It's Time for Christmas Parades

The Town of Vian will kick off area holiday parades this year with the town’s 41st annual Christmas Parade of Lights beginning at 6 p.m. tonight. The theme for 2020 is “Toys, Trains and Candy Canes”. 

Other towns have scheduled their parades for Saturday, Dec. 12. They are as follows:

GORE: The parade’s theme is “Dreaming of a White Christmas” and it will be at 11 a.m. Dec. 12. To participate in the parade, contact Kim Summerlin at Gore City Hall at 918-489-2636.

ROLAND: The parade theme is “Red, White and Blue All-American Christmas” and it will begin at noon Dec. 12.

MULDROW: The theme for the parade is “Red, White and Blue All-American Christmas” and it is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12.

SALLISAW: The city’s “Red, White and Blue” or “All-American Christmas” parade will be at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12. To participate in the parade, contact the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce at 918-775-2558.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Traffic Stop Leads to Arrests

A Vian man was arrested Nov. 21 and charged with bringing contraband into a jail facility, a felony punishable by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for up to five years, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.

Jesse Hudson Rouse, 41, was also charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors.

On Nov. 21, a Gore police officer on patrol around 1:20 a.m. spotted a white Ford Explorer with a defective brake light on its passenger side, prompting him to initiate a traffic stop.

The officer made contact with the driver, who identified himself as Michael Kelly. Kelly told the officer he didn’t have a driver’s license, so the officer asked him to turn off the car and step outside. As Kelly was turning off the ignition, the officer noticed that he had to use a screwdriver. When asked why, Kelly said he had lost the keys and had to “punch’ the ignition. The officer then detained Kelly and placed him in handcuffs. He then began speaking with Rouse, the passenger.

Rouse said he had just bought the vehicle and that it did not have insurance. He also said there was a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle, either in the console or in his bag in the back. The officer found a small homemade smoking device made out of sockets and black tape. In the back seat, the officer discovered a black box containing a green, leafy substance that smelled like marijuana. Rouse was placed under arrest for possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kelly was arrested for driving under suspension and failure to comply with compulsory insurance law.

Shortly after placing the men in the back of his patrol car, the officer informed them that if they had anything illegal on them to let him know before they get to the jail, because if they did it would be a felony charge. The two stayed silent.

While at the jail getting changed into jail clothing, a jail shift supervisor discovered a glass smoking device and plastic baggie with a crystal-like substance inside the bag. The substance later field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

 Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Siblings Safe After Missing for 11 Hours

Great-grandmother Freda Jolly happily reunited with the children.

The children immediately after being rescued 

after 11 cold hours lost in the woods.

‘Yes, It’s Us! We Want to Go Home!’

With those words, four Vian children were rescued after being missing for 11 hours. They were found under Tenkiller Dam after 2 a.m. Wednesday, cold and suffering from scrapes and bruises, but otherwise doing well.

“I’ve never been so happy than when they found them,” the children’s great-grandmother, Freda Jolly, said Wednesday. “I just kept praying, ‘I want my babies. I want my babies.’ ”

Jolly has custody of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed children, who include 9-year-old Nathanial, 7-year-old Maria, 6-year-old Adabell and 5-year-old Levi. 

Jolly said the children were outside playing at her home just off Moonshine Road north of Vian on Tuesday afternoon when she went inside the house to answer the telephone. Her granddaughter was on the line, asking if she could come over. Once plans were made, Jolly went outside to tell the kids the girl was coming over to play but they were nowhere in sight.

Members of several law enforcement agencies assisted in the search, including the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local police departments, along with local fire departments and volunteers. Search-and-rescue helicopters were also dispatched from Tulsa to help search for the children, along with drones with heat-seeking capabilities.

“It amazed me how many people reached out to us and offered to help, to pray. I’m just so grateful,” Jolly said.

Jolly said her oldest great-grandson, Nathanial, was the one who kept the four together during their adventure, which began when they fell down a ravine and couldn’t climb back out of it, she said.

Nathanial, remembering a lesson his great-grandfather had taught him, pulled out the flashlight he was carrying and guided the group to higher ground. With his younger siblings asleep, Nathanial waited. When he heard a woman on horseback calling his name, he climbed on top of a large rock and began waving the light and yelling until they were rescued.

“I’m just glad he listened to Grandpa. Grandpa always carries a flashlight,” Jolly said.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Search Continues for Missing Vian Children

Nathanial-age 9, Maria-age 7, Adabell-age 6, and Levi-age 5

Authorities are continuing the search near Vian for four children missing since approximately 2:30 p.m.

The four siblings (pictured above) range in age from 5-9 years old. They each have blonde hair and blue eyes.

Sequoyah County Emergency Management Director Steve Rutherford stated that the children are believed to be lost in the outdoors, possibly in a wooded area. The children were last seen at their grandmother's home just off of Moonshine Road north of Vian.

Numerous law enforcement agencies including the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Dept., Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local police departments, are searching the area. Local fire departments and volunteers are also aiding in the search.

Cherokee Nation Marshalls are heading up the search at this time, according to Rutherford.

Search and rescue helicopters are in route from Tulsa to help search for the children. Drones with heat seeking capabilities are also being used. 

We will continue to update this story as it develops.

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Authorities Searching for Four Missing Children Near Vian

Nathanial, Maria, Adabell and Levi

Sequoyah County authorities are currently searching for four young children missing from the Vian area.

According to Sequoyah County Sherriff Larry Lane the children range in age from 5-9 years.

The missing children, along with ages and what they were last seen wearing, are:

Nathanial - 9 years old, a tan vest with jeans
Maria - 7 years old, a blue coat with jeans.

Adabell - 6 years old, pink coat with jeans
Levi - 5 years old, Spider-Man sweater with Khaki pants

All four children have blonde hair and blue eyes, Lane said.

The children were reportedly playing outside at their grandmother's home on Moonshine Road when they were last seen around 2:30 p.m.

Multiple law enforcement agencies and emergency management are currently looking for the missing children. 

We will continue to update this story as it develops.

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School Board Filing Set for Dec. 7-9

Candidates for the Board of Education in Sequoyah County school districts and City of Sallisaw will file their Declarations of Candidacy beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, December 7, and continuing Tuesday and Wednesday, Sequoyah County Election Board Secretary Cindy Osborn said today.

Osborn said the official filing period ends at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 9th. All candidate filings will occur at the Sequoyah County Election Board office, 110 E. Creek Street, in Sallisaw, Osborn said.

The Board of Education positions at stake will be filled at the Board of Education Primary Election scheduled February 9, 2021 and the Board of Education General Election on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. If only two candidates file, the position will be filled at the General Election. If more than two candidates file, a Primary Election will be held. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the total votes cast in the Primary Election, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will meet in the General Election.

Candidates may file for the following offices:

Belfonte C-50 School District---Office No. 1 & Office No. 2 unexpired

Brushy C-36 School District---Office No. 1

Central I-7 School District---Office No. 1

Gans I-4 School District---Office No. 1

Gore I-6 School District---Office No. 1

Liberty C-1 School District---Office No. 1

Marble City C-35 School District---Office No. 1

Moffett C-68 School District---Office No. 1

Muldrow I-3 School District---Office No. 1

Roland I-5 School District---Office No. 1

Sallisaw I-1 School District---Office No. 1 & Office No. 3 unexpired

Vian I-2 School District---Office No. 1

City of Sallisaw---Board of Commissioners--Ward 2, Ward 4

For more information, contact the Sequoyah County Election Board at 918-775-2614.

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For more news stories stay tuned to The MIX 105.1 or visit www.kxmx.com

   

‘Bonnet Lady’ Honored at Farmers Market

Elizabeth Burnsed a.k.a. "The Bonnet Lady" (top right) and 

the Farmers Market sign created in her likeness.

Next time you go to the Sallisaw’s Farmers Market, keep an eye out for the much loved, regular vendor Elizabeth Burnsed also known as the "Bonnet Lady."

Burnsed, from Sallisaw, has become a fixture at the Farmers Market with her homemade jams and jellies and handmade aprons, little girls’ dresses and of course, bonnets. She also makes her popular breads including apple, banana nut, and strawberry. Burnsed noted that it's almost time for her to start making pumpkin bread as well.

Her growing notoriety has led to accolades from customers and honors from the city in the form of a new sign at the Farmers Market featuring a rendering of Burnsed’s bonneted likeness. 

The sign was designed by James Tod Pool and painted by his daughter, Jessica Lavallee. Pool sells handmade knives and stone carvings at the Farmers Market while Lavalle sells paintings and woodburnings.

Farmers Market Chairman Max Smith said Monday that Burnsed is a beloved member of the market who is taken care of by everyone involved with the event. “Everyone just loves her to death. She’s like everybody’s grandma.”

Smith expressed his gratitude to all of the vendors and shoppers at the Farmers Market this year. “We are continuing to grow. As tough as this year was, we still had more vendors than we’ve ever had.”

For Burnsed, she loves working at the Farmers Market and with the people there. She said the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t hampered her handiwork. “I just wear a mask.”

“I lived my life like I wanted to and with God’s help, I have survived,” she said.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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