PHS Alumni meeting this afternoon at museum; lots of live music in December

Before I get into the live-music portion of my column, first off I hope that all of my readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving week — even Black Friday — and I hope that, for whatever reason, no one went without a meal or a dry place to sleep. There are offerings of food, a hot meal and some housing, and rumor has it that more of that and treatment for recovery from addictions are in the works. Keep that in your prayers.

Also, I want to let everyone know that there will be a Poteau High School Alumni meeting at 2 this afternoon at the LeFlore County Museum. Topics for this afternoon’s meeting will be on making plans for the 2023 Reunion in September, the Alumni Scholarship Award registration, recruiting volunteers for reunion and creating more interest in our alumni for younger Pirates.

We need more involvement from recent grads for most positions on the board. Now, to the live music, along with some effort to enlighten all you all on music, venues, festivals and bands, you have to suffer through one of two things. First — wise and useful advice, weather observations and holiday announcements. Secondly — ponderings and pontifications of a weary and worn-down guitar picker. Both have some value.

Now, without getting too long-winded, over the weekend I had time to reflect on all that I am grateful for. The list is long, but I wandered into just the things that I have witnessed in my short life — and make a comparison to the things that my grandpa Raymond Wiles saw. Grandpa witnessed the turn of the century, two world wars, from telegraph to post office, the mass production of an affordable automobile, the invention of penicillin, polio vaccine and organ transplant, the first manned rocket into space, a moon walk and the invention of the television — instant broadcasting from local to world news events that could be trusted, mostly.

In his short 60 years, there have been great strides in human rights and peace on earth, in places. Things that were only written or dreamed about slowly became a part of our lives.

My experience started on New Year’s Eve in 1951. I am grateful to have witnessed many more things in a much faster fashion. I have been a witness to Captain Kangaroo, “Gunsmoke” and the Mousekateers — especially the late Annette Funicellop. Television became a family event and accessible to most. Radio added FM. Progress in modern medicine is keeping me alive. I have lost count of the many advances in the space program.

Everything is advancing at breakneck speed — from snailmail to dial-up to high-speed internet communication, from phone booths to cellphone. However, the thing that seems to stay the same, never progressing more than falling behind, is the way humans treat each other. We got to work on that. Love is the message. Love is the answer. Love as He loves you. Always be kind. I am thankful for all I have today.

Congrats to “Hillbilly Vegas” on its new release, “The Great Southern Hustle,” in London at the Troubadour. Wow, what a week for this band — days of wandering round London, sightseeing and food tasting, a visit to the Gibson Guitar/London showroom and playing songs at the Troubadour on Thanksgiving night. Panama is havting the only charitable event that I know about before Christmas. If you are having a Christmas fundraiser, please let me know. Panama will have a “Christmas for Kids” event at Razorback Event Center on Saturday. All donations will go to the Angel Tree that is located at City Hall. Live music provided by “Earl Hearon and the Sound of Country” and will start at 7 p.m. If you can’t be there, you can stop by the City Hall and leave a donation. The present(s) that your donation will buy can make the difference in a child’s Christmas. “The Stagemasters” will make music this week at Dawn’s Diner in Red Oak on Friday. Music will start at 6 p.m. There will be great food and great music. The new dining room, with dance floor, is heated and open now. Then on Saturday, “The Stagemasters” will play at Spiro Eagles Lodge from 7-11 p.m. Those will be two good places to dance to some great classic country and rock and roll. The Fort Smith (Ark.) Senior Activity Center on Cavanaugh Road will have “Make It a Double” for the dancers on Friday. The music starts at 7 p.m. Connie and Dave Abbott will play all your favorites and some of your requests. The Center will have linedance lessons on every Wednesday with Barbara Hare starting at 6 p.m. Next week, also at the Fort Smith Senior Activity Center, the Interstate 40 Music Hall will have a Saturday night dance with “The Lawman Band.” Mark your calendars. Music Friday and Saturday at the Fort Smith Senior Activity Center. Also, I’ll get more into the details in the coming weeks but there will be a big New Year’s Eve event here in Poteau, featuring Al Grzech. Hope the holidays find you warm, dry and happy. For additional information about live-music events or to let me know of any such venues or holiday charitable events, call or text message me at (918) 649-5736 or e-mail me at tj.wiles61@ouytlook.com.