TulsaPeople May 2025 by TulsaPeople

Mental health awareness is addiction awareness.

Addiction is a real mental health disorder. That’s why we work with community partners including physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, counselors, law enforcement and more to provide addiction recovery services to those in need. This month—Mental Health Awareness Month—and all year long, we’re beating addiction one life at a time.

Leaders with

INTEGRITY. COMPASSION. FAITHFULNESS.

As Founder of AVTAX Inc., a nationwide ad valorem tax company, Charles (Charlie) Pennington’s 50-year career has been marked by dedication and excellence. However, it is in his later years that Charlie has truly found his calling and left an indelible mark on countless lives.

For 15 years, he has been involved with Pets Helping People (aka Muddy Paws). The organization started in 2009 for the purpose of training women with criminal backgrounds and becoming contributing members of society by preparing them for careers in the dog-grooming industry.

To date, 338 graduates work in 83 grooming shops and 36 own their own businesses. The program has a 95% job placement and the recidivism rate is 1%.

“Pets Helping People graduates have the dignity that comes from completing a program, gaining a marketable skill, and earning a livable wage. Additionally, the multi-generational effect of seeing moms restored with their families and children who live in a secure environment without fear is beneficial for everyone,” says Charlie.

After graduation from the University of Colorado with a degree in Finance, Charlie arrived in Tulsa in 1975, where he found the cost of housing affordable,

compassionate teachers, and many welcoming churches. He and his wife Katheryn raised four children here.

The business community was growing and filled with prospects. Charlie initially started his property tax career with the Southland Corporation’s Tax Department. He later became a regional manager for Property Tax Service Co. and then became a founding partner of AVTAX Inc., which was a national property tax-consulting firm. AVTAX was eventually acquired by CBIZ, a professional services company.

“I believe there are many seasons in our life, and one of those comes when we look outside our families after our children are grown and the demand of careers are not as strong,” Charlie says. “Each of us knows nonprofits that need our acquired wisdom, financial support, and time to help those who want a ‘helping hand.’ In the end, our lives are personally blessed by serving with other volunteers who have the same community spirit of goodwill and love.”

Charlie’s efforts toward charity work are driven by his unwavering faith and the exemplary influence of his parents and friends. In addition to his service with Muddy Paws, he also has dedicated his time and resources to aiding communities in Ghana and working with Russian orphans, bringing joy and support to those in need.

“A long-time friend and supporter of First Oklahoma Bank, Charlie is known for his integrity, compassion, and faithfulness. His selfless actions and commitment to giving back serve as an inspiring example to all who know him,” says Tom Bennett Jr., Executive Chairman of the Board for First Oklahoma. “Charlie Pennington is indeed a good man, whose legacy of mercy and kindness continues to transform lives for the better. It is a privilege to call him our friend.”

Chad Hanson, DO | Board certified in orthopedic surgery

Puppet pals tackle tough subjects. Tulsa mom honors daughter. Improv for everyone.

3 recent beneﬁ ts.

LIFESTYLE

Put a bow on it. Books and bouquets in BA. Cancer clinical trials. Happy 150th to Kate Barnard.

Get your camera ready to

Whether you’re in the

Moroccan food shines on Studio Row. It’s ice cream sandwich season. Sperry’s retro soda fountain. Mid-week dinner deals.

Clockwise from top right, Stella Atom, Tulsa Botanic Garden, Mother Road Market, Oklahoma Aquarium, Five Moons Garden, Joe’s Farm, Josh’s Sno Cone and Admiral Twin Drive-In BY STAFF

Five Moons Garden at the Museum of Tulsa History, formerly known as Tulsa Historical Society and Museum

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Spring in Tulsa is busy. We’re all buzzing around like bees ying from bloom to bloom. We return home to our hives for a shower and a change of clothes before we’re out the door and on the road to our next commitment.

e parents I know consider the end of the school year to be just as busy as the hectic month of December, shuttling from event to event before summer is in full swing.

I certainly hope you plan some time for yourself. To give you some ideas, we’ve packed plenty of to-dos into this issue. On p. 10, our May Tulsa 10 — the 10 can’t-miss events this month — includes lm screenings, Tulsa Botanic Garden’s special summer exhibit “Florigami in the Garden,” and cultural events like the Tulsa City-County Library’s Zarrow Award event recognizing author Kwame Alexander. I’m looking forward to the 25th anniversary of the 5x5 Show and Sale supporting Tulsa Artists’ Coalition. On p. 20 I had the chance to visit with TAC member and former president Dean Wyatt in his studio and talk about this milestone for the longtime artist organization.

Memorial Day on May 26 is the unofcial start of summer. Whether you have traditional plans to kickstart the season or wish to try something new, we’ve come up with 98 things you can do between then and Labor Day on Sept. 1. Check out our robust Summer Fun Guide on p. 29.

If you’re like me and crave water-related fun when the temperatures turn to triple digits, our summer travel feature on p. 38 detailing two new waterparks — OKANA in Oklahoma City and WOKA near Siloam Springs, plus plenty of things to do nearby — might be just the ticket.

A quintessential sound of summer is the ice cream truck. Still to this day, when I hear that jingle come through my neigh-

borhood or when I’m walking the River Parks trail near 41st Street, the sound perks my ears and I instantly start craving an ice cream sandwich. is summer I plan on making batches from Natalie Mikles ’ recipe on p. 62.

Something additional in this month’s issue is the new special section, TulsaPeople Home. Led by Editor Kendall Barrow, I hope you take some time to ip through the pages to nd inspiration for your very own home. It’s a treat for the senses and also includes the program for Designer Showcase, which is a residence renovated and refreshed by 21 local, talented designers. Find the program preview on p. 97 before heading to the Maple Ridge property to see it for yourself May 3-18.

Not far from the Designer Showcase home you’ll nd the historic Travis mansion, which has been the headquarters for the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum for decades. I met with CEO and Executive Director David Goldenberg earlier this spring, and he let me know the organization is changing its name to the Museum of Tulsa History. Read Michael Overall ’s feature on p. 26 to learn why.

I feel like every month I recite the same sentiment: ere is so much to see and do in Tulsa. What can I say? It’s the truth. anks for reading, and happy summer planning. tp

Anne Brockman EDITOR

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

PRESIDENT Juley Roffers

VP COMMUNITY RELATIONS Susie Miller

EDITOR Anne Brockman FEATURES EDITOR Tim Landes

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Tiffany Howard

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford

ART DIRECTOR Georgia Brooks

MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER Michelle Pollard

VIDEOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Andrea Canada

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Melissa Givens Josh Kampf

CONTROLLER Mary McKisick

RECEPTIONIST/MARKETING ASSISTANT Madison Walters

City Desk

NEWS

CAUSES PASSIONS

FELTED FRIENDS

When the black curtains part on the small stage, a lively group of puppets springs to life, ready to introduce themselves to an eager audience of elementary school children. They might meet Stephen, a 12-year-old with scars on his arm and head, or best friends Eddy and Clare who show how standing together can make a difference in bullying situations. Created by the Kids on the Block program at Parent Child Center of Tulsa, these puppets offer a safe, engaging way for children to explore and understand life’s challenges. tp

READ MORE ABOUT KIDS ON THE BLOCK ON P. 12.

GETTING IN GEAR

Four years after founding Ride to Remember, a bike ride commemorating the Tulsa Race Massacre, Osborne Celestain is upping the ante by making plans to ride from Black Wall Street in Tulsa all the way to New York City’s Wall Street.

Ride to Remember is put on by the Community Light Foundation, a nonproﬁ t Celestain founded in 2021 to ﬁght food insecurity in north Tulsa. But Celestain’s ride will be much longer than the race’s standard 25, 45 or 60 miles. He and other participants, including the Black Leaders of Detroit and other national cycling groups, will segue to The Ride for Equity, which will span 1,650 miles, eight states and 32 cities. The peloton will cycle 60-75 miles each day at a pace of 12 miles an hour, with the ride culminating in New York City on July 4.

“You can’t learn effectively by yourself,” Celestain says. “By riding with a group, you ﬁnd people that know more than you do — like how to switch your gears.” It’s hard to tell if Celestain is speaking metaphorically or literally because both seem to be true for him. “We do a lot of gear-shifting as we get older.”

His race raises money for causes that seek to end food insecurity, speciﬁcally in north Tulsa, where Celestain says statistics show residents live eight years less than other Tulsans due to food-related illnesses. Nonproﬁ ts like FreshRX, a community partner with the Ride to Remember, teaches Tulsans with Type 2 diabetes how to cook and eat fruits and vegetables. “You’re never too old to improve your health,” he says.

Celestain encourages Tulsans to meet up with him at Fulton Street Books and Coffee on May 30 where he will be speaking about the race, which will occur the next day. — JORDAN COX

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

QPR — question, persuade and refer — is a nationally-recognized, evidence-based training that teaches people how to recognize and respond positively to someone exhibiting suicidal signs and behaviors. From noon-1:15 p.m. on May 21, Mental Health Association Oklahoma will host a free QPR class for those 18 and older at Legacy Plaza, 5330 E. 31st St. Register at mhaok.org/qpr or email info@mhaok.org. ANNE BROCKMAN

READING, WRITING, ARITHMETIC AND EMPATHY

Over the past 50 years Mizel Jewish Community Day School has changed a lot, but its values certainly have not. This month Mizel Day School, formerly known as Heritage Academy, will celebrate ﬁve decades of being in the community. What began as a school for 18 students from primarily Jewish families has grown to a robust school of 61 students, preschool through ﬁfth grade, with the recent addition of a childcare program.

At Mizel, students from all different faith traditions and backgrounds enjoy small classes with access to a community garden, monthly interactions with senior residents of Zarrow Pointe, a kitchen to provide culinary enrichment and Hebrew lessons. The school helps to grow service-minded citizens through class service initiatives that improve the world through acts of kindness. One of the school’s values is Tikkun Olam — “repairing the world” in Hebrew — so many of Mizel’s programs and initiatives are targeted at just that.

Mizel’s 50th anniversary celebration will be held May 4. Suitably, a gold-themed evening will help mark the golden anniversary, featuring Broadway-style entertainment, a cocktail hour and dinner. Janet Dundee, long-time volunteer and parent of a Mizel alumni, is chairing the celebration. Reﬂecting on the values that were instilled in her daughter and the beneﬁ ts of a student base made up of different backgrounds and walks-of-life, she says: “As adults, (Mizel students) are better citizens and community members when they learn these things as children.”

Learn more at mizelschool.org. — JORDAN COX

Mizel Jewish Community Day School 50th anniversary committee members Valerie Otero and Janet Dundee

Osborne Celestain

A moving and powerful story takes shape by presenting the complete, unfiltered past of Cherokee Nation.

A NATION OF

RESILIENCE

Immerse yourself in our stirring history, and learn about the inspiring people who shaped it.

ONE NATION. ENDLESS ADVENTURE.

Cherokee National History Museum Tahlequah, Oklahoma

TULSA 10

MAY

Through Sept. 21

FLORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN

Tulsa Botanic Garden hosts the Oklahoma debut of Florigami in the Garden, an exhibition of 20 striking sculptures by Santa Fe artists Jennifer and Kevin Box tulsabotanic.org/ﬂ origami-in-the-garden

May 2 ANNE V. ZARROW AWARD FOR YOUNG READERS’ LITERATURE

This year’s recipient of the prestigious award is Kwame Alexander, a poet, educator and bestselling author of more than 40 books for all ages. tulsalibrary.org

May 5 SAVE FERRIS

Inﬂuential ska band Save Ferris is making their way to Tulsa for a high-energy performance. thevanguardtulsa.com

May 9 “MAMMA MIA!”

Philbrook Museum of Art’s Films on the Lawn season kicks off with a showing of the movie musical “Mamma Mia!” philbrook.org

May 9 GHOUL FRIENDS QUEER CABARET

Get ready to dance with the dead at the spooktacular rave Ghoul Friends Queer Cabaret, hosted by Tabitha Litch at The Starlite. instagram.com/ ghoulfriends_queercabaret

May 10 TULSA HEART AND SOIL GARDEN TOUR

Looking for something to do for Mother’s Day weekend? Take your mom to Tulsa Heart and Soil, a tour that allows the public to view four private residential gardens in full spring splendor. tulsagardenclub.org/garden-tour

May 10-11 ODDITIES AND CURIOSITIES EXPO

For lovers of the strange, unusual and bizarre, Oddities and Curiosities Expo returns for a shopping experience unlike any other, featuring items like taxidermy, preserved specimens, horror/Halloween items and more. odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com

May 17 “REBEL WITH A CLAUSE” SCREENING

Join Circle Cinema for a special screening of grammar advice documentary “Rebel with a Clause.” Ellen Jovin, the subject of the ﬁlm, will be in attendance for a Q-and-A. circlecinema.org

May 17 RECORD CLUB KICKOFF

Listen to new vinyl releases and a feature presentation of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album “Dark Side of the Moon” playing during a showing of “The Wizard of Oz” at Guthrie Green. guthriegreen.com

May 31

FC TULSA V. BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC FC Tulsa will host Birmingham Legion during the team’s annual Greenwood Night, honoring the history and legacy of the Greenwood District. fctulsa.com

Pain into passion

Tulsa mom turns her tragedy into a beacon of hope for others.

BY MARNIE FERNANDEZ

Becoming a mother was ingrained into Kristin McQuaid ’s soul.

“I wanted it all — the morning sickness, the painful birth, all of it,” McQuaid says. However, the challenges she faced during her journey were many and lled with heartache and despair.

After years of struggling to conceive, she was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis, which led to several surgeries and eventually a hysterectomy. Her struggles led McQuaid and her husband, Steve, to explore surrogacy.

“I was so excited when we found a surrogate. I went to all the appointments, read all the books and bought all the baby gear,” McQuaid says. “Everything about the pregnancy was textbook until the very end.”

In 2021 the McQuaids received devastating news; their daughter London, had died before birth at 39 weeks.

“ ere are no words to describe the complete and guttural anguish that consumed us,” she says. “It was like a black hole.”

With no idea what to do next or how to cope, McQuaid began researching but couldn’t nd resources for surrogate families dealing with infant loss.

“After endless searching and calling support groups for infant loss across the

world, it became clear to me what London’s purpose and mission was,” McQuaid says. In 2021 she founded London is the Reason, a nonpro t that supports both surrogates/gestational carriers and their intended parents after infant loss at any stage of pregnancy. It o ers support groups and provides “healing boxes” that are available at various hospitals as well as online at londonisthereason.org.

“ ere was nothing for me when London passed,” she says. “I want other parents to have something tangible that gives them some sort of comfort.”

e healing boxes contain a handwritten letter from McQuaid, journals on selfhealing, a copy of her children’s book, “Our Angel Gave Us Our Angel,” an inspirational bracelet and other resources.

“I didn’t need to live with London to know her love. Because of her, I can now help other parents nd comfort in their grief,” McQuaid says. “London has made me the best version of myself — she is the reason.”

Despite the pain of their experience, the McQuaids continued their journey and in 2022 welcomed son, Ford , through surrogacy and daughter, Bexley, through adoption. tp

PROGRAM HELPS TULSA KIDS NAVIGATE CHALLENGES

Puppets are proving to be powerful educators across schools and community centers in Tulsa. The Kids on the Block program began in the 1970s nationally to help normalize disabilities among children. In the 1990s Parent Child Center of Tulsa adopted and expanded the program to address issues like abuse, neglect and bullying.

“When studies have been done on puppetry education, they’ve shown that children view the puppets as peer ﬁgures, rather than authority ﬁgures,” says Kurt Bennett , youth programs manager at PCCT. “This makes the students feel more comfortable asking questions and sharing information.”

Tailored for pre-K through sixth grade, the program meets children at their developmental level. Each year 30,00040,000 students experience a Kids on the Block performance, primarily through school districts such as Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Union, Bixby, Jenks, Owasso, Sand Springs and Kiefer. In the summer, the puppets take the stage at YMCAs, libraries and other community spaces.

One of the most telling responses comes from the “Dear Puppet” letters students write after performances.

“What we see is students aren’t sure what’s safe and what’s not, especially in situations where abuse or neglect may be present,” Bennett says.

Thanks to the puppets, they’re ﬁguring that out. — ABIGAIL SINGREY

Cynthia Carrasco and Kurt Bennett present Kids on the Block, a program of the Parent Child Center of Tulsa.

Kristin McQuaid, with daughter Bexley and son Ford, is the founder of London is the Reason, a nonprofit McQuaid started in 2021 that has now helped people around the world who have suffered infant loss.

Innovators of tomorrow

Summer camp creates space for kids to develop applied artistic skills.

STORIES BY MEREDITH BOE

Lee Tisdale is an artist at his core. But it wasn’t until founding Tisdale Marketing Solutions in 2019 that he turned his passion for art into a business. And he wants Tulsa’s kids to have the same opportunity.

Tisdale started Innovators of Tomorrow, a summer camp for kids ages 10-17 that focuses on two main goals: nourishing their artistic selves and developing skills for real-world jobs. He wants the kids to see rsthand how they can pursue an artistic career, as he did with Tisdale Marketing,

CURATED MOMENTS

provider of creative marketing solutions for businesses.

Art was Tisdale’s way to “cope and deal with things” when he was growing up. He recalls authority gures would say things like “You’re never going to make money as a starving artist,” and so he didn’t pursue it professionally until his son inspired him years later. He had kept up on technology, software and tools, posting his artwork on Instagram, developing a following and even winning some competitions.

“A lot of kids out there may not feel like they are the best at art, or maybe they’re being pressured, like I was, to do something di erent,” he says. rough Innovators of Tomorrow, he provides a community outlet to help kids focus on their art-making skills.

Tisdale and his team of creatives lead the kids in understanding basic concepts, like color theory, alongside digital skills from website-building to logo-making. Students have free time at the end of each class to work on whatever they want using provided tools, like 3-D printers.

e free camp is held on Saturdays over the summer. To apply, kids submit a one-minute video explaining why they want to attend the camp and showcase their artwork.

Tisdale says, “We’re looking for personalities, we’re looking for people who are passionate about their art and want to take it somewhere else.”

Visit tisdalemarketingsolutions.com for more. tp

In 2024 Riverfield Country Day School published a book called “Curated Moments: Reggio-Inspired Classrooms for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos,” which digs into the Reggio Emilia approach developed in preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and how it has been translated into teaching and learning in Riverfield’s preschool. It’s all about inquiry, experimentation, creative expression, action and the social construction of knowledge, according to Jen Kesselring , head of Riverfield’s preschool division. It’s also about acknowledging the innate strengths and capabilities of children.

“Curated Moments” stresses that even very young children have a large capacity to “seek relationships and meaning, make connections and construct knowledge in complex and fascinating ways,” Kesselring says.

Head of School Jerry Bates emphasizes that Riverﬁeld, now in its 40th year, has become a strong point of reference for the Reggio Emilia approach, which he says is a philosophy, as well as a way of being and thinking about education. The school supports outside educators with professional development, articles, books, speaking engagements and college courses.

Bates says, “As we heard in our study group in Reggio Emilia in March 2023, ‘Education remains the ﬁrst line of defense in a tumultuous world,’ and we accept this challenge with fervor.”

With Reggio Emilia, educators want to foster a lifelong love of the learning process. “What better gift could Riverﬁeld offer young children than that?” adds Kesselring.

Find out more at riverﬁeld.org. tp

Preschool educator Tiffany Browning works with educators at the Curated Moments professional development initiative.

Lee Tisdale, standing, is the founder of Tisdale Marketing Solutions, which hosts a summer camp for kids interested in art and digital skills. Tisdale left a career in psychology to follow his artistic passions and create his marketing business.

Live and laugh

Nonproﬁ t fosters comedic arts in Tulsa.

BY HEATHER KOONTZ

For curious beginners and seasoned enthusiasts alike, Tulsa’s thriving arts scene o ers countless opportunities to learn new skills and step outside of comfort zones. One such opportunity is ird Space, an organization aimed at spreading laughter and the benets of play across the metro.

As an arts education nonpro t, ird Space provides an inclusive and accessible environment for exploring the comedic arts.

e organization was founded in 2023 when a group of women sought to create a safe space in a male-dominated comedy scene. Among the founders is Executive Director Melodie Coulter, a writer and comedian.

“We were putting a lot of physical and emotional labor into spaces where it was not appreciated,” Coulter says. “So, we gathered and set out to create a nonpro t space to engage in improv.”

Shortly after the organization’s launch its founders were invited to perform at Blue Whale Comedy Festival and asked to lead workshops at Tulsa Community College. ey’ve since appeared at Oklahoma Comic Con, Mayfest, Orbit Arts and Tulsa Pride. Following in the footsteps of female comedians before them, Coulter says ird Space hopes to build on improv comedy’s

roots in social work by o ering free workshops and classes for the local community. e classes, which usually have 10-25 participants, provide a unique opportunity for people to learn, practice and connect — often with dinner and free child care.

Coulter says the group hosts anyone with an interest in improv, including those who aren’t interested in performing but in exploring something new, making friends and opening up.

“Our projects di er from other programs in that we speci cally focus on those social aspects,” Coulter says. “Tulsa is full of talent, but it also has a lot of communities who would bene t from improv education. We serve individuals who are new to improv and can’t a ord traditional classes.”

With a goal of one day occupying a physical theater, the company currently o ers Open Plays at the omas K. McKeon Center for Creativity at TCC and free workshops at All Souls Unitarian Church. is October the organization will host its rst Make ‘Em Laugh, Oklahoma festival. Made possible by a grant from the TYPROS Foundation, the comedy festival will be free to the public and will highlight the many comedic talents of Oklahomans.

Learn more at thirdspacetulsa.org. tp

SOUND OFF

Ann Bell, “Queen of the Tulsa Sound” and a contemporary of the legendary Oklahoma musician, songwriter and producer Leon Russell, returns May 3 to headline the third annual Carney Fest. The festival, named in honor of Russell’s 1972 critically acclaimed album “Carney,” supports the mission of the nonproﬁ t Church Studio Music Foundation and celebrates all things Russell and Tulsa Sound-related with a full day of entertainment, vendors and music.

“I very clearly heard my precious friend and mentor Leon Russell speak into my spirit saying, ‘You got this my sister,’” says Bell of her invitation from Church Studio owner Teresa Knox to headline this year’s concert. “I knew then that this is going to be a glorious night of Tulsa historic music.”

More than 50 years after she began performing, Bell, a member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame who toured with Russell, continues to preach the gospel of the Tulsa Sound.

The event begins with a street party at the former home of Russell’s Shelter Records, The Church Studio, at 304 S. Trenton Ave. The day will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., ending with a concert at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St., where Bell will perform with her band The Tulsa Sound and special guests, including Paul Benjaman and Jim Sweney Johnny Mullenax opens the show.

Visit carneyfest.com for details. — JULIE WENGER WATSON

Katie Kunkel and Cory Foster, founding members of arts education nonprofit Third Space, workshop skills at a recent gathering at All Souls Unitarian Church while Executive Director Melodie Coulter, left, and Jared Coulter look on.

Ann Bell performs at last year’s Carney Fest.

Something for Everyone

Stargazing

Hotelier’s daughter mingled with celebrities and tycoons, growing up to become one of the city’s most generous Tulsans.

BY MICHAEL OVERALL

More than 5,000 people, waiting patiently for a train that arrived an hour late, burst into cheers as the locomotive nally pulled to a stop at the Frisco Station in downtown Tulsa. ree marching bands and a Marine Corps honor guard then escorted Norma Smallwood from her sleeping car to the steps of City Hall, where the mayor presented her with a huge bouquet of owers. at night — Sept. 30, 1926 — the glitzy new Mayo Hotel hosted a banquet for Smallwood, an 18-year-old with long, dark hair tied up in buns over her ears. And

the rst Oklahoman ever crowned Miss America.

Margery Mayo, meanwhile, was just 10 years old at the time. Her father, John Mayo, opened the hotel in 1925 along with his brother, Margery’s Uncle Cass, and its Crystal Ballroom had quickly become the go-to place for Tulsa’s grandest parties.

Guests included a Who’s Who of movie stars, celebrities and business tycoons, with everyone from Charlie Chaplin to J. Paul Getty staying there. Young Margery met so many famous people that it stopped making much of an impression on her. She would

admit later in life that she only vaguely recalled being introduced to Will Rogers.

“I just remember saying how happy I was to meet him and that’s about it,” she said in a Voices of Oklahoma interview.

omas Gilcrease, however, would prove to be more memorable.

e oilman and art collector fell in love with Smallwood in 1927, when he was 38 years old and she was 19. ey were married in a small, discreet ceremony in September 1928, but the romance between the beauty queen and the oil tycoon made headlines from coast to coast. e couple brie y lived at the Mayo Hotel, perhaps while Gilcrease’s sandstone mansion northwest of downtown was being redecorated.

By 1944 Gilcrease’s acclaimed art collection was open to the public, but hardly anyone noticed. e museum, originally organized in a converted barn, avoided publicity during World War II, and local newspapers stated that “only a few people know about it.”

e o cial grand opening didn’t come until May 1949, when Gilcrease was 59 and divorced. By then Margery was 33 and married to Don Feagin, a champion boxer and co-founder of Feagin Oil.

Gilcrease faded from the headlines while Margery made regular appearances on local society pages. Dedicating herself to philanthropy, she took a special interest in art and history, supporting Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa Historical Society and, of course, the Gilcrease.

Margery invested decades of her life volunteering, raising funds, generating publicity and serving on various committees to bene t the Gilcrease and other Tulsa institutions, earning a Governor’s Arts Award in 2006 for contributions to the arts in Oklahoma.

e Tulsa Hall of Fame had inducted her in 2002. Without her and countless other relentless supporters over the years, the Gilcrease wouldn’t now be preparing to reopen in 2026 bigger and better than ever after a $139 million reconstruction project.

After her rst husband died in 1987, she married business leader Jim Bird in 1992 and became widely known as Margery Mayo Bird. She died Aug. 29, 2012, at age 95, with much of her own legacy intertwined with one of the famous men she had met as a young girl at her father’s hotel. tp

Donald Feagin and Margery Mayo Feagin sit at a table in the San Souci Restaurant in Havana, Cuba, in 1939.

OF THE 918 PROFILES

ART SPOT

Small pieces, big impact

Annual TAC art show and fundraiser hits 25-year milestone.

In mid-March Dean Wyatt had already begun working on his submission for the upcoming Tulsa Artists’ Coalition 5x5 Show and Sale. Surrounded by other works-in-progress in his studio that sits along Route 66, easels and walls are ﬁlled with canvases speckled and coated in acrylics, his medium of choice. Wyatt’s work is abstract expressionism — his interpretation of both landscapes and the concept of transit, movement and the passing of time. “All things that we go through in life,” he says.

Wyatt is one of more than 250 artists who typically participate in the annual show and sale that TAC started 25 years ago to help fund the artist-led gallery. Wyatt speculates the fundraiser was inspired by the 12x12 show originated by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. The Tulsa 5x5 version was a hit. “From there the show took off on its own momentum,” Wyatt says. Artists create original works on canvases or wooden panels measuring 5-by-5 inches in size. He says the sale is popular as it provides access to purchasing affordable, original art by many known artists.

TAC was founded in 1986 to provide a community space to support local artists with exhibitions. “It was important then and now,” says Wyatt, who served as president of the organization for 16 years.

Throughout the year the gallery, located at 9 E. Reconciliation Way, hosts monthly exhibitions for local artists, with the occasional regional or international guest artist. Wyatt says the organization fosters member engagement, workshops and support. “As an artist you can feel like you are on your own little island,” he says, emphasizing that this show and sale is “about giving back to an organization that beneﬁ ts artists.”

The 5x5 show will be on display May 2-17. TAC multimedia artist Gina Alusi has created nine separate 20-inch canvases that can ﬁ t together in a 5-by-5-foot display. These nine canvases will be part of a silent auction. Visit tacgallery.org for more. — ANNE BROCKMAN

Tulsa Artists’ Coalition past president and current board member Dean Wyatt is one of several hundred artists whose work will be sold in the upcoming 25th anniversary 5x5 Show and Sale benefiting the longtime arts organization.

DANCE OF THE TWO MOONS On March 1 nearly 500 guests gathered for Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa’s annual fundraising event, Dance of the Two Moons, which raised more than $200,000 for the nonproﬁt that provides health and wellness services tailored to the Indigenous community.

BRAINIAC BALL Brainiac Ball, hosted at Arvest Convention Center, was a dreamy evening that featured trivia, aerial silk performances and more, raising over $750,000 for Family and Children’s Services. Pictured at the March 1 event are Ted and Kimberly Osgood and 2025 Event Chairs Kara and Andrew Field.

$1,350,500 in proceeds to go toward their continued work of making sure individuals with stigmatized conditions have equal opportunities for

May charitable events

COMPILED BY MADISON WALTERS

2 2nd Chance Prom: Fire and Ice

Beneﬁts Youth Services of Tulsa. yst2ndchanceprom.com

FORE! Tulsa Golf Tournament

Beneﬁts Junior League of Tulsa. jltulsa.org

Monarch Ball

Beneﬁts Domestic Violence Intervention Services. themonarchball.com

2-4 Germanfest

Beneﬁts German-American Society of Tulsa. gastulsa.org

3 The Bloom Event

Beneﬁts Humble Warrior Collective. humblewarriorcollective.org

Party with Paws

Beneﬁts Pause 4 Paws. pause4pawsok.com

Great Strides Walk

Beneﬁts The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. tulsa.cff.org

Red, White and Black Masquerade

Beneﬁts Union Schools Education Foundation. unionfoundation.org

Rock the House: Neon Rodeo

Beneﬁts Green Country Habitat for Humanity. rockthehousetulsa.org

Run for the Roses

Beneﬁts Tulsa Boys’ Home. tulsaboyshome.org

Runway Run: Galaxy Dash

Beneﬁts Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. tulsamuseum.org

Spring Fair and Bazaar

Beneﬁts Bailey Education Foundation. baileyeducationfoundation.com

3-18 Designer Showcase

Beneﬁts Foundation for Tulsa Schools and Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa. tulsahba.com

6 Appetite for Construction: Viva La Fiesta

Beneﬁts Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa. tulsahba.com

7 “The Curse of Stigma” Screening

Beneﬁts Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. oica.org

9 Scholarship Banquet

Beneﬁts Lindy Waters III Foundation. lwiiifoundation.com

10 Garden Gala

Beneﬁts A New Leaf. anewleaf.org

Garden Party

Beneﬁts Little Light House. littlelighthouse.org

16 Conservation on Tap

Beneﬁts Tulsa Zoo. tulsazoo.org/tap

Freedom Balls Golf Tournament

Beneﬁts Eagle Ops. eagleops.org

Noshville

Beneﬁts Big Brothers Big Sisters. noshville.org

17 Aviator Ball: A Night of Flight Beneﬁts Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. tulsamuseum.org

Grand Opening for St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway

Beneﬁts St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. stjude.org

19 Frank R. Rhoades Golf Classic

Beneﬁts Tulsa Boys’ Home. tulsaboyshome.org

27 Bunco for a Cause

Beneﬁts A New Leaf — Owasso and Bailey Education Foundation. baileyeducationfoundation.com

29 Reconciliation in American National Symposium: Part 2

Beneﬁts John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation. jhfnationalsymposium.org

30 The Party: Just Wear White

Beneﬁts Family and Children’s Services. thepartyok.com

30-June 5 Especially for Kids Festival

Beneﬁts OKM Music. okmmusic.org

31 Inspire: A Night of Entertainment

Beneﬁts The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. tulsacenter.org

Tulsa Parkinson’s Alliance Rally Walk

Beneﬁts Oklahoma Parkinson’s Alliance. oklahomapa.org

RED RIBBON GALA On March 8 Tulsa CARES hosted its black-tie affair Red Ribbon Gala at Arvest Convention Center, raising

healthy living.

ǔ Location and

ǔ Upcoming

TULSA TIME WARP

From excess to access

STORY AND COMPOSITE IMAGE BY

PATRICK MCNICHOLAS

In the rst decade of the 1900s the oil elds outside of Tulsa consisted of drilling operations primarily focused on producing oil but also contending with an excess of natural gas. With no market for the gas in this part of the territory, it was wasted or burned o by producers.

A group of entrepreneurs who worked with Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. realized an opportunity to bring the resource to parts of the state that lacked it. In turn they started Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. in 1906, choosing the name before statehood.

As the company grew, ONG acquired many smaller local service providers and producers. By the late 1920s the company moved its headquarters to Tulsa.

In 1928 the company opened an exquisite general o ce building on the corner of Seventh Street and Boston Avenue. e 10-story building was designed by architect Arthur M. Atkinson, who was given freedom to incorporate elaborate and lavish details into the building’s interior and exterior.

It has been considered one of the rst art deco buildings in Tulsa, even though

at the time the term art deco had not been de ned. Today it is known as a great example of the Zig-Zag style.

e building was completed 14 months before the great stock market crash of 1929 that led to the Great Depression and a dramatic change from the architectural curiosity of the 1920s.

ONG utilized the building for more than 50 years before relocating to a new location. e building subsequently saw a series of owners and renovations. In 1984 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. tp

The Oklahoma Natural Gas Building at 624 S. Boston Ave. seen as it was in the 1950s. In the background on the left is the Alvin Hotel (demolished in 1976) and on the right is the Chamber of Commerce building.

Telling all of Tulsa’s stories

Tulsa Historical Society and Museum changes its name and programming to increase attendance and knowledge about our city’s past.

BY MICHAEL OVERALL

In June 1930 airport manager Charles Short Jr. erected a makeshift, handwritten chalkboard sign announcing Tulsa Municipal Airport had received a record 11,009 passengers that month, making it the busiest landing site in the world. e nearest competitor, London’s Croyden Airdrome, saw a measly 8,254 passengers that June, according to Short’s sign. Tulsa, the undisputed Oil Capital of the World in the early ’30s, was also the Air Tra c Capital. But not for long.

Long-range aircraft reduced the need for coast-to-coast ights to land and refuel in Oklahoma, and Chicago Midway would knock Tulsa Municipal o its perch in 1931. e city’s brief reign as the world’s busiest air hub became a largely forgotten episode in Tulsa history.

A photo of Short’s chalk message, however, survived in the collection of the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, stored along with nearly 400,000 other records and artifacts in the basement of the old Samuel Travis mansion, 2445 S. Peoria Ave.

David H. Goldenberg, THSM CEO and executive director, recently brought the photo upstairs to display as part of a new monthly rotating exhibit — Collection Chronicles — designed to show o more of the collection. Other items recently on rotation have included Tulsa attorney Patrick Hurley ’s cowboy hat, which he wore on trips around the world — rst as secretary of War under President Herbert Hoover, then as U.S. ambassador to China under Harry Truman Goldenberg says Hurley was also ambassador to New Zealand, a title Roosevelt made up for the Tulsan to spy in Asia.

More recently the rotating exhibit featured a school bell from Alsuma, a segregated community that sat between Tulsa and Broken Arrow before the small town was absorbed into suburban sprawl.

A photograph of Charles Short Jr.’s chalkboard sign at Tulsa Municipal Airport.

“We decided the collection isn’t something that’s static, that should be two oors below your feet and never see the light of day,” Goldenberg says. “We decided, ‘How can we pick things that would be interesting to the public and bring them out?’”

Accompanied by an informative newsletter that is mailed to members, the rotating monthly exhibit o ers a preview of Goldenberg’s larger e ort to reimagine the organization’s mission, which includes a name change.

“ e word ‘society’ made it sound like a private club, and you’ve got this mansion up on a hill that screams out, ‘society,’” he says. “You want every Tulsan to want to come here, but the name (was) somewhat hampering that.”

THSM had been discussing a name change for several years, according to Board President Cray Bauxmont-Flynn

“It’s just a question the board and the employees and sta , and (also) the public, have all asked,” Bauxmont-Flynn says. “‘Society’ means something to a lot of people, which doesn’t really t what we are. We wanted to make sure that the name was well-associated to what this institution stands for.”

After six decades of being known as Tulsa Historical Society, it’s now the Museum of Tulsa History.

“It’s fantastic for those who don’t know about us,” Bauxmont-Flynn says. “It’s surprising that people in Tulsa still do not know we exist. ey have no idea or inclination we exist whatsoever. ey think we’re just another old house.”

While Goldenberg didn’t start the discussion, he made the nal push for the name change once he became executive director in June 2024 after retiring as a professor and dean at the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

Renaming and rebranding an organization that dates to 1963 will, of course,

require new signage and even a new logo. Directional signs bearing the new name are already in place along Peoria Avenue.

“We’re ahead of the curve,” Goldenberg says, noting many historical societies across the country are making or considering similar name changes. “It’s a national trend.”

‘THE ONLY PLACE’

One of the “Five Moons” sculptures, which depict ve world-famous Native American ballerinas from mid-century Oklahoma, disappeared from the Historical Society’s lawn in April 2022 only to be found in pieces a few days later at a recycling center.

In October 2023 the fully restored statue of Marjorie Tallchief was unveiled. United once again, the ve graceful statues appear to be dancing in mid-air above a patch of tall grass on the museum’s grounds. is month Goldenberg plans to install 150word plaques to describe who each of the ballerinas were in both English and each dancer’s Native language. QR codes will link visitors with more detailed information. Prior to the new signage, the exhibit o ered only the dancers’ names.

Whether it’s a museum visitor or a Chautauqua attendee stepping out from under the giant tent at this year’s Roaring ’20s-themed event to take in the statues, Goldenberg says “(imagine) somebody is down there, and they say, ‘OK, there’s ( Moscelyne) Larkin or ( Maria and Marjorie) Tallchief.’ But then (they) ask the question, ‘So what?’ ere isn’t a story.”

e mission has always been to preserve Tulsa history and teach people about it, but the teaching part has not always received the emphasis it deserved, Goldenberg says.

Left, Museum of Tulsa History CEO and Executive Director David H. Goldenberg and Board President Cray BauxmontFlynn stand by Standard Oil Co.’s original board of directors’ table that was used by John D. Rockefeller. In January 1957 the table was gifted to Henry Zarrow before ultimately being donated to the museum. Right, one of the “Five Moons” sculptures.

FROM the ARCHIVES

The Museum of Tulsa History’s collection contains nearly 400,000 items spanning from documents and textiles to photographs, books, architectural elements, furnishings and personal artifacts related to Tulsa’s rich past.

— ANNE BROCKMAN

Enrollment certiﬁcate dated April 3, 1913, and issued to Thomas Gilcrease from the commissioner of the Five Civilized Tribes. Gilcrease’s allotment on the Glenn Pool oilﬁeld led him to amass great wealth, allowing him to purchase and become owner of the nation’s most comprehensive collection of art of the American West.

Police Capt.

the world’s

Dec. 21, 1950.

of wood, the keystone-shaped sign is painted orange and black and was installed at the intersection of First Street and Columbia Avenue.

U.S.

Changing that will be part of the rebranding e ort, too.

“You want something that, no matter who comes in this building they leave with a sense of the history of Tulsa,” Goldenberg says.

Toward that goal the Museum of Tulsa History will launch a new permanent exhibit by 2028 titled “Telling All of Tulsa’s Stories.”

It will include “the good, the di cult and the bad” of what has made Tulsa the city it is, Goldenberg says.

“If you go around the country to citybased museums, they usually have something which tells the story of that city,” he adds, “and that’s the vision of where we want to be in the long run.”

In the meantime, the MOTH will host rotating exhibits that will ensure a steady stream of fresh material to attract visitors. One planned for next year will showcase a cooperative e ort between the museum and Tulsa’s three major tribal nations. Tentatively named “ ree Nations, One City,” the exhibit will describe how Tulsa has helped shape and been shaped by the histories of the Osage, Muscogee (Creek) and Cherokee Nations, with tribal o cials fully participating in designing the displays.

“ is story can’t be told anywhere else in the country,” says Bauxmont-Flynn, a Cherokee Nation citizen. “ is is where three tribal nations converge into one city. Tulsa is the only place this happens in the U.S.”

COLLABORATION, NOT COMPETITION

Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum, with the world’s largest collection of art and artifacts from the American West, plans to reopen in fall 2026 after a $139 million reconstruction project. By 2027 museum o cials hope it attracts half a million visitors a year — more than ve times the tra c it generated before closing in 2021.

Meanwhile, it’s nearby neighbor Philbrook Museum of Art attracts more than 160,000 visitors a year. Downtown’s Greenwood Rising, the museum dedicated to the history of downtown Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, counts 40,000-50,000 guests per year.

e MOTH can either be overshadowed by the city’s other booming museums or it can ride the wave, Goldenberg says.

“We’re the only one with the power and artifacts to tell the totality of the history of Tulsa,” he says. “ at’s why we’re absolutely essential.”

Goldenberg hopes to form some kind of Tulsa museum association that will help the various institutions work collaboratively when resources are in danger — everything from joint exhibits to shared purchasing power of supplies might be possible. April’s edition of the Collection Chronicles featuring the 13th Armored Division during World War II is an example, Goldenberg says. “I could not imagine that we would exhibit something about the liberators of Buchenwald Concentration Camp and not have the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art as our partner.”

Downstairs from his o ce, Goldenberg’s footsteps echo through the halls of the Travis mansion as he makes his way toward the exit. It has been a quiet afternoon at the museum. Too quiet for Goldenberg. He doesn’t want to hear his own footsteps very often when this place becomes commonly known as the Museum of Tulsa History.

“It’s not a library,” Goldenberg says. “ ere should be laughter, talking — no shushing. You want (it) to feel not like a museum is a static, holy place, but rather lively, where people want to come to be entertained and enjoy themselves.” tp

and mail

Tulsa

Clinton Riggs created

ﬁrst yield sign on

Made

This

Post Ofﬁce window

slots were used in Tulsa’s first post office located in George Perryman’s home near 34th Street and Trenton Avenue. It contains 163 total mail slots. Perryman (Muscogee) served as Tulsa’s first postmaster from March 25, 1879-Dec. 27, 1885.

The Samuel Travis mansion shortly after construction in the 1920s.

SNAPSHOTS OF SUMMER

1. Grab a selﬁe with the friendly giants of Route 66 — Stella Atom, Buck Atom, Meadow Gold Mack and, soon, Cowboy Bob. buckatomson66.com

2. Climb the largest natural stone staircase in Oklahoma at Turkey Mountain. riverparks.org/ experience/turkey-mountain

3. Swing by Slate Sourdough for a starter kit containing all you need to make your own perfect loaf at home. slatesourdough.com

4. Berry and flower picking at Joe’s Farm is a favorite summer activity. Strawberries, blackberries and flowers are available depending on the month. We recommend arriving when it opens for lower temperatures and fresh first picks. joesfarmok.com

5. It’s a Tulsa summertime institution: Josh’s Sno Shack. Hit up its nine area locations for a treat to cool you down. You can’t go wrong with Josh’s Remix — a combination of kiwi, mango and passion fruit ﬂavors. Or try the Firecracker, with cinnamon, passion fruit and pink champagne. joshssnoshack.com

BY MADELINE CRAWFORD AND MADISON WALTERS

6. With good food, local retail and space to gather, Mother Road Market is a community hub on Route 66. Everyone will have a favorite vendor, from Howdy Burger to Leroux’s Kitchen. Plus, mini golf! motherroadmarket.com

7. Go for a plunge at the Herman and Kate Kaiser YMCA. The pool has a two-story slide and zipline across the water, making it the ultimate swim spot for older kids. ymcatulsa.org/hermanandkate

8. Settle in for a double feature under the setting sun at Admiral Twin Drive-In. Be sure to grab some nachos at the concession stand. admiraltwindrivein.com

9. Try a new ﬂavor at Big Dipper Creamery. Pony Boy — malted vanilla ice cream with swirls of chocolate sauce and brownies — is a classic. bigdipperok.com

10. A rainbow of holds speckle the 50-foot walls of Climb Tulsa like confetti. Climbers can boulder or belay no matter their level of expertise. climbtulsa.com

11. Meet some friends for a Tour-de-Pint on the corner of Sixth and Utica, where breweries America Solera, Cabin Boys Brewery and Marshall Brewing Co. all converge. americansolera. com, cabinboysbrewery.com, marshallbrewing.com

12. Tulsa Farmers’ Market is a must for certiﬁed Oklahomagrown products, including veggies, fruits, meats, ﬂowers and more. Open Saturdays from 7-11 a.m. at Kendall Whittier, 1 S. Lewis Ave. tulsafarmersmarket.org

13. Summer equals Tulsa Drillers baseball games at ONEOK Field. Grab yourself a lawn ticket for $7 and tell Hornsby we sent you. tulsadrillers.com

14. Tulsa shows off its pedal power with the three-day cycling extravaganza Tulsa Tough on June 6-8. tulsatough.com

15. Discovery Lab offers a world of science and learning through interactive exhibits, crafting and experiments. More than just a children’s museum, it is fun for all ages. discoverylab.org

#9 Staying cool with a scoop of pony boy from big dipper

16. Wander through the Five Moons Garden at the Museum of Tulsa History. The bronze Five Moons sculptures honor the American Indian Ballerinas in their signature ballet pieces. Learn more about changes at the museum on p.27. tulsahistory.org

17. Tulsa Zoo’s Cox Nature Exchange invites visitors to bring natural found treasures and trade them for other artifacts from the zoo’s collection. The program uses a points system based on item rarity and knowledge to exchange bones, shells, rocks and bugs from the zoo. tulsazoo.org

18. Explore the 45 acres of Woodward Park, perfect for a stroll through its two Rock Gardens and Rose Garden, then relax on a velvety-green stretch of grass under 100-year-old trees. tulsagardencenter.org/ park-overview

19. A truly made-from-scratch meal, Gambill’s Pastaria and Grocery offers fresh pastas, pizzas, tiramisu and Italian-inspired brews. tulsapasta.com

20. Downtown Jenks is bustling! Check out shops like Cedar and Lily, dine at City Hall Steakhouse or listen to live music at Maggie’s Music Box. There’s so much to explore. jenks.com

21. FC Tulsa celebrates 10 years as the city’s premier professional soccer team. Don your gold and cheer on the team at ONEOK Field. fctulsa.com

22. Visit Tulsa Air and Space Museum for a robust tour of aircraft displays, simulators and space artifacts, plus a full-dome planetarium showcasing space visuals in high-deﬁnition. tulsamuseum.org

23. If you are looking for more than just a good book, try a book club at Magic City Books. The clubs cover true crime, BookTok, bookseller’s choice and more. magiccitybooks.com

24. Spend a day on Cherry Street with its chic boutiques, luxurious self-care services and plenty of dining opportunities. What are you craving? There’s highend Italian at Prossimo and Sapori, family-style pizza at Hideaway, unbeatable burgers at Society, Irish fare at Kilkenny’s or different takes on Mexican at Holé Molé, Chimi’s and Mi Cocina. facebook.com/cherrysttulsa

25. Get lost for hours in the aisles of Gardner’s Used Books and Comics. Fantasy, romance, westerns, children’s, horror, comics. We wish it was open on Sundays. gardnersbooks.com

26. Start an annual summer photo tradition next to the iconic Golden Driller to measure how much your family grows and changes over the years. exposquare.com

27. While Decopolis sells souvenirs, books, gifts, toys, treats and more, the store itself is also a whimsical sight to behold. With an art deco mini museum, Tulsa visitor center and even dinosaurs, it is a spot to get lost in. decopolis.net

28. Grab a cup of giddy-up at Pony Coffee located in G. Oscar Herron ’s former bike shop. The patio is spacious, and the coffee is quality. ponycoffee.com

29. Filming site of the legendary ﬁlm “The Outsiders,” The Outsiders House Museum preserves the story behind the 1983 classic. Take a tour and grab some iconic merch to match. theoutsidershouse.com

#67 Crepes from Wildflower Cafe, get in my belly!

#30 colorful cookies from Pancho Anaya

#51 Coffee and cuddles at Don’t Stress Meowt

#16 Explore Five Moons and the rest of the Museum of Tulsa History

#25 getting lost in gardner’s

#38 Pop a top in a new shirt from ida red

#58 ReFresh, relax and rejuvinate at poppi’s

30. With three locations, you are never too far from Pancho Anaya pastries. The colorful Mexican cookies are a treat for the eyes (and taste buds!). panchoanaya.com

31. Summertime equals patio time. Head downtown and eat and drink at our favorite al fresco spots: In the Raw Vu, En Fuego, Bohemian Woodﬁre Pizza and Pasta, Fassler Hall and Saturn Room.

32. Beat the hump day blues with music on the lawn every Wednesday at Cedar Rock Inn. Bring your lawn chair! facebook.com/cedarrockinntulsa

33. Williams Crossing Bridge is the latest addition to take in the view of the Arkansas River, aka Zink Lake. We recommend taking a scooter ride from the Midland Valley Trail, through Gathering Place and across the new bridge for a great view. riverparks.org

34. Spend the day and night at one of our three local casino resorts. Learn more on p. 52. hardrockcasinotulsa.com, osagecasino.com, riverspirittulsa.com

35. With summers so hot and so much to do at Paradise Beach Water Park, go ahead and grab a season pass. The lazy river, big wave pool, splash pads and high-speed slides make it a refreshing destination. paradisebeach.com

36. Grab a puffy taco and hibiscus margarita, then enjoy the show at Elote’s Saturday drag brunch the second Saturday of the month. It’s a new theme each time, but always starring the queens! elotetulsa.com

37. Country Bird Bakery is known for its regionally sourced grains and long (but worth the wait!) lines on Saturday mornings. Guarantee your loaf by joining their Bread Club for a unique loaf pre-ordered each week. countrybirdbakery.com

38. Ida Red is the spot for Okie merch. Our favorites are the shirts: from QT pride to Phantasmagoria nostalgia, there will be a shirt to showcase your local niche love. idaredgeneralstore.com

39. Overlooking Tulsa’s skyline, Chandler Park is 192 acres of hiking, baseball diamonds, picnic areas and miniature golf — plus one of the best splash pads in town. facebook.com/chandlerparktulsa

40. Woody Guthrie Center is hosting the “Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit” to explore the genre’s cultural impact through music, fashion, media, activism and more. The GRAMMY Museum exhibit runs through Sept. 7. woodyguthriecenter.org

41. Broken Arrow’s Rose District is poppin’ any time of year, but the summer is special. Hit the farmers market on Saturday morning or visit the popular fountains and splash pad nearby. rosedistrict.com

42. Animal Rescue Foundation of Tulsa is always looking for volunteers to give their dogs some much needed enrichment time through walks and playtimes. arftulsa.org/volunteer

43. Spend a day at Gathering Place. Play at Adventure Playground. Grab a treat at the Lodge or enjoy a picnic at Picnic Grove. gatheringplace.org

44. With over 10,000 animals and 500 species, Oklahoma Aquarium offers plenty of opportunities to get up close with the ﬁshes. Feed jellyﬁsh, stingrays, turtles, sharks and our favorite, Seamore the loggerhead sea turtle. okaquarium.org

45. Picking one thing to do at Philbrook Museum of Art feels like picking a favorite piece of art: impossible. Instead, become a member. Unlimited general admission, discounted exhibit prices, access to member-only events and more. philbrook.org

46. The Church Studio hosts a rotating roster of local musicians during Tunes at Noon on Tuesday and Saturday. Tickets include museum admission, so be sure to block out more than one hour to appreciate the Tulsa Sound. thechurchstudio.com

47. Known for full service fueling and a wide selection of fresh foods, Reeder’s Auto and Tire is the spot for trending candy and treats. Fill up on snacks while you ﬁll up on gas. reederstulsa.com

48. Stop by local staple Savoy for a sweet or savory breakfast. Made from scratch daily since 1918, the casual spot is open seven days a week. We love the Farmer’s Breakfast for a savory option, and of course the cinnamon rolls for the sweet. eatsavoy.com

49. See a concert at Cain’s Ballroom. Pick a show, any show, and it’s a good time. If you’ve never been, it’s considered one of the best music venues in America, so it’s a must-visit. cainsballroom.com

50. Take a docent-led tour at Greenwood Rising. The museum is divided into four parts, highlighting the spirit of the Greenwood District, the oppression and 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the community’s resilience and prospects for reconciliation. greenwoodrising.org

51. Meet your new furry best friend at Don’t Stress Meowt, Tulsa’s only cat cafe. Have a fun play time with adoptable cats in the lounge (reservations required). dontstressmeowt-catcafe.com/tulsa

52. Spend a night under the “scum” lights of Whittier Bar attending a concert by local, regional and even international bands. thewhittierbar.com

53. Tulsa Botanic Garden is an oasis during the summer. Explore its latest addition, the Jim and Cherry Bost Arboretum, which has over 100 types of trees. tulsabotanic.org

54. Looking for a night of hometown honky tonk? Step out for Tulsey Town Two Step, an evening starting with a dance lesson and lasting into the night with a full band and a good time. instagram.com/ tulseytown2step

55. Make Sunday a music fun-day. Start with Bluegrass Brunch at Mercury Lounge then head over to The Colony for Shoegaze Sunday with Manta Rays, followed by Paul Benjaman ’s Sunday Night Thang. mercuryloungetulsa.com, thetulsacolony.com

56. The food and drink at Noche Woodﬁred Grill and Agave Bar really are that good. Celebrating the taste of Mexico City, you can’t miss on their menu. Start with the house-made guacamole. eatdrinknoche.com

57. Legendary Wu-Tang Clan stops by the BOK Center for their Wu-Tang Clan Forever: The Final Chamber tour on June 16. Run the Jewels opens the show that you will not want to miss. bokcenter.com

58. We love the lounge pass from Poppi’s Spa and Lounge. Two-hour access to the sauna, salt room, color pod and nourish bar will leave you feeling rejuvenated. tulsapoppi.com

59. Jenkins and Co. is a true mixture of goods. From homeware to jewelry and skin care, the Route 66 staple is for shoppers looking for a handmade or thoughtful gift. jenkinsandcotulsa.com

60. Learn a new craft with one of Garden Deva’s many workshops. From ring-making to painting and metalworking, Garden Deva is a crafter’s paradise. gardendeva.com

61. Knock ‘em down at Dust Bowl Lanes and Lounge. The retro bowling alley is fun with friends or co-workers with shareable food options. dustbowllounge.com

62. Tulsa Symphony celebrates a ﬁrst: Andrea Bocelli performs with the symphony and Maestro Steven Mercurio on June 15 at BOK Center. tulsasymphony.org

63. Tina’s opens at 3 p.m., perfect for knocking off work early to enjoy a burger and fries that rival McDonald’s, plus their signature light lager. tinastulsa.com

64. Livy Lu sports-chic merch for supporting area collegiate teams. Located in the Pearl District, the shop also sells band tees and Oklahoma-themed designs that are just plain cute. shoplivylu.com

65. Zip through the treetops with POSTOAK Canopy Tour Zipline or Treetop Adventure Park. The new adventure park opens June 9. The zipline runs Wednesday-Sunday and guarantees adventure and views of the Osage Hills. postoaklodge.com/ zipline-tours

66. Summer’s Fifth Night sets the mood with live local music at free open-air concerts. Every Thursday during the summer at Utica Square, you can relax on the lawn or dance by the stage. uticasquare.com

67. Wildflower Cafe has delicate flavors with hearty portions. While every bite is delicious, we love their veggie crepes. Now open for dinner! wildfl owercafetulsa.com

68. Grab a scoop of Cherry and Almond Bark from Cherry and Bark. Made with local ingredients, our favorite ﬂavor mixes a cherry compote and semisweet toasted almond bark in an almond ﬂavored vanilla base. cherryandbark.com

69. In between “Wicked” movie releases, appreciate the Broadway musical that it was adapted from at Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Celebrity Attractions brings the Broadway sensation to town from May 28-June 15. celebrityattractions.com

70. Go for a spin and ride the indoor Ferris wheel at Scheels. Shop for sporting goods while there then visit the rest of Woodland Hills Mall. scheels.com

86. Spending more time inside because of the heat? Make your home’s walls more vibrant with a new piece of art. Shop local galleries like The Hulett Collection, Joseph Gierek Fine Art, Liggett Studio and M.A. Doran for that perfect piece. thehulettcollection.com, gierek.com, liggettstudio.com, madorangallery.com

87. From a single session to six-week courses, Tulsa Glassblowing School has been educating Tulsans on the ways of ﬁre and glass since 2007. Step into the heat, learn a new skill and take home your creation. tulsaglassblowing.org

88. With three playgrounds, a pool, an 18-hole golf course, baseball ﬁelds, croquet, ﬁshing ponds and a tennis center, all surrounded by a 5K running track, LaFortune Park is an entertainment destination for the whole family. tulsacounty.org/parks/parksfacilities/lafortune-park

89. The bright mint sign signaling coffee and doughnuts will get you to turn in, and the delicious donuts will bring you back. Livi Lee and Co. Donuts sells classic sweet ﬂavors and sausage rolls made fresh daily. livilees.com

90. Everyone and their grandma are playing pickleball this summer. Grab your paddle and head over to Ace Pickleball Club for an air-conditioned match. acepickleballclub.com/broken-arrow-ok

91. With concerts, festivals, markets, ﬁ tness classes, and movies in rotation at Guthrie Green, one constant is also always there for your mid-week slump: Food Truck Wednesday, which runs through June. guthriegreen.com

92. Celebrating one year in August, Tulsa Premium Outlets have become the place to shop big brands and ﬁnd good deals. With over 75 shops, the outlet is fun to promenade on a sunny day. premiumoutlets. com

93. Take a hike at one of Oxley Nature Center’s many trails spanning nearly nine miles overall. Try the Meadowlark Prairie Trail, which leads through prairie ﬂowers and tall grasses — a good path to look for butterﬂies in the summer. oxleynaturecenter.org

94. If you are looking for a refreshment QuikTrip has your drink. Grab a Cherry Limeade Slushie or a can of Quittin’ Time beer, crafted by Marshall Brewing Co. Cool down and drink up. quiktrip.com

95. Beat the heat and head inside to catch a ﬁlm at Circle Cinema. Recurring events like Noir Nights and Graveyard Shift, along with today’s feature releases, make it a hot ticket. Don’t forget the popcorn! circlecinema.org

96. Red Heat Ceramics Art Studio offers six-weeklong courses to hone your wheel throwing skills. The beginner classes explore basic form and the joys of creating with clay. redheatceramics.com

97. Pick up the latest releases or some vintage tunes at Tulsa’s local record shops like Josey Records, Starship Records and Tapes, and Studio Records. joseyrecords.com, facebook.com/ starshiprecordz , studiorecordstulsa.com

98. Are you still looking for more to do this summer? Subscribe to TulsaPeople’s print edition and e-newsletter to know what to do, every day! tulsapeople.com tp

#71 Shop for vintage goods at Love Me Two Times

#90 Dinkin’ around at ace Pickleball club

#83 Strike a pose in fashion from Black Sheep Boutique

RED-HOT ROSTER

April 26-June 1

OKLAHOMA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

Travel back to 1569 at the annual Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. Attendees are encouraged to dress up and enjoy a wide range of events like full contact jousting, birds of prey shows and more. Open Saturdays, Sundays and Memorial Day. Castle of Muskogee, 3400 W. Fern Mountain Road, Muskogee • okcastle.com

May 2-4

GERMANFEST

Enjoy authentic German food, music, dancing and fun at this all-ages German cultural festival that has become a spring staple in Tulsa. German-American Society of Tulsa, 2301 E. 15th St. • gastulsa.org

May 3-5

ELOTE’S CINCO DE MAYO STREET FESTIVAL

This free street festival features luchador wrestling, Cumbia dance parties, puffy tacos, kids activities, a corn cob derby and more for the whole family! Elote Cafe and Catering, 514 S. Boston Ave. • elotetulsa.com

May 4

BOB CHILDERS’ GYPSY CAFE

May 15-17

THE BLACK WALL STREET RALLY

This three-day celebration provides attendees with the opportunity to experience the Greenwood District’s historic sites and enjoy a well-organized motorcycle rally and festival. Greenwood District, Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street • blackwallstreetrally.com

Live music fans ﬂock to music venues in Stillwater to hear 70-plus musicians share songs and stories. Multiple venues in Stillwater. • reddirtrelieffund.org/ gypsycafe

May 9-11

MAYFEST

Get ready for three days of family-friendly fun with more than 150 visual artists, live music — including headliners Kaitlin Butts and Madison Ryann Ward — and tons of food vendors. Tulsa Arts District • tulsamayfest.org

May 15-17

BBQ AND BLUES FESTIVAL

The quintessential summer event returns with barbecue tastings, spirited blues performances and fun carnival rides, along with a kids zone. Washington Irving Memorial Park, 13700 S. Memorial Drive, Bixby • bixbyrotarybbq.com

May 15-18

ROOSTER DAYS FESTIVAL

Rooster Days is a four-day festival ﬁlled with carnival rides, food trucks, an outdoor/indoor vendor marketplace, 5K and 1-mile fun runs, a parade and more. Central Park on Main, 1500 S. Main St., Broken Arrow • roosterdays.com

May 16

NIGHT MARKET

May is Asian American and Paciﬁc Islander Heritage Month, and what better way to celebrate than visiting the Night Market, an outdoor extravaganza featuring lion dancers, food and so much more. 1801 S. Garnett Road • globaldistrict.org

May 22-July 31

SUMMER’S FIFTH NIGHT

Weekly concerts continue every Thursday with a different artist ranging in genres like country, rock and indie. Utica Square, 21st Street and Utica Avenue • uticasquare. com/events/summers-ﬁ fth-night

Whether you’re in the mood for music, food, games or cultural entertainment — find your fun at these summer festivals.

BY MADISON WALTERS

May 30-June 1

C-BEAT

C-Beat is a weekend of DIY music, art and workshops. This free festival will also include various fun community games. Various locations in Tulsa. • instagram.com/c.beat.ok

May 30-June 8

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS FESTIVAL

Enjoy 10 days full of engaging books, creative crafts and thrilling concerts featuring lively performances. Various locations in Bartlesville. • okmmusic.org

May 31

BLACK WALL STREET LEGACY FESTIVAL

Attend a series of events spread over four days commemorating the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Greenwood District, Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street • blackwallstreetlegacyfest.com

June 6

T.E.G. INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FEST

The T.E.G. International Jazz Fest coincides with Tulsa Arts District’s monthly First Friday Art Crawl for a night of breathtaking art in different mediums. Guthrie Green, 111 E. Reconciliation Way • internationaljazzfest. wordpress.com

June 6-8

OKM MUSIC FESTIVAL

OKM Music Festival is a vibrant celebration of the arts, bringing together world-class musical performances, cultural experiences and community. Various locations in Bartlesville and Tulsa. • okmmusic.org

June 6-8

TULSA TOUGH

Saint Francis Tulsa Tough is a three-day party on wheels. Whether you’re racing to win, riding for fun or cheering from the sidelines, it’s a summer highlight in Tulsa. Locations vary. • tulsatough.com

June 7

BIG RIDE

Big Ride returns for this one-day music festival, held in partnership with Tulsa Tough. Tulsa Arts District • bigridetulsa.com

Tulsa Tough

June 7

ROUTE 66 MIDPOINT CORRIDOR ROAD RALLY

Check in at various checkpoints along Route 66 — from Edmond to Sapulpa — for the chance to win prizes and meet new friends along the way. Various locations • midpointcorridor.com

June 7-8

WINE AND JAZZ FETE

Food and music abound at this festival. Scheduled performances include Espiral7 and Agalisiga “The Chuj” Mackey LowDown, 108 N. Detroit Ave.; Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness, 1162 E. 49th St. • okrootsmusic.org

June 7-July 31

RIVERWALK SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

Every Thursday night head to Riverwalk’s amphitheater to hear music from local acts all throughout the summer in a family-friendly atmosphere. Riverwalk amphitheater stage, 300 Riverwalk Terrace, Jenks • jenksriverwalk.com

June 18-21

JUNETEENTH

This year’s theme: Family Reunion! Set on historic Greenwood Avenue, this three-day celebration invites you to embrace Tulsa as home. Oklahoma State University lawn, 700 N. Greenwood Ave. • tulsajuneteenth.org

June 21

TASTE OF SUMMER

Blue Bell provides more than 100 gallons of ice cream in over 24 ﬂavors for this single-day celebration, which also includes water inﬂatables, arts and crafts, food trucks, treasure digs and many more family-friendly activities. Central Park on Main, 1500 S. Main St., Broken Arrow • tasteofsummerba.com

June 21-22

KIDSFEST

This yearly event at Woolaroc features arts and crafts, games, live music, inﬂatables and so much more. Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve, 1925 Woolaroc Ranch Road, Bartlesville • woolaroc.org

June 21-22

ROUTE 66 ROAD FEST

Route 66 Road Fest is a one-of-a-kind celebration giving you the chance to take your own journey through the history, attractions, characters and fun of one of America’s famous roads. Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St. • route66roadfest.com

June 25-28

GREEN CORN FESTIVAL

This community celebration dates to Bixby’s agricultural heritage and features special activities like a carnival, pageant, live music, ﬁreworks, games, a 5K and fun run, and more. Charley Young Event Park, 50 W. Dawes Ave., Bixby • bixbyoptimist.com/events/green-corn-festival

June 26-29

MUSCOGEE NATION FESTIVAL

Carnival rides, cultural exhibitions, live entertainment from both local and national acts, and much more await visitors to this weekend event. Claude Cox Omniplex, 2950 Warrior Road, Okmulgee • creekfestival.com

July 4

FOLDS OF HONOR FREEDOMFEST

Tens of thousands of spectators gather for this 25-minute ﬁrework show with different viewing points around the city. River West Festival Park, 2100 S. Jackson Ave.; Dream Keepers Park, 1875 S. Boulder Park Drive • freedomfesttulsa.com

July 11-13

TOKYO, OK

Cosplay, vendors and panels abound at one of Oklahoma’s largest anime, Japanese and pop culture conventions that’s fun for the whole family. Rufﬁ n Event Center, 1902 E. 71st St. • oklahomaculture.org

July 11-15

CIRCLE CINEMA FILM FESTIVAL

Five days of the best new independent art, music and ﬁlm from Oklahomans awaits visitors. Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Ave. • circlecinema.org/ccff

July 17-19

PORTER PEACH FESTIVAL

Celebrate Porter’s agricultural legacy over three days with live music, a parade, food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, tractor pulls, free peaches, ice cream/custard and more. Main Street, Porter • porterpeachfestivals.com

Aug. 8-10

LATCHFEST

This arts and music festival doubles as a fundraiser for T-Town TNR, an organization that traps, neuters and returns cats. Expect the best of the local music scene, as well as fun activities. Whittier Bar, 2405 E. Admiral Blvd. • instagram.com/latchfest

Aug. 9-10

OKLAHOMA COMIC CON

Meet Samwise Gamgee himself (Sean Astin) at Oklahoma Comic Con. Other guests include Cristina Vee and Vicki Lawrence Arvest Convention Center, 100 Civic Center • oklahomacomiccon.com

Aug. 14-16

BLUE WHALE COMEDY FESTIVAL

One of the top comedy festivals in the region, this three-day event takes over venues downtown for a weekend of laughs. Tulsa Arts District. • bluewhalecomedyfestival.com

Aug. 23

WILD BREW

Guests will have the opportunity to sample fare from some of Tulsa’s best restaurants and wash it down with ﬁrst-rate local beers, all in support of George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center. Arvest Convention Center, 100 Civic Center • wildbrew.org

Aug. 29-31

CHEROKEE NATIONAL HOLIDAY

This celebration commemorates the signing of the 1839 Cherokee Nation Constitution with food, entertainment, sporting events and traditional games. Tahlequah • thecherokeeholiday.com

Aug. 29-31

ROCKLAHOMA

This annual rock festival draws an estimated 100,000 attendees for three days of music, food, vendors and camping. 1421 W. 450 Road, Pryor • rocklahoma.com

Sept. 10-13

BORN AND RAISED

Saddle on up for four days of music from national acts like Parker McCollum, Cody Jinks, Treaty Oak Revival and more. 1421 W. 450 Road, Pryor • bornandraisedfestival.com

Sept. 19-21

SCOTFEST

A cultural celebration of Scottish, Irish and Celtic culture featuring Highland athletics, pipes and drums, Irish dance, whiskey tastings and much more. Central Park on Main, 1500 S. Main St., Broken Arrow • okscotfest.com tp

Mayfest

Night market

Circle cinema film festival

Juneteenth

Cheers for 41 years

Mark your calendars for the 41st annual OKM Music Festival, set to take place May 30-June 8, 2025, in Bartlesville and Tulsa.

Known for its captivating talent and variety, this year’s festival promises to be an unforgettable experience for music lovers of all ages.

The festival will kick off May 30-June 8 with the Especially for Kids Festival, which is designed to inspire creativity and cultivate a love for music among younger audiences. The Especially for Kids Festival will feature an array of activities, including live music concerts, engaging puppet shows and immersive art experiences. Each activity is designed to entertain and provide valuable educational experiences, allowing children to explore the worlds of music and art in a vibrant and interactive setting.

As the Main Festival commences, the festivities will begin on June 6 at Woolaroc. Guests can expect to see renowned Oklahoma saxophonist Grady Nichols, followed by the Manhattan Chamber Players who will present a selection of classical masterpieces that reflect their virtuosity and passion for music. On June 7 the celebration will shift to Tulsa at the Cascia Hall Performing Arts Center

where the Tulsa Honors Baroque Youth Orchestra will perform before internationally renowned pianist Natasha Paremski will mesmerize the audience. The grand finale of the festival will take place on June 8 at The Refinery in Bartlesville. The internationally acclaimed Escher Quartet will perform their exquisite harmonies and intricate arrangements for the audience. Also this year, the festival will pay tribute to Edvard Grieg, one of Norway’s most celebrated composers. Known for his ability to integrate the rich traditions of Norwegian folk music into his works, Grieg’s compositions reflect the breathtaking landscapes and cultural heritage of his homeland. Festival-goers can expect to hear beloved pieces, such as the “Piano Concerto in A Minor” and “Peer Gynt Suites.” In addition to the main stage events, a series of showcase performances will take place throughout the festival, promising to set a warm and welcoming tone. From the Bartlesville Ringers to the Elvis tribute by Brent Gidden, attendees will relish the vibrant musical tapestry woven throughout the festival.

Visit OKMMUSIC.ORG or call 918-336-9900 for ticket information.

Brady Nichols

Manhattan Chamber Players

Escher Quartet

Natasha Paremski

DIVE IN

OKANA, WOKA AND OTHER SPLASHY SPOTS WORTH A DRIVE.

BY LAUREN ROGERS

Summertime is coming in hot — and with it are plenty of exciting experiences to explore. If you are looking to take advantage of the longer days this season, consider checking out some of these sizzling stops that are just a short road trip away.

KEEP IT COOL

OKANA Resort and Indoor Waterpark opened early this spring in Oklahoma City. This $400 million development by the Chickasaw Nation is in the up-and-coming Horizons District, which is east of the Boathouse District on the south side of the Oklahoma River.

OKANA, a name which comes from combining the Chickasaw words “oka” (water) and “inkana” (friend), boasts two massive indoor and outdoor water facilities along with two amphitheaters, an event lawn, various shops, 13 dining establishments and a 20,000-square-foot family entertainment center complete with arcade games, laser tag and more.

The 100,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, the largest in the region, is open year-round. Guests will ﬁnd amenities for all ages with 15 water slides (for kids and adults), a wave pool, lazy river, highend cabanas and an adults-only pool.

The accompanying 4.5-acre outdoor adventure area — open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day — is designed for both play and relaxation. The resort’s centerpiece, the fourth largest pool in the country, is a sprawling sandy-beached lagoon surrounded by ample lounge chairs and palm tree replicas.

The resort includes an 11-story, 404-room hotel and a 27,000-square-foot conference center designed with versatility in mind. Rooms can feature riverfront and lagoon views, with various accommodations designed for couples, families and friends. If you are booking with a bigger group, there are multi-room and bunk suites to choose

from. Day passes also are available for the resort.

For those interested in a more rugged ride, WOKA — standing for Waters of Oklahoma and Arkansas — has been ﬂowing in Watts, Oklahoma, since Labor Day weekend 2023. The whitewater adventure park is open to the public year-round, but rentals and concessions operate on a seasonal basis. This 1,200-foot-long, 100-foot-wide channel off the Illinois River offers eight low-hazard drops for thrill seekers at various levels. Activities range from kayaking to river surﬁng to beginner-friendly tubing, but most rentals are only for individuals over 13 years old. Anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. WOKA stresses safety as a top priority and reminds park-goers to be prepared for a challenge.

Visitors can bring their own personal whitewater vessels along with food, nonalcoholic drinks and well-behaved pets. Those interested can take advantage of season and annual passes that come with a 10% discount on most on-site purchases. As you plan your excursion, you can keep up with wave conditions and on-site parking availability at its website, visitwoka.com. (Note: WOKA is a completely cashless park; only cards are accepted.)

OKANA Resort and Indoor Waterpark opened earlier this year near downtown Oklahoma City.

TEE OFF!

Play a round at our many gorgeous golf courses.

CAST YOUR LINE for a chance at your next fishing trophy!

DISCOVER THE SPIRIT TRAIL 10 miles of hiking and biking bliss.

WARRENSBURG FARMERS’ MARKET every Saturday with fresh, local goods.

BERRY PICKING!

Enjoy a relaxing afternoon at Buckeye Acres Produce picking fresh strawberries.

Warrensburg

OUTDOOR FAMILY FUN

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks

The Park House Kitchen and Bar

Cherokee Cultural Pathway

WOKA Whitewater Park

The Bradford House

Factory Obscura

The Bike Inn

Conifer Bar Sen

WOKA: COURTESY WOKA WHITEWATER PARK; BIKE INN, PARK HOUSE, NONESUCH, BOTANICAL GARDENS: COURTESY; BAR SEN: QUIT NGUYEN, COURTESY GIANT NOISE; PREACHER’S SON: ROPE SWING GROUP; CONIFER: ANGELINA LOPEZ PHOTOGRAPHY; FACTORY OBSCURA: MADELYN AMACHER; CHEROKEE CULTURAL PATHWAY: JEFF EDWARDS, COURTESY CHEROKEE NATION BUSINESSES; EXHIBIT C: ERICK PERRY; BRADFORD: EMILY HART; MOMENTARY: COURTESY CRYSTAL BRIDGES AND THE MOMENTARY; BRADFORD: EMILY HART

FIND FOODIE FUN

If you want a bite to eat after a day spent in play at one of our new regional splash pads, take a look at the menu for one — or a few — of these noteworthy restaurants.

In OKC multi-James-Beard-nominated chef Jeff Chanchaleune launched another concept, Bar Sen, in February near his beloved Ma Der Lao Kitchen. Bar Sen brings a laid-back noodle shop/ neighborhood bar vibe to the Plaza District.

Down the street, popular brunch spot Aurora re-opened last summer in a larger space with an expanded menu and longer hours. The Shared Plate Hospitality restaurant group combined Aurora’s approach with their other restaurant, Social Deck. With a focus on local ingredients, Aurora now provides a fresh take on contemporary American classics from breakfast to dessert.

Another recent shakeup in the OKC restaurant scene happened at Nonesuch, the city’s ﬁrst dedicated tasting menu restaurant. Last year, Michelin- and James Beard-awarded restaurateur Kelly Whitaker acquired the ﬁne dining establishment. After a brief closure, Nonesuch reopened in November with a new format. If Nonesuch is on your itinerary, be sure to book your reservation well in advance.

Out east, you can ﬁnd The Park House Kitchen and Bar in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, just an 11-minute drive from WOKA. This Southern-inspired eatery is located in the historic Park House building, which was constructed in 1897. Go here for brunch, lunch, supper and occasional live music.

From WOKA, Bentonville is just under an hour away by car. There, you can ﬁnd another chance to eat in a century-old building at The Preacher’s Son. Occupying a restored church built in 1904, The Preacher’s Son — along with speakeasy bar Undercroft — supplies sophistication and style to an array of dishes and cocktails. When the weather permits, try getting a table on the rooftop.

Another Bentonville fan-favorite is Conifer, which uses 100% gluten-free ingredients. Open for dinner seven days a week, Conifer serves farm-fresh foods with divine drinks and an array of gluten-reduced beers.

CONNECT WITH CULTURE

No vacation is complete without engaging with the local art scene. The aforementioned Horizons District in OKC is home to the First Americans Museum and the brand-new Exhibit C Gallery. Both of these Indigenous arts centers are next door to OKANA.

On the other side of OKC Factory Obscura is a contemporary artist collective that offers immersive exhibits and events. In the Paseo District, Tower Theater is one of OKC’s last original movie houses with an iconic neon marquee and intact auditorium. Hosting events from concerts to karaoke at their Ponyboy lounge next-door, Tower Theater has a calendar worth perusing if you are planning to be in OKC.

In Tahlequah, a delightful detour between Tulsa and WOKA, you can tour the town by walking the Cherokee Cultural Pathway. The walkway connects the Cherokee National Historical Museum, the

Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum and the Cherokee National Prison Museum.

Through Sept. 28 the path will be displaying the exhibit “Jeff Edwards: The Future Will Be Cherokee,” which is made up of 13 large-scale reproductions of some of the Cherokee artist’s most recognized works, such as “Sequoyah Warhol” and “Cherokee on the Brain.”

Northwest Arkansas has a few eclectic encounters worth witnessing as well. A satellite of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary in Bentonville is a decommissioned cheese-factory-turned-creative-hub. Then, the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville has a packed show schedule with something for everyone.

EMBRACE FLORA AND FAUNA

OZ Trails is a network of more than 550 miles of soft-surface, shared-use trails in northwest Arkansas. The operation is poised to expand with additions like the OZ Trails Bike Park, a chairliftserved downhill mountain biking experience which is slated to open in 2026.

You can slow down on the 3.5 miles of nature trails at Crystal Bridges or take a stroll through the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. OKC offers additional ﬂoral fun at the Myriad Botanical Gardens, where the conservatory underwent an $11 million renovation that was completed in late 2022.

For a less manicured hike, trek out to the J.T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve in Tahlequah. Managed by the Nature Conservancy, these 17,000 acres of forest and grassland is the largest privately-protected conservation area in the Ozarks.

SPEND THE NIGHT

If you want to stay overnight, there are several unique options gaining attention. Natural Falls State Park offers glamping just a 13-minute drive away from WOKA. With only ﬁve yurts on-site, you will want to secure yours early.

Back in Bentonville, mountain bike enthusiasts have raved about The Bike Inn. With a backyard hot tub, sauna and cold plunge, this motel was built with bikers in mind. For entirely different digs, go to The Victoria Bed and Breakfast. Located adjacent to the pedestrian entrance to Crystal Bridges, this upscale B&B gives guests a gourmet breakfast plus access to their garden and seasonal pool.

In OKC, those who choose not to spend the night at OKANA can explore places like The Bradford House. In November 2024 the Bradford House became the ﬁrst hotel property in Oklahoma to be featured in the Michelin Guide. Owners Jason and Sara Kate Little earned this honor by combining an immaculate renovation of the 1912 Victorian house with outstanding service and amenities.

Folks looking for more freedom to roam can head to the Orr Family Farm in south OKC. With lodging available year-round, the Orr Family Farm is a family friendly destination packed with things to do. You can plan your trip around their different events, like their annual Fall Festival and pumpkin patch, and glamp with the family in one of their Conestoga wagons or teepees. tp

Nonesuch

The Momentary

Exhibit C Gallery

The Preacher’s Son

ChIcKeN & BiScUiTs

America’s conservation capital

Step into the heart of the Missouri Ozarks with the Johnny Morris Foundation’s world-class conservation attractions — where nature, education and adventure combine. From the rugged trails of Dogwood Canyon Nature Park to the immersive experiences at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, each destination is a tribute to wildlife, conservation and the great outdoors.

Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, is recognized for his passion for conservation and love for the natural world. The foundation has created a network of attractions that inspire families, nature lovers and future conservationists to explore, learn and take action to protect our planet.

Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, named America’s Best Aquarium six times, spans over 350,000 square feet featuring a world-class aquarium with more than 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles and birds. Interactive exhibits bring guests face-to-face with some of the planet’s most fascinating species, while detailed dioramas celebrate the heritage of hunting and fishing and their role in conservation. The museum also pays tribute to conservation heroes from around the globe, emphasizing the importance of sustainable wildlife management.

Just south of Springfield, near Branson, Missouri, Dogwood Canyon Nature Park offers over 10,000 acres of pristine Ozarks wilderness. Visitors can hike, bike, ride horseback or join a guided wildlife tram tour through breathtaking landscapes carved by crystal-clear streams and cascading waterfalls. The park’s conservation center and treehouse learning lab offer hands-on experiences, making it an ideal destination for education and outdoor recreation.

Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve is nestled on the highest point in Taney County overlooking Table Rock Lake. The Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail offers self-guided cart tours that take visitors on a scenic adventure through caves, waterfalls and towering limestone canyons. Along the trail, guests can see native wildlife and enjoy panoramic views. The Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum further enriches the experience with native cultural and historical insights and artifacts.

Every moment at a Johnny Morris Foundation Conservation Attraction is designed to educate, engage and ignite passion for the outdoors. These destinations are more than attractions — they are conservation movements in action.

Plan your visit today at VISITOZARKS.ORG.

Discover the Wonders of the Ozarks this summer with a visit to the Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation’s premier attractions. Known as America’s Conservation Capital, Wonders of Wildlife, Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, and Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve together form the world’s largest, most immersive conservation and wildlife destinations. Inspired by the vision of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, the Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation connects people of all backgrounds to the beauty of nature with a mission to educate, inspire, and conserve the Great Outdoors.

WONDERS OF WILDLIFE

DOGWOOD CANYON NATURE PARK

LOST CANYON CAVE & NATURE TRAIL

ANCIENT OZARKS NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

WONDERS OF WILDLIFE

DOGWOOD CANYON NATURE PARK

Make it Springfield, Mo

There’s always something new to discover in Springfield. Whether you’re exploring or relaxing, you make the call and set your own pace. Here in the City of the Ozarks, it’s all about making it your own.

Explore more at

FUN & GAMES!

Tulsa’s casinos offer gaming, live music, night life and more fun.

BY TIM LANDES

You don’t have to go far to have a lot of fun under one roof.

Whether it’s the thrill of electronic gaming, showing your best hand at the card table or a night of dining out and watching a legendary band perform before hitting the gaming ﬂoor, spending time at one of Tulsa’s three casino resorts is sure to be a good time. Book a room and make a weekend of it.

All three of Tulsa’s casinos o er hotel rooms of various sizes and amenities, meaning you can make it a staycation. Spend a night or a weekend, relax by a pool and play your favorite games.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa

777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa hardrockcasinotulsa.com

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa is owned and operated by Cherokee Nation.

Gaming With over 2,400 games there is something for everyone. Hard Rock offers a “Greatest Hits Lounge” that is a collection of fan-favorite games.

Hard Rock is also home to the only World Series of Poker in northeast Oklahoma. They also offer live craps, roulette and blackjack.

Live music and sports Hard Rock has the most live music stages in the region. There’s Hard Rock Live showcasing legendary national touring acts, stand-up comedians and more. Track 5. is a honky tonk that features many up-and-coming country acts. Amp Bar is for the modern rockers and Riffs is the spot for classic rock. (Also ﬁnd pieces of memorabilia seen nowhere else in the world throughout the casino.)

For sports fans, Hard Rock offers Replay sports bar with 51 TVs (including two 103-inch screens), a sports ticker and a full bar with 12 beers on tap.

Dining Enjoy a steak with a view at Carvers on 19, which is located at the top of the hotel tower.

The casino also offers buffet dining at The Eatery and casual dining at HWY 66 Diner, Flipside for burgers, Slice for pizza and Salsa for Mexican fare. If you’re spending the night, there’s also in-room dining.

Hotel, convention space and golf course Hard Rock’s AAA Four Diamond hotel has two pools, hot tub, coffee shop and ﬁtness center. It also is home to Cherokee Hills — an 18-hole championship golf course.

The casino also offers more than 37,000 square feet of meeting and event space throughout the property, and this doesn’t count the 45,000-squarefoot Hard Rock Live venue that is also available when there isn’t a concert booked.

By the numbers:

Electronic games: 2,400

Table games: 36

Hotel rooms: 454

Dining establishments: 6

Music venues: 4

Outside Tulsa Cherokee Nation operates nine casinos throughout its 14-county reservation in northeast Oklahoma. Enjoy thoroughbred horse racing at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs in Claremore through May 14.

Learn more about Cherokee Casinos at cherokeecasino.com.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa offers 2,400 electronic games.

Osage Casino Hotel

951 W. 36th St. N. • osagecasino.com

Osage Casino Hotel is owned and operated by Osage Nation.

Gaming Minutes from downtown Tulsa, Osage Casino offers more than 1,600 electronic games and 15 table games, including craps and roulette.

Dining Enjoy dinner at Stone Creek Kitchen during special events or casual dining at Thunder Bar and Grill. There’s also Roni Peppo’s Pizza Kitchen for that late night slice.

Last year Osage Casino added local favorite Coney Island to the dining options for a quick bite when taking a break from playing games.

Live music The Skyline Event Center hosts national touring acts, while the property’s new bar Swigs features a lounge, immersive screens and an elevated stage for live local music.

Hotel, convention space and pool Osage Casino Hotel has 286 hotel rooms with exclusive pool access on Fridays and Saturdays due to high occupancy rates. The rest of the week the pool is open to the public through the purchase of a pool day pass. And new to the property is an adult-only pool. Visitors and hotel guests can soak up the sun while enjoying full food and beverage service.

The covered pool patio area, located right outside the lower-level meeting space, is available for event rentals and is perfect for outdoor receptions or dinner events.

Speaking of events, Osage Casino Hotel offers 26,000 square feet of banquet space. There is complimentary venue rental with qualifying catering purchase.

By the numbers:

Electronic games: 1,600-plus

Table games: 15

Hotel rooms: 286

Dining establishments: 5

Music venues: 3

Outside Tulsa Osage Nation operates six more casinos on the reservation between Tulsa and the Kansas border. Spend a night away from home at an Osage Casino in Skiatook, Pawhuska, Bartlesville or Ponca City. There are also casinos in Hominy and Sand Springs. Learn more at osagecasino.com.

River Spirit Casino Resort and Margaritaville Casino

8330 Riverside Parkway • riverspirittulsa.com

River Spirit Casino and Margaritaville is owned and operated by Muscogee Nation.

Gaming Throughout its 150,000-square-foot resort, River Spirit and Margaritaville offers 3,271 electronic games and 31 table games, making it a gamer’s paradise in south Tulsa on the banks of the Arkansas River.

Dining Enjoy a steak at Ruth’s Chris, or for more casual dining have a meal at Fireside Grill or Margaritaville, where there’s a volcano that erupts hourly with a vibrant light and sound show.

Live music and sports The Cove offers top-name live entertainment throughout the year so check the schedule of events. Five O’Clock Somewhere Bar offers live local entertainment seven nights a week.

Last summer the casino opened Gridiron, which is one of the largest sports viewing experiences in Oklahoma, featuring a massive 53-foot by 14-foot-high video wall, 54 televisions and 104 speakers. The sports bar and lounge area seats 157 guests including an upscale 27-seat center bar featuring 24 mounted 70-inch televisions, with an additional 30 televisions located throughout the dining and private booth seating areas.

In addition, it offers two Top Golf Swing Suites for simulated golf and other sports.

Hotel, convention space and pool The AAA Four Diamond resort hotel has 483 rooms and suites, Emerge Spa and Salon, and a resort pool exclusively for hotel guests that features the swim-up Landshark Pool Bar and cabana rentals for day-long fun.

River Spirit offers more than 50,000 square feet of convention space.

By the numbers:

Electronic games: 3,271 machines

Table games: 31 including blackjack, craps, roulette and poker games

Hotel rooms: 483 including 54 suites

Dining establishments: 6

Music venues: 3

Outside Tulsa Muscogee Nation operates eight other gaming and entertainment facilities on its reservation that stretches south of Tulsa. Locations include Muskogee, Eufaula, Bristow, Checotah and Okmulgee. Learn more at creeknationcasinos.com.

Osage Casino Hotel’s new bar Swigs features sports broadcasts and live local entertainment.

A quesadilla from the Fireside Grill and games inside River Sprit Casino

5 regional casino and resort destinations worth visiting this summer

BY TIM LANDES

DOWNSTREAM CASINO

Located near Joplin, the Quapaw Nation casino resort is a short drive up the Will Rogers Turnpike.

With both indoor and outdoor pools, guests of all ages can ﬁnd some water-ﬁlled fun. Many hit the nearby 18-hole Eagle Creek Golf Club for a day’s worth of 9-iron action. Others opt for a relaxing session at Nee Spa.

On the gaming ﬂoor, guests can try their hand at any of the 1,800-plus slot games, poker tables, craps, roulette, blackjack or other table games.

Bring an appetite and enjoy a bison tenderloin, a house specialty at Red Oak Steakhouse, which is just one of several dining options at Downstream.

Live entertainment this summer includes Lit and Fuel on June 13, Cole Swindell on June 27 and I Want My ’80s Tour featuring Rick Springﬁ eld, Wang Chung , John Waite and Paul Young on July 24. 69300 E. Nee Road, Quapaw • downstreamcasino.com

RIVERWIND CASINO

Check into the 100-room Riverwind Hotel, located at Norman’s Riverwind Casino and then let the fun begin.

Owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation, Riverwind has more than 2,800 electronic games, a poker room, table games such as blackjack, baccarat and roulette, off-track betting and more.

Check the calendar for upcoming live performances at Showplace Theatre. Among the upcoming acts are Scotty McCreery on May 10 and Randy Rogers Band on May 16.

Riverwind Beats and Bites Music and Food Truck Festival returns for the ninth year this summer. The festival is comprised of four monthly concerts, starting with Josh Turner and Edwin McCain on June 14. Each date is accompanied by special visits from food trucks and retail vendors. 1544 State Highway 9, Norman • riverwind.com

WINSTAR WORLD CASINO AND RESORT

Dubbed the world’s biggest casino, this property, owned by Chickasaw Nation, sits near the Oklahoma-Texas border on Interstate 35.

There’s shopping and a world-class spa and wellness retreat, as well as

two different pools to ﬁll your day with relaxing fun. There are two 18-hole golf courses designed by D.A. Weibring and Steve Woldfard Golf Design. The WinStar Golf Academy has the latest technology to help anyone lower their handicap.

Lucas Oil Live is the 6,500-seat entertainment venue that will host Vince Gill on May 30, Def Leppard on June 21 and I Love the ’90s Tour on July 11. 777 Casino Ave., Thackerville • winstar.com

CHOCTAW LANDING

Located within the lush forest surrounding Hochatown, Choctaw Landing offers an exclusive resort experience within the Oklahoma wilderness. The new casino hotel has more than 600 electronic games and table games, plus multiple dining options like the Tuko Grill that offers indoor and patio dining.

Spend a day at Oka Sita pool relaxing on a lounger or rent a cabana for a guaranteed spot to enjoy a cocktail from the bar when not cooling off in the pool. In the evening mosey over to Cypress Lawn and enjoy live entertainment at the amphitheater.

Enjoy taking in art? Choctaw Landing offers a self-guided art walk comprised of 40 pieces of art created by more than 20 Choctaw artists.

272 N. State Highway 259A, Hochatown • choctawlanding.com

CHOCTAW CASINO AND RESORT

If you enjoy gaming, Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant features more than 7,400 electronic games — 3,200 of which are in a non-smoking environment. There also are more than 100 table games offering craps, roulette, baccarat, pai gow and blackjack.

Stay in the 21-story Sky Tower that has 1,000 rooms or park your camper in the RV park.

On May 18, Halsey plays the Grand Theater, Maxwell performs on June 21 and Clay Walker on July 5.

The Durant location has plenty of food options — from ﬁne dining at 1832 Steakhouse, to enjoying sports and a meal at The League, to casual bites at Bamboo Noodle Bar or Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen and Bar and more.

4216 S. Highway 69/75, Durant • choctawcasinos.com tp

Choctaw Landing

HOME HEALTH TRENDS

PUT A BOW ON IT

The bow trend is still everywhere these days. From shoes and bags to lifestyle accessories, picture frames and hair design. These springtime finds tie it all together.

Betsey Johnson Garnet heels, $89, Shiraleah minibag, $62, from J.Cole Shoes, 9930 Riverside Parkway.

Feminine fantasy

Broken Arrow storefront mixes ﬂ owers with books, gifts and more.

BY EMMA SIMON

Best friends Cassie Imel and Julie Walsh are living the dream.

Since 2017 they’ve owned and operated the oristry shop Penelope and Lu, which is known for its romantic wedding and event arrangements. But they’d always talked about another business idea, and three years ago the timing was right to open Book and Bloom, a bookstore and ower shop in Broken Arrow’s Rose District.

“We used to be teachers,” Imel says. “So while we started as just a ower shop, we always dreamed of incorporating books someday.”

e store seamlessly mixes both interests. ere are oor-to-ceiling bookshelves along one wall and a fridge display full of ower bouquets on another. eir product arrangements look more like whimsical, curated installations of orals and books. ey also carry bookish items like mugs and journals.

A door separates the storefront from Imel and Walsh’s workshop where they operate the full-service retail orist part of the business. It’s also where they like to host their ower workshops, which they put on throughout the year.

In addition to Book and Bloom’s own workshops, Imel says they host other small businesses that rent out the space to use for their events. “Some are established and others are very new and run out of the home,” she adds. is leads to an event calendar with everything from sourdough courses to cookie decorating lessons.

“We wanted to bring back that old-school bookstore feeling, somewhere that fostered community — not just for our customers but for our employees, too.” Imel says. “I think we’ve accomplished that.” tp

BOOK AND BLOOM

115 E. Dallas St., Broken Arrow 918-957-5153 • bookandbloomba.com 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Wednesday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Thursday-Friday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday.

Daily Grace Co. journal, $24.

Medium arrangement, $75.

“Demon Copperhead” (paperback) by Barbara Kingsolver, $22. SHOP

Julie Walsh and Cassie Imel

Game changer

Oncologist helping change the standard of care for gynecological cancer patients through clinical trials.

BY MARNIE FERNANDEZ

Dr. Michael Gold ’s passion is research. More speci cally gynecological cancer research. As a gynecological oncologist at Oklahoma Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, he has been part of multiple research publications that have led to game-changing clinical trials in the gynecological cancer realm. Several of these clinical trials have made vital improvements in cancer survival rates and reduced side e ects from treatments.

“We have had some fantastic breakthroughs as a result of clinical trials,” Gold says. “With the development of personalized medicine and immunotherapy, we have been able to increase survival rates and reduce the toxicity of the cancer treatments themselves.”

As a member of OCSRI’s team, Gold is active in clinical research focusing on gynecologic cancers occurring in the female reproductive tract such as ovary, uterus and cervix. Before joining OCSRI he served as

the director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In addition to his current role Gold is also a clinical associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine.

Founded in 2016, OCSRI is a community-based oncology practice known for pioneering clinical trials, cutting-edge technology and breakthrough cancer care. ey work as a team of surgeons, radiologists, medical and radiation oncologists, and genetic risk counselors to provide individual and comprehensive cancer care for each patient. Clinical trials are an integral part of OCSRI’s visionary plan.

“We are actively involved in national and industry-sponsored trials that can provide our patients with the latest developments in cancer research,” Gold says.

He uses an archery analogy to explain the bene ts of clinical trials to his patients.

“We compare standard care (chemotherapy) to arrows that are shooting at the cancer,” he says. “When we add in a clinical trial, we are adding another arrow to our quiver, one that is maybe sharper or shoots straighter. It’s just another weapon in our arsenal of treating cancer — it doesn’t take away from anything else we are doing.”

Clinical trials are research studies that involve people. ey are the nal step in a long process that begins with lab research. Patients who qualify have access to the newest and potentially the most e ective drugs and treatments, which are otherwise not available to them

“ ese trials can test new ways to treat cancer, nd and diagnose cancer, manage symptoms and even prevent cancer from recurring,” Gold says. “Almost all clinical advances in cancer treatment have come about because of clinical trials.”

Recently OCSRI became a main member site of Philadelphia-based NRG Oncology, which enhances OCSRI’s research capabilities by providing direct access to government-funded studies to expand on their ongoing clinical trials.

Gold says NRG Oncology is a National Institutes of Health cooperative group with international collaboration in Asia and South America as it develops new cancer treatments and improving patient care. “Because of our status as a main member,” he says, “we are now o ering the same trials as top cancer treatment centers such as MD Anderson or Johns Hopkins.” tp

Dr. Michael Gold is a gynecological oncologist at Oklahoma Cancer Specialists and Research Institute. He is photographed in front of the center’s Wall of Ribbons.

Happy Birthday, Kate

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

I’ve never been able to keep a daily diary. e routine doesn’t agree with me. It becomes a chore, like oors that must be swept.

Also, I’m not good at it. My few attempts produce dull entries that read: “Hot day. Made sun tea.”

On the other hand, I nd great joy in sitting outside in dappled sunshine and reading with a notebook and pen at hand. Great thoughts surface.

Or so I imagined.

I came across this note I made years ago: “What do I care what people think about garbanzo beans?”

What in the world inspired me to write that?

It is by no stretch of the imagination a profound thought. It is indicative, though, of a person (me) who looks in awe at birds rocketing into shrubs and wonders: “How can they do that without poking themselves in the eye?”

With a well-deserved sense of humility I set o for Oklahoma City recently to attend an Oklahoma Women’s History Conference.

(Genuine profound thought: e Road to Hell Paved with Good Intentions is a garden path compared to the Turner Turnpike. Why don’t we have a high-speed rail service between Tulsa and Oklahoma City?) e conference was organized by Jennifer Lynch, Ponca City’s Pioneer Woman Museum director. It was lled with young historians — teachers, students, professionals and history enthusiasts. I was on a panel about early Oklahoma women activists and talked about Kate Barnard , a ery political reformer. Author Rilla Askew talked about Angie Debo, the state’s premier historian, and Ruth Brown, a white Bartlesville librarian red in 1950 for her civil rights activities.

Autumn Brown, assistant professor at Oklahoma State University, gave a keynote

address about Clara Luper, a Black history teacher in Oklahoma City. In the 1950s Luper took her class to New York. ey traveled a northern route and for the rst time, the Black students sat at a drugstore counter and drank a Coke. Also for the rst time they ate a meal inside a restaurant instead of receiving it in a paper bag out the back door. ey took the segregated southern route home. e trip was life changing. Until then, they had assumed the entire country was segregated.

Back in Oklahoma City, Luper and the NAACP Youth Council staged the historic Katz Drug Store sit-in in 1958. Luper, who died in 2011, is memorialized for her pioneering leadership in the American Civil Rights Movement.

I am not a trailblazing pioneer in anything, but I know the value of books, history and teachers. ey can inform, inspire and guide. ey are the roots of grassroots. at is why I’m helping plan bookstore birthday parties this month for Barnard — free celebrations that will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the rst woman elected to state o ce. (FYI: e second woman elected to state o ce was Tulsa’s Norma Eagleton in 1979 as corporation commissioner.) Barnard was a fearless social activist who championed, rst and foremost, public education and the well-being of children. She famously said, “A child is the state’s greatest resource.”

Barnard’s historic birthday is the nominal reason for the parties, but an underlying mission is to celebrate history, books and community involvement. Barnard’s life work epitomized all of that. e free and open-to-all parties will be held May 24 at two Tulsa independent bookstores, Oak Tree Books, 2812 E. 15th St., and Magic City Books, 221 E. Archer St. Elected ocials, past and present, will drop by. Askew, Michael Wallis, Randy Krehbiel and other writers will be there to sign copies of their books.

I mentioned the bookstore birthday events at the women’s history conference, hoping others would organize similar Kate Birthday Parties of simple, grassroots community activism. Sunu Kodumthara , history professor at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, emailed me this: “In these times that we are living, it gives me great comfort to remember that community still exists, and it is our strength.” tp

Table Talk

DINING FOOD DRINKS

PUMP IT UP

Abeautiful May day calls for lunch at one of the newest patios in town: The Pump, 602 S. Lewis Ave. Try the chicken cutlet sandwich, a ﬂattened chicken breast coated in panko breading and fried up golden before being sandwiched in a soft roll with mozzarella, arugula pesto, olive tapenade and roasted bell pepper. The former 1960s gas station hosts regular events like trivia, live music and barbecue every Thursday, and much more. Its patio features tables, conversation pits and yard games. On May 31 The Pump will host its annual crawﬁsh boil with the folks from Lassalle’s. Last year’s was a huge hit and The Pump is expecting an even bigger celebration this year. Learn more at pumpbartulsa.com. — ANNE BROCKMAN

The right note

Moroccan food shines at Studio Row restaurant Notes of Marrakesh.

BY JUDY ALLEN

Chef and owner Sovana Benis learned how to cook at the heels of the women in her family — her mother, grandmother and aunts — in her native country of Morocco. In early 2024 she opened Drive- rough Marrakesh at 17th Street and Sheridan Road to showcase the delicious cuisine of her youth.

at summer Benis moved to a larger location on Studio Row across from e Church Studio. She renamed it “Notes of Marrakesh” to play to the area’s music history. e cozy vibe leans toward casual lunch and dinner or a midafternoon nosh with hot, minty Moroccan tea.

A friend and I popped in recently for lunch — a rst visit for both of us. Traditional, conical-shaped cooking vessels called tajines play a prominent role in Moroccan cooking, and you’ll spot many of them on tables lled with tender braised lamb, chicken or meatballs and a side of homemade bread. I opted for the meatballs, which were tender and saucy and topped with two fried eggs and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese — an addition Benis says was traditional for her. I was dubious, but the stew and soft cheese were a delicious combination when tucked into a wedge of her crisp, warm bread.

My friend enjoyed the seafood pastila, consisting of a mixture of mussels and octopus, rice noodles and preserved lemon tucked into crispy phyllo dough. According to my friend it reminded her of Russian Coulibiac, a traditional dish of seafood and rice wrapped in pu pastry. Both sweet and savory Moroccan dishes tend to lean into warm spices such as cinnamon, cloves and ginger, and the dishes we tried were no exception.

Benis’ menu runs from breakfast through lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served all day and includes pancakes studded with anise, fennel, ax and poppy seeds; an assortment of house-made breads and pastries; and savory lamb sausage with eggs. Co ee and

Chicken tajine with caramelized prunes and apricot served with sefa noodles

tea are available as well. In season, specifically late summer into fall, look for fresh g toast — something to add to the list of things to try next visit.

Benis, who is charming and friendly and visited with us as well as the other tables, told us folks sip on smoothies in Marrakesh as an alternative to co ee. We sampled the pineapple, coconut and lemon version, which was rich and not too sweet. She says the avocado, g and almond version is popular in Marrakesh, so count that as another reason to return.

For lunch, she says her harira soup is a popular item — it’s a traditional Moroccan soup chock-full of lentils, chickpeas and thin noodles in a richly spiced red broth.

In addition to main dishes, the menu o ers a small assortment of salads and sandwiches. Benis hints her favorite menu item is the eggplant sandwich. “It has an amazing tahini sauce,” she says. Appetizers include “sheep in a blanket” and a pu y pizza, but per her suggestion we tried the cream cheese cigars — crisp, fried-to-order phyllo dough stu ed with an herby cream cheese mixture — and they were the perfect introduction to the avorful meal ahead.

Notes of Marrakesh is a small operation — just Benis and one or two others take care of the tables, bar and kitchen, so don’t be in a hurry. But if you take the time to relax at a table you will be rewarded with some delicious homestyle Moroccan cooking. tp

Pancakes are made with anise, fennel seeds, almond flour, flax seeds and poppy seeds.

Notes of Marrakesh opened last August along Studio Row.

A variety of hot drinks, such as mint and green Moroccan tea, is available.

WHAT’S COOKING? COOL TREATS

At the ﬁrst sign of summer we’re ready to dive in. Give us a sunny day, and we’re breaking out our sandals, sitting on a patio and standing in line for a Josh’s sno-cone.

It’s in these glorious days of May when we’re also eager to start cooking some classic summertime favorites. We’re grilling hamburgers, making strawberry shortcake and looking forward to homegrown Oklahoma corn and tomatoes. And of course, there’s the favorite food of summer: ice cream!

Ice cream sandwiches are great for graduation parties and birthdays, and you can make mini ice cream sandwiches everyone will love at bridal and baby showers.

The best ice cream sandwiches start with a cookie that has some oomph. You don’t want a wimpy cookie here. Our cookie suggested here has a cup of oats, making it sturdy enough to hold the ice cream. Once you have packed your ice cream between the cookies, roll the ice cream edges in sprinkles for a cute ﬁnish. — NATALIE MIKLES

HELLO, SUMMER! ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose ﬂour

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 quart ice cream, softened Sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until combined. Beat in the vanilla.

In a bowl, combine the ﬂour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture, beating until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. (The dough will be thick.)

Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough into 24 balls and drop onto parchmentpaper-lined baking sheets, leaving about 1.5 inches between the cookies.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Place a scoop of ice cream between two cookies and press to allow the ice cream to reach the cookie edges. Roll in your favorite sprinkles, wrap with plastic, and freeze until ﬁrm. tp

Ice cream sandwiches to-go RETRO REWIND

For decades the hum of a soda fountain and the clinking of ice cream scoops filled the air inside Sperry’s Rexall drugstore — a place where locals came for prescriptions, gifts and old-fashioned chocolate malts. Though the original Rexall has been gone for years, its story isn’t over. Fans of “The Outsiders,” the 1983 film based on S.E. Hinton’s novel, began making the 20-minute pilgrimage from The Outsiders House Museum in Tulsa to Sperry in order to visit what locals fondly called The Old Drugstore, as well as other filming locations like the DX Gas Station.

With help from the nonproﬁt Upward Sperry, the DX Gas Station was rebuilt and the drugstore reopened in September 2024 to help draw more people to town. Some of the nostalgic charm of The Old Drugstore remains, with vintage photographs and old apothecary bottles reminding visitors of the building’s past. But to draw in a new crowd, Natasha Woodard — business partner of owner Kevin Watkins — added a simple menu of burgers, fries, coneys and Frito pies for lunch, and biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos, toaster sandwiches and mufﬁns for breakfast. Woodard says it’s been nice to see more people visiting Sperry. She’s also added an extensive drink menu with coffee drinks, lotus energy and different types of iced tea. Big scoops of ice cream with dozens of toppings to choose from are popular with customers of all ages.

With its retro charm, The Old Drugstore isn’t just a stop for “Outsiders” fans — it aims to once again become a gathering place for the community in the heart of Sperry.

Don’t want the mess of making them at home? Tulsa has some great spots that will make them for you. Here are a couple of our favorites.

ROSE ROCK MICROCREAMERY: Fun ﬂavors are what bring us back to Rose Rock. Try the cookie bowls made with ﬂavors like Vietnamese coffee, lavender honey or midnight chocolate. For ice cream sandwiches, you can’t beat cookies and cream or the vegan cookies and cream. Find Rose Rock at 113 E. Fifth St., 1601 E. 15th St. and 115 N. Main St. in Broken Arrow.

BIG DIPPER CREAMERY: Big house-made chocolate chip cookies are ﬁlled with a generous scoop of ice cream. There’s the vanilla bean, but we also love the dark chocolate or the salted caramel with brown butter ganache smashed between those delicious cookies. Find Big Dipper at 3633 S. Peoria Ave., inside Mother Road Market at 1124 S. Lewis Ave., and 120 N. Main St. in Sand Springs. —

NATALIE MIKLES

WHAT THE ALE

NETTING SUCCESS

James Speegle never planned on running a brewery. He started by organizing sports leagues with OSSO Sports and Social, a recreational adult sports league in the state.

For 15 years, Speegle has organized leagues for kickball, bowling, Wifﬂe ball, volleyball and more with the post-game tradition of gathering at a sponsor bar. The leagues grew, and one day, Speegle thought: Why not become the sponsor bar? In 2015 he and a partner opened Beacon Bar in Oklahoma City with a modest bar and enough space for a single sand volleyball court out back. When demand outgrew supply he opened Lighthouse Beach Bar with space for six sand volleyball courts.

Further success led him to search for a Tulsa location. An existing local brewery with a skyline view and space for volleyball courts caught Speegle’s attention at 418 S. Peoria Ave. He stepped in for a drink, and by the time he left he had a new idea: Pearl Beach Brew Pub, where they brew their own beer and play volleyball.

“Brewing was not anywhere on anybody’s bingo card. When we started out, we were playing kickball in a ﬁeld with our buddies, but the brew system came with this building and this location. And luckily, our good friend Mitch Hull is a very accomplished brewer and has been known for making good beer for a while,” says Speegle, who brought Hull onto the team.

Open since 2019, Tulsa’s Pearl Beach Brew Pub serves a variety of beers from light lagers to lemony goses. They offer leagues and their beers at both the Tulsa and OKC locations. — TOM GILBERT

Pearl Beach Brew Pub owner James Speegle and brewmaster Mitch Hull

The Old Drugstore, 16 S. Cincinnati Ave. in Sperry, is open 6 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, and 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday. — NATALIE MIKLES

Above, the OD Cheeseburger; below, owner Kevin Watkins and business partner Natasha Woodard

A LA CARTE

BAKERY

These local bakers are the epitome of sweet success as the winners of TulsaPeople’s annual A-LIST Readers’ Choice Awards.

MERRITT’S BAKERY

3202 E. 15th St., 918-747-2301

9521-G S. Delaware Ave., 918-296-9000

4930 W. Kenosha St., Broken Arrow; 918-250-1607 • merrittsbakery.com

ANTOINETTE BAKING CO. 207 N. Main St. • 539-777-1674 antoinettebakingco.com

SAINT AMON BAKING CO. 8156 S. Lewis Ave. • 918-364-2143 facebook.com/saintamonbakingco

COUNTRY BIRD BAKERY

3 Wednesday dinner deals to beat the mid-week blues

How about a half-price pizza to get over the mid-week hump? On Wednesdays BRICKTOWN BREWERY ’s wood-ﬁred pizzas are half-off. Choose from: the Carnivore layered with sausage, Canadian bacon, ground beef, peppered bacon and pepperoni; Chicken-Bacon-Ranch; the Veggie piled high with olives, peppers, mushrooms and pepperoncini; and other pizza pie pleasures. One of our favorites is the barbecue chicken pizza with roasted chicken, cilantro, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, peppered bacon and barbecue sauce. At half price it comes out to about $7 a pizza. 3301 S. Peoria Ave. • 9409 E. 71st St. • 11909 E. 96th St. N., Owasso • bricktownbrewery.com

On Wednesday nights, when you don’t know what to make for dinner and you’re only halfway through a long week to boot — it’s puffy tacos to the rescue! Every Wednesday night from 4 p.m. to close, ELOTE ’s veggie and chicken puffy tacos are just $2.50. We love the veggie option ﬁlled with black beans and roasted sweet potatoes wrapped in an airy ﬂ our tortilla. And though it’s not part of the special, we can’t go to Elote without ordering the house queso, a delicious blend of cream cheese, salsa and spices. Pair it all with a $5 happy hour margarita and your mid-week mood will improve exponentially. 514 S. Boston Ave. • elotetulsa.com

MCNELLIE’S Wednesday burger night is one of the longest-standing restaurant deals in town. For years Tulsans have known to head downtown or out to McNellie’s south Tulsa location for a great value on a burger and fries. The price has gone up over the years (some of you may remember when it was $3), but with the increase in food costs, $6 for a pub burger and fries is still a great deal. The original charburger is served on a toasty brioche bun with seasoned hand-cut fries. Beer enthusiasts know this is the place to ﬁnd more than 60 beers on tap and hundreds of interesting pints, cans and bottles from both Oklahoma and around the world. 409 E. First St. • 7031 S. Zurich Ave. • mcnellies.com — NATALIE MIKLES

1644 E. Third St., Unit B countrybirdbakery.com

COFFEE HOUSE ON CHERRY STREET

1502 E. 15th St. • 918-779-6137 chocstulsa.com

Coffee House on Cherry Street

Bricktown Brewery

TRENDS

• 10 things to gift your host

• Meet home organizer Kristin Switzer

LIVING

• How to design a home from scratch

• At home with designer Francie Winchester

• 4 recent home sales

FEATURES

• A Grand Lake home is updated to suit a growing family

• New construction on Grand Lake hits all the marks

• A Carlton Landing retreat provides a relaxing getaway with a focus on family

118

DESIGN MINDS

Charles Stevens Dilbeck — Architecture wunderkind

SPECIAL SECTIONS

78 Top Real Estate Professionals

97 Designer Showcase

PHOTO

KACEY GILPIN

VORA QUINN

Designer Chelsea Harper-Wilson of Harper House Collective curated the ﬁnishes in this bright and inviting kitchen. To read more about how to design a home from the ground up, go to p. 73.

While it has always been my mission to make our family home feel as luxurious and comfortable as a vacation home, sometimes you just need to get out of town.

A change of scenery can do wonders for your psyche — letting go of the checklist of to-dos, the o ce just miles away or the piles of laundry haunting your mudroom. Sure, the beaches and mountains are nice but there is something to be said for a short drive to one of Oklahoma’s many beautiful lakes ... so much so that we decided to devote an entire issue to the topic.

On the pages that follow you will tour three di erent homes. Two at Grand Lake, one recently updated for a growing family (p. 88), while the other was built from scratch to suit its owners’ needs for years to come (p. 91). And a third (p. 94) can be found at one of the state’s most recent hotspots, Carlton Landing, which draws inspiration from the popular beach town of Seaside, Florida.

Each of these homes is unique and inspiring in its own way thanks to a handful of Tulsa-based designers taking their talents on the road.

After reading about these relaxing retreats you might nd yourself inspired to

nd a vacation home of your own. Get a feel for recent lakeside real estate sales at two upand-coming destinations on p. 77.

If building your dream getaway is more your speed, then you will not want to miss our feature on p. 73 that highlights tips from a pro for the exciting yet overwhelming process of designing a home from the ground up.

And for those of us lucky enough to score an invitation to someone’s lake house, we have rounded up the perfect selection of gifts for your host on p. 67. After all, if you make a good impression, they might just invite you back for more fun — something we could all use. tp

Kendall Barrow EDITOR

published by

1603 South Boulder Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119-4407 P: 918-585-9924 F: 918-585-9926

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

PRESIDENT Juley Roffers

VP COMMUNITY RELATIONS Susie Miller

EDITOR Kendall Barrow

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Anne Brockman Tim Landes Tiffany Howard

EDITORIAL & MARKETING ASSISTANT Madison Walters

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford

ART DIRECTOR Georgia Brooks

MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER Michelle Pollard

VIDEOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Andrea Canada

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Melissa Givens Josh Kampf

CONTROLLER Mary McKisick

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Trends

COME BEARING GIFTS

Whether you are a frequent visitor or this is your ﬁrst invitation to the lake, it is inadvisable to show up empty handed. Here are our top 10 gifts sure to make an impression on your host.

BY KENDALL BARROW

Woven Marbella tote, $64, and matching zippered pouch, $48; trucker hat, $35; all from Ribbons.

Choose one of these fun, themed gifts to bring on your next lake visit.

Yacht club servers, $42; Lake Life plastic cups, $15 for a set of 10, Magpie.

Sea salt and coastal mist candle, $74, Magpie.

Blue agate coasters, $18 each, Magpie.

Chip and dip server, $52.99, Amber Marie and Co.

Lake-themed cocktail napkins, $6.99 per package, Amber Marie and Co.

Etched ﬁsh paddle board, $34.99, Amber Marie and Co.

Guest book, $32, Magpie.

Geometry tea towels, $19 each, Ribbons.

Trucker hats, $35, Ribbons.

Perfectly placed

Local organizer Kristin Switzer keeps things in order.

BY SARA PLUMMER

Kristin Switzer has always liked organizing, even as a kid.

“I remember organizing the medicine cabinet or the pantry or the linen closet. I didn’t realize organizing was a unique skill set until I was an adult,” she says.

And she didn’t know she could make a career out of that skill until 2020 when she and her family moved into a new home with a walk-in pantry, something Switzer had never had before.

“I just started looking on social media to look for ways people had organized pantries, and I started following a few di erent people that had some good ideas and realized they were doing this for clients,” she says. “I said ‘People will pay you to organize?’ It just didn’t occur to me that it was a marketable service.”

Switzer started researching professional organizing businesses and found 2B Organized, a national company that had several franchises across the United States. She liked that the company already had a structure and proven methodology, giving her a solid rst step into entrepreneurship.

“And the best part has been the support I’ve gotten from other franchisees. We have about 15 franchise owners across the country, so it’s not huge, but there’s a good number of us now and we’ve become friends,” she says.

Switzer opened 2B Organized in Tulsa in June 2021, which now includes seven team members and a goal of hiring even more in the future.

e company o ers several di erent services in Tulsa, but the most popular are in-home organizing, downsizing, moves and relocations.

“We organize kitchens, pantries, closets, playrooms, garages — anything in your home we can organize,” she says. “We come in and help you go through this process that just seems overwhelming. We all have an unspoken to-do list, those things you have to tackle, but you don’t have the time or energy to do. We love helping with that.”

e rst step in the process is a consultation with the client to see the space and get photos and measurements. Switzer then presents a proposal with recommended services, products and an estimated budget.

“I get a real feel for the space and the client and what their goals are,” she says. “Over the past three-and-a-half years I’ve really

Kristin Switzer turned her passion for organizing into a career where she is now able to help others.

65TH ANNIVERSARY OPERA BALL 2025

The Guild of Tulsa Opera congratulates the 2025 Opera Ball Debutantes. The historic Opera Ball’s 65th anniversary was celebrated March 8, 2025, at the Mayo Hotel.

Future Debutantes, Squires, and friends of Opera are invited to OPERA BALL 2026

MARCH 7, 2026 • THE MAYO HOTEL

The Guild of Tulsa Opera is proud to continue this social and educational program for rising seniors in Green Country. Please visit www.TGOTO.org or contact TulsaOperaGuild@gmail.com for more information on Opera Ball 2026.

CHARLOTTE GENE BOEDEKER

ANNA CATHERINE SIMON

CARLYLE MAURA BUTLER MARIN CAROLINE SMITH

SUNNY RAE BARKETT

LONDON HADLEY SIEGFRIED

NEELY KATE HOLLEY KAMRYN JOELLE TEWIS

MAYA GABRIELLA JACOB

OLIVIA ROSE LAI

ADDISON ELIZABETH MEYERS

LUCY MARIE KACERE

CATERINA MONCADA

LAUREN ISABELLA MURET ELLIE OLIVIA MURRAY AVA NICOLE OVERLAND

SYDNIE LAUREN SCHAUDT LAUREN CHRISTINE PEREIRA

TIPS FOR SPRING CLEANING AND ORGANIZATION FROM KRISTIN SWITZER

• Start with a small and easy area. A junk drawer or that pile of mail on your counter is a great place to begin. First, pull everything out and place like-items together. Next, discard any trash or items that you don’t need. Finally, place your items to keep back in the drawer and contain them using small bins or trays.

• Place an empty donation box in a designated area in your home. As you come across items that you no longer want or need, place them in the box to be donated. You’ll be amazed at how quickly that box will ﬁll up.

• Schedule a donation pick-up with a local charity Salvation Army and Family and Children’s Services both provide donation pick up. Give yourself a couple of weeks to collect items around your house. This can include big items, too, such as furniture.

gured out what works well in a lot of spaces, but then every space is a little di erent.”

And as people get older and look to downsize into smaller homes or retirement communities, the need for help to declutter and prepare for a big move becomes even greater, Switzer says.

• As the temperatures get warmer in spring, this is the perfect time to review your winter clothing. Did you wear that sweater or those boots at all this season? These items will be fresh on your mind, and you’ll have an easier time decluttering.

• Remember the 20/20 rule: if you don’t use the item regularly but are afraid to get rid of it, could you replace that item for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes? Could you borrow the item from a friend or family member? If yes, then consider donating it or getting rid of it.

• Challenge yourself to create clear surfaces. Countertops and tables collect items easily and create visual clutter in the home, which in turn increases stress and anxiety. Clear one surface in your home that you see regularly such as your coffee table.

• Find a home for everything. Each item in your home should have a speciﬁc place to live. This makes ﬁnding your items and tidying up so much easier.

“A lot of seniors we work with, they might have been in their house for more than 20 years, they might have raised their kids in that house. ey’ve collected stu in their garage and attics and everywhere,” she says. “We help with that entire process. We want to make this transition and downsizing process a lot easier. And it’s really rewarding. I just love it.”

For Switzer, one of her favorite spaces to work on is the one that got her started. “Pantries are one of those great starter projects because there isn’t a lot of decisionmaking for the client. ‘How do you feel about expired food? Want us to toss it all? Great.’ ere’s not a lot of sentimental items in a pantry,” she says, but it’s a space that makes a big impact. “ ey see it and say, ‘ is looks amazing.’ And it feels great. ey’re in there every day, so it gives them instant joy.” tp

Switzer aims to get a feel for each client’s goals, ensuring the organized space meets their unique needs.

Living

BUILT FROM SCRATCH

Designer Chelsea Harper-Wilson of Harper House Collective curated the ﬁnishes in this bright and inviting kitchen. To read more about how to design a home from the ground up, turn the page.

The space features a striking green island topped with a durable quartz countertop paired with warm wood lower cabinets and crisp white upper cabinetry. The white zellige-style backsplash adds texture, while brass hardware and matte black accents provide contrast.

Making every detail count

Expert tips for designing a home from scratch

BY GRACE WOOD

There are few things more exciting — or overwhelming — than designing your dream home from the ground up. e freedom to make every design decision is exciting, but the sheer number of choices can quickly become daunting. From selecting nishes to ensuring a cohesive vision, the process can feel like a high-stakes puzzle.

Enter Chelsea Harper-Wilson of Harper House Collective, a Tulsa-based luxury interior design studio. Specializing in new home design, she partners with homebuilders to bring her clients’ visions to life — down to the smallest details. Harper-Wilson has developed strategies to help homeowners navigate the design process with con dence — here is her expert advice for tackling a new build from start to nish.

IDENTIFY YOUR VISION AND ASSEMBLE A STRONG TEAM

When starting the design process for your new home, having a clear concept and the right team in place can make all the di erence. “At the very beginning, have a vision — or at least a loose idea — of your style and what you’re looking for, then nd a team you trust to execute it,” Harper-Wilson says. “It’s never too early to bring in a designer who specializes in new construction, as they can collaborate with your architect to ensure your vision is incorporated from the start. Building a strong team of a designer, an architect and a builder who work well together sets you up for success.”

COMMUNICATE YOUR INSPIRATION

It’s helpful to have inspirational touchpoints to share with your design team — and they don’t have to be limited to Pinterest boards, Harper-Wilson says. “I’ve seen it all. I’ve had someone bring in a rug and say, ‘I want my house to look like this,’ and even a client who showed me a picture of their dog to use as inspiration for their home’s exterior colors. I like to see what you’ve saved on social media and hear what speci cally draws you to those images. Maybe it’s just the light xture or a certain detail. Imagery is the best way for me to understand your design direction.”

SELECT THE RIGHT FINISHES

When selecting nishes, it’s important to ensure they align with your home’s overall design vision. A designer can help streamline this process by narrowing down choices that t your style. Strong vendor relationships also play a key role. “I’ve built strong connections with local vendors over the years, which makes a big di erence,” HarperWilson says. “When we walk into a lighting store, for example, our rep has 20 years of experience and can help guide decisions based on budget, brand and size restrictions.” Working with a designer who has established vendor partnerships provides expert guidance from multiple angles, making the process feel far less overwhelming. Some nishes may be visually stunning but not the most practical for everyday

living. Opt for nishes that not only look great but also t your lifestyle and needs, Harper-Wilson advises. “Engineered wood ooring has come a long way: it’s not waterproof, but it’s durable enough for kitchens, pantries and high-tra c areas, so I have no worries about using it in those spaces. My biggest concern right now is marble or natural stone countertops. Everyone loves the look, and they are gorgeous, but they’re not as durable as quartz. ey can scratch and stain, especially in high-use areas like a kitchen island. If you have small kids, you might not be happy with marble in a year. I always recommend nding a balance between aesthetics and functionality — there are harder surface materials that o er the same look without the maintenance headaches of natural stone.” tp

Chelsea Harper-Wilson of Harper House Collective designed this dining space by layering textures and natural tones. The statement, woven light ﬁxture adds dimension while complementing the nature-inspired wallpaper, which pulls in the kitchen island color. A tulip table grounds the space, while plush upholstered chairs and a woven jute rug provide softness.

Francie Winchester

Designer shares a glimpse inside her personal home.

BY LAURA DENNIS

Designer and business owner Francie Winchester was always determined to turn her passion for home design into a career. After earning a degree in interior design from Oklahoma State University, she moved to New York City where she spent 12 years honing her skills in high-end interior design. Most notably, she earned the position of senior designer for one of the nation’s top design professionals, Tom Scheerer. Her projects spanned from New York City to San Francisco and even outside the United States in Antigua. While working for Scheerer and Hamilton Design Associates, many of Winchester’s projects

were featured in publications such as House Beautiful, Martha Stewart Living and New York Spaces.

After a successful career-building decade in the Big Apple, Winchester felt ready to open her own rm and put down roots in her hometown. In 2016 she and her family made the move back to Tulsa where she established Francie Winchester LLC, a full-service design company that o ers services as simple as refurnishing existing spaces and as complex as complete renovations.

“I love when I get to work on a project where we’re renovating because you’re typically working with an older home and with

architects and contractors,” she says. “I love the collaboration with everybody.”

Winchester’s personal taste is re ected throughout her 1930’s Cape Cod style home in the heart of midtown. e coastalinspired exterior features a charmingly symmetrical yet cozy silhouette with weathered cedar shingles and shutters. “I was immediately drawn to the feel of it,” she says.

e interior boasts an abundance of natural light and original characteristics such as the 1.5-inch hardwood oor panels and arched doorways. e intimate aesthetic of the home’s interior is magni ed by Winchester’s artistic style, which she

Designer Francie Winchester stands in her living room that features bold patterns, a mix of furniture styles and pops of greenery.

describes as “comfortable, clean and unfussy.”

A neutral palette mixed with pops of bold color, touches of green plant life and a mix of rattan and modern furniture yield her signature simple-chic vibe.

As for the bones, she says the house was in great condition when they purchased it, so minimal work was needed. e hardwood oors were re nished and the textured walls on the rst oor were smoothed down and painted a warm and inviting creamy white. Most recently, the single bathroom on the second oor was redesigned and enlarged to accommodate her family of four. “ e bathroom was the biggest construction project,” she says. “It was tiny, so we took space from the closet next to it in order to increase the width by 2 feet.”

Winchester’s favorite spaces within her home are the main living area and sunroom, which are divided by a double-sided, whitewashed brick replace. Both o er a vast, bright space and hold enough seating for the whole family.

In the main living room you’ll often nd Winchester and her husband sitting in their favorite patterned club chairs positioned near the replace. Along the wall sits a midcentury modern sofa with its sleek lines and tapered legs crossed in casual sophistication. Beside it sits a simple, white modern co ee table adorned with art books and fresh owers in a vintage vase.

“ is house is really an homage to my years of working for Tom Scheerer,” she says. “His style always spoke to me, and I basically combined all of the things that I loved best from his work and implemented them into my own home.” tp

Yellows and warm whites color the bathroom walls and shower, making the small area feel more open and spacious.

The home’s sunroom is ﬂooded with natural light, creating an inviting area for the family to gather.

The dining room features an eclectic array of elements including a Saarinen tulip table, Thonet-style bentwood chairs and a rattan light ﬁxture from World Market. The console table serves as both a buffet and bar.

A look at local lakeside real estate

BY SARA PLUMMER

As the days get longer and warmer, thoughts of summer cannot help but creep in. For many Oklahomans, summer is synonymous with spending time with friends and family at one of the state’s more than 200 lakes.

For those who really love lake life, having a house or property at an area lake can be a worthwhile investment.

“ e bene ts of owning a home near the lake are relaxation, privacy and recreational opportunities,” says Jen Miller-Morrow, a broker associate with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors. “It can also be a good investment, especially if you plan to rent it out as a short-term rental.”

Two up-and-coming Tulsa-area lakes for home buyers are Skiatook Lake and Oologah Lake, about 30 and 40 miles north of Tulsa, respectively.

“ e Skiatook and Oologah lake areas are becoming increasingly popular as the suburbs of Tulsa are moving more that direction. We have seen an increase in relocations to the area as buyers want to leave city life,” she says.

“Both lakes are great for shing and swimming. Oologah is a larger lake, so you don’t notice it being as crowded. Skiatook is closer to Tulsa so that is a big upside for some people.”

For those looking to buy a lake house Miller-Morrow says there are several things to keep in mind including if the property is in a ood zone — which could drastically impact insurance costs or if it is part of a homeowners’ association that could have fees and restrictions.

“Are there waterfront rights? Are there restrictions to lake access? If your home is lakefront, what maintenance needs may be needed to the shoreline or dock? ese are all great questions to ask your Realtor,” she says.

Miller-Morrow says it also is important to know what the primary purpose of the home will be.

“If this is an investment property, you may want to nd a fully furnished home that is already being used as a short-term rental,” she notes. “For buyers looking to live there full time, accessibility is something to keep in mind — how far are you going to be from the amenities you may need.” tp

This well-maintained home overlooking Oologah Lake features four bedrooms, three-and-ahalf bathrooms and a four-car garage. The expansive property in Claremore has easy access to outdoor activities like hiking, ﬁshing and boating.

SOLD PRICE: $1,195,000 ACREAGE: 80 SQUARE FOOTAGE: 5,865

This newly constructed four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home offers picturesque views of Oologah Lake. The property in Talala also features a three-car garage with plenty of windows throughout the home.

SOLD PRICE: $738,766

ACREAGE: 10.10

SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,550

This ﬁve-bedroom, four-bath home located in a gated, planned community in Talala is just a ﬁve-minute drive to a boat dock and 15 minutes to Redbud Marina at Oologah Lake. An abundance of windows provides beautiful views of sunrises and sunsets along the lake.

SOLD PRICE: $750,000

ACREAGE: 10.02

SQUARE FOOTAGE: 3,055

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Skiatook includes an ofﬁce and game room with lake views. The two-car garage has an 8-foot door and vaulted ceiling for a large vehicle and boat, as well as other upgraded amenities throughout the home.

SOLD PRICE: $540,000

ACREAGE: 0.64

SQUARE FOOTAGE: 3,300

Jennifer Wyko

INDIVIDUALS

ACCENT

Paul Wheeler

CASA LIGHT REALTY LLC

Charo Naifeh

CHINOWTH & COHEN

Brad Borem

Susie Genet

Kelli Smith

Natalie Richardson

Kristi Reed

Jennifer Miller-Morrow

Tonya Elison

Melissa Mans eld

Taylor Bay

Kristee Barlow

Val Gaudet

Missy Hagin Pittman

Kay Sullivan

Gayle Roberts-Pisklo

Carrie DeWeese

Amy Proser

Shawn Peters

TOP REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS

e residential real estate professionals presented here in company groupings represent the top individuals whose total volume (listings plus sales) totaled at least $7 million, and top teams whose total volume totaled at least $10 million.

e following pages include professional pro les and display ads purchased by Top Real Estate Professionals to inform readers of their services.

Christina Gnose

Ti any Webb

Montse Torres

Blake Montgomery

Austin Kirkpatrick

Deb Wilmoth

Cindy Rodgers

Carmen Plunk

Amos Radlinger

Jack Wallace

Monica Castillo

Casey McFarlane

Cindy Morrison

Kristi Russel

SC Cli ord

Allison Kamm

Alisha Cooper

Megan Forehand

Jennifer Robertson

COLDWELL BANKER SELECT

Kristin Winton

Maria Chupp

Jeanette Bagrosky

Suzanne Mobley

Michelle Jansen

Sally Mulready

Caroline Gorinsky Huesler

Kimberly Brewer

Paula McGuire

Roger McClure

Janice Koss

Ashley Wozniak

Michelle Bradshaw

John Pellow

Amy Main

Angela Cianfrone

Rick Shaw

Tammy Luczak

Carol Berry

Tammy Salerno

Susan Brooks

CONCEPT REALTY

Robert Kleven

ENGEL & VOELKERS TULSA

Taylor Zinn

Chris Zinn

EPIQUE REALTY

Robin Wilson

KELLER WILLIAMS ADVANTAGE

Kara Folkins

Jennifer Sanders

Amy Cavallin

Carol Pankey-Davis

Andrea Pinney

Jamie Goodnight

Kathryn French

Braxton omas

May West

Kevin Beaty

Holly Berry

Elizabeth Beaubien

KELLER WILLIAMS PREFERRED

Kristin Bell

Caleb Branham

Chet Wilson

KELLER WILLIAMS PREMIER

Juli Sunday Edwards

Darren DeLozier

Yer ao

MCGRAW REALTORS

Katy Houchin

Laura Bryant

Mike Keys

Belinda L. Tucker

Micah Tjeersdma

Angela Cozort

Sherri Sanders

Sally Moseby

Laura Hawkins

John Smucker

Rachel Close

Lewanna Shaw

Jamie Calkins

Pam Case

Sue Ann Blair

Chris Noel

Anna Brooks

Diana Patterson

David Palik

Lori Lassman

Brian Dausses

Lindy Collins

Heather Caputo

Mary Kollman

Stephanie Joy

NAIL REALTY GROUP

Sarah Nail

PEMBROOK REALTY GROUP

Stephanie Ross

REALTY ONE GROUP DREAMERS

Joanna Ford

SHEFFIELD REALTY

Allison She eld

SOLID ROCK

Heather Brewster

Katie Brown

Lisa Goins

Monty Danderson

Lori Kindle

Libby Lalli

WALTER & ASSOCIATES

INC.

Peter Walter

Blake Loveless

Marlene O’Malley

Dan Martin

Barbara Winder

Holly Lehman

Franky Neal

WE CONNECT OKLAHOMA REALTORS

Marc S. Bullock

TEAMS

CHINOWTH & COHEN

True & Co. Group

Alli Hayes Real Estate Group

Ti any Johnson Homes

COLDWELL BANKER

SELECT e G7 Group

Rainwater Team

Laurie Jenkins Team

Maureen Kile Team

McGuire Cooley Team

e Slemp Team

Jeb Perry Team

Alicia Parker Team

e Vermillion Group

Jay Miller Team

Trish Allison Team

Beverly Jeanes Team

Pollard | Sams Team

Kevin Rhoades Team

RCL Red Door Group

Corrie Egge Team

Nico Real Estate Group

Bonnie and Chantal Gross

OK Homes & Lifestyles

Martin Bakovic Team

BK Team

Hildebrandt Home Team

Chris Swart Team

CONCEPT REALTY

Concept Realty Team

ENGEL VOLKERS

Chris Zinn Group

KELLER WILLIAMS ADVANTAGE

Amber Davis

Jennie Wolek

Jessica Scott

Kasia Olek

Max Heckenkemper

Drew Ary

Apryl Pritchett

Holly Brumble

Ricky Underhill and Angela Miller

KELLER WILLIAMS

REALTY PREFERRED

e Rentz Team

Brian Frere Home Team

e Ratzla Team

e Cochran Team

Hometown Home and Ranch

e Ashley Group

Biersdorfer-McCoy Team

KELLER WILLIAMS

REALTY PREMIER

Shields & Co.

Colt Realty Group

Dailey Properties

Red Fox Realty Group

Paramount Group

First Family Home Team

MCGRAW REALTORS

Don Burns Home Team

Laura Grunewald & Associates

Ragan Group

Woodward Group e Bradshaw Group

Rise Home Real Estate Group

Lawrence & Roberts Real Estate Team

REALTY ONE GROUP DREAMERS

Carrie Ballard — Ballard Home Team

SOLID ROCK Gillette Markham Group

CONGRATULATIONS Top Realtors!

chris swart

rick shaw

john pellow

caroline gorinsky huesler

Suzanne mobley

tammy luczak

tammy salerno

janice koss

Kimberly Brewer

ashley wozniak

Mcguire cooley team

Kevin Rhoades team

The red door group

beverly jeanes team The Brian Kirk team

bonnie & chantal gross Michelle Jansen

Carol berry

Martin Baković team

maria chupp

kristin winton

amy main angie cianfrone

paula m c guire

Jeanette Bagrosky

Corrie Egge Team

Pollard sams team

jay miller team

Hildebrandt Home Team

The jenkins team

Jeb perry group

maureen kile team

Rainwater team

brooks

the parker team

22 years of experience negotiating and successfully closing contracts

Jen Miller-Morrow goes far beyond simply putting a sign in the yard — she advertises heavily. For 22 years, she has helped clients through one of the largest and most important investments of their lives. “My clients have become some of my closest friends,” says Jen. “I love my career and I am truly blessed with the best buyers and sellers.” Jen specializes in residential properties, commercial buildings and land, new construction and vacant land. Jen has been a Multi-Million Dollar Award Winning Top Producer since 2003.

918.638.7653 | JENMILLER.COM| JENMILLER@CCTULSA.COM

Diana Riley Patterson

Mc Graw r ealtors

Grand Lake waters run deep for Diana Riley Patterson. She came from a family who listed and sold Grand Lake for years. Today, she continues their legacy as McGraw Realtors Grand Lake’s top agent.

Patterson says, “I love Grand Lake and want everyone to experience what I have been so blessed with all my life.”

While Patterson has had her license since she was 21, she entered the profession eighteen years ago. She feels her success comes from hard work, relationships and honesty with her clients. Grand Lake is her home and she loves sharing it with her family, friends and clients.

KELLER WILLIAMS

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.

TULSA

Experience timeless luxury in this 4-bed, 6-bath Jack Arnold-designed Tulsa estate featuring vaulted ceilings, his-and-hers baths, a screened porch, and a chef’s kitchen—perfectly situated on 1.17 acres with a 3-car garage and 20KW generator. 7271 S College Ave. $2,500,000

HOLLIDAYS HILLS

3 bed, 2.5 bath brick ranch in Holliday Hills with spacious living, glass sunroom, and prime location near parks, schools, and shopping. Large .31 acre park like yard beautifully landscaped with a 2 level deck that provides the ideal space for outdoor gatherings. 5929 S Pittsburg Avenue. $375,000

MOUNDS

78 acres in Tulsa County. 3 ponds, some trees, flat pastures and great location. Vacant land on SE corner of 201st & Harvard Ave. $1,700,000

SOUTH TULSA

918 -231-5637 thayes@mcgrawok.com

Charming one-owner condo in the gated South Tulsa community of "The Timbers," backs to expansive green space. Great room with a stone fireplace, and an upstairs master suite with a private bath and loft. Enjoy community amenities like pools, tennis courts, and beautifully landscaped grounds near shopping, restaurants, and Jenks Schools. 2806 E 84th St. $239,000.

SANDERS 918- 724-5008 ssanders@mcgrawok.com GORDON SHELTON 918- 697-2742 gshelton@mcgrawok.com

PATTERSON 918- 629-3717 dpatterson@mcgrawok.com

GRAND LAKE

This gorgeous 2018 custom home in the exclusive Governor’s Retreat sits on a .85-acre corner lot and offers over 2,500 sq ft of upgraded living with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a den. Highlights include a chef’s kitchen with double ovens and a large island, an oversized great room with a gas fireplace, a screened-in patio perfect for watching deer in the backyard, and access to the private neighborhood boat ramp for full Grand Lake enjoyment. 59880 E 333rd Road, Grove. $649,000

MIDTOWN

This updated 3-bed, 3.5-bath ranch in Patrick Henry offers over 3,200 square feet of stylish, move-in-ready living— complete with a private guest suite, multiple living areas, and a spacious backyard retreat. 4107 E 47th Street. $549,000

THE VILLAGE

This custom designed home was built in 2001 and owned by Don East, a well known home builder in Tulsa! Features include a custom kitchen, open floor plan and a spectacular master bedroom and en-suite bathroom on the first floor. Another bedroom downstairs is used as a home office. Two additional bedrooms and bathroom are upstairs with a study. 3,200 square feet of space plus a 3 car garage.10135 S 78th E Avenue. $535,000

All they ever wanted

Grand Lake home is updated to suit a growing family.

BY LAURA DENNIS

BY VALERIE WEI-HAAS

Avacation getaway is what Julia Kirkendall’s clients dreamed of when they purchased their secondary home on Grand Lake nearly 10 years ago. Kirkendall, owner and founder of Kirkendall Design, says the home had great bones, but the interior needed some updates. “When they initially bought it, we designed each space throughout the home and have continued to furnish and update it over the past several years,” she says.

“Unfortunately, they recently had a water leak that caused the house to ood. It a ected the kitchen and a couple of the bathrooms, so it was the perfect opportunity to update the house for their growing family.”

e Grand Lake home sits on the edge of the water near Afton and o ers a picturesque view. e house sleeps nine and holds

three bedrooms and a bunkroom. e owners bought it as a home-away-from-home for their family and as a place to entertain on the weekends.

“Now their family has expanded, the kids have gotten older and updates are needed,” Kirkendall says. “We redesigned for their new family lifestyle so they can grow in that house and have room for everybody to stay.” e remodel and redesign for this project included the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms and ooring throughout the house. e oors in the main halls and living areas were upgraded with carpet and engineered hardwood. All three bedrooms were gutted and were given a fresh coat of paint and new carpet, bedding and furnishings.

Vinyl grass cloth wallpaper in Salix Army 18 by Fabricut was added to the owners’

PHOTOS

Thanks to a new layout, which includes an enlarged island and modern barstools, the kitchen is now a vast space for entertaining.

bedroom walls to add color and warmth.

e primary bath was revised with a mix of porcelain tile for the oor and shower walls, porcelain pebble tiles for the shower oor, a Taj Mahal quartzite vanity countertop and a freestanding tub. Quartzite countertops and woven-patterned porcelain tile oors were utilized in the bath/powder room, and the walls were covered in navy wallpaper to bring color and texture to the space.

e upstairs hall bath was modernized using small hexagonal tiles for the shower oor, a Pitaya granite countertop for the double vanity and large format, hexagon porcelain oor tiles.

Kirkendall says the kitchen was a complete overhaul. “We rearranged the entire kitchen layout and reoriented where some of the appliances were,” she says. “We added a much larger kitchen island and a lot of storage for activities on the lake.”

Before the remodel the kitchen was usable, but it was task-oriented. “It was a space to make a meal and leave, not a space to gather,” she says. “Now, everyone can t around the island; there’s more room for people to be in the kitchen doing di erent things.”

In addition to the larger island, Taj Mahal quartzite was used for the countertops and backsplash. A new range hood with natural brushed aluminum banding was installed, and the outdated cupboards were replaced with light-stained wood cabinets. “ e kitchen is always the heart of the home,” Kirkendall says. “ e vision was to open it up and have natural nishes and bring in natural elements so that it wasn’t feeling too formal.”

In terms of the aesthetic and overall redesign of the home, Kirkendall says the desire was to modernize, lighten and bring warmth to the space. “You know this house had a lot of old-world nishes that we see throughout Oklahoma speci cally,” she says. Steering clear of the trendy white and gray palettes seen in many remodels, Kirkendall implemented various raw materials, sustained woods and warm-toned colors and nishes into each room to achieve a practical, light and pleasant space. “I think another big key is when we, as designers, are engaged with our clients in their primary residence, a secondary residence is just a lot of fun,” she adds. “It’s like their fun house.”

As for challenges with this remodel, Kirkendall says they were quite minimal sans the initial water leak. “When it comes to design, there’s a challenge in every room,” she says. “But this job was fairly smooth. Having worked with this client over the course of many years, we know them well and are able to serve them well, which makes for an easy process.” tp

Dark, porcelain, hexagon-shaped shower ﬂoor tiles add contrast to the neutral-toned upstairs hall bath.

Warm-toned walls, porcelain tiles and accents such as the cowhide rug and neutral-colored wall art give the expansive primary bath an airy ambiance.

Floral prints and Thibaut’s navy Channels wallpaper keep the half-bath vibrant yet simple. To help give a modern, natural feel to the home, the kitchen was updated with light stained wood cabinetry.

The addition of Fabricut's vinyl grasscloth wallpaper in Salix Army 18 behind the headboard brings color and warmth to the primary bedroom.

With panoramic lake views as the backdrop the living room was designed to be both stylish and inviting. A neutral palette of soft creams and warm wood tones keeps the space feeling light and relaxed, while textured stone adds depth and a natural element. The open layout and oversized seating create the perfect setting for gathering with family and friends — one of the home’s key design priorities.

Lakefront luxury

Thoughtful design brings Grand Lake home to life.

STORY BY GRACE WOOD

PHOTOS BY KACEY GILPIN AND VORA QUINN

Alake house should be more than just a relaxing getaway — it should feel like an escape. For the owners of this Grand Lake retreat, that meant embracing a sleek, contemporary design that felt distinct from their primary home in Tulsa, while still maintaining warmth and comfort.

is vision was brought to life by GHD Interiors, co-owned by Tulsa-based interior designers Gina Miller and Brenda Rice

rough thoughtful material selections and stylish yet lake-friendly nishes, they transformed this new build into a modern, inviting sanctuary — a place the owners and their family will cherish for years to come.

“We have owned a home on that particular

lot since 1997 but wanted a new home that would support our growing family as we got older,” says homeowner Je Allen

GHD Interiors joined the project just after the framing had begun and conducted a oor plan review to ensure the home’s layout aligned with the homeowner’s design vision. Bringing a designer into the fold early allows for collaboration with architects and builders, helping to ensure that every design detail is integrated from the start. For example, Miller made sure there was ample space for king-size beds in every bedroom and strategically positioned oor outlets to accommodate lighting placement.

“When we do a oor plan review, we look at it from a decor and furniture perspective,

keeping the end design in mind rather than just the construction itself,” Miller says.

One of the top priorities in the design process was highlighting the natural beauty of Grand Lake. Additionally, nishes and furniture were selected to be able to withstand lake life. “We approached the design from a practicality standpoint and made sure that nishes and fabrics were suited for being around the lake and water — since it’s a vacation home, everything needed to support that lifestyle,” Miller says. “From an aesthetic perspective we were careful not to introduce anything too jarring or distracting from the gorgeous lake views and natural light. We wanted the design to feel harmonious with the setting rather than compete with it.”

In that same vein, the home was designed with hosting friends and family in mind.

“We placed an even greater emphasis on entertaining,” Miller says.

Allen echoes this sentiment, noting how much he appreciates the ow of the space.

“My favorite part of the design is the open oor plan, the views from almost every room of the lake, and the stonework — it’s my

Designed for both style and play the dining table doubles as a sleek, high-end ping pong table, perfect for a lake house built for entertaining. Textured dining chairs on casters make it easy to transition from meals to game time, creating a multifunctional space.

In the youngest daughter’s bedroom a striking gallery of vintage wooden water skis adds a touch of personality. Sourced from ﬂea markets, antique shops and specialty dealers, the skis bring warmth and character to the space. Soft blue and neutral hues in the bedding and decor complement the lakeside views just outside.

personal favorite,” he says. “From an interior standpoint, the living room is my favorite room from what Gina and her crew were able to do. But quite honestly, we love the entire design.”

Because the home was designed with entertaining in mind, one element that stands out is the dining table in the main living and dining area, which doubles as a ping pong table with a view of the lake. Not only does it serve as a striking focal point, but it also adds a playful, functional touch, perfect for a lake house built for making memories. “It’s not your typical green ping pong table — it’s a high-end, beautifully designed dining table,” Miller says. “ e ‘net’ is crafted from wood and metal and attached with magnets to a metal inset in the center, making it look like a decorative element when not in use. It’s the perfect piece of furniture for a lake house.”

e homeowners’ adult children played a key role in designing their en suite bedrooms, ensuring each space felt personal and unique. For example, the youngest daughter’s bedroom features a striking wall display of vintage water skis from the 1940s and ’50s, adding character and a nostalgic nod to the home’s lakefront setting. “Back then, all skis were made out of wood, unlike today’s berglass versions, and the natural patina on these adds so much character,” Miller says. “ ey’re very beautiful, sculptural pieces that make for such a cool design feature.”

GHD Interiors frequently works on outof-town projects, and this Grand Lake home was no exception. With the team unable to be on-site daily, seamless communication became essential. “Being physically away from the job site adds an extra layer of complexity, so we had to rely heavily on written documentation, emails and photos,” Miller says. “We did frequent FaceTime calls, sent detailed drawings and inspiration images, and made sure the builder had everything at his ngertips to execute the design properly. At times it felt like over-communicating, but when you can’t be there every day, that level of coordination is essential to getting every detail right.”

Due to the trust the homeowners had in the design process and how open they were to collaboration, Miller describes the Grand Lake home as a “dream project.”

“We had a hand in every detail — from the decor and nishes to the tile and countertops — which is always so rewarding as a designer,” Miller says. “ e homeowners were incredible to work with; they trusted us completely, knew what they wanted, but were also open to new ideas and unexpected design elements. Quality was never compromised. ey were fully invested in doing the best of the best, which made the entire process even more thrilling.” tp

Dramatic marble countertops and backsplash are the focal points of the kitchen, adding contrast and movement to the space. The warm wood cabinetry provides a natural balance, while black hardware and accents tie into other highcontrast elements, such as the black barstools.

A serene retreat, the primary bedroom embraces the lake views with floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light. A warm, neutral palette creates a cozy yet sophisticated feel, complemented by layered textures and rich wood tones. The custom upholstered headboard fills an entire wall, encompassing the nightstands and adding a dramatic focal point.

The simple life

Carlton Landing home provides a relaxing getaway with a focus on family.

BY BROOKE STURDIVANT

PHOTOS BY SARAH BAKER

Building a home for family — both their own and the generations to follow, is what convinced the owners of this Carlton Landing getaway to take the plunge into lake life.

Convenience enticed the homeowners, but it was the strong feeling of a “unique community where (their) kids could make friends and explore, get dirty and have fun without worry — a ashback to (their) own childhoods” that con rmed their choice to build a lake home at Lake Eufaula, the homeowners say. Carlton Landing, founded in 2008 and designed by world-renowned town planner and named partner of Duany Plater-Zyberk, Andrés Duany, evokes the enchanting simplicity of escapist towns such as Seaside and Rosemary Beach, Florida. It

invites the out-of-towner to a place where children run free with their only encumbrance being the setting sun.

e homeowners’ passion for the environment, sustainability and longevity in their second home led architect/builder Clay Chapman to dream up a home built entirely of reclaimed brick. He merged substance and beauty to create a masculine design replete with soft detail. Together with interior designer Laura Barnes, this team created a space of “artistry and craftsmanship” blending natural light, honed granite, quartzite countertops and stained white oak cabinetry that “looks as good as it wears” according to the homeowner.

Chapman’s artisanship is shown in the arches of the windows and the brick detail.

The great room steps up into a huge kitchen through a detailed brick archway. Black and white photos of the homeowners’ children hang just beside it. There is no question for whom this home was built; it has family written on every wall.

The homeowners’ love of art pervades every wall. This watercolor, by local artist Callan Dullea, centers the canopy of the primary bed that sits adjacent to the en suite bath, where exposed brick balances out the brightness of the white walls and linens.

Barnes says the level of craftsmanship is incomparable, adding, “it is very di cult to make something new look as if it’s been here 30 years.”

A huge priority was capturing natural light, which is achieved with walls of oorto-ceiling windows and doors throughout much of the home. ere are multiple outdoor living spaces — including a large front porch with mirroring swings — that can be seen from the great room, allowing the outside in.

With a focus on functionality and communal gathering areas throughout the downstairs, Barnes says she chose “furniture like metal tables and practical, durable fabrics that could take the hit of wet bathing suits, forgotten towels, red wine or a cute Frenchie that sheds.”

e kitchen has abundant storage hidden behind stained white oak, inset cabinetry. Paired with the 9-foot island and seating for 12, the kitchen becomes an instant destination for adults to convene over cooking and conversation while kids run unfettered.

the

“It was

from

engineering

it turned out so special.”

Because Chapman designed the home with the vanities under windows, Barnes had to hang

mirrors

either the ceiling or, as in the case of the primary bath, the brick wall.

reverse

at its ﬁnest,” Barnes says. “We had to get creative, and

e home is large, and one room pours into the next, so it was particularly important for everyone to make sure it had a cohesive story. is is achieved through one of the homeowner’s many talents: art curation. Her ability to choose pieces that enhance the character of each room worked e ortlessly with Barnes’ eye for space and balance.

A commissioned piece by artist Brad Overton hangs in a small archway and draws the eye to that side of a relaxed great room. It holds signi cance to the homeowner as it acts as an ode to the women in her family and will be looked upon by generations as they spend time together. Look in the opposite direction and one sees an antique tapestry juxtaposed against black and white photos of the homeowners’ children. Each direction tells the story of a family, its members and the legacy this home represents.

e great room is sectioned o into different areas for reading, table games and relaxation, creating a respite from the outdoors. Barnes worked with the homeowners to create a space that was light, airy and family-friendly. e soft neutrals in the furniture play o the texture of the brick walls, plush carpets and perfectly placed accents. Art remains a focal point even on the ceiling where an antique canoe hangs upside down and guides you into the kitchen.

e ve-bedroom, ve-and-a-half-bath home reveals something special at every turn. Each of the three main bedrooms feels special and thoughtful. Soft, layered bedding welcomes guests into their weekend retreat. En suite bathrooms complete the fantasy with an unexpected mix of metals and nishes. “ ere are no rules,” Barnes says. “Mixing nishes avoids pigeon-holing the longevity of a design.”

e homeowners and Barnes complement each other one room after the next. When the homeowner suggested a climbing wall and loft space in the kids’ bunk rooms, Barnes could not wait to explore the idea.

“So many decisions came about through organic conversation. Laura has this ability to put her nger on the pulse of practicality and beauty, bringing to life an idea I never knew could be a reality,” the homeowner says. tp

The girls’ bunkroom, identical in all but color to the boys’ bunkroom, is durable, functional and long-lasting. It provides a place for the kids to escape into a book, board game or bedtime. Muted shades of blush and caramel provide a backdrop that will continue to grow with the homeowners’ two daughters.

Functionality is the name of the game in this mudroom. Stained white oak cabinetry by Sullivan’s Custom Cabinetry stores all the necessities of a lake weekend while the reclaimed brick ﬂoor laid out in a herringbone pattern is ready for high trafﬁc.

HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION | TULSA

Eurocraft Granite & Marble

Handpicked from the natural beauty of Italy’s quarries ...

... to a custom made project in your home.

Designer Showcase 2025

2156 S. OWASSO PLACE

The Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa is excited to celebrate 52 years of Designer Showcase. In 2023 the HBA acquired Designer Showcase from the Foundation for Tulsa Schools. e two nonpro ts share in the proceeds of the event to support the students and programs of Tulsa Public Schools as well as the community involvement of the Tulsa HBA.

Designer Showcase is a landmark event in Tulsa to tout the talents, creativity and ingenuity of local designers and craftsmen. is year, 21 designers have done a masterful job of updating a 1923 home owned by Anita Bryant and Tim Faerber located in

2025

Designer Showcase Committee

Chair: Leslie McIntyre

Committee Members: Lora Phillips, Emily Machetta, Becky Orr, Lacy Davenport, Lori Medik, Alan Cook

Designer Liaison: Leslie Story

Tulsa Home Builders Association — Show Management

Executive Vice President/CEO: Jeffrey Smith

Director of Special Events: Sarah Gentry Staff Liaison: Kayce Dye

the Maple Ridge neighborhood of midtown Tulsa. We are excited for the public to see the newest trends in design and decor in this special home.

ank you to the event sponsors for your support, and we look forward to sharing the Designer Showcase home with you beginning on May 3.

Je rey Smith

Executive Vice President/CEO

Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa

Schedule

Open to the public

May 3-18

11 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday-Monday; Closed on Tuesdays

Extended hours on Monday and Thursday to 7 p.m. for “Meet the Designers” nights.

Tickets: $15

Thank you to our sponsors

PRESENTING SPONSOR

LEGACY SPONSORS

EXCELLENCE SPONSORS

MAGAZINE SPONSOR

Since its founding in 2001, the Foundation for Tulsa Schools has been dedicated to building a stronger community by supporting Tulsa Public Schools. Committed to increasing educational opportunities, the Foundation raises essential funds and mobilizes community and business support to ensure all students receive a rst-class public education.

Guided by three core pillars, the Foundation works to: engage and empower students, support and celebrate teachers, and strengthen schools and the district. It also leads the Partners in Education program, connecting businesses, faith communities and organizations with schools to provide volunteers, in-kind resources and nancial support. Additionally, the Foundation strategically invests in district-wide initiatives that advance Tulsa Public Schools’ mission and vision.

Visit foundationfortulsaschools.org to learn more about the collective impact of its supporters and explore ways to contribute — whether by supporting students and teachers directly or becoming an o cial Partner in Education. By giving to the Foundation, donors help create meaningful change, reaching the most students across our city through high-impact investments that drive success.

WE B TREES

Thank you to our suppliers

Aguilar Brothers Lawn and Landscape

Anton Williams

Apex Outdoor Design

Brant Park

Christopher Mantle Art

Drywall Repair Specialists

Eklund Duct Cleaning

Elizabeth Craddock, McGraw Realtors

Eurocraft Granite and Marble

Five Star Painting of Tulsa

Hardscape Materials

H.O.W. Foundation

Interior Accents

Janet Fadler Davie

Kelley Design

Kirkendall Design

Metro Appliances and More

Michael Beard Interiors

Paci c Shore Stones

Randy Vaughn Iron Work

Rebecca Gaines Art

Renaissance Hardwood Floors

Rucker Lamps

Sapphire Window Cleaning

Spectrum Paint

omas Plumbing and Heating

Tulsa Winnelson

I N V E NTO R Y

CLEARA N C E EVE N

FRIDAY, MAY 16

SATURDAY, MAY 17 SUNDAY, MAY 18

WHETHER YOU’RE AN ACCOMPLISHED PLAYER OR LOOKING FOR YOUR CHILD’S FIRST PIANO, THIS IS THE WEEKEND TO FIND THE IDEAL PIANO FOR YOUR SKILL LEVEL AND BUDGET.

steinway & sons is o eri n g signi c ant sa v ings on all new and used upright and grand pianos in i t s showr o oms is i nv e n t o ry will be o ered a t a discount for 3-days o nl y Ap p o int me nts t o a ttend this s a le ar e recommended. TULSA

S For questions or to schedule your private appointment, contact (918) 516-1853 or visit www.steinwaypianos.com

Kirkendall Design, a design-build interior design rm, served as the general contractor for the 2025 Designer Showcase home. With 32 years of experience in both design and historic renovations, the team oversaw the transformation, preserving the 100-year-old home’s original character while preparing it for a fresh design vision.

From the start, Kirkendall Design took on the heavy lifting, handling the major renovations to prepare the space for the featured designers. ey preserved key architectural details like the original hardwood oors and embossed plasterwork, original trim, hardware and other historic design elements. ey gutted and recon gured the kitchen, removed outdated built-ins and carpeting, and executed updates to lighting, paint and a garage addition.

In addition to the renovation work, Kirkendall Design guided the homeowner through the overall design direction, helping to balance preservation with modern updates. With a strong design-build expertise, the team managed the entire renovation process, working alongside Tulsa’s talented designers to transform this incredible historic home.

Kirkendall Design is committed to creating livable style through luxury interior design services. Led by owner Julia Kirkendall, the team o ers full-service design, including new construction, renovations, furniture selection and styling. For smaller-scale projects they also provide personalized design concierge services tailored to each client’s needs.

Julia Kirkendall Kirkendall Design 10105 E. 61st St. | 918-250-1650 info@kirkendalldesign.com kirkendalldesign.com

Jack Wills and Lee ompson

Jack Wills Home and Outdoor Living 8411 E. 41st St. | 918-663-3730 jwills@jackwills.net jackwills.net

Susan Eddings Perez SEP Staging 918-855-5570 susan@susaneddingsperez.com

Foyer

Front Porch

Dining Room

Jane Butts

Jane Butts Interiors 918-625-7345

jane.butts.ei@gmail.com

Powder Bath

Leslie Story

Leslie Story Design 918-346-9002

design@lesliestorydesign.com

Lynn Knight Jessee and Hannah Harrington Kitchen Concepts 5936 S. Lewis Ave. | 918-779-4480

lynn@kitchenconceptstulsa.com kitchenconceptstulsa.com

Den

Hari Lu Ames Embellishments Interiors 1602 E. 15th St. | 918-585-8668 embellishm@gmail.com

ProSource Wholesale Of Tulsa

Redefining the industry, one home improvement project at a time

ProSource® of Tulsa is the industry leader when it comes to understanding and meeting the unique needs of trade professionals and their clients.“We have a staggering mix of name-brand home improvement products, available at low wholesale prices thanks to our extraordinary buying power,” says Todd Adams, owner. Trade pros and their clients will get an up-close look at an impressive floorcovering selection, featuring carpet, hardwood, laminate, stone, and luxury vinyl tile, as well as a vast array of kitchen and bath offerings, including cabinets, countertops, faucets, sinks, and so much more.

Sunroom

Gunta Saudmeyer Boulevard Interiors

2301 N. Ninth St., Suite A, Broken Arrow 918-504-7256

gunta@blvdtulsa.com blvdtulsa.com

Back Patio

Gina Miller and Brenda Rice

GHD Interiors

221 W. Main St., Jenks 918-995-2100

design@ghdinteriors.com ghdinteriors.com

Gina Miller and Brenda Rice GHD Interiors

221 W. Main St., Jenks 918-995-2100

design@ghdinteriors.com ghdinteriors.com

Mudroom/Pantry

Destry Aneese

Destry Styles 918-504-4291

destrycosmetics@gmail.com

Whether your project is Commercial or Residential, Grigsby’s has you covered no matter what type of floor you’re looking for!

Teresa Tunison and Michelle Williams

Lifestyles, Lighting and Furniture 7222 S. Mingo Road 918-362-3000

teresa@oklahomalifestyles.com michelle@oklahomalifestyles.com lifestylesstores.com

Stairs and Upper Foyer

Royce Myers

Royce Myers Art Ltd.

1706 S. Boston Ave. 918-582-0288

roycemyersartltd@aol.com roycemyers.com

Gracie Turner

Gracie Turner Design 415-254-4943

gracie@gracieturner.com gracieturner.com

Primary Bedroom

Erin Harp

Erin Harp Design Studio 918-810-6624

erinharp22@gmail.com

For over two decades, artist Michelle Firment Reid has captivated art enthusiasts both locally and nationally with her distinctive vision transcending traditional boundaries. Her artwork invites you to delve into colors, textures, and thought-provoking themes.

“The Tulsa community is vibrant with art admirers who cherish original works for their homes and workspaces.

I am grateful for those who collect my pieces, resonate with my vision, and have supported my creative journey through the years. Explore my artwork on my website, and inquire to view specific works in person at Joseph Gierek Fine Art in Tulsa.”

Primary Bathroom

Erin Harp

Erin Harp Design Studio 918-810-6624

erinharp22@gmail.com

Upper Front Bedroom 1

Johnna Kosechata Designs by Johnna 918-740-0996

jkosechata3@gmail.com

Upper Front Bathroom

Paula Wood

Paula Wood Creations

918-740-2229

prwood7@cox.net paulawoodcreations.com

Upper Study

Brooke Cook

Brooke Cook Design 918-850-7638

brookecookdesign@gmail.com

Upper Front Bedroom 2

Julie O’Connor JKO Interiors

918-808-5954 jkointeriors@gmail.com

Upper Middle Bathroom

Lindsay Gray L. Gray Interiors

918-640-6457

lindsay@lgrayinteriors.com lgrayinteriors.com

Upper Middle Bedroom

Lindsay Gray L. Gray Interiors 918-640-6457

lindsay@lgrayinteriors.com lgrayinteriors.com

Upper Back Den

Pamela Scott Pamela Scott Interior Design

918-607-7171 | pamela-scott@hotmail.com

Cindy Hefner

Louis Alan Design Gallery

918-344-5050 | cindy@shoptherefuge.com

Overlook

Beth Zarbano Zarbano Design Co. 918-637-1996 beth@zarbanodesignco.com

Upper Back Bedroom

Pamela Scott Pamela Scott Interior Design 918-607-7171 | pamela-scott@hotmail.com

Cindy Hefner

Louis Alan Design Gallery 918-344-5050 | cindy@shoptherefuge.com

Upper Back Bathroom

Melissa Bauer Space Stylists and Co. melissa@spacestylistsco.com spacestylistsco.com

Charles Stevens Dilbeck — Architecture wunderkind

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

It’s easy to spot a Dilbeck house. It’s the one that looks like a doll house, a troll home, a quaint cottage right out of a storybook. Architectural magazines have struggled to describe the style — magical, quirky, whimsical, delightful. One nally settled on “unlike anything else in town.”

Charles Stevens Dilbeck (1907-1990) created a truly original architectural style. Whether cottage size or baronial mansions, Dilbeck’s distinctive details include massive chimneys, tall windows, unusual stone and brick patterns, vaulted ceilings and often a small turret at the front entrance. Sometimes he used salvaged items such as an old brick sidewalk for a replace.

Devotees of his work are known as Dilbeckians. A website, dilbeckconservancy. org, celebrates his style, and a biography is forthcoming. e late John Brooks Walton was a fan of Dilbeck’s work and featured it in his books about Tulsa homes.

His proli c career began in the 1920s in Tulsa’s Florence Park and e University of Tulsa area. As his clientele shifted to oil barons and wealthy citizens, he designed homes for them in Maple Ridge, Bren Rose, Swan Lake and the Utica Square area. Dilbeck’s unique design was neither modern nor traditional, the predominant styles of the 1930s and ’40s, but “simply eccentric,” one

architectural writer declared. Shutters might be deliberately hung crooked, brickwork a crazy-quilt pattern, shake-shingle roo ine irregular. As quoted in Walton’s biography of the architect, “If a Dilbeck house were a musical instrument, it would clang instead of ring. But, oh what a sound.”

His Hansel-and-Gretel-style cottages were a romantic version of French and Irish farmhouses, although he had not traveled to Europe to see them. He invented the style based on popular magazines of the day. “Contemporary houses leave me cold,” Dilbeck said. “Roofs go straight up and then just stop. ey remind me of a dog with his leg in the air.”

Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Dilbeck came with his family to Tulsa at age 8 where he got on-the-job training at his father’s lumber company. An architectural wunderkind, at age 11 he designed a church and at age 16 was an architectural department’s second-in-command. He studied architecture for two years at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) but dropped out to open his own architecture practice. He was 18 years old when legendary John Duncan Forsyth hired him to work on the Marland Mansion in Ponca City.

By age 24 he had built as many as 240 houses in Tulsa and moved on to Dallas where he became an icon, creating hundreds

of classic Dilbeckian homes and then — from one extreme to another — he shifted to the sprawling ranch-style architecture he recalled from childhood visits to the Oklahoma panhandle and West Texas.

Attuned to the growing popularity of automobile travel, he was an originator of motor hotels — travel courts that morphed into modern motels. Extremely proli c, he also designed restaurants and major hotels in Texas, Florida, New Mexico and California.

In 1939 Henry Ford wooed him to Detroit to work with industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes to build homes assembly-style for Ford housing developments. Each house would come with a Ford car in the garage and cost $35 a month, the equivalent of about $900 in today’s money. World War II ended the dream of Ford Towns.

Dilbeck the man might have stepped from the pages of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Sociable, talkative and well-dressed to the edge of dapper, he was photographed in tuxedos and white suits at fashionable casinos and ritzy nightclubs across the country. He married three times, fathered two sons and adopted a daughter.

A prodigious worker, after retirement he nally traveled abroad. When he saw a real Normandy farmhouse he said to his wife, “Look. ey copied my design.” tp

An example of Dilbeck’s work in Tulsa. Inset, the architect himself.

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