Verden To Celebrate Town's 100th Birthday Submitted by: Sandi Carter 22 Jan 2006 Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== The Chickasha Express-Star Wednesday, 15 June 2005 VERDEN TO CELEBRATE TOWN'S 100TH BIRTHDAY By Laura McKay Staff Writer *After months of long hours and preparation, the Town of Verden readies itself for a weekend of celebration for the town's 100th birthday. In March, members of the Town Council and supporters of the Centennial Celebration hoped to plan an event to commemorate the anniversary of Verden becoming a town, which officially occurred on Jan. 7, 1905. Tracey Harris, chairwoman of the Centennial Celebration said that when she envisions the upcoming weekend, she sees "everybody having fun, little kids playing and everybody laughing." There are many activities scheduled for the Main Street celebration. On Friday, June 17, a spaghetti dinner, including a salad and dessert, will be held at 5 p.m. at the Verden Community Building on Main Street. After the dinner, live bands will perform until 10 p.m. On Saturday, June 18, the day will start with a 8 a.m. breakfast in the community building. The festival activities will get under way at 10 a.m. when the arts and crafts booths open, bands begin playing and the games begin. Registration for the car show and the motorcycle show will also begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The winner for the "people's choice" car and motorcycle shows will be announced at 5 p.m. At noon, gun fighters from Chickasha will reenact an Old West gun fight. The festival will continue into the evening and will end at 20 p.m. Harris said that everything is almost read. "We've got our toys in, the banners in and the shirts are ready," said Harris. "It's really coming together." Many of the booth spaces have been rented, but Harris said she was hoping for more arts and crafts vendors. "I'm pretty sure we have enough food vendors," she said. "But, we still need more arts and crafts booths." The Centennial Celebration Committee will have a booth set up to raise money for next year's celebration. Harris said they will be selling Centennial Celebration T-shirts and beef jerky. For anyone interested in reserving a booth, Harris said to call her cell phone by Friday and leave a message at (580) 383-5030. In preparation for the event, the Town of Verden has taken an active role in cleaning up its downtown area. Many of the dilapidated Main Street buildings were boarded up and whitewashed. Verden's Public Works Authority, along with the help of town councilor John Harper, began building a metal gazebo on Main Street. Concrete for the foundation of the gazebo was poured a couple of weeks ago and the construction of the structure began Monday, June 13. Harris said the gazebo would likely be completed by Wednesday, June 15, in plenty of time for the kickoff of the Centennial Celebration on Friday. "We've had a lot of positive feedback as far as the way downtown looks," said Harris. "I hope that our community sees what good has come from this and helps pitch in so we can have one every year." To learn more about the Centennial Celebration, or to reserve a booth space, call Tracey Harris on her cell phone at (580) 383-5030 or at home after 5:30 p.m., at (405) 453 -7436 GRADYFOOTER