Bristow Historical Society Wins Grant, Asks Community to Vote in Contest to Increase Award

Last week, the Bristow Historical Society was awarded a grant by the Kubota Tractor Corporation for $10,000 to repair and enhance the town square around their historic train depot. Now they have a chance to increase that grant five-fold with community support.

Bristow was one of twenty grant recipients announced as a part of the fourth annual Kubota Hometown Proud® grant program, which provides support across the country for local nonprofit organizations and their unique initiatives. With the support of the Kubota Center of Tulsa, the Bristow Town Square Renovation project was submitted and selected. Each of the 20 hometown projects now goes up for a public vote…and the project with the most votes in each district will turn its $10,000 grant into a $50,000 grant.

“Nestled in central Oklahoma, the rural community of Bristow is home to 4,000 people who love history,” stated a press release about the project. “Local donations have repaired much of Town Square, but funding from the Kubota grant will add permanent seating and historic plaques to share the community’s connection to Route 66 – and early Oklahoma history – for all to enjoy. This beautiful open-air structure offers a shady, safe place for concerts, festivals and anyone who wants to enjoy the small town of Bristow and its family-run businesses. Upon completion, the towering glass-tile Town Square structure will be the focal point of Bristow’s Main Street.”

Using the $10,000 grant that has been awarded, the Bristow Historical Society will purchase and install heavy duty seating in the Town Square to replace the decades old, unsafe wooden benches. If they win the additional funding, project organizers will add more seating and install permanent historic plaques in time for the 2026 Centennial.

How does the community get involved? Members of the public can vote at KubotaHometownProud.com daily from now until August 14, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. CT. The Bristow Town Square Project is the only one in Oklahoma and it is up against a project in Louisiana; at the time of writing, the Bristow project was down by about 1,000 votes. The community projects with the most votes will be announced in September.