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There is Always Something New to Experience at Shangri-La Resort in Oklahoma By Glen Turk When asked about the last three years of continual improvement at Oklahoma’s Shangri-La Resort, long time Director of Communications Mike Williams succinctly summarized their charge with the above title phrase that dates to the early 1800s. In more recent years, the phrase has developed a military connotation which is only fitting as ShangriLa’s last two projects have a military theme. First, in May of 2021, the 115-acre resort on Monkey Island opened The Anchor, a 12-million-dollar activity park. The all-purpose space is complete with a racquet club facility featuring four outdoor tennis courts, six pickleball courts, basketball, sand volleyball, fire pits, a fishing pond, and an outdoor event area. The highlight of “The Anchor” for this baseball fan is a mini-Fenway Park replica, which offers kids of all ages the chance to hit a WIFFLE BALL over the Green Monster and practice your home run trot! “In its first year of operation, The Anchor far exceeded what we thought were pretty ambitious projections,” stated Williams. “As the only facility of its type between Kansas City and Dallas, it has literally been
22 | Celebrating our 20th Anniversary!
Spring 2022
a game changer, solidifying Shangri-La as a year-round destination. The Trackman golf simulator bay offers year-round play on our course as well as many other courses around the world! The basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts complement our mini-Fenway Park WIFFLE® ballpark which has attracted both families, team-building events, and professional WIFFLE® ball teams from throughout the United States. In the winter months, we install a gigantic, heated dome over pickleball and tennis courts to allow comfortable play no matter what the weather is like outside,” concluded Williams. Another important outdoor feature of The Anchor is a replica of one of the original anchors from the USS Oklahoma battleship, which was the inspiration for the name of the new activity park. The ship’s anchor stands proudly across from the new facility and display the names of the 429 personnel who died serving our country on this vessel when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fast forward less than a year from The Anchor opening, and Shangri-La is at it again. On the heels