Rogers County Magazine November 1, 2014

Volume I, Number 1 November 2014

Claremore’s Veterans Day Parade set for November 11... See Page 2-3 Hayden Jones will again be playing his trumpet with the Claremore Zebra Band Editor’s Notes Shop Talk Art World Santa Cash in Claremore Collinsville November Events Home Schoolers A Puppy’s Destiny

Veterans News It Started with a Prison Sentence Entertainment Parting Shot

Page 4 Page 5 Page 7 Page 7 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15

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November 2014

World War II Veterans set as Grand Marshals of Veterans Day Parade Four World War II Veterans from Claremore will share the Grand Marshall duties in the 9th Annual Claremore Veterans Day Parade November 11. Set to start at exactly 11:11 a.m. from the Expo Center parking lot, it will proceed down Will Rogers Blvd. and disperse at the First Baptist Church parking lot.

Claremore residents Ralph Bethea, Larry Filkins, Bill Larkin and Irene Ward will be sharing the Grand Marshall duties leading the parade.

“What an honor it is to recognize these four outstanding individuals for their service to our nation,” said Ryan Payne of MMS-Payne Funeral Service. MMS-Payne Funeral Service the Claremore VFW are the sponsors of the Veterans Day Parade and the U.S. Flag Retirement Ceremony which will take place after the relighting of the Eternal Flame at the Courthouse steps after the pa-

rade. The program is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.

“We will also honor former Claremore resident Army PFC Lowhman Sutton, a Silver and Bronze Star recipient, in whose memory the Eternal Flame was inspired. His mother Geraldine Brown, will share the Grand Marshall duties and assist with the transfer of the flame.

Commander Bill Richey of the JR Hooper Memorial VFW and parade committee member, is organizing the parade. “Last year we had our largest parade with 85 entries,” said Richey. “This year the bands, floats, the Rogers State University coaching staff, Tulsa radio and television personalities, Route 66 cruisers are already scheduled to participate.

Walmart employees will be handing out American flags along the parade route.”

After the Eternal Flame rededication, the Claremore and Inola High School Jr ROTC

cadets will perform the U.S. Flag Retirement ceremony. Anyone with an aged flag they wish to retire are invited to bring them to the JM Davis Arms and Historical Museum or to MMS-Payne Funeral Service. “We have received over one thousand flags this year, and they all need to be properly retired,” said Frank Friedemann of MMS-Payne Funeral Service, who provides the cremation services for the retired flags.

Ralph Bethea was an Army captain in charge of the surgical unit that followed General George Patton’s troops after D-Day. Larry Filkins was a sergeant and combat medic in Europe including service during the Battle of the Bulge.

Bill Larkin was a Marine tank driver in the Pacific Theatre and was involved in many battles including Iwo Jima.

Irene Ward served on General Dwight Eisenhower’s staff in North Africa

November 2014

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Eternal Flame at County Courthouse set to be transfered at end of parade There is a special event happening with the Veterans Day Parade this year. When the old courthouse was demolished, the Eternal Flame honoring all fallen soldiers, was moved to Claremore’s JR Hooper Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars temporarily. The Flame, envisioned and instigated by Geraldine (Sutton) Brown, the mother of PFC Lowhman Sutton, was on hand to transfer the flame as it was moved from the courthouse to the VFW post.

Geraldine Brown will again be escorting the flame, transferred by the Claremore High School ROTC unit, in the lead units of the parade. Geraldine will be riding in a 2007 Shelby GT Convertible, owned by her niece Tammy Anderson, and is one of only 700 made. Geraldine will be one of the Grand Marshalls of the parade.

Geraldine has been a resident of Claremore since 1937 and wanted to honor her son as well as all Veterans with a memorial in Claremore.

She brought the idea to then Commander Harry Powers of the Claremore VFW. They worked together with the city council and Rogers county commissioners to establish an eternal flame on the north side of the Rogers County Courthouse in 1971.

The Flame and escorts will travel down Will Rogers Blvd. to the firehouse, then turn right and go back up to the Courthouse via Patti Page Blvd. It will be relit on the west side of the Courthouse at the flagpoles at about 12:30 p.m.

As a Gold Star Mother, a mom who has lost a child to war, Geraldine found new purpose after Lowhman’s death, immediately joining the Claremore VFW Auxiliary, giving countless hours to the community and Veterans. She is now serving as chaplain of the Auxiliary, at 89 and never ceasing her in her drive to make the community a better place, especially for Veterans.

Lowhman was a 19-year-old volunteer serving in the United States Army in Vietnam when his unit came under fire.

Lowhman lost his life after demolishing a hooch which had individuals firing a ba-

The Claremore JrROTC will be escorting the Eternal Flame from its temporary place honor at the JR Hooper VFW and bring it in the parade to the new Memorial at the front of the Court House.

zooka at his unit, then rescuing his buddies from the fire fight. He was awarded both Silver and Bronze Stars for his service.

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Good news. Everyone yearns to learn of good news. The truth is, there are more great things happening than bad. The local newspapers do a great job of providing us with the bad news, why should we bother?

We won’t. Rogers County Magazine will feature good news, community events and activities, funny and inspiring stories, and an occasional tall tale.

Sure, we may tell a tale, but they will always be fun and always within the realm of possibilities. The tall tales will be only sporadic, but be watching for them.

What really inspired us to create this new magazine is lack of marketing coverage for the greater Rogers County area, tying it together. It makes an ideal marketing region, enhancing the visibility and brand recognition of all advertisers while providing a magazine that is fun to read..

Who are ‘we’? you ask. Good question. The ‘we’ in the Rogers County Magazine is Bill and Candy Richey. Bill is the current commander of the JR Hooper Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars in Claremore, Candy is the other half of the team.

Candy was born into the newspaper and photog-

raphy professions. This will make the sixth publication she has helped create. See online at www.

TheRCMag.com for our complete professional biographies.

We are not new to the publishing industry. In Washington State, we identified the same type of under-served region and started the Valley Bugler and published it for almost ten years until we sold it in 2007. It followed the same premise as our new publication, and did nothing but grow and gain community support.

One of the things that resulted in universal community support was the way local community members who owned businesses, operated senior centers, community organizations, and others who chose to contribute to the story material in their area of expertise. They all enjoyed a following, and obviously their contribution helped their business.

Of course, those experts in business knew the value of their contribution and helped support the publication with their purchased ads. It was a true symbiotic relationship where we promoted them and they in turn promoted the publication.

That is exactly what we will be providing with the new Rogers County Magazine. We invite local businesses to of course advertise with us, but also if they would like to contribute to the publication in their area of expertise, provide us with an article.

Monthly contributors will enjoy their own masthead as a columnist.

One opportunity we did not have with the Valley Bugler is the social media of Facebook, Twitter, and even email. While email was available in 1998, not many had it and most didn’t know what to do with

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it in a marketing sense. However, Facebook and Twitter have so vastly expanded the capability to reach a vast audience, that we are excited about the potential it has for promoting the businesses in the area. Not only are we printing up to 20,000 copies monthly, but we also have the entire magazine online for free viewing. All of our advertisers will all have links in the online ad to their own website or Facebook page. And as each issue is published, advertisers will be sending out notice on their Facebook pages to their foloowers, and the likes, making multiplication of readers exponential and inevitable.

As you can see with this issue, full color is our style, with full color you can really get your message out there. When you advertise with an ad, all copy will be clear and legible.

Rogers County Magazine will also be providing their own Facebook and Twitter notifications when something new is added, and if readers join our e-mail list they will also receive notice when the issue is published.

While free pickup is our major source of distribution, subscriptions to the Rogers County Magazine will be available making it easy to ensure readers receive their magazine every month by mail. One year is $25, two years is $45, and three years are $65.

The Rogers County Magazine will be available all over the Greater Rogers County region, including Claremore, Inola, Chelsea, Pryor, Oologah, Collinsville, Catoosa and Verdigris at businesses, doctor offices, auto repair, restaurants, car dealers and any place you may have to sit and wait a bit. All of the advertisers will also be pick up sites. For a complete list of drop sites go to our website at www.

TheRCMag.com and click on the PICKUP link.

We will add to the pick up sites as we grow. With 20,000 copies printed, you will be able to find Rogers County Magazine. Our circulation is more than four times the number that the local newspapers print.

We look forward to serving all of you in the Rogers County area. If you have a story idea, know of people in our communities who are doing great things, have an event you would like publicized, would like to support the magazine with an advertising purchase, or just want to say hello, give us a call at 918.810.6036.

Anyone can give up. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true courage.

Author Unknown

November 2014

Dickens on the Boulevard set for Nov. 21-22

Downtown Claremore will soon be bustling with Christmas cheer in a most celebrated way. Dickens on the Boulevard, the popular annual Victorian Christmas event, returns on the evenings of November 21 and 22nd from 6 to 10.

“Dickens on the Boulevard is a beloved family event. People enjoy bringing their families annually for the variety of activities we bring to downtown. It’s a cool thing to see so many people get in the holiday spirit during Dickens,” says Cindy Bissett, Executive Director of Claremore Main Street.

You can dress in your best Victorian costume for a contest or you can view the living windows of each store, offering you a step back in time to see how life looked in the 1800s. Stick around for the territorial marshals’ reenactment and Victorian dance, and bring your kids to play some games from the era.

A popular attraction during Dickens on the Boulevard is Tales from the Top, a tour of the upper floors of downtown buildings.

These buildings have been around for about a century and are accompanied with interesting all-new stories of the past. Tickets are required in advance and are limited, so you’ll need to purchase early for only $8 from Claremore Main Street’s office at 419 West Will Rogers Boulevard (Inside the ‘Chamber of Commerce).

Bookworms can appreciate signings from several local authors at Boarding House Books, and wagon rides will transport visitors to Claremore Museum of History and Belvidere Mansion. A living Nativity will warm the hearts of viewers, and kids of all ages can meet Santa for a photo op.

Those looking to shop are in for a special treat during this weekend. Downtown merchants will be open until 8 on Friday and Saturday, and you’ll have multiple chances to win shopping dollars.

Admission is free, and the Victorian celebration begins at 6 each evening. Learn more about Dickens on the Boulevard by calling 918.

341.5881, emailing mainstreet@claremore. org, or visiting www.downtownclaremore. org.

By Larry Banzet Question: Service the cooling system? Do I really need to do that!

Answer: Yes! Do you remember the old mechanic commercial on TV talking about the Fram oil filter and the guy holding the filters, “Pay me now or pay me later”? Well that’s still true today but only the words have changed a little. “Pay me now, or pay me a lot more later!”

The picture in this article shows two water pumps, a new one and an old one.

The customer complaint was he had no heat. The vehicle had around 100 thousand miles on it and wasn’t driven much anymore because the gentleman was elderly.

He had never serviced the cooling system and this was the result. The water pump fins were rusted

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completely off, the intake gaskets were leaking due to the high ph levels in the coolant and the heater core was rusted and plugged up and coolant could not flow through. This was a very expensive repair that could have been avoided with routine servicing of the cooling system.

One way or the other, service it now for a little or service it when its too late and pay a lot more.

It is highly important to have each of your car’s systems serviced regularly so those big bills don’t surprise you.

Larry is the owner of Boomer’s Auto Repair, one of the most respected repair shops in Claremore.

He can be reached at 918.342.1030, Boomer Auto Repair shops are located at 815 W. 1st St. and 16251 S. Hwy 66, Claremore.

Don’t take yourself too seriously.

No one else does.

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This is the first Art World column about art and art happenings featured in Rogers County Magazine.

Subsequent columns will be available in every issue of the Magazine, so be watching. If you have specific topics you wish discussed in the Art World, drop us an email.

Artists are always seeking venues where they may display and sell their art. After all, we aren’t artists to simply decorate our homes, we want to share our visions with the world. One of the best things that have come out of the internet age, is we can do just that, share our art with the world. Many artists are selling mostly online with their own websites, while some join other collaborative websites such as ArtSpan and others. There are pros and cons to all options, you need to research and then decide which is the best venue for your art. Live art shows, however, still feed the soul of a dedicated artist, because of the personal, one-on-one feedback of attendees.

One of the downsides of the new technology is finding the time to learn it. And that learning isn’t a one-time educational experience, it is ongoing with something new to be learned daily. If you join a collaborative site, you have to learn how it works and what you have to do to be successful. It is not easy. Setting up your own site has a plethora of addi-

tional details including hosting, software, and what the heck is html? How does one find the time to also create that image that has been simmering in your mind? If you have someone close to you to take care of the electronic age details, it can free you to continue creating fantastic images.

In Oklahoma, there are many shows where artists can display their art. “An Affair of the Heart” is held in February in Oklahoma City.

It is a juried show, and can be very difficult to get in. Sunshine Artist Magazine rated this show 78th this year. I haven’t seen that show, but the reviews are always excellent.

To give a good comparison, they rated the “Contemporary Craft Market held in Pasadena as 79th.

Pasadena, California was once host to a large workshop with artists and teachers coming from all over the globe. They also had a huge supply of art materials for sale, and one could always get the latest information from the various companies. It cancelled a year or so ago and I really miss that event, having attended for over 15 years.

I usually begin painting my Christmas Cards in July. However, this year I haven’t got my idea set so I haven’t started. That means painting over 50 cards will keep me busy for a while, with a late start. I have a new painting and several more in the works. Many of

November 2014

the people who receive my Christmas cards keep them all.

They are small original watercolors.

I am working on a small book for artists that I hope will boost their enthusiasm. Dreaming up that original painting takes dedication and imagination to be original and innovative.

Don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zones, you’ll be amazed at what you will create. I also have a couple videos that I will put up on the site for beginners to get started.

Happy Painting.

Colleen A. BakerHuber is a life-long artist and has taught art for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree of Fine art from Cal Poly Pomona. She has enjoyed acceptance at The Art Affair in Laguna Beach, California for several years, and has paintings in private and public collections world-wide. If you have any questions about her art or prints you can reach her through email at cocobien@verizon.net. She is also named in Marquis’ Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who of Women of the World. She has a couple of websites, the newest and most complete is located at www.ColleenBakerHuber.com and fine art giclees from her work can be ordered from there. All of her work is printed by www.GGiclee.com located in Verdigris.

November 2014

Santa Cash starts November 6 in Claremore Holiday shopping is about to get a lot more exciting with the arrival of Santa Cash, Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual shop local promotion.

Santa Cash is a favorite among many people in and out of Claremore. This is an opportunity to shop Claremore’s local stores and possibly reward yourself with a grand prize of a whopping $10,000!

Santa Cash works like this: Between November 6 and December 19, visit any of the participating locations – “elves,” as they’re referred to – and pick up a ticket. Receive one just for walking in the door, or browse the shelves and receive a ticket for every $10 you spend. Then, join Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs grandstands on December

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20th official drawing. The $10,000 prize will be given away, followed by a $2,500 second prize. Winners must be present for those drawings, or you can opt for your luck at the online giveaway of $1,000.

Julie Simmons, Committee Chair, points out that Santa Cash is a win-win for everyone. “The Santa Cash promotion is two-fold.

It rewards shoppers and is a boost to local retail and service participants during the holiday season.”

Santa Cash tremendously helps local busiSee SANTA CASH, page 9

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One day a man decided to retire...

He booked himself on a Caribbean cruise and proceeded to have the time of his life, that is, until the ship sank.

He soon found himself on an island with no other people, no supplies, nothing, only bananas and coconuts.

After about four months, he is lying on the beach one day when the most gorgeous woman he has ever seen rows up to the shore.

In disbelief, he asks, “Where did you come from? How did you get here?”

She replies, “I rowed over from the other side of the island where I landed when my cruise ship sank.”

“Amazing,” he notes. “You were really lucky to have a row boat wash up with you.”

“Oh, this thing?” explains the woman. “I made the boat out of some raw material I found on the island. The oars were whittled from gum tree branches. I wove the bottom from palm tree branches, and the sides and

stern came from an Eucalyptus tree.”

“But, where did you get the tools?”

“Oh, that was no problem,” replied the woman. “ On the south side of the island, a very unusual stratum of alluvial rock is exposed. I found that if I fired it to a certain temperature in my kiln, it melted into ductile iron and I used that to make tools and used the tools to make the hardware.”

The guy is stunned.

“Let’s row over to my place,” she says, “and I’ll give you a tour.” So, after a short time of rowing, she soon docks the boat at a small wharf. As the man looks to shore, he nearly falls off the boat. Before him is a long stone walk leading to a cabin and tree house.

While the woman ties up the rowboat with an expertly woven hemp rope, the man can only stare ahead, dumb struck. As they walk into the house, she says casually, “It’s not much, but I call it home. Please sit down.”

Legal service makes living trouble free much easier Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? A bill for something you didn’t buy, or a hospital bill with things added for which you did not receive?

These are only a few of the events protection by Legal Shield can help and take away the worry of unfair business dealings.

“When we first enrolled, we had a company who was trying to collect on a lease of a piece of equipment for which we had paid cash ten years prior. When we asked them

to send a copy of the contract, it was forged with a pasted in signature and held two different dates, for which we weren’t even in the state to sign,” said a Legal Shield client. After just one letter from their Legal Shield attorney, the collection attempts ceased.

Another client stated that she had received a hospital bill for cateract surgery along with the bill for the lenses. The only problem with that was she had paid in advance for a better lens, and so she was being double billed.

After months of fighting with the hospital, one letter from the Leagal Shield attorney and there were no calls. There was also no adverse report on credit bureaus.

Just every day life has a way of being a hassle if you don’t have access to an attorney at a fair rate.

For only $20 a month, you can have an attorney on call who will write

November 2014

“Would you like a drink?”“No! No thank you,” the man blurts out, still dazed. “I can’t take another drop of coconut juice.”

“Oh, it’s not coconut juice,” winks the woman. “I have a still. How would you like a Tropical Spritz?”

Trying to hide his continued amazement, the man accepts, and they sit down on her couch to talk.

After they exchange their individual survival stories, the woman announces, “I’m going to slip into something more comfortable.

Would you like to take a shower and shave?

There’s a razor in the bathroom cabinet upstairs.”

No longer questioning anything, the man goes upstairs into the bathroom. There, in the cabinet is a razor made from a piece of tortoise bone. Two shells honed to a hollow ground edge are fastened on to its end inside a swivel mechanism.

“This woman is amazing,” he muses.

“What’s next?”

When he returns, she greets him wearing nothing but some small flowers on tiny vines, each strategically positioned, she smelled faintly of gardenias. She then beckons for him to sit down next to her.

“Tell me,” she begins suggestively, slithering closer to him, “We’ve both been out here for many months. You must have been lonely.

When was the last time you played around?”

She stares into his eyes.

He can’t believe what he’s hearing. “You mean...,” he swallows excitedly as tears start to form in his eyes, “You’ve built a Golf Course?”

letters and make phone calls on your behalf, and it is unlimited! If your need extends past letters and phone calls, you still get a huge discount on any extended services.

Legal Shield also offers an identy theft program called Identity Shield. When added to your Legal Shield plan it is only $10 a month.

Are you buying a car? Have the contract reviewed free. You also get your will written, and reviewed annually free.

For more information, call 918.829.9668 or visit the website at www.legalshieldassociate. com/clrichey. You can sign up right from the website, and receive coverage immediately.

ELECTION DAY

Tuesday November 3, 2014 If You Don’t Vote, You Have No Right To Complain!

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Collinsville features fun events for November The Collinsville Chamber of Commerce is holding its monthly membership luncheon on Thursday, November 6 at 11: 45 a.m. at the Collinsville Library. The speaker, Jennifer Lyness of Night Owl 918, will visit with us on leveraging social media to meet new potential clients, find jobs and grow your business.

Fun for the entire family will be the name of the game with the Bingo Night set for Saturday, November 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Collinsville High School cafeteria. Admission for adults is $5 and children 12 and under are only $1 which includes one Bingo card. Additional cards are available at $1 each. There are a lot of prizes for all ages and to keep tummies full concessions will also be available.

Those who donate a can of food will get an extra Bingo card. All food collected will be donated to the Collinsville Church of Christ Food Pantry. This is a great event for your entire family to come and play and have a lot of fun.

SANTA CASH, continued from page 5

nesses gain customers and publicity during this promotional timeframe. “Every dollar spent in our community can recirculate up to seven times,” says Dell Davis, President of Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s clear that there are benefits of the sales tax dollars working in and for Claremore.”

Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs is serving as the official host site and Santa Claus sponsor, while Suburban Chevrolet the is Mrs. Claus sponsor. The Candy Cane ticket sponsor is Tulsa Federal Credit Union, and Reindeer sponsors include RCB Bank, Claremore Daily Progress, Grand Bank, Bennett’s Route 66 Pharmacy, BancFirst, Bank of Commerce, and Walmart.

The following locations are Santa Cash’s official elves and will have tickets available from November 6 to December 19:

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Claremore Compounding Pharmacy, Claremore Daily Progress, Claremore Tire & Auto Repair, Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce, The District on Main, El Maguey Restaurant, Foutz Chiropractic, Grand Bank, Health Center Pharmacy, Heatwave Tanning, Heins Jewelry, J & J Pharmacy, Plum Gold Jewelers, Radio Shack, RCB Bank, Reasor’s, Robertson Tire, Stillwater Milling, Suburban Chevrolet, TTCU The Credit Union, Tulsa Federal Credit Union, Walgreens, Warehouse Market, : Asiana Buffet, Atwoods, BancFirst, Bennett’s Route 66 Pharmacy, Carl’s Coney Island, Westlake ACE Hardware, and Will Rogers Memorial Museum.

For more information on Santa Cash, call Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce at (918) 341-2818 or email chamber@claremore. org.

If you can translate this for us, please let us know.

“My accomplishments as Secretary of State? Well, I’m glad you asked! My proudest accomplishment in which I take the most pride, mostly because of the opposition it faced early on, you know… the remnants of prior situations and mindsets that were too narrowly focused in a manner whereby they may have overlooked the bigger picture and we didn’t do that and I’m proud of that. Very proud. I would say that’s a major accomplishment.”

- Hillary Clinton, 11 March 2014

ASPIRE TO INSPIRE BEFORE YOU EXPIRE!

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Give Your Kids a Truly Personalized Education When my two oldest children were small, homeschool was the last thing on my mind because I did not know it existed. I thought that everyone went to some sort of school, public or private, and no one would even consider another option because they are the professionals. They are grown now, and on to college and careers after doing extremely well in school.

If I knew then what I know now, my oldest would never have suffered in kindergarten with a teacher who was far past her prime and unable to deal with an advanced, extremely driven boy; despite my having discussion after discussion with the teacher, principal and anyone else who would listen.

How little I knew!

Childreb are not designed to sit for hours on end, taking in everything their teacher (or teachers) says. They need to be up moving around, touching, experiencing, watching, listening, and interacting. You see, this is the fatal flaw in public education: kids are

unable to do and be what they are meant to be. Whether that is questioning everything, or soaking it all in to process later, all kids have a favorite learning style, and it simply is not possible to provide this for every child in school.

This is why, perhaps more so than any other reason, mass education was doomed to fail from the beginning.

When you go against the nature of a being, whether you are trying to domesticate a wolf to be your new dog, or just putting kids into situations that are less than ideal for their learning, things are likely to backfire. The more we try to clamp down on the misbehavior, the more they act out. They cannot explain why they are acting out, but they are. Instinctively, they know that the current situation in which they find themselves is not right.

So they fight it, albeit in an often inappropriate, self-destructive manner. They struggle against artificially introduced restrictions that are not there to help them grow, but instead to control them. These restrictions’ sole

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purpose is to keep the crowd from turning into a mob.

How though, do we fix the problems?

School budgets are completely out of control, they are required to do more and more for the students with free lunches, extra help studying, etc. Class sizes are at an all time high, and growing. This does not help kids grow and develop into the independent, creative, innovative adults who made our country great. When the focus of a teacher’s day became how to help their students pass state mandated tests, many chances for real learning were bypassed.

More families are turning to homeschooling to give their kids the education of which they dreamed, because it is no longer found in schools, if indeed it ever was! Modern homeschooling started up again in the midto late sixties. In many states it was illegal to educate your kids at home, and many parents suffered the consequences of doing what they felt was right for their kids. These families were the trailblazers for most of us now; they helped pave the way for us to homeschool without fear of retribution from the state.

I am eternally grateful to them, and for what they did for us to return our parental rights and responsibilities to us, the parents.

If you are considering homeschool, you are not alone! In fact, recent research (http:// nheri.org/#sthash.MqzQwDy5.dpuf) indicates that it is growing seven times faster than public school enrollment. On the upside of this, public schools will become less crowded, possibly the class sizes may be reduced. So you could consider leaving your kids in school, but why not take the reins, and create a truly unique and fulfilling childhood educational experience for your kids?

The choices are staggering! The beauty and the bane of homeschooling are the number of ways to teach English, Math, and more. The variety of curricula to choose from is overwhelming at first. My best advice is to start simple. Our first year we only used a couple of things that were pre-packaged curricula; one was our Latin. We did everything else on the fly because we did not know what to buy, and that is okay.

There are so many other avenues to learning that as long as your kids are learning, it will be okay. The first year usually gets spent figuring out how they learn anyhow, so spending big bucks on a bunch of curriSee HOMESCHOOLERS on page 11

November 2014 HOMESCHOOLERS continued from page 10

cula that you think looks great, may not be the best way to start. Your kids could have the time to do all those science experiments they love, or they could be learning a new language. They could be playing outside in the dirt, learning about insects, or playing a musical instrument and joining a soccer team.

Are you afraid of letting your kids down?

Good! Use that fear as a tool, take it, and turn it into a powerful tool of growth. Make that fear a motivator, and you will keep working to be a better teacher, and parent.

Do you want to homeschool, but have to work? Me too! I work as a violin teacher, and as editor of Learning Tangent Homeschool Magazine (www.learningtangent.com).

It can work, but you have to be willing to change and adapt. Learning does not begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., the sooner you kick that idea to the curb, the smoother the transition will be.

Learning does not have to take place inside a building, with desks and chalkboards and overhead projectors, although it can.

Learning is a lifestyle; homeschooling is a lifestyle. Like any lifestyle change, it requires flexibility and adaptation – two qualities which humanity possesses in abundance.

What are you waiting for?

Gail is a mom to four children, two of whom are homeschooled. She teaches violin and viola, and wrote Teach Your Kids Music in 12 Weeks. As Editor-inChief of Learning Tangent Homeschool Magazine (www.learningtangent.com), she oversees the daily operations of the magazine, and lends moral support and shares information with current and potential homeschooling parents. She can be reached via email at info@learningtangent.com.

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: Be kind anyway. If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies: Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank people will try to cheat you: Be honest anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight: Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous of you: Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten by tomorrow: Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough: Give your best anyway.”

~ Mother Teresa

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A Puppy’s Destiny

By Candy Richey Everyone loves puppies. What’s not to love.

A couple of months ago, a litter of Rottweiler puppies was born. Many were adopted to great homes. One special little guy was left behind.

Larry was actively attempting to find a home for the little guy, but so far no takers.

One day he walked off. Larry looked everywhere but could not find him. He was heartbroken and asked God to protect him and bring him back. He knew at this point, all he had was prayer.

Four days later, after a wicked lightning storm, the little guy found his way back. As such a young puppy, this was highly against the odds, but, as we said, this is one special puppy. He is very smart, but Larry knew it was because of his prayer, and God had answered it.

He called his wife and relayed the good news. She asked him, “You aren’t going to keep him are you?”, as she was thinking of their already abundant family of dogs.

Larry said he didn’t think so and let it drop for a few days.

One day, as he was sitting and contemplating the situation he was struck by a message.

“I was given the solution by the Holy Spirit,”

he said. “I don’t know how you believe, but my faith gave me the solution through the Holy Spirit.”

The solution? Larry and his wife have a daughter who has struggled with drugs.

She had been raised in a family of faith, but sometimes no matter how a child is raised, they choose other paths. She was residing in a drug treatment facility, Larry had custody, and was taking care of her children.

Larry felt the Holy Spirit told him to give the puppy to their daughter when she finished her treatment.

What better gift than the gift of a puppy who gives unconditional love, no matter how bad a day you have?

While she had always received unconditional love from her parents, they had come to the edge of their support and the rehab was a last chance. They always provided unconditional love, but sometimes the tough love has to be a part of the cure.

“If she can cake care of, and love this little guy, and stay sober, she will be able to be a mother to her children,” Larry said. “I named him Rambo because he is a survivor.”

The puppy found his way home through prayer, Rambo’s new home was ordained through the Holy Spirit. And love completes the deal.

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VFW and DAV in Claremore sponsoring Golf Tournament The JR Hooper Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Rogers County Disabled American Veterans, both of Claremore, have teamed up to put on a first-class golf tournament September 4, 2015. They are actively seeking sponsors for the tournament, as well as golf teams.

The Rogers County Golf Tournament is set to be held at Scissortail Golf Course in Ver-

digris. The entry fees for golfers includes two carts per team, a goodie bag, breakfast snacks and a lunch after the tournament, all at the golf course.

The tournament will also feature a hole-inone contest for a new car (sponsor and car yet to be determined), putting contest, closest to the pin, best team putting, best team score, chipping contest, putt for cash, the worst

November 2014

score, a 50/50 raffle and door prizes. There will be lots of opportunities to win money as well as valuable prizes.

It is a Scramble format, where you will take the best drive, chip, and putt and everyone proceeds to that spot for their shot. The shotgun start is at 8 a.m.

The VFW and DAV have a history of working together for the needs of Veterans. This tournament will enable them to help even more Veterans, as 100% of the profits from the tournament will go to their Veterans Services programs.

Sponsorships range from the Hole-in-One contest sponsor, their donation will pay for the Hole-in-One insurance, incase someone gets very lucky; breakfast and lunch sponsors who will provide the food, and sponsors of holes, carts, various contests and more.

Donations, of course, are always welcome.

Sponsors can give the chairman Candy Richey a call at the post, 918.342.5730, or to her cell at 918.829.9668. Donations of door prizes are also needed, as well as items for the goodie bags.

The tournament has a temporary website, which is far from finished, but can be found at www.GolfVFW.com. On that site are the applications for golf teams as well as sponsor forms.

Put it on your calendar for September 4, 2015. Golf, sponsor, and help all of the Rogers County Veterans who are needing assistance.

Concealed Carry classes help protect your 2nd Amendment rights It is a relaxed and fun class, but when you complete it you will know the laws concerning carrying concealed weapons in Oklahoma. You will be prepared and ready to apply for your Concealed Carry Permit. And it is only $50.

With 40 years experience, Oklahoma Concealed Carry, Inc. provides the weapons and ammo for target practice, and a class chocked full of information and law. Most classes are held Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Other days and times are available, and special group classes can be arranged.

For information contact Oklahoma Concealed Carry at 918.371.2103 and check them out on their Facebook page.

November 2014

It all started with a prison sentence

By Emily Mahan Rhonda Bear had a dream. It’s rather simple, yet difficult to achieve. Rhonda envisioned a community with less recidivism and more successful, healthy women.

Recidivism, the act of relapsing into negative behavior, is a major problem in Oklahoma. And Rhonda is no stranger to this problem.

“I was previously incarcerated.”

That’s not an easy statement for some people to proclaim, but Rhonda is more than happy to share her story of failure-turnedsuccess.

Rhonda struggled at an early age with drug addiction and numerous arrests. After losing custody of her children and serving prison time, Rhonda knew she wanted to change.

After working with her Stand in the Gap family, a ministry-led transitional home, Rhonda was able to regain custody of her three children and hold a steady job for nine years.

Rhonda is now clean, sober, and the founder of She Brews Coffee House. This coffee house is a non-profit organization in Claremore that provides opportunities for women reentering into society after struggling with problems like drug addiction.

Rhonda explains that She Brews Coffee House is “intended to give back what was given to me. I feel like people invested in me, and now what I tell them all the time is it’s earning interest, because I am now investing in the lives of other women.”

Rhonda also directs His House Outreach Ministries, a faith-based transitional home in Claremore. Women who are regaining their lives at His House are given the opportunity to work at She Brews to gain responsibility, leadership, trustworthiness, and social skills.

She Brews Coffee House’s mission statement is: “To improve the quality of life by advocating for women struggling with reentering back into society successfully; to bring effective solutions to the cycle of recidivism by providing programs focused on social and economic change and community development within Claremore.”

She Brews is certainly upholding its mission, as there have already been several women who have grown and moved on from She Brews to hold other jobs or focus on higher education.

Growing is a lot of what She Brews Coffee House has been doing throughout its existence, too. It began two years ago this month as a rather small venture across the street from its current location as just a small coffee bar inside another business. They had only a few menu items like coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate, and the occasional pastry.

Eventually, they began to provide seating areas and iced coffee, and then word began to get around town about this small startup.

In November of last year, She Brews began serving soup and sandwiches. This helped their customer base skyrocket. Since then, She Brews Coffee House switched locations and expanded their menu. They provide lunch delivery on weekdays at no extra charge, and catering services are available.

Though Rhonda is the founder of this cause, she doesn’t take any credit. She says, “All I can say about She Brews is found in Ephesians 3:20-21. ‘Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the

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church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.’ That’s really my thing for She Brews. This has become so much more than I have ever anticipated, and the interesting thing is that I don’t think we’re stopping here. I really feel like we’re going to keep growing.”

Keep up with the ladies of She Brews by visiting them at 414 West Will Rogers Boulevard in downtown Claremore Monday through Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM. Call (918) 923-6020 or visit www.shebrewscoffeehouse.org and www.facebook.com/SheBrewsCoffeeHouse to learn more.

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November 2014

November 2014

14th Annual Toy Run set for Nov. 8

Hard Rock ‘The Joint’

Upcoming Shows Quarterhorse Racing at Will Rogers Downs

Quarterhorses are running at Will Rogers Downs through November 8, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. These extremely fast paced races are fun to watch and bet upon. Spring racing begins in March with the Thoroughbreds.

BOK Entertainment River Spirit Casino WALKING WITH DINOSAURS Tuesday Nov 11, 2014 7:30 PM Wednesday Nov 12 3:30 p.m 7:30 p.m.

CASTING CROWNS Saturday Nov 22, 2014 7:00 p.m.

WWE Live Monday Dec 1, 2014 6:30 p.m.

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Thursday Dec 4 7:30 p.m.

THE BLACK KEYS Saturday Dec 20 8 p.m.

RICK SPRINGFIELD Friday November 7 - 7 p.m.

Doors Open at 6 p.m.

Ticket Prices: $40, $50, $60 FOREIGNER Thursday November 13 - 7 p.m.

Doors Open at 6 p.m.

Ticket Prices: $60, $75, $90

NICK SWARDSON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 • 8PM Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets on sale, August 21 Price: $35, $45 THE OAK RIDGE BOYS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 • 8PM Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets on sale, September 11 Price: $35, $45 PAUL RODGERS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13 • 8PM Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets on sale, October 2 Price: $45, $55 MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20 • 8PM Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets on sale, September 11 Price: $60, $65, $75 BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11 • 8PM Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets on sale, October 16 Price: $45, $55, $65 FELIX CAVALIERE’S RASCALS MONDAY, DECEMBER 29 • 8PM Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets on sale, October 2 Price: $35, $40

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Join in the Biker’s favorite ride, the annual Toy Run set for November 8. Rogers County ABATE will be starting at Iron Horse Saloon in Oologah at 1 p.m. loaded down with toys.

The ending site is Claremore’s JR Hooper Memorial VFW at 1717 W. DuPont.

There will be door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, Chili, Frito pie, a dessert auction, more raffles and it will finish the evening up with Karaoke featuring Booger John and Debi at the VFW. The goal is to fill up the VFW building with toys of all kinds so that when the Toys for Tots distribution occurs in December, the Toy Run will have been a major comtributor.

Combat Muay Thai Kickboxing at the VFW

See more of Sure Lick d. Hown at www.surelickhound.com © Franklin Shruggs, and and Franger Chicken www.frangerchicken.com © Melody Brunsting, the authors. The cartoons are a regular feature in Rogers County Magazine and will be rotated each month.

The Parting Shot

A fun event for kickboxing afficianados is being held Sat. Nov. 15 with the doors opening at 6 p.m. Fighting starts at 7 p.m.

All ages are invited, the cost is only $20 (ringside $25). Tickets are available at the VFW.

The Parting Shot will feature a fresh photograph monthly. These photos are offered for sale, or just to enjoy. Here is the November 2014 Parting Shot.

The world is not perishing for the want of clever or talented or well-meaning men. It is perishing for the want of men of courage and resolution.

Robert J. McCracken

FLEAS & TICS? All Natural, 100% Guaranteed, Safe for Kids & Pets including Puppies!

918.829.9610 www.GF7.biz/CLRichey

The Four Buddies, available in Fine Art Watercolor Paper or as a Gallery Wrapped Canvas, 20x24” Fine Art Giclees. Photo by Candy Richey, see www.CandyRichey.com for more. Like Us on our Facebook Page at #RogersCountyMagazine to win a copy on Watercolor Paper.