May 2023

The El Reno Tribune’s 2023 Small Town Weekend section contains the following content:

2023 Small Town Weekend schedule

Celebrating 25 years of speed, muscle and bling

Hot Wheels racing to show new track

Come rain or shine, bull riders are among the toughest cowboys to enter any rodeo arena, yet oddly enough, the creator of the fan-favorite Mustache Bash says riders prefer having dry dirt beneath their feet.

And that’s just what they have gotten in El Reno.

For a second straight year, the Mustache Bash bull-riding event has been held at the Denny-Crump Arena featuring an open-air design with an added bonus – a covered arena.

More than $500,000 - that’s the initial cost estimate for a restoration of Canadian County’s historic jail.

Canadian County commissioners authorized construction manager Erick Westfahl to proceed with the bidding phase of a possible $550,000 “rejuvenation” project at the old jail building, which has fallen into disrepair.

Soliciting contractor bids will provide commissioners with “hard numbers” before they decide whether to proceed with renovations – or tear down the building, according to County Commission Chairman Dave Anderson.

El Reno Arts Council President Sue Johnson sprays green paint to depict ground under one of the monarchs she painted on the fence of a homeowner along South Reno Avenue last week.

The homeowner raises monarchs according to Johnson.

Her creation took several days and cans of paint to create.

Walking through the doors of the Center of Family Love feels as if you’re the only person that matters. Visitors are welcomed with an abundance of hugs from Kane, questions from Kathy and stories from the residents, who are eager to know who you are.

CFL fundraising manager Jalaina Hammett said the center is a completely free home for the residents. Hammett said 30 percent of the residents have an involved family, leaving 70 percent with an uninvolved family. Many of the residents take on a sibling-type of relationship with one another.

Cinco de Mayo was a good day for staff and volunteers at Canadian County’s Intervention and Crisis Advocacy Network, as the organization’s second fundraiser May 5 was a resounding success.

“We raised over $6,500 and had more than 100 in attendance,” ICAN Executive Director Matt Whetzel said.

The event featured dinner and entertainment provided by Norahua Mexican Folkloric Dancers of Oklahoma.

A 25-year-old woman from Enid was killed early last Tuesday when two vehicles collided on U.S. 81 and NW 164th Street in El Reno, police said. The collision occurred just after 1 a.m.

The names of the woman as well as a man who was reportedly driving the 2004 Nissan 350Z they were traveling in were not released pending notification of relatives, Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports said.

The vehicle collided with a 2004 Jeep Liberty driven by Johathan Byrd, 19, of Norman.

Through the Reach Higher program, Redlands Community College is helping students who have some college credit get back in the classroom and on the path to earning an associate degree.

Redlands Community College’s baseball team picked up a pair of postseason honors recently in voting among league coaches.

Sophomores Tyson Eastwood and Kyler Denton, both from Fort Cobb, earned Second Team All-Region honors on the NJCAA Region 2, Division 2 squads.

Eastwood was also named one of the Gold Glove Award winners for Region 2, Division 2.

Both players filled multiple positions for the Cougars, who made the postseason tourney as an eighth seed after a year hiatus from the playoffs.

Oklahoma State University researchers are hoping to tap into the potential of a $132 million industry by exploring maple syrup production in the state.

Maple syrup production in the U.S. produces 4.37 million gallons annually, but the industry currently does not exist in Oklahoma. That’s why Lu Zhang, OSU assistant professor of horticulture, and her colleagues are spending the summer visiting maple groves across Oklahoma.