BRD survives ’97, hopeful for 1998
25 Years Ago
This Week in County History
25 Years Ago
(From Jan. 11, 1998, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) –The racetrack may be muddy due to recent weather, but Blue Ribbon Downs isn’t stuck in the mud anymore, said BRD’s General Manager Don Essary Thursday.
“Our financial turnaround was very substantial in 1997,” Essary said.
The Sallisaw racetrack could hardly have had a worse start than last year, after going into debt to the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission (OHRC) by about $240,000 at the end of 1996; not being able to make its quarterly $75,000 payments to the city of Sallisaw on a $2.4 million loan backed by the city; not being able to pay ad valorem taxes to the county; facing a $1.2 million civil lawsuit judgment and consequently having track cash accounts garnished in an attempt to collect that judgment; which forced the track in Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 1; and the death, believed to be murder, of long-time BRD General Manager Dwayne Burrows on March 26.
The track has paid up all debt the bankruptcy court has allowed, Essary said.
The past year, Essary said, “has gone very well. But I don’t want to overstate or understate the circumstances.”
50 Years Ago
(From the Jan. 4, 1973, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —The man who has gained the title, “Sallisaw’s Friendly Weatherman,” O.M. Orendorff, started his 43rd year of weather recording on Jan. 1, 1973.
Orendorff started his career in the weather business on Jan. 1, 1930 and has been on the job for the past 43 years, “without missing a day,” says the friendly recorder.
His actual title is Local Weather Observer for the U.S. Weather Bureau, Washington, D.C.
He got the job back in 1929 when a friend of his Henry Clark, then the weather observer, told him that he could not handle the job and wanted Orendorff to take it for him.
Orendorff said it took an act of Congress to get the appointment. His letter of recommendation, sent by Clark, was reviewed by a Congressional board of the state legislature.
—Tiny Madonna Kay Tool is Sequoyah County’s first baby of 1973. The pretty five-pound 10-ounce girl made her arrival at 5:34 a.m. on New Year’s Day at Sequoyah Memorial Hospital in Sallisaw. The little girl and her mother, Sharon Tool of Muldrow, will receive numerous gifts and presents that were offered in the “First Baby of 1973 Contest,” which is co-sponsored by Your TIMES and many Sallisaw merchants. Dr. Glenn Robbins of Sallisaw was attending physician.
75 Years Ago
(From the Jan. 9, 1948, issue of the Sequoyah County Times) —A few days ago Brice and Eutha Callahan leased the Breeze Inn Café in Sallisaw from Mr. and Mrs. Francis Lanferman.
Brice is the meat department manager of Mayo & Co. His wife, Eutha, is operating the establishment with assistance from Brice in the evenings.
Mr. and Mrs. Lanferman, vacationing from the responsibilities of operating a restaurant, are in California.
Under the new management of the Callahans, is promised tasty, delicious foods, with lots of personal courteous service included. They invite their many friends to drop in at The Breeze Inn.
—“Little Fiddler,” the current hillbilly song hit of the Grand Ole Opry will soon be introduced to the public by Columbia Records.
This song was composed by Paul Howard and George Ellis Starr of Vian, Oklahoma, and was introduced for the first time to Sallisaw, when the Grand Ole Opry Gang appeared in person at Sallisaw’s Senior High School auditorium.
Starr is the well-known Sequoyah County boxing star, having fought several of the leading boxers of the world and is the son of Mrs. Gertrude McConnel.
Starr has just obtained the copyright to a new song “I’ll Find Them All in Kentucky.” candidate and considered such
100 years ago
(From the Jan. 5, 1923, issue of the Sequoyah County Democrat) —McDonald and Matthews merchants of this city, have purchased the stock of merchandise of Guy Melton of Gans, in this county. This firm had leased the post office building at Gans formerly occupied by J.R. Hopper and expects to open by Jan. 10 for business, with a complete stock of general merchandise and sell the same kind of goods as sold at this place.
Mr. Melton has been retained and will take charge of the business. Mr. W.H. McDonald, pioneer merchant of eastern Oklahoma and the founder of the present business now operating under the name of McDonald and Matthews will manage this store and will spend most of his time there, although he does not intend to change his residence.
—John E. Johnston, Sequoyah County’s new sheriff made his first arrest following his inauguration in office when he arrested Jim Leaf, charged with shooting George Kennedy late Monday evening in the Sycamore community.
Leaf is in jail and George Kennedy is hovering between life and death as a result of a shooting scrape at a country dance. Leaf fired twice from a .38 caliber pistol and each bullet hit its mark. One bullet entering Kennedy’s right temple and the other in front of the throat. Kennedy is probably fatally wounded, according to the officials. The trouble began it is said when Kennedy began to throw rocks at Leaf.
Kennedy’s brother was killed near the scene of this shooting two years ago by Cat Metrosky, who was convicted in the May term of court and sentenced to two years in the penitentiary, but appealed his case and is now at Liberty under bond.
John E. Johnston had just taken his office when he was notified of the shooting and made a trip of forty miles in a car and had the prisoner behind the bars in five hours. This was John E.’s first arrest.
— Sequoyah County Times, Jan. 8, 1998
From the files of Your Sequoyah County Times
