NELSON OASIS

Nelson Oasis By Maria Veres

Andy Nelson and Shannon Long

As one of Oklahoma City’s premiere landscape design companies, Nelson Landscaping already knows outdoor living spaces well. Now their brand-new Nelson Oasis division is taking this aspect of their business to the next level. Nelson Oasis specializes in high-end, custom crafted swimming pools, cabanas and pergolas, outdoor kitchens, and other elegant outdoor living areas.

Building Dreamscapes in OKC and Beyond

From design to installation, every part of each project is handled in-house at Nelson Oasis. Nelson Landscaping originally worked with subcontractors for pools and other outdoor living projects, but that sometimes led to quality and scheduling problems. By completing all the work themselves, Nelson Oasis can ensure the projects are completed on time and meet the high standards that their customers expect.

The company includes a management group of eleven and dozens of other team members with expertise in all facets of landscaping. Project managers remain closely involved in every installation from start to finish. “We take customer service to the next level,” says owner Andy Nelson. “We want to excel and make the projects fun for our clients, and fun for us.”

A Passion for Outdoor Living

Nelson Landscaping Vice President Shannon Long leads the Nelson Oasis division. He brings many years of construction and design experience to the table. Shannon was part of the construction team that created the Bricktown Canal in downtown OKC, and he has been designing pools and other outdoor living spaces for fifteen years. “Shannon’s passion has always been outdoor living,” says Andy. “He’s got an amazing background and knowledge base. He’s the one making the magic happen.”

A highly qualified team of project managers and technicians work alongside Shannon to bring clients’ visions to life. Every project is one of a kind, crafted with the highest-quality building materials and custom designed for the client’s space, needs, and budget. Under Andy and Shannon’s expert leadership, Nelson Oasis can create almost any high-end swimming pool, outdoor kitchen, or other outdoor living area a client requests.

A Winning Team

Nelson Landscaping and Nelson Oasis take pride in beautiful workmanship and outstanding customer service, but Andy credits his company culture for truly setting the business apart. “We focus a lot on personal development and personal improvement,” he says. Andy encourages his employees to set annual goals for their personal lives, families, and faith as well as their professional lives. “When you’re happier outside of work, you do better at work,” he says. His employees’ focus on success in all areas of their lives leads them to do their best for their clients as well.

“We have a great team,” he says. “I look forward to coming to work every day.” Between them, Andy and his management team have 150 years of experience in landscaping. Nelson Oasis works with clients throughout Oklahoma and beyond to create distinctive outdoor living spaces that can be enjoyed all year long.

Visit Nelson Oasis at nelsonlandscapingok.com or contact them at 405-202-4120.

A Tribute to

the Setting Sun

By Amy Dee Stephens

The Edmond community was caught offguard on May 2, 2020 when a discreet, front-page column announced that The Edmond Sun newspaper would be merging with The Norman Transcript because ofthe financial impact of coronavirus.

It’s no secret that newspaper publishing has suffered with the rise ofonline news, but it somehow seemed impossible that a newspaper that has weathered 131 years of economic storms, wars, and depressions could possibly change course in the midst of a pandemic.

The Sun Rises

The Edmond Sun was rooted in the town’s history. The first publisher, Milton W. “Kicking Bird” Reynolds was a land run pioneer. Fascinated by the West, he fell in love with the prairie landscape, which he described as a beautiful, silvery sea of grass. His writings persuaded many settlers to travel westward.

On April 20, 1889, Reynolds rode by train to Guthrie, Oklahoma to document the Land Run on his typewriter. Three months later, Reynolds moved to Edmond to start the longest-running newspaper in Oklahoma Territory. “This is the first issue ofThe Edmond Sun in the beautiful land,” Reynolds wrote on July 18, 1889. “It is here to stay and lay the foundation of a growing city and prosperous trade center.”

Local Breaking News

The Sun’s primary focus was always local history, especially when the town of Edmond was separated from Oklahoma City by miles of prairie. In the early years, snippets of personal life were newsworthy:

• J. E. Bert, employee of the local gas company, had an appendix operation • Mrs. Rodkey held a luncheon in her beautifully decorated home • College Grocery Store has green beans, but is low on liver • The pastor’s sermon this week is The Kiss of Judas

Frontpage stories that live on in the memories of local citizens include the opening ofArcadia Lake and the 1986 post office shooting and tornado. The largest-font headlines, however, celebrated Edmond successes, such as Olympic gold-medalist Shannon Miller, or when CNN and USA Today named Edmond’s LibertyFest as a top-ten 4th of July destination.

The Sun Sets

Perhaps the late Osa Lee Banzett, a mid-century journalist in Edmond, best dignified the work ofThe Edmond Sun when she wrote, “Never, never underestimate the power of a newspaper, whether it’s large or small. The printed word has a great impact on people…and it lives through the centuries.”

As citizens grapple with the idea that The Edmond Sun marquee at 123 S. Broadway is no longer lit, the staffare the most affected. In the final column, they wrote, “These are stressful times for you, and for us. We thank our Edmond Sun subscribers and advertisers for their support over the years.”

Their words and images, however, live on as a diary of Edmond’s development. Many citizens have saved clippings of the stories that hold personal meaning, and the newspaper is digitally preserved and accessible at the University of Central Oklahoma and the Edmond Historical Society & Museum. Although Reynolds could not have predicted computers when he wrote, “It is here to stay,” Edmond can take comfort that the work of The Edmond Sun will not be lost or forgotten.