What’s Happening on Page 16!
VOL 22 ISSUE 11
November 2015
ROGERS COUNTY NE Oklahoma’s Leading Consumer Newspaper
Thank You, Veterans It’s a Dickens of a Time MMS-Payne Funeral Home & Cremation Service continues its eight-year tradition with salute to veterans and flag retirement ceremony on November 11.
By Carol Beck-Round Continuing a tradition that started eight years ago, MMS-Payne Funeral Home & Cremation Service is once again sponsoring Claremore’s annual Veterans Day parade, which will start promptly at 11:11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11. The parade line-up starts at the Claremore Expo Center and winds its way down Will Rogers Boulevard to the downtown Gazebo near First Baptist Church. According to Frank Friedemann, director of family services at MMSPayne, “Claremore’s Veterans Day parade is the second largest in northeastern Oklahoma. Our parade has grown since its beginning. We (continued on page 24)
Claremore Main Street is set to host its popular Dickens on the Boulevard event November 20 and 21. By Sheryl Sowell
The JR Hooper Memorial VFW Post #2976 assists MMS-Payne Funeral Home each year in hosting the Claremore Veterans Day Parade.
Festival of Trees
Locals and visitors alike put on their best Victorian-era costumes and head downtown for the annual event that kicks off the holiday season in Claremore. Dickens on the Boulevard is a Victorian-themed Christmas festival held in historic downtown, where attendees enjoy live stage entertainment, authentic chuck wagon meals, pictures with Santa, a living nativity and much more. This year’s event will be held Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21, from 6 to 10 p.m. each night. The event is free and open to the public. With the closing of downtown to traffic, families can safely stroll, dance or ride by wagon down the historic main street beginning at 6. Dancing will begin at 8 p.m. both nights. Victorian street dances will include the Grand March, Venetian Waltz, Virginia Reel and others. Returning this year will be the Territorial Marshalls,
The 11th annual gala and auction takes place Friday, December 4 at the new Claremore Conference Center.
who will reenact a gunfight and meet people in their saloon, where you can buy nonalcoholic beverages such as Peanut Sarsaparilla and learn old-time card games. In addition, the TriState Gunfighters will be performing a salute. Living window displays will pepper the downtown area, while period craftsmen such as a blacksmith and wood turners answer questions from the crowd as they perform their craft and sell their wares. “We encourage those who attend to wear Victorian-era costumes as well,” said Jessica Jackson, director of Claremore Main Street. “A lot of our volunteers will be dressed up, and it really adds to the fun feel of the event. A costume contest will be held each night with great prizes awarded to those with the best costumes.” Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: man, woman, couple, young (continued on page 24)
By Sheryl Sowell Safenet Services’ Festival of Trees jump starts the holiday season in Claremore each year. This marks the 11th year for the event, with proceeds benefiting the domestic and sexual assault agency for women and children. “What many people don’t realize is how needed this service is in our community,” said Donna Grabow, executive director of Safenet Services. “One in four women experience domestic violence. In 2014, we answered 4,952 crisis line calls. Currently the shelter is completely full, with 18 women and 17 children. This event is so important because it provides many critical services for free to the women and children in our community who need help.” The Festival of Trees will be held Friday, December 4 at the new Claremore Conference Center. The theme this year is “Elegance at
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Graham Kornmeyer and Jim Tanner having a grand time at last year’s Festival of Trees.
South Tulsa 36,923 homes 74105–2,834 74112–4,131 74114–5,609 74120–392 74133–6,911 74134–1,357 74135–3,464 74136–4,177 74137–4,510 74145–3,538
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Costume winners from a past Dickens on the Boulevard.
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Rogers County 24,732 homes Catoosa–74015–2,560 Chelsea–74016–1,796 Claremore–74017–10,075 Claremore–74019–6,592 Inola–74036–2,212 Oologah–74053–1,497
Broken Arrow 31,594 homes
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