January 24, 2026 Issue, Page 1 of 13

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Mark Norton iden Chamber Pres t Lays Out Futu hi h was • 1B re Goals for 20 one that talked actually the for the i doing that for Park. I’ve been now. I love it.” about eight years that Elk d INSIDE Kevin Akins and ARY 24, 2026 SATURDAY, JANU 2026 CHAMBER BANQUET The Elk City News 26 centur y of resil“still Kickin,’ a and promise.” ience, adventure, ed to say, Norton continu to a chald pt Weekend Edition SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2026 Archer Gives His Vision for Elk City By Sheryl Ponce Oklahoma District 55 Representative Nick Archer ‘s inspirational talk during the Annual Elk City Chamber of Commerce Banquet was met with excitement and enthusiasm from those in attendance. He began by declaring Elk City as his home and his gratitude for being asked to be the keynote speaker. “I want to start with a few numbers, Elk City’s Facebook page has had 75,000 views, 25,000 engage- ments, and 100,000 visits. Those numbers, they rank us roughly 16th in the state. That puts us only behind Oklahoma City, Tulsa, the major metro areas, and a couple of tourism hubs like Hochatown. I love that because it tells a story, and it doesn’t just make us look good online. It tells us something deeper,” Archer said. He continued to say that this is where he and his wife, Katie, have chosen to raise their children, Xander and Amelia. They will sit in the same bleachers, stand in the same lines, and drive the same roads as those in the audience. This is his home, and there is something special about Elk City. There are a lot of places that talk about their history; a lot of places talk about grit; but a lot of places don’t talk about momentum. He then referred to the 2026 Chamber president, Mark Norton’s theme for the year, “still Kickin,” which means that the fire is not gone. “Still kickin’ really means, not as a slogan, but as a standard. If you’re going to tell a story, every story has an origin. As far as our (Elk City) origin, we can look to Broadway Avenue. We can think about the TenK building sitting right there on the corner, just after statehood, more than 100 years ago. A group of business leaders in this community built that place because they had a vision. Honestly, it was simple, but it was very ambitious. They wanted Elk City to grow to 10,000 people,” Archer explained. They had a dream to grow, and they were building something strong. It was a future that they would never see. Archer added, “Here we are, 10,000 people today, still here, still growing, still kickin.” Archer noted that there will be 100,000 visits to the ball fields, and host another 100,000 visits to the Arrowhead Center; another 100,000 to the Aquatic Center. The online traffic and engagement to See ARCHER page X DENLEY Nick Archer JONES ECPD Promotes Two More By Sheryl Ponce Leadership Class XII and Steering Leadership XII Kicks Off Another Year By Sheryl Ponce The Elk City Chamber of Commerce held their induction into the Leadership Class XII. The members include Wesley Flores, Shelton Hagerman, Jeremy Justus, Kayla Scheideger, Amber Miller, and Shilo Sellers. This is the 2026 season of the program which Shilo Sellers began with an orientation and retreat. Leadership Coach Casey Merrifield, PhD, led the group through the retreat. She and the Steering Committee went over the history of Leadership Elk City and starting their journey through the program. Merrifield showed them how to identify their leadership voice and how it feels to be on the other side of each person. The self-discovery and camaraderie are only part of the entire leadership program. Each member of the class will be on a personal path to finding his/her leadership style, as well as how he/she can impact the community, career, and personal life. The program is now one year long, Eddie Holland and Casey Merrifield and they will be learning about local government, social services, county government, and state government. The leadership experience is like no other community’s learning event. The individuals who are able to go through the Leadership Class have said that it changed or redirected their lives. Cameron Rodriguez RCCT Announces Auditions for ‘Harvey’ By Sheryl Ponce Elk City’s Red Carpet Community Theatre has set the audition dates for their next production, “Harvey,” by Mary Chase. Director Benjamin Dobbs and assistant director Sarah Byer have called for anyone interested in auditioning for a part to go to RCCT, located at 422 N. Jefferson, on January 26th or January 27th at 7 p.m. The show dates are March 20th, 21st, 22nd, 27th, 28th, and 29th. The male characters include the lead, Elwood P. Dowd, who is a 35- to 55-year-old male. He is a charming eccentric whose best friend is Harvey, a six-foot rabbit. He is a gentleman and older brother to Veta. Another character is Dr. William B. Chumley, a 50- to 80-year-old male who is an esteemed psychiatrist. He is eccentric and difficult. Dr. Lyman Sanderson is a 20- to 35-year-old who is highly qualified psychiatrist and handpicked by Chumley, but also very vain. The next character is Wilson, ages 20 to 50, and the head of Chumley’s Rest. He is responsible for handling patients who will not cooperate. Weather tomorrow Judge Omar Gaffney is a 40- to 80-year-old male. He is an old family friend of the Dowds and the family’s lawyer. He is protective of the family, yet is understanding Elwood’s belief in Harvey. The females’ roles are Veta Louise Simmons, 35- to 55-year-old. She has returned to the family after the death of her mother and wants to land a suitable husband for her daughter. Ruth Kelly is an 18- to 35-year-old young woman who has a love/hate relationship with Dr. Sanderson. She is kind and looks for the best in people. Myrtle Mae Simmons is an 18- to 35-year-old female and Veta’s daughter. She looks to get married with Elwood, but Harvey keeps interfering. Ethel Chauvenet is a 50- to 80-year-old fe- 19 / 1 99/70 male who is a friend of the family and an elite member of the town’s social circle. Betty Chumley is a 50- to 80-yearold female who is kind but very talkative. The gender-neutral, and unspecified age role is E.J. Lofgren, that is a cab driver, who gives a monologue about sanitarium passengers. This role is crucial to the climax of the play. This production is a Pulitzer Prize winning 1944 play about a man who has a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit named Harvey. There are humorous and strange results for everyone involved. The theme explores themes about sanity, reality, and kindness as Elwood’s delusion affects the doctors and staff who begin to question their own perceptions. Vol. Vol. 117,122, No.No. 54 4 75 cents 75 cents, 12 pgs. The Elk City Police Department announced the promotion of Leslie Denley to become the dispatch supervisor and Kirby Jones to be a detective. Each promotion has been due to her and his hard work, experience, and dedication to the community and department. These two critical positions have been filled by individuals who have been recognized for their devotion to the profession. The two professionals deserve the recognition and thanks for their service to the public and safety of the community. New Year Starts for RCCT By Sheryl Ponce The time is now to purchase a season pass for the upcoming Red Carpet Community Theatre productions of 2026. This is the theatre’s 60th season, and it is full of surprises. The line-up includes “Harvey,” “9 to 5” the Musical, “Alice in Wonderland, Jr,” “Beetlejuice, Jr.,” and “Sweeney Todd.” “Harvey” will open March 20th, and the 21st, 22nd, 27th, 28th, and 29th. The play by Mary Chase and directed by Patrick McDonald is a Pulitzer Prize winning 1944 production. “9 to 5, the Musical,” will open May 29th, and run the 30th, 31st, June 5th, 6th, and 7th. There will be two children’s productions from the summer camp. The first is “Alice in Wonderland, Jr,” which will feature kids ages six to 11 years old, Kids’ Camp. The show will take place June 26th, 27th, and 28th. The other Kids’ Camp for children will be, “Beetlejuice, Jr,’ featuring kids ages 12 though 18 years old. This show will open July 24th, and run the 25th, 26, 31st, and August 1st and 2nd. The season will close with “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” It will open Oct. 23rd, and run the 24th, 25th, 30th, and 31st. To purchase a season ticket, go to rcct.org. The categories of tickets include Cameo Flex Pass for $140, which will get two tickets or ten tickets total for an individual price of $14 per ticket. The Flexpass acts as a coupon for ten tickets throughout the 2026 season. The Supporting Flex Pass is $260, and the recipient gets four tickets per show or a total of 20 tickets at $13 per ticket. The purchaser gets 20 tickets to use throughout the 2026 season. The Lead Flex Pass is $360 and receives six tickets per show or a total of 30 tickets, which is $12 per ticket. The Director Flex Pass costs $440. The purchaser gets eight tickets per show or a total of 40 tickets for the season at a cost of $11 per ticket. The Producer Flex Pass costs $500 for ten tickets at $10 per ticket. Another opportunity to support RCCT is to be a Mail delivery Home delivery 580.225.3000 580.225.3000 See RCCT page X Viewonline online View elkcityoknews.com elkcityoknews.com