On The Road With The Folks From Oklahoma – It’s A Family Tradition

By Benjamin GroffMedia© | benandsteve.com | ©2026

July 2, 2026

Some Roads Lead Home. Others Keep A Family Together.

For the next few days, I will be spending time on the road with “The Folks from Oklahoma.”

That phrase carries a special meaning in our family.

The Folks From Oklahoma – It’s A Family Tradition

Long before social media, before interstate highways, and before keeping up with relatives was as easy as a text message, my grandparents, Benjamin Harrison Groff and Florence Lula McElroy Groff, helped continue a family tradition that stretched back generations.

One summer the Oklahoma families would travel north to Olney, Illinois. The next, the Illinois families would make their way south to Oklahoma. The Groffs, McLemores, Dowtys, Littles, McElroys, and many others took part. The purpose was simple: family should remain family.

I grew up hearing stories of these visits and later experienced them myself. The Folks from Illinois arrived every summer. Their visits were anticipated all year long.

So for a few days, I will be away from the keyboard and on the road, carrying on a tradition older than I am.

Some things are simply worth preserving.