Back in the Saddle Again by Judy Haught

"We're back in the saddle again out where a friend is a friend...Ridin' the range once more...Back in the saddle again." We are back campaigning again, and just like Gene Autry, we feel a little like we never left. The campaign trail is old, familiar ground now. We have indeed begun to feel at home meeting and greeting folks, shaking their hands, and partaking in the social life of Western Oklahoma.
We kicked off this phase of the campaign at Southwestern's Organization Fair, where Doug had a booth. He and Keenan greeted students, gave them voter registration forms, and gave away Tootsie Rolls and pens. A large percentage of the student population took class notes that day with a "Doug Haught for District Judge" pen.
Next, we had a booth at the Washita County Fair. Again we gave away voter registration forms, Tootsie Rolls, and pens. The Tootsie Rolls were a hit with the kids and a good way to lure parents to the booth. The Washita County Fair is great fun with handmade exhibits, homemade food, show animals, and a carnival. This quintessential rural American phenomenon attracts a huge crowd. In fact, Doug was not the only candidate appealing to the electorate. Several people vying for state offices made appearances.
After the fair, we were off to Arnett where we rode in the parade and attended the rodeo. While Doug and Brandon greeted the crowd and handed out campaign literature, Lauren, Eli, and I rode in the pickup, which was adorned with campaign signs. I drove, and Lauren and Eli threw candy to the crowd. Eli had a grand time; after all, candy and horses are two of his favorite things.
We spent the following evenings knocking on doors in Weatherford, and we were blessed with beautiful weather. When we are canvassing door-to-door, we just never know whom we will meet. I ran into a former student that I had not seen in several years, and Doug met up with a second cousin he had not visited with in a long time. Both were pleasant surprises.
This past weekend found us at Cheyenne's Day in the Park, where we enjoyed great music and where Roger Mills County firefighters and EMTs were recognized. We followed up this event with a ceremony honoring Chief Lawrence Hart at the Visitor Center at the Washita Battlefield. It was a moving ceremony, and we connected with several people from all over Western Oklahoma.
Today we worshiped at the United Methodist Church in Weatherford and began planning the coming week. The fall is crammed with rodeos, festivals, and parades, so don't be surprised when we turn up at a celebration near you.
Remember a vote for Judge Haught is a vote for one of the state's finest, a man who understands and appreciates Western Oklahoma values and traditions.

As the Band Plays by Judy Haught

This lull between the primary election and the general election in November seems a little like halftime at a football game. As the marching band takes the field, the opposing teams head for the locker room to plan strategy for the second half. I have never been privy to a football team's halftime conversation, but I would imagine that the first half must be rehashed and analyzed. So as the band plays, Doug and I go over the highlights of the past few months. We met hundreds and maybe thousands of voters and took away priceless memories. A few of the most outstanding experiences are as follows:

• The lady who gave us fresh vegetables from her garden
• All the people who offered us bottles of cold water on hot campaign days
• The delightful twin ladies who made the drive to Rocky worthwhile
• Good conversation
• Fire Department barbecue and catfish
• Potluck dinners
• Fireworks
• Parades and festivals
• Knocking on doors in the rain
• "In the Mood" played on the piano just for us

We are looking forward to the next few months and the chance to let Western Oklahomans get to know the best qualified candidate for District Judge. We'll be coming to your town soon and possibly even knocking on your door. Look for the red Chevy truck with the "Doug Haught for District Judge" signs on the side.

Ellis County Odyssey by Judy Haught

Holidays present a unique problem for candidates. Not unlike the young married couple who has to eat four Thanksgiving dinners to please all the parents and grandparents, a candidate can find himself needing to be in more than one place at once. The 4th of July presented such a problem for Judge Haught. Independence Day celebrations were advertised in all five counties of the 2nd Judicial District, and several invitations had been extended to us. However, after much consideration, we decided to spend the weekend in Ellis County.
We arrived in Shattuck the evening of July 2 and checked into the Holiday Motel. We then had dinner at Ed's, the place to be on Friday night in Shattuck, and both the food and the atmosphere were great. With full stomachs, we left to "recon" the town, or in other words, we drove around town and formulated a game plan on how to meet and talk with the largest number of people possible.
On Saturday morning, we checked out of our motel, ate a whopping breakfast at the Frozen Frog in downtown Shattuck, and began meeting and greeting. We started on the west side of Shattuck and knocked on doors, talked with voters, and worked all the way to the east end of town. In spite of the rain that varied from a sprinkle to a downpour all day, we had an interesting, productive day. The people of Shattuck were cordial and interested, and they treated us like honored guests. The town itself has a warm, hometown feel to it. It would be a good place to grow up and a good place to raise a family.
After putting up campaign signs in Shattuck, we left for Arnett. We found the Circle C Motel and tried to rent a room, but the office was closed. The people in the cafe next door gave us the proprietor's phone number, and we called him.. He told us we could stay in room 16 and to just go on in because it was unlocked. Doug and I looked at each other in amazement. We didn't realize there was any place left on earth where people could go off and leave doors unlocked! Sure enough, room 16 was unlocked, and we moved in for the night. We didn't even have a key! Arnett is definitely a throwback to a safer, more innocent era.
We attended Arnett's fireworks display on Saturday, July 3, and it was spectacular! In fact, it rivaled the fireworks shows of many large towns. So far everything about the town had been a delightful surprise.
The next morning, we attended church at the United Methodist Church where we received a warm welcome. Reverend Dollarhite delivered a moving Independence Day sermon on laying down one's life for a friend.
After church, it was off to the Circle G Cafe. In novels and old black and white TV shows, there is always a local diner where the food is great and where everyone gathers. Well, the Circle G is that place; it could have come from the pages of a John Grisham novel. The place was packed with the Sunday church crowd, so we shared a table with a lovely woman named Mrs. Clem. We didn't know one another, but after sharing a meal and discussing mutual acquaintances, we felt like old friends.
That afternoon we worked from the east end of Arnett to the west end knocking on doors and talking with the citizens. We met many wonderful people and several Purcy Walker fans. In fact, one man told us that he and Purcy often sang karaoke songs in his garage. Doug hastily told the man that he could not sing like Purcy just in case the man had any such ideas!
After meeting and greeting, we traveled back to Shattuck for more barbecue with the Shattuck Fire Department, the perfect finale to a perfect weekend.
Our weekend in Ellis County gave us a look at two of Western Oklahoma's hometowns. Remember, a vote for Judge Haught is a vote for a Western Oklahoma hometown guy.

Blessings Great and Small by Judy Haught

As both the temperature and the campaign heat up, Doug and I find ourselves stopping from time to time to reflect on the many blessings that have come our way. We have been going door to door all over the district recently, and we are thankful for all the positives aspects of this marathon meet and greet. Shady porches, friendly dogs, and the kindness of strangers top our list.


When the temperature hovers around one hundred degrees with the heat index well above that, stepping upon a shady porch is like coming upon the proverbial oasis in a desert. Sheltered from the sun and with breezes wafting over our sweat-soaked bodies, we gain strength and determination to carry on. Often people have the most inviting looking swings, hammocks, rockers, and gliders on their porches. We always look longingly at them, but we are never presumptuous enough to try one out.



Dogs, however, do make presumptions; they are never ambiguous. Either they like you or they don't, and when they do, they demonstrate it with their whole bodies. They prance, sniff, lick, bark, and wag their tails like flags in the wind. Fortunately for us, most of the dogs we have met on our door-knocking adventures have been the unequivocal friendly types. Cats, on the other hand, are downright apathetic. For example, one cat we came across, lay draped over the back of a sofa and gazed at us with one bored eye; meanwhile, the dog of the house practically turned somersaults of joy at our arrival. Hopefully the voters will be more of the dog variety.



Our tramping around in the heat seems to bring out the sympathy in people. We have been invited into the homes of complete strangers and given bottles of cold water. One man even told us he would vote for Doug because anyone out campaigning in such heat must really want the position. We are humbled by and thankful for the kindness of these wonderful people.



Speaking of being thankful, we owe a debt of gratitude to area fire departments, not only for the jobs they do to protect the public but also for food and hospitality. We partook of fried catfish prepared by the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department and barbecue cooked by the Cordell firefighters.



And finally, we are eternally grateful to the army of volunteers who showed up last Saturday to knock on doors in Elk City. Approximately twenty people all clad in their "Doug Haught for District Judge" t-shirts walked the streets and campaigned for Doug. Better friends cannot be found.



We are fortunate indeed to live here in Western Oklahoma where people are kind, hospitable, and empathetic. Remember a vote for Judge Haught is vote for one of Western Oklahoma's best.

Potlucks to Pavement by Judy Haught

The campaign continues with Doug and I traversing the five-county area of the 2nd Judicial District. It is 150 miles from one end of the district to the other, and those miles are filled with meetings, social events, and friendly people. We have filled this week by participating in potluck dinners and pounding the pavement.

We are always amazed by the hospitality that Western Oklahomans show complete strangers . At every social event we have attended, we have been treated like honored guests. We recently attended a potluck dinner at the Arapaho Senior Citizens Center where we received VIP treatment. We were asked to go through the food line first and then were seated at the head table. We enjoyed lively conversation and an entertaining program on Fathers Day and Flag Day. Then Doug was allowed to speak and answer questions. We had a great time and even promised to return for the July cookout.

Next, we hit the pavement in Cheyenne to canvass door-to-door with help from two wonderful friends. We met lots of new people, but we also ran into some old friends. Everyone was exceptionally friendly, and we left with positive feelings and gratitude for Cheyenne's gracious hospitality.

A day later we could be found enjoying another potluck dinner, this time with Shattuck's lovely senior citizens. Again we received special treatment and an invitation to return. We met many intriguing people including a 102-year-old lady and a man whose ancestors were Germans transplanted to Russia by Catherine the Great. What a history lesson! Topping off the dinner was some jazzy piano playing by one of the senior citizens.

After leaving the Senior Citizen Center, we hit the streets and knocked on doors in Shattuck. Everyone was exceptionally nice to us; even the dogs didn't have the heart to be mean although one dog did give a half-hearted effort to be aggressive. We were at a house on the outskirts of town when we encountered an elderly, overweight shepherd-type dog. When we got out of the car, he waddled up and gave a few obligatory barks. The look on his face said, "It's really hot out here, and I don't really want to do this, but it's my job." I guess we should have cowered a little to make him feel better.

Altogether, our visits to Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Shattuck were rewarding experiences, and we are grateful to the citizens of those towns for their welcoming spirits. They took us in and made us feel a part of their communities. Remember a vote for Judge Haught is a vote for someone who respects and cares for your community.

Decisions, Decisions by Judy Haught

There is a lot to do in a campaign, some of it fun and interesting like socializing with voters and some of it just mundane like choosing the color for a sign or slogan. But most of the activities involve decision making. Should we canvass door-to-door or make phone calls? Should we buy the white campaign shirts or the blue ones? Should we go to the car show or to the art festival?
Recently some of the good decisions Doug has made on the campaign trail were to attend a community coffee at Shattuck and to eat with the senior citizens at Erick. To make it to Shattuck by 8:00 A.M., he had to keep Army hours, which means he had to get up long before daylight and hit the road really early. But the journey was worth the effort. The people at Shattuck could not have been friendlier or more gracious. They move their coffee get-togethers from business to business, and that day they met at the local tire shop where the owners welcomed everyone with coffee and freshly baked coffee cake. Doug left with warm feeling for the people of Shattuck and a full stomach.
Leaving Shattuck, he raced back to Sayre and heard his morning docket; then it was off to Erick to visit and dine with the senior citizens. He was warmly welcomed, and one man even read Doug's bio to the crowd. The people were truly pleased that he stopped by. Nothing means more to a candidate than friendly smiles, kind words, and a genuine interest in what he has to say.
Another wise campaign decision we recently made was to attend the monthly potluck dinner at Cowden. We saw the announcment in The Cordell Beacon and wondered if we should go; after all, we had never even heard of Cowden. We got out our trusty Oklahoma atlas and checked to see if Cowden were truly in our district. Sure enough it is in southeastern Washita County. So we ran byKFC and headed for Cowden, atlas in hand. Cowden constists of an abandoned school building, a community center, a memorial, and several friendly people.
As soon as we walked in, we were taken over by country hospitality. The people all introduced themselves and made us feel at home. Doug was taken over by a group of men, and I was commandeered by a group of fun-loving ladies. As with other small rural communities we have visited, one of the most intriguing parts of the evening was learning about the history of the place. Cowden was once a thriving town with a vital school. The history of the town and school was revealed in pictures lining the walls. The pictures are truly a piece of Americana. One picture in particular caught our eye; it was a picture of Cowden Boy Scouts taken in in 1943. They are standing by a pile of scrap metal with a homemade sign that said, "Scrap the Japs!" I wish I had a copy of the picture to frame.
One of the things Cowden folks are most proud of is their memorial. It is a beautiful large granite monument with pictures of the town and school engraved in it. Surrounding the pictures are the names of all the people who made up the community. The families of all the dinner attendees were represented on the memorial.
We had a great time at Cowden and look forward to their next dinner because we would like to become regulars, even if we are not native to the community. The Cowden decision was a winner. Again we were reminded that Western Oklahoma has the best people in the country.
Speaking of decisions, remember that a judge makes important decisions every day that affect the lives of many people. A vote for Judge Haught is a vote for an experienced, wise decision maker.

Meeting and Greeting by Judy Haught

Elk City, Dill City, Weatherford, Clinton, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Strong City, and Berlin are just a few of the places we have been lately, meeting and greeting voters. While we have been keeping a grueling schedule, the load has been lightened considerably by the help of some very good friends and by the welcoming attitude of the voters in the 2nd Judicial District. Kindness and hospitality have greeted us at every turn.
We kicked off the campaign with an unbelievable reception at the home of Ron and Ginger Savage in Elk City. The Savages and a cadre of ladies from our church prepared an absolute feast of hors d'oeuvres and desserts; also, Ginger decorated her home in a red, white, and blue patriotic theme in honor of the occasion. After our friends and supporters had snacked and chatted, Judge Haught spoke to the crowd about his candidacy for District Judge. We were honored and humbled by the outpouring of support.
A week later, we took the show on the road to Dill City. Again our friends prepared food and decorated the Senior Citizen Center for the occasion. Although the crowd was smaller, we were still grateful for everyone's support. We met some wonderful people in Dill City and were impressed with their civic involvement. Making an effort to meet and talk with a candidate indicates that they will be informed voters.
In addition to receptions, we have been walking and talking. We dropped in on businesses in Weatherford and Clinton. We left campaign literature and chatted with numerous people, and again everyone we met was cordial and responsive.
At Arapaho, we knocked on doors, talked with folks, and left campaign cards. We were amazed at the gracious reception we received. The only problem was our timing; many people had left for Memorial Day weekend. However, all the dogs were home. You've heard the expression "everybody and his dog." Well, we encountered "everybody's dog," or at least we heard them. Yapping and barking accompanied every doorbell chime. To tell the truth, from the sound of some of the dogs, I was glad not to meet them face to face.
As usual, campaigning has involved more good food. We dined with senior citizens in Cheyenne. We enjoyed a great lunch and excellent conversation. We even found out that there was once a school in Roger Mills County named Rankin. One of the ladies at our table had some hilarious tales about her days as a student at Rankin. You can always count on senior citizens for good stories.
We attended community dinners at Berlin and Strong City where we feasted and fraternized with more Roger Mills County voters. Hamburgers, hotdogs, cobbler, and fellowship were on the menu at the Berlin Community Center on a beautiful Saturday night. Attendees ranged in age from four score to four days with everyone from great grandparents to a newborn baby enjoying the evening.
Strong City Day presented another opportunity for good company and fabulous food. The buffet table fairly sagged with a potluck banquet. Folks packed the dining room and spilled out onto the porch. We were entertained with stories of Strong City's colorful history, making us eager to learn more about the town and its long-time residents.
We have often heard it said that one of the best things about living in Western Oklahoma is the friendly people, and we are here to attest to that fact. This campaign has emphasized what we already knew; Western Oklahoma people are kind, courteous, and caring. Remember a vote for Judge Haught is a vote for a native of Western Oklahoma who embodies the best of Western Oklahoma values.