Spring and summer is the time in Oklahoma that you could find yourself suddenly dealing with a swarm of bees. They may be attached to a tree limb, or your house or property.
Your first reaction may be to poison these bees with household chemicals. Please don’t. The good news is Pittsburg County has lots of beekeepers that would love to take that swarm off your hands!
Here are a couple of phone numbers to help you: Keep McAlester Beautiful, 918-424-9988 or The Pittsburg County OSU extension office, 918-423-4120. We know many beekeepers and they can safely remove your swarm. You get the added benefit of knowing you have helped the bees, not killed them.
Athletic Director James Singleton received our Beautification award. To Coach Singleton’s right is Admin Assistant to Athletics, Mary Martin. To Coach’s left is Miss McAlester’s Teen, Sophie Eaton. The banquet was held February 29th, at Puterbaugh Center’s Crystal Hall.
Doug Bailey, from Choctaw Nation Recycling, accepted the award of Community Sustainability. To Bailey’s left is KMB board member, Angie Miller. To his right is Miss McAlester, Hensley Kidd.
Herman Bohnhoff, our Volunteer of the Year!
Spirit Award winner, Caleigh Tarron in the middle. She brought the Field of Honor flag display to McAlester in 2023. Caleigh is also a Presidential Volunteer Service Award Winner as well as her grandmother, Angie Miller to Caleigh’s right. Tarron and Miller had huge volunteer hours giving back.
Jagger McCabe, Outstanding Student winner. Jagger brought paper recycling to Frink School. He and his mother, Jeanie McCabe are Presidential Volunteer Service Award winners for all the volunteer hours they put in giving back to our community.
Mel Priddy, center, is the second ever recipient of the Justin Few Champion Award for 10 plus years service to KMB. Mr. Priddy logged almost 15 years with KMB.
We are citizens, volunteers, business supporters, and partner organizations who contribute time, money, labor, and supplies to ensure that McAlester continues to fulfill its potential as a great place to live and work. We don’t have time to point fingers, we are busy rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.
Keep McAlester Beautiful (formerly Pride In McAlester) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the goal of making McAlester, Oklahoma a cleaner, safer, and more beautiful place to live and work.
We have a volunteer opportunity every month, often on the second Saturday of every month. We paint structures and flagpoles, and fire hydrants, we plant flowers and trees, we pick up litter (we pick up a lot of litter!), and we are behind the big spring and wide cleanups that happen at the former National Guard Armory in April and October.
Keep McAlester Beautiful (KMB) has a monthly lunch meeting on the third Thursday at 12 noon. We currently meet in the side room at The Yardbird, 315 E. Choctaw Ave. Everyone is welcome. We talk about upcoming events and projects. Maybe you have a project you’d like to see completed!
Our board of directors meet the second Thursday of every month at 12 noon at the Fire Department Administration and Training located at 1016 E. South Ave. It too is open to the public.
You can find us on Facebook (Keep McAlester Beautiful), on Instagram (keepmcalesterbeautiful), on X or Twitter (@PrideinMac), and on TikTok (@keepmcalesterbeautiful)
