by Nick Thomas

When Halloween returns each October, so do the 50-year-old memories for actress Judith O’Dea who starred as Barbra in the 1968 horror classic “Night of the Living Dead” as one of several characters taking refuge in an isolated farmhouse under attack from flesh-eating ghouls.
O’Dea remembers watching the film on the big screen for the first time when it premiered in her hometown of Pittsburgh, where the film was also shot, although she recalls identifying more as an audience member rather than one of the cast.
“I looked at myself and began critiquing my performance,” said O’Dea from Los Angeles. “Then suddenly I found myself forgetting it was Judith O’Dea up there and became wrapped up in the storyline. That was a wonderful indication of a powerful story that could hold people’s attention.”
Over the years, O’Dea has also learned to look beyond the film’s horror scenes and appreciate director George Romero’s filmmaking skills.
“There’s a scene where I’m pressing the button on a musical box which George was shooting from the floor up,” she explained. “He was shooting right through the box and for a fraction of a second you see Barbra’s eyes which I thought was a beautiful artistic shot. Then at the end when it alternates between still shots of the bodies and live-action, that was a great effective use of the camera.”
The film, says O’Dea, broke barriers in the industry.
“As an independent movie made outside Hollywood, it raised its own money which I guess you could call one of the first Kickstarter’s for a film. It was also filmed almost like a docudrama – unusual for the 60s – and there’s no happy ending because everybody died.”
Shot on a shoestring budget of just $114,000, O’Dea says her final scene being dragged from the farmhouse still haunts her.
“In your mind it’s all pretend, but you get involved in the scene,” she said. “With all those ghoul hands grabbing at me, it was actually quite frightening and took me back to the fear I felt as a child when I saw Vincent Price’s face fall apart in the (1953) ‘House of Wax.’ That scared me so badly my folks had to take me from the theater. Whenever I’m called upon to be frightened in a role, I just think of that Vincent Price scene.”
Another memorable scene from the film produced one of the classic lines in all horror films, said to O’Dea’s character by actor Russell Streiner who plays her brother in the opening cemetery scene shot at the Evans City Cemetery in Pennsylvania.
“I don’t think a week goes by that someone doesn’t come up to me and say, ‘They’re coming to get you Barbra!’” said O’Dea, laughing. So has she grown weary of hearing the quote through all these years?
“How could I be tired of hearing something that has changed my life so considerably?” she says. “I love it when fans repeat the line to me. I feel so lucky to have been a part of something that was so different and has lasted so long.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 850 newspapers and magazines.

The Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum is proud to host its annual quilt show during the entire month of October. The exhibit is open during normal hours of operation and there is no charge to see the special exhibit. The beautiful works of art on display include both heirloom quilts and modern quilts. The Cimarron Valley Quilt Guild and Pawnee Bill Quilt Guild members are instrumental in putting together this yearly event.
The Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum is located at 1141 Pawnee Bill Road in Pawnee. Hours of operation are Monday, 1 to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. For more information about the quilt show or other programs, please call 918-762-2513 or email pawneebill@okhistory.org. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, occupancy is limited to no more than ten visitors in the museum at one time. We ask that you practice social distancing by staying six feet away from staff and visitors who are not in your party. All visitors, staff and volunteers are required to wear face masks in public areas of all OHS facilities, including the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum.
The Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Who’s cruising tonight?
Whether you grew up in the 1950s or the 1980s that simple question eventually led to meeting up with friends along a main stretch of road in your hometown.
That road usually passed by a local drive-in.
A burger and a coke and lots of conversation about school, cars and life usually followed.
But with technology becoming more prevalent, cruising – or dragging main – simply became a lost art.
That was until Covid came along and the original social distancing came back to fashion.
Brian Smith didn’t grow up in Moore. He moved there at the age of 15.
When he was old enough to get behind the wheel he fell in love with the weekly bumper-to-bumper madness that was cruising in his newfound home along 12th Street.
In 2010 he made a page on Facebook – “Bring Cruising Back to 12th Street!!” – as a way to gather both pictures and memories.
“I had lost track of all the car guys,” Smith said. “I lost track of everybody. I didn’t even fathom it would possibly come back. I was just looking for pictures.”
It took him nine years for the page to amass 350 regular followers.
In the meantime, he researched the history of cruising in Moore.
In his research, Smith came upon an old Rolling Stone magazine story.
The story ranked 12th Street as the No. 3 cruising destination in the nation.
Smith believed it.
“I’ve personally met people from the East Coast and the West Coast who have come just to cruise,” he said.
In the late ‘80s the city encountered pushback from residents when it tried to ban cruising altogether.
But Smith always felt that cruising would make a comeback.
And then in April of this year something changed. Maybe it was people beginning to get stir crazy for what would be the start of a long Covid lockdown.
Maybe it was Lori Smith Meyers posting her car club would be going out on a Wednesday night.
Whatever it was ignited a spark.
By the end of that Thursday, Smith’s followers on Facebook doubled.
The page pushed over 1,000 followers the next day and then doubled again the next day.
By the end of that weekend, 4,000 people were interested in reviving cruising in the community.
“It was really, really cool,” Smith said. “It just kept snowballing.”
There were cars coming out that hadn’t been out for decades.”
That first Saturday night in April an estimated 3,500 cars cruised up and down 12th Street. Another 2,500 came the next week.
The sleepy, Oklahoma CIty suburb had gridlock at 10 on a Saturday night.
Smith was in awe.
You could see him smiling ear-to-ear when he pulled up to the local Sonic in his 1963 Ford Fairlane.
He was told stories of guys who had cruised decades before him in legendary vehicles.
Grandfathers began bringing their grandsons after working on their cars.
Guys like Jerry Beard and his 1926 Ford Model-T started showing up.
Mike Jury remembers he used to beg his dad to take him out to Braum’s on a Saturday night just to watch the cars go by.
Now he’s helping Smith’s effort to revive cruising for generations to come.
Smith and Jury put together the “Covid List,” a listing of businesses that were still open in Moore during the pandemic that would be meet-up friendly.
The number of cars grew so quickly that the Moore Police Department got involved, but not in the way you might expect.
“They took my list on their page,” Smith said. “The new police chief gave them a trial run.”
“It kind of made me official.”
“Moore (PD) never told them to stop cruising. They wanted to support it. It was part of Moore’s heritage.”
As the numbers grew – and a few noise complaints – Moore did have to step in and provide some guidance.
Entrances to businesses could not be blocked. All vehicles must be properly tagged and road compliant.
Meyers – now a moderator of the page – says the group has done a good job of policing itself.
Her and her husband own a local garage, one they started after he retired from General Motors 14 years ago.
At 62, Lori Meyers says the movement took off during a perfect storm.
“It’s a freedom to socialize. You feel safe and you’re in the fresh air,” said Meyers, who brings her 1946 Chevy Stylemaster out to cruise. “The Moore community is a good place.”
The interest keeps growing.
By the end of September, Smith’s Facebook page was pushing 10,000 followers.
“It’s insane. The word spreads like wildfire,” he said.
So who’s cruising again?

By Greg Schwem

Finally, and I do mean FINALLY, I have solid evidence that some things were actually better in “the old days.”
No longer do I have to stare at my kids’ skeptical, sometimes horrified, facial expressions while I wax poetically about the merits of a television that could only pick up five channels (OK, six if you knew how to manipulate a TV antenna); a phone mounted to a wall; or a high school romance that began with spoken words as opposed to written texts and TikTok videos.
Perhaps I was too hasty when I threw away my AM/FM clock radio, my Pong game and my three-piece polyester suits. At the very least, I should have kept my turntable, a major component of my hi-fi system and my youth.
The reason? Vinyl is back, baby!
Recently released data from the Recording Industry Association of America showed that, for the first time in more than 30 years, vinyl albums (Google that phrase, kids) outsold CDs. True, services like Spotify and Apple Music are still the preferred way to obtain tunes; but for those of us who like to hold our albums as opposed to streaming them, the reemergence of the black, long play record album, and the hisses and scratches that come with it, is a victory of sorts for middle-aged music aficionados like myself.
My vinyl collection is long gone, as I succumbed to the superior sound and portability of CDs in the 1980s, but the memories endure. Growing up in suburban Chicago, I was a fixture at Polk Brothers, a home appliance and electronics retail outlet. While customers in one aisle shopped for refrigerators, I was in the adjoining aisle, flipping through recently arrived albums in search of the latest Elton John release. My Christmas wish list always included half a dozen albums, some of which my mother probably purchased in horror.
“They’re called Kiss, Mom. Just look for the album cover featuring a guy wearing white makeup with blood dripping from his mouth.”
Ah, yes, the album cover! And the back cover featuring the song list! My closest encounter to a broken bone occurred when I was pedaling home with my latest purchase and neglected to see a rut in the road, so fixated was I on the song titles. If I arrived home in one piece, I promptly retreated to my bedroom, dropped the stylus on the album and read the lyrics to each song, often laughing when I realized what I had been singing up until that moment.
“Oh, so it’s ‘Rocket Man, burning out his fuse up here alone.’ I thought it was, ‘Rocket Man, burning out his shoes, the pair I loaned.’ ”
I memorized the names of every musician who played on every track, eventually realizing a select group of drummers and horn players were in high demand when it came time for my favorite rock stars to cut new albums. I was playing guitar at the time and took heart knowing that, if I never found a band to play in, I could make a great living as a studio musician.
When I became a disc jockey at my high school radio station, I learned the art of “cueing” a vinyl song by dropping the stylus on a particular groove and then spinning the album backward so, when I pressed “play” on the turntable, the song started immediately. I knew that skill didn’t improve my status with girls, but I was sure they would have been impressed were outsiders allowed in the studio. They weren’t.
I learned wooden crates from grocery stores were the perfect width to hold my album collection. I never resorted to alphabetizing my LPs, but they were sorted by genres; and the “Greatest Hits” albums occupied the front spaces, with the Eagles getting top status. And why not? In 2018 the band’s greatest hits collection surpassed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as top selling album of all time.
So, Gen Z and Internet Generation members who brag about the 10,000 songs you carry on your phones, along with the 20,000 photos, take a deep breath. Find Drake’s best seller “One Dance” on vinyl, seek out a turntable and enjoy the experience.
And read the lyrics. It’s “I had to bust up the silence,” not “I had to bust up the sirens.”
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.)
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

George Salem, M.D., a fellowship-trained gastroenterologist at OU Medical Center Edmond, specializing in the study, diagnosis and treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease will be holding a Doc Talk on the subject from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, October 8.
The live Zoom event is open to anyone interested in learning more about IBD. The presentation will be followed by a live question and answer session.
There is no cost to participants, however, registration is required. To register, visit http://bit.ly/OUIBD

Story by Darl Devault

The Tealridge Retirement Community in Edmond started a successful new Zoom series because reinventing how people get reacquainted with senior living services is important. Knowing the COVID-19 pandemic has changed many peoples’ lives, Tealridge needed to find a new avenue of communication with the greater community to change with the times.
With the extra precautions in place to limit visitor interactions with retirement communities, they knew they had to get creative in how they connected with those who needed to learn about their services.
Tealridge created a newsworthy internet-based Health & Wellness September Zoom series to connect with others. Zoom events are where one person hosts and all other participants have equal footing. The host can share hosting responsibilities with other participants. Any participant can share their input and ask questions from their computer screen. Our research has found this series is the first of its kind in the Oklahoma City metro area. This robust presentation series allows retirement privileged Oklahomans to keep up with their need for information as close as their computers by viewing live presentations.
“The feedback on this series has been positive,” said Melissa Mahaffey, MHA, Tealridge executive director. “The words newsworthy, informative, and great have been used to describe what we are creating. The response to the series has been positive. The audience has been interactive. The presenters have been helpful to answer questions.”
These free-for-the viewers Zoom presentations harness the original software-based presentation and feedback solution now being used around the world. Everyone with access to a computer can use these Tealridge sponsored Zoom meetings to incorporate health, wellness, education, as well as entertainment topics into their lives.
The first Zoom event was held on Sept 2; with their first speaker, Dr. Richard Vetrees Smith with the Meinders NeuroScience Institute at Mercy. Dr. Smith took the audience through a thorough yet easy to understand presentation on how a stroke is formed within the body. He explained how the same formation can lead to heart attacks. He followed with many ways to prevent a stroke from occurring.
Other topics include: Downsizing: You Can Do This! Family Relationships & the Pandemic, VA Benefits, What does Retirement Living During a Pandemic Look Like?
Tealridge plans to continue this success with many more presentations to come.
Mahaffey has worked diligently to connect the greater community with the retirement community. Prior to COVID-19 restrictions the Tealridge community has heard from other speakers at events. Some of the speakers in the past year have been News 9 Sports Director Dean Blevins, Kim Lopez, TRIAD Coordinator, Bruce McIntyre, executive director of the Oklahoma Parkinson Foundation, Miss Oklahoma Addison Price, and Jay Wilkinson, a motivational speaker.
Mahaffey says if a person can connect with retirement resources by learning about retirement living early on and be proactive, they can make a better transition from home to a retirement setting. Given as much information as possible, the fear of the ‘unknown’ decreases. She says retirees are better able to make the right choice about what retirement looks like for them.
This robust new series finds a new way to connect with the public while bringing exciting events to their senior retirement residents who access via Zoom.
Tealridge is recruiting speakers to fill their next Zoom series for October. Look for informative topics coming to Oklahoma City audiences through this series.
Latest topics included:
Sept 22 – “What is Home Health Care?” and “How Can I benefit From This Service While Living in an Independent Living Community?”
Sept 29 – 11 a.m. “What does retirement living look like during COVID?” Presented by Melissa Mahaffey, MHA
Oct 5 – 11 a.m. Meet Kadi Cox, Nurse Practitioner. How can a traveling nurse practitioner assist you to have a quality of life while living in a retirement community? Kadi Cox will educate the audience on what a nurse practitioner can do to assist you to obtain the quality of life that you would like to have while living in retirement community. She will discuss ways for you to keep yourself healthy.
Oct 7 – 11 a.m. Do you Know someone with Congestive Heart Failure, Renal Disease or suffer from Dehydration? Learn the benefits of “Zoe” presented by Complete Home Health & Hospice.
Oct 12 – 10 a.m. Tealridge Retirement Community Grief Support Meeting with Jill Nichols, LPC.
The organizers genuinely want to help others find the information they are curious about.
Tealridge Retirement Community, located at 2100 NE 140th Edmond, Okla., is a full care retirement provider offering the full spectrum of options including independent living, assisted living as well as memory care services.
The facilities have undergone a large remodeling project during the last year. The 30-year Edmond mainstay saw $1 million in improvements to their campus.
If you would like more information or would like to be added to the email list, please email: mmahaffey@tealridge.com or call 405-608-8020. Please contact Mahaffey if you would like to schedule a time to interact by Zoom or visit in person.

story and photos by Darl Devault

Insurance leaders fear seniors are susceptible to Medicare fraud as scams are being ramped up this year. Instead of being retirement privileged, many seniors are being retirement harassed. As the Medicare open enrollment period begins, owner Ginny Curtis with MCM Insurance, LLC, explains her concern for Oklahoma seniors.
“This year more than ever we are seeing many TV commercials elude to benefits clients are not eligible for and telemarketers use high pressure fear techniques,” Curtis said. “These scammers generate repeated phone calls from local numbers asking health related questions appearing to be a customer service call. We have seen instances of insurance agents claiming of new benefits that have not been released to the public.”
Her office has seen an increase in scammers targeting older adults. They appear to target seniors with serious long-term health conditions who appear to have a higher risk for serious illness.
Curtis says she has had many of her clients calling in to tell her they have been manipulated into giving out their information. Some have even been enrolled in Medicare plans they don’t qualify for, only to be cancelled off their current insurance because of that activity.
Curtis says, other than your doctor, health care provider, or other trusted representative, never provide your Medicare number or personal information to anyone who contacts you through unsolicited calls, texts, or emails.
MCM is a family owned local insurance agency. The main location is 2232 W Hefner Rd, found between Pennsylvania and May Avenue on Hefner Road in the Village right next to the post office. MCM’s 50 licensed agents have a combined 100 years of experience.
The agents pride themselves in providing exceptional education on Medicare and the many options its clients have. The agency is licensed with all the Medicare Advantage companies and services. It features all the Medicare supplement companies, along with all the Part D prescription plans available in Oklahoma.
More important than ever this year they teach a no-cost, hour-long Navigating Through Medicare educational seminar offered as individual sessions with their clients or in group presentations. This year the agency is also offering a virtual presentation, member meetings and phone appointments. Agency agents still offer face to face appointments at their office or in their client’s homes.
“I’ve been serving my client’s needs for 35 years,” Curtis said. “I enjoy my job helping others. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
As 2020 begins to wind down, one of the most important times of the year for seniors begins rapidly approaching. The Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) occurs annually from (Oct. 15-Dec. 7). OEP is a time in which current Medicare beneficiaries can choose to change part of their coverage.
Clients can change their Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) and/or Prescription Drug Plan (Part D). It is a time to reevaluate their coverage based on their benefits, health, and finances. If they find a plan is a better fit for their needs than their current plan, they can then switch to, drop or add a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
During OEP Curtis’ agency goes into overdrive to make sure everyone who needs help making the changes coming their way is reached. “It’s very important to us each person who comes through our agency chooses their plan based on their specific needs,” Curtis said.
During an appointment with the agents from MCM, they will compare plans based on the customers list of medicines and doctors to narrow down which plan will cover all their needs the best.
“The first two weeks of October is a great time for clients to shop, ask a lot of questions. Clients can find the information they need without feeling the pressure of having to make a decision,” Curtis said. “By Oct. 15 they can schedule a time to figure out what’s best for them and make a decision.”
“We are a little different than some agencies, in that we represent all the Medicare Advantage companies,” Curtis explained. “We have a great relationship with every carrier. They all pay our agents the same fees so there’s no reason for us to sway a client one way or another.”
If you would like to schedule an appointment with a MCM agent to attend a Navigating through Medicare session, or schedule a presentation, you can reach the office at 405-842-0494. Clients can view the agencies’ calendar and get more info about the one-hour seminar at:
www.navigatingthroughmedicare.info.
During the open enrollment period for Medicare, clients can find agents in their offices Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. October 1st through December 15th. Beginning December 16th, they returned to normal business hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
If you would like more info, their website is:
www.mcmmedicare.com.
The firm also has offices in Tulsa and Shawnee.