See PARK

The Promenade walking trail that leads to the Skydance Bridge. (Photo by: Michael Palacios)

PARK, from Page 1

entire park and Downtown Oklahoma City. There will be two concession areas that will provide visitors with restrooms as well as food and drinks. The Lower Park will maintain the consistency of the botanical garden theme that is seen in the Upper Park. With both parks linked by the Skydance Bridge, the Lower Park will have pathways that lead directly toward the river as a plan to connect Oklahoma City’s outdoors and surrounding communities. MAPS 3 is a program that was planned to aid in the capital development of the Oklahoma City area that will utilize 1-cent sales tax in order to pay for debt-free projects. The 1-cent sales tax lasted from April 2010 to December 2017. The intent was to expedite the construction of projects that will benefit all Oklahomans and improve the quality of living.

“Connecting the lower areas of Oklahoma City is part of MAPS 3 initial presentation, with a goal of completing the coreto-shore study to connect Oklahoma City to the Oklahoma River,” said MAPS Program Manager David Todd. “Both parks will be distinguished in what they offer … the Lower Park will have sports fields.” Inside the MAPS 3 program is the “core to shore” study. Intentions to find solutions to bridge the

“Both parks will be distinguished in offerings.”

-David Todd

economic divide in the southern area of Oklahoma City’s downtown. Creating a stronger partnership in the lower half of Oklahoma City’s economy through the development of the area is the objective of the core to shore plan. The cost of development of Scissortail’s Lower Park was $24.5 million at the time of completion, which is 9% higher than the initial expected cost of development. The original estimate was set at $22.2 million. Union Station, located in the Upper Park, will also see restructuring as part of the long-term development process for Oklahoma City’s MAPS 3 project. Opening of the Lower Park has excited members of the community to prepare plans to visit the newest addition to the Oklahoma space for fun and relaxation.

Oklahoma State Fair:

‘Your Fair Share of Fun!’

By Katrina Crumbacher

Assistant Editor

From the funnel cakes to the rides, countless crowds basked in the wonder the Oklahoma State Fair had to offer from Sept. 15-25. “You walk up to the outside gates, and you’ve got a normal expression on your face,” said Scott Munz, the fair’s senior vice president. “As soon as you get through the gate, boom, your eyes get wide, your smile gets bright, and you just enjoy the fair for what it has to offer. I enjoy seeing that.” The state fair was back with a bang after more than two years of COVID looming over its shoulder. The sound of live music filled the air once again, and vendors lined the grounds with fair food around every corner. “We’re still here,” Munz said. “We like to refer to ourselves as Oklahoma’s premier family attraction, and people have been coming for decades. Generational memories have been made.”

For more than 100 years, the Oklahoma State Fair has entertained all ages, from young to old. In 2020, the fair was canceled for the first time ever along with most other seasonal social gatherings that many had come to expect every year and had taken for granted. “Even though we took 2020 off, 2021 was a very good year for us,” he said. “People didn’t have their commuting expenses. They didn’t have their dry-cleaning expenses. They didn’t have a lot of the normal expenses, and they had pandemic burnout. They wanted

“We like to refer to ourselves as Oklahoma’s premier family attraction.”

-Scott Munz

“It’s a taste of Americana. There’s nothing else like it.”

-Scott Munz

to get out, and they had money in their pocket.” For months, the world was effectively shut down as everyone sequestered themselves away from each other. Even when brick-andmortar businesses began to reopen in May 2020, all was not as it was pre-pandemic, nor would it ever be again. “Obviously, this year is further away from the bulk of COVID-19, but this year, we found that people have been hit pretty hard at the pump, the prices at the grocery store, restaurants, retail,” he said. “Everywhere you go, it seems like prices have increased, so we made a decision early on to be sensitive to that.” In response to the ongoing struggles families are facing as inflation takes its toll, the state fair offered five discount days to bring in those who may have been priced out of attending otherwise. “I think attendance held well the first weekend,” he said. “We tried to have as many discounts out there as possible to try to make it an affordable activity for families, so all of our advance gate tickets were the same price as last year.” Despite setbacks for the fair and families alike, Oklahomans were out in force this year to enjoy this can’t-miss attraction. “It’s a taste of Americana,” he said. “We’re in the heartland of America, and this has been a tradition for families for years.” One of the things Munz looks forward to every year is to just sit on his golf cart by one of the entrances and watch the smiles on people’s faces as they come in. “It’s very validating to see people around enjoying themselves,” he said, “to see the joy on the families’ faces when they come through the gate because they know that they’re here at the fair.”

Food vendors and crowds at the 2022 Oklahoma State Fair. (Photo by: Michael Palacios)