WELCH—Your Welch Wildcats were unable to top the Depew Hornets Friday night, though a second-half rally made the prospect of a Welch win seem likely.

After a pre-game ceremony honoring seniors, Toby Smith presented the Wildcats with a beautifully painted 97-year-old bell on behalf community supporters. Then the teams took to the field for a real battle.

The first half was fraught with difficulties for the Wildcats, and fans had to wonder where the precision we have come to expect from the home team was. Halftime found the Cats trailing Depew, 36-18.

Whatever Coaches Gleaves and Willard said to the Cats during halftime worked because when the boys retook the field post-halftime, they were the football force we have come to love and respect. They rallied to retake the lead in short order. Time proved to be our worst enemy, though, and Depew made good use of every second on the clock. Eventually, the Hornets strode off the field victorious, 54-40. The Cats played hard and never wavered in their determination, and for that Welchkins are proud.

Here are some pics of the chili/stew supper, senior night, the bell presentation, and the game.

WELCH—Friday night, Oct. 29, 2010, the final home football game of the 2010 season will be held at Welch Public Schools. That means it will be Senior Night. For Senior Night the Welch Schools music department will present the annual chili and stew supper.

This annual event has proven to be one of the most successful fundraisers of the fall semester for the students of the Wildcat band and chorus. Those folks who have attended in the past have always come away satisfied because they are both supporting the music department and enjoying a great meal!

The chili and stew supper will be held in the Welch School cafeteria 5:00-6:30 p.m. Tickets are available from any of the junior/senior high school music students for $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for children under 12. Tickets may also be purchased at the door for $0.50 more per person.

The money raised from this event will be divided between the department and the students who sell tickets as they earn money to pay for the spring trip the department takes each year.

Come out and support the music department of Welch Public Schools and get a warm bowl of chili or stew before the Wildcats take on Depew.

Plus, there’s also a very special surprise slated for the Depew game. You won’t want to miss it!

Check this and other local events out on our Community Calendar.

WELCH—Beulah Maretta Rogers, “Boots,” of Welch, passed away Tues., Oct. 26, 2010, at Craig General Hospital in Vinita. She was 101 years young.

Beulah was the third child of Wade and Mary (Lewman) Lawson. She was born July 4, 1909, southwest of Oswego, Kan. She had four brothers and three sisters: Walter, Hazel, Clifford (Cap), Glen, a still-born sister, Flora, and Charles. Hazel nicknamed Beulah “Boots” because she could not pronounce Beulah.

The family lived on farms in southeastern Kansas until her mother died of an aneurysm when she was nine years old. Walter and Flora had preceded their mother in death. Hazel died approximately four years later. Charles was two months old when their mother died, and his grandparents (Drew and Margaret Lawson) took him to raise. The grandparents were living near Ketchum, Okla., at that time. It was then that the rest of the Lawson family moved to Oklahoma to be near Charles. The Lawsons lived around Ketchum, White Oak, and Vinita, Okla., later moving northwest of Welch. Eventually, they settled near the Rogers clan, where Beulah met George Rogers.

At the age of 15, Beulah and George drove a buggy to Miami, Okla., to get married on Aug. 29, 1924. They started their married life in Oklahoma but moved to Kansas and back to Oklahoma a couple of times. From their union, five children were born: J.R., Gene, Helen, Duane, and Gary. Their second son, Gene, was the only one of their children born in Kansas. After Gene was born, it was back to Oklahoma for good. George and Beulah celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on Aug. 29, 1974. George passed away on March 24, 1975.

Most of Beulah’s life was spent as a wife and mother. She weighed coal for Patch Coal Company for ten years, worked in Shorter’s Mercantile Store, and was a babysitter for many children in the community. She was an avid reader and passionate about crocheting, the latter 0f which led to her being known in Welch as the “Angel Lady” and by her family as the fastest hooker in Welch.

Beulah is lovingly survived by one son, Gary and wife Rebecca Rogers of Knoxville, Tenn.; one daughter, Helen and husband Harold Hadley of Springfield, Mo.; 13 grandchildren; 23 great grandchildren; 5 great-great grandchildren; domino buddies, Rick and Glenda Rouse; many other relatives; and a host of friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; three sons; four brothers; three sisters; and three grandchildren.

There will be a visitation for family and friends from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Fri., Oct. 29, 2010, at the First Christian Church of Welch.

Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sat., Oct. 30, 2010, at the First Christian Church of Welch. Minister Brad Canham will officiate. Serving as pallbearers will be Jim Hadley, Carl Rogers, Ed Rogers, John Rogers, Jim Sherwood, and Chris Denniston.

Interment will be at Welch Cemetery.

Services are under the direction of Jim Thomas, Thomas Funeral Home.

From Your Election-Minded Publisher & Executive Editor:

Next Tuesday the polls will be open so that citizens can have their say as to the governance they must endure. It’s a privilege to vote, and we should responsibly walk into the voting booth and mark our ballots. While there are typically turn-out-the-vote campaigns, I’m not convinced that every eligible voter should vote. Voters should be informed about the candidates and issues before they make their voices heard.

And this is a very good year to get informed about the issues because, in addition to a full ballot of state and federal candidates for office, Oklahomans will decide eleven state questions. That’s right, the entire back of your ballot is completely full of ideas, notions, and schemes that the people have the last and final say on. And it’s a darn good thing, because there are some doozies.

It’s no secret that I’m a conservative; therefore, I favor conservative candidates (which usually means I support Republicans). The Republican party seemed to lose its way there for a while and it paid a price for that, ultimately resulting in the nomination of the lackluster John McCain for president and the resultant loss to Mr. Hope & Change himself, Barack Obama, aka Jimmy Carter’s long-lost and more liberal twin.

Since Obama’s election almost everything I and my ilk claimed would happen (and worse) has occurred. The backlash to the vehement liberal agenda has resulted in a refreshing uprising of conservatism, due in large part to the almost spontaneous combustion known as tea parties. Regular, plain ole Americans (of many parties and no party at all) just got sick and tired of a government being out of control, so they gathered in parks and on courthouse lawns to make their voices heard. They were mocked, maligned, and misquoted, but they refused to yield. Their momentum has hit full stride and both parties (read: both parties’ establishments) have taken notice. But never, ever forget that the party establishment was scared of Reagan, too.

So it’s that time. If you’ve had it with an out-of-control and non-responsive government, here’s your chance to weigh in and say enough is enough.

But, you might say, we’re from Oklahoma, the reddest of the red states. In fact, every county in Oklahoma went Republican in the last presidential election, even though our candidate was a dog. You’d be right. But elections aren’t all about who’s president (and we’re not electing a president this time, anyway). The race I really want to direct your attention to is Oklahoma’s second congressional district.

The incumbent, Dan Boren, is heir to the political dynasty of his dad, O.U. President David Boren, and his grandfather, Lyle Boren, who was a Congressman for a decade. It would be naïve to pretend that politicking isn’t in Dan Boren’s blood. Boren has been our congressman for three terms, following on the heels of that other Democrat “genius,” Brad Carson.

So what’s the problem with Boren? We all know he’s got a good rating from the NRA on Second Amendment issues (how could you not, when it’s what he seems to advertise about most?). Let’s face it, though, no one—Democrat or otherwise—stands a snowball’s chance in July of holding political office in Oklahoma if he or she isn’t pro-gun. But what else do we know about Dan Boren? In fairness, here’s one you may not know. He’s a co-sponsor of the Fair Tax. In fact, at one time he was the only Democrat co-sponsor of the bill (and for all I know, he still is). I have previously publicly lauded him for this fact. But there’s not much else I can think of in Boren’s positive column.

On the other hand, Boren has some very, very strong negatives. Primary among them, he casts his vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the house. He’s been questioned about this vote, and his response is that Pelosi is the only Democrat running for speaker. So what? Which would be wiser for a man supposedly representing the interests of voters on Oklahoma’s second district: voting for Pelosi because she’s the only Democrat running or breaking ranks with your party and voting for the Republican speaker nominee because he or she is more in line with the values of those in your district (and those which your campaign ads claim you also hold)? But he just can’t break with his party. It would cost him too much.

And so, to be clear, a vote for Dan Boren is a vote to keep the Democrat leadership that daily subverts both the will and the interests of the people. Most Oklahoma Democrats I know have very little in common with Democrats in the national party, but if you send Boren back to Congress, those national Democrats are precisely who he votes to have the reins in Congress.

Let’s jump to a very recent recent example of Boren’s disconnect with those he supposedly represents. When the Bush tax cuts were made law, they included an expiration date. It was a concession that was made to get them passed. Well, time is tick-tick-ticking away, and those tax cuts are set to expire at the end of 2010. What that means is that the largest tax increases in American history are set to automatically kick in on Jan. 1, 2011, unless something is done to extend (or better yet, make permanent) the Bush tax cuts.

Without a doubt, tax increases are the absolute worst thing that could happen to our stagnant economy with high unemployment rates. The combination of the new Obamacare taxes plus the expiration of the Bush tax cuts could very likely send our economy into a harsh recession, if not a full-fledged depression (welcome back, Carter, as the t-shirt says).

Thankfully, there was a plan to begin the process of extending those Bush tax cuts. Unfortunately, before Congress could deal with the issue, as it should have, there was a motion to adjourn and a vote on it. And, unfortunately, the motion to adjourn passed by a single vote. Yes, friends, it was one single vote that decided to adjourn the Congress (so they could get home and campaign) rather than debate and vote to stop this massive tax increase. Too bad that one vote belonged to our Congressman, Dan Boren. With friends like this, who needs enemies? (To read more about the problems with Boren, scroll to the bottom of this post and follow the links to two posts from Michael Bates. You’ll be glad you did.)

And here’s the good news, folks: we have an option. You may not have heard much about him because he does not have the built-in political machine Dan Boren does, but I bet you have seen his signs. Charles Thompson, a double vet (U.S. Army retiree and doctor of veterinary medicine), is running to be our Congressman. If you read his bio, I think you’ll find he sounds an awful lot like just who we’d like representing our interests in Washington, DC, as opposed to Dan Boren, who votes with the Nancy Pelosi agenda about 90% of the time.

And so, when you go to vote next Tuesday, help me in saying buh-bye to Boren. If you vote for Dan Boren, you’re also voting for Nancy Pelosi and her ilk, and frankly, we have no one to blame for the fact that our representative in Washington represents very little of who and what we are. Let’s turn out for Thompson and do our part to help get American back on track. At least I’m certain that Charles Thompson will never be the deciding vote to adjourn Congress instead of debating tax cuts. I guarantee it.

Ed.

Michael Bates on washing Dan Boren out of office

Michael Bates on Boren pulling the mask off

Charles Thompson’s Website

Charles Thompson on Facebook

WELCH—It’s now less than one week until the 2010 mid-term elections. Here is a list of what will be on the Welch precincts’ ballot (R=Republican, D=Democrat, I=Independent):

State Officers

For Governor

Mary Fallin, R
Jari Askins, D

For Lt. Governor

Todd Lamb, R
Kenneth Corn, D
Richard Prawdzienski, I

For State Auditor & Inspector

Gary Jones, R
Steve Burrage, D

For Attorney General

Scott Pruitt, R
Jim Priest, D

For State Treasurer

Ken Miller, R
Stephen E Covert, D

For Superintendent of Public Instruction

Janet Barresi, R
Susan Paddack, D
Richard E. Cooper, I

For Commissioner of Labor

Mark Costello, R
Lloyd L. Fields, D

For Insurance Commissioner

John Doak, R
Kim Holland, D

Congressional Officers

For U.S. Senator

Tom Coburn, R
Jim Rogers, D
Stephen P. Wallace, I
Ronald F. Dwyer, I

For U.S. Representative, District 2

Charles Thompson, R
Dan Boren, D

Judicial Retention

Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court

Dist. No. 2: Shall Steven W. Taylor of the Oklahoma Supreme Court be retained in Office? Yes or No

Dist. No. 5: Shall James R. Winchester of the Oklahoma Supreme Court be retained in Office? Yes or No

Judges of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals

Dist. No. 2, Office No. 1: Shall Deborah B. Barnes of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals be retained in Office? Yes or No

Dist. No. 3, Office No. 1: Shall Doug Gabbard II of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals be retained in Office? Yes or No

Dist. No. 3, Office No. 2: Shall John F. Fischer of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals be retained in Office? Yes or No

Dist. No. 4, Office No. 2: Shall Larry E. Joplin of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals be retained in Office? Yes or No

The opposite side of your ballot will contain eleven (11) state questions. Rather than reproduce them here for you, here’s a link to a PDF of an actual ballot sample that lists all the state questions. It’s a large file, so if you’d rather read the same questions from a smaller PDF, here’s one from the Oklahoma State Election Board.

WELCH—Sisters Dana Scott and Tamara Tynon have scheduled the first of several “Watermelon Crawl” dances from 8:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Sat., Oct. 30, 2010, at the Welch Civic Auditorium. The dances are targeted to teens ages 14 and up and will feature a DJ and concessions. Attendees are welcome in costume or regular clothes.

Scott and Tynon say they’re attempting to offer safe and fun entertainment for teens who might not always have many options in our community.

There will be a $5/person cover charge to help offset the expenses of hosting the event. Also note that once a person leaves the dance, he or she will not be readmitted to the Civic Auditorium.

For further information, contact Dana Scott at 918-944-0109 or Tamara Tynon at 918-944-0099.

Find the Watermelon Crawl on Facebook.

WELCH—The regular Welch Town Council meeting will be held Mon., Oct. 25, 2010, at 5:00 p.m.

On the agenda are the following items:

• town dumping policy
• renewing electric franchise with Empire District Electric
• approval Welch Area Development Authority grant for main street improvements
• increasing salary of town judge from $200 to $500
• increasing salary of court clerk (unspecified amount)
• new fine amounts for Welch court
• modification of minor curfew policy
• setting date of Christmas parade
• possibility of taking over monthly testing of automatic generator at Civic Auditorium and other emergency preparedness
• scheduling a special meeting to finalize emergency preparedness and administer oaths of office

The Welch Public Works Authority will meet following Town Council. On its agenda:

• monthly claims and waivers
• increasing employee health insurance rates

See the complete agenda here:

KIEFER—Your Welch Wildcats made a valiant and unrelenting effort against Kiefer Thursday night, but in the end the Cats fell to the #4-ranked Trojans, who beat #1-ranked Summit Christian last week by an impressive 45-0. The Cats fared better and were able to hold Kiefer to just three touchdowns and denied some extra points but were unable ever to cross their own goal line, the final tally 21-0 in Kiefer’s favor.

It was a hard-fought battle on both sides of the line, and both teams knew there had been a game when the final buzzer rang. Both teams made steady progress up and down the field, coming within striking distance of the goal line. Kiefer was able to make it into the end zone, while the Cats just couldn’t make it happen.

Injuries were an issue, and your Wildcat team came together and did what needed to be done to finish strong. No one can fault a team who gives their all to the very end. The Cats now stand 7-1 for the season. They face Depew at home next week. Make sure to be at the Depew game if at all possible. In addition to being senior night, there’s a very special surprise in store. And that’s all we can say about that.

How about some pics? (Kiefer’s field lighting is the best we have had this season, so the pictures came out pretty well, if I do say so myself, and I do.)

WELCH—The 2010 Harvest Days festival & street dance were Sat., Oct. 16, and the events have been deemed a great success, both for the volunteer fire dept.—which plans and staffs the even with help from community volunteers—and for the community at large.

Over 54 vendors took part in the Harvest days event, held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Welch’s main street. A good crowd of people took part in the day’s games, contests, and other activities. The Welch Lions Club sponsored a mobile health screening vehicle, and Lion Charles Stoner reported that it stayed busy with a steady stream of people throughout the event. The Welch Family Clinic offered flu shots until noon, and clinic staff reported a good response.

Speaking to vendors, we at WelchOK.com were told that the vendors feel appreciated and welcomed at Harvest Days, though they don’t always feel that way at other events.

The bakers’ and donated goods auction generated over $3,000 for the volunteer fire dept.

The street dance was held from 8-10 p.m., and Harvest Days staff estimate 150-200 persons were in attendance. There were games, dancing, and lots of fun at the dance, and there were also many prize winners, as $250 was given out during the dance in several sized prizes and a $250 grand prize was drawn for at the conclusion of the dance. Kelly McGee was the big winner of the $250 prize (see picture below).

A few of the limited edition Welch Harvest Days prints, drawn by Barbara Horner, are still available for purchase for $8 each. All proceeds from sale of the prints goes toward the Welch Christmas decoration fund. The original from which the prints were made was sold at the bakers’ and donated goods auction Saturday afternoon and brought over $100. If you’d like to purchase one of the prints, email us at info <at> WelchOK <dot> com and we’ll give you more info.

The Welch Volunteer Fire Dept. wishes to thank all those who both helped plan and execute Harvest Days and those who came out to support the event, auction, and dance. Be looking for information about Harvest Days 2011  soon.

And now, here are some scenes from Harvest Days and the street dance:

WELCH—Several Welch teachers fueled up on free supplies recently while attending energy education workshops hosted by the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB). The workshops will help them energize their students’ knowledge about the oil and natural gas industry.

The OERB is in its thirteenth year of offering these free workshops. The workshop offered educators the opportunity to enhance their understanding of the petroleum industry and receive training to teach OERB’s hands-on curricula in their classroom. The OERB provides a Little Bits program for kindergarten through second grades, Fossils to Fuel program for elementary students, a Petro Active program for middle schools students and CORE Energy, a novel energy education curriculum for students in grades nine through twelve.

“We brought teachers and petroleum industry professionals together to write these curricula because wanted to make sure we were providing Oklahoma students with in-depth information that is not provided in any other textbooks, “ said OERB Education Director Stephanie Coy. “Our workshops allow teachers to perform the experiments in the curriculum, then leave with a teacher’s guide and all the materials they need to teach these programs in their classrooms.”

After each class completes the curriculum, students receive a free field trip from the OERB to various museums with exciting energy exhibits. The kit of materials, training, and teacher’s guide are all provided free of charge. Teachers also receive a substitute reimbursement.

Angie Boston teaches eighth grade sciences at Welch junior and senior high school. She trained in the CORE Energy Science curriculum.

“Any time you can incorporate real-life examples into teaching science content, the students gain so much more,” said Boston. “This curriculum offers that plus great resources in which you walk away feeling supported to implement it.”

Fellow Welch teacher Kristal Chenoweth appreciates the interactivity that’s built into the program.

“The curriculum has great applicable hands-on activities that relate to current events,” said Chenoweth.

Other Welch teachers in attendance were Kelli Biggs, Arlene Chappell, Roseana Downum, Patricia Headlee, Tara McLain, Karen Thomason, all of Welch elementary.

Teachers leave the OERB training workshops meeting state mandates.

“Our programs meet all requirements set by the state education standards, so teachers know they’re leaving with valuable tools they can use in their classrooms,” said Coy. “Teachers tell us often how grateful they are for the curriculum and free supplies that their schools might not be able to afford otherwise.

Teachers can register for OERB workshops online at www.oerb.com.

The OERB also provides a safety video to warn children of the dangers of playing around well sites. Teachers can also request a Petro Pro—an industry professional who volunteers to give an in-class presentation about his or her job and the industry.

These programs, funded voluntarily by Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners, have been instrumental in educating over one million students across the state about the oil and natural gas industry. Also this year, the OERB will train is 10,000th Oklahoma teacher in the curricula.

The OERB was created in 1993 by the Oklahoma Legislature and is funded through a voluntary one-tenth of one percent assessment on oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners. The agency’s purpose is to conduct environmental restoration of abandoned well sites and to educate Oklahomans about the importance of the petroleum industry.

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Visit the relaunched Welch schools’ website at www.welchwildcats.net.