Museum partnering with University of Central Oklahoma to offer special fall course for history majors and future Museum docents

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is excited to announce a unique program for adult metro-area volunteers, art enthusiasts and history lovers to become a Museum docent who provides guided tours at the National Cowboy Museum. For the first time, the Museum is partnering with the University of Central Oklahoma to offer students and Museum docent candidates a university-level Western History and Museum course.
“Docents play a crucial role in the experience of each visitor to the National Cowboy Museum,” said Museum Chief Public Experience Officer Inez Wolins. “With increasing traffic through our galleries this year, we are excited both to offer our volunteers the opportunity of a unique partnership with UCO and new resources to make their experience as a docent the best it can be.”
Patti Loughlin, Ph.D., chair of the UCO Department of History and Geography, will lead an engaging 12-week course focusing on history of the American West and the National Cowboy Museum’s world-class collections. Participants will research selected art and artifacts and share presentations in collaborative groups. Upon completing the course, participants are eligible to apply for docent candidacy.
“Historians at UCO have a strong tradition of researching and teaching the history of the American West and museum studies,” Loughlin said. “My colleagues and I have put together a series of exciting presentations ranging from environmental history to Native American history to popular culture. We look forward to sharing engaging Western history content and interpretation with course participants and viewing and interpreting the art of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum together.”
Founded in 1965, the Museum’s program is one of the largest and most celebrated docent groups in the nation. Docents are awarded discounted Museum membership, enjoy free Museum admission and other discounts and are invited to behind-the-scenes opportunities.
An uptick in Museum tourism, particularly among school groups, is anticipated due to the Museum’s recent efforts to raise more than $40,000 to offset transportation and other costs for public school field trips this academic year.
Registration for the course is open now through Aug. 17. The course will run Aug. 22 through Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at the Museum. College students will have the opportunity to receive one credit hour upon completion. The class enrollment fee for incoming docents is $125, or free for those older than 65 with the purchase of a $30 reading packet. The tuition rate is $228.20 for matriculated UCO students.
Register online at http://go.uco.edu/cowboy-link or call the UCO Customized Education Office at 405-974-3030. For questions, call Gretchen Jeane, Museum Director of Education at 405-478-2250 ext. 277.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn  t4z@aol.com

It’s said that timing is everything, and it’s so true when picking a time to visit a destination. Mexico has many festivals throughout the year, but one such is the combination of the Puerto Vallarta’s LGTB May Pride Celebration as it coincides with their Restaurant week, providing many opportunities for both exceptional fun and food.
Puerto Vallarta has long been a friendly environment for the LGTB community and the community coming together to host their fourth annual May Pride Week in 2016 is such an example. Parties and receptions held in and around the town offers the visitor a chance to see venues, they might not know exists. There is a structured bar crawl (http://gayvallartabarhopping.com) where first time Puerto Vallarta visitors can easily partake of the festivities with a guide, and be in the right venue for special events.
The high mountain lodge at Villa Savana ( www.villasavana.com) supplies a panoramic view of the town and beach, and quaint views of the houses of local citizens. The white washed accommodation, offers an historic character to the complex of pool and vista filled terrace. At such a reception you might be treated to the guitar stylings of Eduardo Leon, and take home his CD for remembering the intoxicating experience again and again.
An upscale and visually stunning restaurant is the Café de Artistes (www.cafedesartistes.com) There you can have a Chilean wine with a smoked “Mahi Mahi”, a delicate roasted sea bass filet over a confit turnip perfumed with anise, spinach and fine herb sauce, the best Short Rib and Beef Petals duo with creamy chipolte chili sauce and topped off with a desert of “guanaban” sorbet and fried “bunuelos”. All were presented artistically and at times the visual presentation out shinned the taste.
A family owned and indigenous restaurant is the humble and quaint, El Arrayan (http://elarrayan.com.mx/en/) located in the middle of old town. Here the walls are filled with displays of ingenious art presiding over a table of authentic local tastes.
In operation for fifteen years, the Banderas Tapas (http://barcelonatapas.net/) offers a variety of small dishes fusing traditional tastes with other cultures accompanying wonderful sunset views. A tasting menu is available. The amendable bar tender can prepare exotic cocktails or fill your own personal Martini requests. With gourmet food in an open air vista filled venue and attentive service, who could ask for more?
A true delight is the food and ambiance of the ocean side setting of the Sapphire Beach Club (http://sapphire.mx), which also hosts accommodations and a fresh water pool, overlooking the palapas of the beach, complete with roaming sellers of local goods.
Your brunch at the Villa Mercedes (www.hotelvillamercedes.com ) might find a buffet of delights, by a pool and shaded lounge area, adjacent to a more formal restaurant and bar. You might relax here, or stay at this boutique hotel, before venturing over to the nearby Mantamar Beach Club (http://en.mantamarvallarta.com/. They supply food, drink, entertainment, and an expansive pool with cabanas, changing rooms and an upstairs area for viewing the pool and the expansive Puerto Vallarta Beach. You can spend an entire day there soaking up the festival culture with locals and out of town party goers.
For all of the above dining venues be sure to make arrangements before arriving to double check their availability.
Your home base might be the modern Casa Magna Marriott (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pvrmx-casamagna-marriott-puerto-vallarta-resort-and-spa/) in the hotel zone away from the historic downtown, or stay a short distance away at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta (http://www.hrhvallarta.com/) Enjoy the VIP section of the beach with wait staff and a special VIP menu, or stroll around the pool areas with cocktail in hand, or relax in the shade, or take in the offerings of their Spa, with salon treatments or a massage, and don’t forget to sample several of their restaurants.
Despite all the shopping and dining opportunities in Puerto Vallarta proper, it’s easy to recommend a coastal sail along Banderas Bay with Mike’s fishing and charter tours (http://pvmikesfishing.com/, where with party music and refreshments gives you a chance to feel as if you are on a private yacht. This get a way sail, to a coast beach near of the Marietta’s Islands is where you might enjoy snorkeling. This relaxing day experience is not to be overlooked. Don’t forget your sunscreen!
Any time is a good time to experience the safe and tourist friendly resort town of Puerto Vallarta. A sunset stroll along the popular malecon with its iconic Puerto Vallarta Sea horse sculpture is a must. More information can be obtained at: www.visitpuertovallarta.com

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zinn/
http://www.examiner.com/travel-in-oklahoma-city/terry-zinn
www.new.okveterannews.com – www.martinitravels.com

Easter Seals Oklahoma Occupational Therapists are utilizing the popular phone app game Pokemon Go with patients to help with hand-eye coordination when looking for and catching Pokemon. It also helps with spatial awareness, visual perception skills, following directions and instructional cues, fine motor skills, impulse control and social skills in taking turns with peers.
Easter Seals Oklahoma invites Pokemon Go players to consider scheduling a tour of its facility while playing the game. Easter Seals Oklahoma is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m.
For more than 90 years, Easter Seals Oklahoma has provided services to children and adults with disabilities and other special needs and support to their families. Services include an early learning and inclusion academy, adult day health center, therapy services, screenings and financial assistance. For more information, please visit www.eastersealsoklahoma.org.

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) has announced the results of its annual inspection of tobacco outlets to measure compliance with laws restricting underage tobacco sales. This year’s non-compliance rate of 14.1 percent is more than twice the 6.8 percent recorded only four years ago, which was the lowest ever for the state.
Oklahoma retail outlets such as convenience and grocery stores are monitored to ensure they follow all laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors. Each year, hundreds of random checks are completed across the state through the agency’s partnership with the state Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission. States must maintain a non-compliance rate below 20 percent regarding sale of tobacco products to minors or risk losing federal funding for substance abuse prevention and treatment efforts. ODMHSAS Commissioner Terri White said she is concerned that non-compliance is increasing and that some retailers seem unconcerned about illegally selling tobacco products to minors.
“Store owners who ignore compliance requirements are putting their own profits ahead of our children’s health,” she said. “Fortunately, the vast majority of retailers are abiding by the law and aren’t the ones putting tobacco into the hands of our youth. The fact that so many retailers didn’t sell these products to minors suggests there is no excuse for the others to continue breaking the law.”
The 2013 Oklahoma Youth Tobacco Survey notes that nine out of 10 smokers tried their first cigarette before age 18, and that 22.7 percent of Oklahoma high school students are current tobacco users. Tobacco use prematurely kills thousands of Oklahomans every year, yet it remains a leading preventable cause of death. “The most effective way to stop future problems caused by tobacco use is to prevent it from ever occurring in the first place,” White added.
In addition to health risks faced by tobacco users, White said the potential loss of federal substance abuse treatment funding would seriously impact already limited addiction treatment services. “Significant budget cuts have severely limited the services we can provide,” she said. “Already, only about 20 percent of those needing substance abuse services receive the help they need.”
Community-based education is available to business owners and clerks regarding youth access to tobacco. Additional information related to Synar compliance is available on the ODMHSAS website at http://ok.gov/odmhsas/Prevention_/Prevention_Initiatives/Synar_Compliance/.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

The fishing line hit the water at Lake Hefner and a Lisa Sydnor teared up.
The senior programs manager for The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma couldn’t help but getting a little misty-eyed watching the collection of senior men fishing from the docks on a picturesque June morning.
“It makes me cry,” Sydnor said. “The people that we are serving the majority of them live on virtually nothing. Can you imagine living on $750 a month? For them to be able to do something that they can enjoy and relax and they don’t have to worry about how much it costs …”
The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma recently received an $11,600 grant from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and its Wellness Initiative grant program.
The grant will be used to assist in funding senior men’s activity programs, which will allow The Salvation Army to increase its level of service to men at their five senior centers.
On this morning everything was paid for and all the men had to do was reel in the striped bass.
The Salvation Army received the funding the third week of June and by the end of the month Oklahoma City seniors were already dipping their lines into Lake Hefner and pulling out fish.
Sydnor said The Salvation Army received a similar elder grant last year that centered around dance instruction.
“Lots of ladies enjoyed that. We had a great time and a great turnout but the guys didn’t participate,” she said. “They don’t really participate (overall). The focus of this grant was to identify things men would enjoy.”
The funding has helped purchase all needed fishing gear and tackle plus the cost of permits.
“We wanted to find things our seniors could participate in and enjoy and get out. The more you’re out and the more you do the better your are, the better you feel and the better your health is. Our goal is to get our men up and moving.”
Leatherworking and woodworking classes are planned for July and August.
“As we evaluated our activities at the senior centers, we discovered the men’s interest and participation was significantly lower than the women’s,” Sydnor said. “We are so pleased to receive this grant as it will allow us to provide the activities our senior men have told us they want.”
The Wellness Initiative grant will fund wood and leather craft kits; sports equipment for pool, darts, indoor golf and horseshoes; fishing equipment; and, tickets to sporting events. By providing these activities, The Salvation Army strives to increase participation of both men and women in their senior programs.
The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma operates five senior centers throughout the Oklahoma City metro. The centers are open every weekday to seniors ages 55 and older. Seniors have the opportunity to socialize, enjoy lunch and participate in numerous activities that include Bible study, exercise classes, crafts, dancing and much more.
Sydnor said the program is available at no charge to seniors.
Approximately 139,000 Oklahomans receive assistance from The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children.
For more information on the programs and services at The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma, please visit www.salvationarmyokcac.org.
If you would like more information on the centers or other programs you can contact Sydnor at her office at 405-246-1120.
Centers are open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. On Fridays the centers are open 8 a.m. until noon. Coffee and snacks are served each morning with lunch at 11:30.
“The best way to plug into a center is just to call us. We can tell you where all the centers are,” Sydnor said.