December 2024

Hundreds of residents, both young and old, from El Reno and surrounding communities lined the streets of the downtown area for the annual Christmas parade and community tree lighting event.

The parade covered several city blocks and featured floats decorated in vivid holiday colors.

Classic cars, horses and some traditional holiday characters like that pesky green Grinch were present.

Santa Claus was in the parade lineup and was given a lift by the El Reno Fire Department. Santa stayed around to greet dozens of children in a special meet-and-greet setting.

Blake Foster has joined Canadian County as safety coordinator and emergency manager.

Foster, who grew up in Mustang and now lives in the Yukon area, is a former emergency medical technician with a background in environmental health and safety. He comes to the county government after being a regional manager with Amazon.

Having worked for private companies in his career, Foster said he embraced an opportunity to grow professionally in the public sector and make a larger difference to benefit county employees and residents alike.

The 41st Annual Community Christmas Dinner will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 24, said the founder of the event.

Dwight Kennedy and his wife, Diane, along with their family and a host of community volunteers have been hosting the free dinner for more than four decades now.

Kennedy made a vow when the dinner was first created that as long as he was living in El Reno, the dinner would go on.

Except for a couple of years when he lived out of town, the promise has been fulfilled.

“Everyone is welcome, come all,” Kennedy said.

El Reno attorney Roger Rinehart was recently elected to serve during 2025 as chairman of the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, which governs admission to the practice of law in the state. 

Rinehart, who has served on the board since 2012, was recently reappointed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to serve on the nine-member statewide board as an examiner representing Supreme Court Judicial District 9.

His appointment was at the request of Justice Richard Darby. 

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, along with governors from 16 other states, signed a joint letter last week urging Congress to reauthorize the farm bill and to provide “immediate financial assistance” to the agricultural sector.

Our nation’s agriculture industry is in trouble and if meaningful support is not provided soon, the well-being of the nation is at risk, the letter read.

Oklahomans are not satisfied with the state’s K-12 education system.

Oklahoma’s students currently rank near the bottom in the U.S. on many key measures of academic performance. Because Oklahoma’s students deserve a better education, the Oklahoma Education Impact Initiative (OKEII) was formed.

Services for Mark M. Lorenzen of El Reno will be held at 2 p.m. Dec. 11 at Red Rock United Methodist Church, with burial to follow at El Reno Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home. 

Mark died Dec. 5, 2024. He was born Dec. 2, 1951, in El Reno. He was a member of Red Rock United Methodist Church and attended Maple School, El Reno High School and played basketball at El Reno Junior College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Oklahoma State University. On July 19, 1974, Mark and Denniece Adams were married in El Reno. 

Despite being a conservative electorate, Oklahomans still face more state regulations than citizens in most other states. The accumulation of those rules impedes economic growth and job creation. Fortunately, legislative leaders are preparing to tackle this problem.

LAWSUITS

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC vs. Jessica Anderson for $9,552.24 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Cavalry SPV I LLC vs. Joyce Moore for $3,487.25 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Synchrony Bank vs. Corey Frazier for $3,442.86 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Synchrony Bank vs. Roxanne Swenhaugen for $4,263.61 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Synchrony Bank vs. Brandon Drabek for $8,008.20 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Marjorie Lee Kremeier, 93, passed away peacefully on Dec. 3, 2024, in Oklahoma City. She was born Aug. 23, 1931, in Berryville, Ark., to Gurn Hull and Edna (Anglin) Hull. 

Marjorie was greatly loved by her family and many lifelong friends. She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was a special caring lady and was always willing to help those in need.

She took every opportunity to share life lessons with others in hopes of making the future a little brighter. “Live a meaningful life and share with others” seemed to be the rule that she followed.