What is the best thing about Friday? I think it is the Brag Basket! Once a week, I offer this post as a safe place to brag. You can brag on your business, your community, or your self.
The goal is to encourage you to review your week. Learned anything? Made any accomplishments you’d like to share? It doesn’t have to be something HUGE; just something positive you feel like sharing. You can also brag on splendid failures. You know, those terrific attempts that just didn’t work out!
Feel free to expand a bit, use a few paragraphs. Tell us something meaningful, and we’ll happily applaud.
The Brag Basket has no deadline, so don’t wait. Brag now!
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The rural small business blog. We talk about small town business, with how-to articles, especially on social media marketing and making your community a better place. We use this “author” for announcements and other things you’ll want to know.
Niche Magazine published a very flattering review of us, back in March, but I just ran across it. I had to include this as a brag!
“With the goal of utilizing all resources at hand, Becky McCray and her business contacts in Oklahoma report on competition, community involvement and more. The site offers reviews of the latest online services, first-person stories of failure (and success) and a weekly brag basket to share your own good news. This is certainly a blog where you’ll feel the warmth of an online community.”
WooHoo!
WOW! Go, Girl, Go!
Buffalo Oklahoma Centennial Celebration a Smashing Success
I was an innocent victim of a marketing campaign.
My son came home from school last month with a couple of very professionally designed, full-color brochures in one hand while waving a nifty red wrist band in the other, excitedly trying to explain that he was picked by his teacher to go for a whole day and ride a bunch of inflatable rides in nearby Buffalo Oklahoma for FREE! “For FREE Dad”, he gleefully stated, on the 4th of July. “No way”, I responded. “Yeh dad, really”, he yelled back.
I had to check it out. Why not? It was, after all, free.
With a population of only 1,200 spirited residents, little Buffalo, located on the Eastern-most edge of the Oklahoma Panhandle, hosted a Centennial Celebration rivaling large cities across the state.
The Buffalo Chamber of Commerce organized a day-long event beginning with a softball tournament and ending with a big-bang fireworks show.
I’m told that Chamber secretary, A.M. Thompson led the organizing effort. A number of volunteers, the local fire department and a throng of community business sponsors worked together to provide a free barbecue dinner held in the town’s aptly named: “Celebration Park” come evening.
The event was so well organized and fast-paced it was hard to believe the day was concluding, but the look of fatigue on my son’s face told me it was almost over.
We were greeted by a boy offering us a plastic bookmark emblazoned with a picture of fireworks, a neat buffalo and the words: Buffalo Centennial 1907-2007. What an odd but unforgettable gift I thought. I turned it over and a program was printed on the reverse of this practically indestructible plastic bookmark. It made perfect sense. It was a very practical welcome to the celebration.
After watching my 6 year-old climb and ride down a 3-story inflatable slide about 40 times, hover in a parachute drop ride nearly 20 times, bounce around a balloon typhoon, try every carnival game known to mankind (and winning at many of them), running around a tremendously popular “Adrenaline Rush” thingy-ma-jig so many times I lost count, I had almost had enough to call it quits and it was only 3:00 pm.
We were on our way over to get hosed off by the fire department’s shiny red fire engine when we heard an announcement for the water balloon toss. “C-mon Dad, we’ll get drenched later, we gotta do this” he commanded. The water balloon toss ended prematurely but not minutes later was the required three-legged race, and of course an egg race of which we had to participate. I think we lost at every athletic game but what a grand time we had! There were a plethora of events going on all day.
A refreshingly wet, cool, dunk tank under the city’s water tower was beckoning us. We succumbed to the magnetic-like pull, offered up our $5.00 each and attempted to dunk the Buffalo School superintendent, a half hour later the high school principal, and a while later, the town’s Economic Development director. We nailed the superintendent on the third try, missed on the principal but hit the target dead center on the first throw to dethrone the economic director. Kersplash! My son cheered.
We headed over to the misting tent in the center of the park for a quick cool down and then over to the pavilion for an inexpensive fajita plate and a snow cone offered by a local café. We enjoyed our afternoon snack while listening to hit tunes played over a great sound system while observing the town’s residents mixing it up like a giant, 700 or 800 member family at a reunion. And, every person we observed had a huge smile, a kind word or a nod of recognition to offer us. They made a stranger and his family feel welcome. Check that, they made us feel like one of their own.
Kudos to you Ms. Thompson, the Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Buffalo.
My son wants to move. He wants the whole family to move to Buffalo.
We are eagerly looking forward to returning to Buffalo and attending the Buffalo Chamber’s next event. Anyone know a realtor in Buffalo?
J.J. Struther
J.J., thanks for this story! I’m going to reprint the whole thing as a separate post, so everyone can see it.
Buffalo is near to me, also, and they are clearly “on the ball” with events, economic development, and innovation. I should have been there to throw a few at James in the dunk tank!
Thanks, again, J.J. for such a wonderful post!
4 Stars to J.J. !!!