Orchids in October

Governor Anoatubby Honored at 2017 Orchids in October

The Board of Directors of the Myriad Gardens honor, the Charles Shusterman Award for Foundation is pleased to announce The Excellence. Chickasaw Nation’s Governor Bill Anoatubby as the 2017 recipient of the James R. Tolbert III Their sponsorship has helped us provide yearCrystal Orchid Award. This award is an annual tribute round quality education programs for schools to those who significantly advance and support Myriad and families as well as seasonal events and Botanical Gardens. The award program was held on health and wellness programs. Thanks to their Wednesday, October 25 at the Water Stage followed by support, many of these programs are either lunch in the Park House. free or low cost so all in the community can enjoy and learn from them. Their sponsorship Governor Anoatubby and The Chickasaw Nation are of our major fundraising events, Splendor generous and forward thinking cornerstones of support in the Gardens and The Art of Flowers, has for many nonprofits that serve to improve the quality helped us raise hundreds of thousands of of life in our city and state. Through their generous dollars over the last five years. support over the last five years, The Chickasaw Nation and Governor Anoatubby, have enabled the Myriad Gardens Foundation to continually enhance the beauty Governor Bill Anoatubby In all, Governor Anoatubby and the Chickasaw Nation’s belief in and generosity towards of the gardens and quality of our public programs which Myriad Botanical Gardens’ development, has ultimately led to the Gardens’ being selected in 2015 as co-winner enormously helped the Gardens become a magnetic point of intense of the prestigious Urban Land Institute’s International Urban Open beauty and vibrant activity for more than a million visitors a year. Space Award and Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits ONE award top

BENEFACTOR

UNDERWRITER Jean & David McLaughlin Nancy & George Records Southwestern Stationery & Bank Supply

PLATINUM Devon Energy Jax Investments Jean I. Everest Foundation Meinders Foundation OGE Energy Corp. Oklahoma City Thunder Avis & Phil Scaramucci Beth & Jim Tolbert Total Environment Turf Team

GOLD

Ackerman McQueen Calvert’s Plant Interiors Fred Jones Family Foundation Josephine Freede Gertrude and Aaron Karcher Foundation Jeaneen Naifeh Richard Sias Lee Allen Smith, Barry Switzer & Blake Wade

SILVER

Architectural Design Grou, Inc. American Fidelty Foundation BKD Foundation Center for Economic Development Law Central Liquor Co. Clements Food Foundation Crowe & Dunlevy Shirley Dearborn, M.D. Dobson Technologies Nancy P. Ellis Ginny & Bob Greenberg Leslie & Cliff Hudson McGee Eye Institute Mercedes-Benz of Oklahoma Gene Rainbolt Marsha & Carson See Smith & Pickel Construction Williams, Box, Forshee & Bullard PC

BRONZE

Sue Ann Arnall & Steve Agee B.C. Clark Jewelers BKI Energy Resources Jil & Tony Boghetich Susan & Carl Edwards Karen & Warren Filley Gray, Blodgett & Company Hall Estill Maureen Heffernan Seyan & John Hefner Dr. Jan and President Robert Henry HoganTaylor LLP Linda & Ken Howell Barbara and Marvin Jirous Kerr Foundation Debora & Ronnie Morey Glenda Payne Libby & Morton Payne RKI Energy Resources Shirley & Ben Shanker

Scissortail Park – A Vision Takes Shape

By Maureen Heffernan, Executive Director

Students from the YMCA/John Rex Elementary School program help unveil the new name of the MAPS 3 Park as Scissortail Park on June 29, 2017.

With the new Scissortail Park located just steps away from Myriad Gardens, The City of Oklahoma City invited the Myriad Gardens Foundation to take on its management when it opens in 2019.

We are honored to take on this responsibility and will do our best to successfully manage the new park in partnership with the City of Oklahoma City so it meets the public’s expectation. We’ll be creating a new Park Management Company nonprofit that will oversee the management of Myriad Gardens Foundation and Scissortail Park Foundation as related yet independent organizations.

Creating a major new park is a visionary MAPS 3 project for Oklahoma City that will create an incredible legacy for future generations to enjoy. Named Scissortail Park by a community vote last spring, this $145 million project will completely transform 70 acres of downtown land. Divided into an upper and lower park, the upper park is about 38-acres that starts just two blocks south of Myriad Gardens and is bordered by Hudson and Robinson Avenues and by Union Station and Skydance Bridge. The 32-acre lower park extends south of Skydance Bridge and runs to the Oklahoma River in an L shape as shown on the map.

As described by the MAPS 3 office, “Scissortail band shell designed for both modest to massive Park will be the crown jewel of Oklahoma City’s gatherings; a six-acre lake with a boathouse offering public realm improvements, the keystone urban paddleboats for rent; an innovative children’s open space linking downtown to the riverfront, playground; a café and food truck area; a large and a major catalyst for the revitalization of the interactive fountain space for kids; a covered roller surrounding Core to Shore district over the next rink pavilion; dog park and more. Nearly 1,000 trees 50 years. The Park will represent an evolving, will be planted in the upper park along with tens forward-looking identify of Oklahoma City, a of thousands of ornamental grasses and flowering model for sustainable urban development and plants to create a lushly green oasis. the transformative capacity of public projects. Scissortail Park aspires to be a new innovative opening in 2021-22. urban park that is: Lively year round; connected to nearby Foundation as it evolves to take on the park’s neighborhoods, the downtown core and river management. Watch for updates of progress and trails; safe, healthy and comfortable for all ages a walking tour schedule of the new park as it is and abilities; ecologically diverse; enterprising, constructed. resilient and manageable.” The new park features an extensive lawn with a The Upper Park will open in 2019 with the Lower Park This is an exciting time for Myriad Gardens Maureen Heffernan and Jim Tolbert, chair, Scissortail Park Foundation Board of Trustees, participate in the new park groundbreaking. 5