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Below: Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry greets Dwilene Holbert and 16-month old Damion Collins on Wednesday in Boise City. Henry visited the Oklahoma Panhandle, which is suffering through a drought that has been compared to the Dust Bowl.

Story by MIRANDA GILBERT/ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The word was out.
A bounty had been offered for anyone who could prove sighting Gov. Brad Henry in Cimarron County. Fifty bucks was offered as the reward.
The culprit? C.F. David, Boise City News owner and editor, who had began running a weekly bounty notice in his newspaper. Just last Wednesday it read: AS of today's date, there are just 915 days left in Gov. Henry's second term. That's 915 days for the governor and his staff to think of 915 reasons not to visit Cimarron County."
David went on to recommend that each resident of the county buy an Oklahoma Map, circle the county and mail it to Gov. Henry's office.
By Monday David called the GDH with an exciting tip. Gov. Henry had decided to finally answer to the ad.
On Wednesday, just after noon, news reporters joined David at his wooden historical newspaper office, just down from the Courthouse in Boise City. TV News crews had arrived, local residents began standing on the lawn of the courthouse - all waiting for the first glimpse of the Governor on Cimarron County soil.
A phone call came that he would be 30 minutes late, but his first stop would in fact, be the newspaper office.
After a short wait, a Cadillac Escalade rolled up to the curb, followed by two black SUVs. Quickly, Gov. Brad Henry exited and walked up, with David greeting him on the sidewalk with an enthusiastic handshake.
Henry reportedly claimed he was there to collect his bounty, joking with David, who then showed him inside to a large check which read "Bounty for Governor" in the memo.
Henry signed the check, and asked which charity was in most need of the money, to which David and his wife agreed the Senior Citizens would appreciate it greatly.
After that, he began mingling about the office, approaching this writer, who introduced herself by name and title, digital recorder in hand, which naturally as a politician he took notice to.
"Now, just so you know,"Governor Brad Henry began, "being born and raised in Oklahoma this is NOT my first visit to Cimarron County. I have visited Black Mesa, and drove through on my way to Colorado."
"It was just never an 'official visit.'"
Good to know, Governor. So noted.