The Duncan Banner

Features

Related Photos

  • Special to The Banner

    Spaghetti at the fair
August 22, 2009

Savory smell of spaghetti wafts over Stephens County Free Fair

Jayne Boykin

DUNCAN — Each year, August brings the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center to life with the annual free fair.

Anyone who has been to a fair knows the sights, sounds and smells are like no other time and place, and people of all ages eagerly look forward to the yearly event.

While the familiar smells of dust, animals, cotton candy and popcorn are ever-present, another, more subtle fragrance has wafted over the proceedings for the past few years spaghetti.

GFWC Owl Club members conduct an annual spaghetti lunch on one of the days of the fair to raise money for their community projects. This year, spaghetti, salad, garlic toast and tea will be served up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday for a $5 donation.

Carryout meals are available, and there will be plenty of seating for those who wish to dine in between visits to other fair attractions.

The Owl Club of Duncan was organized in June of 1919 and was federated on Sept. 1 of that year. The club got its name from the 15 “wise and wide-awake” members it had at the time. The group chose “Be Square” as its motto, which reminds members to be honest, fair and always useful. The club has always operated on the premise, “Where there is no vision the people perish,” from Proverbs 29:18. Since its inception, the club has realized the vital importance of vision in local, state and national affairs.

Objective of the club is to enlighten, enlist and enlarge.

Community service projects have always been important to the club and have included nursing scholarships; the Prairie House Foundation; cell phones for abused women; Chisholm Trail Arts Council; Women’s Haven; EDGE Academy; Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY); Toy Shop; Kind News — Gabriel’s House; International Heifer Project; 1734 Society; the annual Stephens County Christmas dinner; a flower bed in Centennial Park; and Christians Concerned.

GFWC is a national and international organization that was granted a charter in 1901 by the United States government. It has grown to be the largest organization of women volunteers in the world.

The group meets on the first Thursday of each month from September through May in members’ homes.

Text Only
Features
  • Madison Taylor rides a shark Thursday as part of Duncan High School's Project Graduation. Grad to be there

    For some of Duncan High School’s graduates, Project Graduation was the last time they would see their fellow Class of 2012 members, as they move on and become adults. But for a few fleeting hours, the students had time to spend with one another, to play, to be kids.

    May 20, 2012 3 Photos

  • The Stewart family find plenty of reasons they are glad, mom Edie, doesn’t have to work. Love is an amazing thing

    For most, being a mother means more than having a child; it means being responsible for the challenge of raising another person.

    May 13, 2012 1 Photo

  • Crafty with his flutes Yarn, flutes among features at arts and craft show

    Yarn, yarn and more yarn could be found at the Yarnaholics booth during the Duncan Crafts, Arts, and Hobbies Association Spring Craft Show Saturday at the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center.
    Sisters Heather Turner and Leslie Neely, along with their mother Debbie Turner, can create almost anything imaginable with their several rolls of yarn in all different colors. From hats to flowers to hair clips, the women can turn almost any item into a yarn creation.

    May 9, 2012 1 Photo

  • Horace Mann students Dakota Plumbtree and Jordan Talley pose for a photo with foster grandmother Gena Turkett. Students rock out during celebratory pep rally

    Horace Mann students walked by with pink hair and ripped jeans, and the teachers commented on how great they looked.

    April 22, 2012 5 Photos

  • Foster Grandparent luncheon Delta recognizes seniors who aid in foster program

    For the first time, the six Oklahoma counties that participate in the Foster Grandparent Program all came together for the 31st annual Delta Community Action Foster Grandparent Recognition, which was held at First United Methodist Church.

    April 16, 2012 1 Photo

  • Community Baby Shower Baby shower attracts crowd

    Despite the threat of severe weather and possible tornados, there was a large turnout for the fifth annual Community Baby Shower Saturday afternoon — and fortunately, no showers developed that might have dampened enthusiasm for the baby shower.

    April 16, 2012 1 Photo

  • Foster Grandparents give back Grandparents give back in the classroom

    The bond between grandparent and grandchild is sacred and special, something to be treasured. And it’s also very special that the Foster Grandparent Program in Stephens County helps provide elementary classrooms with some of that sparkle.

    April 15, 2012 1 Photo

  • Bringing literacy to adults Helping adults to read — one book at a time


    The Duncan Area Literacy Council doesn’t get much press, but it’s been around since 1985.
    Initially organized to teach adults to read, the basic mission for those involved has never changed.
    And while the council’s core mission remains the same, changes have been made to the program to keep it alive.

    April 8, 2012 1 Photo

  • Miss V-A celebrates 50 years Golden moment for 'Miss V-A' Rice

    Shelby Rice started out the night just like the other 12 contestants, dressed in gold to celebrate Miss Velma-Alma’s Golden Anniversary. By the end of the night, however, Rice outshone the rest.
    The Velma-Alma senior was crowned Miss Velma-Alma 2012, an honor that established her place in one of V-A’s longest traditions.

    April 2, 2012 2 Photos

  • Jordan Layn 13 compete for title of Miss Velma-Alma

    Thirteen young women will be vying for top honors, when the 50th annual Miss Velma-Alma Pageant is held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, in the Velma-Alma High School auditorium.

    March 25, 2012 13 Photos