TulsaPeople April 2022

OSU COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE IS 50

LEGENDS: SHARON KING DAVIS

CELEBRATING LEON RUSSELL AND BOB DYLAN

April 2022

the spring issue Kat Robinson, owner of Robinson Ranch

LOCAL FARMERS SOW SUCCESS WITH THE HOME DELIVERY CRAZE

Fresh farm FROM THE

Detailed Julia Kirkendall Kirkendall Interior Design

“Good design is in the details.

Nothing is too small if it makes a design better for my clients. It’s the same with banking. My bank has saved me thousands of dollars a year by paying attention to the details. They take a personal interest in my success, and it shows.

That’s why MY BANK IS MABREY.” Read more at MyBankIsMabrey.com/Kirkendall

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Hazel and her sister, Hattie Acute Leukemia

saintfrancis.com/childrenshospital

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The St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis in Tulsa provides the latest treatments and access to more clinical research trials than any other pediatric facility in Oklahoma. St. Jude groundbreaking trials are leading to new and advanced treatments that improve pediatric hematology and oncology care.

Our children deserve the full concentration of the best medical minds and technology available—found only at Oklahoma’s only St. Jude Affiliate Clinic.

The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis 6161 South Yale Avenue | Tulsa, OK 74136 918-502-6000

FIRST OKLAHOMA BANK PRESENTS

Leaders with Heart

HUMBLE. INDUSTRIOUS. FAMILY-FOCUSED.

Chad Stanford does not like to self-promote. He is not one to rattle off accomplishments or a list of organizations to which he gives his time or resources. Instead, Chad would much rather focus on family and shine the light on his wife and two sons, for whom he strives to be the best husband and dad possible.

As Vice President of Real Estate for QuikTrip Corp., Chad has worked 24 years for the privately held convenience store company, which today has more than 900 stores in 14 states.

Chad’s career with QuikTrip started while he was a teenager attending Holland Hall High School.

At age 16, he began working part time as a store clerk in Tulsa, stocking shelves, mopping floors, before moving up to helping customers at the cash register.

After graduating from Texas Christian University with a finance and accounting degree, Chad in 1998 rejoined QuikTrip permanently as a member of the real estate department. Today he oversees a department responsible for site selection, acquisition, and development of all new stores.

In addition to being a long-time United Way supporter, he supports organizations that align

with his faith or focus on children and families. He also is a Director of the Board for First Oklahoma Holdings Inc. and First Oklahoma Bank.

Family is his passion outside work. “I had a perfect childhood and great loving parents. My parents, Mike and Susan Stanford, gave me strong guidance and raised me under a Christian roof with strong family values,” Chad says. “I’ve always just wanted to be like my parents. Therefore, I think probably the best thing I can do for my kids is show them the best example, so they have the best chance of being successful in life.”

Chad and his wife hope to instill some of the same values they learned from their respective families. For Chad, that includes the importance of treating others as he wants to be treated, being generous, hardworking, and giving for the sake of helping others rather than recognition. A man is not defined only by what others see him

do, but how he behaves when no one is watching, he says.

“Chad is intelligent, the person everyone wants to have on their team. He is smart, asks good questions, is a critical thinker, well-spoken and takes action,” says Tom Bennett III, President of First Oklahoma.

Says Chad, “Everything First Oklahoma Bank does is with a strong moral compass – not just what is best for the Bank, but what is best for the community. It’s not all about making a buck. It’s about helping people. If you put people first, the rest will take care of itself.”

Midtown: 4110 S. Rockford Avenue | South: 100 S. Riverfront Drive, Jenks

www.FirstOklahomaBank.com

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APRIL 2022 | VOLUME 36 ISSUE 6

From left, Maria, Hudson, Luke and Lynnea Rose Fisher with beans their parents Chantee and Luke Fisher will plant for the family business, Fisher’s Produce.

Read about their family farm on p. 44.

7 CITY DESK History of the landmark Meadow Gold sign.

Creativity and sustainable shopping converge.

Church Studio opens after major renovation.

Talking Cherokee Nation film incentives.

75 LIFESTYLE Weather-ready footwear.

Road trip to southwestern Oklahoma.

Toxic backyard plants.

Connie Cronley cheers us up.

Conversations with artist Joe Andoe and musician Lee Ranaldo.

BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

38 LEGENDS: SHARON KING DAVIS Businesswomen and passionate advocate for Tulsa.

BY GAIL BANZET-ELLIS

4

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

40 CASH CROP Local farmers and producers have leveraged their homegrown goods with old-fashioned business acumen to create a thriving home delivery system.

BY NATALIE MIKLES

47 GOLDEN MILESTONE OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine celebrates 50 years of improving access to quality health care and underserved Oklahomans from its Tulsa headquarters.

BY ANNA HOLTON-DEAN

SPECIAL SECTIONS 53 Top 100 Tulsa Real Estate Professionals 66 Real Weddings 82 Senior living

ON THE COVER: Kat Robinson of Robinson Ranch.

Photo by Michelle Pollard.

89 TABLE TALK Revisit the ’90s at Zasa’s Pizza.

Neighborly kindness in bread form.

Three favorite Caesar salads.

Saint Amon’s French-American bakery reopens.

MICHELLE POLLARD; CITY DESK: GREG BOLLINGER

36 SPLITTING THE ATOM OF BOB DYLAN

New symptoms?

Check in on your heart health

If daily tasks or short walks are more difficult than they used to be, it might be time to talk with a specialist about your risk for heart disease, and if a heart screening is right for you. Heart care shouldn’t wait. Get heart care sooner to catch things before they could get worse. For in-person visits, know that we are maintaining strict precautions to keep you safe while in our care.

To schedule a screening, call 918-416-6309 or visit ascension.org/StJohnHeart © Ascension 2022. All rights reserved.

FROM THE EDITOR

Volume XXXVI, Number 6 ©2022. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, including created advertising in a proofed or printed stage.

A

mong the recent doom-and-gloom

ing — especially recently. Although I want to be

feeds, a shining example of good

too much. On those days I turn to social media

headlines and articles fi lling my

news: “At the bottom of an icy sea, one of history’s great wrecks is found.”

Endurance, the ship captained by Ernest

Shackleton that sunk while on an expedition in the Antarctic in 1915, was discovered after years

of searching. Found on the ocean floor, the icy

educated and well informed, sometimes it’s all

only for reprieve, going straight to the feed of @sirwobbles, an Australian rescue/rehabilitation/ release caregiver for Toosh Tuesday or Wombat Wednesday. (Do your mental health a favor and follow immediately!)

I also hope you can turn to the pages of

waters and lack of wood-eating organisms found

TulsaPeople Magazine and our digital products.

Shackleton and his adventures have long cap-

Tulsa great, the quintessential Tulsa places that

the vessel mostly intact.

tured my wanderer’s heart. As someone who is

continually striving to be a better leader, I’ve come to admire, like so many others, Shackleton’s

innate leadership abilities. He’s been revered

We’re still here covering the people who make make this home, the events you don’t want to miss

and the organizations — and the Tulsans behind them — making the city we love a better place.

I hope you can find joy in knowing you can

for his crisis management — after all, if being

get your flaky croissant fi x again now that Saint

with 27 other men isn’t a crisis, I don’t know what

move (p. 89). The folks at A New Leaf are find-

trapped in the middle of the frozen Weddell Sea

is. Since I’m no historian and this isn’t National

Geographic, I won’t go into detail here; needless to say, the crew returned safely to land with “not

Amon Baking Co. is back open after a recent ing ways for those with intellectual disabilities to have jobs and homes to call their own (p. 20).

ducers harvesting nutritious, Oklahoma-grown

undiscovered wrecks, which naturally led me to

the long-talked-about Church Studio renova-

think about heroine Amelia Earhart, whose 1937

around-the-world fl ight ended without a trace of her. Robert Ballard, a famed ocean explorer who

can claim finding the Titanic wreckage on his resume, was on the case in 2019. Unfortunately

tions are underway, and tours are now available (p. 30). Rejoice in the fact that Cherokee Nation

is again distributing heirloom seeds to its citizens (p. 32).

I hope this April issue showers you with smiles

and insight into the goings-on of Tulsa.

in a recent “Overheard at National Geographic”

wrecked. TP

podcast.

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNITY RELATIONS Susie Miller EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR DIGITAL EDITOR ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Anne Brockman Morgan Phillips Tim Landes Blayklee Freed

EDITORIAL CONSULTING Missy Kruse, The Write Company CREATIVE DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER VIDEOGRAPHER

Madeline Crawford Georgia Brooks Michelle Pollard Greg Bollinger

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Andrea Canada Josh Kampf Rita Kirk CONTROLLER Mary McKisick DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall INTERNS Rachel Dupree Julianne Tran

MEMBER

TulsaPeople’s distribution is audited annually by

foods in sustainable ways (p. 40). Get excited that

the expedition was fruitless; however, Earhart’s legacy lives on in women everywhere as reported

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

There are numerous local farmers and pro-

a life lost,” Shackleton wrote to his wife.

That got me to think about history’s other great

TulsaPeople Magazine is published monthly by

I swear, it’s not all doom and gloom. I’d be

Langdon Publishing Company sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This issue of Tulsa People was printed on recycled fibers containing 20 percent post-consumer waste with inks containing a soy base blend. Our printer is a certified member of the Forestry Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and additionally, meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards. When you are finished with this issue, please pass it on to a friend or recycle it. We can have a better world if we choose it together.

Disregard any TulsaPeople subscription solicitation that is not directly mailed from the Langdon Publishing office at 1603 S. Boulder Ave. Contact Langdon Publishing directly if you are interested in subscribing or renewing your TulsaPeople subscription.

What do either of these things have to do with

Tulsa? And this city magazine? Well, nothing.

But, as someone in the journalism profession

I am cognizant of the news overload the aver-

age guy and gal faces each day. I’m one of them.

Sometimes the weight of the news is overwhelm6

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Anne Brockman EDITOR

S AY N O T O H A T E

Spring respite

A

GREG BOLLINGER

sense of peace greets visitors of home goods shop Lo Home by Lauren Haskell Designs, 409 E. Eighth St., Suite B. A deeper look reveals it’s less from the white and pastel home decor, and more from the quiet confidence and magnetism of a company built on sound principles. TP

VISIT P. 20 FOR MORE ON LO HOME. TulsaPeople.com

7

NOTEBOOK B Y MORGA N PHILLIP S A ND L UC A S BRA DL E Y

IT TAKES A VILLAGE A New Leaf began serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 1979. Growing from an operating budget of $800,000 10 years ago to $12 million today, the nonprofit is flourishing. President and CEO Mary Ogle discusses the Village, a residential project opening soon.

Excavation of Oaklawn Cemetery on June 9, 2021

DNA SOUGHT IN MASS GRAVES INVESTIGATION Technical experts have recommended next steps in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Graves Investigation.

From the excavation work done in summer 2021 in Oaklawn Cemetery, 14 unmarked human remains were able to be studied, according to archaeologists during a March 1 virtual meeting of the Public Oversight Committee. Of those remains, 13 had “non-observable trauma,” and 8

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

WHAT HAS A NEW LEAF FOCUSED ON UP TO THIS POINT? People with disabilities have been fighting to have the same rights I do. One challenge is they have a high unemployment rate, not because they don’t want to work, but because often we, as a society, don’t accept things that are different from us. I might as well hire the guy who looks like me. Our job at A New Leaf is to create those paths so people with disabilities can be successful. They can live on their own, work on their own, have their own relationships, attend their own churches, go to the movies, just like everybody else.

SEE P. 20 FOR MORE ABOUT THE VILLAGE.

one had trauma associated with three gunshot wounds.

It has not been determined whether the death of these individuals can be tied to the Race Massacre.

DNA analysis began in March on all 14 individuals, and an effort will be made to match the DNA of decedents.

The City of Tulsa has hired Utah Cold Case Coalition Intermountain Forensics, which is seeking DNA help from anyone who might have relatives from the Massacre.

Those with family ties to the Massacre can email info@ intermountainforensics.com with the subject line “1921 Graves.”

The next stage of the investigation will include further exploration of multiple areas of interest in the New Potter’s Field area of Oaklawn Cemetery, focusing on Black men buried in simple coffins; as well as further analysis of Newblock Park and the nearby “Canes” site, which have been identified through oral histories as other possible sites that could contain burials from the Race Massacre.

The timeline has yet to be determined, and Mayor G.T. Bynum says the City of Tulsa will need to solicit bids for the work to be done in order to determine the necessary budget for the investigation’s next stage.

Oasis project attracts national attention The City of Tulsa received the 2022 Audrey Nelson Award from the National Community Development Association in February for its role in bringing the Oasis Fresh Market project to north Tulsa.

The 16,500-square-foot grocery store, which opened in May 2021 at 1725 N. Peoria Ave., offers affordable and nutritious food, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as a demonstration kitchen that teaches customers how to cook healthy meals.

The Oasis project was a collaborative funding effort between public and private entities, including the City, Tulsa Economic Development Corp., Tulsa Development Authority and philanthropic organizations such as the George Kaiser, Charles and Lynn Schusterman, and Zarrow family foundations. The City’s $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant Program investment gave the project momentum, according to City officials, producing other investments from TDA, local foundations and TEDC, with a total cost of $6.1 million.

Voices of Oklahoma “... All poems are rituals. You have a title that brings people in. There is an intent in the poem, and you follow it.

You know, it’s art and you’re using language and ... content to make a structure and to make something that might have an impact or that changes you. If you’re an artist, you don’t really know what you’re doing. You’re going toward something, and it’s larger than you.”

— Joy Harjo, Tulsa-born writer, musician and the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate “Voices of Oklahoma” is an oral history project founded by John Erling in 2009. Visit voicesofoklahoma.com.

OGLE: GREG BOLLINGER; GRAVES: COURTESY; VOICES: SHAWN MILLER/COURTESY JOY HARJO

Mary Ogle at the Village, A New Leaf’s new residential community in Owasso

WHAT NEED WILL THE VILLAGE MEET? There’s a lack of affordable housing for people without disabilities in Tulsa, let alone if you’re a person with a disability.

There’s not safe and affordable housing. We leased out all the Village units, and we still have 150 people on the waiting list.

People with disabilities started to be educated alongside people without disabilities in the ’80s. We’ve educated people with disabilities for the last 40 years, but then they move back in with their families because there’s not enough housing stock in the country. We need to increase the number of units that are available that are safe and affordable.

Gone Fishin′ Mode Lock doors. Adjust lights. Arm home security.

Enjoy father-son time.

Protect. Monitor. Control.

Call 844-347-2219 or visit cox.com/homelife

Cox Homelife is available to residential customers in select Cox service areas. A high-speed Internet connection is required. Cox Homelife Security service plan required for professional monitoring services for intrusion, smoke/fire and related system components.

Applicable monthly service charges, installation, additional equipment, taxes, trip charges and other fees may apply. Subject to credit approval. Other restrictions may apply. Local ordinances may require an alarm user permit or external lock box. Cox Homelife Service provided by Cox Advanced Services: Arizona, LLC – Alarm Lic. #18141–0 & ROC Lic. #310876; Arkansas, LLC – Lic. #E 2014 0026 & #CMPY.0002278; California, LLC – Alarm Lic. #7196 & Contractor’s Lic. #992992; Connecticut, LLC – N/A; Florida, LLC – Lic. #EF20001232; Georgia, LLC – License: Bryan David Melancon #LVU406595; Idaho, LLC – Lic. #024933; Iowa, LLC – Lic. #C121646 & #AC268; Louisiana, LLC – Lic. #F 2006; Nebraska, LLC – Lic. #26512; Nevada, LLC dba Cox Homelife – Lic. #78331; Ohio, LLC – Lic. #53–181671; Oklahoma, LLC – Lic. #2002; Rhode Island, LLC – Lic. #9314; Kansas, LLC – Topeka Lic. #109 & Wichita Lic. #2015–36492; Virginia, LLC – DCJS Lic. #11–7776 & DPOR Lic. # 2705164725 ©2022 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

MAG107433–0116

APRIL

VISIT TULSAPEOPLE.COM/CALENDAR FOR MORE LOCAL EVENTS. FIND A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF WEEKLY MUSIC LISTINGS EVERY MONDAY AT TULSAPEOPLE.COM.

No. 15 Michael Busch

10

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

APRIL 1 GIN BLOSSOMS AND SISTER HAZEL Hits like “Hey Jealousy” and “All for You” will ring out for this night of ’90s nostalgia.

OSAGE CASINO HOTEL’S SKYLINE EVENT CENTER, 951 W. 36TH ST. N. OSAGECASINO.COM

APRIL 8 HENRY LOUIS GATES JR. The Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar and journalist will present to a Tulsa Town Hall audience about the popular “Finding Your Roots” series he hosts on PBS. TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, 110 E. SECOND ST. TULSATOWNHALL.COM

APRIL 3 FAMILY CONCERT Join the Tulsa Symphony for a night of family fun with kid-friendly activities scattered throughout the Green and numerous food trucks parked nearby. Also April 10, 24.

GUTHRIE GREEN, 111 E. RECONCILIATION WAY GUTHRIEGREEN.COM

APRIL 14 FLY FISHING FILM TOUR In coordination with the Gadget Co., Heirloom Rustic Ales and the Tulsa Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Circle Cinema hosts a collection of films about spearfishing in Belize, family fishing traditions and more.

CIRCLE CINEMA, 10 S. LEWIS AVE. CIRCLECINEMA.ORG

APRIL 5 LUNCH AND LEARN Native plants in Oklahoma’s tough climate is the subject of this free Lunch and Learn, presented by Tulsa Master Gardeners.

CENTRAL LIBRARY, 400 CIVIC CENTER TULSAMASTERGARDENERS.ORG

APRIL 24 TFA HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD TOUR: OWEN PARK Take a self-guided tour through six historic Owen Park homes. The ticketed event starts at 1 p.m. and benefits the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and the Owen Park Neighborhood Association.

OWEN PARK NEIGHBORHOOD, 1903 W. EASTON ST. TULSAARCHITECTURE.ORG

APRIL 7 LAUREN ALAINA The American Idol alum and Grand Ole Opry member will perform at the historic Cain’s Ballroom in support of her third studio album, “Sitting Pretty on Top of the World.”

CAIN’S BALLROOM, 412 N. MAIN ST. CAINSBALLROOM.COM

APRIL 29-30 MAPLE RIDGE ART HAPPENING From 8 a.m.-4 p.m., see selected works from more than 20 local artists specializing in paintings, metal sculptures, mosaics, pottery and fiber art in this outdoor art show.

215 E. 29TH ST. FB.ME/E/20W0NBTUH

DRILLERS: TIM CAMPBELL; GIN BLOSSOMS: SHERVIN LAINEZ; LAUREN ALAINA, MAPLE RIDGE, TFA: COURTESY; GATES: COURTESY TULSA TOWN HALL; CIRCLE CINEMA: CHUCK FOXEN

APRIL 12 TULSA DRILLERS VS. AMARILLO SOD POODLES Tulsa’s baseball team hosts a five-game homestand and opening night for its 2022 season.

ONEOK FIELD, 201 N. ELGIN AVE. TULSADRILLERS.COM

paradise never sounded So Good.

Tickets On Sale Now Air Supply APR 7 Boyz II Men APR 8 Foreigner APR 14 Jimmie Allen APR 21 The oak Ridge Boys APR 30

All performances subject to change.

Live Music 7 Nights a Week in 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar Fridays & Saturdays in Margaritaville!

Visit margaritavilletulsa.com for a complete schedule.

81st & RIVERSIDE • (888) 748-3731 • RIVERSPIRITTULSA.COM

COFFEE WITH

JEN LOREN DIRECTOR OF CHEROKEE NATION FILM OFFICE TALKS INDUSTRY INCENTIVES. STORY AND PHOTO BY TIM LANDES

I

t’s the last day of February, and it feels like spring. Jen Loren (Cherokee) is all smiles when she enters She Brews Coffee House, 1 N. Lewis Ave., for a vanilla latte break. The following day, the Cherokee Nation Film Office, which Loren directs, will launch a $1 million fi lm incentive program. It’s more great news in the fast-growing local fi lm industry.

CNFO LAUNCHED IN 2019 AND GOT TO IT ... We have a lot of projects going on. We’re three years in now, and two of those being during COVID is pretty wild. We’ve still accomplished a ton in the three years we’ve been here. I’m super proud of what we’ve done, and I’m really excited about what we’re going to do. I feel like we’re just seeing the beginning of what we’re going to end up doing.

THEY RECEIVE A LOT OF REQUESTS TO FUND FILMS, SO THE NEW INCENTIVE PROGRAM ... essentially means we will give you a cash rebate if you come fi lm your project in the Cherokee Nation. What that does is it allows those storytellers to tell their stories, and it also helps us to develop the fi lm industry here in the Cherokee Nation and create those jobs for Native Americans and other people here.

THE MORE A FILMMAKER DOES LOCALLY, THE MORE MONEY THEY RECEIVE ... We’re incentivizing people not only to fi lm in the Cherokee Nation, but also to hire Natives. At the very base level, you can get a 10% cash rebate just for fi lming in the Cherokee Nation. Spend your money in a Native-owned business, you’ll get an uptick for that. If you hire any Native from anywhere in the country, you’ll get an uptick for that. But if they’re an Oklahoma resident who is Native, then you get another uptick. So it goes all the way up to a 25% cash rebate.

12

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

THERE IS A LOT OF INTEREST TO FILM IN THE AREA THIS YEAR ... We’ve been on the phone and emailing back and forth with multiple projects.

I would say 90% of them are Native-focused projects, which is really exciting. That’s exactly what we want to see. But, we’re also recruiting other projects that don’t have any sort of Native ties other than they want to fi lm in the Cherokee Nation.

THE LATEST EVOLUTION IN LOREN’S CAREER MAKES SENSE CONSIDERING IT’S BEEN HER LIFE’S WORK SINCE AN EARLY AGE ... I’ve been a storyteller my whole life since I was picking up my dad’s VHS camcorder when I was in second grade and making my own newscast and short fi lms with my siblings. I went to Booker T. Washington, where I was in the television production program.

My teacher there pushed me into TV news, so I got a journalism degree, and I told stories that way. I’ve just always continued exploring how to tell stories.

LOREN LEFT TV NEWS IN 2014 TO CO-CREATE THE AWARD-WINNING SERIES “OSIYO, VOICES OF THE CHEROKEE PEOPLE” (NOW IN ITS SEVENTH SEASON) … We proved we can make super high-quality Indigenous-made content for a wide audience, and people will love it. It proved to me there’s an appetite for that. There are stories that need to be told, and it’s really great for our tribe. Then it’s like, let’s just blow that up on a bigger scale.

That’s essentially what the fi lm office is doing: creating jobs, telling Cherokee stories, growing a pipeline for Native youth to work in a really nice, good industry. TP

CHANGEMAKERS

GOOD NEIGHBOR FOUNDER OF OPEN TABLES PROMOTES UNDERSTANDING. STORIES BY JULIANNE TRAN

W

hen Vicky Langston moved to Tulsa in 2004, it had only been three years since 9/11.

“There was a lot of Islamophobia around, which concerned me,” she remembers. “And so, I wanted to do something that would help that.”

Seminole, Oklahoma, native Langston, who came to Tulsa to retire with her husband, has always felt passionate about doing interfaith work in the city.

In 2008, she turned her concerns into action by creating an interfaith program called Open Tables. Born out of Boston Avenue Methodist Church where Langston is a member, Open Tables gathers families and couples of different faiths for a potluck dinner three times each year.

During the pandemic, these events became virtual with lively breakout room discussions.

“The purpose of Open Tables is to fi nd out we’re all human beings, no matter where we come from (or) what we believe,” Langston says.

“We’re human beings wanting the same things in life.”

By 2010, Open Tables brought to its potluck dinners more than 150 people of various faiths: Christians, Muslims, Jews, Bahá’ís and Hindus. Different congregations in Tulsa host the events, and they often celebrate a particular religious holiday. For more information and to register for a dinner, visit bostonavenue.org/ make-difference/open-tables.

Beyond Open Tables, Langston also serves as a committee member for Compassionate 14

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Vicky Langston

Tulsa, a project of Tulsa City Council, which is charged with promoting compassion in Tulsa.

The committee recognizes local community members who have meaningfully helped others.

“I have a dream for the committee … to saturate Tulsa with compassionate (thoughts),” Langston says, “because it’s (those) thoughts that turn into deeds. “(People ask) why do these things, you know?

And my thought is, why not?” TP

Covers

REVISITED For Laken Gooch, former owner of Lick Your Lips Mini-Donuts, a lot has changed since her 2015 cover appearance.

For six years, Gooch served mini doughnuts out of her 1971 Alpine Sprite trailer around the city. Just five days before the March 2020 COVID19 shutdown, Gooch decided to sell her business to spend more time with family and friends.

“We just got lucky we made this decision before the world changed as we know it,” she says. “As cliche as it sounds, we believe everything happens for a reason.”

Soon after, Gooch’s son, 7, started struggling in school and was diagnosed with dyslexia. Although she has an elementary education degree, Gooch says she had no idea how to help her dyslexic son.

“Currently most teachers are not trained how to help those with dyslexia,” she explains.

Gooch was determined to learn as much as possible. After witnessing the effectiveness of the Orton-Gillingham method, a structured, multisensory learning approach for teaching students with dyslexia, she became trained and certified in this method.

The experience inspired her to start a nonprofit, Discover the Dyfference Inc., to help others in the same situation. To lower the financial barrier of one-on-one tutoring, her Dyfference Makers Academy will offer subscription-based online tutoring modules that bridge the gap in instruction and understanding for struggling readers and parents.

Gooch never expected to start another venture soon after selling her food truck. “It just all kind of organically happened and things began to fall into place one after another, so we ran with it,” she says.

Visit dyfferencemakers.com for more information. TP

GREG BOLLINGER

Open Tables founder Vicky Langston says the nonprofit’s success is dependent on its committee, which is comprised of members from various faith communities. Pictured are committee members (front row) Jessica Eslam, Aliye Shimi, Mohammed Eslam, Nancy Pettus, Charlotte VanHoose; (back row) Nancy Day, Radhika Manohar, Jesse Ulrich, Langston, and Selver Firat. Not pictured are Manju Kaul, Kamran Abbasi, Muhammet Sezer and Autumn Slaughter.

ICONIC TULSA

SIGN OF BEAUTY THE HISTORY OF TULSA’S MEADOW GOLD SIGN

BY BRANDON SCHMITZ ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION Installed in 1934 at East 11th Street and South Lewis Avenue, the Meadow Gold Sign promoted Beatrice Food Co.’s dairy products. Though described as one sign, it’s a set of two signs that originally stood back-to-back. Over the decades that followed, the sign’s neon-lit iconography helped cement its place among Route 66 landmarks.

SIGNS OF TROUBLE The sign’s lights reportedly started dimming in the 1970s.

By the ’90s, the glow was gone. Additionally, the oncemighty Beatrice Food Co. had suffered significant financial decline. In 2004, the building on which the sign stood was sold, and the sign was scheduled for demolition.

PRESERVATION OF ART In an effort to save the sign, Tulsa Foundation for Architecture convinced the new landowner to give the organization time to dismantle and move the sign to a new location. TFA initially received a grant of $15,000 from the National Park Service, pointing out the sign was no longer an advertisement, but rather a piece of art.

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER Moving an object of this scale requires a certain degree of finesse. Given its age, simply moving the sign wasn’t going to be enough, as it required its fair share of maintenance. Ultimately, the goal was to restore the sign while retaining its retro aesthetic. Portions were patched up with similar metals, the sign faces buffered, and the neon tubing replaced. The clocks that first adorned the tops of each panel — which had been absent for many years, even before its restoration — were replaced in 2016.

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SHINING ON Rather than share the space with another building, the sign boasts its own dedicated pavilion featuring plaques about its history. Rather than back-to-back, the two signs are now oriented into a more V-shaped formation. This ensures traffic from both sides see this historical piece of Route 66 iconography. TP

GREG BOLLINGER

The Meadow Gold District hosts two monthly events on the second Saturday: Shop 66 Saturdays and Meadow Gold Market Days. Visit facebook.com/ tulsa66commission for details.

A NEW HOME By the time restoration was complete in 2017, the National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation and TFA had poured more than $322,000 into the project. The sign found a new home at East 11th Street and South Quaker Avenue, just west of its original location.

PASSIONS

RETAIL WARRIORS

TULSANS SEE THEIR INSPIRATIONAL APPAREL AT WALMART.COM.

BY MELANIE HENRY

L

ess than a year ago, a Zoom call left Tulsans Jordan Philbeck, 38, and Mandi Tomasi, 44, speechless. Best friends and owners of Tulsa-based Off the Grid learned their apparel company, launched in February 2020, was selected as a finalist in Walmart’s annual Open Call event, and their clothing would be showcased and sold by the retail giant.

The duo says they think OTG stood out from the sea of 4,300 applicants because the American-made apparel from the Native American- and female-owned company (Tomasi is Choctaw) shares an uplifting and empowering message. “The way we view our clothing is a statement about a life you want to lead,” Philbeck says.

Philbeck says the popular Warrior line — one of OTG’s three collections — features the word “warrior” spelled backward until you see your reflection in the mirror. “When I see the reflection of ‘warrior’ I work harder, and I know I’m stronger than I feel,” she says.

OTG’s unisex Warrior tee and its Rise women’s tee will be available at walmart.com in mid- to late April. Tomasi says the affordable price tag makes the clothing available to a broader audience, and she’s excited to introduce people to a brand that embodies strength and confidence.

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The founders’ children model OTG youth apparel.

Tomasi says, “Walmart gave us that incredible, honorable nod and said, ‘You are on the right track. We see what you’re doing. We believe in you. Keep going.’”

And they have. The duo’s infectious enthusiasm spills over to other ventures in the OTG family, including a podcast called “Girls Off the Grid” and a 6,000-member Facebook group that offers encouragement and advice.

The entrepreneurs say they will savor the moment but will keep moving forward. “Now, we’re moving on to our next success,” Tomasi says. TP

Find Kristi Holland’s upcoming events and watercolor classes at kristihollanddesigns.com and on Instagram: @kristihollanddesigns.

SOMETHING IN THE watercolor Kristi Holland studied art in college, but she didn’t know painting would become her full-time gig many years later. After graduating from Oklahoma State University, she married, moved to Tulsa and became a mother. Her friends experienced similar life changes and relied on her art skills for custom decor, cards and more to celebrate.

“I had different friends ask for their wedding bouquets to be painted,” explains the Stillwater native. “I started making greeting cards and notebooks and prints. I started very small in my second and third year in business figuring it out on my own. Around then, right before Christmas someone asked me for a dog portrait. I had never painted a pet before, but I posted it (on social media), and it went crazy after that.”

Holland’s gentle demeanor and organized approach pair nicely with her art skills, which enable her to offer watercolor classes and “The Painter’s Box,” a virtual painting course designed for home artists. Through her website, she opens custom orders at the beginning of each month.

Despite her work being custom and handmade, she’s aimed to keep prices reasonable for every budget. “Custom orders are $75 and up depending on size, how many pets and people,” Holland says.

“Product wise, I try to keep it at a price I would pay. Products with paintings start at $3 each.”

— LINDSEY NEAL KUYKENDALL

PASSIONS: GREG BOLLINGER; HOLLAND: MICHELLE POLLARD

Off the Grid founders Jordan Philbeck and Mandi Tomasi wear OTG T-shirts. See their product lines at otgwarrior.com.

Just a Short

Drive Away

We’ll Show You Around Springfield!

A short drive to Springfield will let you tee up a great weekend getaway.

We love our city and know the best places to eat, drink and play.

See you in Springfield, Missouri!

Point your smartphone camera at this QR code to find out more about things to do in Springfield.

BIZ WHIZ Mary Ogle at the Village agrihood in Owasso

HOME GOOD

DOWNTOWN SHOP SOURCES SUSTAINABLE, ETHICAL DECOR.

BY TIFFANY HOWARD

L

o Home owner and longtime D-I-Yer Lauren Haskell worked as a pediatric therapist for seven years before picking up a part-time job as an E-designer that gave her a glimpse into the world of interior decor.

“Once I understood how it all worked, I wanted to try it myself, so that’s when I started Lauren Haskell Designs,” she says. “I was doing interior decor for Tulsa-area clients, but I still had this D-I-Y thing going in the back of my head, and there were just some products I was not able to find. I wanted items in a traditional aesthetic but with a fresh twist, so I figured I should just give it a go.”

After buying some books and watching YouTube videos, Haskell started by making her own clay ginger jars at home. Living in Bartlesville at the time, she drove to Tulsa each night to have the pieces fi red in local studios. The jars spun off into even more home decor items, and now Lo Home sells everything from pillows and couches to fabrics and wallpaper.

Everything by Lauren Haskell Designs is made as ethically and sustainably as possible.

Furniture is designed in-house and manufactured in Houston; Belgian linen is printed and

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processed in North Carolina and then sent to a seamstress in Jenks, who makes pillows and soft goods; brass drawer pulls are made in Broken Arrow, then tassels are attached at Lo Home in customizable colors; and all ceramics are made

by Haskell to reduce the footprint created by shipping materials.

“Sustainability is something that was really important to why I started the company,” she says. “As I’d tried to find different pieces and brands for my clients as an interior decorator, I actually uncovered some not-so-great supply chain practices, especially in the textile industry.

When I decided to do it all myself, I really dug in trying to find ethically sourced raw materials.”

In addition to rigorously pursuing certain sustainability certifications, the studio and kilns are powered by wind energy, the pottery pigments and glazes are environmentally safe, and even the little Styrofoam they do receive is melted down into a glue using 100% orange oil.

Now Haskell is about to outgrow her space in downtown Tulsa — not bad for starting a business out of her kitchen in 2018. “I attribute it all to my dangerously ‘can-do’ attitude,” Haskell says, laughing. TP

BRANCHING OUT A New Leaf is expanding its mission to instill life skills and promote independence for adults with developmental disabilities and autism.

Its new housing development, the Village, is an agrihood — a community built around a farm — with safe, affordable housing for 62 clients to open this spring on 50 acres at 8535 N. Memorial Road in Owasso. Clients will work elsewhere in Owasso or Tulsa.

In addition to single-family homes, a community home and apartments, the Village also has a dorm for clients in the upcoming Transition Academy, which will provide recent high school graduates with community college classes, job training and a place to live while in the program — the only one of its kind in Oklahoma.

Nearly 30,000 eastern Oklahomans live with developmental disabilities, according to Lindsey Stewart, manager of philanthropic resources for A New Leaf. She says the Village will expand A New Leaf’s current residential services by 80%.

“Everyone wants their own apartment or house and the independence of living on your own,” says Mary Ogle, A New Leaf president and CEO. “And everyone, whether you have a disability or not, wants to earn a living. We help (our clients) create that independence so they can live on their own and be contributing members of society.

“Seventy-four percent of people with disabilities live with their families their whole life.

We’re trying to move the needle for people with disabilities.”

Visit anewleaf.org for more information. — LUCAS BRADLEY

GREG BOLLINGER

Lauren Haskell says each product at shoplohome.com has been thoroughly researched down the supply chain, making sure there’s no forced labor or irresponsible environmental practices during production. Haskell makes the shop’s ginger jars, inset.

Join us for an evening of fun and live music performances as we celebrate the exciting future of Signature Symphony!

Saturday, May 7, 2022 River Spirit Casino Resort Reception 6:00 p.m. • Dinner and Program 7:00 p.m.

Tickets start at $150 Sponsorship Opportunities Available signaturesymphony.org/overture • 918-595-8147 • overture@tulsacc.edu Presenting Sponsors:

BEHIND THE SCENES

Bruce Dart discusses the status of COVID-19 at a City of Tulsa press conference in 2020.

A few items that will be for sale in the new pop-up shop/gallery Curations by Gilcrease Museum

MUSEUM WITH NO WALLS

THOUGH CLOSED, GILCREASE LAUNCHES POP-UP STORE/GALLERY.

BY RACHEL DUPREE

B

etween its February demolition and a November 2024 projected reopening, Gilcrease Museum is being reimagined.

The museum is still employing its staff of 40, who are preparing programming space for the new building, curating items for future exhibitions from a collection of 400,000 objects and planning community pop-up events.

“We are engaging with the public because we are owned by the public,” says Susan Neal, executive director of Gilcrease Museum and the Helmerich Center for American Research. “As of February, we are ironing out the contract for a temporary shop at Mother Road Market that will run for six months, and then month-to-month after that.”

Opening April 2, Curations by Gilcrease Museum will have a traditional retail space, with items from the original Gilcrease store — most notably its turquoise and sterling silver jewelry, says Frank Mulhern, senior director of development at Gilcrease Museum. “We are working with local vendors and Native jewelry makers to bring new artists to the market,” he says.

In addition, the pop-up will have a gallery hosting different types of experiences for people to enjoy, which will include a tiny art gallery, renderings of the new museum, works by a

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featured local artist and a community mural. The community mural is still in the planning stage, but it will depict Tulsa landmarks for people to color in with markers, crayons or pens.

Gilcrease also is working with 10 Tulsaarea breweries to host the inaugural Brewed for Gilcrease event — an April 16 beer tasting that will premiere at least three new beers and provide food and music at another local museum, the Tulsa Historical Society.

“Gilcrease Museum has multiple future community engagement efforts in development,” says Alison Rossi, director of learning and community engagement, a position endowed by the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation. “We are working on being a presence in different neighborhoods throughout the city, whether that is through going to cultural centers, being a part of community events and supporting those communities. The museum is nothing without people.” TP CURATIONS BY GILCREASE MUSEUM 1102 S. LEWIS AVE. (SHOPS AT MOTHER ROAD MARKET) Opens to the public April 2 Hours of operation: 11 am.-6 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday; noon-6 p.m., Sunday

Bruce Dart has not had a day off in three years. As executive director of the Tulsa Health Department, he has served Tulsans throughout the pandemic.

During his 40-year career in public health, he has served five local health departments in three states. Today he leads 340 public health professionals working to improve health and well-being in Tulsa County.

On April 14, Tulsa Press Club will honor Dart at its signature event, Headliners — its first since the pandemic began.

“We host (the Headliners event) to recognize outstanding civic, business or professional leaders or organizations in the Tulsa area,” says Tulsa Club Board President Lacey Taylor. “(The honoree is a person) or organization that has not only been in the news, but has done a considerable amount of work to further the prosperity and culture in Tulsa.”

Tulsa Press Club, which is over 115 years old, serves to connect the community and local media. “(Dart) has worked tirelessly to guide our community through this pandemic, and has (worked with) the media and journalists as a resource for getting that information out quickly,” Taylor says.

We applaud his efforts to remain consistent and proactive, serving as a reliable source in our community for those really important updates throughout the pandemic.”

COVID-19 might have caused confusion and overwhelm, but Taylor says Dart has been a steady rock for Tulsa. “Dr. Dart is someone that, despite all of the noise, has kept Tulsa citizens at the forefront.” — JULIANNE TRAN April 14 2022 HEADLINERS AWARDS $150. Tulsa Country Club, 701 N. Union Ave. Benefits Tulsa Press Club. tulsapressclub.org

BEHIND THE SCENES: GREG BOLLINGER; DART: TIM LANDES

PRESS CLUB HONORS DART

ART SPOT

Austin Wormell and Ciaran Winters

Kristin Gentry (Choctaw), curator of April’s Southeastern Indian Artists Association, wears work by Cori Taber (Muscogee). Inset: Kimberly Hoover (Choctaw) and Kristin Gentry are sisters. Hoover will present work in the show.

REFLECTIONS

GROUP SHOW AT TAC GALLERY EXPLORES NATIVE GENDER IDENTITY.

BY BLAYKLEE FREED

A

pril art on display at Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery will explore Indigenous gender expression and identity through contemporary works in the gallery’s fi rst group exhibition of the year.

The show invites Southeastern Indian Artist Association (SEIAA) members to express how they depict gender and what they look like as Indigenous people.

Curator Kristin Gentry’s journey exploring their gender identity exemplifies some of the challenges Indigenous people face in a society with a rigid gender binary.

“I just always felt like I wasn’t a girl — and of course I was called a tomboy. A lot of that was frustrating, and also limiting,” says Gentry, who identifies as two-spirit and uses she/her and they/them pronouns. “As I got older and started actually learning about my culture, (I felt comfortable) classifying as a Choctaw woman, because a Choctaw woman would embody masculine and feminine.”

Before colonization and removal, many tribes like the Choctaw had fluid gender roles, as well as people who identified as two-spirit, Gentry explains. Today, some genderqueer Native Americans face backlash even from within their own communities.

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From these frustrating experiences, artists create work that acknowledges and affi rms genderqueer identities as Native Americans.

“Indigenous Gender Identity” opens April 1 and explores just that, through printmaking, photography, painting, poetry and storytelling.

Though some of SEIAA’s artists are Tulsans, it’s the fi rst time SEIAA has presented as a group at TAC Gallery, according to TAC Gallery President Dean Wyatt.

Wyatt, a Cherokee Nation citizen, says the show presents voices that need to be heard. “We often see discussions and debates around gender identity, as it relates to the broader American society,” he says, “but we rarely see discussions of gender identity as it relates to the tribal cultures historically or in the present and how it is addressed within the tribes.”

Gentry, SEIAA secretary and TAC Gallery board member, says they chose Tulsa for the show because it’s the intersection of three tribal nations: Osage, Muscogee and Cherokee.

“We were also looking for a non-Native gallery,” Gentry says. “That was really important to us because we wanted to discuss all these topics outside of just ourselves.”

The show runs through April 29. For more information, visit tacgallery.org. TP

The 2021 season was the best in FC Tulsa’s seven-year history, and this season the club plans to top that.

“We finished the season with the most points the team has ever had (and) advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive year,” says Austin Gwin, head of digital and communications for FC Tulsa. “(We’re) all very much expecting this to be the best year the franchise has ever had on the field and off the field.”

With two Tulsans on the pitch — Ciaran Winters and Austin Wormell — FC Tulsa’s community focus shows in its roster. “It’s really important (for us) to build a pathway for local Tulsans to realize a professional soccer dream,” Gwin says.

That means continuously scouting all of the best youth players in the area. The club has signed seven local youth players (ages 16-19) to Academy contracts since the start of 2020; Winters was the first in 2020 and the first to sign a pro contract.

FC Tulsa doesn’t just want success on the field; the team wants to make a difference in the city. Community involvement is one of the pillars of the team. From donations to Greenwood Rising History Center to funding a soccer league in north Tulsa, FC Tulsa seeks to give back.

“We’re just always looking for ways to invest back in Tulsa,” Gwin explains.

“We realize we have a huge platform as a professional sports team. So (we’re) just making sure we are doing our part to make (the city) better.”

FC Tulsa’s home games this month are on April 2, 9 and 23 at ONEOK Field.

Tickets are available at fctulsa.com/ tickets. — JULIANNE TRAN

REFLECTIONS: DARK LISTED PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY

PREVIEW THE PITCH

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HOW EMERGENCY & HOSPITAL

CARE SHOULD BE

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J O I N

U S

SATURDAY APRIL 16, 2022 2-5 P.M. TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM 1O LOCAL BREWERIES CATERING

BY ET AL.

Local goods + art curated for Tulsa.

Grand opening April 2 11am-6pm The Shops at Mother Road Market

MUSIC BY STEVE LIDDELL For tickets and more info, scan the QR code or go to Gilcrease.org/brewed

1102 S. Lewis Ave. Suite A & B | Gilcrease.org/store

PRESENTED BY

Sponsored by Williams, Southern Millwork, Inc., and The Schmook Law Firm PROCEEDS BENEFIT GILCREASE MUSEUM

TulsaPeople.com

25

Clary Runway in 2018

THREADS

FUNDING FASHION STUDENT RUNWAY EVENT RAISES MONEY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS.

BY LINDSEY NEAL KUYKENDALL

Visit claryrunway.com for event tickets, VIP tickets and sponsorship packages.

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TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

PHIL CLARKIN

N

early 10 years ago, Dyana Harrison had a unique vision for a fundraising event for and by her design students.

On April 7 that event, Clary Runway, will come to life again at Living Arts of Tulsa.

Clary Runway started as a small annual event at Clary Sage College with parents and friends.

The school focuses on creative career training in fields like cosmetology, barbering, makeup artistry and fashion design. Over nine years, the show, which highlights student work, has grown exponentially; 2019’s runway event was at Cain’s Ballroom, and after a two-year hiatus, this year the venue is Living Arts.

“There’s a fashion show concept — the event is a big party — people get together and wear fancy clothes and socialize,” says Derek Ball, Clary Sage Community Higher Ed director of operations. “The fashion show anchors the evening: All the fashion that goes down the runway has been designed, patterned, constructed and styled by the students.”

Students studying cosmetology, makeup artistry and esthetics do hair and makeup for the models, and interior design students help with the decor and design for the event, Ball says.

The event helps fund student scholarships at 50%-100% tuition coverage, Ball explains.

“We get a variety of students from different backgrounds. Sometimes there is a financial barrier that stops them from pursuing their education, so this helps them bypass that to enter the workforce and provide for their families, oftentimes breaking the cycle of poverty.” The event is hosted by Community HigherEd and it benefits Clary Sage College, Community Care College and Oklahoma Technical College.

Ball recalls a student success story of one scholarship recipient in the esthetician program who now owns a business in Tulsa: “She had a pipe dream of opening her own business and being an entrepreneur. She went through the scholarship application and interview process and blew away all of our panel that was part of the selection process and was awarded the full ride. She started her own business with no educational debt and has been a successful businesswoman since then.”

Clary Runway also will include a new concept this year: live sculptures, in which models will stand on platforms and patrons can cast a vote for their favorite look. There also will be a live artist painting, and the finished piece will be auctioned. TP

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Monday – Friday: 10 AM – 7 PM Saturday: 11 AM – 5 PM

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Six age-appropriate playgrounds 162 acres Daily art and PE classes Come tour our PreK and Primary School spaces.

Now enrolling students as young as 3.

For more information call 918-879-4755 or visit hollandhall.org.

TulsaPeople.com

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COMMUNITY

Tulsa Master Gardener David Davis volunteers at a Green Country Habitat for Humanity event.

‘WE’RE STILL HERE’ POWWOW COMES TO RIVER WEST FESTIVAL PARK THIS YEAR FOR FIRST TIME. STORIES BY ETHAN VEENKER

“G

rand entry is a processional — oneby-one, line-by-line — of the dancers coming into the arena, all the way from the head staff, through the adults, the children, to the itty-bitty ones,” says Elizabeth Battiest (Kiowa), vice president of the Indian Health Care Resource Center (IHCRC) board of trustees. “You really get a good look at all the dancers, their different styles, regalia and so forth.”

The gourd dance kicks off the powwow, then grand entry follows. Grand entry is the biggest event at the annual Restoring Resilience Powwow, hosted by IHCRC. “Everybody should experience that,” agrees Debbie Starnes, chief development officer at IHCRC. Battiest herself will play a large role in the powwow, having been chosen this year as Head Lady, alongside Michael Loman (Choctaw), Head Man. It’s Battiest’s second time in the role.

“It’s always an honor to be asked to serve in that respect at any powwow or dance,” she says.

“What we do is represent our tribe, our individual tribes, individual families, and we serve as an example the ladies can see and (determine) how to conduct themselves during the dance.”

In its 13th year, the intertribal celebration April 30 will be at a new location, River West Festival Park, 2100 S. Jackson Ave. Previous years have drawn crowds between 900 and 1,000.

Formerly known as the Restoring Harmony Powwow, the Restoring Resilience Powwow is a more appropriate name, especially considering its role in American Indian mental health.

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TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

“When we look at issues surrounding historical trauma, suicide, family issues (and) interpersonal violence, resilience is the thing that stands out,” Starnes says. “Our program in general for our youth really is about restoring that resilience through connecting our youth to their past, their present and their future within their culture.”

“We’re still here,” Battiest concurs. “And we’ll talk about being here, because our people were resilient.”

IHCRC works to connect American Indian youth raised outside the culture with their roots.

The powwow is one place to get involved. Age groups in the dance competitions range from under 6 to over 55. The competitions are further subdivided by type of dance and regalia on display, and there are cash prizes.

In addition to the dances, visitors will have a chance to browse through dozens of different vendors ranging from food to American Indian art to nonprofit booths and more.

Visit ihcrc.org/powwow for more info and the opportunity to sponsor the event, sign up as a vendor or volunteer. TP

April 30 RESTORING RESILIENCE POWWOW 5 p.m. gourd dance; 7 p.m. grand entry; 11 p.m. closing.

Free admission.

Supports National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. River West Festival Park, 2100 S. Jackson Ave. ihcrc.org/powwow

VOLUNTEERS EXPAND REACH OF OSU EXTENSION OFFICE Oklahoma State University’s Extension Office will host the 2022 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 777 W. Cherokee St. in Catoosa, from April 25-28.

The extension office dispenses education and community-oriented programming throughout the state, and the event will draw volunteerism experts and speakers nationwide. “(The conference gives) volunteer coordinators from around the country an opportunity to come together and share and learn,” says David Hillock, associate extension specialist for Consumer Horticulture and state coordinator of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program.

The event underscores how important volunteers are to OSU Extension programs, from the Master Gardener program to business resources and youth and family programs.

“Adult volunteers are at the heart of the OK 4-H program providing leadership to 12,000 4-H members,” says Karla Knoepfli, associate extension specialist with 4-H Youth Development.

Suzette Barta, coordinator for community engagement and extension at OSU, concurs on behalf of the Family and Consumer Sciences program: “They are heavily involved in basic community service projects,” she says of Oklahoma Home and Community Education volunteers. “We have about 3,000 members across the state.”

Those interested in volunteering with the Extension Office might begin with Tulsa County’s Master Gardener program, which trains its applicants for a year before dubbing them master gardeners and sending them into the community.

Two information meetings are scheduled for Aug. 10 and 17 to overview the program’s requirements.

National Volunteer Week is this month, April 17-23, so there’s never been a better time to start. TP

POWWOW: COURTESY; GREG BOLLINGER

The 2021 intertribal powwow

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MUSIC NOTES Visit TulsaPeople.com for a full gallery of photos from inside the renovated Church Studio.

A Leon Russell 80th Birthday Concert will begin at 2:30 p.m., April 3, at the Will Rogers High School Auditorium, 3909 E. Fifth Place. Tickets are $25-$50 and benefit the Church Studio Music Foundation and Will Rogers High School Community Foundation. Visit thechurchstudio.com for more details.

TULSA’S HOLY GRAIL

LEON RUSSELL’S LEGACY IS NOW LIVING HISTORY THANKS TO TERESA KNOX AND THE RENOVATED CHURCH STUDIO.

T

hose who worship at the altar of rock and roll will fi nd their spiritual home at the newly renovated Church Studio near East Th ird Street and South Trenton Avenue. Th rough the inspired and tireless efforts of local entrepreneur Teresa Knox and her creative team, the historic building that once housed a recording studio and office of Shelter Records, the label founded by music icon Leon Russell and his business partner Denny Cordell, is lovingly and beautifully restored in all its glory.

The epicenter of the Tulsa Sound (that shuffl ing, genre-bending mix of jazz, country, rock, funk and more) in the early 1970s, Church Studio has been resurrected in the 21st century with state-of-the-art audio gear, extensive archives and educational programming. Opened to the public March 1, 50 years from the date Russell signed the deed to purchase the property, Church Studio promises to be a destination for tourists and musicians alike.

Although Knox bought the building five and a half years ago, the story begins much earlier. As a kid growing up in Tulsa, Knox was an avid music fan, acquiring her fi rst piece of memorabilia — a

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7-Eleven Slurpee cup emblazoned with Russell’s face — at the tender age of 8.

“I’ve been collecting music memorabilia ever since,” Knox says. “Listening to music has had a profound effect on me; always giving me the perfect cure for what was happening in my life. I was, and still am, especially proud of the many artists that came from my hometown.”

For Knox, who met many local musicians in her early 20s while working as a waitress at the original Sunset Grill (the now defunct cafe/ nightclub on Peoria Avenue that was integral to the Tulsa music scene), the Church Studio “was always this magical, yet untouchable landmark.”

Years later, with the encouragement of her older brother Larry, she purchased the building sight unseen. Although she admits it was an impulse buy and was surprised by the building’s poor condition, she still believes it was a decision that changed her life for the better.

Knox, who has experience renovating historic properties, having recently refurbished Harwelden Mansion, worked hard to be true to Russell’s original vision while ensuring the building’s relevance for future generations.

“On historic properties, I always fi rst go back

to the origins — when it was built, what it was used for, what its significance was to Tulsa and the community at large,” she says. “I let the buildings speak to me as we’re going through the renovation.”

She researched the studio’s history, dating to 1915 when it was fi rst built as Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, all the way to the Russell years when it welcomed artists as diverse as Tom Petty, Peter Tosh, Eric Clapton, J.J. Cale, Freddie King and the GAP Band, interviewing hundreds of people from construction workers and neighbors to music fans and artists.

The results are stunning.

“Teresa’s work at the Church Studio is putting a crucial piece in place for Tulsa’s music infrastructure,” says Phil Clarkin, a Tulsa concert photographer who shot photos of the Studio during the renovation. “A world-class recording studio will be an incredible asset to Tulsa by creating a place where local music resources will connect with worldwide recording artists while using some of the best recording systems ever made. The place has a vibe and history and will serve as a resource for telling a part of the story of Tulsa’s music history. Leon united many differ-

GREG BOLLINGER

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

ent kinds of people and many different kinds of music, and I feel like the Church Studio will help to continue that into the future.”

Central to the facility is its world-class recording studio. In addition to high tech, digital options, the studio boasts some serious mojo with a vintage Neve 8068 console purchased from award-winning Canadian producer Daniel Lanois. Th is is the actual board used to record Bob Dylan’s 1997 release, “Time Out of Mind,” and it’s pictured on the album’s cover. The same board also has captured the music of luminaries like U2, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Neil Young. If that’s not enough musical karma, perhaps singing into the studio’s pair of microphones, previously owned by none other than David Bowie, will do the trick.

Knox wants the facility to be available to everyone — from national recording artists to local musicians to whom the studio offers special pricing. She’s also creating an audio engineering program through the Church Studio Institute, “to make sure we have a new generation of professionals that know how to work and use the equipment we have at the Church.” Educational and recording scholarships will be available through the nonprofit Church Studio Music Foundation.

“Teresa Knox has turned Leon’s legacy into living history, not only by renovating the Church Studio to a fully functioning creation space according to Leon’s specs, but also by collecting a massive archive that ties things that happened in our town to pop culture around the world,” says Tulsa musician Paul Benjaman. “It will have plenty of music makers and fans goin’ on down to Tulsa one more time.’”

Although Knox has certainly invested untold amounts of time and money into this passion project, she’s quick to credit the many people who have helped her along the way. She’s especially grateful to the self-proclaimed “Leon Lifers,” a group of Leon Russell super fans who have offered guidance and support. April 1-3, the Church Studio will help host the Leon Lifer’s Shindig to celebrate what would be Russell’s 80th birthday. Russell fans from all over the world will descend on Tulsa for a weekend of activities, culminating in the Leon Russell 80th Birthday Concert at Will Rogers High School Auditorium. The performance is open to the public and features talented Russell cohorts like Ann Bell and Claudia Lennear.

The Church Studio is officially open, but the work has just begun. Knox is busy planning events, including the Legacy Concert Series, intimate acoustic concerts featuring famous artists. She’s also working with her neighbors to grow new businesses in the surrounding area, now dubbed “Studio Row.” “I love this little neighborhood that’s organically emerging,” she says. “It has an identity that really celebrates the musicality of the history of the neighborhood. I’m trying to make it where we’re really strong so that for years to come, the Church will be a special place for Tulsans and tourists alike.” To learn more, visit thechurchstudio.com. TP TulsaPeople.com

31

BLOOMTOWN

GROWING A NATION

Tulsa Chef Nico Albert, founder of Burning Cedar Indigenous Foods

Hear from Nico Albert on the April 6 podcast episode.

HOW HEIRLOOM SEEDS PRESERVE CHEROKEE CULTURE STORIES BY BLAYKLEE FREED

I

n late February, thin green shoots erupt from sepia lawns and roadside knolls in Oklahoma — an exciting reminder spring is coming. Taller and stronger they grow, supporting a teardrop bulb that flowers and drops seeds to create the next generation of wild onions.

When Nico Albert forages for wild onions, or anything for that matter, she always leaves enough behind for the next generation. It’s good foraging ethics to do so, but for Albert, a Cherokee chef, it has cultural significance. The symbiotic ritual between the plants that feed humans and the humans who mindfully harvest them is one that fed entire nations until tribes like the Cherokee were forcefully removed from their homelands.

“It’s a whole movement to try and rediscover some of these foods we can still make, but there’s just not a time machine, not any way for us to know because these were things that were never written down and were passed down through oral history and through remaking them,” says Albert, founder of Burning Cedar Indigenous Foods, a catering and consulting business.

Albert’s ancestors preserved some of their traditional plants and crops, ensuring their survival through the brutality of removal. In 2006, the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank was founded to preserve the genetic integrity of heirloom plants, says Feather Smith, Cherokee Nation ethnobiology manager.

“We want to make sure that we are preserving the culture, but to be able to preserve that culture means preserving the seeds that the tribe worked so hard to cultivate to begin with,” Smith says.

Today, the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank distributes a select number of heirloom seeds to citizens annually, and it grows a reserve of seeds for future generations. Last year, more than 6,800 seed packets were distributed.

Th is year’s varieties include Cherokee tan pumpkin, Cherokee White Eagle corn, Trail of Tears beans, gourds and possum grapes.

Seeds mostly come from the Cherokee Nation Heirloom Garden, sprawling nearly 3 acres just east of the Cherokee Nation Complex in Tahlequah.

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TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Cherokee Nation citizens can order seeds online at the beginning of the year, and seeds are distributed in early spring, around the time the wild onions sprout.

ONIONS AND GRAPES

When Albert moved from California to Oklahoma in 2003, she started reconnecting with her Cherokee heritage and with the community.

“As a chef, I did that fi rst and foremost through food,” she says. The vibrant tufts of wild onion sprouts were the fi rst thing she learned to forage, a staple in springtime meals.

“The whole community, within the fi rst weeks of spring, gathers up pounds and pounds of wild onions,” Albert says. “We clean them up, chop them up and cook them with scrambled eggs.

(That) is served with all sorts of other traditional foods — frybread, fried hominy, salt pork — and everybody gets together to enjoy these lovely onions, and that is a sign of spring.”

Over time, Albert researched more about the true history and variety of traditional Indigenous foods.

“There are these foods that people now think of as traditional, but really, these are relatively new in the context of the history of our people

White Eagle corn is one heirloom variety preserved by the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank and thrives in the region’s hot summers, according to Ethnobiology Manager Feather Smith.

Heirloom bean varieties (below) prefer cooler temperatures.

in 2020, she launched Burning Cedar Indigenous Foods. “I was getting so interested in developing modern types of Indigenous foods and reconnecting to ancient recipes and then sharing those with people that I decided to make it my full-time job.”

Choctaw artist Kristin Gentry says Albert’s dinners are an entire experience. “It’s amazing, we’ve been outside in the woods and she cooks over the fi re,” Gentry says. “She’s a great storyteller,” and she provides context for the ingredients and stories behind the food.

COMPANIONS

ALBERT: ROBERT LITTLE; HEIRLOOMS: COURTESY CHEROKEE NATION SEED BANK ; ILLUSTRATION: BLAYKLEE FREED

Corn, beans and squash make up the “Three Sisters” planting method

— like frybread,” Albert says. “That came about because of necessity. We had to rely on flour and lard and sugar that came from the government.”

Grape dumplings are an example of food that has been modified based on ingredients available.

“That would have been very different in the days our ancestors made it,” Albert says. “Nowadays we make it with Welch’s grape juice, flour, butter and sugar. None of those things would have been available to our ancestors. The dish originated with possum grapes.”

Though not a crop and more of a foraged plant, traditionally, possum grape seeds are one variety available through the Cherokee Nation, and Albert ordered some, which she plans on scattering on her parents’ land west of Bartlesville.

Once abundant in our region, possum grapes are now so scarce that Albert has never collected any foraging in the wild. Even if she did, it wouldn’t be enough for the grape dumpling recipe, but she hopes the grapes re-establish a wild presence on her parents’ land — maybe one day enough for dumplings at a springtime feast.

Albert has been head chef at local Tulsa concepts for more than 10 years and cooked traditional Indigenous recipes as a side project. Then,

In her own garden, Albert will grow heirloom seeds using the “Th ree Sisters” method, companion planting corn, beans and squash.

“The beans use the corn as a trellis to grow up because they need to climb to get up into the air, and the beans themselves pull the nitrogen from the air and distribute it down through its root system in the soil, and that nitrogen is necessary nutrient for the corn to grow,” she explains.

“Then you plant squash so the squash leaves can shade the ground and keep pests away and keep the moisture in the soil.”

While that works for small-scale operations, Smith notes that it’s difficult to have success with the “Th ree Sisters” method when using only heirloom varieties because the climate is different here than it is in the Eastern part of the continent where the plants originate. It’s a delicate dance to find ideal temperature for the plants. Smith says heirloom beans prefer cooler temperatures than Oklahoma’s summer heat; the key is planting late enough to avoid fungus but before temperatures peak. However, Cherokee heirloom corn seems to love it here.

In both personal and professional cooking, Albert sources ingredients from her garden and from foraging. She ordered brown turkey gizzard bean seeds from the tribe this season, as well as seeds of gourds used for baskets. Her corn crop will likely be White Eagle corn, which she dries, roasts, and make hominy with to use in soups or stews.

Seasonally, Albert only grows one variety of corn, squash and bean in her garden to avoid cross-pollination and preserve the heirloom genetics, which have survived the mutations made necessary by the monoculture crop production responsible for today’s vegetable varieties.

“That’s what we think of — just a field of rows of corn or all wheat — all the same plant and the plant doesn’t get everything it needs out of the soil,” Albert explains. “That’s what led people to having to develop all of these chemicals, and fertilizers and pesticides because they’re having to add all of these things to get their one plant to thrive.” With companion planting, additives aren’t necessary; even the trellis is organic.

“Gardening this way — it heals the soil,” Albert says. “Everything was meant to work together, and our ancestors knew that because they learned everything they knew about growing things from the natural world from observation.” TP

Christine Hamner, former Tulsa Route 66 Main Street executive director, and Rhené Ritter, board member plant flowers during 2021 a clean-up event.

CLEAN FOR A CAUSE Grab your work gloves for a Saturday meet-up to beautify a 4-mile stretch of Route 66.

Tulsa Route 66 Main Street, a local nonprofit affiliate of state and national programs, is hosting the clean-up event this month of the corridor along Southwest Boulevard from Cyrus Avery Bridge at West 11th Street to South 33rd West Avenue.

Volunteers will collect trash and debris along the corridor, as well as landscape the event’s meeting point, Triangle Park, 4053 Southwest Blvd.

Though the group hosts a quarterly corridor clean-up and participates in the Great American Cleanup annually, the April 9 event is more expansive, covering the entire corridor, says Christine Hamner, Route 66 Main Street contractor, volunteer and former executive director.

“Our Main Street Program is focused on community revitalization,” Hamner says. “As a community it is important for us to maintain our corridor.

We want it to be a fun, clean and safe place for our community and visitors.”

Hamner says there also are plans to install planters in the Red Fork area and clean up the Sue Bland No. 1 well landmark, where the 1901 discovery of oil brought people to the area.

“Our goal is to help with the aesthetics,” Hamner says. “Our slice on Route 66 is very special due to Tulsa’s history with (oilman and Route 66 advocate) Cyrus Avery. We also have historical roots with Crystal City, and with historic Red Fork, and the first oil well.”

Support the cleanup by joining in or donating money for flowers and landscaping materials. Make donations at route66mainstreet.com. TP TulsaPeople.com

33

Arrive Early. Stay Late.

Tulsa Arts District is home to

C H A R I TA B L E E V E N T S COMPILED BY AMANDA HALL

retail and service shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, galleries, museums, parks, private businesses, residences and historic music venues.

Plan to arrive early

1-3 Coronation XIV Benefi ts Imperial Court of All Oklahoma.

IMPCOURTOK . ORG / CORONATION

F E AT U R I N G

and stay late in

First Friday Art Crawl

Tulsa Arts District!

2 Raising Hope Blue Tie Gala Benefi ts the Demand Project.

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7 Clary Runway Benefi ts Community HigherEd. EVENTS . COMMUNITYHIGHERED . ORG / CLARY - RUNWAY Scan for calendar

8 Street Party Benefi ts Street School.

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@TulArtsDist

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Women of the Year Luncheon Benefi ts Tulsa Area Alumnae Panhellenic.

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8-9 Springfest!

Benefi ts Tulsa Garden Center.

TULSAGARDENCENTER . ORG / SPRINGFEST

9 Glow Gala Benefi ts Global Gardens.

GLOBALGARDENSGLOW. ORG Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards Benefi ts Oklahoma Center for Nonprofi ts.

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Coming in May:

THE SUMMER FUN ISSUE Featuring the 2022 PGA Championship, Lake Life 101, Summer Travel & more!

For advertising information, please contact adservices@langdonpublishing.com.

34

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

10 CAN Superhero Challenge Benefi ts Child Abuse Network.

CANSUPERHEROCHALLENGE . ORG

14 Headliners Benefi ts Tulsa Press Club.

TULSAPRESSCLUB . ORG

15 Go Girl Gala Benefi ts Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma.

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16 Brewed for Gilcrease Benefi ts Gilcrease Museum.

GILCREASE . ORG

Waffles for Wishes Benefi ts Make-a-Wish Oklahoma.

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Where Hands and Feet Meet Benefi ts TSHA Inc. TSHA . CC

25 Wish Upon a Par Golf Tournament Benefi ts Make-a-Wish Oklahoma WISH . ORG / OKLAHOMA

21 Blackout Banquet Benefi ts New View Oklahoma NEWVIEWOKLAHOMA . ORG Women’s Association Annual Spring Luncheon Benefi ts Tulsa Boys Home.

TULSABOYSHOME . ORG / SPRING - LUNCHEON William Booth Society Gala Benefi ts Salvation Army.

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22 Celebrate Cascia Benefi ts Cascia Hall Preparatory School.

CASCIAHALL . COM

26 Dream Maker Luncheon Benefi ts Pathways Adult Learning Center.

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28 The Bash Benefi ts Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa.

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Circus Bowl Benefi ts Junior Achievement of Oklahoma.

OKLAHOMA . JA . ORG

29 Conservation on Tap Benefi ts Tulsa Zoo. TULSAZOO . ORG / TAP

Grand Slam Gala Benefi ts Youth at Heart.

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Glamp Fire Benefi ts Camp Fire Green Country.

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Volute Benefi ts Volunteers of America.

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30 Electric Lime Gala Benefi ts Discovery Lab. DISCOVERYLAB . ORG

23 Best of Brunch Benefi ts DVIS. DVIS . ORG

Garden Party Benefi ts Little Light House.

LITTLELIGHTHOUSE . ORG

GEM Gala Benefi ts Junior League of Tulsa.

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Taste of Tulsa Benefi ts Big Brothers Big Sisters.

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GEM Gala Golf Tournament Benefi ts Junior League of Tulsa.

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Walk MS Benefi ts National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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Pranks and Paws Trivia Night Benefi ts Tulsa SPCA. TULSASPCA . ORG / TRIVIA - NIGHT Spring Carnival Benefi ts Tulsa Dream Center.

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HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS ARE SPONSORED

BY TULSAPEOPLE. BENEFITS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

OKLAHOMA'S FUTURE PHYSICIANS START HERE

The Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine has been impacting our state’s health for 50 years and counting.

What began in 1972 with an inaugural class of 36 here in Tulsa is now one of the top osteopathic colleges in the nation and boasts more than 3700 graduates, most of whom went on to practice across the state of Oklahoma. In the Tulsa area alone, 385 of our alumni are practicing today in family medicine as well as pediatrics, OB/Gyn, cardiology, anesthesiology and other subspecialities.

Our mission to educate Oklahoma’s future physicians is stronger than ever. Here’s to the next 50 years.

To learn more about our mission and impact, visit okla.st/com50

medicine.okstate.edu

Splitting the atom of Bob Dylan CONVERSATIONS WITH ARTIST JOE ANDOE AND MUSICIAN LEE RANALDO

BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

T

ulsa-born painter Joe Andoe recently sat with me in his Chinatown apartment in New York City. We were talking about Bob Dylan while he smoked a cigar that periodically went out, so he would get up and light it on the gas stove. Tulsa, a city we both once called home, was approximately 1,400 miles away, where the Bob Dylan Center (BDC) is scheduled to open May 10 in the Arts District. Neither of us knew when we would be able to return and see it for ourselves. But this point didn’t seem to matter. With one of his records playing in the other room, Dylan felt timeless and seemingly omnipresent, as if his music represented the nucleus of American life. “(Dylan’s music) is everything, yet it’s nothing,” Andoe says. “And you’re left with the zest of our experience here.

The essence, without nailing anything down. If he commits too much to one thing, at the same time he’s running a red herring on the other side.”

We wrangled with the question of who Dylan is. It could be contained in his music, in the stories he tells us.

However, the characters of these stories, the sentiments and histories only lead to a more complex mystery. On his most recent album “Rough and Rowdy Ways” (2020), Dylan sings, “I’m a man of contradictions, I’m a man of many moods / I contain multitudes,” which seems like a direct answer to the question. Dylan has lived many lives during his career and has embodied so much in his songs.

This idea is most evident in his beginnings as a folk musi-

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TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

cian in New York City, at a time when Woody Guthrie was the young singer’s hero. This is the closest throughline to the acquisition of the Bob Dylan Archive in 2016 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the opening of the BDC. The Foundation also purchased Woody Guthrie’s archives in 2011 and opened the Woody Guthrie Center in 2013. Both are operated by the American Song Archives, which is run by Managing Director Steve Higgins.

“The Woody Guthrie Center set a standard for us here and got the attention of people in the Bob Dylan world,” Higgins says. “Once discussions started, all the parties seemed so well aligned and in sync that it was a natural fit. I think it has to do with the cultural renaissance happening here in Tulsa. But ultimately, it was Bob Dylan’s decision.”

If people wonder, “Why Tulsa?” it’s because that’s what Dylan wanted, for his center to be next to Guthrie’s.

Before the pandemic, the BDC was bringing a steady stream of artists and musicians to Tulsa for events and talks, which will resume when the center opens. Among these guests was Lee Ranaldo, guitarist for Sonic Youth and a solo musician in his own right. He fondly recalls the Admiral Flea Market, Tulsa Artist Fellowship studios, and Gaylord Oscar Herron’s photo studio and bike shop.

Ranaldo is just one example of the sort of creative potential and pull the BDC will energize in Tulsa, attracting world-renowned performers and tourists alike.

“To me it makes more sense for it to be in Tulsa than anywhere else,” Ranaldo says. “Somehow Dylan installing his stuff in New York or in L.A., it might make more sense superficially, but I think the notion it’s in Tulsa is perfect for a lot of different reasons. First of all, it separates the wheat from the chaff in a sense. If you’re interested in going, you really have to make a pilgrimage out there.”

I ask Ranaldo about Dylan’s identity, and he says: “It’s one of these questions people are going to be asking for the next 50 years or more: ‘Who was Bob Dylan?’ There’s a million answers to it. … His original aspiration was to be a troubadour like his heroes, and that’s really what he is. His life is traveling around playing concerts for people.”

One day the endless touring will come to an end, and beyond the music, the BDC will live on as a place for fans to gather and explore the man and the music.

There might not be an answer to every question Dylan presents, but a creative center for his life’s work will only inspire future generations and display the enduring legacy of American songwriting. Andoe grew up listening to Dylan’s music and says this: “He teaches us the right size and weight of things, what’s important. In a way nothing’s important, we’re just rolling. It’s all just a byproduct of the dust he’s stirring up when he’s rolling along. It takes on a certain tenor.” TP

DYLAN: BARRY FEINSTEIN/COURTESY BOB DYLAN ARCHIVE; RANALDO: ELVIS RIPLEY; TAPE BOX: COURTESY BOB DYLAN ARCHIVE; FACADE: RYAN BOTTS/OLSON KUNDIG; HARJO: MATIKA WILBUR

Bob Dylan plays live in 1974 during a tour with The Band.

Joy Harjo

Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo and manager Carlos Van Hijfte on tour in 1986 The tape box for "Bring It All Back Home" is part of the Bob Dylan Archive.

MEET THE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

Bob Dylan Center’s façade at 116 E. Reconciliation Way features a mural of a 1966 photograph of Dylan by Jerry Schatzberg.

Award-winning poet and musician Joy Harjo has been named the first artist-in-residence at the Bob Dylan Center. During her six-year appointment, Harjo will present educational programs and live performances, as well as curate special exhibits at the BDC. Harjo, who is Muscogee, is a creative trailblazer. She’s served as U.S. Poet Laureate since 2019 — the first Native American to be named to this position, and only the second person to hold the national honor for three terms. Her talents as both a writer and a saxophonist will serve her well in her new post at the BDC. “The Bob Dylan Center will explore restless creativity in all its forms,” says Steve Higgins, managing director of the American Song Archives, which oversees both the BDC and neighboring Woody Guthrie Center. “Joy Harjo is a rare talent, a multifaceted artist who creates poetry, prose and music. Without a doubt, she is one of the most accomplished artists ever to emerge from Oklahoma. We look forward to the ideas and inspiration Joy will bring to our programs, exhibits and events over the next several years.”

Harjo, internationally known for her work across multiple disciplines, was born in Tulsa and resides here. Her latest album and first new recording in more than a decade, “I Pray for My Enemies,” is a collection of spoken word and music. Released last year, it features cameos from REM’s Peter Buck, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson and more. Visit joyharjo.com for more information.

— JULIE WENGER WATSON

TulsaPeople.com

37

LEGENDS

Through her leadership in the Oklahoma Centennial Kickoff, Sharon King Davis received approval for enhancements to Council Oak Park, where she was photographed in early March.

Sharon King Davis BUSINESSWOMAN AND PASSIONATE TULSA ADVOCATE

BY GAIL BANZET-ELLIS

38

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

MICHELLE POLLARD

S

haron King Davis was born and raised in Tulsa, where she and her family lived in a small house on the edge of town at East 49th Street and South Peoria Avenue.

As a member of her Brownie troop at Holmes Elementary School, Davis remembers earning a community badge for holding the burlap bags men fi lled with sand when the Arkansas River flooded.

“It was not uncommon for the Arkansas River to flood and cross Peoria Avenue,” she says.

“Water would lap at the porch steps to our house.”

The river was a part of her life, and when the Keystone Dam was built during her years in junior high school, there was great buzz about all the opportunities the river would bring to Tulsa. There would be boats, restaurants and other attractions to enhance the city. Over time, those big plans never played out, but Davis still sees potential in an area close to her heart. She is currently advocating for city and county leaders to purchase and develop a piece of property to the south of River West Festival Park.

“Here I am at 75 years old, and I’m still working on that river,” Davis says. “The River Parks system is such a huge asset for this city, and we cannot stop until we finish the vision.”

Trailblazers of Tulsa, her family is known for its entrepreneurial spirit, developing longstanding business centers such the Holiday Hills neighborhood and what is known today as KingsPointe Village.

Davis and her late husband, Coleman, raised three daughters in Tulsa where she continues to thrive on community projects and civic engagement. Her resume of honors, awards and leader-

ship service is quite lengthy, but she says it’s easy to give back to a city she’s loved and enjoyed her entire life. As a partner today in the King family commercial real estate business, she feels lucky to work alongside her children as business partners and spend time with her two grandchildren who are sixth-generation Tulsans.

WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY? WHY? I went to Holmes Elementary at 49th and Peoria.

When Dad bought an abandoned airport at 61st and Yale, he developed it into Holiday Hills, and Carnegie Elementary was built. We attended school in pre-fab buildings until Carnegie was finished. We were on the edge of the world. For seventh and eighth graders, there was no junior high, so they bused us to Edison. Once Nimitz Middle School was built and we were ninth graders, they transferred us to Nimitz to help form the clubs, choose the colors and name the teams.

We welcomed Admiral (Chester) Nimitz when he came and dedicated that school. As that was happening, Memorial High School was under construction. They opened Memorial, and there were just sophomores and juniors that fi rst year.

It was some of the most exciting times and best leadership training I had.

After graduating from Memorial High School, I left Tulsa for about five years and went to Colorado Women’s College in Denver. It was the height of the Rocky Mountain High era. What an awakening to not only be in the mountains but in the culture. It was just such an amazing time, as an 18-year-old in the 1960s.

WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR MOST DEFINING MOMENTS? When I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior in November of 1973. It turned my life around.

WHAT AGE DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW AND WHY? I will be 75 in June. My interior and spirit feel about 40. My body feels about 80. There are days when I definitely feel 75.

HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU? Passionate and involved.

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I’m not sure. I’m kind of an open book.

IF YOU COULD WITNESS ANY EVENT OF THE PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? It would probably be for the future. I would like to see the graduation and/or marriages of my grandchildren, Cooper and Eden.

WHAT WAS A “WORST TIME” AND HOW DID YOU PULL THROUGH IT? The worst time in my life was 1981.

Coleman’s son, Michael, was 16. He was killed in a car wreck. His mother was so gracious to share him with me. That was immensely difficult.

Then, three years later, my dad was killed in a car wreck, which literally took the breath from me many times. It was a time that completely changed my life. He did not have his assets in a trust, so we were put into an estate tax situation where you added up every single thing he owned

Sharon King Davis has graced the cover of TulsaPeople three times: June 1994, January 1997 and July 2007.

from property to shoes and socks. You put a value to it and then the federal government took 55%, and the state of Oklahoma took 6% of the value.

Sixty-one percent of everything he owned was taxed. At the same time, in the 1980s, this whole state nearly went under. It was the most frightening time. I got through it by the glory of God. I cannot tell you how much I relied on prayer and faith. I was learning something almost hourly about the whole process. It took almost nine years to get that estate tax paid. It took a lot of tenacity.

WHAT CONCERNS YOU TODAY? Our children. The political climate. The lack and skewing of what I believe to be true patriotism. The future of our children. The environment. The hatred all around us. You could just go on and on. It’s almost overwhelming.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? When you can make a phone call to somebody you’d like to speak with, and you give them your name and they take the call. I speak to young people’s groups a lot, and I always start by reminding them that, day to day, they’re writing their own autobiography.

You’re writing your own reputation.

WHAT IS A FAVORITE TULSA MEMORY? Besides time shared with family and friends, I have a true friends happy hour that meets once a week. They are friends I’ve made from kindergarten through high school through today. We meet every Thursday and have dinner, talk, laugh and giggle.

There’s seven of us now. We act goofy, just like we were 16 or 18 years old.

DESCRIBE A PERFECT WEEKEND IN TULSA OR ELSEWHERE. In Tulsa it would be gardening, time with family on a Sunday and dinner out with girlfriends. Or it would be at our home in Crested Butte, Colorado.

WHAT PLACE IN TULSA DO YOU MISS MOST? Oh, there’s a lot. I’d probably say my mom and dad’s house where they lived later in life.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGES YOU’VE EXPERIENCED IN TULSA? There was that period in Tulsa’s oil history when every year the city would host those international oil exposition shows. You cannot believe the stuff that moved into this town. On the fairgrounds, from one end to the other, there would be all kinds of oil rigs and equipment. It was just breathtaking in a way. Th is town just exploded with it. You would see Saudis in their traditional robes and South Americans in their traditional attire. It was just a magnificent time, colorful and beautiful.

I think now, I’m so proud to see what Tulsa is doing to not only increase economic growth, but also encourage expansion and appreciation of the arts. I just think it’s a very exciting time for Tulsa right now. We’ve come a long way from holding a burlap bag to fi ll with sand while the river flooded to understanding the importance of celebrating the river. TP TulsaPeople.com

39

CASH CROP Local farmers and producers have leveraged their homegrown

goods with old-fashioned business acumen to create a thriving home delivery system.

STORY BY NATALIE MIKLES | PHOTOS BY MICHELLE POLLARD

Knowing where our food comes from is becoming increasingly important to a growing number of Tulsans.

The reasons vary. For foodies, it’s about sourcing the best ingredients for cooking. For others it’s about supporting local farmers or sustainable farming practices. And as the number of local farms grows, it’s becoming easier to support these farmers while fi lling your kitchen with fresh greens, fruits, veggies, eggs and meats.

Where not long ago it could be a burden to drive to a farm to pick up your CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) bag or even to make it to a farmers’ market each week, that is becoming easier thanks to the ingenuity of young farmers who want to meet the needs of their customers. In the past few years, local farms with subscription and delivery services have flourished. Some saw an increase in demand in 2020 when people began shopping differently during the pandemic. Others were sought by people wanting to bridge the gap from farm to fork.

As farmers come up with more innovative ways to skip the grocery store and shop local, they’ve seen their customer base grow. It’s a trend that only seems to be expanding.

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Tom makes a Tulsa delivery for Porter-based Grassroots Ranch. For information and to order, go to grassrootsranch.com.

GRASSROOTS RANCH Daniel and Maria Rose turned a small idea for living simply and creating a life that would make them happy into a reality that’s grown exponentially since they began Grassroots Ranch in 2015.

Daniel was a nursing assistant and Maria a sign language interpreter before they began their farming journey — a journey that looked more like a leap of faith for two people with no farming background.

But they’ve quickly gone from newbies to pros in the sustainable farming movement, developing a large customer base in the Tulsa area for grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, forest-raised pork and farm-fresh eggs.

Grassroots Ranch has made transparency and education about growing methods part of their business.

Through its website and social media, Grassroots Ranch customers can find detailed explanation about how the farm works, including information on regenerative farming and how the animals graze and live on the farm.

The Roses have made it easy to be a Grassroots Ranch customer. There’s no monthly commitment or subscription. Customers order from an easy-to-navigate website where they can choose beef, pork, chicken and eggs from the Grassroots Ranch in Porter, along with dairy and grocery staples from vetted farms and producers around Oklahoma. Grassroots has a $45 minimum for delivery. Customers can put their zip code in to see if they’re in a deliverable area.

The Roses also are working on a Cherry Street storefront, Grassroots Larder. The shop will be a go-to location for customers to stop in to buy eggs and meats from the farm, along with grocery staples from other Oklahoma farms and producers.

Jackson Howard

Michelle Hood works inside the greenhouse at Blooming Acres, which is located in Broken Arrow and provides delivery across the Tulsa metro. Visit anewleaf.org/blooming-acres for more details.

BLOOMING ACRES Kale and broccoli are important to Mary Ogle. But not as important as the people who grow it.

As CEO and president of A New Leaf, Ogle is always looking for ways to expand opportunities and create more jobs for people with developmental disabilities. For 43 years, A New Leaf has provided horticultural-related job training and skills for individuals through its greenhouses and retail centers. Seven years ago, Ogle saw an opportunity to take 3 unused acres to create a CSA program.

That’s when Blooming Acres was born, and today it employs around 25 people who do the farming, production and delivery of weekly farm bags across the Tulsa metro.

“Our main consideration is the more people we can employ with disabilities, the better their life will be. If we can give them jobs, we can lift them out of poverty,” Ogle says.

Many Blooming Acres subscribers initially join out of a desire to help A New Leaf’s mission, but they end up staying because the social enterprise portion of this nonprofit is the real deal. Blooming Acres uses greenhouses and aquaponic growing methods to grow year-round.

In the spring, farm bags include varieties of rainbow chard, kale, cabbage, collard greens, arugula, beets, radishes and onions. In the summer — the most popular subscription season — the bags include peppers,

tomatoes, squash, okra, eggplant, cucumbers, onions and green beans.

Ogle says for many Blooming Acres employees, delivery day is their favorite day of the week because they love the customer interaction. A job coach drives the employees on the route where they then leave the bags at customers’ doors or stop to have a conversation with customers who end up becoming friends.

Farm bags can be picked up or delivered weekly, and customers can choose from a family-size bag or a small bag. They get a weekly email with what the bag will contain, along with recipes, as well as a text letting them know when the delivery driver is on the way.

Nothing goes to waste at A New Leaf. Each new thing grown is a learning opportunity for A New Leaf clients, and any extra food that’s grown is given away.

“At Blooming Acres we donate 40% of what we grow to the area food banks,” Ogle says. “We do that because there’s food insecurity in so many places in Oklahoma, and we want to be good stewards. Our clients grow the food, harvest it, package it and then deliver it to the food banks.”

Ogle says work gives A New Leaf clients both a wage and a purpose, and it makes them feel important while also meeting a real need for fresh, locally grown produce for customers.

From left, Andrew Presley, Javier Contreras, Krista Pine, Job Coach Emily Dunn and Jackson Howard TulsaPeople.com

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ROBINSON RANCH Driving back to her desk job, Kat Robinson paused, feeling jealous of how the lawn crew she was driving past got to spend their workdays in the sunshine. It certainly wasn’t a foreign concept to her. She’s a fifth-generation farmer.

But farming today is different than the farm her greatgrandparents built.

Robinson grew up on her parents’ Kansas wheat farm, spending summers as a farm hand, driving unairconditioned combines through the wheat fields. Parts of that life appealed to her, but she knew that to make it successful, she would have to do it her way.

When Robinson’s children (now ages 6, 8 and 10) were babies and toddlers, she started with a small raised-bed backyard garden. She learned a lot about organic growing at that time, and then started selling her vegetables and kombucha to friends at her church. Every year since, her customer base and garden space have grown. Robinson Ranch, located in Bixby, now takes up about a half an acre of growing space with about 50 customers who participate in the CSA farm bag program. Robinson’s CSA format is different than some.

“I honestly would never sign up for a CSA if I didn’t know what I was getting,” she says. “You can choose what you want, and we put it on your porch. I’m not going to shove 100 kohlrabi (a relative of cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale) in your bag and expect you to know what to do with it.”

Robinson Ranch’s farm bags are typically a mix of fresh produce from the farm plus eggs, grass-fed beef, kombucha and other products Robinson curates from more than 20 local producers. It’s all the things you might be looking for at a farmers’ market, but delivered to your doorstep.

“The farmers’ market is an experience, but it’s a luxury,” she says. “Many people can’t spend time at a market on Saturday mornings because they’re busy with kids’ sports and other things.”

Robinson is passionate about the education side of farming. She’s found many people simply have no connection to where their food comes from, how it’s made or how nutritious it is or isn’t.

“You have to trust who grows your food,” Robinson says. “My grandparents had a relationship with the people they bought their food from. We’re trying to get back to that.”

She teaches customers food is more nutrient dense when you eat it within two or three days of it coming from the ground. She’s found people are becoming more interested in sourcing their food, both from a health standpoint as well as knowing its origins and treatments.

During the early days of COVID-19, Robinson had many people reach out to her after leaving the grocery store to find an empty shelf.

“When the pandemic began, we didn’t have to take off or stop anything,” she says.

Robinson does certified-organic growing and farm management herself along with a small group of stayat-home moms who help with the subscriptions, packing and delivery.

“It’s entirely mama-run,” she says.

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Kat Robinson is the founder of Robinson Ranch, which delivers products to customers three days a week to most of the Tulsa area. For information or to sign up for the delivery service, go to robinsonranchveggies.com.

Founder Nate Beaulac, Livestock Operations Manager Morgan Long and Founder Jason Ketchum at Prairie Creek Farms, which is located just west of Tulsa in Kellyville. To order, go to prairiecreek.farm.

PRAIRIE CREEK FARMS Nate Beaulac had never stepped foot on a farm until he bought one. He was a city kid from San Francisco who, as an adult with a career in health care, decided he wanted to become a farmer.

When he told his family and friends, they thought it was hilarious. But he found the land — 3 acres in Sand Springs — and bought 10 Berkshire piglets. When friends saw photos of the farm he posted on social media, they said, “What are you doing?”

That was 2016. A year later the operation moved to 80 acres in Kellyville. Today friends tell him, “This is the coolest thing anybody we know has done.” Prairie Creek Farms, owned by Beaulac and partner Jason Ketchum, is now an 80-acre farm supporting 15-20 Tulsa- and Oklahoma City-area restaurants, several grocery stores and more than 2,000 retail customers through its home-delivery service.

Prairie Creek’s early days centered around the Tulsa Farmers’ Market. It then ventured to wholesale, where Prairie Creek primarily served restaurants — pork to Fassler Hall and eggs to Dilly Diner, for instance. But that all changed in March 2020 when people panicked about empty grocery store shelves and not being able to find beef and chicken at the grocery store meat counter. They searched online and found Prairie Creek.

As restaurants temporarily shut down in April 2020, Prairie Creek’s restaurant wholesale business halted. The farm went from doing 70% wholesale to 95% retail in a matter of weeks. At this point, with restaurant business back up, the numbers have evened out to about 50-50 retail and wholesale.

Beaulac’s idealist vision for farming hasn’t changed.

Even with the growth of the farm, if anything, it’s strengthened his principles of ethical farming.

“We spend so much time making sure our animals live the healthiest lifestyle,” Beaulac says. “The pigs are in the woods cleaning the place up. The chickens are on the pasture eating flies, fertilizing and leaving us an egg when they’re in the mood. And the cows are mowing the lawn and trampling the weeds. Every animal at the farm has a really great life, and one bad day.”

Beaulac says Prairie Creek customers are willing to pay more for farm-fresh and sustainably grown chicken, eggs, beef and pork. Sometimes, though, a new customer will be surprised by the price.

“Someone who’s used to paying $2 for a dozen eggs at Walmart sees our eggs are $6 a dozen and says, ‘What the fancy egg is this?’” Beaulac says.

But it’s those customers who have sought out Prairie Creek either for the health benefit or because it’s important to them to support local businesses and local farmers who keep things going. Beaulac is noticing another new batch of customers who order from Prairie Creek because it’s trendy. Maybe they’ve seen a local influencer cooking with Prairie Creek pork on Instagram, and they want to do the same. Whatever their reasons, it’s good with Beaulac.

Not as many customers choose Prairie Creek for environmental factors, though it’s at the center of what Prairie Creek is about.

“We’ve created this system where people truly don’t have to worry about the soil. As long as it’s January, and you can still get strawberries, you’re fine,” Beaulac says.

“Our goal is to be building soil up and not tearing it down.

Building soil, growing more grass.”

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FISHER’S PRODUCE Luke Fisher is a fifth-generation farmer who grew up on a multigenerational family farm. He’s following the path of many before him, but he’s doing it his way.

His father farmed the traditional ways of an Oklahoma farmer — mostly cattle, hay and row crops.

When Fisher started farming in 2009, he decided to do things differently, and he became an organic vegetable farmer. He started selling at the Brookside Farmers’ Market with asparagus, tomatoes and sweet corn. It was there he met Emily Oakley and Michael Appel of Three Springs Farm.

Fisher wasn’t lacking in experience or immersion in the farming world, but seeked to emulate Oakley and Appel in marketing and the possibilities with small-scale production.

Since then the farm has been certified organic and is transitioning to no-till regenerative soil practices to further build the soil. He’s interested in the environmental impact, but also the direct impact for his farm. Fisher doesn’t use conventional insecticides or herbicides and uses organic biological insecticides only when necessary.

“The goal is to not need them. The less chemical interventions you do, the more robust the ecosystem can be,” he says. “Building organic matter in the soil increases plant health, disease resistance and production capability.”

In 2020, Fisher’s wholesale demand doubled and the CSA limit was maxed. Things have stabilized now, and Fisher’s robust CSA has weekly pickups in Bristow and Beggs and from the parking lot of Congregation B’Nai Emunah in Tulsa.

Farm life is something Fisher’s wife, Chantee, who runs Fisher’s Produce with him, has come to love. She didn’t grow up on a farm, but she loves the life for her family, including children ages 2, 3, 6 and 7 with another baby on the way.

“It’s such an amazing environment. They’re out there in the garden with us, with so many aspects of education that happen naturally,” she says. “There’s a lot of learning and growing together.”

Of course, some days are especially tough.

“Farmers work really hard,” Chantee says. “There’s always the unexpected curveball being thrown your way,” especially weather.

Chantee has watched as the Laura Ingalls Wilder books she read as a girl have come to life in her literal own backyard.

“On cold days and rainy days and mucky days, I realize our forefathers, the pioneers, they went through really hard times,” she says. “In the midst of the grind, I stop and ask, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I’m continuing the cycle others have done before me. And it’s a privilege to be part of the fabric of our society in this way.”

Registration for Fisher’s Produce CSA is open. Their certified organic fruits and vegetables are available from April through July.

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Chantee and Luke Fisher with kids Hudson, Maria, Lynnea Rose and Luke at their property in Creek County.

For more information, go to fishersproduce.com.

OUTWEST FARMS When the Miller family began looking for local pasture-raised beef, they realized maybe they should just do it themselves. Three years ago Matt and Angie Miller started Outwest Farms on their land near Cleveland, Oklahoma, producing beef, pork, chicken and lamb without the use of antibiotics or hormones.

Manager Jake Miller knew some other farmers who were selling through a co-op or at the farmers’ market, but no one delivering directly to the consumer. He knew the biggest stumbling block is consumer awareness of alternatives to chain or grocery stores, so from the beginning Outwest Farms offered education and free home delivery.

The business was still in the beginning stages when March 2020 uprooted everything.

Suddenly people were seeking them out, panicked after not finding staples like ground beef and chicken breasts at their grocery stores.

The Miller family now has about 200 regular customers, with delivery service that reaches the entire state. Miller says he knows the delivery option — with a minimum purchase of $25 for the Tulsa area and $50 for the Oklahoma City area — has been a major draw to many people.

Jake Miller says the other draw is supporting a local farm. “A lot of people would rather invest their money in a local business than in Walmart,” he says. “They want to invest with people who have the same ideals they have.”

Price is a concern for some customers, but Jake Miller says most are willing to pay a little more to have direct contact with the producer and to know exactly where their meat comes from — to know the animals were not part of a mass production.

“Any person with any type of knowledge knows our prices will be higher,” he says. “We don’t get government assistance/subsidies like Cargill, Tyson or National Beef.”

The Millers have built their business on relationships. They educate customers on how the animals are raised, are quick to deliver orders and even give out their personal phone numbers and emails so customers can reach them with any questions.

Making connections through social media has been key to Outwest’s growth. The Millers use social media to communicate with customers, showing them what’s new at the farm. They have 8,700 Instagram followers and more than 7,700 on their Facebook page.

“Still that’s only a small percentage considering the population in the state of Oklahoma,” Jake Miller says. “But I think a lot of people would buy local if they knew it existed and put a value on the knowledge of where their food comes from. A lot of people just go to the grocery store to buy their meat because they don’t know there’s a secondary option.”

Jake Miller makes a local delivery for Outwest Farms, which is located near Cleveland.

For delivery information, go to outwestfarmsok.com.

LocalFarm OK, based in Tulsa, is operated by Ben and Ashley Neal.

To order, go to localfarmok.com.

LOCALFARM OK Ashley and Ben Neal are living a real-life Green Acres story.

For years, their professional lives were central. Ben owned a manufacturing company. At one point Ashley worked for Elle Magazine in Europe. Once they had children, their work-life balance shifted. They sold their company, but were left with the question, “Now what?”

During his years of high stress, Ben found the place he was most able to relax was at the family’s ranch. And that’s where the idea of becoming farmers came to life.

“We were definitely weekend and pretend farmers at the ranch,” Ashley says.

But Ben took them from pretend to reality when he used his manufacturing know-how to build an aeroponic growing system with 60,000 growing spots in a 10,000-square-foot growing space for their business, LocalFarm OK. They began by selling their lettuce and other produce commercially, but found that business to be unreliable and unpredictable. That’s when they decided to sell directly to consumers.

These days, LocalFarm OK has a network of farmers and producers who supply the produce, eggs, grass-fed beef and other products in their online store, with farm bags delivered weekly or every other week.

The Neals’ business model changed dramatically in 2020. Pre-COVID, their business included a large contingency of farm bag orders through corporate wellness programs at large corporations. But that business went away overnight when employees stopped coming to work. The programs were cut, and the Neals needed to quickly pivot.

The pivot in spring 2020 came fast and furious, with the demand nearly outpacing the supply. But they worked night and day, filling orders from new customers wanting to avoid going to grocery stores but seeking high-quality and local produce and farm-fresh products. The Neals worked directly with farms in and outside of Oklahoma to ensure the freshest produce and great variety. Ashley says most of those customers stuck with them, even after life began to go back to normal.

LocalFarm OK’s Instagram account is a spot where many new customers discover the farm bags and where current customers find inspiration. Ashley shares cooking inspiration, and encourages customers to turn their bags of spinach, squash or asparagus into edible works of art, good for the body and soul.

LocalFarm OK’s subscription service includes a base bag, then customers can choose add-ons, including from local businesses Lambrusco’z, Pure Food and Juice, Limelite and several others. TP TulsaPeople.com

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Chelsea Hanoch, Lindsay Henderson, Jackie Vu, Brooke Taylor, Madi Ambrose

“Congratulations to the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine on your 50th Anniversary!

We much appreciate and are proud of the 25 year partnership we have shared with you as a service provider.”

Sandra Mullins

GOLDEN MILESTONE OSU COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF IMPROVING ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR RURAL AND UNDERSERVED OKLAHOMANS FROM ITS TULSA HEADQUARTERS.

BY ANNA HOLTON-DEAN

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I

OSU MEDICAL CENTER OSU Medical Center, 744 W. Ninth St., is one of the largest osteopathic teaching hospitals in the nation and serves as the official teaching hospital for the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. According to the American Osteopathic Association, doctors of osteopathic medicine, or D.O.s, practice in all medical specialties with a whole-person approach to care, seeing an interrelated unity in all systems of the body. There are 11 residency programs and nine fellowship programs at OSU Medical Center that train more than 150 residents in primary care and sub-specialties on an annual basis, according to the OSU Medical Center website.

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Johnny Stephens, center, interim president of Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and president of the OSU Center for Health Sciences, talks with students on campus.

The medical center, which OSU took over in 2006, features 195 licensed beds and is home to Oklahoma’s top ranked wound care and hyperbaric clinic.

According to its website, OSU Medical Center also partners with OSU Center for Health Sciences and Diagnostic Imaging Associates to provide medical care to Oklahoma’s rural communities with a Mobile Cardiology Unit as well as a telemedicine program. The telemedicine program currently includes 36 regional hospital and clinic partners and is the largest state-wide telemedicine program in the nation.

‘A TRUE CENTER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES’ “In the 1990s, leadership at Oklahoma State University and OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine began working to evolve the institution into a true center for health sciences,” Stephens says.

The School of Biomedical Sciences was the fi rst graduate program added, soon followed by the School of Forensic Sciences, the School of Health Care Administration, the School of Allied Health (which encompasses the Athletic Training program) and most recently, a Physician Assistant program.

Additionally, the National Center for Wellness and Recovery was established just in the past five years to address the opioid crisis in the U.S. by researching substance abuse disorders and

developing innovative, science-driven treatment interventions.

In October 2018, OSU Medicine and the Cherokee Nation announced the establishment of the nation’s fi rst college of medicine to be located on the campus of a tribal health facility in Tahlequah.

The partnership with the Cherokee Nation to establish the fi rst tribe-affi liated medical school not only expanded the medical school campus, but further supports the mission of educating primary care physicians with an emphasis on serving Native and rural populations in Oklahoma.

“Nationally, Native Americans make up only 0.2% of medical students,” Stephens says, emphasizing OSU has about 10.6% Native students attending medical school on the Tulsa campus and 22% at the Tahlequah campus. “Th rough our partnership with the Cherokee Nation, we have come together with a shared vision of recruiting Native Americans to be educated as doctors in the heart of the Cherokee Nation, do residency training there and then eventually end up practicing medicine by serving rural and underserved populations.” OSU also has residency programs with the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations.

NEW VETERANS CARE IN TOWN In December 2020, the Veterans Hospital in Tulsa received $120 million in federal funding.

STEPHENS: GREG BOLLINGER; COURTESY OSU

n the early 1970s, Oklahoma was suffering from a physician shortage, especially in rural and underserved areas of the state. To address the crisis, on March 10, 1972, then-Gov. David Hall signed Oklahoma Bill 461, creating the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, the nation’s fi rst free-standing, state-supported osteopathic institution.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education charged the new institution with training osteopathic doctors in the field of general practice and primary care to meet the health care needs of the state. Sixteen years later, Oklahoma State University took over operations of the institution, and it became known as the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSU-COM). Th is spring, the college is celebrating 50 years of fulfi lling its mission.

The school has experienced amazing growth in its 50-year history, explains Johnny Stephens, interim president of OSU-Tulsa and president of OSU Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS).

“Oklahoma State University bringing the medical school under its umbrella was a major step in further developing the institution into the OSU Center for Health Sciences with the addition of graduate programs, including the schools of Biomedical Sciences, Forensic Sciences, Allied Health, Health Care Administration and our newest graduate program, the Physician Assistant Program, which welcomed their fi rst class in 2021,” Stephens says.

In addition to programs, the campuses have physically grown, most recently with the opening of the bright orange A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Academic Building near Southwest Boulevard.

“Last year, its sister facility in Tahlequah, OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, opened its doors,” Stephens says.

“Our newest campus addition, North Hall, will open this summer (at 1111 W. 17th St.), adding yet another state-of-the-art academic teaching and research facility to our campus.”

With the growth has come national recognition. U.S. News and World Report named OSU Center for Health Sciences as a 2022 Best Graduate School. The college ranked high in multiple areas, including serving rural and medically needy areas, most graduates in primary care and diversity.

1970s MARCH 1972 The Oklahoma Legislature establishes the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery.

JUNE 1974 Orientation for first class of 36 medical students.

APRIL 1977 Dedication of the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery campus in Tulsa.

1980s DECEMBER 1980 Dedication ceremony for the Finis W. Smith Teaching Clinic, later renamed the OSU Health Care Center.

APRIL 1988 Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery joins Oklahoma State University and becomes the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

1990s 1997 OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine becomes part of OSU Center for Health Sciences as School of Biomedical Sciences is established on the campus.

JANUARY 1997 Center for Advanced Medical Education opens and the atrium is named Founders Hall.

AUGUST 1997 First white coat ceremony held for OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine students.

2000s 2002 First time OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine is named to U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of Best Graduate School, including in areas of Rural Medicine and Family Medicine.

FALL 2006 OSU Telemedicine’s mobile clinic launches.

NOVEMBER 2006 Tulsa Regional Medical Center in downtown Tulsa renamed OSU Medical Center.

2009 School of Forensic Sciences opens new Forensic Crime Lab, a partnership between OSU Center for Health Sciences and Tulsa Police Department.

2010s TOP A rendering of North Hall, which will open this summer as a teaching and research facility.

CENTER The OSU campus during construction in the 1970s.

BOTTOM The Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery was established by the Oklahoma Legislature in March 1972.

2013 Dr. Kayse Shrum is named president of OSU Center for Health Sciences, the first alumnus and female to hold the position.

SEPTEMBER 2017 Grand opening held for the A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Medical Academic Building on the OSU Center for Health Sciences campus.

MAY 2019 Groundbreaking ceremony held in Tahlequah for the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, the country’s first tribe-affiliated medical school.

2020s JULY 2020 White coat ceremony held for the inaugural class of OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation.

JANUARY 2021 Official opening of the OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation building.

OCTOBER 2021 Ceremonial groundbreaking held for the new Veterans Affairs hospital in downtown Tulsa.

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Operation Orange is a one-day camp for rural high school students interested in pursuing a degree in medicine.

Th is past October, OSU was part of the ceremonial groundbreaking for its new facilities in downtown Tulsa. The project is a collaboration involving OSU Medicine, the Veterans Administration, federal, state, county and city governments, and the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation to refurbish the Kerr-Edmondson buildings into a state-of-the-art VA hospital.

Th is new downtown academic health care district will include a parking garage and a new psychiatric hospital.

“About 65,000 veterans live in the Tulsa area, but they don’t have easy access to hospital care at a VA facility,” Stephens says. “Our veterans deserve an easily accessible, modern medical center where they can receive the best care.

Having the VA hospital in downtown Tulsa, right across the street from OSU Medical Center and 10 OSU Medicine clinics, gives our veterans greater access to care and complex medical services that currently aren’t available to them.”

The project benefits both medical students and 50

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

residents, he adds, by growing the rotation and residency opportunities as well as offering OSU Medicine and VA physicians additional places to practice and teach.

STAND-OUT PROGRAMS OSU President Dr. Kayse Shrum, who served as president of OSU-CHS and dean of OSUCOM, grew up in Coweta and, in turn, knows fi rsthand the need for qualified physicians in rural Oklahoma.

“She saw the potential of recruiting future physicians from communities like her hometown and knew that students often need to be inspired to pursue medicine by seeing someone they relate to in a medical career,” Stephens says.

“She also knew that if you grow up in a rural community, you are more likely to return to practice in your hometown or one much like it. So introducing careers in health and medicine to middle and high school students from smaller towns in Oklahoma will hopefully feed their

STUDENTS BY THE NUMBERS “Of course, all this growth would not have been possible without the students,” Stephens says.

“There were 36 students that went through the school’s fi rst orientation in 1974. In 2021, OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine admitted 180 students — 127 to the Tulsa campus and 53 to OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah.”

While Oklahoma is considered a primary care health professional shortage area according to the state Department of Health, OSU-COM has helped ease Oklahoma’s medical burdens.

Approximately 3,782 students have graduated from OSU-COM since it opened in 1974. Of those graduates, approximately 385 physicians reside and practice in the Tulsa area.

The medical school has seen a rise in applications during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Even with all the growth over the last 50 years, the mission of OSU-COM has remained the same,” Stephens adds, “to educate and train the next generation of physicians to meet the needs of rural and underserved Oklahoma.” TP

RENDERING: GH2 ARCHITECTURE; OPERATION ORANGE: COURTESY OSU

The new 58-bed Veterans Hospital in Tulsa, a partnership of Oklahoma State University Medical Center and numerous community partners, is expected to open in 2024.

curiosity and spark a passion for a career in health care.”

As a result, Operation Orange and Dr. Pete’s Immersion Camp are two programs created for high school students.

Operation Orange is a free, one-day mini medical camp for grades 9-12 that travels to rural communities. Participants spend a day in the life of a medical student where they meet current OSU medical students, participate in hands-on demonstrations, study human anatomy, perform intubations using a simulator and learn more about career opportunities in health care. For more information on Operation Orange, visit medicine.okstate.edu/ outreach/operation-orange.html.

Dr. Pete’s Immersion Camp is a four-day robust, interactive experience that helps students understand the opportunity they have to help solve Oklahoma’s “critical physician shortage” by learning and working alongside OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine students. The program takes place on the OSU-CHS campus as well as other locations in the Tulsa area. It offers specific tracks for those who are Native American, desire to work in Native American health care or are a member of FFA and/or 4H organizations.

For more information on Dr. Pete’s Immersion Camp, visit medicine.okstate.edu/outreach/petesimmersion-camp.html.

For undergraduate college students interested in pursuing medical school, OSU offers several programs, including Med-Xtravaganza, which introduces pre-med students to the campus through interactive, hands-on activities. Participants can talk with current medical students and gain information on admission criteria. OSUCOM also offers medical students the opportunity to take part in exclusive, focused curriculum tracks developed to meet the school’s mission: a rural medical track, a tribal medical track and a global health track.

Congratulations To OSU-COM On Your 50th Milestone!

“At JD Young, we very much value and appreciate our long business relationship with the OSU College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Congratulations to the College on 50 years as a vitally important provider of healthcare education in Oklahoma. We exceed 70 years of business in Tulsa, and are proud to be the premier provider of business technologies and office equipment.”

ROBERT STUART, JR. CEO

116 WEST THIRD STREET | TULSA | 918-582-9955 • 40 WEST 33RD STREET | EDMOND | 405-768-5599 • JDYOUNG.COM

Proud to be celebrating our 50 years of partnership in osteopathic medicine.

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The BayneBrook Group

The BayneBrook Group

K eller Williams r ealty advantage and KW CommerCial Meet the BayneBrook Group of Keller Williams Realty Advantage and KW Commercial, a team of experienced and dedicated agents serving the Tulsa metro area. The foundation of this team is built upon combined credibility, a proven track record, sound guidance and, above all else, a clear investment in the needs of the client.

“We focus on our client’s needs and real estate goals to achieve the best possible outcome and strive to ensure the process is as easy and stress free as possible,” says Holly Brumble, founder of the BayneBrook Group.

The passion for real estate is evident in this team’s impeccable communication skills, market knowledge and professional approach when working with both buyers and sellers. Each member brings a unique perspective to the team both professionally and personally, allowing each agent to shine while offering one another incredible insight. The size of the team and internal structure offer the ability to serve clients at the highest possible level. They can be readily available to move quickly and with expertise in residential, commercial and land transactions.

The team culture is supportive and client focused; if a team member is unavailable at a desired time, another team member steps in to make it happen.

The BayneBrook Group is dedicated to showcasing homes in the most aesthetically pleasing way and on multiple media platforms to reach the desired audience.

The agents offer state-of-the-art technologies from the syndication of listings to over 350 websites, stunning HDR photography and videography, drone footage, 3D scans and virtual staging. An interior design team also is available to stage and highlight the property’s best features to maximize sales in price point and time frame.

Contact the BayneBrook Group anytime to discuss your real estate needs.

THE BAYNEBROOK GROUP HOLLY@BAYNEBROOKGROUP.COM | 918-409-2762 THEBAYNEBROOKGROUP.COM

TOP REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS The residential real estate professionals presented here, in company groupings, were ranked top agents in the Tulsa area in 2021 based on industry information. The rankings are based on “total volumes” (listings plus sales) of individual agents. The following pages include professional profiles and display ads purchased by Top Real Estate Professionals to inform readers of their services.

ACCENT

Paul Wheeler

CASA LIGHT REALTY LLC Charo Naifeh

CHINOWTH & COHEN Gayle Roberts-Pisklo Brandi True Allison C. Sheffield Deb Wilmoth Shawn Peters Amy Prosser Susie Genet Brad Borem Carrie DeWeese Marc S. Bullock Betsy Swimmer Judy Stocker Cindy L Morrison Jack Wallace Allison Hayes Cindy Hand Kathy Alexander Tiffany Johnson Dariela Gonzalez Jessica Ford Kelley Ward Missy Hagin-Pittman

COLDWELL BANKER SELECT Josh Rainwater Alice Slemp Joanna Ford Corrie Egge Maureen Kile Kimberly Vining Deborah McGuire Suzanne Mobley Kristin Winton Ashley Wozniak Jeb Perry Alicia Parker Sally Muready

CONCEPT REALTY Robert Kleven

ENGEL & VOELKERS TULSA Chris Zinn

918-665-8559

918-277-6363

918-392-0900 918-392-0900 918-392-9900 918-392-0900 918-392-9900 918-392-0900 918-392-0900 918-943-3009 918-392-0900 918-392-0900 918-392-9990 918-605-0998 918-392-0900 918-392-9900 918-259-0000 918-392-9990 918-392-0900 918-392-0900 918-392-9900 918-259-0000 918-392-9990 918-259-0000

918-496-3333 918-712-4310 918-251-4142 918-496-3333 918-496-3333 918-496-3333 918-712-4310 918-496-3333 918-496-3333 918-712-4310 918-712-4310 918-496-3333 918-496-3333

ERIN CATRON & CO. LLC Erin Catron

EXECUTIVE HOMES REALTY LLC Alex Trinidad

EXP REALTY Robin Wilson Amanda Dudley Brooke Chandler Darryl Baskin Brandi Lolato Brandi Fugate

FATHOM REALTY Patty Contreras

FOX + ALLEN REALTY Jack Allen

918-863-4414

918-258-2600 918-520-6514 918-810-2471 918-258-2600 918-600-9997 918-268-9773

918-902-3133

918-576-7300

KELLER WILLIAMS ADVANTAGE Jennie Wolek Max Heckenkemper Kasia Olek Amber Davis Jessica Scott Holly Brumble Elizabeth Beaubien Brent Clark Amy Cavallin

918-712-2252 918-712-2252 918-712-2252 918-291-2425 918-712-2252 918-712-2252 918-712-2252 918-712-2252 918-712-2252

KELLER WILLIAMS PREFERRED Brian Frere Summer Ratzlaff Heidi McMurray Tracy Ellis James Sumter II Suzanne Rentz Ryan Treadway

KELLER WILLIAMS PREMIER Jackie Shields Sarah Nail

KEVO PROPERTIES Amber Tackett

918-304-7573

918-800-9915

M & T REALTY GROUP Terry Hassell

918-496-2252 918-496-2252 918-496-2252 918-496-2252 918-496-2252 918-496-2252 918-251-2252

MCGRAW, REALTORS Carol Brown Laura Grunewald Laura Bryant Katy Houchin Mike Keys Diana Patterson Laura Hawkins Sue Ann Blair John Ragan Donald Burns Mimi Sandberg Anna Brooks Lori Lassman Jacki Crews Allison Jacobs Jake Bradshaw Caryl Kirtley Brenda Woodward Frankie Harkey Gini Fox David Palik

PEMBROOK REALTY GROUP Stephanie Ross

PINNACLE REALTY GROUP David S. Dumont

RE/MAX T-TOWN Casey Grippando

REALTY CONNECT Tina Berryhill

SECURITY REALTY David Momper

THE GARRISON GROUP LLC Kelly Garrison

918-272-0809 918-272-0809

918-878-8159

918-884-7653

TRINITY PROPERTIES Carri Ray

WALTER & ASSOCIATES INC. Peter Walter Blake Loveless Marlene Boyd Dan Martin

918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000

918-852-5250

918-258-6161

918-280-9980

918-901-9690

918-637-6557

918-808-3065

918-520-7149

918-743-2001 918-743-2001 918-743-2001 918-743-2001

918-900-9750 TulsaPeople.com

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BRANDI TRUE

AMY PROSSER

GAYLE ROBERTSPISKLO

ALLISON SHEFFIELD

MARC BULLOCK & AJ NOWAK

CINDY HAND & THE HAND TEAM KEELI HAND-DROEGE

TONYA ELLISON

JENKINS TEAM

SHAWN PETERS

BRAD BOREM

JESSICA FORD

The Elite

TOP 100 Realtors

CARRIE DEWEESE

SUSIE GENET

ALLI HAYES

MISSY HAGINPITTMAN

JUDY STOCKER

DEB WILMOTH

TIFFANY JOHNSON HOMES

DARIELA GONZALEZ

THE ASHLEY GROUP

BARBARA STATEN

KRISTI REED

KELLEY WARD

BARBARA MUNTER & BARBARA HOPPER BARBARA MUNTER KRISTEN SIDES

JACK WALLACE COLLECTION

WALLACE HOME

SC CLIFFORD

CINDY RODGERS CINDY MORRISON

KATHY ALEXANDER

VAL GAUDET

HOT IRON GROUP MARILYN MORENZ MATT CHURCH

JEN MILLERMORROW

CAROLYN & JONATHAN BOLDING

TOP REALTY GROUP TARA WILLITT

DONNA POSEY

CHERIE FRENCH

LINDSAY & EVAN GIBSON

DC ROBERTS

KELI SMITH

TIFFANY WEBB

HEIDI EWING

NATALIE RICHARDSON & LISA SHERL

BILL LEE &

RONDA BUTLER

BLAKE MONTGOMERY

CHRISTINA GNOSE MONICA CASTILLO

JENNIFER ROBERTSON

KAY SULLIVAN

MONTSE TORRES

LORI MOODY

JENNIFER WYKOFF

TRACY LEDBETTER

JAYNE ASH

SUSAN HASLETT & ANGELA LEMONS

BETSY SWIMMER

KACI LANKFORD & KIM DAVIS

BOBBI LEE

JUDY HURLEY

CASEY MCFARLANE

JESSICA O’CONNELL

KIM TYLER & JANET HOLT

SUSAN HARWELL

RACHEL ROBISON

KHURRAM PERVAIZ

LEE VANTREESE

GENNI DAVIS

BERT WILLIAMS

CODY ADDINGTON

BARBARA MEFFORD

ERICA KIEFER

KARA GAE NEAL

PAT & SAMANTHA O’CONNOR

CAROL & CHARLES VANBRUNT

GABBY GRIJALVA

BUTLER TEAM

TAYLOR BAY

KRISTI RUSSELL

MIKE HUGHES

AUSTIN KIRKPATRICK

CARMEN PLUNK

AMOS RADLINGER

BRANDI POND

JEANINE KOCHSTAUFFER

MINDY SEHL

MELODY BUFFINGTON

DONNA ANDREWS

EDIE PHILLIPS

LINDA CLAY

MEGAN FOREHAND

SUMER GORDON

MELISSA MANSFIELD

KATRINA MOORE

ANGELA HENNING FRANCES IBANEZ

KEVIN SHAHAN

LEARN MORE ABOUT OKLAHOMA’S REAL ESTATE ELITE AT

CCOKLAHOMA.COM

KATHY AHLSTROM

PAMELA BRASWELL

KRISTEN SIMON

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S

KELLER ELLER WILLIAMS

REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS A PROFESSION R E S IO ON

AMBER DAVIS

Amber Davis Home Team

BRENT & VICKI CLARK Rise Home

AMY CAVALLIN

DREW ARY, ERIC ZELLERS & ARY LAND CO.

JENNIE WOLEK

ANDREA PINNEY

HOLLY BRUMBLE The BayneBrook Group

JESSICA SCOTT

The Wolek Group

ELIZABETH BEAUBIEN

Jessica Scott & Associates

Brian Frere Real Estate Team

BRIAN FRERE

HEIDI MCMURRAY

MARK & SUZANNE RENTZ

SUMMER RATZLAFF

The Rentz Team

KARA FOLKINS

Summer & Co.

JAMES SUMTER

Tulsa Premier Home Team

TRACY ELLIS

Ellis Real Estate Team

RYAN TREADWAY 918 Home Team

We are KASIA OLEK

Aussie Real Estate Team

KATHRYN FRENCH

MAX HECKENKEMPER

Heckenkemper Real Estate Team

ROB SCHMIDT Rise Home

to be in business with

JACKIE SHIELDS Shields & Co.

Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated.

SARAH NAIL

Sarah Nail Property Group

congratulations to our tulsa area top agents

joanna ford

sandy Licciardello

kristin winton

paula mcguire

Suzanne mobley

Britney smith

trish allison

ashley wozniak

melanie coon

jay miller

beverly jeanes

john pellow

maria chupp

sally mulready

carrie ledbetter

michelle jansen

chris swart

shannon-nunneley

janice koss

Julie roberts

grimshaw

congratulations to our tulsa area top teams

maureen kile team

G7 group

Rainwater team

Alice Slemp team

Corrie Egge & associates

Kevin Rhoades team

Mcguire cooley team

The vermillion David Roberts group team

The red door group

the ballard home team

Jeb perry & associates

The wilbourn group

alicia parker team

Pollard-sams team

The Jiles Team

The Brian Kirk team

Tiffany martin team

realty sisters

The Vining Team

cbselect.com

Heidi McMurray

K eller Williams r ealty Preferred A trusted resource in these unprecedented real estate times.

Closing over $35 million in recent sales, Heidi McMurray is a top 1% ranked industry leader with the expertise to earn the confidence of her valued clients — sellers and buyers alike. Today’s real estate climate is like none other. McMurray has an unwavering commitment to procure top dollar for her sellers and secure properties that match her clients’ needs.

In this brisk market, McMurray’s aptitude for resolving challenges puts her clients at ease through the stressful nature of the current bidding process.

A Luxury Agent, McMurray consistently achieves market leader status and remains a favorite choice for Oklahoma. Her high ranking within Tulsa’s Top Real Estate Professionals alongside consistent placement as a Top 1,000 KW Agent nationwide proves she is here to stay. She knows what it takes to negotiate successfully and implement innovative strategies to procure buyers for her listed properties.

With more than 30 years in the industry, McMurray understands the driving economic and consumer factors impacting the extraordinary shifts in our competitive market. Her experience sets her apart in achieving client goals and her successes at

the closing table speak volumes for her satisfied clientele.

McMurray is a trusted guide during these tumultuous economic times. She often outproduces entire realty teams in properties sold. McMurray holds the Top Individual Luxury Agent for Keller Williams Tulsa Metro Market Centers and has consistently won Keller Williams’ Top Individual Agent in Gross Commission Income.

McMurray is a graduate of Oral Roberts University’s School of Business and has had her Oklahoma license since 1991. She remains steadfast in her commitment to help her clients live their dreams.

HEIDI MCMURRAY | KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY PREFERRED 4745 E. 91ST ST. | 918-313-1786 HEIDISHOMES@KW.COM | WWW.HEIDISHOMES.KW.COM

Caryl Kirtley

Caryl Kirtley McGraw r ealtors A love for all things involving people and home Top 100 Real Estate Professional Caryl Kirtley is a member of the McGraw Realtors South Tulsa office and the Summit Group team leader. A native of Tahlequah, she began her career as a real estate professional in 2005 when she joined The Moore Team at McGraw Realtors.

“Many people ask if I specialize in any area and my answer is always PEOPLE. I love all things involving houses and people, and truly enjoy helping my clients make their home dreams come true,” she says. “I love going the extra mile for my clients to assure each receives the best service and a wonderful home buying or selling experience. I don’t want them to just love their new home, but honestly enjoy the process as well.”

Caryl is an active member of Evergreen Baptist Church. She is an Ambassador of Hope for Share Hope International, an organization that exists to prevent human trafficking and help restore and bring justice to victimized women and children.

CARYL KIRTLEY | MCGRAW REALTORS 918-798-4476 | CKIRTLEY@MCGRAWOK.COM

Cindy Morrison Chinowth & Cohen R ealtoRs Engaging an extensive network to sell your home.

Cindy Morrison is no stranger to the real estate business. She’s a second-generation Realtor and former TV news anchor whose passion for the Tulsa community is evident in everything she does. “I love helping people with their biggest life purchase,” Morrison says, “whether they’re changing homes because of a new stage of life or purchasing their first home or their ultimate dream home.”

Primarily engaged in the luxury market, Morrison is there for her clients throughout the home buying and selling process. She uses technology — and the power of her 70,000 social media followers — to market her properties, including virtual open houses that have received up to 65,000 views. “I’m not afraid to use cutting-edge technology to help my clients,” she says.

Morrison is a Certified New Home Specialist and is a Top 10% Tulsa-area producer.

Cindy Morrison

CINDY MORRISON | CHINOWTH & COHEN REALTORS 918-760-5751 | CMORRISON@CCTULSA.COM

TulsaPeople.com

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Charo Naifeh

Charo Naifeh Casa Light R eaLty LLC Bilingual real estate services for the Tulsa area.

Finding her clients their dream home is just one of the professional joys Charo Naifeh has, a more than 30-year real estate veteran. Her experience, customer service and availability has helped Charo find success in Oklahoma over the past 21 years.

With about $30 million in total sales last year, Charo is ranked in the top 100 agents and top among Hispanic Realtors. Her Casa Light Realty Team is making a huge impact by helping numerous families in the Spanishspeaking community find their perfect property and become homeowners when they never thought it possible.

“We have multiple ways to purchase a home with different lenders who offer creative financing,” she adds. Her slogan, “If Charo can’t do it, nobody can!”

Whether buying, selling or investing in residential real estate properties, Charo’s experienced team is there to help.

CHARO NAIFEH | CASA LIGHT REALTY, LLC | (918) 277-6363

Charo Naifeh

Alicia Parker Coldwell Banker Finer homes in all price ranges.

With over 27 years of award-winning experience, Alicia Parker has been a constant powerhouse in the Tulsa real estate community. Alicia is known for exceptional service, advanced and unique marketing, and constant communication with her clients.

Alicia is an expert in buying, building and selling properties throughout the Tulsa, Broken Arrow and Bixby markets, or anywhere her car will take her. Behind every SOLD sign is an amazing client story, and Alicia loves being a part of their journey of “Home Sweet Home.”

It’s Alicia’s personal touch that creates a trusting and lasting bond of family and friendship. “That’s the fun part of my business,” she says.

Alicia has received recognition in the Tulsa Business Journal and Top Agent Magazine, as well as being named to TulsaPeople’s Top Real Estate Professionals.

ALICIA PARKER | COLDWELL BANKER | (918) 231-5995

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TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Robin Wilson

Robin Wilson eX p R ealty A passion for real estate fueled by the people she serves.

Robin Wilson built her business from her love of people and getting to know them as they make one of life’s biggest decisions: Where to live. With dedication, communication, determination and trust, she excels at catering to all of her clients’ real estate needs.

“Just as the real estate industry evolves to become more innovative and efficient, so do I,” Wilson says. “Rest assured I will listen to you. I know how important it is that I truly understand your needs and wants, because that’s the only way I can help you fulfill and achieve them.”

She is fully dedicated to the highest degree of excellence, and her clients are the center of all she does. She works from a “Relationship First” service policy, ranking in the Top 100 year after year.

ROBIN WILSON | EXP REALTY | 918-810-1511

I would like to thank the many local clients that we have served over the past 20 years for their continued trust and referrals. My team and I truly believe that every client deserves top-notch service regardless of their price range. Whether it’s a first-time or seasoned home buyer, we strive to educate our clients on the current status of our local real estate market while walking side-by-side throughout every step of the process.

In this market, experience matters more than it ever has before. If you are currently considering a real estate transaction or know somebody who is, please call us and put our experience to work for you.

~ Brian Frere

For a list of up-to-date homes available in the Tulsa MLS scan here

BRIAN FRERE 918. 298. 6900 briansellstulsa.com TulsaPeople.com

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Thank you, Tulsa!

My passion is to help Tulsans grow deeper roots and help new Tulsans establish theirs through home ownership whether you are buying, selling, or investing.

In 2021, I was able to help change 68 lives with over 20 million dollars in homes bought and sold. I’d love for you to be next!

Libby Beaubien 918.408.0270 tulsa-realtor.com

Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated

918-284-6245 (NAIL) | WWW.SARAHNAILPROPERTYGROUP.COM

Committed to bringing you the most professional, trustworthy, informative, and dedicated service that you deserve. The best interests of our clients will always come first in every transaction.

Congratulations Tulsa Premier Home Team!!!

Well Deserved, Heather Jobe Heather Jobe 918-698-8938 NMLS# 233649

Mortgage Loan Consultant heather.jobe@firstunitedbank.com

918.805.9315 | TulsaPremierHomeTeam.com 64

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

SERVING THE

TULSA METROPOLITAN AREA WE SPECIALIZE IN:

Land Sales New Construction

Home Sales Commercial

"Randy Kay and Laura are in our opinion the finest real estate team possible.

They were always available, quick to offer suggestions, and held everything together on the way to closing when I thought it couldn't possibly close."

Michael P Briggs "Laura is the best!! She was so helpful and knowledgeable and made the home buying process so much easier. She was genuinely a fantastic Realtor and set the bar incredibly high. Could not have asked for a better Realtor to help us purchase a home in this absolutely insane market with our already busy work schedules. I will refer her to anyone who's looking to buy a home in the Tulsa area in a heartbeat " Rebecca Storey

Lauragrunewald.com

Ca us Today!

Laura Grunewald | 918.734.0695

s n o i t a l u t a r g . . n . o C ealtors R p To on your achievements! We are honored to be a partner in your success!

1401 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK I 918.250.1641 I www.firstitle.com TulsaPeople.com

65

R EAL we d d i n g s YOUR WEDDING DESERVES A TIMELESS SETTING

Share in the special moments of four Tulsa couples during their recent wedding celebrations.

Book your dream wedding today!

Tulsa Club Hotel 115 E 5th Street Tulsa, OK 74103

STATION 13 ENDLESS HISTORY | MODERN CH AR M

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMANTHA YOUNG CO

WEDDING SHOWER • BRIDAL BRUNCH • BACHELOR & BACHELORETTE PARTY REHEARSAL DINNER • WEDDING CEREMONY AND RECEPTION CELEBR ATE ALL OF LIFE’S EVENTS AT STATION 13

Unique and historic event venue only 3 miles from downtown Tulsa.

3924 Charles Page Blvd. • 918.810.6765 • Station13tulsa.com 66

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

918.582.5722 Ext. 7109

Celebrating Ten Years!

Alayna Doiron Ben Perrault SEPT. 25, 2021

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jadyn Noelle Photography.

BRIDE’S HOMETOWN: St. Louis.

GROOM’S HOMETOWN: Tulsa.

LIVE IN: Tulsa.

HER OCCUPATION: Marketing consultant.

HIS OCCUPATION: Software engineer.

HOW THEY MET: While at school at the University of Tulsa, Ben’s fraternity hosted a bus trip to Memphis.

They met on the road and spent a weekend exploring the city.

THE COURTSHIP: Together for eight years before marriage, the couple dreamed of taking a year off work to travel abroad. In 2018, they both quit corporate jobs and spent 2019 traveling the world together. The couple have since built businesses together and have supported each other through different stages of their careers.

THE PROPOSAL: Among the holiday lights at Guthrie Green.

WHAT SHE LOVES MOST ABOUT HIM: How thoughtful and supportive he is.

WHAT HE LOVES MOST ABOUT HER: Her balance of ambition and groundedness; her gratitude, spirit of adventure, patience and genuine kindness.

WEDDING DAY WEATHER: Beautiful, sunny, perfect.

ATTENDEES: 175.

HER ADVICE TO OTHER BRIDES: Make it special to you, and choose to do things your way. Your joy will rub off on everyone. We were so grateful to hire a wedding planner who took all the stress off our plates.

HIS ADVICE TO OTHER GROOMS: Weddings can be a collaborative process. It was fun to help shape the day.

THREE ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE THE WEDDING: Joyful, bright, high-energy.

CEREMONY AND RECEPTION: Welltown Brewing.

GOWN: BHLDN. REHEARSAL DINNER: Burn Co. CAKE: Ms. Laura’s Cakes.

CATERER: Que Gusto.

MUSIC: King Cabbage Brass Band, pianist Erik Collins and Complete Weddings and Events DJ. WEDDING PLANNER: XO Event Co. FLOWERS: Okie Floral Co. VIDEO: Anna Schroeder Visuals.

MAKEUP: Taylor P. Artistry.

TRANSPORTATION: Galaxy Limo.

RENTALS: ABCO Party Rentals.

OTHER VENDORS: Balloon Therapy Tulsa, T-Town Photo Booth, Soft Touch Draping.

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Madison Westby Michael Peters SEPT. 18, 2021

PHOTOGRAPHER: Holly Felts Photography.

BRIDE’S HOMETOWN: Tulsa.

GROOM’S HOMETOWN: St. Louis.

LIVE IN: Boston.

HOW THEY MET: At a tennis tournament in Oklahoma City.

WHAT SHE LOVES MOST ABOUT HIM: He’s so kindhearted toward everyone and can make anyone laugh.

After a long day at work, I love to return home and know he’s there. He’s just so comforting to be around.

WHAT HE LOVES MOST ABOUT HER: Madison has a constant and infectious joy that can light up a room.

THE PROPOSAL: In Oklahoma City where the couple met.

WEDDING DAY WEATHER: Perfect.

ATTENDEES: 250.

WHAT WAS UNIQUE ABOUT THE WEDDING: The couple opted for brownies as a dessert. Her brothers and dad performed a special concert the couple will cherish the rest of their lives. Whataburger was served around 10:30 p.m. — it was a guest favorite.

FAVORITE DETAILS: The flowers, incorporating the couple’s love of tennis into things like the seating chart, and homemade Westby-Ohs (a family favorite dessert) at every seat.

THREE ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE THE WEDDING: Joyful, elegant, fun.

CEREMONY: Holy Family Cathedral.

RECEPTION, CATERER, HOTEL: Mayo Hotel.

GOWN: BHLDN. MENSWEAR: Travers Mahan.

OTHER ACCESSORIES: She changed into a sparkly jumpsuit when the dancing started.

REHEARSAL DINNER: The Summit Club.

WEDDING CAKE: Frostens.

MUSIC: SquadLive.

WEDDING PLANNER: Annie Brady Design.

INVITATIONS AND PROGRAMS: Laurel and Marie.

FLOWERS: Poppy’s Garden.

VIDEO: John Bunn Films.

MAKEUP: Stunning by Starla.

HAIR: Ash Franke Styles.

TRANSPORTATION: Old Urban Trolley.

LIGHTING: Omni Lighting.

RENTALS: Magpie, Party Pro Rents, Nuage Designs, Eventures, Stay Gold, Visual FX. OFFICIANT: Father Brian O’Brien.

HONEYMOON: A weeklong trip to Greece exploring Santorini and Athens.

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TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Anne Brown Jordan Eidson FEB. 19, 2022 PHOTOGRAPHER: Thomas Felts Photography.

BRIDE’S HOMETOWN: Tulsa.

GROOM’S HOMETOWN: Wagoner.

LIVE IN: Tulsa.

BRIDE’S OCCUPATION: Meteorologist at KJRH. GROOM’S OCCUPATION: Farmer and rancher.

HOW THEY MET: Paths crossed on social media a month after Anne returned home from spending three years working in Indiana. She took her dog Bentley to spend a Sunday afternoon with Jordan on his ranch in Wagoner.

They spent hours talking, and the time seemed to fly.

WHAT SHE LOVES MOST ABOUT HIM: His compassion, dedication, selflessness, fun-loving attitude and smile.

WHAT HE LOVES MOST ABOUT HER: She’s intelligent, ambitious, social, genuine and beautiful both inside and out.

COURTSHIP: The couple dated less than a year. At the same point in their lives, they knew exactly what they wanted in a significant other. Something that special happens once in a lifetime and there was no looking back — only forward.

THE PROPOSAL: At the bride’s father’s house after getting permission from both her parents.

WEDDING DAY WEATHER: Sunny, 60s and calm winds.

It was a picture-perfect forecast in a month that can have so many extremes. Anne had covered two winter storms — one immediately before and one immediately after the wedding.

ATTENDEES: 115.

FAVORITE DETAILS: The bride’s mother was so helpful will all the details. Anne gives her full credit for going above and beyond to make the day so special. Anne’s favorite detail is her mother’s lace veil from when she married Anne’s dad overlaying the wedding cake table.

CEREMONY: St. John’s Episcopal Church.

RECEPTION: The Summit Club.

BRIDAL GOWN, BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES AND MENSWEAR: Facchianos.

JEWELRY: Israel Diamond Supply.

REHEARSAL DINNER: Tulsa Club Hotel.

INVITATIONS AND PROGRAMS: The Inviting Place.

CAKE: Antoinette Baking Co. FLOWERS: Toni’s Flowers.

MAKEUP: Tamara Peasley.

HAIR: Chris Boswell.

OFFICIANT: Rev. David Bumsted.

HONEYMOON: Coming summer 2022.

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Caitlin Pond Matthew Faeth SEPT. 4, 2021

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bryan Bartlett, Bcreative Tulsa.

BRIDE’S HOMETOWN: Tulsa.

GROOM’S HOMETOWN: Salt Lake City.

LIVE IN: Tulsa.

COURTSHIP: As students the pair dated off and on, but it wasn’t until sophomore year at the University of Tulsa that they rekindled for the long term. They dated for seven years, including a stint of long-distance dating.

WHAT SHE LOVES MOST ABOUT HIM: His relentless optimism and positivity.

WHAT HE LOVES MOST ABOUT HER: She’s always striving to make the most out of life.

WEDDING DAY WEATHER: Hot and humid Labor Day weekend with a threat of summer showers.

ATTENDEES: 120.

FAVORITE DETAILS: Passionate about their Tulsa community, the couple did their best to hire only local vendors. They worked with a local designer to create a wedding monogram. Matthew isn’t a big fan of sweets, so Premier Popcorn sent guests home with a salty snack in lieu of a groom’s cake. In a nod to the venue, seed packets for native plants were used instead of table numbers. Caitlin and Matthew displayed wedding photos from their family members dating to the 1930s. The day was full of gorgeous blooms and swarms of monarch butterflies, and the threat of summer showers even left them with a rainbow over their ceremony.

CEREMONY AND RECEPTION SITE: Tulsa Botanic Garden.

GOWN: Rebecca Ingram for Bridal Elegance Tulsa.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES: Azazie.

MENSWEAR: The Pinpoint Resource.

WEDDING RINGS: Spexton Fine Jewelry.

REHEARSAL DINNER SITE: Welltown Brewing.

WEDDING CAKE: Shelley Hartgrave, family friend.

CATERER: Andolini’s Pizzeria.

MUSIC: LionsRoad Studios.

WEDDING PLANNER: Paula Dellavedova of Showcase Events.

INVITATIONS AND GRAPHICS: Sarah Power.

FLOWERS: Anna Conklin at Whole Foods Market.

VIDEO: Sopheak Smith Photography.

HAIR: Peyton J. Sifuentes at Stag and Doe. FAVORS: Premier Popcorn.

RENTALS: Party Pro Rents.

OFFICIANT: David Johnson, the groom’s grandfather.

HONEYMOON: Danube River cruise in December 2022. TP 70

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Host Your Next Event at Discovery Lab

THE

WILDEST WEDDING VENUE IN TULSA

Thirty-one Twenty-three • Highly adaptable indoor and outdoor event space • Rooftop terrace with Tulsa skyline and river views • Designed to host a range of corporate and private events from gala dinners to cocktail receptions, banquets and wedding celebrations and more.

Capacity: 450 standing, 300 seated

Mezzanine

• Five 900 square foot party rooms • Rent any number of rooms • Perfect for birthday parties, family gatherings, informational fairs, indoor movies and more.

Capacity: 30-150

Exhibit Hall

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• Rent the entire interactive space • Seated dinners or standing affairs • Ideal for corporate receptions, award ceremonies and networking events.

Capacity: 500

Amphitheater • Shaded Amphitheater • Perfect event space for small bands, performers, speakers, and outdoor demonstrations.

Capacity: 250 reservations@discoverylab.org | 918.295.8144 ext.2504 discoverylab.org | 3123 South Riverside Drive, Tulsa, OK 74105

Discover how events at Campbell can change an ordinary evening into an extraordinary one. Book yours today and experience a new latitude of style, class, and elegance.

2636 E. 11th St., Tulsa, OK 74104

855-744-5500

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SPONSORED EDITORIAL

W EDDI NG & V EN U E GU I DE When planning an event – large or small – there are many details to coordinate. From finding the right space to choosing catering options and amenities, the to-do list can be overwhelming. We hope you will find the TulsaPeople Venue and Catering Guides to be a helpful resource for your planning.

Visit TULSAPEOPLE.COM/DIRECTORIES for the updated 2022 Venue Guide, Catering Guide and other informative directories.

AGORA EVENT CENTER

THE CAMPBELL HOTEL & EVENT CENTERS

DISCOVERY LAB

DREAM POINT RANCH

1402 S. Peoria Ave., #200 (918) 346-7717 agoraeventcenter.com Capacity: 400

3123 S. Riverside Drive Tulsa, OK 74105 (918) 295-8144 Ext. 2504 discoverylab.org Event rental contact: Rentals Coordinator Capacity: Rooftop Terrace ‘Thirty-One Twenty-Three’-450; Amphitheater-250; Exhibit Hall-500; Mezzanine-150

LIVING ARTS OF TULSA

MARGARITVILLE TULSA

MEADOW LAKE RANCH

ONEOK FIELD - HOME OF THE TULSA DRILLERS

PINOT’S PALETTE

8330 Riverside Parkway, Suite A (918) 995-8080 margaritavilletulsa.com Event rental contact: kristalw@margaritaville.com Capacity: 30-800

201 North Elgin Avenue (918) 744-5998 tulsadrillers.com Event rental contact: events@tulsadrillers.com Capacity: 10 – 8,000+ TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

17400 E. 167th St., Bixby (918) 900-4850 • dreampointranch.com Event rental contact: Sarah Coffin, sarah@dreampointranch.com Capacity: Two facilities: 350 and 150 respectively

HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TULSA

777 West Cherokee Street Catoosa, OK 74015 (918) 384-5946 hardrockcasinotulsa.com/amenities/meeting-and-events Event rental contact: morgan.kaio@hardrockcasinotulsa.com Capacity: 900

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2636 East 11th Street (918) 744-5500 EventsAtCampbell.com Event rental contact: Diane Morrison Capacity: 225

307 East Reconciliation Way (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org Event rental contact: Gallery Manager, info@livingarts.org Capacity: 260

3450 South 137th West Avenue, Sand Springs (918) 494-6000 • meadowlakeranch.com Event rental contact: Susie Warren, manager@meadowlakeranch.com Capacity: Up to 200. Indoor & Outdoor Venues.

Broken Arrow, Cherry Street and Riverwalk locations (918) 893-6447 (BA); (918) 794-7333 (CS); (918) 518-5433 (RW) pinotspalette.com Event rental contact: Contact desired location Capacity: Broken Arrow-56; Cherry Street-48; Riverwalk-60

SHANGRI-LA GOLF CLUB & RESORT

STATION 13

TULSA AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM & PLANETARIUM

TULSA CLUB HOTEL, CURIO COLLECTION BY HILTON

57301 East Highway 125, Monkey Island, Oklahoma 74331 (918) 257-7714 • shangrilaok.com/groups-events Event rental contact: dana.able@shangrilaok.com Capacity: Conference Center Space - 9,000 sq. ft.; Outdoor Multiple outdoor patios, lawns, and rooftop available for events.

3624 North 74th East Avenue (918) 834-9900 tulsamuseum.org Event rental contact: info@tulsamuseum.org Capacity: 250

3924 Charles Page Boulevard (918) 810.6765 station13tulsa.com Event rental contact: Jackie Potter, info@station13tulsa.com Capacity: 500 Indoor/Outdoor

115 East Fifth Street (918) 582-5722 tulsaclub.com Event rental contact: Marianne McCann, ext. 7101 Capacity: up to 250 reception style

TULSA ZOO

6421 East 36th Street North (918) 669-6605 tulsazoo.org Event rental contact: Nicolas Stolusky, Amy Watson Capacity: 100-600 indoor; 4,000 outdoor

C AT ER I NG GU I DE

ALL THINGS CAKE 6808 S. Memorial Drive, Ste. 230 (918) 994-4490 allthingscakeshop.com Catering Capacity: We can create cakes and desserts for any size party!

Additional information: Featuring cakes for any occasion, individual desserts, macarons, cupcakes, cake pops, decorated cookies and more.

MCNELLIE’S GROUP CATERING 608 East 3rd Street (918) 442-2993 catering@mcnellies.com Catering Capacity: Unlimited Additional information: McNellie’s Group Catering is Tulsa’s go to catering service that offers full-service catering and event planning that specializes in weddings, corporate events, special events, and non-profits.

OLIVETO 8922 S. Memorial Drive (918) 994-7000 olivetobistro.com Catering Capacity: 10-1,000 Additional information: Unchain yourself from the ordinary. A unique variety of fresh appetizers, salads, and pastas that are sure to make your next party special.

TulsaPeople.com

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YOU made this possible: •

Our largest show ever.

3,000 works by young artists. The BIG Show runs through May 8.

•

FREE general admission for kids 17 and under.

Every day. Every kid.

•

Family fun. Plan or pop-in.

From mud pies and fish feeding to yoga and story time.

The BIG Show

Thank you, Philbrook Wine Experience Patrons & Sponsors!

Storytime in the Gardens

Buy a ticket. Make an impact.

Philbrook Grand Wine Tasting Friday, April 22, 6–9 p.m.

Little Garden Explorers

philbrook.org/wine

We’ve made things look very different at the corner of 28th and Harvard!

We invite you to come see and enjoy our new store at 2803 South Harvard. Bring your dog with you!

2803 SOUTH HARVARD | 918- 624 -260 0 | OPEN MONDAY–SATURDAY 74

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Rain or shine SINGING AND DANCING IN THE RAIN IS NO PROBLEM WITH THESE WEATHERPROOF BOOTS.

BY GEORGIA BROOKS

MICHELLE POLLARD

Clockwise from top left: Sorel Harlow Chelsea, $140; Blundstone 585, $200; Sofft Emmeree, $136; Ugg Markstrum, $150; Steve Madden Howler, $99; all from J.Cole Shoes, 9930 Riverside Parkway.

TulsaPeople.com

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BE SEEN

Retail therapy NELSON’S CLOTHIER TAPS INTO STYLE IN SOUTH TULSA.

BY ANNE BROCKMAN

W

Hailey Nelson

Nelson’s Clothier 10051 S. YALE AVE., SUITE 105 | 918-299-6565 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday-Saturday

hen Hailey Nelson started a job at Donna’s Fashions doing inventory in 2018, she never could have imagined she would become its storeowner just two years later.

“Donna (Brollier) created a very special place,” Nelson says. “It’s the only place I’ve worked where everyone is like family.”

In January 2020, she took over the shop — now Nelson’s Clothier — and carries on the legacy, lines and camaraderie shoppers have come to know and love, as well as add her own spin on things. Nelson says Brollier is now retired from retail and her jewelry line.

Nelson’s continues to carry Johnny Was, Joseph Ribkoff, NEST, Karen Kane and Tommy Bahama, and has added Bella Dahl, Southern Tide, In Earnest and Lilly Pulitzer to its women’s and men’s collection, among others.

Nelson says many of her customers have come to the south Tulsa shop as a form of retail therapy — both to find great items and to relate with others during the past few years. “I want to make sure they feel seen,” Nelson says of her customers. “It’s really important to us that everyone feels comfortable in what they’re in and enjoys coming in here.”

The shop also boasts a robust lineup of women-owned and locally owned accessories, something that makes Nelson smile. There’s a greeting card for every occasion in Shannon Martin’s line. Woman-owned Sugar Mama Shimmer is an edible glitter that can be added to food or drink to make it sparkle.

Since becoming owner of the shop, Nelson says she has been blown away with the support and collaboration she has received from other local businesses. For example, a holiday shopping passport from J.Cole included her store, and a Valentine’s Day celebration at neighboring Glacier Chocolate and Coffee exhibited camaraderie and solidarity. “Being any type of small business is hard these days,” Nelson says, “and I think the more we can help each other out and band together, then the more likely we will all survive.” TP

Justin Vandy’s handmade wooden earrings, Blooms of 4 Branches, are made in Oklahoma. $50.

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Make a statement with this Mary Frances pineapple handbag, $345. Nelson’s carries a variety of designs for any season.

PJ Salvage is known for comfort and colorful designs in casual attire. $66, top; $66, pants.

MICHELLE POLLARD

SHOP FAVORITES

STOREFRONT

Tanner Mahan, who oversees business development and sales, and owner Travers Mahan, with shop dog Bella, inside the new store at 6034 S. Yale Ave.

SHOP TALK

www.TraversMahanApparel.com Now located 61st & Yale • KingsPointe Village

TRAVERS MAHAN RELOCATES TO KINGSPOINTE VILLAGE.

BY ANNE BROCKMAN

F

ocused on local services and expanding its footprint, longtime men’s clothing store Travers Mahan has moved to a new location.

“We determined based on our clients’ preferences that we needed to grow in a new, local direction. Our expansion led us to relocate to a local shopping destination: KingsPointe Village,” says owner Travers Mahan.

After more than 25 years, Travers Mahan outgrew its space at the Plaza Shopping Center and now employs 3,000 square feet for its menswear lines such as Citizen of Humanity, St. Croix, Samuelsohn, Stenstroms and many others. “We are now offering a wider selection of athleisure weekend wear and a broader selection of golf wear from Peter Millar, Greyson and Johnnie-o,” Mahan says.

Sportswear, denim, sportcoats, suits, tuxedos and shoes can all be found at the shop, which now boasts a modern atmosphere with classic touches.

While the brick-and-mortar might have changed, Mahan stresses his shop’s approach to menswear remains the same. “We are fortunate to love our craft of helping men develop their own personal style along with an elevated customer service experience,” he says.

Mahan, who owns the shop wife Laurie, says when looking for a new location, they wanted somewhere in “mid-Tulsa” since so much growth has occurred in the surrounding areas. Perks like storefront parking and ease of access to other local retailers and restaurants helped seal the deal.

Travers Mahan will continue its Champagne and Shine every Saturday, as well as other special events throughout the year.

Travers Mahan is open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, and 10 a.m.4 p.m., Saturday, or by appointment.

Visit traversmahanapparel.com for more information. TP

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• Medical Facilities • Manufacturing • Churches • Schools • Offices • Banks

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• Nightly Cleaning • Day Porter Service • Carpet Cleaning • Floor Techinicians • Construction Clean-up • Electrostatic Disinfecting

FINALTOUCHCLEANING.COM | 918.663.1919 TulsaPeople.com

77

BEYOND CITY LIMITS

Chisholm Trail Heritage Center

Southwest surprises A TRIP TO THE LAWTON AREA IS FULL OF UNEXPECTED NATURAL SETTINGS.

O

klahoma is one of the most ecologically diverse states in the U.S. People who have never been here might scoff at the idea of mountains in the Sooner State, but the greater Lawton area in southwestern Oklahoma is a showcase of our amazing landscape. There’s also some cool history worth investigating.

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is about 20 miles northwest of Lawton. The 59,020-acre habitat is known for its American bison population — direct descendants from a Bronx Zoo program that brought the species back from extinction. The land also is home to Rocky Mountain elk, longhorn cattle, prairie dogs and a variety of other wildlife. Mount Scott stands 2,464 feet above sea level and provides one of Oklahoma’s best views.

Within the refuge, you’ll find the Holy City of the Wichitas, an area that was built in the 1930s to mimic ancient Israel. Not only that, but it’s where you can see “The Prince of Peace,” the country’s longest-running Easter pageant. It’s

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been held annually since 1926. Performances this year are April 9 and April 16. The place feels like a trip back in time no matter when you visit.

The Parallel Forest is a spot many folks miss, but it’s worth a visit to stretch your legs in an environment that is unlike any other in our state.

There isn’t a sign, just a small pull-off on Scenic OK-115 that says, “CLOSED AT SUNSET.” The dirt path here leads to a 16-acre forest made up of over 20,000 red cedar trees spaced 6 feet apart. It was built and planted by the federal government as an experiment relating to the effects of the Dust Bowl. Urban legend says the woods are haunted.

The path is a bit primitive, so come prepared.

Medicine Park, a small resort town with numerous accommodations on the east side of the Wildlife Refuge, is a delight for travelers looking to fish or find some food before their journey into the Wichita Mountains. Medicine Creek winds itself through town and is stocked with sunfish and catfish during the summer, and rainbow trout during the winter. Grab a plate of catfish

at the Old Plantation Restaurant, a 1910 building in the center of town. Next door Cobblestone Creamery churns out house-made ice cream.

In nearby Duncan, you can check out the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center. The Chisholm Trail is being considered for inclusion as a National Historic Trail due to its impact on the development of the region in the mid- to late 1800s; this is a great place to learn about this significant time in Oklahoma history. Several of the exhibits are interactive, and the bronze monument “On the Chisholm Trail” makes a great photo op. If you’re there April 9 you can experience the Cowboys and Cobbler Throwdown, featuring cowboy poets, art activities and free ice cream.

When you’re on your way down (or on your way back) you’ll pass by Chickasha. If you’re even slightly hungry, it’s well worth a stop at J&W Grill. Th is tiny 18-stool lunch counter is a local favorite and has been serving fried onion burgers and coneys since 1957. If it’s early, they do breakfast, too. TP

JONATHAN COX, COURTESY CHISHOLM TRAIL HERITAGE CENTER

BY RHYS MARTIN

Sw e

et sk

e

th Build a o o Ba tT

You pick the goodies, we’ll give you free basket and wrap!

Tulsa Master Gardeners

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Advance tickets $10. Day of tour $15.

Tickets can be purchased at tulsamastergardeners.org

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SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2022 | 6PM CELEBRATING THE WORK OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION IN TULSA

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GARDENING

Pokeweed

Lily of the Valley

Poison Ivy

Dieffenbachia

Peace Lily

Growing concern BE AWARE OF TOXIC AND POISONOUS LANDSCAPE AND HOUSEHOLDPLANTS.

BY ALLEN ROBINSON PLANTS ARE EVERYWHERE. And we as gardeners are constantly on the lookout for new and interesting plants that can bring value, beauty and interest to our landscapes.

Although most of the plants we choose appear to be harmless, some can potentially become a problem. More specifically, many can be either toxic or poisonous to adult humans and pets. And, for young children, a plant’s lush/ shiny leaves and/or bright berries can be attractive and tempting to taste.

While the terms poisonous and toxic are generally used interchangeably, there is a difference. Toxins can be produced biologically and synthetically. They can afflict health processes and even cause death when taken into the system in small amounts. On the other hand, poisons are toxins that are absorbed, inhaled or ingested. So, direct contact, breathing in (e.g., during burning), chewing or consuming plant parts must be avoided.

Poisonous chemicals vary from plant to plant. Their effects also may range by dose and differ among humans and pets. So, we must be both informed and careful. Let’s look at some common plants that could become potential problems, then delve into what can be done about preventing unnecessary exposure.

Some of the more common toxic or poisonous landscape plants include: Amaryllis; Autumn Crocus; Azalea; Boxwood; Caladium; Castor Bean; Daffodil; English Ivy; Foxglove; Hemlocks; Holly; Hyacinth; Hydrangea; Lantana; Larkspur; Lily of the Valley; Mistletoe; Moon Flower (Loco Weed); Morning Glory; Mountain Laurel; Mushrooms; Narcissus (Poet’s); Oleander; Poison: Ivy, oak, sumac; Pokeweed; Purple Nightshade; Rhododendron; Rhubarb (raw); Stinging Nettle; Tulips; Wisteria; Yellow Iris; Yews And some of the more common toxic or poisonous household plants include: 80

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• • • • • • • •

Cardboard Palm Cyclamen Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) Dracaena Peace Lily Philodendron Pothos (Devil’s Ivy) Sago Palm

Be aware that the above are limited lists, and there are other poisonous plants beyond these. While the above lists might seem daunting and potentially keep you from enjoying your time among plants, simply being knowledgeable about your landscaping and houseplants will keep you and your pets safe. In addition, there are further precautions and steps that you can take.

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE BEFOREHAND • Education is the first step to prevention. Know the plants in your yard and landscape.

• Instruct young children not to put any plant part in their mouth unless it is part of a meal. Keep seeds, berries and bulbs away from pets and children.

• Remove all mushrooms from your yard.

• Do not make hot dog or marshmallow roasting sticks from unknown bushes.

• Do not burn poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac. The associated smoke carries urushiol in the air and is just as harmful as the plant itself.

• Remember plants that appear to be safe for birds and animals might be poisonous to humans.

PREVENTION DURING POTENTIAL EXPOSURE • Wear long sleeves, long pants, boots and gloves.

• Consider applying barrier skin creams or lotions such as Ivy Block or Ivy-X. • Do not eat any plant part you do not recognize as

edible, chew on items made from imported beans or seeds, or make teas or brews from plants if you are not sure they are safe to use.

SMART MOVES AFTER EXPOSURE • Immediately rinse skin with dishwashing soap or detergent and lots of cool water. For poison ivy, oak or sumac exposure, rinse with rubbing alcohol (a solvent that neutralizes urushiol). If used within four hours of exposure, it will leach urushiol out of the skin. Rinse frequently so that wash solutions do not dry on the skin and further spread the urushiol.

• Wash exposed clothing separately and thoroughly with hot water and detergent.

• Clean tools with rubbing alcohol or soap and lots of water.

STEPS TO TAKE IF EXPOSED • Remove any remaining portions of the plant from the mouth; do not induce vomiting.

• Remove contaminated clothing and wash skin well with soap and water.

• Save any remaining pieces of the plant (in a Ziploc bag) or mushroom (in a brown paper sack).

• Do not wait for symptoms to appear. For humans, immediately contact the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug information at 800-222-1222; for pets, contact the ASPCA Poison Hotline at 888-426-4435 or your veterinarian.

• If seeking medical treatment, take parts of the saved plant with you to aid in the identification to ensure proper treatment. TP Thank you to Tulsa County Master Gardeners for their expertise in this subject matter. Allen Robinson has been a Master Gardener since 2010.

APR I L 2 – 30 A VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON EVENT Experience one of the country’s most prestigious Native art shows. Enjoy and purchase authentic Native art.

Winner, 50th Annual Trail of Tears Art Show Grand Prize “We Are Still Here” Vivian Garner Cottrell Cherokee National Treasure

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Erin Martin, right, is the founder of Conscious Aging Solutions and Fresh RX, a prescription food program for those with Type 2 Diabetes. Debra Cooper, left, is a program participant who credits weight loss and a lower A1C to the infusion of fresh produce to her diet. Martin will speak at the June 4 Veg Fest at Guthrie Green to tout the benefits of regenerative farming and healthy eating.

Food as medicine REGENERATIVE FARMING AND FRESH PRODUCE AIDS PATIENTS WITH DIABETES IN NORTH TULSA. STORIES BY JOHN TRANCHINA

G

erontologist Erin Martin noticed a correlation between seniors’ chronic health problems and the degraded soil that produces most of our food. She noted the latter contributes to people’s poor diets, and she has been working toward a solution.

Th rough her organization, Conscious Aging Solutions, Martin has spearheaded the Fresh RX campaign, which serves the Tulsa area and supports local and regional farms that engage in regenerative agriculture, such as Robinson Ranch (see p. 42) and Resilient Growers, among others.

These farms utilize crop rotation, spread compost, integrate animal grazing with crops and don’t use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides — all practices that ensure the soil doesn’t become depleted of its nutrients over time.

Enter Fresh RX, a food prescription program where doctors prescribe fruits and vegetables to older adults affl icted with Type 2 Diabetes living in north Tulsa, “where many people are suffering from and dying of diabetes because they don’t have access to healthy fruits and vegetables,” Martin says. More nutrient-dense foods have more efficient vitamins and minerals, which help the body operate and heal itself, she explains.

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The diabetes program started with 50 patients with an A1C level greater than 8, increasing their risk for a catastrophic health event such as a stroke, heart attack or amputation. In only six months, 47 people remain engaged, and 31 have seen a reduction in their A1C level, Martin says.

Debra Cooper, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 2020, has lost 18 pounds and reduced her A1C from 10.6 to 7 with Fresh RX since last June.

“I’ve been introduced to vegetables and fruits I didn’t even know how to pronounce. It’s been awesome,” says Cooper, 62. “They make sure we’re good, as far as being healthy, smart with food. I feel better, everything is not tedious. I have energy, strength, stamina, so it’s great.”

To Martin, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“We have 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every single day; they’re on an average of 15 or more prescription drugs per year; and it is my belief, from my studies and my experience, that this is related to many factors including farming practices,” she says. “Food heals.”

For more information on Fresh RX, visit consciousagingsolutions.com/freshrx. TP

EATING HEALTHY EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AS ONE AGES It might seem obvious, but while eating nutritiously is important for people of any age, it is even more crucial to the overall health of seniors to maintain a well-balanced diet. Healthy eating for seniors isn’t exactly the same as it is for younger people as needs shift due to changing metabolism as the body ages. Individual circumstances can have a major impact on some seniors’ diets, as well.

Dr. Sarah Andrews, board-certified in internal medicine and a primary care physician with Utica Park Clinic, says an older person’s diet goal should remain similar to someone younger.

“We still want to have lots of fruits and vegetables, some protein in our diets, and really try to minimize those processed foods or simple carbohydrates,” Andrews says.

However, one factor that can impact a senior’s ability to maintain a well-balanced, healthy diet is their access to the store. “(If I) can’t drive myself to the store, I have to wait for a family member or a friend to take me to get those groceries,” she says.

There are other changes specific to seniors, Andrews explains. Some foods, such as steak or other cuts of meat, don’t taste as good as we age since the number of taste buds decrease as one ages, leading to the sense of taste changing and we have a harder time distinguishing between salty or savory foods. Appetites also tend to decrease as we get older — “so you don’t always feel near as hungry, and thus it kind of takes away that drive to have three meals a day,” Andrews adds.

Thus, it becomes more important to maintain protein and caloric intake and continue to eat meals at the usual times. That’s why it can be beneficial to add snacks between meals with foods featuring both, such as peanut butter, yogurt or even protein shakes/drinks like Ensure or Boost.

For seniors who live alone, it can seem like overkill to cook full meals just for themselves.

“It’s harder to get that motivation to cook for one individual,” Andrews says. “That’s when I tell people, ‘Well, make enough for three meals and freeze them, and that way you can just take it out of the freezer, and you’re cooking a normalsized meal like you used to make, but now it’s lasting you a couple of days.’”

GREG BOLLINGER

HEALTH

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At Trinity Woods being a good neighbor means helping our residents belong, believe and become. This triad of connectiveness not only binds us together as a community, it’s also what sets us apart. Our reason for being is to be inclusive, welcoming and present for each of our resident neighbors on every step of their retirement journey.

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MUSINGS

SOMEONE CHEER US UP!

A

friend told me she knew it was spring when old boyfriends started showing up like trappers coming down from the mountains.

Many of us feel like mountain trappers now as we creep out of isolation, lockdown, working at home and quarantine. We’re trying to figure out how to rejoin society. Some of us — and I am one — have lost social skills. We drive aggressively.

We’re as grumpy as bears after a long hibernation. We’ve forgotten how to say please and thank you. We don’t know how to laugh.

But here I am being negative and sarcastic, which are the very traits I want to avoid. Van Morrison has a song, “You have to fight every day to keep mediocrity at bay.” I would add that we have to fight every day to keep negativity at bay.

I read in a New York Times obituary of Joan Didion that the subject of much of her work was American disorder. Even before her memoirs about grief, she wrote about her own psychiatric conditions. Critics accused her of snobbery, self-absorption, privilege and humorlessness. In the middle of this obituary of dour Didion came a quote that made me laugh. When Darcy O’Brien reviewed her book “The White Album,” he asked, “Can nothing be done to cheer this woman up?”

That is so O’Brien. The native Californian, best-selling author and University of Tulsa pro84

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

fessor had a quiet Irish twinkle. He died too young.

In the past couple of years we have been visited by nearly every biblical plague except a plague of frogs. We’d have frogs, too, if we weren’t in a severe drought. What we don’t have enough of is wit and humor. In this time of trial, how we need the Darcy O’Briens and the Jay Cronleys, writers who were smart, sharp — and funny. We need James Thurber, Mark Twain, Noel Coward and Dorothy Parker. At least we have Calvin and Hobbes.

After so much solitude, we’re hungry for an audience. I know for a fact that one of the hardest parts of grief is not having anyone to talk with about the trivialities of the day: How you called the water department, what you read in the newspaper, what mischief the dog got into. I believe this need for communication is why solitary workmen talk so much. They tell me all about their mother’s termite problem when all I want is the dishwasher repaired.

In the few personal interactions I’ve had during re-entry — and this goes for both men and women — I notice our conversation skills are rusty. Instead of conversationalists, we’ve become monologists. One-on-one meetings turn into one-way streets.

I’m guilty, too, anxious for them to stop

talking so I can take the floor. I pulled out my Emily Post etiquette book (the 1975 version, not the original one from 1922) and checked the index for conversation. Oh, dear; 39 entries. Tips for conversation in bus travel, with taxi drivers and at dinner. Advice for dealing gracefully with bores, sentence-finishers, story-snatchers and “unpleasant types.” I was ready to converse.

On my very next outing, the other person pinned me to my chair with a nonblinking stare and launched into a monologue. It was as if she were in a wordy Tom Stoppard play, standing downstage and declaiming to the audience.

I was an audience of one. On and on she went, circling back to details, repeating punchlines.

What incredible breath control; never a full stop, hardly a pause. Then, suddenly, she snapped back to the present and seemed to see me for the fi rst time. I could see her think, “Oh. I need to include Connie in the conversation.”

“So,” she said, struggling for a subject. “How’s your cat?”

I was so surprised to be recognized I answered automatically.

“Fine,” I said. “How’s yours?”

She doesn’t have a cat.

We both knew that. The conversation hit a wall.

Back to Emily Post. TP

GEORGIA BROOKS

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

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McGraw Realtors

LUXURY PROPERT Y GROUP

TIM HAYES

918-231-5637

thayes@mcgrawok.com

SHERRI SANDERS

918-724-5008

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A T M C G R AW R E A L T O R S

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.

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918-697-2742

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AVALON PLACE HISTORIC MANOR 228 W 17th Place. John Brooks Walton’s 1st book of 100 Historic Tulsa Homes: Moore Manor built only 9 years after Oklahoma statehood is one of the finest examples of Georgian residential architecture. 1st time on the market since 1980, this historic designated prestigious home has 8 Bedrooms with 5 HVAC units, 4 WBFP’s, a 40K watt generator & an in-law plan in the 2 story carriage house with a separate 2 car garage.

It has been used as a law office but is well suited for many other residential or commercial uses. $1,500,000.

3025 S. Trenton Avenue. Located in the heart of Midtown, walk to Brookside, Gathering Place or Riverside. Traditional style home sits on a corner lot. Large granite kitchen with stainless appliances, walk-in pantry, french doors open to back patio. Hardwood floors throughout the majority of the home. Formals, huge laundry room with extra refrigerator, storage & a sink. Master bedroom has french doors that open to covered patio, tiled bathroom withdouble vanities, jaquzzi tub & steam shower. Master closet withdressing area. Office with 1/2 bath. $950,000.

MIDTOWN LOT GRAND HORIZONS One of Grand Lakes newest exclusive developments situated between Duck Creek and Monkey Island, offering 8 premier waterfront lots with a total of 1,500 feet of shoreline looking east at the most gorgeous sunrises you will see on the main lake all the way to Monkey Island, deep water on both sides of the point, community boat slips available for purchase 30’ to 50’ long located in protected cove, community lookout deck, climate controlled storage barn, clubhouse/guest cottage, near Cherokee Yacht Club and others marinas, and Coves Golf Club is just 5 minutes away! The price of the lots start at $195,000 to $450,000. Come find your perfect building spot today!

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OWASSO LAND 7376 E 106th St North 1.77 acre parcel in Owasso. Situated on 106th between Sheridan and Memorial.

Enjoy country living just 2 miles outside of town. Flat lot ready to build your dream home. Per survey 139’ frontage on 106th St. Zoned AG. Excellent location with easy access to Highway 75 & just minutes to downtown Tulsa. $149,000

E N J OY T H E LU X U RY L I F E ST Y L E YOU D E SI R E 86

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

McGraw Realtors

allison Mobile: 918.850.2207 jacobs 4105 S. Rockford Ave. Tulsa, OK 74105 welcome to the spring market

Top 100 Realtors in Tulsa G IN N M COSOO

1931 S COLLEGE AVE | $489,000

D OL

Stately home in the heart of Midtown. Darling home in Florence Park with all the updates.

Gorgeous hardwood floors with an open concept kitchen to dining areas. 3 beds + 2 full bathrooms, master has an en suite bath. Great layout, very cozy! Garage has quarters. Fenced yard, new HVAC’s, new paint, nicely updated!

S

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N PE 3810 S GARY PLACE| $685,000 Ranch style home with gorgeous updates. This home has 4 bedrooms, 2 full and 1 half bathroom, large living space with a vaulted ceiling plus fireplace. The backyard includes a large covered porch, perfect for entertaining or relaxing. Marble kitchen counter tops, completely updated. Large master bedroom with an en suite bathroom, includes a tub and large walk in shower, attached to the walk-in closet.

One of a kind home in Ranch Acres neighborhood!

3812 E 36TH ST | $259,000 Updated home with new paint throughout, new carpet throughout, & gorgeous new quartz countertops. Large rooms with large living spaces. Full brick home with prime location in Midtown. Must see!

4162 E 46TH PL | $365,000

One level ranch style home with 3 beds, 2 full baths, 2 car garage. Spacious living areas, freshly updated kitchen, dining, & master bath. Fully bricked home with gorgeous hardwood floors throughout. Large backyard & spacious patio. Updates are timeless in this very meticulously maintained home!

1212 S GARY PL | $125,000 Value in the lot! House has been torn down & lot is ready for your new build. Signature Properties can custom build!

LauraBryant 918.808.4780

918.693.2961

mkeys@mcgrawok.com

lbryant@mcgrawok.com NG

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NG

241 E. 28th St.| Sunset Terrace remodel w/historical 1920s charm & detail!

3 beds (2 down).3 full baths (2 down/1 up) Mstr ste designed by John Brooks Walton w/Bain jetted tub, separate shower, dble vanity & huge walk in closet.

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2 liv spaces down & addl flex space up could use as den/office/game room.

Formal dining rm. Oversized garage w/fully fenced yard. Close to Utica Square,Woodward Park,Cherry St/15th,Brookside & Gathering Place. New Roof 2019. 2,374 Sq. Ft.. $599,000

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2151 N Greats Rd. Sand Springs, OK| Beautiful Custom 1 story brick home on 1.26 Acres w/In-ground salt water Pool & fully fenced yard. House has 4 beds, 3 1/2 baths, oversized 3+ garage. Decked attic for storage. Roof 2015, Newer HW tanks x 2, Sprinkler system, new carpet/paint, open spacious kitchen w/wine/ beverage fridge, perfect home entertaining & sits in private cul de sac. Great neighborhood w/lots of wild life & mature trees. 15 minute commute to Tulsa.

Additional land 1.01 acre lot directly next door for sale ideal for home or shop.

2,903 Sq. Ft. $399,000

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12022 S. Kingston Ave. | Gated Luxury Home custom built by Mike Harrison for current owners in 2012. 4 bed, 4.5 baths 3 car. Backyard oasis pool + spa, outdoor living room with kitchen with fridge, gas grill, fireplace, & pond view. Pool bath. Yard offers extreme privacy, gas fire pits & mature landscaping.

Soaring 22 foot entry hall. Travertine floors. Kitchen has double oven w/warming drawer. Whole home automation system. Flex room upstairs. Dedicated home office, game room and theater room.

Bixby Schools. 5,606 Sq. Ft. $1,250,000 Co-listed by Laura Bryant & Mike Keys

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1516 E. 35th St. | Embrace the Brookside Lifestyle like new 4 bed/4.5 bath.

Executive Homes custom built 2015. Modern transitional style. 1st floor Master suite + additional suite. Luxurious master w/utility connected to closet. Large Chef’s Kitchen w/pantry, DBL oven & 2 dishwashers. Open concept LIV/KIT/ DINING opens to backyard. Covered outdoor living w/dining, & fire pit. 2 BR/2BA + Game/media room up. Quiet tree-lined street near shopping, restaurants, Eliot Elementary, & Zink Park. 3,366 Sq. Ft. $850,000

N Greats Rd. Sand Springs, OK| Residential lot with mature trees. Large expansive 1 acre lot in Pond Creek estates come build your dream home. $40,000

TulsaPeople.com

87

APRIL 6

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TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

12/18/19 3:22 PM

MICHELLE POLLARD

New digs

S

aint Amon Baking Co., known for its French classics and American pastry favorites, has moved to East 81st Street and South Lewis Avenue.

A mix of regulars from the former location and new customers are finding their favorites at the expanded bakery. Saint Amon is owned by Jean Baptiste (J.B.) Saint Amon, a classically trained French pastry chef and his wife, Sarah Saint Amon, a classically trained American pastry chef. The combination makes for a wonderful bakery case full of delicacies all made fresh daily and from scratch.

You’ll find a large selection of flavored croissants (J.B.’s specialty), mousse cake, macarons and bread, though bread is not available on Mondays and Tuesdays. Saint Amon also does custom desserts and cakes.

“Customers are treated like family, and we love serving Tulsa,” Sarah says.

Sarah says she loves the challenge of baking, as well as the opportunity for creativity. Her favorite thing to bake is whatever she hasn’t made for some time. “That could be something as simple as fruit tarts or as complicated as a giant fondant Easter egg,” she says. TP

8156 S. LEWIS AVE. | 918-364-2143 | SAINTAMONBAKINGCO.COM TulsaPeople.com

89

DINING OUT

Nostalgic nosh PIZZA IS THE STAR OF THE SHOW AT THIS SOUTH TULSA JOINT.

BY NATALIE MIKLES

Buffalo wings, a slice of pepperoni pizza and pickle pie 90

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

MICHELLE POLLARD

W

e’re never going to turn down the chance to try a new pizza place.

And when we heard this one was associated with Andolini’s, that the co-owner was a world-championship pizza thrower and the interior is an homage to the ’90s, it sounded like a triple threat.

It’s called Zasa’s, a nod to the shorthand for pizza (‘za) and Joey Zasa from “The Godfather Part III.” And it’s the creation of Tara Hattan who co-owns Zasa’s with Mike and Jim Bausch, the brother team from Andolini’s.

Hattan worked for years at Andolini’s and had a vision for the type of pizza place she would call her own. That’s Zasa’s Pizza and Wings — a casual place that takes its pizza seriously. The simple menu makes it easy to order. Pizza comes in three sizes: a 14-inch pie, 24-inch pie or by-the-slice.

We visited Zasa’s on a Saturday night when there were several families dining in, and many more people were picking up to-go orders.

What would a ’90s-inspired pizza place be without pizza rolls? Of course we tried them, and can vouch that this homage to a Totino’s Pizza Roll is far superior to the little frozen ones. An order of pizza rolls comes with four huge rolls — pizza dough fi lled with ricotta, pepperoni, mozzarella and marinara and deep fried. The crispy edges and cheesy fi lling are similar to fried ravioli, but maybe even better.

Zasa’s also has garlic knots, dripping in garlic butter with Romano cheese and chopped parsley. And for kids, or anyone who loves the combo of pizza and fries, they have crinkle fries. Of the three salads on the menu, the antipasto is the best. It’s loaded with salami, pepperoni, ham, fresh mozzarella, black olives, red onion, tomatoes and pepperoncini. The Caesar salad and garden salad are rather sparse, with the garden salad being simply lettuce greens with thin-sliced tomatoes, croutons and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. House-made ranch, blue cheese, Caesar and Italian dressings take the salads up a notch.

But it’s the pizza that’s the star of the show. The flavor of the dough really comes through in these large thin-crust pizzas. We tried the pepperoni ($15.95), which was slightly greasy and delicious, just like a pepperoni pizza should be. Other popular flavors include meatball and basil ($17.95); bianco white ($15.95) with olive oil, garlic, shredded Parm, ricotta, and Italian parsley; and chicken wing ($19.95) with buffalo sauce, chicken and ranch.

As if taking on a dare, we tried a slice ($5) of pickle pie with fresh dill, olive oil, garlic and pickles with a garlic aioli topping. It was surprisingly one of the favorite pizzas of the night. The fresh dill and vinegary pickles were a good match with the dough and garlic aioli.

The pizza margherita ($17.95) with fresh mozzarella, olive oil, basil and Stainslaus tomato sauce is a great one and might remind you of Andolini’s, but Zasa’s has its own spin.

Pizza by the slice is big — cut from a 24-inch pizza.

“Our slices look ginormous. They’re so big that one huge slice comes on two paper plates,” Hattan says. All slices are $5.

We loved Zasa’s classic buffalo wings ($8.95, small/$15.95, large) with blue cheese dipping sauce. We only tried the buffalo, but the wings can be tossed in many other sauces, including barbecue, honey mustard, lemon pepper, garlic parmesan, sweet chili and teriyaki.

Zasa’s laid-back feel shows in everything from ordering at the counter, to the paper plates and plastic utensils the food is served on. Even the salads are served in take-out containers.

Nineties-themed wallpaper covers the restaurant, with images of the Spice Girls, Ninja Turtles, camcorders, MTV and Santa Cruz skateboards on the walls. We had three 12-yearolds with us who were fascinated by the music videos playing on two televisions. Th is bit of nostalgia adds to the fun of Zasa’s.

Hattan says she wanted to set Zasa’s apart from Andolini’s in both the style of food and the feel of the restaurant. But there was never a question it would be a pizza restaurant.

“Once I started working at Andolini’s, I ended up falling in love with throwing the dough and being covered in flour all day,” she says.

So much so that her pizza-throwing skills caught the attention of the Baush brothers, who told her as soon as she turned 21 she was going to the World Pizza Games in Las Vegas.

Hattan is the reigning No. 1 world champion pizza thrower. And though her name might not be familiar with many in Tulsa, she’s famous among those in the pizza-throwing world. So, her time has come. The greatest pizza thrower in the world needed her own pizza restaurant. TP

Tara Hattan is the co-owner of Zasa’s Pizza and Wings.

She’s been in the pizza business for several years and is the reigning No. 1 world champion pizza thrower.

Buffalo wings, also available boneless, are coated in a choice of nine sauces.

Pizza is available by the slice or whole, along with a robust lineup of beer and wine.

Zasa’s Pizza and Wings 10025 S. MEMORIAL DRIVE, UNIT B | 918-921-9434 ZASASPIZZA.COM 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday, Sunday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday TulsaPeople.com

91

CHEERS!

W H AT’S COOK ING

Eric Asimov

CRITICAL DRINKING

92

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Courtney Weston is the baker behind the Bread House, where she places loaves of sourdough she bakes for neighbors.

For the love of loaves It’s like something out of a fairy tale. Imagine walking down your sidewalk and finding a dollhouse-size box, painted with a shingled roof and windows, connected to a tree. You peek inside and find: bread!

The Bread House is Courtney Weston’s way of blessing her neighbors. “I had the idea for the Bread House when I saw a video online of a girl in Europe walking to her neighborhood bakery and grabbing a loaf of bread to walk home and enjoy,” Weston says. “Every time I bake, I have an extra loaf to give away, and that’s when the idea sparked to create our own little neighborhood bakery to give away these extra loaves.”

And her neighbors love it. To make sure her neighbors know when there’s fresh bread, she created a landing

page for neighbors to sign up for emails when fresh bread is available. There’s no schedule, so it’s first-come, firstserved.

Weston bakes loaves of classic sourdough, and says she’s found joy in the process of seeing three ingredients — flour, salt and water — become a warm loaf of bread that will bring people together.

“I try to find something to improve with each loaf, but ultimately I simply want to share the bread with our family and others — not be the next greatest baker,” she says.

Weston and her husband, Jordan, live in midtown with their daughter, Willow, and Maltipoo named ZaZa. She has a sewing pattern company, Rooney, and a tire cover company, the Tire Cover Shop. — NATALIE MIKLES

BACK AT IT The Tulsa Farmers’ Market is back — and we’re here for it.

Diehard market fans haven’t missed a beat, making it to the Winter Market the past few months. But the kickoff for the 2022 season begins April 2.

For many in Tulsa, spring begins with the opening of the market. Look for herbs, lettuce greens, radishes and asparagus. Vendors are numerous, including Farrell Bread, Dale and Daughter, and Greenwood Farms.

The Tulsa Farmers’ market is located in the Kendall Whitter District at 1 S. Lewis Ave. It’s open 8:30 a.m.noon, Saturdays. — NATALIE MIKLES

FARMERS' MARKET: TIM LANDES; BREAD: GREG BOLLINGER; CHEERS: COURTESY ERIC ASIMOV; RECIPE: MICHELLE POLLARD

American wine culture, as well as making wine more inviting and less intimidating, are just some of the many topics to be discussed when New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov comes to the stage of the Philbrook Wine Experience on April 22.

For decades the Times has had critics in film, theater, restaurant, books, dance and music. “I’m the first wine critic at the New York Times, which I take as a welcome recognition that wine, too, is an expression of culture,” says Asimov, who will be visiting Tulsa for the first time.

Over the past two years, Asimov’s travel has been limited. He considers it a crucial component of his job. “It’s essential to be able to visit wine regions, to walk the vineyards and breathe in the air, smell the cellars and break bread with the farmers and winemakers,” he says. “That cultural immersion has been missing the last two years.”

Philbrook Wine Experience, set for April 21-23, is a three-day event that brings international vintners and wine enthusiasts from across the country to Tulsa.

Festivities begin Thursday with a Wine Walk to meet winemakers and drink wine in private homes in the museum’s neighborhood. Seminars will be conducted Friday followed by the Grand Wine Tasting that night. On Saturday, seminars are capped by the Vintner Dinner and Auction.

Tickets are still available for these events, which benefit Philbrook Museum of Art. Visit wine.philbrook.org for more information. — ANNE BROCKMAN

W H AT’S COOK ING

A TASTE OF SPRING

L

et’s bake something bright and fresh for spring. This cake isn’t too heavy, and the lemon flavors really come through. A light drizzle topping makes for a pretty presentation on this dessert that’s easy enough for beginning bakers to make but still really impressive.

This would be a great cake to make for Easter. — NATALIE MIKLES

LUSCIOUS LEMON CAKE

1 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 stick butter, softened 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese 2 eggs 1 tablespoon lemon zest 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt GLAZE: 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted 1/4 cup lemon juice 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, butter and cream cheese until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, lemon zest and vanilla, then mix well. Add all remaining ingredients, mixing well. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan, then invert onto serving plate.

To make glaze: Whisk ingredients together. Drizzle over warm cake. Garnish with lemon slices. TP TulsaPeople.com

93

A LA CARTE

In the Raw VU

Doc’s

SUSHI

Super salads THREE OF OUR FAVORITE CAESAR SALADS

These places are on a roll when it comes to sushi.

Here are the winners from TulsaPeople’s annual A-List Readers’ Choice Awards.

In the Raw 110 N. Elgin Ave., 918-779-7600 3321 S. Peoria Ave., 918-744-1300 6151 S. Sheridan Road, 918-524-0063 216 S. Main St., Broken Arrow; 918-893-6111

DALESANDRO’S

CHALKBOARD 94

TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

Whatever you order at Dalesandro’s, you must start with the Caesar. The swordfish piccata and the linguine with meatballs are stars, but don’t pass go until you’ve eaten the Caesar ($12) with crisp romaine, Parmesan and Romano cheese, fresh ground black pepper and the unique balsamic Caesar dressing. We like it with grilled chicken and roasted red bell peppers ($17) for lunch. This is a Caesar that’s both classic in its presentation and distinct in that it leaves you trying to identify the flavors that make it so delicious.

1742 S. BOSTON AVE. | 918-582-1551 | DALESANDROS.COM Our favorite Caesars have something in common — they’re traditional with a twist. We’re big fans of the Chalkboard’s Caesar ($11), which fits that bill. The house Caesar dressing is addictively good, and makes the perfect accompaniment to the romaine, shredded Parmesan, herb-marinated garlic and house-made croutons. Oh, and perhaps the best part: A topping of fried capers add a punch of salty, briny crispness to the dish. 1324 S. MAIN ST. | 918-582-1964 | CHALKBOARDTULSA.COM — NATALIE MIKLES

intherawsushi.com Yokozuna 309 E. Second St., 918-508-7676 9146 S. Yale Ave., Suite 100; 918-619-6271 yokozunasushi.com Sushi Hana 3739 S. Peoria Ave. 918-712-9338 sushihanatulsa.com Sushi Train 3300 E. 51st St. 918-747-9931 sushitraintulsaok.com Kirin Asian Cuisine 8041 S. Mingo Road 918-893-8006 kirin-tulsa.com Fuji 8226 E. 71st St. 918-250-1821 fujitulsa.com

CHALKBOARD, DALESANDRO'S: GREG BOLLINGER; DOC'S, IN THE RAW: MICHELLE POLLARD

The Doc’s Caesar ($10) is the kind you begin to crave days after you leave the restaurant. There’s just something about this salad: It’s the sundried tomatoes, the kalamata olives and the bacon. Oh yes, bacon on a Caesar salad might sound too good to be true. The combo of the brightness and tanginess of the Caesar dressing with crisp lettuce, Parmesan, crunchy croutons, smoky bacon, the olives and tomatoes creates a super flavorful salad. The only thing better? Order it topped with blackened shrimp. 3509 S. PEORIA AVE. | 918949-3663 | DOCSWINEANDFOOD.COM

TRY THIS!

SOUND BITE

MADISON SIDES Server/bartender at McNellie’s Downtown Pub, 409 E. First St. McNellie’s equals a great beer selection. How many are on tap and how many in bottles/cans?

We have 60 beers on tap and around 300 bottles and cans. We get new beers every month, so there is always something fresh and new to try.

Tart and crisp bites of dried cranberry, celery, onion and almond are nestled on diner’s choice of wheat bread or croissant ($12.50).

Roasted chicken salad sandwich from Kitch

MICHELLE POLLARD; SOUND BITE: TIM LANDES

381 E. MAIN ST., JENKS | 918-528-6766 | KITCH.CAFE

“As someone who transitioned from corporate America to becoming a small business owner, I have a newfound appreciation for what it means to support a place like this,” says Madeline (Abby) Nein, a former oil and gas sales executive and home baker who bought Kitch and Cookiedoodle in February 2021 with husband Benjamin.

The two businesses reside under one roof in Jenks. Kitch is the breakfast and lunch cafe; Cookiedoodle is the bakery known for its iced and gourmet cookies, along with a full menu of desserts.

Kitch’s quiche varieties are popular with both the breakfast and lunch crowds, along with a cup of Nordaggio’s coffee.

Daily specials commonly pop up on the menu, too. Definitely try the best-selling side of pasta salad, made with a bright wine paprika dressing that is made in-house.

Cookiedoodle has 15 varieties of gourmet cookies, like strawberry shortcake, s’mores and pecan pie — which sold the owner on the business. The shop’s hand-decorated cookies, which can come in nearly any shape or design imaginable, take three days to make. The giant cake slices — try the Neapolitan — are perfect to share.

Most importantly, Nein wants her storefront to be a place for friends and joy. “The past two years have been so hard,” she says, “so we want our shop to be a safe haven and feel like home.” — ANNE BROCKMAN

What beer do you serve the most?

We are one of the top Guinness accounts in the state for a reason; however, hazy IPAs have taken over, and Roughtail’s Everything Rhymes With Orange is definitely a crowd favorite followed by Stonecloud Chug Norris. In my eyes, Stonecloud can do no wrong.

Do you have a favorite beer?

I do! With springtime around the corner, I get very into sours. Cross Timbers Drei Hexen is my favorite. It’s a strawberry and spearmint Berliner Weisse, and it’s brewed in Oklahoma.

McNellie’s has multiple bars; which is your favorite to work and why?

They all have their own charms, but the patio bar is my favorite to work. While it doesn’t carry the famous McNellie’s beer selection (the patio bar has limited options compared to sitting inside), the open air and multiple TVs make it a great place to hang out and watch football, or whatever sport you’re into.

— TIM LANDES TulsaPeople.com

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TULSA TIME WARP

Early 1950s image of the Vandever Building at 16 E. Fifth St.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS I

n 1904, the Beane-Vandever Dry Goods Co. opened at First and Main streets in downtown Tulsa selling clothing, household decor and other soft goods.

The company was co-owned and managed by William A. Vandever, the eldest of five brothers who would all arrive in Tulsa over the years following.

By 1912 William became the sole owner of the business and convinced his brothers to join the operation. As the shop continued to thrive, its

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TulsaPeople APRIL 2022

building was becoming outdated and overloaded with products.

By 1924, construction was underway on a new five-story building near Fifth and Main streets.

The new building would be unlike many other stores of its kind. Each floor was home to multiple departments. Among the drapery and bedding departments, on the top floor, were company offices and a break room for employees.

It wasn’t long before the building was expanded. The company eventually purchased

the Thompson and Cole Building on the east side of Main Street and created a ramp through the alleyway to connect the buildings, in turn adding a Main Street entrance.

Despite decades of success and memories, the downtown store finally closed in 1970 to focus on its other locations at Utica Square and Southroads Mall. The final Vandever’s closed in 1992, after 88 years of business.

The former downtown Vandever’s was converted into apartments and opened to tenants in 2014. TP

GRIFFIN COMMUNICATIONS (PERSONAL ARCHIVE)

STORY AND COMPOSITE IMAGE BY PATRICK MCNICHOLAS

WHEN YOU CARE FOR SOMEONE, Everything Matters, Even Purée

Puréed meal

Solid meal

At Saint Simeon’s, we understand you eat with your eyes first. That’s why our culinary team goes the extra mile for residents who have trouble eating solid food. They are well trained in creating puréed meals that look and taste like their solid food counterparts.

Our goal at Saint Simeon’s isn’t for our residents to simply live out the rest of their days but to thrive and get as much enjoyment as possible out of each day – including every meal.

Call Mary at 918-794-1900 for more information about Saint Simeon’s offerings for every level of senior care.

3701 N. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

Saint Simeon’s is a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma

New Spring Arrivals!

GIFTS FOR EVERY REASON • DECOR FOR EVERY SEASON 9 1S T A N D YA L E - T U L S A • A M B ER M A R I E A N D CO.CO M