News

A Wheat Variety Trail Tour will be held Monday, April 22 at 3 PM at the Southwest Research and Extension Center in Altus. Tour topics will include wheat varieties used based on pest and disease resistance, wheat weed control, wheat planet disease management, and wheat insect control.

Rock Cemetery Association, Granite Oklahoma, will hold its annual membership meeting on Saturday, April 20 at 9 AM at the Granite Methodist Church, 206 W Parker in Granite. All interested parties are welcome to attend.

A Band Booster meeting will be held Monday, April 22 at 6 PM in the Band Room at the Junior High. All are welcome to attend and join.

The 1st Annual Mangum Rattlesnake Derby was held in April of 1966. The event was small, barely covering one side of the courthouse square. The Derby did so bad that its very existence was in jeopardy. The Shortgrass Rattlesnake Association lost money on the Derby. The Association couldn’t even pay on the loan that it had to take out to even get the event off the ground. Still, the early members felt that this was exactly what Mangum needed and decided to give it another try R.O. Heatly, a founding member of the Association, ran the local lumberyard in Mangum. He generously donated thousands of dollars worth of materials and thousands of hours of his time so that the Derby could be a success. He, along with a handful of other dedicated individuals pulled up their sleeves and gave the Derby another try the following year. This time, after the event had ended, a sign of success emerged. It was then realized that this could work. So, annually the event is held and it continues to get bigger with each passing year.