December 1997 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

December 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,” which ended as 1997 began. Here is a peek at ‘Life in Oak Springs,’ and the surrounding valley, in December of 1997.

Town Merchants again ran weekend specials both weekends before Christmas for the benefit of the entire community. Local citizens have become accustomed to and appreciate the efforts made by the local merchants to meet their holiday needs.

The Town Council awarded the Cable Contract for the community to Ozarks Communications, Inc. (OCI). President of OCI, Matt Winslow, said that his company is dedicated to getting service to all interested residential and commercial customers as soon as possible. The OCI Internet infrastructure is already in place and will also carry the cable signals. Specific information will be provided to customers as each segment of the community is made cable ready. Orders can be placed online, by telephone, or by stopping by the OCI office, he added.

The Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society at their monthly meeting announced that new officers would be elected at the January meeting. Several new committee chairs would also be sought, so members were urged to think about which positions they would be willing to fill for the coming year.

Locals:

The annual Bevins Trust Christmas Dinner for employee families was held on Friday afternoon, December 12. Eligible employees and their families were fed and entertained in assigned shifts again this year at the Heritage Room of the Homeplace Country Inn, so that all work assignments could also be covered. Santa Clause appeared at each shift with gifts for the children aged 12 and under. This is an annual event for the Bevins Trust affiliated companies that reached across the community in its impact. All participants welcomed this event as a fine company benefit.

The United Methodist Church Choir presented Handel’s Messiah on Sunday evening at the church with standing room only for this fine seasonal concert.

Social Notes:

Christmas eve candlelight services at the United Methodist Church were each well attended this year, as has been the custom. By holding services at 8, 10, and midnight, each individual and family can attend a service that meets their needs and fits with their family traditions.

Family Christmas dinners were hosted by, among many others: Matt and Susan Winslow, Harry and Sarah Flanders, Peter and Shiela Gates, Travis and Laura Inman, Bart and Linda Bevins, and Don and Linda Kirk.

Cop Shop:

A total of only five DUI charges were made following several Christmas parties at the Oak Springs Country Club this December, down from nine the year before.

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




Dr. Bill  ;-)

September 1997 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

September 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 September of 1997.

Oak Creek Outfitters, Inc., announced that float service on the upper Oak Creek at Big Thunder Lodge was now open for business. Completion of all facilities took a little longer than expected, but service all the way down Oak Creek from the Lodge in Dent County to the facilities at the south end of Oak Creek Township are now open (further south, of course). Portage is available around the falls at the Mill, by appointment. Jonathon Offutt, General Manager, offered his thanks to all the parties involved in making this possible.

The wedding of Scott Gates to Rachel Nixon was held at the First United Methodist Church with Rev. Clarice McCauley officiating. The church was filled with family and friends. The reception was held at the Homeplace Country Inn Heritage Room in order to accommodate everyone. Following the traditional cutting of the cake, lunch was served to all guests. Music for dancing was provided by the local band, Black Magic.

The Bevins Trust announced the donation of an additional 320-acre-tract of land in the east valley to the McDonald Conservancy. The announcement noted that additional lands would continue to be donated when certain metrics of the Trust and the Conservancy were met. This was just the most recent donation resulting from those metrics being met.

City Manager Jacob Howell reported that city sales tax receipts for the first six months of the year were up 4.5% over the same period in the previous year.

Sullivan End-‘O-the Road Livestock Auction advertised a special auction for Wednesday, September 17, featuring a premium selection of cow-calf stock from several breeders in the area. This is the time to upgrade herds, the ad noted.

Locals:

Heather Gates, a junior at the High School this fall, earned a Blue Ribbon on her FFA Annual Project from the past school year at the FFA State Convention held the end of last month in Kansas City.

The September meeting of the Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society was very well attended. Six new members were welcomed. Each had learned of the Society’s program from the exhibit at the Fair in August. The report of the first exhibit was presented with overwhelmingly positive response. A few recommendations for next year were entered into the minutes for the planning committee for the Fair exhibit in 1998.

A notice in the Oak Springs Enterprise thanked those who had ordered “The Founding” book and reminding others of the need to get pre-orders in by the 30th of September.

The Oak Springs Savings Bank reminded everyone that it was not too late to start a Christmas Club Savings Account.

Social Notes:

Scott and Rachel (Nixon) Gates returned from their honeymoon trip to Branson after four days so that each could get back to their respective jobs. They said they had a great trip but were happy to be back home to start their new lives together.

Lori Winslow attended a Residential Real Estate Development workshop in Springfield the first week of September. Karen Winslow accompanied her and they enjoyed visiting some the Springfield sites and restaurants while they were there.

Cop Shop:

Local police arrested two juveniles following the investigation of a fire at the playground in Patton Park, in the southwest part of the city, two weeks earlier. The fire destroyed the wooden swing set as well as the rubber pelts on the ground. An empty container of flammable fluid discovered near the fire was found to have fingerprints of both individuals charged with the crime. Eyewitness reports placed the individuals in the vicinity near the time of the act. The fingerprints confirmed their involvement. When the evidence was presented to them, they both confessed to having set the fire. They claimed to have a grudge against parents of some children who regularly played there. Juvenile court will decide their punishment.

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




Dr. Bill  ;-)

July 1997 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

July 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 July of 1997.

The 4th of July Gala Celebration at the Oak Springs Country Club was a weekend to remember, according to those who attended it this weekend. Good golf, good food, and fun games for the kids were the highlights most often mentioned in the news article.

Scott Gates completed the requirements for the Farm Operations Associates Degree at Ozarks Community College and took part in graduation exercises on Saturday, July 18, at the end of the summer term. A total of 35 persons took part in the graduation exercises and over 250 persons attended the graduation ceremony.

Brian Kirk, President of the Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society (Society), reported that members of the community had continued to provide very interesting documents and artifacts from their closets and attics that the review committee had been processing. He noted an interesting sidebar to the review process was that many of the items brought to the attention of the committee were related to others in the community, not necessarily to their own family, of the people providing the materials. Many folks noted they felt these items were important, but didn’t know what to do with them. The donation rate, he added, was running above 75 percent. The others, of course, were items families wanted to keep in their possession. He said that those were especially appreciated, and each was recorded and added to the database of information being gathered. The Society, he added, is still accepting donations of material so do not stop bringing what you find to the Library. Judy Watson will be happy to process it, he said.

Locals:

Ozark Communications, Inc. formally applied to the City Council to be the exclusive cable television provider to the City of Oak Springs. This was in response to the Request for Proposal sent out by the City earlier. Theirs was the only application received by the time of the deadline set for application.

The Oak Springs Enterprise ran a front-page article feature the opportunities for kayaking and canoeing on Oak Creek that featured photos of Oak Creek Outfitters providing services to their customers on a summer outing.

Social Notes:

A graduation reception was held at the Homeplace Country Inn Heritage Room honoring Scott Gates following the graduation exercises at the Ozarks Community College on Saturday, July 18. Scott’s parents and sister hosted the reception: his father, Paul Gates, his mother and her husband from Jackson, Mississippi, Beverly Bevins Gates Threshold and Winnie Threshold, and his sister, Heather Gates. Total guests in attendance exceeded 70 persons including family, friends and co-workers at The Bevins Corporation.

On July 26th, Bart and Diane Bevins returned from a week long vacation trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. They told friends it was great to just sit on the balcony of their condo and stare across the lake for long periods of time. Bart especially enjoyed, he added, taking in several new restaurants they had not tried on previous visits. Diane concurred in that. They highly recommended such a get-away to anyone feeling stressed in their job.

Cop Shop:

Jeremiah Loomis was released from the state penitentiary after having served over twelve years of an original 20-year sentence on drug charges based on his operation of a meth lab in the hills southwest of Oak Springs. The story went on to tell how his brother, Jasper, was charged in the murder of the public defender that represented Jeremiah in court on the drug charges. Jasper was killed by police officers, acting in self-defense, when they attempted to arrest him for the murder and he attacked them with a hunting knife. {For 'the rest of the story,' see: "Murder by the Homeplace:" http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Homeplace-William-Leverne-Smith/dp/1469926652/} 

Vandals reportedly did extensive damage to three cars parked along west Maple Street overnight on July 17-18. Police are still investigating the incident.

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




Dr. Bill  ;-)

June 1997 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

June 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 June of 1997.

Dr. Jennifer Bevins and Mr. Brian Kirk were married at the United Methodist Church in front of close family and friends on Saturday evening, June 14th, Reverend Clarice McCauley, officiating. Christopher Ogden served as Best Man and Nicole Ogden served as Matron of Honor. Don Kirk and Linda Ogden served as hosts at a reception in the church Fellowship Hall following the ceremony.

When asked, Jennifer said she would continue to be “Dr. Bevins” in her professional practice, but would be known as Mrs. Kirk in her personal life. Initially, she added, they would live at her apartment near her clinic.

The Sullivan End-‘O-the-Road Livestock Auction opened on June 1, 1997 replacing the Cunningham Livestock Auction. Jerry Sullivan announced that he would continue the auction schedule that Lyle Cunningham had previously used. Sullivan, moving from Houston, had been in the auction business for many years, and looked forward to many years in this new location. The location was actually first settled by his great-great-grandfather, Jourdan Sullivan, in 1852, the first settler on this land… and their house was also located at the end of a long road off of what was then known as the Houston Road, now State Highway 24. Jerry hopes everyone will come to the next auction and see the remodeling now underway to improve an already great facility.

Locals:

In a separate interview, Jerry Sullivan revealed a little more of his family history regarding the land he had purchased along with the Livestock Auction building. He shared that his great-grandfather, Julian, had left the valley with his family as a young man when the Civil War had started.  Julian then served with the Union forces, stationed in Houston. After the war, however, Julian stayed in Houston to raise his own family when his parents had returned to the Oak Creek west valley. Jerry said that his father, Jesse, had been born in Houston, as well.

Penny Nixon, Associate Editor at the Oak Springs Enterprise, announced that the manuscript on the founding of Oak Springs would be published in hard copy, with $2 dollars of each copy sold going to Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society. Pre-orders were being taken at $42 per copy. When 100 orders had been received, the books would be printed. Subsequently, approximately 70 copies would be available to purchase at $49 each (about 30 will be distributed to libraries and other repositories).

{Editorial note: This was before “print-on-demand and ebooks” came on the scene.}

 

[Get your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/American-Centennial-Homeplace-Founding-1833-1876/dp/1501085026/] 

It does not cost you $49! Actually FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited! ;-)

Social Notes:

We spoke with Jennifer Bevins Kirk after she and Brian returned from their honeymoon, last week. She said they enjoyed the week in a cabin on Table Rock Lake at Big Cedar Lodge just south of Branson, Missouri. While there, they went out to Silver Dollar City one day, went to see Andy Williams at his Moon River Theater, and attended a performance of the Presley Country Jubilee. Weather was very pleasant, she added, and they had a great time away from the pressures of work. She offered a thank you to each person who covered for her and for Brian at work.

Nicole (Mrs. Christopher) Ogden has let her family know that their first child is due in mid-October. She is still working full time at the Big Thunder Lodge.

The Oak Springs Country Club announced their specials for the upcoming 4th of July Weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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




Dr. Bill  ;-)

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace - Mar 1997

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Mar 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 March of 1997.

Matt Winslow, President and CEO of Bevins and Winslow ISP, Inc., announced that effective April 1, 1997, the company name would be changed to Ozarks Communications, Inc. (OCI) due to the growth of the company, the area served, and the new services being offered. OCI now offered cable television services as well as Internet access services. The company was also positioned to provide telephone services to communities, as well.

Karen Winslow, Chair of The Bevins Trust, announced the formation of a Central Office for The Bevins Trust and affiliated companies, effective April 1, to be headed by Susan Winslow, Vice-President of Administrative Services. This action was a next step of the ongoing reorganization announced in February. The Central Office will consolidate all accounting, finance, human resources, benefits administration and risk management activities of the units and companies served. Susan Winslow was quoted as saying this centralized office will bring more efficiency to the operations as well as allow continued improvements in the effectiveness of each of the administrative services provided to the work force in each affiliated company. The Central Office will be located in The Bevins Trust building, next door to City Hall, which also houses the Ozarks Communications, Inc., offices and shops.

The Oak Springs Historical and Genealogical Society published a notice in the Oak Springs Enterprise reminding community members that they still seek information, documents, photographs, and other artifacts from the early days of the settlement of the valley we now know as Oak Creek Township. Items from the early 20th Century should also be considered. If you have materials, of any kind, that you think might be of interest, please contact Judy Winslow at the City Library. A hard-working volunteer committee will evaluate the material for you. The Society is not looking for the materials to be donated, unless you want to. They only want to inspect, perhaps copy, and record the information, materials or artifacts as part of their study of the early days of this fine community. Your help and serious consideration are appreciated.

Locals:

The Annual Alumni Basketball Exhibition Game, featuring an Oak Springs Alumni Basketball team versus the Oak Springs High School Boys Team, which represents the end of the current season, will be held on Saturday night, March 29, at the Oak Springs High School Gymnasium. Proceeds from the game benefit the High School Athletic Equipment Fund. This is always a fun game for everyone in the community.

Paul Gates, General Manager, announced that the Oak Creek Mill and Mill Market would resume a full seven-day a week schedule for the season beginning on Monday, March 24. Hours will be 10 am to 6 pm daily. The admission price for the Mill tour will stay the same as last year; admission to the Mill Market is free. Gates also announced that for the first full week, from March 24 to 30, as an Area Appreciation promotion, admission to the Mill Tour would be half-price and many other activities would have special pricing as well. He added they were hoping for good weather so that many people from the community would be able to participate.

Social Notes:

The Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Oak Springs Country Club was well attended as usual. Harry and Sarah Flanders chaired the arrangements committee this year and were able to have an authentic Irish Pipe Band from Houston provide the featured entertainment for the event.

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




Dr. Bill  ;-)