Gusty: Building Trust One Kid at a Time

by Steve Garrett, posted in Within The Realm

Back in the day, local TV news was important, especially the weather forecast, here in Tornado Alley. One Weatherman here in the place where the Great Plains, the Ozark Mountains and the Indian Territory collide developed a great gimmick to get kids to watch the forecast. The gimmick? The chance to hear your name on TV and get a drawing from the weatherman himself! The weatherman was the legendary Don Woods and the gimmick was the equally legendary Gusty, the little drawing he did twice daily for 35 years.

He drew in kids to watch for their chance to win a Gusty drawing, but they also learned a little about the weather. This was Don Woods goal. He also created a bond of trust between his viewer and himself that was only part of his legacy.

Brownie’s Hat: Community and the Pride of the Prairie

by Steve Garrett, posted in Within The Realm

The Spring of 1954, somewhere in northwestern Oklahoma. A group of upstart high schoolers form a marching band to represent their school at sporting events after the school could no longer send along the official band. From there, small gestures from folks in town made the idea work. A story worthy of a Hallmark movie, but packed with lessons how to make things happen!

Wildness Thrust Upon Them: The Horses of Shannon County

by Steve Garrett, posted in Within The Realm

Described as wild and beautiful creatures, the horses of Shannon County, Missouri are just that. The off spring of work horses abandoned by desperate Ozark farmers during the depression, they have survived and flourished on the Federal Lands around the Current and Jack’s Fork Rivers. Once seen as a problem to be disposed of, they are now a protected part of the National Park. And they pose a question about tame-ness.

Pretty Boy and the Repo Man

by Steve Garrett, posted in Within The Realm

The Cookson Hills hold many a legend about the exploits of Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd and his amazing escapes from the clutches of the law through a hail of gunfire. But there’s also the story about a collector, a clerk really, from a loan office in Fort Smith who was able to best the man who was soon to be Public Enemy No. 1 – without even knowing it.