Have you see all the butterflies in our landscapes recently?
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Fund has opened a new statewide funding opportunity for programs that promote youth character development for students in grades three through eight.
Isn’t it interesting that we can remember stories easier than we can remember lists of information?
Effective Monday through Aug. 31, Oklahoma City Zoo hours will be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, with the last entry at 2, due to recent record-breaking high temperatures.
A flea market vendor at Col. Dick’s Flea Market is giving back to a longtime local nonprofit that provides services to any victims of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault.
I am excited about one of The Well’s newest teachers, Mackenzie Miller Gores.
Burbs have it rough. Edmond and Norman both have tourist attractions, but Oklahoma City is the central state star.
Nate Cross, a Navy veteran and third-year medical student at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, has been named a 2022 Tillman Scholar by the Pat Tillman Foundation.
Dodger is our pet of the week!
Dodger is our pet of the week!
Nate Cross, a Navy veteran and third-year medical student at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, has been named a 2022 Tillman Scholar by the Pat Tillman Foundation.
Have you noticed the webs beginning to emerge in trees across our state?
Medicare can be confusing and for those of us feeling lost, it’s great to know there is help to be found in a free class at The Well, 210 S. James Garner Ave. in Norman.
Norman Public School’s Learning Bus has returned this year with more activities and has survived the area’s recent 100-degree temperatures.
How long has it been since you felt like you were part of a movement?
Many of us have been blessed to have brothers and sisters. Siblings are a gift from God. We have grown up with them in our families. We share the same parents. It is always amusing to share memories with them from childhood.
Are we defined by what we do?
A popular class is coming back to The Well this summer.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma earned one of the few worldwide inaugural endorsements by the International Nursing Association of Clinical and Simulations Learning new Healthcare Simulations Standards Endorsement Pilot Program.
Have you ever wondered if there really is a little rock in Little Rock?
The following marriage recently were filed in Cleveland County District Court:
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is celebrating the birth of critically endangered Sumatran tiger twins.
Have you had trouble keeping your plants alive throughout the summer growing season?
How wonderful to celebrate our nation’s Independence. We are indeed blessed.
Are your hibiscus blooming? They are beginning to show their glorious color in our neighborhoods.
The Norman Farm Market at the Cleveland County Wellness Square (The Well) is the perfect place to grab fresh fixings for your summer grilling needs, from cherry tomatoes and squash to hormone-free, pasture raised meats topped off with made-in-Oklahoma sauces.
The City of Norman has a day of activities for all ages planned through the evening and invites everyone to come celebrate Independence Day with local music, food, brews and a fireworks finale.
I love the serendipitous things that occur when I travel, and my trip to Nashville led me to one of those things.
When we are considering what to plant in our gardens, we often forget to include herbs.
Cleveland County’s Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is in need of more little sisters and big brothers.
When Jesus’ most trusted friend, John, the disciple, tells the story of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he describes how John the Baptist informs two of his followers that Jesus, the Messiah, has just walked by them. They proceed to follow him.
July is Culinary Arts Month, and what better way to celebrate the culinary arts all month long than signing up for classes at The Well?
Let me share some statistics with you:
The world is filled with chaos, discontent and restlessness. Only Jesus can grant us true rest, contentment and peace.
By now, most folks know that the Norman Farm Market has found a new home at the Cleveland County Wellness Square (The Well) across from the county courthouse at 210 S. James Garner Ave. The farm market operates Tuesdays from 4-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. until noon.
Mid-America Technology Center and the Norman Farm Market announced two scholarships and online training opportunities available to assist small farmers.
Marriage — and divorce — in the U.S. are starkly different than in earlier eras of the country’s history.
If Nashville made its musical bones on country music, Memphis became a music mecca with blues on Beale Street in the early 1900s.
Ever looked in a garden, yard or park and had no idea what the plant is in front of you?{p class=”p1”}Fortunately, there are plenty of great plant identification apps out there that take all the hard work out of the process. Here’s a look at eight of the best options for iOS and Android.
The League of Women Voters of Oklahoma is hoping to increase the amount of residents who vote during local and general elections.
I was moved by the following true story about what happened to a 16 to 17- year-old girl during the 70s in Asia:
OKLAHOMA CITY — A five-year, $3.7 million School Climate Transformation grant is making a significant impact, according to new data released by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. The grant was awarded in 2018 through the U.S. Department of Education and is administered through OSDE.
OKLAHOMA CITY — With Father’s Day approaching, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, is encouraging fathers to take a step toward reclaiming their health by quitting tobacco.
Mostly sunny. Hot. High 104F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..
Mostly clear. Low 78F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
The interior atrium of the Johnson County Courthouse features Georgia marble, prairie-style balustrades and a glass dome.
Of the approximately 650 “Gone with the Wind” dolls on display at Gone with the Wind Remembered, the oldest are rare Madame Alexander dolls produced before the movie was made.
Exhibits in the Big Bear Native American Museum in Cleburne, Texas, include several interesting sections on Native women.
A visit to Trovato Street isn’t just a shopping stop, it’s an experience in Cleburne, Texas.
Root beerista Kursten Hertneck prepares a flight of root beers for guests at Trovato Street, a nostalgic candy and root beer bar in Cleburne, Texas.
La Cima in Cleburne, Texas, features delicious Mexican food like this shrimp dish.
Musical productions like “Mary Poppins” at the Plaza Theatre Co. bring year-round theater experiences to Cleburne, Texas.
The interior atrium of the Johnson County Courthouse features Georgia marble, prairie-style balustrades and a glass dome.
Of the approximately 650 “Gone with the Wind” dolls on display at Gone with the Wind Remembered, the oldest are rare Madame Alexander dolls produced before the movie was made.
Exhibits in the Big Bear Native American Museum in Cleburne, Texas, include several interesting sections on Native women.
A visit to Trovato Street isn’t just a shopping stop, it’s an experience in Cleburne, Texas.
Root beerista Kursten Hertneck prepares a flight of root beers for guests at Trovato Street, a nostalgic candy and root beer bar in Cleburne, Texas.
La Cima in Cleburne, Texas, features delicious Mexican food like this shrimp dish.
Musical productions like “Mary Poppins” at the Plaza Theatre Co. bring year-round theater experiences to Cleburne, Texas.
Burbs have it rough. Edmond and Norman both have tourist attractions, but Oklahoma City is the central state star.
Texas towns around the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex have the same challenges.
Cleburne, 30 miles south of Fort Worth, isn’t exactly a suburb but shares the dilemma. For anyone looking for small-town (population 30,000) delights and relief from big city congestion, Cleburne has treats in store.
Arriving late in the afternoon, our first Cleburne outing was dinner at La Cima Mexican Cuisine, a roomy eatery with an extensive menu. If you’re not in the mood for Mexican food, skip this spot. There are a couple of salads, but authentic Mexican food is their specialty.
I ordered camarones con guajillo — shrimp with a chile sauce — accompanied by sautéed vegetables and cilantro lime rice. We binged on tortilla chips and a salsa with a moderate heat level and guacamole, which was exactly to my taste.
My shrimp platter came out still sizzling and steaming and tasted wonderful. Jack always orders a burrito — this time with brisket — and rated it great. La Cima has a number of margaritas from the traditional to prickly pear, cucumber and jalapeño pineapple. We were too stuffed to try dessert.
It was still in the high 90s when we got to The Depot at Cleburne Station, home of the Cleburne Railroaders, which plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official partner league of Major League Baseball.
The stadium plays up the history of railroading in the town — Cleburne was once home to the Santa Fe Railroad machine shops — and displays several train cars on the grounds.
The stadium can accommodate 3,750 fans. This is a perfect park for families with lots of on-field antics during lulls in the game and margaritas from Fort Worth’s famous Joe T. Garcia’s.
The night was hot, but the Railroaders were not. Their best pitcher had just been picked up by the New York Mets.
We were hoping the Winnipeg Goldeyes would be defeated by the heat, but the Canadians were made of stern stuff. Still, baseball is always fun, and faithful fans stuck in with the hometown team.
I’m a Southern breakfast junkie, and the R and K II Café on Main Street was the perfect spot, a gathering place for lots of locals. I enjoyed my artery-hardening egg, grits and biscuit and gravy.
I have very high standards for my over-medium eggs — no runny white, runny yellow and no frizzle around the edge from cooking it too high or too fast. Sated, I gave my breakfast a definite thumbs up.
This was the week where Texas was over 100 for the whole week, so we started our explorations at the Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum and Big Bear Native American Museum as early as possible. A long string of metal silhouettes (the largest in the nation) makes the museum hard to miss. The 66 figures, longhorn cattle and mounted cowboys recall the area’s position on the Chisholm Trail.
Among the buildings on the property is the oldest log courthouse in Texas. Built in 1854, this rustic, 14-foot-by-14-foot building first stood in Wardville, the first county seat in Johnson County. Subsequent moves and subsequent buildings replaced it. Reconstructed, it is now listed as a Texas historical landmark.
Other historic buildings include a mid-19th-century mule barn used by the Johnson Stage Line.
Fun fact: Mules were often used to pull stagecoaches and were less likely to be stolen than horses.
The Nolan River School served students from 1855 to 1877; contemporary students come today to experience an old-fashioned school day.
The Terry Building, also a historic structure, is headquarters for Terry’s Texas Rangers. The Rangers, a re-enactment group, relives Civil War history on weekends. The building also houses collections of Civil War artifacts and law enforcement history.
A real little gem on the grounds is the Big Bear Native American Museum. Most of the artifacts were collected by Leonard “Big Bear” Beal and range from prehistoric items to more contemporary pieces.
Open days are limited, so visit chisholmtrailoutdoormuseum.com or the museum’s Facebook page. Live demonstrations, concerts and other activities — including a bird-watching stand — make this a Cleburne “must see.”
Our next stop was Gone with the Wind Remembered, the private collection of Vicky Lynn Rogers. Collected over 30 years, this is possibly the most extensive museum on the subject.
Beautifully displayed and well-labeled, the assemblage includes over 600 “GWTW” dolls, all sorts of souvenirs and memorabilia, displays on Margaret Mitchell, the international reach of the book and film, and sections on the cast.
Among the many costume displays are a surprising number of items original to the film: Scarlett’s mourning bonnet, one of Bonnie Blue’s outfits, Belle Watlings fur-trimmed jacket and more. Take time to sit in the small theater and see a video about the making of the movie.
There are several other museums in town, including one in the county courthouse. It closed just before we arrived, but seeing the gorgeous interior of the building was worth the walk.
Because of the extreme heat, our stroll was limited. We spotted a number of antique stores but headed for Trovato Street, a candy store and root beer bar.
Here was a tasting room I could get excited about. We bellied up to the bar for a flight of root beers.
We were treated to four of the approximately four dozen root beers available. In a beautifully restored historic building, this one-of-a-kind shop is a worthy destination.
We topped off our Texas stay in style with live theater at the Plaza Theatre Co. at Dudley Hall.
The facility is first-class, an intimate, in-the-round theatre with fantastic production values. We saw “Mary Poppins,” which had costumes and moveable set pieces as professional as anything I’ve seen in major venues.
All in all, Cleburne exceeded my expectations. It’s a lovely little city with enough attractions to tempt tourists.
We had to cut our visit short — a minor medical emergency — and I discovered Cleburne’s greatest asset: the people. I was amazed at the number of people who offered assistance and even personal help.
Fortunately, we didn’t need it. But it restored my faith in the kindness of strangers.
Thanks, Cleburne, for a great experience.
Glenna Mae Nance, 93, of Norman, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on the evening of Wednesday, 20 July 2022. She was born in Noble, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, on 2 November 1928 to parents, Clarence Dillard Matlock, and Mary Elsie Turman, both of Tennessee. Glenna was precede…
Byron Ray Jacobson, Sr., 66, Norman, passed away 07/19/2022. Prayer Vigil will be at 6:30PM, Monday, 7/25, St. Andrew Catholic Church, 800 NW 5th St, Moore. Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00AM, Tuesday, 7/26, St. Andrew Catholic Church. www.tribute.care.
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