• Mayor W. C. McAdoo received a historic bronze souvenir from S. F. Banks of the local J. C. Penney store. The medal was cast from metal salvaged off the Battleship Oregon, long known as the “Bulldog of the Navy.” The Knights of Electra and former Congressman Elton Watkins secured the bronze before the ship was to be scrapped, later turning it into commemorative coins. One side featured the famed battleship, now berthed at Bremerton, Washington, while the reverse carried the inscription “Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way,” promoting the 1930 Pacific‑American International Exposition in Portland.
• Okmulgee County club members brought home several awards from the Southwest American Livestock Show in Oklahoma City. Ernest Miller of Beggs earned a free trip to the National Livestock Show in Chicago after placing third in the fat‑stock judging contest, finishing only five points behind the top scorer among seventy‑five competitors. A second Chicago trip, sponsored by the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, came down to Miss Ruth Wheeler of west Okmulgee – the only girl exhibiting fat calves – and Cecil Vaughn of Morris.
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• Okmulgee was selected as one of sixteen Oklahoma cities to participate in the statewide “City Spirit” arts initiative, coordinated by the Central Oklahoma Multi Media Association under a National Endowment for the Arts grant. The program, created for the Bicentennial year, encouraged churches and synagogues to serve as catalysts for local arts festivals and workshops. COMMA staff visited communities to help form Religion and the Arts committees and to connect them with Oklahoma artists ranging from potters and painters to musicians and performers. The project aimed to bridge long‑standing tensions between religious groups and the arts by promoting creativity as “life‑enhancing,” whether folk or fine.
• Following an overwhelming response the previous year, the Southern Kitchens Cooking School – presented by Progressive Farmer magazine – was scheduled to return to Okmulgee on April 29. Last year’s event, held at Ivey Hall, drew more than a thousand attendees and proved so successful that two sessions were needed in a single day. Home economists Sue Hommel and Pat Pittman were set to return with new demonstrations, expanded product sponsors and additional recipes ranging from economical main dishes to fun desserts. Free tickets were again available through local merchants, and the program promised entertainment, instruction and a wide array of door prizes. Pittman noted that Okmulgee, being the first Oklahoma site to host the school, felt “almost like coming home.”
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