks – Colt, Daniel and Max.

• The “God Squad”

– Daelyn, Hallie and Baylee. These girls want their lives to honor God and live on the other side of town.

• The Fawn Creek Royalty – Janie, Abby, Barn and Slowly. Their families own all the major businesses in town and see themselves as better than everyone else.

• And best-friends-since-diapers

– Greyson and Dorothy. Greyson struggles with ridicule and confidence because his interests are very different from those of his dad and brother. Dorothy embarrasses easily and wishes she were braver.

Well, one thing has changed: There used to be 13 kids in this age group. Renni’s family moved to the larger (and obviously, better) next-townover, Grand Saintlodge. Renni was (and still is) Janie’s best friend and the leader of the mean girls. Her moving was great news for Dorothy

and Greyson as she was never, ever nice to them.

And then, Fawn Creek’s “everydaythe-same” changes for these kids. Orchid Mason moves to Fawn Creek and she is nothing like anyone these kids have ever met. Orchid is imaginative and kind. She lives with her dad – her mom is no longer with them – and she is lonely. She wishes her life was different and exciting.

Greyson and Dorothy befriend Orchid. She sees them with fresh eyes. She sees how brave and amazing they are and encourages them to be who they want to be.

This was such an amazing book. I highly recommend it for fifththrough eighth-graders.

We will be closed on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14. We hope you will treat your mom to a home-cooked meal at J.W. Cobbs very soon. Thank you!

GOOD BOY!

Greater Good Charities’ Good Fix Program Takes Action to End Animal Homelessness and Overpopulation in Ponca City”

Interview by Kelsey Wagner

Story By Everett Brazil, III

Photos by Kelsey Wagner

Many families have fur babies, dogs and cats that are considered a part of the family regardless of species. Many other fellow companions don’t have a family unit and are living on the street, reproducing and creating litters of dogs and cats that don’t have a home. Greater Good Charities is trying to change that, and recently held a spay and neuter clinic in Ponca City to end the plight of animal homelessness, and helping the larger community fight against a population of feral pets.

Greater Good Charities (GGC) recently held the Good Fix Program March 7-10 at Marland’s Place, 1300 Summers Place in Ponca City.

The program was held with Northern Oklahoma Humane Society, Ponca City.

Kelsey Wagner spoke with representatives of the organization March 8.

Laura Littlebear is the vice president of pet programs for Greater Good Charities.

“We have 25 medical crew members, using 15 -25 volunteers a day,” she said. “Yesterday (March 7), we were able to spay and neuter 240 animals. We’re going to be

similar today, maybe a little more with cat clinics. Yesterday was the first day, and it went great.”

Greater Good Charities does a lot of work to help other animal welfare facilities in the area.

“What Greater Good Charities does is we are able to get donations from larger organizations. We get treats and various things, supplies, medical supplies,” she said. “In this area of the state, with it being a veterinarian desert, we are able to send

things to them, and they help us with other shelters that don’t get

She added, “We work hand-inhand for goods. They help with medical supplies, and we travel, so we’re in the field about 60 percent

A large focus of the clinics is of the feline species.

“There are two clinics that are starting on cats, and we didn’t even start on cats until 4 o’clock yesterday,” she said.

Cats are the main focus, including both those who are pets, and cats that are feral, or who don’t have home. That weekend, March 11 – 12 was dedicated to those homeless kitties.

“They have two

trappers on their team, and that is what they do,” she said. “They know what they do, what’s the best way to do it, what’s the best way to get the cats in the trap. They are very good at what they do.”

Many local neighborhoods have problems with feral cats, and they work with residents to address those issues.

“They’ve spent last week and this week communicating with people, they need help with community cats,” she said.

There are also locals who know how to trap cat themselves, and put their skills to use with the organization.

“We have several people that are ‘doit-yourselfers’ and give them traps and said, ‘You set the traps on this day, bring the cats in the next morning,’” she said.

Failure of spaying and neutering a dog or cat could have unintended consequences, and could release more vulnerable animals into local neighborhoods.

“I had heard about two litters of puppies dumped in the community,” she said. “I have helped, and tried, to network. My neighbor actually has two of the puppies

she found at her place of business.”

There are some ramifications with the legal code locally in Ponca City.

That is the point of the program, to help stop the endless litters of helpless puppies and kittens from having to live in the street, creating more litters of animals.

Dr. Ruth Parkin, Greater Good Charities, commented on the best way to handle the problem of feral animals.

“In my opinion, the right way to fix this is through sterilization; it’s the only humane means in my mind of dealing with it,” she said.

“We do have a spay and neuter ordinance and it says that any animal over 6 months of age living in city limits is to be spayed or neutered,” she said.

Get Fit!WITH KERA KESTER

I’m going to start this article with clapping it up for you beautiful people. Many of you have either recently made the decision to live healthier or have been consistently executing a healthy lifestyle, and both of those deserve huge kudos. In every season of life, it is important to have a goal. However, sometimes it can feel overwhelming when there are too many to choose from or we may not know where to start at all for ourselves. Therefore, it may be tempting to opt for random decisions and just seeing where it takes us. But let me ask you an age-old question, “How can you hit a target if you don’t even know what you’re aiming for?” This is especially important when it comes to fitness. Let’s talk about five goals that can be attained no matter your fitness level. Honing in our focus and commitment will put us well on our way to success!

1. Clean up your nutrition

This is a great place to start for everyone, as it plays a part in everything that we do. For example, it can make the difference between feeling sluggish or vibrant, as well as having a functional or dysfunctional digestive and immune system. I’m a believer in flexible dieting. It is so common to see overly restricting on food lead to dangerous habits such as binge/starvation cycles or missing the full experience and relatability of beautiful moments with loved ones. A helpful

piece of advice is using the 80-20 rule. This means 80% of whole and nonprocessed foods and being more flexible with the remaining 20% of foods. This can easily produce internal wellness and a sustainable relationship with food that is enjoyable!

2. Fat loss

To those of you relating to this goal, please know that you are not the only one. Many people place this as one of their greatest desires. The good news is that fat loss is simple. The not-so-fun news is that it is not easy. Energy balance is a key role in this goal. Calories are a unit of energy. We must take in less energy than we expend in order to see highly noticeable results. Being informed to enter a nutritional caloric deficit while using exercise and daily movement as helpful tools for even greater energy expenditure is the simple part. Plus, this will always work to a degree for the general population. However, the execution of this can be challenging. Tracking food intake and sometimes dealing with slight hunger isn’t comfortable. Additionally, playing the waiting game is not ideal. But if you utilize discipline, consistency and a good support system, this goal is absolutely attainable!

3. Muscle gains

A beautiful and empowering game changer for gaining muscle mass is to lift weights. However, this can be a touchy topic at times. For women, there is usually a fear of getting bulky. For men, there is usually a

concern of not being muscular enough. Here is the truth – lifting weights does not make you bulky in of itself. There are specific techniques and degrees of hard work that one consciously puts in to get huge gains. Additionally, building muscle takes time. If you do not feel that you look muscular enough for your liking, allow your body the grace and time it needs to grow and develop. Reaching your goal is an amazing accomplishment, but beating yourself up the whole way there is heartbreaking and not necessary. I will be the first to clap for your gains, but I will also be the first to tell you that aesthetics isn’t the most meaningful and beautiful thing about you!

4. Improve flexibility or balance

This goal is not only necessary for sports and active movement, but also many activities of daily living in general. Something as simple as bending over to pick something up off the ground or reaching up to

grab an item off a shelf is inhibited if one does not have the flexibility or balance control for it. This should be a priority to continue developing and progressing in, especially as we age.

5. Conquering a specific strength training or cardio challenge

Some specific challenges include completing a 5k run or having the strength to do a pull-up or deadlift your body weight. Implementing this goal into your exercise routine is a great way to keep your fitness lifestyle fun, creative and challenging. No matter how simple, complex, big or small your challenge is, it can be considered a huge win when you accomplish it!

Whatever goal(s) you may choose, keep believing in and fighting for it! Mess ups and successes will happen. But through it all, never stop pushing toward progression and believing in yourself. Sending my love and wishing you the very best at all times! Happy May!

STREAM IT

STREAM IT

Story by Hayley Harrison / Staff Writer

Do you have a particular show, series, or movie that you therapeutically watch over and over again? One that you continually choose for comfort, familiarity, or a needed laugh? I do! And for me, that show is Somebody Feed Phil.

Somebody Feed Phil, follows Phil Rosenthal (the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond) as he travels around the globe, meeting new people and taking part in new experiences; all the while

“fields” of Ireland and just about everywhere inbetween, Somebody Feed Phil does an exceptional job of making us feel like we are part of the journey as well. Phil’s quirky personality and genuine love for people, travel and food translates effortlessly through the screen, and it is nothing short of delightful to watch.

So, whether you’re an avid traveler, or someone like me, who loves to travel but has a plethora of other obligations (like keeping two small humans alive) that take precedent over globe-trotting, give Somebody Feed Phil a chance. It may give you a renewed sense of excitement for incredible experiences yet to be had, the people you’ve yet to meet, and most importantly; the food you’ve yet to taste.

You can stream all six seasons of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix.

OF THE MONTH

Mixed by Jill Rowe/Staff Writer

Before moving to Oklahoma, I had never heard of “red beer.” The only Michelada I was familiar with was in a can. Typically, I’m not a huge fan of canned cocktails. During my first bar tending gig in Ponca, I had a guest order a “red beer.” I assumed she was referring to a red ale, so I listed the couple we had, and she proceeded to laugh in my face. “You don’t know what a red beer is, do you?” she exclaimed. Obviously, off to a great start, I explained that if she told me what was in it, I’d be happy to make it. She said, “Bud Light and tomato juice.” I couldn’t help but laugh back. I thought to myself, “did she have to be so rude about the grossest beer mixed with the grossest juice?” Although I didn’t find the concept of combining tomato juice and beer to be particularly enticing at first, I’ve since changed my mind.

The Michelada is a beer cocktail, but a strange one at that. A unique Mexican cerveza preparade comprised primarily of tomato juice, hot sauce, lime juice and beer, usually served with a salt-rimmed glass. The unexpected combination of flavors and the kick from the hot sauce provide a compelling and surprisingly thirst-quenching element, making it a great summer sipper.

The most popular legend surrounding the creation of the Michelada dates to the late

1970s and a country club in San Luis Potosí in central Mexico. Michel Espér, a member of the Club Deportivo Potosino, asked the mesero to bring him a glass of ice, lime and some assorted condiments along with his beer. The drink gradually gained popularity and soon made its way north.

Some believe Michelada’s origins date back to the early 1900s during the Mexican Revolution. Mexican general Augusto Michel liked his beer with salsa. Possibly one of the earliest versions, made with beer, lime juice and chili peppers, served in a chilled mug.

It would be hard to pin down a single origin for the Michelada and most likely there isn’t one. The important thing is bartenders are redefining the drink, offering versions for a variety of palates. A Chelada is salt, lime, ice and lager. If you order a Clamacheve, it is a Michelada with clamato or clam broth and tomato juice. Not a fan of beer? Try a Michelaguas, an elaborate nonalcoholic version made with aguas frescas.

If you’re in the mood for a deliciously spicy Michelada, you can join me at El Patio, celebrating Cinco de Mayo. It’s not a fiesta without the chips and queso!

COCKTAIL COCKTAIL COCKTAIL COCKTAIL COCKTAIL COCKTAIL COCKTAIL COCKTAIL

Michelada

• Dash of Tajin Chili Seasoning

• 2 ozs. Lime Juice

• 2 tsp. Hot Sauce

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire

• 3 ozs. Tomato Juice

• 12-oz. Light Mexican Beer

Rim a cold beer glass with a lime and salt with Tajin chili seasoning. Pour 3 ozs. of your preferred tomato juice (Clamato or Bloody Mary mix). Squeeze half a lime, dash in your hot sauce and Worcestershire. Add ice if you’d like, and top with your favorite Mexican beer. Garnish with a lime and enjoy on a sunny day!

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

Story by Hayley Harrison / Staff Writer

I love Mother’s Day. I bask in it. I treasure the homemade cards and the breakfasts-in-bed that are comprised of Eggo waffles and tiny juice boxes. I love the special trinkets and the flowers picked and brought in from the backyard; but my all-time favorite Mother’s Day tradition, is receiving the little Mother’s Day questionnaires that my daughter fills out at school.

They are always so precious and sweet, but last year’s questionnaire was my alltime favorite, and that is because it was the funniest thing I had read in a very long time. The questionnaire went as follows:

• My mom is 28 years old.

• My mom’s favorite color is pink

• She likes to play with me at the park.

• My mom’s favorite food is meat.

• My mom makes the best mashed potatoes.

• We really like to tickle each other together.

• I love when my mom asks me to help.

• My mom always laughs when my dad wrestles her.

Yes, the eighth line down made me laugh so hard that I cried (for whatever reason, her dad did not find this nearly as funny as I did). Her teacher later told me that it was almost impossible to keep a straight face while she was writing her answers down for her, and I have no idea how she managed it! Needless to say, I will never forget her Kindergarten Mother’s Day questionnaire and I hope you all got a kick out of it too! Happy Mother’s Day!