Town Talk

Glenda Buchanan Funk called me this week to check on the train engine Town Talk purchased from Paula Hicks Ackerman so I thought I’d share an update with you. We did purchase the engine and are having it restored. It is a community effort. Mark Poskey of Poskey’s Auto and Repair has agreed to move it for us, and Robert Gordon of Gordon Brothers Supply is going to have his guys at the paint shop restore it to its original beauty. We are excited to get the project moving again. It will soon be on display for everyone to enjoy.

Glenda also told me she visits with Mary Linda Meredith Pryor in Alaska on occasion. I, too, spoke with Mary Linda about her newspaper subscription. It’s great to know our small-town newspaper travels all the way to Alaska each week to keep our hometown folks up to date on Stroud happenings.

I received a package in the mail this week from Janet Place Huwar who now resides in Houston. Janet just traveled back from Santa Monica, CA on Route 66 to Texas for as far as she could go on the Mother Road. She sent me a box of postcards, business cards and ideas from her route and a pink Route 66 ballcap. It’s great to have our alums out there looking for ideas for our community.

Cheryl Matthews called me the other day and told me she had located the movie “Nightmare Before Christmas” that I was asking about on Facebook and purchased it for me. Thanks to everyone who is always on the lookout for something to help me with one of my wild ideas.

We put faux door coverings on the Willa Dean Stinson building on Main Street last week. When you’re downtown be sure and check them out. We have a few finishing touches to add to the building, but we are leaving the main window front open. People love looking in those windows at all the “nostalgia” on display. The Horn building across the street is taking shape, also. We will be adding a little bit of Stroud history to that store front.

Be watching for pictures of Henry Starr, J.W. Stroud, Jim Thorpe and former Stroud resident Miss Oklahoma Billi Kaye Smith to be popping up in those window spots.

Julie Bivin and I worked all day last week trying to finish up any “paint jobs” Town Talk had before winter weather arrives.

We put another coat of paint on our upcoming pocket park for children, “Pete’s Place,” which will be located on the middle of the street just down from Pete’s Sawatzky’s business, Route 66 Restoration. We also finished painting four benches that will be placed in the park and another three that will decorate the courtyard on Main Street.

I attended the Route 66 Centennial Birthday Commission’s meeting this past week in Oklahoma City. A representative from AAA shared with us a festival they are planning for June of 2021. It is called Route 66 Route Fest and will be held in Tulsa one weekend and in Oklahoma City the following weekend. It is going to be a great activity for Oklahoma. You can check out more details at route66roadfest.com

It’s hard to believe 2020 is slowly winding down and Christmas is just around the corner.

Be sure to plan on attending the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas parade at 6:00 on Saturday, December 5th.

After the parade, Town Talk will be showing an outdoor movie on the lot behind Unique OK on the corner of 4th Street and 5th Avenue. The movie will be a family Christmas movie and will be free of charge.

Refreshments will be available for purchase. You will be able to watch the movie from the comfort of your car and tune in to the audio on your radio.

Come downtown early and check out what the local merchants have in stock to help you complete your Christmas shopping list.

Have a great week and remember to shop and dine local………….first!