In Okemah, Oklahoma  Above, to your right
is the Crystal Theatre, in Okemah, site of the
all-star hootenany celebrating the life and times of Woodrow Wilson Guthrie,
Oklahoma's Dust Bowl Balladeer, and World Reknowned Songster. This Hootenany was
held on July 14, 1999, the 87th anniversary of Woody's birth. People came from
near and far and braved upper nineties temperatures, to hear his son, Arlo, his
grandchildren Abraham and Sarah Lee, and many others speak of him and sing his
many songs of hardship, endurance, and straight out celebration of the lives of
common folk everywhere. HAD KNOWN about the 2nd annual Woodyfest
for almost six months. On my budget, it
took careful planning. As it came out, I first took the bus to Conway, South
Carolina, to visit a good friend of mine who teaches Spanish at a college there.
Then, on July 12, I took the bus west, through Atlanta to Dallas. Got to see
parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana in the day hours for the first time.
Had enough time in Dallas to walk out the Phillip Johnson Designed Cenotaph for
JFK, near Dealey Plaza, where I played a bit of guitar. Upon arriving in Oklahoma
City the next morning, I found a Botanical Garden just a few blocks from the bus
depot. It was very refreshing to gaze upon the splendid array of flowers and trees
for a few hours, play the guitar again and contemplate the good will that goes
into designing such public facilities. With a nicely clear mind, I arrived the
afternoon of the 14th, Woody's birthday, in Okema. Above is one part of a very
pleasant surprise waiting for visitors to Okemah,
Oklahoma. A vacant lot has been cleared, and this mural painted on the wall of the
adjacent building. It is signed by the local artist who painted it. Quite colorful
in the summer sun, I might add. Besides this, a sculpture of Okemah's most famous
song writer stands before a brick platform. Hopefully, this place will become the
center of gathering for the area's pickers and singers.
HAD JUST taken some time to visit with
folks on the line waiting to get into
the "All-Star" Hootenany the night of Woody's birthday, whereupon I stumbled
across the lot with the statue behind me. A fellow middle-aged long-hair was
standing there by himself with a camera. We both started to say the same thing at
once, "I will take your picture if you'll..." We broke out laughing. I took his
photo for him, and he did the same for me. I no sooner had my guitar back in its
gig bag when a town car drove up with six people in it. I noticed someone waving
in the back seat. Out stepped Arlo Guthrie and his son and daughter! Arlo strode
over and shook my hand. I mentioned the times he'd had conversations with me
before and after shows here in Bloomington, Indiana, since 1980, and he allowed
that he had good thoughts for Indiana's cultural mecca. Some other family members
got out of the car. I and the fellow who swapped photo ops with me got to witness
the Guthrie family share a historical moment. Three generations of Guthrie. They
were there for the same reason as we two photo swappers. We watched, greatly
amused, as one of Arlo's relatives photographed four Guthries. Then Arlo and his
daughter had a great time getting a picture of her standing just like the
statue...as I watched I thought to myself, I do think I am going to enjoy this
visit to Oklahoma...such synchronicity strokes are sweet indeed. (If you are
interested in providing for a Woody Memorial brick, click the photo of Woody'n'me
to the left to learn about details.)Thanks to Adobe Photoshop and the
assistance of a friend, I've been able to
present a picture of what I saw, even if the sky is orange (if it was, wouldn't
skin be blue?) - we were taking pictures in a shaded area on a very bright sunny
day, with that whitewashed wall to contend with besides...my apologies to all for
not having a filter for my camera. No sooner had Arlo finished
photographing his daughter with the statue of Woody,
than a young woman strode up to Arlo and requested he let her boy friend
photograph the two of them in front of Woody. She explained she had grown up in
Okemah, herself, and no longer lived there. Arlo understood the sweetness of this
chance for her and said, "Only one, we gotta go eat!"Then the woman, her friend and the other fellow who'd been standing there when I first walked up were talking about the town graveyard. We piled into their car and drove to the cemetary. Woody Guthrie had been cremated after his death in 1967, yet the family placed a head stone next to the graves of his parents and sister, who died as a teenager in a tragic fire accident. One of my favorite pencil drawings Woody did of a guy with a guitar has been carved in the modest stone.   EDNESDAY NIGHT, there were only a few
campers beside myself. A young couple in
their twenties set up camp near my pup tent. We sat up talking about the way
seeing the Milky Way never ceases to amaze...we saw a few shooting stars, talked
about what Tom Paxton (another singer songwriter from the sixties folk-"scare")
called "chaos, watermelons, and everything..." A mockingbird in the branches of
the pine trees above us went through a lengthy repetoire. HURSDAY AFTERNOON, the outdoor stage
needed
to be set up. about a dozen
volunteers helped two very together fellows from and Oklahoma City company put
together the stage, made out of about 24 wooden sections. the sections get legs
attached, they get clamped together to be more or less level, and then wood and
carpet shims to further level out the whole thing. Four winches on towers held
the tube frame work for the canopy, which gets firmly strapped to the tubing
and Voila! Show time!! The two fellows were very good at rousting us volunteers
into a team. They used direct commands, and good humor. It was fun working with
them. Such a treat to see people performing on a stage you set up...We did the
same thing in reverse on Sunday afternoon, after Joe McDonald was finished with
his set.As soon as we were finished with
the stage, I grabbed a ride into Okemah, about a
mile away. Just in time for the free tribute to Woody at the Crystal theatre. Some
of the previous nights performers were unable to stay, yet the talented, spirited
rendition of Woody's songs chosen for the orifginal tribute done in NYC and then
Los Angeles California lifted my spirits. I felt at home in Okemah. Bill McCloud
the announcer for all the events in the festival, aptly did the original
recitations. Mary Jo Guthrie spoke a bit of her brother, and all the visiting
Guthries were introduced from the stage. A tremendously rousing This Land is Your
Land got many people singing at the top of their lungs. Woody LIVES as long as
people keep singing his songs!
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Arlo Guthrie has posted, as of September 18, 2001,
A prayer for Peace in the Spirit of Reconciliation
Interested in the Woodyfest/2008?
Check out the folk art of Mary Jo Guthrie Edgmon, Woody's youngest sister.
I joke - in my more oxymoronic moments, about being hopelessly optimistic,
but Mary Jo, whom I met there in Okemah,
personifies optimism!
Here's some of my songs
Here's Woody and me on July 14, 2001 in Okemah
Full image is 26K
The 2001 Foto gallery is here!
Woodyfest 2001
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*****All materials copyrighted 1998-9 Jesse Slokum*****
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