Oklahoma Today July-August 2003 Volume 53 No. 4
Oklahoma Today July-August 2003 Volume 53 No. 4
Oklahoma Today July-August 2003 Volume 53 No. 4
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CTV'S PAUL JAMES 18 ROMANTIC PATIOS 7 FAVORITE OKLAHOMA VISTAS<br />
KLAHOMA<br />
bklahoma's Magazine Since 1956<br />
<strong>Today</strong><br />
The first American<br />
flaa recoveredfrom<br />
th;~lfred P. Murrah<br />
FederalBuildingon<br />
April 19, 1995.<br />
The OKLAHOMA CITY<br />
NATIONAL<br />
MEMORIAL<br />
CENTER<br />
MUSEUM<br />
LYIAUGUST <strong>2003</strong><br />
klahomatodoy.com $4.95<br />
"Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never<br />
thought we would be." -Daniel J. Boorstin
*onl<br />
iriety 01<br />
Yhether<br />
TIES IS AVAIWE FROMTH *?.. "
<strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s Public Radio<br />
I <br />
I<br />
News & Information, Classical and Jazz
Only these few*.. <br />
-<br />
IN ADAIR<br />
Carol Sue Manley<br />
Rose Moore<br />
Alan Mauldin<br />
IN ALTUS<br />
Michelle Mauldin<br />
Kris Britain<br />
Rita McLanahan<br />
Diane Dykens<br />
Jeannie Messina<br />
Art Pohlrnann<br />
Dennis Nevius<br />
Sh'Rae Smoot<br />
Nancy Olney<br />
IN ARDMORE<br />
Frances Park <br />
Margaret Clark Brown<br />
Joe Pryor <br />
Tom Love<br />
Pete Reeser <br />
IN BARTLESVILLE<br />
Martha Roach<br />
Sandra Waldo<br />
<strong>No</strong>rma Rogers<br />
Donna Barclay<br />
Judy Rutledge<br />
Karen Boyd<br />
Patti Scott<br />
Liz Fugate<br />
Kay 5ealy<br />
Barbara Hopper<br />
Sue Sestal<br />
Steve Martin<br />
Don Tarnau~k--<br />
Brenda Pierce<br />
Charles TriW<br />
-<br />
Leeila Riley I ~udywalling<br />
- Pat Schafer Becky Wheeler<br />
Kay Sowers<br />
Bill Wilson <br />
TN BLACKWELL<br />
IN ENID <br />
I Carla Sandy<br />
Evelyn Angleton<br />
- IN BROKEN ARROW Victoria Hanousek<br />
-=<br />
- Corrie Egge<br />
Mae Belle Jacl-<br />
Naomi Medlock .<br />
IN GROV.<br />
Connie Sips Kay Gray\<br />
I '-<br />
I Ron Surnner Mary ~ry& Penquite<br />
Nell Clark<br />
Victoria Perry<br />
IN GUTHRIE '-4<br />
Carolyn Peterson<br />
Sylvia Ochs<br />
Tia Stout<br />
IN GUYMON<br />
Pat Szot<br />
Keith Matthews<br />
IN CUSHING<br />
INHARRAa <br />
Leslie Kise<br />
Marsha Nation <br />
IN DEL CITY<br />
IN LAWTON<br />
Linda Childers<br />
Daisy C. Christian<br />
Larry R. Shuler<br />
Jay Kinder<br />
IN EDMOND<br />
Larry G. Liter<br />
Gary Atchley<br />
Pam Marion<br />
Kay Ayers<br />
Barbara Moeller<br />
Cecelia Beck<br />
Max Sasseen<br />
Karen Blevins<br />
Sandra Smith<br />
Ann Campbell<br />
David Stephens<br />
Monty Churchill<br />
Marilyn Weatherly<br />
Donna Coker<br />
IN McALESTER<br />
Barbara Cunningham<br />
Doryce Plumlee<br />
Dan Cunningham<br />
Randy Saunier<br />
Linda Davidson<br />
IN MIDWEST CITY<br />
Robert Dugan<br />
Pam Barton-Stober<br />
Linda Finch<br />
Nita Grimes<br />
Alice Fitzpatrick<br />
Pat Hunt<br />
Connie C. Hamilton<br />
Sue Moore<br />
Robin Harris<br />
Sarah Planer<br />
Charles Herman<br />
IN MOORE<br />
Pat Hoge<br />
Mike Malone<br />
Cynthia Hutcherson<br />
IN MUSKOGEE<br />
Debra Johnson<br />
Kevin Crank<br />
J- 1<br />
eJ3<br />
.-<br />
IN MUSTANG<br />
arolyn Pryor<br />
IN NORMAN<br />
Nevada Anderson<br />
Marlies Bailey<br />
Maxine Bates<br />
Barbara Canfield<br />
Joanna Floyd<br />
Suzanne Foster<br />
Tony Graham<br />
Sharon Grissom<br />
Mike Hawley<br />
Scott Heiple<br />
Marian Ingram<br />
Marsha Jack<br />
Ruth Kelso<br />
Patti Krings<br />
Beverly Lafferrandre<br />
John Lungren<br />
Al Mamary<br />
Tom McAuliffe<br />
Andy Newman<br />
Gloria Parker<br />
Susan Raley Ill<br />
Barbara J. Richardson<br />
Kathy Roche<br />
Margrit Spears<br />
Warren Taber<br />
Dierdre Taylor<br />
Walt Terrell<br />
John Tune<br />
Holly VanAuken<br />
Sallie Vawter<br />
Tracey Veal<br />
Rose Wilderom<br />
Rachel Zelby<br />
IN OKLAFIOMA CITY<br />
Helen Adams <br />
Alice Allen <br />
Zoe Barten <br />
Fran Brooks <br />
Kermit Brown <br />
Marie Burroughs <br />
Victoria Caldwell <br />
Priscilla Carder <br />
Leslie Carnes <br />
Roberta Carrier <br />
Philip Churchill <br />
Mary Clements <br />
Holly Clifton <br />
Kathleen Coffin <br />
<strong>No</strong>rma Cokeley <br />
Paula Collins <br />
<strong>No</strong>rma Coppedge <br />
Dawn Davis <br />
Linda Daxon <br />
Sandy Ditto <br />
Jeanne Eckels <br />
Pat Emerson <br />
Henry Gompf <br />
Jerry Goodwin
1'-<br />
I''<br />
I[<br />
I<br />
Dodee<br />
Janet Gungoll<br />
Barbara Harris<br />
Shorty Huber<br />
Shirley Hunyadi<br />
bren Johnston<br />
Betty Kennedy<br />
Dolores Lemon<br />
Anne McMurtry<br />
Grace Provence<br />
Page Provence<br />
Susie Rusco<br />
Susan Simon<br />
Karen Jones<br />
M a Keeley<br />
Laurie Kirkland<br />
Curtis Kretchmar<br />
Oma Jean Lansdown<br />
Randy Lindemuth<br />
Brenda Khourie Jane Spillars Carolanne Mahan<br />
Steve Kyle Nancy Wilguess Sherrie Marsh<br />
Betty LeJeune Pat Williamson Chris Martin<br />
Leslie Lynn INTULSA Patsy Mastin<br />
Patti Marshall Judy Acklin Jane Maxey<br />
Dana McGuire l?ufhAdams Shirley Miller<br />
Ed McNamara Helen Allen David Momper<br />
Jack B. McWilliams Sara Argabrlght Barbara Morton<br />
Ginger Mercer Linda Bacher Kathy Nanny<br />
Emily Minks Toni Bales Patty Perdue<br />
Moncrief<br />
Joyce Painter<br />
Bill Poertner<br />
David A. Poindexter<br />
John Presley<br />
John C. Roberts<br />
Rowell Sargeant<br />
Morrie Shepherd<br />
Judy Ballard<br />
Burte Bank<br />
MargaretBannc<br />
Sue Bayliss<br />
Bruce Berman<br />
Virginia Billings<br />
Lynne Blissit<br />
Jan Briggs<br />
-<br />
John Ragan<br />
Rexine Reynolds<br />
Penny Richardson<br />
Ray Richardson<br />
Kenneth C. Robinson<br />
Ken Rutherford<br />
Barbara Schreier<br />
Richard Stephens<br />
Maggie Shirk Michael H. Brockman Barbara Stich<br />
Dottie Smith Ron Buckner Julie Tetsworth<br />
Richard Smith Susan Burke Leta Warren<br />
Joan Stamman Jane Courtney Paul Wheeler<br />
Kenna Tays Barbro Cox Claudette Wheeler<br />
Pat Townsend Sylvia Dean Steven Wheeler<br />
Genie Vinson Lew Diley Ann Zoller<br />
Hope White Natalie First I N m<br />
Mary Whittington Vennettea Garrett Russ Sebring<br />
Elaine Williams Kathy Gorrell Sandy Sebring<br />
Freda Wolfe Bill Gotcher IN WEATHERFORD<br />
Alice Dahlgren Pat Hamilton Rita Corlee<br />
IN OWASSO<br />
Garry Harper<br />
Judy Hartsell<br />
Bob Batchelor<br />
Ann Harral<br />
Judy Overton<br />
Cheryl Chaloupek Jo Hill IN YUKON<br />
Martha Baxter Conn <strong>No</strong>rma Hollinger Bill Bateman<br />
Brenda Lawrence Cindy Jamieson Lee Kieffer<br />
Lynn VanDeventer Dee Dee Jesiolowski Clem McWhorter<br />
IN MlNCA CITY<br />
Beverly Poet<br />
IN SAND SPRINGS<br />
Joe Fisher<br />
-<br />
INSHAWNEE<br />
Sue Gorman<br />
Bettie Hall<br />
IN STILLWATER<br />
Jack Allred<br />
Sherri Bastion<br />
Kay Bums<br />
Helen Cole<br />
Sandra Ingram<br />
Alane LeGrand<br />
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<strong>Today</strong><br />
JULY AUGUST <strong>2003</strong><br />
VOLUME <strong>53</strong> NUMBER 4<br />
FEATURES<br />
The Land We Love 30<br />
Sweeping plains, ja ged rock formations, and breath-<br />
taking sunsets. Okla oma's natural beauty offers relief<br />
andnostalgia. Take a voyage backto childhood memories<br />
while enioyinga photographicglimpseof always-inspiring<br />
native landscapes. BY JIMTOLBERT<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY BY YOUSEF KHANFAR<br />
a<br />
Within These Walls 34<br />
More than eight years have passed since the bombing<br />
of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
City on April 19, 1995. Thanks to the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City<br />
National Memorial Center Museum, we will never<br />
forget. BY STEFFIE CORCORAN<br />
18 Outdoor Dining Favorites 42<br />
It's easy to enjoy a meal with the one you love when the<br />
ambiance comes free of charge. Our eighteen picks for<br />
superior outdoor dining statewide. BY BROOKE DEMETZ<br />
Alone in the Reaches 44<br />
The bad boys of the woods don't stand a chance against<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s gamewardens. Peek into the world of crimes<br />
against nature and jump onboard this journey with the<br />
state's wildlife cops. BY CHAD LOVE<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM LUKER<br />
Bozena's 52<br />
<strong>No</strong> need to renew your passport. Zbigniew and Bozena<br />
Niebieszczanskiserve up their native Polish cuisine and<br />
old European hospitalityclose to home at Bozena's in Fort<br />
Gibson. BY SHAUNA LAWYER STRUBY<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
Contributors<br />
Editor'sbiter The Trump Card<br />
Feedback Juanita Kidd, Paul Moore<br />
Marketplace Art History<br />
Calendar<br />
The Range Erick Honey Farm, OETA Update<br />
Getaway Guide Scenic Vistas<br />
Events Guide<br />
The End HGTV's Paul James<br />
Onthe cover: This flag was displayedatop the crane<br />
used inthe rescueand recoveryeffortsafterthe<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> City bombing. Courtesy of Fihgerald&<br />
Associates. This page: On patrolwith <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s<br />
game wardens. PhotographbyTom Luker.<br />
CONTENTS 1 5
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Freelance writing--and living in<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong>--gives S hLawyerStruby<br />
plenty of opportunities to explore the state's<br />
diversity. "In <strong>Oklahoma</strong>, we're blessed with<br />
so many pockets of undiscovered creativity,<br />
it makes livinghere an ongoing cultural<br />
adventure," she says.Her profile of Bozena<br />
Polish Restaurant (page 52) is a case in<br />
point. Struby also wrote this issue's Marketplace<br />
("ArtHistory," page 12), featuringartist<br />
Randy Powers' GGrati Bridge products.<br />
In 2001,Strubyserved as editor for Pam<br />
FleischakeisbookAmkn Woman: Lost<br />
andFoundin <strong>Oklahoma</strong> (Full Circle Press).<br />
She and her husband Jim live in <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
Citywith son Scott and daughter Calista.<br />
r-<br />
Located on the first floor of 50 Penn<br />
Place in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Cicy, Jim Tolbert's Full<br />
Circle Bookstore is a haven for bibliophiles<br />
of all walks. Readers ofTolbert's Full Circle<br />
newsletter, "Ladders & Fireplaces," have<br />
long enjoyed his insightll column. <strong>No</strong>w,<br />
in his first piece for <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong>, he<br />
reaches a broader audience with an essay<br />
entitled "The Land We Love" (page 30),<br />
which describes his family's deep <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
roots against the backdrop of Yousef<br />
Khanfais landscape photography. The<br />
civic-minded Tolbert, instrumental in<br />
Bricktown's early development, also was<br />
considered the "godfither" of the Myriad<br />
Gardens. He and his wife Beth, who live<br />
in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City, have four children and<br />
seven grandchildren.<br />
Managing subscription files, handling<br />
office payroll, processing those<br />
highly prized invoices, and providing<br />
phone support are a few of <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
Tokyoffice manager KathyFugate's<br />
primary responsibilities. "Making<br />
everyone happy is one of my favorite<br />
job duties," she says. Fugate, a Florida<br />
native, says, "Asmy first temporary assignment<br />
after moving to <strong>Oklahoma</strong> in<br />
2001, working for the magazine turned<br />
bakes goodies for her coworkers, Fugate<br />
lives in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City.<br />
OKLAHOMA<br />
Official Magazine of the<br />
Stare of <strong>Oklahoma</strong> TOd a;<br />
Since I756<br />
BRAD HENRY, Goumor<br />
JOAN HENDERSON<br />
Publisher<br />
LOUISA McCUNE<br />
Edior in chi^<br />
STEVEN WALKER <br />
WALKER CREATIVE, INC. <br />
An Direnor<br />
STEFFIE CORCORAN, Senior Editor <br />
ANDREA LOPEZ, Arioriate Edior; AUDI TOMEK. Desimer <br />
CHARLY ARNOLD, BROOKE DEMETZ, <br />
HEATHER HARKINS, and RYAN MARIE MENDENHALL <br />
EditorialRsistants <br />
JENNIFER FRISCH and CHRlS STINCHCOMB <br />
Editorial lntrm <br />
Conmbuting Editon<br />
BURKHARD BILGER, SHEIIAH BRIGHT, KELLY CROW, <br />
BRUCE EAGLE, IOHN ELK Ill. GORDON GRICE. <br />
ROBERTHENRY, JOHN JERNIGAN, YOUSEFKHANFAR, <br />
TOM LUKER, MAURA MCDERMOTT, <br />
MICHAEL WALLIS, a n d m LOGAN WOLF <br />
COLLEEN MclNTYRE, Production Mznager <br />
KIM RYAN, Advertising Account Euecutive <br />
SAND1 WELCH, Advertising Graphic Artist <br />
LISA BRECKENRIDGE, Accountanr <br />
KATHY FUGATE, OjiceManagfl <br />
TAMMY CONAUGHTI, Cummer &vice Specialist <br />
BRIDGETTE WARD, Advertising/MarketingIntrm <br />
Tourism and fimation <br />
KATHRYN L TAYLOR Cabinet Serrrrary <br />
RALPH McCALMOM, Interim Dimtor <br />
Toum and Remarion Cornmiwon <br />
LT. GOV. .MARY FALLIN. Chair <br />
ROBYNBATSON, JENNIFER COLBER~JOE HARWOOD, <br />
MELVIN MORAN,JANIS RICKS, JIM SCHLIMPERT, <br />
BECKY SWTZER, WAYMAN TISDALE <br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong> awudc indude <br />
<strong>2003</strong> <strong>Oklahoma</strong> SPJ First Place, Overall Excellence; <br />
<strong>2003</strong> <strong>Oklahoma</strong> SPJ First Place, Feature Writing; <br />
2002 IRMA Gold for Bar Profile; <br />
Sierra Club 2001 Consensarion Journalism Award; <br />
Thrcc Dallas Press Club 2001 Firsr Prize Honors: <br />
IRMA Magazine of rhe Year, 1991,1993,1994,1996; <br />
1999 Folio Editorial Excellence Award; 1998 Wilbur A d<br />
raphy, manus&iprs, or'amuork. In no evenr shall &bm;ssion Gf <br />
such unsolicited material subicct ORIahonur Thtoanvclaim for <br />
holdin fees or other siiar ;h a.Payment is lpn p;blicarion. <br />
Viit 8klohm~T+ on th%temet at oklahomatodapcnm. <br />
1<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY .JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
summ
" I suggest that what we want to do is not to leave to posterity a great institution, but to leave behind a<br />
great tradition of iournalism ably practiced in our time." -Henry luce, founder of Time and life<br />
SPEAKYOUR MIND<br />
In conjunction with the Magazine<br />
Publishers of America's<br />
"Magazines Make a DifFerence"<br />
campaign, we want to<br />
hear about your experiences<br />
with <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong>. We're<br />
looking for specific feedback<br />
about how the magazine<br />
has impacted your life, your<br />
business, and your family. Has<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong> changed your<br />
feelings about the state? Teachers,<br />
do you use the magazine<br />
in the classrooms? Parents,<br />
trying to lure your children back<br />
home? Let us know. Please<br />
mail or email your responses to<br />
Joan Henderson/Magazines<br />
Make a Difference, 15 <strong>No</strong>rth<br />
Robinson, Suite 100, <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
City, OK, 73 103 or<br />
ioan@oklahomatoday.com.<br />
nendy resides in the big time. She lives a quiet writer's life in Wyoming and Newfoundland,<br />
commands hundreds of thousands per book, and has a resum6 any seasoned<br />
writer would unabashedly covet. Her introductions include phrases such as "Pulitzerprize<br />
winning" and "recipient of the National Book Award and National Magazine<br />
Award." She is, in a word, there.<br />
Imagine our surprise when we discovered that Proulx, in her latest book, That<br />
OldAcein the Hok (Scribner, 2002), mentions Okhhoma <strong>Today</strong>. Twice.<br />
On page 26: "I figure ifwe can interest <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong>, get them to come<br />
out and do an article on us, we'd improve business about fifty percent," says a general<br />
store owner in the far western <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Panhandle.<br />
And on page 69: "I'm writing a profile for a magazine," says the novel's protagonisr,<br />
Bob Dollar. "What magazine is that?" asks LaVon Fronk, a local ranch widow.<br />
"Ah,I haven't got one lined up yet. I thought I'd write the article first and then send it<br />
to a magazine. Maybe Okhhoma <strong>Today</strong>," says Dollar.<br />
"I don't thinkso,Mr. Dollar. Strange as it may seem, Okhhoma Tody specializes in <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
stori es.... And that's not how you get a article in a magazine. People get assignments."<br />
In her fictional account ofavery real publication, she has it right on the money. Okhhoma<br />
Taday does specialize in <strong>Oklahoma</strong>. For forty-seven years now, we have been the lone<br />
general interest consumer magazine covering the 69,900 square miles within our borders.<br />
Our articles are the real deal, assigned for their authenticity and relevance, and our staffis<br />
charged with bringing readers the very best product issue after issue. That means wei&ng<br />
each query, each pitch, and each idea carefully. Our readers trust our bimonthly content<br />
because it is based on merit, not muscle-flexing, value rather than favoritism.<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> Mystories are not dictated by advertisers, and fortunately these important<br />
supporters realize the value of this-their ads reach a focused, intelligent, and<br />
devoted readership who loves all things <strong>Oklahoma</strong>. The advertiser only wins in this<br />
unfettered and protected setting.<br />
In 2002, according to the National Directory of Magazines, there were 17,321 magazines<br />
in the American consumer marketplace, another 8,296 trade publications specializing<br />
in everything from accounting to zoology, and only one created especially for <strong>Oklahoma</strong>ns.<br />
This, folks, is your magazine. Because of this simple but important understanding,<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong> is responsible to its readers, and we believe its audience responds with an<br />
unprecedented dedication. One measure of proof? Oklahooma <strong>Today</strong>'s subscription renewal<br />
rates are twice the national average. But that's not always enough.<br />
While industry analysts bearishly predict a silver lining for magazine publishers, the<br />
media recession isn't over yet. That means we need our loyalists to promote this publication,<br />
letting colleagues, family, and legislators know that it's meaningful to your life. To<br />
keep your magazine-the one among thousands that represents you-healthy and robust,<br />
we need you, in a word, there. Our readers are our ace in the hole. They have to be.<br />
mccune@OKLAH0MA<br />
To da y.com<br />
8 I OKLAHOMATODAY .JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
Song of White Bear Limited Edition of 500<br />
<strong>No</strong>w available as a limited edition fine art print Mike Larsen's<br />
Sons of White Beah from the Oklahomd-An Honorins series. This<br />
powerful 22" x 30" image is printed on heavy paper stock with<br />
an exterior dimension of 26" x 35". $165 signed, $95 unsigned.
"When the Okies left <strong>Oklahoma</strong> and moved to California, it raised the IQ of both states." -Will<br />
Rogers<br />
Partners in Kind<br />
You will never know my delight in reading<br />
your Editor's Letter in the MayIJune <strong>2003</strong><br />
edition of OkkzhomaM y ("Win Win").<br />
As a trustee of the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Educational<br />
Television Authority and a longtime<br />
admirer of-and subscriber to-your publication,<br />
I applaud any effort toward a partnership<br />
involving <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s two most<br />
credible journalistic entities of record.<br />
Whether a handshake in a coincidental<br />
meeting over yet another rubber chicken<br />
dinner or a future formal alliance, I believe<br />
what you young people call a "convergence"<br />
will only benefit our state and the enlightenment<br />
of both viewers and readers.<br />
The <strong>Oklahoma</strong> News Report and OETAs<br />
historic dedication to energizing awareness<br />
of our citizenry about the governmental,<br />
cultural, and educational future of our<br />
state has only been enhanced with the addition<br />
of the award-winning Stateline and<br />
Gallery series, Thank you for recognizing<br />
these fine programs.<br />
I wish you congratulations on all ofyour<br />
well-deserved awards, including the SPJ<br />
awards which drew you and Dick Pryor<br />
together in the possibilities of partnership.<br />
Juanita Kidd<br />
Edmond<br />
It's a Family Affair<br />
My baby sister (age fifty) did not give me<br />
another subscription to <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong>this<br />
Christmas. Shame on her! Guess she thinks I<br />
should grow up and pay for my own.<br />
Seriously, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong> gives me<br />
great delight. When it arrives in the mail,<br />
I drop everything and read it in one sitting<br />
from cover to cover. Unfortunately, none of<br />
our Edmily lives in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> anymore-we<br />
grew up there and all graduated from OU.<br />
But <strong>Oklahoma</strong> will always be home.<br />
Thanks to your article, my sisters and I<br />
reminisced about Beverly's Pancake Corner<br />
on <strong>No</strong>rthwest Expressway and Pennsylvania<br />
(The Okhboma Ehy Guideto Cafes &Dinen).We<br />
used to walk from our house on Fifty-fifth<br />
Street and Belleview across a vacant<br />
lot to Beverly's-and that was when Penn<br />
Square Mall was still a cow pasture! Keep<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> Tohy coming. Life wouldn't be<br />
the same without it.<br />
Meg Branson<br />
Midland, Texas<br />
WHERE ARE YOU?<br />
AN OKLAHOMA TODAY CONTEST<br />
Nestled in <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s southern half amid the foothills of a rocky <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
mountain range, this is the historic home of a Native American war chief who<br />
racked up eight wives and twenty-five offspring before passing away in 191 1 at<br />
the age of fifiy-seven. Located in a "high-dollat" town near one of <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s<br />
military bases, its owner outranked any general of his time, and the sixteen stars<br />
painted on the home's metal roof prove it. Do you know the name of this home<br />
and its former owner? Mail entries to <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong>, Atin: "Where Are You?",<br />
rn<br />
15 <strong>No</strong>h Robinson. Suite 100. <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City, OK 73102, or send responses to<br />
editorial@oklahomatoday.com. Entries must be received by <strong>July</strong> 15, <strong>2003</strong>. Three<br />
about my career in the MayIJune <strong>2003</strong> issue<br />
("Portrait of the Sculptor"). The skills of your<br />
writers, Christina Pickard a fine example, are<br />
the reason Okhoma Ehy is the top magazine<br />
of the state. Keep up the good work, and<br />
please keep in touch as we create the Okkzboma<br />
CentennialLandRun Monument.<br />
Paul Moore<br />
<strong>No</strong>rman<br />
Dismnce<br />
winners, drawn from all correctentries, will receive an OMcrhoma <strong>Today</strong> T-shirt. 5 I've lived in Indianapolis now for eight<br />
K years but just can't quite claim to be a Hoo-<br />
10 1 OKLAHOMATODAY JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
sier. I was born and raised in Red Carpet<br />
Country and experience a thrill every time<br />
I find the latest issue of <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong><br />
in my mailbox. It keeps me grounded and<br />
proud ofwhere I came from.<br />
What I have seen in your magazine has<br />
inspired me to order a number of items<br />
from state artists. <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong> makes<br />
me feel connected to my roots, and I commend<br />
you for your features. I didn't know<br />
there were so many great things about the<br />
state in which I was born.<br />
I truly look forward to every issue. I'm loving<br />
the latest, with the profile of Mike Larsen<br />
("Painter of Spirits," MayIJune <strong>2003</strong>).<br />
I work with high school kids who sometimes<br />
pick up the magazine. I love it when<br />
they browse a bit, then say, "<strong>Oklahoma</strong>?<br />
Wow, I've never thought about that state." I<br />
guess I'm a miniambassador.<br />
Michelle Momper<br />
Indianapolis, Indiana<br />
The Water's Fine<br />
I am a native <strong>Oklahoma</strong>n, currently<br />
retired and residing in Texas. I truly enjoy<br />
your magazine, and many of the articles<br />
make me nostalgic for the years I grew up<br />
in Geary and Watonga during the Dust<br />
Bowl and Depression years. Your article on<br />
the forty-three swimming pools ("Swelter<br />
Shelters," MayIJune <strong>2003</strong>) was particularly<br />
interesting to me.<br />
I was the second lifeguard employed<br />
at the Roman <strong>No</strong>se State Park pool in<br />
Watonga in 1941. The pool, filled with<br />
constantly flowing water from the "Big<br />
Spring," was so cold that not many would<br />
brave the water temperature.<br />
In addition to lifeguard duties, I cleaned<br />
the women's and men's dressing rooms,<br />
drained the pool every ten days, and washed<br />
down the sides with chemicals to prevent<br />
algae growth. My work week was twelve<br />
hours per day, seven days per week-all for<br />
the grand salary of $60 per month.<br />
As the current park manager states, it is,<br />
indeed, the most scenic pool in the state.<br />
Once an Okie, always an Okie. I tell<br />
my Texas friends that when I crossed the<br />
Red River to Texas, I improved the IQ of<br />
both states!<br />
Richard N. LaFaver<br />
The Woodlands, Texas<br />
It Doesn't Get Any Better<br />
Well, you've done it. You've finally<br />
outdone yourselves. The MayIJune <strong>2003</strong><br />
issue is a jewel of time and place, a balm<br />
for war-jangled nerves.<br />
<strong>No</strong>rma L. Thomas<br />
Edmond<br />
Our Pleasure<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong> ran an article about my<br />
family, the Prichards, in your 1997Special<br />
Travel Issue ("The Heart of Little Italy").<br />
You wouldn't believe how much business<br />
we received because of your article. Our<br />
little family business is growing and growing,<br />
thanks to you for getting the word out<br />
'KL A'<br />
about Roseanna's Italian Food.<br />
I thought you would like to know that<br />
we have bottled our pasta sauce, and it is<br />
now in four Wal-Mart stores in <strong>Oklahoma</strong>.<br />
And our salad dressing is in the works. (Our<br />
father would be so proud of us.)<br />
I know this is late, but thank you so much<br />
for including us in your article. Please wme<br />
back to visit. We would love to feed you.<br />
Emily Prichard-Stangl<br />
<strong>No</strong>rman<br />
Phone Skills a Must<br />
We recently moved from Tulsa to Ardmore.<br />
Of wurse, when one moves, there are<br />
many people to notify of an address change.<br />
I made call afier call, letting magazines and<br />
others know of our new address. Without<br />
exception, I got automated voice mail and<br />
waited, it seemed forever, to give someone<br />
our new address. Sometimes, wen afier calling,<br />
I was told to put it in writing.<br />
Imagine my surprise when I called <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
Todyand a real person answered on<br />
the first ring - and said she could take care<br />
of everything!<br />
Thank you for red customer service. We<br />
love <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Todzy.<br />
Paul and Claudia Mathews<br />
Ardmore<br />
'<br />
The votes are in and it's official:<br />
"Where Are You?" remains a hit! In<br />
our MarhJApril issue, many of you<br />
responded with the correct answer,<br />
~i&wa~ 63. Our winners are Hazel<br />
W% &f SmihviUe, Arla J. Cruzen<br />
and Homer Hulme<br />
May/June winners<br />
Cheek of Cleveland,<br />
man ofMihtCiiy, and<br />
of Edmond. The cors<br />
the town of Hominy.<br />
of hose who entered. <br />
dries coming in. d <br />
-m<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong> welcomes the views<br />
of readers. Letters are subject to editing<br />
and must include name, address, and<br />
a daytime phone number. Send letters<br />
to: <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong>, Ann: Editor, 15<br />
<strong>No</strong>rth Robinson, Suite 100,<strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
City, OK 73102,or fax to (405)<br />
522-4588.Address electronic mail to<br />
letters@oRlohomotoday.com.<br />
LETTERS<br />
I<br />
j1
MARKETPLACE "The bridge had been a friend to all, without discrimination."-Ann DeFrange,<br />
in the Daily Oklahorna~<br />
ART HISTORY<br />
Randy Powers' graffiti chic bridges the gap<br />
between present and past.<br />
By Shauna Lawyer Struby<br />
"Rock your way back in time,"<br />
says the tag on this piece, embellished<br />
with pieces of graffiti<br />
paint. Powers salvaged the<br />
rocking chair from a neighborhood<br />
trash pickup, then<br />
dissembled, refurbished, and<br />
reassembled it after outfitting<br />
it with pieces from the old<br />
paint adorns the upper<br />
work is available at Route<br />
A<br />
Ticket to Write<br />
Randy Powers' graffiti art<br />
can be pricey or, as with<br />
these items, very affordable.<br />
Layers of heated graffiti<br />
paint, which Powers harvested<br />
in the days before the<br />
bridge was demolished, are<br />
wrapped around a ballpoint<br />
pen to create a unique writing<br />
- utensil. Graffiti paint<br />
pieces applied to key rings<br />
are perfect for keeping a bit<br />
of <strong>Oklahoma</strong> in your pocket<br />
all the time, no matter<br />
where you are. $25 each.<br />
Have a Heart<br />
Talk about a heart-to-heart: "A lot of locals feel a connection<br />
with my work because they painted at the bridge," says<br />
Powers. You'll take a shine to these heart-shaped whatnot<br />
boxes. The insides are lined with shiny multicolored<br />
Hershey's Kiss wrappers, and the foil is then coated with a<br />
two-part epoxy. $95 each.<br />
table was handmade by Powers. Since some paint pieces<br />
are up to an inch and a half thick,<br />
Powers sanded them to reveal layer<br />
upon layer of paint, making each<br />
tile a distinctive work of art in its<br />
12 1 OKLAHOMATODAY .JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
Budding Beauties )<br />
A recycled Snapple bottle serves<br />
as the base shape for this graffiti<br />
paint flower vase. $85. Larger column<br />
vases are available for $140.<br />
Light the flames of nostalgia with<br />
, tation arcana ($150).<br />
I<br />
Hooked on Graffiti A<br />
With a pair of these earrings,<br />
you'll model a piece of<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s past. Route 66<br />
owner Jeannette Koenig says<br />
Powers' gaffiti paint art is<br />
popular with both <strong>Oklahoma</strong>ns<br />
and out-of-state<br />
visitors. "People who buy<br />
Randy's art just want to take<br />
a piece of <strong>Oklahoma</strong> with<br />
them," she says. $25 a pair.<br />
r'n<br />
oming up Lotus<br />
Sit at this table and contemplate the lotus<br />
flower, a symbol of purity and an appropriate<br />
icon given the one-of-a-kind patterns Powers<br />
creates. Koenig says the table reminds her of the<br />
nifty Fifties; "It's a great way to preserve history,"<br />
says Powers of reusing salvaged items. $800.<br />
4 A Clear and<br />
Present Sealant<br />
"Everyone made these<br />
pieces, in a sense," says<br />
Koenig, referring to the<br />
many layers of paint applied<br />
by countless people<br />
in the bridge's sixty-year<br />
history. Powers says once<br />
peop~k understand the<br />
origins of the paint, they're<br />
in awe. The durable clear<br />
finish-the equivalent of<br />
fifty coats of varnish-on<br />
pieces like this refurbished<br />
soda fountain chair helps<br />
preserve the history each<br />
piece represents. $150.<br />
MARKETPLACE
ADVERTISEMENT<br />
has the<br />
chicken ,<br />
fried sterli?(<br />
P.O. BOX <strong>53</strong>384 .<strong>Oklahoma</strong> City, OK 73152 (800) 777-1793 (405) 521-2496 .oklahomatoday.com
I<br />
"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."<br />
-Adlai E. Stevenson<br />
Music Hall in Okla-<br />
Center in Bartlesville.<br />
THETALEOF <br />
I<br />
CALENDAR<br />
I<br />
l 5
ADVERTISEMENT<br />
Get your copy today at select newsstands<br />
or from <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong>.<br />
P.O. Box <strong>53</strong>384 OKC, OK 73152 (800) 777-1793 (405) 521-2496 oklahomatoday.com
n perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blow~ng,<br />
the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken."-James Dent<br />
AuqustSun<br />
l<br />
4 1<br />
Sandbags overboard<br />
as the Gatesway<br />
Balloon Festival, held<br />
at <strong>No</strong>rtheastern State<br />
Universify in Broken<br />
Arrow, sets adrift for<br />
its tenth year of hot<br />
air. Through Sunday.<br />
Think swallowing a<br />
seed will sprout a<br />
vine within? Find out<br />
for sure at Valliant's<br />
annual Watermelon<br />
Festival. Concerts,<br />
games, and a parade<br />
are in store, as well as<br />
I<br />
3 4 5<br />
Delight in relief from Hundreds gather in Whittle your way If you can't bat the<br />
hot temps at Fred- Anadarko for the to Shawnee for heat, bask in it at<br />
erick's Ice Cream yearly American the first day of the the lake Keystone<br />
Social. Bring home Indian Exposition. Ex- Woodcarver's Dog Days Festival in<br />
made ice cream and perience arts, crafts, Festival at the Santa Mannford. In addition<br />
join in hymns at the and culture during Fe Depot Museum. to standard lake fare,<br />
historic church on the fiveday celebra- The show spotlights a kids triathlon and<br />
the grounds of the tion at the Caddo carved items from houseboot regatta<br />
Pioneer Heritage County Fairgrounds. across the state. round out activities.<br />
Townsite Center. Through Saturday. Through <strong>August</strong> 29. Through Saturday.<br />
Elizabethan gaiety<br />
arrives stateside<br />
with <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
Shakespeare in<br />
the Park. Bring a<br />
blanket and dine<br />
alfresco while enioying<br />
a performance<br />
of Othello at Hafer<br />
Park in Edmond.<br />
10<br />
s the first of<br />
galle{walls with the<br />
Color of Nightexhibit.<br />
An ancillary exhibition<br />
of his sculpture will<br />
also be on display.<br />
Through <strong>No</strong>vember 9.<br />
Get saddled up<br />
for the 101 Wild<br />
West PRCA Rodeo<br />
in Ponca City. Take<br />
part in the fourday<br />
event with a little<br />
barbecue, a parade,<br />
and o rodeo dance.<br />
Through Saturday.<br />
Strum along with<br />
the folksy tunes of<br />
the Green Country<br />
Bluegrass Music<br />
Festival at Dripping<br />
Springs State Park<br />
in Okmulgee. Threeday<br />
pass, $25.<br />
Through Saturday.<br />
-<br />
15<br />
Hallelujahl It's time<br />
for gospel music. The<br />
Seminole Gospel<br />
Sing showcases<br />
professional gospel<br />
groups on an outdoor<br />
stage. Through<br />
tomorrow.<br />
This weekend marks<br />
the date for the<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> County<br />
Free Fair. Gather<br />
at State Fair Park in<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> City and<br />
vie for a blue ribbon<br />
at this annual event<br />
preceding the state<br />
fair next month.<br />
Lace up your sneakers<br />
and wait for the<br />
gunshot. The seventh<br />
annual Run for Arts<br />
okes off in down<br />
own Fort Gibson<br />
today. Uninspired by<br />
the 5K? Sign on for<br />
the more laidback<br />
mile fun run.<br />
30 <br />
It's golden! Festivities<br />
abound for fifty years<br />
of caves at Alabaster<br />
Caverns State Park<br />
in Freedom. Join in<br />
on wildlife programs,<br />
nature walks, and<br />
plenty of amusement<br />
for children. Through<br />
September 1.
Scoliosis isn't just for kids.<br />
Mary's spine before surgery.<br />
-1 -Mary Baldy, scoliosis patient<br />
Mary was 18 when diagnosed with scoliosis. As she grew older, the curve in her spine worsened, leading to a painful,<br />
obvious hump in her back and difficulty breathing. Mary was told her only options were pain medications and<br />
physicaltherapy. In her late forties the situation became desperate. "After years of searchingfor treatment, Ifound help at Consulting<br />
Orthopedists in Dallas where Ihad spinal reconstructive surgery:' says Mary, now a 51-year-old pediatric clinical nurse<br />
manager. "Iam able to stand straight and without pain for the first time in decades. Although it has only been a short time since<br />
my surgery, I have returned to work full time."<br />
Consulting Orthopedists is a nationally and internationally known facility devoted exclusively to the treatment of severe<br />
scoliosis. We specialize in treating pediatricand adult spinal curves, revising previous scoliosis surgeries and managing pain<br />
caused by scoliosis. We are among a handful of facilities in the country, and work diligently to accommodate a variety of<br />
health plans. Help is available.<br />
CONSULT^^^^ URTHOPEDISTS<br />
Quality Patient Care in the Private Setting<br />
www.consuItingorthopedists.com<br />
972.985.2797 . 1.888.781.5558 3900 West 15th Street, Suite 208 . Plano, Texas 75075<br />
We work with over 100 health care plans and offer concierge service.
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HERANGE<br />
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Let Freedom Ring!<br />
ENID ON THE FOURTH OF " IULY<br />
Last<strong>July</strong> 4, five thousand people spread quiltsand unfolded<br />
lawn chairsat Meadowlake Park in Enid. At dusk on the bank of the<br />
lake, the Enid Symphony performed "I'll Be Home for Christmas"as<br />
flurries offireworks fell hm<br />
the +.This yea^?s ceremony is alsolikely to<br />
a fkast hr the sem."In thirteen years, wPve da me movie themes,a salute<br />
1 to superheroes, Broadway, and Star Wn)nsayssymphony director DouglasNewell.<br />
"You can bet we'll honor the militarythis ear." In keepinpith Independence Day,<br />
he concludes every program with old fivorites. "It's an opportunity to enjoy patriotic<br />
music and wave our flags, to zero in on the freedoms that we enjoy."<br />
-Diana Khanagov<br />
The EnidFwrth @Jdyfilebmrion begins withan 8p.m.concert/shdby a&-<br />
r I , ,-,.\ ,./-/<br />
b . .. ,.--<br />
workdqhy atdusk. (36~) &/-LYX.<br />
FAUX GLOW<br />
Dying for a tan, but not willing to die<br />
for a tan? Many a sun worshiper has<br />
regretted dedication to the solar gods<br />
when later faced with wrinkles, dry<br />
skin, or worse, skin cancer.<br />
If you love bronze skin but hate the<br />
consequences, <strong>Oklahoma</strong>-me$ Fake<br />
Bake (fokebake4salons.com) may be<br />
your ticket to tan.<br />
Hailed by beauty editors and touted<br />
bycelebrities like Briiney Spears and<br />
Madonna, Fake 0ake is made of<br />
botanical extracts and offers a safe,<br />
realistic tan wifhout the omnge skin or<br />
unpleasant odor commonly linked to<br />
self-tanners.<br />
These benefits, combined with an easy<br />
application process, cdd to Fake Bake's<br />
appeal. With marketing and sales based<br />
in Tulsa and products milable in salons<br />
statwide, the aunpanjs soaring sales<br />
and increased distribution make for a<br />
golden future. Gabyour sunglasses.<br />
-Andm Lopez<br />
THE POLITICAL<br />
RECORD <br />
Read our lips. In the <strong>2003</strong> film<br />
Head of State, Chris Rock studied to<br />
be a presidential candidate by viewing<br />
political commercials in the Julian l?<br />
Kanter Political Commercial Archive at<br />
the University of <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s Political<br />
Communication Center (4051324-<br />
3 1 14; ou.edu/pccenter).<br />
This unique resource holds<br />
70,000 political commercials,<br />
the oldest dating to 1936. Nearly<br />
25,000 were from former curator<br />
Julian I? Kanter's collection, the<br />
remainder acquired from candidates,<br />
consultants,advertising agencies,<br />
and politicalparties.<br />
Rare gems at the center include<br />
Walt Disney's only anim<br />
mercial for Dwight D. Ei<br />
above, and a mid-1960s<br />
ment with John Wayne<br />
Ronald Reagan for<br />
nia That's one for the Gipper.<br />
I<br />
RECOMMEND<br />
0 History of an Architec/~~ml<br />
Finn: Rees Associates, a<br />
coffee table book written<br />
byBob Blackburn<br />
O Scaling the llcliffs" at OKC<br />
Rocks climbinggym<br />
o A crimson and cream slush<br />
with an order of Caiun fries<br />
from the Classic 50s Drivein<br />
in <strong>No</strong>rman<br />
o A steak at Chuck Wagon<br />
Restaurant in Vinita (don't<br />
miss the adioining church)<br />
20 I OKLAHOMATODAY. JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
. .<br />
\rkansas Colorado <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
Boomer Lake. Stillwater. OK<br />
fireworks @ 9:30 p.m.<br />
Family Fun Fireworks<br />
For information call (405)747-8070<br />
Sponsors: Shllwoer Porks, Events & Recreotion<br />
CiW of Stillwoter, Stillwoter Powar<br />
th Annual Pioneer<br />
12 Senior Olympics<br />
Athletic competition for adults 50 & over<br />
7<strong>August</strong> 21-24,<strong>2003</strong><br />
Stlllwater, OK<br />
Entry deadline:<strong>August</strong> I<br />
For information call 4051747-8080 or<br />
email senioractivities@stiIIwater.org<br />
Charming Victorian homes and buildings. Art galleries and unique<br />
shops, The * Great 'passion Play, music shows, gorgeous Ozark<br />
Mountain scenery and scads of attractions. It's no wonder that<br />
Eureka Sgrings Is a National T a for Historic Preservation<br />
Distinctive Destination. And so close and economical, It's<br />
wonder that Eumka Is Owahomals favorite vacation getaway<br />
Call today for great accommodationsrnd value packages.<br />
wvwvacatione~~ka.c~m<br />
no<br />
Show your state pride with an<br />
official <strong>Oklahoma</strong> flag flown at<br />
the state capitol. This flag<br />
comes complete with a certiflcate<br />
signed by the Governor<br />
and the Secretary OF State.<br />
State Plag (3' x 5') $35.00<br />
oklahomatoday corn<br />
(800) 777-2793
&HURW C O Y<br />
with Special Guest JEANNEROBERIWN<br />
September 23,<strong>2003</strong> <br />
200 p.m. <br />
Bartlenille Community Center <br />
%reat orJfnj for senior uduits -<br />
fun for the whale group!" <br />
For "no-deposit" rindom,<br />
toll 14004554746. <br />
Far infomt~tion on Barflsrvllle area ~mprtlom, <br />
activitias, miuumntsand lodging, <br />
CAU TOU~I i.~n,n3.200&<br />
Collecting koi can be expensive. Some rare varieties and larger fish can rell for as muct<br />
as $15,000. Here, the jumbo champion from last year's koi show held in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Ciq<br />
The Art of Beina Koi<br />
FISHING FOR COMPLIMENTS AT THE OKLAHOMA KO1 SHOW<br />
DONTCALLTHEMOVERSIZEDGOLDFISH.JAPANESE MONKS DEVELOPEDKOI,<br />
or Nishikigoi, after discovering a color mutation in a common carp. Fast forward<br />
two hundred years to find members of the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Koi Society so passionate about the<br />
fish that some make special trips to Japan to purchase new specimens for their backyard<br />
ponds. Can't understand the lure? Check out these unusual fish on Labor Day weekend at<br />
the <strong>2003</strong> <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Koi Show.<br />
"Koi are treated lie pets," says Harry Greer, president of the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Koi Society.<br />
"Our members name their fish and grow very attached to them."<br />
Koi are long-lived fish, able to thrive for decades in awell-maintained backyard pond.<br />
Though not as demanding of our attention as our four-legged fiends, koi do require regular<br />
care and upkeep. Pond water must be filtered and oxygenated, and the fish should be fed up<br />
to five times a day during summer for maximum growth. Many koi owners construct bridges<br />
and paths with the pond as the focal point of the yard.<br />
While the annualLabor Day show is the biggest fish in this dub's pond, monthly meetings<br />
help keep passions high.A typical gathering might find &my active members munching on<br />
&es and watching a home video documenting a koi harvest in Niigata, Japan. Some members<br />
ofthe group attend koi shows as distant as Phoenix and San Diego.<br />
At thisyear's show, vendorswill be on hand to discuss pumps, filters, food, ponds, and more.<br />
Koi enthusiasts fiom across the counuywill bring a wealth of information and experience.<br />
Come discover for yourselfwhy the enigmatic star of the <strong>2003</strong> <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Koi Show<br />
could never be confused with a goldfish. -Ami Reeves<br />
The <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Koi Show will take place Augwt30-31 at the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> State Fail;groundc<br />
in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City oklakoi.org<br />
22 1<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY .JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
"Patti Page is the refined Okie who made Faith and Garth and the Chicks and Shania possible."<br />
-Eric Celeste, in the Dallas Observer<br />
1 How Much Is That Syrup in the Window? pmcessing."<br />
1<br />
I<br />
Page says,"without chemicals in tapping or<br />
I SWEET STUFF FROM AN OKLAHOMA CROONER The certified organic maple syrups come<br />
in three grades ofsweetness: light, medium,<br />
T'S BEEN FIFTYYEARS SINCE CLARE, syrups from the original sugarhouse on and dark amber, dark the sweetest.<br />
more native Patti Page recorded the their nineteenth-century Hilltop Farm The syrups, along with organically<br />
dassic, "Doggy in the Window." Though in New Hampshire. Demand grew to produced maple cream and buttermilk<br />
still singing, Page has another passion to warrant the purchase of a larger sugar pancake mixes, are available in various<br />
share-a line of authentic New England bus-a stand of maple trees covering 250 sizes, in combinations, and in festive gift<br />
- food products as sweet as her songs. acres-in Maine, which helps produce the packages, some including Page's record-<br />
In 1995, Page and husband Jerry Fili- syrups in the line. ings. Syrups also come in violin-shaped<br />
ciotto began producing maple<br />
'I<br />
"You get it when God gives it to YOU," Page bottles and two sizes of "Patti's Syrup<br />
saysof tree-tapping time, as temperatutes al- That Sings" jugs with a digital-quality,<br />
low collection about six to eight weeks a year. thirty-second snippet of Page singing<br />
ApproximaIely forty gallons each time the ~atented cap is opened.<br />
1<br />
of sap then are cooked down -Cindy Kelly Houck<br />
foreachgallon of syrup.<br />
"Oursyrupis made the Hilltop Farmproducts, (800) 977-9787;<br />
I red'down-home1 way," misspattipage.corn.<br />
I<br />
Manufacturedby Claremore native Patti Page and her husband Jerry<br />
Filiciotto at Hilltop Fann in New Hampshire, Pam' Page's organic maple<br />
products are sold in decorative glass and plastic botties.<br />
COMEAWAY TO...<br />
Y,
THERANGE<br />
"Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice."<br />
-Martin Luther King Jr.<br />
STATELINE: THE SERIES<br />
Documentaries Depict State Issues<br />
FORGET ABOUT SOUND BITES. WITH OETA'S DOCUMENtary<br />
program Stateline, <strong>Oklahoma</strong>ns can tune in for a wealth<br />
of information about our state and its unique people.<br />
Started four years ago as way to enhance local OETAprogramming,<br />
Statelineairs nine segments per year on issues like archaeology,<br />
gambling, and politics.<br />
Although topics vary, the emphasis is always the me-people.<br />
That's true for those telling the story and those viewing it. "When I<br />
started this, I wanted at least one person out there to slap his head and<br />
say, 'I didn't know that!"' says writerlresearcher Billie Rodely, who's<br />
been part of the show's five-member team since its inception.<br />
A segment premiering in <strong>July</strong>will cause just such a reaction.<br />
Stateline#5OZ examines <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s corrections department,<br />
explaining how taxpayer dollars are spent within the system and<br />
taking an unflinching look at the challenges facing it. Segment<br />
producerlreporter Susan Miller says, "It's always an adventure to<br />
The <strong>July</strong> edition of Sfateline tackles the state's corrections system.<br />
crawl through the subject matter and learn something new." Stay<br />
tuned for the experience.<br />
-Heather Harkins<br />
Stateline#501aivsjuly22 at 9p.m., <strong>July</strong> 24at 8p.m., and <strong>July</strong><br />
27at 1I a.m. OETA broadcasts in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City on channel 13,in<br />
Tuba on channel I I, in Cheyenne on channel 12,and inEu&ula on<br />
channel3 cbanneloeta.onenet.net.<br />
WELCOME TO AN AMERICAN SAMPLER <br />
OF MOTHER NATURE. MILE FOR MILE, <br />
ME MOST DIVERSE TERRAIN IN AMERICA? <br />
*Source €PA Ecoregions of the 0.5.<br />
24 1 OKLAHOMATODAY 8 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
THE OKT PROFILE <br />
L<br />
Anna Myers<br />
Children: author Anna Myers was born in<br />
Texas, but, she says, '"Igt to <strong>Oklahoma</strong> as soon<br />
asI coukd "AJtergrowing up in Deer Cwek, she<br />
lived in Chandler. Tohj she and her husband<br />
John Calvin, a hhigh school classmate she was<br />
reunited with aftw a chs reunion, make their<br />
home in Tuh. Myers' many honors include<br />
two Okhhoma Book Award.<br />
Q: What inspires you?<br />
A: Stories inspire me. I feel almost as if they<br />
are living things, waiting to be told.<br />
Q: Who are your writing role models?<br />
A: Katherine Paterson, a two-time winner<br />
of the Newbery Medal, is perhaps my<br />
greatest writing role model.<br />
Q: What is your favorite quote?<br />
A: My hvorite thing to teach was Our Town<br />
by Thornton Wilder. I thinkmy favorite<br />
quote from that work is, "You're twenty- I<br />
one or twenty-two, and you make some<br />
decisions; then whisssh! You're seventy."<br />
I was twenty-two when I first taught Our <br />
Town,and now I am ten years from sev- <br />
enty. It went by very quickly, and I am <br />
grateful I made the decisions I did. <br />
Q: What do you like best about yourself?<br />
I<br />
A: I like the hct that I form deep and lasting<br />
June 2 1<br />
bonds of friendship. I think I understand<br />
myself best when I see myself reflected<br />
in the eyes of dear, old fiiends.<br />
Saturday at 8 p.<br />
Q: What would you change about yourself?<br />
A: I would change the fact that I am eter-<br />
I <br />
nally lost. Age has not improved my Tour the Cherokee Natiu<br />
sense of direction.<br />
and the ~ncient village1<br />
Q: How do you deal with adversity?<br />
visit to the drama for onc ,.. id^.<br />
k<br />
A: I turn to hily and dear friends for sup-<br />
Ask us about our special package deals? =<br />
port. I also believe strongly in prayer.<br />
Q: What's your favorite place in <strong>Oklahoma</strong>?<br />
A: A country cemetery near Kinta, <strong>Oklahoma</strong>.<br />
I can stand in one spot in Sans<br />
Bois Cemetery and see the graves of both<br />
sets of my grandparents, my parents, a<br />
brother, and a sister.<br />
Trail ofTears Drama<br />
DIGEST 2.2
Christine Josephstudied the<br />
sweet art of chocolatemaking<br />
inher native Belgiumbefore<br />
opening <strong>No</strong>weauinTulsa. Her<br />
handmadecreations sell for<br />
$8.50 for an eighviecebox or<br />
$34a pound.<br />
The Art of <strong>No</strong>uveau<br />
A TULSA CHOCOLATIER FINDS A NICHE<br />
THAT'S DARK AND RICH<br />
I<br />
1 rC<br />
TTAKESA LOT OF FAITHTO BRING CHOCO- a Cherry Street shop and sold the sbl L "f chocolates<br />
late from seed to sweet. Christine Joseph oozes it. she'd grown up eating.Afcer later careers in the hospi-<br />
The pristine dark, milk, and white hand-dipped mor- talityindustry and teaching,she returned to Belgium<br />
selsinsideher eastTulsa display case are the products to study chocolatewith the masters in 2000. The next<br />
of faith, and of patience.<br />
year, shestaked her claim on Memorial Drive and her<br />
In the exactingscienceof chocolate-where one Tulsa future on Belgian chocolate.<br />
degree Celsius can ruin a vat of Belgian dark-the art Customersarrive armed with cravingsand special<br />
does not come easy. For inspiration,Joseph recalls the orders.Joseph makes, husband GregNull markets,<br />
aromatic exhaust of beet-sugar factories in her native and threeyear-oldson,Christopher, tastes. Reared on<br />
Tienen. "You smell refinerieshere," shesays. "In Mom's recipe,he knows good chocolate. <strong>No</strong>uveau's<br />
Belgium,we smelledsugar." "official taster" spit one of his last birthday +a single<br />
The <strong>No</strong>uveau chocolatebctory consistsofthreehigh- piece ofname-brand chocolate-nto the kitchen floor.<br />
tech, stainless-steeltemperingmachines in which bulk "Once in a while," Joseph says, "you have to do<br />
chocolateand sugarmelt and combine at precisetem- quality control." -Mark Brown<br />
peratures.Josephhoists the eleven-pound scoredblocks<br />
like sacredtablets.Each machineeatsa block ofbulk <strong>No</strong>uveau isopenfi.om 10a.m. to 6p.m. Tuesday<br />
chowlatein no time. Melted, they flowlike black gold. throughFriday 12p.m. to5p.m. Sarurhy 1601South<br />
For two years in the mid-1980s Joseph operated MernorialDrivein Tuh (918)6iil-1830.<br />
I<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
MATT MOFFETT NEVER SET OUT<br />
to be the Picasso of pet portraiture.<br />
I<br />
In fact, he never set out to be an artist at<br />
all. But a chance encounter on Christmas<br />
morning 1998changed his life.<br />
That's when Moffett met, or rather rescued,<br />
Alejandro, a black poodle left for dead on aTdsa street after<br />
being hit by a car.<br />
"The driver didn't even stop," says Moffett, who witnessed the<br />
incident and later took the battered animal to a veterinarian. Soon,<br />
Alejandro became his beloved pet and ultimately the inspiration for<br />
his art when the dog died two years later.<br />
Moffett sought to honor Alejandro by commissioning an oil<br />
painting but quickly discovered that pet portraits were too expensive<br />
to justify on his public schoolteacher's salary. With no formal<br />
art training, Moffett purchased paints and brushes and got to work.<br />
The finished poruait ofdejandro still hangs in his MZ Studio in<br />
downtownTulsa Friends, impressed, began askinghim to paint their<br />
pets. Eventually word spread, and Moffett has since been capturing<br />
animal countenances on canvas for clients both locally and nationally.<br />
Some have even flown him out to meet their furry friends.<br />
"People have described my style as Picasso-esque, a loose realism,"<br />
he says.<br />
Others have referred to it as surrealistic realism or folksy. However<br />
characterized, his paintings feature bold colors, broad strokes,<br />
and animated subjects intended to capture the personality of the<br />
pet. To accomplish this, Moffett spends time with the animal and<br />
its owners, taking up to two hundred photos.<br />
"I'm able to get - into the dog's - head,"<br />
says Moffett, who today owns a choco- <br />
late Labrador and two dachshunds. "I <br />
grew up with a lot of dogs and have a <br />
huge affinityfor them." <br />
Moffett spends virtually every avail- <br />
able minute in his studio when not <br />
teaching art at Audubon International <br />
School inTdsa. While pet portraits <br />
make up most of his portfolio, Mof- <br />
fett is no one-trick puppy. He also <br />
paints other animals and people por- <br />
traits, bringing to them his inimitable, <br />
expressive style. <br />
"The goal ofart," Moffen says, "is to <br />
make you feel something. I just want to <br />
move people and inspire them." <br />
Scott Wigton<br />
"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."<br />
-Roger Caras<br />
THE PICASSO OF POOCHES <br />
Going to the Dogs with M2 Studio Portraits<br />
Matt Moffett? custom portraits start<br />
, at $500. M2 Studio islocatedat 1203<br />
i East Third St+eet in %ha. (918)607-<br />
1 4955; m2s~ioportraits.com.<br />
I<br />
I <br />
Summers in Malaga, Spain, help keep<br />
pet portraitist Matt Moffe#t motivated.<br />
It's no accident that he rents an apattment<br />
on the same plazawhere his inspiration,<br />
Pablo Picasso, was born.
"The only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it."<br />
-Winnie the Pooh<br />
STICKY FINGERS<br />
The Erick Honey Farm<br />
MORETHAN FORTY-ONEYEARSAGO,A HONEY<br />
stand near Erick in far western <strong>Oklahoma</strong> enticed<br />
Route 66 motorists. Please put your money in the<br />
box, the sign asked, and enjoy your quart of honey.<br />
These days, the spirit of the Erick Honey Farm remains<br />
the same-a commitment to selling pure, western<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> honey and friendly customer service.<br />
"The honey farm is more an experience than anything<br />
else. It's very nostalgic," says Lori Coats, who<br />
has owned the business since 1998with her husband,<br />
Richard, and her mother, Judy Hogan. "People come<br />
here because they experienced it as a kid, and they want<br />
their kids to experience it."<br />
During his childhood, Richard Coats attended<br />
school with children of the original owners, the Wilhelms.<br />
When the Coats found themselves in need of a<br />
second income and the honey farm came up for sale, it<br />
looked like a perfect opportunity.<br />
The owners of the Erick Honey Farm don't limit their goods to honey alone. The have a startedwhen<br />
In addition to the sweettreats, they also sell candy, candles, and crafts. farm opened in 1962--educational tours with presentar<br />
.<br />
One excitinq I<br />
I<br />
-~r<br />
'.-. \,I.--=<br />
History<br />
Beautiful Hills and Rivers<br />
Native American Culture<br />
7 Recreation C I<br />
Exotic Animal Parks<br />
UniqueShopping<br />
Coming<br />
k<br />
c*<br />
'Rm<br />
ckasaw Annual<br />
Capitd<br />
I<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
tions explaining how the nectar of clover,<br />
alffi, and wildflowers is converted into<br />
golden sweetness by the honeybees. A<br />
double-sided, revolving display case, filled<br />
with honeycomb and live bees, illustrates<br />
the process.<br />
But the store stocks products beyond<br />
the expected jars and plastic bears full of<br />
honey. Homemade honey mustard is a<br />
mainstay,as is spun honey, a special variety<br />
with the consistency of butter and laced<br />
with mouthwatering - flavors like chocolate,<br />
cinnamon, peanut butter, and pecan.<br />
Beeswax and taper candles and scented<br />
votives are other customer favorites.<br />
Coats uses the "tried and true" recipe<br />
perfected by Maxine Wilhelm more than<br />
thirty years ago.<br />
Coatsalsodoesa littleexperimenting<br />
with her handmade soaps. This year,<br />
she's introducing new formulations of the<br />
all-natural glycerin concoctions, including<br />
honey and oatmeal, strawberry and cream,<br />
and orange peel. She says, "Most everything<br />
I make here, you could eat."<br />
Whatever it is, it'll be a honey of a deal.<br />
-Holly Hendrix<br />
duying or Selling Indian Art?<br />
Know the Law!<br />
Under the lndian Arts and Crafts Act, all products must be marketed<br />
truthfully regarding heritage and tribal affiliation of the artist or craftsperson.<br />
For a free brochure on the lndian Arts and Crafts Act and how to file<br />
a complaint, contact the lndian Arts and Crafts Board, U.S. Department of<br />
the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 4004-MIB Washington, DC 20240,<br />
T: 202.208.3773, E: jacb@os.doi.gov, W: ww.hcb.doj.gov<br />
Visit the Southern Plains lndian Museum<br />
See authentic lndian arts and crafts, located in Anadarko, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> at<br />
I 15 East Central Boulevard. The museum is open year-round and hosts a<br />
variety of exhibits from traditional clothing and artifacts, to contemporary<br />
paintings and sculptures. Southern Plains lndian Museum, P.O. Box 749,<br />
&nadarko, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> 73005, T: 405.247.6227<br />
Toget to Erick Hony Farm, turn north<br />
offI-40 at &t 5, Hon yfirm Road and<br />
look$r buildngs a short distance north of the<br />
interstate. 9a.m. to5p.m. Monday through<br />
Saturdzy. (580) 526-3759; nickhoneyfarm.<br />
Along with the standard honey, Erick Honey<br />
Farmalso sells a hot variety flavored with<br />
chili peppers.
It-"--*<br />
-t <br />
-.--a<br />
- -<br />
the 1 and we 1 0ve <br />
By JimTo 1 bert<br />
Photography by Yousef Khanfar<br />
A FRIEND SENT ME A POEM BY, OF ALL PEOPLE, JACK KEROUAC,<br />
which she found in the NauYork Emes. It described how summer arrives<br />
and contained the line, "windmillslof <strong>Oklahoma</strong> IooWin every direction."<br />
Instantly, I was a small boy riding through the dusty heat of Kiowa<br />
County on a visit to my grandmother, fascinated by windmills.<br />
I think those childhood visits to Hobart were where my pervasive<br />
affection for the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> landscape may have begun. That connection<br />
has been a constant ever since-changing, evolving, maybe<br />
maturing, but always an undercurrent in my thoughts. It is in most<br />
ways a gift from my father and one that I sincerely hope has been<br />
passed to my children.<br />
To a six year old from <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City, western <strong>Oklahoma</strong> was<br />
endless, bigger, and more infinite than the world. But not frightening.<br />
In Hobart, land was omnipresent, no more than a block or two away<br />
at any time. Its seamless openness offered exhilarating freedom.<br />
My father had grown up in this harsh landscape, where the only<br />
available work was helping a farmer. He spent summers and school<br />
breaks working on the red dirt farms that surrounded the town. His<br />
was a time when farming was not about fertilizer and herbicides but<br />
was largely done by hand, assisted by horses and mules. It must have<br />
been hot, demanding work, the kind that would have built in most<br />
of us a bone-hard conviction to seek another life. For him, it created<br />
a lifetime need for a tangible connection to the land.<br />
At fifteen, I spent the summer in southern <strong>Oklahoma</strong> with my other<br />
grandmother in Ardmore. It was one of a series of summer jobs, arranged<br />
by my father to keep me off the streets and in the outdoors.<br />
At the time, a regional effort was under way to demonstrate the<br />
importance of pollinating insects, specifically bees, to the success of the<br />
cash crops in the area-from to grain sorghum. Several hundred<br />
hives were to be trucked from site to site with their impact on production<br />
measured and publicized. I was to be the beekeeper's apprentice.<br />
Above, from left: 14,200acre BrokenBow Lake in the Ouachita National<br />
Forest; Major County's Gloss Mountains lie between the Cimarron and<br />
<strong>No</strong>rth Canadian Rivers; the shoreline of the Great Salt Plains Lake spans<br />
41 miles and covers 9,300 acres. Erosion has created unique geological<br />
formations in the Arbuckle Mountains, oppos'b.<br />
ESSAY 31
To a six year old,<br />
western <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
was endless, bigger,<br />
and more infinite<br />
than the world. Its<br />
seamless openness<br />
offered exhilarating<br />
freedom.<br />
I built hives, cleaned hives, harvested hives, and got stung a lot, but I<br />
learned about botany biology, husbandry, and how to swear to maximum<br />
effect. The real lesson of that summer, however, was a lifetime appreciation<br />
for the infinite variety and productivity of <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s land.<br />
It was the summer of 1940 when my memory was so strongly - -<br />
imprinted<br />
with the landscape of my father's Kiowa County boyhood. He<br />
found-and purchased-a ranch on the western slope of the Arbuckle<br />
Mountains. Rafter Cross Ranch became his avocation and, except for<br />
his family, his life's satisfaction.<br />
A mixture of overgrazed native grass and depleted soil fields, Rafter<br />
Cross Ranch had for eons epitomized the buffalo range. Situated at the<br />
confluence of the short buMo grass - - prairies of the Great Plains and the<br />
mixed grasses of the mountains, the terrain was laced with seams of big<br />
and little bluestem and Indian grass in small pockets worthy of the Osage.<br />
Sadly, by the time of my father's purchase, it was sick, much of it unable<br />
to support the meanest of weed cover.<br />
My fither spent the rest of his life making the land well. He employed<br />
the then-limited science of soil conservation, the evolving science of<br />
range restoration, and all the cash the ranch could generate to bring<br />
it back to life. I worked summers there as a teenager, living with the<br />
foreman and learning about cattle and realizing that ranching was<br />
genuinely hard work. I became infected with my father's passion.<br />
He didn't demand it. I am not sure he wen expected it, but by exposing<br />
me to the rhythm and pace of a healing land kd by letting me see his<br />
own vulnerability to this miraculous progress, I too fell in love.<br />
My four children had little exposure to their grandfather, but they<br />
each became connected to his ranch. The open country they experi-<br />
. . -<br />
enced as youngsters became a place of learning, if nothing else, about<br />
their own father's life. In time, it became necessary to sell the ranch,<br />
its stewardship requiring time and frequent contact. <strong>No</strong>ne of us had<br />
I am, after all, a city person. I<br />
deal in books and real estate and<br />
have traveled all my adult life putting<br />
sick companies right.<br />
Flying home, I sometimes<br />
fantasize what I would do with a<br />
healing wand, a wand that could<br />
close the gaping gullies, reforest<br />
the depleted cross timbers, and<br />
counterattack the weakened<br />
rangeland. This is the maximum fantasy, to restore the former sweep<br />
of the prairies, removing all traces of abuse and exploitation.<br />
Often then, particularly late in the day, from the vantage point offered<br />
by my business travels and a commercial airliner, I begin to notice the<br />
glint of tens of thousands of hponds the soil conservation movement<br />
brought to <strong>Oklahoma</strong>. I notice old fields now terraced with grasses as<br />
they gradually spread to cover the sores of erosion. I begin to realize that<br />
the raw wounds of open &es are mostly in my memory, that the dust<br />
seldom blows as it once did, and that my hther was one of many.<br />
I have never farmed. But I do occasionally dream.<br />
Above, from left: Cuttails are plentiful across <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s tallgrass prairie;<br />
Qua* MountainState Park is locatedon Lake Altullugert: Great<br />
Sah Plains Lake, completed in 1941. Wichii Mountains Wildlife Refuge,<br />
opposite, provides habitat for many grazing bison.<br />
rn<br />
ESSAY 1 33
We come here to remember those who were killed, those<br />
who survived, and those changed forever. May all who<br />
leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial<br />
offer comfort, strength, peace, hope, and serenity.<br />
OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL MISSION STATEMENT<br />
WITHIN THESE WALLS <br />
At the Journal Record Building, the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National<br />
Memorial Center Museum ensures we will never forget.<br />
Steffie Corcoran reports.<br />
I APRIL 19,1995<br />
EIGHT YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE WORLD FIRST ASSOCIATED OKLAHOMA<br />
City with a day on a calendar. Time has marched relentlessly forward, gradually but<br />
inevitably adding to the divide between the bombing of the Alfred I? Murrah Federal<br />
Building in downtown <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City and the present. That distance has provided a space for<br />
healing, and for remembering.<br />
"Wewill never forget" is no longer a phrase in shoe polish scribbled on a police car's rear windshield.<br />
These four words now signify a national impulse to erect monuments honoring the senseless deaths<br />
of brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, sons and daughters. Consider the Vietnam Veterans<br />
Memorial and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.<br />
Consider <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City.<br />
Here, the processes of grief, healing, and remembrance have been soothed, at least in part, by<br />
the site on which the tragedy occurred, a place considered by many hallowed ground. <strong>Today</strong>, the<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial's symbolic gardens and museum occupy that sacred space.<br />
A short walk from the pastoral outdoor grounds - to the west entry of the memorial center museum<br />
gives visitors scant preparation for the contrast they will experience between one and the other.<br />
The center, inside the Journal Record Building-itself heavily damaged by the massive ammonium<br />
nitrate cocktail-rests directly north of the gardens. Proximity and a shared mission<br />
statement are among the few things the facilities, two of the three arms of the tripartite $29.1<br />
million complex, share.<br />
The <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial Center Museum in the former Journal Record Building sits<br />
north of the outdoor symbolic memorial. The grounds, designed by Butzer Design Partnership, incorporate<br />
several elements, including a field of 168 chairs, a reflecting pool, and the Gates of Time.
0KLAHOMACITY ATTORNEY BOB JOHNSON IS WIDELY<br />
considered the visionary of the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National<br />
Memorial effort. Polly Nichols, seriously injured while working<br />
inside the Journal Record Building and today chair of the memorial<br />
foundation, says, "Early on, Bob told [then-mayor] Ron <strong>No</strong>rick<br />
that he wanted to do something, that he felt compelled to do<br />
something. And Ron, to his everlasting credit, realized what an<br />
asset Bob would be in a leadership position."<br />
On <strong>No</strong>vember 14, 1995, the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City Memorial Task<br />
Force, chaired by Johnson, passed a resolution stating that one of the<br />
components of the permanent memorial be an information center,<br />
to include photos and biographies of the 168 victims.<br />
Over the next four years, thousands became involved in<br />
the memorial effort, what Johnson refers to as a "very open,<br />
consensus-based process." Memorial trustee Richard Williams,<br />
a survivor from the General Services Administration, says, "The<br />
process itself of consideration for consensus was absolutely<br />
unbelievable. It had to be a consensus to determine that we were<br />
making the right decisions."<br />
Consensus, anyone will tell you, is rarely easy--or fast. Those<br />
hundreds involved in various parts of the project-fLndraising,<br />
selecting a designer for the outdoor site, construction-labored<br />
on. By early 2000, work on the outdoor memorial was nearly<br />
complete. Lippert Brothers, an <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City construction firm,<br />
was already at work on the rehabilitation of the Journal Record<br />
Building for the city when, in February 2000, they won the bid<br />
to do general contracting on the memorial center. The company<br />
had already worked extensively on the outdoor site.<br />
Tom Lippert, senior vice president and project manager for<br />
all three jobs, says despite the building's hard hit in 1995, "there<br />
were only some select areas that received major damage. That was<br />
primarily on the south side of the Journal Record Building. Other<br />
than that, the building was quite stout."<br />
Interior design work completed and with just a few loose ends<br />
of construction work remaining elsewhere in the building, the $10<br />
million, 30,000-square-foot <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial<br />
Center Museum opened to the public on President's Day, February<br />
19,2001.<br />
THE OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL CENTER<br />
Museum is a unique entity. Receiving no state or federal appropriations<br />
for daily operations-but <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City, the state<br />
of <strong>Oklahoma</strong>, and the federal government made sizable donations<br />
during the memorial's construction phase-it is self-funded<br />
through admission fees, memorial store profits, museum memberships,<br />
funds from the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City Memorial Marathon, and<br />
endowment earnings.<br />
With a staff of eighteen, the museum operates under the jurisdiction<br />
of the nine-member <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National MemorialTrust,<br />
whose members-including chairman Luke Corbett, CEO of Kerr-<br />
McGee, and vice-chair Linda Lambert, who owns an independent<br />
oil and gas exploration company-are presidential appointees.<br />
i<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong><br />
36
The forty-eight-member <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial<br />
Foundation manages the endowment and is its fundraising arm.<br />
Both boards include survivors, family members of the deceased,<br />
and civic leaders.<br />
Unique, too, is the memorial's relationship with the National Park<br />
Service, which operates at the request of the trust in cooperation<br />
with the memorial's staffand is reimbursed annually for its service.<br />
The six park rangers who work at the memorial are responsible for<br />
interpretation of the outdoor site and help coordinate security.<br />
Before the dedication ceremony, President and Mrs. Bush took<br />
a private tour of the museum. "It is a really well-done place," the<br />
president said in his public comments. "It's powerful."<br />
The president's visit brought the national press, and reporters<br />
from the Washington Post and elsewhere described the museum<br />
with the same adjective, "powerful." An ABC news report said,<br />
"The center depicts the frenzied panic after the bomb exploded,<br />
a short distance from the building's day-care center." In the Dallas<br />
Morning Nezus, Arnold Hamilton said, "From display to display,<br />
the faces, names, and places become familiar again."<br />
The three-level complex on the west side of the Journal Record<br />
Building begins with a subdued, granite-walled lobby and tasteful<br />
gift store. Security is tight for the fifth-floor administrative offices,<br />
and precautionary measures include a sign-in process, badges, escorts,<br />
and photo ID.<br />
The second and third floors, filled with media and artifact<br />
exhibits, constitute the museum proper. A ten-chapter story line,<br />
scripted by a group of key staff members and volunteers who<br />
called themselves the "Wednesday Night Prayer Group," begins<br />
on the third floor with a typical morning in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City, followed<br />
by a journey through the chaos and hysteria of the event<br />
and concluding on the second floor with the hope and healing<br />
that arose in its aftermath.<br />
The memorial center is an interactive, multimedia experience.<br />
Exhibits include glassed-in displays, television monitors with oral<br />
histories of the people executive director Kari Watkins calls "walking,<br />
talking artifacts," and computerized kiosks. The path through the<br />
center twists and turns,something new around every corner.<br />
The images within the memorial center were installed by<br />
Hillmann & Carr, an award-winning motion picture and video<br />
production company from Washington, D.C., whose clients include<br />
the Smithsonian Institution, the National Civil War Museum,<br />
and the U.S.Holocaust Memorial Museum, the model to<br />
which the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial Center Museum<br />
is frequently compared.<br />
ACTING AS VISUAL PARTNERS TO THE MANY COMPETingvoices<br />
inside the museum are artifacts upon artifacts, the<br />
province of collections manager Jane Thomas of Guthrie. Thomas,<br />
a historian, began her salvage operation as a task force volunteer<br />
in the months following the bombing.<br />
"You have to understand," she says, "people thought I was kind<br />
of a nut. You know, I'm over at the First United Methodist Church,<br />
and I'm saying,<br />
- - 'Can I have your window?"'<br />
Thomas and other early organizers suspected the items that<br />
would resonate most with visitors would be the ones they could<br />
easily identlfy with. A dress, a plastic photo ID badge, and a men's<br />
restroom, for instance.<br />
In a case on the third floor hangs a pretty long-sleeved dress with a<br />
belt, its only visible damage a small tear on the skirt. Florence Rogers,<br />
CEO of the Federal Employees Credit Union, lost eighteen colleagues<br />
in the bombing. She had worn the dress to work on April 19.<br />
Once she finally made it home that day, Rogers shook out the dress,<br />
dusted with debris fiom the blast, and stuck it in a shelf in her laundry<br />
room, out of sight and out of mind. Four years later, she stumbled<br />
upon it. "I pressed it up, and I took it to Jane at the archives-I<br />
could not throw it awayand I said, 'Jane, do something with this;<br />
get it out of my way."' She pauses. "I didn't know it was going to be<br />
displayed in the museum until the board members toured through<br />
there. I'm not a person who cries easily, but I stood there and sobbed<br />
when I saw it standing there."<br />
In the corner of the same display, the shards of another dress,<br />
worn by survivor Nancy Ingram, an IRS secretary inside the credit<br />
union at the time of the bombing, fit inside a Ziploc bag.<br />
Thomas envisioned another exhibit filled with ID badges - repre-<br />
-<br />
senting the various agencies that worked in rescue and recovery. One<br />
From left: This portion of the museum's tewchapter story line depicts<br />
'chaos'; President Bush speakswith RichardWilliams, Major Ed Hill,<br />
and Bob Johnson at the museum dedication on February 19,2001;<br />
flags recovered from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building debris are<br />
displayed within the center.
Recovered items including a rose window, left, from the nearby<br />
First United Methodist Church, and dresses worn by Florence Rogers<br />
and Nancy Ingram, below right, on April 19,1995, are now<br />
displayed within the museum. Located in the basement of the<br />
memorial center, the archives include a wall of hats, below left,<br />
originally placed on the outdoor fence.<br />
badge volunteered from a member of each groupFBI, FEMA, the<br />
medical examiner's office, and police department-would do. And of<br />
course one badge from the ~klahoma city Fie Department.<br />
Thomas had already ~rocured then-Chief Gary Marrs' helmet<br />
for a rescuer's display, and now, she thought, what better badge to<br />
represent the fire department thanthechiefs? "I thought hisheart was<br />
going to break," she says. "It was so hard to give it up. I said, 'Chief<br />
Marrs, another one is okay, but this is just special."'<br />
"Jane can do that," Marrs, a memorial trustee, says of her powers<br />
of persuasion. "I thought long and hard about it. She convinced<br />
me that it would be better used there than it would sitting in<br />
my drawer somewhere."<br />
It's difficult to imagine a productive use for a bombed-out men's<br />
restroom. But the one on the second floor landing of the Journal<br />
Record Building forever records the devastation of the bomb<br />
blast. "One of the things we wanted people to see is how cavities<br />
could form-where people survived-because nobody died in this<br />
building," says Thomas.<br />
After separating construction residue from that which occurred<br />
naturally after the bombing, the room had to be shored up so its<br />
destruction could be reserved in perpetuity. The east wall, for<br />
example, was reinforced with netting, then tied to supports.<br />
"It's pretty firm up there," Thomas says, noting the room's hidden<br />
monitors that help her keep an eye out for pests and changes<br />
in the interior that might require attention.<br />
An adjoining closet contains an old typewriter Thomas had<br />
long craved, because, as she believes, it's the everyday items visitors<br />
most identify with.<br />
"Before I knew the Memorial Center Committee was going to<br />
preserve this, I had coveted that typewriter and yet had never gotten<br />
it. When the construction crew came in and closed this off, 1realized<br />
it was forever going to live here."<br />
I<br />
F YOU PRESERVE IT, THEY WILL COME. AND COME THEY<br />
have. More than 400,000 visitors thus far have journeyed<br />
through the museum.<br />
"Of the myriad ways the bombing has transformed this place,"<br />
said New Kirk Times writer Jim Yardley in 2001, "perhaps one of<br />
the most unexpected and surprising is that <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City is now<br />
a tourist attraction ....Before the bombing, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City barely<br />
registered on the national consciousness ....The worst thing that<br />
ever happened to the state became the best thing for its image and,<br />
oddly, its self-esteem."<br />
That renewed confidence continues to have a big national impact.<br />
"That's what the memorial effort is all about," Bob Johnson<br />
says. "It's the effect it had on the people who were touched by it,<br />
and I don't think that's just confined to the people of <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
City. I think there were concentric rings of impact that radiated<br />
out across the world."
"Ifyou pbadrdlook at tel&Ian history, the OldahmC i<br />
bombingwas oneaftbe bt thiqpAmericanswwhedh mbeginnbg<br />
to end," sap Watb, "That's why people can relate to t-his<br />
site* people who knw nobody and nothing abut it. It h sad w k<br />
hap& butiris incmdible what rose out &&is @y.&d hat<br />
is a global story, ao inltmriand story thatmnrlnuai to 2K told."<br />
Continuing to tdI1 the scary ia one of the memorid center's<br />
most critical &dons. Immediapely her the attach of Septpmbet<br />
11, 2001, the s d mobilized to help, placing a fwll-page<br />
expression dsympatb~ir~die Niw Krk Emes and coaceiving<br />
an exhihit to highlight the mmmon events. Sime ApQ 13,<br />
3002, the museum has hosted the award-winning sp%dalexhibit,<br />
A Sbswd@wi~n~c:04.19.95-03, I I.Ot, also devdoped<br />
by Hiham & Catr and containing five sections focusing<br />
on the expeGeeces <strong>Oklahoma</strong>ns shared with Near York City,<br />
Washgt~~ Q.C., and ShanhviUe, Rslnsyhnia. Some New<br />
York residents have made pilgrimages to <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City to see<br />
rhe exhibit, and the memdal Etenter, for themselves.<br />
h&er pilgrim, MatkAndersen af$an Dieggo, Wmnia,was<br />
.captain of &e Torrance, California, fire department at the time<br />
ofthe hmbing, his unik one 9frnany nationwide to suppmt. the<br />
rem~eand reurrery e&rts. He returned to Oklalmma City for<br />
the &st h e in April.<br />
"The memorial is ex(T.idre9very tastdidy done. I am reaS1~<br />
h p d wirh it," he say$, *Of murse it brou&r b& a lot of<br />
memories, same painful, some wry god."<br />
PennsylvaniamJohnBlair Lovisi~edinApril, for he thdtime,<br />
7t was here shorrly her it happened," he sap. "Theywmjust<br />
ereaim8 the face, The next time Iwas here, they were drinking<br />
about building a memod. It m dl rubble. So we decided to<br />
came see the memarid and it is just speetaeJ;ir." The gravityuf'<br />
the moment brings tears* "It is one of the saddest places I haw<br />
been in rhe world, I hwe been to alot ~fthemB and thk ow tdf<br />
hurts because it is on our territary,"<br />
LikeBlair*most visitors experience a range dea~oti~ns going<br />
the memorial center. Volunteer Sue Craig ofMimt<br />
City says, "I enjsy vol~t~teaing on the smnd floor, bemuse it is<br />
n~theend.bpIewe&to expresstheirkehg~. M a ~ y d b<br />
want to reach out, even hug me or touch me, ad th.8"11 say, 'a,<br />
thank;you hr volmmering here,bd 'This musevm is beatifid;<br />
youk done s d nwondedd job.'"<br />
W y members and stdvarsfkelthe impsoftbe center even<br />
moteacutely KetryVanEssofO~aCiry:l~h~ither,HUD<br />
~~John%EssILI,b&~rnb'~~Ithinktke~wnis<br />
hxediblynice," she sags. "The raom vrrhere they playthe ltape [the<br />
onlybwn midingofthe bomb, aW'ater Resow B d<br />
hatha;] if beyond shocking. Iwill saythis, it'svaysz%k&~."<br />
A cmtmer in the cr& mion that morning was amoag the<br />
40<br />
I<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY .JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
most severely injured. "Being on that third floor, it all hits you,"<br />
says Susan Walton. ''you're just bombarded by everything that was<br />
going on that day. I could stand it for fifteen, twenty minutes, and<br />
then I had to get out of there. But the second floor is more calming.<br />
I love the children's part and where you write on the wall."<br />
Richard Williams, a trustee who has been active in the memorial<br />
process since the earliest days, says, "I am deeply proud<br />
of what that museum represents. It tells a story, a story of a<br />
struggle, a story of loss of life, a story of survivorship, a story<br />
of what happened here and how people responded to this city<br />
and this state in a manner no one had ever experienced before.<br />
It's difficult. We understand that. And yet it is tastefully done.<br />
It is accurate. It is historical."<br />
LTHOUGH WELL AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF<br />
A& e past, the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial staElooks<br />
toward the future, a future they believe begins with children.<br />
"There's still a great deal to be done, particularly in the arena of<br />
education," says Bob Johnson. "The most important thing we can<br />
do is reach out and touch the lives of children. We can change the<br />
mindset among chlldren about how issues are to be resolved and the<br />
senselessness of violence as a means of issue resolution."<br />
To that end, the memorial center continuously strengthens its<br />
educational offerings. School groups receive discounted admission,<br />
and affordable curriculum materials including videos and books on<br />
nonviolence and conflict resolution are available to teachers upon<br />
request. Each spring, students are invited to compete for cash prizes<br />
in an essay competition divided into several grade categories, the prizewinners<br />
announced at the April anniversary ceremony.<br />
Watkins is most excited, though, about a distance learning program<br />
to be launched in late <strong>2003</strong>. "We'll be able to connect with a DSL,<br />
computer, or fiber-optic line to a classroom in Baghdad or Tel Aviv<br />
and teach a class from the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial. We<br />
can have firemen here talking to firemen in New York City. We can<br />
have rescuers here talking to rescuers at the Pentagon."<br />
From the earliest days following April 19,200 1, getting people<br />
connected and helping others is, and indeed always has been, what<br />
the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial represents best.<br />
That, and remembering.<br />
Kari Watkins says, "We built this place to last, so it's critical that<br />
we maintain it in the manner in which we built it. Our people know<br />
that, and they understand that mediocrity isn't acceptable."<br />
She pauses.<br />
"I think back to those 168 chairs. They died in a capacity for<br />
their country. I don't think mediocre would serve them."<br />
A Shared Experience: 04.19.95-09.1 1.0 1 will be on exhibit at the<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> City National Memorial Center Museum through Labor<br />
Day. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6p.m. Monaky through<br />
Saturday, I to 6p.m. Sunday. Admission prices are $7, adults; $6<br />
seniors; $5, students, and children jve and under, free. (405) 235-<br />
3313 or oklahomacitynationalmemoria~org.<br />
St@e Corcoran is senior editor at <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong>.<br />
TRIBUTE<br />
1 41
PHOTOGRAPH BY SCOTT RAFFE<br />
Outdoor Dining Favorites<br />
PATIOS...THE PERFECT SPACES FOR<br />
WHILING AWAY THESE SWEET SUMMER NIGHTS<br />
Bean and Berry Bistro<br />
2033 <strong>No</strong>rth Kickapoo Shawnee<br />
An elegant wood lattice covered<br />
with trumpet vines is a wonderful<br />
backdrop for the local bands<br />
that play on the patio Friday<br />
and Saturday nights. Try the<br />
mesquite chicken Thai wrap<br />
with your iced coffee. (405)<br />
273-9691, $2-$5.<br />
Chelino's<br />
15East CaliforniaAvenue<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> City<br />
<strong>No</strong> view of the Bricktown canal<br />
is as delicious as the three-story<br />
fiesta-style deck at Chelino's.<br />
Try the sizzling fajitasavailable<br />
in beef,chicken, and shrimp.<br />
(405) 235-3<strong>53</strong>3, $7-$12.<br />
Copper<br />
510Dewy Avenue Bartlesville<br />
High atop the Inn at PriceTower,<br />
Copper's fifteenth and sixteenthfloor<br />
patios give altitude to<br />
modern cuisinewith an attitude.<br />
Copper louvers block the sting<br />
of the natural elements so you<br />
can cornfortablyenjoythe pestocrusted<br />
salmon. (918)336-1000,<br />
$14-$17.<br />
Crow Creek Tavern<br />
3<strong>53</strong>4South Peoria Avenue<br />
Tub<br />
This cozy spot was modeled<br />
after an English tavern, but the<br />
stone patio is what transports<br />
you to anotherworld. The oldworld<br />
ambiance is a favorite<br />
for enjoying the fish and chips.<br />
(918)749-9100, $6-$15.<br />
Harmony House<br />
208 South Seventh Muskogee<br />
Though vines and flowers adorn<br />
this coveredwood patio, it is the<br />
bathtub-turned-water garden<br />
that exudes an enchantedcharm<br />
at this cafe and bakery. (918)<br />
687-86<strong>53</strong>, $4-$7.<br />
Molly's Landing<br />
Highway 66 Catoosa<br />
A courtyard overlooking the<br />
Verdigris River sets the scene<br />
for the 1872 rib-eye steaks at<br />
Molly's Landing. The thirteenspice<br />
recipe was taken from the<br />
Chisholm Trail chuck wagons.<br />
(918) 266-78<strong>53</strong>, $13-$30.<br />
The Mont<br />
1300 Cllzrsen <strong>No</strong>rman<br />
The Mont's patio, with a water<br />
mistingsystemand signatureswirl<br />
margaritas, brings <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s<br />
heat down a good fifteen degrees.<br />
The patio is so ~opular,it's not<br />
unusual for patrons to endure an<br />
hour-long wait when immediate<br />
seating is available inside. (405)<br />
329-3330, $6-$9.<br />
On the Sidewalk<br />
Bar & Grill<br />
114WestRandolph Enid<br />
With the opening of a sliding<br />
door, On the Sidewalk becomes<br />
an outdoor dining venue. A<br />
view of the Garfield County<br />
courthouse lawn is enhanced by<br />
the grilled rack of lamb covered<br />
with aspicyMediterraneansauce.<br />
(580)234-3050, $12-$20.<br />
Redrock Canyon Grill<br />
9221 Lake Hefizer Parkway<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> City<br />
Water meets earth at this rock<br />
patio with a view of Lake Hefner.<br />
The outdoor fireplaceand<br />
casual Southwest cuisinewarm<br />
up this fifteen-tableoutdoor<br />
retreat. Get your feet wet with<br />
the fresh fish of the day. (405)<br />
749-1995, $9-$29.<br />
Roxie's Roost<br />
16471Highway 10<br />
Tahlequah<br />
Rockin' bands and barbecue<br />
energize the deck and yard at<br />
Roxie's Roost. Known for its<br />
chopped beef barbecue, the<br />
deck against a cliff provides<br />
a lively atmosphere when live<br />
bands play every weekend.<br />
(918) 458-9<strong>53</strong>1, $6-$15.<br />
Sundance Caf6<br />
Quartz Mountain Resort and Confirence<br />
Center * Lone Wolf<br />
Lit by twinkling lights and the<br />
moon shiningoff Lake Altus, the<br />
SundanceCafeis the perfectplace<br />
to eat everything from a chickenfried<br />
steak to marinatedJapanese<br />
salmon with soba noodles. The<br />
rock wall patio, arbors, and<br />
greenery provide the romantic<br />
vibe. (580) 563-3036, $7-$20.<br />
Bellini'simtables overlooka pond<br />
st& with gaese.The Capellini<br />
d Comb#, ten Mediterranean<br />
grilled shrimp with red bell pep<br />
pers and basil pesto, is fantastico.<br />
(405)848-1065, $9-$27.<br />
The Gapevim Tulxl<br />
We heard itthroughthe grapevine<br />
that this patio, under the shade of<br />
a black awning, offers some of<br />
the best salads in town. (918)<br />
743-1870, $7-$25.<br />
stillwater<br />
MexicoJoe's<br />
Neon lights in the brick enclosed<br />
patio and Mexican hot link faiibs<br />
help spice things up. But don't<br />
sweat; ceilingfans and margaritas<br />
are sure to cool you down. (918)<br />
787-5988, $7-$14.<br />
MuseumCab <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City<br />
Like painters mixing colors, the<br />
Museum C& at the <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
City Museum of Art has mixed<br />
different styles of cuisine to create<br />
an American-kh fusion. (405)<br />
235-6262, $5-$22.<br />
Portside Cafe Fos<br />
You can't get anycloser to the signature<br />
catfish than those bobbing<br />
lakeside at Poltside Cafe. (580)<br />
592-4490, $9-$15.<br />
I<br />
Wild Fork Tulsa<br />
This popular patio faces Utica<br />
Square's garden and is adorned<br />
with two bronze sculptures of<br />
young girls feeding birds. (918)<br />
742-071 2, $2-$30.
in the Redches<br />
They otten work alone and in the most<br />
remote sections of <strong>Oklahoma</strong>. Their illegal<br />
counterparts are more heavily armed than they are, ..<br />
and their careers are often defined by prolonged episodes of watching and wait-<br />
l<br />
'<br />
ing. Without wildlife cops, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> wouldn't have its rich natural environment populated<br />
by a wealth 'of flora and fauna. Without them, our forests would be empty, our streams lifeless.<br />
BY CHAD LOVE<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM LUKER<br />
14 1<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
THE NOT-SO SYLVAN WOODS<br />
A more bucolic scene could hardly be imagined. The deer,<br />
a magnificent, barrel-chested ten-point buck, stands aloof and<br />
proud in a field of verdant, newly sprouted winter wheat. It is<br />
early fall, and the deep russet hue of the buck's coat fairly glows<br />
in the buttery half-light of the fading evening sun.<br />
The buck doesn't move when the faint sounds of an approaching<br />
vehicle become audible. It remains still as the sound's source<br />
becomes visible, a pickup, cruising slowly along the remote<br />
county road bordering the wheat field. The buck stays motionless<br />
as the truck suddenly stops and the passenger-side window is<br />
hastily rolled down, merely stares as a rifle barrel is slowly eased<br />
out the window. The buck doesn't flinch at the sharp report of<br />
the gunshot, doesn't fall when the bullet slams into its chest at<br />
twice the speed of sound, and doesn't bolt into the woods when<br />
flashing lights and men suddenly surround the truck.<br />
It can't. It's already dead.<br />
It's called a "dummy deer," and it's just one of the tools the<br />
wildlife cops of the <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Department of Wildlife Conservation<br />
use to apprehend those who attempt to exploit the<br />
state's natural resources for illegal fun or black-market profit.<br />
Some of the more sophisticated models are, quite literally,<br />
robo-deer, with twitching tails and rotating heads for a more<br />
lifelike presentation.<br />
Welcome to modern wildlife law enforcement, a field where<br />
the new technologies of forensic pathology, electronic surveil-<br />
lance, and sophisticated sting operations intersect with the<br />
time-honored woodcraft of the traditional game warden.<br />
These aren't your !grandfather's game wardens, because these<br />
aren't your grandfather's sylvan woods. The national trade in<br />
illegal wildlife and wildlife parts is big business. Estimates on<br />
the actual dollar amount vary wildly, but most law enforcement<br />
agencies agree that traffic in illegal wildlife runs into<br />
the billions of dollars and is second only to the drug trade<br />
in illicit revenue production.<br />
At first blush, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> seems an unlikely place for such<br />
criminal activity, but in reality there is an ongoing war being<br />
waged in our wild lands and on our waterways. Lucrative<br />
caviar smuggling rings, massive fish-netting operations, illegally<br />
harvested mussels destined for the Asian pearl industry,<br />
the theft of rare and endangered animals for the overseas pet<br />
trade, canned trophy hunts of exotic animals, illegal drug<br />
production on public land. These are just a few of the challenges<br />
facing modern game wardens, and, by extension, us<br />
as <strong>Oklahoma</strong>ns.<br />
Most of us, whether we hunt and fish or not, know what<br />
a game warden is, or at least we think we do. He's the guy<br />
in green who checks licenses and makes sure hunters don't<br />
shoot things they're not supposed to.<br />
In reality, the scope of the job goes far beyond checking<br />
licenses and monitoring bag limits. Game wardens are the<br />
state's environmental crime fighters, and they're just as likely<br />
46 1 OKLAHOMATODAY .JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
Patrolling near FairfQXI Mcer Larry Green, left, noticessmoke and<br />
fire in the distance. Inset from top: Green calls in a report; game<br />
warden Keith Green and his wife, Sherry; OfFicer Don Cole observes<br />
aaivity through his windowmounted scope.<br />
There are, however, some fundamental differences between wardens<br />
and other cops. For one, during hunting season, many of the<br />
people they stop are as well armed as the wardens themselves.<br />
"You always have that possibility of something going wrong, but<br />
most of the people we come in contactwith are law-abiding hunters<br />
and anglers," says Maxwell. "We have most of our problems when<br />
we run into other people out in the woods breaking the law. We've<br />
been really lucky in that we haven't had any wardens killed in a long<br />
time, but we've had a few assaulted and a few shot at."<br />
JOHN LAW OFTHE BACKWOODS<br />
While enforcement methods have evolved over the years, the<br />
fundamental mission of the state's game wardens-protecting<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s natural resources-has remained essentially unchanged<br />
for almost a century: In fact, much ofwhat the modern<br />
conservation movement now advocates was first chronicled by<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> game wardens at the turn of the century.<br />
Writingin his biennial report to Governor RL.Wdiams in 1918,<br />
state game and fish warden GA. Smith o~ined that "enforcement<br />
I<br />
u<br />
of the law is only a part of the duty of the Aden and his assistants,<br />
and I have endeavored to impress my assistants with the necessity<br />
ofdoing everydung possible in the way of educating the people and<br />
in explaining the necessity of conservation laws."<br />
Even back then, it seems, <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s wildlife cops were fighting<br />
battles that went beyond bag limits and license violations. Some<br />
to make an arrest on illegal exportation of a box turtle as they eighty-five years later, Smith's successors have the same mission, but<br />
are to bust a deer poacher.<br />
as <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s natural resources accrue a higher and higher value to<br />
Wardens are police officers, first .and foremost, but they also the outside world, today's game wardens are making cases in ways<br />
are wedded to the land in a unique way other law enforcement GA. Smith never dreamed of.<br />
officers aren't. Their jobs are dictated by the ebb and flow of the Ofcourse,in 1918,Smith had only a handful ofassistants scattered<br />
seasons, and they are attuned to that natural cadence as surely as throughout the state. <strong>Today</strong>, the law enforcement division of the<br />
the urban cop is dialed in to the diverse rhythm of the city. wildlife department is organized into eight districts with a captain,<br />
Paul Cornett, a thirty-nine-year-old warden responsible for pa- two lieutenants, and from eleven to fifteen wardens, with at least<br />
trolling Woodward County, has been following those scheduled one warden in each county.<br />
rhythms for almost nine years now. Summer means warm, humid "We're charged with enforcing both state and federal wildlife<br />
evenings on area lakes and rivers, checking fishing licenses and laws, but the wardens can enforce any other state laws when<br />
patrolling public lands. The first hint of turning leaves and cool they find them being broken," says assistant law enforcement<br />
fall breezes means a shift to the woods as hunting seasons begin chief Dennis Maxwell. As the second-ranking officer in the deand<br />
droves of <strong>Oklahoma</strong> hunters take to the fields.<br />
partment, Maxwell, who works out of the wildlife department's<br />
In September it's dove. October, <strong>No</strong>vember, and December headquarters in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City, oversees the day-to-day operabring<br />
deer, quail, waterfowl, turkey, and small game. The bitter tions of more than a hundred wardens. Maxwell never knows<br />
cold of late winter means no less activity. Predator hunting, quail, what cases his wardens may be involved in next.<br />
late-season waterfowl. The arrival of spring heralds the turkey "They can work anything from pollution cases and undercover<br />
season, and the annual white bass count explodes in <strong>Oklahoma</strong> stings to the export of prairie dogs for the pet trade," Maxwell<br />
rivers with huge numbers of anglers quietly perched on state says. "We're also getting more and more into the forensics side<br />
rivers and lakes. And through it all, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> wardens are in ofwildlife investigations; we're working with a company here in<br />
the field, part of the natural order of things.<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> that specializes in DNA testing on animals."<br />
"It's certainly a job you do for the love of it," says Cornett. Most DNAcasesinvolveillegallypoacheddeer,andwardens utilize<br />
"We're not doing it for the pay; it's just the satisfaction of know- techniques that would make the crime fighters on CSlproud. One<br />
ing you made a difference. People are counting on us to be out of the most common violations involves hunters illegally shooting<br />
there watching over those resources."<br />
a deer with a firearm and then claiming it was shot with a bow.<br />
ENVIRONMENT<br />
1 47
The two different hunting methods have different seasons, bag<br />
limits, and restrictions.However, wardenshaveways around that<br />
subterfugein sophisticatedlead residue tests theycan perform on<br />
deer literally in the suspect'spickup bed or car trunk.<br />
If that's not enough to prove a crime, wardens have a host of<br />
other tests to determinejust when, where, and how an animal<br />
died, including eye dilation rates, carcass temperature readings,<br />
and even muscular contraction tests to determine how long an<br />
animal has been dead.<br />
"Thosethings areuseful for determiningif an animalmay have<br />
been shot illegallyat night," says Mawvell.<br />
Wardens patrol lonely, isolatedstretches of the state, perfect<br />
places for all sorts of suspicious activity. Clandestine drug<br />
operationspose particularlyhazardous problems for wardens,<br />
who, more often than not, patrol alone. Even in counties<br />
with more than one warden, they don't usually work together.<br />
Backup is a long ways away, and run-ins with common criminals<br />
are always a hazard.<br />
Besides thewildlifeitself,wardensareincreasinglyrunning into<br />
criminalswho have found a lucrative market carting off the very<br />
plants and rocks that make up <strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s wildlife habitat. The<br />
suburbanite's desire for a landscapedyard is apparently creating<br />
a profit motive-and one more headache for wardens.<br />
Recently, two southeastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong> wardens discovered a<br />
group of men with semis and front-end loaders taking tons of<br />
rock from public land, apparentlydestined forlawns andgardens<br />
in the Dallas area. Plants for the medicinal trade, such as purple<br />
coneflowers, are also fair game for illegal plant collectors.<br />
Another potential problem for wardens is the ever-increasing<br />
number of black bears in the southeastern part of the state. Bear<br />
gallbladdersareahot commodityinAsian medicinal markets, and<br />
Maxwell believes it's just a matter of time before state wardens<br />
are embroiled in yet another international poaching ring. "We<br />
haven't had any problems yet," says Maxwell, "but I think we're<br />
going to if bears keep expandmg."<br />
WILD THINGS<br />
<strong>No</strong>t all the flora and fauna taken illegally is consumed or<br />
rendered into folk remedies. Some <strong>Oklahoma</strong> wildlife suffers<br />
simply because it's cute.<br />
"We've worked a lot of cases on the illegal pet trade," says<br />
Maxwell. "It's amazing what people will try to keep as pets.<br />
We've had cases on some people trying to take prairie dogs for<br />
the overseas pet trade. Apparentlyprairie dogs are a popular pet<br />
in Europe and Asia. We've also had some cases on box turtles.<br />
We ran an undercover operation near McAlester on a group of<br />
people who were taking three or fourhundred box turtles every<br />
couple of weeks down into Texas and selling them as pets."<br />
Perhaps the most visible sting operationwardens participate<br />
in is the infamous dummy deer setup, where wardens place<br />
a life-size stuffed deer in a prominent hunting location, then<br />
wait for the bullets to start flying.<br />
"We firsrstarted using dummydeer in the earlyEighties," says<br />
Captain David Kirk, the chief of sprawling District 8, which<br />
spans a twelve-county area from Boise City in the extreme<br />
western Panhandleto Kay County in northern <strong>Oklahoma</strong>. "But<br />
we got some real teeth in the law when legislation passed in the<br />
mid-1980s that gave shooting a dummy deer the same penalty<br />
as shooting a real deer."<br />
Kirk, who oversees District 8 from the wildlife department's<br />
regional office in Woodward, says the dummy deer is a warden's<br />
singlebest tool for targetingroadhunters. "We use them whenwe<br />
have a specificcomplaintfrom landownersor other hunters who<br />
are having problems with people poaching deer from the road."<br />
The degreeto which poachers respond to the faux deer varies<br />
from vehicle to vehicle. Some will take a single shot,<br />
then attempt to speed off when they realize they've been had,<br />
while others fire shot after shot at the seemingly superhuman<br />
buck that simply refuses to die.<br />
"One night we had a guy shoot six arrows into our dummy<br />
deer, one after the other, and all the while his partner is yelling<br />
to him, 'Shoot it again! It's moving, it's moving!"'<br />
Kirk also says the dummy deer program curtails poaching<br />
even when wardens aren't using it.<br />
"One of the biggest known poachers in the Panhandlecame<br />
up to me one day and was bragging that we needed to start<br />
using western <strong>Oklahoma</strong> dummy deer because he could spot<br />
those eastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong> dummy deer out in the fields," says<br />
Kirk. "The funny thing is, we hadn't been putting out any<br />
dummy deer; what he'd been seeing were real deer he was<br />
afraid to shoot."<br />
The dummy deer program has been so successful that<br />
most wardens now have a menagerie - of bullet-riddled veteran<br />
animals, including dummy turkeys and bobcats. Kirk<br />
says airplanes, remotecameras,and sophisticated night-vision<br />
equipment are also important tools of the trade.<br />
"During deer season, we're up in the plane at night, looking<br />
for spotlighters," says Kirk. "When we see a violator, we'll<br />
then coordinate with ground units to stop them. We're up<br />
there watching."<br />
PEARLS WITH PRICE<br />
Most <strong>Oklahoma</strong> residents, if they've ever dipped a toe in a<br />
pond or river, arefamiliarwith mussels.The diminutivemollusks<br />
inhabitv idy everybodyofwater in thestate. <strong>Oklahoma</strong>has a<br />
widevariety of mussel species, especially in the streams and rivers<br />
of northeast <strong>Oklahoma</strong>, where some grow the thick, hard shells<br />
perfect for cultivating another mollusk specialty-pearls.<br />
"[Poachers] take mussel shells from the creeks and rivers in<br />
eastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong> and sell them to buyers here in the United<br />
States," says District 1 law enforcement chief captain Larry<br />
Manering of Pawhuska. Manering's districr encompasses the<br />
northeastern and north-central tier of counties and is heavily<br />
involved in the aquatic side of wildlife enforcement.<br />
"They in turn sell the shells to the Japanese, who cut the<br />
shells, put them in a large industrial tumbler to smooth, and<br />
round them into small balls. Those small balls are then implanted<br />
into live oysters to make cultured pearls."<br />
Chances are very good that the string of exoticJapanese<br />
pearls you see glimmering from behind the jeweler's case<br />
48 1<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
Officer Brady May's territory includes the popular Illinois River.<br />
Insetfrom top: A young fisherman holds the caviar-producing<br />
paddlefish, also known as the spoonbill; May inspects the dummy<br />
'robodeer' wardens use to catch unlawful deer hunters.<br />
might well have gotten its start in a small eastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
creek bed. Collecting mussel shells is legal but regulated and<br />
has strict size limits. The problems begin when outlaw collectors<br />
start taking<br />
-<br />
mussels smaller than the law allows. In 1995,<br />
one particularly brazen mussel poacher was stopped with over<br />
15,000 pounds of illegal shells.<br />
"That business has dropped off a little bit, but we still have<br />
problems with people taking mussel shells that are too small or<br />
taking too many and trying to send them out of state without<br />
going through a buyer here," Manering says.<br />
But the global connections of Sooner mussels pale in comparison<br />
to the international intrigue spawned by another of<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong>'s piscatorial oddities.<br />
ANOTHER KIND OF BLACK GOLD<br />
On the surface, there would seem to be no connection<br />
between the fall of the Soviet Union, international trade<br />
embargoes, and a placid, primitive <strong>Oklahoma</strong> fish species<br />
virtually no one has heard of. But in today's global economy,<br />
events half a world away can have a direct-and sometimes<br />
devastating-effect in our own backyards.<br />
Throw greed and opportunity into the mix, and the result<br />
reads like something out of an off-kilter thriller, a bizarre<br />
mClange of Russian caviar smugglers, homegrown poachers,<br />
and a fish that grows as large as a man but only eats stuff you<br />
can't see without a microscope. And it's all playing out right<br />
here on the riverbanks of <strong>Oklahoma</strong>.<br />
To understand why, we must &st travel to the former Soviet<br />
Union, with a side trip to Iran thrown in for good measure.<br />
At some point in the distant epicurean history of the<br />
world, the eating of raw fish eggs became synonymous with<br />
class and privilege. Historically, the world's finest caviar has<br />
always come from the various species of sturgeon inhabiting<br />
the rivers and drainages of the Caspian Sea. And while the<br />
Soviet regime may have had its problems in other areas, it<br />
did knoGhow to keep the caviar flowing without completely<br />
exhausting the resource.<br />
The irony of a theoretically classless Communist nation<br />
supplying the world with a product generally reserved for the<br />
wealthiest class of the capitalistic free-market countries probably<br />
wasn't lost on the Soviets, but they were making too much<br />
money to let ideology get in the way of a good thing.<br />
Of course, all good things must end, and the fall of the Soviet<br />
Union in 199 1 heralded the end of a stable, if exploitative,<br />
Caspian Sea caviar industry. With no state control, the Caspian<br />
became an environmental free-fire zone, and in a few short<br />
years, Caspian Sea sturgeon populations plummeted, decimated<br />
by rampant overharvest and continuing pollution.<br />
However, while sturgeon populations may have been taking<br />
a nosedive, populations of rich people with a yen for caviar<br />
weren't. Caviar companies had to find an alternate source<br />
to meet that insatiable demand, and they had to find it fast.<br />
They discovered it swimming through the deep, slow-moving<br />
rivers of eastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong>.<br />
The paddlefish, as the saying goes, is one of those unfortunate<br />
creatures that looks like it was designed by committee. It<br />
is a large fish, often growing to more than a hundred pounds<br />
and six feet in length, with an outlandish, flat spatula-like ap-<br />
ENVIRONMENT 49
Nardens I<br />
* d<br />
pendage protruding straight from its snout. Like certain species of<br />
whale, it is a filter feeder, which means it eats by cruising through<br />
the water with its !gaping mouth open, trapping plankton and other<br />
minuscule water creatures. Historically, it occupied the Missouri<br />
and Mississippi river drainages, including the river systems of<br />
eastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong>. Its odd protuberance is the basis fbr its more<br />
descriptive local name, "spoonbill."<br />
But it's not what the paddlefish looks like or tastes like that<br />
interests some. It's what it produces. Basically, paddlefish swim<br />
around with bellies fd of gold. Unfortunately for the paddlefish,<br />
through some trick of biology, evolution, or environment, its eggs<br />
make great caviar. So good, in faa, that it can be labeled as Russian<br />
caviar and virtually no one besides caviar experts or DNA<br />
technicians can tell the difference.<br />
Even with this eerie and potentially profitable similarity to<br />
sturgeon roe, the paddlefish may have remained an obscure,<br />
prehistoric oddity if not for the unpredictable whirlwinds of<br />
geopolitics. In 1987, the Reagm Administration enacted a trade<br />
embargo against Iran in response to that country's support of<br />
state-sponsored terrorism.<br />
The embargo's effect on terrorism was debatable. Its effect on<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> paddlefish was not. Iran, it turned out, was one of the<br />
few countries other than the Soviet Union with a viable caviar<br />
industry. Taking that market away from U.S. caviar importers<br />
resulted in a supply-and-demand scenario that instantly turned<br />
the homely paddlefish into a cash machine with gills.<br />
The result, sayseastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong> game wardens, was an all-out<br />
assault on state paddlefish populations.<br />
"It's just an absolute war to keep these people from coming in<br />
here and taking our fish," says Lieutenant Keith Green, a Craig<br />
County warden and the wildlife department's point man on busting<br />
paddlefish poachers. "We spend a tremendous amom of time<br />
on it, literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of surveillance."<br />
Green, who lives in Vinita, is a supervisor who oversees the<br />
Grand Lake-Neosho River system, an area of the state where the<br />
heaviest paddlefish poaching activity takes place. He's testified<br />
in several federal paddlefish cases that have resulted in major<br />
convictions.<br />
"When our problem really started was with the embargo<br />
against Iran," says Green. "And that's when the caviar rings<br />
1<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
MewQaryWrox,left, at amp Onrber In Braggr in<br />
Oldohoma.l~from~May~thefirhw~withmis<br />
onIheIhir~~DonCobd~Hmrych~khflrk<br />
Ing Umme of a B* Anow mnglw.<br />
started substituting aur paddlefish for thc Russian and Iranian<br />
mviar. We've even had cases where <strong>Oklahoma</strong> paddlefish eggs<br />
were shipped to Russia,labeled as Russian caviar,shipped back<br />
to the states,and then sold as sturgeon caviar."<br />
One pound of processed paddlefish rae can sell far almost<br />
$300. Ironically, many caviar sellers tour paddlefish as an "environmentally<br />
responsible"alternative to Russian caviar. According<br />
to Green, that's nor quite true. "There'sa lot of concern<br />
nadonwide for paddIehh populations," he says. "There's been<br />
a tremendous amount of overharvesting in states that allow<br />
commercial fishing."<br />
Green says nor only are <strong>Oklahoma</strong> poachers sending paddefish<br />
eggs to Russia, but Russians are coming here. "We've got a<br />
big case right now where the federal government has indicted<br />
a number of Russian importers who were over here buying<br />
paddlefish eggs," says Green.<br />
"We have one of the very best mature paddlefish populations<br />
in the wunuy, and that's why <strong>Oklahoma</strong> is such a target for<br />
these poachers,"says Green. *J?addlefish spawn naturally in the<br />
Grand LalrPNeosho Rrver system, and chat basidly keeps the<br />
entire eastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong> riversystem stockedwith paddlefish. If<br />
there's a lot of water going through dams, paddlefish will move<br />
upstream and congregate below them to feed and spawn, and<br />
that's where snaggers can really take a toll."<br />
Snagging is ane of the two primary ways poachers take paddlefish.<br />
Because a paddlefish's food source is microscopi~you<br />
obviously can't fish for them in rhe traditional sense of the word.<br />
Instead, you snag them. h a nutshef I, snaging is casting a bare<br />
hook our into the water and hoping it runs inro a paddlefish as<br />
you reel it back in. <strong>No</strong>t exactly a high-probability venture. Excepr,<br />
of course, when the paddlefish stack up like cordwood during<br />
spring spawning runs. Snagging paddlefish is legal for noncommercial<br />
sport fishing and is a time-honored spring tradirion in<br />
northeastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong>, but illegal snaggers take far more than<br />
what is dowed by law.<br />
The other way to catch paddlefish, and by far the most effective,<br />
is setting up large nets in those same areas.<br />
"In the spring and winter, we have people come in from out of<br />
starewho ser up rhe ners," says Green,"andthat's what can really<br />
do the damage to paddlefish populations."<br />
To counter thar threat, wardens log thousands of hours of<br />
surveillance on OkIahoma waterways, often keeping cabs on<br />
poachers for years ar a time before making arrests.<br />
"Wecaught one bunch of guys that over a two-year period were<br />
paid $250,000 for Okkhoma from a buyer inTennessee,"says<br />
Green."WeMygot them leaving <strong>Oklahoma</strong> with paddefish w,<br />
bur we did three yean ofsurveillanceon them to get it."<br />
Convictions in that case resulted in a $50,000 fine and twentyfour<br />
months in a Federal prison, but according to Manering,<br />
paddlehsh remain a target.<br />
"It's big business," says Manering. "Pcoplc come From all over<br />
che country to snag paddlefish here because we have the best<br />
paddlefish population in he nation. The wtlaws come because<br />
bf that and'bicause they know that where there are a lot of fish,<br />
rhere are a lot of eggs. We've been conductingexrremelyinrensive<br />
enforcement, and what we've done is shut down much of the<br />
paddlefish trade, but as long as we've got paddlefish, there will<br />
always be people there wing KOget egs."<br />
As long as <strong>Oklahoma</strong>has what the world craves, whether caviar,<br />
pearls, or prairie dogs, there will be criminals here and abroad<br />
aying . - to s d those native treasures. For better orworse, our state's<br />
natural resources now have a booth in the worldwide bazaar, and<br />
there is a clamoring market for those products,<br />
Theobjactivefor<strong>Oklahoma</strong>'sgamewardenswill be, as it hasalways<br />
been, to balance thewants of the world against the needsof the fish<br />
and wil& ofour state.Meeting this ongoingchallengewil be the<br />
lastinglegq of hose who protect our environment.<br />
m<br />
Chdk ha W'FCT king in W d d Hikt artickjr thewguzine<br />
was March/&d2#31r rowrpim, "TheStory omnd "
- -<br />
RESTAURANT &: BOOKBINDERY<br />
BY SHAUNA LAWYER STRUBY<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM LUKER<br />
IN MANYWAYS,THESTORYOF BOZENASOWNERS, StevenLantier is an <strong>Oklahoma</strong>Cityanesthesiologistwho<br />
Bozena andZbigniewNiebi-ski, is the epitomeof discovered Bozenalson a tripto Fort Gibson threeyearsago.<br />
theAmericandream. Givenfoq-eight hours to leave He and his W y visit the restaurant as often as possible.<br />
Poland due to Zbigniew's union work with<br />
"It's truly European, and their food hasn't<br />
the Polish solidaritymovement, the couple<br />
been acculturated with our style yet," says<br />
and their three sons emigratedto Gennany<br />
Lantier. "It'sdonewithlove. Iknowthat sounds<br />
in 1983, then America a year later.<br />
corny, but Bozena really does a great job."<br />
"Wecomeas political re*. Ihad ap Bozena's dkcor is an eclecticmix of Europort<br />
one way from the Polish government,"<br />
pean artifacts,pop-culturememorabilia, and<br />
says Zbigniew, schooled in the finelycrafted<br />
familyphotos, all intertwinedwith colorll<br />
European method of bookbin+.<br />
lights and fountains. Furniturerangesfrom<br />
Zbigniew's trade took the W y toTexas,<br />
elaborately carved wooden chairs to retro<br />
Vermont, and Muskogee before they settled<br />
Seventies chic.<br />
inFort Gibsonin 1989,choosingthe historic<br />
As Zbigniewlovesto remind customers,<br />
town for its good schools. Their new friends<br />
their restaurant servesthe only authenticPolwere<br />
introducedto Bozena's aromaticPolish food,and after ish food he's been able to find in the five-state region.<br />
rhree years of hearing, "You should open a restaurant," the Polish food is actually a blending of cuisines from<br />
couple finally agreed.<br />
Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Russia. The menu<br />
With virtually no restaurant experience, the Niebieszc- features eighteen traditional Polish dishes, and Bozena<br />
zanskis opened Bozena Polish Restaurant in <strong>No</strong>vember credits the restaurant's success to an uncompromising -<br />
1992in an abandoned shopping center.<br />
approach toward freshness.<br />
In the years since, the restaurant-still located in the "You must make it fresh. Sometimes it takes longer,<br />
shoppingcenter but now with Zbigniew's bookbindery but it is better for it," she says. "I tell people this is not<br />
next door-has become a favorite among - locals and a fast-food restaurant."<br />
travelers alike.<br />
Sheaddsthat dinerssometimeshesitatebeforetryingher<br />
dill pickle soup. Once they've sampled it, however, they're<br />
hooked (see page 61 for the recipe). It's comfort food for<br />
TIES THAT BIND<br />
the soul,easily constituting a meal in itself.<br />
As Bozena Polish b t i . r and Artur Bookbinding<br />
Almost a year after Bozena's opened, Zbigniew Niebieszcki<br />
opened his bookbindery, Artur Bookbinding International,<br />
International provide a window into other countries and<br />
Ily a door away from his family's Polish restaurant.<br />
cultures, the Niebi-kis have made <strong>Oklahoma</strong> their<br />
ut Poland seems distant in this cozy space, where Gregorian permanent home. And in 2001, the couplewrote another<br />
set the tone for Niebieszczanski'sdelicate book &aPter in their ongoing American dr-. They became<br />
work, painstakingly conducted among medieval suits of American citizens.<br />
rn<br />
ancient printing presses, and stacks of old bibles, books,<br />
Bozena Polish Restaurant is located at III5 East Poplar<br />
more than 1,600 clients over he last decade, Niebieszcanski<br />
specializes in repairing bibles, cookbooks, first editions,<br />
Stneet in Fort Gibson. The estaurant is openjom I I a.m.<br />
to 9p.m. Tuesday tbroklgh Saturday. Reservations are<br />
nd photo albums. Though most of his customers are regional,<br />
is website has drawn business nationwide.<br />
encouraged. (918)478-4404.For Artur Bookbinding<br />
At Artur Bookbinding International, literature does, in fact, International, (888)372-42<strong>53</strong>or biblerepair,corn.
"'<br />
4'- " us<br />
a- ,+.&&$*-WE<br />
GREEN COUNTRY<br />
ore information, contact us at<br />
800-922-2118 www.greencountryok.com<br />
Admiral FleaMarket<br />
Tulsa's Iargest Indoor-OutdoorMarket<br />
A Bargain Hunter's Paradise-Over300<br />
Dm8, as<br />
Findyour treusure at AdmiraI Flea<br />
Tree-shadedoutside & air-cooled inside, ,., .,<br />
Soak ua the<br />
<strong>July</strong> 19th Ilr<br />
OMahoma<br />
1<br />
8-Mar All<br />
star 3<br />
Football 7<br />
Game. The r<br />
most talented 8-Mar Football Players<br />
from across the state of <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
will compete in this All Star showdown<br />
at NEO's Robertson Field at 7:30 p.m.<br />
Tickets sold at the gate.<br />
I<br />
"The<br />
Sbbles<br />
p&..gaClassic"<br />
NGA Hooters Pro Golf Tour at Peoria<br />
Ridge Golf Course. Free to the Publrc!<br />
For information, contact the Miami<br />
Convention & Visitors Bureau<br />
at (918) 542-4435 or log on to<br />
visilmiamiok.com<br />
Open Fridzy -Sunday<br />
9401 E. Admiral,Tulsa, OK<br />
(718) 834-7257<br />
I Broken Arrow, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> ~ Webbed Site. 1<br />
1 Antiques Specialty Shop Deli's & Coffee Shops Festivals<br />
1 khstokd Museum Tea Room Parks Peach orchard & restaurant<br />
I<br />
1 I 8 Private & pubiic golf coums Miniature Golf<br />
PENGUINS NOW WADDLING<br />
1<br />
Tour Blue Bell Creameries or the Safari<br />
w'<br />
Sanctuary<br />
INTO T-TOWN.<br />
I<br />
For a free brochure,<br />
call 918.2511518<br />
-mail h a ~ k ~ ~ ~ * m ~ ~ o ~
OKIAHOMA<br />
mAMEm<br />
-. ).<br />
FRONTIER COUNTRY<br />
For more informatign, contact us at<br />
I:$oo-386-6552 vwq~ oktourism.corn<br />
Country<br />
Food! Music! 1<br />
Aug. 29 - Sspt 1 I<br />
r neld on the campus<br />
of <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City<br />
Community College<br />
SW 74th and May Ave.<br />
For more information<br />
I *a8th Anniversaryof ~ skio~oes: I call (405)682-7<strong>53</strong>6.<br />
<strong>July</strong> 14-20<br />
Kray Daze: Shopping<br />
1<br />
Extravaganza, <strong>July</strong> 17-20<br />
*3rd Annual GOCAW<br />
IPRA Rodeo:Aug. 15-1<br />
w<br />
Lf6~MORE INFORMATION,<br />
It's not like any museum I've<br />
ever xenl We can touch<br />
and play and imagine lk in<br />
a chlld-size town1 Come and<br />
experience it for yourselfl<br />
I<br />
MYRIAD<br />
BOTANICAL<br />
GARDENSHI<br />
I ~LCRYSTALBNOGE,<br />
IEver changing, never the same, get ba<<br />
to your roots in lush gardens,.<br />
cascading waterfalls and<br />
Inoture in a beautiful<br />
and grand setting.<br />
The Central Okhhoma<br />
QUiIm GiId<br />
Proudly fisents and<br />
Invites IGg to Attend<br />
I<br />
1-800-259-KIDS<br />
I<br />
I<br />
Seminole, OWahomo<br />
.,.where children play to learn<br />
6 adults learn to play.<br />
I<br />
I<br />
1714 Highway 9 W<br />
(405) 382-0950<br />
Hours open:<br />
Tues.-Sat. loam - Spm<br />
Sunday Ipm - 4 m<br />
<strong>July</strong>3 1 - <strong>August</strong> 2,<strong>2003</strong><br />
Lloyd <strong>No</strong>ble Center<br />
2900 S. Jenkins<br />
<strong>No</strong>rman, OK<br />
For more details, e-mail:<br />
COQGQuiltShowO3<br />
@aol.com<br />
Or visitour &ite at:<br />
www.CentralOKQdlters.org<br />
Or 4:800-767-7260
Kids stay free<br />
because they're priceless.<br />
.<br />
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You can't put a price on the time you spend with your kids. So at<br />
Best Western, we don't. When you stay with us, your kids stay free*<br />
at over 38 Best Western hotels conveniently located throughout<br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong>. For reservations, call or visit us on the web.<br />
OKLAHOMA LOCATIONS<br />
THE WORLD'S LARGES-<br />
HOTEL CHAINg<br />
Ada Clinton Guymon Poteau<br />
Altus Durant McAlester Sand Springs (Tulsa Area)<br />
Alva Edmond Miami Shawnee<br />
Ardmore El Reno Muskogee Stillwater<br />
Atoka Elk City &:,', -* <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City (2) Stmud<br />
Bartlesville Enid #z+i.;r <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City Area (Moore) Tulsa (3)<br />
Broken Arrow Glenpool (Tulsa Area) Okmulgee Weatherford<br />
Chickasha Grove Owasso (Tulsa Area) Yukon (<strong>Oklahoma</strong> City Area)<br />
Claremore Guthrie Perry<br />
Each Best W----<br />
Warit to know<br />
1 Aaron's Gate Country<br />
Getaways<br />
2 Admiral Flea Market<br />
3 An Affair of the Heart<br />
4 Arcadian Inn B&B<br />
5 Arts Festival <strong>Oklahoma</strong><br />
6 Bartlesville CVB<br />
7 Best Western international<br />
8 Bethany Balloon Festival<br />
9 Boomer Blast<br />
10 Broken Arrow Chamber of<br />
Commerce<br />
11 Central <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Quilters<br />
Guild<br />
12 Certified Realtor Specialists<br />
13 Cherokee Heritage Center<br />
14 Chickasaw Annual Meeting<br />
and Festival<br />
15 Consulting Orthopedists<br />
16 Denison CVB<br />
%tel is indep=-"'"* awned and opriltsd. *Kid=nnes 12 and ulnrlar day free with accornoanvinc adult. 0<strong>2003</strong> Best Western International. Inc.<br />
17 Edmond CVB<br />
18 Elk City Chamber of<br />
Commerce<br />
19 Elk City Holiday Inn<br />
20 Frontier Country Marketing<br />
Association<br />
21 Great Plains Country<br />
Marketing Association<br />
22 Green Country Marketing<br />
Association<br />
23 Indian Arts & Crafts<br />
24 Jasmine Moran Children's<br />
Museum<br />
25 KOSU<br />
26 Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of<br />
Commerce<br />
27 Manitou Springs, CO<br />
Chamber of Commerce<br />
28 Miami CVB<br />
29 Mid-America Industrial Park<br />
30 Myriad Botanical Gardens<br />
and Crystal Bridge<br />
31 <strong>No</strong>rman CVB<br />
32 <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Native America<br />
33 <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Parks & Resorts<br />
34 <strong>Oklahoma</strong> Shakespeare<br />
in the Park<br />
35 Pete's Place Restaurant<br />
36 Picture in Scripture Theater<br />
37 Pioneer Senior Olympics<br />
38 Ponca City Tourism<br />
39 The Poncan Theatre<br />
40 Red Carpet Country<br />
Association<br />
41 Stillwater CVB<br />
42 Sun 'n Fun Waterpark<br />
43 Tulsa Zoo<br />
44 Vacationeureka.com<br />
45 Virginia's Bed & Breakfast<br />
TM
iking views. See
RED CARPET COUNTRY<br />
For more information, contact us at<br />
OKIAHOMA<br />
mAMEm<br />
"<strong>No</strong>w Showing" by M. A. Crank<br />
Available at the Poncan Theatre<br />
Call 580-765-0943 for Informatlor<br />
...even better than relaxing at home.<br />
I<br />
Spend a quiet evening and after a<br />
restfid sleep, enjoy a special deluxe<br />
breakfast.<br />
From the 20-foot native stone<br />
fireplace in the great room to the<br />
stained glass windows and flower<br />
gardens, you'll feel at home surrounded<br />
by comfort and beauty.<br />
Then enjoy the Panhandle's<br />
main attractions - Black Mesa<br />
State Park and Cimarron Heritage<br />
Center Museum.<br />
117 N.Freeman Boise City<br />
OK 73933 (580) 544-2834<br />
8900 Lake Road, Ponca<br />
Kaw Lake RV Campgro<br />
580ff 62-3152 8881768-01<br />
www.sunnfun.net -
I GETAWAYGUIDE "Forever, <strong>Oklahoma</strong> is American through and through."-Michael Wallis<br />
I<br />
LakeviewLodael580/494-6179;<br />
Cross-Tim ber Connection<br />
Aunique cross-timber eco-region sets the scene for the C hibwNationalRec-<br />
mtionk (5801622-3161; nps.gov/chic), where the eastern indigenous oaks meet <br />
the western prairie to create an artistic mixof treesandgrass.Thebest viewis from <br />
the top of Bromide Hill,accessible &om Perimeter Roador by hiking up one of the <br />
area's more than twenty miles of trails.In nearby Sulphur, the Arbuckle Emporium <br />
(5801622-3005)h~es Julie Jack's shabby-chic homemade pillows, and inside, <br />
theSecretGardenTeaRoomserves a popular cinnamon praline carrot cake. All the <br />
activitywearing you out? Rest at Echo Canyon Manor (5801421-5076; $89-$179; <br />
echoA.nyonm&or.com), anew bed and bkakfkt in Sulphur.<br />
7<br />
OVER THE RIVER<br />
The Lowdown on<br />
Approximately three hundred feetabove the bendof the <br />
Mountain Fork River,the Cedar Bluff at BeavenBend <br />
ResortPark (580/494-6300;oklahornaparks.corn) <br />
I<br />
near Broken Bow mixes pine hardwood forestswith a <br />
cool W."Handsdown, it is the pretiest partof the <br />
park," says park naturalist KristiSib. Lug a h those <br />
hiking boots4 best vista requires a trek to the top of the <br />
Dcrvidbren Hiking Trail. If the heat is averw+ldrning, rent<br />
a canoeor kayak from BecnrersBendRiver F h <br />
(580/494-6070).Overnight accommodations includehe<br />
I<br />
$80-$110) and :<br />
BeaversBondLbinsand ~am~ing(580/494-<br />
6300; $68-$130). $<br />
4<br />
1<br />
Blue Mountain's <br />
Maiesty <br />
Mount Scott in the Wichita Moun-<br />
tainsWddlife Refuge (5801429-3222) <br />
towers high above the blue oases of Lake <br />
Lawtonka and Lake Elmer Thomas. The <br />
mountain, 2,464 feet tall and a 2.2-mile <br />
drive up the winding 360-degree road, con- <br />
tains hundreds of granite boulders ready for<br />
exploration. "On a dear day, you can see<br />
fifty-plus miles," says R.E. Lindsey. Don't<br />
miss Picture Rock, a turnout on the road<br />
up the mountain with a crystal-clear view<br />
to the West. Try the Doris Campground<br />
(5801429-3222) for down-to-earth digs,<br />
and if you tire of camp grub, venture to the<br />
neighboring town of Meers for longhorn<br />
beef hamburgers at the Meers Store<br />
(5801429-8051).<br />
URBAN FOREST <br />
Downtown <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City has a skyline <br />
with morethan thmyhigh-rises, but John Elk<br />
recommends the view from the Bricktown <br />
Canal. "Itis aperfaexample of the prairie <br />
meeting the city"he says.The mile-long canal<br />
canbe toured by Water Taxi (4051234-8263;<br />
$5.50),aforty-minute mast that passes the<br />
Bass Pro Shop construction and the first five <br />
pieces of Paul Moore's Okllzhoma Centennial <br />
LundRun Monumnzt. <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City's en- <br />
tertainment district, Bricktown featuresmore<br />
than thirty restaurants and several hotels,<br />
including the Renaissance (4051228-8000;<br />
$139-$209; renakancehotels.wm) and the<br />
WestinOldahomaCity (4051235-2780;<br />
$189-$799; westinokc.mm).
PLANNER<br />
A Guide to Activities and Events Statewide <br />
Annual IPRA/ACRA Rodeo Aug 8-9, Rodeo<br />
ANADARKO Grounds. (918) 367-3469 EDMOND<br />
Honor America Day <strong>July</strong> 4, Randlett Park. Western Heritage Day & Parade Aug 9, Historical Gety 43 1 S Boulevard. <strong>July</strong> 1-19,<br />
(405)247-665 1 Downtown. (918) 367-515 1 American WW II Posters: Social Influence of<br />
American Indian Exposition Aug 4-9, Fair-<br />
Wartime Information. Aug 5-30, Historic Schools<br />
grounds. (405) 247-665 1 of Edmond. (405) 3400078<br />
Wichita Annual Dance Aug 14-1 7, Wichita CHICKASHA Libertyfest <strong>July</strong> 1-4, Downtown. (405) 340-<br />
Tribal Park. (405) 247-2425 Festival of Freedom <strong>July</strong> 4, Shannon Springs 2527<br />
Park. (405) 222-6028 Shakespeare in the Park <strong>July</strong> 10Aug 3 1,<br />
Jimbo Moddrell Memorial Make Promises Hafer Park. (405) 340-1 222<br />
BARTLESVILLE Happen Rally & Poker Run <strong>July</strong> 12-1 3, Arcadia Lake Sweep Aug 15-1 6, Arcodia<br />
Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium <strong>July</strong>3-6, Glen Elk's Lodge. (405) 224-3132 Lake. (405) 216-7470<br />
Winget Baseball Tournament, (918) 335-2133.<br />
Swap Meet <strong>July</strong> 17-20, Muscle Car Ranch. <br />
Aug 22-26, American Legion World Series, (405) 222-4910 <br />
(918)333-1 105 ELK CITY<br />
Community Center Adams Blvd &Cherokee Ave.<br />
Civic center 101 6 Airport Industrial Rd. Aug<br />
<strong>July</strong> 17-20, The Sound of Music. <strong>July</strong> 21Aug 1, DUNCAN 15-1 6, Route 66 Square Dance Jamboree,<br />
Arts Encounters <strong>2003</strong>. (91 8) 337-2787 Simmons Center 800 Chisholm Trail Parkway. (580) 225-0207. Aug 23, Nat'l Junior Heifer<br />
Allan Houser: Water<strong>July</strong> 4-Aug 31, Price Tower <strong>July</strong> 2, Sweet Land of Liberty: Free Patriotic Show, (580) 225-2207<br />
Arts Center. (91 8) 336-4949 Performance. <strong>July</strong> 26, Dehydrator Bike Race. Elk City Fireworks Display <strong>July</strong> 4, Ackley<br />
Heart of Town Market<strong>July</strong>5, 12, 19,26, Frank (580) 252-2900 Park. 1580) 225-0207<br />
Phillips &Johnstone. (918) 336-2468 Bluegrass Jam <strong>July</strong> 3-5, Shady Oaks RV Park. Model Helicopter Fly-In <strong>July</strong> 1 1-1 3, Model<br />
(580)255-7042 Airpark. (580) 225-22<strong>53</strong><br />
Water Garden Society Pond Tour <strong>July</strong> 19, Rodeoof Champions Parade Aug 30, Down-<br />
BRISTOW Citywide. (580) 255-7842 town. (580) 225-0207<br />
Fourthof <strong>July</strong> Celebration <strong>July</strong>4, Lake Mas- Arts Explosion <strong>July</strong> 21 -25, Fairgrounds Exhibition Rodeo of Champions Aug 30-31, Beutler<br />
sena. (918) 367-5151 Building. (580) 255-3231 Brothers Arena. 1580) 225-0207<br />
N - ------IW<br />
Youth Baseball Series a Bia Hit<br />
riz Load ico, Canada, and Guam. A number of these young competitors<br />
h youth have made heir way to the big leagues. Be on the lookou~e<br />
next Sammy Sosa might hit his first home run here.<br />
Buy your peanuts, grab some Cracker Jacks, and make your<br />
way north to watch these star athletes from all over flex their<br />
nning muscles, swing their bats, and round the bases. Summertime<br />
twenty- baseball is exciting in every language. -Joan Rhim<br />
irstadline<br />
,then<br />
The Triple-A USSSA World Series runs <strong>July</strong> 13-20 throughout<br />
Broken Arrow (918/232-5905; usssabasebal1.org). The CABA<br />
World series is <strong>July</strong> 25-<strong>August</strong> 2 at the lndian Springs Sports<br />
Complex in Broken Arrow. Games run confinually from 8 a.m.<br />
to 10:30 p.m. (918/25 1- 1015; bayouthbaseball. com).
ENID<br />
Oakwood Mall 41 25 W Owen K. Garriott Rd. <br />
<strong>July</strong> 18-20, Made in America Trade Show. <br />
Aug 22-24, 2nd Annual Family Fun Fest. <br />
(580) 234-3549 <br />
~ourthof luly Majors Tournament <strong>July</strong> 24, Da- <br />
vid Allen Memorial Ballpark. (580) 5486396 <br />
USA Wrestling Kids Natll Championship<br />
<strong>July</strong> 2-6, Chisholm Trail Expo Center. (580) <br />
237-0238 <br />
Fourthof <strong>July</strong> Celebration <strong>July</strong> 4, Leonardo's <br />
Discovery warehouse. (580) 233-2787 <br />
Horse Show <strong>July</strong> 4, Meadowlake Horse Arena. <br />
(580) 233-7587 <br />
Vegetable Show & Ice Cream Social <strong>July</strong> 8,<br />
Hoover Building, Garfield County Fairgrounds.<br />
(580) 233-2439 <br />
First Friday's Cinema in the City<strong>July</strong> 1 1, Aug <br />
1, Bank of <strong>Oklahoma</strong>. (91 8) 336-8708 <br />
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe <strong>July</strong> 18, <br />
<strong>Oklahoma</strong> Bible Academy. (800) 324-8488 <br />
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas <strong>July</strong> <br />
18-26, Gaslight Theatre. (580) 234-2307 <br />
EUFAULA<br />
35th Annual Fireworks Spectacular <strong>July</strong> 4, <br />
Eufaula Cove. (9 1 8) 689-279 1 <br />
Whole Hawg Days <strong>July</strong> 25-26, Downtown. <br />
19 1 81 689-279 1 <br />
~idceiakersQuilt Show Aug 30, #9 Com- <br />
munity Center. (91 8) 452-3232 <br />
GUTHRl E<br />
lazv E Arena 9600 Lazv E Dr. Julv 11-13. USTR <br />
6klahoma chompion;hips ~eark ~o~in$. <strong>July</strong> <br />
25-27, Team Roping. (405) 282-7433 <br />
Int'l Banjo College, <strong>July</strong> 19-20, Nat'l Four-String <br />
Banjo Hall of Fame Museum. (405) 260-1323 <br />
NORMAN<br />
HMS Pinafore <strong>July</strong> 1-1 3, Sooner Theater. (405) <br />
364-8962 <br />
<strong>No</strong>rman Day <strong>July</strong> 4, Reaves Park. (405) <br />
366-5472 <br />
Junior Zookeeper Summer Camp <strong>July</strong> 14- <br />
18, 2 1-25, Aug 4-8, Little River Zoo. (405) <br />
366-7229 <br />
Midsummer Nights1 Fair <strong>July</strong> 18-1 9, Lions <br />
Park. (405) 3294523 <br />
Faculty Show <strong>July</strong> 26-Aug 30, Firehouse Art <br />
Center. (405) 3294523 <br />
Celebration of Quilts <strong>July</strong> 3 1 Aug 2, Lloyd <br />
<strong>No</strong>ble Center. (405) 32 15892 <br />
Road Show Aug 2-3 1, Sam <strong>No</strong>ble <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <br />
Museum of Natural History. (405) 325-471 2 <br />
OKLAHOMA ClTY<br />
Blue Door 2805 N McKinley Ave. <strong>July</strong> 3, Red Dirt <br />
Rangers & Friends. <strong>July</strong> 13, Tracy Grommer. <br />
<strong>July</strong> 18, Tom Russell. Aug 2, Blue House. Aug <br />
23, Tanya Savory. (405) 524-0738 <br />
City Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd. <br />
<strong>July</strong> 17-Aug 1, Babe, the Sheep Pig. Aug 28-3 1, <br />
Winnie the Pooh. (405) 951-001 1 <br />
Civic Center Music Hall 201 W Walker. <strong>July</strong> <br />
16Aug 9, Forever Plaid. <strong>July</strong> 22-26, Foot- <br />
loose. Aug 5-9, The Wizard of Oz. Aug 19- <br />
23, Smokey Joe's Cafe. (405) 524-93 12 <br />
I <br />
RECIPE FROM BOZENA POLISH<br />
Omniplex 2 100 NE 52ndSt. <strong>July</strong> 1-1 0, Shackleton's <br />
Antarctic Adventure. <strong>July</strong> 1 Aug 15, Summer Explo <br />
ration Program. <strong>July</strong> 1 1, Top Speed. <strong>July</strong> 12Aug <br />
10, Tonic Show. (405) 602-6664 <br />
State Fair Park 1-44 & NW 10th St. <strong>July</strong> 23Aug 3, <br />
Greater Hunter Jumper Horse Show. Aug 15-1 7, <br />
Shootout Barrel Racing. (405) 948-6704 <br />
Comic Potential <strong>July</strong> 1-1 2, Carpenter Square <br />
Theater. (405) 232-6500 <br />
Water Garden Tour <strong>July</strong> 12-1 3, Citywide. <br />
14051 72 1-2736 <br />
~uilnanraAug 1-2, Ford Center. (405) 282-<br />
7433 <br />
Balloon Fest <strong>2003</strong> Aug 8-9, Wiley Post Airport. <br />
(405)475-7006 <br />
Family Fun Festival Aug 15-1 6, Washington <br />
Park. (405) 424-5243 <br />
Wyssey Astronomy Club Public Star Party<br />
Aug 29-30, Lake Stanley Draper Soccer Fields.<br />
(405)89940 1 6 <br />
PAWNEE<br />
Fairgrounds51 0 Memorial. Aug 2-7, Pawnee Bill <br />
Trail Ride, Cattie Drive, and Wagon Train. Aug 7-9, <br />
Pawnee Bill Memorial Rodeo. Aug 9, Pawnee Bill <br />
Memorial Smoke Off. (9 1 8) 762-2 108 <br />
PawneeIndian Veterans Homecoming Pow- <br />
wow <strong>July</strong> 3-6, Football Field. (91 8) 762-2448 <br />
Fourth of <strong>July</strong> Celebration <strong>July</strong> 4, Downtown. <br />
(91 8) 762-2 1 08 <br />
PONCA ClTY<br />
Freedom Festival <strong>2003</strong> Julv , 4. . Lake Ponca.<br />
(580) 763-8051 <br />
Annual Airshow <strong>July</strong> 12-16, GOOFS Field. <br />
(866)763-8092 <br />
' 3&& dill pickles (grated)<br />
-',4<br />
732&&s chicken stock<br />
lbT~e~oes (cubed)<br />
L I mdi' carrot lcubedl<br />
iuice can be added for a stronger dill <br />
taste. Sprinkle with dill and serve with a <br />
dollop of sour cream on top and slices <br />
of fresh bread on the side. Makes four <br />
eight-ounce servings. <br />
Southern Classic Horse Show <strong>July</strong> 18-1 9, Busy <br />
B Arena & Stables. (580) 763-8051 <br />
Grand National MoroCross Races <strong>July</strong> 29Aug <br />
2, Blevin Park. (580) 762-5502 <br />
101 Ranch Wild West RodeoAug 1 3-1 6,lO 1 <br />
Rodeo Arena. (580) 763-8092 <br />
101 Ranch Wild West Rodeo Parade Aug <br />
16, Downtown. (866) 763-8092 <br />
Ponca Powwow Aug 283 1, White Eagle Park. <br />
(580)762-8 1 04 <br />
SHAWNEE<br />
Red, White & Blue Celebration <strong>July</strong> 4, Expo <br />
Center. (405) 275-9780 <br />
Woodcarvers Show Aug 5-29, Santa Fe Depot <br />
Museum. (405) 275-9780 <br />
Midwest Bluegrass Festival, Aug 22-23, <br />
Citizen Potawatomi Powwow Campground. <br />
(405) 391-2338 <br />
ST1LLWATER<br />
EskimoJoe's 28th Anniversan Celebration <br />
<strong>July</strong> 141 9,501 W Elm. (405) i77-0799 <br />
Krazy Daze <strong>July</strong> 17-1 9, Downtown. (405) <br />
624-2921 <br />
Pioneer Senior Olympics Aug 2 1-24, Citywide. <br />
(405)747-8080 <br />
TAHLEQUAH<br />
Cherokee Heritage Center 2 Miles South of <br />
Tahlequah on Hwy 62. <strong>July</strong> 12, Indian Arts Ap <br />
~raisalDay. Aug 29-3 1, Nat'l Holiday. (91 8) <br />
456-6007 <br />
Illinois River Balloonfest Aug 15-1 6, Municipal <br />
Airport. (9 1 8) 4<strong>53</strong>-9958
EVENTSGUIDE<br />
Untitled<br />
A full moon<br />
Mercury glass<br />
Shimmering River Cimarron<br />
Slow, sandy<br />
Aged laughter echoes<br />
Picnics, hooking catfish<br />
An indigo sky<br />
Soft, brushed flannel<br />
Horizon silhouettes<br />
Windmills, elevators, oaks<br />
Horses doze<br />
Behind barbed wire<br />
A time whisper<br />
This rusty<br />
Unchanging moment<br />
The liquid depth<br />
Solace<br />
Solitude searchers seek<br />
TULSA<br />
Fairgmunds4145 E 21st St. <strong>July</strong>2-6,Tulsa Holiday<br />
CircuitQuarter Horse Show. <strong>July</strong> 1Ol8, Palomino<br />
WorldShow. <strong>July</strong> 1 1-13, Hunting& Fishing Show.<br />
<strong>July</strong> 18-20,An Affair of the Heart. <strong>July</strong> 19-20,<br />
Eastern <strong>Oklahoma</strong> WoodcarvingShow. Aug 8-10,<br />
American Miniature HorseCentral Championship<br />
Show. Aug 8-10, Powwow of Champions. Aug<br />
16-17, Grand Nat'l Gun & KnifeShow. Aug 21 -<br />
24, Green Country RV Boot Show & Sale. Aug<br />
2931, Labor Day Super Circuit & Gofor the Gold<br />
Auction Futurity. (918)744-1 1 13<br />
Bell'sFamilyCelebration<strong>July</strong>4, 3901 E 21st<br />
St. (918)744-1991<br />
Tulsa Salutes Freedom<strong>July</strong>4, River West Festival<br />
Park & Veterans Pork. (918)596-2001<br />
Thank You Tulsa Day Aug 2, Tulsa Zoo. (918)<br />
669-6612<br />
Jazzon Greenwood Aug 7-9,Archer & Greenwood.<br />
(918)587-3193<br />
OUT - & ABOUT<br />
-<br />
ADA Western Heritage Week, <strong>July</strong> 28Aug 2,<br />
Citywide. (580)332-2506<br />
ALTUS Greot Plains Stampede PRCA Rodeo, Aug<br />
21-23, Rodeo Grounds. (580)477-2222<br />
Kristi Lockhartlives in Watonaa with her husband Ban,.<br />
'U<br />
ANTLERS Hotter 'n HellTournament, Aug 9, Antlers<br />
Springs Golf Course. (580)298-9900<br />
ARCADIA Festival& Rodeo, Aug 29-31,Citywide.<br />
(405)396-2899<br />
ARDMORE Fourth of <strong>July</strong> Activities, <strong>July</strong> 4, Lake<br />
Murray State Park. (580)223-6600<br />
ATOKATrail Riders lPRA Rodeo, <strong>July</strong> 24-26, Hwy<br />
3 East. (580)889-7421<br />
BETHANY Fomily Fun Festival, <strong>July</strong> 4, Eldon Lyon<br />
Park. (405)789-1256<br />
BETHANY Okie Derby, Aug 15-16, Wiley Post<br />
Airport. (405)840-1156<br />
BLACKWELL Fourth of <strong>July</strong> Celebration, <strong>July</strong> 4,<br />
Downtown & Fairgrounds. (580)363-4195<br />
BRAGGS Greenleaf State Park 3 Miles South of<br />
Hwy 10.<strong>July</strong>4-6,Fourth of<strong>July</strong>Celebration. Aug<br />
29-31, End of Summer Party. (918)487-7125<br />
BROKEN ARROW Gatesway Balloon Festival,<br />
Aug 13, <strong>No</strong>rtheasternState University Campus.<br />
(918)259-0587<br />
BUFFALO Stampede Days, <strong>July</strong> 11-14,Fairgrounds.<br />
(580)735-2881<br />
CATOOSA Liberty Fest, <strong>July</strong> 4, Rogers Point Park.<br />
(918)266-2505<br />
CHECOTAH HoneySprings Battlefield 1863Honey<br />
Springs Battlefield Rd. <strong>July</strong> 18, 5K Run & 1 Mile<br />
Fun Run.<strong>July</strong> 19,HoneySpringsMemorialService.<br />
(918)473-5572<br />
CHEYENNE Junior Rodeo, Aug 16, Rodeo<br />
Grounds. (580)983-2734<br />
CLEARVIEW Open Rodeo, Aug 2-3,Memorial<br />
Area. (405)786-2439<br />
CLMLAND FreedomCelebration,<strong>July</strong>5, Feyodi<br />
Park. 19 1 8)358-2131<br />
COLCORD Hot Dog &Watermelon Feast, Aug<br />
1 1, City Park. (918)326-4301<br />
COLLINSVILLETri-County Fair, Aug 20-23,<br />
Downtown. (918)371-5652<br />
COOKSONJubilee,<strong>July</strong> 1 1-12, TACO Building.<br />
(918)457-4390<br />
CORN BibleAnniversory Celebration, Aug 29-31,<br />
Citywide. (580)343-2262<br />
COWETA Christmasin<strong>July</strong>,<strong>July</strong> 1 1-19, Downtown.<br />
(918)486-2748<br />
CUSHlNG PRCA Rodeo, <strong>July</strong> 1 1-12, Fairgrounds.<br />
(91 8)225-2400<br />
DAVIS Summerfest,<strong>July</strong>45, FootballField& Downtown.<br />
(580)369-2402<br />
DEWEY Free Fair Aug 18-23,Washington County<br />
Fairgrounds. (918)<strong>53</strong>42600<br />
DURANT American Legion BaseballTournament,<br />
<strong>July</strong> 3-6, Loyd Plyler Park. (580)924-1418<br />
FAIRVIEW <strong>No</strong>t'l John DeereTwo-Cylinder Tractor<br />
Expo, <strong>July</strong> 18-19, Hwy 58 East. (580)<br />
822-4813<br />
FORT TOWSON Fireworks Display, <strong>July</strong> 4, Raymond<br />
Gary State Park. (580)873-2442<br />
FOSS Christmas in <strong>July</strong> Festival, <strong>July</strong> 1 1-12, Foss<br />
State Park. (580)592-4433<br />
FREDERICK Celebration <strong>2003</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 4, Lake<br />
Frederick. (580)335-2126<br />
FREEDOM66th Annual Freedom Rodeo & Old<br />
Cowhand Reunion, Aug 14-16, Rhodes Arena.<br />
(580)62 1-3276<br />
FREEDOMAlabaster Caverns Golden Days, Aug 30,<br />
Alabaster Caverns Siute Park. (580)621-3381<br />
GRANDFIELDWestern Days, Aug 1-2,Downtown<br />
& Rodeo Arena. (580)479-5230<br />
GROVE Arts, Crafts, and Caiun Festival, <strong>July</strong>4-5,<br />
Civic Center. (918)786-8896<br />
GROVE Grand Lake o' the Cherokees Quilt Show,<br />
<strong>July</strong> 4-6, Community Center. (918)787-4334<br />
HARTSHORNE Round-UpClub Rodeo, <strong>July</strong> 3-5,<br />
South 14th St. (918)297-3448<br />
HEADTONFireworks, <strong>July</strong>4, Horton Field. (580)<br />
229-0900<br />
HEALDTONOld-Timers Breakfast, Aug 23, Anthis<br />
Park. (580)229-0900<br />
HINTONKiwanis Rodeo, <strong>July</strong>3-5, KiwanisArena.<br />
(405)542-6643<br />
HINTON District Fair, Aug 21-23, Fairgrounds.<br />
(405)542-321 1<br />
HOBART Farmers Market, <strong>July</strong> 1, Courthouse<br />
Square. (580)726-25<strong>53</strong><br />
HOBART Krazy Days, <strong>July</strong> 5, Downtown. (580)<br />
726-25<strong>53</strong><br />
HOLDENVIU IndependenceDay Celebration,<br />
<strong>July</strong> 4, Holdenville Lake. (405)379-6675<br />
HOUlS Harmon County Black-Eyed Pea Festival,<br />
Aug 9, Downtown. (580)688-9545<br />
HUGO Grant's Bluegrass Festival, Aug 6-9,Salt<br />
Creek Park. (580)326-5598<br />
JAY CourthouseSquare<strong>July</strong>4-6,36th Annual Nat'l<br />
HuckleberryFestival, (918)2<strong>53</strong>8698. Aug 9,<br />
Cruise Night, (918)2<strong>53</strong>-4307<br />
JENKS Old-Fashioned Family Fun Fourth of <strong>July</strong>,<br />
<strong>July</strong> 4, Main Street. (918)299-5005<br />
KETCHUM Duck Creek Fireworks, <strong>July</strong> 4, Arrowhead<br />
Yacht Club. (918)782-3292<br />
LAVERNE Fourth of <strong>July</strong> Celebration, <strong>July</strong> 4, City<br />
Park. (580)921-3612<br />
62 I<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong>
LAWTON Rangers Rodeo, Aug 6-9, LO Ranch<br />
Arena. (580)585-0595<br />
MANGUMAntique Car Show, Aug 9, Courthouse<br />
Lawn. (580) 782-2444<br />
MARLOW Old-Fashioned Celebration, <strong>July</strong> 4,<br />
Redbud Park. (580) 658-2212<br />
McLOUD Blackberry Festival, <strong>July</strong> 3-5, Veterans<br />
Park. (405) 964-6566<br />
MIAMIOttawa Celebration& Powwow, Aug 29-<br />
3 1, Adawe Park. (918) 674-25<strong>53</strong><br />
MIDWEST CITY Star Spangled Salute, <strong>July</strong> 4,<br />
Tinker Air Force Base. (405)739-1293<br />
MIDWEST ClN State Chili Championship, <strong>July</strong> 12,<br />
Joe B. Barnes Regional Park. (405) 739-1293<br />
MOORE Celebration in the Heartland, <strong>July</strong>4, Buck<br />
Thomas Park. (405) 739-5090<br />
OKEMAH Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, <strong>July</strong>9-13,<br />
Pastures of Plenty. (918) 623-2440<br />
PAUUVAUEY Seed Spitting Contest & Fireworks<br />
Display, <strong>July</strong> 4, Wacker Park. (405)238-751 1<br />
PAWHUSKA Cavalcade Street Dance, <strong>July</strong> 14,<br />
Downtown. (918) 287-1208<br />
PAWHUSKA InternationalCavalcade, <strong>July</strong> 16-20,<br />
Fairgrounds. (918) 846-2880<br />
PORTER Peach Festival, <strong>July</strong> 18-19, Main Street.<br />
(918) 483-4600<br />
POTEAU Celebration, <strong>July</strong> 4, Downtown. (918)<br />
647-9178<br />
PRAGUE Celebration, <strong>July</strong> 4, City Park. (405)<br />
567-2616<br />
PURCELL Heart of <strong>Oklahoma</strong>, <strong>July</strong> 4, City Lake.<br />
(405)527-7128<br />
RENllESVlUEDusk 'Til Dawn Blues Festival, Aug 29-<br />
3 1,Down Home Blues Club. (918) 473-241 1<br />
RUSH SPRINGS Watermelon Festival, Aug 9,<br />
Jeff Davis Park. (580)476-3103<br />
SAPULPA Freedom Festival, <strong>July</strong> 4, Kelly Lane<br />
Park. (918) 224-3330<br />
SAPULPA Concert on the Corner, <strong>July</strong> 24, Aug<br />
28, Martha's Corner. (918) 224-5709<br />
SEMINOLE 33rd Annual Gospel Sing, Aug 13-16,<br />
Music Park. (405) 382-8351<br />
SPENCER Ice Cream Social & Open House, Aug<br />
23, 50th & Palmer. (405) 771-4576<br />
SPlRO Bluegrass Jamboree, <strong>July</strong> 12, School<br />
Cofetorium. (918) 962-2276<br />
STROUD Sac & Fox Nation Powwow, <strong>July</strong> 10-13,<br />
Tribal Reserve. 1918) 968-3526<br />
TlSHOMlNGO celebration, <strong>July</strong> 4, Citywide.<br />
1580) 371-2175<br />
TONKA'WA lndependence Day Celebration, <strong>July</strong><br />
4, Blinn Park. (580)628-2220<br />
TUlTLE Annual Ice Cream Festival,<strong>July</strong> 4, Schrock<br />
Park. (405) 38 14600<br />
VlAN Labor Day Festivities,Aug 29-31, Tenkiller<br />
State Park. (918) 489-5641<br />
VlNlTA Summer Fest Car Show, Aug 2, South<br />
Park. (918) 256-7133<br />
VlNlTA Will RogersMemorialRodeo, Aug 26-30,<br />
Rodeo Grounds. (918) 256-7133<br />
WAGONER Fiddlers Festival, Aug 1416, Western<br />
Hills Guest Ranch. (918) 772-2545<br />
WAYNOKA Paint the Wall, Aug 30, Cafb Bahnhof.<br />
(580) 824-0063<br />
WEATHERFORDlndependenceDay Celebration,<br />
<strong>July</strong> 4, Rader Park. (580) 772-7744<br />
WILBURTON Sunset Hayride, Aug 30, Robbers<br />
Cave State Park. (918) 46<strong>53</strong>83 1<br />
WISTER Lake Wister State Park Route 3, Box 70.<br />
<strong>July</strong> 19, Team Gar Bow Bender Tournament.<br />
Aug 16, Gar Rodeo. (918) 655-7886<br />
WOODWARD Plains Indians & Pioneers Museum<br />
2009 Williams Ave. <strong>July</strong>5Aug 16,l Love a Parade<br />
Photo Exhibit. <strong>July</strong> 19, Cheyenne-Arapaho<br />
Dancers. (580)256-6136<br />
YUKON Freedom Fest '03, City Park & Chisholm<br />
Trail Park. (405)354-7208<br />
--<br />
Visit oklahornatoday.com or<br />
Dates and times are subject to change;<br />
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event. The Events Guide is a free service<br />
published on a spaceavailable basis. To<br />
be considered, please mail a notice of the<br />
event that includes date, place, address,<br />
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<strong>No</strong>tices must arrive at <strong>Oklahoma</strong> <strong>Today</strong><br />
three calendar months prior to publication<br />
(i.e. <strong>No</strong>vember/December <strong>2003</strong><br />
events must arrive by <strong>August</strong> 1). Events<br />
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LAINS COUNTRY<br />
For more information, contact us at<br />
1-800-652-6552 7-866-GPC-OKLA www.greatplainscountry.cc<br />
A<br />
sports, antiques, unique shop<br />
ping and more await you.<br />
legendary Attractions Include:<br />
National Rt. 66 Museum<br />
Old Town Complex<br />
Ackley Park<br />
:xcellent lodging & Dining Facilities<br />
lnique Shops & Antique Stores<br />
ireat Annual Events Festivals<br />
Rodeos and More<br />
1 --<br />
"<br />
ELK CITY<br />
HOLIDOME<br />
complete with:<br />
151 Rooms<br />
Meeting Space for 300<br />
Free Local Calls<br />
Free In-Room Coffee<br />
Indoor Swimming Pool<br />
Whirlpool Steam Room<br />
Sauna Fitness Room<br />
Game Room Shutneboard<br />
9-Hole Miniature Golf Course<br />
Ping-Pong Paywne Club<br />
Gazebo Restaurant<br />
1Mile from Ek City Golf &<br />
Country Club<br />
Toll Free Reservations:<br />
1-800-HOLIDAY<br />
1-40 & Hwy. 6<br />
Elk City, OK 73644<br />
580/225-6637<br />
Bob @Anna Welcomerorc!
EIGHT YEARS AGO, TULSAN PAUL JAMES SOWED A<br />
wildseedwith the producers of a budding cable network called<br />
Home &Garden Television (HGTV). His idea?To produce a show<br />
that would "strip away pretense and appeal to homeowners who<br />
would rather play golf than work in their garden."<br />
In the vast compost tumbler of reality TV;James' idea spun black<br />
gold. The result is Ga&ingby the Ed,a weekly half-hour program<br />
written and directedby James that transbrms his two-acremid-T&<br />
backyard into a film set for twenty-six episodes per year.<br />
"Part of my pitch to HGTV was to film the show at my house<br />
and feature gardening successes as well as failures," he says of<br />
the show's regular-Joe orientation.<br />
64<br />
I<br />
OKLAHOMATODAY .JULY/AUGUST <strong>2003</strong><br />
Blossom or wilt, the shows are never contrived, which can make<br />
for some impromptu moments on camera<br />
"We have a motto in gardening television," James says. "If you<br />
can't fix it, feature it." That's reality-and part of what makes<br />
James' program popular to viewers in more than 100 million<br />
homes around the world.<br />
Whatever the show's topic, it's popular. Gary Dempsey,<br />
an <strong>Oklahoma</strong> City fan, says, "I mean, that guy can make<br />
compost interesting."<br />
-Mary LoganWolf<br />
Gardening by the Yard airs Saturdays and Sundaysat 10:30 a.m.<br />
on HGTK hgn?corn.
~ a t i n ~ S w ~ ~ mnmg.mn g ~ w ~ g mkesideloag~ng~carnpmg<br />
. ana golting.w@ve got par daiudow<br />
- >.+*<br />
? - .- .qfaquakc cxcitemant at many ofaur 50 state parks and reroHs.Right here,inQklahotna.<br />
800-654-8240 oklahomaparks.com<br />
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55 HOT AIR BALLOONS BALLOONGLOWS & RACES BICYCLESTUNT TEAM<br />
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