Bank robbed seven times Saturday

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OAKVILLE — On Saturday, the Oakville Sterling Savings Bank was robbed seven times, but no police reports were filed and no high speed chases ensued. In fact, hundreds of spectators cheered and clapped each time the bandits got away with the loot.

Some wore only pink, some dressed in fashions from long ago, and some even dressed as cast members of a popular movie.

But the loot with which the bandits got away was canvas bags stuffed with paper, and although the women inside were bank employees, they were playing a part as the town of Oakville celebrated a rare part of its history by inviting teams to reenact the infamous last horseback bank robbery in Washington, which supposedly happened in the same building about 65 years ago.

"One of the reasons people come out here is to see the bank robbery. The teams get very creative to show the crowd this unique celebration of its history," said Sterling Savings employee Terry Keegan.

As the story goes in Oakville, the Oakville State Bank was built in 1909 and was the only bank in the town. But it was subject to a string of robberies, the last of which occurred on horseback, thus sealing Oakville State Bank's title as the last bank robbed on horseback.

Those who are still around today who lived in the town at the time recall the robbery on July 5, but can't decide on the year. Official records offer no help in revealing the year as 1938, 1939, 1940 or 1941.

Nevertheless, the town was still ready to reenact what residents thought might have happened during the day long ago, and added a little friendly competition to the event as the teams were judged by the crowd as to who did the best job.

The first group that was up came dressed in all pink, and even their horses sported the color. Known as "Pinky's Gang," they started with two little girls walking along the street licking on two large lollipops. Suddenly, a masked bandit stole one of the girls while the other shrieked for the sheriff.

While the sheriff was helping the little girl, two women on horseback entered the bank and took two loot bags. As the bandits prepared to get away on horseback, it turned out that the two little girls, as well as the masked bandits, were all in on the heist together.

"Pinky's Gang" was voted best horseback reenactment by the crowd as the little girls in the skit jumped up and down and exclaimed, "We won; we won."

Although the bank robbery was allegedly performed on horseback, teams were also allowed to compete using different types of getaway vehicles.



These teams were judged in their own category after the horseback skits.

The winning team used an unusual object to take the place of a horse.

As the skit started, a group of six children galloped toward the bank on brooms, mops and Swiffers. They threw down their "horses" on the lawn out front as they entered the bank, and when they left they tripped over each other and grabbed different horses than they had each ridden into town on.

"We were getting really stressed out about it. I thought we were going to mess up our lines," said 11-year-old Elizabeth O'Dell-Medley, who appeared to be the ringleader of the group.

Their mother, Brandi, heard about the competition only a few weeks prior, and her offspring decided it would be a fun thing to do. As they practiced in their home, the kids encountered a major obstacle as they had no real horses to ride on. Then, Brandi had a stroke of genius.

"I told them they should ride Swiffers and brooms. It's just really odd and funny. You don't think of people riding these things," she said.

The kids were very excited after being crowned the winners, but were quick to criticize themselves on the mistakes they made.

"We messed up a lot. But instead of running back and making everything perfect, we just went along with it," said Elizabeth.

To demonstrate some of the mistakes, 9-year-old C.J. O'Dell Medley picked up his broom and got it entangled in his legs as he ran away and fell face-first onto the grass beside the bank.

"We practiced in the house on carpet," C.J. said, "but I didn't think it was that good of an idea to fall on concrete."

But the mistakes didn't seem to cost the group, as it took away a plaque, a check from Sterling Savings, and the title for one year as the best non-horseback-robbin' group in town.