Organizers make Old Timers Day happen
By Jessica
From new events to old complaints, the
organizers of Old Timers Day have plenty to deal with to meet the
never-ending needs of the festival.
For twelve years, Linda Harcum, the Old Timers
Day primary organizer has been running the festival in Jones. She
said she works non-stop for long months every year because she enjoys
seeing the community unite to have fun. Throughout the day, the
organizers expect about a thousand people come down Main Street to
celebrate. “It’s a family fun event where the community can get
together,” Harcum said, “it would be awful if Jones couldn’t
celebrate it.”
Even though planning Old Timers Day can be
repetitive each time around, Harcum does not work alone. Tammy
Wallace joined Harcum in planning about four years ago, and shares
Harcum’s enthusiasm.
Even though most people have fun at the event
and things generally run smoothly, Harcum and Wallace still have the
occasional complaint to sort through. For example, Wallace said on
year a man complained about a stand that he said went against his
religion. Students had set up a fortune telling booth and he did not
agree with it. Another year, someone expressed concern about the
amount of trash on the ground.
“There are always complaints, but we try to
be fair to everyone by listening and trying to solve the problem,”
Harcum said.
The organizers have watched Old Timers Day
evolve. This year the event will include an explosion of fireworks
for the first time. With technology and different organizations with
new stands, it has become livelier, Wallace said. “Despite all the
effort that is needed, I’m glad it gets bigger and better every
year,” Wallace said.
Organizing Old Timers Day isn’t too hard, the
women say. And over the years, their relationship with the community
has grown. Even with complaints, rain, and a $10,000 dollar price
tag, they still love knitting the community together for a day of fun
and keeping an old tradition alive.
Old Timers Day!
By Denise
This year the Jones community has added
something new to Old Timers Day!
Old Timers Day has recently become a time for
residents of Jones, Oklahoma, to look forward to. The event has grown
since it was first introduced to Jones around 1910.
The celebration has games and events such as
cutest pet, cutest baby, longest hay bale throw, a lawn mower races,
an arm wrestling competition, and even a “kiss the pig” contest.
Some other activities include a lively parade, and an all around
popular cake and pie contest, as well as entertainment all day, and a
street dance.
“Organizers always try to add something
new,” said one of the coordinators.
A fireworks display that night was just added
this year to the festival so go out and watch. Sunday at 3pm there is
a rodeo so make yalls way down to the Arthur Stoner Memorial Arena to
witness all the action.
Old Timers Day hasn’t always been a large
community event. It grew in importance about thirty-year ago. Jones
resident Gwen Tomlin, a mother of two boys, said “the growing
popularity of the event shows.”
So go out to Jones on Saturday, October 6, to
enter in all the fun and activities with the community.
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