Dear Editor,



We want to express our heartfelt appreciation for all those who made the DAM J.A.M. bicycling event such a success this year. For the enthusiasm of the rest stop volunteers (the best rest stops in Oklahoma), registration volunteers, sponsors, Barbara Hawkins, Lorri Mitchell, Melissa Daniels and all members of the Pryor Area Chamber of Commerce, we appreciate and thank you. You are all wonderful ambassadors for you community.

We also appreciated so much the assistance of Pryor, Salina, Locust Grove and GRDA law enforcement agencies for their efforts to keep riders safe, as well as members of amateur radio clubs from around northeastern Oklahoma, who do such a wonderful job tracking, sagging and monitoring riders along the routes.

We extend a special thank you to the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office. The key motivator that brings people back to an event is the experience they have. A huge part of that experience is feeling safe and well-supported on the routes. To that end, the sheriff’s office helped us accomplish the safe and supported sense in spades. They monitored the key intersections of the routes, stopping traffic and assisting riders across those intersections safely and quickly. We were so impressed, as were the riders, with your smiling faces and can-do attitude. We hope you felt appreciated, because you were.

It truly takes a village to pull this event off each year. We are very grateful that the people of Pryor and Mayes County (and part of Delaware County), see the benefit of showing off the natural beauty of this area and tolerating a hoard of bicyclists invading each September.



Jim Beach and Marie McKee



Dear Editor,



I live in Pryor and I think we have a nice park for everyone to use when they want to just get out and go for a walk or even feed the ducks.

On Saturday, Sept. 1, I had done that when I was just sitting there watching them as I do allot. All of a sudden here came six or seven boys and three girls, ages probably between 11 and 14. Two or three of them started throwing rocks at the ducks, big ones at that. I got on my cell phone and called the police. It was just a few minutes then here came two cars. The boys started to leave, but the two policemen stopped them and asked them about it. They tried to deny it but I told the police that I saw them do it. One of them even jumped in under the poopy water for a swim. Now that was really dumb. Anyway, the two policemen did give them a long talk about it and who ever you are, I want to thank you.

This happened at 5:41 p.m. that evening. Maybe this cruelty won’t happen again. People go down there everyday to feed the ducks and it’s not right for some kids and teenagers to destroy them just because they want to show off in front of the girls or they do it on a dare.

What if someone threw you in the pond and started throwing rocks at you until you nearly drowned? You wouldn’t like it. You kids know who you are and so do I. If this ever happens again - I will personally file the report myself and I will see to it that you all will be banned from our park.  

Me and my husband was in Claremore park a week ago feeding those ducks and I couldn’t believe I saw a duck with the top part of his quacker missing. He wanted to eat so bad but he couldn’t get it, its tongue was all that was moving. It was losing weight and feathers falling out, it was a sad site to see. I just wonder, was you boys over there too?

These poor little ducks does nothing to hurt anyone and they are so pleasant to watch. Try feeding them instead of hurting them! Once again thank you to the two policemen that stopped them.



Virginia Dean

Pryor