Horse ride, BBQ dinner part of Bass Reeves statue fundraising

Editor’s note: This is a followup to a July 1 story by The City Wire about the renewed effort to raise funds for the Bass Reeves Statue.

The effort to raise $100,000 in 100 days for the Bass Reeves statue will include a 5-mile horse ride and included sales of water and soda at the Mayor’s 4th of July celebration. The end of the campaign is scheduled for Oct. 31.

The Bass Reeves Legacy Initiative has raised about $110,000 toward a $300,000 goal to build a 25-foot tall statue to Reeves.

Even though Reeves was an African-American and illiterate, he brought in more outlaws  from eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas than anyone else, according to the book, “Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves,” written by Art Burton. He was able to memorize the warrants for every law breaker he was to arrest and bring to trial.

Reeves was an expert tracker and detective, both respected and hated, but mostly feared. Reeves was not the first African-American appointed to serve Judge Isaac C. Parker’s federal court as a deputy U.S. Marshal, but he was the most famous Marshal in his day. He was the first African-American inducted into the Great Westerners Hall of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1992.

“The reason for the $100,000 push by end of October is to pay for the entire cost of statue design and construction of $220,000 by Nov. 1, 2010 for the statue unveiling by the target date of May 2011,” Tonya Nkokheli, a Legacy Initiative board member, said in an e-mail to The City Wire.

Nkokheli said each board member is responsible to raise $25,000 by finding five “Community Leaders or Concerned Citizen as Team Captains” to form teams that will raise $5,000 per team.

“Anyone can participate and form their own team. Each team will decide their own fundraising event to be held during the 100 days,” Nkokheli explained. “From private home parties with their friends, horse riding events, dance events to cookouts.”

Sherry McKinney worked with a group to sell water and cokes at the 4th of July event in downtown Fort Smith.

Also, the Lady River Riders Club will work with the Old Fort Gun Club to sponsor a 5-mile Benefit Horse Riding family event on July 10. The ride will be held at the Old Fort Gun Club — Highway 59, south of Van Buren — with gates opening at 3:30 p.m. and the ride beginning at 4:30. The cost is $10 per horse and $10 for a BBQ dinner with drink and dessert.

“All of the proceeds are going to the statue. We’ve had the food donated and all the supplies donated, so everything we collect goes to that,” said Candace Armstrong, a member of the Lady River Riders and event organizer along with Barbara Bethell. “It’s a wonderful facility and it would be a great treat for a family even if they don’t ride. And there is no charge if you come through the gate without a horse, so you can just come and watch the ride and enjoy a great meal.”

Nkokheli said the goal is to have all the teams come together at a mid-July event at Second Street Live! in downtown Fort Smith.

For more information or to register a team, contact:
• Nkokheli at (479) 287-4293 or [email protected]
• Craig Pair at 646-2203 or [email protected]