I was watering on Main Street last Friday morning and got to visit with some nice people who were visiting our community. The first two ladies I met, pictured to the right, were Gracie Szakin (left) from Coffeyville, Texas and Joey Hoecker (right) from Edmond, Oklahoma.
The two met when they were both students at Oklahoma State University. They were on a trek across part of Oklahoma’s Route 66 working on their Oklahoma Passport they had obtained from the Oklahoma Tourism Department.
The passport is a new program developed by the tourism department under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell. You take the book to each of the 66 stops listed inside and someone working there stamps the corresponding page for you.
The book is divided into Eastern, Central and Western sections.
Once you’ve got all the stops completed for a section you take the passport into one of the five Oklahoma Tourism Information Centers (TIC) and a staff member signs your completed page for that region. You receive a prize – a portion of a fun Route 66 magnet.
Once you complete all three sections you take your passport back to the TIC. A staff member verifies it’s complete, stamps your book and gives you a free collectible Route 66 coin.
This would be a great family staycation activity.
I visited with another group of three ladies who were from the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas. They meet in Stroud often to get together and visit.
They had been meeting at a local restaurant but since the outbreak of COVID they have been eating outside at the pavilion.
They had picnic lunches and enjoyed a beautiful Stroud, OK afternoon visiting and eating at the Route 66 Pavilion on Main Street.
A big Town Talk thank you goes to Andrea Flatt Thompson for helping me put up scarecrows on Main Street Friday. We have a few more to hang but wanted to get some up to “fall” up downtown in time for the Lion’s Club Pumpkin Patch fundraiser.
I was told they sold out of pumpkins and Unique OK sold out of fried pies. Thank you, Lions, for a fun family event and to you, the community, for supporting them.
Brenton and April Cooper Melton loaned Town Talk eight bales of hay for the four corners in the center of Main Street. Andrea and April set them out for us and that is no easy task – those bales are heavy!
Thank you, ladies. Town Talk will be decorating them this week.
Mayberry Enterprises has their Main Street windows all decorated for Fall and it looks great. Thank you for your help in “sprucing up” Main Street and to all business who have decorated.
Downtown just keeps looking better.
Town Talk will be hosting their October Farmer’s Market this Saturday at the Route 66 Pavilion on Main Street.
Mandy Clark, organizer and Town Talk volunteer, is busy enlisting vendors for the event. There will also be a pie and soup cookoff at this month’s market, so you won’t want to miss it.
All the fun begins at 8:00 a.m. and will be open until the afternoon. Stop by and check it out.
Don’t forget we have Main Street banners for sell. Purchase one today to honor your veteran. The cost of one side of a banner is $125.
Proceeds will go towards our Bugle Boy Project. You may call me at 918-527-9833 to place your order. I will put a picture of them in next week’s paper so you can see what they look like.
I am still working on my miniature golf course idea. I have a story to tell you about that but it’s going to have to wait until next week.
The two ladies I met traveling Route 66 had lunch at the Rock Café. They told me it was delicious.
Gracie was wearing some Route 66 earrings she had purchased at Stroud Drug. Nice to have visitors to our community and to see them shopping locally. Let’s follow suit and all do the same.
Always remember to shop and dine local....... first!