Rivers Edge Magazine April Issue by Rivers Edge Magazine

Free April 2013

Vol. 1 No. 11

Your guide to Business • Recreation & Living along Tulsa's River Corridor

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edge

magazine

Turning Tulsa Pink The Great Raft Race, Sandcastle Contests ... part of historic RiverParks Get the Dirt on Heat-loving Plants Tulsa Oiler Update

April 2013 | 1

Vol. 1 No. 11

April

2013

Volume 1, Issue 11

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Beverly Atteberry, attorney . . . . . . . . . 5 Boomerang Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Campbell Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Chick-fil-A Leadercast . . . . . Back cover Contract Clerical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Dutton Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Honda of Bartlesville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Karen Keith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Keller-Williams Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .19

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Your guide to Business • Recreation & Living along Tulsa's River Corridor

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Money Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Mark Griffith Funeral Home . . . . . . . . 13 Oklahoma Central Credit Union . . . . . 13 Red Fork Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Tulsa Dental Center . . . . . . . Back cover

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Tulsa Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Western Sun FCU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

To advertise in River’s Edge Magazine, contact our advertising department at 918.446-7010 or email us at ads@riversedgemagazine.com. You may also find more information, including ad rates, at www.riversedgemagazine.com

Turning Tulsa Pink The Great raft race, Sandcastle Contests ... part of historic riverParks Get the Dirt on Heat-loving Plants Tulsa Oiler Update

April 2013 | 1

Spectators watch the Great Raft Race from the west bank and the sand bars of the Arkansas River. RIVERPARKS AUTHORITY photo

River’s Edge Magazine is published monthly by the River's Edge Publishing. It is a guide to Business, Recreation and Living along the Arkansas River corridor. It is distributed at no cost from downtown Tulsa to Jenks and from Brookside to Berryhill and at other select locations in the Tulsa metropolitan area. Our advertising deadline is the 10th of the month preceding the ad’s scheduled insertion.

Articles and advertisements in River's Edge Magazine do not necessarily represent the opinions of the publisher. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without expressed, written permission. River's Edge Magazine will be available on the website on the 1st of each month following the publication date. Copies may be mailed for a small fee to cover postage and handling.

River’s Edge Magazine

3210 West 51st Street • Tulsa, OK 74107 • 918.446.7010 email: editors@riversedgemagazine.com www.riversedgemagazine.com

River’s Edge Magazine publisher | Matt Crain managing editor | Tracy LeGrand creative director | Susan Coman copy editor/writer | Lisa Stringer writer

Sarah Crain

photographer/editor | Vernis Maxwell events editor

Lucinda Grace

graphic designer | Treba Elledge

Featured Events Create a World Free of MS

tulsa area running/CYCing events 04.20.13 Run/Walk Verdigris “Give-N-Go” 5K, Claremore/Verdigris, OK

Cycling 04.27.13 Flower Power Bike Ride, Muskogee

04.06.13 Running Aquarium Half Marathon, 10K, 5K Run, Jenks

Adventure Racing 04.20-21.13 Ultimate Mud Warrior, Oklahoma City

Running 04.27.13 Ready...Set...Run! 5K/Fun Run, Tulsa

04.06.13 Run/Walk Gospel for Africa 5k & 1m Fun Run, Tulsa

Running 04.20.13 Remember the Ten, Stillwater

04.13.13 Running John Zellers’ 5K Memorial Run, Bartlesville

Running 04.20.13 Color Run Tulsa sponsored by Tatur Racing, Tulsa

04.05.13 Run/Walk Grissom’s Annual “Run with the Stars” 5K and Fun Run, Tulsa

by Olivia Whaley Bridget Whorton and the Sunshine Walkers will participate in the 2013 Walk MS–Tulsa scheduled for April 13.

Join The Movement

alk MS–Tulsa will bring more than 1,500 people to the rallying point of the MS movement, a community coming together to raise funds and awareness for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society–Oklahoma. Funds raised will support direct services and programs for people with multiple sclerosis and their families in Oklahoma and MS research to find a cure for this chronic disease of the central nervous system. People like Bridget Whorton, who live with MS, walk to raise awareness and money for the cure. Bridget was diagnosed with MS in September 2009. “It has changed my life by all the pain, the vision problems, my memory failing, not being able to do the things that I love, and the uncertainty that I wake up to every day wondering what is going to fail me now,” says Whorton. “I have walked for Walk MS for three years and will continue to do so. My team of family and friends grows every year and the support and love are what makes me

remember that I am still the same ‘me’ I was before I was diagnosed.” With a goal to raise $110,000 for research and programs, the threemile Walk MS–Tulsa will take place on Saturday, April 13 at Veterans Park, 21st & Boulder Ave. in Tulsa. Participants will enjoy family-friendly fun including entertainment, refreshments, vendors and resources. Dayof-event registration begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. start. There is no registration fee and no minimum pledge. Form a team with family and friends, dogs welcome. MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. The Society provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move forward.

04.13.13 Running Run with the Pride, Broken Arrow

Run/Walk 04.21.13 Run Tulsa Pink 5K, Tulsa Run/Walk 04.27.13 Race Against Racism, Tulsa

04.13.13 Walk Walk MS-Tulsa, Tulsa 04.13.13 Run/Walk Parkside’s By Your Side Run, Tulsa 04.20.13 Triathlon Spring Fever Triathlon, Claremore

Run/Walk 04.27.13 How the West was Run 5k 1mile Fun Run, Jenks Running 04.27.13 Face the Flame,Kellyville

Running 05.03.13 Cinco de Mayo Run, Tulsa Running 05.04.13 5th Annual Michael J. Garner Renal Run, Tulsa Running 05.04.13 Aduddell Riverside 5 Miler, Tulsa Cycling 05.04.13 Tour de Tulsa, Tulsa Running 05.04.13 Race For Change 5k, Wagoner Mountain Biking 05.05.13 Keystone MTB Race, Sand Springs

Freewheel is in June, visit www.okfreewheel.com for info.

Let’s Run Tulsa Pink

Olivia Whaley is PR & Marketing Intern for National MS Society–Oklahoma.To join the movement, visit www.nationalMSsociety.org Individuals interested in joining or creating a team can sign up online at www.walkMSok.org or call 918-488-0882. TATUR RACING/RUNNERSWORLD PHOTO

Run, walk, volunteer, or watch – Sunday, April 21 is your opportunity to Run Tulsa Pink with a 5K and Fun Run. From kids to senior citizens, all will enjoy this day which is held in conjunction with Turn Tulsa Pink, an organization that assists families and raises cancer awareness in the community. Participants RunnersWorld is the at last year’s sponsor of the event. Visit Run Tulsa Pink. The 2013 event them in person at 4329 S. Peoria Ave., or online at www. is April 21 at Veterans Park. runnersworldtulsa.com for more info.

Working Together ~ Partnering For Progress April 2013 | 3

Dr. Matt Crain President Southwest Tulsa Chamber of Commerce

4 | River’s Edge Magazine

Recovering That Great River Spirit

nn Patton’s article this month recounts those glorious Labor Days of yesteryear on the Arkansas River dubbed by KRMG Radio as “The Great Raft Race.” I had moved out of town when the first race brought thousands of eyes and ears to the River’s Edge... and its sandbars. What an amazing display of ingenuity and creativity! Who knew that inner tubes could appear in so many exciting ways and bring about so much fun? From the Great Raft Race to the Pedestrian Bridge at 31st Street to the development of River Parks, Tulsans have shown amazing spirit over the years in spite of very limited resources. It doesn’t always require huge amounts of money. Who knew you could build a park without a bond issue? Read Ann’s article to find out! I believe it is time to recover that Great River Spirit. I’m not talking about the Casino. I’m talking about the spirit that dreams big, plans well and executes faithfully without being distracted by the critics. We’ve documented in full color the plans that brought excitement to the River Parks near the Blair Mansion. We’re watching the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness closely to report on developments that will enhance and not detract from its beauty. We’re researching the efforts that brought a massive freight train engine across Southwest Boulevard and into a multimilliondollar park built by volunteers and donated to the City of Tulsa. Who’s next? Tulsa has plenty of untapped River Spirit.We want to know and we promise to show and tell. ~

2013 City Hall in Your Neighborhood: Capital Improvement Program by Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr.

ast year, the Mayor’s Office and the City Council collaborated to bring City Hall in Your Neighborhood to citizens in each of Tulsa’s nine council districts to communicate city initiatives and help them get to know their government leaders. Beginning this month through April, citizens from all nine council districts can come together and submit their suggestions and big ideas about how the revenues should be spent on the 3rd Penny Sales Tax and General Obligation Bond Issue.This continuation of our citizen engagement process will help us have a better understanding of how the city should spend its time and money. Sales tax is the primary way we pay for our city infrastructure.Without it, we wouldn’t be able to widen and rehab streets, replace police cars, equipment and fire trucks, or improve/build new fire stations. We also couldn’t enhance our parks, replace salt-spreaders, plows and trucks, heavy equipment, or upgrade our technology, services and programs that

we provide to our citizens. After we gather public input from these first nine meetings, the City Council and I will draft a proposed capital improvements program, which will be presented at four additional citywide public meetings.When this program has been finalized, it will be placed on a ballot for voter consideration in November. In the meantime, I look forward to meeting you at our next City Hall in Your Neighborhood event and welcome your input on how we can make Tulsa even better. Submit your comments to: www.cityoftulsa.org/cityhall2u. ~ Editor’s note: At press time, meetings for Districts 6, 8, 1 and 2 had passed in March. The following are scheduled for April: (begin at 6 p.m.): District 9 – April 2, Whiteside Park Community Center, 4009 S. Pittsburg Ave.; District 7 – April 22, Hardesty Regional Library Frossard Auditorium, 8316 E. 93rd St.; District 5 – April 29, Hale Junior High School Auditorium, 2177 S. 67th E. Ave.; District 3 – April 30, Hamilton Elementary School, 2316 N. Norwood Place.

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April 2013 | 5

RiverParks

Putting Some Fun into the River The Great Raft Race from Sand Springs to Tulsa drew thousands to RiverParks. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RIVERPARKS AUTHORITY

6 | Riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Edge Magazine

by Ann Patton

hey came to the river in droves, a most comical collection of curious

crafts and wacky sailors, for a zany river parade – with actual floats — that marked the beginning of a grand era for the Tulsa River. Here was a shallow wooden box, with gaily-decorated balloons, banners, and a rigged sail patched together from old T-shirts, filled to overflowing with swim-suited partiers. There was a collection of inner tubes with a banner proclaiming “Go Fourth,” manned by oarsmen dressed as patriots. One was named “Grapes of Raft;” another “Noah’s Ark.” A yellow oversized rubber lifeboat was topped by a platform decorated with super-sized sea shells, guided by no more than luck and pluck. Merry-makers on one raft mounted a large slingshot on their deck and launched water balloons, knocking many a rafter into the drink. Tulsa’s Great Raft Race as like nothing else in our history, before or since. continued next page

April 2013 | 7

During the 1980s, several swans made their home at the Model Park at 21st & Riverside Drive (near where the Blue Rose Cafe stands now). COURTESY OF THE RIVERPARKS AUTHORITY

beyond the wildest dreams

f KRMG’s Ken Greenwood hoped to focus the public’s attention on the promise of the Arkansas River through Tulsa, he succeeded with his radio station’s Great Raft Race. Suddenly, the river was the place to be, as Tulsans outdid themselves to devise anything, everything, they might float on the river (and often in it) for frolicking in the summer sun. A thousand people showed up to man 330 crafts that Labor Day, Sept. 3, 1973, bobbing along the river from Sand Springs to Tulsa. It was pure “id” covered in community spirit.The winning raft, in terms of style, was “the Spirit of ’74” on a styrofoam base with tree limbs around the sides, all painted red, white, and blue. “… and it floated, which was not required,” reported one of the judges, Jay Cronley, in Tulsa Magazine. There was a semi-serious race to see who could first make the slow float

8 | River’s Edge Magazine

from Sand Springs through Tulsa.Walking time counted, too. As it turned out, they had everything but water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers amiably released water from Keystone Dam for the race, but somebody miscalculated the travel time and the river was little more than a trickle for much of the race.“Many of the rafts got stuck on sandbars, and spectators waded out for closer inspection. The Fire Department was busy that day, pulling rafts off the sandbars back in the small steam,” wrote the Tulsa World’s Gene Curtis. “It’s like being part of history,” one rafter told the World. The winner? “Tulsa won,” Cronley said. “Tulsans discovered a river right here in their own city.”

IT TAKES VISIONARIES A few visionaries had already seen the river’s potential. After the Excelebration Commission proposed a river park for the city’s 75th birthday in 1973,

Ken Greenwood helped make the Great Raft Race possible. COURTESY OF THE RIVERPARKS AUTHORITY

some movers and shakers started moving. Saying the county was buying up all the land along the river outside the city limits of Tulsa, County Commissioner Burkett Wamsley issued a challenge: Would the city do the same? On Aug. 23, Finance Commissioner William H. Morris Jr. asked Tulsa’s City Commission to allocate $2.9 million of revenue sharing for river development. “It’s time to get started,” Morris said. “It will be done in stages, and this will be a start.” Wamsley, meanwhile, was building

what he called a two-mile “first-class, second-hand park” along the river at Sand Springs. He aimed to prove that “you don’t need a million dollar bond issue to build a park.” For $40,000 cash, Wamsley built Estill Park in 40 days, with trees and shrubs from houses condemned for freeways, signs from used telephone poles, and a dedication plaque fashioned from a marble slab left over from courthouse remodeling.“Even the land was used,” Wamsley declared, noting it used to be an illegal dump, according to reporter Jim Henderson. A growing list of leaders supported the river project, but the public was far from convinced. There were a few who flat-out disapproved of all this splashing about in the river, perhaps most notably Dr. Jerry Cleveland of the Tulsa City-County Health Department, whose job required him to be a professional worrier. The Tulsa River was not fit for human contact and water sports, Cleveland said. Bacteria levels were high, and storm sewers flushed the city of pesticides and herbicides, he warned. No question, the river was a mess. “Over the years it had been a temperamental beast, given to long periods of lying shallow and smelling foul, then leaping its banks and terrorizing nearby neighborhoods,” Henderson said. Larry Silvey, then editor of Tulsa Magazine for the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, remembered taking pictures of a meat packing plant discharging its waste directly into the river upstream from where children were playing — “little naked poor kids, playing in the dirt in their backyards along the river. It was rough out there.” But the rafters didn’t care whether the river was dirty or not, Silvey said. “They were out there splashing around, and it was just a fun, fun thing.” There was no turning back after KRMG’s Ken Greenwood, inspired by Excel-ebration brainstorming sessions,

spearheaded the Great Raft Race. “From that time on,” Greenwood remembered, “the idea that the river wasn’t an asset fell by the wayside, and wasn’t an issue any more.” Radio Station KRMG sponsored the Great Raft Race for 19 years.

RPA director Jackie Bubinek called the river, “Tulsa’s Sleeping Giant.” COURTESY OF THE RIVERPARKS AUTHORITY

The river authority It could be argued that 1973 was Tulsa’s Camelot year. Voters were not given to approving bond proposals in those days, so cash-starved leaders had to turn to innovation. The river project, and others, were riding the crest of creative coalitions that were springing up spontaneously and moving mountains. The growing and enthusiastic river coalition was creating momentum, but a more formal operating structure was needed to pull the city and county together legally. Fortunately, it was during an era of good feeling among elected officials, so a river authority was a natural joint endeavor. “One day, Bob LaFortune called me and said, we need to start a RiverParks Authority, and would I serve?” Leonard Eaton remembered. The authority could marry city and county muscle with creativity and donations to create and manage linear parks all along the river corridor throughout Tulsa County. The first RPA meeting was held in the county court house basement in April of 1974. Len Eaton was elected chair, Travis Freeman vice chair, and Katie Westby treasurer. Other charter trustees were Bill Wiseman Jr., Marshall Nash, Carl Smith, and Richard Johnson. City Park Director Robert Hunter served as acting secretary. The RPA had a mandate to do anything needed to develop the River Lakes Park.They adopted a $38,700 operating budget, set out a plan to partner with other agencies, listened to Jerry Cleveland’s warning about water quality, and began the process of hiring a director.

It was “a very historic occasion,” said Mayor Bob LaFortune, who seldom used superlatives.“Hopefully it can create a new image for Tulsa, a broadened image, really.” “Give the people of Tulsa some way they can experience the river,” said County Commissioner Burkett Wamsley. “The people really need something they can feel…. The fever is high….” The vision in those years was for linear public parks, not commercial development. When people said “develop the river,” most were thinking of park development, remembered Bob LaFortune, whom some call the grandfather of RiverParks. “I never saw the river park as retail development. I didn’t quite see the opportunity for commercial development. Yes, maybe an occasional restaurant, but I would have always been afraid of trying to hike up the commercial side of it. I saw more running paths, an outdoor walking experience, passive use, benches, that kind of thing. This is what Tulsa needs: Maybe some places to park and get coffee but most of all a nice place to stroll and watch nature.”

Ramping Up a River Romp Meanwhile, inspired by the smashing success of the Great Raft Race, two members of Tulsa’s creative class were scheming to ramp up public support for the river. Gerald Wilhite and Larry Silvey both worked at the Tulsa Chamber continued next page April 2013 | 9

During the late ’70s and early ’80s, the Arkansas River was the site of a large sand castle building event. COURTESY OF THE RIVERPARKS AUTHORITY

then. “Wilhite and I got together one evening and came up with an idea for a crazy River Romp of events,” Silvey remembered. “We wrote up a chambersounding memorandum and called our own news conference at the chamber to announce a series of community events.” They were shocked (but perhaps less shocked than their boss, who knew nothing of their unauthorized plan) when the room filled up with reporters. Soon others were jumping on the band wagon. Once Katie Westby joined the Romp, Silvey knew it would work. The coalition exploded over the summer of 1974. Radio stations sponsored some of the projects. Architects had a sand castle contest. Miss Tulsa RiverParks was selected, and they held a Model T Ford Riverside Hill Climb.“We had great fun getting it started,” Silvey said. Mid-summer in ’74, the RiverParks Authority announced it had interviewed 10 candidates and settled on Jackie Bubenik as RPA director. To the soft-spoken 31-year-old park planner from Lubbock,Tulsa’s river was “a sleeping giant (that will) work very well for the city and the state, but you will have to wake it very carefully,” Bubenik said.

10 | River’s Edge Magazine

“You must have the right mix of commercial and park development…. We’re not looking at something to benefit just 10 years from now, but for a lifetime.” On his second day on the job, Bubenik hired administrative manager Janet Kendall, who has stayed with RPA ever since. (Bubenik retired in June 2003.) Within a month, RPA was ready to hire its major consultant, a Memphis architect named Roy Harrover. The Harrover master plan included a gateway park at Houston Avenue and Riverside Drive, a pedestrian walkway along Houston from downtown to the river, a pedestrian bridge, an amphitheater and marina, fountains, a restaurant and museum, and a low-water dam.

A stone-soup park Some might have said it was a ridiculously ambitious plan for a fledgling authority with a $38,000 budget. But they didn’t reckon on Tulsa’s creativity. Under the nurturing leadership of Mayor LaFortune, a model of “stone soup” community cooperation and innovation created river parks, as everybody chipped in what they had. The

park started with a model demonstration park near 21st Street. Many agencies, civic groups, businesses, and private donors pulled it together, from vo-tech students grading trails, a running club installing trail markers, and Rotary and Hilti donating picnic facilities to the Tulsa Junior League and American Theater Company that promoted events. The pedestrian bridge was a prime example. The city and county jointed bought the property between 11th and 31st streets. Herb Gussman, then director of the Texas & Pacific Railway, brokered a deal to donate the old Midland Valley railroad bridge near 31st Street to River Parks. Then The Tulsa Tribune sponsored a campaign for Tulsans to “buy an inch” of the bridge and raised money to renovate it for pedestrian and bike use. The idea had been to remove the old tracks and replace them with a walking path, but “Harrover said, you can’t do that. Take out the braces and build the trail underneath the structure, so people don’t have to climb a ladder to get to the walkway, and they can walk out of the sun. It was a brilliant solution,” remembered Len Eaton. “The bridge could serve as a symbol

The Pedestrian Bridge is key to the recreation potential of Tulsa’s stretch of the Arkansas River. The photo above shows it under construction in 1975. COURTESY OF THE RIVERPARKS AUTHORITY

of the river itself,” Bubenik said when the pedestrian bridge was dedicated in July 1975. “What has been done with the bridge can be done with the river. That is to make it something useful and attractive for the people of Tulsa.” But meanwhile, at the other end of the bridge on the west bank, things were happening that would make it all work. Urban Renewal’s Westbank program was clearing one of Tulsa’s worst slums, a wretched ghetto thrown together during oil-boom days where desperately poor people were crowded into shacks without water, sewers, roads, or drainage. In Tulsa’s first urban renewal project, lowlands were being filled with construction debris. Dirt and debris from excavation for the Bank of Oklahoma tower and Williams Center were trucked west and used as fill on the west bank. New roads, public housing, college and commercial buildings, and expansive park land were taking shape. Urban Renewal was buying riverfront lands and taking significant steps to launch the River Park, designed to maximize the recreational potential of the Arkansas River and its banks. The Urban Renewal Authority and RiverParks worked almost as one agency as far as staff time and getting the

work done, Bubenik told reporter Janet grow into linear parks all along the Tulsa Pearson at the time. “Bubenik credited River from county line to county line. Urban Renewal’s director Paul Chap- It was, as the Tribune wrote at the time, man as being one of the unsung heroes only the beginning…. ~ in helping put urban renewal funds to use for funding the Harrover study, the Our Customers Always Return pedestrian bridge, model park near 21st, east bank development from 11th to 31st Streets, and land formation on the west bank,” Pearson reported. It was only the beginning of the adventure along Tulsa’s river front. Ahead lay the creation of parks and running trails that stretch along both sides of the Business Cards • Programs Brochures • Postcards • Invitations river, through developed parks and wild Menus • Flyers •Newsletters natural areas; Oktoberfest and IndepenLetterhead • Envelopes • Forms dence Day fireworks; the wildly popular Turkey Mountain with its network 3615 S. Harvard • 918-747-1844 boomerangllc@sbcglobal.net of bike trails; an Old West Playground; a frisbee golf course; a low water dam and lake; and more, beyond anything the original visionaries could have dreamed, Boomerang 5/22/2012 including elaborate gathering places that Printing add rivers edge.indd 1 demonstrate a community’s passion for its Tulsa River. The creation of Tulsa’s RiverParks was a tribute to visionary leadership, community cooperation, and the kind of stone-soup innovation that can happen when many people donate what they can to a common cause, just for the sheer love of it. Now RiverParks was launched and, if all went well, could

Boomerang Printing

April 2013 | 11

8:48:10

Teetering with Tulsa by Jordan Crudo

n minor league hockey, job security does not exist. Hockey has the quickest player turnaround of all sports. Players move up, move down, get injured, get waived, quit, or retire. Many say that ‘NHL’ also stands for ‘Not Here Long,’ as team transactions occur every day in every level of every league in hockey. The amount of players that have come in and out of Tulsa alone this year could add up to make an entire extra team.

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#90 Michel Beausoleil. Courtesy photo

With the NHL not starting on time and having a condensed schedule this year, player movement has been even more frequent than normal – this has been a year of quick results.With no time to lose in a shortened major league hockey season, quick fixes for teams mean constant shifting of players in the minor leagues. I have moved up three times this year, two times on the Oilers team, and once for the Missouri Mavericks. As many teams prepare for the playoffs, others have lost hope and are either rebuilding or seeing players leave their team for other teams in other leagues who made playoffs.The Oilers are in a tight spot but can still make the playoffs.Teams in other leagues are contacting the Oilers’ best players to try to convince them to finish the season where playoffs are a certainty. Thus, many players are faced with decisions of loyalty versus being able to keep playing. If loyal, they have a better chance of having a spot on next year’s team, but if they go elsewhere, they can keep making money through playoffs. I, in fact, may be pulled elsewhere. I am a third-string player right now, and must look for my best opportunity to move up. Thankfully, I do believe that is still with Tulsa. I love this city and everything it offers, so I’m betting on loyalty. The coming weeks are going to be interesting – as the season winds down, the drama winds up. Regardless of when the season ends, when it does, the Oilers are still part of the community.Youth summer hockey camps take place at the Oilers Ice Center, the practice rink for Tulsa. Captain Tyler Fleck runs most of them and other players help out. Even though the season ends, hockey won’t be gone for long. The NHL runs into the summer this year and many minor league players start trying out for those teams. Assuming that I don’t move up again by the end of the year, I will be trying out for different teams around the world. If I do not make a better spot, I will be back in this wonderful town again, skating in the nicest arena in the league. It has been the best year of my life playing with Tulsa, but it is only the beginning. I will go from local to global very soon, and when it happens, I will make sure the world knows what city gave me the leverage I needed to succeed. ~

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Get the Dirt on Heat-loving plants by Susan Coman

ttending the annual Tulsa Home and Garden Show is enough to get any gardener itching to plant something.The OSU Master Gardeners, along with dozens of landscape and nursery companies, covered the lower level of the QuikTrip Center with so many ideas for plantings and backyard retreats, it was difficult to turn around without seeing something new. Early April is a bit early for most plantings (even though you’ll see annuals out at many stores) so beware of planting much of anything before April 10. Due to the high summer temperatures of recent years, many people are thinking of plants known for heat tolerance. Experienced gardeners from across the area have lost, or been nursing back to health, loads of perennials, shrubs and trees adversely affected by the heat. Zone Hardiness

The Tulsa area is rated 7a on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The map is divided into zones based on the average annual minimum winter temperatures – so the map will indicate an area where a plant can survive the winter,

14 | River’s Edge Magazine

but doesn’t necessarily tell which ones can thrive in the heat. If the cold hardiness is Zone 4, it means the plant can usually over winter in Zones 4 to 11.When plant shopping, you should always check the plant tag for the hardiness zone, sun exposure, soil and water requirements, and mature plant size to be certain that you are planting in the most optimum conditions. If you don’t, you’ll probably be moving or replacing plants very soon. Oklahoma Proven Plants

Many gardeners swear by the Oklahoma Proven plant program coordinated by Oklahoma State University. The goal of the program is to recommend plants well-adapted for use across Oklahoma and many of the plants listed tolerate our heat well. My favorites include the various cone flowers and ‘Pink Crystals’ Ruby Grass, and for the shade I love the look of Japanese Painted Ferns. Nothing can beat the Chinese Pistache, a shade tree with beautiful yellow fall color. Another beautiful tree is the Kentucky Coffee Tree and for a small tree or large shrub, I’m anxious to plant a Pink Velour Crape

Myrtle and a Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus castus) which were being given away by the Master Gardeners during the show. Jennifer Isbell of Sanders Nursery says that the Chinese Pistache has been the number one tree in Oklahoma for the past three years. “Both the Pistache and the Crape Myrtles love the Oklahoma heat,” she says. Last year I planted Diamond Frost Euphorbia and Purple Fountain Grass in the centers of some pots and had ‘Homestead Purple’ Verbena or ‘Silver Falls’ Dichondra dripping over the sides. Even with the 100-degree temperatures of last summer, a bit of water perked them right up and I was welcomed home to flowers at my front door every day throughout the early fall. Heat hardy shrubs

Isbell also likes a new variety of Quince: “The ‘Double Take’ Quince is a double red bloom – not the orange of the older variety.” The blooms of a Quince and several varieties of bright yellow Forsythia are the first blooms of spring and can usually be seen in the Tulsa area by mid-March. “Abelia does wonderful in

butterflies and hummingbirds and appear in early summer. Vitex is easy to grow, very heat-, droughtand pest-tolerant and an excellent choice for a xeric garden.

Forsythia (forsythia) A diciduous shrub typically growing to a height of 3 to 9 feet, depending on the variety. There are about 11 species of Forsythia, mostly native to eastern Asia. The common name is also forsythia; the genus is named after William Forsyth. The flowers are produced in the early spring before the leaves, on arching stems. Most of the varieties seen in our area are bright yellow. • Hardiness: USDA Zone 4-9 • Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade • Moisture: Medium Moisture • Maintenance: Moderate

Chaste Tree (Vitex) Vitex is a multi-stemmed large shrub, but can be trained into a small tree. Its spikey blue, lavender, pink or white flowers attract

• Hardiness: USDA Zone 4-9 • Exposure: Sun to part shade • Soil: Moist, well-drained

foliage and flowers will weave through other plants, making it a perfect complement. •Exposure: Full sun to part shade •Soil: Moist, well-drained •Hardiness: Use as an annual

three to four feet wide, it is an attractive groundcover, but is also spectacular in a container planting or hanging basket, spilling over a retaining wall, or when used in a rock garden. •Exposure: Full sun to part shade •Soil: Well-drained •Hardiness: Use as an annual

Diamond Frost Euphorbia ®

Verbena (Verbena canadensis ‘Homestead Purple’)

(Euphorbia ‘Inneuphdia’)

slightly during the hottest months. •Exposure: Full sun •Soil: Moist, well-drained •Hardiness: USDA Zone 4

Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis)

Chinese Pistache reaches a height of 30 to 45 feet with only a slightly smaller spread. Brilliant yellow, orange, or red leaves may grace the tree in autumn. Chinese Pistache is a tough tree tolerant of drought, heat, and heavy soils. •Exposure: Full sun •Soil: Wide-ranging •Hardiness: USDA Zone 6

Silver Falls Dichondra (Dichondra argentea)

Diamond Frost is a fine-textured mounding plant. The simple white flowers bloom from spring until first frost. Diamond Frost® can be used as a mass planting, alone in a container, or mixed with almost any other plant. Its fine sprays of

the heat and so do the ornamental grasses,” adds Isbell. She is also enthusiastic about the Texas Super Star, which doesn’t mind the heat or the humidity of our Oklahoma summers. Master Gardener Bill Sevier agrees that Crape Myrtles make good additions to the Tulsa landscape. “They love the heat,” he says. “They usually do better when planted after the soil temperatures rise.The soil has to be hot for them to put out roots, so late spring or early summer are the best times to plant.” But Crape Myrtles aren’t the only plants for Oklahoma. Sevier says that Knockout Roses and even the newer Encore Azaleas do well in our hot summers. He also likes the Chaste Tree that I’m planting in my yard.“Those trees are as tough as nails.They are butterfly and bee magnets and will bloom most of the summer. I’ve seen them 15 feet tall and 15 feet wide.” If you are into perennials, Rudbecka, cone flowers and Coreopsis are good choices. I plant them to attract butterflies and they do well in the heat.While perennials are fairly easy in the beginning, some can get invasive and almost all require dividing after a few years.

‘Silver Falls’ Dichondra was selected for its very low-growing, creeping trailing habit and beautiful silvery gray leaves. Silver Falls is actually a selection of a dichondra species native to southwest Texas and Mexico so it is quite heat- and drought-tolerant. Growing only two inches tall and

‘Homestead Purple’s’ deep purple flowers and trailing habit make it perfect for hanging baskets, as a ground cover, or as the foreground of a mixed border. This North American native will bloom from spring to frost, slowing down only

Annuals Can Survive

Some of my favorite heat-loving annuals are Periwinkle (Vinca), Lantana and Pentas. They won’t disappoint, even on the hottest days and are happiest in a drier soil. Annuals require regular watering and pots may need to be watered every day when temps reach the century mark. Drip systems work the best and don’t lose as much moisture through evaporation as a sprinkler. Also, don’t forget to mulch your beds and your pots. Two to three inches of mulch will help keep in the moisture and keep out the weeds. Master Gardener Plant Sale

The Tulsa County Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale will be held on Thursday, April 18, 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. If you’ve pre-ordered, your plants will be available for pick up. If you didn’t have a chance to pre-order, many plants will still be available throughout the day. Be aware, however, that it’s first-come, first-serve, and many of the most popular varieties will disappear quickly. The sale is at the Central Park Hall at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. Proceeds support

Photos of Oklahoma Proven plants are courtesy of Oklahoma State University, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. For more info, visit oklahomaproven.okstate.edu

many of the educational services and programs of the Master Gardeners. HERB & PLANT SALES & FESTIVALS

Several locations in Tulsa or surrounding communities will be hosting plant markets and festivals in April. The 24th Annual Herbal Affair & Festival is set for April 20 in Sand Springs and the Jenks Herb & Plant Festival is April 27. Both feature hundreds of vendors offering herbal product, plants, food, and gardening supplies.Vendors will also be on hand with booths filled to the brim with Oklahoma wine, garden and home decor, jewelry, arts and crafts, birdhouses, bath and body products, and more. SpringFest Garden Market and Festival, which is a must-attend for many Tulsa gardeners, will be held on April 12-13 at the Tulsa Garden Center, 2435 S. Peoria Ave. Visit www.tulsagardencenter.com for more infomation. April 13 is Herb Day in Brookside. Loads of herbs and plants will be available at 41st & S. Peoria Ave. For details, visit www.travelok.com. Most festivals run all day and offer plenty of parking and dining options. ~ April 2013 | 15

by Steven James

above left:

Don Cook and his team from Olivett Baptist Church pitched in for Bruner Hill Cleanup.

above right: Guts Church teams up at Bruner Hill cleanup.

facing page: Karen Keith thanking everyone for their hard work for the Bruner Hill cleanup. contents page: The Leadership Team for the Bruner Hill Cleanup: Bob

Johnson, Karen Keith, Pastor Bill Scheer and Don Comstock. Photos courtesy of Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith

pend more than a couple of minutes with Karen Keith, and it’s immediately apparent she’s a woman who loves her job. But ask Tulsa County’s District 2 commissioner about leading cleanup efforts in some of the county’s unincorporated areas, and her face lights up with excitement. “It’s my favorite thing,” says Keith, who was first elected in 2008. Keith’s first foray into community cleanup was spurred by the Don Comstock, a constituent who cleaned up lots in his West Tulsa neighborhood. She helped provide a rollaway trash container to haul off the refuse that had gathered over years of neglect. “We had a blast and we made a difference,” Keith says. Not long after that, she recalls, GUTS Church Pastor Bill Scheer called looking for service opportunities. “I said, ‘I want to do a big neighborhood cleanup in this area called Bruner Hills,’” Keith says.There are some nice homes and some very, very challenged areas.” Scheer arrived with some 150 volunteers and the George Kaiser Family Foundation chipped in to pay for more rollaway trash containers, which were not in the county’s budget. “We turned those over seven, eight, 15 times,” Keith says. “With (GUTS volunteers’) help, the impact is exponentially greater than what I could ever put together. They’re just so

16 | River’s Edge Magazine

incredibly organized. It’s unbelievable.” Tulsa County’s unincorporated areas, where residents are not required to have trash service and many cannot afford it, “are kind of a no-man’s land,” Keith says. Her legion of volunteers, after a similar cleanup drive in the Lake Station neighborhood, had their eyes set on a cleanup in Oakhurst over Easter weekend. She’s hopeful such drives encourage residents of these areas to do more to keep their neighborhoods junk-free. “My goal is to lift these neighborhoods up and make them feel differently about themselves,” she says. A native of Muskogee, Keith graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in radio, TV news and public affairs. She spent more than a quarter-century in broadcasting, including 21 years at KJRH Channel 2, as an anchor, reporter and executive producer and host of “Oklahoma Living.” As “wonderful” as her experience in broadcasting was, Keith says, she eventually felt her path lay in a different direction. “I got to do documentaries all over the world,” she says. “I went to Russia, Mexico, I’ve been in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. I’ve been in Vietnam. I had a blast. I’ve been a very fortunate individual, because I was there when the local stations could afford to do those kind of things.They can’t now.”

Keith expected some depression after leaving the job she had loved for so long in 2002. “It was my choice (to leave broadcasting), but it was time to go and I knew that.” ThenTulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune offered Keith a job as director of community relations and Vision implementation, which included serving on the team that successfully led the drive for the Vision 2025 public improvements package and forming the Vision 2025 Oversight Committee.

it a little bit closer to figuring out what we’re going to do.” Officials thought they’d located a suitable site downtown for the estimated $38-million complex until an environmental assessment indicated the presence of industrial solvents from the site’s former uses as a dry-cleaners and oilfield equipment facility, Keith says. The county could clean up the site and get financial help doing so, but the presence of the solvents would nonetheless present an ongoing maintenance issue. “We’re exploring other sites,” Keith says. “We’ll see.” Had the Vision 2 extension of Vision 2025 been approved by voters last year, the facility would have been fully funded, she adds. That means officials will likely have to bring the juvenile justice component back before voters, possibly as early as this fall. “I am going to try to get some private dollars, too,” Keith says, “because we’re going to put the community intervention center there.There are some pieces I think we can get privately funded.” Moving the family courts out of the courthouse to the new facility would relieve overcrowding there, as well save taxpayers about a half-million dollars a year. Keith also hopes officials are able to rework Vision 2 and bring it up for a vote sometime in her second term. Last year’s When LaFortune lost his bid for re-election Keith was effort fell short, she believes, in part because there were too few soon hired by the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce as the truly “visionary” projects likeVision 2025’s BOK Center, which director of partnership development for the Tulsa Visitors and proved to be one of the main engines in downtown revitalizaConvention Bureau. tion. “When we do another Vision package, it needs to speak The two positions not only headed off any second-guess- vision,” she says. “The BOK Center has been this great catalyst ing of her decision to leave broadcasting – she never missed it, for all sorts of development, and with the ballpark (ONEOK she says – but also planted the seed that eventually grew into a Field) you have these two great bookends to downtown.” decision to run for county commissioner. One example of such a visionary project, Keith points out, “I was up here and I got to see this deal and I just felt like I is the George Kaiser Family Foundation’s “Gathering Place for would love to have this job,” she says.“I was right, because I love Tulsa,” a $100 million to $150 million privately-funded parks it. I knew from (former commissioners) Bob Dick and Wilbert and recreation development to be located along Riverside Collins that this would be a great place to be.” Drive near 31st Street. If the lack of opponents when she ran for re-election last The success of that development and others along the Aryear is any indication, Keith’s constituents approve of the job kansas will depend on putting in the low-water dams that have she’s doing. long been planned to improve the aesthetics of the river and “We never dreamed (running unopposed) would be pos- provide more recreational opportunities. sible,” she says. “I couldn’t believe it. I felt like I’d been given “We’ve got to get the low-water dams in there because the back a piece of my life, really, because we’d already geared up public pieces need to be as extraordinary as the private pieces” and were raising money and getting ready.” like Kaiser’s meeting place, Keith said. Keith’s overarching goal in her second term is to see Tulsa “In that (next) Vision package, we definitely need to take County build a new juvenile justice and family courts center care of the river so that the public pieces are complimentary to that will move juvenile detainees from “horrific” conditions she the private investment we’re seeing. … People will be coming describes as “straight out of Charles Dickens” and free up space up with some great ideas between now and the next time we in the county courthouse. run the thing.” “If I don’t accomplish that by the time the next four years Meanwhile, Keith said, she’ll keep on with the other facets are up, I have failed,” she says. “Every day, my mission is to inch of the job she loves so much. ~ April 2013 | 17

Story and Photos by Emily Priddy

Growing Tulsa’s Rt. 66

s a boy growing up in the late 1940s, Dale Edwards used to pedal his bicycle to Bama Pie to buy a snack and watch the traffic go by on Route 66. “That used to be entertainment. We’d ride our bicycles up to Bama Pie and eat our three-cent pie and watch the truckers,” the longtime Daniel Webster High School faculty member says.“That was a good time for a kid to grow up. We were poor but didn’t know it.” Edwards was six months old when his father accepted a teaching position in Tulsa and moved the family to a small house near the corner of Fourth Street and Delaware Avenue. The house is history – torn down in 1972 as the nearby University of Tulsa expanded – but fond memories remain. Edwards recalls going to the Casa Loma Barbershop for haircuts as a kid. “They used to [give] great flat tops in there,” he says. The barbershop was on the bottom floor of the Max Campbell Building, a block-long structure that also housed the Casa Loma Hotel, a drugstore, a doughnut shop, a Ben Franklin dime store, and a Safeway grocery store. “It was a busy shopping center back then,” he says. Doughnuts cost a nickel apiece, and a boy with a little change in his pocket and the right connections could live like a king. “Some of my friends’ first jobs were working at the soda fountain, being a soda jerk,” Edwards says. “Of course, if you were his buddy, he could cut you a deal. You might get an extra cherry in there.You could get a big one for the price of a small one.” Not all of his business transactions involved doughnuts and pop, however. Edwards remembers buying vials of cinnamon

18 | River’s Edge Magazine

oil at the drugstore and using them to make flavored toothpicks, which he sold to classmates; picking up groceries at Safeway; and supplying pets to the dime store. “My folks raised parakeets and canaries by the thousands, and we used to sell them to places like Ben Franklin,” Edwards says. The birds are long gone. So are the businesses, which began fading in the early 1960s as the interstates bypassed Route 66, Tulsa began expanding southward, and larger stores replaced the mom-and-pop operations that lined 11th Street. While the neighborhood changed, the Max Campbell Building remained, keeping silent watch over the area even as the businesses that occupied it disappeared. In 2009, Group M Investments bought the massive structure and began the painstaking process of converting it to a boutique hotel with 26 uniquely decorated guestrooms that celebrate Oklahoma’s history and culture. The property reopened in 2011 as The Campbell Hotel. A 4,000-square-foot event center with sparkling chandeliers and barreled ceilings replaced the dime store and doughnut shop. Flat tops may have gone out of style, but haircuts are available at Spa Maxx, the hotel’s full-service luxury spa, and instead of drinking cherry phosphates mixed by soda jerks in an old-fashioned drugstore, visitors can sip elegant cocktails mixed by friendly bartenders at the sleek Campbell Lounge. “When we do a project, we just get that feeling that just can’t be put into words,” says owner Aaron Meek. “Our last project before the hotel was the Eleventh Street Lofts about a mile west of the hotel. Our original intent was to convert the Max Campbell Building into loft apartments upstairs and retail on the ground level; however, after purchasing the building,

facing page: The Campbell Hotel has sparked a continuing push of revitalization on the 11th street stretch of Route 66 near downtoen. left: Dale Edwards remembers growing up on Tulsa’s stretch of the mother road.

Emily Priddy is the public-relations coordinator for The Campbell Hotel. A former Webster teacher, she lives in Red Fork and serves on Tulsa’s Route 66 Task Force and the Oklahoma Route 66 Association board of directors.

we just kind of got the feeling we could make it back into the hotel.” The spirit of the area permeates the building, which has two TUthemed guestrooms; the Bama Suite, which honors the famous pie company; rooms dedicated to Tulsa musicians Leon Russell and Webster graduate Patti Page; and the opulent Renaissance Suite, named for the surrounding Renaissance Neighborhood. Renaissance seems a fitting name for what has become the epicenter of a Route 66 revival in Tulsa. Led by City Councilor Blake Ewing, a citywide task force of about 100 volunteers has spent the past year brainstorming and researching ways to revitalize and promote the historic highway, which follows 11th Street through Tulsa. According to a study released in 2012 by Rutgers University, Route 66 has an annual economic impact of roughly $262 million in overall output, with tourists spending $38 million per year on the road. For a variety of reasons, some Route 66 travelers use the interstates to bypass larger cities. The task force is looking to draw heritage tourists into Tulsa and capture a larger share of the revenue generated by the old highway. Campbell Hotel owners Meek and Barbara Casey of Group M Investments have been involved with the task force since its inception, donating space for meetings and participating in subcommittees. The rebirth of the Max Campbell Building is probably the most conspicuous example of Tulsa’s Route 66 revival, but further west, other structures are finding new life. In addition to The Campbell Hotel and the Eleventh Street Lofts, Group M Investments owns the former Ernest Wiemann Metalcraft – currently undergoing renovation – and a former gas station that became home to the popular Capp’s BBQ last summer. Three blocks west of the hotel, a local doctor is converting the former George Tunes garage to a coffeehouse; at press time, 918 Coffee was scheduled for a spring opening. Edwards is pleased to see the renaissance, comparing it to the rebirth of Cherry Street a few years ago. “I like it. I think it’s a good thing,” he says. “I think it’ll benefit a lot of people who don’t live in the neighborhood. It’s cleaning up the neighborhood for one thing, and it’s bringing people in that live in other parts of town.” At the same time, the changes are a little bittersweet. “It’s kind of sad to see a lot of your friends’ houses get torn down, but you know, progress is progress,” he says.“In a way, it’s sad, but it’s really good, because it’s cleaning up the area.” ~

The Campbell Hotel • 26 unique theme rooms • Full-service luxury spa • Event center • Lounge

www.thecampbellhotel.com

2636 E. 11th St. • (918) 744-5500

April 2013 | 19

by Sarah Crain Featured columnist, Sarah Crain studied Music and Theater throughout school and has two associate degrees from Tulsa Community College in Music and Theater. In 2002, Sarah decided to start her own business in an attempt to avoid the life of a “starving artist.” This allowed her the ability to make a living while enjoying the freedom to perform from time to time. Sarah has appeared in several Tulsa shows including Fiddler on the Roof, Once Upon a Mattress, & Jekyll & Hyde throughout her performance career, and currently writes music in her off-time.

West Side Story • April 30–May 5, 2013 • 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Evening shows at 7:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. • Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 119 E. 2nd St. • 2 hours, 40 minutes with intermission. • Recommended for audiences 13 years and older. • Ticket prices range from $20 to $60.

• Visit celebrityattractions. com for additional info.

20 | River’s Edge Magazine

Love Can Survive

est Side Story, a book and musical written by Arthur Laurents in 1957, is a classic retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Set in the Upper West Side of NYC in the 1950s, two opposing gangs The Jets and the Sharks - fight in the streets to maintain territory. The timeless story is a reminder of how “living on the other side of the tracks,” or street, in the case of West Side Story, can cost people their lives or the loss of a loved one. To what? Violence, and the destruction bred from those who judge that which is “different.” For those of you who love this tale, you will want to consider a trip to the Tulsa PAC April 30-May 5. Celebrity Attractions has no doubt “done it again,” from what I hear about the upcoming West Side Story tour. Directed by David Saint, friend and former colleague of the late Arthur Laurents, Saint brings a fresh take that stays true to the spirit of the original. For

example, a few lines were cut to get away from the 1950s genre and about 10 percent of the dialogue and musical lyrics were changed to the Spanish language, making the tale even more relatable to audiences today. Having served as the associate director under Laurents in the 2009 Broadway tour of West Side Story, during which Laurents died and Saint was promoted mid-tour, Saint was the man for the job. With music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographer Joey McKneely returning to the cast from the original Broadway tour in 1957, we are all in for a treat. I had the pleasure of speaking with Erika Hebron, an “onstage swing” member of the cast. Hebron, born in OKC and an OKC University graduate, has been active in dance and music throughout her career. When asked to perform as a female onstage swing, she embraced the spirit of a star and took the leap! According to Hebron, with a heavy dance show like West Side Story, it is wise to

Payton leaves a legacy of Broadway entertainment

n October of 2012, I interviewed Ed Payton and was inspired by the story of how his brother, Larry Payton – as a college student in 1983 – created Celebrity Attractions with nothing more than his wife, Kay, their home office and a strong desire to see Broadway in America's Midwest. Payton’s story is that of hard work, rising above set-backs, and forging new pathways to entertainment. Celebrity Attractions has “kept the lights of Broadway burning bright out west” for the past 30 years. Payton also invested in various Broadway shows including Matthew Borne’s Sleeping Beauty, Jekyll & Hyde, Wonderland, Grease, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Peter Pan, starring Cathy Rigby, The Color Purple, Modern Dreams and Thoroughly Modern Millie for which he won a Tony Award. Payton’s dedication to family entertainment is acknowledged by both The Broadway League award for Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management and by the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce for 1997 Small Business Person of the Year. Payton served as deacon and on the church council at Parkview Baptist Church in Tulsa. He also served on the Lifeway Board of Trustees and was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes since college and served on the Board of Directors for the State of Oklahoma. FCA is one of the few Christian Organizations which is still active in public schools. Larry served on the Board of Southwest Baptist University for which he was also an alumnus. A supporter of education, he was a former employee of the University of Tulsa as the student activities director. Larry, you have honored us with your vision and belief in humanity. I had the pleasure of seeing Payton at his last public appearance on January 22 when he introduced Jekyll & Hyde and announced the 2013-2014 Celebrity Attractions season. Last month, as Cathy Rigby flew through the air as Peter Pan in the final scene, she Larry Payton, founder of Celebrity Attractions, passed away on Feb. 18, 2013. His legacy lives on at Celebrity Attractions. exclaimed, "We'll miss you, Larry." The 2013-2014 season is already in the works. Indeed, we will!

allow recuperation time for cast members and be ready for the occasional injury. Therefore, her role is to support the entire cast of the current West Side Story tour by rotating through various female roles as needed, as she is literally the understudy for most all of the female roles (excluding the leads) and is able to step in should the need arise. “I definitely have to be very versatile,” she says, “I may do a dance as a Jet girl, then do a scene as a Shark girl, and then switch back to a Jet girl. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but you have to put that aside and be ready to dive into whatever!” The complexity of Erika’s role astounded me.To develop countless characters including all of their quirks, attitudes, musical scores, blocking or movement, and dance choreography seemed like an overwhelming task. Hebron

admits it was a challenge, “I’ve never been able to dive into a lot of different character roles.The acting part has been very challenging as a dancer with a music background. Every night is a different night; I never know what I will be doing until I hear from the stage manager.” When asked what her favorite part of working the role was, she stated, “It’s been interesting to see how I will react as different characters during the show. How would I react as a Jet, that is different from how I would react as a Shark?” Technically, the set was designed to be minimal, as the setting is essentially a street war. It was Laurents’ wish that the set be simple to clearly communicate the struggle between the two rival gangs over this certain piece of pavement. Scenic elements are varied as needed to communicate a change of setting, such as

the bridal shop, school gym, etc. For example, in the “rumble scene” at the end of the first act, the lights change, a chain link fence drops in, and the sound effects make it clear that the fight is going on under a highway behind a chain link fence.The lighting designer captured the mood swings between the good side and the dark side of the story. With dramatic lighting changes at strategic moments in the show, you will feel the difference when Maria turns from despair and rage to hope. One can never forget the first time they see West Side Story - it is a roller coaster of emotions and the story will touch your heart. If you haven’t seen it, this is the time. The iconic message relates to all peoples, in all classes, in all walks of life. For “love can survive in a world of bigotry and hate.” – Director David Saint ~ April 2013 | 21

S ood pie

Prhyme – perfection on a fork

ucky Tulsa! Justin Thompson, one of our own, has restaurant talent to burn and that talent is on full display in Prhyme. Chef Thompson is the uber-talent behind several restaurants in Tulsa and specifically this one. Safe to say, he has extraordinary culinary talent and equally strong business smarts; but, most importantly, he understands the undeniable requirement for perfection. It is a given that to be successful, a truly great restaurant must have tasty, perfectly cooked and presented food. However, without perfect service, perfect timing, perfect sourcing of the food, perfect creativity, and a perfect kitchen…well, things won’t be perfect. The atmosphere of Prhyme, located in the Brady District, is decidedly perfect, upscale, intimate and cozy - Chef Thompson’s trademark move. While we have eaten in some of the finest restaurants all over the world, never has Madam been presented with a purse stool! With the cost of a good handbag these days, it makes so much sense. Each lady has her purse elevated off the floor onto little stools next to each of the ladies’ comfy leather chairs. Another nice detail – while the powder rooms were utilitarian – the cloth towels for hand-drying were a sweet touch. Recently, six of us went for a memorable, perfect evening at Prhyme. With caviar service ($145 Golden Osetra) and

22 | River’s Edge Magazine

40-day aged prime steaks ($75 and up that night), we expected perfection and were rewarded. Yes, Pryhme is a very, very expensive place to eat, but the more thrifty of us can come out without the $700 bill, for six patrons, we happily (well at least not begrudgingly) paid. Madam really wanted the $12 burger, because she is a burger connoisseur, but in order to enjoy that luxury, she would have had to leave her party in the dining room and head for the bar. We cannot help but think this segregation of food service is unfair! But no matter how good that burger might be, the 4-oz. crabmeat appetizer ($18.50) was such a delicious and unusually good thing, Madam was so very glad she had not given in to burger temptation. Big chunks of perfectly presented and sweet-tasting crab would have been hard to top. She would eat it with a chop salad ($8.95) and be so very happy and full. The chop salad was beautifully presented in a deconstructed state of lightly dressed greens with piles of bacon, bleu cheese, red onion, egg, etc. A quick stir made the best chop salad that both the lady who began it and the lady who finished it (Madam) have ever enjoyed. The steaks were the expected joy for the beef lover, but Madam’s New Zealand lamb chops, other diners’ brown butter scallops and broiled lobster tail were just as desirable and tasty which is often not the case in a steakhouse.

The sides – called “accessories” and served family-style like other high-end steakhouses – deserve special discussion. The onion rings were absolutely stupendous – worth going back for the rings alone. Strong, gleeful remarks were made by all about the Bacon Butter Brussels Sprouts – even by the avowed Brussels-sprouts-hater. The Sweet Corn Maque Choux was a crowd-pleaser. Alas, no one thought the french fries, with the appropriately high-end name of Pomme Frites, would compare with McDonalds. For dessert, the Prhyme Chocolate Pie was such a hit that one of our companions visited other tables with the news. The Carrot Cake, warmed up at the suggestion of our superb waiter, garnered two orders and many happy bites. But the adventurous Madam ordered the PB & J Parfait, knowing full well that peanut butter is not a love of hers. But, in parfait form, the dish now has a devoted fan. In fact, all the diners were delightfully amazed by the rich confection. Blueberry compote, peanut butter mouse and Frangelico Crème — there is salivation going on at the typing of the words. We will go back. ~ Food Spies is a South Tulsa-based family team of fervent foodies who refuse to ‘play nice’ and will only call it like they taste it. Food Spies reports on their culinary adventures in River’s Edge and other publications nationwide.

April calendar April 02 Machine Gun Kelly, 7 pm, Cains, www.cainsballroom.com Tom Brokaw, 10 am, Mabee Center, details at www.mabeecenter.com April 03 An Evening with Margaret Atwood, 7 pm, Tulsa PAC, details at www.tulsapac.com April 03-06 Crystal City & Route 66 Carnival, times vary, Crystal City Shopping Center, 4200 Southwest Blvd. April 04 Colt Ford + Chance Anderson Band, 7 pm, Cains Ballroom, www.cainsballroom.com

April 4-7 Sesame Street Live, times vary, BOK Center, details at www. bokcenter.com April 04-07 Love, Loss, and What I Wore, times vary, Tulsa PAC, details at www.tulsapac.com April 04-07, 13-14 Oil Can Classic (horse show), times vary, Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex, Expo Square, details at www.oilcanclassic.com April 05 James B. Stewart, 10:30 am, Tulsa PAC, details at www.tulsapac. com DVIS: The Monarch Ball–Emerge and Take Flight, 7:30 pm, Tulsa Convention Center, details at www.tulsaconvention.com First Friday Art Crawl, 6 pm, Brady Arts District, West Brady St. Downtown, details at www. livingarts.org April 05-06, 09, 12-14 A Small Fire, times vary, Henthorne PAC, details at www.cityoftulsa. org April 06 Leon Russell Birthday Bash, 8 pm, Brady Theather, details at www. bradytheater.com Tulsa Symphony: Orange, 7:30 pm, Tulsa PAC, details at www. tulsapac.com Tulsa 66er’s vs. Fort Wayne Mad Ants, 7 pm, SpiritBank Event Center, details at www.nba.com/ dleague/tulsa MIX (art, music, food), 7-11 pm, Philbrook Muesum of Art, details at www.philbrook.org

April 6 Back the Badges Bazaar, 9 am-2 pm. Jenks Church, 2101 W. 118 St. So. Dozens of craft, jewelry, bakery and other vendors. Proceeds benefit the FOP Auxillaries for Glenpool, Jenks, Owasso and Tulsa. April 06-07 Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show, times vary, Expo Center, Expo Square, details at www. tulsaarmsshow.com April 07 Momix “Botanica,” 7 pm, Tulsa PAC, details at www.tulsapac. com Gatha Odissi and Krishna, 4 pm, Tulsa PAC, details at www. tulsapac.com Dwight Twilley + Vandevander & Fiawna, 2 to 6 pm, Guthrie Green, details at www. guthriegreen.com April 07, 10-11 Encore Performance: Shooting Star, times vary, Henthorne PAC, details at www.cityoftulsa.org April 11 PierceTheVeil / AllTimeLow + Mayday Parade, You Me At Six, 5:30 pm, Cains Ballroom, www. cainsballroom.com April 12 Masters of Illusion Live!, 7:30 pm, Mabee Center, details at www. mabeecenter.com Roy Clark’s 80th Birthday Bash, 7 pm, River Spirit Event Center, details at www.riverspirittulsa. com April 12-13 Angelina Ballerina, times vary, Tulsa PAC, 119 E. 2nd, details at www.tulsapac.com SpringFest Garden Market and Festival, 9 am to 4 pm, Tulsa Garden Center, details at www. tulsagardencenter.com April 13 Miranda Lambert & Dierks Bentley, TBA, BOK Center, details at www.bokcenter.com Philbrook Muesum of Art (free admission Saturday with family activities), 10 am to 5 pm, Philbrook Museum of Art, details at www.philbrook.org

Herb Day in Brookside, 9 am to 5 pm, Brookside, 41st & S. Peoria, details at www.travelok.com April 14 Gryphon Trio, 3 pm, Tulsa PAC, details at www.tulsapac.com Oklahoma Defenders vs. MidMissouri Outlaws (indoor football), 4:05 pm, Tulsa Convention Center, details at www.tulsaconvention.com Dustin Pittsley Band + Nicnos & Dante and the Hawks, 2 to 6 pm, Guthrie Green, 111 E. Brady St., details at www.guthriegreen. com DeMerrritt Jazz Tribe, 5 pm, Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 111 E. First St., details at www. okjazz.org April 18 Third Thursday Poetry, 8 pm, Ida Red Boutique, 3336 S. Peoria Avenue, details at www. idaredboutique.com April 19 Montgomery Gentry, 7 pm, River Spirit Event Center, details at www.riverspirittulsa.com April 19-20 Forbidden Broadway, 7:30 pm, Tulsa PAC, details at www. tulsapac.com

April 20 Oklahoma Defenders vs. Bloomington Edge (indoor football), 7:05 pm, Tulsa Convention Center, details at www.tulsaconvention.com April 20 OK Play! Children’s Expo, 9 am, Tulsa Convention Center, details at www.tulsaconvention.com April 20 The Little Light House Garden Party, 9:30 am, Tulsa Convention Center, details at www. tulsaconvention.com Herbal Affair & Festival, 9 am to 4 pm, Downtown Sand Springs, Main & Broadway, details at www.travelok.com April 21 Annie Ellicott and Jay Garrett, 5 pm, Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 111 E. First St., details at www. okjazz.org

April 24 Markus Schulz + KhoMha, 7 pm, Cains Ballroom, 427 N. Main, www.cainsballroom.com April 25 Scotty McCreedy, 7:30 pm, Brady Theather, details at www. bradytheater.com

OK PLAY! April 20

April 25-27 Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody, 7:30 pm, this “laughout-loud musical” opens at the Tulsa Convention Center on April 25. As an unauthorized satire of a saucy best-seller – Fifty Shades of Grey – the play includes music, some audience participation and lots laughs. Details at www. tulsaconvention.com April 25-27 Dustin Lance Black’s 8, 7:30 pm, Tulsa PAC, details at www. tulsapac.com April 27 Jenks Herb & Plant Festival, 8 am to 4 pm, Downtown Jenks, details at www.travelok.com April 28 Brit Floyd: Pulse 2013, 8 pm, Brady Theather, details at www. bradytheater.com Artscape 2013, 5 pm to 11 pm, The Summit, 15 W. 6th St., details at www.thegriefcenter.org Pam Van Dyke Crosby’s CD Release Party, 5 pm, Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, details at www.okjazz.org April 29 Needtobreathe + Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, 8 pm, Brady Theater, details at www. bradytheater.com

April 30-May 5 West Side Story, times vary, Tulsa PAC, details at www. tulsapac.com May 01 Fleetwood Mac, 8 pm, BOK Center, details at www.bokcenter.com

What is not to like about a free event for children and families? April 20 is the date set for OK PLAY! Children’s Expo at the Tulsa Convention Center. Presented by St. John Hospital, the event brings together both local and regional vendors and educational exhibits and features hands-on, educational exhibits and fun activities for visitors to enjoy from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Highlights include a focus on science and discovery, creative arts, sports and fitness, and an extensive array – and also free of charge - inflatables area for children. Activities include free golf lessons/ driving range, demonstrations and games with a local high school robotics team and live performance groups. For more information visit www. okplayexpo.com.

Event Locations BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Brady Theather, 105 W. Brady St. Cains Ballroom, 427 N. Main Guthrie Green, 111 E. Brady St. Henthorne PAC, 4825 S. Quaker Ave. Mabee Center, 7777 S. Lewis Ave. Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road SpiritBank Event Center, 107th & Memorial Spirit Event Center, 8330 Riverside Parkway Spotlight Theater, 1381 Riverside Dr. Tulsa Convention Center, 100 Civic Center (4th & Houston) Tulsa Garden Center, 2435 S. Peoria Ave. Tulsa Historical Society, 2445 S. Peoria Ave. Tulsa Performing Arts Center (PAC), 119 E. 2nd St.

April 2013 2013 | | 23 April

FREE Exams for New Patients in April Call us at 918-446-6100 or visit our website to schedule your appointment.