TulsaPeople October 2021 by TulsaPeople

THE DOWNTOWN ISSUE

UNIVERSITY OF TULSA’S BRAD CARSON

TULSA HALL OF FAME October 2021

BURGER TOWN 22 spots for classic, gourmet and everything in between

French Hen’s prime burger

CARE CARD

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OCTOBER 2021 | VOLUME 35 ISSUE 12

P. 25 TULSA THRILLS Spooky spots in T-Town.

47 STAYING THE COURSE

62 TABLE TALK

· Depot debuts.

42 TELLING TULSA’S HISTORY

One hundred years after its founding,

· New look at downtown’s Summit Club.

· Checking in with restaurateur

Tulsa Hall of Fame inducts ﬁve honorees.

Family and Children’s Services remains

· Vintage brews at McNellie’s.

BY JOHN TRANCHINA

a powerhouse of community response

· Oktoberfest is back with more beer

· Bright designs at Sign World of Tulsa.

Elliot Nelson. · Meet Tulsa’s new deputy mayor, Cassia Carr.

serving Tulsans of all ages.

44 A REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY

· Two recipes to try this month.

and food ﬁnds.

BY MORGAN PHILLIPS

83 LIFESTYLE

University of Tulsa in July, Brad Carson

54 TULSA’S BEST BURGERS

looks forward to confronting the

The combination of meat, cheese, bun

· A maker’s paradise.

· Tulsa’s new rideshare.

challenges and joys of leading the

and veggies is something all these

· Four nearby destinations for a

· New music from indie-rock trio

private university.

places do well, but it’s the twists, takes

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

and toppings that make them really

25 ABOUT TOWN · Grady Nichols celebrates 25 years of his debut album.

Wilderado. · Creative solutions to downtown infrastructure.

Since becoming president of the

· Shoe envy at Silhouette Sneakers and Art.

hauntingly good time. · Who inﬂuences Connie Cronley?

stand out. BY NATALIE MIKLES

SPECIAL SECTIONS 71 Care Card 75 Holiday Catering and Venue Guides

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

GREG BOLLINGER

7 CITY DESK

Urgent needs or doctor visits Online appointments available

Now more than ever, staying up to date with the care you and your family need is important. Whether it’s a new symptom or a chronic condition, talk with your doctor about what’s right for you and your ongoing care. Online appointments are available for primary care and urgent care needs. And you can even see pediatricians and specialists online or get care for mental and emotional health, all from the comfort of home. If you and your doctor decide you need to come in person for a visit, know that we are maintaining strict precautions for your safety while in our care.

Schedule an appointment: ascension.org/Telehealth

FROM THE EDITOR

This is one of my favorite issues.

Volume XXXV, Number 12 ©2021. 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. TulsaPeople Magazine is published monthly by

I could often say that working this job. The team

things happening in our city, as well as the people

here at TulsaPeople creates celebrations of all

doing that good work.

things Tulsa each month, but really, October

Th is also is the downtown issue, which gives

2021 has been a favorite for some time. We’ve

us an opportunity to check in on Tulsa’s city

been salivating over a beloved topic — burgers —

center. With a nod to Halloween at the end of

for months as we planned this issue. We think

the month, our About Town section features

you’ll appreciate the effort. After all, who doesn’t

some of downtown’s haunted destinations (p. 25).

like burgers?

We also explore ideas for infrastructure changes

Our cover feature explores some of Tulsa’s

to make the downtown area more equitable for

best. Beginning on p. 54, food writer Natalie

all — we’re talking streets and sidewalks for area

Mikles profi les some of the city’s iconic places

motorists, cyclists and pedestrians (p. 40). Tid-

for a burger and fries. There are examples of time-

bits about downtown are sprinkled throughout

tested favorites, new gourmet versions and even a

this month’s pages.

unique veggie burger.

We dip our toes into the holiday season with

Did we feature your local go-to for the clas-

festive tablescapes (p. 75) and look toward the

sic American dish? (Note I didn’t say sandwich

gift-giving season with Care Card and features

— after all, whether a burger is a sandwich or a

on local stores. After all, the holidays are just

category unto its own is a hot debate.) If not, we’d

around the corner. How has 2021 gone by so fast?

love to hear your local burger haven. Just email

As we enter autumn, I hope you all have the

us at contactus@langdonpublishing.com. I would

opportunity to take a deep breath in the crisp air,

also love the responsibility of testing your selec-

see the colors change, watch the squirrels prepare

tion. The team and I seem to never reach our fi ll

for winter, and hold your loved ones near and

of burgers.

dear.

Another aspect of this issue that I love is City Editor Morgan Phillips’ stellar job profi ling Family and Children’s Services, which celebrates

I hope you enjoy this TulsaPeople as much as I do. Happy reading … and eating. TP

its centennial this year (p. 47). From its beginnings as an agency providing relief, employment,

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

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNITY RELATIONS Susie Miller EDITOR CITY EDITOR DIGITAL EDITOR ABOUT TOWN 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 INTERN Deborah Laker

MEMBER

TulsaPeople’s distribution is audited annually by

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.

medical care and education to its stature as one of the most prolific nonprofit, social services agencies in the state, FCS continues to stay true to its mission of helping Tulsans lead better lives. Articles like this one are a prime example of what we do at TulsaPeople: shine a light on the good 6

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

Anne Brockman EDITOR

S AY N O T O H A T E

Moe Shoeleh shows the interworkings of an LED letter manufactured by Sign World of Tulsa.

GREG BOLLINGER

BUILDING A BUSINESS

raphic artist Moe Shoeleh and his wife, Trish, launched Sign World in Tulsa in 1995 making small vinyl signs. They had $640 to their name and a credit card. Then Moe went to Iran to care for his sick father until his death. “While I was taking care of my dad, (Trish) would call me say, ‘Hey, how

do you do this?’ and I would walk her through and she would make the signs,” Moe recalls. Twenty-six years later, their signs — vinyl, LED and neon — are all over Tulsa and the state. TP SEE P. 12 FOR MORE ON THIS SMALL FAMILY BUSINESS.

TulsaPeople.com

NOTEBOOK B Y MORGA N PHILLIP S A ND TIM L A NDE S

CONTRIBUTING A VERSE Those who have recently visited Cain’s Ballroom, Empire Slice House or Soundpony likely noticed OKPOP Museum is taking shape. Creative Director Blake Ewing says it’s currently on pace to open in late 2022. Once the museum opens, it will share the stories of Oklahoma’s rich history of entertainers and artists — from Patti Page to Carrie Underwood — and the many stories told here, from 1949’s “Tulsa” to this year’s “Reservation Dogs.”

HEAR THE REST OF THIS CONVERSATION WITH EWING ON THE OCT. 6 EPISODE OF TULSA TALKS: A TULSAPEOPLE PODCAST.

New downtown hub underway Already a well-known restaurant hub, East First Street and South Elgin Avenue will soon have more to boast about: Elliot Nelson’s Santa Fe Square, set to open in 2024. Apartments, retail, parking and tenants, including law ﬁrm Hall Estill, will be part of the development, which is named for the Santa Fe railyard and depot that operated there until 1971. A highlight of Santa Fe Square will be its hardscaped European plaza, with heaters and umbrellas that will make outdoor dining possible year-round, according to Nelson. He says he expects the plaza to house “some of the best restaurants in town,” including a new, upscale McNellie’s Group concept. “We’ll be able to have events out there, whether it be during Tulsa Tough or beer and wine festivals or farmers’ markets — that sort of thing,” Nelson says. “The Blue Dome District doesn’t really have a central meeting place. So, for me, the idea is to build some kind of signiﬁcant public space on the east side that will function as a hub for the neighborhood.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE P. 16.

Voices of Oklahoma

VP BOARDS SHIP NAMED TULSA Tulsa’s namesake littoral combat ship, USS Tulsa, hosted a visit for Vice President Kamala Harris on Aug. 23, 2021, while moored in Singapore. The visit was part of a trip to Singapore and Vietnam to strengthen relationships and expand economic cooperation with the United States’ critical Indo-Paciﬁc partners. 8

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

“You get on the ﬂoor, you think you have the votes, and then you don’t. … So you’ve got to be prepared for whatever may be thrown your way. But never give up on your passion. Because if you’re trying to make a change and you feel strongly about it, I think you will eventually achieve that goal. And I say, ‘Keep your eye on the prize and stay focused.’” — The late Maxine Horner, Oklahoma senator from 1986-2004. She focused on economic development and education legislation. Horner died Feb. 7, 2021.

EWING: COURTESY; HORNER: MICHELLE POLLARD; HARRIS: U.S. NAVY/RICHARD CHO; RENDERING: R SELSER SCHAFER ARCHITECTS

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE FOR OKPOP MUSEUM? It’s a really diverse and interesting story. What I really think, what we hope, is that OKPOP isn’t just a place to come and have an intellectual experience, to learn something you didn’t know before, but to have an emotional experience, to be inspired, to believe you can contribute a verse to the song. I think that’s what success looks like for us. We want people walking out of the building feeling like they, too, can do the same thing. That’s really what it’s all about.

FIRST OKLAHOMA BANK PRESENTS

Business Leaders with Heart

INVENTOR. INFLUENCER. INDOMITABLE. Deyona (Dee) Hays likes solving problems. Whether she is providing engineering resources to companies or designing a product that helps women walk easily in high heels, Dee enjoys turning problems into possibilities.

Dee is the founder, president and CEO of award-winning Excellence Engineering LLC, a boutique engineering firm that provides engineering services and support to several companies. As a board-certified Professional Engineer, licensed in 38 states, Dee likewise has received several distinctions, including being named one of Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEOs in 2017. Now, she is stepping into another venture as founder of her new business HeelzFirst. Dee’s patented shoe accessory is designed to hug a woman’s foot to her high-heel shoe, enabling her to walk safely, comfortably, and confidently. “For about 22 years, I suffered from chronic back issues, which affected every aspect of my life. After major back surgery in 2020, I realized I could feel my feet and legs again and changed my whole perspective on my beloved high heels. I couldn’t wear my heels anymore, which is what drove me to create HeelzFirst,” she says. “When I see the ‘aha’ moment of satisfaction on women’s faces when they try HeelzFirst for the first time, it warms my heart…This dream of helping women feel confident and beautiful is a huge motivator for me.”

Having spent her career in a maledominated field, Dee loves helping children, especially girls who are interested in engineering, become involved with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). She also enjoys mentoring young entrepreneurs and engineers. In addition to serving as a Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance Advisory Board member, Dee has been a member of the Go Red for Women for Oklahoma Heart Association and the Oklahoma Commission for the Status of Women. “I feel very fortunate for the opportunities I’ve been given… I realize not everybody has opportunities for education, growth, and advancement. It’s important to me to help others find that path and give more people

the same opportunities I’ve had. When we lift and empower those around us, our community is better for it.” “Dee is a role model and trailblazer for women owning and managing their business. She knows how to convert problems into solutions and is making a positive difference in other people’s lives,” says Tom Bennett Jr., Chairman of First Oklahoma Bank. “First Oklahoma Bank is my go-to place as a partner in all aspects of my life,” says Dee. “No matter how big or small my problem or request has been, they treat me as if I’m their biggest client and their top priority. Their team treats everyone with respect.”

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www.FirstOklahomaBank.com

I AM

I AM DEPUTY MAYOR Cassia Carr fulfills a dream to work in city politics. STORY AND PHOTO BY TIM LANDES

assia Carr is in her second week on the job as deputy mayor. Since starting Aug. 30, she has been making the rounds and getting to know people. During a visit to the Tulsa Police Department Training Division it hit Carr that she is living her dream. “I’m sitting there with all of these amazing new officers, the chief is speaking and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I get to be a part of this,’” she says. “For me and the things I love, it is a dream come true. Just so cool.” Carr, 34, is a Tulsan to the core. She started life in north Tulsa and attended now-closed Barnard Elementary at East

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

17th Street and South Lewis Avenue. Her family relocated to west Tulsa and she attended second through fi fth grades at Berryhill, before enrolling at Victory Christian School, where she met and fell in love with her husband, Joel. They now have two daughters, Georgia and Charlotte. After graduating from Victory, Carr attended Tulsa Community College for two years, followed by Oral Roberts University, where she graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in international business and Spanish. It was at ORU she says her future goals began to take shape. “When people would come here from all over

the world, I would take people I met on a ‘tour de Tulsa,’” she says. “(I’d) show them all the great things that make us unique … the stuff that makes Tulsa awesome. I told many of them I wanted to go into city politics.” Carr worked for Pepsi Co. for a few years before returning to school at University of Tulsa College of Law, where in 2016 she earned a juris doctorate with honors. At TU, she was classmates with Susan Bynum, who made the fi rst call this summer on behalf of her husband, Mayor G.T. Bynum, to see if Carr would be interested in the job when Deputy Mayor Amy Brown, another TU classmate, left the post. “I was absolutely floored, then so excited,” she says. Before entering City Hall, Carr did stints at law fi rms Hall Estill and Winters and King Inc. and then nearly three years as an attorney for Williams Cos. Carr begins her new role with experience in economic development. In 2016, Bynum appointed her to the Tulsa Economic Development Corp. board, on which she now serves as president. Carr also is vice chairwoman of the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity, and she’s on the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund board. As deputy mayor, Carr oversees the Administrative Division, including municipal courts, human resources, information technology and customer care, as well as ongoing public safety support initiatives and collective bargaining. “My No. 1 goal is to support G.T. and to help with the goals this department has for our community and to make sure I do whatever I can do to push those forward,” Carr says. She also is working with Deputy Chief of Staff Rodrigo Rojas in coordinating the ongoing 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Graves Investigation. “I want to be a part of really bridging that gap in the community to continue the great work Rodrigo and Amy have been doing,” she says. “Th is is a very difficult endeavor. There are a lot of third parties involved. I definitely would like to be a part of the solution, whatever it looks like, in that investigation.” The mayor has said he will only serve two terms, which means Carr has three years in her role if Bynum sticks with his plan. She acknowledges the likelihood of this being a temporary job in her career, but she says she’s using it to continue learning and see where it takes her next. “If I like it, then I may continue with different opportunities that are in this more public sector, elected official-type jobs,” Carr says. “If not, I don’t see it’d be any harm whatsoever. All the things I gain, the management experience I’m going to be getting, to people I’ll meet, I’ll just go back into the private sector, maybe as an attorney, maybe something with government affairs. It just kind of depends on what aspects of the job I like the most.” TP

INCLUSION. COMMUNITY. EMPOWERMENT.

ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER

Honoring The Work of the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission OCCJ is proud to honor the work of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, their efforts to educate Oklahomans and Americans about the Race Massacre and its impact on the state and Nation and for their efforts to remember its victims and survivors.

Thursday, October 14, 2021 6:00 p.m.

Cox Business Center* 100 Civic Center, Tulsa OK 74103

The Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice (OCCJ) is a human relations organization solely dedicated to achieving respect and understanding for all people through education, advocacy and dialogue. OCCJ’s Annual Awards honors outstanding dedication and service to our community and region. Honorees exhibit an extensive record of involvement in civic, charitable, volunteer and professional organizations, and have contributed to the improvement of human relations among diverse groups in Oklahoma. *OCCJ is excited to offer a virtual option for the convenience and preferences of our guests.

For information or tickets visit www.occjok.org

One of many neon signs repaired by Sign World

HOW IT’S MADE

POWER COUPLE Moe and Trish Shoeleh have operated Sign World of Tulsa for 26 years. Prior to that, they owned Rugs of Persia at East 35th Street and South Harvard Avenue. Although Sign World is located at 4121 E. Rogers Blvd. in Skiatook, most of its business is in Tulsa. It also does work in other cities and states within a few hours’ drive. PUSHING THE LIMITS Th ree years ago, Sign World purchased Oil Capital Neon’s equipment, including its fleet of cranes for sign installation. “There are only two other companies in town that have a truck that size,” Moe says, pointing outside. “It can pick up 17 tons, which is a nice-sized tractor.”

BENDING LIGHT

Sign World of Tulsa is one of few local shops to make and repair neon signs. BY MORGAN PHILLIPS

Visit TulsaPeople.com to see more of the signmaking process.

IT’S ALL IN THE PROCESS The shop specializes in LED channel letters and wholesales them to other sign companies. A machine bends the frame of each channel letter before employees add backing, lighting and covers. Letters are sealed with silicone to prevent light leakage. “We can bend three to five letters in 15 minutes, depending on size and style,” Moe says. “We used to do one or two per hour by hand in the old days.” BUZZING LIKE NEON Jim Matchen is their “neon guy” who bends neon from his Tulsa garage at age 78. But “most people are not really willing to pay for neon unless they’re on Route 66,” says Moe, who estimates 90% of his lighted sign work is LED. THROWBACK Tulsa’s Route 66 Neon Sign Grant, a program of the City of Tulsa and Route 66 Commission, made possible Sign World’s 2020 refurbishment of the curved Day and Nite Rugs sign at 1012 S. Elgin Ave. Another Day and Nite sign at its shop is awaiting grant money. GOOD AND BAD The shop also removes signs from closing businesses, which sometimes want it done quietly overnight. “We get to see people’s big dreams, and then we sometimes see them crushed,” Trish says. “It can be really sad.”

Afton Shoeleh guides a channel letter through the bending machine. 12

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

AMERICAN DREAM Moe came to the United States from Iran at age 14 with his older brother. “(Moe) is Sign World. It’s not all these signs,” Trish says. “I’m really proud of him.” TP

GREG BOLLINGER

NEXT GENERATION The Shoelehs’ daughter, Afton, is one of seven employees and their only child of three to work in the family business. She hopes to continue it with her husband, Hammy, an electrical engineer.

shop with us! OCTOBER 21 & 22

Visit us for Penny Preville’s personal appearance, and shop extended lines from Armenta, Marco Bicego and Roberto Coin.

B R U C E GW E B E R .CO M

PASSIONS

The newly ﬁnished replica Red Fork Train Depot is part of the Route 66 Historical Village, 3770 Southwest Blvd.

Douglas Miller

RIDE BACK IN TIME

Red Fork Train Depot is reconstructed as a community center and venue. BY HANNAH MARSHALL

welve years ago a group of volunteers began rebuilding a railroad landmark with a vision to bring Tulsa’s history to life. The original Red Fork Train Depot was established in 1883 in Red Fork, Indian Territory, as a railhead on the Arkansas River. The Depot brought thousands of people to Tulsa during the oil boom in the early 1900s before its demolition. Red Fork was then incorporated into Tulsa in 1927 and has experienced exponential growth since. Now volunteers with the Route 66 Historical Village have constructed a replica of the Depot, designed by Tulsa architect Keith D. Robertson. Many families make the Village an annual destination, which will only increase with the addition of the Depot, says Mary Fitzgerald, Historical Village board president. “We have a guest book at the Village, and it’s amazing to see where people are from,” Fitzgerald says. “The Depot will be another place on the map that even more travelers will want to visit on Route 66.”

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

The 5,000-square-foot facility is located in the heart of the Route 66 Village and will serve as a community center for events and weddings. Birthday parties can be hosted in the Village’s Frisco 1157 red caboose and in a trolley expected to be finished next, and kids will be able to play in an old baggage truck, according to Historical Village board member Andrew Carlson. “The Depot adds to the long-term goals of the community to have an indoor place for events,” he says. “This will bring more interest to west Tulsa and its history.” TP

A grand opening gala is scheduled for Oct. 23 at the Depot, featuring guest speakers including Mayor G.T. Bynum and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell. Though the gala is sold out, the Depot is anticipated to open to the public by Oct. 24. Visit route66village.com for details.

Working at a Tulsa advertising agency, Douglas Miller craved more meaningful work. So, in 2003 he started Müllerhaus Legacy, a heritage management ﬁrm working closely with local families and businesses to preserve their histories. “It started as a hybrid between publishing and marketing, but I love the personal engagement with history and what it means to people,” Miller says. Müllerhaus’ notable work includes “4th and Boston: Heart of the Magic Empire,” a book commemorating the 100th anniversary of iconic buildings 320 S. Boston, the Kennedy Building and the Mid-Continent Tower. Over the past 18 years, Müllerhaus’ reputation has grown because of its work on that well-received book and projects like a history of Robson Ranch, which tells the history of the ranch south of Catoosa and the personal legacy of L.S. Robson. Robson is the father of Helen Walton, wife of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club founder Sam Walton. Miller met with the entire Robson/Walton family when he presented the book at their 2017 family reunion on the ranch. “The value of what we do was reinforced when I saw the same smile on (Helen and Sam’s children) Alice, Jim and Rob Waltons’ faces that I recognize from all our clients,” Miller says. “Whether you arrived by private jet or used Buick, family is family. And that exciting, misty smile proves that we’ve given them the priceless gift of heritage. I can’t get enough of that.” Publishing a memoir or biography with Müllerhaus, a small company of seven, starts at $15,000, while premium family legacy and company heritage books start at $120,000. “Service is very important to us because it’s not just a product, it’s an adventure we sell people in,” Miller says. “We want that to be a wonderful experience all the way through.” — STEPHEN HUNT

GREG BOLLINGER

Written history

OUR FAMILY IS READY TO SERVE YOUR FAMILY

BIZ WHIZ TEDC SERIES

Learn about Tulsa Economic Development Corp. Creative Capital and its clients. tedcnet.com

Covers

Brandon Trent meets with customers at his ofﬁce or in their homes.

MASTER BUILDER Downtown jeweler provides concierge service. BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

lthough the idea of owning a custommade piece of jewelry might seem beyond reach of all but the wealthy, Tulsa jeweler Brandon Trent specializes in creating bespoke rings, necklaces and more at surprisingly competitive prices. At the Master Jeweler near East Th ird Street and South Boston Avenue in the South Boston Building, Trent provides what he calls “concierge jewelry service,” designing and making singular jewelry with the help of a 3D printer, mix-andmatch templates and gorgeous stones. Trent, 33, started his company about a year ago after working in the industry for both franchise and family-owned jewelry businesses. It was the Tulsa native’s dream to blend the personalized service of the smaller shops with the corporate buying power of the “box” stores to deliver a superior customer experience and custom jewelry at reasonable prices. Although starting a new business during a pandemic has its challenges, in many ways Trent’s concept is well suited to the current 16

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

climate. Customers can schedule an appointment to meet privately with Trent in his wellappointed office, or he can bring the store to them at home. His turnaround time is fast, too, usually within two to four weeks from the time the order is placed. According to Trent, removing the middleman has been key. There is no third-party vendor, and most of the pieces are done in house. The Master Jeweler also offers financing. “We don’t carry the overhead of a normal jewelry store, which allows me to be very competitive on my pricing,” Trent explains. With a nontraditional idea for his startup, finding funding was not a simple process. Trent says TEDC Creative Capital, a Tulsa nonprofit that assists small businesses, helped him find the financing he needed to realize his dream. “They really helped me out,” he says. “They gave me a shot, and I’m thankful for it.” Visit themasterjeweler.diamonds for more information. TP

A rendering of Santa Fe Square — an expansive mixed-use development that broke ground this summer on Greenwood Avenue between First and Second streets — hangs on the wall in Elliot Nelson’s office. It’s dated 2004, the same year he opened James E. McNellie’s Public House, the first new restaurant of downtown’s resurgence. “I always thought it was possible,” Nelson says of the Square, which includes 185 apartments, 30,000 square feet of retail and a 720-space parking garage. “I always thought it was what we needed to be doing, and it just took a while for it all to catch up and to make financial sense.” Nelson and two other pioneering downtown business owners, Blake Ewing and Mary Beth Babcock, graced TulsaPeople’s cover in April 2009. At the time, Nelson operated four downtown restaurant and bar concepts. Now they number 11. “For many people who don’t interface with downtown a lot, I think a lot of it seems like it’s happened pretty quickly — BOK, the ballpark,” he says. “To me, it’s seemed to move like molasses.” Over the years he has partnered on several non-food ventures, including multi-family housing and the Boxyard. He expects Santa Fe Square’s plaza and retail to open by spring 2024, around the time McNellie’s Group celebrates its 20th anniversary. “I’m just fortunate to still be here doing it,” Nelson says of downtown development. “It’s kind of a passion project for me. I just happen to think my purpose is to try and make this a better place to live.” — MORGAN PHILLIPS FOR MORE ON SANTA FE SQUARE, SEE P. 8.

GREG BOLLINGER

REVISITED

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John Weber, M.D.

Michael Phillips, M.D.

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ROOTS

Scott Stulen of Philbrook Museum of Art speaks about “Clown” artist and American photorealist Charles Bell, who was inducted into the Will Rogers High School Hall of Fame in 2018.

Clockwise from top: David Finch with Tiger Woods at the Masters; Finch and his German Shepherd, Cascha, in Laguna Beach, California; Finch with Andre Agassi after a U.S. Open Tennis Championship win in New York City.

‘JUST A KID FROM TULSA’ Emmy winner is one of six alumni inducted into Will Rogers High School Hall of Fame. STORIES BY LUCAS BRADLEY

t’s not every day an Emmy winner comes to town, but on Nov. 5 David Finch will do just that for his induction into the Will Rogers High School Hall of Fame. Finch graduated from Rogers in 1971 and enrolled at the University of Tulsa, where the communications major began his TV career working part time for KTUL-TV. He was eventually hired as a cameraman for the late news, as well as some other TV shows. “After working for several years at KTUL-TV, I worked for Oral Roberts’ TV shows briefly,” he says. “My buddies called and said, ‘Hey, there’s a job out here at Television City in Hollywood.’ I drove out there and began working in entertainment at TV City with talk shows, some variety shows and some CBS specials.” Then Finch moved over to CBS Sports, where he spent many years as a cameraman and director of photography. In that field, he revolutionized golf coverage with a handheld TV camera. In the 1970s, sports coverage mainly depended on stationary cameras. “It was the beginning of a new camera style,” says Finch, who simply liked the mobility and freedom of handheld fi lming for style, framing

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

and composition. “I just did what came naturally: I got to know the golfers and decided to walk with them after a shot and talk to them. And they’d talk back. And they called that ‘revolutionary.’” Finch won 19 Emmys over the course of his career. He was the fi rst cameraman inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and as great as that was for him, Rogers still holds a place in his heart. “I have very fond memories of Will Rogers High School,” he says. “A lot of my education was cemented in the time I spent there. “Theater and the Round-Up (talent show) really stand out. I remember walking through that curtain in that great auditorium to be the emcee. Man, I remember that. Walking on that same stage for this will be kind of surreal.” Th roughout his career, Finch says he often thought back to his formative days. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m just a kid from Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, and here I am in California. I got to meet Lucille Ball,” recalls Finch, who is retired and lives in Newport Beach, California. “If I can do it, these kids today have got it made. Will Rogers is a great learning place.” TP

On Nov. 5, Will Rogers High School’s Hall of Fame will induct a new class of luminaries who once haunted its classrooms. A part of the Will Rogers High School Community Foundation, the Hall of Fame this year will honor David Finch, ’71, for excellence in sports cinematography; Col. Walter Stuart Yager, ’54, retired Air Force colonel and part of missions to explore Mars and Jupiter; Frank Marcum, ’61, a teacher and NASA Ambassador; Linda Barton Paul, ’69, a concert harpist and ordained minister; Ron Woods, ’57, former Webster High School music teacher and current philanthropist; and Linda Sellen Frazier, ’58, who served as managing editor of “Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature” at the University of Tulsa and chaired the Oklahoma Arts Council. The Foundation started in 2010 as a way for alumni to help the school, according to Joe Johnston, Hall of Fame inductee and Foundation vice president. “Our mission is to support the students of Will Rogers High School,” he says. “We fund the ﬁve As: Academics, Arts, Athletics, Activities and Administration.” The Hall of Fame also started in 2010 to celebrate WRHS alumni, which include musician Leon Russell, author S.E. Hinton and David Gates, member of the musical group Bread. “The purpose of the thing is to inspire these kids,” Johnston says. “Look, these doofuses who grew up right around here — we did these great things after walking these halls. That’s a great story for these kids. That’s the whole idea, to inspire them to grow up and have equally impressive lives.” The induction ceremony will be at 9:20 a.m., Nov. 5, at Will Rogers High School, 3909 E. Fifth Place. A dinner at the Doubletree Hotel Downtown will follow that evening. Tickets are available at willrogersfoundation.net. TP

COURTESY

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After initially meeting in the back of a funeral home, the members of First Baptist Church of Tulsa constructed their own wooden building in 1898. It was then sold, and land was purchased at East Fourth Street and South Cincinnati Avenue. The current building was erected in 1926 (inset).

KEEPING THE FAITH DOWNTOWN A history of Tulsa’s First Baptist Church BY BRANDON SCHMITZ

ince its founding in 1897, First Baptist Church has become an indelible aspect of downtown Tulsa’s history. Located at East Fourth Street and South Cincinnati Avenue, the structure holds a congregation of over 2,500 split between two Sunday services. “When it fi rst started out, it was just an old-fashioned, wooden building,” archivist Sharon Scott says. “And even when you take the building we have today into account, that’s gone through seven renovations.” When the main building was constructed, it was deemed inadequate for hosting Sunday school services. “Baptists are big on Sunday school classes, and that part of downtown is very crowded,” Scott says. “So, the decision to expand the church itself wasn’t just to make it big, grand and gothic — we needed more space.” Today, First Baptist boasts a six-building complex spread between Cincinnati and Detroit avenues. Its most recent construction project was added to the east, a former green space between two existing buildings, says the Rev.

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

Deron Spoo, lead pastor. That addition is now the church’s children’s building and serves as the main entrance to the church. “For a while there (around 2001), we considered whether we should move the church out of downtown,” Scott recalls. “That was kind of unnerving for some of the congregation because it was like losing their house.” Ultimately, the temptation to move closer to the suburbs was overturned, and church members come from across Tulsa. As Scott says, “We’re downtown, and we’re going to make the best of it. “Either way, though, the building isn’t what makes us — it’s the people,” she says. “We just want to be where they are. Luckily, we were able to encourage them to come downtown, which has proven to be a plus for us because downtown Tulsa is reviving. A lot of people that moved to churches closer to home are starting to come back and say, ‘Well, it’s not so bad to drive down here.’” Scott commends the church’s openness toward people of various socio-economic statuses. “We’ve got people who are multimillionaires and folks who live paycheck-to-paycheck,” she

says. “We work hard to make sure everyone’s OK. Being based here also gives us an opportunity to serve those in need through our Caring Center.” Spoo says the Center provides food and clothing for low-income individuals every Monday through Thursday. As is the case for many up-and-coming churches, First Baptist’s fi rst few decades had their fair share of financial challenges. “The first meeting place for the services was in the back of a funeral home down on Main Street,” Scott says. “In order to raise enough money to buy Tulsa’s first pipe organ for the services, the Ladies Aid Society came together and sold cakes, dinners and quilts.” Th roughout the past 120 years, First Baptist has served as a launchpad for smaller churches within the area. “The existing Korean church in south Tulsa initially met for many years in our chapel,” Scott says. “When they left to establish their own location, the Hispanic church started here. They now have their own location. To me, that’s one of the most encouraging aspects of our history.” TP

GREG BOLLINGER; INSET: BERYL FORD COLLECTION/ROTARY CLUB OF TULSA, TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY, AND TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

THEN AND NOW

EXPLORE the possibilities Private tours offered by appointment, visit us virtually or at a Welcome Wednesday Open House. For more information call 918-879-4755. Learn more at hollandhall.org/open-house.

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Mah Jongg for Memories More than 50 people participated in the Mah Jongg for Memories Play-Day on Aug. 19 at the Oaks Country Club. Activities at Tulsa’s mah jongg fundraisers generated $8,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association and included playing a version of the ancient Chinese game of mah jongg, lunch, a silent auction and a raffle. A short program included presentations by Sandi Pellow, executive director of the Oklahoma Alzheimer’s Association chapter, on the Association’s research, care and advocacy programs. Jenelle Schatz, a Tulsa mah jongg player, shared her experience launching Mah Jongg for Memories in Oklahoma and globally as a fundraiser for the Association’s “The Longest Day” DIY initiative. She noted mah jongg has been shown to be effective in the fight against dementia, and it fulfills at least two of the “Ten Ways to Love Your Brain” identified by the Alzheimer’s Association. 1. A light lunch was served. Facing the camera: Cindi Wright, Nancy Shannon and Jan O’Connor 2. Sandi Pellow talks to players. 3. The ancient Chinese game of mah jongg 4. Participants Connie Casteel, Charlotte Piersall, Sandy Lee and Ann Orr, all from Bartlesville 5. Jenelle Schatz, Mah Jongg for Memories organizer

Shameca Brown

Boss Mom Crew hosted an evening of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at its August Mix and Mingle on Aug. 25 at Glacier Dessert Bar. BMC is a community for professional working mothers who want to grow in their careers, families and self while connecting with other goal-getting mothers. Part of the proceeds from all BMC events, including the August Mix and Mingle, beneﬁt Martha’s Foundation, BMC’s nonproﬁt partner of the year, which provides housing to pregnant and parenting teens. 1. Patrons Christina Sampson, Jamie Gregg and Jamila Riggins 2. Danielle Melton, BMC founder, and patron Erika Jimenez 3. Patron Stephanie Gray 4. Patrons Lanette Turner, Denia Monteilh and Dani Eason

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

MAH JONGG: COLE SAYRE; MIX AND MINGLE: PRIYA UPLAONKAR/PRETTY PIXELZ

Mix and Mingle

CHARITABLE EVENTS COMPILED BY AMANDA HALL

1 Day of Caring Benefits Tulsa Area United Way. TAUW.ORG Stacked Deck: A Night in Havana Benefits Resonance Center for Women. RESONANCETULSA .ORG 2 CREATE Gala Benefits ahha Tulsa. CREATEGALA .ORG Human Nature: Branching Out Benefits Up With Trees. HUMANNATUREOK .ORG Relay for Life Benefits American Cancer Society. RELAYFORLIFE.ORG / TULSAMETROOK 4 RibCrib Pitmasters Golf Tournament Benefits Foundation for Tulsa Schools, 12&12, Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis and Pet Adoption League. RIBCRIBGOLF.COM Tulsa Hall of Fame Benefits Tulsa Historical Society and Museum. TULSAHISTORY.ORG 7 Cooking for a Cause Benefits Iron Gate. IRONGATETULSA .ORG Taps and Tees Benefits Tulsa Press Club. TULSAPRESSCLUB.ORG 9 Golf Fore Groceries Benefits Kendall Whittier Inc. KENDALLWHITTIERINC.ORG

16 Chili on the Green Benefits Kiwanis Youth Scholarships and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. CHILIONTHEGREEN.COM Fall Carnival Benefits Pathways Adult Learning Center. PATHWAYSOK .ORG Kendall Whittier Arts Festival Benefits Kendall Whittier Main Street. VISITKENDALLWHITTIER .COM Rock the House Benefits Green Country Habitat for Humanity. ROCKTHEHOUSETULSA .ORG 16-17 Brush Creek Bazaar Benefits Teen Challenge Oklahoma. BRUSHCREEKBAZAAR .ORG 21 Trivia Night Benefits Rooms with a Heart. ROOMSWITHAHEART.ORG 22 Cattle Baron’s Ball Benefits American Cancer Society. ACSTULSA .EJOINME.ORG / TULSACBB 22-31 Care Card Benefits Family and Children’s Services. CARECARDOK .COM 22-24; 29-31 HallowZOOeen Benefits Tulsa Zoo. TULSAZOO.ORG

Rock Paper Scissors Beneﬁts the Pencil Box. PENCILBOXTULSA .ORG

23 Get Your Rear in Gear Beneﬁts Colon Cancer Coalition. DONATE.COLONCANCERCOALITION.ORG / TULSA

14 OCCJ Tulsa Annual Awards Beneﬁts Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice. OCCJOK .ORG

Mutt Strut Beneﬁts Domestic Violence Intervention Services. DVIS.ORG

15 Treasures of Tulsa Beneﬁts Fostering Connections. FOSTERINGCONNECTIONSOK .ORG

*DENOTES A VIRTUAL EVENT BENEFITS SUBJECT TO CHANGE EDITOR’S NOTE : TULSAPEOPLE IS A SPONSOR OF THE HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS.

the story of nancy ward

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Sushi with a view

A Restaurant Week participant ! In the Raw VU rolls into downtown with its artistic vibrant cocktails. READ MORE Asian entrees and

Exploring Tulsa's city limits A road trip around T-Town leads to diverse views of nature and life along our city’s borders. READ MORE

This week's best seller s

The top-selling books at Magic City Books and other bookshops across the state. READ MORE

Make some noise Scotfest is this weekend. How City of Tulsa Pipes and Drums has prepared to entertain festivalgoers. READ MORE

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paradise never sounded So Good.

Tickets On Sale Now Tickets On Sale Now Santana 1 Feb 1 Eli youngOCT Band Foreigner Feb 13 oct 9 REO Speedwagon Styx Feb Yoakam 20 Dwight oct 14 Trevor MidlandNoah OCT 21Mar 13 willie family Penn &nelson Teller&oct 22 mar 15 candlebox mar 26 NOV 6 MARIACHI VARGAS brett young STYX NOV 11 mar 28 All performances subject to change. All performances subject to change.

i Parad se

C OV E

Live Music

RIVER SPIRIT CASINO RESORT · Tulsa

7 Nights a Week in 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar Fridays & Saturdays in Margaritaville! Visit margaritavilletulsa.com for a complete schedule.

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The ghost of TulsaPeople’s past recently popped up around downtown. Visit TulsaPeople.com to see where it visited in an online gallery.

Tulsa thrills FIND OUT JUST HOW SPOOKY OUR CITY CAN BE.

GREG BOLLINGER

Downtown tours are offered year-round, but there’s something special about visiting Tulsa haunts — including the rumored spirits at Cain’s Ballroom — in the chilly autumn air as Halloween approaches. Find out more about a local spirit tour on p. 34. TP

TulsaPeople.com

OCTOBER Through Oct. 31 Wander a hay maze, vote for your favorite scarecrow and explore thousands of pumpkins displayed throughout the Tulsa Botanic Garden during its annual Autumn in the Garden festival. Plus, trick-ortreat every Thursday night in October.

Hit the midway, shop the vendors, hear some music and feast on all things fried as the Tulsa State Fair continues at Expo Square.

1-2

Chalk It Up, an annual weekend of colorful and creative works of art in sidewalk chalk, returns to Broken Arrow’s Rose District. Don’t miss out on the family-friendly festival that also features live music, a vendor marketplace, kites and more.

The weekly Saturday Tulsa Farmers’ Market ﬁnishes its run this month in Kendall Whittier. Also Oct. 9, 16, 23.

7-9

German beer, food and more will fill Utica Square for its inaugural Steins in the Square event. A portion of proceeds will support the Demand Project, a nonprofit that fights human trafficking.

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

Celebrate Tulsa’s Hispanic and Latino communities at Festival Americas, a multi-cultural event of food, music, dance and more in front of ONEOK Field.

It’s homecoming at the University of Tulsa as the Golden Hurricane takes on the University of Memphis Tigers at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Tulsa Opera takes the ONEOK Field again for the brief, beloved comedy “Gianni Schicchi” after performers belt out arias from Verdi and Puccini.

Plot and story structure, character development, editing and related topics are on the agenda of the Craft of Writing Conference at the Triumph Worship Center, presented by the Tulsa NightWriters.

12-17

Oklahoma-based composer and Chickasaw Nation citizen Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate takes the stage for discussion and performance of several pieces during Signature Symphony’s second chamber music concert of the season.

Join author and actor John Lithgow for a virtual event with Magic City Books celebrating his Oct. 5 release “Confederacy of Dumptys: Portraits of American Scoundrels in Verse.” “Come From Away” is the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded 9/11 passengers and the small town that welcomed them. Presented by Celebrity Attractions at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

Thunder up, Tulsa. The Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Denver Nuggets in a preseason game at the BOK Center.

Gallery shows, local art vendors, live music and more encompass the Kendall Whittier Arts Festival, a one-day celebration of local art in the district.

21-24

A weekend of national and international ﬁlms will screen at Circle Cinema for the Arab Film Fest, a celebration of contemporary Arab, Arab American and kindred voices dispelling stereotypes and preconceptions through a range of aesthetics and subject matter. Willkommen! Tulsa’s biggest Oktoberfest celebration returns to River West Festival Park for three days of fun with authentic German fare, brews and music.

22-30

For nine days, the best horses and riders compete in numerous disciplines at Expo Square during the prestigious U.S. National Arabian and Half Arabian Nationals.

29-30

The original Cherokee musical “Nanyehi — The Story of Nancy Ward” returns to Hard Rock Live at Hard Rock Casino and Hotel. TP

COURTESY TULSA BOTANIC GARDEN

Through Oct. 10

MUSIC LISTINGS 1 MERCYME BOK Center SANTANA The Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort 1-2 HANSON Cain’s Ballroom 2 COLLECTIVE SOUL Hard Rock Live KISS BOK Center

18 X AMBASSADORS Cain’s Ballroom 21 MIDLAND The Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort THE WILD FEATHERS Cain’s Ballroom 22 38 SPECIAL Hard Rock Live 23 ALABAMA BOK Center

4 TOBY MAC BOK Center

CHARLEY CROCKETT Cain’s Ballroom

7 JOHN LEGEND BOK Center

28 GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY Cain’s Ballroom

8 INCUBUS Hard Rock Live (sold out)

29 ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL Cain’s Ballroom

9 REO SPEEDWAGON The Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort 14 WATCHHOUSE (FORMERLY MANDOLIN ORANGE) Cain’s Ballroom DWIGHT YOAKAM The Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort 15 RANDALL KING Cain’s Ballroom MARC ANTHONY BOK Center 17 DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL Cain’s Ballroom

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ELEVATION NIGHTS BOK Center 30 JOSH ABBOTT BAND Cain’s Ballroom HERE COME THE MUMMIES Skyline Event Center at Osage Casino Hotel 31 YUNG GRAVY Cain’s Ballroom LANY BOK Center

SEE THE FULL LIST OF SHOWS UPDATED WEEKLY AT TULSAPEOPLE.COM.

Editor’s Note: Confirm performances via venues prior to attending.

available anytime, anywhere. TulsaPeople.com/digitaledition TulsaPeople.com

COMMUNITY BaseCamp 2019

URIDE Tulsa is a private transportation service that also provides pickups and deliveries to local, airline charter companies. From left: Driver Mike White, Owner Tyson Lindsey, Lead Driver Chelsey Smith, Second Lead Driver David McCormick. Not pictured: Driver Karen Lindsey.

RIDE ALONG

LOCAL PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION SERVICE BRINGS STYLE TO TULSA STREETS. BY STACI AAENSON-FLETCHER

yson Lindsey has delivered celebrity experiences to the people of Tulsa for years — fi rst as an on-air radio personality, then as a limousine driver with VIP Limo. Most recently, John Cena and other members of the WWE chose Tyson’s newest venture, URIDE Tulsa, as their private transportation service while in Tulsa for SmackDown in August at the BOK Center. URIDE Tulsa is a luxury private transportation service company Lindsey created in fall 2019 with the help of his long-time mentor and Tulsa business owner Chuck Cotton. Lindsey spent four years driving for Uber and Lyft. Applying insights from his professional experience driving limos, he transported clients in his Hummer H2 and gained accolades from both platforms, eventually earning Pro status. “They (Uber and Lyft) sent me certificates and a jacket to reward how well I did as a driver,” he says. Lindsey then set out on his own to combine the rideshare and limousine concepts to “create something new for Tulsa that fi lls that gap.” URIDE Tulsa provides a flat rate for each ride, removing any worry of a fare increase during a traffic surge. A simple 20-minute notice by text or phone is all you need to have URIDE Tulsa pull up to the curb nearest you. URIDE has summer fares to Tahlequah for float trips, they’ve used motorcades to transport the University of Tulsa football team, and it has plans for tailgating in Norman and Stillwater as

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

it transports patrons back and forth to games and tailgating parties. Have you been to Living Kitchen in Depew? URIDE Tulsa has a route for that, too. It’s so popular Living Kitchen shows its appreciation with a meal for URIDE drivers while they wait. You can bounce over to URIDE Tulsa’s Facebook page to find photos of its fleet of six pearl white, full-body SUVs. Each vehicle is equipped with motion-activated front and rear facing cameras. URIDE employs six local drivers, including Lindsey, all of whom are former or current law enforcement or military. “That brings a sense of security, responsibility and reliability,” Lindsey explains. He says driver integrity, passenger safety and working well as a unit stem from those experiences. URIDE Tulsa plans to continue building rapport with Tulsans showing it is a reliable and ready luxury transportation option. Soon, URIDE hopes to take you and your partner to dinner, then be curbside before you finish dessert. Lindsey emphasized the organic growth URIDE has seen through client Facebook reviews and good ol’ Oklahoma word-of-mouth. Lindsey says URIDE Tulsa’s plan for continued growth includes expanded its fleet of vehicles and looking toward replicating its Tulsa success in Oklahoma City. TP TEXT OR CALL 918-829-0143 FOR A RIDE, AND LEARN MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/URIDETULSA.

Tulsa’s annual chance to camp atop Turkey Mountain is Oct. 2. BaseCamp Camping and Music Festival brings friends of the outdoors to the urban wilderness area after hours for a night of music, food and fun — and it’s the only time Tulsans are allowed to camp at Turkey Mountain. The festival was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, and many are eager for its return. “It’s geared to make it easy for families to camp together and let their kids enjoy the woods while staying very close to home,” says Ryan Howell, festival organizer and River Parks Authority events coordinator. “A lot of families are thankful for that.” Howell expects close to 1,000 people during the day, with 400 staying the night, to enjoy the four massive ﬁre pits and music from Threefold Chord, Klondike 5, and Kevin Price and the Closers. For those new to camping, he recommends a pair of earplugs. “Nature is louder than people think,” he says. The Glow Hike is a festival favorite. Thousands of glow sticks are hung from the trees, creating a luminous path through the forest. “It’s very trippy and fun,” Howell says. “You don’t have to camp to follow the hike, but we ask for a $2 donation.” Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness encompasses nearly 600 acres of rugged parkland, just a few miles from downtown. A favorite of cyclists and hikers, the highest point in the park sits 300 feet above the Arkansas River. Camping passes ($55-$70) are required for this event and must be purchased in advance. Each pass includes one tent (with up to four people per tent). Visit riverparks.org for more information. — JULIE WENGER WATSON

URIDE: GREG BOLLINGER; CAMP: COURTESY RIVER PARKS

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MUSIC NOTES

‘THIS RECORD IS US’ Q&A WITH WILDERADO’S MAX RAINER AHEAD OF FIRST FULL-LENGTH ALBUM RELEASE BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

WHAT MOTIVATED THE RETURN TO TULSA? We started having babies, and it was hard to make that work (in LA). We were touring so much, leaving from the middle of the country made a lot more sense. I think we were driving 1,800 miles on average to our fi rst date when we were leaving from Los Angeles. I’ve got a big family here. It’s just one of those things made sense to do, so we came back. There’s such a great history here. If I’m going to be in a band, I’d rather be from Tulsa, Oklahoma, than from Los Angeles. TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE UPCOMING ALBUM. Well, fi rst of all, it’s our fi rst full length. That, in of itself, is something we’re very excited about. We’ve spent all this time as a band trying to get back to the place where we could sit and put out our fi rst record, so it’s a big deal for us. It’s something we’ve wanted to do. Stylistically, we’ve put out so much music before ever having had a record. One thing I thought would be a fun challenge is to try and incorporate all the different styles of songwriting we’ve had in our catalog so 30

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

From left: Max Rainer, Tyler Wimpee and Justin Kila of Wilderado

far into this record and represent all the different ways that we’ve written as Wilderado, and I think we I think we did that. The record feels like a summation of the last five years and all of the other songs leading to these ones. I think that was a big reason why we wanted to self-title. It feels like this record is us. It’s exactly what we wanted to make. HOW HAS COVID-19 AFFECTED THE BAND, AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES YOU’VE MADE TO COPE? I think fi rst and foremost, we found our identity in touring as a band. We fit in recordings around that, and we made our fans that way. It was just kind of the top of the pyramid, and we figured out everything else. So now it doesn’t exist. People are starting to tour again, and we’ve got dates, but we just had our fi rst date already cancel. Now, there’s this fear of it all happening again. I think what it’s done is made us reapproach this whole thing. The fi rst thing you do is just try and decide if you still want to do it, right? And after deciding that ... we’ve been left with trying to figure out how and what that looks like today. The fi rst thing we did was record a record, so we’ve got that at least, and the second thing we’re doing is starting to record a second one. So it looks like: “Let’s just start making more and more content.” That’s what we’re in the middle of. We’re trying to stay on our toes and be ready if we actually get the nod to go back out and start seeing our fans again. But it’s hard to say.

YOU MENTIONED HAVING KIDS. HAS THERE BEEN SOME UPSIDE AS FAR AS TIME WITH FAMILY? I try not to say this insensitively, but it’s probably been the best year and a half of my life. It’s been so great. We’ve got a 2-year-old and a 5-yearold, and within six months, I’d spent more consecutive time with both of them than I ever had. It’s the same with my wife (Natalia). Getting to spend some time in the studio has been amazing. Touring is great and a necessity, but it’s also incredibly exhausting and hard and anxietyprone and, you know, you name it. So it’s been a fun thing for me. I’ll always appreciate having gotten to do this, but we know the band needs to tour, so there’s a necessity to getting back down the road, but yeah, it’s been just absolutely amazing being with the little girls. YOU OBVIOUSLY APPRECIATE THE MUSIC HISTORY OF THIS TOWN. ARE YOU INFLUENCED BY THE “TULSA SOUND?” The short answer, “Yes.” I don’t know who I would specifically say stylistically may influence the band, if not all of it. I think I’m mostly just inspired by Tulsa, in and of itself. It’s this place where great music has always come from. There’s always been players that have had such massive impact on the mainstream music industry, yet have been able to stay in this place where it’s always just been about songs and playing, and never seem to get too lost in the other aspects of it all. I think that’s just inspiring. I would love to be able to continue to live that life where you get to live here in Tulsa, be with your family and be with your friends, and then make music. TP

GRANT SPANIER?COURTESY

ndie-rock trio Wilderado releases its selftitled debut album Oct. 15. The band, which consists of Max Rainer (lead vocals, guitar), Tyler Wimpee (guitar, vocals) and Justin Kila (drums), formed in 2015 and has toured with names like Lindsey Buckingham, Mt. Joy, Judah and the Lion, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, performing main stage at Lollapalooza, BottleRocket and Austin City Limits festivals along the way. After years in Los Angeles, Rainer, a Tulsa native and Metro Christian grad, and Kila, originally from Mannford, returned to town in 2018. Wimpee, who hails from Waxahachie, Texas, remains in LA. For Rainer, who we recently interviewed, it’s been a positive decision both professionally and personally.

OCT. 6

Blake Ewing OKPOP Museum

PROSPERITY

OCTOBER GUESTS:

Presented by:

» ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT » REGIONAL TOURISM

OCT. 20

Connie Cronley Author/columnist

» GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS » COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT YOUR PARTNER IN PROSPERITY

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Tulsa Talks Pod Cast - TulsaPeople-2.625x4.875.indd 1

12/18/19 3:22 PM

MUSIC NOTES Inset, Grady Nichols appeared on the cover of TulsaPeople Magazine 23 years ago for the August 1998 issue.

Elizabeth and Carl Curtis perform at a recent lawn concert.

REVAMPED RELEASE GRADY NICHOLS RELEASES TWO NEW RECORDS THIS FALL, INCLUDING REMASTERED DEBUT ALBUM. BY BLAYKLEE FREED

t’s been 25 years since Tulsa jazz musician Grady Nichols released his fi rst album, “Between You and Me,” a combination of studio recordings and a live concert at Utica Square. Once the physical copies of the album ran out, Nichols never released it digitally. “I just kind of felt like, no one is going to want to listen to this,” Nichols says. After all, it was his fi rst album. There were things he would do differently now after the experience he’s gained working with songwriters like Oklahoma native Zac Maloy (who’s written No. 1 hits for Carrie Underwood, Skillet and Daughtry), as well as Grammy Award winners Jeff Lorber and Bill Champlin. His experience includes opening for Ray Charles, The Beach Boys and Luciano Pavarotti, among countless other renowned acts. But over the years, fans kept asking where they could find the album, and on its 25th anniversary Nov. 30, Nichols will re-release a remastered version, which means it will be available on digital and streaming platforms for the fi rst time. “It sounds fantastic, and it was kind of nostalgic listening to it because you don’t often listen to yourself, anyway,” Nichols says. “It was a neat experience because it took me back to getting started, to the beginnings of everything.” He’s also pleased with the Sept. 28 release, “Grady Nichols Live,” which is a recording unlike anything he’s recorded before. The two-record set is 110 minutes, giving listeners a full con-

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

cert experience. It features a mix of originals and covers, all recorded around a handful of Tulsa venues. “A lot of friends are singing and performing with us (on the record),” Nichols says. “It’s super fun to listen to, especially if you love concert.” One of the songs he and Lorber wrote hits the 20-minute mark, a fi rst for Nichols. “I don’t think I’ve ever had one that long, but the energy on that song is off the charts, and you can just tell we are having a ball playing together,” Nichols says. Champlin, lead singer of Chicago from 19812009, also appears on the album. He and Nichols played a live show Sept. 30 at the Church Studio — the debut concert for the venue that was formerly Leon Russell’s recording studio. “The whole thing’s really surreal because — I could say that about so many people that I’ve been blessed to work with — you imagine and dream, and then some of them come true,” Nichols says of working and playing with Champlin. In addition to an array of guest artists, Nichols says the band he’s played with for more than two decades stands out: David John (guitars), Mike Wilson (keyboards, vocals), Chuck Tottress (bass guitar) and Jo Nathan Watkins (drums). “I’ve had the same group for over 20 years, and that’s uncommon, but you hear that kind of chemistry, that relationship.” Visit gradynichols.com for links to purchase or stream his new albums. TP

For Tulsa musicians Elizabeth Curtis and her husband, Carl, the pandemic presented numerous challenges and changes. Carl’s private lessons from home moved online and lost some students who didn’t want to take lessons in that format. It was a similar story for Elizabeth’s private studio. Carl also teaches music at Tulsa Community College, and Elizabeth works as church music director and conductor of the Council Oaks Men Chorale — all of which were drastically altered. It was both a personal and professional blow. “So much of our personal identiﬁcation, our psyche, is tied up with the performing arts, and we lost that,” Elizabeth says. “When you lose that part of your personality, your identity, you feel at sea. You’re lost; you’re drifting.” Since the couple was married in 2003, they’ve performed jazz together in Oklahoma. So when a neighbor requested an outdoor concert, the couple scheduled a free performance on a Monday evening in spring 2020 in the front yard of their midtown home, inviting friends and neighbors to join them. The gig was a success and soon became a regular event. The free performances have continued with intermittent breaks for the Oklahoma heat and scheduling conﬂicts, drawing as many as 60 people as word spreads through social media. Their standard setup is Elizabeth on bass and vocals and Carl on piano. “We have laughed and called ourselves a ‘truo’ because we are not really a trio (only two people) and not really a duo (you get piano, bass and vocals),” she says. “It’s wonderful seeing people spreading blankets on our lawn and bringing picnic baskets and bottles of wine,” Carl says. Jazz on the Lawn has been a gift to the audience and the musicians alike. “We were just trying to give people joy, to give them one hour of normalcy during COVID,” Elizabeth says. “It’s just a great statement for the life of our art form — live music, and specifically, live jazz.” For concert announcements and more information, visit facebook.com/jazzthis or jazzthis.com. — JULIE WENGER WATSON

GRADY: COURTESY; LAWN: GREG BOLLINGER

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SCHOOLED

PARTY WITH THE PARANORMAL LEARN WHERE TULSA’S GHOSTS DWELL (AND HOW TO HUNT THEM) WITH TULSA SPIRIT TOURS. BY BLAYKLEE FREED

or 18 years, Teri French has shared Tulsa’s haunted history leading Tulsa Spirit Tours, her year-round service that takes the curious and daring on eerie excursions. It’s become a crowd favorite, and French sees a lot of the same people year after year. “A lot of my repeat people will tell you no two tours are the same,” French says. The tours and classes French gives are personal to her. The military-themed tours of the past several years were tied to the anniversary of her grandfather’s death. “The last two years I had the theme of the VFW and the American Legion,” French says. “I did that because my grandfather was a big war hero, so I have a very big place in my heart for veterans.” Supporting veterans like her late grandfather George Gay, sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8 at the Battle of Midway, is one reason French rents the space for her ghosthunting classes and other paranormal information sessions at VFW Post 577, 1109 E. Sixth St. (The other is it’s nearly 100 years old and haunted, according to French.) She’s changing things for this year’s Haunted Tulsa bus tour and highlighting five of the best spots from her near 20 years of tours. French has been interested in the paranormal since girlhood. After suspicions that her workplace was haunted, a strange image from a Polaroid camera cemented her desire to investigate.

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

“I went to the internet for answers and found out people actually do investigate the paranormal,” French says, “and at that point, it felt like a calling.” After fervent research and learning enough to spook her friends, one of them suggested she start giving tours. She scheduled one and posted it on Myspace, expecting it to be a one-time thing, but her phone didn’t stop ringing. The popularity has persisted, but the pandemic presents challenges in addition to personal tragedies French has faced lately. “Th is last quarter of 2020 was horrible. I didn’t do a whole lot of tours just because, well the pandemic, and then my mom passed away in August and my grandmother in September, so I pretty much I didn’t do any haunted history tours at all last year.” Over the years she’s learned enough to fi ll two books (and then some). French wrote “Tulsa’s Haunted Memories,” and her May 2020 release “100 Th ings to Do in Tulsa Before You Die” made it to the Oklahoma bestsellers’ list last year. Now, she’s working on fiction novels and planning a creepy Christmas parade with Josh Starks of VFW Post 577. French also leads haunted pub crawls, and in November is hosting an overnight stay at American Legion Post 1, 1120 E. Eighth St., to hunt ghosts. For more information about pricing and upcoming events, visit facebook.com/ tulsaspirittours. TP

HALLOWEEN IS HERE Friday and Saturday through October HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL The Castle of Muskogee provides an immersive Halloween experience with numerous activities rated on a scary scale of 1-5 skulls. Choose what’s best for your group from the 1-skull rated Halloween Train to the 5-skull rated Casa Morte, themed to American true crime murders. See striking costumes in the sprawling 14 acres of Castleton Village, where you can ﬁnd vendors with food, drinks and gifts. Free parking and admission. Attractions range $10-$20 each with packages available. | 3400 W. Fern Mountain Road, Muskogee | okcastle.com/halloween Oct. 22-24, 29-31 HALLOWZOOWEEN Day or night, the Tulsa Zoo has something spooky in store with candy stops, a haunted house, a pumpkin patch and plenty of family fun. $9, members; $18, non-members. Free under 3. | tulsazoo.org/zoo-events/ hallowzooeen Oct. 25-31 HALLOWMARINE Dress up and join underwater friends at the Oklahoma Aquarium for a costume contest and a chance to interact with creatures from the sea. $7-$13, before Oct. 15; $9-$19, after. | okaquarium.org Oct. 30 TRUNK OR TREAT AND THE OFFICIAL CASI (CHILI APPRECIATION SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL) CHILI COOKOFF Visit Tulsa Air and Space Museum for sweet treats and spicy eats, as well as a spooky show in the Bertelsmeyer Planetarium. $5-$8, museum only. $10-$15, museum and planetarium. | tulsamuseum.org Oct. 30-31 SWEETS AND TREATS ON SPOOKY STREET Ghosts and ghouls aren’t too scary at this kid-friendly trick or treating event. Free. | gatheringplace.org

GREG BOLLINGER

Tulsa Spirit Tours owner Teri French includes a stop at Tulsa Theater on her haunted tours.

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ON STAGE Featured principal guest artists Jared Brunson and Rachael Jones will perform in this month’s “Breakin’ Bricks,” presented by Tulsa Ballet.

IMMERSED IN HISTORY

TULSA BALLET’S THEATRICAL MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION TELLS THE LEGACY OF GREENWOOD. BY DEBORAH LAKER After a year of empty stages, Tulsa Ballet is returning with a must-see performance. “Breakin’ Bricks,” a multimedia experience, explores the events of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and forges toward the path of healing. In the centennial year of the tragedy, this performance combines dance, film and footage from 1921 to create a memorable theatrical experience. In fall 2020, Jennifer Archibald, founder and artistic director of the Arch Dance Co., was invited to choreograph a performance in remembrance of this tragic story. The New York-based dancer gladly accepted the task. Archibald is no stranger to Tulsa, having worked with Tulsa Ballet three times in the past. The cultural and historical significance of this event needed to be honestly portrayed in the show. So Archibald spent 2021 learning about race relations from the perspective of Tulsa natives. Along with award-winning cinematographer Guy de Lancey, she interviewed historians, reporters, educators, students and Tulsa locals to incorporate their stories into the performance. Archibald says her creative process involves improvisation rooted in reality. “I am trying to be ignite the essential conversations on race relations in Tulsa,” Archibald explains. In this world premiere of “Breakin’ Bricks,” Black dancers from around the country join Tulsa Ballet. Over a five-week residency that began Sept. 27, Archibald will choreograph and work with de Lancey to incorporate an original documentary film into this performance. Archibald has created a work she hopes will resonate with the viewer’s body and mind. “If you can feel something from it and create an opinion of it, and if you can respond to it emotionally, that’s my goal,” she says. This carefully crafted performance honors the resilience of Black Tulsans who defended and rebuilt Greenwood. She adds that “Breakin’ Bricks” reveals a broken system and the resilience of the growth and progress of the Tulsa community. “I think the Tulsa community needs to learn more about each other,” Archibald says. “And that’s something I’m hoping they can take away from this show, to just begin to see each other and listen to each other.” TP 36

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

DRAWING A CROWD

TULSA TOWN HALL EVENTS RETURN TO PAC THIS MONTH BY BLAYKLEE FREED Authors, artists and other field experts are on the lineup for the 2021-22 Tulsa Town Hall season. Subscribers to Tulsa Town Hall events can attend the series of five speakers, held monthly from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Chapman Music Hall. Subscribers also are invited to luncheons ($25 each) with the speakers at Hyatt Regency following Town Hall events. Editorial cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher, aka Kal, is the speaker at the season premiere Oct. 8. The award-winning satirist — and 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist — has been resident cartoonist for the London-based magazine the Economist since 1979 and has worked with the Baltimore Sun since 1988 (with a hiatus from 2006-12). Kallaugher, along with the other four speakers, were invited to the 2020 Tulsa Town Hall Series, but the pandemic forced an intermission for the season. Fortunately, all five speakers were available to reschedule for this season, Community Relations Manager Betty O’Connor says. Tulsa Town Hall’s sold-out Sept. 9 event with local editorial cartoonist Bruce Plante gave attendees a glimpse into how cartoonists combine “the elements of current events, humor and art into a one-window statement,” O’Connor says. Though not part of the ’21-’22 series, it gave attendees background information for the upcoming lecture with Kallaugher and was an opportunity to hear from one of the some-40 remaining editorial cartoonists in the U.S., she says. Individual tickets are not for sale, but the $100 series subscription can be purchased at any time during the season, O’Connor says. COVID-19 precautions will be determined around the time of the event based on City of Tulsa and Performing Arts Center regulations, so visit tulsapac.com for updates. TP

Tulsa Town Hall 2021-2022 season Oct. 8 — Kevin Kallaugher | Nov. 12 — David Brooks Jan. 14 — Karl Rove | March 4 — Nick Buettner April 1 — Henry Louis Gates Jr.* *Luncheon is sold out. Subscribe to the series at tulsatownhall.com/tickets-2021-2022.

JEREMY CHARLES/COURTESY TULSA BALLET; KEVIN KALLAUGHER

Oct. 28-31 “BREAKIN’ BRICKS” Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Second St. Tickets are available at tulsaballet.org.

ART SPOT

See Anderson’s latest creations at ladydaze.us or on Instagram at @ladydazeﬁnejewelry.

PINKERTON: GREG BOLLINGER; ANDERSON: COURTESY

A living and a calling Some people are born knowing their callings; others search tirelessly. Some, like Bixby native and Lady Daze Fine Jewelry proprietor Liz Anderson, stumble upon them in unexpected places. In 2008 Anderson stepped out of college into the Great Recession and struggled to ﬁnd a job. When she got an opportunity to teach English abroad, she headed to Thailand. Anderson spent summers traveling southeast Asia, where she would exchange English classes for whatever artisan training she could get in return from local villagers. More than a creative pursuit, it was a practical solution to ﬁnancial issues she encountered shortly after a Thai military coup in 2009, which resulted in her teacher’s salary being cut drastically. “Tourists were still coming,” Anderson says. “So, a way to make money was to sell to tourists.” After honing her grasp on the language, Anderson began training in crafts that ranged from leather making to metal smithing. “To me, creating art was more of a reason to stay somewhere,” she says, then gradually, “I learned to silversmith and metalsmith and opened a few shops and fell in love with it.” She started in 2009 in Thailand and expanded to showcases in various Asian artist markets. Anderson sold items on social media before opening a personal store, Lazy Daze, in 2018. She recently moved with her husband and children back to Tulsa due to the pandemic. Anderson launched Lady Daze after eight years of metal smithing. She creates jewelry with designs and motifs inspired by the cultures in which she was ingrained. Ancient coins are a favorite source of inspiration. Anderson is concerned with ethical sourcing, so all her materials come from her former teachers and mentors in Thailand. TP

Longtime artist Jill Pinkerton inside her studio and gallery space, which opened in July

TULSA TALENT IN REAL TIME

PRIVATE STUDIO TURNED PUBLIC GALLERY GIVES OTHER LOCAL ARTISTS A PLATFORM. STORIES BY ETHAN VEENKER

ocal artist Jill Pinkerton found the perfect place in February for her private studio. “And then at some point I decided it needed to be more than a studio,” she says. “It was too good of a space.” The building on Route 66 at 1513 E. 11th St. was renovated to become the J. Pinkerton Studio and Price Gallery, one of Tulsa’s latest spots for showcasing local art and artists, which opened in July. “During the day, I set up my easel and I paint, but the place is open for the general public to come and view,” says Pinkerton, a Tulsa native whose maiden name is Price. It’s open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. every day but Sunday, and the artists on exhibition — as well as Pinkerton’s own creations — change monthly. Pinkerton has been making art since childhood. She was enrolled in private art lessons at the age of 7, and she graduated from Baylor University with a degree in art. She worked as a commercial artist for some years, starting a family along the way but always maintaining “a little studio in the house” for escape, reflection and artistic genesis. “The friendships I’ve made within the art community led me to want to make this space

available to others,” Pinkerton says of her decision to transform her private studio into a public gallery. “There are so many incredible, talented artists here in town that are very limited in the spaces available to show their work. A lot of galleries are very choosy; they have their calendars set up for the next two years.” Instead, Pinkerton wanted to give underappreciated local artists a chance to show and sell their work. The renovations to make the space tenable for that purpose were extensive, but after installing new lighting and an intricate hanging system (among other things), J. Pinkerton Studio and Price Gallery has become a space that patrons describe repeatedly as “a real comfortable spot,” Pinkerton says. Th rough the fi rst week of October, Comanche artist Timothy Nevaquaya’s work will be on exhibition, followed by the paintings of Randolph Read and Steve Parks through the end of the month, along with jewelry by Penni Gage and, of course, some of Pinkerton’s own acrylics, which she describes as impressionist style. Pinkerton curates the exhibitions herself and welcomes serious inquiries via email or social media. Find her on Facebook and Instagram at @jillpinkertonpaints. TP TulsaPeople.com

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Kolby Webster is a local cycling advocate and outgoing Tulsa Young Professionals Urbanist Crew leader.

PEOPLE ON THE STREETS MAKING SPACE FOR MORE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS DOWNTOWN REQUIRES A SHIFT FROM AUTO-CENTRIC DESIGN.

“STREETS AND THEIR SIDEWALKS — THE MAIN PUBLIC PLACES OF A CITY — ARE ITS MOST VITAL ORGANS.” So said Jane Jacobs, renowned urbanist and author of “The Death and Life of Great American Cities.” If it’s true, the people flowing through Tulsa’s streets and sidewalks are the lifeblood that keep the city’s heart beating. On a Saturday night in autumn in the Blue Dome District, the streets teem with people. Small groups form at intersections waiting for illuminated walk signs to signal a safe crossing. Drivers negotiate back-in angle parking on East Second Street before joining the flow of pedestrians. On a sidewalk, a man steps off the curb and into the street, allowing women to pass. People on electric scooters zip up and over the railroad overpass, crossing into the Tulsa Arts District, where a similar scene unfolds. Families flock toward ONEOK Field for a soccer game. On North Main Street, Cain’s Ballroom ticket holders park in dark lots, cross under Interstate 244 on foot and emerge in a bright, bustling downtown district. If you’ve regularly spent time in downtown Tulsa over the past five to 10 years, you’ve surely noticed the shifting streetscapes. Businesses and buildings have boomed and 40

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

the City of Tulsa has, in turn, invested in more equitable infrastructure that supports a multi-modal ﬂow of people downtown. Jane Ziegler, transportation planner and bicycle and pedestrian coordinator at the Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG), says safety is the No. 1 priority, and projects like bike lanes and other Complete Streets projects allow safe travel for all. Complete Streets refers to city projects aiming to calm trafﬁc in busy areas and free up right of way for bus stops, bike lanes and sidewalk improvements. They are typically simple re-striping projects that convert a four-lane road to a three-lane road (two travel lanes and one center turning lane) or, in the case of downtown’s South Boulder Avenue, a one-way street to a twoway street. Installing bike lanes is less expensive than building automobile infrastructure. However, car-less Tulsans pay the price for inconsistent implementation, according to Kolby Webster, Tulsa Young Professionals’ (TYPROS) outgoing Urbanist Crew Leader and cycling advocate. Though the city relies on a bicycle and pedestrian master plan, bike lanes in and around downtown have

been implemented in fits and starts, like the recentlystriped bike lanes along East Pine Street that were removed entirely after six months. Residents were caught off guard by what they perceived as a sudden, unannounced rearrangement of travel lanes, according to a Black Wall Street Times report. In response to public pressure, the City of Tulsa removed the 4-mile stretch of bike lanes. “It cost me my safety as well as 10% of the city of Tulsa who doesn’t own a car,” Webster says. “I can’t blame the community for being in the dark when the City didn’t communicate at all.” Not all lanes are created equally, either. Webster points out the dangers of bike lanes on East Archer Street. “They are nearly half the size that a bike lane should be at minimum, the bollards that are supposed to separate traffic and commuters are too flimsy to do their job and counterintuitively end up as hazards in the bike lane, and people are constantly parking in it regardless — presumably because they have no direction as to how to navigate them and no consequences for doing so haphazardly,” says Webster, who has been hit by a car three times while cycling in Tulsa. When you’re a cyclist or a pedestrian it’s tempting to

ZIEGLER: MICHELLE POLLARD; GREG BOLLINGER

BY JESSICA BRENT

Right, Jane Ziegler, transportation planner and bicycle and pedestrian coordinator at the Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG)

see cars as the enemy, even though behind every car is a person. For drivers, traffic calming measures like bike lanes can seem like an impediment to a free and easy commute. “Uses of public right of way on a national and international scale constantly evolve,” Ziegler says. “For the past 50 years, they evolved with a car-centric focus. Due to new technology, lifestyle and social changes, the use of our public right-of-way has been evolving at a rapid rate over the past few years. This quick change can make people uncomfortable.” If removing a lane of traffic to make way for bike lanes makes you uncomfortable, brace yourself for this big idea: removing an entire segment of Interstate 244. Cody Brandt, incoming co-crew leader for TYPROS Urbanist Crew, proposes rebuilding the north leg of the Inner Dispersal Loop (IDL). He presented the group’s research in June via Zoom and on Facebook Live. The idea is more than a pipe dream for young urban idealists. Tulsa’s I-244 was highlighted in Congress for the New Urbanism’s “Freeways Without Futures 2021,” an annual report that “tells the story of some of the worst highways in America; the ones that have left a terrible legacy and incredible hurdles for the people who live around them.” For Black Tulsans in particular, I-244 tells the story of displacement, blight and the final blow to the historically vibrant Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street. The interstate separates residents in other areas like Kendall Whittier and the Heights from what are otherwise walkable areas downtown. The finished product downtown would be similar to Riverside Drive around the Gathering Place or Peoria Avenue through Brookside, Brandt says. “We’re really

just changing the infrastructure to be more scaled to the neighborhoods … not getting rid of it. Roads like Riverside, Yale, Memorial, 71st, all carry over 40,000 cars per day, which is more traffic than most sections of the IDL carry daily,” he says. Ben Crowther, program manager at Congress for the New Urbanism, says the report showcases the urban highways in America that are prime for transformation. “If we went back a decade or more, people would think this was crazy,” Crowther says. “But we’ve done this 15 times (across the country) and every time the result has been an improvement. This idea is not crazy; in fact, there are a lot of benefits.” Those benefits include returning approximately 150 acres of Oklahoma Department of Transportation rightof-way to the local community; Brandt points out ODOT does not pay property taxes, while homeowners and business owners do. His presentation estimates the project at $250 million for demolition and street grid restoration; the investment is expected to pay dividends through economic development and tax revenue. In 2017, Rochester, New York, spent $25 million to remove the eastern section of its downtown interloop. Crowther says it has already seen a $229 million return in the first two years through construction and expanding housing and commercial space. Just as bike lanes have been met with resistance, the demolition of a highly trafficked segment of highway is sure to be met with opposition. But unlike the bike lanes, I-244 removal wouldn’t happen suddenly. Removal relies in part on finishing the Gilcrease Expressway Loop, according to Brandt’s presentation. Crowther says these projects often take a decade or more to complete. “We’ve built a system in America where highways

are the natural order of things for anyone who’s grown up in the past generation,” Crowther says. “Putting forward this idea, you’re challenging the perceived order of things.” Changes are happening on a national scale. The Biden-Harris Administration released a plan June 1, the 100th commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre, to rebuild Black wealth in America. This includes federal funding for community-led civic infrastructure projects.. Webster believes putting people first should be the natural order of things if we want to continue building social and economic wealth in Tulsa, a city inequitable in many ways. “(The inequity) is most violently seen in the life expectancy disparity of north Tulsans versus south Tulsans. In order to undo this injustice, we have to start with how we use this land,” Webster says. “If we don’t address the land where the roots of all our problems lie, we will never solve the dire immediate issues, the slow violence killing and sickening our neighbors, or the overall wealth of our community. Land use and infrastructure are how we must begin the process of undoing the tragic and fatal inequities of this city.” Though no one at the City has made specific comments about the TYPROS presentation publicly, the idea has been shared with City staff, Brandt says. The group has talked with City Councilors Kara Joy McKee and Vanessa Hall-Harper, and with people in the Mayor’s Office and County Commissioner’s Office. In June, McKee announced she and other councilors were planning meetings to discuss Interstate 244 in the Greenwood District, but those meetings are being delayed because of COVID-19, Brandt says. The group is also working with Rep. Regina Goodwin on an interim study about the idea, which is scheduled for this fall. TP TulsaPeople.com

Tim Colwell

TELLING TULSA’S HISTORY Tulsa Hall of Fame inducts ﬁve honorees. BY JOHN TRANCHINA

B.C. Franklin

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

MICHELLE POLLARD; COLWELL, FRANKLIN: COURTESY TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

Toni Garner; Hannibal B. Johnson; Jake Henry Jr.; and Matt Colwell and Patty Colwell, son and wife of honoree Tim Colwell

hey come from various sectors of the community, but each of the five new members of the Tulsa Hall of Fame has profoundly impacted Tulsa and made it a better place for all of us to live. The new members will be formally inducted by Tulsa Historical Society and Museum on Oct. 4 at Southern Hills Country Club. Chosen by an anonymous committee, “The inductees are generous with their time, their talents and their treasures,” says Michelle Place, executive director of THSM. “It’s a matter of diligence and pursuing a passion and caring about the community.” The induction ceremony, a formal black-tie dinner, marks an important event for THSM, serving as its primary fundraiser for the year, through sponsorships and a limited number of tickets available to the public. “It is our one and only annual fundraiser, but it’s also recognizing those Tulsans who have given so much to our community to make it the place where we get to live and work and play,” Place says. “And by recognizing these individuals, we are telling Tulsa’s history.”

Tim Colwell A master of cultivating relationships and a faithful Christian servant, Colwell was a giant in the world of local public relations. He worked for Williams and served as president of Tulsa’s chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, among many other influential appointments. Colwell died at 68 on Jan. 14 after a threeweek battle with COVID-19. Before retiring in 2018 he was heavily involved with the Downtown Tulsa Rotary Club, acting as president in 2007 and spending years co-authoring the club’s 100-year commemoration book and co-chairing its centennial celebration. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Tulsa, teaching public relations, and on the board for Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits from 2014-18. Being honored for the Tulsa Hall of Fame would have surprised him. “He would be blown away. He was so humble, yet everybody’s friend,” says his widow, Patty Colwell. The key to Colwell’s impact was his intensely personal way of connecting with seemingly everyone. “When he talked to you, you were the only person in the room, even if you were in a room of 1,000 people,” Patty says. “Whenever his friends or any of his family from Iowa would come here, he did a Tulsa tour like nobody. And he particularly loved to do it in his convertible, top-down.”

B.C. Franklin

Jake Henry Jr.

Born in 1879, Buck Colbert Franklin was a lawyer who defended Black and Native rights in the early days of Oklahoma statehood. According to one chronicler, his mother was of mixed Choctaw and Black ancestry and his father Black. His grandfather bought his own freedom from his Chickasaw enslaver. Franklin lived through the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and subsequently led the legal fight to successfully defend its victims from having their property rights stolen by the City of Tulsa. He lived and worked in Tulsa until his death in 1960, and contributed valuable fi rsthand accounts of some of the events of the Race Massacre, with his descriptions of planes dropping bombs and fi re on the Greenwood neighborhood supporting long-held suspicions of those actions. An indication of his impact is the city park named after him on East Virgin Street, near Booker T. Washington High School. “B.C. Franklin certainly should have been added (to the Tulsa Hall of Fame) a long time ago, but he wasn’t,” Place says. “There’s no better year than 2021 to honor one of the fi rst Black lawyers admitted to the Oklahoma state bar, who worked so diligently for Tulsans to reclaim their property in the Greenwood aftermath.”

Henry, 79, recently retired from 19 years as president and CEO of Saint Francis Health System, a tenure that helped transform the organization into the largest health care network in Oklahoma. He presided over a period of unparalleled growth, expanding its footprint in many areas around the state, adding facilities and physicians, while also making an impact by being one of the key proponents of Proposition 802, which extends Medicaid to thousands of uninsured Oklahomans. He worked for years to get it on the ballot. Oklahoma voters passed it in 2020, and it went into effect in July. “I’ve left that organization with a trajectory of growth and expansion that met community need. I’m very proud of that,” says Henry, who was president and CEO of CHRISTUS Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi, Texas, before coming to Tulsa. His contributions go beyond health care. He also has served as Tulsa Regional Chamber chairman and on the board of the Tulsa Area United Way. For Henry, the most amazing part of being named to the Tulsa Hall of Fame is joining several people he regards highly. “Obviously, it’s a great honor,” Henry says.

Toni Garner

Hannibal B. Johnson

For Garner, the owner of Toni’s Flowers and Gifts at 3549 S. Harvard Ave., induction into the Tulsa Hall of Fame is an overwhelming honor. In fact, she finds all the attention a bit embarrassing. “Actually, I’m floored about it,” says Garner, who has served as president of the Oklahoma State Florist Association and president of the Ozark Florist Association. “I thought, ‘Me? I don’t know.’ I’m actually shocked. I’m very honored. I’m not ever the center of anything.” Garner has supported many local causes often by providing floral arrangements for events with flowers in kind. She has collaborated and spent much time with organizations like Assistance League, Tulsa CARES, Newman Center at the University of Tulsa, Parent Child Center of Tulsa, St. Simeon’s Foundation and Signature Symphony at Tulsa Community College, among many others. “Her generosity is just unparalleled,” Place says. “She was saying she doesn’t deserve this, and who is the most behind-the-scenes person? Toni Garner.”

Johnson is best known for his work documenting the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, but the author, attorney and former adjunct professor’s impact on Tulsa goes far beyond his books on the subject and his leadership of the education committee for the Race Massacre Centennial Commission. Johnson is a past chairman and president of the Tulsa Rotary Club. He has served as chairman for the Foundation for Tulsa Schools and president of Leadership Tulsa, as well as the international leadership organization Community Leadership Association. “The other sector I’ve been involved in pretty deeply and intimately is diversity, equity and inclusion,” says Johnson, who is a DE&I consultant. For 10 years, he directed Anytown, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice’s diversity leadership camp. “The teenagers who went through that camp are all adults now,” Johnson says. “Many of them are professionals. They’re doctors, they’re lawyers, they’re in the community. So that kind of impact through legacy is really important to me.” Johnson feels honored to be inducted, adding, “I guess it really attests to the sense of community I’ve felt here in Tulsa for a long time.” TP

TulsaPeople.com

A R EM AR K ABLE OPPORTU NITY

SINCE BECOMING PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA IN JULY, BRAD CARSON LOOKS FORWARD TO CONFRONTING THE CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF LEADING THE PRIVATE UNIVERSITY. BY CONNIE CRONLEY 44

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

MICHELLE POLLARD

s Brad Carson becomes the 21st president of the University of Tulsa with a staggering string of credentials — scholar, lawyer, professor, military, politician, businessman and public servant on the national level — we might as well ask him, “With all due respect, sir, why in the world would you want this job?” Not this particular job at TU, but with any college or university? Higher education across the country has hit a rough patch with issues including financial needs, curriculum, scholarships, student recruitment, remote learning during the pandemic, tenure and, always, athletics. Those are opportunities, Carson answers, not challenges. Those are the kind of opportunities he likes. He faces them the way he faces an interviewer: ramrod straight, eyes and attention never wavering, thoroughly briefed, armed with deepdive information, so effortlessly articulate that a trial lawyer would sit in quiet amazement, cool enough to stare down a military explosive or a Senate confi rmation hearing, both of which he has done. Right away the question changes to, “How did TU get so lucky to find this guy?” One entire wall of the presidential office in Collins Hall is hung with political cartoons featuring Carson. A table is laden with medals and awards. From his desk, he has an expansive view past the dramatic Genave King Rogers Fountain, over the tranquil green of Chapman Commons (just begging for white-clad teams of cricketers) and on across East 11th Street to an Arby’s restaurant. He’s rarely at his desk, which is positioned so his back is to the view. Meetings in his office are conducted at a small conference table. He attacks every day as if he’s cramming for an exam or preparing for a trial, which, in a way he is. He is an early riser, up at about 5:30 a.m., and begins the workday with the blogosphere to read his emails, Twitter messages and online newspapers: New York Times, Washington Post, Tulsa World, The Oklahoman and Financial Times. These days he’s reading a lot about higher education and its changing nature, “but I do try to keep up with poetry and literature,” he says. He is in the office by 7 or 7:30 for a day filled with meetings with faculty, staff and others until 7 or 8 at night. He takes meetings on weekends, too.

Brad Carson: at a glance PUBLIC SERVICE, LAW AND EDUCATION

What do you do for fun? “I work. For me, work is fun. Th is is what I enjoy the most.” What can we expect from you and TU in the immediate future? The newest change is the creation of the TU School of Cyber Studies for undergraduate and graduate programs in the interdisciplinary studies of computer science, social science, law, business and engineering. Carson has a vision for TU’s future, and it is as clearly defined as a military campaign. “My goal for the university is to be the best school between the Rockies and the Mississippi. I believe TU has all the assets to be that kind of school.” He has a plan to achieve that vision. “I have to build on the great tradition of excellence at the university and extend it into the 21st century, so that means new programs like cybersecurity, doubling down on the greatness of the past like our energy programs, but also strong emphases on liberal arts, fine arts, humanities and social sciences.” Is it true that when you taught at TU you sat in on literature classes? “I love the programs of arts and humanities. My heart is in philosophy and history. When I was a professor in the business school, at night I audited (TU) literature classes of Joseph Kestner (fi lm and literature), James Watson (Faulkner), Lars Engle (Shakespeare) and Sean Latham (science fiction and pop culture).” If you could snap your fingers for an instant change, what would it be? “I would add 1,000 students on campus, grow to (a student body) of 5,000 and make sure we have the infrastructure to support that.” With your background in law and tribal issues and with the McGirt Supreme Court ruling roiling the legal landscape, might we anticipate any changes at TU in these areas? “Definitely. This was the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls (then Henry Kendall College and, finally, the University of Tulsa) formed in Muskogee more than a century ago, so we have a historic legacy with Native American affairs. I have spent most of my career working in and around Indian tribes of Oklahoma. My father was a career employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. “I want to make sure that across curriculum, but especially in law, we have a strong Native American emphasis, that we recruit Native American students, work with tribal leadership to ensure we have programs that meet their needs and that our scholars are providing expertise to allow those tribes to thrive. We have the Native American Law Center in the College of Law and a great opportunity for the law school to expand.” Which of your skills and background experiences are particularly helpful to you at TU right now? “Any university has to excel in teach-

ing and in scholarship, as well as the public impact. Having been a professor both here and at the University of Virginia, I understand what the faculty needs to be great teachers and great researchers.” Carson is “deeply committed” to providing students with the experience they expect from a small private research university. His work in politics and public service in the administration of public defense has given him a broader perspective beyond the campus. “I believe universities can be transformative not only in the lives of students but in the broader community around them.” And then, Carson describes his own shining city on a hill — not a blue-sky dream, but a specific example. “Imagine a city based on an industry that most people think its best days are behind it. Trying to figure out the next big move. How to recruit new industry. How to keep young people. How to become bigger and more vibrant. And then imagine a university can transform that city and achieve the goals of economic development, cultural enrichment and keep young people. That’s what Carnegie Mellon has done in Pittsburgh — transformed the whole region and become a world-renowned school. We should put TU on that trajectory. We will transform young peoples’ lives, but we will also transform the community and the region around us. That’s what our ambition is.” Are you worried about anything? “I’m not worried. I’m excited. Th is is a great school. Higher education is changing, but we’ll be on top of that and we will exploit those changes to our benefit. We have incredible people on staff, a remarkable faculty, an extraordinary student body, a wonderful alumni group. “Donors are attracted in many of the same ways students are. They want to see the university thriving. As president, it is important to make sure we are doing things that merit their generosity. “In two centuries TU will still be here, and even greater than ever before.” So, to repeat, why did you want this job? “It’s a great challenge and in my very unusual career path, I have tried to accept interesting challenges and meet them. I love the University of Tulsa. I love the city of Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma. The chance to lead an institution into the future and mold young peoples’ lives — it is a remarkable opportunity. “I’ve had a number of jobs — especially U.S. Congress and Department of Defense — where I did the work not because I was paid, but because I loved the work and thought it was important. That’s the same thing here at the University of Tulsa. It is a pleasure to do the work because I have the sense that this matters. It’s not easy to find this in life. I’m very lucky.” TP

EDUCATION: Jenks High School, Baylor University, Rhodes Scholar to Trinity College, Oxford (master’s degrees in politics, philosophy, economics), University of Oklahoma College of Law (juris doctor) PROFESSIONAL CAREER: 1996-2000: Attorney with Crowe and Dunlevy 1997-98: White House Fellow assigned to the Pentagon 2001-05: Member U.S. House of Representatives (Oklahoma’s 2nd district) 2005: Teaching fellowship in U.S. politics at Harvard University 2005-08: CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses (focus on corporate strategy and governance and increased revenues) 2008-10: Deployed to Iraq in active duty as intelligence ofﬁcer in U.S. Navy embedded with U.S. Army’s 84th Explosive Ordinance Disposal Battalion 2010: Faculty of College of Business and College of Law at the University of Tulsa and director of the National Energy Policy Institute 2011-14: General counsel of the U.S. Army (overseeing worldwide legal operations) 2014-15: Under secretary of U.S. Army (COO for Army’s global business enterprise of soldier and civilian personnel and budget of more than $150 billion) 2015-16: Acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness at U.S. Department of Defense (overseeing nearly 5 million service members, civilian employees and their dependents and managing an internal organization of 30,000 employees) Until recently, faculty of University of Virginia (teaching courses in national security and public sector innovation) and senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group, where he advised ministries of defense around the world, as well as Fortune 500 companies PERSONAL: Wife Julie Kruse Carson (attorney with U.S. Department of Defense), son Jack, 15

TulsaPeople.com

Thank you, Family & Children’s Services, for 100 years supporting the mental health of our families and children.

Grateful for your leadership.

Staying the course ONE HUNDRED YEARS AFTER ITS FOUNDING, FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES REMAINS A POWERHOUSE OF COMMUNITY RESPONSE SERVING TULSANS OF ALL AGES. STORIES BY MORGAN PHILLIPS

TulsaPeople.com

Associate Chief Program Ofﬁcer Amanda Bradley and therapist John Mulligan inside the ofﬁce for Comunity Outreach Psychiatric Emergency Services (COPES), a mobile crisis program for adults and children in psychiatric crisis

ulsa in 1920 was a city of opportunity — the “Oil Capital of the World.” Its population had quadrupled in a decade as migrants rushed to eastern Oklahoma in hopes of striking it rich like the Cosdens, Skellys and Sinclairs. But housing had not kept pace with the population explosion, and rent was at a premium. Most oil field jobs were low paying and in the refineries. So while wealthy Tulsans lavishly entered a new decade, others were living in abject poverty just across the Arkansas River. By 1921 the situation in west Tulsa was more expansive than well-meaning citizens could tackle, and the federal welfare system would not be established until 1935. The Boston-based Family Welfare Association of America was called in to survey Tulsa’s existing social agencies and needs. “In and around the city lie ragged spots of wretched housings where people live in any kind of miserable shelter, without sewers, water supply or garbage collection; many people crowd together in a shack or tent with no possibility of decent privacy and with no sanitary protection,” wrote FWA in its Tulsa report. The Tulsa Daily World on Feb. 20, 1921, published FWA’s recommendations, which included consolidation of agencies to form a more effective “council of social services.” By October a group of thoughtful Tulsans, including oilman Waite Phillips, formed Family Welfare Society of Tulsa. Its mission: “To restore disadvantaged families, where possible, to independence and normal life by means of careful planning and the carrying out of … relief, employment, medical care and education through friendly supervision.”

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

One century later that thoughtful group has become a powerhouse of community response: Family and Children’s Services. From a fledgling organization in 1921 to one providing $86 million in services in 2021, it has stayed true to its mission of serving Tulsa’s disenfranchised while adapting to meet the needs of a changing city and culture.

FILLING THE GAPS

The early work of FCS — providing food, clothing, shelter, counseling and financial aid — sought to lessen issues that undermined the wellbeing of local families, including domestic issues. In 1921 the divorce rate of Tulsa County was 23%, more than double the national rate. When a husband, the breadwinner, separated from his family, the women and children left behind quickly became desperate. Others were stuck in impossible situations. “My youngest child has never been to school,” wrote a woman to FCS in 1925. “She only has rags to wear, and I have no food for her lunch. My husband has been offered work, but he won’t take the jobs. Can you help protect me and my children while I try to rise up out of poverty?” In 1925 board member Phillips donated a building at East Sixth Street and South Cheyenne Avenue, which FCS shared with its sole funder at the time, Tulsa Community Chest Fund, later known as the Tulsa Area United Way. By the early ’30s, the Great Depression hit Tulsa hard, causing record unemployment rates and financial stress. In 1936 the Oklahoma Department of Welfare was established, helping to serve the state’s poor, yet records show FCS continued to fi ll gaps. For example, when state funds were exhausted in 1938, the organization

provided emergency school lunches to all children in need. By 1940 Tulsa’s population had multiplied again, and FCS caseworkers were busily fi lling the needs of the growing community, from providing disaster relief to counseling single mothers. When the U.S. entered World War II, military wives entered the workforce. FCS operated child care centers and provided counseling services to working mothers. After men returned from war, mental health came into focus. In 1952 FCS took over a state program called Homemaker Services to stabilize and preserve families by providing temporary in-home child care. Young social worker Florence Beeman was hired to oversee the program. “We had one wonderful woman who was placed with a family of 10 children (including) two sets of twins,” recalls Beeman, now age 100. “What I remember about her was she sure knew how to cook up a big pan full of macaroni and tomatoes and onions and make a pretty good meal out of it.” Beeman’s role eventually shifted to counseling women living at the Salvation Army Home and Hospital for Unwed Mothers. “Back then it was a shame (to be pregnant and unmarried). You didn’t want anyone to know you were pregnant,” Beeman says. At the Salvation Army “they would make their decision about whether to keep the baby or whether to give it up for adoption. That was not our decision, but I would work with them.” Many girls chose to put their child up for adoption. As a result, FCS became an adoption agency and offered temporary foster care for newborns while adoptions were being processed. FCS also offered programs in sex education in the 1950s and ’60s, and until 1974 it was the

largest adoption agency in Tulsa. According to FCS CEO Gail Lapidus, the program ended due to the advent of the birth control pill, the legalization of abortion and changing attitudes about pregnant teenagers.

Sonya Pyles and her daughter, Arianna Pyles

CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS

MICHELLE POLLARD

In the 1960s American gender roles changed as more woman sought careers. Around the same time, cities like Tulsa saw a significant rise in child abuse, divorce, domestic violence and substance abuse, Lapidus says. “People don’t do well in transitions of roles,” she explains. “If you know your role, you can usually function much better. These were all changing, and women were gaining more power and, with their income earnings, expecting more help from their spouses.” At the request of FCS Executive Director Richard Borden, in the 1960s Beeman often spoke to church and support groups on topics related to well-being and relationships. “He was innovative and creative,” Beeman recalls of Borden. “He recognized my ability to go out into the community and talk, so I got to be very well known whether I wanted to be or not.” Th is launched FCS’ Family Life Education programs that have remained current with the times to address modern-day family stressors. In the 1970s, family therapy emerged as an alternative form of of counseling that worked with families and couples to nurture relationships. In 1979, after Lapidus received her master’s degree in social work, she was ready to advance her knowledge in family therapy only to find there was no one locally to teach it. She and former FCS Clinical Director Barbara Bramble had the idea to bring a trainer to Tulsa for a ticketed community workshop, then to use the proceeds to pay for the trainer to stay and do intensive training for the FCS Family Therapy Department. The model was so successful, it continued into the 1990s. “Some of the best family therapists were trained by FCS at that time,” Lapidus says. “We sort of became this little mecca (for family therapy).” FCS brought to Tulsa family therapy experts from all around the world to train staff and the community. At one time, FCS provided field placements for all DHS child welfare staff working on their master’s degree in social work. FCS’ internship program continues to offer field placements for bachelor and graduate students from area universities. This year, the organization will assist 40 students with their study requirements. “For the last seven decades, Family and Children’s Services has used its own resources to educate and train the future professionals in our field,” Lapidus says.

PIONEERING PROGRAMS

Over the years FCS operated branch offices to serve communities in north, east and west Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso and Claremore. In the 1970s, east Tulsa was booming with working-

SAVING FAMILIES Sonya Pyles and her daughter, Arianna Pyles, might still be stuck in the intergenerational cycles of incarceration and addiction if not for Family and Children’s Services. Both are graduates of the award-winning FCS program Women in Recovery, which offers eligible women an alternative to prison sentences for drug-related charges. Sonya says her substance abuse started around age 13 to try and escape from childhood abuse and trauma. By age 19 she was addicted to drugs, and by 24, she was sentenced to six years for a drug offense. She served three years in prison, where she says she didn’t get any help to address her issues. “Thankfully, I had a supportive mother who took care of my children and provided everything they needed until I returned home,” Sonya says. “But upon my release I wasn’t any better, and I now had a felony on my record.” The felony made it difﬁcult to secure housing and employment, and Sonya had to pay thousands in ﬁnes or face more jailtime. “The vicious cycle would just repeat itself continuously because I couldn’t ever seem to get ahead,” she says. She turned to petty larceny to try and provide for her family, landing her in more trouble with the criminal justice system. Though Sonya went through periods abstinence from drugs and alcohol, and she cycled on and off waiting lists for drug treatment, she always fell back into old patterns. “I didn’t receive any real recovery and treatment until many years later, when I was given the opportunity to be a participant in the Women in Recovery program. And at that point, my teenage daughter was in active addiction and was a mother to a young child herself.” For Sonya, it came down to choosing a long prison sentence or the outpatient WIR program. “I wanted help,” she says. “I wanted to be a productive member of society. I wanted to be a healthy parent to my children, but I just didn’t know how to do that and how to get the services that not only I, but also my children and family, needed to get better.” Through WIR, Sonya received hundreds of hours of individual and group therapy, dental and medical care, employment counseling, free housing and services for

her children, and mentorship from successful women in the community. Her life transformed 180 degrees. Two years later, Arianna entered WIR and successfully graduated. “She went into the program, knowing firsthand and seeing how I had changed my life, how the program had saved my life and (my children’s) lives, quite frankly,” Sonya says. Since launching in 2009 with the help of George Kaiser Family Foundation, WIR has served more than 500 women like the Pyleses and impacted the lives of over 1,200 children. Within three years of WIR graduation, recidivism remains between 3% and 4%. Its high success rate led to WIR in 2018 becoming the first Pay for Success contract in the U.S. focused on female incarceration, an innovative model between states and nonprofits that has helped fund the expansion of WIR. In this case, the State of Oklahoma pays FCS at four milestones if a WIR participant avoids incarceration for a maximum of five years after entering the program. Sonya and Arianna are one of a few mother-daughter WIR graduates, and Sonya says there are several sisters who have been through the program. “The dual-generational work is so important because it does trickle down from family member to family member, generation to generation,” she says. Sonya is now a project coordinator for Tulsa Lawyers for Children, which ensures the legal representation of abused and neglected children by volunteer attorneys. She says the job allows her to serve her community while also helping her heal because she was once one of those children. She also mentors other WIR graduates and serves as the vice president of the WIR Board of Alumni. One of her greatest hopes is that someday there’s a Men in Recovery program “because all people deserve it,” she says. “I honestly don’t feel like myself or my daughter would be alive today if it weren’t for the opportunity of being participants in the program,” Sonya says. “Our family was so fractured and torn apart then, and now we’re so close and healthy and living our best lives. “Being successful in every area of life is just a dream come true. It’s a miracle, and I feel like everyone deserves that if they want it.” TulsaPeople.com

1921 Founded as Family Welfare Society of Tulsa. 1925 Moved into donated building at East Sixth Street and South Cheyenne Avenue. 1931 Renamed United Family Service Association. 1944 Merged with Children’s Service Bureau; renamed Family and Children’s Service. 1952 Began Homemaker Services program to aid families during mothers’ illness or stress. 1954 Established programs for juvenile court and counseling of delinquent and “at risk” girls. 1960s Expanded community partnerships and youth programs; opened north Tulsa office. 1961 Began graduate internship program through partnership with University of Oklahoma School of Social Work. 1979 Opened east Tulsa office. 1980s Established first family sexual abuse treatment program in the state. 1986 Gail Lapidus became the first female executive director. 1990s Began Tulsa County HeadStart partnership with Community Action Project Tulsa. 1994 Launched Helping Children Cope with Divorce program. 2000 Became certified as a Community Mental Health Center, the first new center in 20 years. 2001 Opened Sarah and John Graves Center for mental health care at 2325 S. Harvard Ave.

class families when FCS launched services at the local library in 1979 at the request of the East Tulsa Coordinating Committee. “(They said), ‘There’s no family services here. There’s no counseling. The schools don’t know what to do,’” Lapidus recalls. Part of the clinical team, Lapidus and therapist Claudia Arthrell learned by knocking on doors that people wanted a place to come in and talk privately about their family problems. Quickly FCS opened its own facility, which it still operates. “In east Tulsa, what we really saw was there was so much divorce,” Arthrell says. “For me, that’s what became starting divorce groups for parents, education groups for kids.” FCS began offering Helping Children Cope with Divorce, which in 1995 became a courtordered program for all divorcing parents in Tulsa County. When Arthrell retired in 2019 after 41 years with FCS, 85,000 people had gone through the program to learn how “to shield their children from the burden of divorce,” she says. In the early ’80s sexual abuse treatment was new, and FCS was the fi rst in Tulsa to offer therapies for victims. That work in particular spoke to FCS board member Gil Morris when he joined the board in 1983. “What got me was all the sexually abused children we have in Tulsa that no one even knows about,” he says. “At the time I was maybe a little naïve. I didn’t realize that was a big issue, and so that really caught my heartstrings and made me want to work with the board.” Through a unique partnership with Community Action Project Tulsa, FCS has provided support to families of children enrolled in the Tulsa County HeadStart program since the late ’90s. “I think the CAP HeadStart program is the only one in the country that partners with a community organization (FCS) to provide family services and mental health care to parents of HeadStart children,” Lapidus says. Since Lapidus became FCS executive director in 1986, there have been countless directions the

2009 Launched COPES mobile crisis hotline; founded Women in Recovery.

2014 Opened Crisis Care Center for individuals in mental health crisis. 2018 A mental health Community Response Team was formed with FCS COPES, Tulsa Police Department and Tulsa Fire Department. 2020 Established specialized facility on South Peoria Avenue for children with mental health, abuse and trauma.

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION

In the 2000s a huge shift propelled the growth of FCS from a $6 million budget in 1999 to $26 million by 2008. The organization transformed from family service agency to mental health provider to combat growing depression, substance abuse and other mental illness. Within five years FCS became the largest community mental health center in the state. To Lapidus, the common thread is still poverty: “The people we serve are often overburdened and under-resourced. For many, their illness has caused challenges for employment, housing, health and family relationships. FCS meets all of these needs, along with mental health and addiction treatment.” In 2009 FCS launched Women in Recovery, an intensive outpatient alternative for eligible women facing long prison sentences for drug-related offenses. To date the program has graduated more than 500 women, helping them overcome addiction, recover from trauma, address mental illness and acquire tools to build successful and productive lives. In 2014, the ongoing statewide shortage of beds for inpatient mental health care often forced Tulsa-area patients to be transported out of their communities for treatment. As a result, FCS created the Crisis Care Center, 1055 S. Houston Ave., to stabilize individuals through counseling, medication and/or ambulatory detox. The program began with seven chairs for quick turnarounds and 16 beds for in-patient care; today the unit has grown to 20 chairs and

The Gail Lapidus effect

2000s Founded Urgent Recovery Center for in-patient mental health needs.

2021 Launched maternal mental health program; COPES embedded in Tulsa 911 Dispatch Center; became a Certiﬁed Community Behavioral Health Center.

organization could have gone; but Lapidus’ commitment was to prioritize serving the uninsured, low-income populations in Tulsa through various programs. “We always saw ourselves as being a leader and bringing our expertise to poor, disadvantaged families and individuals,” she says. “Those two themes have really followed all the way through.”

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, VISIT TULSAPEOPLE.COM.

Ask anyone who is responsible for the growth and success of Family and Children’s Services over the past 47 years, and the answer becomes redundant: Gail Lapidus. Lapidus joined the organization in 1974 as a freshfaced 22-year-old hired for outreach in Tulsa’s housing projects in west Tulsa, near the site of FCS’ early work. The complexes were built in sparsely populated areas “in the middle of nowhere,” Lapidus says. “(The residents) had so many problems, and the Housing Authority at the time just housed them. They had no transportation, no grocery store, no community connectivity.” To reach the children and families, Lapidus became a school-based social worker. The principal and counselors would send her to knock on the doors of the children they were worried about. Then, “my supervisor at the time came up with this great idea, and thank goodness when you’re young, you’ll do just about anything,” Lapidus laughs.

MICHELLE POLLARD

100 YEARS OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES

20 beds, which are at full capacity, according to Krista Lewis, FCS chief program officer for adult mental health medical and crisis services. In 2020 a sally port — a dedicated law enforcement entrance — was added to the Center to streamline the assessment process for citizens and police. Since Jan. 21, 2021, 38% of those served in the Crisis Care Center have come via law enforcement, while the others come through referrals or simply walk in. More individuals are suffering from anxiety, depression and substance abuse because of the ongoing pandemic. Adults and children suffering a mental health crisis and suicidal ideation are increasing and calling FCS’ Community Outreach Psychiatric Emergency Services (COPES), a telephone and mobile crisis program, for help. COPES helps with deescalation and, when possible, a warm hand-off to mental health outpatient services or, when required, to facility-based care. “People are turning to substances in greater numbers because of the pandemic,” Lewis adds. “While they think this will make them feel better, what we are seeing is an increase in substanceinduced dependency along with depression and anxiety.” Lapidus says FCS’ community mental health work will continue to grow through initiatives like a new maternal mental health program for mothers experiencing postpartum depression. “To achieve better outcomes for the seriously mentally ill with multiple chronic conditions and needs, FCS will add whole person care incorporating

A rendering of the renamed Gail Lapidus Center for Families and Children near East Sixth Street and South Peoria Avenue

medical care coordination, intensive case management and additional criminal justice diversion offerings,” she says. Today FCS’ mission statement reads: “Family and Children’s Services heals hurting and abused children, strengthens families, and provides hope and a path to recovery for those battling mental illness and addiction.” “(FCS) sees the problems,” says Alison Anthony, CEO of Tulsa Area United Way, which continues to help fund FCS. “They have an idea grounded in data, knowing what would make a difference, and they fuel that with their

energy. They are able to develop and execute a plan better than just about anybody.” One hundred years after its founding, the 809-employee organization serves an estimated 120,000 people a year, and the ripple effect of those touch points has changed not only a community, but also generations of Tulsans, for the better. Before retiring from FCS, Arthrell often ran into clients from 30 years ago. “There would be parents who would come up to me and say, ‘I had counseling with you when you were in east Tulsa, and you changed my life. And you’re the reason my family and I know you all can help us now.’” TP

Congratulating Family & Children’s Services on 100 years of serving the Tulsa community. COURTESY TODD ARCHITECTURE GROUP

Thank you for the support you provide to our communities. Pictured: Stephania Grober, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Vice President of Plan Operations and Family & Children’s Services (FCS) Board Member with Tom Taylor, FCS Executive Director.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

612413.0921

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We Proudly Salute Family & Children’s Services... C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S FA M I LY A N D C H I L D R E N ’S S E RV I C E S O N A S U C C E S S F U L 10 0 Y E A R S

Thank You For 100 Years Of Strengthening Families.

We are proud to support your evaluation needs to help improve our community.

We Commend F&CS For 100 Years Of Strengthening Relationships & Families, And Restoring Children’s Well-Being.

CONGRATULATIONS TO F&CS! “It was an honor and privilege to serve as Board Chair of Family & Children’s Services from 2017-19. The experience of leading the board in collaboration with F&CS’s fearless CEO, Gail Lapidus, was so rewarding, specifically knowing the agency’s mission provides hope and healing to over 120,000 Tulsans each year.” – TINA PARKHILL

– SUSAN AND MARCUS LEMON 10018 S. MEMOR IA L • 918-528-6700 • PA RK HIL L SOU T H.COM

100 YEARS Congratulations Family & Children’s Services! Tulsa Area United Way celebrates decades of our partnership and impact. Strengthening our community through compassion, collaboration and innovation. Women in Recovery + Community Response Team + COPES 911

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

BRAVO ZULU Your Friends

Frederic Dorwart

LAWYERS pllc

Burger 54

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

r town The combination of meat, cheese, bun and veggies is something all these places do well, but it’s the twists, takes and toppings that make these burgers stand out. By Natalie Mikles

Ty’s Hamburgers and Chili

MICHELLE POLLARD

1534 S. HARVARD AVE.

Ty’s is the kind of place you might drive by for years before stopping in and then realize you wish you had done so sooner. Ty’s burgers are classic and consistently good, like the hickory cheeseburger. One of their standouts is the Chili Cheeseburger Plate, a big burger covered in chili and cheese with a side of curly fries smothered in chili and cheese with jalapeños. Ty’s might be known just as much for its seasoned curly fries and tater tots as the burgers, so don’t miss out on those.

To name the best hamburger in Tulsa is risky business. Everyone has their favorite. Some of those favorites are based on the best patties, buttered buns or toppings. But others are favorites for sentimental reasons. No one can talk you out of a vote for the hamburger stand your dad took you to every Saturday when you were a kid. And Tulsa is uniquely fortunate to have so many longstanding burger places, many of which have been around for more than 50 years. The timeline of the hamburger is a beautiful and delicious thing. And lucky for us, Oklahoma hamburgers are woven through it. The first mentions of something close to a modern-day hamburger can be traced to the 18th century. But one of the first references to the American hamburger is from July 4, 1891, when Oscar Weber Bilby cooked Angus beef patties on his slick black grill top, then placed them between sourdough buns. That same griddle is still used today at Weber’s in Brookside. Another mark on the burger timeline is the invention of the fried onion burger, created by frugal and inventive cooks in El Reno during the Great Depression. To cut costs, cooks added raw shredded onions to the ground beef to make patties. The result became an Oklahoma classic of caramelized onions on a thin fried patty you can still find at burger stands and diners today.

And then there are regional hamburger chains that put Tulsa on the hamburger map. Goldie’s has been a go-to place for juicy burgers and the famous pickle bar for many Tulsans, and four area locations remain. Another known by many locals is Ron’s Hamburgers, which has 12 locations in and around Tulsa, some of which are family owned while others are franchised. If the burger timeline begins with griddled burgers and fried onion burgers, it continues to the age of the gourmet burger. Over time, burger lovers and chefs wanted something more, and so burgers with a ﬂair popped up on restaurant menus, where we’re no longer surprised to pay $15 or more for a house specialty. These bougie burgers capture us with their brioche buns and toppings like arugula, goat cheese and aioli. But when it comes to choosing the best, well that’s a tough job. Burger preferences are personal, and talking about it can get foodies worked up. Just ask Steve Pisonero, who runs the Facebook group Pisonero’s Food Review. A burger connoisseur, Pisonero has documented his burger tastings with reviews and a spreadsheet ranking those burgers based on taste and value. Pisonero came to Tulsa from Los Angeles, and though he’s lived here 20 years, he doesn’t have the Tulsa history and lore of some of the old places as baggage in his decision-making. “For me it’s really just about the best-tasting burger. I call them like I see them, regardless of the place,” he says. So what’s his opinion on the best burger in Tulsa? “Bill’s Jumbo Burgers. It’s a delicious burger. It’s consistent — cooked perfectly,” he says. “It’s the kind of place you go and it’s packed. Absolutely packed.” That’s a factor several others cited as a sure sign of a good burger. “Go where the crowds are,” one burger fan told us. Pisonero says each time he posts a review on his spreadsheet, he gets a few comments from people wondering why he’s left out their favorite or questioning his ranking. He’s holding fast to his opinion, but he gets where they’re coming from. “Everyone likes to have their place represented,” he says. TulsaPeople.com

the classics Here’s to the classics — the dives, the diners, the walk-up burger stands that haven’t changed a bit in decades. And the new ones that are intentional throwbacks to the nostalgic burgers we love so much.

Steve Pisonero

4253 SOUTHWEST BLVD.

Bill’s Jumbo Burgers 2002 E. ADMIRAL BLVD.

Things haven’t changed much in the more than 60 years Bill’s Jumbo Burgers has been in Tulsa. Perhaps more than any of the old burger stands, Bill’s has kept its old-fashioned sensibilities. It’s still cash only. And though the sign on the door says it closes at 3 o’clock — don’t trust it. When they run out of food, the restaurant closes. The business and hectic pace at Bill’s is part of the fun. The phone is always ringing with take-out orders, and bags of burgers in paper bags exchange hands every few minutes. It’s often packed, and many people take their burgers and fries to go. Onions are smashed into the patties before they’re fried on the hot grill, making a sizzling burger with an excellent crust.

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

This ’50s style diner is at the top of many Tulsans’ list of faves. The classic burgers are served with lettuce, pickle, tomato, onion and mustard, unless otherwise requested. The onion rings are among the best in town, with a ka-pow of a crunch. And the thick milkshakes and cherry limeades are a must.

Freddie’s Hamburgers 9130 E. 11TH ST.

Claud’s Hamburgers 3834 S. PEORIA AVE.

“You’ve got to include Claud’s.” That’s what we heard from more than a few people when talking about this burger story. Claud’s has been a Brookside ﬁxture since 1954, and has served consistently good burgers ever since. The no-nonsense aesthetic and service is part of the appeal here. Grab a seat at the counter, and dig in to an old-fashioned cheeseburger. Tip: This is a place where you want to hold the lettuce, tomato and pickle. It’s good enough without it.

Good, old-fashioned burgers are reliably served at Freddie’s six days a week. It’s a popular spot for lunch, with the double-meat burger with cheese a favorite. Burgers are served Okie-style with fried onions, lettuce, tomato, pickle and mustard. Handcut fries and milkshakes also are excellent. If you haven’t had a Freddie’s burger at its location on 11th Street, you might have tried one at the fairgrounds where Freddie’s is one of the hot spots at the Tulsa State Fair. Founder Fred Willis died unexpectedly in March.

BILL'S, ARNOLD'S, HANK'S, HOWDY, SCOTT'S, FLO'S: MICHELLE POLLARD; CLAUD'S, FREDDIE'S, WEBER'S, BROWNIES: VALERIE WEI-HAAS

Arnold’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers

Brownies Hamburgers

2130 S. HARVARD AVE.; 6577 E. 71ST ST.

There’s comfort in knowing some things never change. The little burgers and hand-cut fries at Brownies are the same as they’ve been for decades. Just like the swivel barstools. None of it is retro — it’s just the unpretentious real deal.

Flo’s Burger Diner

2604 E. 11TH ST.; 19322 E. ADMIRAL PLACE, CATOOSA

Hank’s Hamburgers

Howdy Burger

8933 E. ADMIRAL PLACE

1124 S. LEWIS AVE. IN MOTHER ROAD MARKET

Hank’s has been around Tulsa since 1949 and in its current location since 1955. Hank’s is a place where regulars rule, but it also gets its fair share of newcomers. Some of those newcomers stop in after seeing news articles — it’s been featured in the New York Times and on the Food Network. The Big Okie is a deliciously huge cheeseburger of four patties with lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion. And if that’s not enough for you, there’s the Okie Dokie, a burger with six patties and six slices of cheese.

It’s a taste of nostalgia in a modern setting. Howdy Burger in Mother Road Market is a tribute to the classic roadside burger stands that fed travelers along Route 66. It’s that delicious smash-style burger and at a good price. The single-patty Little Rancher is just $4. We’re also fans of Howdy Burger’s take on the Impossible Burger with its signature Rodeo Sauce, a concoction of mustard, mayo, ketchup and pickle juice. Howdy Burger will soon open a stand-alone restaurant at 1516 E. 11th St.

Scott’s Hamburgers

Brandy Adkins, owner of Flo’s Burger Diner, knows how to make a good old-fashioned cheeseburger. And that’s what about half of her customers at Flo’s want. But the other half come for what has put Flo’s on the map. They’re there for the loaded, overthe-top creations. Perhaps the most famous of those piled-high burgers is the Bomb, a deconstructed jalapeño popper on a burger. Adkins layers grilled jalapeños, warm gooey cream cheese, cheddar, bacon and mayo on a burger between a homemade bun. It’s, well, the bomb. Flo’s has several other burger creations, including the Sizzler with fried jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, onion rings and ranch dressing. The teriyaki burger, as well as the bacon, barbecue and cheddar burger, also are top favorites. Everything at Flo’s is made from scratch. Fries are hand-cut each morning, ranch dressing is made in the kitchen, mushrooms are hand-breaded, cheese is grated and, of course, the patties are handmade. “We don’t season the meat raw. We season it on the ﬂattop,” Adkins says. “If it’s fresh meat, if it’s juicy. You don’t have to over season.”

Weber’s

15 W. DAWES AVE., BIXBY

3817 S. PEORIA AVE.

Some burgers taste great and some burgers look great. Hamburgers at Scott’s check both boxes. These little old-fashioned beauties have thin, juicy patties, just the right amount of melty cheese and toasted buns. Expect a line because Scott’s isn’t a hidden gem. This is a place known by burger lovers as one of the best in the state.

Weber’s is known as much for its root beer as the burgers, and for good reason. You’ve got to order a root beer in a frosty mug or a root beer ﬂoat to go with your burger. Try the chili cheeseburger if your appetite will allow it, plus a side of fresh-cut fries. If the weather’s nice, the outdoor seating at Weber’s is one of the best spots in town. TulsaPeople.com

WORTH THE PRICE When did we decide we were OK with spending $15 on a burger and fries? When steakhouses and upscale restaurants began putting hamburgers on their menus, some people laughed. But once they gave them a try, a $20 burger lunch didn’t seem like such a bad idea. And now, there’s no turning back. Here are some of our favorites.

McGill’s

6058 S. YALE AVE. A steakhouse-quality burger in a comfortable setting, McGill’s Butcher Cut Cheeseburger is a class act. Everything about this burger is elevated — from the great beef mixture to the grilled onions to the raised Kaiser bun. The steakhouse fries are the perfect side, though the McGill’s salad with house-made blue cheese dressing also is a great accompaniment.

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

French hen 319 E. ARCHER ST.

Smoke

MCGILL'S, POLO, TAVERN, FRENCH HEN: MICHELLE POLLARD; SMOKE, PRHYME: VALERIE WEI-HAAS

1542 E. 15TH ST.; 201 S. MAIN ST., SUITE 100, OWASSO

Prhyme

111 N. MAIN ST.

If you’re looking for a good, juicy burger like you would make on your backyard grill — but better — try the burger on Smoke’s lunch menu. The big, 10-ounce patty comes with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and Creole mustard. Or try the mushroom-black bean burger, with its nice umami ﬂavor — neither the mushroom nor the black bean is overwhelming. It comes with arugula, tomato, Swiss cheese, crispy onions and jalapeño. Both are served on brioche buns.

A seat at the bar at Prhyme is a great seat to have. Some end up at the bar because they’re dining alone or want a more informal space. Others intentionally come to the bar just for the burgers. The Prhyme burger is deliciously complex with brie, grilled red onions, applewood-smoked bacon, arugula and steak sauce. The Diner burger has caramelized onions, pork belly, arugula and cheddar and is topped with a fried egg. The Southwest burger has a spicy green chile cheddar cream, onion haystack and bacon. You can’t go wrong with any of these choices.

Polo Grill

The Tavern

When the chefs at Polo Grill decided to create an upscale burger, they went big. Ground chuck might be ﬁne for a backyard burger, but at Polo Grill it’s tenderloin that makes the burger so delightful. The half-pound tenderloin burger comes on a slightly sweet brioche bun. Try it with cheddar, Swiss or blue cheese. Tip: Add the applewood smoked bacon. This is a burger worth every bit of its $15 price tag. You’ll ﬁnd it on the lunch and bar menus.

It’s considered one of the best fine dining burgers in town. The Tavern burger is great because it combines several flavor profiles all in one burger. “It’s just a great quality burger that has different flavor coming from our proprietary blend of beef, challah bun for sweetness, Stilton cheese for some pungent kick and finally our mushroom cognac sauce,” says Ben Alexander, vice president culinary operations for McNellie’s Group. It’s been on the menu for years, and it’s not going anywhere. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s time.

2038 UTICA SQUARE

201 N. MAIN ST.

There are so many tempting things on the lunch menu at French Hen, you might overlook the hamburger. But this is one every burger lover will want to try at least once. French Hen's prime burger is layered with luxury: smoked cheddar, mushrooms, onions, bacon, Roquefort and Gruyere cheese.

TulsaPeople.com

Best of the rest There are the dive burgers, the upscale burgers, but there’s also something in between. Here are some of our favorite classic burgers, hybrid burgers and outsidethe-box burgers that have us coming back for more. 60

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

A CL A SSIC

The Brook

3401 S. PEORIA AVE., 7727 E. 91ST ST., 201 E. SECOND ST.

The big, half-pound burgers at the

OU T SIDE T HE BOX

Franklin’s on Main

A T RUE VEGGIE BURGER

Sisserou’s

203 S. MAIN ST., BROKEN ARROW

107 N. BOULDER AVE.

Bacon lovers, this is your place. All of Franklin’s hamburger patties are infused with bacon before they ever hit the grill. One of the most interesting is the Peanut Butter and Sriracha Burger with crispy bacon and cilantro. The Sriracha adds a kick, which couples nicely with the PB sweetness. For an appetizer, don't miss out on ordering a plate of jalapeño poppers, stuffed with pimento cheese and bacon and then deep fried.

If you’re looking for a good veggie burger, Sisserou’s has a great one. This isn’t your average black bean or meatsubstitute burger. This is a true vegetable burger, with the Caribbean ﬂavor of Sisserou’s and packed with loads of vegetables, including carrot, zucchini, beets, corn and mushrooms combined with tofu and chickpeas. Sisserou’s also has a lean beef burger with pineapple, sliced ham and Swiss cheese with habanero mayo.

burger also is tops,

HYBRID

CRE ATIVELY CUSTOMIZ A BLE

with ooey-gooey

Society Burger

Fat Guy’s Burger Bar

Some of the best hybrid burgers in Tulsa are at Society Burger. There are the classics, like a mushroom-Swiss burger or a Theta with its melted cheddar cheese skirt, house-made pickles, barbecue sauce and mayo. But if you feel like trying something new, order the Pim and Jam, a burger piled high with warm, house-made pimento cheese and a layer of rich and savory bacon jam. Or if you want something beyond red meat, Society’s spicy turkey burger, with roasted chiles, haystack onions and avocado ranch dressing, is a winner.

The fun of Fat Guy’s is the toppings. The list is overwhelming, especially if you’re a ﬁrst-timer. Our advice: Go with your gut. Choose all your favorite ﬂavors, and trust the cooks at Fat Guy’s to turn it into burger perfection. Some of our favorites are the grilled pineapple, green chiles, jalapeño relish and Thai chiles. Fat Guy’s also has a divine veggie burger you can make even tastier with those toppings. TP

Brook are classics. These aren’t the skimpy smashed burgers, but hefty, juicy burgers. The chili queso burger is one of the best, served on

BROOK, FRANKLIN'S, FAT GUY'S: MICHELLE POLLARD; SISSEROU'S: VALERIE WEI-HAAS; SOCIETY: COURTESY

Texas toast. And the bacon-cheddar

cheese and smoked bacon. Of course, you’ve got to order the cheese fries. If you know, you know.

1419 E. 15TH ST.; 9999 S. MINGO ROAD, SUITE A

140 N. GREENWOOD AVE.; 7945 S. MEMORIAL DRIVE; 3950 S. HUDSON AVE.; 1009 N. ELM ST., BROKEN ARROW

TulsaPeople.com

READER RECIPES

y love for this dish began in January, when I decided to learn how to cook plant-based meals. Its rich ﬂavors reminded me of Indianinspired meals from my home country, Uganda. East Africa has a vibrant Indian community that has fused its food traditions with the local cuisine over the years.

CHICKPEA CURRY VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE makes 4 servings

As autumn returns to Tulsa, so does one of its longtime festival favorites — Linde Oktoberfest Tulsa — and with it several new updates for 2021. Now in its 42nd year, Oktoberfest crafts, carnival, food and beer will call River West Festival Park home Oct. 21-24. Rather than parking at the festival grounds, attendees will need to ride the free “Schnelle Fahrt” shuttles, which will pick up at parking locations along Boston Avenue, the Blue Dome District, Oklahoma State UniversityTulsa campus and several south Tulsa locations. “This just opens up another avenue for us,” says Tonja Carrigg, River Park’s director of community relations. “The festival starts as you get on the shuttle.” No parking is available at the festival. Admission tickets are only available online. Carrigg says Oktoberfest also has gone cashless in 2021. So long, coupons! Credit cards and phone payment apps will be accepted on site for food and drink purchases. Along with local favorites Siegi’s for brats and the German-American Society of Tulsa’s potato pancakes, festival goers can reserve seating at Der Restaurant am Himmel (Restaurant in the Sky) where a three-course Bavarian meal will be served on Thursday and Friday nights, and two seatings on Saturday. Local brewers, including Marshall Brewing Co. and Dead Armadillo, will be among the 80-plus beer varieties at the festival. Tulsa Oktoberfest beneﬁts River Parks, which manages hundreds of acres of Tulsa’s riverfront parkland. Visit tulsaoktoberfest.org for complete details. — ANNE BROCKMAN

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When the pan is hot, add the onion. Once golden add garlic and ginger, cook for 10 minutes stirring often. Add all the spices, salt and sugar. Cook while stirring for another 3-4 minutes to let the spices roast and release their aromatics. Pour in tomato puree and cook for 1 more minute before adding the diced potato. Stir well until coated. Deglaze the pan with the coconut milk and stir. Allow it to come to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until potato cubes are tender.

Add drained chickpeas to the stew and mix. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package instructions. Serve the chickpea curry with the rice. Cook’s note: Each time I make this, I try to have it with a different side. Next time switch out the rice for naan. Try adding steamed broccoli or spinach along with the curry. Or serve with a side of fried plantains if you want a delicious blend of sweet and savory. — DEBORAH LAKER *** HAVE A GO-TO FOR A QUICK DINNER? Are you always asked to bring your signature potluck dish? Do you bake a beloved family recipe for your holiday table? We, and our readers, want to know. Submit your recipe to contactus@langdonpublishing.com and it might be featured in a future issue of TulsaPeople.

Mondo’s Ristorante Italiano 3410 S. Peoria Ave. | 918-561-6300 | mondositalian.com

Ti Amo Ristorante Italiano 6024 S. Sheridan Road, Suite A; 918-499-1919 219 S. Cheyenne Ave.; 918-592-5151 | tiamotulsa.com

Dalesandro’s Italian Cuisine

ITALIAN The winners from TulsaPeople’s annual A-List Readers’ Choice Awards serve up some of the city’s best Italian dishes.

1742 S. Boston Ave. | 918-582-1551 | dalesandros.com

Villa Ravenna 6526-A E. 51st St. | 918-270-2666 | villaravenna.com

Zio’s Italian Kitchen 7111 S. Mingo Road, 918-250-5999 8112 S. Lewis Ave., 918-298-9880 | zios.com

Tucci’s 1344 E. 15th St. | 918-582-3456 | tuccistulsa.com

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

Tucci's MICHELLE POLLARD; OKTOBERFEST: COURTESY OKTOBERFEST TULSA INC.

Oktoberfest returns

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium red onion, ﬁnely sliced 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, grated 1 ½ tablespoon curry powder 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon chili ﬂakes (optional) ¾ teaspoon salt, to taste ¼ teaspoon sugar 1 14oz can unsalted pureed tomatoes 1 medium potato, peeled and diced in small cubes 1 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk 2 15oz cans chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1 ½ cups of basmati rice, rinsed

WANDER AMONG THE

Wild

Join us during our 2021 Passport to Play series! Educational programs, speakers and animal encounters will make each visit a unique and passport-worthy adventure.

W O N D E R S O F W I L D L I F E . O R G / P L AY

W H AT’S COOK ING?

NEW FALL FAVORITE DOING ONE OR TWO THINGS TO CELEBRATE EACH SEASON MAKES IT FEEL SPECIAL. In the fall, there’s apple picking, choosing a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, strolling Utica Square with a latte. Another fun thing to do that will ﬁll your house with the smells of fall: Bake a cake. Pumpkin spice cake, cinnamon streusel loaf, gingerbread — all of these will conjure warm memories and make your house feel homey. A new favorite fall recipe is a Caramel Apple Upside-down Cake. Upside-down cakes are simple to make, but appear to take a lot of effort. You can make them in cast iron or in a square or round baking pan. The variations for an upside-down cake are endless. Cranberry-apple, banana-pecan, pear, apple-cinnamon. Play with your favorite ﬂavors, spices and liqueurs to create something delicious. We really like this combination of sliced apples with caramel sauce. It reminds us of the state fair, Halloween and fun fall times. — NATALIE MIKLES

CARAMEL APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE TOPPING: ½ stick butter ⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round or square cake pan with butter or cooking spray. Start by making the topping. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar, then add cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, cooking until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Pour sauce into cake pan. Layer with apples. For the cake, in a large bowl, whisk together ﬂour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. In another large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until softened. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Add half the dry ingredients to wet ingredients, beating until just combined. Pour in milk and mix until fully incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour batter over apples and caramel. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool in pan 15 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing. 64

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

MICHELLE POLLARD

CAKE: 1 ¾ cup all-purpose ﬂour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1 stick butter, softened ½ cup granulated sugar ⅔ cup dark brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 tablespoons milk

CHEERS!

Jared Jordan

TOP MARKS

Jared Jordan knew the latest renovation at Summit Club would be an undertaking. At the end of 2019, the iconic private social and dining club underwent a full-scale renovation of all three floors it occupies in the Bank of America building, 15 W. Sixth St. Little did they know that renovation would come at a time when many restaurants were making hard cuts, scaling back and, sometimes, closing their doors. “There was a thought of, ‘Are we being too ambitious this time around?’” says Jordan, CEO of Summit Club. “But there’s a lot of pent-up demand, an increased desire to get out and experience things.” And an experience is what you get. Jordan says reservations from members have been nonstop, and they are loving all those little details that make the Summit feel special: a raw bar with oysters, caviar and Champagne, a bourbon room, charcuterie, a room dedicated to dry-aging steaks and a flambe station. It’s also been the more casual space, ThirtyOne Kitchen, on the 31st floor, where casual dress is allowed, that’s brought more families out to the club. Summit Club has been in downtown Tulsa since 1967. — NATALIE MIKLES

MICHELLE POLLARD

Beers and burgers Since McNellie’s opened in 2004, it has been known for its wide selection of beers on tap and in bottles. Its downtown location has been the site of countless happy hours and pint nights. Each month a new beer menu is curated featuring local and international brewers with seasonal drafts, as well as canned and bottled brews. A special section of the menu — Ales from the Crypt — is reserved for vintage beers with limited availability. When we popped into the pub in early September, the selection included a 2012 Chimay Grand Reserve ($40, 25.4 ounces), a 2015 Anthem Bourbon Barrel Uroboros ($24, 16.9 ounces) and a 2014 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot ($12, 12 ounces) among its two dozen varieties. One of these beers would be great to wash down a McNellie’s signature burger, especially on Wednesday night: burger night. Starting at 5 p.m., diners can get the classic McNellie’s charburger for only $3.99. That’s a half-pound patty topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle between a brioche bun. You can’t go wrong with a side of sweet potato fries. Ales from the Crypt and burger night are available at both McNellie’s Tulsa locations, 409 E. First St. and 7031 S. Zurich Ave. — ANNE BROCKMAN

Barbecue Frito pie

A show and a meal The restaurant in Cain’s Ballroom has gone through several stages. It’s been a place to grab snacks during a show, a spot for late-night drinks, and a favorite for the downtown lunch crowd to stop by for brisket sandwiches and potato salad. The latest iteration is one that has Tulsans excited. Adam Green, owner of the beloved Mac’s BBQ in Skiatook, and Hunter Gambill of OK Distilling Co. have teamed for a casual space serving good eats and drinks in a place they both love. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Cain’s,” Green says. “It’s such a cool, historic place, and we just want to jam out some cool food at shows.”

Green and Gambill talked to Chad Rogers of Cain’s Ballroom about creating a space with more quick-serve options to get people food quickly during shows. But they also both wanted to add their elements of fun and great food. Think of it as a locally driven, highly elevated concession. Green hopes to open in October. As much as people love Mac’s BBQ, this isn’t going to be a second location for Mac’s. Green wants people to continue to make the drive to his destination restaurant. However, there will be elements of Mac’s at the Cain’s restaurant, such as the barbecue Frito pie and the Okie, a hillbilly Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Green and Gambill want the restaurant to feel collaborative and like a hat tip to some of their favorite Tulsa restaurants and cooks. Pairings might include inspiration from Chris West of Lassalle’s and barbecue from the Butcher BBQ Stand. “We’ll have a core menu, but want to do some fun stuff with our friends,” Green says. — NATALIE MIKLES TulsaPeople.com

TRY THIS!

CINNABON-INSPIRED LATTE

SOUND BITE

from Foolish Things Coffee Co. 1001 S. MAIN ST. | 918-857-2326 | FOOLISHTHINGSCOFFEE.COM

Chris Baron, head server at Boston Title and Abstract, 522 S. Boston Ave., Suite B100 How do you describe Boston Title and Abstract? BTA is predominantly French style cuisine. It’s like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story — you can enjoy anything from meatloaf to A5 wagyu.

FROTHY A thicker foam on top is dusted with cinnamon for a creamy, scented sip. The drink comes in three sizes ($4.80-$6).

What is the most popular dish? That would be the steak frites: a 14-ounce prime strip loin, baked off with candied red onion marmalade and Bleu d’Auvergne (a French blue cheese) over top, house-cut fries and trufﬂe aioli. Your favorite menu item? I love the seared duck Bourguignon, which is seared duck breast and duck stewed with red wine, mushroom and bacon. Best appetizer? Escargot is our ﬂagship appetizer, which is a dedication to French Master Chef Rene Bajeux, who coincidentally trained both our Executive Chef Paul (Wilson) and Sous Chef Gabriel (Beard). Drink you recommend? The Brun, a fallstyle Old Fashioned with smoked whiskey and a hint of walnut.

SEASON'S SIPS Each season the 9-year-old downtown coffee shop introduces new specialty drinks.

How far out should someone book a reservation? For weekends I would recommend two weeks ahead. We also give our guests complimentary sparkling wine when they arrive if they make a reservation. What is your favorite restaurant in town, and what are you ordering? KAI Vietnamese Cuisine. All is not well if I don’t have their pork belly bao at least once a week. — TIM LANDES

MICHELLE POLLARD; SOUND BITE: TIM LANDES

CAFFEINE FIX Espresso and frothed milk share space with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and honey.

Any advice or tips for diners? Don’t be afraid to try new things.

VISIT TULSAPEOPLE.COM TO REGISTER FOR OUR

DOWNTOWN FUN GIVEAWAY!

$200 Package includes gift cards for Amelia’s, The Hunt Club and Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill!

The bART Center for Music THEBART.ORG 918.794.0330 info@thebart.org

TulsaPeople.com

Jim Blankenship

Quality Collision & Repair in DOWNTOWN Tulsa

We take pride in repairing cars and trucks properly, whether doing major body and finish work, repairing hail damage, or making small scratches and dings disappear. For over 47 years, it has been our privilege to help customers easily navigate through the auto claim and repair process. We invite and appreciate every opportunity to serve you. 1216 S. Detroit • jimblankenship@gmail.com • 918-587-4356

Arvest Bank – Commercial Lending People Helping People Find Financial Solutions for Life “Downtown Tulsa is the heartbeat of the city and THE place to be doing business in Tulsa,” says Arvest Bank Commercial Loan Manager Jack Carney*. Arvest Commercial Lending has provided exceptional customer service from its downtown offices for 30 years. “We have a no call transfer policy so customers deal with their banker at all times,” Carney says. “You call us with any questions and if we don’t know the answer we will find out and we will get the answer back to you the same day.” What sets Arvest apart from others is it has more than $26 billion in assets with their own wholly owned mortgage company, brokerage firm, bank card company, leasing company, etc. It is structured with 14 markets over a four-state footprint creating a local community bank service mindset. Tulsa is Arvest’s largest market at over $3 billion. Arvest offers operational working capital lines of credit and term loans that provides funds for capital expenditures and investments. Arvest is an SBA Preferred lender offering 504

and 7A loans. Arvest also offers customers equipment leasing as an alternative to traditional equipment financing. Arvest Bank received Forbes World’s Best Banks Award in 2019, 2020, 2021 and the Best-In-State for Oklahoma Award in 2019 and 2020. MEMBER FDIC. EQUAL HOUSING LENDER. *NMLS#879012

Arvest Bank – Commercial Lending • 502 S Main St. • 918-631-1154 • arvest.com 68

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

The GOAT Bar & Kitchen Downtown dining experience for all Whether you’re looking for a downtown dinner spot before an event or to spend time enjoying football with friends, The GOAT Bar & Kitchen has you covered. “The vibrant atmosphere, creative cocktails, and unique menu selection sets us apart from any other restaurant or bar in Tulsa,” says co-owner James Alame. “The large, open atmosphere makes The GOAT the perfect place for large groups, parties, and special occasions.” The GOAT offers an international/Mediterranean cuisine along with a wide variety of craft cocktails. On the weekends there is brunch, live music and DJs. If you want to stake your claim for your team’s game on Saturdays and Sundays, The GOAT is open for brunch from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. “We have a great selection of brunch dishes and cocktails and 10 large screen TVs, making The GOAT a great place to enjoy weekend football inside at the bar or on the patio,” says co-owner Nabil Alame. It is also a great place to host private parties and events with custom menus and buffet options available. If you have a specific budget in mind, The GOAT’s staff can create a menu especially for you that will include all of your favorite dishes and fit everything within your budget.

The GOAT Bar & Kitchen • 222. S. Kenosha Ave. • 918-574-8461 • thegoattulsa.com

JD Young Business Technologies Downtown Tulsa, proudly our roots and future “It’s hard for us to believe that nearly 70 years have passed since Joe Young first opened the doors of JD Young in Tulsa,” says Bob Stuart, CEO, and co-owner Doug Stuart. “Who could have known over 60 years later that his vision of serving Oklahoma’s business community would still be alive and thriving as it is today.” Today, JD Young succeeds by adapting and evolving with the times, and staying on top of the ever-changing document management industry and needs of clients. “Companies all over the state contact us for direction and ideas on how to be more efficient in their workflow practices,” says Stuart. “We are skilled at offering the best products and services to our customers, and backing-up our sales with excellent maintenance by our highlyskilled service teams.” JD Young’s mission is to help businesses better manage the flow of information and data through a more efficient usage of hardware systems, software solutions and advanced IT technology. “Specifically, we are skilled in providing information-handling processes that increase performance and reduce the cost of input, output and management,” noted Stuart. “It’s all about creating a document strategy for a business to identify how the

Doug Stuart and Bob Stuart, Jr. are grandsons of business founder Joe Young.

company is managing its paper files. The strategy is a needed step toward managing documents more efficiently as a means of increasing profitability.” The Stuart family realizes establishing and maintaining strong relationships with clients is the key to JD Young’s sustained success over six decades. “Our company’s guiding light from day one has been doing the right thing for customers…our business partners,” Stuart notes. “We count our blessings every day that we have a strong and growing base of clients and excellent employees to serve them.”

JD Young • 116 West Third Street • 918.582.9955 • jdyoung.com TulsaPeople.com

Save with Care Card October 22 - 31, 2021

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Locally Owned Since 1981 555 S ZUNIS AVE. | TALORTON.COM | 918.743.1600

www.SouthernAgriculture.com

Save 20% with Care Card'

Face A Face popup shop OCT. 29 AND 30

Let us help you create a beautiful celebration 415 East 12th Street Suite B | 918-340-5945 magpietulsa.com 70

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

2020 UTICA SQUARE | 918 -743 - 6 478 | HICKSBRUNSON.COM

Oct. 22 – 31, 2021 BENEFITING FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES 20% OFF AT PREMIER TULSA-AREA STORES

10% OFF FOOD, ART, ANTIQUES AND FURNITURE

PURCHASE CARE CARDS ONLY AT CARECARDOK.COM. #CARECARDOK * NEW MERCHANTS IN 2021

Broken Arrow 1907 115 E. Ft. Worth St., Broken Arrow 918-806-8579

Jara Herron Salon and Medical Spa 3410 S. Peoria Ave., Suite 300 918-742-3223

CareFirst Pharmacy 2530 N. Elm Place, Broken Arrow 918-994-1400

Joie de Vie Interiors 4224 S. Peoria Ave., Suite 2 918-938-6021

J. Spencer 870 E. Hillside Drive, Broken Arrow 918-872-9517

Lambrusco’z Deli 1344 E. 41st St. 918-496-1246

Johnson Floor and Home Carpet One 6551 S. Garnett Road, Broken Arrow 918-254-9200 Moody’s Jewelry 2013 W. Kenosha Ave., Broken Arrow 918-251-3340

Mecca Coffee Co. 1330 E. 41st St. 918-749-3509 Pure Barre Midtown 3807 S. Peoria Ave., Suite M 918-933-6006 Ribbons on Peoria 3525 S. Peoria Ave. 918-743-7599

Papa John’s Pizza 904 N. Elm Place, Broken Arrow 918-258-7272

Stash Apparel and Gifts 3734 S. Peoria Ave. 918-933-6893

Papa John’s Pizza 6323 S. Elm Place, Broken Arrow 918-321-7272

Total Pilates 3749 S. Peoria Ave. 918-744-9499 *

Southern Agriculture 1034 E. Lansing St., Broken Arrow 918-251-0267

Utica Square Skin Care 1325 E. 35th St., Suite B 918-712-3223

Southern Agriculture 1746 S. Elm Place, Broken Arrow 918-258-8080

Utopia Boutique 4817 S. Peoria Ave., Suite C 918-712-7355

Brookside/ Peoria Avenue Black Optical 3524 S. Peoria Ave., Suite D 918-794-0383

Cherry Street/ 15th Street Area Ascent 1309 E. 15th St. 918-557-3747

The Haley Boutique 3515 S. Peoria Ave. 918-280-0177

Bruce G. Weber Diamond Cellar 1523 E. 15th St. 918-749-1700

Ida Red General Store 3336 S. Peoria Ave. 918-949-6950 $

CareFirst Pharmacy 2516 E. 15th St. 918-728-6420

CYCLEBAR 1513 E. 15th St. 513-322-1663 Duvall ATELIER 2204 E. 15th St. 918-592-1225 Embellishments 1602 E. 15th St. 918-585-8688 * Hobbs Salon and Med Spa 1354 E. 15th St. 918-551-7988 Luminate Clinic 1723 E. 15th St., Suite 100 918-340-7090 * Luxe Nail Bar 1302 E. 15th St. 918-938-6027

$ DISCOUNT CODE FOR ONLINE PURCHASES

Papa John’s Pizza 502 S. Lynn Riggs Blvd., Claremore 918-343-8282 Downtown Area Candy Castle Ice Cream and Soda Shoppe 525 S. Main St. 918-960-8300 * Dilly Diner 402 E. Second St. 918-938-6382 Elgin Park 325 E. Reconciliation Way 918-986-9910 Fassler Hall 304 S. Elgin Ave. 918-576-7898

Yokozuna 309 E. Second St. 918-508-7676

Premier Popcorn 3215 S. Harvard Ave. 918-779-4333

East Tulsa Papa John’s Pizza 10829 E. 31st St. 918-628-7272

Signs Now 3229 S. Harvard Ave. 918-712-7446 *

Southern Agriculture 3146 S. Mingo Road 918-663-6770 Visions Tile and Stone Inc. 6801 E. 14th St. 918-592-1234 Greenwood District Rose Tax Solutions 107 N. Greenwood Ave. 855-818-2937 *

Glacier Chocolate 209 E. Archer St. 918-933-6484

Harvard Corridor Big Baby Rolls and Donuts 3739 E. 11th St. 918-551-6020 *

Ida Red General Store 208 N. Main St., 208A 918-398-6700

Empire Optical 3220 E. 21st St. 918-744-8005

Slade - Apparel + Home 1506 E. 15th St. 918-995-0594 $

James E. McNellie’s Public House 409 E. First St. 918-382-7468

The Inviting Place 3215 E. 21st St. 918-488-0525

Spexton Fine Jewelry 1609 E. 15th St. 918-699-0030

Juniper Restaurant 324 E. Third St. 918-794-1090

Claremore The Cozy Cottage 514 W. Will Rogers Blvd., Claremore 918-283-2232

Made 219 E. Archer St. 918-665-1478 $

Modern Cottage 1325 E. 15th St., Suite 106 918-933-5488 $ Q Clothier | Rye 51 1343 E. 15th St. 918-346-6487 *

The District Baby 418 W. Will Rogers Blvd., Claremore 918-923-7288 $ The District on Main 406 W. Will Rogers Blvd, Claremore 918-283-4637 $

Magpie 415 E. 12th St., Suite B 918-340-5945 * Prhyme 111 N. Main St. 918-794-7700 The Tavern 201 N. Main St. 918-949-9801

DENOTES ADVERTISER

Kiddlestix Toy Store 3815 S. Harvard Ave. 918-749-8697 Moody’s Jewelry 1137 S. Harvard Ave. 918-834-3371 Papa John’s Pizza 2802 E. 11th St. 918-599-7272 $ Papa John’s Pizza 5111 S. Harvard Ave. 918-744-7272 Pierpont’s Bath and Kitchen 1914 S. Harvard Ave. 918-747-2284

Southern Agriculture 2610 S. Harvard Ave. 918-747-6872 Ted and Debbie’s Flower and Garden 3901 S. Harvard Ave. 918-745-0011 The Top Drawer 3303 E. 32nd Place 918-747-2886 Tulsa Antiques 4305 E. 31st St. 918-935-3355 * Ed Beshara’s Fine Clothing 3539 S. Harvard Ave. 918-743-6416 Jenks Innovative Air Pros 123 S. Date Ave., Jenks 918-299-1955 * Spain Ranch 732 E. 116th St., Jenks 918-691-3040 Kendall Whittier Area T.A. Lorton 555 S. Zunis Ave. 918-743-1600 $ Ziegler Art and Frame 6 N. Lewis Ave. 918-584-2217 Market District Eleanor’s Bookshop 1102 S. Lewis Ave., Suite D 918-279-2665 Felizsta 1102 S. Lewis Ave., Suite B 918-663-2842 *

TulsaPeople.com

Gambill’s Wine + Coffee 1102 S. Lewis Ave., Suite C 918-521-6295 *

Jenkins and Co. 1335 E. 11th St., Suite E 918-794-7844

Moody’s Jewelry 5045 S. Sheridan Road 918-665-7464

Learning Express Toys 7891 E. 108th St. S., Suite X-8 918-970-6999

Gearhead Outﬁ tters 1948 Utica Square 918-878-9966 $

MetroShoe Warehouse 8802 E. 71st St. 918-938-6389 $

Graham Collective 1102 S. Lewis Ave., Suite A 918-332-0950 *

Tulsa Grill Store 1313 S. Lewis Ave. 918-665-8220

The Silver Needle 6068 S. Sheridan Road 918-493-1136 $

Luxe Furniture and Design 10545 S. Memorial Drive, Suite A 918-459-8950

Glacier Chocolate 1902 Utica Square 539-424-5992

Moody’s Jewelry 8140 E. 68th St. 918-252-1696

Howdy Burger 1124 S. Lewis Ave., Suite 109 918-742-0845

Promenade Mall/ 41st Street Area

The Uniform Shoppe Inc. 6044 S. Sheridan Road 918-494-7682 $

Marcum Mercantile 6305 E. 120th Court, Unit E 918-808-9678

Hicks Brunson Eyewear 2020 Utica Square 918-743-6478 $

Sun and Ski Sports 6808 S. Memorial Drive, Suite 200 918-254-0673

Shops at Seville Canterbury Lane Gifts 10021 S. Yale Ave., #107 918-299-0022

Moody’s Jewelry 10031 E. 71st St. 918-461-8777

Ihloff Salon and Day Spa 1876 Utica Square 918-587-2566

Papa John’s Pizza 8010 E. 106th St., Suite 105 918-279-7272

J. Spencer 1730 Utica Square 918-749-2919

Yale Corridor/ KingsPointe Village Bella’s House 4830 E. 61st St., Suite 210 918-442-2244

Reading Glasses To Go 7123 S. Yale Ave. 918-492-2722 $

Kendra Scott 1842 Utica Square 918-770-8303

Southern Agriculture 6501 E. 71st St. 918-488-1993

L’Occitane En Provence 1844 Utica Square 918-742-4431

Twenty Twenty Eyecare 7408 S. Yale Ave. 918-794-6700

The Lolly Garden 2046 Utica Square 918-742-6300

Vincent Anthony Jewelers 10038 S. Sheridan Road 918-291-9700

Margo’s Gift Shop 2058 Utica Square 918-747-8780

The Plaza

Moody’s Jewelry 1812 Utica Square 918-747-5599

Willamina 1207 S. Lewis Ave., Suite 100 310-753-6401 $ * North Tulsa Cheyenne’s Boxing Gym Inc. 2134 N. Madison Place 918-808-6320 * Habit Boutique 1717 N. Peoria Ave., Suite 12 918-986-9500 $

The Chizel 3310 S. Yale Ave. 918-551-7986 Johnson Floor and Home Carpet One 3940 S. Sheridan Road 918-664-9200 Rancho Flores Garden Center 4516 E. 31st St. 918-743-2434

Donna’s Fashions 10051 S. Yale Ave., Suite 105 918-299-6565 Glacier Chocolate 10051 S. Yale Ave., Suite 103 539-424-5992

Online Airco Service aircoservice.com 918-252-5667

Renaissance on Memorial Balance Pilates of Tulsa 8373 S. Memorial Drive 918-607-4367

SoBo Area Cohlmia’s 1502 S. Cincinnati Place 918-582-5572

Nielsen’s Gifts nielsensgifts.com 918-298-9700

Ihloff Salon and Day Spa 8343 S. Memorial Drive 918-587-2566

The Gadget Co. 104 E. 15th St. 918-749-9963

Peace, Love and Cookies peaceloveandcookiestulsa.com 918-519-5131

J. Spencer 8303 S. Memorial Drive 918-250-5587

Threads on Boston 1701 S. Boston Ave. 918-861-4994

Owasso Johnson Floor and Home Carpet One 9000 N. Garnett Road, Owasso 918-272-3003

Peek a Boo Baby 8283 S. Memorial Drive 918-298-0070

Tulsa Massage and Ayurvedic Bodywork 1626 S. Boston Ave., Suite A 918-938-4801

Papa John’s Pizza 12402 E. 86th St. N., Owasso 918-376-9292 Southern Agriculture 9255 N. Owasso Expressway, Owasso 918-274-3770 Surceé Gifts and Home 9455 N. Owasso Expressway, Suite CB, Owasso 918-272-4005 Wild Ivy 201 S. Main St., Suite 180, Owasso 918-928-4554 * Wilder Brothers 201 S. Main St., Suite 160, Owasso 918-376-6168 * Pearl District Family and Children’s Services Thrift Store 724 S. Utica Ave. 918-340-5040 Garden Deva Sculpture Co. 1326 E. Third St. 918-592-3382 $

Riverside Area/ Kings Landing J. Cole Shoes 9930 Riverside Parkway 918-392-3388 $

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

Tulsa Hills Johnson Floor and Home Carpet One 7841 S. Olympia Ave. 918-561-6777

Stash Apparel and Gifts 9918 Riverside Parkway 918-518-6808

South Lewis Corridor Moody’s Jewelry 7015 S. Lewis Ave. 918-749-4644

Sapulpa Papa John’s Pizza 12174 S. Waco Ave., Sapulpa 918-227-3232

South Tulsa Abelina’s Boutique 11083 S. Memorial Drive 918-398-8175

Utica Square Area Boxworks 1956 Utica Square 918-749-3475

Bella’s House 7890 E. 106th Place, V-12 918-938-8992

Cariloha 1760 Utica Square 918-340-5446 $

Ediblend Superfood Cafe 10115 S. Sheridan Road, Unit C 918-900-1717 *

Coach 1846 Utica Square 918-742-7533

Expressly Gifts 10032 S. Sheridan Road, Suite H2A 918-664-3320

Dog Dish 1778 Utica Square 918-624-2600

Sheridan Corridor/ The Farm Apothecary Shoppe 6136 E. 51st St. 918-665-2003 * Black Sheep Boutique 5219 S. Sheridan Road 918-561-6079 CareFirst Pharmacy 6214 S. Sheridan Road 918-940-6767 Get Stitchin’ 6562 E. 51st St. 918-481-1055 MAC Collection Boutique 5111 S. Sheridan Road 918-740-0705 *

The Velvet Willow 1645 S. Cheyenne Ave., Suite B 918-849-0809

Travers Mahan Men’s Apparel 8146 S. Lewis Ave., Suite E 918-296-4100

Fig Medical Spa 8921 S. Yale Ave., Suite B 918-932-8810 IMC Pharmacy 6333 E. 120th Court, Suite A 918-576-6602 *

Southern Agriculture 7836 S. Olympia Ave. 918-794-7387

The Dolphin Fine Linens 1960 Utica Square 918-743-6634 $ Ediblend Superfood Cafe 2050 Utica Square 918-991-1717 *

Muse Intimates 1876 Utica Square 918-392-3430 New Balance Tulsa 2030 Utica Square 918-744-8334 Pavilion 1826 Utica Square 918-743-8601 Pendleton Woolen Mills 1828 Utica Square 918-742-1723 SALT Yoga at Utica Square 1708 Utica Square 918-392-7888 Wild Fork 1820 Utica Square 918-742-0712 Walnut Creek Area Kathleen’s Kids 8212 S. Harvard Ave. 918-742-2697 Woodland Hills Mall Area Coach 7021 S. Memorial Drive, Suite 180 918-307-0155

Luxe Nail Bar 4820 E. 61st St. 539-867-1688 McNellie’s South City 7031 S. Zurich Ave. 918-933-5250 Rags and Riches Lifestyle Boutique 6056 S. Yale Ave. 918-574-8472 $ Row House South Tulsa 4820 E. 61st St., Suite 120 918-805-6527 * Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop 5960 S. Yale Ave. 918-477-7408 Yale Village Area Amber Marie and Co. 4932 E. 91st St., Suite 106 918-576-6001 The Cook’s Nook 9146 S. Yale Ave., Suite 110 918-933-6767 CYCLEBAR 9110 S. Yale Ave., Suite B 918-346-9399 Jara Herron Salon and Medical Spa 9168 S. Yale Ave. 918-982-2362 Pardon My French 9168 S. Yale Ave., Suite 160 918-728-7250 Pure Barre South Tulsa 8921 S. Yale Ave., Suite C 918-494-4977 Yokozuna South 9146 S. Yale Ave., Suite 100 918-619-6271

shop early and save

1335 E. 11th St. Suite E. • Tulsa, OK 74120 located on historic Route 66

Design • Custom Furnishings • Gifts Architecture • Interiors • Showroom

Wedding Registry & Home Styling Available

Celebrating 20 years in business 2001-2021

1960 Utica Square Follow us @thedolphinfinelinens

2204 East 15th Street Tulsa, OK info@duvallatelier.com

3815 S. Harvard Ave. www.kiddlestixtoys.com

Unique Drinkware

Online Shopping @ jenkinsandcotulsa .com

jenkinsandcotulsa

Gifts for the hard-to-buy-for person

3310 S. Yale Ave. | M-F 9am to 5pm | thechizel.com

TulsaPeople.com

olivetobistro.com

Un-chain Yourselfy.

• 2 0 21 •

TULSA

From Ordinar

91st & Memorial

918-994-7000

BRUSCHETTA “SUNDAE” We take great pride in creating flavorful catering options that set your local Oliveto apart from the big chain restaurants. Feed as few as 10 or as many as 500—we’re ready when you are.

For a complete catering menu,

visit olivetobistro.com

Three locations in the Tulsa Metro Area: Jenks • Broken Arrow • Owasso

On-site seating for parties of up to 80 people. Off-site catering for large or small groups. Gift cards available!

Dine at our beautiful restaurant located on the Arkansas River in Jenks, OK, or cater your event with us! Gift cards available for any amount.

Check our website in late November for our annual holiday gift card promotion.

loscabosok.com 74

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

120 AQUARIUM DRIVE JENKS, OK 74037 918-518-6300 | WATERFRONTGRILLJENKS.COM

With a nod to fall, eucalyptus and pampas grass add earthy elements to the ﬂoral arrangement.

Setting the scene AS THE HOLIDAYS APPROACH, SET YOUR TABLE WITH STYLE AS INSPIRED BY THESE FOUR CREATIVE DESIGNS. STORIES BY ANNE BROCKMAN PHOTOS BY MICHELLE POLLARD

A feather wreath becomes a layer in the design beneath a rhinestone charger.

Purple is Adorn Owner Whitney Eslicker’s signature color, and she incorporates it wherever she can.

Halloween Design by Whitney Eslicker, owner of ADORN, a holiday and gift shop at 315 S. Trenton Ave., Suite B. TulsaPeople.com

Planning perfection So many details go into organizing and hosting an event small or large. Here are some tips from local professionals on things to remember when planning an event this upcoming season.

Use a neutral tablecloth, like this velvet linen, so the colors used in the ﬂowers, plates and accessories pop.

BOOK NOW. Timing is everything. If you’re wanting to host a party at a venue, Jackie Potter, owner of Station 13, says time is of the essence. Fall and winter dates are already ﬁlling up at her event venue. “Some clients are hesitant to book not knowing how COVID will affect them,” Potter says. “I would encourage them to talk to their venue and understand the policies they have in place regarding canceling/rescheduling an event due to COVID.” BE FLEXIBLE. “Things are constantly changing and COVID is affecting all of us in different ways,” Potter says. She also encourages looking at venues with both indoor and outdoor space.

Lean into the colored glassware trend with a shaded goblet. Jewel tones, as well as pops of terracotta, copper and burgundy, are trending for fall.

BE THOROUGH. Event professionals like Justin Thompson, chef and owner of Justin Thompson Catering, review several key points with their clients prior to the event such as the type of the event, size, on-site vendors and setup. “We always tend to focus on what our guests are celebrating so we can enhance their experience. We don’t ever think the food should be the star of the show, but that it should be a supporting role to the celebration at hand,” Thompson says. “That may sound weird to hear a chef say food isn’t the most important part of the event, but we truly believe we are there to be the perfect complement to our guests’ weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthdays, holiday parties or whatever else they’re celebrating.”

Thanksgiving Design by Meagan Potts at PARTY PRO RENTS, 6511 E. 44th St. 76

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

FINAL 9-17-21

MAZ-212123 // TULSA PEOPLE : Holiday Parties & Catering Guide Quarter Page - Live area 3.875"W x 4.875"H // Prints process color

Visit mazzioscatering.com for details.

Call Mazzio’s when you have a big group of guests to serve. We love to cater and we’ll make you the Hero!

SAVOR THE FLAVORS OF AUTHENTIC SOUTHWEST I NSPIRED DISHES 35 0 9 S . PEORI A AV E . • 918.74 5.6 69 9 • CA FEOL EBROOK SIDE .COM

BEAUJOLAIS ET LUMIÈRE November 19, 2021

A French Bistro Evening celebrating the release of the 2021 Beaujolais Nouveau and a preview of the 2021 Botanic Garden of Lights

35 23 S PEORIA AVE 918•747•94 6 3 olvine.com

Dinner by Summit Club Executive Chef Bill Lyle

benefitting Tulsa Botanic Garden

Details and tickets at 918-289-0330 TulsaBotanic.org

B RU N CH IS ALWAYS GOOD IDE A • SAT / SU N 10A M–2PM TulsaPeople.com

A playful take on a Christmas morning breakfast.

Get creative with your place card. Add a quote from a favorite holiday movie for an easy conversation starter.

“It’s all about layers,” says Annie Brady, owner of Magpie.

Christmas Design by Annie Brady, owner of MAGPIE, a soiree supply shop at 415 E. 12th St., Suite B. 78

TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2021

Seasonal savories Different heights of ﬂowers and tealights make for an interesting tablescape.

With parties and gatherings comes food and drink. Justin Thompson, chef and owner of Justin Thompson Catering, shares some trends for the upcoming holiday party season. Comfort food is in. “Going back to friendly favorites and dishes that people know will be crowd pleasers has been the trend for us a little more than the multi-course dinners we’ve seen in the past,” he says. Since gatherings and celebrations were nonexistent or greatly minimized over the past year and a half, hosts want to ensure guests’ expectations are met and exceeded.

Against a black tablecloth, gold stars symbolize making a wish for the coming year.

With buffets trending downward, more requests have been made for individually boxed meals served in an outdoor venue. “But the more common trend is gatherings of fewer people,” he says. Thompson and his crew are following health precautions and continue to wear masks and gloves at events and check temperatures of staff. “We do our best to give our guests comfort in knowing we do all we can to honor food safety, as we’ve always done as a company,” he says.

Geared toward a fun, elegant dinner party

New Year’s Eve Design by Mandy Lopp, senior account manager at TPC STUDIOS. TulsaPeople.com