FREE FALL 2017
‘BEST OF THE BEST’ coming to Woolaroc
TRI COUNTY TECH: OKLAHOMA ORIGINAL
HOPS FOR HOPE: HOPPING GOOD TIME
SUTTON CENTER: ‘IT’S ALL ABOUT BIRDS’
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Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
contents
FALL 2017
5 EDUCATION An Oklahoma original Tri County
Tech celebrates 50 years
8 HEALTH Medical care for the poor Green Country Free Clinic provides health, mental health and dental care for Bartlesville’s needy 10 NONPROFIT Hopping good time Hops for Hope raises money for child advocacy center
12 BUSINESS ‘It’s good to be home’ Hard work, vision key to Mike Moore’s leadership at Jane Phillips Medial Center 14 CHEF’S TABLE 25 years and going strong Chaus mark milestone as owners of Szechuan Chinese Restaurant
16 FEATURE ‘Best of the Best 2017’ 8 artists featured
in national exhibit at Woolaroc
19 PROFILE The power of ‘Yes’ Fenstermaker says yes
‘opens you to possibilities’
22 SPOTLIGHT ‘It’s all about birds’ Research,
conservation focus of Sutton Center
27 SPORTS Ring leader Randy Rouse guides fighters to championships at downtown gym 62 CALENDAR Events for September, October ON THE COVER Woolaroc’s Kaci Fouts and Shiloh Thurman. Photo by Mark Blumer.
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Volume 11, Number 4 ©2017. All rights reserved. Bartlesville Magazine is published bimonthly by the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise GateHouse Media 4125 Nowata Road Bartlesville, Oklahoma 74006 No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. For change of address orders. please call (918) 335-8200. PUBLISHER Matt Tranquill MANAGING EDITOR Chris Day DESIGN Kelsey Walker PRODUCTION Fawn Wilson-Olivarez ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS: WRITERS Chris Day, Emily Droege, Tim Hudson, Nathan Thompson, Mike Tupa, Allison Weintraub PHOTOGRAPHERS Mark Blumer
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education
An Oklahoma original Tri County Tech celebrates 50 years BY NATHAN THOMPSON
A
n Oklahoma educational icon is celebrating a historic feat, as Tri County Tech — the state’s first CareerTech school — turns 50 years old this year. Community leaders in Washington, Nowata and Osage counties united half a century ago to form the education arm of economic development for northeast Oklahoma. According to Tri County Tech’s Chief of Staff and Director of Marketing Tiffany Bruce, Oklahoma leaders with names like George Nigh, Gov. Dewey Bartlett, Dr. Francis Tuttle and Arch Alexander envisioned training centers within commuting distance of every community in Oklahoma that would provide training to enable individuals to immediately enter the workforce. The leaders succeeded in their mission and created one of the most robust career and college prep training systems in the nation. “Having the vision and leading the charge for the creation of the Tri County Tech district were the first elected Board of Education members, Earnestine McAnaw, J.C. Gordon, Roger Kleinschmidt, Nobal Marshall and G. C. Richardson,” Bruce said. “These five individuals developed the footprint for what would become a key catalyst in the community. They had the responsibility to select the site, arrange for financing as well as choose the proper courses and faculty needed to meet the employers’ needs in the area.” A June 1, 1967 article in the Examiner-Enterprise said the Tri County Tech board was “the first of its type in the State of Oklahoma and possibly the southwestern United States.” Among the initial decisions made by the board was hiring the school’s first superintendent, Willie G. Smith, of Nowata. Smith was instrumental in the development of Tri County’s programs and the construction of the building, however he passed away shortly before the school
ABOVE: Kerensa Kester, chief instructional officer for Tri County Tech, assists a new high school student and his parent with enrollment paperwork for the school year. LEFT: Tri County Tech Superintendent/CEO Lindel Fields is celebrating his 19th year at the school. The institution is Oklahoma’s oldest CareerTech center, serving Washington, Osage and Nowata counties for 50 years. Nathan Thompson/Bartlesville Magazine
officially opened. Smith’s assistant, Ken Phelps became the next superintendent, leading the district for 22 years. Tri County’s rich heritage has been under the guidance of only five superintendents’. Taking the helm after Phelps was Clovis Weatherford who served 11 years and then Anita Risner for nine years. Currently Lindel Fields is guiding the vision of the institution that began 50 years
ago. Fields has spent 26 years in CareerTech and been the Superintendent/CEO of Tri County Tech for 19 of those years. “Fifty years is quite a milestone. It’s a little bit nostalgic for me having grown up in the CareerTech system,” he said. “A good portion of my life has been in Career Tech and Tri County. CareerTech has a great tradition in Oklahoma being unique in the country because we are a separate branch of education, which allows us to be flexible. “As I reflect on 50 years, I can’t help but to think about the leadership that came before me and the tens of thousands of students who got the education they need and deserve. Lives have been transformed as a result of the training we have here. We help people realize their hopes and dreams.” With the continuity of leadership, the enrollment at Tri County experienced dramatic growth over the past 50 years. Bruce said over 400 high school students were enrolled in 1968 when the school Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
5
opened their first official facility on Nowata Road in Bartlesville. Today, Tri County has nearly 700 high school and adult students enrolled in full-time programs and in fiscal year 2017, over 20,000 individuals were impacted by community enrichment classes, business training and event services on the campus. “The need for healthcare employees and nurses specifically was the foundation of the first partnership between the tech center and industry in the community,” Bruce said. “Tri County’s first program was the practical nursing program that began in the basement of the local hospital. Since that time over 2,000 nurses have become licensed in the area.” While the need for standard programs like nursing, automotive technology and welding continue to grow, new programs have evolved as well in areas of cosmetology, marketing, culinary arts and pre-engineering. One of the biggest needs in Oklahoma is the growing teacher shortage in the state. To meet that need, Tri County has implemented a teacher preparation program to guide high school and adult students in the areas of being a
paraprofessional, teacher assistant or use the program to provide a foundation for their education to become a classroom teacher. “We have enjoyed a great deal of success. In 2009, we laid out our Vision 2020 program to establish significant goals that any organization who could accomplish even one of these goals would be happy for a lifetime,” Fields said. “We’ve really decided to be courageous and move away from programs that weren’t as successful. When you focus on what’s most important and what you can be the very best at, then that helps. As a result, we have been recognized for our efforts.” Tri County received the Oklahoma Quality Award, the highest award from the Oklahoma Quality Foundation. The school was also recently named the 32nd Best Place to work for small and medium companies in the United States by Fortune Magazine. Additionally they continue to pursue the Malcolm Baldrige Quality award.
What once was a center to prepare high school students to enter a trade job out of high school has grown to a robust community center that prepares high school students for college; adult students for a career and is the education engine that drives the areas economy through business and industry training. Tri County is a community resource for meeting spaces, a venue for events and provides enrichment opportunities for individuals in the community aged 16 to 96. “The future is bright for Tri County as we continue to reconfigure and remodel our facilities and adapt to the changing needs of the workforce,” Fields said. “We are expanding programs into Nowata with a unique partnership with the Boys and Girls Club there and our business incubator space in Bartlesville and Pawhuska. This is an exciting time. We are looking forward to the next 50 years.” Nathan Thompson is a multimedia journalist for the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Pawhuska Journal-Capital and Bartlesville Magazine. A native of Bartlesville, he studied broadcast journalism and meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.
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health
Medical care for the poor
Green Country Free Clinic provides health, mental health and dental care for Bartlesville’s needy BY ALLISON WEINTRAUB
A
lthough Bartlesville was affluent in 1989, Cindra Pribil, registered nurse, saw a missing commodity lurking under the city’s prosperous surface — health care for the poor. “Bartlesville was very affluent at the time — per-capita (income) was high, the oil industry was booming, doctors were coming left and right — and sometimes in the most affluent places the poor are overlooked, and that’s what was happening,” Pribil said. Pribil, who met her husband volunteering at a free clinic in Tulsa, talked with her priest who was a co-founder of the free clinic in Tulsa, and decided to start reaching out to people in the community who could help her start a free clinic in Bartlesville. “I cannot tell you the number of times I was told there are no poor people going without medical care in Bartlesville,” Pribil said. “I said ‘Well, if you’d volunteer, I promise they’ll show up and you’ll find out that there are.’ And there were.” Pribil officially opened the Green Country Free Clinic in 1990, and 27 years later, with new services, savvy financial moves and location changes, this “best kept secret in Bartlesville,” has continued to offer free healthcare to people who have been denied for SoonerCare/Medicaid, Medicare or other services. Patients don’t even have to be employed; the clinic does not turn anyone away unless the case is outside its scope of care. During the clinic’s early years, which ran solely off volunteer doctors and was only open Tuesday nights, Pribil and volunteers saw people line up down the block every week, but were forced to limit themselves to 25 patients due to limited resources, space and doctor availability. Now, Green Country Free Clinic sees approximately 40 patients a week across its physical and mental healthcare services. Green Country Free Clinic divides their physical care into two categories: acute, for one-time fixes like minor injuries, colds and poison ivy; and chronic, where patients are facing long-term ailments like diabetes, hypertension or arthritis. Green Country Free Clinic also offers counseling services and a dental clinic down the road was recently added to better serve the needs of 8
Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
Cindra Pribil with glucometers, devices that test diabetics’ blood glucose levels. The clinic is able to distribute these devices, medications and services, due to community support. Allison Weintraub/Bartlesville Magazine
the community. Although Green Coutnry Free Clinic offers in-house medication services, they are able to afford the medicine by utilizing the patient assistance programs found at every major drug companies, or a “free plan for some of their medications,” which allow the clinic to bring in $1.3 million in medicine a year for chronic patients, Pribil said. Pribil said community donations make up a large portion of the funds the clinic relies on to serve its patients. The clinic is able to make donations stretch a long way, according to Pribil. “We can take 1 donated dollar and turn it into $14 of healthcare,” Pribil said. “So, if someone donates $100 to us, you can see what that does for us.” Mollie Bechtelheimer, a nurse practitioner who has volunteered with the clinic off and on since 1994, said her proudest moments from volunteering in the clinic come from patient victories. According to Bechtelheimer, volunteers celebrate every milestone with patients — even if the event seems small. “If it’s just the fact they’ve taken their medications on time, the fact that they made their appointment on time, then we start pretty basic if it’s needed,” Bechtelheimer said. “Then, we work our way up to the no smoking and the diabetes under control and weight loss.” Bill Pierson, president of the Green
More about: Green Country Free Clinic location: 500 SW Frank Phillips Blvd Green Country Free Dental Clinic location: 321 SE Deleware Ave Acute Clinic appointments: call (918) 337-5222 at 1 p.m. the day of service to set up appointment. Chronic Clinic appointments: Fill out paperwork at clinic before scheduling. Dental Clinic appointments: Call (918) 338-0198 to schedule. Country Health Clinic’s board of directors and clinic volunteer, said he envisions the clinic growing its chronic care, especially with the drug assistance program, because the relationships between the doctors and chronic patients become an important “partnership.” “You can’t fix yourself and we can’t do it for you. We have to work together. Here’s what we’ll do and here’s what you need to do, and together, we can make progress,” Pierson said. One of the many reasons Bechtelheimer enjoys volunteering at the clinic is because it’s a “step back in time” to a less bureaucratic style of practicing medicine. “You do paper charts and you don’t use computers and you get back to the basics of just seeing the patient. That’s kind of what I like about it — you go and you put your
The exterior of the Green Country Free Clinic. The clinic sees around 40 patients a week, across all services. Allison Weintraub/Bartlesville Magazine
hands on and you talk to them and you chart, just by writing on the chart,” Bechtelheimer said. The clinic relies mainly on volunteer work during day-to-day activities and are always looking for new faces to help out in several aspects of the clinic. Pierson said volunteering at the clinic doesn’t feel like work “because everybody has fun.” “It’s really a great thing when volunteers can come in and do something that’s really worthwhile and have fun at the same time,” Pierson said. Pribil said that the clinic has transformed as it nears its 27th year of service, with a greater incorporation of the community. “I did found the free clinic, so it was kind of about me for a little while, a very short while,” Pribil said. “27 years later, it’s not about me. It’s about hundreds of people, businesses that support us, people that support us with fundraisers. It is about a huge number of people who make this happen, not just a few.” Allison Weintraub served as an intern at the Bartlesville ExaminerEnterprise. A graduate of Tulsa’s Edison High School, she is currently a senior at the University of Oklahoma.
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nonprofit
Hopping good time Hops for Hope raises money for child advocacy center BY CHRIS DAY
H
ops for Hope is the annual fundraiser for the Ray of Hope Advocacy Center in Bartlesville. This year, the event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at Bartlesville Municipal Airport Hanger No. 5. The fundraiser is entering its eighth year, and has become a go-to event. The presenting sponsors are Sutterfield Financial Group Inc., and Truity Credit Union. Sponsorships are available at various levels. Individual tickets are $40 and will go on sale on Oct. 1. Ray of Hope Advocacy Center is focused on providing healing, hope and help to victims of child abuse and their families in a child-friendly, culturally sensitive and safe setting. Ray of Hope Executive Director Rhonda Hudson talks about Hops for Hope, and the move to a new building later this year. Bartlesville Magazine: Is this your biggest fundraiser of the year? Hudson: Technically, it is our
Ray of Hope Advocacy Center Executive Director Rhonda Hudson sports a Hops for Hope shirt at the 2016 event. Ray of Hope Advocacy Center
only fundraiser. We do h’Art of the Child in April for Child Abuse Prevention Month, but that’s an awareness event for families. This is really our one and only fundraiser. It brings in about 30 percent of our operating budget each year. BM: How did Hops for Hope start? Hudson: We had a previous board member — Tracy Harlow —and she called me one day and said ‘I have this idea. It might sound a little crazy, but people make their own beer
and I thought it might be fun if we had this event where people make their own beer and we can sell tickets.’ I kept thinking people are going to make beer in their bathtub and I can’t imagine anybody is going to pay money to come to this. I had no idea at the time what a big hobby home brewing is, and it continues to grow. We have been blown away with the interest and support of the home brewing community. That’s the backbone of the event. If we didn’t have the
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home brewers, we wouldn’t have an event. BM: Describe what the typical Hops for Hope is like? Hudson: It’s a home-brewing competition. Each attendee gets some bottle caps and get to vote on their favorite home brew. They get a taster with their ticket. They come in, get a commemorative taster they can keep and take it around to the different home brewers. We usually have about 20 or so. Some bring one beer and some bring two. You take your taster around, get a little sample and vote on your favorites. We also have a silent auction and lots of pub-grub style food. BM: Is there any entertainment involved? Hudson: We have had some different things over the years. We have somebody new coming this year. Singer/songwriter Kalyn Fay will perform. It’s a little bit different than we have done the past couple of years. BM: Anything else about Hops for Hope?
Hudson: We have an longsleeve event shirt each year that people really seem to enjoy. We try to have some fun merchandise that is part of the event. Part of the fun, too, is being out at the airport. It’s a great event space. BM: In January, East Cross United Methodist Church donated the Grace-Epworth church building to Ray of Hope, which organized the Hope Floats fundraising effort to raise money to renovate the building into a new home for the advocacy center. Where are you in that process? Hudson: We feel like we’ve met our fundraising goal ($800,000). We expect to be finalizing the contract with a local contractor very, very soon for the renovations. We’ve been working with Keleher Architects. They’ve done a great job of helping us figure out what we need, and thinking through logistics and what we want to do. We are just so close. When you are this close, and you’ve worked hard for a year, you are kind of like, let’s hurry up and somebody start hammering something. We are almost there, and I’m really excited to be able to get that started. We are going to be able to expand services. We are ready to be in the new space and offer additional resources to the community. BM: What are those resources? Hudson: We will be
partnering with Samaritan Growth and Counseling Center to offer some in-house counseling so the children can come back to the place where they’ve already established relationships, and we’ve earned the trust of the family so they will be coming back and getting counseling at the same place they’ve received the other services. The other thing we’ve been working on, and are in the process of launching now, are more prevention services. We’ve been out in the community offering prevention training to school counselors, businesses, day cares and community groups. It’s something we are really excited to be doing. BM: Tell us about the Venture Grant you received from the United Way? Hudson: We were able to purchase updated prevention materials for the schools to use for the kiddos in grades pre-k through fifth grade. It talks about safe, unsafe and confusing touches. We are really excited to be able to work with the schools and use the Venture Grant money to provide that. We are going to get that program kicked off for this school year. BM: Where can people go to find more information about Ray of Hope? Hudson: Our website is www. rayofhopeac.org. Chris Day is the editor of the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise.
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business
‘It’s good to be home’
Hard work, vision key to Moore’s leadership at Jane Phillips Medical Center
Mike Moore is the CEO of Jane Phillips Medical Center.
BY NATHAN THOMPSON
M
ike Moore has an uncanny connection to one of Bartlesville’s most wellknown residents, Frank Phillips’ wife Jane. He spent his formative years in the Jane Phillips addition, attended Jane Phillips Elementary School and is now the CEO of Jane Phillips Medical Center. Even though he was born in Bay City, Texas, in 1963, Oklahoma — specifically the Bartlesville area — is home. “My dad, Harold Moore, worked for Phillips Petroleum as part of the seismograph team,” Moore said. “Our family was in Texas when I was born, but we were only there for two years. My dad said he had to have a child born in Oklahoma, so my mom, my older brother and I were put on a train to Oklahoma. My younger brother was born in Nowata.” For the next six years of Mike Moore’s life, the family lived in Bartlesville in a home on Elm Street, just around the corner from Jane Phillips Elementary School. In the middle of his first grade year, his parents bought 288 acres just southwest of Bartlesville in Osage County. “The property was connected to my 12
Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
Nathan Thompson/Bartlesville Magazine
grandfather’s, so I spent many a childhood day roaming and exploring the Osage,” Moore said. “He had 1,000 acres so there was plenty of room to play.” His dad was a Bartlesville firefighter for 14 years and his mother, Betty, spent more than 40 years working at Bartlesville’s famous “Gravy Over All” restaurant — Murphy’s Steak House. The move to Osage County put him in the Barnsdall school district, where he graduated in 1981. That’s where he met the love of his life, Jerri Cole. “We were just friends in school. We never dated while we were there, but we were good friends,” Mike Moore said. He went on to Northeastern Oklahoma College in Tahlequah — now Northeastern State University — before transferring to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. The oil bug hit him and he decided to major in petroleum engineering, but the oil crash of the 1980s changed his path. “My dad told me to get out of oil and find something else that met my interests,” Moore said. “After my first semester at OSU, I changed my major to accounting and
graduated in 1986.” In 1987, life-changing events impacted Moore’s life. He accepted Christ into his life and Moore married his good Barnsdall High School friend, Jerri Cole. Not only that, but after three job offers — he accepted a junior accounting position at Jane Phillips Hospital. Growing up in the Jane Phillips addition, attending Jane Phillips Elementary and now working for the hospital bearing Jane Phillips’ name, the uncanny connection was complete. “There’s a saying that you have to work your way up from the ground floor,” Moore said. “Well, my first position with Jane Phillips was below the ground floor.” His office as a junior accountant at the hospital was in the basement for the first 14 years of his career. Working feverishly, Moore knew that he would need to expand his education to continue to succeed. In 1991, Moore took the Certified Public Accountant exam and passed on his first try, an answer to many prayers, he said. Fast forward to 2000, Moore received his
master’s degree in health care administration from OSU-Tulsa and was soon named the chief financial officer of Jane Phillips Medical Center. “I really thought I would retire as the CFO for Jane Phillips, but God had a different path for me,” Moore said. David Stire retired as CEO of Jane Phillips Medical Center in 2014. Moore was offered the position and he accepted. Under his leadership, Jane Phillips Medical Center, its parent company Ascension and sister hospital St. John Medical Center, Moore has transformed the hospital into a premier medical facility for the entire region. “We serve over 100,000 people every year with their health needs in Bartlesville and our surrounding communities,” Moore said. “Even with our top-notch care, the thing I love the most about working for Jane Phillips Medical Center is the people. We have a great, caring staff and our patients are so kind and understand we’re giving them the best medical care.” Moore said he plans to continue working with Jane Phillips Medical Center until his retirement, and new facilities are in the works. “We are continuing to evolve with serving our community, providing them with the best we can,” he said. “We have plans to open additional wound care and therapy facilities to meet those needs. We are always examining what services we can provide for our community and are adapting to those needs.” Moore and his family’s service to the community is stronger than ever. He serves on the Board of Education for Tri County Tech and also serves as a high school football official for 30 years. Moore is on the board of directors for the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce, the Arvest Bank Advisory Board and the Health Care Authority for the Osage Nation. He and his wife, Jerri Moore, are members of Dewey United Methodist Church where they are active in multiple committees. Jerri Moore also is the principal for Dewey Elementary School. “The areas of Washington, Osage and Nowata counties are our home,” Mike Moore said. “My hope is that we will be here to continue to serve our community area for as long as we can. It’s good to be home.”
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Nathan Thompson is a multimedia journalist for the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Pawhuska Journal-Capital and Bartlesville Magazine. A native of Bartlesville, he studied broadcast journalism and meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.
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13
chef’s table
25 years and going strong Chaus mark milestone as owners of Szechuan Chinese Restaurant BY ALLISON WEINTRAUB
W
hen you walk into Szechuan Chinese Restaurant, you’re enveloped in warm inviting scents: soy sauce, garlic and citrus. Behind a wooden screen at the back of the room, you’ll hear shuffling and motion, the sizzle of cooking and laughter that carries out into the main room. When you walk up to the counter, you’ll meet a woman with a quick smile and a quicker laugh. That’s Amy Chau, co-owner of the restaurant, and she runs the front of the businesses at full speed with her magnetic personality. Chau came to Bartlesville in 1992 with her husband, Francis, Szechuan’s co-owner, and their twin sons to take over the Szechuan. Now, as the business celebrates its 25th anniversary, she’s happy that she’s been able to build relationships with her customers. “I can build up a lot of relationships with the customers, I can build up a lot of friends,” she said. “That’s one thing— I really enjoy my job. I’ve built lots and lots of relationships.” Her relationship with the town can be felt throughout Szechuan. Customers compliment her, tease her, and joke with her; one customer described the environment as being family-like and Chau laughed as she rung up her ticket. Erin Ritter, waitress and sophomore at Kansas’ Caney Valley High School, said Chau’s relationships makes working at the restaurant easier, because “everybody knows Amy.” Sheri and Calvin Perry often come to Szechuan to eat and they joke with Chau and their waitress, Jayme Gray, like old friends. Calvin has been coming to Szechuan for five years and Sheri has been a customer
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Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
Amy Chau stands next to the hostess stand in Szechuan Chinese Restaurant. Chau and her husband, Francis, have been running the restaurant for 25 years. Allison Weintraub/Bartlesville Magazine
Chef’s Tip Amy Chau said one way to replicate some of Szechuan’s dishes is to use garlic and soy sauce, among other flavors. since before Amy and Francis were running the restaurant. “My kids come here because they love the food,” Sheri Perry said. “What won them over was the Sesame Chicken. That was one of their favorites. My daughter, to this day, still loves Szechuan Sesame Chicken.” Calvin Perry said Chau was the reason he likes eating at Szechuan. “What won me over is the owner of this place,” he said. Long-time regulars like the Perrys are not out of the ordinary for Szechuan. Chau estimates 70 percent of the business’ customers are regulars. “There’ll be like four generations come to eat here,” she said. “Also, we have all the different high school kids. Some of them have a sister or brother who work here. Even my old employees, they left town to marry or whatever, when they have the chance to come back to town here, they have to stop by.” People’s ties to Szechuan are important to Chau and she reciprocates the affection they show her. She said, under certain circumstances, the restaurant would cater weddings for regulars and children’s friends. She said it was for special occasions; even though the option isn’t on the menu, if someone asks her, she’ll do it.
Gray, a junior at Dewey High School, said her family used to eat at Szechuan and Chau would tease her for how much water she drank, giving her the nickname “camel.” Now, Gray calls working with Chau her favorite thing about working there. “Whenever I come here, I’m just always happy because she makes it pretty entertaining,” Gray said. Szechuan’s most popular dishes are sesame chicken for children and orange chicken for older people, Chau said. The menu also features gluten-free options and the kitchen, headed by Francis Chau, prepare everything daily. “He works hard,” she said. “He’s a good cook. I take care of the outside and he’s quiet so he cooks!” The menu has remained essentially the same since the Chaus took over the restaurant, with a few minor changes. After 25 years, Amy said her favorite part of working in Bartlesville is that it’s nice to live in. “I really like it here,” Amy said. “You get used to it. This is a nice town here too: not too big, not too small — just right.” Szechuan Chinese Restaurant, 516 SE Washington Blvd. in Eastland Shopping Center, is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11 a.m.-2:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Allison Weintraub was an intern at the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. A graduate of Tulsa’s Edison High School, she is currently a senior at the University of Oklahoma.
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feature
Woolaroc Director of Strategic Planning Kaci Fouts, left, and Shiloh Thurman, Woolaroc museum director. All photos by Mark Blumer
‘Best of the Best 2017’ 8 artists featured in national exhibit at Woolaroc BY TIM HUDSON
W
oolaroc personnel say the museum’s upcoming southwestern art exhibit will be something to see. The show — “The Best of the Best 2017” Retrospective Exhibit and Sale will run Oct.7 through Dec. 31. “Frank Phillips was obviously an avid collector of southwest art … and Mr. Phillips collected the way that I have always thought was best: He bought what he liked,” said Shiloh Thurman, Woolaroc museum director. “The evaluation of fine art is subjective and what appeals to me may not appeal to another collector. If you look at a piece of art and it takes your breath away, buy it, regardless of the name in the lower right hand corner.” Woolaroc Director of Strategic Planning Kaci Fouts said the collection is the museum’s latest foray into a national exhibit. “This is the third time Woolaroc has hosted a national exhibition. Our first was held in 2013 and was an exhibit featuring the 16
Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
paintings of Charles Fritz and the sculptor of Richard Greeves depicting the Lewis and Clark ‘Corps of Discovery,’” she said. “Our first ‘Best of the Best’ show was held in 2015 which featured seven of the best contemporary wildlife artists, which was highly successful. With the museum’s small staff size and the amount of coordination and organization it takes to put on a exhibition of this size and caliber, every two years seems to work the best.” This year’s show will feature eight outstanding artists including painters Bill Anton, George Carlson, Len Chmiel, T. Allen Lawson, Dean Mitchell and Andrew Peters and with sculptors Tim Cherry and Steve Kestrel. “As far as our selection of artists is concerned, each one was chosen for their artistic ability which stems from their lifetime of commitment and study of their art and their depiction of the world around them. These eight artists are considered among
the ‘best of the best’ contemporary artists in America today,” said Dean and Kathy Zervas, event chairpersons. Fouts said the exhibit has strong
continuity. “The common thread that binds these eight artists together is first and foremost, their friendship and mutual respect for each other. Other commonalities are their artistic ability, the national and international recognition they have received, not only in exhibitions but in publications and their popularity among galleries and museums,” she said. “They are truly eight examples of the ‘best of the best’ contemporary artists in America today.” Founded in 1925 by oilman Frank Phillips, Woolaroc is a 3,700 acre working ranch that has a 50,000 square foot museum with a collection described by Christie’s of New York as “one of the finest collections of southwest art in the world” along with the original Lodge home and a large herd of buffalo, elk, longhorn cattle, scotch highland cattle and hundreds of deer. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C., Woolaroc is located 12 miles southwest of Bartlesville. Tim Hudson is the county reporter for the Examiner-Enterprise newspaper. He writes for several publications as well as area nonprofits and charitable organizations. An amateur musician, he plays guitar for several bands and churches in the area.
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profile
The power of ‘Yes’ Fenstermaker says yes ‘opens you to possibilities’ BY EMILY DROEGE
D
onna Kay Fenstermaker believes in the power of “yes.” “Say yes as much as you can and that opens you to possibilities,” said Fenstermaker. “And even if you think you’re not qualified, you’d be surprised at what you can do.” Fenstermaker should know. She’s been saying yes for more than 40 years to local organizations such as CONCERN, Family Crisis and Counseling Center, the League of Women Voters, Bartlesville Area Habitat for Humanity, Presbyterian Women, Samaritan Counseling and Growth Center, and Meals on Wheels and more. After moving to Bartlesville from Ohio in 1973, it wasn’t long before others recognized her multiple talents. She got a call from the president of CONCERN asking if Fenstermaker would like to join a committee. Naturally, she said, “Yes.” “I did that for several years and it worked into a part-time job and then it worked until a full-time job as executive director. I was the head of emergency services committee, which wasn’t a committee, it was just me,” reflected Fenstermaker, with a smile. “I really enjoyed it, because that was helping folks who financially couldn’t make it to the end of the month and needed food and rent, medicine and utilities.” Under Fenstermaker’s guidance as executive director, CONCERN expanded significantly and eventually included a child daycare center. She stayed for 23 years and retired in 1999. “I trained to be a teacher and I became a librarian and I enjoyed that, but we moved here and there were no positions,” she explained. But the dead end of one pursuit opened the opportunity for another, one which offered her the difference between what she said she was “supposed to do” versus what she was “meant to do.” “Social work just really appealed to me,
Donna Kay Fenstermaker All photos by Mark Blumer
and that’s really what my calling was,” she said. The League of Women Voters also got a big yes vote from Fenstermaker shortly after she moved here, and the organization’s mission continues to be one of her passions. She now serves as secretary for the League, putting together the Citizen Guide, which lists local and national political officials, and acting as the timekeeper for political forums. She also creates the candidate information sheets published in the Examiner-Enterprise before elections. “I got involved with the League of Woman voters because I think it’s important for people to be educated and vote,” she said. “It just amazes me when I see 70 to 80 percent of the people in other countries line up and vote, and we have under 30 percent. We just take it for granted and then we gripe about
things and complain. If you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain.” The same year as her retirement from CONCERN, Fenstermaker got a call to join Bartlesville Area Habitat for Humanity. Again, she dug in with both hands and a big heart. She initially worked with family support then served as president for nine years. She started the warehouse sales in 2004, which is one of Habitat’s major fundraisers, and acts as warehouse manager today. From February to November, on the third Saturday each month, the warehouse is open to the public to purchase items for home improvement such as new or gently used doors, windows, lights and fans. “We just need adequate, affordable housing for people who have jobs but can’t afford really high rent or can’t afford to buy a home,” she said. “I think that’s why Habitat is Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
19
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so wonderful, because you can provide a home for people who can’t afford to go on the market and buy a house.” From her viewpoint, hunger, public transportation and adequate housing continues to ail Bartlesville, but progress is being made, she explained. “The transportation that we have now with CityRide is really filling a need, and I’m pleased to see the “tiny home plot” on Sixth Street. That’s going to be helpful,” she said. When Fenstermaker started working with CONCERN, she soon realized a “real hunger problem” in the community. Years ago, during a LWV Legislative Breakfast, three lawmakers participated. Fenstermaker asked a question about hungry people getting access to food. “At one point I had one legislator say to me that we don’t have any poor or hungry people in Bartlesville. I couldn’t believe that,” she said. “Just keep your eyes open and drive around and see there are poor people in Bartlesville or who face hunger. It’s hard to understand how you can live in a community and not know that.” She and her supportive husband, Roger, cook and prepare food for Meals on Wheels on a bi-monthly basis. She’s also busy serving on the board of trustees at First Presbyterian Church and on the board for Presbyterian Woman, where fellowship and Bible study observations are exchanged. The Fenstermaker’s son and daughter-in-law and three grandchildren are in town, and the families get together regularly. She said she remembers her mother always helping others, and her husband has been steadfast in encouraging her volunteer efforts and community interests. “If people say they’re bored, I can never understand that because there’s so much to do.” said Fenstermaker. “If you give yourself, there isn’t a chance to be bored.”
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Emily Droege has been the feature writer for the Examiner-Enterprise for six years. She was born and raised in Bartlesville and earned her bachelor’s degree in history and master’s in applied history at Oklahoma State University.
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Downtown Bartlesville Ltd. is continuing the Light Up the Ville campaign to raise $75,000 for LED lights that will be displayed year-round on Frank Phillips Boulevard from Keeler to Cherokee streets and will change color with each holiday. Santa is racing toward an October 1st deadline to get as many lights as possible for the 2017 Holidays in the Ville season. Your contribution is tax deductible and will be used only towards this project.
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spotlight
‘It’s all about birds’
Research, conservation focus of Sutton Center
Dr. Lena Larsson, executive director, George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center Photo by Mark Blumer
BY EMILY DROEGE
F
rom its home among the blackjacks in the Osage Hills, the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center has been making noticeable strides in wildlife conservation. Here, just a few miles southwest of Bartlesville, Sutton researchers are in the midst of nearly a dozen projects, including an extensive prairie-chicken research and repopulation project. “It seems like we’re always busy,” said executive director Dr. Lena Larsson, who’s helped with positive environmental contributions after returning to the Sutton Center in 2009. “I’d rather call myself the team coordinator. My job now is to make sure all the different projects are successful, watching over the finances and planning ahead for the future,” she said. Larsson’s passion for conservation stems from her childhood growing up in Sweden, where she sailed and kayaked around the archipelago, hiked in the forests near
Photo by Mark Blumer
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Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
Stockholm and skied above the Arctic Circle. “I was always interested in biology as a child, and I feel most at peace and ‘in sync’ when I’m out in nature,” she said. “I think it’s very important for all of us, but many are losing the connection because of the time spent with electronics rather than experiencing the outdoors.” After first obtaining an undergraduate degree in ecology, behavior, and evolution, Larsson did some lab work in California, but wanted to do conservation-oriented fieldwork. She discovered that the Sutton Center was looking for a field technician. “That was back in 1998 so I went to Oklahoma and just fell in love with the greater prairie-chickens and the tallgrass prairie,” said Larsson. Her passion to conserve and to be a good steward of the natural heritage remains steadfast nearly 20 years later. And she’s especially pleased with the progress being made at Sutton Center’s prairie-chicken breeding facility a few miles east of the
Sutton Center headquarters. It has several barns, a research headquarters with labs, and netted open-field habitat. The natural habitat for Attwater’s prairiechickens is the coastal prairie of Texas, but the population has been suffering drastic declines. “The Attwater’s is related to the other prairie-chickens but it’s adapted to Texas, and it used to be in Louisiana, too, but now there are just three little pockets where they still exist — there are less than 200 individuals in the wild,” she said. While Attwater’s prairie-chickens face the most serious population issue, the Sutton Center is researching the greater and lesser prairie-chicken as well. The Sutton Center found that one of the major causes of death of the Oklahoma lesser prairie-chicken is collision with fences, explained Larsson, and Sutton Center researchers have developed a system of marking fences to make them more visible or removing them where possible.
From left to right: Don Wolfe, Dr. John Toepfer, Dan Reinking, Audra Fogel, Karen Kilbourne, Dr. Lena Larsson, vice-chair Becky Dixon, board chair Warren Harden, Dr. Steve Sherrod. Sutton Center
The Sutton Center’s eagle, Bensar, is projected onto the Empire State Building in New York City. Joshua Brott/Obscura Digital
Photo by Mark Blumer
Photo by Mark Blumer
The state budget crisis terminated the center’s 18-year-long partnership with the University of Oklahoma in 2016. The collaboration with OU helped with not only research and wildlife conservation projects but added a major education component. Without the money, the popular “It’s All About Birds!” that catered to Oklahoma schoolchildren, was canceled, but new funding is being sought for the program that brought avian education to more than 100,000 Oklahoma schoolchildren, Larsson said. She’s optimistic other venues and programs for education will soar far in the near future, too. “We’re hoping we can start something similar, although we can’t expect to receive state funding,” she said. “We have other ideas for education programs too, and we are working on developing more material accessible through our website that teachers can use in the classrooms.” The Sutton Scholarship Award for Oklahoma high school students in grades 1012 is going strong. This award goes to high school students who create original artwork with an accompanying essay on a current and compelling conservation topic. “It’s really exciting to see all the talent of
From the recovery project 1985-1992 of feeding bald eagle chick at the Sutton Center. ODWC
the students. We honor 20 students and give stipends to some of their teachers, too,” she said. “It has helped students decide to continue working with the art that is their passion.” The Sutton Center is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations and grants. They also engage citizen scientists to help with research and monitoring of populations. More than 30 years ago, the Sutton Center was founded with a goal aimed at bringing back the bald eagle population to the southern United States. The bald eagle was removed from the endangered list in 2007, thanks in large part to the work of the Sutton Center. As a result, the estimated number of nesting pairs of bald eagles in Oklahoma has gone from zero in 1984 to over 150 today. Eagles hatched and raised at the Sutton Center were released across five southern states. The eagle population in the south has not only stabilized but is growing throughout the region, said Larsson. “We’re hoping for the same positive results with the prairie-chicken projects,” she said. “There is also a project to recover the masked bobwhite, a Sonoran cousin of our local
Photo by Mark Blumer
quail, as well as prairie bird monitoring here in Oklahoma.” She said that the Sutton Center has an education program that demonstrates nontoxic ammunition alternatives to hunters, since lead shot left in carcasses can poison and kill eagles and other wildlife that scavenge. A winter bird atlas for Oklahoma, researched and written by the Sutton staff, will be published soon to go with Sutton Center’s previously published Oklahoma breeding bird atlas. The center is named after Dr. George Miksch Sutton, a well-respected professor from the University of Oklahoma and worldrenowned bird artist and author. “Our mission is to find cooperative conservation solutions for birds and the natural world through science and education, so we hope everybody will work together and not make conservation into something that’s partisan,” said Larsson. Emily Droege has been the feature writer for the Examiner-Enterprise for six years. She was born and raised in Bartlesville and earned her bachelor’s degree in history and master’s in applied history at Oklahoma State University. Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
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sports
Ring leader
Randy Rouse guides fighters to championships at downtown gym BY MIKE TUPA
R
andy Rouse is not an old man. Let’s just say he’s been around the same block a time or two — or 2,000 times. But, his path has never — ever, ever, ever, ever — been mundane. Since founding the Rouse Gym — at first in Dewey and later in Bartlesville — in the mid-1980’s, Rouse’s has made a career of taking the road less traveled by. Focusing primarily on unleashing the rawfisted, bulging-legbones and merciless knees in Washington County, Rouse has helped guide multiple fighters to the promised land of world championships. Nestled just outside the shadows of downtown Bartlesville, his Domicile of Pain has been a House of Gain for multiple boxers and kickboxers that have literally traveled with the world at their feet. “Some of the best fighters on this planet have come out of Copan, Dewey and Bartlesville,” Rouse said. “No one expected that many world champions to come out of Bartlesville.” The roster of royalty that have trained at the Rouse facility includes Brenda Rouse — owner during her career of four women’s kickboxing championships and one women’s boxing world championship — and Cody Lemmons. “At one time, we had up to nine different world champions,” noted Rouse. “I think we’ve had 68 United States champions.” For Rouse, the secret to training world champions is to not focus his fighters on the
Bad Brad Berkwitt, left, chats with Randy Rouse during a break at a Team Rouse Fight Night in the Washington County Fairgrounds. Despite a busy schedule, including a television show, Berkwitt has served as the main announcer at several of the Team Rouse shows. Mike Tupa/Examiner-Enterprise
top of the mountain — but to harden their minds and bodies for the bloody climb up the jagged rocks that leads to the summit of triumph. “The key to success is not thinking out yourself,” he said about the formula that has worked for him. “You have to think about your fighters and your coaches. … It’s a very big machine before it’s all done.” And, the Rouse Gym might have been a stopping off point for more world champions to follow. Half-brothers Kenzie Morrison and Trey Lippe-Morrison — both sons of former world boxing heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison — trained extensively with Rouse in Bartlesville. Both are unbeaten in the pro heavyweight ranks and slowly ascending toward the contendership status. In addition, Rouse’s son Jarrett is unbeaten as a pro boxer and also has several pro kickboxing and MMA fights under his belt. And, he’s only 26 years old. So, the Rouse Gym legacy continues to blossom. Its seeds were planted in humble ground. Back in 1984 or 1985, Rouse opened a gym in Dewey, “but we outgrew it a bit.” During the next three or four years, he
Since the late 1980s, the Rouse Gym has been a Domicile of Pain and a House of Gain for area ring fighters. Mike Tupa/Examiner-Enterprise
purchased the building in Bartlesville where the Rouse Gym has been located since — just around the corner from Johnstone Park, the Bartlesville Family YMCA and Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium. The facility has survived changing tastes and trends in fighting, the arrival and departure of championship-caliber warriors, and even a flood. Rouse emphasized a Muy Thai style of fight, which he said was in contrast to the karate style being taught by Earl Gilkey, who already had an established gym in Bartlesville. Shortly after, the international rules of kickboxing — which focused more on leg kicks and knee strikes — changed the American style, and Rouse’s way of instruction, forever. He also studied with a former champion from Thailand. “We just started totally dominating the scene,” Rouse said, adding that Brenda and Lemmons participated on several national teams that took on teams from Japan, Russia and elsewhere. Rouse’s emphasis in his early years also put more of an emphasis on training fights, “which is my true passion. We had 45 active fighters at one point,” as well as running classes for newcomers. He enjoyed the assistance of several veteran fighters, including Tommy Morrison, who became a family friend. The arrival of Verdell Smith — a hardnosed, highly-respected pro boxer — at the Rouse Gym signaled the beginning of a new era. Since Smith retired in the late 1990’s/ Bartlesville Magazine FALL 2017
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early 2000’s, he has stayed on as the primary instructor at the Rouse Gym. The type of training has undergone a complete metamorphosis, Rouse said. “We went from an amateur-style gym to pro kickboxing to pro boxing. We’ve made the full circle,” he explained. In the early 1990s, the Rouse fighters “were involved in the first MMA fights in the state of Oklahoma.” Through it all, boxing has always been a staple of the Rouse Gym — a skill that Rouse believes has set his fighters apart. “The number one success in our fighting I have to attribute to American style boxing,” he said. “We outbox everyone we fight. Once in a while, we will face a better kicker and one that is better with knee strikes.” But, the Rouse righters are able to control the action with the stand-up punching, he explained. In 1991, Rouse sponsored a boxers vs. kickboxers show at Bartlesville High School, “and not one boxer lost on that card. They (the kickboxers) couldn’t put up with the hands.” Lemmons proved that point early in his career by twice defeating a world kickboxing champion, Rouse said. “Cody was the turning point for our gym,” he added. “He was more than fighter. He was my brother. I took him to Japan and I took
Three currently unbeaten pro boxers trained at the same time in 2014 at the Rouse Gym. The trio, from left, are Kenzie Morrison, Trey Lippe-Morrison and Jarrett Rouse. Each of the trio is still active and progressing in the ranks. Mike Tupa/Examiner-Enterprise
him to Las Vegas.” Brenda’s unrelenting, explosive style elevated the Rouse Gym to an even higher level, particularly in the publicity generated from her television bouts. But, their era passed. Shortly after Brenda captured the women’s boxing world title in her weight division, she stepped away after becoming pregnant. In the early 2010’s, Rouse considered changing the gym’s emphasis to training for MMA. But, when Kenzie Morrison contacted him in late 2013/early 2014, and asked to come to Bartlesville to train to be a pro boxer, “I couldn’t tell him no,” said Rouse. “At the time, it was kind of chaotic. We were doing everything at once.” A few months later, Trey Lippe-Morrison began training several days a week at the
gym. Around this time, Jarrett Rouse also made the switch over to regular boxing. The three of them were asked by iconic Oklahoma promoter Tony Holden to join the new Four-State Franchise pro boxing team, which fights primarily out of Miami, Okla. Meanwhile, Rouse has continued to put on anywhere from two-to-four fight shows per year at the Washington County Fairgrounds, in order to showcase some of his up-andcoming talents, such as D.J. White. As for the future of the Rouse Gym, Randy indicated he feels re-energized. But, he expects Jarrett to one day take charge of the operation. “Jarrett is one of the best guys on the planet to work with young people,” he said. “He’s stayed extremely humble, very much like his mother. Jarrett’s always played the shy, smalltown kid, like Brenda did. That’s who they are. … He holds no animosity toward his opponents, but he’ll try with every molecule in his body to beat them.” Randy Rouse has witnessed a lot of scenery while going through the same paces the past 30 years. And, the future might be just as different — and even more exciting — than anything he’s seen yet. Mike Tupa is the sports editor for the ExaminerEnterprise.
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September 7-9 — Washington County Free Fair, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Washington County Fairgrounds in Dewey. 4-H Club and FFA members will show their horses, beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, dairy goats and meat goats. Younger children will display projects and exhibitors will enter the hobby projects. 8-10 — 10th annual Kan-Okla 100-plus mile Highway Sale, located on U.S. Highway 75 and State Highway 169 in southeast Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma and State Highway 166 in Kansas and U.S. Highway 60 in Oklahoma. Explore more than 100 miles of yard sales and flea markets. Visit: www. kanoklahighwaysale.net for more details. 9 — The Woolaroc Fall Trail Ride runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Woolaroc. The trail ride covers approximately 15 miles of terrain that is rarely seen by the general public. Bring your own horse. The trail ride is $50 per person. It includes two meals. For more information visit: www. woolaroc.org. 9 — Pearls on the Prairie Barbecue will be held at 5 p.m. Individual tickets are $35. The event supports the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma and Camp Wah-ShahShe. Enjoy an evening of beer, wine, whiskey tastings, barbecue, a live band and cautions at Prairie Song, 402621 W. 1600 Road, Dewey. For more information, visit www.gseok.org/en/sf-events-repository/2017/ pearls-on-the-prairie.html. 15-16 — Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival will celebrate 30 years Friday and Saturday at the Bartlesville Community Center, 300 SE Adams Blvd. The festival features an intertribal Powwow, fin arts market, youth art show, cultural demonstrations, crafts and food vendors. The festival is free. For more information visit: www.facebook.com/OklahomaIndianSummer 15 — Theater Bartlesville presents “Moon Over Buffalo” by Ken Ludwig. The play revolves around Charlotte and George Hay who are son a theatrical tour in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1953. The performance starts at 7 p.m. at Theatre Bartlesville, 312 S. Dewey Ave. For more information, visit www.theaterbartlesville.com. 21 — The David Osborne Trio, presented by the Bartlesville Community Concert Association, will appear at 7:30 p.m. at the Bartlesville Community Center. For more information, check out www. bartlesvillecommunitycenter.com/community-concertassociation_id84.html 22 — Theater Bartlesville presents “Moon Over Buffalo” by Ken Ludwig. The play revolves around
$10 or day of event registration is $15. The car show starts at 11 a.m. Awards will be announced at 3 p.m. For more information, www.countycourthouse.org/events/ view/event/copsrodders-car-show 30 — Cow Thieves & Outlaws Reunion at Woolaroc’s Clyde Lake will be held from 6-10 p.m. It is a major fundraiser benefiting the Frank Phillips Foundation, the nonprofit that owns and operates Woolaroc, the 3,700 acre wildlife preserve, museum and ranch. The event features live music, dancing, food, drink and a limited number of vendors. For more information visit the Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion page on Facebook.
October The Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival is Sept. 15-16 at Bartlesville Community Center. Charlotte and George Hay who are son a theatrical tour in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1953. The performance starts at 7 p.m. at Theatre Bartlesville, 312 S. Dewey Ave. For more information, visit www.theaterbartlesville.com. 23-24 — Western Heritage Weekend in Dewey. The activities start at 8 a.m. Sept. 23 with the “Outlaw Dash” registration and ends with a street dance with Garrett Brown and the Round-Up Boys. A country breakfast starts the action at 9 a.m. Sunday at Prairie Song. The Wild West Show starts at 1:30 p.m. at Prairie Song. This year, the Flyer Express Train Ride will have three excursion rides between Dewey and Caney. The rides are at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call (918) 534-155 to purchase by credit card or reserve tickets. Reserved tickets must be paid for within a week of reservation. For more information, visit www. westernheritageweekend.org 28 — Groove on the Green, food, drink and music on the green between Price Tower and the Bartlesville Community Center. Starting at 5 p.m. the Copper Bar’s outdoor patio will host happy hour. Grab dinner at the Copper Bar or one of the nearby food trucks. From 7-10 p.m. Steelwind will take the stage. Bring folding chairs or blankets. The Steelwind concert is free. 30 — Third annual Cops and Rodders Car Show. Registration from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pre-registration is
6-Dec. 31 — The Best of the Best Art Exhibit features eight outstanding artists, including painters — Bill Anton, George carlson, Len Chmiel, T. Allen Lawson, Dean Mitchell and Andrew Peters and sculptors Tim Cherry and Steve Kestrel. For more information, visit http://woolaroc.org/pages/featured-event or call (918) 336-0307 6-7 — Woolaroc once again hosts the Fall Traders Encampment, nestled near the shore of Crystal Lake. The camp is hosted by Woolaroc’s Mountain Men, Wes and Roger Butcher. The encampment is open to the public, and guests are encouraged to park and walk through the camp. There is no additional admission charge. Regular admission to Woolaroc includes the Fall Traders Encampment. 7 — Downtown Pawhuska plays host to the National Indian Taco Championship. Come hungry and prepared to taste the best traditional tacos around. Visitors also will enjoy local bands, Native American dance demonstrations and craft vendor booths. Inflatables and children’s games will make it a family affair. Downtown Pawhuska shops and businesses also will be open. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ NITCPawhuska/ 14 — 37th Annual Fun the Streets Woolaroc 8K and Fun Run. Runners and their guests get free admission to Woolaroc. The 8K course is USATF sanctioned/ certified. Medals go to the top three winners in each age group. For more information visit marathons.ahotu. com/event/woolaroc-8k 14 — The Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra will present “Celebrate Oklahoma” at 7:30 p.m. at the Bartlesville Community Center. For more information visit www.facebook.com/BartlesvilleSymphony/
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