August 2, 2025 Issue, Page 11 of 20

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The Elk City News NEWS SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2025 • 11 Who doesn't love a tractor cruise in. Twenty-six tractors paraded up and down Sayre's Main Street for 2025's Dust Bowl Days Festival Dust Bowl Days Festival celebrates homesteading By Richard Stephens, Jr. tendees relaxed and enjoyed a warm Stewart, Staci Diltz, James Edwards, summer evening eating dinner, play- and others). Children stuffed candy The 5th Dust Bowl Days (DBD) ing chicken poop and regular bingo tossed to them in bags. Farm & Ranch Festival, held July 18- and listening to music. Afterwards, back up at the Short- 20, continued a tradition of bringing Several donors pooled their funds grass Country Museum, children the community together by enjoy- to buy hot dogs, hamburgers, chips had fun sliding down inflatable wa- ing a variety of events in downtown and drinks and serve them to attend- ter slides and took turns getting wet Sayre. ees. In turn, diners donated money in the dunk tank. Adults visited five Its purpose is “celebrating the to Sayre’s High School senior class. vendors, including Oklahoma’s His- love of the land. What we try to do Couples and children danced to torical Society and the Oklahoma through the Dust Bowl Days is to rec- Mackynzie McKedy Band’s music. Route 66 Association. Six food and ognize, appreciate, educate and in- Mayor Gerald Sherrill attended drink trucks offered a variety of food. spire our communities to realize not Friday night and said, “It brings lots Some toured the Shortgrass Country only the impact farming and ranch- of people to see what’s going on. It’s Museum, checked out a 1971 Farm- ing has on the economy, but also on a big benefit to Sayre’s tax base. Kay rail System locomotive and watched a the quality of life” said Kay Allen, (Allen) does a super job in what she blacksmith hammer horseshoes. Festival Chairperson. does.” Sherrill mentioned that the Alicia Bowman and her family, festival, which includes the Wild who live in Sayre, participated. She FRIDAY NIGHT Plum Jam, is Sayre’s biggest public said the festival is “nice to have for Opening night, July 18, was Cruise event. Sayre. There’s food, inflatables and In night – for 26 old tractors, that is snow cones.” – that paraded up and down Main SATURDAY FUN Few children participated in activ- Street starting at 6 p.m. in front of There were 33 entries to like at Sat- ities at the Trinity Fellowship Youth the Beckham County Courthouse urday morning’s 9 a.m. parade on Center on Main Street because it was like they owned it. Towns like Elk Main Street, which brought out lo- two blocks away from the main event. City and El Reno include cruises in cal families. The parade, organized That was unfortunate because there their festivals, but thanks to Mireya by Sherry Damron and sponsored were hands-on Dust Bowl learn- Cotts and other planners, they clev- by Northfork Electric Cooperative, ing activities like creating a bracelet erly gave cruising a fresh look and re- included police and fire depart- while reading about the effects of the inforced the farm and ranch theme. ments, farms (HIC, Damron, Drake, dust bowl, putting dirt and wheat They encouraged producers from the Hunter, Kenner, McEntire, Merrick, seeds in a burlap cloth to grow plants age of five to seventy-five to bring Spitz, Tucker), businesses (Fowler and learning about nature from park their tractors, an essential vehicle for Insurance Agency, Rockin Diamonds rangers stationed at the Washita Bat- livelihood, to cruise downtown. Leather, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, tlefield National Historic Site. Nelda The action moved to the yard of Vision Source, Lipscomb Ford, Red Tucker, who oversaw these, provided the Shortgrass Country Museum and Dirt Tumbling, etc.), Sayre Public Children enjoyed Saturday's slip and slide fun and cooling off in the Dunk Tank as inside the Broadway Center as 300 at- Library, and individuals (Marvin See DUST page 12 part of the 2025 Dust Bowl Days Farm & Ranch Festival From left, Zack, Sam, Zeke and Sloane Weav- er from Altus enjoyed the Dust Bowl Days parade on July 19, 2025 Many of the 1,750 attendees at Sayre's Wild Plum Jam sang along with Cody Canada (center) and The Depart- ed's songs. They were the headliner of three bands on July 19, 2025