Volume 5 , Issue 18

Oakie's NW Corner

The wheat is growing and the mares are foaling (if that is the correct term) here in NW Oklahoma. AND.... April has vanished somewhere along with March, February and January. Have you noticed the quilt pastures of wheat, alfalfa scattered about the countryside lately. Things have a beautiful green to them this time of year. I hope it is a great year for the farmers.

As to new little filly colts, this writer has a new sorrell Grandfilly. Nope! I haven't gotten to touch it yet. But I am working on it. The new addition came on the 29 April 2003. We were out in the pasture in the early evening hours checking the mares for newborn colts and spotted Cindy's new little filly colt. Cindy brought her new little colt up to about 3 or 4 feet in front of me while I was standing out in the pasture trying to get a good photo opportunity of Cindy and her new little filly. Notice the diamond star on the forehead and the white nose area and the curled ears. No! I don't have a name picked out yet. You have any suggestions? I now have a pug puppy named Duchess, a yearling gelding named Li'l Doc, and a two-year-old mare named Kassie. I am taking suggestions on names.

I was in Avard for lunch the other day and ate at this little cafe that is located in the Old Avard gym. In the hallway is a painted back-drop of sorts that was used way back when. What caught my eye was my Uncle Alvin's name on the top, center. Alvin Paris' Insurance AD read, "Alvin Paris - All Kinds of Insurance - Alvin Paris & Howard Roepke - Bell Hotel Bldg. - Pho. 1 Alva." I did not realize that Uncle Alvin and Howard Roepke were in the Insurance business together in the Old Bell Hotel Bldg. Notice the phone number. Now that is a short simple phone number to remember, huh?

Besides taking care of my horses, I have been keeping an eye on the westside of the Perry Irons building, on Oklahoma Blvd & 9th Street. The Alva Mural Society has hired Artist Roger Cooke to paint another Northwest Oklahoma scene on another business. This time it is of the old McKeever Schoolhouse that once stood a few miles west of Alva. Now the old wood framed, one-room schoolhouse stands at it's new location on the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Campus, east of the President's residence. The artist, Roger Cooke, uses his paint brush to bring to life the scene reminiscent of olden days when one-room schools dotted the countryside. Cooke has been working all this week on the McKeever Schoolhouse Mural on the westside of the Perry Iron's Building on the south side of Oklahoma Boulevard, in Alva, Oklahoma.

I am still working on the Old Avard Unsolved Mystery of 1956. If you know of someone - run across any information - old news articles and photos, I would love to hear from you. Lots of people that I have talked to have said that this fiery death was no accident. The investigative skills of 1956 were not what they are today. Will this unsolved mystery ever be solved? Maybe with your help and sleuthing!

Some of you NW Oklahomans that have been to the Alva Cemetery might remember a tombstone that looks like a tree stump. Would anyone out there happen to know more about the story behind this tombstone? I have a reader that is looking for more information on what this "Modern Woodsmen" was all about. Thanks for your help on this.

One of my readers intrigued me with yet another mystery that happened in or around Alva about 1922. Has anyone out there have any clues concerning this mystery? They said, "No need to bother you with it 'til you get this one solved." The suspense is intriguing this puzzle loving writer.

Hope your May Days are terrific and colorful with the wildflowers blooming with the April rains. See you all next weekend!

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