‘89er Celebration kicks off with Chuck Wagon Feast and auction

“One of the great traditions of the ‘89er Celebration in Guthrie America is the Chuck Wagon Feast,” noted Albert Hawkes, American Legion Commander and coordinator of the Chuck Wagon event.

“We are really excited about this year’s event.  We have Klein’s BBQ catering the meal again this year and his food brought rave reviews last year. We are anticipating serving more than 600 meals and have added more tables to the banquet hall at the fairgrounds. The Chuck Wagon offers great food, great fun and a great time to share with family and friends!”

Tickets for the Feast, $10 for adults and $8 for children, are available at all the banks in Guthrie, Chamber of Commerce, American Legion and various merchants throughout the downtown area. Of course, tickets are available at the door too. Takeout meals are available.

Steve Gentling, Celebration Chairman, also commented, “Billy Bob Bovine’s Band is playing again this year. They are fantastic, entertaining and another part of our tradition. We have a number of other special appearances on the program too.”

One such special appearance is the introduction of the 2014 Queen and Princess, Dracyn Taylor and Kaylee Rampey.  Carrie Fryar, Queen Committee Chairwoman, noted, “We are so fortunate to have these two beautiful young ladies representing the ‘89er Celebration. They are talented, mature, and have great riding skills. They will certainly continue the wonderful traditions of past queens.”

A number of past queens will also be in attendance at this event. One of the primary fund raisers for the ‘89er Committee is the Auction with happens during the evening. Dennis Ochs, auctioneer extraordinaire, says, “We have a number of fantastic items on the auction block again this year. There is a live auction, which is great fun, and also a silent auction at a more casual pace. Auction items available include western art, fantastic outdoor benches made by the Job Corps, Senior US Open golf passes, hot air balloon rides, specially engraved shotgun, golf outings, dinning and B&B packages, a number of “gift baskets” and many many more “must have” items!”

Gentling continued, “The budget to put on all the events during ‘89er Week is over $10,000, and that doesn’t include all the costs that the city of Guthrie absorbs in preparing streets, providing security, etc.  That budget must be raised by the committee and one of the primary fund raisers is this auction so come out, break bread with your friends and neighbors, have great fun and bid, bid, bid!”

Information on all these activities and more may be found on “89erdays.com” web site or by calling 282-2589.  You may also receive information and share happenings on face book pages (89er days; or Stake Your Claim 5k) for pictures, sharing and comments.