GrowInola

07/12/2026

For generations, our family has called this land home.

The coffee this morning seemed extra bitter as we find ourselves more and more concerned about the proposed aluminum smelter project planned for our area. There are so many unknowns but for now, it’s what we have learned over the last 4 months that shakes us to our core. The fact is this proposed smelter located in the heart of Green Country will be permitted to produce 425 tons of emissions and heavy metal pollutants annually. We feel a responsibility to speak up when decisions are being considered that could impact the future of our community and our neighboring communities.

This is not about politics. It is about stewardship.

Like many of you, our neighbors, we have questions about how a project of this size could impact our air, water, agricultural community, rural character, and the future of the place we call home & love. We believe those questions deserve clear answers, transparency, and thoughtful consideration before decisions are made that could affect our community for generations.

As business owners, ranchers, and members of this community, we have a responsibility to advocate for the things that make this area special. The rolling pastures, open skies, abundant wildlife, family farms, local businesses, and close knit community are not just part of our livelihood; they are part of who we are, who we all are.

Some folks in our neighboring communities are wondering why they should be concerned.

“But it’s Inola and this doesn’t have anything to do with us, so why the fuss?”

It’s Oklahoma, the wind comes sweeping down, and up, the plains. If you live within 20/30 miles from Inola, in any direction, you might want to take notice. Pollution from aluminum smelters has been shown to affect air and land for miles in every direction. With a predominant south wind, Claremore should definitely take note. Arm yourselves with knowledge of what that means. Whether you want to be a part of this fight or not, you are. Choosing to say nothing is a choice and you are still a part of what happens next.

We encourage everyone to become informed, attend public meetings, ask questions, and participate respectfully in the conversation. Attend the meeting of the town hall tonight at 6pm. It’s at the Inola high school fine arts room. Regardless of where you stand, the future of all our communities deserves thoughtful engagement from all of us. We can make a difference, together.

We respectfully urge local and state leaders to ensure that any proposed development undergoes thorough environmental review, transparent public discussion, and careful consideration of its potential impacts on residents, farms, ranches, schools, churches, and local businesses, both near and far.

We are proud to call this place, and this great state, home and we believe the future is worth protecting.

— The Moore Family

07/12/2026

There is a secret tucked away in the soil of Inola, one that folks like John Budd (CEO of Oklahoma Department of Commerce) and the outsiders looking in will never quite understand from a boardroom.

​They look at our maps, calculate our commute times, and see a problem to be solved. They assume it’s a burden for us to drive 20-40 minutes just to punch a clock or fill a grocery cart. To them, our distance is a detriment. They want to "fix" us with industry, to bring the heavy hum of manufacturing, the choking smog of pollution, the endless glare of artificial lights, and the relentless gridlock of traffic. They look at our open spaces and see dollar signs.

​But to us? That assumption is quite a slap in the face to a way of life we have spent generations building and protecting.

​We didn’t end up in this rural corner of Oklahoma by accident. We chose it. We chose it because our roots run as deep as the Bluestem grass beneath our boots. We are a farming community, built on the backs of hard work, calloused hands, and a fierce, unyielding pride in the land we tend. We don't want to live surrounded by concrete and smoke. We love the slow, intentional, and peaceful rhythm of the country.

​So, hell, I invite them to come on over.

​Leave the suits and the financial projections at the county line. Pull up a rocker on the front porch, and let us pour you a glass of sweet tea. Sit with us for just an hour.

​If you listen close, you won't hear the screech of brakes or the roar of factories. You’ll hear the beautiful sounds of Inola: the sweet, clear anthem of an eastern meadowlark cutting through the breeze and the distant hum of hay equipment rolling up rounds in the afternoon sun.

​Look out across the horizon. You’ll see cattle gracefully grazing the pastures and a red-tailed hawk swooping down through a wide-open sky. You’ll see a community that knows exactly who it is, bound together by the land, the sunset, and each other.

​Only then, when the dust settles and the quiet sinks in, will the outsiders finally realize why we fight so hard for this place. We love our rural home, not for what it could be packaged into, but exactly, proudly, just the way it is.

- Muddy Water Ranch

⚠️Stop The Inola Smelter⚠️

10/11/2022

09/01/2022

Come help us plan for next year!

We are looking for Inola community members who want to give back to their community and be involved.

See you there!

08/24/2022

We are looking for people who want to be involved in planning the Block Party next year! Please join us!

08/04/2022

EDITED!!!!! 🎉🎉 IMPORTANT block party information🎉🎉

🎉 Please make sure Students are registered at www.growinola.com

🎉Grahams Daylight Donuts will be handing out donuts for the kids for breakfast!

🎉 arrive at Fleming Park by 9 AM to check in and receive your scavenger hunt paper. The stops who have school supplies will be marked with a ✏️ 7-12th grade supplies will be at First Baptist Church.

👕we have 800 bags donated by Calvary Baptist church to give away and only 250 t-shirts. They are first come first serve. You will be able to order t-shirts if you would like to for $12 each. We can only accept cash 💵 profits go back to the block party fund.

🎉 There will be several stops set up at the park, several set up around town including dollar general, harps, as well as churches and business through town.

🎉 near the sugar shack you will find free food items, a waterslide, a Jupiter jump, and the inola fire department will be spraying kids with water from a fire truck!!

🎉 once you visit as many stops as you can, bring scavenger hunt sheets back to Fleming Park where we will have a prize drawing at 12:15!

🎉 If you have any questions please message the growinola page! Can’t wait to see everyone there!



Free Food, Fun, and School Supplies! Saturday, August 6, 2022 @ (9 am-1 pm) Volunteer Sponsor Register 2021 – Inola Back to School Block Party Recap Video Thanks To Our Generous Sponsors Become a Sponsor Free Supplies and Services Kick Off The School Year Right! Inola’s Back to School Block Part...

07/31/2022

📢announcement📢 IMPORTANT information about the Block Party! Please read!!! ⬇️

🖊registration for the block party is now open at www.growinola.com (when you reach a page that says “Thanks for contacting us, we will get in touch with you shortly” your registration was successful!)

Students will still need to check in when they arrive at the block party! Check in will be Aug 6th 9:00am park.

At check-in, Every student will recieve a scavenger hunt paper listing all the stops as well as a bag provided by Calvary Baptist Church. This will be a town-wide scavenger hunt.

Students will visit as many stops as they can while collecting school supplies, free food, goodies and more. They will need their scavenger hunt paper to receive items and must collect a stamp from each stop.

When students complete the scavenger hunt, they will return their papers to Fleming park sharp for the prize drawing @12:15.

Happy Hunting!!