When you say “Chick-fil-A” many people outside of Enid think of chicken sandwiches, nuggets, waffle fries, or incredibly great service. But here in Enid, you can hardly find anyone that does not immediately think of Connie Sturgeon-Hart. She is not only a great Chick-fil-A operator but an amazing mother, grandmother, friend, community supporter and so much more! The story of how she became an “operator” is amazing in itself, but that is a story for another time.
If there is an area school, athletic group or organization that needs support, Connie is always willing to allow them in for Chick-fil-A “night outs”. Attending a local event in town? More than likely, you will see Chick-fil-A sponsoring in some capacity. (Or at least have the “cow” make an appearance!) Connie’s support for 4RKids and the special needs youth and adults in our community is unmatched! Even with her busy schedule, she still finds time to volunteer on the Board of Directors at 4RKids and supports many other charity organizations locally. However, giving back to her community is not all that she does! There is so much more to Connie Sturgeon-Hart!
Is Connie a “Local Legend”? Absolutely! Very rarely do you enter Chick-fil-A or go through the drive-through without seeing Connie either helping her employees work in the back or out conversing with customers in the lobby. She leads her team as a servant leader and holds everyone to a high standard. Youths and adults want to work for her because they respect her leadership and willingness to get in the trenches with them when needed. Connie is a woman with grit and determination and is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and put in the work!
I am proud to recommend Connie Sturgeon-Hart as a Enid Local Legend! Friend, Family, Leader, Local Legend!
Local Legends is proudly presented by Humphrey and Guarantee Abstract Company!
So many of us know we are getting together with our loved ones this holiday season. We know we will have the best meals, a roof over our heads, and a kitchen to cook in. There are so many in our community who don’t have those same blessings in life. Have you ever wanted to do something small that has a big reward? Do you often wonder how you can contribute to those in need? Here are four amazing local organizations you can give to this Holiday season:
Loaves and Fishes
Loaves and Fishes has been a great resource for families in need for 10 years. In 2022 they partnered with United States Postal Carriers of Garfield County for a food drive that brought in over 24,000 pounds of food. Eisenhower Elementary School has been a great partner for Loaves and Fishes for the last four years. Eisenhower puts on a food drive every year from the beginning of October to the Beginning of November. The school makes a competition out of it between Pre-K-2nd and 3rd-5th grades. Last year Eisenhower donated over 550 pounds of non-perishable items. Eisenhower paved the way for the district to select Loaves and Fishes as the non-profit to donate to by all Enid Public Elementary Schools.
Loaves and Fishes is always in need of donations and volunteers. Donated items can be dropped off Monday- Thursday 8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. Non-perishable items can only be dropped off after hours in their outside bin located at 701 E. Maine St. Most needed items include boxed mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin, green beans, and frozen turkeys (must be USDA approved). If you are looking to volunteer please visit their website at LoavesAndFishesNWOK.org or email info@loavesandfishes.org.
RSVP
RSVP opened its doors on December 3, 1981 and has continued to be an advocate for senior citizens and is dedicated to providing a voice for those in need. RSVP gives a place for Enid’s seniors to gather and play games so they can socialize and have a warm meal. RSVP also delivers meals to roughly 100 people every single weekday and delivers food boxes to 288 people once a month.
At the Senior Center, it is not about if a person is rich or poor, it is about making a connection. Most of their visitors are looking for friendships, people to have a conversation with, play pool or bingo or just have lunch. They have singles and married couples that range from their 60’s to 90’s. When some first come they may not interact or talk much but pretty soon they make eye contact, start to smile and begin coming earlier and leaving later because they have made that connection. It’s a powerful thing to see them grow stronger emotionally and physically.
The commodity box program is for seniors 60 and older. It provides a 40-pound box of food once a month to low-income seniors. If anyone is in need, they can call or go by the Senior Center or RSVP for an application. Another great program by RSVP is the mobile meal program. They serve approximately 100 people in our community. Meals are delivered on a daily basis Monday through Friday. The meals are $67 per month and there is a scholarship fund for seniors with financial hardship. For many, it’s the only hot meal they receive in a day. Also, the program provides the only personal contact that the client has all week. RSVP also provides transportation for seniors that need rides to appointments in town. The Senior Center also has limited transportation for those that would like to attend but do not drive.
RSVP is hosting a Thanksgiving Luncheon at the Senior Center on November 22nd. They would greatly appreciate all non-perishable donations. They want all their Seniors to have a Thanksgiving meal and to bring joy to their holiday season. They also want to have a Christmas gift for each of their seniors and would love gift donations. All donations can be dropped off at 605 N Van Buren or 202 W. Walnut. Volunteers are also needed year-round. Please call (580) 233-5914 or visit rsvpenid.org for more information on getting involved.
Shepherd’s Cupboard
If you have ever been to the pumpkin patch on Randolph then you have been to Shepherd’s Cupboard. Shepherds’ Cupboard has been a staple in Enid for 25 years. In October alone they fed over 143 families on the first Wednesday of the month. The first and second Wednesdays from 9 A.M. – 11 A.M. Shepherd’s Cupboard hands out bagged groceries to families in need. They do their best to make sure all families are provided with enough items and do not have to go hungry. They also like to keep their pantry stocked so if someone finds themselves in need, they are able to bag up enough groceries to make it through.
Willow View United Methodist is their biggest contributor and makes a recurring monthly donation. Tyson Foods charitably donates a lot of its meat products but they still need donations from the community. Perishable and Non-perishable items can be dropped off daily at 2418 W. Randolph Ave. They have a large need for all canned goods. If volunteering is more your style, please visit https://www.foodpantries.org/li/ok_73701_shepherds-cupboard.
YWCA
The YWCA has an amazing mission to help women survivors and their children. They help them to completely start over with all day-to-day items and food. Their goal is to start the survivors on a path of strength and dignity so when they do leave, they are confident in themselves and ready for their new start in life. The YWCA goes above and beyond to provide help and hope in the Enid community.
The YWCA gives back to the community in so many other ways. My Sister’s Closet is a free program for the community. If a family or person is finding themselves in need, this program can help them start over. The YWCA also provides a program for youth who need formal wear, shoes and accessories for events such as prom called Project Cinderella. The YWCA offers a free counseling crisis hotline that can be reached 24/7 at (580) 234-7644. Furthermore, the YWCA has an LPC and social worker on staff who offers weekly individual and group therapy free to anyone in the community. This is an asset to Enid as there is a surge in mental health crises during the holiday season. They also offer several other programs that can be found at ywcaenid.com.
The YWCA tries to make the holiday season as normal and beautiful as possible for the survivors. To do that, they need donations of all kinds. Any and all food items are always needed and appreciated for the communal kitchen the survivors and their families share. All hygiene products and clothing are needed as well. When donating clothing, the hope is for survivors to feel a sense of dignity and empowerment, so they like to offer women items in gently used or new condition. Gift cards to places such as TJ Maxx, Ross, Wal-Mart are another great option when donating, this gives the survivors the opportunity to shop for themselves and take back some control in their lives. Someone is always on-site at the YWCA to accept the gift cards. All donations can be dropped off at any time at their loading dock at 525 S Quincy St. Tax receipts are also available when they are checking the donations. Volunteers are needed in many different areas as well. Whether it be sorting food and clothes, being an advocate for the survivors, or general office work. Please reach out to their website or contact them at (580) 234-7581. It’s small choices that make big impacts on the lives of others. When you’re at the grocery store and see the turkeys in the freezer or canned goods on the shelf, consider buying an extra this time and donating it to Loaves and Fishes or Shepherds Cupboard. Walking around at Walmart gathering your weekly list, throw in a small gift for a Senior Citizen and donate it to RSVP. Ordering your deliveries online? This time, order a basic needs item and take it to the YWCA. This holiday season let’s take a moment to give back, nothing is too big or too small. Sometimes it is the items we take for granted that could change someone else’s life. This year I hope as a community we all have a Happy ThanksGIVING.
Author: David Maraniss Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa, Putnam Six Bookstore
October is the perfect time to read David Maraniss’s new biography on Oklahoma legend Jim Thorpe, titled Path Lit by Lightning. Not only has the busyness of the holiday season not quite started, but the cool, crisp weather just calls for a long book to get absorbed in. Plus, with the college football season underway now, it will be even more astonishing to read not only how different the sport was in Thorpe’s time (no neutral zone, first-down punts, four-point field goals) but also how utterly dominant Thorpe was at it. Add to that the recent news that his 1912 Olympic medals have been reinstated, and the case is made, this Fall’s best read.
Author Maraniss has won two Pulitzer Prizes and been a finalist three other times, and that excellence is evident in this book too. The research alone must have taken years, and the material is so all-encompassing. He paints a remarkably complete picture of Thorpe over the years, covering the good times and the bad times both. It’s astonishing all the obstacles Thorpe had to overcome, from the assimilationist policies at Carlisle Indian School to losing his three-year-old son in the 1918 Flu Pandemic to being tagged with stereotypes his entire life. This book is undoubtedly informative, but it’s also very inspirational in how it describes that grit and perseverance that Thorpe demonstrated every step of the way.
Path Lit by Lightning is indeed quite lengthy, but every page is packed with an intriguing story or detail or quote. Most people, at least in Oklahoma, have heard the name Jim Thorpe. If you don’t know much past that, this book will be stunning. If you think you’ve heard most of Thorpe’s story already, Maraniss can help separate the reality of the man from the myth. Biographies can often be dull or stiff, but Path Lit by Lightning is certainly a touchdown, a home run, a decathlon gold medal – whichever sport of Thorpe’s you choose!
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of Path Lit by Lightning today!
Author: Karen McManus Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa, Putnam Six Bookstore
Author Karen McManus broke onto the scene in 2017 with One of Us Is Lying (later adapted into a hit show), and she has fairly consistently hit that same high mark with the five books that have followed. Nothing More to Tell is her newest release, a young adult novel published in late August 2022 that, like some of the others, focuses on a small group of high school students as they deal with a murder on their school campus. If you’re in the frightening mood for Halloween – or perhaps missing Only Murders in the Building – then this thriller would be a great choice to pick up.
The story alternates perspectives between Brynn and Tripp, students at a private school in Massachusetts. Four years ago, everyone’s favorite teacher, Mr. Larkin, was found murdered behind the school, and Tripp was one of three students who found the body. Now, Brynn is an intern for a true-crime podcast and questioning everything anew. As the two start following leads, they realize that maybe Mr. Larkin wasn’t the fun, adored person they thought he was. And why was it that no family or friends of his were there at the funeral? This story has everything you want in a whodunit – changed identities and stolen cash and ultraviolet powder and spur-of-the-moment fact-finding road trips.
Having the dual points of view doesn’t seem to add much to the reading experience; if anything, it makes things confusing at times. But overall, the book is a good, suspenseful page-turner. You can easily read fifty pages without even realizing it. As well, there are seemingly many loose threads that the author could pick up and run with for a future book. As the days get shorter this fall and the season gets spookier, Nothing More to Tell will definitely have you checking over your shoulder more often!
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of Nothing More to Tell today!
Kaycee Babek of Meeker, Oklahoma, was named Miss NOC Enid 2022 at NOC Tonkawa Tuesday night in the Kinzer Performing Arts Center in Tonkawa.
She was crowned by Miss NOC Enid 2022 Mia-Claire Jones and Miss Oklahoma 2022 Megan Gold.
Babek received a $1000 scholarship expense award, Miss America crown and pin, sash and a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses. She will advance to the Miss Oklahoma Scholarship Pageant in Tulsa next June.
The new Miss NOC Enid is a sophomore majoring in pre-medicine.
For the talent competition, she performed a juggling act to “Say Hey.” Her Social Impact Statement was “Calling All Future Foster Parents.”
Isyss Morgan of Enid was the 1st Runner Up and receives a $600 scholarship expense award. Others in the competition included Ashleigh Miller of Cushing, Oklahoma, and Carson Collins of Mannford, Oklahoma. Miller and Collins each received a $250 scholarship expense award.
Miss NOC Enid 1st Runner Up Isyss Morgan and Miss NOC Enid 2022 Kaycee Babek ((photo by John Pickard/Northern Oklahoma College)
Candidates were judged in artistic expression, presence and poise in evening wear and on-stage question. Earlier in the day they were individually interviewed by the judges.
Dr. Edward Dixon, NOC Fine Arts Division chair, served as master of ceremonies for the evening. Miss Oklahoma 2022 Megan Gold performed for the audience.
Special entertainment was by Miss NOC Enid 2022 Mia-Claire Jones who played a piano selection.
NOC President Dr. Clark Harris, presented the official 2022 Miss NOC Enid portrait to Miss Jones.
The Miss NOC Tonkawa competition was also held, Kira Pendleton of Tonkawa was the winner.
We have had a problem come up in our home where the hubby has developed an allergic reaction to mammalian meats (ie: beef, pork) called Alpha Gal Syndrome or AGS. So, as you can imagine, this has thrown the Rorick household into a tizzy!! We are beef eaters! We LOVE a good steak with a potato and salad as much as the next Enidite. Needless to say, this has been an adjustment for us, and an adjustment to most of my recipes. However, we persevered, and have moved these items out of our diet. All of this is to say, I have had to adjust my traditional lasagna recipe to exclude the meat. But in doing so, I was wanting to make sure that the protein and the flavor was still there…thus the 5 Cheese Lasagna was born.
Now, this is not your typical cheese lasagna, as you can tell by the ingredients, but it is flavorful, and the Hubs ate it up!! The 5 cheeses, though not featured in traditional form, are mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, ricotta, and cottage cheese. Now. I know there is a debate on whether or not cottage cheese should be added to lasagna, but I was also going for a certain texture to replace the texture of the meat. I used large curd cottage cheese to achieve this. But, if you are adamantly opposed to cottage cheese, you can substitute additional ricotta for it. Also, you will notice that parmesan is not listed in my ingredients, but it is the major cheese ingredient in the Alfredo sauce. (By the way, you may make your own homemade marinara and alfredo…or use whatever brand you choose. That is completely up to you, but I do find that a chunkier marinara stands up better in this dish since you will have the extra liquid of the alfredo). So I hope you will try this non-traditional cheese lasagna and let me know what you think!! Happy Cooking!!!!
5 Cheese Lasagna Recipe
9 Ready to bake lasagna noodles 1 jar marinara sauce 1 jar Alfredo sauce 1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained 1 15oz ricotta cheese 1 15oz large curd cottage cheese, drained 1 8oz pkg Italian blend shredded cheese 2 eggs 1 Tbls Italian seasoning 1 Tbls dried basil 1 Tbls parsley
Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Add drained cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 1 cup Italian cheese blend, Italian seasoning and basil. Mix well.
Place 1/4 of marinara evenly across the bottom of baking dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles side by side on top of sauce. Evenly spread another 1/4 of Marina sauce atop noodles. Then evenly spread 1/2 alfredo sauce over sauce. Next, evenly spread 1/2 cheese mixture over alfredo. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Italian blend cheese over top. Then, repeat the layers a second time. After the second layer is complete, top with the remaining 3 lasagna noodles. Top with remaining marinara, then Italian blend cheese.
Cover the entire dish with foil and bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until noodles are al dente. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting to allow lasagna to set.
October! Autumn and our thoughts turn to falling leaves and wood smoke, football games and tailgate parties, corn mazes and…PUMPKINS! Most anywhere you go you will find something to do with pumpkins. The coffee shop has pumpkin spice lattes. The bank teller has little plastic pumpkins at their window. The grocery store is selling pumpkin rolls. Bath and Bodyworks and the Hallmark store have pumpkin candles on display. Even the dollar stores, the pharmacies, and Hobby Lobby have their Fall and Halloween decorations for sale–including pumpkins and Jack O’Lanterns.
Why do we scrape out a perfectly good pumpkin, cut a face in it, and stick a candle inside… and who was Jack? The tradition of using a round vegetable to mimic a human face goes back thousands of years in Celtic cultures. The idea really took hold during the Celtic festival of Samhain, originally celebrated on November 1st. On Samhain eve, also known as All Hallows Eve when the spirits of the dead mingle with the living, these carved vegetable heads were used to ward off restless souls. Because metal lanterns were expensive, people would hollow out root vegetables such as beets, potatoes, and turnips, plentiful at the end of harvest, and put a burning coal inside. Carving the faces allowed the light to shine through the holes without extinguishing the ember.
The original Jack O’Lantern comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him but didn’t want to pay for his drink. He convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to pay for their drinks. But once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, preventing the Devil from changing back to his original form. Jack made a deal with the Devil, only to trick him several more times while extracting a promise that the Devil would never take his soul. Soon after, Jack died. However, God would not allow such an unsavory character into heaven. The Devil would not allow Jack into hell. Instead, he sent Jack off into the dark night to eternally wander the earth with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip. The Irish began to call this ghostly man as “Jack of the Lantern” or simply “Jack O’Lantern.” The Celts would carve out vegetable head lanterns to scare away Jack should he come wandering by on Samhain Eve.
The idea of Jack O’Lanterns immigrated to America with the Irish and Scots around 1840. The use of a pumpkin for the lantern is uniquely an American inspiration born from Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The headless horseman threw a flaming pumpkin at Ichabod Crane who was then never seen again. Pumpkins are indigenous to the Americas, even though gourds can be found worldwide. The best type of this winter squash to use for carving is a classic medium-sized, round orange pumpkin with a thin rind. Some notable varieties of carving pumpkins are Autumn Gold, Harvest Moon, Captain Jack, Howden, and, of course, Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins. Their thin flesh and rind make them easy to carve but are not particularly tasty for baking or cooking. However, their seeds, when toasted, make a delicious snack.
So this October, when you carve your pumpkin and enjoy your seeds, remember Stingy Jack who was doomed to wander the earth, and poor Ichabod Crane who was never seen again. On the night when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest make sure your candle glows brightly.
Y’all know a frog’s favorite restaurant? Ihop, of course!
Talk of restaurants got me thinking about a delicacy I enjoy. . .fried frog legs. Before you start “hopping” on out of here, hear me out. They taste like chicken. I know, everyone says everything tastes like chicken but these are legit.
I recently took an excursion with my game warden buddy from Grant County to find us some dinner. Sporting a Savage .22 with a suppressor, the little kermits had no chance. Creeping around in the mud and the Lillie pads, we’d see some bulging eyes barely above the water. It didn’t take long to get my limit of 15 frogs.
There are different methods of frog hunting, depending on your local game regulations. Most frog hunting is done at night, by shining a bright light into the water or shoreline to locate the frogs. While the light somewhat seems to daze the frog, many hunters grab them by hand. Others use a “gig” which is a multi-pronged spear on the end of a long pole giving one greater access to the frog. While I’ve done both hand-frog hunting and gigging, this time the rifle proved effective even during the day.
Once you’ve acquired your frogs, it’s time for the cleanin’. Cut the legs off right above the hip and slice down each thigh with a sharp knife. Grab the hanging skin with pliers then pull it free. Some don’t but I sip off the feet as well. Leaving the feet off can end in a good show once they hit the frying pan, as they tend to kick and jump in the grease. Below is the best way I’ve found to cook ‘em. Frogs may be taken year round, but no more than 15 per day. As always, be sure to check your local regulations and keep Oklahoma beautiful.
Easy Fried Frog Legs
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
salt and pepper
Cajun seasoning
garlic powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
vegetable oil for deep frying
Wash the legs thoroughly, and soak overnight in saltwater. Drain and pat dry. Preheat the vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or skillet to 375 degrees. In one bowl, whisk milk and egg together. In another, blend flour and seasonings. Dredge legs into the milk-and-egg mixture, then into the flour, twice. Deep fry until the meat begins pulling away from the bone, usually around 2 minutes.
Kindness: the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate without expecting praise or reward.
Although being kind to one another is encouraged every day, United Way of Northwest Oklahoma, and many others in Alva, Enid, Kingfisher and Woodward, have joined forces to shine a bigger light on kindness through observing Kindness Day in Northwest Oklahoma on Friday, Nov. 18. The international observance of World Kindness Day is Nov. 13.
This special day was introduced in 1998 to promote kindness throughout the world. It is observed in many countries including Australia, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
“The United Way of Northwest Oklahoma has been observing this day to promote planned and random acts of kindness in the area since 2014 and have been expanding the reach into northwest Oklahoma by including Kingfisher, Alva and other communities who have kind hearts and willing spirits,” said Dan Schiedel, Executive Director of United Way of Northwest Oklahoma.
Several Kingfisher and Alva community leaders and volunteers have been meeting to discuss plans for the day and welcome everyone who would like to be involved. “We have various acts of kindness happening so far from thank you notes and goodie bags to kindness messages, paying for fountain drinks for unsuspecting individuals and more,” Cindy Harris of Pioneer said.
Various groups from the NW area are planning acts of kindness throughout the day. Some of the groups are Kingfisher Public Schools, Stepping Up, Foster Feet, YMCA, NOC, The Rotary Club of Enid, NWOSA, Carver & Fowler Kids, Pioneer, Campus Cabinet food pantry, Vance Airforce Base, Kingfisher NBC Bank, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, NWOSU Art Society, NWOSU Medical Sciences Club, NOC Baseball and Softball Teams, Cheer Squad, Northwest Technology Center, Alva State Bank, Washington Elementary in Alva, girl scouts in Waynoka, Kayla’s Kindness, Kingfisher Coalition, Food Pantries and all 26 Jiffy Trip locations.
Any club, school class, group, business, etc., who would like to be involved in the Day of Kindness and wants to be added to the overall list that will be shared with the media and others of those planning acts of kindness may contact Dan Schiedel @ dan@unitedwayenid.org. Also, anyone who wishes to sponsor the Day of Kindness in Northwest Oklahoma please contact Dan Schiedel, CEO and executive director of United Way of Northwest Oklahoma, at (580) 237-0821 or dan@unitedwayenid.org.
