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adahub COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

An Original Music Docuseries

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CONTENTS

adahub COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

JULY 2019

FEATURES

Publisher Okie Icon Media Managing Editor David Dinsmore

5

Salon owner took star-studded path to Ada

6

What's New with Ada Main Street?

7

Fitness business owner practices confidence, facing fear in Mrs. Oklahoma pageant

8

AdaFest 2019 to add film festival to two-day art, music celebration

11

After serving for 35 years, retiring tennis coach still has love for the game

Featured Writer Sunnie Dawn Smith Ad Sales Brad Carter Art Direction Fawn Wilson-Olivarez Photography Nicholas Geisler

To advertise call 421-7874 5,000 copies direct mailed every month!

Comments or Suggestions? info@adahub.com • (580) 421-7874 A rticles and advertisements in the Ada Hub do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine or Okie Icon Media. Okie Icon Media does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. The acceptance of advertising by Ada Hub does not constitute endorsement of the products, services or information. We do not knowingly present any product or service that is fraudulent or misleading in nature. Ada Hub assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials.

11

Clarification: The scenic photos provided by the Oka’ Institute for June’s issue of the Ada Hub were taken by Stacy Gantt-Blackwood.

A PUBLICATION OF OKIE ICON MEDIA © COPYRIGHT 2019

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Jennifer Lowry learned to do hair as a way to make money for college, but it became a career after she got a job on the Las Vegas Strip and got the chance to work with dignitaries and celebrities.

She currently owns House of Hair and Beauty Bar at 200 W. Main St. PHOTO BY NICHOLAS GEISLER

Salon owner took star-studded path to Ada

By Sunnie Dawn Smith

W

hen Jennifer Lowry started attending beauty school in Michigan while she finished high school, she had no way of knowing where it would eventually lead her.

She thought it would be a good way to earn money while she went to college, but that was all. She didn’t realize where beauty school would take her, nor that she would still be doing – and loving – hair 26 years later.

She attended college at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and received her bachelor’s degree in business, but she soon realized that she would never be happy sitting in an office behind a computer. She realized that she really did love to do hair. She loved the relationships she developed with her clients as well as the challenges of doing something different for every client.

“I enhanced my clients’ lives and made a lot of people feel good about themselves, and that was really empowering to me,” Lowry said.

Everything changed for Lowry, however, when she went on a trip to Las Vegas in her early 20s. She talked to people in her profession and realized she could make a really good living doing hair in Vegas. She

moved to Vegas with very little planning, though. She was young and wasn’t quite sure what she was doing at the time. While many stories that begin this way could end in disaster, hers did not. Lowry worked two jobs – one as a change girl at a casino and the other as a hairdresser – before she finally got her chance to be hired on the Las Vegas Strip.

“It’s very hard to get hired into a salon on the strip,” Lowry said. “You have to be very diverse in the hairstyles and techniques you have in your repertoire. The interview and audition process is intense.”

While Lowry was in Vegas, she had a chance to work on music videos and even some blockbuster movies like “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Hangover.” She did hair for a lot of celebrities. Though she had to sign non-disclosure agreements that are still active, she can say that she did hair for former President of the United States of America George H.W. Bush, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith. She also did fashion shows with models like Cindy Crawford among others.

While Lowry hailed from Rochester Hills, Michigan, her husband Jamie Lowry was

from Ada. They met in a Starbucks in Vegas in June 2014 and were married in June 2015, moving back to Ada that October to be closer to his family and raise a family of their own. While Lowry loved Vegas, she did not want to raise children there.

When she first moved to Ada, Lowry wasn’t going to do hair. She was pregnant at the time and figured that everyone already had their own stylist. Yet, she missed doing hair and thought maybe she could just do one client a week.

She never planned on opening her own salon, but the owner of a salon contacted her wanting to sell. It fell into her lap, and she couldn’t say no. Now she has House of Hair and Beauty Bar at 200 W. Main St. and has gone from having no clients when she first moved here to a full schedule working six days a week. While she loves what she does, Lowry has thought about opening her own beauty school in the future.

“I believe in furthering your education, and I think since I moved here a lot of salons are starting to want to better their stylists also,” Lowry said. “I love to see people succeed.” www.adahub.com • 5

What's New with Ada Main Street?

By Sunnie Dawn Smith

O

ne of the keys to success for cities can be a vibrant downtown area. Once the downtown falls into disarray and disuse, the rest of the city may begin to go with it.

In Ada, however, investment in the downtown area is at an all-time high with many projects in the works to restore the buildings to their original condition, bringing in new businesses and becoming active partners in the community.

Ada Main Street is passionate about continuing the development of Ada’s downtown area, director Amy Kaiser said.

Even though the organization is called Ada Main Street, its territory actually encompasses 12th Street and 10th Street as well and runs from East Central University all the way down to the Chickasaw Travel Stop.

Just in the past few months, five new businesses have opened in Kaiser’s district.

Sports Cuts Ada opened at 213 E. Main St., which is like a sports bar for haircuts. It is geared mainly toward men and boys, who can watch sports or play video games while they get haircuts, shaves and hot towel treatments.

Arbuckle Craft Coffee has begun brewing at 230 W. 12th Street, Owners Kendall and Sarah Carter have two small children and a passion for craft coffee. They began by coming to Ada for events but decided they wanted to open up a brick-and-mortar location, so the Ada Main Street district was the obvious choice.

Three new businesses have opened in the Ada Arts District, including a photography studio, Aubrey Lisa Photography, which specializes in family photography and whose proprietor calls herself a “lifestyle photographer and videographer.”

6 • www.adahub.com

The Rent-A-Center location at 230 E. Main St. is one of several downtown area businesses that has restored its building to more of its original appearance thanks to the Ada Main Street organization and its partners, the City of Ada and the Ada Jobs Foundation.

PHOTO BY NICHOLAS GEISLER

Cantrell Jackson also relocated to the Ada Arts District.

They are a software company specializing in oilfield services that could set up anywhere, but because of their Ada roots, they decided to stay local and help the Arts District flourish.

The third business to open in the Arts District is The Lot at 720 E. Main St., which is the brainchild of Karen and John Hudson. They also have deep Ada roots, and Karen was the former president and CEO of the Ada Chamber of Commerce. They wanted to bring something to Ada unlike anything that was already offered, and The Lot was born. They incorporate food trucks, music, games and a high-quality bar in an outdoor atmosphere that is friendly to be children and dogs.

In addition to new businesses opening in its district, Ada Main Street – along with the City of Ada and the Ada Jobs Foundation – is also committed to preserving and restoring the businesses that already exist. The three organizations

came together to develop the Business Improvement Grant, or BIG, to provide matching funds to businesses whose applications qualified. While BIG did not pay for all the expenses for these improvement plans – roughly $5,000 per project – that extra investment in downtown was enough help to get projects started when people may have been putting them off due to cost. As one project would finish, other businesses would see what a great idea it was and would apply, creating a positive domino effect in the downtown area.

One example of a project is at the Rent-A-Center building at 230 E. Main St. They have removed the blue awning, exposing the original brickwork and windows that date back to the early 1900s. The Diamond Shop and Nine Months Etc. are also both in the process of massive brick restoration projects, trying to restore the Main Street area to its original glory.

The siding on Main Street was literally the handiwork of a traveling salesman who went

from town to town selling siding, telling business owners that it would preserve their buildings and make it look modern, Kaiser said. One of these sales points seems true as those in the process of restoration have found the bricks and windows in excellent shape after being covered up for decades.

Ada Main Street is about more than just new businesses and restorations. They are also about community involvement. From 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Aug. 24 at AdaFest, there is an opportunity for nonprofit organizations to set up in front of local businesses at no cost in order to raise money and awareness for their causes.

For more information about Ada Main Street or to inquire about nonprofit booths for AdaFest, contact Kaiser at (580) 436-1600 or stop by her office at 124 E. Main Street, Suite 7, in the Shaw Center. Kaiser can also be reached by email at adamainstreet@cableone.net.

Fitness business owner practices confidence, facing fear in Mrs. Oklahoma pageant

By Sunnie Dawn Smith

W

hile Kris Claborn has always been involved in sports and fitness, pageant life was a new thing for her. There were some similarities, but it was still a whole new world.

She was used to sneakers and soccer shoes, not heels. This past June was her first pageant ever, and she decided to run for Mrs. Oklahoma for a chance at Mrs. America.

The main difference between Mrs. America and Miss America is that contestants in the former pageant are married. Claborn will celebrate her fifth anniversary Aug. 1. Both pageants require that contestants have a platform – an issue that they are passionate about.

For Claborn that issue is being “body positive,” taking care of your body and loving yourself.

While Claborn is confident and fit and even runs her own business, KFIT, she was nervous about competing for Mrs. Oklahoma. It was definitely stepping outside of her comfort zone, and it wasn’t just the high heels.

“I decided to run because fear was controlling my life and decisions,” Claborn said. “I was fed up with not doing something before I even tried solely because I didn’t have ‘experience’ or because I thought I wasn’t good enough. I thought of all the reasons why I shouldn’t run and all the reasons I should run. Even though there were more reasons why I shouldn’t, I did it anyway. Why shouldn’t we chase a dream? It’s never too late. You’re never too old.

You’re never not good enough.

Don’t set limits for yourself. Do it anyway.”

When it came time to prepare, Claborn took several different approaches. She watched many YouTube videos,

and she said that those were very helpful. She also had many of her friends from various backgrounds and professions interview her, throwing questions her way so she would be ready for whatever people asked.

Some were nurses, lawyers, accountants, coaches and moms.

She also had to get used to life in heels. She danced, washed dishes, did laundry and worked out on the treadmill in high heels, trying to train her posture and get comfortable with them.

While Claborn wanted to win and is a very competitive person, she wanted to focus on taking it moment by moment, soaking in the whole experience and enjoying the process.

While winning was important to her, losing with grace was just as important.

“It’s hard to lose and lose with grace,” Claborn said. “Not many people want to get uncomfortable for fear of losing, and many people are sore losers. I’ve been both. I believe I could have brought a powerful message of being body positive at nationals, but I know I brought an even stronger message to those who know me, love me and follow me that we should always follow our dreams no matter what. If we lose, we keep our head high and lose with grace.”

This pageant made Claborn want to step out of her comfort zone even more. She is going to try again next year to become Mrs. Oklahoma. She goes around to schools and talks to girls about this as well. Her message goes beyond pageants to encourage girls to step out of their comfort zone and practice self-love and body positivity. She conveys this message through her business and social media as well and can be fol-

Kris Claborn competed for Mrs. Oklahoma as a way to face doubts and fears she has long held about competitions like pageants and to help her encourage others about facing new challenges. PHOTO BY ROCKIN R PHOTOGRAPHY

lowed on instagram @kris_kfit and her website, kfit.fit.

Even though she already believed in fitness and nutrition – and that is a large part of her life – Claborn did discover some new things about herself through this process. She discovered that she actually enjoyed shopping, playing around in high heels and experimenting with makeup. She said she realized she enjoyed it so much that she should do it more in her regular life.

“It’s really fun to dress up and

own the night in red lips and a fun heel,” Claborn said.

Even more than that, though, she learned that she could do it, and she could persevere stepping out of her comfort zone and learning new things.

“Pageants come with grace and poise, and I always thought you either have it or you don’t,” Claborn said. “I practiced and practiced, and what I realized is that it comes down to confidence. Be confident even if you aren’t confident.” www.adahub.com • 7

AdaFest 2019 is getting ready to sound off Aug. 23-24 downtown with the addition of a film festival this year to complement its art and music components.

PHOTO BY NICHOLAS GEISLER

AdaFest 2019 to add film festival to two-day art, music celebration

By Sunnie Dawn Smith

F

or the fourth year in a row, members of the community are coming together to bring a music and arts festival to Ada. AdaFest 2019 will also add a new element to its offerings with a film festival on Aug. 23 with the music and art festival taking place Aug. 24.

“This year will be a little bigger and a little better,” organizer Brad Jessop said.

After the growth and popularity of AdaFest, East Central University Media Services Librarian, Patrick Baumann, thought it might be appropriate to increase the artistic scope of the festival by adding film. Since Baumann already knew several filmmakers with ties to ECU, he reached out to the organizing committee of AdaFest to see if they would be interested. All of the featured filmmakers are local to Oklahoma.

8 • www.adahub.com

“The Oklahoma filmmaking community tends to be a close-knit group that collaborate and know each other well,” Baumann said. “The filmmakers were initially chosen by who had ties to East Central University, but was expanded to include others with whom they had worked. All of the filmmakers that I have spoken to have been excited for the opportunity and see it as an excellent way to reach the community.”

In addition to the film festival on Friday night, Saturday will be a day filled with music, art, fun and community. The downtown festivities begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. Music begins at 10:30 a.m. with bands at the Grandview at 201 E. Main St. and the parking lot near Sessions at 231 E. Main St. Another stage might be added as well.

Watch the AdaFest 2019 Facebook page

for updated information.

In addition to the music, the city will be closing the 100 and 200 blocks of East Main. The 100 block will be the kids zone with bounce houses and possibly a climbing wall. The 200 block will have the for-profit vendors as well as the preliminary round of the corn hole championship.

At 4 p.m., festivities start moving toward ECU and the Arts District. The kids zone moves as well, complete with a splash zone and bounce houses that one child referred to last year as “bounce house heaven.” The final rounds of the cornhole championships will also be held on the 700 block in front of The Lot at 720 E. Main St. In addition to the main stage, people will also be able to hear music at four stages in the Arts District: one at The Lot, one at Hot Shots Coffee House at 709 E. Main

St.and two at Vintage 22 at 800 E. Main St. All stages are all ages except for those Vintage 22. Hot Shots will have music from 4:30-8:15 p.m., The Lot from 4:45-10:30 p.m. and Vintage 22 from 4:30 p.m. to midnight.

The main stage will host four different bands. Music begins at 5 p.m. with Conflict of Interest playing followed by Isaac McClung at 6 p.m. Oberon plays at 7 p.m. followed by the headliner, The Nixons, at 8:15 p.m.

While The Nixons earned fame and acclaim with several hit singles and a successful nationwide touring career during the 1990s, another interesting thing about the band is their deep roots in Ada. Guitarist and lead singer, Zac Maloy, graduated high school in Ada and attended the University of Oklahoma. It was there that his band was formed and took off.

Though the band broke up in 2002, they recently got back together in 2017 and released a new song entitled “Song of the Year” followed by their “Song of the Year EP.” In addition to the music, at least 14 artists will have booths set up at the Main Stage area at the ECU Centennial Plaza, and 14 food trucks have signed up to serve the public. There are very few festivals in Oklahoma that can rival the extensive nature of this one, Jessop said, who pointed to Norman Music Festival, Rocklahoma and Woody Guthrie Festival as possible comparables.

In addition to all that is offered, it is also completely free for the public. The only money attendees need to bring is for the food trucks, beer garden and vendors they would like to support. There is no cost for admission. This is largely in part to the extensive sponsorship and community support. They currently have two presenting sponsors: The Chickasaw Nation and Ada Nissan. They have one Diamond Sponsor, Hatton

Enterprises, and nine Gold level sponsors comprised of the ECU School of Fine Arts;

Sweeney, Draper, and Christopher PLLC; First United Bank; HMA Foundation; Eric and

Sarah Jane Johnson; James R. “Rob” Neal; Redland Childers Architects; Score Broadcasting; and Vision Bank. After the music at the main stage is completed, there will be an after party at the Gateway Stage in front of Gateway Mortgage Group at 803 E. Main St. complete with three DJs and a light show.

“Ada has a lot of talent, but we need to support that talent,” Jessop said. “It is important to pay the artists, but it is also important to be present.”

For more information about AdaFest, check out their Facebook page or their website, adafestoklahoma.org. www.adahub.com • 9

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After serving for 35 years, retiring tennis coach still has love for the game

By Sunnie Dawn Smith

S

kip Griese has spent practically all his life on the tennis courts.

Even though he is retiring, that probably won’t change, but now it will be on his own time instead of a full-time job.

Griese came from a military family. His father was stationed in Vietnam when he was age 10. He was living with his mother and brother at his grandmother’s house in Lorain, Ohio, across the street from the tennis courts. During the day, he would play tennis with his friends, and in the evening, his mother would play with her friends. Every night after dinner, Griese would run across the street to hit the ball with his mother’s friends in order to save her spot.

Griese started giving tennis lessons when he was 13 years old, and that is when he realized he wanted to be a coach.

After graduating from East Central University in 1978, he took a job coaching at Healdton Public Schools.

In 1980, he returned to ECU as a new hire to coach their men’s tennis team. In 1984, he was hired at Ada City Schools as a teacher and a tennis coach.

After 35 years with Ada, Griese decided it was time to retire.

“It is a time in my life to be with my family,” Griese said.

“I am still healthy, and the upcoming coach, Terry Swopes, has a great relationship with the players. I have no doubt he will be very successful.”

During his tenure at Ada, Griese’s tennis program has been remarkably successful. The program has 23 state championships, 14 of which came under Griese with nine state championships for boys

and five for girls. They have also had 16 state runner-up teams, 51 All-State players and 73 singles and doubles state champions.

“A conservative estimate of matches that were played in my 35 years combining both boys and girls is 5,720 wins and 2,240 losses,” Griese said.

While much of this success can be directly attributed to Griese’s coaching, he also credits the program’s success to the dedicated players, supportive parents and the administration of Ada City Schools.

While coaching was fun, it was not always easy, he said.

Griese made great, longlasting friendships and will always remember the van rides to and from the tournaments fondly. However, in the course of 35 years, the most difficult thing was navigating new teams and new players all with their own skills, struggles and personalities. Every year new players would come in, and Griese would have to develop new strategies to coach them in a successful way and help them be the best players they could be. This is one of the reasons he was so successful as a coach, though; he was willing and able to adapt to new situations and solve each new difficulty as it arose.

Griese loves tennis and loved coaching. What he liked most was the relationships he developed with other players and coaches as well as the joy of competition. They would be in competition but still walk away at the end of the day as friends.

Another great thing about the sport, though, is that it is for people of all ages and can help them stay fit both physically

Skip Griese began playing tennis as a child and turned it into a career capped by a 35-year stint as tennis coach for Ada City Schools, and even though he is retiring, he still plans to spend time on the court. PHOTO BY NICHOLAS GEISLER

and mentally.

“Tennis is a sport that has no age limit as long as someone feels like they can play,” Griese said. “I have always told kids, ‘it’s a co-ed sport and a great way to meet other kids.’ Tennis teaches discipline, problem solving and sportsmanship.”

While Griese thoroughly enjoyed his time coaching for Ada, he is looking forward to retirement and having more time to spend with family and to travel – something that is difficult for a full-time coach

and teacher. However, tennis is such a part of his life that he will still be involved with it, giving lessons and helping out with tournaments as needed.

He also owes the school system a debt of gratitude.

“I have been blessed to have worked for the Ada public school system,” Griese said.

“Words cannot express the gratitude I have to the players and parents by allowing me to be a part of their lives and the administration to pursue my passion.” www.adahub.com • 11

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