June 21, 2023
by Martin Mendoza, Activities Coordinator, Wichita PrimeTimers®
The idea started when Mike told me that his niece in law finally bought the cafe where she had worked for years. I had been hearing about the cafe in Ralston, Oklahoma, from Mike for a while and I thought it would be a good place to go and eat. Joe, Mike’s partner, suggested that we should visit the Pawnee Bill’s Museum which was nearby and would make for a great day trip. I suggested that I would put it out to our guys and see if anyone else in our chapter would like to join us. Then I thought, I should invite the Tulsa and Central Oklahoma chapters since we’ll be in their backyard, so to speak. So I sent them an invitation to let their membership know that were invited as well. I had heard back from Tulsa and they were bringing six, but I didn’t know how many were coming from OKC. What a surprise when we opened the door to the cafe and there was this big, long table full of Prime Timers! We had four in our group from Wichita, six from Tulsa and the rest from OKC to make us seventeen! The cafe is small, but also the only eating place in Ralston, so everyone goes there. And boy, were they surprised to see so many gay and bi men from all over! I think we were the first PRIDE event in Ralston. Michele and John, the owners and Mike’s nephew and niece-in-law, treated us like royalty, of course! We were treated to homemade onion rings as appetizers. I think we ate everything listed on the menu. It was a real gabfest, getting to meet new friends and renewing longer friendships. But it got really quiet when the food arrived. After the wonderful meal, we ventured to Pawnee, to the Pawnee Bill’s Museum. Pawnee Bill was a former cowboy, showman and cattleman back in the 1920s and 30s along with the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Will Rogers. We toured the ranch and the buildings; it was only the mansion that charged a $5 admission fee. And we took pictures, lots of pictures before we had to leave.
If you want to know more information about the Pawnee Bill Museum, go to https://www.okhistory.org/sites/pawneebill.php.
I want to thank both the Tulsa and Central Oklahoma chapters for joining us and making the visit very enjoyable. I have also heard of other suggestions for future joint trips. What a wonderful way to celebrate National Country Cooking month.
All photos courtesy of Tulsa and Wichita PrimeTimers®