Busy Week Filled with True Grit Activities

Grab your cowboy boots and hat, as well as your calendar. The upcoming week will be the busiest yet for “One Book, One Community: Stillwater Reads True Grit.” “True Grit” book discussions start this week throughout town and tons of events are packed into this week’s schedule.

To start things off, this Friday, the Student Union will hold a reception at 6 p.m. for the Western Heritage Art Exhibition. The event gives you a chance to see the artwork celebrating the West and to meet some of the artists. The art is on display in the Student Union’s Cowboy Underground through April 20.

At 7 p.m., right after the reception, head to the Student Union Theater for a screening of the 2010 version of “True Grit” directed by Joel and Ethan Cohen and starring Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. The film is rated PG-13 and lasts 110 minutes.

About the movie, Ethan Cohen said that his 2010 version would be more faithful to the Portis’ book than the 1969 version, including more of its humor, as well as more of its violence. The 2010 version was nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best acting roles for Bridges who played Rooster Cogburn and for Steinfeld who played Mattie Ross.

We had a huge turn-out for the 1969 film and Dr. Hagen gave us some fascinating insight into the filming of the movie. He will provide commentary again for the 2010 version. The Student Union Activities Board is sponsoring the program and they will be selling refreshments during the movie. An ASL interpreter will be present.

The next day, Saturday, March 28, RoundUP Stillwater will be holding a square dance for adults and high school students with developmental disabilities. The event includes dinner, games and contests including roping and pig calling. Jim Howard & the Highway Home will provide the music, square dance calling and square dancers who will help participants with the different steps. Prior to the dance, Cosmetology students form the Meridian Technology Center will doing make-up and hair styling for women. For more information, email me at sdelano@stillwater.org or give me a call at (405) 372-3633 x8124.

To round out the busy week, we will have Pistol Pete related activities at the Territorial Plaza in Perkins on Tuesday, March 31. Beginning at 6 p.m., you can take a tour of the Frank Eaton home, as well as some of the other historic buildings in the area. Afterward, the OSU Library’s David Peters will discuss Eaton and highlight some of the amazing historical items housed in its Frank Eaton Collection.

There is still plenty of time to get involved in this community-wide reading event. Just go to our “True Grit” webpage at http://library.stillwater.org/TrueGrit.php to sign-up for a book and to look at the full schedule of remaining events.