TulsaPeople December 2025

Mayor Monroe Nichols

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TULSA

Happy

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Whether it’s a sprain, fever or something that cannot wait, we’re ready to help you feel better — fast. Ascension St. John’s Urgent Care is your choice for minor illness and injury care with on-site lab and imaging as well as prescriptions through Ascension Rx.

Open every day with extended hours across 6 convenient locations — because care shouldn’t wait.

Scan the QR code to check in online, walk in, or go to ascension.org/StJohnCare

Hours may vary; please call ahead.

It’s hard to believe that 2025 is already coming to a close. As bittersweet as the end of the year can be, December gives Tulsans a plethora of events to enjoy and ways to give back to the community.

is issue is full of opportunities to wow any visiting friends or family with delicious food like Zogam Cafe’s pad ke mao, or “drunken noodles” (read more on p. 77), and gift ideas (see our 12 Days of Christmas feature on p. 32.) Additionally, we check in with nonpro ts like City Lights Tulsa (p. 8) and the Tulsa Day Center (p. 12) who are passionately working yearround to uplift our neighbors experiencing homelessness. For ideas on how you can serve the community this season, take a look at our nonpro t giving guide on p 36.

You’ll also nd in-depth conversations with prominent Tulsa leaders Ross Swimmer, the former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation and special trustee for American Indians at the U.S. Department of the Interior (p. 26), and Monroe Nichols IV, Tulsa’s mayor (p. 28). I had the opportunity to interview the latter and am still blown away by how genuine and approach-

able he is. Don’t hesitate to say hi if you run into him around town.

If you want to try some new recipes for the holidays, check out p. 76 for creative cookie options. Or, if you’re in the mood to craft, head to p. 64 to discover what could be your new favorite local shop.

2025 has been a whirlwind for me, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way. As I continue nding my footing as an editor, I am beyond grateful for the team here at Langdon Publishing for not only being delightful to work with, but incredibly skilled at what they do. A few weeks ago, a group of us went to take new outdoor headshots down the street at the Council Oak Tree (which was recently repatriated to the Muscogee Nation). I asked for a quick group photo, too. Next spring we’ll have to go back and try to capture the entire o ce, but it can be di cult to get us all in one place with so many competing schedules. For now, you can see a few of the faces behind the magazine — a handful of my favorite people in Tulsa. tp

Lauren Rogers EDITOR

EDITOR Madison Walters

ASSISTANT EDITOR Tiffany Howard

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Allyssa Reeder

MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER Michelle Pollard

VIDEOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Andrea Canada

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

The Langdon Publishing editorial and production teams. From left: Videographer Greg Bollinger, Digital Editor Madison Walters, Editor Lauren Rogers, Graphic Designer Allyssa Reeder, Assistant Editor Tiffany Howard, Creative Director Madeline Crawford and Managing Photographer Michelle Pollard.

URBAN ART

Recently, the Tulsa Global District partnered with local artists to beautify the thriving destination with several public art installations.

“This area is one of the strongest drivers of economic growth for our city,” says Alejandro Garcia, executive director of the nonprofi t. “Every day, people from diverse backgrounds come together to exchange goods, ideas and opportunities; this artwork reflects that same spirit of collaboration and cultural fusion, particularly among Hispanic and Asian communities.”

— MADISON WALTERS

CITY LIGHTS VILLAGE SHINES A PATH TO HOME

For many people experiencing homelessness, the hardest part isn’t the cold nights or the bug bites — it’s the loneliness of living, and too often dying, without anyone by their side. That’s why, when City Lights Village began building a community of triplex townhomes for those who’d gone without housing for a year or more, every step centered on connection and belonging.

“Housing alone won’t solve homelessness,” says Sarah Grounds, founder and executive director of City Lights. “It takes wraparound services and a community to be successful.”

City Lights Village is underway with Phase 1— 30 homes and a community center — having already raised $19 million of its $26.1 million goal. Phase 2 will add 45 more homes, with the project set for completion by summer 2026.

“We won’t move people in until the project is complete,” Grounds says, adding that this will ensure reliable housing and access to wraparound services onsite. “It’s not just about construction; it’s about stability, community and care.”

Future residents will be selected from a coordinated entry list managed by A Way Home for Tulsa, a county-wide collaboration working to end and prevent homelessness. The need is overwhelming. Right now, about 1,300 people are waiting for a place to call home. Residents will have a fully furnished one-bedroom home they can make their own, each with a front porch.

But in addition to a house, they’ll have a community. Inside the community center, there will be space to gather, while “huddle rooms” will allow nonprofits to meet privately with residents. A memorial garden will honor departed neighbors, and a Unity Garden will host community activities such as movie nights or yoga classes.

“We can be as creative as we want in this space,” Grounds says.

In the end, City Lights Village isn’t just building houses — it’s building a place where neighbors can heal, belong and finally come home. — ABIGAIL SINGREY

YEAR-END GIVING REMINDERS FROM TULSA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

With tax changes approaching at the end of this year due to recent legislation, Tulsa Community Foundation CEO Phil Lakin, Jr. says 2025 is a good time for those interested in supporting the local charitable community to consider opening or adding to a donor-advised fund. A donor-advised fund allows individuals or corporations to contribute assets now, receive an immediate charitable deduction, and recommend grants to qualified nonprofits.

Many new federal limits begin in 2026, making 2025 the final year under the current, more generous tax rules. “If you already plan to give, you may get more tax benefit, and give more to charities, by giving before year-end 2025,” says Lakin. “Opening a donor-advised fund at TCF could allow you to give even more now and benefit more charities in the future. And that’s exceptional for everyone involved.”

Learn more about opening or adding to a donor-advised fund with Tulsa Community Foundation at tulsacf.org. — STAFF REPORTS

RIDE THE DRAGON TRAIL

The newest addition to Tulsa Global District’s growing public art installations is the Dragon Trail, a self-guided biking tour that includes 12 colorful bike racks designed by local artists. The Dragon Trail serves as a tribute to the Asian American Pacific Islander community in the district, which is home to residents and businesses representing more than 30 different countries.

Each bike rack includes a story and a QR code that unlocks a map of where to find the other eleven interactive art pieces, encouraging bike travel throughout the neighborhood.

“Tianlong Dragon,” created by Hightail Creative Co., can be seen in front of Dona Gloria Restaurant at 11419 E. 21st St. “This project is a celebration of the Global District ... The Dragon Trail encourages movement, community support and cultural enthusiasm. Our celestial dragon design signifies the life cycle and the abundance earth provides us,” says Raygen Treat of Hightail Creative Co.

Local artist VNICE helped coordinate this multifaceted urban art and wellness initiative. “I think this project is great for the district. It brings more color. It’s something we need, and it’s not until now that we’ve had the resources to do some of these projects,” he says.

Ready to ride the trail? Head over to globaldistrict.org/thedragontrailtulsa for a map and more information about the Dragon Trail. — MADISON WALTERS

Sarah Grounds, founder and executive director of City Lights Foundation, stands in front of one of the recently completed homes at City Lights Village.

Kayley Giacomo and Raygen Treat designed the “Tianlong Dragon” bike rack on the Dragon Trail.

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2026 ARVEST CONVENTION CENTER DOWNTOWN TULSA

Join us for Rock the House: Studio 918, a one-night-only disco inferno supporting Green Country Habitat for Humanity.

SCAN TO LINK TO OUR SPONSORSHIP PAGE. For more Rock the House information, please contact Rob Gardenhire at rgardenhire@greencountryhabitat.org or 918.946.5803

2026 Rock The House Co-Chairs: Tracy Spears, Shannon Smith, Sarah Fox Broermann and Jeff Broermann

DECEMBER

Dec. 1 AN EVENING WITH JOY HARJO

Magic City Books is partnering with Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Oklahoma Center for the Humanities to welcome Joy Harjo for an event celebrating the publication of her latest book “Girl Warrior.” The former U.S. Poet Laureate will be in conversation with Mvskoke scholar and educator Sarah Price magiccitybooks.com

Dec. 2, 4, 5 A GLIMMER OF HOPE

Spend an uplifting evening with the Council Oak Men's Chorale as they deliver three nights of “A Glimmer of Hope: Songs of Light for the Holidays.” counciloak.org

Dec. 12 BLUE OYSTER CULT

Rock legends Blue Oyster Cult are making their way to Hard Rock Live for a special evening that will feature hits like “Godzilla,” “Don’t Fear the Reaper” and more. hardrockcasinotulsa.com

Dec. 12 TULSA OILERS V. TAHOE KNIGHT MONSTERS

Come cheer on the Tulsa Oilers hockey team as they take on the Tahoe Knight Monsters in this early evening matchup. During the game, the teams will also celebrate Native American Heritage Night. tulsaoilers.com

Dec. 12-24 (select nights)

“WHITE CHRISTMAS” SING-A-LONG

Bring the whole family to Circle Cinema’s annual holiday tradition, which includes lyrics on the screen and interactive props for everyone. See the Bing Crosby classic like you’ve never seen it before! circlecinema.org

Dec. 14 DARCI LYNNE

“America’s Got Talent” winner Darci Lynne will host a comedy ventriloquist show at Bricktown Comedy Club. Come out and support the OKC-native during this homestate show. bricktowntulsa.com

Dec. 29 ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES V. OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN EAGLES

Oral Roberts University Women’s Basketball team will take on Oklahoma Wesleyan at the Mabee Center during this post-holiday game. oruathletics.com

Dec. 29-Jan. 3 TULSA SHOOTOUT

The largest event for micro spring racing in the world returns to Expo Square again this year! Encompassing six different racing classes, you can expect to see racers of all ages and skill levels. tulsashootout.com

Dec. 13

CLIFFDIVER

Celebrate the holidays with Tulsa’s own CLIFFDIVER at the historic Cain’s Ballroom. With support from Red Sun, Hit the Lights and Leisure Hour, this will be an evening of music that you won’t want to miss. cainsballroom.com

Dec. 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH

Ring in the new year with Hard Rock Hotel and Casino as they host a special NYE party with live performances. One of the highlights of this yearly event is the 20,000-balloon drop that occurs at the stroke of midnight. hardrockcasinotulsa.com tp

MADISON WALTERS

CLIFFDIVER co-lead singer Briana Wright performs at Cain’s Ballroom.

The Tulsa Day Center, 415 W. Archer St., is a low-barrier shelter offering services ranging from case management and on-site health care to laundry and shower facilities, as well as the recently added kennel for clients’ pets. “They’re family,” says Mack Haltom, CEO of Tulsa Day Center. “Some of these (pets) are emotional support animals for people as well.”

Mack Haltom

BY TIFFANY HOWARD

Marking its 40th year in 2026, the Tulsa Day Center serves between 230-280 individuals every day, providing low-barrier access to shelter, support, help and hope to some of Tulsa’s most vulnerable. With 83 employees including two on-site nurse practitioners and ve mental healthcerti ed case managers, the Day Center sees an average of 20-30 of their clients successfully housed each month.

“We want to know how we can get you out of your situation,” says Mack Haltom, CEO of Tulsa Day Center.

We sat down with Haltom — who began his 26th year with TDC in November — to learn more about the work he and his team are doing to support and house their clients, as well as the factors many people may not realize can contribute to situational and chronic homelessness.

CAN YOU BREAK DOWN WHAT SOME OF TDC’S HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES LOOK LIKE?

What we’re doing at the Day Center, we have an extensive range of getting people rehoused. (Regarding) our grants with rapid housing, we’ve had our traditional grant now since 2010. e last two years we’ve worked in partnership with Domestic Violence Intervention Services with a rapid rehousing grant. ey shelter the clients at their shelter, but we do the housing piece. We get them housed, and then they do the follow up.

We have relationships with I want to say around 125 landlords or property managers for our rapid rehousing program, meaning we work with them, and they know that we’re going to pay their rent ... A lot of people (that) are homeless, they leave maybe an unpaid electric or gas bill — we call that arrears. We can pay those, plus deposits and

rent for so many months as well, until they get stabilized ... But there’s the other side of that, where a lot of people are waiting for Section 8 vouchers. And a lot of times they’ll pay their 30% and we pay the other 70% until they get their voucher.

WHAT FACTORS DO YOU THINK MOST PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SOMEONE FINDING THEMSELVES UNSHELTERED?

e top three or four reasons (out of six) that people become homeless is still domestic violence in our community ... ere is a segment of our populations that are addicted, they have mental health issues, yes, that’s true — but there’s the other side of it where you come up with a family of three or four that it’s a lost job that caused it, or a car breakdown that spun (someone) out of control ... No family support, then there’s no safety net for a lot of people to fall back on. Another horrible statistic is half are disabled, they reported having some kind of disability on the one-night (Point-in-Time) count.

Foster care is another feeder system ... We have 75 kids (ages) 18 to 24 that we have housed ... ere is a shortage of a ordable housing, too, which is an issue for folks. A one-bedroom fair market rate in Tulsa is $950 to $1,100.

e Department of Corrections (also) discharging people out of prison with no shelter ... And hospital discharges — people may have been evicted while they’re in the hospital ... Tulsa is the 11th highest evicting city in the country.

SOMETHING ELSE PEOPLE MIGHT NOT REALIZE IS... You hear all the time “Just get a job.” But have you ever tried to work from a tent and go to work smelly and not having a shower? Not having a safe place to keep your belongings? And by the way 17-20% of the folks we count unsheltered are working.

People that are experiencing homelessness — they’re tired. And you wonder why people get angry ... because you’re tired. I get cranky. If I can’t sleep, I’m useless. People who are unsheltered, you just multiply that. Because people oftentimes will walk during the night and sleep during the day, because you can’t be safe sleeping at night. People nd nooks and crannies to do that, and that’s why you have campsites, people watching out for each other, that kind of thing.  tp

To learn more about the Tulsa Day Center or to make a financial donation, visit tulsadaycenter.org. New underwear, socks and winter coats are always needed as well.

In his natural element

Tulsa artist’s portfolio spans from pup portraiture to creating unique works of art out of media found in nature.

BY SARA PLUMMER

Matt Mo ett has been an artist in Tulsa for nearly 30 years, but growing up he never thought that would be his future.

“I always thought I was one of those people that didn’t have that gift,” Mo ett says.

It wasn’t until he had di culties nding someone in Tulsa to paint a portrait of his dog that he decided to just do it himself.

“ en all my friends were saying ‘paint my dog, paint my dog,’ and that’s how I started in art,” he says.

Teaching college-level Spanish at the time, his newfound painting career was slow going at rst. “My friend said, ‘Don’t quit your day job right away. Just work at it.’ I think the hardest part was giving myself permission to be an artist. But after a while, it just really took o ,” Mo ett

explains, adding that he also transitioned into teaching art at elementary schools.

In 2007 Mo ett founded the Tulsa Girls Art School, a nonpro t afterschool art program in the Kendall Whittier neighborhood, where he worked as a teacher and the executive director for 10 years.

Since then, he’s expanded his portfolio by building and installing sculptures and mosaics at MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor, as well as participating in several artist-in-residence programs in places like Budapest, Hungary, the Spanish city of Alicante and Asheville, North Carolina. is past September Mo ett was the third artist to complete the six-month artist-in-residence program at Oxley Nature Center.

ere, Mo ett stretched his artistic muscles and focused on creating cyanotypes — blue photographic prints made without the use of a camera or dark room but are instead created by using di erent photography processing chemicals and UV light. Cyanotypes typically feature objects from nature, like owers and leaves, and Mo ett taught others how to make them during his residency.

“It was amazing having all these students out there. We would forage for things out in the woods at Oxley and bring them back and print them on paper. ey would take home a piece of art they made,” he says.

Mo ett would also have students make prints of their foraged items on a piece of linen. “I’m taking all that linen and I’m quilting it into one gigantic piece so it’s really breathtaking.”

During his residency Mo ett came up with a creative way to x several of the potholes found along one of Oxley’s paved paths. By employing a street art technique called acking, he lled them in with mosaics of the types of animals that live in the preserve.

“ ere’s a ribbon snake with an orange stripe, there’s a gold nch and a green Junebug,” he says, and he wants to make more. “If someone is out there hiking and they come across these amazing mosaics on the road, I just want them to feel like they’ve found something magical.”

Mo ett, who is now teaching painting classes at Ziegler Art and Frame in Tulsa, says he is grateful to be part of the Tulsa art community.

“I just want to thank the citizens of Tulsa for supporting local artists and letting us thrive,” he says. “Tulsa is this amazing little bubble where our own takes care of our own. It’s wonderful.” tp

Longtime Tulsa artist Matt Moffett teaches classes ($30) at Ziegler Art and Frame on Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Haven of hope

Women in recovery fi nd refuge in south Tulsa sober living home.

BY SHARON BISHOP-BALDWIN

Kelsey Gearhart has been sober for nearly a dozen years, but when she moved to Oklahoma a couple years ago she noticed a lack of support for women in early sobriety.

Leading with her heart, she opened Hart Recovery, a women-only sober living home in a quiet south Tulsa neighborhood, this past April. e residence has a house manager and room for nine clients, who pay $750 a month for the six-month to yearlong stay that Gearhart says is common.

Most clients come straight from a 30- to 60-day stay in detox, although Gearhart works on a case-by-case basis.

One young woman moved in on her rst day of sobriety. Six months later, Gearhart says this woman is still sober and “kicking butt.”

“I could just tell she was serious about it,” she says. “She was ready.”

“(Residents) have a lot of freedom once they get to my level of care (and are) usually saving up for a vehicle, getting settled in a job and getting used to focusing on their recovery,” Gearhart says.

But balancing the joys of that freedom with its dangers is where the residence’s structure comes in — clients have a nightly curfew, they’re required to work or volunteer at least 30 hours a week and they must attend 12-step meetings. A mandatory house meeting is also held each Monday and Wednesday evening, and the few medications they’re allowed to have on site are kept in secured lockers in the bright, clean home.

“ e moms that have been reaching out to me say, ‘ is is the type of home I wanted to see my daughter in,’” Gearhart says.

And even though the paint is still fresh on her rst sober-living home, Gearhart is already aiming for the next one to open in 2026. She also envisions a residential detox facility opening in 2027.

“It’s just the beginning,” she says. “I feel it in my spirit.” tp

One of the first things Hart Recovery founder Kelsey Gearhart noticed when she moved to Oklahoma was a shortage of resources for women in early sobriety.

Hart Recovery residents attend mandatory house meetings each Monday and Wednesday evening.

OU HEALTH STEPHENSON CANCER CENTER IN TULSA

Top 2% Nationally in Elite Cancer Care — Coming to Tulsa

OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center — Oklahoma’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center — recently broke ground on a transformative 176,100-square-foot expansion in Tulsa. The new center, located at the University of Oklahoma’s Schusterman Campus, will be a major step forward in expanding access to life-saving, innovative care for thousands of residents in northeast Oklahoma.

Opening in 2028:

• Dedicated clinical trials not available at any other Oklahoma cancer center

• 70 exam rooms

• 45 infusion spaces

• Full imaging: MRI, PET-CT & more

• Access to state-of-the-art technology and innovative treatments

We are currently seeing patients in Tulsa at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at Hillcrest at 1245 S. Utica Avenue, offering compassionate care and clinical trials. To make an appointment, call (918) 579-3850. Together, we’re lifting the health of Oklahoma — turning breakthroughs into hope for generations.

Homes with heart

Tulsa’s fi rst senior cohousing community is designed to balance privacy with features and amenities that foster connection.

BY JANE ZEMEL

When Pat Hobbs received a mass text this past September telling the residents of Heartwood Commons to meet outside and watch the full moon rising, one thought kept repeating itself as they all stood looking at the night sky together: is was worth the wait.

As Tulsa’s rst senior community o ering cohousing — which means residents enjoy the privacy of owning individual homes within a community built for connection and doing life together — Heartwood Commons was years in the making.

Hobbs and his husband John Orsulak were in the original group that spent more than two years envisioning the project, setting its values and then bringing it to life sans developer or landlord. irty-six homes and one common house cover just under 5 acres, with oor plans for sale from 1,004 to 1,184 square feet and price tags of $429,900 to $499,900. Not a hippie commune. Not a tiny house village. At Heartwood Commons, many front porches are public-facing areas, so neighbors can wave as they walk by or stop for a cup of

co ee or conversation. Privacy comes from back patios and green spaces.

e hub of cohousing is the 3,000 square foot common house, which provides a spacious living area for movie nights or game days, a craft studio for creative projects, a large kitchen for community dinners, mailboxes, co ee bar, laundry facilities and two guest rooms. Outside, residents share walking paths, a dog park, a monarch waystation, a workshop and shed for tools and mowers, as well as areas for meetups.

In August 2024 Orsulak and Hobbs downsized from a 2,200 square foot house near Woodward Park to a home half the size at the back of Heartwood Commons’ property. “We liked the distance. It makes us walk,” says Orsulak, who is recovering from a second knee replacement.

“It’s a built-in support system,” he adds. “You’re buying a community and getting a house too.”

Orsulak, a retired teacher and expert gardener, planned his home’s artful landscape that requires “only weed-whacker maintenance.” Inside, ample space for their possessions and lifestyle. “We eat lunch standing at the kitchen counter, then dinner at the small dining table,” he says.

Hobbs retired from an accounting career and is a frequent face and voice in Tulsa entertainment circles. He loves his new home. “We don’t use all the storage space,” he claims. “It’s just more e cient.”

Cohousing takes Hobbs back to his farming roots. “I’m out here pulling weeds in the East Village,” he says, referring to a common area on the east side of the property, “and I’m in the best shape I’ve been in in my life.”

Resident Tricia Price discovered cohousing after her husband died in 2020. “I wanted my privacy, but I also wanted community.” e neighborhood’s proximity to bike paths was also a big plus for this long-time cyclist. Now, she says, “Even on days I spend in the house, I know those people are right there.”

Each home also o ers open oorplans, high ceilings, eco-friendly nishes, modern kitchens, energy-e cient appliances and accessible bathrooms. One bathroom in each unit serves as a safe room with extra thick walls and exterior door.

Visit heartwoodcommonstulsa.com to learn more about Heartwood Commons, including information on any upcoming open houses. tp

Left: Heartwood Commons residents John Orsulak and Pat Hobbs moved into the cohousing community in August 2024. Right: Heartwood Commons resident Tricia Price shows off her home's kitchen and dining space.

Left: Ascension St. John’s first female Chief of Staff Dr. Jill Wenger is part of a family that includes eight other doctors. Above right, Jill's father-in-law Bruce Wenger serving as a medical officer during Air Force Survival Camp training circa 1965. Below, Matt Wenger and Mary Kirk with daughter Rachel at her white coat ceremony.

All in the family

Practicing medicine has spanned three generations for one Tulsa family.

BY MARNIE FERNANDEZ

ACHRISTMAS MERRY

scension St. John’s first female Chief of Staff, Dr. Jill Wenger, married into a family with three generations of doctors.

Nine family members ranging in age from early 20s to early 90s are currently — or have been — in the medical profession, starting with Wenger’s 90-year-old father-in-law, Dr. Bruce Wenger

“My father-in-law laid the groundwork for our family,” says (Jill) Wenger. “He was an anesthesiologist at St. John throughout the 70s and 80s.”

Wenger’s husband, Peter Wenger, is a retired family medicine doctor at St. John who practiced in the 90s through the early 2000s. Their daughter, Allison, is currently a third-year medical student at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.

Other family members include Wenger’s brother-in-law, Matt Wenger, a retired anesthesiologist from St. John and his wife, Mary Kirk , who is a retired OB/Gyn from Tulsa Spine Hospital and Saint Francis, as well as St. John. Two of their children are physicians as well. David Wenger is an ENT resident and surgeon at St. John, and Rachel Wenger is an anesthesiologist resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Finally, William Watson — married to Julie Wenger Watson (Matt and Peter’s sister) — is an anesthesiologist at Oklahoma Memorial Surgical Center and former chief of staff at St. John.

With such a large group of medical professionals, there is no shortage of stories, wisdom and advice shared at family gatherings. “It’s wonderful to have so much support from our family,” she says. “Whether we are at the Thanksgiving table or a separate family event, everyone understands the dedication and time involved to be the kind of physicians we want to be.”

As the first ever female chief of staff for St. John, Wenger admits there have been some challenges along the way. “It’s always tough to be the first female anything,” she says. “But it feels good to be able to use my leadership skills and help make real change at the hospital and serve as an advocate for our medical staff and patients.” tp

Festive Christmas Eve Services

December 24

5 p.m.

Children’s Pageant, with a role available for all children

8 p.m.

Holy Eucharist (Communion), carol singing beginning at 7:30 11 p.m.

Midnight Mass, carol singing beginning at 10:30

Christmas Day

December 25

10 a.m.

Holy Eucharist Trinity Episcopal Church 918-582-4128 | 501 S. Cincinnati Ave TrinityTulsa.org

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, Trinity welcomes YOU!

Season’s readings

‘ T is the season for curling up with a good book by a cozy fireplace! Authors from our region have been busy this year publishing literature from children’s books to nonfiction and beyond. Whether you are searching for the perfect gift for a loved one or interested in finding your next read, there is plenty for you to peruse. Here is a roundup of a few options to consider. — LAUREN ROGERS

“Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders”

BY JIMMIE TRAMEL AND DANNY BOY O’CONNOR

Nearly sixty years after Tulsan S.E. Hinton released her beloved teen novel “The Outsiders,” two Tulsa icons have teamed up to share the definitive oral history of the book that became a blockbuster film, then Tony-winning musical.

“Sanctuary of Sound: The Church Studio Story”

BY TERESA KNOX

Perfect for lovers of classic rock or design, this deluxe 12x12-inch, 344-page coffee table book chronicles the saga of The Church Studio, once Leon Russell ’s headquarters for Shelter Records. Readers can dive into the history of the Church’s early 20th century origins to its 21st century revival, complete with stunning photography and a soundtrack featuring original music.

“Will Rogers and His Great Inspiration”

BY BART TAYLOR

Bart Taylor — the official Will Rogers interpreter at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore — released the final book in his acclaimed children’s series on Nov. 4, Rogers’ birthday. The book, illustrated by Greg White, includes a foreword by Reba McEntire and Rex Linn

“Superhero”

BY TIM BLAKE NELSON

Just in time for the holiday season, Tim Blake Nelson’s highly anticipated novel “Superhero” hits shelves Dec. 2. The story follows A-list actor Peter Compton and producing partner Marci Levy as they work to bring a big-budget superhero movie to fruition. Nelson is no stranger to the concept, having been featured in Marvel's “The Incredible Hulk” and “Captain America: Brave New World.” VISIT TULSAPEOPLE.COM FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH NELSON.

“Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State”

BY CALEB GAYLE

Tulsa native Caleb Gayle delves into the history of Edward McCabe, a Black man who tried to establish Oklahoma as a state governed by and for Black people. This critically acclaimed book draws from extraordinary research and is ideal for anyone interested in U.S. history.

Coyolxauhqui: Poems

BY AMAIRANI PEREZ CHAMU

This debut poetry collection offers deeply personal perspectives from poet, community organizer and multidisciplinary artist Amairani Perez Chamu . The works explore the history of Aztec culture, with a focus on enigmatic figures featured in creation stories such as Coyolxāuhqui, the Moon Goddess, and her relationship with Huitzilopochtli, the Sun God. tp

WOMEN IN AVIATION

Tulsa Air and Space Museum's new exhibit.

This past fall, Tulsa Air and Space Museum, 3624 N. 74th E. Ave., debuted a new permanent installation aimed at inspiring the next generation of aviators. The exhibit is dedicated to the legacy of Nan Gaylord, a former Tulsa Air and Space Museum board member and trailblazing pilot and flight instructor who mentored thousands of pilots throughout her career.

The exhibition is years in the making, with preparation beginning back in 2023 when the museum applied for a grant from Oklahoma Humanities.

“Once the grant selection period passed and we were selected, then we began a long process of the design, graphic artwork and content,” explains Tonya Blansett , executive director of Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. “Several of our board members assisted with providing content, as they are also female pilots.”

The display celebrates the pioneering successes of women in aviation and aerospace by showcasing the stories of icons who broke barriers in the field. Upon opening, the exhibit received a visit from Col. Eileen Collins — the first woman to pilot and command a U.S. space shuttle — who autographed the display near her portrait. With 35,000 children visiting the museum each year through the institution’s STEM field trip program, Blansett hopes the exhibit resonates with young women considering a career in aviation.

“We want girls to see the bravery, skill and achievement that has come before them,” Blansett says. “The aviation industry is the second largest industry in the state of Oklahoma and has a thriving workforce that needs a constant stream of local workers. There is an incredible need for females to pursue career pathways in aviation, as currently only about 10% of the current aviation workforce is female.”

This spring the museum will host Spaceport Tulsa, commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Peaceful Uses of Space Conference — first held in Tulsa in 1961. The two-day event April 24 and 25 will welcome female pilots, astronauts and other aerospace engineering trailblazers to inspire an anticipated 750 high school students. The event coincides with the Aviator Ball on April 25. — LAUREN ROGERS

One-of-a-Kind disc over Dining

IN WARRENSBURG, MO

Explore Warrensburg’s shopping, dining, history, and entertainment — scan the QR code to learn more.

Tonya Blansett, executive director Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium

‘OklaHome for Christmas’

Sibling trio records new Tulsa Christmas Parade anthem and establishes startup to aid Oklahoma artists.

STORIES BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

The Tulsa Christmas Parade has a new theme song thanks to a collaboration between e Church Studio and country trio, Voth. e musical siblings — brothers Caleb and Cody Voth, and their sister Hannah Pepin — recorded “OklaHome for Christmas” with e Church Studio, which is also the theme of this year’s parade. Co-written by Voth and Audra Mae, the song was produced by John Fullbright and executive produced by e Church Studio. e tune features lyrics celebrating some of Tulsa’s iconic landmarks.

“Recording ‘OklaHome for Christmas’ at e Church Studio with local musicians felt like pure joy,” says Teresa Knox , CEO and founder of e Church Studio and this year’s Parade Grand Marshal. “It’s more than a song; it’s a celebration of Oklahoma talent coming together to celebrate the beautiful Christmas season. To have this piece of music forever tied to our city’s 99th Christmas Parade and e Church Studio makes it even more special.”

After a stint in Nashville exploring the songwriting scene, Caleb and Cody recently returned to Tulsa. eir time in Music City and a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music taught them a lot

about the industry and allowed them to expand their connections. ey’re excited to bring that knowledge back home.

“After being there for almost ve years, we really wanted to come back to Oklahoma and help build more of a music infrastructure in Tulsa,” Caleb says.

One of their rst steps regarding that endeavor was to establish Soundup Club with songwriter Natalie Reed. e company helps Oklahoma artists with everything from songwriting and publishing to synchronization (licensing songs for lm, TV, advertisements and games) and recording. Soundup Club’s “Soundup Roundup” is a series of events where songwriters take turns playing their original music and sharing stories about the songs themselves. Starting in January, Voth will host rounds every month at e Church Studio.

“We’re hoping that people see we’re not outsiders,” says Caleb. “We’re insiders that went and learned some stu to come back and invest in our home.”

His sister Hannah agrees.

“Our hearts continue to beat Oklahoma,” she says. Learn more about the group at vothmusic.com, or for information on their local music business endeavors visit thesoundupclub.com. tp

‘SONGS

FOR THE ROAD’

A Bostonian by birth, musician Tom Pevear became a Tulsan by choice when he and his wife settled here almost five years ago. Pevear's wife is originally from Norman, and the pair had visited Tulsa many times while previously living in Colorado. The biggest reason for their move was the people — “Okies are the best!” he says — with Tulsa’s rich music history being a wonderful added bonus.

“The music scene has been beyond my wildest dreams,” he says. “I think a dream of every musician is to be surrounded by peers they admire. It still blows my mind when I get put on bills, or mentioned (in) the same breath as other musicians here who I hold in such unbelievably high regard.”

Pevear started on bass in the middle school orchestra before switching to electric guitar and garage bands. The release of the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” with its soundtrack of traditional American roots music, combined with Pevear’s affinity for the music of Bob Dylan and Levon Helm, eventually pushed him towards folk. Twelve years ago, inspired by artists like Doc Watson, Pevear devoted himself to fingerpicking, spending countless hours honing his skills.

This past August, Pevear released “Songs for the Road” on Nashville’s Gitcha Records. Co-produced with Matt Teegarden, the album captures the feel of a live set. Now a full-time musician, Pevear plays some 250 gigs a year, while juggling his duties as a father of seven-year-old twins. When he’s not on the road, you can catch him at The Colony Thursdays at 6 p.m. For more information, visit tompevearmusic.com. tp

Tom Pevear

Local musicians Hannah Pepin, Cody Voth and Caleb Voth recorded the Tulsa Christmas Parade’s new theme song, “OklaHome for Christmas,” at The Church Studio. The iconic venue commissioned and executive produced the tune.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Trees, please

How Tulsa’s Up With Trees organization got its start.

BY MICHAEL OVERALL

The phone rang again at 4:30 in the afternoon, by which time Sid Patterson was tired, grumpy and in no mood to listen to yet another complaint.

Tulsa was widening 51st Street to four lanes in the summer of 1974, and crews were busy that day cutting down a line of majestic oak trees that had stood for almost a century, planted long ago on the edge of a narrow dirt road in the middle of the countryside.

Now, 51st had become a congested bottleneck for suburban tra c. e trees had to go. But Patterson, starting a second twoyear term as Tulsa street commissioner, had to listen to angry residents who preferred the trees over progress.

“Oh, this must be another complaint call,” he said, exasperated as he picked up the phone.

“No,” the caller said. He was a 17year-old high school student and he told

Patterson he understood why the trees were coming down. But he had a question.

“What’s the city doing about replacing those trees?”

Patterson had to admit, sheepishly: nothing.

In the years ahead, he would often cite that phone call as the inspiration for starting Up With Trees, a nonpro t organization that has since planted tens of thousands of trees all across Tulsa. But that’s not the whole story.

When Patterson became street commissioner in 1972, Tulsa already had a committee looking for ways to beautify the new expressway system as it was still under construction in some parts of the city at the time. e group wanted to emulate the elaborate landscaping that Tulsa o cials had seen while studying scenic parkways and thoroughfares in states like California and New York. But Oklahoma didn’t have funding for such extravagances.

“Sid, you’re on the city commission, and you know the city’s nancial condition as well as anybody,” Mayor Bob LaFortune told Patterson. “Go out and see what you can do in a private way. e city will help you all it can but don’t expect money.”

Patterson was born Jan. 1, 1921, a month after his father and uncle started Patterson Steel Company. His uncle died shortly afterward, leaving Patterson’s father in charge of the company, and it went on to help build some of Tulsa’s most notable landmarks, including Boston Avenue United Methodist Church and the Prayer Tower at Oral Roberts University.

Patterson, with a degree in civil engineering from the University of Oklahoma, worked for the steel company for more than 20 years until the family sold the business just before he ran for street commissioner in 1972.

Leaving o ce four years later, he devoted himself to founding and running Up With Trees, using donations and volunteer labor to beautify Tulsa streets.

“It sure made a di erence,” Patterson said once, late in life. “I’m amazed and I’m pleased as you go down some of the highways where we’ve planted trees and the trees have been there ten or fteen or twenty years.”

In November 2008, the city unveiled a bronze statue of Patterson near 33rd Street and Riverside Drive. He died April 27, 2012, at age 91. tp

Up With Trees founder Sid Patterson

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS The Pencil Box celebrated its 10th anniversary October 3 inside Arvest Convention Center’s Legacy Ballroom. Themed “Grammy’s After-Party,” 300 guests came out to support the nonprofit, raising $318,000 for school supplies for teachers and economically disadvantaged students in Tulsa County public schools. Many guests enjoyed posing with the 1982 Auburn Dual Cowl Phaeton that was staged at the entrance.

LEMON-AID PROJECT Hundreds of Tulsa area youth across our city volunteered their time over Labor Day Weekend to set up a Lemon-Aid stand, benefiting Tulsa Changemakers. In addition to raising funds to support local organizations, this annual event also empowers kids of all ages to be impactful entrepreneurs and philanthropists within their community. Front row from left to right: Adira Murray, Dani Watts, Arthur Osborne, Emma Pruitt, Ramona Thomas, Evie Fulmer, Zoe Murray. Back row from left to right: Piper Sawyers, Emily Wasson, Lorelai Osborne, Darcy Smith and Evelyn Humphrey.

ARTINI The annual Artini event, which was held August 9 this year, is a premiere Tulsa event for art lovers and afficionados. Guests were treated to local cuisine paired with signature-sip martinis while also perusing and bidding on a curated selection of artwork by local and regional artists. Auction proceeds benefited Tulsa’s vibrant arts community. Here, Rob Irwin, artist Peter Tunney, Jeannine Irwin, and John Reaves pose for a photo at the event.

COMPILED BY TIFFANY HOWARD

Nov. 28-30, Dec. 3-28 (select nights)

Botanic Garden of Lights

Benefi ts Tulsa Botanic Garden. tulsabotanic.org

Through Dec. 15 Gifts of Hope

Benefi ts Youth Services of Tulsa. yst.org

Through Jan. 3 (select nights)

Philbrook Festival

Benefi ts Philbrook Museum of Art. philbrook.org

2

Christmas Luncheon and Fashion Show

Benefi ts Tulsa area Salvation Army programs. southernusa.salvationarmy.org/ tulsa-area-command

#GivingTuesday Concert Series

Benefi ts OKM Music. okmmusic.org

Friends for LIFE

Benefi ts LIFE Senior Services. lifeseniorservices.org

5

Merry and Bright Trivia Night

Benefi ts Junior League of Tulsa. jltulsa.org/fundraisers

Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Presentation

Benefi ts Tulsa City-County Library tulsalibary.org

St. Nicholas Day

Benefi ts OKM Music. okmmusic.org

5-7

Christkindlmarkt

Benefi ts German-American Society of Tulsa. gastulsa.org

6

Art in the Park Holiday Festival

Benefi ts Arts Alliance Tulsa. artstulsa.org

Carols and Crumpets

Benefi ts Tulsa Herb Society. facebook.com/tulsaherb

Holiday Mart

Benefi ts The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. tulsacenter.org

Jingle Bell Run

Benefi ts Arthritis Foundation. events.arthritis.org/jbrtulsa

6-7

Christmas Tree Lot

Benefi ts Cascia Hall Preparatory School. casciahall.com

9

Grady Nichols Christmas Show

Benefi ts Lisa Bain Ministries. maybeecenter.com

11

Co ee with a Purpose

Benefi ts Pathways Adult Learning Center. pathwaysok.org

13

Sweets with Santa

Benefi ts Tulsa Zoo. tulsazoo.org/santa

Tulsa Christmas Parade

Benefi ts Soldier’s Wish and The Church Studio. tulsachristmasparade.org

Vision Board

Benefi ts Women Helping Other Women. whownetwork.org

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ABATE of Tulsa Toy Run

Benefi ts Toys for Tots. abateoftulsa.com

16

Bunco for a Cause

Benefi ts Owasso Community Resources. baileyeducationfoundation.com

Ross Swimmer

Former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and Special Trustee for American Indians at the U.S. Department of the Interior

BY MICHAEL OVERALL

Describing himself as “a fairly shy, reserved person,” Ross Swimmer did not want to jump into politics but felt obligated to run for principal chief of the Cherokee Nation because, frankly, no other candidate seemed quali ed.

Federal law changed in 1970 to allow Cherokee Nation voters to elect their own chief, with the incumbent W. W. Keeler — originally appointed as chief by U.S. President Harry Truman — winning the rst election in 1971. But with Keeler not running again in 1975, the election was set to be the rst democratic transfer of power since Oklahoma statehood.

Nine candidates were already running when Keeler encouraged 32-year-old Swimmer to join the race.

“I had been an attorney for the tribe for a couple of years, and I recognized some things that I didn’t think were going the way they should,” Swimmer says. “And I didn’t feel that any of the other candidates would be capable of doing what needed to be done.”

Campaigning, however, seemed “almost traumatic” for such a quiet person, Swimmer remembers.

“It was an old-fashioned campaign,” he says, “going out in the countryside and knocking on doors and writing personal letters to thousands of people.”

Swimmer won the 1975 contest with less than 30% of the vote, but four years later, he secured reelection in a landslide, proving how popular he had become as chief. Swimmer resigned from o ce in October 1985 to accept a federal post overseeing the Bureau of Indian A airs as assistant secretary of the Interior. He recruited Wilma Mankiller as his deputy chief in 1983, who was chosen as his successor in 1985.

After leaving his post as head of the Bureau of Indian A airs in 1989, Swimmer built a long second career focused on modernizing tribal nance and trust management. Later, he founded Cherokee Group, LLC, to advise tribes on economic development, then returned to federal service in the early 2000s as the Special Trustee for American Indians, where he worked to reform the government’s Indian trust fund accounting system. He now lives in Tulsa.

WHERE DID YOU GO TO COLLEGE?

“It was just kind of automatic in my family that you went to OU,” Swimmer says. He graduated from Putnam City High School in suburban Oklahoma City in 1961 before enrolling at the University of Oklahoma. He left Norman with a law degree in 1967.

“When you’re led by your family, I think that’s success. When you’re supportive of your family, when you’re supportive of your religion, you’re supportive of your local government, you’re willing to contribute to volunteering — I think those are the signs of success.”

—ROSS SWIMMER

AT 82, WHAT AGE DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW?

“I’m able to do pretty much anything that I need to do. I’ve been doing a lot of work on the house lately, digging a ditch for a gutter and putting a deck in the backyard. Physically, I feel ne and I would say I’m probably closer to 70 in terms of health than I am to 82.”

HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU?

“ ey would look at me as a person who is competent and has demonstrated a good work ethic, both practicing law, serving in the federal government (and) the state government. A likable person, and one that enjoys being around other people.”

WHAT WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

“I’m walking at least 3 miles a day and I do a lot of my own work gardening and yard-keeping and all that. I’ve run a couple of marathons and that might surprise some people who don’t know me very well.”

Another fact most people don’t know about Swimmer? He says he insisted on a private meeting with President Ronald Reagan before starting his work at the Bureau of Indian A airs, an arrangement that was not typical for Swimmer’s position in the administration.

“I insisted on a sit-down meeting in the Oval O ce,” he says. “I really feel it was important that I go sit down with the president and tell him a few things about what I’m hoping to do in Indian A airs to be sure that we’re on the same wavelength.”

WHAT

WAS ONE OF THE WORST TIMES IN YOUR LIFE?

Swimmer’s rst wife Margaret died of cancer six years ago.

“ at was just devastating,” he says. “We’d been married 52 years, and she was like a rock. She was my everything.”

Swimmer married again almost two years ago.

“(Carol) is a wonderful person and certainly a true asset to me,” he says. “She’s very, very bright, very helpful to everything, and we are having a wonderful time.”

WHAT CONCERNS YOU TODAY?

“It seems the MAGA Party has taken over what used to be the Republican Party, and I’m just heartsick about it. And I think what’s going on in our government is a tragedy.”

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?

“In many ways, I think success is being satis ed that you’re doing your best in whatever endeavor it is, whether it’s your work or your religion, or your family. I measure success by my family around me, my current wife certainly, and my kids.

“When you’re led by your family, I think that’s success. When you’re supportive of your family, when you’re supportive of your religion, you’re supportive of your local government, you’re willing to contribute to volunteering — I think those are the signs of success.”

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES OF TULSA?

I remember coming to Tulsa from Tahlequah numerous times and driving down 21st looking at thousands of azaleas on the north banks of Woodward Park. It was just a sea of color. I’m so disheartened that they got lost someplace, some lack of maintenance or something, but we don’t have them anymore.”

WHAT HAS BEEN SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGES YOU’VE SEEN IN TULSA OVER THE YEARS?

“My goodness, the Gathering Place. at’s monumental.”

e $465 million park opened in 2018.

“It’s signi cant not just for Tulsa but for all of Oklahoma,” Swimmer says. “ e Gathering Place is such a fantastic asset.”

Another important tourist destination, the Gilcrease Museum will re-open next year after an $83 million rebuild.

“It’s been closed now for a couple of years,” Swimmer notes, “and I’m so pleased that they’re going to have a small opening soon just for a few people, and I plan to go to that. So it’s wonderful to have it back alive again. at’s a great thing.” tp

CATCH UP WITH MAYOR MONROE NICHOLS

REGARDING THE CITY SALES TAX

A LOOK BACK AT YEAR ONE IN OFFICE

BY LAUREN ROGERS

Early afternoon light poured in through the glass walls of City Hall when we met Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols IV for our Friday photoshoot and interview. The sun glinted off the gold rays on Nichols’ navy striped tie as he shared his anticipation for the evening’s first round of 5A high school football playoffs. Bishop Kelley — where Nichols’ son Gavin plays as a running back — was up against Pryor, and the mayor was gearing up to make the 50-minute drive out to the Tigers’ football stadium later in the day.

Our meeting was less than two days after Nichols’ inaugural State of the City, the first free version of this address in recent memory. The event was opened by the Tulsa Indian Club Singers, who performed as attendees took their seats in the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Chapman Music Hall. Emcee Alison Anthony, president and CEO of Tulsa Area United Way, noted the setlist included a song that had previously been performed when Nichols’ was sworn in as mayor, which the singers named the mayor’s “Inauguration Song.”

Hundreds of Tulsans made their way downtown to hear Nichols explain what he and his administration have been working on since he took office last December. The University of Tulsa alum wore a blue and gold tie that night, too.

INCREASE PROPOSAL Hours before the State of the City, Tulsa City Council decided to send the mayor’s city sales tax increase proposal back to committee, rather than keep it on their Nov. 19 agenda for potential advancement to a citywide vote in February. Nichols unpacked exactly why he “wasn’t very happy” about the turn of events.

“What was frustrating about Wednesday night is that this is a conversation that we really started last budget cycle,” he explains. “We very specifically started digging in the areas that we wanted to invest in as a collective. Everything that was part of that proposal was reflective of the priorities of the mayor and the City Council. I think when you have priorities you ought to invest in them, because that’s what people expect us to do.”

The move to table the proposal for more discussion beginning in January means that planning for the city’s next budget cycle will proceed based on the city’s current revenue intake, which Nichols believes will make continued progress a challenge. “The reality is, we have a lot of things up here that are going really, really well. That progress — to sustain it — is going to be very difficult to do,” Nichols explains. “Even the things that we’re doing well, we’re doing it in a way that really — to be frank — we’re punching well above our weight.”

According to the mayor, the proposed seventenths of a penny increase, from 3.65% to 4.35%, would help remedy the “structural issue” of the city needing to spend more than they receive. Currently, Tulsa’s sales tax rate is lower than neighboring cities like Bixby (4.05%), Glenpool (5.1%), Skiatook (4.5%) and even Oklahoma City (4.125%). Had Tulsans been able to vote Feb. 10 to approve the change, it would have raised an estimated $80 million a year for the city’s general fund.

“The proposal that we sent down was one that I think balanced the need to address the revenue issue the city has ... (and) the challenge that we have with meeting needs on issues like homelessness and investing in law enforcement, young people and in our economy,” Nichols says. “And then I think the third piece of that is, really, our ability to solve the problems of the future. Whatever those problems might be, we’re (now) not in a position to do those things.”

Ultimately, Nichols believes Tulsans were denied an opportunity to invest in their city.

“I asked the councilors — on the strength of the work that we’ve done together, to give people the opportunity to vote — and they chose not to do that. And I think that’s incredibly disappointing,” he says. “I don’t think it’s good for the citizens. I thought we put a proposal there that is very good for the taxpayers ... To say ‘no’ to that without fully taking the time to understand — it was very frustrating.”

DELIVERING ON CAMPAIGN PROMISES

Having worked for former mayor Kathy Taylor ’s administration right after graduating from TU, Nichols is no stranger to the mayor’s office. He credits his experience as part of his inspiration to pursue the position himself.

“It was really thinking about the challenges that we have — homelessness, public safety — all these things, and the career that I had up to

this point, I felt like this was the time to run,” he says. “The city needed an aggressive leader who was going to build partnerships that are going to help accelerate this community.”

During his campaign, Nichols worked to begin establishing connections with Tulsans to shape how he could address issues facing the city — which not only helped establish a framework for his first months in office, but it may also have helped him in the polls.

“When I started down this road, I was told the early polling information was that I was 34 points down from anybody,” Nichols explains. “But what we did is we went everywhere. We talked to people, we talked about issues. If you go back and look at a campaign website or read anything that I said, those things have translated over into the mayor’s office and the things that we’ve done ... Those issues are reflected in the priorities of the mayor and the council. Those issues are reflected in the work that we do every day.”

In spite of the recently tabled tax talks, the mayor is still proud of what his team has been able to achieve quickly since his inauguration.

“Not long after I took office, we had freezing temperatures outside. So, we had maybe 36 hours, or something like that, to stand up emergency shelters for 1,400 people,” Nichols says. “Then I went and visited those shelters during that time. And you’re around these people, some of whom aren’t even homeless. Some of them lived in places; they couldn’t afford to heat their homes, right? So this is like a community benefi t all around.”

It was then, Nichols says, that his team committed to opening a winter weather shelter as early as November of this year — a goal that was realized Nov. 17. Additionally, Nichols is proud of the administration’s progress toward increasing shelter capacity with the purchase of the former Tulsa County Juvenile Detention Center. He cites the recent decommissioning of a large encampment via Safe Move Tulsa as another win for the city. “All those people, 100 percent of them, are housed and being supported right now,” Nichols says. “So as I think about, like, where we started on the homeless issue that seemed pretty hopeless, even if the governor came in and wrecked (it) all ... we recovered from that.”

Nichols notes that his team has also faced challenges in making Tulsa the “safest big city in the country,” another campaign goal, and data shows that certain factors are moving in the right direction.

“We had some real challenges this summer,” Nichols explains. “We put our heads together and got almost 160 illegal guns off the streets, got dangerous folks off the streets, (and) we did it without any real big issue from a standpoint of violating anybody’s rights ... We dropped crime at a time where it was kind of hard to figure out how to do it. And we did it without any real big production. We just got to work.”

Nichols says the city has diverted over 4,000 calls from first responders by connecting cases with mental health professionals. Additionally, Nichols is excited about new opportunities coming to Tulsa via $1.7 billion in capital investment projects either planned or being executed. The mayor is also pleased to have launched the Office of Children, Youth and Family to help elevate child

“FOR ME, IT REALLY WAS JUST THINKING, YOU WANT TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO A CITY THAT’S GIVEN YOU SO MUCH AS AN INDIVIDUAL, BUT ALSO YOU SEE THE POTENTIAL OF THIS COMMUNITY, AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN BE A PERSON WHO IS GOING TO HELP UNLOCK IT.” —MONROE NICHOLS

well-being in the city — an area where Oklahoma ranks 46th in the nation.

“I’m most proud of the people who work here,” Nichols says, “the folks who are brought into the administration, the people who are already here, our ability to come together, to do all these things. And do it, you know, not in a great budgetary environment, doing it in not a great political environment all the time.”

COLLABORATING WITH TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS

This past summer, the City of Tulsa was able to enter a settlement agreement with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation regarding the Muscogee Nation v. City of Tulsa federal lawsuit, which originated from a traffic ticket issued by the city to a Muscogee citizen. The city’s Director of Tribal Partnerships and Policy Amanda Swope says she was briefed on this litigation before she officially began working in her role, to make sure she was “ready to go on day one.”

To take on this new position at the city, Swope had to give up her seat representing the Oklahoma House of Representatives 71st district.

Starting this role, she says, is a “special opportunity to really set the tone, the standard and the foundation for how we move forward in these relationships.” To Swope’s knowledge, there are no other major cities in the country that have this kind of position.

Being a Muscogee citizen and having worked for the tribe in previous positions, including as tribal juvenile justice program director, Swope came into the settlement conversation with an informed perspective.

“The O’Brien ruling came down basically saying that the city’s jurisdiction, along with the (Muscogee) nation, was concurrent,” Swope explains. “Basically meaning if you were a tribal citizen, you could be prosecuted for a ticket, not only within the city of Tulsa, but you could also technically be prosecuted within the (tribal) nation ... Mayor Nichols decided, in the spirit of working with the tribes, that he was just going to say, ‘we’re not going to move forward on these tickets. We’re going to go ahead and let the tribe do what the tribe has the right to do, and let them move forward with that, with Native citizens.’”

Swope says this decision laid the foundation for trying to find a way to settle that was amenable to both parties. This led to the city and Muscogee Nation agreeing to assemble a working group to discuss procedural and internal policy to streamline communication between involved parties from the city and tribal governments. The group makeup includes “people from the municipal courts and (Muscogee) courts,” Swope notes. “We have judges and court clerks from both, we have people from their AG’s office and our legal team, and our prosecutors ... we have a fair amount of law enforcement in the room, because that’s really where a lot of the need for improvements and cohesiveness lies.”

The working group is expected to release a final report summarizing their discussions in February, which will then be submitted to both Nichols and Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill Swope believes this scenario helps illustrate why a position like hers is important.

“Over the last five years, there’s been a lot of rulings that have not only adjusted the need to work with tribal nations, but I think also that it’s pretty undeniable how much of a contributor they are to the state of Oklahoma as a whole, and to this area,” Swope says. “Not only is there a historical responsibility, but there’s also a recognition that they are just as legitimate of a government as any other government we work with, and that we have a real responsibility to work with them.”

Beyond helping facilitate conversations related to the recent settlement, Swope has been busy answering questions coming in from within and outside City Hall.

“The first part was a lot of trying to educate people in a lot of ways ... getting people in contact with the appropriate people at tribal nations to work within their specific area — I noticed that a lot of the relationship between the city and tribal nations here didn’t exist just because people didn’t know who to reach out to,” Swope says. “I would say that the first couple of months was really about educating not just other people, but also myself, and trying to gain that understanding of ‘what have their relationships historically looked like and how can I improve that?’”

Swope explains that along with making connections between relevant parties, speaking to groups (from farmers to filmmakers) who want to know more about how to work with tribes and helping settle legal disputes, she has also been continuing to work with tribal nations' ongoing economic projects with the city and ensuring that appropriate stakeholders are brought into key conversations.

Muscogee Nation Press Secretary Jason Salsman describes the working relationship with the mayor’s office as “seamless,” and that Swope fits the characteristics that Muscogee Nation leaders discussed with Nichols before he was elected.

“When Mayor Nichols approached us first to just talk and see what we could do if he was elected, one of the things he did that stuck in our minds the most was he just asked questions and listened,” Salsman says. “We talked about how important it was to not only have a position ... that would specifically work in tribal partnerships. But the hiring of the individual in that position would be incredibly important, because there needed to be somebody ... that completely gets what tribal governments are about, what tribal sovereignty is about, what our limitations are, what our expectations are, and what our opportunities are.”

Salsman explained that the Muscogee Nation was involved in the recent encampment decommissioning effort near River Spirit Casino.

“We had the great honor of joining with the mayor, as well as many other city officials for the kickoff of Safe Move Tulsa, which is a respectful way to sort of re-home folks in need of housing, while also repurposing an area that was used as an encampment for an eagle preserve right there along the river,” Salsman says. “We’re trying to come up with those little unique ways where we can do this co-governance … That’s just one specific example, but there are many other things in the works, and we’re really, really excited about what we’ve been able to do in such a short time of the mayor’s administration.”

The Tulsa Indian Club Singers performing at Nichols' 2024 mayoral inauguration.

Nichols came to Oklahoma from Texas to play football for The University of Tulsa.

IMPROVING TULSA’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Another of Nichols’ hires early on as mayor was bringing in Jabraan Pasha, M.D., as his senior advisor of community health. A native Tulsan, Pasha has been an advocate of health equity for much of his career. Most recently, Pasha oversaw the opening of Juno Medical in Greenwood, serving as medical director and national vice president of health equity.

“As we think about the economic viability of our community long term, and we think about public safety, think about all these things — health outcomes — tackling those head on can also be really critically important, both on the physical and the mental health side,” Nichols explains. “I’m not an expert in those things. And so you bring in a physician, you know, who understands that from a community standpoint. His job is all about making sure that, in this community, the assets that we have actually build a strong system of care so that everybody can access it when they need it. And he’s doing a great job.”

Within months of Pasha starting his role, the mayor launched Tulsa’s first Office of Health and Well-being, with Pasha as chief health officer. The division is intended to improve health outcomes across the city by aligning resources, sharing data and fostering collaboration among healthcare providers, public health agencies, community organizations and community members. The city secured over $260,000 in multi-year corporate funding for the department, including $210,000 from Community Care and a $50,000 grant from the George Kaiser Family Foundation.

“The first thing the mayor and I agree on is that the city should take a more active role in the health of the community,” Pasha says. “One thing I’ve realized from being in health care in this city for 12 years now is that we actually have a lot of health care, but it’s siloed in such a way that it is not accessible to everyone.”

One of the office’s first initiatives was convening a citywide health coalition, bringing in stakeholders from local hospital systems, the Tulsa Health Department and several nonprofi ts who provide health-related services. Their first official gathering was Nov. 13, where coalition members discussed results from a pre-meeting survey designed to identify shared priorities and partnership opportunities. Pasha explains that fostering community alignment is critical when considering how stakeholders can use and contribute to statistics from the city’s Neighborhood Coalition Index database to identify opportunities in areas with the greatest health disparities.

Among the coalition goals, Pasha explains, is to “find data partners to then layer health data into (the city’s Neighborhood Coalition Index), which will allow us to click on a neighborhood and say, ‘Hey, what's the rate of prenatal care in this neighborhood versus other neighborhoods?’ And maybe be able to identify why maternal health outcomes are not consistent across the city. To click on a neighborhood and say, ‘Hey, what's the rate of diabetes in this neighborhood, or cancer mortality?’

If we have access to the right data, we can start to answer those questions, and then we can allow that data to guide the resources that the city is out gathering to make sure we can gain the maximum impact of that effort.”

This fall, Pasha took part in the mayor’s series of community conversations to directly engage with Tulsans about neighborhood conditions and vitality — which can have significant impacts on health and wellness. Pasha explains that common complaints he heard from community members were that streetlights are lacking and sidewalk access is inconsistent.

“We’re not going to be able to ‘health care’ our way out of this. We have to address these social community needs, and they have a bigger impact than going to see a doctor,” Pasha says. “You have a community that, you know, isn't able to get out and walk their neighborhood because there’s loose animals, or they don’t have sidewalks or a streetlight. It’s a neighborhood that's not fostering health and well-being, and I feel confident that the city understands this, that they hear the community members, and there are a lot of things going on to improve that.”

‘READY

TO BUILD

TOWARD THE FUTURE’ Although he originally hails from Texas, Nichols began considering himself a Tulsan when he first arrived here to attend TU and play wide receiver on the football team. He accepted his new identity upon starting his first full-time role out of undergrad.

“From my very first day here, I was representing this community in some way, shape or form,” he says. “Certainly, when I took the role in (Taylor’s)

office — my first big boy job ever — having that role, working in this community the way that you do as a staffer for a mayor. I think drawing back to that day, it was certainly a day where I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I'm not a Texan anymore. I'm a Tulsan.’” While Nichols and his team anticipate another difficult budget year in 2026, he is eager to continue progress across his priorities as he heads into the second year of this term.

“We are in a space right now where, I think, people are hungry to figure out what’s the ‘next big thing.’ Not necessarily the next big thing you’re going to build, but the next big direction you’re going to take,” Nichols says. “I think that there’s some challenges with people in elected positions not engaging in ways in which, you know … people are afraid of disagreement sometimes. And I hope we get past that, because if we get past that, we can do some of those big things.”

Nichols says that, in the coming weeks, he hopes his fellow Tulsans make their priorities known to their representatives at City Hall in order to keep Tulsa competitive. “Citizens have to really make it clear to councilors that, yes, we want you all to do what's necessary to address homelessness. Yes, we want to invest in the people who protect us every day in the police and the fire departments. Yes, we want to invest in kids and yes, we want to see an economic development strategy that doesn't just have us send our resources to companies that we hope pick us; that we're able to invest in the companies that were created here, that are backbones of this local economy, and we're ready to be a city not constrained by some of the old challenges of the past, ready to build toward the future.” tp

Mayor Monroe Nichols addresses attendees at a press conference celebrating Saint Francis Health System earning Level I Trauma Center verification from the American College of Surgeons. From left: President of Saint Francis Hospital Doug Williams, Saint Francis Hospital Trauma Medical Director Dr. Brock Goodwin, Mayor Monroe Nichols, president and CEO at Saint Francis Health System Dr. Cliff Robertson and Vice President of Community and Government Affairs G.T. Bynum.

Twelve Days of Christmas Tulsa Style!

If you or your favorite bird fan want to learn how to find more partridges in pear trees, consider a membership to the Tulsa Audubon Society. Basic membership to our local chapter of this conservation organization ($21) includes Tulsa and National Audubon memberships and a subscription to “Audubon” magazine. Don’t forget to get a pair of binoculars to round out the birding experience! You can get these Nocs Provisions LLC Standard Issue 10x25 binoculars at The Gadget Company ($99.95).

TULSAAUDUBON.ORG • THEGADGETCOMPANY.COM

BY STAFF

This holiday season we’ve taken inspiration from the classic Christmas song and given it a Tulsa twist to help you check off your shopping list with gift ideas that don’t include a running total of 184 birds (frankly that sounds pretty terrifying, anyway). Whether you’re trying to find that perfect present for the sports lover, a bookish teen, an outdoor enthusiast, your foodie friend or anyone else in-between, check out this local gifting guide we’ve stuffed with ideas galore.

The adorable Aldabra tortoises of Tulsa Zoo, 6421 E. 36th St. N., serve as our “turtle doves.” Earlier this year, the zoo welcomed seven hatchlings, which marked the first baby tortoises born at Tulsa Zoo in over seven years. Treat your loved ones — or yourself — to an annual membership (starting at $119) so you can watch these babies grow, as well as visit the other thousands of animals that call Tulsa Zoo home. TULSAZOO.ORG

Three French hens

Tulsa’s own French Hen is perfect for a holiday meal with friends or family. Enjoy bright, detailed decor and French-inspired entrees like their surf and turf special ($68), which includes a 10 oz. beef tenderloin and grilled shrimp on top of asparagus and potatoes dauphinoise (French gratin of sliced raw potatoes baked in cream) artfully served with a veal demi-glace. FRENCHHENTULSA.COM

Four calling birds

The stunning cuckoo clocks at Grandfather’s Clock Gallery, 1416 E. 11th St. Suite #4, are our calling birds. Intricately designed, the shop has a variety of handmade and hand-painted clocks — ready to sing you into each new hour. From the kitsch to the classical, Grandfather’s Clock Gallery might have just the present you need. TULSACLOCKS.COM

FIVE GOLDEN RINGS

Diamond Cellar, 1523 E. 15th St., offers a wide array of rings varying in style and price. It’s the perfect place to look for an engagement ring or a “just because” stackable set. The store offers also a range of fine jewelry and watches. DIAMONDCELLAR.COM

Marco Bicego Lunaria Twist ring in 18-karat yellow gold, $2,800. David Yurman diamond pear cable stack ring in 18-karat yellow gold, $1,550. David Yurman diamond princess cut cable stack ring in 18-karat yellow gold, $995. Cushion cut diamond ring set in 14-karat yellow gold, $4,650. Kwiat Sirena Ring in 18-karat yellow gold with diamonds, $2,500.

Six geese a-laying

Tulsa Community College’s new mascot officially has a name! Celebrate Blue the Goose with a fleece sweatshirt ($34.98) or hat (32.98) from the TCC bookstore. TULSACC.SPIRIT.BNCOLLEGE.COM

Seven swans a-swimming

Did you know a membership to the YMCA of Greater Tulsa (adult membership starts at $55.50) gets you access to seven different swimming pools? If you have always wanted to learn how to swim, or are looking for creative aquatic fi tness opportunities, the YMCA has a class for you. YMCATULSA.ORG

EIGHT MAIDS A-MILKING

Build your own box of (milk) chocolates with local goodies from Glacier. With dozens of seasonal and year-round truffle flavors, Glacier has something for everyone. Not sure what to choose? You can surprise the chocolate-lover in your life with the nine-piece signature collection ($36.) GLACIERCHOCOLATE.COM

Nine ladies dancing

Check out these nine women-owned and founded local small businesses for everything from sweet treats and goodies to gifts and stocking stuffers.

RAINES CLAYWORKS Shop beautiful mugs and unique ceramic gifts like incense chimineas, sponge holders and French butter bells online or at Julia Raines’ booth at Christmas at the Ranch Dec. 5-7. RAINESCLAYWORKS.COM

BLACKBURN LEATHER GOODS From sumptuous leather products like wallets, backpacks and totes to camera and travel bags, anyone on your Christmas list would be thrilled to open one of these gorgeous handmade creations from Emily Blackburn BLACKBURNGOODS.COM

POKEBERRYPAPER Kayla Ausmus’ playful watercolor paintings and prints on handmade paper feature bright florals, whimsical designs and Tulsa/ Oklahoma-centric themes. ETSY.COM/SHOP/POKEBERRYPAPER

SWEET TEMPTATIONS BY SHERIE, LLC Throwing a holiday party? Make your life easier by ordering one of Sherie Montoya’s fabulous desserts, like banana pudding, peach cobbler cheesecake or strawberry crunch cake (all options in mini and full-size). FIND SWEET TEMPTATIONS BY SHERIE, LLC ON FACEBOOOK

CHARLEY JEAN CANDLE CO. Hostess gift? Stocking stuffer? You can choose from a score of all-natural, non-toxic candles, wax melts, hand soaps, oils and more, created by Faith Wise CHARLEYJEANCANDLECO.COM.

COAL CREEK MERCANTILE Find themed blind date book packs (customizable) and a plethora of other cozy bookish items on Facebook or by shopping products by Jenny Altman and Marty Rowe at Crossroads Treasures in Wagoner. FIND COAL CREEK MERCANTILE ON FACEBOOK

CHEROKEE’S GLAZED NUTS For a crispy, crunchy, Christmasy treat grab a bag or two (or three...) of glazed nuts in flavors like brown sugar bourbon, maple cinnamon, gingerbread and more. Also find Melissa Cramer ’s products at two events this December — Christmas at the Ranch Dec. 5-7, and the Darnaby Arts and Crafts Event Dec. 6. FIND CHEROKEE’S GLAZED NUTS ON FACEBOOK

TWISTED HORN Okies will love Kalee Tacker ’s fun and funky online Western boutique including heirloom jewelry pieces, kitschy home decor and a “Howdy Holidays” apparel and gift collection. SHOPTWISTEDHORN.COM

NEXT CHAPTER Created by Bailey Dover, score some seriously cute book- and fandom-themed loungewear (including Sarah J. Maas and Stephanie Garber) to curl up in by the fire with your next read. SHOPNEXTCHAPTER.COM

TEN LORDS A-LEAPING

Eleven puppers pupping

Don’t forget something for your pup this holiday season. Here’s 11 items from the Dog Dish (2803 S. Harvard Ave.) to spoil your doggo (adorable puppy unfortunately not for sale).

HuggleHounds Scout Bed ($159, size medium); Santa Ruff Bandana ($12.99); Fluff & Tuff Candy Cane ($18.99); Fluff & Tuff Giant Candy Cane ($28.99); Large HuggleHounds Floppy Reindeer ($249); HuggleHounds Santa RuffTex Ball ($15.99); Pendleton Desert Plaid Blanket ($50); Bocce’s Bakery Lumps of Coal ($7.99); P.L.A.Y. Twinkly Tugger ($13.99); P.L.A.Y. Hanukkah Gelt ($15.99); Portland Pet Gingerbread cookies ($10.99)

TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING

Help drum up some support for the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma this holiday season by hosting a food drive at your office, business, gym, etc. — it’s so easy! Just visit okfoodbank.org/drive for simple step-by-step instructions on how to receive posters and materials to start collecting. Here’s a list of 12 items always needed (nothing in glass containers):

• Peanut butter

• Jelly

• Packaged meals (mac and cheese, Hamburger Helper)

• Canned beef stew/spaghetti

• Canned fruit

• Canned vegetables

• Canned protein (tuna, chicken, etc.)

• Cereal

• Pasta

• Rice

• Granola Bars

• Apple/veggie juice boxes

If you’re in need of food visit okfoodbank.org/pantry-fi nder to find local food pantries and feeding programs near you. tp

TULSAPEOPLE’S 13TH ANNUAL NONPROFIT GIVING GUIDE

ACADEMY FITNESS. FUTURE. FAITH.

New or gently used leotards for kids • Ink pads & fun stamps • Feminine products (pads & tampons) Paper towels • Keurig K-cups for staff room

To donate: Jennifer Bjornberg • jennifer@aimhighgym.org 918-664-8683 • 7020 E. 38th St. • aimhighgym.org

Men’s and women’s winter coats • Blankets Thick socks • New men’s and women’s underwear Men’s and women’s jeans

To donate: Haley Kardokus • haley@citylightsok.org 918-204-3593 • 1018 W. 23rd St. • citylightsok.org

Diapers • Formula • New bottles New underwear, 2T-6T • Shoes

To donate: Channing Harris • channing@eistulsa.org 918-582-2469 • 1110 S. Denver Ave. • EISTULSA.org/EOY

Bottled water • Ziploc bags Non-perishable food • Gardening gloves Monetary donations

To donate: Taylor Vaughan taylorv@foodonthemoveok.com 918-260-5091 • 3787 E. Apache St. N foodonthemoveok.com

Cleaning products (dish soap, detergent, paper towels) Hygiene items (shampoo, face wash, toilet paper) • Boxed mac and cheese • Peanut butter and jelly (no glass jars) Pasta noodles and spaghetti sauce (no glass jars)

To donate: Megan Quickle • mquickle@baneighbors.org 918-505-7419 • 315 W. College St., Broken Arrow baneighbors.org

Brand new stuffed animals • Kids snacks Brand new blankets (all sizes) • Coloring books

To donate: Carissa Gutirrez info@childadvocacynetwork.org 918-624-0200 • 2815 S. Sheridan Rd. childadvocacynetwork.org

Paper towels • Laundry soap • Disinfecting wipes Exam gloves (medium, powder and latex-free) Individually packaged snacks

To donate: Christian McLain • cmclain@clarehouse.org 918-893-6150 • 7617 S. Mingo • clarehouse.org

New coats for children and adults • Toiletries HUGS (hats, underwear, gloves, socks, scarves) New unwrapped toys or gifts for children 0-18 Monetary donations

To donate: Jessica Hayes • holidayassistance@fcsok.org 918-600-3815 • 650 S. Peoria Ave. • fcsok.org

Teacher supplies (Expo markers, Sharpies, Postit notes, crayons, markers) • Student supplies (crayons, markers, pencil sharpeners, pencils) Kleenex • Copy paper • Gift cards for teacher appreciation

To donate: Brena Meadows Thrash info@foundationfortulsaschools.org 918-746-6600 • 3027 S. New Haven foundationfortulsaschools.org

Jackets and hoodies (all sizes: kids, youth, adult) • Socks (all sizes) kids, youth, adult • Twin sheet sets and pillows Hygiene items (deodorant, toothpaste/brush, body wash/ soap, shampoo/conditioner, lotion) • Wipes

To donate: Dawn Elmore • delmore@dvis.org 918-508-2705 • 3124 E. Apache St. • dvis.org

Peanut butter • Rice • Canned vegetables • Canned fruit Individually packaged meals (mac and cheese, Hamburger Helper, etc.)

To donate: Ambika Krishnan • akrishnan@okfoodbank.org 918-936-4535 • 1304 N. Kenosha Ave. • okfoodbank.org

Men and women’s clothing (pants, shirts, undergarments) • Hygiene products (shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.) Winter accessories (blankets, coats, gloves, sleeping bags, etc.) • Art supplies (colored pencils, notebooks, crayons) • Dog food

To donate: Justin Miles • jmiles@grandmh.com 918-313-0116 • 6333 E. Skelly Drive • grandmh.com

TO PROVIDE NEEDED ITEMS FOR TULSA NONPROFITS

Cereal • Canned fruit • Soup Peanut butter • Canned protein: tuna, chicken, etc.

To donate: Pat Cawiezell • pcawiezell@irongatetulsa.org 918-879-1702 • 501 W. Archer St. • irongatetulsa.org

Baby wipes • Paper goods (paper towels, toilet paper, copy paper, resume paper) • Trash bags (all sizes)

Cleaning Supplies (Lysol wipes, hand soap/hand sanitizer) Batteries (AA, AAA, 9V)

To donate: Sara Emery • semery@littlelighthouse.org 918-664-6746 • 5120 E 36th St. littlelighthouse.org

Hygiene items - toilet paper, toothbrush/paste, etc. Feminine hygiene products • Peanut butter Oatmeal • Pasta

To donate: Sharon Catalano • scatalano@restorehope.org 918-582-5766 • 2960 Charles Page Blvd • restorehope.org

Shampoo and conditioner • Body wash • Paper plates Toilet paper and paper towels • Pads and tampons

To donate: Brittany Stokes • 918-248-0202 info@tulsagirlshome.org • 324 West B. St., Jenks, OK TulsaGirlsHome.org

Junior Achievement of Oklahoma ™

8.5x11 inch copy paper • Markers (Sharpie, dry erase or highlighters) • Folders (letter-size, hanging and manilla) • Batteries (AA and AAA) Lysol wipes and spray

To donate: Lori Long • llong@jaok.org 918-280-8809 • 3947 S. 103rd E. Ave. Oklahoma.ja.org

Blankets • Shower grab bars • Dog leashes Dog and cat toys • Cat litter

To donate: Amy James amyjames@mowtulsa.org 918-922-8446 • 5151 E. 51st St. www.mealsonwheelstulsa.org

Adult winter coats • Adult winter gloves • Adult shoes Adult socks • Adult clothes

To donate: Preston Shatwell • 918-834-4194 tulsacares@tulsacares.org • 3712 East 11th St. tulsacares.org

Non-perishable canned food items • Hygiene products (soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, feminine products, etc.) First Aid kits • Household supplies (Laundry detergent, soap, paper towels, tissues, toilet paper) • Trash bags

To donate: Maggie Brooks/Samantha Cook development@voaok.org • 918-307-1500 • 9605 E. 61st St. voaok.org

Yarn • Modeling clay • Puzzle books • Personal essentials (shampoo, soap, body wash, etc.) • Walmart gift cards

To donate: Brigid Vance • bvance@LIFESeniorservices.org 918-664-9000 • 5330 E. 31st St. LIFEseniorservices.org

Peanut butter • Boxed cereal • Hamburger Helper Pet food • Size 6 diapers

To donate: Mendi Burns • mendi@owassohelps.org 918-272-4969 • 109 N. Birch, Owasso • owassohelps.org

Gently worn tennis shoes (all sizes) • Sweat pants (all sizes) New underwear (all sizes) • Men’s jeans (all sizes) Cereal – anything but plain cheerios

To donate: Monica Martin • mmartin@tulsadaycenter.org 918-556-6418 • 415 West Archer • tulsadaycenter.org

2 or 4 person tents • Adult-size cold weather sleeping bags New adult sized underwear (all sizes) • Hygiene items Cookies and cocoa for youth experiencing homelessness.

To donate: Caroline Olsen • colsen@yst.org 918-382-3461 • 311 S. Madison Ave. • yst.org

Locally Owned and Trusted Since 1944

DECEMBER 4–23

A Christmas Carol

AMERICAN THEATRE COMPANY

DECEMBER 7–21

The Nutcracker

TULSA BALLET

JANUARY 9–25

JANUARY 27

The Wind in the Willows

Disney’s Frozen THEATRE TULSA

JANUARY 10

Brahm’s Symphony No. 2

TULSA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JANUARY 13–14

Hadestown

CELEBRITY ATTRACTIONS & TPAC

TPAC IMAGINATION SERIES

JAN 27–FEB 1

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

CELEBRITY ATTRACTIONS

JAN 31–FEB 1

FEBRUARY 12–15

The Sleeping Beauty

TULSA BALLET

Brooklyn Rider

CHAMBER MUSIC TULSA

FEBRUARY 7

Celebrating Black History Month

TULSA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

FEBRUARY 17–22

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical

CELEBRITY ATTRACTIONS

FEB 21–MARCH 1

The Colored Museum

THEATRE NORTH

FEBRUARY 23–27

Aesop’s Greatest Hits

TPAC IMAGINATION SERIES

108 Contemporary 108contemporary.org

Admiral Twin Drive-In admiraltwindrivein.com

Ambassador Hotel ambassadortulsa.com

AMC Southroads 20 amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/ tulsa/amc-southroads-20

AMF Sheridan Lanes amf.com

Andy B's bowlandybs.com

Arvest Convention Center arvestconventioncenter.com

BOK Center bokcenter.com

Broken Arrow Lanes brokenarrowlanes.com

Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center

brokenarrowpac.com

Cabin Boys Brewery cabinboysbrewery.com

Cain's Ballroom cainsballroom.com

Cherry Street visittulsa.com/plan-your-visit/ districts/cherry-street

Cinemark Tulsa and IMAX cinemark.com/theatres/ok-tulsa/ cinemark-tulsa-and-imax

Incredible Pizza incrediblepizza.com

LaFortune Park tulsacounty.org/parks

Living Arts of Tulsa livingarts.org

Lovetts Gallery lovettsgallery.com

M.A. Doran Gallery madorangallery.com

Main Event Entertainment mainevent.com

Mayo Hotel themayohotel.com

Mohawk Park cityoftulsa.org/parks

Oklahoma Aquarium okaquarium.org

Oklahoma City Thunder nba.com/thunder

Oklahoma State University - Tulsa tulsa.okstate.edu

Oktoberfest tulsaoktoberfest.org

Osage Casino osagecasino.com

Philbrook Museum of Art philbrook.org

Pinot's Palette pinotspalette.com/cherrystreet

Purple Glaze Studio purpleglazestudio.com

Circle Cinema circlecinema.org

Dance of the Two Moons — Indian Health Care Resource Center facebook.com/ihcrc2moons

Discovery Lab discoverylab.org

For the past 15 years, TulsaPeople readers have named their favorite local businesses to the A-LIST. The A-LIST Hall of Fame recognizes those winners named to the list for five or more years. Each business is listed under the overall category it was recognized in: Fun, Food, Shopping, Services and Head to Toe.

According to you, our readers, these businesses, restaurants, service providers, destinations and local sites are the best in Tulsa. Congratulations to those named to the Hall of Fame. Nominate your favorite business to the 2026 A-LIST beginning in February on TulsaPeople.com. • 2 0 2 5 •

Dresser Mansion dressermansion.com

Dust Bowl Lanes and Lounge dustbowllounge.com

Family and Children's Services — The Party: Just Wear White thepartyok.com

FC Tulsa fctulsa.com

Gathering Place gatheringplace.org

Gilcrease Museum gilcrease.org

Guthrie Green guthriegreen.com

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino hardrockcasinotulsa.com

Hard Rock Live hardrockcasinotulsa.com/ entertainment/hard-rock-live

Regal Warren Broken Arrow regmovies.com/theatres/ regal-warren-broken-arrow

River Parks riverparks.org

River Spirit Casino Resort riverspirittulsa.com

Scotfest okscotfest.com

Spain Ranch spainranch.com

Station 13 station13tulsa.com

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure komenoklahoma.org

The Vanguard thevanguardtulsa.com

TU Golden Hurricane utulsa.edu/info-for/ community-fans

Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium tulsamuseum.org

Tulsa Ballet tulsaballet.org

Tulsa Community College tulsacc.edu

Highlighted businesses have advertised in this issue.

Harwelden Mansion harweldenmansion.com

Hunter Park cityoftulsa.org/parks

Tulsa Drillers tulsadrillers.com

Tulsa Glassblowing School tulsaglassblowing.org

Tulsa Greek Festival tulsagreekfestival.com

Tulsa International Mayfest tulsamayfest.org

Tulsa Oilers Hockey tulsaoilers.com

Tulsa Opera tulsaopera.com

Tulsa Performing Arts Center tulsapac.com

Tulsa Run facebook.com/RunTulsaRun

Tulsa State Fair tulsastatefair.com

Tulsa Symphony Orchestra tulsasymphony.org

Tulsa Technology Center tulsatech.edu

Tulsa Theater tulsatheater.com

Tulsa Tough tulsatough.com

Tulsa Zoo tulsazoo.org

University of Tulsa utulsa.edu

WALTZ on the Wild Side — Tulsa Zoo waltzonthewildside.org

WaterWorks Art Center waterworksartcenter.com

Williams Route 66 Marathon facebook.com/route66marathon Woodward Park cityoftulsa.org/parks

Woody Guthrie Center woodyguthriecenter.org

FOOD

2 POPS Catering 2popscatering.com

Albert G’s BBQ albertgs.com Amelia’s amelias.us

American Solera americansolera.com

Andolini’s Pizzeria andopizza.com

Antoinette Baking Co. antoinettebakingco.com

Big Al’s Healthy Foods bigalstulsa.net

Big Baby Rolls and Donuts bigbabyrolls.com

Bill and Ruth’s orderbillruthssubshop.com

Billy Sims Barbecue billysimsbbq.com

Blue Moon Bakery and Cafe 918-749-7800

Bodean Restaurant bodean.net

Bonefi sh Grill bonefi shgrill.com

Bramble Breakfast and Bar 3sirensgroup.com/brands/ bramble

Bricktown Brewery bricktownbrewery.com

Brookside By Day brooksidebyday.com

Brownies Hamburgers facebook.com/ browniesburgersharvard

Bull in the Alley bullinthealley.com

BurnCo. Barbeque burnbbq.net

Cabin Boys Brewery cabinboysbrewery.com

Cafe Olé cafeoletulsa.com

Charleston’s Restaurant charlestons.com

Chimera chimeratulsa.com

Chimi’s Mexican Food chimismexican.com

Chuy’s chuys.com

Co ee House on Cherry Street chocstulsa.com

Coney I-Lander coneyi-lander.com

Dalesandro’s Italian Cuisine dalesandros.com

Desi Wok desiwok.net

Dilly Diner dillydiner.com

Doc’s Wine and Food docswineandfood.com

DoubleShot Co ee Co. doubleshotco ee.com

East Village Bohemian Pizzeria eastvillagebohemian.com

Ediblend Superfood Cafe ediblend.com

El Rio Verde el-rio-verde.foodjoyy.com/menu

El Tequila Mexican Kitchen eltequilatulsa.com

Elote Cafe and Catering elotetulsa.com

Empire Slice House empireslicepizza.com

Fat Guy’s Burger Bar fatguysburgers.com

First Watch firstwatch.com

Fish Daddy’s Grill House fdtulsa.com

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar fl emingssteakhouse.com

Goldie’s Patio Grill goldies.com

Hideaway Pizza hideawaypizza.com

In the Raw Sushi intherawsushi.com

India Palace theindiapalacetulsa.com

Inheritance Juicery inheritancejuicery.com

James E. McNellie’s Public House mcnellies.com

Jason’s Deli jasonsdeli.com

Juniper Restaurant junipertulsa.com

Just Catering by Orr justcateringbyorr.com

Keo Restaurant keorestaurant.com

Kilkenny’s Irish Pub tulsairishpub.com

Lambrusco’z To-Go lambruscoz.com

Lanna Thai lannathaitulsa.com

Livi Lee’s livilees.com

Lone Wolf Banh Mi lonewolftulsa.com

Los Cabos Mexican Grill and Cantina loscabosok.com

Ludger’s Bavarian Cakery ludgersbavariancakery.com

Ludger’s Catering ludgerscatering.com

Mahogany Prime Steakhouse mahoganyprimesteakhouse.com

Marshall Brewing Co. marshallbrewing.com

Mazzio’s Italian Eatery mazzios.com

McAlister’s Deli mcalistersdeli.com

McGill’s dinemcgills.com

Mercury Lounge mercuryloungetulsa.com

Merritt’s Bakery merrittsbakery.com

Mi Cocina micocina.com

Mondo’s Ristorante Italiano mondositalian.com

Mother Road Market motherroadmarket.com

Ne Brewing ne brewing.com

Neighborhood JAM thatsmyjamok.com/locations/ tulsa

Nola’s nolastulsa.com

Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue okjoes.com

Olive Garden olivegarden.com

Osaka Steakhouse and Sushi Bar osaka-steakhouse-sushi-bartulsa.restaurants-world.com

Outback Steakhouse outback.com

P.F. Chang’s pfchangs.com

Pancho Anaya Bakery panchoanaya.com

Panera Bread panerabread.com

Pei Wei Asian Diner peiwei.com

Pie Hole Pizzeria pieholepizzeria.com

Pita Place Mediterranean Grill pita-place.com

Pizza Hut pizzahut.com

Polo Grill pologrill.com

PRHYME Downtown Steakhouse prhymetulsa.com

Pure Food and Juice purefoodandjuice.com

Queenies queeniesoftulsa.com

R Bar and Grill rbartulsa.com

Red Lobster redlobster.com

Ri-Lê’s Vietnamese ri-les.restaurants-world.com

RibCrib ribcrib.com

Roka rokatulsa.com

Ron’s Hamburgers and Chili ronsburgersandchili.com

Savastano’s Pizzeria savastanospizzeria.com

Savoy Restaurant eatsavoy.com

Shades of Brown shadesco ee.com

Smitty’s Garage Burgers and Beer facebook.com/garagetulsa

SMOKE. Woodfire Grill smokewoodfiregrill.com

Society Burger societyburger.com

Stonehorse Cafe and Market stonehorsecafe.com

Sushi Hana sushihanatulsa.com

Sushi Train sushitraintulsaok.com

Tacos Don Francisco facebook.com/ tacosdonfrancisco1

Tally’s Good Food Cafe tallyscafe.com

Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe tazikis.com

Ted’s Cafe Escondido tedscafe.com

Texas Roadhouse texasroadhouse.com

The Brook Restaurant and Bar brookrestaurant.com

The Bros. Houligan broshouligan.com

The Chalkboard thechalkboardtulsa.com

The Spudder Restaurant thespudder.com

The Tavern taverntulsa.com

Ti Amo Ristorante Italiano tiamotulsa.com

Topeca topecaco ee.com

Trenchers Delicatessen facebook.com/trenchersdeli

Umberto’s Pizzeria umbertostulsa.com

Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza ucpizza.com

Valkyrie valkyrietulsa.com

Villa Ravenna villaravenna.com

Vintage Wine Bar winebartulsa.com

Warren Duck Club hilton.com/en/hotels/tulsydtdoubletree-tulsa-warren-place/ dining

Waterfront Grill waterfrontgrilljenks.com

White River Fish Market and Restaurant whiteriverfi shmarket.com

Whole Foods wholefoodsmarket.com

Wild Fork wildforktulsa.com

Yokozuna yokozunasushi.com

SHOPPING

Abersons abersonstyle.com

Aldi aldi.us

Amber Marie and Co. ambermarieandcompany.com

Arrow Exterminators arrowexterminators.com

Audi Tulsa auditulsa.com

B and B Liquor Warehouse bbliquortulsa.com

Barnes and Noble barnesandnoble.com

Best Buy bestbuy.com

Bicycles of Tulsa bicyclesoftulsa.com

Bill Knight Ford billknightford.com

Bird’s Liquor and Wines facebook.com/birdsliquortulsa

Black Optical blackoptical.com

BMW of Tulsa bmwoftulsa.com

Brookside brooksidetheplacetobe.com

Carpet One carpetone.com

Cherry Street Jewelers cherrystreetjewelers.com

Chico’s chicos.com

Chris Nikel Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat chrisnikel.com

Clean Freaks cleanfreaks.info Decopolis decopolis.net

Diamond Cellar diamondcellar.com

Dillard’s dillards.com

Dog Dish shopdogdish.com

Don Carlton Honda doncarltonhonda.com

Don Thornton Automotive Group donthorntonauto.com

Dr. Robert H. Zoellner and Associates drzoellner.com

DSW-Designer Shoe Warehouse dsw.com

Echo Shop echoshops.com

Empire Optical empireoptical.com

Eyemart Express eyemartexpress.com

Ferguson Home fergusonhome.com

Fleet Feet Sports

fl eetfeet.com

Fleming’s Comfort Footwear

fl emingsshoes.com Gap gap.com

Garbe’s Lighting and Home Accessories garbes.com

Gardner’s Used Books & Comics gardnersbooks.com

Gearhead Outfi tters gearheadoutfi tters.com

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa goodwilltulsa.org

Grant’s Frames grantsframestulsa.com

Grigsby’s Carpet and Tile grigsbys.com

Hahn Appliance Warehouse hahnappliance.com

Hicks Brunson Eyewear hicksbrunson.com

Hobby Lobby hobbylobby.com

Home Depot homedepot.com

I-44 Antique Mall facebook.com/i44antiquemall

Ida Red Boutique idaredgeneralstore.com

Israel Diamond Supply israeldiamond.com

J. Cole Shoes jcoleshoes.com

J. David Jewelry jdavidjewelry.com

J. Spencer Jewelry and Gifts shopjspencer.com

Jade Antique and Vintage Boutiques jadevintagetreasures.com

Jenks Main Street jenks.com

Jim Glover Chevrolet jimgloverchevy.com

Jim Norton Chevrolet jimnortonchevy.com

Jim Norton Toyota jimnortontoyota.com

Jos. A. Bank josbank.com

Joseph Gierek Fine Art gierek.com

Lexus of Tulsa lexusoftulsa.com

Lowe’s lowes.com

Luxe Furniture and Design luxetulsa.com

Magic City Books magiccitybooks.com

Margo’s Gift Shop themargoshop.com

Mark Allen Buick GMC | Chevrolet markallen-buick-gmc.com

Mary Murray’s Flowers marymurraysfl owers.com

Mathis Brothers Furniture mathishome.com

Metro Appliances and More metroappliancesandmore.com

Michaels michaels.com

Mill Creek Carpet and Tile millcreekcarpet.com

Moody’s Jewelry moodysjewelry.com

Mrs. DeHaven’s Flower Shop mrsdehavens.com

Old Village Wine and Spirits 918-712-2115

Parkhill’s Warehouse Liquors and Wine parkhillsliquor.com

Petco petco.com

Petsmart petsmart.com

Phat Tire Bike Shop phattirebikeshop.com

Ranch Acres Wine and Spirits ranchacreswine.com

Reasor’s reasors.com

River City Trading Post rivercitytp.com

Royce Myers Gallery roycemyers.com

Saks Fifth Avenue saksfi fthavenue.com

Sloppy Dog Wash sloppydogwash.com

Snow’s Furniture snowsfurniture.com

Southern Agriculture southernagriculture.com

Spoke House Bicycles spokehouse.com

Sprouts Farmers Market sprouts.com

SR Hughes srhughes.com

Stems Floral Design tulsafl orist.net

Sunshine Furniture sunshineok.com

T-Town Bicycles t-townbicycles.com

TA Lorton talorton.com

Ted and Debbie’s Flower Garden tedanddebbiesfl owers.com

Terminix Pest Control Services terminix.com

The Children’s Place childrensplace.com

The Lolly Garden lollygarden.com

The Rose District rosedistrict.com

The Snow Goose uticasquare.com/stores/ the-snow-goose

Tom’s Bicycles tomsbicycles.com

Toni’s Flowers and Gifts tonisfl owersgifts.com

Trader Joe’s traderjoes.com

Travers Mahan traversmahanapparel.com

Tulsa Arts District thetulsaartsdistrict.org

Tulsa Flea Market tulsafl eamarket.net

Tulsa Hills Shopping Center shoptulsahills.com

Tulsa Hills Wine Cellar tulsahillswinecellar.com

Utica Square uticasquare.com

Vincent Anthony Jewelers vincentanthony.com

Warby Parker warbyparker.com

Windsor Market (918) 254-9766

Woodland Hills Mall simon.com/mall/ woodland-hills-mall

Ziegler Art and Frame zieglerart.com

SERVICES

A-1 Auto Body a1autobodyba.com

15th Street Veterinary Group 15thstvet.com

180° Kitchen and Design Group 180kitchendesigngroup.com

A Best Air and Heat abestairtulsa.com

A-Best Roofing abestroofing.com

Air Assurance airassurance.com

Air Comfort Solutions aircomfortsolutions.net

Airco Service aircoservice.com

Allied Plumbing Service alliedplumbingservice.com

American Airlines Federal Credit Union aacreditunion.org

Arrow Exterminating arrowexterminatorsok.com

Arvest Bank arvest.com

Atlantis Pools and Spas atlantispoolsandspasinc.com

B and B Liquor Warehouse bbliquortulsa.com

Baker Pools bakerpoolsok.com

BancFirst bancfirst.bank

Bank of Oklahoma bankofoklahoma.com

Bill Knight Collision Repair tulsacollisionrepair.com

Blue Haven Pools bluehaven.com

Brookside Cleaners and Laundry brooksidecleaners.com

Burnett Home Improvement burnettinc.com

Camp Bow Wow campbowwow.com

Christian Brothers Automotive cbac.com

Clarehouse clarehouse.org

Clary Sage College clarysagecollege.com

Clean Freaks of Tulsa cleanfreaks.info

Communication Federal Credit Union comfedcu.org

Conner & Winters, LLP cwlaw.com

Covenant Living at Inverness Village covlivinginverness.org

Custom Services customservices-inc.com

Dogville Daycare and Boarding dogville-daycare.com

Dolphin Pool and Supply dolphinpoolstulsa.com

Ethos Architects designethos.com

EyeCare Associates of South Tulsa southtulsaeye.com

Fiesta Pools and Spas fiestapoolsandspas.com

Firefl y Electricians firefl yelectricians.com

Four Star Import Automotive fourstartulsa.com

Fox Cleaners foxcleaners.com

GableGotwals gablelaw.com

GH2 Architects gh2.com

Gilley Electric Inc. gilleyelectric.com

Gracieland Hound Dog Hotel gracielanddogboarding.com

Greenleaf Lawn greenleafweedcontrol.com

Guardian Angel Exterminating okpestcontrol.com

Hall Estill hallestill.com

Hammond Animal Hospital hammondanimalhospital.com

Harp Service Co. getharp.com

Hillcrest Healthcare System hillcrest.com

Houchin Electric Co. houchinelectric.com

Hourglass Collision Repair hourglasscollision.com

Jackie Cooper Imports jackiecoopermercedes.com

Jim Blankenship Quality Collision jimblankenshiptulsa.com

Karroll Martin Paint and Body Shop martinpaintandbody.com

Kirkendall Design kirkendalldesign.com

Kitchen Concepts kitchenconceptstulsa.com

Kitchen Ideas kitchendesign.com

LaMode Cleaners lamodecleaners.com

Mabrey Bank mabreybank.com

MaidPro Tulsa maidpro.com

Merry Maids merrymaids.com

MidFirst Bank midfirst.com

Molly Maid mollymaid.com

Montereau montereau.net

Montgomery Exterminating montgomeryexterminating.com

Mother Nature’s Pest and Lawn mothernaturesinc.com

Muddy Paws muddy-paws.org

Mullin Plumbing mullininc.com

Murray Electrical Services getmurray.com

Native Roofing and Construction nativeroofingok.com

Noah’s Bed and Biscuit noahsbedandbiscuit.com

Nook and Cranny Homekeeping nookhomestulsa.com

Oklahoma Central Credit Union oklahomacentral.creditunion Orkin orkin.com

Phoenix Cleaners phoenixcleanerstulsa.com

Pooches poochestulsa.com

RCB Bank rcbbank.com

Red Crown Credit Union redcrowncu.org

Renaissance Hardwood Floors renhardwood.com

Renovations by Helms renovationsbyhelms.com

Riggs Abney riggsabney.com

River Trail Animal Hospital and Pet Lodge rivertrailahandpetlodge.com

Robertson Tire robertson-tire.com

Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Drain Service rotorooter.com/tulsa

Ryan Lawn and Tree ryanlawn.com

Saint Simeon’s saintsimeons.org

Same Day Auto Repair samedayautorepair.com

Seasons Hospice seasonshospice.com

Narrate Design narratedesign.com

Shaw Homes theshawhomes.com

Simmons Homes simmonshomes.com

Sloppy Dog Wash sloppydogwash.com

Southwood Landscape and Garden Center southwoodgardencenter.com

SpiritBank spiritbank.com

Superior Wood Floors and Tile superioroftulsa.com

Terminix Pest Control Services terminix.com

Thermal Windows, Inc. thermalwindows.com

Thomason Design Associates thomason-design.com

Tinker Federal Credit Union tinkerfcu.org

Tom’s Outdoor Living tomsoutdoorliving.com

Trinity Woods trinitywoodstulsa.com

TruGreen trugreen.com

TTCU Federal Credit Union ttcu.com

T-Town Roofing t-townroofing.com

VCA Animal Hospitals vcahospitals.com

Video Revolution videorevolution.com

W Design wdesignsite.com

WeStreet Credit Union westreet.org

Whole Foods Market wholefoodsmarket.com

Williams Plumbing and Drain williamsplumbing.com

Wood Guys | Wood Flooring Tulsa woodguys.com

Woodland West Animal Hospital woodlandwestanimalhospital.com

Woodland West Pet Resort woodlandwestpetresort.com

Yale Cleaners yalecleaners.com

Zarrow Pointe zarrowpointe.org

Zoellner Exterminating zoellnerexterminating.com

HEAD TO TOE

918 Chiropractic 918chiropractic.com

Armstrong Hearing Aid Center armstronghearing.com

Ascension St. John healthcare.ascension.org

Audiology of Tulsa audiologyoftulsa.com

BA Med Spa and Weight Loss Center baweightspa.com

Barre3 barre3.com

Be Love Yoga Studio beloveyogastudio.com

Bella Vita Spa and Salon bellavitaspaandsalon.com

Berkshire Salon and Day Spa berkshiresalondayspa.com

Bootcamp Tulsa bootcamptulsa.com

Center for Dermatology centerfordermtulsa.com

Clary Sage Salon and Spa clarysagecollege.com

Clear-tone Hearing Aid Laboratories cleartonehearingaids.com

Cooper and Misner Orthodontics coopermisnerortho.com

Downtown Tulsa Eyecare downtowntulsaeyecare.com

Dr Robert H. Zoellner and Associates drzoellner.com

Emerge Medical and Well Spa emergetulsa.com

Face and Body Medical Aesthetics faceandbody.net

Fig Medical Spa fi gtulsa.com

Genesis Health Clubs genesishealthclubs.com

Gilbert’s Audiology and Hearing Aid Center gilbertsaudiologyinc.com

Harrel Eyecare Center harreleyecare.com

Health Zone at Saint Francis saintfrancis.com/health-zone

Henry Orthodontics henryorthodontics.com

Hope Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry hoperestorative.com

Ihlo Salon and Day Spa ihlo spa.com

iidentity salon iidentitysalon.com

Jara Herron Day Spa Med Spa and Salon jaraherronsalon.com

Blank Med Spa blankmedspa.com

Kirkpatrick and Lai Orthodontics klortho.com

Lewis Park Family Dentistry lewisparkdental.com

Life Time Fitness lifetime.life

LifeMotion Physical Therapy and Balance Center yourlifemotion.com

LOOK Eyecare and Eyewear looktulsa.com

Massage Envy Spa massageenvy.com

Midtown Dermatology midtowndermok.com

Mint Dental mintdentaltulsa.com

Nowlin Orthodontics nowlinortho.com

Oklahoma Surgical Hospital oklahomasurgicalhospital.com

Orangetheory Fitness orangetheory.com/en-us

Perfect Smile Tulsa perfectsmiletulsa.com

Physical Therapy of Tulsa ptoftulsa.com

Physiques by Monique physiquesbymonique.net

Plastic Surgery Associates of Tulsa psaoftulsa.com

Plastic Surgery Center of Tulsa pscoftulsa.com

Pure Barre purebarre.com

Raj M. Patel, D.D.S. rajpateldds.com

Redbud Physical Therapy redbudpt.com

Saint Francis Health System saintfrancis.com

SALT Yoga saltyogatulsa.com

Seed Cannabis Co. seedcannabisco.com

Skin Care Institiute skincareinstitute.net

Snyder Chiropractic and Acupuncture drjustinsnyder.com

Spa Lux spalux.org

St. John Siegfried Health Club healthcare.ascension.org

The Eye Institute eyeinst.com

Triad Eye Institute triadeye.com

Tulsa Bone and Joint tulsaboneandjoint.com

Tulsa Dermatology Clinic tulsadermatology.com

Tulsa Fitness Systems tulsafi tnesssystems.com

Tulsa Pain Consultants tulsapain.com

Tulsa Premier Dentistry tulsapremierdentistry.com

Tulsa Spine and Rehab tulsaspineandrehab.com

Tulsa Surgical Arts tulsasurgicalarts.com

Twenty Twenty Eyecare 2020tulsa.com

Updog Yoga updogyogatulsa.com

Utica Dental uticadental.com

Warren Clinic Dermatology saintfrancis.com/location/ warren-clinic-dermatology

Weight Watchers weightwatchers.com

Whitlock Cosmetic Center whitlockcosmetic.com

YMCA of Greater Tulsa ymcatulsa.org

Zoellner Chiropractic zoellnerchiropractic.com

2025 Winner

Clary Sage is proud to celebrate its 6th A-List award from TulsaPeople.

Transforming Lives. Empowering Futures.

Voted Tulsa’s A-List Readers’ Choice for Massage, Hair Salon, Facials, and Barber/Beauty Services, Clary Sage College is where passion meets professionalism. Every visit is more than a service, it’s an experience.

Students are the heart of Clary Sage. Under the guidance of licensed professionals, they deliver highquality, affordable treatments while gaining hands-on experience for successful careers in beauty, fashion, and design. Offering full-service treatments in salon-quality environments, Clary Sage College is Tulsa’s trusted destination for beauty, style, and self-care.

Transform your talent into a future you love. At Clary Sage, hands-on training and expert instruction help you build a career that empowers both your creativity and your confidence.

All-suite boarding. No cages.

Tours with no appointment

Come to meet our staff!

Staff on site 24 hours a day

Medical boarding and specialization in senior and special needs dogs.

Check our Google Reviews! follow us on Facebook and instagram!

tulsa.okstate.edu

56th & Lewis • 918-749-5255• muddy-paws.org

Crafting all the way

Kendall Whittier craft shop o ers classes and community.

BY ALLY LIGHTLE

In a world where technology seems to be taking over, “granny crafts” are regaining popularity.

“Many of these skills went away,” says Mary Perisho, owner and founder of Community Craft, 2306 E. Admiral Blvd. “ ere is research around how good handcrafts are for our mental health. Handcrafts got set aside, now we are picking them back up again.”

Tucked inside the Kendall Whittier district, Community Craft o ers a selection of new, second-hand and vintage craft supplies, as well as locally made goods. In addition to the craft storefront, it also hosts crafting classes and community gatherings. Skilled crafters come from across Green Country to visit the shop and teach their skills. Some popular classes include a beginner sewing class, knitting, and even a Japanese style of stitching and mending called Sashiko.

Community Craft is also open for studio hours most Saturdays from 1-4 p.m., with Perisho on hand for assistance.

“Folks can come in and ask questions,” Perisho says. “Sign up online and pick a time. It’s really fun because people are

working on quilts or learning to put in a zipper. We can all learn from each other.”

For the holiday season, crafters of any skill level can sign up for seasonal classes ranging from embroidery and cross stitch, to sewing gifts and decorations, to a snailmail holiday card workshop. Also catch the monthly “Reel Crafts” movie event at Circle Cinema, during which the lights are left on so people can color, doodle, make a hand craft or just enjoy the movie. e studio sells small craft kits to go along with each month’s movie — next up is “Little Women” (1994) on Dec. 10.

is sweet artistic community has been a dream of Perisho’s well before the studio o cially opened this past April.

“I’ve dreamt of this for decades, and when the opportunity nally appeared, I gathered my crafty friends and we made it happen together,” Perisho says. “We’re thrilled to o er Tulsa a welcoming third space to explore handcrafts, and we’re very fortunate to be in Kendall Whittier among such a thriving community of small businesses!”

See a calendar of events and sign up for monthly emails at communitycraft.com. tp

Hand-made craft pouch ($36) by Emily Landry of QuiltBag. Landry also teaches needlepoint, knitting and sewing classes.

Owl & Drum Stitch Kits featuring original designs by Bianca Howell ($15-$40).

Community Craft in Kendall Whittier is powered by a collective of passionate creatives that includes (starting front row, left) Bianca Howell, Elizabeth Martin, Ashley Palmer, Briana Hefley Shepard and (from back row, left) Lauren Zavala, Whitney Wade, Mary Perisho, Emily Landry and Amy Pickering.

Sashiko supplies range from $3 for thread to $40 for the class.

Across state lines

Discover quirky sights and historical elements on Missouri and Kansas’ stretch of Route 66.

BY KRISTI EATON

The Route 66 centennial is just around the corner, and Tulsans are in the prime spot to celebrate. Our neighbors to the northeast, Kansas and Missouri, both boast sections of the iconic Mother Road perfect for a day trip — or longer.

Missouri is chock full of massive roadside attractions along the Mother Road. On the east side of Missouri’s stretch of Route 66, you can nd the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Completed in 1965 at 630 feet, it’s the tallest monument in the Western Hemisphere, as well as the tallest arch in the world. It was conceived to recognize St. Louis’ role in westward U.S. expansion. Did you know you can take a 4-minute

Mark your calendar for these Route 66 Centennial Celebrations

elevator ride to the top? e arch’s inner tram system — which operates through a blending of both elevator and Ferris wheel principles — o ers panoramic views of Missouri and Illinois. For more unique sights in St. Louis, consider a visit to their Neon Museum, which showcases classic and contemporary neon art.

e former “World’s Largest Rocking Chair” is located further down the Show Me State’s stretch of the Route, near Cuba, Missouri. e Guiness Book of World Records awarded Dan and Carolyn Sanazaro’s 42-foot-and-1-inch steel rocker the designation in September 2008. e sizeable seat has since lost its title to another giant chair located in Casey,

EXPLORE ROUTE 66

As the centennial for Route 66 nears in 2026, TulsaPeople takes you to each state for some of its must-see Mother Road attractions and activities.

Illinois, but it still remains a roadside curiosity along the Mother Road.

Another enormous attraction is the “World’s Largest Fork by Mass,” found in Spring eld. e fork was originally designed in 1990 by Noble and Associates advertising agency for a restaurant. e 35-foot-tall fork weighs about 11 tons. After the restaurant closed it was moved to Noble and Associates’ headquarters for its new permanent home. e site — known as the “Heavy Fork” building — is now owned by real estate company Tenedor Pesado LLC, named after the landmark. ough it’s not immediately visible from the street, the colossal piece of cutlery is worth nding for a quirky sel e.

Meanwhile, Kansas has about 13 miles of Route 66 running through its southeast corner. e original route passes through Baxter Springs, Riverton and Galena. is being the shortest stretch of Route 66 among the eight states it runs through, it’s little wonder that many people forget about or don’t realize the role Kansas plays in the historic Mother Road.

With the approaching 100-year anniversary, Kansas — like the other states — is primed for its close-up. One of the highlights of Kansas’ stretch of the road is one of the last remaining Marsh Arch Bridges, Brush Creek Bridge. Commonly known as “Rainbow Bridge,” this landmark sits between Riverton and Baxter Springs. A stop at nearby Nelson’s Old Riverton Store is another must-do. Still around after more than 75 years, this authentic piece of history will take you back in time. And if you like to pair your sightseeing with a physical challenge, the annual Route 66 Race Across Kansas half-marathon takes place each November along the route. is event allows runners to go from the Missouri/Kansas state line to the Kansas/ Oklahoma state line, all while taking in the historic and scenic views. tp

April 30, 2026 — National kickoff of America’s Route 66 Centennial Celebration in Springfield, MO April 30-May 6, 2026 — Route 66 100th Anniversary Festival in St. Louis, MO

Neon Museum of St. Louis

Fanfare for an editor

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

When Anne Brockman, my editor at TulsaPeople, told me she was leaving the magazine for new adventures, I was so upset I couldn’t talk to her about it. I did what most of us do in situations like that; I talked about something else. In this case, I talked about Robert Redford who had recently died.

Redford did consistently good work, I told her. He did it quietly, without a lot of noise. He did the best work he could do and he took his work seriously. He seemed like a decent person who promoted the work and not himself. He was generous with his talent, helping other artists and caring about the environment. Redford was a pillar in his profession.

I was coming on a slant to the subject of loss.

Anne was like Redford. She took the work seriously, didn’t clamor for the spotlight herself, helped writers and other editors shine. She loves trees and national parks and green, growing things. I know there is a falcon somewhere in her ancestry. She can spot a mouse of an error in a lush garden of prose at 1,000 feet. Not only spot, but pounce.

I, as the writer who spends days writing the lush prose, polishing every leaf and blossom, have been grateful for her pounce

that spared me the embarrassment of misquoting or misspelling. Pleased but peeved at the same time. When I was fussy, she ignored it.

Here’s an example. I wrote about a misadventure pruning a dwarf Japanese maple tree that left it looking like Cousin It from “ e Addams Family.” “Cousin Itt,” she told me, “not It.” She did the research I should have done. Her brain is hardwired to Google.

A writer-editor relationship is a delicate partnership. Writing is honest work but not more important than any other craft — building a table or baking a pie. In fact, it’s more transitory than most crafts. A good writer-editor partnership is a balance of skills, both personal and professional, all emotion and all business. As the writer, I feel I am trying to thread a needle in the dark. I’m trying to explain something or tell a story with clarity and, if I’m lucky, a splash of color. A sensitive editor joins hands on this mission, but with a light touch like herding a goose. In fact, exactly like herding a goose.

Herding/editing is not the same as changing, rewriting, altering, revising, rewording, modifying or correcting. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, “Cut these words and they bleed; they are vascular and alive; they walk and run.” Writers swaddled

in vanity can feel that way about their own work, but Emerson was not talking about his writing. He was referring to the work of another writer, French philosopher Michel de Montaigne

ere is something so personal about writing that it is easy to be ultra-sensitive to ham-handed meddling. Angie Debo, Ph.D., once told me the story of an editor’s changing something she wrote without consulting her and printing his version. It was full of errors. Debo, so conscientious about fact and meticulous in her writing, was enraged as she told me. en she stopped and laughed because the incident had happened forty years earlier. “Just remember, my dear,” she told me. “You can’t have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.” is is the essence of a quote sometimes attributed to Shakespeare I was too young and ignorant to know that, which shows me yet again how fragile communication is and how hard it is to communicate with levels of nuances. e delicacy of partnerships is heightened with original and creative work of any kind. I call to mind the line from poet William Butler Yeats, “I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

Anne Brockman was my good editor for eleven years. She edited some 250 articles of mine. She trod lightly and true. tp

TulsaPeople columnist Connie Cronley with longtime former editor Anne Brockman.

LUXURY PROPERTY GROUP

Call any of the Luxury Property Group Realtors about one of these homes, or any property that you have an interest in. We will provide you with superior personal service with the highest integrity.

SOUTH TULSA

Stunning one-level stucco home on 1.24 unplatted acres in South Tulsa within Jenks Schools. Designed for entertaining, it features a chef’s kitchen, expansive living spaces, and a fully fenced backyard with a gorgeous saltwater pool. With 4 bedrooms plus a study, mature trees, abundant parking, and no HOA, this priv ate retreat offers room to roam just off 71st near Harvard. 3080 E 71st St S, Tulsa. $595,000

JENKS EAST

Beautifully updated South Tulsa home on a spacious corner lot in Jenks East Elementary, featuring fresh paint, newer hardwoods, and a bright two-story entry with a granite and stainless kitchen, multiple living areas, a luxurious primary suite, and a large fenced backyard with mature trees and patio. 8710 S Delaware Pl. $425,000

RIVERSIDE TULSA

HAYES 918 -231-5637 thayes@mcgrawok.com

SHELTON 918- 697-2742 gshelton@mcgrawok.com

The owner bought this home in 1981 and it looks nothing like the original. He has replaced all the flooring. Upstairs is cherry wood and new carpets have been laid in both bedrooms. The kitchen has been completely renovated. The first floor bedroom is used as a home office with a 2nd bathroom. The Master bedroom has extra storage above the closet. A laundry room is tucked under the stairs. Great location overlooking Zink Lake! 1503 Riverside Dr #1503. $239,000

COVES ON BIRD ISLAND

This corner-lot home in the Coves on Bird Island has dual two-car garages, beautiful hardwoods, vaulted ceilings, a main-floor primary suite, and a covered deck with a hot tub overlooking the greenbelt. With spacious bedrooms, great storage, an office with outdoor access, and full access to Coves amenities, this home truly has it all. 33690 Sage Grouse Cir. $695,000

SANDERS 918- 724-5008 ssanders@mcgrawok.com

RILEY PATTERSON 918- 629-3717 dpatterson@mcgrawok.com

GRAND LAKE

This rare offering defines Grand Lake living at its best, with breathtaking panoramic views from every room. Expansive interiors and custom design create a serene retreat perfect for both everyday comfort and effortless entertaining. The threebedroom, three-bath layout provides easy access to The Coves’ amenities, including 24hour security, clubhouse, pool, courts, and more. Just minutes from Cherokee Yacht Club, this location blends lake recreation, convenience, and timeless relaxation.

32850 Spyglass Hill, Afton. $825,000

MIDTOWN

Ranch style homes provided an easy floor plan to raise a family. This home has a huge lot for adding another wing or a pool! 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and an open kitchen. Midtown is at your doorstep!

4523 S Lewis Ave. $450,750 with a 3.75% interest rate assumable loan!

THE VILLAGE

Custom built by Don East, a well known Tulsa home builder, is a prime example of his personal style and taste. He built this home in 2000 and used it as his primary dwelling and office. Make an appointment to view this one of a kind home and why he loved it so much. Tucked into a corner of The Village, a gated community just off Memorial and 101st Street. 10135 S 78th East Ave. $495,000

Table Talk

DINING FOOD DRINKS

Comfort food

If you need something to warm you up this winter, try the Chaufa de Carne at Inkanto, 2118 E. Third St. This Chinese-influenced Peruvian fried rice dish combines garlic, soy sauce, scrambled eggs, sesame oil, ginger, rice and sirloin stir-fried to perfection, all topped with fragrant green onions.

Owner Jonathan Perez is a graduate of Mother Road Market’s Cocina 66, an incubator program for Spanish-speaking food entrepreneurs. His menu draws from traditional recipes learned from his grandmother and is served alongside Peruvian products like Inca Kola. If you have room for more, order a side of the fried sweet plantains. — LAUREN ROGERS

A taste of home

South Tulsa cafe o ers a stacked menu refl ecting Myanmar’s rich culinary infl uences and traditions.

BY JUDY ALLEN

Zogam Cafe’s Nasi Lemak — cocout rice served with sambal (a spicy chili paste), fried crispy anchovies, peanuts and cucumber slices.

Zogam Cafe is a small, unassuming spot that serves big avors and holds deep cultural signi cance.

Tucked along South Lewis Avenue in a shopping center renowned for its diverse international avors, the cafe serves as both a neighborhood restaurant and a gathering place for Tulsa’s booming community of people from Myanmar (formerly Burma). For many Tulsans who belong to the Zomi ethnic group in Myanmar’s Chin State, Zogam Cafe is more than just a place to eat — it’s a taste of home and a poignant reminder of their roots.

e rst Zomis began arriving in Tulsa in the 1970s, eeing their native Myanmar to nd more freedom to practice their Christian faith. One individual in particular — Dr. Chin Do Kham — is often highlighted as a catalyst for the growth of the Zomi population in Tulsa. Graduating from Oral Roberts University in 1994 with a Doctor of Ministry, he encouraged other Zomis to resettle in Tulsa and was deeply committed to helping them integrate into society once they arrived.

In the years that followed, Tulsa became a destination for Myanmar refugees escaping persecution, poverty and political uncertainty. Tulsa o ered something Myanmar did not — freedom of worship and the possibility of a stable life. By the 2010s, Tulsa’s Myanmar population had grown to become one of the largest in the United States. Today, the current number of Zomis calling T-Town home is estimated to be between 7,000-9,000 people, earning Tulsa the nickname “Zomi Town.”

Zogam Cafe’s co-owners, Suan Mang and Sing Pu, both part of the Zomi community, opened the restaurant in 2018. “I was born in Burma, then moved to Malaysia where I worked in restaurants,” Mang says. He and Pu worked in a ai restaurant in Orlando while planning the Tulsa restaurant. Both Mang and Pu take pride in introducing their culture to others through food. For many customers, the cafe becomes not only a restaurant but an education in Myanmar’s rich culinary traditions. Zomi cuisine, like much of Myanmar’s food, re ects a blend of both Southeast and South Asian in uences.

Mang is always present, overseeing all front-of-house operations, while Pu handles the kitchen. Zogam’s menu features traditional ai, Malaysian and Burmese dishes alongside other familiar Asian favorites. One of the stars (and my favorite) is pad ke mao, or “drunken noodles.” e entree includes stir-fried at noodles with chicken, beef, pork or seafood, tossed with crisp vegetables, lots of basil leaves and a savory soy-based sauce. At Mang’s suggestion I ordered the seafood option (squid, scallops and shrimp) and picked ve on a spiciness scale of 1-10, which was perfect for my love

of spicy food. My husband Tate loved the pad ai, which Mang said was the most popular item on the menu; it’s a traditional ai rice noodle dish loaded with crispy tofu, egg and bean sprouts, with a sweetsour-spicy sauce. Zogam’s dishes rely heavily on fresh herbs and chiles, striking a balance between salty, spicy, sour and sweet avors.

Another popular choice is the nasi lemak, a Malaysian dish of coconut rice with assorted garnishes such as fried chicken wings, beans and cucumber, dotted with egg, scallions and just enough chili spice to give it a kick. ere are also hearty soups, such as tom yum gong and tom kha gai — both spicy and somewhat sour ai broths, the latter of which is enriched with coconut milk.

Zogam Cafe’s seafood options, such as the fried whole red snapper or steamed whole sh, are favorites among regulars, as are the duck specials (roasted whole duck or panang curry with roasted duck and coconut milk).

e menu is rather extensive and o ers a wide variety of ai classics, including curries, fried noodles and stir-fries, as well as salads, dumplings and spring rolls to start.

Finish your meal with a selection of smoothies, milk teas and desserts, all brightened with tropical fruit avors like mango, papaya and coconut. My son Liam enjoyed the ai tea, a cold, sweet concoction topped with a layer of whipped cream. Our table shared a serving of mango sticky rice — steamed sticky rice with coconut milk and chopped mango.

“We just want to thank all of our customers for their support in the restaurant,” Mang says. In every meal, Zogam Cafe captures the warmth, resilience and generosity of a people who have made Tulsa their new home, one plate at a time. tp

Above, Zogam Cafe’s Mango Sticky Rice includes steamed rice with coconut milk and sugar served with fresh mango. Left, Thai Tea and Thai Coffee. Right, pad Thai — rice noodles stir-fried with eggs, scallions, bean sprouts and special sauce — served with shrimp.

COOKING?

Craving cookies

It’s cookie season! Time to pull out the mixing bowls, cue up a holiday playlist and turn your kitchen into a sprinkle-covered wonderland. Whether you’re baking for parties, gifts or just because it’s tradition, it’s the kind of ritual that makes the whole month feel a little more joyful.

This year, we’re loving cookies with a little twist — they’re festive but not overly complicated. Try one or two of these for your next cookie tray or exchange.

— NATALIE MIKLES

HOT COCOA THUMBPRINTS

1 cup all-purpose our

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

1 bag mini marshmallows

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

In a bowl, whisk our, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. If the dough looks crumbly, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together.

Roll 1 tablespoon portions of dough into balls, then roll each ball lightly in a little granulated sugar. Place on baking sheet and bake 8 minutes.

Once the timer goes o , pull out cookies and use your thumb to make a deep well in each cookie. Press in 1 mini marshmallow. Return to oven 2-3 minutes, until pu ed, then remove. Let stand 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Melt chocolate chips, and drizzle a little chocolate over each marshmallow for garnish.

PEPPERMINT BARK SHORTBREAD

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups all-purpose our

TOPPING

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

8 ounces white chocolate, chopped 3/4 cup crushed candy canes

Blend butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer, mixing until light and u y, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add egg, mixing until incorporated. Add salt then our, about 1/2 cup at a time, just until blended and the dough holds together. Don’t overmix; you don’t want your shortbread to be tough.

MICHELLE POLLARD; WHAT THE ALE: TOM GILBERT

Try making these holiday sweets: hot cocoa thumbprints, peppermint bark shortbread and cranberry pistachio biscotti

Pat dough out into an approximate 11-by-7-inch rectangle on a pastry or cutting board, or press into a similar-sized baking dish. Let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. If you have formed a rectangle outside of a baking dish, cut into approximately 16 pieces. Place on a baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until just lightly golden. If pressed into a baking dish, place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until edges become just lightly golden. Let cool. Slice into about 16 rectangular pieces.

Once cookies are completely cooled, melt the dark chocolate in short bursts in the microwave or over a double boiler until smooth. Spread over half of each shortbread. Chill 10 minutes or until the surface is slightly set.

Repeat the same melting process with white chocolate. Drizzle white chocolate over dark layer. Immediately scatter crushed candy canes over the top and press lightly to adhere.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

2 cups all-purpose our

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk our, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, orange juice, vanilla and almond extract. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Fold in cranberries and pistachios. If the dough looks dry or crumbly, add in 1-2 more teaspoons orange juice and gently knead in the bowl just until it holds together.

Divide dough in half. On the prepared sheet, shape each half into a 12-by-2-inch long log shape, about 3/4 -inch thick, smoothing the sides.

Bake 25-28 minutes until the loaves are set and lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Transfer one warm loaf to a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice on a slight diagonal into 1/2 -inch pieces. Repeat with second loaf.

Arrange slices cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Flip each piece and bake 8-12 minutes more, until dry and crisp at the edges. Bake a few minutes longer for crunchier biscotti. Cool completely on rack. tp

CHEER IN A CUP

We found our new favorite Christmas treat — the Christmas Tree Shake from Big Dipper. It’s as festive as it sounds with blended Christmas Tree Cake ice cream topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and the ultimate finishing touch: a Little Debbie Christmas tree cake right on top.

The shake itself tastes like the iconic snack cake with its vanilla cake and super sweet layer of frosting. It’s served in a sprinkle-rimmed cup, and is just what you want to sip while looking at Christmas lights or after a day of holiday shopping.

It’s pure Christmas joy in dessert form and our new favorite tradition. The shake is available at all Big Dipper locations this holiday season.

3633 S. Peoria Ave. • 2219 E. 11th St.

1124 S. Lewis Ave. in Mother Road Market

120 N. Main St. in Sand Springs bigdipperok.com

THE ALE

MURDER MYSTERY BREWING WHAT

Tulsan Marian Milner McCarthy has always had a passion for words. Earning a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 1975, she eventually discovered her real passion was in novel writing.

After her children grew up she threw herself into fiction, self-publishing her work and learning the ropes of marketing and professional editing along the way. Learning that the “real money” in the self-publishing world came from writing books in a series, she began her own murder-solving series set in a fictional small Oklahoma town with characters that include a mortician with paranormal abilities.

McCarthy’s fifth book in the series “Murder and the Brewer” draws inspiration from her daughter Madeline’s position as the innovation brewer at Von Ebert Brewing in Portland, Oregon.

“Murder and the Brewer” focuses on the opening of a new craft brewery owned by a woman of Romani descent who also practices witchcraft. The townspeople love the beer because they’ve never tasted anything like it before. But one night her brewery gets broken into and trashed, as well as the town’s sacred burial grounds — raising questions about hate crimes and vengeance.

“I think writing, like anything that’s creative, really feeds your soul and you can do it forever. I didn’t really start writing mysteries until I was in my sixties; it gives meaning to me every day. It gives shape to your life. It inspires you to keep on,” says McCarthy.

The book is available through Amazon.

— TOM GILBERT

Local author Marian Milner McCarthy

A LA CARTE

The Indonesia Room at Roka, 1616 S. Utica Ave.

GET A ROOM

3 restaurants o ering intimate dining spaces for special occasions or private events

ROKA’s Indonesia Room makes dinner feel like an occasion. The space is anchored by an antique castle wall brought from Indonesia and installed when the restaurant opened in 2002. Soft lighting and dark wood create an intimate setting for groups of up to 30. Smaller groups can book the Thailand Room, an equally elegant space with a drop-down projection screen that’s perfect for photos or presentations. 1616 S. Utica Ave. • 918-382-7777 • rokatulsa.com

Below the Ambassador Hotel, THE CHALKBOARD is a longtime favorite for private dinners. Its wine cellar is cozy and inviting, with soft light and the feel of a secret dining club. The staff tailor menus for everything from rehearsal dinners to business meetings, pairing house favorites like beef Wellington or pan-seared duck breast with wines from their extensive list. 1324 S. Main St. • 918-582-1964 thechalkboardkitchen.com

Elegant yet relaxed, POLO GRILL’s private rooms make gatherings feel special without being stuffy. Wood paneling, white tablecloths and attentive service set the tone for celebrations or client dinners. Guests can order from a custom menu or choose Polo classics like the pepita-crusted salmon or beef tenderloin. 2038 Utica Square • 918-744-4280 • pologrill.com — NATALIE MIKLES

FINE DINING

Do you have friends or family coming in town for the holidays? Take them to one of these upscale establishments — winners of TulsaPeople’s annual A-List Readers’ Choice Awards.

MAHOGANY PRIME STEAKHOUSE 4840 E. 61st St. 918-494-4043 mahoganyprimesteakhouse.com

BULL IN THE ALLEY 11 E. Reconciliation Way 918-949-9803 bullinthealley.com

AMELIA’S

122 N. Boston Ave. 918-728-2435 amelias.us

POLO GRILL 2038 Utica Square 918-744-4280 pologrill.com

BARONS ON 1ST 302 E. First St. 918-417-5290 baronson1st.com

Barons on 1st

Elevating TUL

On Nov. 4, 1959, near the corner of East Apache Street and North Memorial Avenue, a groundbreaking ceremony heralding the o cial start of construction of the Tulsa Municipal Airport terminal building was underway. State and local o cials including Oklahoma Governor J. Howard Edmondson attended the event.

e Airport Authority chose Tulsa architectural rm Murray-Jones-Murray (formed in 1957 by Robert Lawton Jones, with brothers David George and Lee Cloyd Murray) to design the building.

Murray-Jones-Murray rm sent members of its sta to ten airports across the

country to study and prepare themselves for the design of Tulsa’s “jet age” terminal. e rm also utilized pre-recorded jet engine sounds to plan for soundproo ng of the facility. “To our knowledge Tulsa is the rst city really to try and solve the noise problems caused by jet aircraft,” then-Airport Manager Pat Combs said in a Nov. 1961 Tulsa Daily World article.

e terminal building contained two levels with the purpose of separating arriving and departing passengers. e exterior featured extensive landscaping and a large pool of water and fountains near the entrance, as well as indoor and outdoor seating for travelers and non-travelers alike.

On Nov. 16, 1961, the ribbon was cut for the highly anticipated Tulsa Municipal Airport. e design received architectural awards and was featured in a variety of architectural-engineering magazines popular at the time.

Over the years the airport has seen many upgrades and expansions, including a name change in August of 1963 to Tulsa International Airport. And beginning May 21 of next year, passengers will be able to catch twice-weekly, seasonal nonstop ights to Cancun, Mexico — TUL’s rst commercial international ights that will utilize the brand-new customs facility still currently under construction. tp

STORY AND COMPOSITE IMAGE BY PATRICK MCNICHOLAS

MK&O Airline Transit Company driver waiting outside the Tulsa Municipal Airport terminal in 1961. The car service company offered air-conditioned Cadillac limousines with “space-age convenience” and top-flight surface transportation to travelers arriving to and departing from Tulsa.