Neighbors you should know:
In our first article in Guthrie News Leader’s “Neighbors You Should Know” series, we recognize Verla Cline, Tourism Coordinator for the City of Guthrie.
You’ve probably seen her announcements and reminders online, on flyers in windows around town, or in brochures. If she isn’t promoting an event, she’s supporting it. She facilitates the tourism experiences of visitors and locals, alike, through the City of Guthrie Newsletter Events List, the tourism website (guthrieok.com), social media posts, and her in-person outreach to merchants and hotels.
When she’s not out sharing Guthrie information at festivals, events and travel shows, Cline is interacting one-on-one with tourists wandering downtown Guthrie, giving out cute “Follow Me to Guthrie” stickers. Anyone who has worked on an event committee or an entertainment venue in Guthrie has had her help or advice at one time or another. Her expertise on tourism and communications is rivaled by her dedication and passion for Guthrie, and her incredible work ethic.
Cline graduated from Edmond Memorial High School in 1976 and received her BA in English Secondary Education from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1980. She moved to Guthrie in July 2012. When she became a widow in March of 2013, she decided that Guthrie was her new hometown and dove headfirst into Guthrie life.
She volunteered for the Christmas Committee, church functions, musical events, the Bluegrass Festival, the ‘89ers Committee, the Library Advisory Board, and the Tourism Advisory Board. Her career with Guthrie Tourism began in April 2018, when she began working part-time with then-Guthrie Tourism Director Andrea Post. Two months later, when Post left for another job, Justin Fortney asked her to step into the Director position.
“Now, at four years and counting,” said Cline, “I’m still working for Tourism and loving it.”
“I started part-time work at Heritage Collection for Linda Rice, soon after moving to Guthrie,” explained Cline. “Right away she invited me to church, then (the) ladies fellowship banquet, then (the) Guthrie Christmas committee! It was such a fun way to feel at home in my new town. I attended my first Bluegrass Festival in 2012 with a dear lady (Judith Perry) I met at Farmers Market, even camped out there with her, and loved it.”
That first Bluegrass Festival kicked off Cline’s love for bluegrass music, along with Byron Berline and his band, the Music Hall, and, of course, the Festival. In 2013, she created and promoted a concert idea for ‘89er Sunday, which featured her longtime friend Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road; some new friends of the Byron Berline Band; and 1 More Road, a local family band.
“I was new and a stranger, but Steve Gentling and the board and sponsors trusted and helped me, and it was a success!” Cline exclaimed. “We did it again two years later! How could I not love Guthrie, its citizens, its festivals, its celebration of life?”
Cline is a seasoned traveler, which helps in her ability to coordinate local tourism. She seems to have such fun at her job that her enthusiasm is contagious.
“Yes, in the past I’ve traveled quite a bit, in the U.S. and to other countries,” she said. “Now, I’m pretty happy staying local for a Guthrie ‘staycation.’ ” Verla Cline married Mike Cline, a Guthrie lifelong resident, in March of 2019. She has two grown sons, Dylan and Sterling, who live in the Los Angeles area. She maintains the Guthrie Tourism Office at 308 South Division in Guthrie, and she welcomes tourists’ questions at (405) 282-2812.
“I hope people find me open, happy and approachable,” she said.