Charlie Adams Day brings history and fun to Newkirk Sept 11

The Newkirk Community Historical Society has been preparing for the storytelling portion of Charlie Adams Day on Sept. 11, event organizers said.

Charlie Adams Day is a national celebration in Newkirk that takes place annually on the second Saturday in September.

The event features a BBQ cook-off, Dutch oven cooking, arts and crafts, turtle races, dancing and a historical presentation.

This year, students from the Kaw Nation who have been learning their native language will star in the presentation. They have named their presentation “Team Taje’ Sage” in memory of Mary Pat Branch.

Also, District Attorney Brian Hermanson will portray Ed Korns, an early-day Newkirk citizen and one of Charlie Adams’s peers.

“Just after the opening of the Cherokee Outlet, [Korns] moved his family to a farm near Newkirk, but was not very successful in that venture,” event organizers said in a news release. “He had worked in the newspaper business since he was 11 years old. Coming to Newkirk, there were already four weekly newspapers, and no one could afford to hire him at a living wage. So, he started another newspaper.

Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Korns as Newkirk’s postmaster, organizers said.

“He never missed a Republican convention since the organization of that party in this state,” they said.

Hermanson is a recurring performer who has portrayed several former Newkirk citizens. He has also been involved in the Ponca Playhouse.