May 13, 2016
Pawnee Bill's Original Wild West Show
Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11, 2016 
Pawnee Bill's Ranch | Pawnee, OK
Pawnee Bill Wild West Show Banner The historic Pawnee Bill Ranch will host Pawnee Bill's Original Wild West Show on June 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. Stagecoaches will roll amid thundering horse hooves while the lightning of gunfire explodes around Pawnee Bill and his cohorts as the talented performers thrill and amaze audiences at the 2016 Wild West Show. The show will feature acts from the original Pawnee Bill's Wild West Shows. Producers and directors have combined stage and script with historical preservation to ensure that the Wild West Show is the most historically accurate production to date. Kevin Webb portrays Pawnee Bill for the eighth time. Webb, a long-time Wild West Show cast member and Pawnee Bill Ranch employee, is also a whip artist and chariot racer.   
    
The museum and mansion will be open to the public on show days from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. On Saturday, June 11, there will be historically accurate entertainment such as blacksmithing, gunfighters and sharp shooters, a medicine man show and musicians, all free and held continuously on the ranch grounds from 2-7 p.m. The cast will be available for a meet and greet with the audience on the museum grounds starting at 4 p.m. The Friends of the Pawnee Bill Ranch Association will serve a barbecue meal in the big barn starting at 5 p.m.
    
Ticket prices in advance are $14 for adults, $10 for children ages 10 and under (ages 3 and under are free) and $12 for seniors over age 65. A group rate of $12 per ticket is available for groups of 10 or more people. On the day of the show ticket prices are $16 for adults, $12 for children ages 10 and under (ages 3 and under are free) and $14 for seniors. Special price package bundles are available for reserved seating and that information can be found at www.pawneebillwildwest.com
or by calling 918-762-2513. Call 918-762-2513 to purchase tickets or for more information. Online tickets are not available for this show. The Pawnee Bill Ranch is located one-half mile west of Pawnee on US Highway 64.    
Lunch and Learn: Choctaw Indian Records
Wednesday, May 25, 2016, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Oklahoma History Center | Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma History Center
The Office of American Indian Culture and Preservation (AICP) of the Oklahoma Historical Society will hold a Lunch & Learn workshop on Choctaw Indian records on Wednesday, May 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program will highlight the Choctaw National Records of 1856-1906, the manuscript holdings of the Oklahoma Historical Society and oral histories including the WPA Indian-Pioneer History Collection.
 
The cost of the class is $15 and will include a lunch. The course fee must be paid at the time the reservation is made. The class is limited to 40 attendees, so early registration is recommended.
 
The class will be held in the OERB Classroom at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr., Oklahoma City, OK 73105. To make reservations or for more information, please call 405-522-5206.
Preservation is Golden: Oklahoma's 28th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference
June 1-3, 2016
Enid Symphony Center | Enid, OK
The Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) announces that registration is open for Preservation is Golden: Oklahoma's 28th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference, June 1-3, 2016, in downtown Enid. Conference registration and sessions will be held at the Enid Symphony Center, 301 West Broadway. Register online by May 20 at www.mainstreetenid.org/preservation. Interested parties also may request a conference program and registration brochure from Melvena Heisch at 405-522-4484 or mheisch@okhistory.org, or view it at www.okhistory.org/shpo/conference.htm. The basic registration fee is $40 per person through May 20 ($50 after that date or at the door). Optional ticketed events include tours, the SHPO's annual awards banquet, and Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.'s annual meeting and luncheon.
 
The conference is one of the ways Oklahoma's preservation partners are joining Preservation50, the national celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Conference sessions will highlight the many accomplishments in the preservation of the nation's and Oklahoma's heritage that are direct results of the NHPA. Also, we will look ahead to the challenges and opportunities for historic preservation in the coming decades. Two plenary speakers will share their national perspectives on these topics.
 
On Wednesday, June 1, Erik M. Hein will present "The NHPA at 50: Click Here to Save." Hein is executive director of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, the national membership organization representing "SHPOs" before elected officials, federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and the public. He will discuss the many preservation successes that are linked to the NHPA and will talk about the national preservation community's goals for the future.
 
The second plenary speaker is Norma Ramirez de Miess. She is Senior Program Officer and Director of Leadership Development for the National Main Street Center, located in Chicago. She will close the conference on Friday afternoon, June 3, with her presentation, "The Changing Face of Preservation and Main Street," which explores the impacts of increasingly changing demographics on local economies and community revitalization efforts nationwide.
 
Additionally, three concurrent tracks of sessions will include:
Track A: Preservation50, focusing on the NHPA's impacts on historic preservation in Oklahoma; Track B: Gold Medal Preservation Performances, featuring case studies on the identification, evaluation, restoration, rehabilitation, stabilization, and reconstruction of historic properties; and Track C: Golden Opportunities, highlighting the economic and social benefits of historic preservation, the need for a new generation of preservation leaders, and effective preservation organizations.
 
We must consider how to sustain the momentum of the statewide preservation movement into the future, and developing strong leaders is the key. Several conference sessions will explore the opportunities for individuals to assume leadership roles and strategies for building effective organizations. Among these sessions are three workshops presented by Ken Culp of the University of Kentucky.
 
On Thursday afternoon, Culp will present two workshops devoted to establishing an effective Board of Directors, and on Friday morning, he will focus on recruiting youth as volunteers for community service. Culp holds a Ph.D. in Educational Foundations and Administration from Purdue University. He has 27 years of experience in volunteer and nonprofit administration, volunteer development and service activities, and leadership development.
 
The conference provides a special opportunity for design professionals. Conference sessions qualify for HSW hours needed to fulfill requirements of the State of Oklahoma's Board of Governors of Licensed Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interior Designers.
 
Joining the Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office, as conference cosponsors are the Oklahoma Main Street Center, Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.; Main Street Enid, Inc.; City of Enid; and Visit Enid.
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From the Encyclopedia...
Did you know that from around 1915 until the 1940's the area around Lindsay, OK was known as the "Broomcorn Capital of the World?"  Learn more about Oklahoma's broom factories with this entry.    

Nicole Harvey, Editor

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(405) 522-5202