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With the assistance of middle school principal Larry McKinney and school board president Mark Smyth, who also owned Okemah's Crystal Theatre, the first tribute to Woody Guthrie took place on December 1, 1988. Students performed songs they had written with Long's help. McKinney said the artist-in-resident program was a "good learning experience for his seventh grade students".<ref name="ONL1987Nov19">Cox, David. Artist-in-Residence Teaches Folklore to Oakes Students. ''Okemah News Leader''. Vol. 66, No. 93, November 19, 1987.</ref> Long stated that the lyrics for the songs “came from students interviewing their parents, grandparents and each other. So when it came time to hold a big community celebration for Woody, it was no longer just Woody we were celebrating, but the entire community of Okemah and Oklahoma.”<ref name=”SingOut2001”>Long, Larry. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A81827669/ITOF?u=pl3217&sid=ITOF&xid=4fb16fb1 Bringing Woody home.] ''Sing Out!'', Fall 2001, p. 74+. Gale General OneFile. Accessed September 4, 2019.</ref> Woody’s sister, Mary Jo Guthrie Edgmon, attended the concert and later said: "I felt the warmth of my family all around me. Clara, Roy, Woody, George, Papa and Mama. They, too, all sat here in this very theatre many years ago. When the children came marching down the aisle and on the stage I swelled with pride and the tears came. I knew Woody was watching.”<ref name=”SingOut2001”/>
NBC’s ''Today Show'' sent correspondent Lucky Severson to Okemah to cover the event. Local residents both for and against the tribute to Woody appeared in Severson’s ''Today Show'' segment.<ref>Severson, Lucky. Bringing Woody
News of the tribute concert spread to Tulsa and beyond. Headlines included "Guthrie finally gets a hometown tribute", <ref>Pruitt, Randy. Guthrie Finally Gets a Hometown Tribute. ''Tulsa World''. November 30, 1988.</ref> "Okemah's children honor Woody Guthrie with song" <ref>DeFrange, Ann. Okemah's Children Honor Woody Guthrie With Song. ''The Sunday Oklahoman''. December 2, 1988.</ref>, and "Oklahoma town finally pays tribute to memory of 'Dust Bowl' balladeer". <ref>Oklahoma town finally pays tribute to memory of "Dust Bowl" balladeer. ''The Houston Post''. December 3, 1988.</ref>
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