2023: A Year in Review

2023 is in the rearview, and with it we are leaving behind an eventful year of news stories and coverage.

January 2023 began with several big items on the front page of the Blackwell Journal-Tribune including a 13-hour water line repair project which saw the Blackwell Public Power Electric Department, Street & Parks Department, Water Department, Fire Department, and Blackwell Police Department coming together in the cold. That month also began with the Blackwell City Council taking huge steps towards the demolition of Huston Center to make way for new housing. January also saw the rumblings of Stillwater Medical-Blackwell’s then-future designation as a rural emergency hospital. That month the hospital would meet with the Blackwell City Council and hold a public forum to field questions from Blackwell citizens.

In February, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation began a $1.9 million dollar project to repair Main Street’s sidewalks and crosswalks, a project which is now in the finishing stages. That month, Blackwell Chief of Police Dewayne Wood made the bombshell announcement at the first February meeting of the Blackwell City Council that he was retiring after 25 years with the City of Blackwell. The response was understanding and, of course, emotional as city employees and residents prepared to say their goodbyes. That month Blackwell High School’s Maroon Wrestling team became the State of Oklahoma’s Dual State Champions and the Top of Oklahoma Museum Director Melissa Hudson received the Citizen of the Year Award at the Chamber of Commerce’s Awards Banquet. The month ended with the demolition of Huston Center, a long-standing and several-years-abandoned school site.

In March, the Blackwell High School Maroon Wrestlers capped off a record-breaking season by securing their 9th State Championship Title. The month also began with the Kay County Livestock Show and Awards Ceremony. Later that month, Southern Star donated a solar charging station which was installed at the Blackwell Memorial Park. That month the City of Blackwell made momentous steps to rehabilitate their existing water plant, deciding that the rehabilitation would be substantially more cost-effective that building a completely new plant. The rehabilitation project will bring advancements in water purification to Blackwell, with work expected to begin in early 2024. That same month, the Blackwell Journal-Tribune announced their shift to remote work, closing our physical office location. March ended with the opening of “Limbaugh’s” restaurant on Doolin and the announcement of Blackwell High School’s Valedictorians and Salutatorians with Colton Tripp, Trista Stormer, and Virginia Jones respectively.

April began with the grand reopening of the newly renovated Walmart on Doolin which was complete with Walmart donating $1,500 to Blackwell Band and Blackwell Cheer. The month also came with the reveal that Blackwell Tourism was planning their first-ever Cinco de Mayo event for May. April continued with former coach Bobby Miller and Coach Connor Cline named as 3A Coaches of the Year. The second Tulips-A-Bloom Festival was held that month, and the City of Blackwell held their annual city-wide cleanup which drew their biggest crowd yet of over 60. The month ended with Blackwell High School’s prom with the Grand March held at the Top of Oklahoma Museum.

In May, Blackwell’s then 2-month old restaurant Limbaugh’s closed then re-opened as a reboot fueled by customer feedback. That month, Blackwell High School got to boast about their ACT scores which saw their average go from 15-17 to a 19.5. Also worth bragging about was the Blackwell Public School District’s Oklahoma Report Cards which saw Blackwell Elementary and Blackwell High School outpacing the state average for high marks based on attendance, knowledge retention, and a series of other academic benchmarks.

That month the newspaper interviewed Jason Murray and Jarad Looper, two Native American Blackwell locals who have made their jump from America’s Hometown to the big screen with roles in TV programs such as the Yellowstone Universe and the 2023 film “Killers of the Flower Moon”. Also in May, the City Council renewed City Manager Jerry Wieland’s contract, and Chief of Police Dewayne Wood held his retirement party at the Blackwell Event Center.

Blackwell Tourism’s first-ever Cinco de Mayo event was held at the Fairgrounds Pavillion which the organization called a tremendous success featuring games, live-music, and food trucks.

May also saw the news that Tonkawa’s HUB Entertainment Center would be expanding to Stillwater as well as the City of Blackwell naming Jay Brewer as the new Chief of Police, filling in for Dewayne Wood. A Tire Collection event was held that month as well as a joint venture between the City of Blackwell and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, headed by Utility Office Supervisor Cindy Gaddis. The collection recycled over 600 tires.

The month ended with the Journal-Tribune spotlighting a 102-years-young Blackwell native Bette Dacus and a write-up on the uncertain future the Braman American Legion faced as their facility closed.

June began with the Blackwell Flycatchers first-ever season in Blackwell with local sports fan Max Smythe throwing the first pitch. At the beginning of the month, the Tribune did a deep-dive story into the history of Blackwell’s tornado sirens during the 68th anniversary of the 1955 tornado. In June, the 2023 Leadership Blackwell Class helped the Blackwell Public Library by providing new shelving and storage for their downstairs Maker Space. Jon Webb resigned as Blackwell Mayor that month with Pat Hullet soon taking up the leadership position.

In June, the Blackwell Chamber of Commerce welcomed their new Chamber Coordinator Noel Black while Shepherd’s Convenience Store on Main closed for a state-of-the-art renovation. That same month, the Journal-Tribune did a feature story on Youth Center Director Denise Hindman and the heart-warming exchange between her and a 16-year-old local Ayden McPhee who went from vandalizing the facility to changing his life around. That month Blackwell welcomed a new bakery, The Sweet Spot, on west Doolin.

The month of June ended with the unveiling of a new first responders 3D art mural commissioned by Blackwell Tourism to go infront of the Police & Fire Public Safety Building on west Blackwell Avenue.

In July, the month started with the annual 4th of July Parade drawing one of the City of Blackwell and Chamber of Commerce’s biggest crowds yet as well as the opening of a new antique mall on Main Street, Blackwell’s first in over a decade. The month also began with the surprise resignation of Blackwell Middle School Principal Becky Miller in the middle of her seemingly routine Principal’s Report.

In June, the Blackwell Police and Fire Department joined with the Blackwell Flycatchers to host a Police vs Fire game which drew a sizeable crowd despite the record-breaking heat wave sweeping America’s Hometown. That same week the Flycatchers got into a brawl with the Alpine Cowboys team which saw law enforcement called to the Morgan Field complex. Work was also heavily underway at Blackwell High School, beginning an extensive remodel project which will effectively completely transform the school for the modern age. Work is expected to be completed by December 2024.

The month of July ended with severe storms which caused widespread damage in Blackwell resulting in the roof of Hutton Pharmacy, a Main Street staple, completely caving in and seeing the pharmacy relocated to a temporary office on Main and Bridge. The month also concluded with the Street & Parks Department receiving the Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit Award, highlighting their work on resurfacing Blackwell Avenue. The Blackwell Public Library also received a donation of $2,000 from the Elks Lodge Post 1347 for their food program.

In August, a year already filled with renovations and demolitions continued with the announcement that the City of Blackwell planned to demolish the long-delinquent Parkside School located by Riverside or “Monkey” Park. The planned demolition was set to be completed by the end of the year at the time, but was postponed so that asbestos could be removed and for Blackwell Fire Department and the Department of Homeland Security could invite a select group of state agencies to partake in a structure collapse exercise using the site which is planned to happen in March of 2024.

Grand Mental Health began work on demolishing the old nunnery on the Stillwater Medical-Blackwell grounds to make way for a new facility. Work is still on-going.

The month ended with the return of Charlene Flannery as the Blackwell Industrial Authority / Blackwell Economic Development Authority Executive Director.

In September, the Kay County Free Fair was gearing up to return, and the Barn Quilt display on the historic 4-H Building was completed with the help of the Blackwell Public Power Electric Department who helped to install new barn quilts done by Cindy Oard and members of Blackwell Tourism. That month the Blackwell Fire Department’s Chief Cory Hanebrink and Batallion Chief Justin Kienzle attended the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Kansas City. September also saw the Blackwell Public Library surplus over 1,000 books to sell in their continued effort to cycle in more new material as the demand arises.

The fair arrived that month, and to say it was “the bomb” would have been an understatement. A bomb threat was called in on a nearby dispensary, causing the entire Fairgrounds and surrounding area to be evacuated during the week’s lunch rush. The lockdown was in effect for over 2 hours with 10 local and county agencies assisting. No explosive device was found.

Maroon Spirit and Miss BHS were announced in the middle of the month with Maroon Spirit going to Zaine McDonald and Miss BHS named Hope Henderson. Blackwell’s CFM also received an award from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to commemorate their massive expansion.

That month, the Journal-Tribune highlighted local artist Lindy Simunek and her family for their hay bale art which has decorated Highway 11 for the last year and made the jump to the Blackwell High School in time for Homecoming.

In October, Spooky Season was in full-swing and so was progress. Shepherd’s reopened to a newly renovated and expanded store on Main Street and Blackwell welcomed Arthur’s Bar & Grill in the old Harvey’s market building. It was also Homecoming, which meant that a Main Street clean-up was held as well as the annual parade and festivities.

The Blackwell Library received a new coat of paint, and the Blackwell Fire Department officially opened their second site, Station 2, on 13th Street.

That month a “Vision Session” was also held by the Blackwell Industrial Authority and Blackwell Economic Development Authority to receive community input in bringing new business and industry to Blackwell. Later that month a new health-drink shop opened on Blackwell Avenue, Blackwell Social. That month also saw the retirement of Electric Department’s Clay Johns from the City of Blackwell. October ended with Trick or Treating and the Blackwell Public Power’s Customer Appreciation Day.

In November, Bravo’s Mexican Restaurant made waves when they opened on Highway 60 and the Journal-Tribune highlighted the Facebook group “The Source”. In November, the Blackwell Police Department donated turkeys to the Blackwell House of Prayer for Thanksgiving and the Kanza Department of Human Development held a Native American cultural demonstration at Blackwell Elementary School to highlight Oklahoma’s Indigenous American customs as part of Native American Heritage Month.

December saw the City of Blackwell journey to the State Capitol to meet with the State Land Commission to annex 600 acres of land off of Doolin and 13th Street to expand Blackwell’s city limits and expand the Industrial Park to entice bigger businesses and industry to the area.