OKC FRIDAY Vol. 58 No. 32 • One Section • 14 pages • December 6, 2024 $1 per copy
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving affluent far north Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills and The Village for 50 years
After 73 years, Village Baptist rebrands itself By Eric Oesch Staff Writer For 73 years Village Baptist Church has pastored thousands of congregants from its prominent location on May Avenue. The church started as a mission church of Trinity Baptist Church on NW 23 as that congregation looked to expand its evangelistic reach to the far reaches of Oklahoma City. The Village was a new city, and the area was undergoing major development as northwest Oklahoma City expanded and its population grew. While the city was growing, church membership at Village Baptist quickly multiplied, as well. See CHURCH, Page 10
Bachelors Club names debs Nineteen women will make their debut at the 78th annual Bachelors Club Christmas Ball on Sunday, Dec. 22, at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. The black-tie ball begins at 8 p.m. with the debutante presentation to begin at 9 p.m. Each debutante is to be escorted by a member of the Bachelors Club of Oklahoma City. After the debs are presented, guests dance to the music of Souled Out and the evening
concludes with a late breakfast. Cleats for Kids is the recipient of the charitable proceeds of this year’s ball, a local non-
profit designated by Club President Luke Chansolme. Cleats for Kids, or C4K for short, seeks to change lives by providing free sports
shoes and safe equipment to kids in need so they have a chance to play sports regardless See DEBS, Page 12
Red Andrews Dinner Foundation seeks donations Since 1947, the Red Andrews family, community leaders, and dedicated volunteers have come together to provide a holiday meal and gifts to families in need. This longstanding tradition
continues in 2024 with the annual Red Andrews Christmas Dinner event, offering free groceries and toys to the Oklahoma City community. On Christmas Eve, 9 a.m. to noon, families are invited to
Santa Fe South Charter School at 7000 Crossroads Blvd., Oklahoma City, to receive bags of groceries for a hearty Christmas dinner, along with a See DINNER, Page 2
Water may taste different as Hefner Plant improvements enter next phase
FRIDAY’s Dog of the Week Ellie is a rescue dog. She was found digging through the trash as a puppy covered in fleas and severely malnourished. The Karns family — Abby, Danny, Phenix, Sydney, Magnolia, Rosie and Phil — has had her two years now and she is the best dog in the world. She loves squirrels, ice cream, going in the car, going to the dog park and playing with the kids. She is a very picky eater and she hates being left out. She wants to be
Brennan Wade, Anna Holden, Ramey Brinkman, Sara Jane Pitzer, Nick Parkinson, Aspen Minihan and Pearce Wade on Thanksgiving morning.
included in everything. We love her very much! Email Pet of the Week submissions to rose@ okcfriday.com.
Oklahoma City’s Hefner Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is entering the next phase of its $44 million improvement project to modernize its ozone disinfection system and increase treatment capacity. The project has no impact on the safety of the water, although some customers may temporarily notice a slight difference in the water’s taste or odor. “We’re excited to continue making progress on this important upgrade, which we first began last December,” Utilities Director Chris Browning said. “Modernizing the Hefner Water Treatment Plant is a key step in
ensuring we can meet current and future demands while maintaining our commitment to delivering safe, high-quality drinking water to all customers.” During this phase of the project, crews are to temporarily shut down the plant’s ozone disinfection system, allowing for upgrades to be made. The shutdown is anticipated to last for five weeks. While the ozone system is offline, plant operators are transitioning to a chlorine-based disinfection process—similar to the one used at the Draper WTP, where See HEFNER, Page 5