The Okie Legacy
Oakie's Heart To Heart

25 August 2001, Vol. III, Iss. 34

Great Bank Robbery & Shootout...

They say the highlight of the Freedom Open Rodeo and Old Cowhand Reunion Saturday was the "Great Freedom Bank Robbery and Shootout."
     The players were armed with the traditional weapons of the period, including shotguns and six-shooters. The shooters used specially manufactured black powder blank loads adding to the realism by leaving the audience with ringing ears and the street filled with smoke.
     If you weren't there last weekend, then you missed out on the 17th annual melodrama that could have been taken from a western movie. Don't fret, though... you can still catch a glimpse of the "Great Freedom Bank Robbery" at Oakie's Webshots in the "Freedom Rodeo 2001" album.
     It started as a normal day in Freedom, O.T. as the "Cobb Gang" rode into town and caused trouble with the local citizens while the sheriff was out of town. Isn't that the way it always is... When the sheriff & posse are detained somewhere else... the bad guys come out and play.
     The sheriff, his deputy and a small posse show up while the outlaws are robbing the bank. That's when the shooting began and lasted until all the gunfighters were gunned down on the Main Street of Freedom. Wes Nixon (a Freedom banker in real life) played the part of the western banker who fired both the first and last shots of the gunfight, becoming the town hero.
     The town drunk wandering through the streets the whole time came out without a nick or a scratch and could be seen still weaving unsteadily through the crowd at the very end of the melodrama. He did bring some humor to the melodrama and when asked how long it took him to research his character he said later, "I've been practicing for 45 years."
Earnie Rader (Pa Cobb) was quoted in a local paper as saying, "The citizens from Freedom have been putting on the show since 1984. I've been a bad guy since '88. We try for a natural setting and try to keep it as authentic as possible."

Oakie's NW Corner...

BUT... the temps started rising as schools began their first week of classes. We did get a bit of a reprieve towards the end of this week... Like we usually do this time of year with some thunder showers and partly cloudy days.

County Fairs Begin... When was the last time you and your family took in the county fairs? If you are around NW Oklahoma during the week of September 6, 7, 8 and 9, you should have a great opportunity to experience the rural country flavor of northwest Oklahoma as the citizens of these northwest counties get ready for their annual county fairs. Come out and join in the festivities...

Blaine County Fair... Is being held Sept. 6, 7, and 8, in Watonga. Entries and setups will take place Thursday of fair week. The judging will be Friday, 11:00am. If you enjoy watermelon, catch the watermelon feed at 4:00pm, Friday.

Ellis County Fair... Is scheduled for September 6, 7, and 8, in Shattuck, at the fairgrounds.

Woods County Fair... Will be held September 6, 7 and 8, at the Fairgrounds on the south side of Alva and west of the airport. The fairgrounds' Merchants Building will have 82 booths filled with exhibits and will open at 3:00pm on Thursday thru Saturday. Saturday morning will open with a horse show at 8a.m. Festivities will wind up with a concert given by Trader Price at 8:00p.m.

Harper County Fair... Buffalo, Oklahoma, will be the site of Harper County's Fair, at the fairgrounds starting with fair entries on September 7 and 9. The main events will be September 10 and 11.

Fairvalley Reunion... There is a ghostown of Fairvalley just east of Freedom, Oklahoma that has an annual Fairvalley Reunion held in Freedom by the descendants of past Fairvalley pioneers. I regret that I have missed last few years and will probably miss this years reunion because... It falls on "Grandparents Day" (September 9, 2001, Sunday), the same day as my "Paris Family Reunion" (in Chester, Oklahoma) at the same time. Which one do I attend? I wish I could split and be two places at once.

BUT..... See all you Paris' relatives and cousins in Tailholt on September 9, 2001, at High Noon!

More Excuses... If you don't like that excuse, then how about the excuse... Oklahoma University Sooners have their first football game of the season, in Norman this weekend (Aug. 25th); My sister's birthday is next weekend (Aug. 31st, Friday); and Labor Day Weekend is also just around the corner. Will those excuses hold me until we meet again... SOON?

Your Favorite Redhead!
-- Linda - "Oakie"

Linda K McGill Wagner
c/o WWW Publishing Co

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Mailbag & Links....

2001 Paris Reunion... The Chester community building in NW Oklahoma, Major County, will once again host the annual "Paris Reunion", September 9, 2001, in Chester, Oklahoma (a.k.a. Tailholt & Cottonwood Corners). If you are (or know) of the Paris Clan, then pass this little reminder along. Tell them, "Gather your family, genealogy, old photos, old family stories, pot-luck dishes, etc... and join the other Paris' at the Chester Community Building on the east part of town around High Noon, September 9, 2001, Sunday!"

History of McKeever School - "The Cherokee Outlet of the territory of Oklahoma was opened to settlement by the Land Run of 1893. After securing a homestead, the pioneers' immediate concern was the education of their children. The first schools were often a soddie or log building and later schools were built using clapboard, stucco, of wood and plaster construction."

[Feel Free to Cut-n-Paste, FWD, re-publish and pass these particular 1944 memories & photos along to anyone who might have been around the Alva and Northwestern area in 1944. Click the images to view the larger picture. -- LK Wagner, webmaster & editor]

Freedom Mural...

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