When the Hennessey United Association board members were told there is no fl ag flying in Memorial Park because the fl agpole was old and needed to be replaced, they voted Tuesday night to unanimously repair or replace it.

The next day United board members Scott Hajek and Wes Hardin looked it over and decided they could make repairs to the existing pole. A new pole would have cost about $3,500.

United will also buy new U.S. and Oklahoma fl ags for the North Main Street park.

Hardin said during the monthly meeting that he hadn’t realized there wasn’t a flag flying there until the civic group’s Wine & Chocolate Festival in late September.

“It’s Memorial Park,” he said, “and that’s just not right.”

The park features a large monument listing those from the Hennessey area who died in action during wartimes.

It is also home to a large sculpture of Roy Victor Cashion in uniform at parade rest. He was a young man in Hennessey who gave his life in the Spanish-American War.

Cashion, a member of the first Hennessey graduating class in 1897, rode on horseback to Guthrie shortly after graduation to enlist in the military. He fought under Col. Theodore Roosevelt with the Rough Riders and was killed July 1, 1898, on San Juan Hill in Cuba.

Hennessey children collected $800 and the Territorial legislature put in $1,200 and the sculpture was created, then dedicated it on Memorial Day 1903.

The Bedford Stone monument of Cashion is possibly the oldest outdoor sculpture in Oklahoma, according to some state historians.

The Town of Cashion is also named for Roy V. Cashion.

Quirk resigns,

Gonzalez elected

Member-at-large Jack Quirk announced his resignation during a reorganization of the board agenda item. He cited needing more time in running his companies as his reason.

Quirk will still help with projects and attend meetings when possible, he said.

He is the CEO of KJ Fieldwork, founder of All About Hennessey, and has served a three-year term on the board.

Mariana Gonzalez, a Hennessey High School senior, was nominated and elected to a three-year term. She also currently serves on the United Leadership Team.

She told the board she plans to attend NOC-Enid so will be able to participate and attend meetings.

Gonzalez is a member of the National Honor Society and student council reporter. She won the Be Your Best Self Award in the Distinguished Young Woman of Kingfisher County competition and Cimarron Electric’s Youth Tour. She was also chosen as a Girls State representative and is the Hennessey Public School’s liaison with All About Hennessey.

She is the daughter of Sergio and Maria Gonzalez of Hennessey.

The board also discussed the possibility of electing two more at-large members to the board at its January 2020 meeting when it will also have the election of officers. The board will not meet in November and December.

Board members present at the meeting were Tamara Henderson (treasurer), Cathy Howard (secretary), Teresa Oliver, Kaden Mitchell, Barb Walter (vice president), Wes Hardin, Hajek and Quirk. Absent were Dagan Hardin (president) and Stacy Cline.

Public Use of

Canopies/Tables

The board discussed the storage and use policies for the group’s large and small canopies, eight-foot tables, picnic tables and stage trailer.

They decided Hennessey non-profits, individuals and businesses could use the items, but must pick them up, bring them back in good condition, pay a refundable fee deposit and told they might want to make a tax-deductible donation to United.

Howard (405-853-6212) will keep the records and is the contact for those who want to use any of the items. There is already a June wedding event that is booked, she said.

Some of the canopies were used the weekend before by the Lions Club for their Fall Festival, said Hajek. Five small canopies were purchased years ago by the Lions and have been stored and maintained by United.

Several new tables and canopies had to be replaced before this year’s Wine & Chocolate Festival, said Oliver.

Date set for 2020 Festival

Wes Hardin announced the date of Saturday, Sept. 26, for the 10th annual Wine & Chocolate Festival.

He said that date might help with the turnout since it’s later than this year’s and wouldn’t interfere with the State Fair. He also said OU has an out-of-state game and OSU has a bye on that date.

All of the expenses were not in yet for this year’s event, he said, and although there were more wine and chocolate vendors, the turnout was down.

He attributed part of that to the weather/rain.

It was noted that not as many people from Hennessey came this year. There was also talk about possibly adding beer to the event, or maybe making it a separate community event.

Candy Donations

The board voted to donate Halloween candy to the public library and the care center, and to hand out candy Thursday afternoon on Main Street in cooperation with businesses handing out candy.

Other Business

The board voted to renew its monthly advertising agreement with KOFM in Enid. There was talk about using up all of the paid advertising time this year, and using some time to promote United to let people know what the group does for the community.

Howard said she talked to town administrator Tiffany Tillman about linking the town’s website to United’s site. Tillman told her they were updating their site, she said.

The board briefly discussed its property insurance and there was no new report from the Legacy Committee.

Walter gave a progress report on United’s Leadership class that continues each week through December.