Britanny Byrd, Mary Kay Bullard and Raegan Rogers greet guests at the Pi Beta Phi “Gathering of Angels” luncheon at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. (Photos by Helen Ford Wallace).

When members of the Pi Beta Phi Oklahoma City Alumnae Club plan a party, they pay lots of attention to detail and March 2 was no exception!

The luncheon was at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club.

Theme for the event centered around the group’s guest speaker, Ree Drummond, author of “The Pioneer Woman Cooks,” “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” and “Confessions of a Pioneer Woman” blog. Centerpieces were cowboy boots filled with big yellow sunflowers. And the menu (the food was really, really good) featured selections from her cookbook including fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, wedge lettuce with homemade Ranch dressing and mocha brownies and angel sugar cookies.

And the speaker, Drummond, a Pi Phi herself, was delightful.  After being introduced by longtime friend, Connell Branan, she told stories about herself, her ranch, her college years, how she got started blogging and some about being on national television shows. This famous person is unique as she stays true to herself and is very unpretentious.

There were 19 baskets that were raffled to members including one with cowboy boots and a Prada blue denim tote. There were several trips included in the raffle baskets.

Drummond’s books were available at the luncheon with a percentage of sales going to Pi Phi’s philanthropies, Payne Education Center, Santa Fe South Schools, Youth Services for Oklahoma County and National Pi Phi Literacy Initiatives.

Committee members were Mary Kay Bullard, chairman; Britanny Byrd and Raegan Rogers, co-chairmen; Christi Bullard, sponsorships; Hilarie Blaney, public relations; Britton Green, Invitations; Amy Neal, graphic designer, Katie Puckett, invitations, and Regan Roff, treasurer.

Among those at the luncheon were Gerre Schwert, Lela and Mark Sullivan, Linda James, Margo Ward, Susan Hoffman, Barbara Beeler, Kathy Griffin, Margaret Wells, Patty Cohenour, Nancy Ellis, Sue Ann Hyde, Katie Davis, Chris Verity, Janell Flanery, Jane Harlow, Linda Rodgers, Betty Crow, Ann Cameron, Amy Bankhead, Martha Bradshaw, Jeary Seikel, Pam Smith, Christina Nihira, Meg Salyer, Annie Bohanon, Joan Gilmore, Kirk Hammons,  Candy Dulaney, Lil Ross, Linda Haller,  Judy Love, M.J. Van Deventer,  Ann and Bill Johnstone, Grenda Moss, Whitney Moss, Tessa Moss and a whole lot more Pioneer Woman fans!

Connell Branan and Ree Drummond enjoy time together at the luncheon.

Hilarie Blaney, seated, sells basket raffle tickets to Patty Cohenour, Martha Bradshaw and Nancy Ellis.

Susan Hoffman, Pam Smith, Jeary Seikel and Linda James enjoy the luncheon.

Lela Sullivan, Linda Haller and Gerre Schwert talk over college days. Sullivan and Schwert were college roommates.

Boots and sunflowers.

Margo Ward has a good time!

Katie Puckett, Britanny Byrd and Raegan Rogers were committee members.

Ann Cameron and Meg Salyer have fun at the party.

Christina Nihira and Lillie-Beth Brinkman talk at the event.

Pioneer Woman’s mother and one of  her daughters. (Photos by Helen Ford Wallace).

Lela Sullivan invited friends and some former Oklahoma State University members of Pi Beta Phi sorority classmates to have coffee with Gerre Schwert, Port Aransas, Tx.

Schwert was in town for her daughter, Ree Drummond’s (The Pioneer Woman) cookbook signing In Oklahoma City at Full Circle Bookstore. Drummond’s cookbook “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” has recently been released. The group was still talking about how many fans attended the signing, how gracious PW was to sign all the books and pose for pictures.

Birthday cupcakes were served, as it was Gerre Schwert’s birthday.

The Pioneer Woman was still signing more books at Full Circle and then was off to Tulsa for another signing, so did not get to the coffee.

Gerre Schwert catches up with college friends at the coffee which was hosted by Lela Sullivan.

Ree Drummond, award- winning blogger,  signs her new cookbook “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” at Full Circle Bookstore.  The line of people, who were carrying her cookbook and waiting for her signature, stretched throughout 50 Penn Place. The Drummonds brought 200 more books with them as the 400 copies of the book that the store had available were sold immediately.

One woman brought a box of butter for The Pioneer Woman to autograph. “She uses  lots of butter in her recipes in her cookbook,” she said.

( Photos by Helen Ford Wallace).

Full Circle Book Store owner Jim Tolbert welcomes Ree Drummond to his store.

The NewsOk team, Angi Bruss and Tanner Herriott, interview The Pioneer Woman, and Oklahoman photography manager Doug Hoke takes pictures.

The Oklahoman’s Lillie-Beth Brinkman is hoping to get her books signed. (This photo by Doug Hoke).

The Pioneer Woman’s close friends, Connell Branan, Lela Sullivan and Langley Branan, front, wait for her arrival.

Connell Branan, Alex Drummond, Langley Branan and Paige Drummond talk at the book signing party.

The line of The Pioneer Woman’s fans grew longer as the night progressed.