Friends of Ferguson Home and Museum

 April 2023 

At the end of 2022, a new board for the Friends of Ferguson Home was elected:  Connie Burcham-President, Joe Bryan -Secretary, Mary Larson-Treasurer, and Todd Lafferty- Member-at-Large. The Home itself is owned by the City of Watonga, and the Friends of Ferguson Home Inc. is a nonprofit organization that works to preserve the T.B. and Elva Ferguson Home, jail, and relay station as Historic Landmarks and interpret the early day lifestyles of a politician, newspaper owner, and pioneer from the establishment of the Cheyenne and Arapaho land opening in 1892 up to 1947.  The website for the museum is: www.tbfergusonhome.org, and their facebook page is Ferguson Home Museum. 

The Friends group is in the process of working out a contract/lease with the City of Watonga that will allow the Museum to stay open and to improve the condition of the home. The property is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is one of our town's tourism attractions that brings visitors from across the country. The Friends group is sustained by donations, memberships, and volunteer hours. 

The next event to be held by the Friends of Ferguson Home is a Tea Party on May 6, 2023, at the First Baptist Church in Watonga, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.  Tickets are $10 each, and must be purchased in advance of the event.  Janine Espy is the chairperson of the event and Linda Barrett is assisting with ticket sales (call 580-623-4269).  

As a member of the Friends of Ferguson Home, I encourage members of our community to support this fundraiser, and to considering becoming a Member of the Friends group.  I'll be writing more about the Ferguson Home and Museum, upcoming events and fundraisers, and membership details in the next few days. 

 

News from the City government

 Kerrie Little, the City Manager, gave a presentation to the Watonga Kiwanis Club on Wed., July 27, 2022.    

Ms. Little told the group that the Chamber of Commerce has been "absorbed by the City", and in fact will be governed  by the recently reinstated WEDA (Watonga Economic Development Authority) committee.  Who makes up that committee?  We assume the city councilmen and mayor but the specific question was not answered.  

Questions were asked about this year's cheese festival, in light of the Chamber going "inactive." Kerrie said that it has also been taken over by WEDA. Evidently, plans for the festival have been in the works and we were told that the festival committee meets about every month; vendors have been contacted, the cheese tasting line will be moved to the City Hall building on Main Street, and they want the Kiwanis Club to sell Watonga Cheese in the City Hall building. We were told that the cheese festival committee doesn't publicize an agenda and they have no set day of the month they meet, but we were told that the meeting is open to the public.  Kerrie said that anyone interested in anything to do with the Cheese Festival should contact Kerrie Little at City Hall. 

We learned that the City has a new website, where the public can get information about City business. The new website's address is:  www.watongaok.gov.   Terri Crawford from the library is in charge of maintaining the website. Looking at the new website, we see that the City Council's agendas and minutes are posted there; there are no agendas or minutes posted for any meetings in July so far.   

Ms. Little was asked if the City is or can do anything about the weeds outside of the former Dollar General store. She said that the City has implemented a new process for code enforcement.  So far that process hasn't produced much results but "it takes time."  Kerrie Little said that the City will send out a "warning" letter to a property owner as a courtesy, and if the situation in violation of the Code is not remedied, they will send out a citation.  Once a citation is issued, the property owner will have to go to City Municipal Court to have the judge give or reduce a fine.  A group has already purchased the building, but habitation and putting in a business there has been stalled after questions were raised by local citizens and business owners about what kind of cannibis business was planned to go in there.  All we were told was that it would be a research facility, and not a retail business.  After a canceled meeting of the zoning committee, the new owners seemed to have backed off, so the property is empty and the lot has not been tended to for some months.  Kerrie said that the warning letter has gone out to the property owner of the former Dollar General store.

Catching up

 2020 is over and done with but we are still dealing with the COVID19 virus and its variants, though we are out of the pandemic shut-down mode.  There wasn't much to write about over the past fifteen months other than COVID.  Now things are opening up, most people have stopped wearing masks, and the last statistic I heard on national news this morning is that 67% of the American population has received at least one dose of a vaccine. Most businesses are fully open with no restrictions, though we are still being warned by the medical community that we should still be careful, wear a mask in crowded places, and use common sense in washing hands and general hygiene. 

The Watongan Republican newspaper has a new editor and I had a nice visit with him a week or so ago.  I had dropped off a press release about the Watonga Kiwanis Club's summer youth program, with specific mention of art being added to the program.  I submitted photographs of the kids (with permission by the program's director) and one of the art projects they did, and the short article and photos were included in last week's issue of the newspaper. We did four sessions in June and had attendance of fourteen to thirty kids.  The first week we talked about some elements of art and some well-known artists. The kids did a self-portrait and then spent the last fifteen minutes drawing on the sidewalk with chalk.  

The second week we talked about the American artist Alexander Calder who "invented" the art forms of mobiles and stabiles: art that moves (like a windchime) and art that is stationary but implies movement. I showed them some examples of Calder's work and photos of mobiles made out of coat hangers. The kids then each made their own mobile out of twigs and pine cones of different sizes. 

                   
  

The third week the kids learned about the French artist Henri Matisse and his collage work that has been called "painting with scissors".  The fourth week the kids each painted their own "July 4th" inspired work of art.  

   The Watonga ArtWorks building will continue to be open in July on Fridays for "free time" from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

 We've also had some interest in private or small group lessons, so if anyone would like more information on that, contact Linda Barrett at 940-735-1065 and leave a message for a call back.  

The public TV station OETA recently broadcasted an episode of "Back in Time" that focused on the Oklahoma Historical Society's program of placing roadside historical markers across the state. There was a mention of Clarence Nash from Watonga who was the voice of Disney's Donald Duck.  Though there is no historical marker for Clarence Nash in Watonga, the main highway that goes through the town is named Clarence Nash Blvd.   Neither do we have any kind of historical marker for the T.B. Ferguson Home and Museum.  I think both of these subjects should be recognized by the Oklahoma Historical Society and I am working on getting in touch with someone from the OHS to discuss whether or not the town can get roadside markers installed.  I'll keep readers posted! 

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July! 

/Linda Barrett 

  

MAKE YOUR PLAN TO VOTE - NOW!

 MAKE YOUR PLAN TO VOTE NOW! In Oklahoma, you can vote in the general election in person on election day (Tuesday November 3, 2020), or by absentee ballot, or by early voting in person.
You can request an absentee ballot to be mailed to you if you are registered to vote. The deadline to request a ballot through the state’s website is October 27. You can also request a ballot by mail or in person. REQUEST YOUR BALLOT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to get your ballot in time to fill it out and return it to get your vote counted, due to possible delays caused by the COVID19 epidemic – PLAN AHEAD and allow at least ten to fourteen days for delivery time.

If you are not yet registered to vote, the deadline is October 9. The Oklahoma State Election Board is the administrative agency for the conduct of state elections and the oversight of the state's 77 county election boards. The link to the OK Vote portal is www.ok.gov/elections/. You can contact your County election board for more information. In Blaine County, the election board office is located at the Blaine County Courthouse in Watonga, OK, phone number 580-623-5518.

 

Updates for September

 Happy Labor Day weekend!  While sitting around the dinner table one evening this past week and planning our family Labor Day celebration, which usually includes a picnic at the park or a backyard cookout, I noted that the holiday this year feels different for a number of reasons. 

Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. For the past fifty years, my husband and I observed the holiday with thanks for a day off from work, a day to spend time with the family, maybe take the kids on a trip to a nearby state or national park.  Now that we are retired, the "day off" component has taken on new meaning -- we aren't working and taking the day off from work just doesn't resonate the same way it did in the past.  Of course we are happy to have a day when the kids do not have to go to school (college) and we can spend time together with no set agenda, but for planning purposes, this Monday will be no different than any other Monday.  We'll probably grill and eat outdoors (if the mosquitoes aren't intolerable).  Because of COVID19, we probably won't go anywhere.  We may even spend part of the day working around the property. 

Speaking of the pandemic, our local newspaper reports weekly the number of COVID cases in Oklahoma and in Blaine County. Being a rural county, we have been fortunate to have lower numbers of cases than in metro areas in Oklahoma and in the nation.  Last week the paper reported "In Blaine County the case reports are up to 34, with 24 recovered, and no deaths reported.  I'm a little confused about the time frame the reports cover - are they just for the previous week (ending July 28) or cumulative from March when the pandemic was officially declared by the WHO and CDC.   The Aug 2 issue of the newspaper reported 75 confirmed cases (doesn't say if that is a cumulative number or only for the week ending on Aug 2 --the same article says "there have been no new cases reported as of Sept 1), 54 recovered, and one death in Canton, OK (again, is that a number covering the entire period or just the week).  Bottom line:  we are fortunate in our small county that we have not been devastated by large numbers of positive tests, hospitalizations, or deaths from COVID19.  That doesn't mean we can let our guard down.  We MUST wear masks in public when we are around people, we must observe social distancing, and we must wash our hands and disinfect surfaces when we can.  This is not a political issue or statement, but a matter of public health.  No one likes wearing a mask, but then, look back in our history and remember that most people didn't like using a seat belt before the government stepped in and made it mandatory. It was for the good of the public safety.  Wearing a mask is a matter of public safety.  To those who say they don't want the government "regulating" our personal lives, think about this:  the government wouldn't need to step in and mandate masks or close businesses if everyone would use common sense and do what is necessary to get this pandemic under control.  It's your choice. [end of soapbox]

All of these numbers give us a snapshot of how the COVID is affecting us but we can't be certain we are getting a real picture here in Oklahoma, especially after the release of information that Oklahoma governor Stitt had recently met with a member of the federal government's COVID19 task force and  was told that Oklahoma is in a "RED" condition.  The report from KFOR news said:

“OK governor Stitt’s office withheld White House COVID19 report recommendations from public.” Source:  KFOR News

This is very disconcerting. In case you haven’t read the actual article, here is an excerpt –  "White House reports focused on recommendations specifically for Oklahoma’s COVID-19 response have, until this week, been withheld from local health officials across the state. The most recent report states Oklahoma needs a statewide mask mandate and that bars must close.

“We’re truly disappointed that Gov. Stitt and our leadership hasn’t shared information,” said Dr. George Monks, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

He and other local health officials have expressed frustration that White House Coronavirus Task Force reports, and information from Dr. Deborah Birx’s visit to the state Sunday, have not been shared with the public, or even those who make public health decisions.

“It’s very concerning that the only way we’re finding out about these reports is that they’ve been leaked,” Dr. Monks said.

 

I hope everyone stays safe and stays well through this long holiday weekend! 

 

 

Bringing a Smithsonian traveling exhibition to Watonga

  Phoenix Circle Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Watonga, OK.  Their mission is to promote and support the arts and humanities, educational, environmental, and health and wellness programs in a disadvantaged and underserved rural area of Oklahoma. 

Oklahoma Humanities is currently offering a grant to museums, libraries, and cultural organizations in towns with fewer than 20,000 residents to host a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit called  Crossroads: Change in Rural America.  The exhibit will tour six Oklahoma communities from September 2021 to June 2022. 

“Main StreetMoMS is a one-of-a-kind cultural project that combines the prestige of Smithsonian exhibits, the program expertise of Oklahoma Humanities, and the remarkable volunteerism and unique histories of Oklahoma's rural towns. MoMS exhibits are a powerful catalyst – opening doors to a community’s own history, its culture, its people, and to enhanced town pride. When small town cultural organizations host MoMS exhibits, they bring revitalized attention to their communities. These high-caliber exhibits attract visitors from surrounding areas which can stimulate the local economy.” (reprinted from the MoMS website). For more information on the Museum on Main Street (MoMS) Crossroads program, please visit their website at www.okhumanities.org/programs/museum-on-main-street.  NOTE:  this is not a “Main Street” related grant.

Phoenix Circle Foundation is submitting an application to host the exhibit at the Watonga ArtWorks building on Main Street.  The main exhibit will be supplemented by various seminars, workshops, and other presentations at different locations in our area, all of which will be made possible by the grant.  We’d like to highlight all of this area’s historical, cultural, and community attributes, including our State Park, the native American heritage and influence on Watonga’s long history, along with the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps at Roman Nose State Park.  We believe this exhibit can be a strong catalyst to highlight what we have here, look at how we can move forward as a town, and bring the community together as host of a very important art exhibition, not to mention the economic impact it can have on our town and Blaine County.   

One of the selection criteria will be evidence of strong community support.  We are asking for public Letters of Support for this project, which will involve the entire community.  If you would be interested and willing to be a partner in our effort to bring this unique and significant exhibit to our town, please write a letter of support.     

Please take a moment to look at the information about the Smithsonian traveling exhibition on "Change in Rural America" at www.okhumanities.org.  Wouldn't it be great to bring this exhibition to Watonga? 

If you think so, please write a letter of support and send it to PHOENIX CIRCLE FOUNDATION at 111 E. Main St., Watonga, OK 73772. For more information, or to get a sample letter of support, call Linda Barrett at 580-623-4269 or cell: 940-735-1065; or contact us by email at phoenixcir@yahoo.com. THANKS!

Thank you for your help. 

Linda Barrett, Secretary/Program Director

Upcoming Events and Activities

The annual WATONGA TROUT DERBY at Roman Nose State Park is scheduled for March 6-8, 2020.  Register at the Watonga Chamber of Commerce by calling 580-623-5452.