Family stories sought for book celebrating Oran�s 150th anniversary

It�s not every small town that gets to celebrate 150 years, and Oran, Missouri, is setting up to party in style for the 2019 sesquicentennial, with a two-day festival and a commemorative book.

The celebration itself is scheduled for July 19 and 20 in the city park, said organizer Leroy Eftink, who also manages Just Plain Fun in Chaffee, Missouri.

�The park is really ideal for the celebration,� he said. Not only is there plenty of room for vendors, he said, but a large, shady play area for children is all set to go, and there�s good parking.

The organizing committee already held a coloring contest to promote the event, with winners from Guardian Angel Catholic School and Oran�s public school, Eftink said.

Hats, shirts, license plate covers and other swag are for sale through the group�s Facebook page, Oran Sesquicentennial Celebration, Eftink said, but that�s only part of what the organizers are putting together.

The other arm of the project? A commemorative book with photos and history of Oran itself, its founding and its structures, but, Eftink said, most importantly, its families.

Beverly Dawn Slinkard, the committee member in charge of gathering people�s stories and filling the book with them, said the book project came about because people wanted a physical record of their town�s � and families� � history.

�We felt the more that you learn about your family or your history, the town, churches, schools, the more you appreciate them and they become a part of you, to be proud of,� Slinkard said.

It�s not just about the families who live in Oran now, Slinkard said, but it�s also a chance to take a look at the way the town�s early settlers lived, and people throughout the town�s history.

�Everybody who has a connection with this book, in any way, to Oran, whether they lived here long ago, just moved in, or went to school here, this gives them something to hold in their hand besides a library�s files,� she added.

And, she said, for anyone who wants to contribute their family�s story, with the submission form, she�s included suggested guidelines for what to include.

�It can be just facts, or it can have a little more, maybe something about how you grew up, some fun things you did � or maybe it wasn�t so fun in doing it,� she said.

People three generations from now won�t know automatically, Slinkard said: �We�re going to be the history for them.�

History is �what really makes us up, our genes, our way of life, our thoughts, where we came from. I think we have a lot to offer.�

Oran was the second-largest town in Scott County in the early 1900s, Slinkard said.

Eftink noted the town�s boom coincided with the post-Civil War construction frenzy, with two railroad lines eventually making their way to Oran, and interesting architecture, much of which, sadly, has been lost.

�I think most people don�t know that Oran was part of a Spanish land grant,� Eftink said.

And, he said, a building that is now a private garage was originally built as a theater in 1914, referred to as an opera house, and attracted performers �� probably mostly Vaudeville-style shows, he said, and later, silent movies were shown there.

�It�s amazing what went on in small towns, and we just don�t know about it,� Eftink said.

So, to preserve as much of that history as possible, Slinkard said she hopes people will send in their family stories.

Contributions up to 500 words and with one photo are free, she said, and people don�t have to buy a book to be included.

And, she said, everyone with an Oran address received an order form in the mail. All businesses in Oran should have forms available, she said, and the library and city hall also have some.

The form is also posted on the sesquicentennial group�s Facebook page.

�We want people with a connection,� Slinkard said. �We want their stories.�

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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