Local/Area News
The annual Jim Shoulders Living Legends rodeo is growing each year.
Now in its third year as a PRCA-sanctioned event, the rodeo will be adding new bleachers for the hundreds of people who attend each event.
Rodeo co-chair Tammie Hiatt said four new bleachers, each able to seat 106 people, will be in place when the rodeo starts Labor Day weekend. The four sets of bleachers, will cost $80,000 and have been purchased through a special no-interest loan from First Family Federal Credit Union.
She made the announcement Monday at the chamber board of directors meeting.
“Two sets of these will have ramps making them accessible for those in wheelchairs,” she pointed out. “They will be surrounded by chain link fencing that adds to the safety for our rodeo fans.”
The rodeo will be held Sept. 4 and 5 at the arena at Nichols Park.
This year the Labor Day event will also be advertised through a new banner across East Main Street.
Steve Sanford said the banner will not only talk about the rodeo but other events surrounding the annual celebration.
Those include the car show and barbecue cookout at Nichols as well as parade and games going on Labor Day.
In September area voters will be going to the polls for the special county commissioner primary election.
Voters will be choosing from a six-candidate slate that includes three republicans and three democrats. The winner from each party will ultimately face each other in a general election in November.
To acquaint voters with the candidates, chamber members approved a plan to hold two candidate forums in August. One of those would be for the republicans and the second for the democrats. No date has been set for the two forums that will be held at The Briefcase in Henryetta. Each of those would be streamed via Facebook.
Now in its third year as a PRCA-sanctioned event, the rodeo will be adding new bleachers for the hundreds of people who attend each event.Rodeo co-chair Tammie Hiatt said four new bleachers, each able to seat 106 people, will be in place when the rodeo starts Labor Day weekend. The four sets of bleachers, will cost $80,000 and have been purchased through a special no-interest loan from First Family Federal Credit Union.
She made the announcement Monday at the chamber board of directors meeting.
“Two sets of these will have ramps making them accessible for those in wheelchairs,” she pointed out. “They will be surrounded by chain link fencing that adds to the safety for our rodeo fans.”
The rodeo will be held Sept. 4 and 5 at the arena at Nichols Park.
This year the Labor Day event will also be advertised through a new banner across East Main Street.
Steve Sanford said the banner will not only talk about the rodeo but other events surrounding the annual celebration.
Those include the car show and barbecue cookout at Nichols as well as parade and games going on Labor Day.
In September area voters will be going to the polls for the special county commissioner primary election.
Voters will be choosing from a six-candidate slate that includes three republicans and three democrats. The winner from each party will ultimately face each other in a general election in November.
To acquaint voters with the candidates, chamber members approved a plan to hold two candidate forums in August. One of those would be for the republicans and the second for the democrats. No date has been set for the two forums that will be held at The Briefcase in Henryetta. Each of those would be streamed via Facebook.
New Henryetta royalty will be announced next month.
The annual Miss Labor Day queen, princess and baby pageants will be held Aug. 21 at the high school auditorium.
Shannon Frair is coordinating the pageants and is bringing back the baby pageant this year. It was cancelled last year due to the COVID risk.
The baby portion of the weekend activities will be held at 10 a.m.
That evening at 7, the Miss Labor Day pageant for ages four through 20, will be held.
Entry forms and rules for the baby pageant can be downloaded here{phocadownload view=file|id=64|target=s}
The Miss Labor Day pageant entry form and rules is available HERE.{phocadownload view=file|id=65|target=s}
The annual Miss Labor Day queen, princess and baby pageants will be held Aug. 21 at the high school auditorium.
Shannon Frair is coordinating the pageants and is bringing back the baby pageant this year. It was cancelled last year due to the COVID risk.
The baby portion of the weekend activities will be held at 10 a.m.
That evening at 7, the Miss Labor Day pageant for ages four through 20, will be held.
Entry forms and rules for the baby pageant can be downloaded here{phocadownload view=file|id=64|target=s}
The Miss Labor Day pageant entry form and rules is available HERE.{phocadownload view=file|id=65|target=s}
Henryetta Economic Development Authority members approved a no-interest loan for Kanon and Cade Bailey.
The $30,000 loan will pay for a concrete retaining wall to be placed in front of their building on 708 east East Main.
At the Monday meeting, the Bailey brothers told HEDA members they have two tenants ready to move into the building. It is designed for up to four retail or office spaces.
The loan would be repaid over a five-year period. In the event the property sold to another entity, the loan would be paid in full at that time.
The plan will have to be presented to the Henryetta city council for ultimate approval.
Tammie Hiatt, a member of the Jim Shoulders Living Legends rodeo committee, told HEDA members about the desire to get four new sets of bleachers.
The bleachers would be 21 feet long and provide ten rows of seating. Hiatt said the goal would be to purchase four sets with two of them providing ramps to enable handicap access. The cost is $17,895 for each set but Hiatt felt that price would be lower if all four were purchased at once.
She pointed out the rodeo has been a part of Henryetta for the past 28 years and this will be the third year it has been a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo.
"We have got a chance for corporate sponsors," she said. "For them to invest in us, we need to show them we are investing in our facility."
The issue was tabled pending more information from the company supplying the bleachers.
Following a short executive session, HEDA members formally hired Ron Richmond to handle the secretary and treasurer duties for the authority.
Public works director Ron Casey told HEDA members work is on track for the new water line that will be installed along US 75 next to the QuikTrip site.
He said the survey work should be completed by the end of the week and bids go out by the end of the month.
That would put the project in line with QuikTrip work as well. The company has announced they are looking for construction workers and supervisory personnel and have a series of ads lined up.
The $30,000 loan will pay for a concrete retaining wall to be placed in front of their building on 708 east East Main.
At the Monday meeting, the Bailey brothers told HEDA members they have two tenants ready to move into the building. It is designed for up to four retail or office spaces.
The loan would be repaid over a five-year period. In the event the property sold to another entity, the loan would be paid in full at that time.
The plan will have to be presented to the Henryetta city council for ultimate approval.
Tammie Hiatt, a member of the Jim Shoulders Living Legends rodeo committee, told HEDA members about the desire to get four new sets of bleachers.
The bleachers would be 21 feet long and provide ten rows of seating. Hiatt said the goal would be to purchase four sets with two of them providing ramps to enable handicap access. The cost is $17,895 for each set but Hiatt felt that price would be lower if all four were purchased at once.
She pointed out the rodeo has been a part of Henryetta for the past 28 years and this will be the third year it has been a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo.
"We have got a chance for corporate sponsors," she said. "For them to invest in us, we need to show them we are investing in our facility."
The issue was tabled pending more information from the company supplying the bleachers.
Following a short executive session, HEDA members formally hired Ron Richmond to handle the secretary and treasurer duties for the authority.
Public works director Ron Casey told HEDA members work is on track for the new water line that will be installed along US 75 next to the QuikTrip site.
He said the survey work should be completed by the end of the week and bids go out by the end of the month.
That would put the project in line with QuikTrip work as well. The company has announced they are looking for construction workers and supervisory personnel and have a series of ads lined up.
For the third time this year, Henryetta reported a decline in sales tax revenue.
The July distribution from the state amounted to $259,823 this year, a drop of $15,590 from the same period a year ago.
Even with the drop, the July 2021 total was still ahead revenues received in 15 out of the past 16 years.
While retail sales were down, the use check from the state saw a $1,300 increase to $27,871 from a year ago.
Around the area, five communities out of seven showed increases for the month.
The largest was Okmulgee with a check for $632,727 compared to $617,269 a year ago.
Returns represent sales from May 16 to 31 and estimated sales from June 1 to June 15.
The disbursement of $180,270,874 in sales tax collections returned to the cities and towns reflected an increase of $17,948,287 from the $162,322,587 distributed to the cities and towns in June last year. The use tax disbursement to cities and towns was $25,963,052.
Sales tax returns for area communities:
| 2021 | 2020 | |
| Beggs | $35,889 | $36,399 |
| Checotah | $452,016 | $450,118 |
| Dewar | $15,466 | $13,674 |
| Dustin | $2,875.65 | $9,963 |
| Eufaula | $220,766 | $215,338 |
| Morris | $24,479 | $24,575 |
| Okemah | $164,666 | $107,910 |
| Weleetka | $18,750 | $23,325 |
Former Steelworkers union president Thomas Jerome Burkjhart, jr., was convicted of federal embezzlement charges this past week.
Burkhart was president of the Steelworkers Local 145 in Henryetta when he was said to have written nearly 50 unauthorized checked to himself totaling $19,900 in union funds. Those checks were written from July 2018 to August 2019. Burkhart was president of Local 145 in Henryetta from 2014 to 2019.
He was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay restitution to the labor union. He had entered a guilty plea April 8, 2021.
Burkhart was president of the Steelworkers Local 145 in Henryetta when he was said to have written nearly 50 unauthorized checked to himself totaling $19,900 in union funds. Those checks were written from July 2018 to August 2019. Burkhart was president of Local 145 in Henryetta from 2014 to 2019.
He was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay restitution to the labor union. He had entered a guilty plea April 8, 2021.