Thank you, Stroud community, for your great support of our Bugle Boy Project luncheon on Sunday.
Our great crowd, the number of tickets purchased and the donations made to this project were beyond our expectations. We are so grateful and love all of you for your participation.
We received a donation from my fellow classmate from the Class of 1974, Terry Hinman Black. Terry has made her home in Locust Grove for many years, but she keeps up with what’s happening in her hometown.
Her mom, Lavina Hinman and her mother-inlaw, Billie Black call Stroud home so Terry still has ties to Stroud. It was nice to hear from my fellow classmate. Thank you to Town Talk volunteers and American Legion Auxiliary members for their many volunteer hours to make this event a success.
Those members volunteering were Delores Hamlin, Thelma Mauldin, Dee Baker, Julie Bivin, Diana McGuire, Susan Cockrum, Shirley Holik, Cindy Mason, Pam Hunt, Lisa Smalley and Aleta Smalley. Some customers thought our waiters looked “snazzy” with their chef’s hats, red aprons and mustaches.
We were especially appreciative of Stroud High School volunteers, Tristan and Dylan Baker, who joined in the fun and waited table for us.
Their dad is veteran Chad Baker, retired United States Marine Corps. We also want to thank First Baptist Church for the use of their Family Life Center.
Pastor James Bond and Youth Minister Caleb Horowitz set up tables for us and so we say thank you to them, also, for their help in getting the facility ready. State American Legion Auxiliary President Gayle Wintz Keene and her husband, Jimmy of Chandler, were in attendance.
The Auxiliary thanks Gayle and Jimmy for their faithful attendance to our events. We will be hosting more events like this one so watch for upcoming dates.
Town Talk wishes our friend and volunteer Jo Braden a belated happy birthday. Somehow it slipped past me so I’m going to have to beg Jo’s forgiveness.
Jo is an original Town Talk volunteer and was our treasurer for several years. She is a Stroud graduate and she and her husband, Dick, made Stroud their retirement home.
Dick has since passed away and Jo recently joined several of her friends at Prairie Pointe. Happy belated birthday and thank you for your volunteer service. Another Town Talk volunteer, John Owens, also celebrated a birthday this week even though he swore that he had stopped having birthdays. His wife Charla Castleberry Owens has had some health issues recently and is currently in the Shawnee hospital which has postponed John’s birthday celebration. We wish Charla a speedy recovery.
Activities for this week include City Council meeting tonight (Thursday) at City Hall at 6:00 p.m. and the Masonic Lodge monthly breakfast on Saturday, February 11th from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the Vo-ag building. The cost is $7 and is “all you can eat.” The Oklahoma Blood Institute will be having a blood drive from noon until 3:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Stroud on Sunday, February 12th, Stroud Food Pantry will be open Tuesday, February 14th from 9:00 a.m. until noon., Chamber of Commerce will meet at 5:30 p.m. also on February 14th, Stroud softball sign-ups will be Thursday, February 16th from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Parkview Elementary School along with T-ball sign up and 8U, 10U, and 12U baseball.
A special event will be held on Monday, February 13th. Stroud High School will be hosting a “Pink Out” basketball fundraiser. All proceeds will go to Stroud teachers who are battling cancer. Those teachers are Doug Keely, Brad Moody and Dulayna Murray. Let’s all come to together as a community and support this worthwhile event. Town Talk offers it condolences to the families and friends of Stroud alums Dorothy McFarland, Class of 1960, Nancy Fulkerson Duncan, Class of 1957, Diane Shields McMillian, Class of 1978, long-time Stroud residents Jane Soward Roddy and Nathan Terry. In a small town like Stroud everyone knows everyone so each loss suffered is felt not only by their families but by our community. They will be sorely missed. In the January 26th edition of Town Talk I mistakenly listed Donna Jean Bunyard Poskey as Mary. A loyal reader pointed this error out to me and I thank them for doing so. I apologize for this and want it to be correct.
Glenda Buchanan Funk, Class of 1960, called me this week to tell me how much she enjoyed seeing the large flag flying over First Bank and Trust. Glenda said she didn’t get into town much but when she did, it gave her such a good feeling to see the flag. Glenda’s brother, Gary Buchanan, was killed in the Vietnam War and so the flag is a very important symbol to her. Once again Town Talk would like to thank the bank for this wonderful addition to our community.
The weather hasn’t been too conducive to outdoor play but if you’ve happened to drive through Foster Park in the last few months you might have noticed a new swing for kiddos with physical limitations. This swing is a cooperative effort between Town Talk and the City of Stroud with the swing being purchased by AVEM Health Partners, our hospital’s management company. Community member and Town Talk volunteer Sharla Wells mentioned this idea to our group a while back and with the support of AVEM we were able to make it happen. AVEM is a strong supporter of our community, and we are lucky to have them in Stroud.
I saw our very own Steve Massey out driving a sporty Corvette on Sunday. He looked pretty “cool” behind the wheel. Rumor has it that is was just a “test drive” but you might watch out for that hot-rod out on the road.
Ok, this is your last warning. You only have four more shopping days until Valentine’s Day. You have no excuse to say you forgot because I’ve been telling you to get out and shop “local” early and get your sweetheart a gift before everything is sold. So, you’ve been warned and I’m sure many of our merchants would be glad to help you out with a last-minute gift. Thank you for choosing to shop local………………first!