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What beautiful weather we have been
having!I had the pleasure of spending
Saturday evening at Roman Nose State
Park with my family this past weekend
and it was quite a joy.We had a delicious hamburger
dinner at the General Store, played a
round of miniature golf and just
generally enjoyed the beautiful
surrounds.The restaurant was opened for
Spring Break and will re-open for the
season on April 8th.They have hired new management
and are excited about trying new things
and offering lots of services.Their plans are to serve
breakfast and lunch 7 days a week, and
dinners on Friday thru Monday.The paddle boats and canoes are
ready for rental and they have now added
bicycles to their fleet for anyone who
would like to tour the park by bike.Stop in and visit with the
friendly staff to make plans for your
next family day out.
Watonga is
currently a popular destination for tour
groups and we love having the
opportunity to show off our town.A few weeks ago we welcomed a
group from Ponca City on a Chocolate
Mystery Tour by entertaining them at the
Presbyterian Chapel with the First
Baptist Church "Kitchen Band".The band was a huge hit, then
Weldon Poarch of the Chapel Association
spoke on the history of the building and
finally the group was presented with a
packet of area brochures, Oreo Truffles
and (of course) Cheese Fudge, courtesy
of HCE Domestic Engineers.Their tour also included lunch at
Roman Nose Lodge, which was reported to
have been very good, and then on to
Hinton.That tour guide has since booked
another tour to Watonga for the end of
this month that will include downtown
shopping and lunch, in addition to
seeing some attractions.Then in April, we will host a
group from Bartlesville who will lunch
in town, tour the Ferguson Home and
chapel and the courthouse and stay at
Roman Nose Lodge.These are great chances to bring
tourist interest (and dollars) into
Watonga and we are grateful for all the
groups who work together to show these
folks a good time.
We are pleased to
report several new Chamber members so
far this year.They include Whirlwind Winery,
Oklahoma Eastern Star, The Bait Shop,
Dr. Brock Miller, Elite Counseling and
Devon Energy.We appreciate all of our members
support of the work the Chamber does.Membership letters were mailed in
the fall and follow-ups have begun, so
if you haven't already sent in your 2011
Membership Investment, we would be
grateful if you did.Membership forms are available
online at www.watongchamber.com or give
me a call at 580-623-5452 and I would be
happy to send one out to you.An investment in YOUR chamber is
an investment in YOUR community!
March 3, 2011
The Annual Watonga Trout Derby is this
weekend!Once again, Roman Nose State Park
will host several hundred anglers for a
chance at cash and prizes.One lucky Senior Division
registrant, present or not, will win a
Deluxe Bass Boat by Buster Boats,
courtesy of our major sponsors,
Dobrinski Chevrolet of Okeene, Irwin
Auto of Woodward and Watonga Medical
Clinic.
Derby hours are Friday and Saturday from
7am to 5pm and Sunday from 7am to 3pm.Drawings will be held at the
close of the Derby and besides the boat
will include an electric grill and a one
night stay at the Oklahoma State Park
lodge of your choice.This event is a joint venture
between Watonga Chamber of Commerce and
Friends of Roman Nose State Park.
During the Derby, The General Store will
open at 6:00 am and will have coffee,
breakfast snacks, drinks, and general
goods.They will also be renting kayaks
and canoes during this time.
The Oklahoma Blood Institute will be
holding a blood drive on Tuesday, March
8th
from 11:30 am – 6:00 pm at the Blaine
County Fairgrounds.For your convenience, you may
schedule your appointment online at
www.obi.org.About 38 percent of the
population is eligible to give blood,
but only about 10 percent of those
people actually do. You can also choose
to credit your donation to Alisha
Pritchett who received a kidney
transplant on February 24th.
With the changing weather, you may be
starting your spring cleaning soon.Don't forget you book shelves as
any unwanted books can be given to the
Watonga Middle and High Schools library
book drive.Any books received that are not
appropriate for or needed in the school
libraries will be sold and the proceeds
used to purchase books.Book donation boxes are located
in businesses around town, or contact
George Ann Bordelon at 623-7361 for more
information.
