City Anti-Drug Campaign Could Benefit Whole State

McAlester, Oklahoma – McAlester is a home town friendly city of 18,500 in rural Southeastern Oklahoma. The community has a rich artistic history and an abundance of creativity but unfortunately, the city has been plagued by drug and alcohol addiction; a problem that has ruined the lives of community members all over the city and throughout the state.

According to the White House Drug Policy, more than 35% of federally sentenced inmates, jailed for drugs charges were locked up for methamphetamine. McAlester, home of the Oklahoma State Prison, known to many around the state as the “Big Mac” has housed many of these inmates. The community as well as the staff at the prison has seen the toll drugs can take on not only those locked up but the population in general.

Currently the city is fighting a new battle with drugs concerning the abuse of prescription meds. According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control Director, Darrell Weaver, prescription drug abuse is the leading cause of deaths throughout the state of Oklahoma. In addition Weaver explains that eighty-six percent of overdose deaths are from prescription drugs in the state.

When several community groups in McAlester met and went over these statistics they decided that enough was enough; their city was not going to be overtaken by drugs. They were going to ‘Take McAlester Back.’

Take McAlester Back is a grassroots campaign sponsored by The Chamber, Pride in McAlester, McAlester Main Street and Narconon Arrowhead to get drugs out and arts in.   Their goal is to raise awareness to help the southeastern Oklahoma by reducing drug use through education and providing effective programs for the community through the arts. Their goal is to create a place where the pain of drugs is replaced with the joy of creating.

Kevin Priddle, Mayor of McAlester supports the group and its purpose. “Take McAlester Back focuses on two key elements – drug education and exposure to the Arts,” says Priddle.

“Everybody knows that an addiction, whether it’s an addition to drugs or alcohol or other things is harmful to the individual and people around the addicted individual.    However – you have to focus on not only getting the individual off of the addiction, but also determining what was missing in their life that made the addiction possible.   Studies have shown that children who play music are better students, do better at school and have less problems as young people than children without a music education.  Through the cooperative efforts of some tremendously talented musicians the program encourages children to participate in music programs and gives them the exposure to a positive avenue of life through music and the arts,” he adds.   

Take McAlester Back was started to help all of southeastern Oklahoma but the campaign serves as an example for the entire state when it comes to a community’s stance on drug abuse and will hold a series of events in the coming months.

One event, a project by Pride in McAlester is to restore the Oklahoma (Okla) Theater in downtown McAlester to reinvigorate the arts back into the community. Another active community group, The Exchange Club, is also taking part in the events by including it in their fourth annual Skate Fest on October 22^nd that supports drug free, ideal and safe skate parks in McAlester for the youth to participate in.

October 23^rd will mark the annual kick off of the official ‘Take McAlester Back’ campaign which will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Choctaw Ave. where there will be all day events that include a 10k race and family fun relay; bands playing throughout the day; a best Boston cream pie and salsa contest; and a karaoke contest. At 7:00 p.m. that night there will be a main event featuring Jana Jae, a world renowned fiddle player and Michael Ginsburg, the 2007 Oklahoma Fiddle Champion in open division, who will be playing a benefit concert at the Scottish Rights Auditorium in the Masonic Temple. The Master of Ceremonies will be comedian Argus Hamilton. All proceeds benefit the Okla Theater restoration project.

The group will announce many more events in the coming months.

“Breaking the cycle” of drugs through education and exposure to the arts is the foundation of “Take McAlester Back,” says Priddle. “This is the building block of giving our young people the best chance for a great future.”