Touring Your Town

Clang, Clang, hey, is that the Hometown Trolley? If you saw the little Trolley tooling along in Groovy Grove this week, you might wonder what was up. Remember our Trolley made its way to Miami for casino runs, and then back to Grove, where it is owned by Grove Public Schools. They use it as special transportation for short runs for rewards.  We appreciate when the school lets us hire it for touring one of our favorite places, our own backyard. Perhaps you are working on a smirk right now that echo's your thoughts of "Why would anyone want to tour their hometown?" I can answer with confidence the more you learn about an area, the more you take ownership of it.

We hear stories about the people whose names grace buildings. Do you ever wonder who they are and why their names are on walls, streets, and signs? We reflect back on the history of our area, what drew the folks here, and why they stayed. Businesses have come and gone and, if only the walls could talk… But, they can't. So we tell their tales. We meet our hometown heroes, our firemen and police officers, and take a behind the scenes look at where they report. We are always impressed with the volume of calls and runs that these city employees do to protect its citizens.

It's good to be reminded of what our local businesses offer. Remember these are the brick and mortar companies that all the school kids hit up to sponsor ads in football programs, and yearbooks, and calendars. Besides the schools, every organization that does good, goes expectantly to the local firms and asks for prizes and donations. Banks and insurance agencies get hit hard to be a part of everyone's project. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, I'm just reminding you that the extra dollars you may spend at a home town business may not feel like the best bargain, but they pass it on to groups in YOUR community. Chances are high you will benefit from their contributions in the long run. Try to shop local as much as you can, to invest in your own city.

I encourage you make this the summer you go to local attractions. Pack a picnic basket and spend some time enjoying this corner of the world. Many of you were drawn here by the outdoor beauty; I hope you are making time to get outdoors! Patronize local restaurants. Promise yourself the next time you head into town, you won't drive past that place you have been saying you need to try. Try it! Call you Chamber of Commerce and ask about local services that you might not even be aware of that you might utilize.

Welcome our tourists and visitors. Show them small town hospitality at its best. Not only will they want to return, but keep in mind, so many visitors become residents after a few years. That may be way you got here!

Ready for a BIG Summer Season?

Sailboat Bridge ~ Grand Lake

There’s a lot of BIG entertainment in our area! Last week, the Good to Go Gang loaded our shiny red motorcoach and headed to Missouri for the Branson Big Stuff trip. This two-day trip was busy with four BIG shows that we totally enjoyed. We were wowed at the new production of “Samson” at the Sight and Sound Theater. The interpretation of the Biblical story was just as moving as the special effects were amazing. A BIG show! Show number two was “Raiding the Country Vault”. The classic country music is presented a bit different, with the focus on the song and its roots and less on the performer. But we learn, before the finale, that these are not just run of the mill performers, they are BIG.

Our third show is new, “Sinatra and Friends”. The BIG production show featured dancers, beautiful costumes and sets. Of course, the tunes of Ol’ Blue Eyes, The Rat Pack and that glamorous time rolled out some really BIG hits we all knew and loved. Our fourth show was a Branson favorite, The Hughes Brothers Family Show. What do you get when you take four talented brothers, that married four talented wives that birth the most talented children? You get the world’s BIGGEST family show! Really, they are the world’s biggest performing family. I think there were 35 children on stage. Doing stuff, good stuff, like singing and dancing and playing instruments. I didn’t see a dudd  in the bunch. I’m sorry you weren’t with us to see all this BIG Stuff!

We have some BIG stuff happening around Grand Lake, too! Make sure you read your paper of all the things happening! There is live theater! Buy a ticket, support the arts! HarBer Village is kicking off a year’s worth of celebration for their 50th anniversary. There are many special events planned. Lendonwood Gardens are loaded with color. When was the last time you visited some of the neat attractions in Miami?   There are many folks coming in for fishing tournaments, let’s spiff up a bit and be ready to welcome our visitors! Remember, they drop bucks at our local businesses and then go home. We need them to feel welcome and we want them to tell others positive things about us! 

It’s a good idea to remind your employees that most of the time they are the first faces of our communities. If the clerk at the gas station or the waiter at the cafe doesn’t know what there is to do, or where something is located, that’s not good. The saddest comment is “There is nothing to do here!” Yikes! Make sure you have some Grand Lake Guide books, ask your employees to look over some tourist attraction brochures. It would be wonderful if every front line face had a chance to “do” all the attractions, but if they can’t, then please educate them about the experience.  It would be worth some time in an employee meeting, or space on the bulletin board of the where’s, what’s and happenings.

I spend my days looking for special places to take travelers. I’m amazed at the number of times I visit an area and a local person “doesn’t have any idea why I would want to be there”, (spending money, paving their roads and paying their policemen). They guffaw like I should go back to my own town, and let their restaurants stay vacant and gifts in their shops gather dust. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but we should all try to be Good to Go with our guests on Grand this summer!

It Changes Like the Weather

“One thing you can say about Oklahoma weather: if you don’t like it stick around a few minutes & it’ll change.”

This anecdotal saying is also true for many other locations around the globe. Unless you’ve been in the Caribbean without access to news these past couple of weeks, you know that Oklahoma, and in fact the entire United States, experienced a much-colder-than-average temperature on Monday of last week. And on Wednesday of last week there was a freeze warning! Some claimed global warming, others said it was Mother Nature’s elaborate April Fool’s joke, but one thing we all had in common: we shivered and brought back the long thermals.

We also experienced a drastic temperature change on our recent fact-finding trip touring Morocco. From raining and cool the morning in Fez, to snow on the ground by noon at the top of the Atlas Mountains, to sweating in the setting sun on the Sahara desert. This is not to brag about our travels but to point out the wardrobe challenges that traveling can present. Since there wasn't a Wal-Mart around, we made a run to the many stall of the local market to find some warmer duds. I made myself a vow then to toss in my base layer cuddle duds for every trip, right beside my swimsuit. I want to be Good to Go!

 All these temperature-related problems can be solved with one solution: layering. Layering your wardrobe allows you to roll sleeves up or down, take sweaters and shirts off (or, conversely, put on) and even some travel pants have zip-off legs, allowing for instant conversion to shorts/bathing suit. Any coat or outerwear should have a wind/rain proof/resistant lining. This not only protects you from the wet, it’ll also protect your electronics like phones, cameras, etc. while keeping you warmer. If it has a hood, try to make sure it is large enough to cover your hat (ball cap) as this will help keep rain off of your face, eyeglasses and even camera lens.

Cooler shirts that wick away moisture help keep you drying, cooler and even warmer. (like magic!) Travel shirts like those from Columbia® and other outdoor sporty brands have an added advantage of being wind resistant and quick-to-dry. This feature can be invaluable when traveling at the rate of a different hotel every night because it allows you of an evening to wash/rinse in the shower, then wring out & air dry in time for “luggage out” the next morning. And added bonuses are they roll into tiny bundles, are lightweight and take up less room in your checked luggage.

So, stay warm out there or cool, fellow travelers, and keep in mind that as you travel, layering is the best way to deal with the ever-changing weather like we’re experiencing in Oklahoma. Remember it's never bad weather; it's just the wrong clothes.

Thank you, Mrs. Browning

All of us have vivid memories of a teacher.  I was fortunate to have many, many great teachers that made long lasting impressions on me. If you attended Grove Schools in the '50s-'60s, the name Mrs. Ruby Browning means something to you. She stood in front of hundreds and hundreds of elementary students and I would dare to say, made a huge impact on most. I was in Mrs. Browning's last sixth grade class she taught before she retired. It just so happened that it was also the first year in the T.J. Melton Building, which is now the lower elementary. The building was ultra modern in 1972-73, with open classrooms to the central hallway. (I think they have been enclosed now with a fourth wall and door) We may have had a modern take on a classroom, but our teacher gave us old fashioned education. Things that I still use to this day.

Mrs. Browning taught us how to memorize poetry. She wrote out the poem in its entirety and then erased a word or two a day. We recited it every day after lunch until we only had a few prompt words on the blackboard. Then she erased everything, and we stood there and delivered, word for word, Trees, by Joyce Kilmer. Maybe this isn't a big deal to you, but there have been many times that some of our old gang gets together and all at once we start into one of the poems we committed to memory in 1973. I have used that memorization method many times ever since.

Mrs. Browning loved to travel. Her lessons were sprinkled with personal stories of her experiences from around the world. I remember with excitement when she set up her slide carousel and took us to the Middle East, a part of the world I didn't know existed. She had traveled to Iran and Iraq. She clicked through her photos of the people, photos of the buildings. I even remember she had a picture of a man relieving himself on the side of a building! We giggled, but she made a lesson out of it about differences in cultures, and what conveniences we daily take for granted.  She opened my eyes to traveling to learn, not just to vacation. I can also recall an assignment she gave us asking us to write a report on a place we would like to go.

I clearly remember writing about wanting to visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I had read about Michelangelo in my Weekly Reader newspaper, and I wanted to see that ceiling. Michelangelo's Pieta had recently been damaged when some crazy jumped the rope and started hammering her face. The repairs were reported in the Weekly Reader, and I wanted to see that statue. I have no idea what destinations other kids wrote about, but I know when I finally stood in front of that piece of art, and looked up at that ceiling, I had a sense of completion. It had taken me quite a few years to get there, but I thought of Mrs. Browning and that report.

Our Oklahoma educators have certainly been in the news. They are our children's daytime parents, they are role models, and they are the source of inspiration that most likely will direct many young people's paths. I haven't forgotten Mrs. Ruby Browning, and I wish I could thank her  now.