Heifers, softball grab spotlight at city meeting

Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled Clinton City Council meeting lasted only seven minutes, but that was long enough for the council to give away $3,000 from the Lodging Fund and to hear a report on how $7,000 previously awarded was spent.
The Lodging Fund consists of a 5-percent fee added to the bills of people staying in Clinton hotels and motels. It was originally used to help with upkeep of the Frisco Center, but councilmen last year approved a program in which it could also be used to aid local organizations needing financial assistance in staging events that would bring visitors here from out of town. The intent was that while they’re here, they will spend money with local businesses and in that way the fund will be an economic development tool for the city.
The $3,000 approved Tuesday night will be used to help with the Oklahoma Western Heifer Show. It’s scheduled Nov. 17 and 18.
Max McKinsey, who was chairman of the Chamber of Commerce board last year when rules for use of the fund were expanded, spoke Tuesday urging that the $3,000 be allocated for the heifer show. The chamber board had previously approved it, but City Council approval also is required.
McKinsey said a showmanship event has been added to the show this year for Saturday, Nov. 17, in an effort to get people here earlier so that hopefully some will spend the night in local motels before the show resumes Sunday. Elk City also has a heifer event that weekend, and it’s hoped that people attending it will come to the one here too.
The grant application indicated 50 rooms have been reserved here at LaQuinta Inn for the Saturday night of the event.
It said 200 visitors are expected, with 50 of them from at least 75 miles away.
McKinsey told the council that last year’s show with only 115 exhibitors “was a huge success.” It also had received $3,000 from the Lodging Fund.
Canda Dupree signed this year’s approval form for the chamber, and Councilman Jason Hulin made the motion that the $3,000 be appropriated. Bobby Stewart seconded, and the other three council members – Don Rodolph, Chuy Rosales and Mayor David Berrong – joined them in voting yes.
Jeff Hunter and Jay Baker were listed as contact persons for the event. McKinsey said it will be the third annual Western Oklahoma Heifer Show.
After the grant was approved, City Manager Mark Skiles asked Michelle Kauk, who was present representing the C-Town Girls Softball League for younger girls ages 7 to under-12, to come forward and report on a tournament held after this year’s regular four-week season ended. The league had received $7,000 from the Lodging Fund last year and again this year.
Ms. Kauk said there were 28 teams in the tournament this year, up from 21 in 2017. Competition was held in three age brackets, with all the teams from outside Clinton except one in each age group. 
The season began Aug. 18 and ended Sept. 23 with one tournament held at the beginning of the season and another at the end.
Asked the league’s objective, Kauk said, “To let little girls play and learn the game and make sure they have fun doing it.”
Games were played at Acme Brick Park, on fields located between the baseball and soccer fields.
Towns with teams in the league were Arapaho, Burns Flat, Canute, Carnegie, Cordell, Elk City, Hammon, Hobart, Hydro, Merritt, Mooreland, Thomas, Weatherford and Woodward. Ms. Kauk said several towns had two or three teams and Weatherford had five.
Winners and placers in the Fall Finale, as the end-of-season tournament was called, were as follows:
Under-8 (coach pitch) – 1st, Canute; 2nd, Merritt; 3rd, Burns Flat.
Under-10 – 1st, Woodward Diamonds; 2nd Arapaho; 3rd, Weatherford.
Under-12 – 1st, Weatherford; 2nd, Clinton; 3rd, Carnegie.
Ms. Kauk said she would like to thank the city, the community, “and all of our volunteers” for making the fall league a success.
Skiles, the city manager, also mentioned “the amount of volunteer labor” the group put in.
“It was really good to work with this group,” he said. Apparently some changes had to be made to the fields to make them work for girls this young, but he said the group did whatever was necessary to change them out, make them fit, and then put them back in the condition they had found them.
“Please take that thanks back to the softball board,” he told Kauk.