January 1998 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

January 1998

This series of posts on each Friday during 2015 continues the stories of “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction families in the area of Oak Springs following the novel “Christmas at the Homeplace,” which ended as 1997 began. Here is a peek at ‘Life in Oak Springs,’ and the surrounding valley, in January of 1998.

At the January meeting of the Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society the following new officers were elected:

President: Rhoda Offutt

Vice President & Program Chair: Mona Evans

Secretary: Penny Nixon

Treasurer: Lisa Flanders-Howell

Membership Chair: Sarah Flanders

Immediate Past President: Brian Kirk

Rhoda Offutt reported on sales of the “American Centennial” book that had exceeded expectations, but there were still copies available for those interested. She also encouraged all members to continue to look for old documents about the community and local families in unusual, as well as the usual, places.

[http://www.amazon.com/American-Centennial-Homeplace-Founding-1833-1876-ebook/dp/B00NJFHPVA/

Free with Kindle Unlimited]

The Jensen & Watkins Construction Company held an Open House on Wednesday, January 7th, to celebrate the First Anniversary of the Company. The notice in the paper reminded the community that Gary Jensen had been in residential construction in the community for more than ten years. His nephew, Trace Watkins, had come to Oak Springs to join him, just over a year earlier. It was on this date in 1997 that they had officially opened business as the company we know today, located on the west side of State Highway 37 about 2 miles north of the intersection with State Highway 24. Watkins, in his early 30s, had been in construction work in the Kansas City area for more that ten years, as well. The company specializes in single family residences, duplexes and four-plexes.

Locals:

It was learned that Paul Gates, Manager of The Oak Creek Mill, had presented a proposal to The Bevins Trust to build a Par 3 Golf Course on the slope from just above the Mill down to and around the Mill Pond below the Mill. Each tee would be located above the green and hole below on five of the nine holes proposed. He was said to have presented the plan as a compliment to the 18-hole golf course on the west side of Oak Springs at the Country Club, not as competition. He felt that both local and visiting golfers would support both courses.

Lori Winslow confirmed to our reporter that she had met with Gary Jensen and Trace Watkins at the Jensen & Watkins Construction Company office on north Highway 37 northeast of Oak Springs regarding possibly creating a housing development on Bevins Trust land south and east of the Mill Pond, running parallel to Oak Creek as it exited the Mill Pond. It would be designed to integrate with the proposed Par-3 Golf Course, the kayak/canoe portage and serve as a direct link to the Bevins Stables and Trail Ride facilities from the west. It was known that several Bevins family members had talked of building new homes, and it appeared this development might meet those and other local needs. Winslow also confirmed that she had been involved with a residential housing development group in Los Angeles before her move to Oak Springs. She had enjoyed that work, and believed some of what she had learned there could be incorporated into a development here in the valley.

Social Notes:

Trace Watkins, of the Jensen & Watkins Construction Company, created a bit of stir at the local McDonalds last Thursday when a teenager mistook him for the country music singer, Trace Atkins, and set off quite a ruckus. Watkins was a bit embarrassed by the attention, but admitted to this reporter that it had happened to him before, in Kansas City, in years past. He said he preferred to think of himself as resembling his uncle, Gary Jensen, his business partner. But, he added, he really didn’t have much control over what others thought when they saw him, and, admitted it was flattering.

Cop Shop:

A total of four vehicles abandoned on public roadways in the valley following the January 15 blizzard were ticketed and towed to the police compound area. This occurred only after owners had not retrieved their vehicles themselves in a timely manner.

"May everyone have a homeplace, if only in your mind."




Dr. Bill  ;-)

October 1997 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

October 1997

This series of posts on each Friday during 2015 continues the stories of “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction families in the area of Oak Springs following the novel “Christmas at the Homeplace.” Here is a peek at ‘Life in Oak Springs,’ and the surrounding valley, in October of 1997.

The 11th Annual Arts and Crafts Show fund-raiser held on Saturday, September 27, was a huge success again this year. We spoke with Mona Evans, Chair of the Planning Committee, on Monday following the Show. Mona thanked all the people who came to the show and especially the members of her planning committee who made the whole event possible. She was careful to point out that the prime beneficiaries of the community wide event were the charities: Breast Cancer Awareness and HIV/AIDS Awareness programs benefiting needy members of the community again this year. Mona pointed out that all booth spaces for crafters had been rented out, both on the grounds of the Homeplace Country Inn and on the grounds of the Oak Creek Mill and Mill Market. 3 more artists had accepted invitations to the juried art show this year, another new record number, and those sales added to the new fund-raising total in 1997. She did add that a few copies of the full-color program for the art show were left for purchase, at the Oak Springs Enterprise, for anyone interested. All proceeds would go to the charities.

The Oak Springs Country Club was hosting a Halloween themed party for members on Saturday evening, October 25.

The Community celebration of Halloween would be on Friday night, October 31; from 6 to 8 p.m. Parents were urged, along with all of their children, to observe these hours. October 31 will be a new moon, so, it will be very dark during the night. People were urged to use care in all of their activities.

Locals:

Christopher and Nicole Ogden became the parents of their first child, a son, on October 15. They named the boy Carter Palmer Odgen, but he will go by “CP” - keeping up the naming pattern heritage of his father, Christopher. CP is the fourth generation with the initials C and P. Grandparents are Linda Ogden, Bart and Diane Bevins, and Jack and Mona Evans. Great-grandfathers are Doc Evans and Lyle Cunningham.

It was learned that Reverend Clarice McCauley had married Don Kirk and Linda Ogden in a private ceremony at the Methodist Parsonage on Sunday afternoon, October 26. Brian and Jennifer Kirk stood up with the couple as they took their vows. When we talked to Don, he said they just decided it was time to get married, quietly. He added that they would be at home at her house. He also mentioned, that after some remodeling, Brian and Jennifer would be moving into the condo that Don and Brian had shared, earlier.

Paul Gates, Manager of the Oak Creek Mill and Mill Market, and Julie Barnes, Activities Director at the Big Thunder Lodge, each attended the Fall Tourism Conference in Rolla, October 16-18.

Social Notes:

Matt Winslow, Christopher Ogden, Travis Inman and Raynor Crimmons attended the University of Missouri Tigers football game at Faurot Field, in Columbia, on Saturday, October 4, against the Iowa State Cyclones, battling for the Telephone Trophy. The home team was victorious 45-21. The happy fans returned home safely.

Paul Gates was the escort for Julie Bares at the Halloween themed party at the Oak Springs Country Club on October 25.

Cop Shop:

It was reported that 3 cars sitting outside City Hall had been ‘keyed’ on Tuesday, October 28th. No information was available at press time on possible suspects.

"May everyone have a homeplace, if only in your mind."




Dr. Bill  ;-)

Hometown Monday - M is for ...

Hometown Monday - M is for ...

We are continuing this series of posts of excerpts from the novels, novellas, and short stories of "The Homeplace Saga" family story-telling, with a new twist. We have adopted a format from the: "Blogging From A to Z Challenge." Each week we will share a published except related to a person whose name begins with that letter. 

This series of posts is to provide an insight into the story lines that may not be clear from other promotional pieces about "The Homeplace Saga." These will also be coordinated with the content of the developmental Wiki, "Beyond the Books" - to expand the information available there, as well. [Links in the text, below, provide more information on that person or entity]

Today we look at names beginning with the letter M.

For M, we have (with two excerpts, below):

Mark James - husband of Erin Winslow

Matt Winslow - oldest son of Jason and Karen (Bevins) Winslow

Melanie (Ogden) Stone - sister of Christopher Ogden

Mildred (McDonald) Bevins - deceased - left the video will in "Back to the Homeplace"

Mike Gardiner - road construction engineer

Mona (Cunningham) Evans - mother of Laura and Nicole; daughter of Lyle; wife of Jack

Our excerpts today are from the novel, "Christmas at the Homeplace," recently released, now available at Amazon.com… for Christmas purchases:

This excerpt is from "Christmas at the Homeplace" is from Chapter 3,  Thursday, October 24, 1996:

Matt Winslow returned to his Bevins & Winslow Internet Service Provider (ISP) office near City Hall after lunch to find a note asking him to return a telephone call from a familiar name with an Arizona number. Raynor Crimmons was a long time family friend who was now a professor at Central Arizona University. Raynor had been a financial planner with Matt’s father, Jason, first in Springfield, MO, and then again, a few years later, in Tucson, Arizona. 

The two families had been very close and spent much leisure time together, over the years. Raynor still made annual visits to Missouri, in late May or early June, to a few clients he continued to service in the area, and always stopped by to see the Winslow family in Oak Springs on those trips. He had actually been visiting that summer in 1993 when Jason died in the car accident returning from Columbia, and had been a great comfort to Matt’s mother, Karen. Raynor had been in Oaks Springs in late May, earlier this year.

Raynor answered immediately when Matt returned the call. After exchanging pleasantries, Raynor got to the reason for the call. He told Matt that his teaching load at the University was now all graduate business courses, but beginning this fall, they were also all on-line courses, and would continue that way under new school policies. That meant, he continued, that he could live anywhere he chose, so long as he had an adequate, high-speed Internet connection readily available. He wanted to confirm with Matt the current and future status of high-speed Internet service in Oak Springs. He was seriously considering moving back to the Missouri Ozarks if he could be assured of reliable Internet service.

Matt, of course, was pleased to be able to talk with Raynor about progress they were making in providing high-speed Internet service to City Hall and the rest of the down-town portion of Oak Springs this fall. In fact, it was a bit ahead of schedule. He added that they would be extending service into the residential portion of Oak Springs in the spring.

Hearing this, Raynor asked if Matt knew of any office or apartment space available now, or in the next month or so, in that part of the downtown already being provided with high-speed Internet service.

Matt was surprised to hear the excitement in Raynor’s voice at his positive response. His news for Raynor was that there was both an apartment on the level above and an office at the end of the hall in the very building where Matt was sitting – both were vacant and available for immediate occupancy.

Raynor asked if Matt thought “they” would hold both spaces for him to look at in a week, when he could come look at them and make a decision. To Raynor’s surprise, Matt said that he was the “they” and he would be happy to hold it. His company had purchased the entire building, and was subleasing certain areas not currently needed, pending future expansion. He would look forward to Raynor’s visit in a week. As they closed their discussion, Raynor mentioned to Matt that the reason he was thinking of moving back to Missouri was to be closer to his daughter, Randi, who lived in the Washington, D.C., area, and that the only other family he had left still lived in Iowa. Matt knew that Raynor’s wife, Rachel, had been killed in a Tucson, Arizona, auto accident, like Jason, several years earlier. He had not remarried and lived alone.

As soon as he hung up from talking to Raynor, he called his mother. “I just found out that Raynor Crimmons is coming for a short visit from Arizona toward the end of next week, Mom. I thought you would want to know.” They chatted a bit with Matt essentially sharing their whole conversation with Karen.

Karen concluded the call by saying: “It will be nice to see him again. He is always pleasant company.”

This excerpt is from "Christmas at the Homeplace" is from Chapter 5,  Friday, November 1, 1996:

As Mona Evans walked out to their mailbox, like she did nearly every day, she thought about what might be in the box. Her daughter, Laura, wife of Travis Inman, and their two children had lived with them all this calendar year while Travis was overseas in the service. It had been an interesting experience that would soon be coming to an end. She wondered how things would actually change.

Mona, and her husband, Jack Evans were active in Oak Springs community life. Mona had cut back on some of her activities this year to spend more time with her grandchildren. Jack was the local State Farm Insurance Agent, current President of the Chamber of Commerce, and the son of Doc Evans, long-time Oak Springs veterinarian. Mona was a daughter of Lyle Cunningham, operator of the local auction house and sales barn. Lyle was a Trustee of the Bevins Trust, as well. 

Nevertheless, it had been a busy year. Jack and Mona’s other grown daughter, Nicole, had moved back to town, and just married Christopher Ogden, the young attorney. 

Mona knew that Travis’ parents, Grover and Hedda Inman, who owned and operated Oak Springs Realty, were anxious to have him home, as well. Would the news be in today’s mail?

Mona pulled three envelopes out of the mailbox and her heart skipped a beat as she realized that one of them was from overseas. She went back inside, immediately, to find Laura without even looking at the other two, which she recognized as routine bills. Laura was in the laundry room, sorting kids clothes for a load of wash. Laura opened the letter from her husband, Travis, with high anticipation and some trepidation. She read it to her self a first time through. When she got to the part about his return, she read it out loud for Mona to hear, as well.

“He says here, ‘Our unit has received word that we will ship out on schedule so as to be back in Missouri for us to be home by Christmas, unless some unforeseen incident occurs to prevent our return.’ He goes on to mention that other support units, like his, have begun moving out, so it appears likely his will do likewise. Oh, Mom, it will be so nice to have him back home.”

“We all look forward to his return. We’ll keep planning for a Christmas return, but be happy whenever it is. That is for sure. It will be wonderful for the little ones to have a father again.”

“And,” Laura said quietly, “We can get a place of our own and let you and Dad have your house back.”

“You don’t need to be even thinking about that issue. We love having you here. Once he gets back, you can begin to think about what comes later.”

"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill  ;-)