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by
Dan & Linda Winter
December 24, 2003
Some Opry Members Took To The Road
This past week we have been real busy travelin'. We went to the
Martina McBride Christmas Concert at the new Ford Center in Oklahoma City. We spent the day with Daryl and Jean Schiff, Martina's parents. Daryl and Jean are Wilmore Opry family members and regulars at the Opry. Daryl performs on stage while Jeannie helps out with sound from time to time. They are really good friends and great fun to be around.We also met Martina, John, Delaney and Emma. They had a birthday party at the center for Delaney she turned 9 years old the day of the concert. It was a real fun afternoon. Then at 7:30 P.M. it was show time and what a show it was! The center was packed. There were thousands of folks. It was one of the best shows we have ever seen. We got to experience the great sounds that we had heard John McBride was responsible for, and were those rumors ever true. The music was outstanding!! Martina's dress changes thru the evening included beautiful gowns and costumes. There were several cast members including Martina's daughters Delaney and Emma. On a couple of numbers there must have been a hundred children went up on stage as Martina invited them to sing with her.
Every song that Martina sang was outstanding. The songs 'In my Daughters Eyes' and 'Oh Holy Night', brought the crowd to their feet at the end with a lot of shrills and a long extended hand clap. Martina nailed the song 'Oh Holy Night' better than any one I have ever heard in my lifetime. It was amazing! The evening was so enjoyable not only did the family give us a warm welcome, but the members of the show were quite pleasant to be around. We just didn't want the evening to end. We went backstage after the show with Daryl and Jean. We all said our good byes and thanked them for the great evening. The 4 of us went to the Westin Hotel for the night and still had a nice time afterwards visiting. This has been one of the greater weeks that four of the Opry members have experienced. I'm sure we won't forget it any way soon.
Don't forget to get your tickets for the Wilmore Opry Dinner Theater fund raiser, it is 19.00 dollars a plate. The show will be at Coldwater Saturday, January 17th, 2004, at 5:00 P.M.
December 14, 2003
The Opry has had some good news lately. Jerry Ferrin of the "Ferrins from Wilmore", who lives in Tucson, Arizona, has been adding information about tickets, events and new pictures of entertainers on the Wilmore Opry web pages. If you get a chance have a look at them and leave him a message at the guest book. Jerry volunteers all of his work for the Opry. I'm sure he would appreciate it. Jerry has done a great job. He loves what the Opry is all about. Jerry is one of our Opry family members.
Vanita Blundell who will be cooking for the Wilmore Opry Dinner Theater has volunteered to make gift certificates for those who would like togive Dinner Theater Tickets for a Christmas present.
The tickets are going well. You might want to get yours this month or early next month to be sure you can get one. We only have a limited number of tickets available for the dinner. You will be surprised at the show we have lined up for the Dinner Theater. It will be fun!!!!
Watch for the upcoming ad that we are getting together. It will tell you more in detail.
December 9, 2003
Last Saturday night's Opry was a different kind of Christmas show. It wasa good ole country boy 'and gal' show from the young to the old. The lyrics to a lot of the songs said it all. A lot of the songs spoke of how we are blessed with family, friends and God. One entertainer mentioned how nice it is to be in a free country, with a chance to have a little fun and help friends and neighbors. He also reminded us to remember our men and women over seas who are giving their lives to keep this possible. The show started a little slow as two entertainers were delayed getting to the Opry. The Opry picked up speed later with most folks saying they had a good time. Thats what the Opry is all about having fun together, caring about your neighbors and giving them a helping hand.
The Opry has had a chance to help a lot of hurting folks. There has been more than usual this time of year, but we are thankful of what we can do.
Candy was pitched to the audience by Santa and his helper. Then Santa dropped back by to wish all a Merry Christmas and 'Happy Trails'. There are a lot of folks in the Opry Family that donate a lot their time at no cost, where all of us can go and have a little fun and visit. We are sure proud and thankful for that. The tickets for our regular February show will be available Thursday of this week. Don't forget to get your Dinner Theater tickets for the January 17th show. There is a great dinner and super entertainment coming for that show.
December 1, 2003
We have a great show lined up for December 6th, 2003. The Opry family is planning Christmas songs, not all will be of the Christmas nature, but they will be fun songs anyway. There will still be those good old country sounds.
Our show always starts off with a lot of fun with our emcee Vanita Blundell. She has that country farm girl humor that only Vanita can do.
Our special guest will be Nancy Kerr, Senator Fred Kerr's wife, performing a beautiful song.
Donavan "Garth Brooks" Carter will perform songs like'Shameless' & 'Midnight Cinderella'. Donavan is from Wichita, he told us he liked helping folks and loved singing, so he wanted to join us for a show. We've heard he puts on a good show -- should be fun!!
The Opry's regulars, Daryl Schiff, Gene 'Hitchiker" Winter, Linda Crowe, Chris Metzger, Zack Ellis, Myrna "Minnie Pearl" Bumgarner, Mike Cooley, Dillion & Haley Unruh, Chelsea Horner, Velma Basnett, Doug Swonger, Walt Lenertz, Duane Boyenton and Wendy Monroe, will be there with some new great songs and comedy.
Dr. Sharma will share some of her native country psalms with us. She will be dressed in native costume.
Kent Little, Lisa Hadley & Jennifer Cronin will be back with great Christmas songs.
Jennifer Johnson is bringing her southern gospel sound back to the Opry this month.
Be sure and get your 'Dinner Theater' tickets for January before they are gone.
Watch for our ad next month in the newspapers!
November 25, 2003
The upcoming December show has a great line up of fun and entertainment.Many songs are of the Christmas season. We will be having a special guest which we'll tell about later on.
Be sure to watch for the newspaper ads. The Opry will be taking out ads to let you know of the times and dates for shows and special shows. We are having a fund raising dinner theater on January 17, 2004. We have a lot of fun and entertainment in store for that show and a great dinner planned. Entertainers will be serving the dinner.
There will be some new and exciting songs including a newly composed song.
Get your tickets early. Don't miss it!
November 20, 2003
Next week Linda and I will be turning the Wilmore News over to BettieMcIlveen. We will still be writing the Wilmore Opry News. Bettie will be writing the local news, as Linda and I have moved to a small apartment in Coldwater where the grounds and apartment are maintained.
It will help us to do more for the Opry.
Since we've had the Opry it takes more and more of our time on the phones, e-mail, tickets, scheduling and coordinating entertainers. I will still be writing the church news as Linda and I still will be going to our church on the 'hill' in Wilmore. We have enjoyed writing the local Wilmore News. You are still going to be hearing from us from time to time. We sure are glad that Bettie will be writing the local Wilmore News, as that will help us out.
We aren't going to have our regular Opry on the first Saturday of January as it is so close to the holidays. Instead we are going to have a fund raiser dinner theater on January 17th. A lot of folks are asking about the fund raiser. It will be at 5:00 P.M. We will be running an ad announcing the price of the dinner theater and where to get your tickets.
Starting February 7th will be our regular free Opry shows. We are planning at least 20 shows through 2004.
November 2, 2003
Wilmore's news this last week has been mainly about the Opry and preparing for all the entertainers scheduled for this month. We had quite a line up for this show was scheduled back in the summer when we were running two shows. We were able to reschedule and fit the thirty entertainers into the evening. And what a show it was!!!!!
The show started at 5:00 P.M. with entertainers showing up for sound checks all day long. The show started with a good feeling among the crowd. We had a full house again.
Vanita Blundell welcomed the folks with her usual brand of humor. Our regulars Linda Crowe, Mike Crowe, Mike Cooley, Velma Basnett, Chris Metzger, Zack Ellis, Dillion and Haley Unruh, Doug Swonger, Myrna Bumgarner (The Opry's Minnie Pearl), Daryl Schiff and Hitchiker, Duane Boyenton and Walt Lenertz had some new and exciting songs to give us. They all gave a great performance! They certainly keep the fun and good feeling rolling with their great sounds.
At right:
Micah Thom from Pratt, Kansas, 9 years old, performs at the November 2003 Wilmore Opry.Our special guests were quite a line up. Micah Thom, 9 yrs. old, from Pratt got the crowd standing up. They were amazed at such a big voice in such a small package. Her stage presence was excellent in her glittering red blouse. She has a beautiful voice.
Another special guest was Linda Winter's sister, Sue Gaddis, from Phoenix, Arizona. Sue and Linda sang a duet together. Not only did Sue do a great job on the song, but while she was here visiting Linda and Dan, she made Linda some custom-made western clothes for the Opry. Sue has a business in Phoenix called A Heavenly Stitch. Sue and her business partner Barbara Broom make custom made church vestments for the clergy and send them all over the world. Between
Nash Originals ,Ragtime Embroidery andA Heavenly Stitch , the Opry seems to be well clothed. They all have donated hours of time and material.
The Dodge City Wild Bunch at the November 1, 2003, Wilmore Opry.Our first band for the evening was the 'The Dodge City Wild Bunch'. Ike Ritter on bass, is from Dodge City. Fred Volker on fiddle, is from Fort Dodge. Fred was the oldest band member at 92 years old. 'What a fiddler he is! Then Jerry Miller on steel guitar, from Sublet, Kansas, and Joe Coyne on guitar, from Lakin, Kansas. They were dressed in the old cowboy style and sung old and classic country music. They did the Opry proud with the sounds they produced.Our next country band was 'Generations': Dixie Mowbray on drums and guitar, from South Haven, Ks; Leslie Brazle, vocals, from Winfield, Ks; Brett Billiter on bass guitar, from Atlanta, Ks; Kevin Wills on lead guitar, from Arkansas City, Ks; Rick Schiff on Keyboards, from Winfield, Ks; Sara Trillo, 13 yr. old, on vocals, from Arkansas City, Ks. and Chase Foster, 13 yr. old fiddle player(played with Charlie Daniels on stage) from Iola, Ks. Chase told me that the bow that 'Charlie Daniels' gave him was the reason he was able to give us that fast 'Charlie Daniels' sound!! The band gave quite a performance.
At left:
Chase Foster of the Generations band plays violin at the November 2003 Wilmore Opry. He is from Iola, Kansas.
At right:
Dixie Mowbray from South Haven, Kansas, leader of the Generations band, performs at the November 2003 Wilmore Opry.
Rick Schiff and Chase Foster ended the show with a runaway performance of the 'Orange Blossom Special'. It brought the crowd to their feet with a standing ovation and a lot of hand clapping. What a show it was all evening long!!We couldn't have asked for a better fun evening then last Saturday night.
We are all looking forward to our next show December 6th. We already have a lot of folks on the books for tickets. If you want a seat please get them early. They are available this week. We have some great special guest next month. We will be telling you more about it later on. See ya next month.
"Wilmore News" press release by Dan & Linda Winter, 02 November 2003.
October 26, 2003
My sister Sue Gaddis is here from Phoenix, Arizona. She arrived Saturday and will be leaving the Monday after our Nov. 1st Opry. She will be performing on the Opry. She is also visiting our mom, Vivian Ruth. I always enjoy the time we get to spend together. It just isn't long enough.
Linda and I got a nice surprise as my older brother called last Thursday. He had just retired in August and this was his first trip that he had taken since he had retired. Sure was nice to get to see him and his wife. We all got together at my younger brother and his wife's house in Medicine Lodge and had a real good visit. I think I have talked him into doing a little pickin and grinnin' on the Opry this next year. Years ago he used to pick the guitar and sing old country and a little blues. Speaking of Opry, we have a big show lined up for November 1st. We are really sorry for the folks that didn't get their tickets in time for this next show. The December 6th tickets will be available early November 5th. Get your tickets early to be sure that you have a seat for the show before they are all gone. We are working on something for the future to take care of the problem of shortage of tickets, as we would like everyone to come to the Opry and enjoy the show that wants to. We have something in the early stages of planning to have plenty of seats available for all.
The November Opry show will be one that you will talk about for a while.Our regular entertainers will be back with new and exciting songs. Also some fun comedy.
Our 'Special Guests' this month will be the 'Dodge City Wild Bunch" which have won many awards. Their ages range from 40 to 92. They play old country and classic country. The fiddle player has played on the Grand Ole Opry.
We have a band from Winfield and surrounding areas called Country "Generations". Their ages range from 13 to 60. The young fiddle player has played on stage with Charlie Daniels . The entertainers in both groups are very multi-talented. Rick Schiff will be returning to play with 'Generation'. Rick has played on the Opry twice before. He is quite a keyboard player!.
We also have a 9 year old girl who is quite an entertainer. She has sang at rodeos, fairs and functions.
Daryl Schiff and Hitchiker weren't going to be on the November show as
Daryl and Jeannie will be taking in the CMA Awards in Nashville on November 5th.Martina McBride , their daughter, was nominated again and will be hosting the CMA Awards. Daryl and Jeannie decided they would have time to see the Wilmore Opry show. Daryl and Hitchiker will have time to sing a couple of songs Saturday night, then Daryl and Jean, will head out to Nashville to the CMA's."Wilmore News" press release by Dan & Linda Winter, 26 October 2003.
October 9, 2003
The week went by fast in Wilmore after the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty and preparing for the Saturday night Opry show.
We had some visitors in town for the Opry. The special guests for the Saturday night Opry were Carol Bankston from Visalia, Calif., Denise Ayers from Tucson, Ariz., Don McKinney from Wichita, Kan., Doug Swonger from Kiowa, Kan., Cameron Levering, Lisa Hadley, Jennifer Cronin, and Maggie Hackney, all from Wilmore; Dia Sherman, Dr. "Fun" Sharma and Walt Lenertz, all from Coldwater, and Dwayne Boyston from Tulsa, Okla.
The Opry regulars are Vanita Blundell, Mike and Linda Crowe, Chris Metzger, Kent Little, Chelsea Horner, Velma Basnett, Mike Cooley and Myrna Bumgarner.
At left: Wendy Monroe sings at the Wilmore Opry.Wendy Monroe got another standing ovation from the crowd this month.
Daryl Schiff and Hitchiker finished the evening with a gospel song.
All the singers were in great spirits and full of fun for the whole evening. The audience seemed to be having a lot of fun visiting and laughing at our two intermissions with old and new friends.
The week before Opry and the week after, the majority of the Wilmore folks are involved with the show, either as entertainers or in the audience. So this seems to the the biggest part of Wilmore's news during this time.
"Wilmore News" by Dan & Linda Winter, The Protection Press, 09 October 2003.
October 2, 2003
The Wilmore Opry was invited to take its show Friday and Saturday to the streets of Medicine Lodge and what a stage it was -- 56 feet wide on 7 flat-bed 18-wheeler trailers. They had a nice backdrop with plenty of room for the band.
The audience at the Saturday evening Opry show had quite a surprise, as Daryl Schiff's cell phone was ringing at the end of the song they were doing. One of the band members said "Daryl, answer your phone." It was Daryl's daughter
Martina McBride calling to tell everyone "hello" and wishing she could be there for the celebration. Daryl held the phone up to the microphone where everyone could all hear Martina. The audience yelled back, "Hello, Martina!"Danny Ruth (Linda's brother) came down from Dallas, Texas, this past weekend to perform for the Opry in Medicine Lodge. We had a chance to visit during the weekend and enjoyed our time together.
We also got to see our old friend Dale Robinson from Colorado. His mother is Donna Ward from Coldwater. Dale also performed for the Opry in Medicine Lodge.
The Opry is Saturday night. The performance will be from 5 to 8 p.m. with some intermissions. Hope to see you there!
"Wilmore News" by Dan & Linda Winter, The Protection Press, 22 October 2003.
September 25, 2003
Last week brought Wilmore through a century of time. The first part of the week there was a cattle drive of Longhorns and such, along with an old fashioned chuck wagon on the trail. They were headed for Medicine Lodge for the Peace Treaty Celebration. Some diverted through Wilmore. They stopped at the Centennial Park. It was quite a sight to see.
Last week brought on some sad news for a lot of us in Comanche County. Vernie moved to his heavenly home. Vernie White was a member of the Wilmore Opry. We not only enjoyed his entertainment on stage, but we all loved Vernie's laughter and jokes. what a good friend he was, and he will be greatly missed. We are sure Vernie is entertaining the angels with his heavenly friends and on that heavenly stage. we all will miss you a lot Vernie!
"Wilmore News" by Dan & Linda Winter, The Protection Press, 25 September 2003.
September 18, 2003
Wilmore this past week seemed to have a lot of activity at the Ranch House Cafe. It was certainly a week, weather wise, to do about anything. We had sunshine, rain and cool weather. What more could you ask for after our hot summer? We noticed different folks in town had company this week, and a few hunters seemed to be appearing already.
There are a lot of folks who are becoming good friends to all of us. The Opry has become not only an entertaining fun place, but it is certainly a great social event. We all have a chance to do a lot of visiting before the show and at intermission. We love the help it gives to those in need.
Everyone, don't forget the Peace Treaty Pageant in Medicine Lodge. It's the 26th, 27th and 28th. This is a great social event. The Wilmore Opry will be entertaining Friday, September 26, from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Parade starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Opry will entertain from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Wilmore News" by Dan & Linda Winter, The Protection Press, 18 September 2003.
September 11, 2003
Danny and Linda Ruth (Linda Winter's brother and sister-in-law) came up from Dallas, Texas, on Thursday of last week to perform on the Opry. We had a lot of fun visiting while they were here. They helped us out a lot with the things we had to do before the Opry.
"Wilmore News" by Dan & Linda Winter, The Protection Press, 11 September 2003.
28 August 2003
Wilmore has had a few young folks and a couple from Coldwater preparing new songs and some comedy for the "Come on Home to Coldwater Celebration."
The Wilmore Opry is joining in with Coldwater's festivities. This should really be some fun time with what's planned in Coldwater. We have a big show planned for Coldwater. Some of the local regular entertainers, young and old alike, are excited about this show. Darryl Schiff and Hitchiker also have some good tunes in store. We have a treat in store with Don McKinney, who grew up in Wilmore and now lives in Wichita. He will be performing in our Friday night show in Coldwater. He will also be entertaining on the Wilmore Opry entry in the Saturday morning parade. Don plays and sings Bluegrass and country music.
We also have another special guest from Wichita -- Elvis is coming. Marc Baker, a teenage Elvis impersonator, will be giving us quite a show. Marc just won second place in a teenage Elvis impersonator contest in Lincoln, Nebraska. He will be appearing on stage in Las Vegas in January for the final outcome of the Elvis contest. "Elvis" will be appearing at the Wilmore Opry in Coldwater in full dress costume, with body guards. After the show he will sign autographs and give out pictures. If you want your picture taken with Elvis, bring your camera.
The show will start at 7:00 p.m., Friday, August 29, at the Veterans building in Coldwater. No tickets will be needed.
Don't forget to get your tickets for the September 6th Opry show which will be in Wilmore. The early and late show tickets are going fast. In fact, both Wilmore and Medicine Lodge's tickets were all gone for the September 6th show.
"Wilmore News" by Dan & Linda Winter, The Protection Press, 28 August 2003.
August 14, 2003
Wilmore has been a little active this past week with a few folks mowing grass and some painting. Bill and Bettie McIlveen's house sure is looking nice with a new paint job and an enclosed carport. Trish Snyder sure has been doing a nice job painting the house.
Some folks have been on vacation while others have been doing a little visiting. Dan and I took a trip to Wichita on Friday to visit with our friend Mozetta Schoenecker. We had corresponded through mail and email when she wrote us about having an Opry show on Memorial weekend. We finally got to meet that weekend.
Mozetta is a very special lady and we are so happy to be part of her Wilmore family. When we go to Wichita we always make a point to stop and visit. It is always the highlight of our trip. we had a wonderful visit and all three of us went out for dinner and enjoyed the food and conversation.
Clark and Betty Yost had friends from Wichita -- Wayne, Mary and Chad Green -- who came to visit and they enjoyed the Opry. They visited us in church services and our fellowship brunch afterwards. They really seemed like nice folks.
It was good to see Cindy (Booth) Ribordy and her daughter Angela at the Opry and at church the following Sunday. Our daughter Danette was certainly happy to get to see Cindy at the Opry. They had run around together when they were teenagers. So they had a lot of fun talking about the old days.
Danette told us that she really enjoyed the Opry. It was a nice place to meet old friends that you haven't seen in a while. She was able to visit with Velma Basnett and Linda Hart with whom she worked at the Courthouse 20 years ago. Danette said she met a few new friends, also. She enjoyed her short visit here and would have been unable to see everyone if she hadn't seen them at the Opry.
My wife Linda and I sure enjoyed having Senator Dave Kerr and his family at our last Opry. We also had a couple of attorneys and their families from Wichita. I was tied up running the sound and singing and couldn't have done both without the help of Jeanne Schiff who took over when I sang and helped with the sound.
Sorry I was unable to visit with hardly anyone. I would have liked to welcome all the new folks at the Opry. What we enjoy so much at the Opry, we can be a servant or we can be and King or Queen and sit side by side and enjoy life together.
"Wilmore News" by Dan & Linda Winter, The Protection Press, 14 August 2003.
August 7, 2003
This past week before Opry was a wild and crazy week with the two shows on the same night. We had phone calls on the last day before Opry wanting tickets. All the tickets for first and last show had all ready been given out. We sure expected a heavy turnout, and it was -- a full house in both shows. We didn't know how the two shows would work out for parking. It seemed to take care of itself in an orderly fashion. We shold have guessed that early on with the kind of folks that have been coming to the show. All seem considerate and enjoy visiting with one another at intermission.
Part of our busy week consisted of last-minute details for the new ticket system. The folks in all the businesses who handled tickets for the Opry really helped us out a lot. All those that need free tickets for the September 6 show should contact the same businesses for tickets. You can also email us for tickets... Tickets will be available August 25. Try to get your tickets early, as we were unable to accommodate some folks at the last date.
Doug Swonger was the featured guest this month. Other guests were Camala Gates, Chance Gates, Duane Boyington, Walt Lenertz and Dannette Winter. Chelsea Horner returned this month, as did Daryl Schiff and Hitchiker. Velma Basnett was punchin' out those "don't mess with my man" songs. Wanda Booth and Zack Ellis gave us a great medley of tunes on the piano. Mike Cooley and Lisa Stout also gave us some great entertainment. The Wilmore Twins, Dillion and Haley Unruh, really outdone themselves this month. There was plenty of comedy between Chris Metzger, Zack Ellis and Vanita Blundell. They brought the house down with laughter. We had another visit from our very own "Minnie Pearl", Myrna Bumgarner. We found out why Wilmore had been losing population in years past. Minnie told the story of some Wilmore folks that went to the big city and saw one-way streets. They thought they were great, cause you could get somewhere fast. So they came home and made one in Wilmore. Only problem was, they didn't know how to get back into town because there was only a one-way street leading out of town.
"Wilmore News" by Dan & Linda Winter, The Protection Press, 7 August 2003.
Go to: Wilmore Opry News - 2004 Wilmore:
A fun place to spend an evening each month with old & new friends
at Wilmore's Little Opry.Want to help support the efforts of The Wilmore Opry? Please make your check payable to The Wilmore Opry and send it to:
The Wilmore Opry Account
Peoples Bank
101 East Main
P.O. Box 727
Coldwater Ks, 67029Phone: (800) 889-9887 or (620) 582-2166
Fax: (620) 582-2209More News About The Wilmore Opry Wilmore Opry News - Dan & Linda Winter's Web Page Dan & Linda have created their own web page about the Wilmore Opry and update it regularly. Check it out!
Wilmore Opry Shows & Events Another webpage created by Dan & Linda Winter, also updated regularly with photos and news items.
Hard times forgotten at Wilmore's opry "Dan Winter dreamed that an open amateur variety show might lift his town's spirits. Now western Kansas is singing the Wilmore Opry's praises." The Wichita Eagle, 20 July 2003.
"Wilmore Opry's monthly shows pack plenty of entertainment onto small stage", The Hutchinson News, July 4, 2003.
Dallas Wilson's website, www.wilmoreks.com, features a PowerPoint presentation of Wilmore Opry performers.
This website is being created by Jerry Ferrin with the able assistance of many Contributors. Your comments, suggestions and contributions of historical information and photographs to this site are welcome. Please sign the Guest Book.This page was last updated 05 Feb 2005.
