On January 15, the Mannford Chamber held their annual banquet, honoring several individuals.
Jodi Pryor - Bill Phelps Citizen of the Year Award
This award recipient has lived in Mannford for her whole life. She loves her town, has a heart of gold and truly cherishes and loves her family and friends. She will greet you with a big smile and make you feel special – because SHE thinks you are special. She wears, and has worn, many hats. She currently works at the Mannford Post Office 3, and has a large rural route. She knows all the dogs on her route by name and sometimes gives them treats so they know she is their friend. She has hosted the Ladies Community Thanksgiving dinner for many years and enjoys seeing all the ladies from all the different Churches come together and worship God in one accord, laugh, and have a great time together and eat great food. She is a devoted Sunday School teacher, and was the secretary for many years at the Mannford Assembly where she attended. She has a great love for her best friend Jesus. She won the Citizenship award in both the fifth grade and high school, and went to Girls State. She continues to be that same person and we are all blessed to know her. She will encourage you, lift you up, and make you smile, because she truly cares.
Wayne and Deanna Muirheid - Ray Goodman Humanitarian of the Year Award
This husband and wife team have been in Mannford since the 1970’s. He worked as a pipe fitter, and She retired from being a teacher at Mannford School sin 2010. That same year, they started researching the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma to see if the Mannford area qualified for a food program. After prayer, research, and requirements, they devoted themselves to make a commitment to the Mannford community to help the children in need of food. The Mannford Food for Kids Backpack Program was then established, and they delivered their first nutritional, non-perishable meals on Thanksgiving Weekend of 2010. If you know Wayne and Deanna Muirheid, you know that all their Glory goes to God for starting this program, and they continue to go above and beyond to make sure that no child goes hungry. They have a love and selflessness for those in need in our community, and it shows.
Wes Lackey, Town & Country Hardware - Business of the Year
Our Business of the Year Award recipient has lived in the Mannford area for more than 20 years, and has owned the local hardware store for 12 years. He is a father of three, with a daughter in college, a daughter in high school, and a son who is serving in the Army as a Calvary Scout in Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
He strives to help his community and is always willing to drop everything and help someone in need. In March 2017, He, along with his daughters, collected more than 400 bales of hay from various donors, and with the help of some friends, hauled them out to Western Oklahoma to assist with the wildfire recovery. It took three different trips of two semi-trucks and trailers and several pickups and trailers to get all the hay where it needed to be, but he made sure the job was completed.
His dedication to his customers and community is demonstrated through his actions, and his employees at Town & Country Hardware, where they always work hard to provide personal service with a smile to everyone who walks through the front door.