OPUBCO Communications Group has announced a strategic shift within one of its business units.

Wimgo.com will transition its focus away from the previous mission of offering a national solution for media companies in other markets. However, the site’s focus on Oklahoma will continue to operate as it has since launching in 2008.

The move requires fewer resources than what had been allocated.

“Since September of 2010, we’ve had a separate staff focused on a national strategy and that is being discontinued,” said Chris Reen, president of OPUBCO Communications Group and publisher of The Oklahoman. “As a result, the staff is being reduced by 5 positions, with the balance of the team being reintegrated with our core digital group at OPUBCO.”

Wimgo.com will continue to operate and grow as an events calendar and local business solution.

“We will continue to serve our audience of more than 200,000 unique visitors per month,” Reen said. “And Wimgo as an advertising solution, along with our daily deals product, will continue.”

Because of the time of year, affected employees were given enhanced severance packages that included outplacement services and subsidized medical coverage.

Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma
Meeting the people behind Wimgo…

Previously we introduced you to our newest programmer Mike Ricksecker aka ‘The Phantom Programmer’. At the time he was working on his newest book “Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma”. He recently finished and published the book, which was reviewed in Mood, a publication of The Oklahoman. We have the edited review below or you can read the full review here.

The jury is still out for me. I’ve searched many places for ghosts. I’ve felt chills from being in the dark as my mind played tricks on me. But so far, no ghosts, no moving objects and no disembodied voices.

It’s not that I don’t want to believe; I am waiting to believe.

That’s why I so enjoyed “Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma” by Mike Ricksecker, 37, of Yukon.

I met Ricksecker when he came to work with me as a programmer. I was surprised when he mentioned he investigated hauntings with his team, Society of the Haunted.

I found myself asking him likely the same questions he’s heard 100 times before: What have you seen? Scariest incident? He happily answered with a knowing look in his eyes.

A recent transplant to Oklahoma, I know little about the state. That’s why some of my favorite parts of Ricksecker’s book are about Oklahoma’s history. The author includes a history lesson for each place the team researched.

The stories in “Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma” illustrate Oklahoma’s distinct times of prosperity, periods of decline and some of its darker days. Many of those dark times led to the stories and legends of the supernatural that Ricksecker writes about in his book.

Whether you believe is your choice.

Ghosts in Guthrie

The book begins with some fascinating history of Guthrie. I’ve visited Guthrie several times, but the visits were always short because of my limited knowledge of the town’s history.

For example, I didn’t know Guthrie has its own Boot Hill. When I was younger, I thought Boot Hill was one place somewhere out West, but I discovered years ago that it refers to multiple cemeteries throughout the Old West, primarily for gunslingers.

Guthrie’s Boot Hill cemetery is near what was called the Black Jail. Like its name, it’s a place where dark shadows of its former occupants of notorious gangs and outlaws can supposedly be seen by some, still lurking its corridors.

Guthrie also has some bawdy locales such as the Blue Belle Saloon, which Ricksecker writes once included a bordello. The building has changed names and owners many times, and rumor has it that’s because of all the supernatural activity there including apparitions, objects moving on their own and disembodied voices.

Santa Fe Depot and the Harvey House also are fascinating haunts in Guthrie included in the book. One of the haunted locations I’ve been to that is featured in the book is the Logan County Memorial Hospital. I parked on the street out front and stared up at the windows where legend has it you can see the apparition of someone walking around on the third floor.

I also visited the Stone Lion Inn for a murder mystery dinner. The Guthrie bed-and-breakfast allegedly has an unusual amount of supernatural activity, captured not only by Ricksecker’s team but also by a team from the TV show “Ghost Hunters.” It’s been called the most haunted place in Oklahoma. I’m ready to go back and listen for the ghost of the little girl who still walks the halls and asks people to play with her.

OKC haunts

The next section of the book is about hauntings in Oklahoma City. It begins with the history of the Overholser Mansion, where it’s said Anna Overholser can occasionally be seen wandering the 11,000-square-foot dwelling. Perhaps she is the one who is said to open and close curtains, leave impressions in the bed and make people feel as if they are being watched.

The ghost of a young woman also reportedly haunts the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City. The version I heard was of a young woman named Effie who committed suicide by leaping from the one of the windows.

Whoever the Skirvin’s ghostly guests may be, many of its living guests, including pro basketball players, have reported seeing apparitions, being touched by something they couldn’t see and hearing a crying baby.

Elsewhere in state

The book also includes accounts of northeast Oklahoma with stories about people feeling someone or something touching them at the 101 Ranch; a ghostly gunshot; a female apparition at the Constantine Theater in Pawhuska; mysterious equipment failures at the Brady Theater in Tulsa; objects moving at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa; and voices asking “Who are you?” at the Belvidere Mansion in Claremore.

The book recounts dozens of stories from across the state. People reportedly have seen an apparition of “Aunt Jane” and lights dancing around Fort Washita near Durant.

Some say you might catch a glimpse of the shadow of a long-lost lover at the Ritz Theater in Shawnee, see mannequins move on their own in the dressing room in the Eskridge Hotel in Wynnewood and hear the ghost of a young boy say he’s thirsty at a shop in Shawnee.

Ricksecker recounts stories of a ghost hanging from a noose at Fort Sill and the apparition of a bruised little boy who appears to some at the Riverside Indian School in Anadarko.

The spookiest of all

The scariest of all the book’s stories is near the end. The legend of the former Missionary Baptist Church in Eldorado will remind you of the “The Amityville Horror.” Ricksecker writes that, in this church, which was later used as a family home, there were reports of pets barking at something unseen in the kitchen, people attacked by flies that appeared and then disappeared into thin air, people felt a presence that caused their hair to fall out and others heard menacing growls throughout the house and voices saying “Get Out!”

“Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma” is a great read for those who love history and ghosts stories alike. Ricksecker skillfully weaves bits of history together into a narrative using evidence and tales from eyewitnesses. The book is both fun and at times may make you feel a bit of chill. Perfect for a haunted Halloween eve.

click to see the original article

Website: MikeRicksecker.com

If you’re like me you look for all kinds of ways to save some money. Whether that’s clipping coupons or re-using your plastic bags, being frugal is a way of life.

Well, there’s one other thing that can help you on your daily quest to save some dough: Wimgo Deals.

As you probably guessed, Wimgo Deals offers … deals. Obviously. But! If you sign up to receive email alerts from Wimgo Deals before December 4, 2011, you will be automatically entered to win a Venice 150cc scooter and a $1,000 Gas Card!

That’s right! We’re giving away this awesome Grand-Prize to one lucky Wimgo Deals subscriber. Just visit WimgoDeals.com now, sign up for alerts in your city and let the savings begin!

Wimgo Deals helps you save on everything from restaurants and spas to special events and adventure sports. It’s a great way to find new and fun things to do in your area at savings up to 90%.

-Wendy with Wimgo

Click here for the official contest rules.

The Phantom Programmer
Meeting the people behind Wimgo…

Our newest programmer at Wimgo is Mike Ricksecker and he has earned the title The Phantom Programmer because of his hobby of paranormal investigation just like on the TV show Ghost Hunters. Yeah I know. I had the same reaction. I was both intrigued and disbelieving because I’ve never seen a ghost or a ghost hunter in person. In fact I’ve never had a paranormal experience of any kind outside of the feeling that something was there in an otherwise empty room. So I cannot discount whether ghosts are real, but I now have proof that there really are at least a few out there hunting after them. I may become convinced about the ghosts though, especially after listening to the stories Mike tells from his investigations.

Wimgo: I guess we should start with a few normal questions. How long have you been married? How many children do you have?
Mike Ricksecker: Robin and I will be married 18 years on August 15. We have four children: Collin, 18. Arielle, 16. Chase, 14. Cameron, 9.

Wimgo: How do you balance the day job and family with the paranormal investigations?
Mike: It’s a very delicate balance. I try to spend as much time with my family as I can when I’m at home. Our investigations are generally every other week, so that helps with the balancing act.

Wimgo: Do you have any hobbies outside of paranormal investigations?
Mike: Writing. Computer games. Wine making. I’m a big baseball fan and used to play back in the day.

Wimgo: What was it that got you into paranormal investigations?
Mike: I’ve always had an interest in the paranormal since I was a kid because ghosts were such a mysterious thing that people didn’t know much about. I enjoyed both reading and writing ghosts stories, but it wasn’t until I’d written a mystery novel and a couple paranormal ghost stories in my adult life that I was offered an opportunity to write Ghosts of Maryland. That really set me off down the path I’m currently on.

Wimgo: What investigations have you done so far?
Mike: As a member of Society of the Haunted I’ve been on dozens of investigations including residences, historic locations, and cemeteries. The most notable, perhaps, is the investigation in Edmond that was featured on Animal Planet’s television show The Haunted.

Wimgo: Do you have a favorite investigation?
Mike: My favorite investigation was a night at the Stone Lion Inn in Guthrie which was extremely active in paranormal activity. Doors were opening and closing on their own, objects were falling off the walls, and I caught an interesting white wisp on camera.

Wimgo: Do you have a scariest moment?
Mike: Aside from a couple things I experienced as a child, I haven’t really been scared by the paranormal.

Wimgo: What was the experience? What happened?
Mike: A shadow figure once lurked near my closet during the middle of the night and approached me at my bed. I also witnessed a strange blinking type of apparition in the shape of a gorilla at my grandparents’ house. To a young child, both were quite scary, but I’d love to see them again. I have seen other shadow figures as an adult, but they have darted out of the room instead of approaching me.

Wimgo: Have you ever seen things move by themselves?
Mike: My experience at the Stone Lion Inn mentioned above is a great example for that with doors opening and closing on their own and objects falling off the wall. The back door of the Edmond house in our episode for The Haunted blew open multiple times during an intense moment with the homeowners’ daughter.

Wimgo: Why are ghosts so hard to find and capture on video?
Mike: Unfortunately, you can’t make the paranormal act on demand, so trying to capture something becomes a big waiting game. Just seeing something with your eyes is rare enough and usually happens very quickly, so there is a degree of luck in having the camera pointed in the right direction at the right time. Even then you hope you have the camera focused properly when the shot is taken.

Wimgo: Have you ever felt like a ghost was trying to communicate with you? What were they trying to say?
Mike: There have been a number of occasions in which we’ve been able to get a ghost to respond to questioning by asking it to light up an EMF (electromagnetic field) detector for a yes response to questions. In those cases we’re trying to find out if it’s a male or female spirit, if it’s connected to the house or the family, and how long it’s been there. Other times we’ll pick up EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) in response to our questions. These come across our audio recorders as eerie whispers and can range from anything from a word to a complete sentence.

Wimgo: What proof have you acquired so far?
Mike: I’ve captured a few interesting photographs including that white wisp just after a bureau drawer closed on its own, an unexplained self-illuminated ball of light at an abandoned church, and a bed impression first thing in the morning after nobody had been there at the Samuel Mudd House in the room where John Wilkes Booth spent the night. I have a nice collection of EVPs and a couple video clips of our interactions with EMF detectors as well.

Wimgo: What do you say to people that don’t believe in ghosts?
Mike: I tell them I respect their opinion but I know what I’ve seen and experienced. Perhaps one day they’ll experience the same and their opinion will change.

Wimgo: Are there a lot of haunted houses in Oklahoma?
Mike: There are quite a number of haunted locations in Oklahoma. They’re a bit more spread out than what I’m used to back east, but they don’t lack in quantity. I really had to pick and choose what to write about for my upcoming book Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma due out September 28.

Wimgo: What investigations are coming up?
Mike: We’ll be investigating an old sanatorium in Arkansas, and later we’ll be revisiting the 101 Ranch near Ponca City. We’ll be following up on a local residential in between.

Wimgo: What do you eat while on stakeouts?
Mike: We try to hit some of the more recommended restaurants in the area where we’re at or that are along the way. For instance, if we’re on the way to Lawton we’ll stop in at Meers for the big pie burger. Our case manager, Cathy Nance, is a chef, so she usually has a list of great places for us to check out.

Wimgo: You’ve only been here a short time, but do you think Wimgo HQ is haunted?
Mike: I haven’t yet come across anything that would make me think Wimgo World Headquarters is haunted… but you never know.

Mike Ricksecker is the author of the Chase Michael DeBarlo mystery series, Ghosts of Maryland, and the forthcoming Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma. As a paranormal investigator and “ghostorian” with Society of the Haunted he has appeared on Animal Planet’s The Haunted. His first novel, Deadly Heirs, was published in 2004.

Descended from settlers of Frederick County, Maryland, Mike has lived in Ohio, Massachusetts, Alaska, Maryland, and Oklahoma. He and his wife have four children and a cat.

Website: MikeRicksecker.com

It’s time, my friends, to tell you about a really awesome contest. It’s called The Bricktown Challenge Scavenger Hunt (presented by The Bricktown Water Taxi) and it’s just what you might think it to be: a challenging scavenger hunt.

But this is no ordinary scavenger hunt! This one is in Bricktown. In July. And you could win super cool prizes.

The Grand-Prize is a VIP Bricktown Experience and $1,500 cash. But don’t fret if you don’t win the Grand-Prize – we have other stuff up for grabs including an Xbox 360 console with Kinect, two tickets to see Taylor Swift at the OKC Arena on October 15th and four $50 gift cards to Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Emporium.

Here’s how it works:

1. Sign up now at Wimgo.com/Bricktown or text “Bricktown” to 94646. You’ll receive a text with your first clue and then you can get started.

2. The Challenge must be completed between July 25 and midnight on Sunday, July 31.

3. Winners will be chosen randomly on Monday, August 1 from ALL eligible entries.

Sounds like fun, huh? So grab your kids, grab your wife, grab your cell phone and head down to Bricktown for The Challenge.

Thanks to the following for being so awesome:

Visit Wimgo.com/Bricktown for more details & to read the official rules.

Have fun!
-Wendy

Click here to download the free Wimgo app.

Today I’m APPsolutely (sorry, couldn’t help it) excited to announce the Wimgo iPhone app is now available for download!

Our team has been working tirelessly to bring you an app that has everything you could possibly want. This app is designed to help you find places to go, things to do, and businesses to do business with in your city. Wimgo provides top local recommendations from your trusted friends and family through Facebook, helping you make informed decisions about where to go, shop and dine.

The app allows you to browse through categories and view listings in:

• Attractions
• Community Events
• Health & Beauty
• Restaurants & Bars
• Services Shopping

Now, once you choose a category, you have a lot of options. You can narrow results

or search by relevance, likes, popular, coupons, stars, distance, title and date. Choosing any of these options will narrow your results even further to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

Alright, let’s say you browsed Restaurants & Bars and found one that you want more information on. Just click the title and you’ll be taken to a page with reviews and star ratings, the restaurant description, address, phone, map and directions.

Also, click on the ribbon on the right side of the listing. The ribbon works kinda like a priority list, giving you options to favorite, like, save or hide that listing.

Pretty neat, huh?
I’m loving the File Cabinet, which houses all of the things you favorite, like, save and hide (from the ribbon mentioned above).

Okay, click on the “around me” button (at the bottom) and you’ll find everything happening near your current location. You can narrow and sort these results to find anything nearby, including a restaurant, event, or retail store.

As you can see, the Wimgo app has a lot of features. The best way to figure it out is to use it! So, go download it, leave a review for the app and let me know what you think.

Thanks for using Wimgo!

Wimgo Employees Volunteer at Infant Crisis Services

Recently Wimgo employees had the privilege to volunteer at Infant Crisis Services, an Oklahoma non-profit that provides babies and toddlers with life sustaining formula, food and diapers. Although the time spent volunteering was fairly short, the experience was one that will not soon be forgotten.

While at Infant Crisis Services Wimgo staff members made toddler and infant food packs, diaper packs, organized donated clothing and the “shopping” area and helped families that visited the facility.

The mission of Infant Crisis Services is clear: no baby should go hungry. Through speaking with Infant Crisis staff members, it’s easy to see how passionate they are about fulfilling this mission each and every day.

According to their website, they assist more than 1,000 infants and toddlers per month. And on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, Infant Crisis served their 150,000^th child.

Infant Crisis Services is able to serve the community through private donations, grants and volunteer efforts. They receive absolutely no state, federal or United Way funding. Monetary donations are accepted at the facility or online. They also accept new or gently used clothing (up to children’s size 6), toys, blankets and shoes.

The main facility is located on Lincoln Blvd., north of the Oklahoma State Capitol. They also have two other locations:  NW 10^th Street & Tulsa and another at S. Douglas Avenue & SW 44th, all in Oklahoma City.

Visit the their website (http://www.infantcrisis.org/) for more information or if you or someone you know is in need of children’s food and/or clothing.

You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

And if you get a chance, volunteer at Infant Crisis Services. You will not regret it.
-Wendy with Wimgo

Jordan & Amber organize clothes.

Tim & Summer making diaper packs.

More diaper packs. Doesn’t Tim look like he’s having fun?

The “shopping” area at Infant Crisis Services.

Cribs located inside the facility.

The cow that greets everyone that visits Infant Crisis Services.

Enter to win a VIP race experience like no other!

Saturday, April 9, is a big deal at Texas Motor Speedway – it’s the inaugural nighttime Samsung Mobile 500. And we’re giving you the chance to be a part of this historic event!

Visit wimgo.com/TexasMotorSpeedway to enter for your chance to win an incredible VIP race experience for you and three guests.

This experience is any NASCAR fan’s dream and includes everything from race tickets and hotel accommodations to pit passes and – get this – access to the Speedway Club for the Champagne Toast with the winning driver of the Samsung Mobile 500. What a great opportunity!

Prize details:

• Victory Lane Club Suite Tickets to each of the following:
  • O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 race, Friday April 8
  • Samsung Mobile 500 & 3 Doors Down Pre-Race Concert,  Saturday April 9
• VIP Pit Passes for the Samsung Mobile 500 race weekend
• Hotel accommodations for Friday & Saturday evenings at The Omni Fort Worth Hotel
• Samsung Mobile 500 Drivers Meeting before the Sprint Cup race
• TMS promotional items
• Access to the No Limits Garage Party, Saturday April 9
• Pre-Race Passes to be in front of the stage for the 3 Doors Down Pre-Race concert and driver introductions, Saturday April 9
• Access to The Speedway Club for the Champagne Toast with the winning driver of the Samsung Mobile 500
• $300 Visa gift card
• VIP Parking pass for both Friday and Saturday

As you can see, this VIP weekend totally rocks and it could be yours! Hurry – the contest ends Sunday, April 3.

Good luck!
-Wendy with Wimgo

Be sure to visit Wimgo and ‘like’ Texas Motor Speedway, too!

Since St. Patrick’s Day is near, we thought we’d give away another really awesome prize, and if you’re lucky, you just might win.  Plus, you don’t even have to capture a Leprechaun to win because we’ve made it easy.  All you have to do to test your luck is visit wimgo.com/lucky to register to win an Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect.  We’ll even include the Kinect Sports game and the HDMI Cable.

This St. Patrick’s Day contest runs March 10-16^th, with one lucky winner being randomly chosen on March 17^th at 12PM CST.  Feel free to enter as many times as you want.

What’s good luck on Saint Patrick’s Day?: Finding a four-leaf clover, wearing green and visiting wimgo.com/lucky.  We bet you didn’t know that legend says each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

As the saying goes, on this day “everybody is Irish!”  Good luck from your friends at Wimgo!

Wimgo is putting forth quite a challenge: Tell us in 100 characters or less why your love is the Greatest Love of All Time and you could win one of five $100 VISA gift cards. Visit wimgo.com/love to enter.

Think your love couldn’t possibly be summed up in 100 characters? Think again. When we say “Describe your love” you could say: “It rocks”; “I love her like I love cake”; “He completes me”; “My love is stronger than Patrick Swayze in Road House” or many other short but oh-so-sweet musings.

Make it sappy. Even make us cry. You could win $100. Click here to enter. Five winners will be randomly selected from all entries received. Winners will be contacted and announced on Monday, February 14.

Happy Valentine’s Day from your buddies at Wimgo.

** Winners **

Congrats to our “Greatest Love of All” winners! They each won a $100 VISA gift card.

Kirsten K. from Washington

Laura K. from California

Mack T. from New York

Mercedes M. from Oklahoma

Loyri H. from Colorado

Thank you all for entering & have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

-Wendy with Wimgo