JOURNAL ENTRIES: Obama electrifies Ozarks crowd

Published: November 9, 2008

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Obama electrifies Ozarks crowd

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Perhaps the tug of history was too overwhelming. Or maybe it was simply the lure of the main attraction – a charismatic black man who had electrified millions with inspiring words of hope and unity.

Whatever the motivation, my wife, Jeannia, and I made a last-minute decision to chase adventure and drive to Missouri to hear Sen. Barack Obama speak three days before our historic election. The seven-hour journey carried us into the enchanting foliage of the Ozarks and downtown Springfield, where thousands waited in line outside JFK Stadium. For the next seven and half hours we stood in line, buoyed by anticipation and the carnival-like images of independent vendors who peddled everything from Obama T-shirts to rally towels.

Finally, we stood within 10 yards of Obama’s podium, engulfed by some 40,000 souls and a sense we were part of something bigger than we could imagine. Obama appeared onstage to thunderous cheers and a few silent tears. One thought surely occurred to all of us: "Are we staring at the next president of the United States of America?” The journalist in me documented every moment. I scanned the faces in the crowd — white, black, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, young and old.

Only then did I truly realize why we made the journey to Missouri. We were staring at a historic portrait of America.

By Ron Jackson, Staff Writer

DVD chronicles late rodeo star

It is amazing how fast 20 years has gone.

The world premiere was held for a documentary, "The Challenge of Champions: The Story of Lane Frost and Red Rock,” recently at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

The film features the classic seven-match bull-riding series held in 1988. As someone covering the sport at that time, I would say Frost’s personality was a key ingredient of the series.

The world champion from Lane, OK, made each person he met feel like a longtime friend. Frost was killed after riding a bull in 1989.

But he never left our memories. I would ask for a few minutes and he always said "Sure.” Frost had time to talk inside a tack trailer before a rodeo in Enid. On the phone, on the road, anywhere, any time, he had time.

"It’s amazing to me how almost 20 years later even little kids know who Lane Frost was,” his mother Elsie Frost said.

The DVD can be purchased at The Museum Store.

By Bryan Painter, Staff Writer

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