PERRY, Okla. — The public is invited to a free program at the First Bank Event Center in Perry on Tuesday, March 3, at 5:30 p.m. to learn more about the Rough Riders in Oklahoma with a presentation by Jay Eby. The Cherokee Strip Museum in Perry is helping organize this event.
The program is called “Oklahoma Rough Riders: Remembering the Spanish-American War.” This year’s annual program will expand on that interest with a special emphasis on the Oklahoma Rough Riders troop, along with an exploration of the regalia, equipment and time-period style of warfare associated with President Theodore Roosevelt’s volunteer cavalry.
The program will be presented by Jay Eby, a Perry native who founded a Rough Riders reenactment group in Arizona and appeared in a History Channel reenactment. His firsthand knowledge and storytelling bring this fascinating chapter of American history to life.
Copies of the book “Oklahoma Rough Riders: Billy McGinty’s Own Story,” co-written by longtime CSHS lifetime member Albert Stehno, will be available for purchase. There will also be membership information available at the entrance of the event center.
The annual meeting and meal will begin at 5:30 p.m. Please contact the Cherokee Strip Historical Society or the Cherokee Strip Museum for details on meal tickets. The program will start at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the general public. The CSHS’s primary focus is the growth and development of the Cherokee Strip Museum, which interprets the history of the Cherokee Outlet.
The First Bank Event Center is located at 424 N. 7th St. in Perry. The Cherokee Strip Museum is located at 2617 W. Fir St. in Perry. For more information about activities and exhibits at the museum, please call 580336-2405.