Harvest of sunshine Alison Morris Lifestyles Editor unflowers are not a typical crop growing in Western Oklahoma but Mark and Vonda Graf of Corn are on their second year of growing and harvesting sunflowers. S Graf said they plant the sunflowers around the first of May depending on soil temperatures and they are ready to harvest towards the end of August or beginning of September. When they are ready to harvest the flowers will be black and dry. Graf uses an ‘all crop head’ on his combine to harvest the flowers. He said the head sandwiches the flowers in-between a set of belts before cutting the flowers. This allows him to capture almost every flower head. Graf then stores the sunflowers in bins until he can deliver them to Jettco Seed in Binger to be processed. The sunflowers Graf plants are not the confectionary ones that are harvested for their seeds. His flowers are about half the size and are used for bird seed or crushing for sunflower oil. Graf said this is a relatively low maintenance crop. As long as they get plenty of rain they do well. “They look lovely, they are a good cash crop in comparison to wheat right now,” said Graf. “Right now they are at the peak of their beauty and have drawn lots of spectators.” WFRC plans can sculpture competition Roxane Paone Mark Graf, of Corn, said his sunflower fields are at the peak time for beauty. Alison Morris competition. Anyone Lifestyles Editor is welcome to join the competition but there are he Weatherford only 25 lots available to Food and Resource build sculptures. Participants If the glass is half empty Center will be must be registered by 5 p.m. raising canned food September 15. Tthrough a grand can sculpture The goal is to build a unique competition in September. structure and to build hope Sawatzky’s BBQ, The Burlap for the hungry of Western fill it up Napkin and Dough M G (safe- Oklahoma. Builders will be Alison Morris start to go south. to-eat gourmet cookie dough) judged on four categories: Lifestyles Editor The realization that more will be at the event from 11 most pounds of food, people were seeing the a.m. to 8 p.m. structural ingenuity, best use (In our series this year glass as half empty The WFRC will be using of labels and people’s choice. studying happiness we examine prompted this the empty lot just west “There will be a good the glass half full concept.) newspaper to change of the center for amount of planning time that idway through our the teams will need to put into the direction of the series on happiness series. We found this competition,” said Lori we are stopping to Flansburg, executive director those we interviewed ask ourselves, ‘Is of the WFRC. “People have who seemed most Mthe glass half full, or half empty.’ happy were, in fact, time to get a team together, plan a food drive, We soon realized throughout our those who constantly strategize a sculpture series people often look happy continue to seek design and practice the and act happy, but once you sit happiness and pursue sculpture down to determine what makes joy regardless of life’s design.” them seem so happy, it doesn’t pitfalls. Teams take long to realize they are We have uncovered a must facing the same trials as everyone pursuit of happiness and weigh-in else. People want to be happy but finding joy in small things their food life often deals out a large dose is what creates the most September of reality when sickness hits, •Please see Happiness, happiness in someone’s life. Page 9A finances tighten and relationships We have discovered that •Please see Competition, Page 9A INSERTS CHATTERBOX Happy 61st birthday to Hollis Lee at Okeemah Nursing Home! Love your family and friends!... Do you have information for the WDN Chatterbox? Call 580-772-3301 Happy Birthday to WDN Facebook friends Judy Lanier Overton, Bobby Gosier, Diana Harden, Sammie Baldridge, Lance Chisum, Bradley Blackwell, Darren Speck, Rigoberto Martinez, Misty Brooks, Natasha 50¢ Taylor Wheeler and Terry Magill. PAGE 2A - WEATHERFORD DAILY NEWS, WEEKENDER, JULY 8, 2017 Local 7-year-old to compete at BMX worlds Alison Morris Worlds in Rock Hill, South it to the semi-finals in grands. Lifestyles Editor Carolina, at the end of July. He crashed in the semi-finals Keaton is the son of Dennis that year and the following eaton Falasco, a and Dina Falasco and has year. In 2015 he was ranked seven-year-old three siblings, Kylee, Casen in the Top 16 in the nation for from Weatherford, and Camdyn. his age group. will be competing “He has always loved to His goal this year was to Kin bicycle motocross (BMX) ride bicycles. He started make it through semi-finals with Team USA for the on a balance bike when he and make it onto team USA. was about one,” In Austin, Texas, he made it said Dennis. A into the Top 8 and was invited balance bike is a to be on team USA. There training bicycle were only 31 seven-year-olds that helps teach invited to be on Team USA b a l a n c e a n d from the nation. steering. It has Keaton races almost every no pedals and no weekend and has raced as drivetrain. far away as Kentucky. This “When he was year alone he has raced in three he got a Tulsa; Albuquerque, New pedal bike and Mexico; Austin, Texas; and started riding Dallas, Texas. In August he without training will travel to Missouri to wheels as soon race. as it was put He is currently ranked together.” No. 31 in the nation out K e a t o n of all seven-year-olds, began racing in No. three in his district Yukon in March out of all ages, is tied for 2015 right after No. two in Oklahoma and he turned five. is ranked No. 546 out of His first year nearly 7,000 riders of all racing he made ages nationally. Provided Keaton Falasco smiles after qualifying for Worlds, at left. He will compete in South Carolina the end of July. Currently ranked 31 in the nation, he has been riding since he was five. WEATHERFORD DAILY NEWS, WEEKENDER, JULY 8, 2017 - PAGE 3A PAGEPAGE 4A 4A - -WEATHERFORD WEATHERFORD DAILY DAILY NEWS, NEWS, WEEKENDER, WEEKENDER, JULY JULY 8, 8, 2017 2017 Miami and baseball South Florida produces some of best to ever play the game South Florida didn’t officially hit the part in the All-Star experience in his big leagues until 1993 when Charlie hometown. Hough uncorked a knuckleball past Jose Alex Rodriguez, the top pick of the Offerman for a called first strike in the 1993 out of Westminster Christian High inaugural game of the Florida Marlins. whose name adorns the University of Yet, for decades, baseball and Miami Miami’s baseball park, will be part of were intertwined. the Fox broadcast. Hough, as many before him and many Like many who grew up on baseball in since, grew up in Miami playing the South Florida before the Florida Marlins, game he loved on fields around town. Fredi Gonzalez spent many a day and A native of Hawaii, Hough prepped at night going to spring training and minor Hialeah (Fla.) High before spending 25 league games at Miami Stadium as well seasons in the big leagues — the final two as UM games at Mark Light. with his hometown team in its infancy. It wasn’t the big leagues then, but it Today, the Miami Marlins play their was still pretty good. games at a domed stadium atop hallowed “I remember going to the first Marlins football ground. game at Joe Robbie Stadium, and here While the Orange Bowl is best known we are, 25 years later,” said Gonzalez, for the football games it hosted until the former manager of the Marlins and being demolished to make way for the Atlanta Braves who now is Miami’s third new Marlins ballpark, it was home to base coach. baseball, as well. “We have two World Series On Tuesday, the best players in the championships and now an All-Star game will take to the field in Little Game. That’s a pretty good chunk of Havana for the 88th annual All-Star history in a small amount of time.” Game. South Florida became a popular starting Much of Miami’s baseball history was point for big-league teams in the early made in and around Marlins Park. 1900s, but it wasn’t until after World On the west side of the ballpark once War II that Miami and its surrounding stood Tatum Field where Babe Ruth took areas became synonymous with the start his cuts during his first days with the of the baseball season. Yankees. According to the Baseball Hall of Less than three miles from Marlins Fame, the earliest known footage of Ruth Park was the grand old Miami Stadium, in a Yankees uniform came in a 1920 a ballpark off Northwest 10th Avenue visit to play Cincinnati in Miami. Ruth and 23rd Street in Allapattah that hosted went to the Yankees from the Red Sox the Brooklyn Dodgers and Baltimore that previous winter. Orioles during the spring and the original Miami Stadium, opened in 1949, was Miami Marlins during the dog days of the most famous of all of South Florida’s summer. spring training sites and is best known for A few miles to the south of Marlins being the spring home of the Baltimore Park, the Miami Hurricanes have become Orioles from 1959 until 1990.