ROAD TRIP-WORTHY RESTAURANTS. PAGE 7 OUTDOOR KITCHEN EXPANDS LIVING SPACE. PAGE 54 MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND ROCKLAHOMA. PAGE 60 FESTIVAL SEASON KICKS OFF. PAGE 67
TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE
Cooking with
FIRE
From championship barbecue to the smoked delicacy that is bologna, you may want a bib for this. Page 12-53
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C A R P E T • T I L E • WO O D • L A M I N AT E • V I N Y L • N AT U R A L S TO N E
FROM THE COVER
Cooking with Fire Whether it’s grilling, barbecue or another creative way of cooking, fire and smoke add a unique flavor to food that can’t be matched. In this issue, we explore cooking with fire in several different forms.
May-June 2018 12 @tulsamagazine facebook.com/tulsaworldmag
The three-meat combo comes with ribs, sausage, brisket, cowboy beans and potato salad at Bad Brad’s Bar-B-Q Joint in Pawhuska. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World Magazine Cover photo by MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World Magazine
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Barbecue road trip: Take a trip up Oklahoma’s barbecue trail.
In the Know: Find award-winning barbecue at local restaurants.
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How I Got Here: The restaurant biz is in Albert G’s owner Chuck Gawey’s blood.
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Wood-burning menu: At Amelia’s, the menu revolves around open flames.
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State delicacy: Smoked bologna holds a special spot on Oklahoma menus.
Collecting classics: For some Hasty-Bake owners, older is better. Butcher BBQ: The Route 66 stop serves some of the state’s best barbecue.
Sauces and rubs: Unlock the flavor to delicious barbecue.
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INSIDE
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Worth the drive: 20 restaurants that you won’t regret hitting the road to visit.
Deco: Outdoor kitchens add value and beauty to a new or existing home.
60
Rock on: With assist from chainsaw-wielding rocker, Wisconsin couple make Pryor their home and site of one of the country’s biggest rock festivals.
Also inside
84
Let’s Go: Your guide to upcoming events in the Tulsa area.
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All by yourself: Tulsa World Magazine writer James D. Watts Jr. explores the Philbrook Museum of Art. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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Arts in Tulsa: From the best plays to the newest exhibits, find out what is happening in Tulsa’s arts scene.
The End: Midtown vs. south Tulsa, the Interstate 44 divide is a friendly rivalry — until money gets involved. Tulsa World Magazine 5
FROMTHE
EDITOR.
Tulsa World Magazine is a specialty publication of the Tulsa World, 315 S. Boulder Ave., Tulsa, OK 74103. This magazine is published with the April 28, 2018, edition of the World. All content copyright Tulsa World 2018. The contents may not be reproduced without permission. ASHLEY PARRISH Editor ashley.parrish@tulsaworld.com NICOLE MARSHALL MIDDLETON Assistant Editor nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com JAMES ROYAL Lead Designer SARA STEPHENSON Slot Editor
Travis Horn pulls brisket from a smoker at Bad Brad’s Bar-B-Q Joint in Pawhuska. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World Magazine
SCOTT CHERRY, JOHN KLEIN, MICHAEL OVERALL, PATRICK PRINCE, MICHAEL SMITH, JIMMIE TRAMEL, JAMES D. WATTS JR. Writers
Tulsa’s barbecue enough to convert the toughest cynic
JOHN CLANTON Photo Editor JOHN WALBLAY Page Editor KYLE MARGERUM, VANESSA PEARSON, STEVE RECKINGER Designers Additional copies of Tulsa World Magazine can be purchased for $3.95 plus tax at the front office of Tulsa World, online at tulsaworldmagazine.com or by calling 918-581-8584. Phone and online orders will incur an additional $1 shipping charge. For bulk sales (26 or more copies) and rates, contact Paul Foster at paul.foster@tulsaworld.com or 918-587-5843.
ADVERTISE IN TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE To advertise, contact Suzanne Hicks at 918-699-8833 or suzanne.hicks@tulsaworld.com.
WANT MORE TWM? Don’t want to miss a copy of Tulsa World Magazine? Make sure you get them all by subscribing to the Tulsa World at tulsaworld.com/subscribe.
6 Tulsa World Magazine
ASHLEY PARRISH Tulsa World Magazine Editor
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may have been the most unlikely person to ever step foot into a KCBS training room. An almost-vegetarian, I’d never had pulled pork or ribs. And if I ate anything grilled, it was eggplant. But as the food writer for the Tulsa World, I was invited to attend an all-day certification class for the Kansas City Barbeque Society, where I was promised the answer to the age-old question: What makes the best barbecue? At the end of a long day of training — with volunteers smoking some of the best chicken, pork, brisket and sausage I’ve still ever eaten — I knew a few things. I could tell you the perfect consistency of a rib — which is not falling off the bone. I knew that a smoke ring on a piece of brisket is a thing of beauty but not necessarily indicative of flavor. And I knew that this thing called barbecue — the power of harnessing fire and smoke and turning it into something delicious — was an art form. I’ve been a believer ever since. In Tulsa, we have arguably the best barbecue in the world. We’re the home of Hasty-Bake. And Burn Co. And the real Oklahoma Joe. And now that it’s almost summer, when food lovers hit the road looking for the best restaurants or flood their own backyards to grill, it’s time to celebrate. So take this magazine and find a new restaurant. Visit an old favorite. Or pull out the smoker or kettle grill and hit the backyard. It’s summer, and we’re cooking with fire.
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20 best Restaurants that are worth the short trip from Tulsa
By J o h n Kle i n • tu lsa wo r l d magazine
Jump in the car and check out these road tripworthy restaurants within 100 miles of Tulsa.
1. Copper Restaurant + Bar 510 S. Dewey Ave., Bartlesville 918-336-4949 The Copper, on the 15th and 16th floor of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Price Tower, has long been one of the most unique and beautiful restaurants in our state. However, the quality of food was often uneven. Now, through an innovative new “Wright Chef” program, chef Jimmy Sanabria-Cardec, formerly the chef de partie at the Four Seasons in Dallas, is turning out interesting dishes off a completely new menu. Some believe the food now matches the view. Both are great.
2. Pioneer Woman Mercantile 532 Kihekah Ave., Pawhuska 918-528-7705 People have driven from the East Coast, West Coast, Canada and Mexico to eat and shop at the Mercantile. So, it is probably worth a few hours of your time to go see what all the hubbub is about. The menu is loaded with traditional Oklahoma favorites. It is good. And, you can walk off some of that gravy by shopping in the expansive store.
3. Pete’s Place 120 S.W. Eighth St., Krebs 918-423-2042 Considered to be Italian food heaven in Oklahoma, Pete’s Place has been open for 93 years and is still owned and operated by the same family. The menu and recipes have not changed through nine decades. And, it is the home of Krebsbrewed Choc Beer. Toasted ravioli is fabulous, as are the lamb fries, but the most popular dish remains the traditional Italian dinner.
4. The Artichoke Restaurant 2610 N. Third St., Langley 918-782-9855
3 Thomas Irish plates pasta at Pete’s Place in Krebs. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World Magazine file
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A favorite among Grand Lakers, Artichoke is in a cozy century-old farmhouse just north of Langley near the shores of Grand Lake. The restaurant bar may be the smallest in the state. Regulars rave about the food including a Syrian salad, steak soup and whole fried potato. Many of the vegetables and spices come from the restaurant’s garden. There is a weekly farmers market during the spring and summer. Tulsa World Magazine 7
5. Ranchers Club H103 Student Union, Stillwater; 405-744-2333 Oklahoma State University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management is one of the best in the world. It makes sense that it would be home to one of the state’s top restaurants. The Ranchers Club is arguably one of the best steakhouses in Oklahoma, decorated with memorabilia from Oklahoma ranches. The “Vegas Cut” steak is a tender steak developed at OSU’s meat science lab.
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6. Clanton’s Cafe 319 E. Illinois Ave., Vinita 918-256-9053 A lot of must-see landmarks are along Route 66, from Chicago to the Santa Monica pier. Clanton’s Cafe would qualify as one of the “must-eat” stops. Vinita is home to the world championship calf fry every spring, and this diner is a great place to try the local delicacy. This is Oklahoma food — chicken-fried steak, fried chicken, fried catfish. Guy Fieri, star of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” loves this place and even helped create the sauce in which to dip the calf fries.
7. Click’s Steakhouse 409 Harrison St., Pawnee 918-762-2231 Click’s has been open for 55 years. It is a traditional smalltown steakhouse. In other words, affordable. You’ll pay less than $25 for a 24-ounce steak with all the sides. Try getting that in Las Vegas. There are special luncheon buffets, which include frog legs, every day. People drive from all over northern Oklahoma to get to Click’s. Also, check out the town square. Pawnee is a cool little town, the home of entertainer/promoter Pawnee Bill and Dick Tracy cartoonist Chester Gould.
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Server Rodney Tinnin cleans a table at the Ranchers Club, a steakhouse inside the Atherton Hotel on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World Magazine file
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8. Enrique’s Mexican 2213 N. Waverly St., Suite 3, Ponca City 580-762-5507 Yes, this is a Mexican restaurant in the terminal of a small airport in northcentral Oklahoma. And, yes, it is fabulous. Plenty of folks from all over the country swear this is the best Mexican food north of San Antonio. Many famous actors, musicians and athletes have either eaten here or gotten takeout while their private jets were refueling on crosscountry trips. Puffy chips and pico to start. Then, try it all.
The Monterrey is on the menu at Enrique’s Mexican Restaurant in Ponca City. MATT BARNARD/ Tulsa World Magazine file
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10 A biker races past Eskimo Joe’s in Stillwater on a rainy morning. Tulsa World Magazine file
9. Restaurant of the Cherokees 17793 U.S. 62, Tahlequah; 918-456-2070 Frybread and cornbread are just the start. The Cherokees own and operate several buffets at their deluxe casino-resorts around the state. This is the best. People drive two hours or more for the fried catfish, fried chicken and meatloaf. Get there early for lunch. The line starts forming by 11 a.m. on the grounds of the Cherokee Nation headquarters.
10. Eskimo Joe’s 507 W. Elm Ave., Stillwater 405-372-8896 Some will argue this is more of a college bar and/or T-shirt shop. They might be right. Still, you are missing out if you don’t try “Joe’s cheese fries,” arguably the single most-famous dish at any Oklahoma restaurant. Owner Stan Clark says his jumpin’ little juke joint is equal parts fun and food. It is often ranked as one of the best college bars in the nation. But, you’ll be surprised if you aren’t expecting good food, too.
11. Hammett House 1616 W. Will Rogers Blvd., Claremore 918-341-7333
11 Hammett House in Claremore has been serving chicken-fried steak and other Oklahoma favorites since 1969. Jimmie Tramel/Tulsa World Magazine file TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
This is another iconic Route 66 diner. This is Oklahoma’s pie heaven. It is hard to pick a favorite. Hot apple pie is famous. “Mashed potato” rolls. House-made salad dressing. And, yes, chicken-fried steak and other Oklahoma favorites. It is just down the street from the Will Rogers Memorial, one of the state’s most beloved historical sites. Tulsa World Magazine 9
12. Kumback Lunch 625 Delaware St., Perry 405-336-4646 I grew up craving the cinnamon rolls at the Kumback. So did generations of other Perryans. Opened in 1926, it is one of the state’s most unique small-town cafes. It is part diner, part museum. The walls are lined with pictures and mementos of Perry’s extensive wrestling history. Just a few doors down is a Perry wrestling monument park. Good food. Friendly folks. They will say howdy and want to know your family history before you leave.
13. Venesian Inn 582 W. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, Arkansas 479-361-2562 Tontitown used to be the largest Italian settlement west of the Mississippi River. Most nice days, you can still watch a game of bocce ball in the city park. The Venesian Inn is more than 70 years old and pairs traditional Italian specialties with fried chicken or steak.
14. Murphy’s Original Steak House 1625 S.W. Frank Phillips Blvd., Bartlesville; 918-336-4789 Just about everyone orders the special — a “hot hamburger with gravy over all.” It is a large hamburger patty on a bed of Texas Toast covered by a mountain of french fries. All of it is drenched in a brown gravy. Yes, it is remarkably good. And the garlic dressing on the salad is similarly unique. Murphy’s is a true Oklahoma culinary experience.
12 Server Nancy Rader (left) jokes with customers Pat Jones and Paul and Phyllis Smith at the Kumback Lunch cafe in downtown Perry. Tulsa World Magazine file
16. Waylan’s Hamburgers the Ku-Ku 915 N. Main St., Miami 918-542-1696
17. JL’s Original Bar-B-Q 5501 S. Mill St., Pryor 918-825-7427
The sign. This is one of the coolest signs on Route 66. It has been here for nearly 60 years. The food is good, a traditional 1950sstyle drive-in. But, what makes this a muststop is the same as Route 66 icons, such as the Blue Whale, Totem Pole Park and the Golden Driller — it is a road trip-worthy Route 66 landmark. I’ve got friends from Miami, Oklahoma. One you hear over the public address system at every Oklahoma State football and basketball game. The other has a Heisman Trophy. They speak lovingly of this place.
There seems to be some debate among some of JL’s biggest fans about what is best at JL’s. Some believe the fried chicken is better than the barbecue. However, everyone seems to agree that there is nothing better than the potatoes. We have friends who will drive to Pryor just to get a plate, and it is a large plate, with a mountain of potatoes. Go for the potatoes. Try the barbecue and chicken. Been open for 42 years. They are obviously doing something right.
15. Sam and Ella’s Chicken Palace 419 N. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah 918-456-1411 The sign may say chicken. What it really means is pizza. A longtime favorite of Northeastern State University students, staff and visitors, it is right at the main entrance to NSU. Rumor has it that country music superstar Carrie Underwood used to work here. Thick-crust pizza. You’ll need a box for the leftovers. 10 Tulsa World Magazine
Waylan’s Hamburgers the Ku-Ku in Miami, Oklahoma, is a Route 66 landmark. Tulsa World
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Magazine File
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20 Rock Cafe in Stroud is a can’t-miss Route 66 diner. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World Magazine file
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Owner Julie Hughes stands behind the order counter at the Pig-N-Out in Salina. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World Magazine file
18. Pig-N-Out Drive-In 303 W. Ferry St., Salina 918-434-8880 Honestly, there is no better place in the state for great drive-in food than Salina. Pig-NOut is great, but many believe the Dairy Deal down the street is just as good. Both have a long history of turning out trip-worthy burgers and fries. Plan on lots of napkins in your car.
19. Doc’s Bar and Grill Shangri-La Resort, 31000 OK-125, Afton; 918-257-4204 This is a hub of activity at the new Shangri-La Resort on Monkey Island. There are five restaurants at Shangri-La, several are exclusive to members and resort guests only. However, Doc’s is open to all and has good food. The real draw here is the indoor and outdoor seating near the pool complex and the marina. It has become sort of the unofficial place to see and be seen at the tip of Monkey Island. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
20. Rock Cafe 114 W. Main St., Stroud 918-968-3990 The Rock Cafe is another “can’t-miss” Route 66 diner in northeastern Oklahoma. It started out as a bus stop on Route 66 and dates back to 1939. The menu is often full of surprises, but all of the traditional favorites are available. It’s been featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” which described the menu as dishes “from everywhere.” It includes everything from Buffalo burgers and jagerschnitzel to chicken-fried steak and spaetzle. Find tons of memorabilia from the movie “Cars,” which helped inspire the film crew that spent many hours at the Rock Cafe in the early 2000s. Tulsa World Magazine 11
COOKING WITH FIRE
fanning
the fame Take a drive up Oklahoma’s barbecue trail
T
By John Klein | Tulsa World Magazine
here is no place like a short stretch near our state’s northern border with Kansas for uniquely Oklahoma barbecue joints. From Ponca City to Bartlesville, a 71-mile journey on U.S. 60, are three of the state’s most famous barbecue restaurants. Add in a 31-mile side trip to Skiatook and you can try four of the state’s finest in wood-fired foods. Call it “Oklahoma’s barbecue trail,” a 102-mile trip to rib heaven. From west to east, you can visit Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters (a descendant of Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce) in Ponca City, Bad Brad’s Bar-B-Q (a favorite of real cowboys riding the real range of Osage County) in Pawhuska and Dink’s World Famous Pit BBQ (favored by oilmen of all types) in Bartlesville. If you have room for one more rack of ribs, take a short detour south to Mac’s Barebecue in Skiatook. Founder Mike McMillan, now retired, was one of the most famous competition barbecue chefs in national cook-offs back in the early 1980s and 1990s. All of have been in business for at least 30 years. “Thirty years in the restaurant business is like a lifetime or two,” said Danny Head of Ponca City. It is amazing that so many barbecue joints have survived in one relatively 12 Tulsa World Magazine
Hours of operation Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters, Ponca City 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday Closed Sunday
Bad Brad’s Bar-B-Q, Pawhuska 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday Closed Sunday.
Dink’s World Famous Pit BBQ, Bartlesville 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Mac’s Barbecue, Skiatook 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday Closed SundayMonday
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Ponca City
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Bartlesville
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Dink’s World Famous Pit BBQ 2929 E. Frank Phillips Blvd., Bartlesville 918-335-0606
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Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters 1217 E. Prospect Ave., Ponca City 580-767-8304
Bad Brad’s Bar-B-Q 1215 W. Main St., Pawhuska 918-287-1212
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Skiatook
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Danny Head puts a log of pecan wood in the smoker at Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters in Ponca City. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World Magazine
1030 W. Rogers Blvd., Skiatook 918-396-4165
Tulsa
STEVEN RECKINGER/Tulsa World
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Above, store manager Jamiel Anderson prepares a brisket at Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters in Ponca City. At right, customers dine at Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters in Ponca City. TOM GILBERT/ Tulsa World Magazine
small area of the state. “That is pretty unusual,” said Adam Green, who now owns and operates Mac’s in Skiatook with his wife, Holly. “Lots of good barbecue up here.” Head has been in the barbecue business for nearly 40 years. First, he operated a sauce business — the fabulously successful Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce. Then, about 32 years ago, he opened a restaurant. When he sold the sauce business a few years ago, he changed the name of the restaurant to Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters. “Just wanted to eliminate some of the confusion,” Head said. “Nothing really changed. We are in the same location. We use the same recipes. We have the sauce and seasonings. “It is a tough business. We’ve had some tough years and some good years. But, we’re still here, and it is the same stuff we’ve had for years. I think all of it is good.”
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The Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce was developed by “Uncle Bud” Head while serving in the Navy during World War II. Danny bought the business in the 1980s. From there, he started winning barbecue cook-offs with the sauce and his smoking team. That led to the restaurant. “We get folks from all over,” Head said. “People always ask me our
specialty. I tell them everything. I like it all. “Things are going good. The best year we ever had at the restaurant was last year.” Bad Brad’s in Pawhuska also dates back to the 1980s although owner Bobby Horn has only been involved for about 10 years. Located in a small house on the west side of Pawhuska, about 45 TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
miles from Ponca City, Brad’s was started by Brad Barton in a small trailer in Texas before moving to Pawhuska. It earned a great reputation with the cowboys and cowgirls who work the ranches throughout Osage County. These days, it is not unusual to see car tags in the parking lot from all over the country. There is a spillover from the Pioneer Woman Mercantile, the popular restaurant/shop in downtown Pawhuska. “We get a pretty wide variety of people from all over,” Horn said. “We’ve been here for a long time. People know where we are and what to expect.” What they expect is good barbecue and a true Old West atmosphere. Bad Brad’s delivers authenticity. Every Friday and Saturday during the spring and summer, Bad Brad’s has a steak cookout. Steaks are grilled over an open flame for customers sitting at picnic tables under shade trees. “We’ve got a lot of people who really like that up here,” Horn said. “It is a bit different.” Drive another 26 miles east and you’ll find Dink’s in Bartlesville. Dink’s opened in 1982. All of the meat is still smoked in the original concrete
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bunker pit. And Dink’s still uses nothing but hickory wood to fire the smoker. Jim Curd has been the owner and operator for more than 30 years. “We always like to say that if the meat is not right then nothing else matters,”
The dining room at Bad Brad’s Bar-B-Q in Pawhuska features an Old West atmosphere. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World Magazine
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Curd said. “We take the food very seriously because that’s what people have come to expect here at Dink’s.” And Dink’s is known for service. There are a handful of longtime employees including one who has been with the Bartlesville landmark for about 25 years. “I know that’s a part of the success of any restaurant that has been open this long,” Curd said. “You’ve got to have good food and good people.” McMillan opened Mac’s in Skiatook, about 30 miles south of Dink’s, in 1985. McMillan got his start by winning a long list of barbecue cook-offs, including national titles at the American Royal in Kansas City and the Jack Daniel's Invitational in Lynchburg, Tennessee. When McMillan decided to retire a few years ago, it was a natural fit for the Greens, McMillan’s daughter and son-in-law. “I learned this business from Mike, and I know how hard he worked to make this place a success,” Adam Green said. “Why change anything? It has been working so long. Yes, we have a few new wrinkles we’ve been working on. You always have a few ideas you’d like to try.
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Above, the three-meat combo with ribs, sausage, brisket, cowboy beans and potato salad is served at Bad Brad’s Bar-B-Q in Pawhuska. At left, Travis Horn adds wood to a smoker at Bad Brad’s. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World Magazine
“But Mike is my barbecue idol. He won a lot of cook-offs. So, keep doing what he’s been doing all of these years.” That includes an old smoker, the original from 1985, nicknamed “Grandpa.” No gas. No electricity. Just a smoker fired by pecan wood. “Everything, from seasonings and sauces, is made from scratch,” Green said. “That’s the way Mike did it. That’s the way we do it.”
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how I got here.
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COOKING WITH FIRE
Chuck Gawey
Albert G’s owner has business in his blood I n t e r v i e w b y J a s o n C o l l i n g t o n / P h o t o b y T o m Gi l b e r t
> I’m just an average Joe who likes to work. > My work ethic is from my dad. He worked hard as a dentist for 45 years. He had to. I am the oldest of four boys and then we have a sister. And we’re all close in age. He had a little overhead there. > I am Lebanese, and I feel like the restaurant business is in my blood. I had relatives in the business. My dad’s first cousin was Jimmy Elias, who had Jamil’s. I started bussing tables back in high school in the late ’70s. It was so busy. It was an old house. You had to go up and down these stairs to get to the kitchen. It was a tight fit. There were a few times we had some breakage. > I went to OU. I had a first cousin who owned the Jamil’s in Oklahoma City. It was the ’80s. He had some other restaurants. I would work for him. Then after I graduated, I worked for him as a manager. I always worked. Didn’t take many days off. In 1992, I decided it was time to do my own thing. That’s when I opened Albert G’s. > I had to do my own thing because I needed to make more money. I had learned enough, and it was time. I needed another challenge. > Taking a risk is not a big deal. I love to take risks. I get that from my mom. My dad would never bet on anything. But my mom will and that is where I get that from. Chuck Gawey But I don’t really look at it as a risk. If I set my mind to it, it’s going to be successful. Gawey, 56, is the owner of Albert G’s, > When it came to barbecue, I just started doing it. I didn’t really know what I was which opened in doing. But we developed our sauce and a rub. Willie Seals was with me from Day One 1992. He grew up in making all the side dishes. My mom was with me at the beginning, and she decided Tulsa and worked in she wanted to make tabouli. the restaurant busi> In the restaurant business, you don’t have to be the sharpest tool. But you do ness for members of need to work. You need to take care of your customers. I don’t know how you do that his family. Albert G’s unless you are there. original restaurant is > The way I manage is by example. They see me there every day. They see me doing in a refurbished gas all the stuff. The little things. That is how I teach them, and that’s what I expect. If they station. The second see me taking the trash out, they should take the trash out. You’re going to do all the location is downtown things I’m doing. Hopefully, I rub off. in the building that once housed OK > You never get done building your business. You have people coming in your doors Machine Works. every day. You do what you can to make them come back. With barbecue, I think we can always improve. We can always try to do a little bit better. There is a lot of art to it. > Most banks will say no because of the failure rate of restaurants. > Twenty-six years ago, I did Harvard (Avenue location) with about 60 grand. It took five banks to finally find someone who would loan me, a first-time restaurant guy, the money. The last guy, Eric Bohne, said, “I will loan it to you.” > Fast forward to the downtown deal. One of my regular customers told me to go to this bank. I go to sign the papers, and they wanted to introduce me to the head of the bank. Who was it? Eric Bohne, the same guy who loaned me the money for the first store. I had no idea. > In the old days, when someone didn’t like your food, they would tell their friends. Now, if someone doesn’t like their food, they tell the whole world. It’s hard to make everyone happy. > Tulsans love their steak, their barbecue, their Mexican food and pizzas. You don’t want to stray too far from some of that. > I don’t have a formula. You work hard. You have to have some good help. It’s out there. One thing Tulsa has done is provide me some great people. That’s all there is. > I don’t consider myself a chef. I don’t have anyone who I strive to be like. I’m too old for that. > Luck? No. Not really. I don’t know what was lucky. If I was lucky, I would be on a beach somewhere retired. Luck is when you go to Vegas and hit three sevens on a slot machine three different times in 24 hours like I did once. That is luck. In business, I haven’t been lucky. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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COOKING WITH FIRE
Fired up about great food Campfire cooking inspired Amelia’s chef Kevin Snell to create unique menu By James D. Watts Jr. / Tulsa World Magazine 20 Tulsa World Magazine
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Executive chef Kevin Snell adds coals to the wood oven at Amelia’s in downtown Tulsa. Matt Barnard/ Tulsa World Magazine
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In the beginning is the fire. It is made from lengths of Oklahoma post oak, arranged and ignited in a metal fire box behind the multilevel Grillworks grill that dominates the open kitchen area of Amelia’s. The fire begins around 9 a.m., so that a sufficient amount of coals will be ready to bring the grill’s cooking surfaces — the chapa, a ⅝-inch thick steel plate perfect for searing; the parilla, a grill with V-shaped grates to prevent flare-ups from rendered fat; and the oven in which pizzas are baked — to the optimal temperature. And it’s something that has to be carefully maintained throughout the day if Amelia’s is to serve the food that has, during its first year of business, made it one of Tulsa’s most acclaimed and popular restaurants. “It’s definitely not an instinctual thing,” said Kevin Snell, executive chef of Amelia’s. “You can’t just turn things on and go. Each log is going to burn at its own rate, and you have to keep supplying the fire as the day goes on because we’re not actually cooking over wood fire — we’re cooking over coals. If the cook isn’t on top of the fire, as well as the food … well, that’s going to put a hiccup in the whole night.”
The idea of creating gourmet food using the oldest, most elemental of cooking methods is one of the unique aspects of this restaurant, which occupies a stylish niche on Boston Avenue in the heart of the Tulsa Arts District. For Snell, being able to work with open flames and live coals is a way to reconnect with some childhood memories. “I grew up in a little town in northwest Arkansas called West Fork,” Snell said. “My Dad and I would go camping every summer — sometimes to Colorado, New Mexico, once we made it to Alaska. Just take a month to relax and catch as many trout as possible. “Dad would always cook a lot of what we caught. Thing is, he usually ended up turning everything into charcoal. But those were the times I remember as when I was the happiest, cooking over an open fire like that. It just took me a while to figure out how to do that and make a living at it.” Snell got into the food business as a teenager, although it wasn’t because of a great passion for cooking. “It was the sort of job all my friends had,” he TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
“In my interview with Tim, I told him I would give him a guaranteed five years,” Snell said. “One reason was my wife was about to have our first child, but also I knew working with Tim would be the best opportunity to learn how to run a tight, efficient kitchen.” During his tenure at Stonehorse, Snell would also create menus on his own, sketching out ideas of how fine cuisine and wood-fired cooking could work together. At the same time, Stonehorse Café general manager Amelia Eesley was thinking about opening a restaurant, where she could more fully apply her knowledge of pairing wine with food.
She happened to see Snell going over some of his personal menus and immediately saw the possibilities. “Amelia was at the point where she needed some sort of concept for the food she wanted to serve, so I shared some of the menus I had been working on with her,” Snell said. “That’s when we came up with that ‘Oklahoma Gaucho’ concept.” “I had put in a bid for this place across the street from the Woody Guthrie Center, and I wanted to do something that might play off that,” Eesley said. “Doing wood-fire cooking crossed my mind because I’m sure that Woody, in the course of his travels, ate things
For Amelia’s executive chef Kevin Snell, being able to work with open flames and live coals is a way to reconnect with childhood memories of camping with his father. Matt Barnard/Tulsa World Magazine
said. “I started out working at a KFC, but that didn’t last. My next job was washing dishes at a high-volume TexMex restaurant in Fayetteville, and after a while, I moved up onto the line.” Line cooks are the journeymen of the professional kitchen, tasked with preparing ingredients, cooking and assembling the various elements of a finished dish. Snell stayed with the Tex-Mex restaurant throughout his high school years, but after graduating, wasn’t sure what was to be his next step. Snell’s grandfather helped get him enrolled at the Tri County Technology Center in Bartlesville, where he began training under the guidance of Phillipe Garmy, a longtime Tulsa chef, restaurateur and instructor. That led to Snell being hired as a cook at the Oaks Country Club, which was when he “really fell in love with the whole process of cooking. “One day, when I clocked out, I realized I had just finished a 20½-hour shift,” he said. “The hours I was working didn’t feel like hours because I was so focused on doing and learning as much as I could.” Snell paused, then laughed. “Of course, I was about 18 years old at the time.” He worked his way through a series of cooking jobs at area restaurants, including Thyme Bistro and Sonoma, before landing a position at Tim Inman’s Stonehorse Café in Utica Square. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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that were cooked over an open flame. “It was one of those serendipitous things, like it was meant to be.” Snell chose post oak as his wood of choice because it is plentiful and relatively inexpensive, something to consider for a restaurant that burns through two ricks of wood — a little more than a ton — each week. “It’s maybe the most inexpensive wood you can get,” he said. “But it creates a charcoal that lasts a long time and doesn’t create a great deal of smoke — we’re not relying on wood smoke for flavor.” What Snell does rely on for flavor is the best quality ingredients that he can find from local sources, for a menu that can change daily, depending on what is in season. “I have three or four farms that I work with a lot and who do great stuff,” he said. “I usually don’t go to farmers markets because for a restaurant like this, it’s just not cost-efficient. I like to find ingredients that are cool, local and sustainable.” One of the farms Snell works with is Angela Faughtenberry’s 413 Farm in 24 Tulsa World Magazine
Doing wood-fire cooking crossed my mind because I’m sure that Woody (Guthrie), in the course of his travels, ate things that were cooked over an open flame. It was one of those serendipitous things, like it was meant to be.” Amelia’s owner Amelia Eesley on coming up with the concept for Amelia’s, which is across the street from the Woody Guthrie Center in downtown Tulsa
Adair. “She showed up one day and said, ‘I want to sell you my chickens and pigs,’ ” Snell said. “We get a whole pig about every two weeks, and I try to come up with dishes that will use every part of the animal over the next two weeks.” A single 413 Farm hog might, for example, be transformed into pork chops served with an onion gravy with handmade gnocchi, the ham used for a chile verde, the jowls smoked and turned into bacon, the belly crisped up for posole (a soup made with hominy), the shoulders transformed into a pate, a Bolognese sauce for pasta or homemade sausage to top pizzas. “When I get bored, I’ll come up with something new,” Snell said. While there are a few dishes that are staples of the Amelia’s menu, such as the Campfire Rainbow Trout (inspired, no doubt, by those childhood camping trips), Snell is always experimenting with new ingredients and new preparations. “We got in some great shishito peppers and came up with a dish where we TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Far left, Amelia’s owner Amelia Eesley and chef Kevin Snell have built their restaurant around a wood-fire cooking concept. IAN MAULE/Tulsa World Magazine file
At left, Amelia’s is across from the Woody Guthrie Center in the Tulsa Arts District. Matt Barnard/ Tulsa World Magazine
Amelia’s is among the most acclaimed and popular restaurants in Tulsa. Matt Barnard/Tulsa World Magazine
roasted them with okra, and it turned out to be one of our better vegetable preparations,” he said. “Once we had all these hearts from chickens, ducks and geese, and I came up with a crispy heart confit, and people ate it. “I think people are more trusting of chefs who are interested in seeing what a chef will create. I’m able to create dishes that I know I wouldn’t have been able to sell a few years ago. It’s a great feeling to be a restaurant that people trust enough to try new things.” TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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COOKING WITH FIRE
Full of bologna Oklahoma tops nation in this smoked barbecue delicacy By Scott Cherry | Tulsa World Magazine
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TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
O
klahoma has the best smoked bologna in the country. Period. I can say that with some conviction because, as best I can tell, no barbecue diners in any other state have embraced smoked bologna as Oklahomans have.
Javier Morenom, pitmaster at Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue in south Tulsa, pulls a tray of bologna out of the smoker. STEPHEN PINGRY/ Tulsa World Magazine
TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
It has spotty availability in a couple of other states, but it can be difficult to find outside of Oklahoma, except for some spots in northwest Arkansas and north Texas. Joe Davidson recalls when he and partner Jeff Stehney opened their Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue restaurant in Kansas City in 1996. “We took the bologna with us there and couldn’t give it away,” Davidson said recently as a tray of bologna was coming out of the smoker at his Oklahoma Joe’s store in south Tulsa. “No one was buying it, and we took it off the menu. “One day, Jack Fiorella, who owned Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue, a fancy barbecue restaurant in K.C., came in and noticed the bologna wasn’t on the menu. He asked Jeff about it, and Jeff told him we had to take it off. He looked at Jeff and said, ‘That’s the only reason I come in to your dump.’ ” Bologna is little more than a style of smoked sausage, and restaurants known for their smoked bologna all have their own way of smoking it. At Oklahoma Joe’s, the pitmasters take a chub — a 10-pound cylindrical piece of bologna — cut it in half, quarter it lengthwise and score it. They cook the bologna at a low temperature with fresh pecan and smoke it until it barely starts to sweat. When it is sliced, it comes out in the shape of a piece of pie. “Every slice has bark all around it, where much of the smoke flavor comes from,” Davidson said. “We want the bark to soak up as much smoke flavor as possible. Pecan is a mild wood, but it makes a big impact on bologna. You absolutely don’t want to overcook it because it breaks down too much.” Davidson said he has a personal fondness for smoked bologna, as well. “People ask me what I eat most often in my restaurants, and I tell them bologna,” he said. “I eat it two to three times a week; I love it that much.” Tulsa World Magazine 27
Everyone we talked to emphasized how important it is to use a quality bologna. Davidson said he uses bologna made only with pork and beef. “I’ve tried it with chicken in the mix, but it cracks and splits every time,” he said. Keith Jimerson, owner and pitmaster at Elmer’s BBQ in Brookside, concurred. “It’s important to use a good, highquality bologna with not a lot of fillers,” he said. “A bologna with too much filler can explode on you, almost like there were gasses inside.” Jimerson doesn’t have just one way to smoke and serve bologna. He makes it in thin slices, thick slices, cubed and in a tube shape. He also will char it on the grill, another popular way to cook bologna. “We ask the customers what they want and make it to order,” Jimerson said. “I like the cubed a lot as all four corners are smoked, but for all of the bologna, you don’t want it cooked too much. We lightly smoke it, or we cook it fast on the grill. If it’s heated too long, it tastes overdone.” Bologna is a key item in Elmer’s fa28 Tulsa World Magazine
Above, the Badwich at Elmer’s BBQ is made with chopped beef, smoked bologna and hot links or smoked sausage with a rib on the side. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World Magazine file At top, smoked bologna comes out in the shape of a piece of pie after it is sliced at Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World Magazine TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
mous Badwich, a sandwich made with chopped beef, smoked bologna and hot links or smoked sausage on a bun or Texas toast with a rib on the side. Jimerson said it is not unusual for someone from out of state to order bologna and start a conversation about it. “A lot of them have heard about it and want to try it,” he said. Adam Myers, owner of Burn Co. BBQ, prefers an all-meat bologna made from beef, pork and sometimes poultry. “Expensive all-beef bologna has a tougher texture and mouthfeel, as well as less depth of flavor,” he said. “Super value bologna is not as pure, and it tends to have a gritty or mealy texture and chemical-ish taste. So, I go with the all-meat.” He said that at Burn Co., the pitmasters cut a chub into four pieces and score a cross-hatch on the outside. “It exposes more meat to smoke and can be a visual sign of doneness as the meat will swell and open the cuts as it cooks,” Myers said. “We have to be careful not to get it too hot. Emulsified meats will turn puffy when the moisture inside them boils and the texture turns to Styrofoam, like an overcooked hot dog.” TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Above, smoked ribs and bologna are part of the complimentary hors d’oeuvres at Jamil’s steakhouse. Tulsa World Magazine file At top, Adam Myers prepares to slice a partial chub of bologna after it has come out of the smoker at Burn Co. BBQ. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World Magazine
During my research into smoked bologna, I ran across a bologna sandwich on the wine bar menu at Underbelly, an acclaimed, award-winning restaurant in Houston, Texas. Maybe it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn chefproprietor Chris Shepherd grew up in Tulsa. “That’s a fried bologna sandwich I got from Ashley Christensen (renowned chef-owner of multiple resTulsa World Magazine 29
Oklahoma Joe’s to offer $1 bologna sandwiches in May Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue restaurants will be full of bologna during the month of May. Literally. In recognition of National Barbecue Month, Oklahoma Joe’s restaurants will offer $1 bologna sandwiches every Monday in May. “I can’t walk past a platter of smoked bologna without taking some,” owner Joe Davidson said. “It’s one of my 30 Tulsa World Magazine
favorite things.” Asked if there would be a limit per person for the sandwiches, Davidson messaged back, “Let’s say 24 per person!” Area Oklahoma Joe’s restaurants are at 6175 E. 61st St., 25 W. Fifth St., 19361 N.E. Robson Road in Catoosa, and 333 W. Albany St. in Broken Arrow. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
taurants in Raleigh, North Carolina),” Shepherd said by phone. “But we do bologna on all different levels. We smoke it, fry it, serve it cold, put it on a charcuterie plate, and we make all of our bologna here at the restaurant. “One of our most popular is cha lua, a Vietnamese-style smoked bologna we serve old-school, in a sandwich with cabbage slaw. I once served it to 2,000 people for one event.” Shepherd said as a young man he worked for Nobu Terauchi at Tulsa’s Fuji Japanese Cuisine. “He told me I needed to go to school,” Shepherd said. “I went through the OSU (Oklahoma State University) program, and by the time I got out, my parents had moved to Houston. I went there and lived with them until I found my way.” Smoked bologna is not confined to barbecue restaurants in the Tulsa area, either. It is a common item on complimentary hors d’oeuvres at Lebanese steakhouses, such as Jamil’s. “Originally, bologna was moved away from the hot spot on the old pit logs, like cooking it over a campfire,” said Jamil’s co-owner John Alcott. “Most pits today are run electronically, but
we still have a lot of customers request it charred, I think from remembering what it was like in the old pits. In that case, we just put it back in the pit if we have time or finish it on the grill. “On the other side of that, we have people who prefer it smoked rare. One guy, a good customer of ours, buys rare-smoked bologna a pound at a time. “When (wife) Jennifer and I used to cater a lot of weddings, people from out of town used to ask what the big deal was about having smoked bologna. Then they tried it and discovered how good it was.” Oklahoma Joe’s Davidson was reminded how important smoked bologna is to some Oklahomans when he and wife Page opened their restaurant in Broken Arrow in 2011. “A gentleman about 75 years old approached me and said what we had was not bologna,” Davidson said. “I said, ‘Yes, sir, it is.’ We went back and forth a few times and he said, ‘If you try to tell me one more time this is bologna, I’m going to whup your ass.’ “I called my food provider and said we needed to find a new bologna; this one was going to get me killed.”
Smoked bologna shows a little sweat on the bark as it comes out of the barbecue pit at Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World Magazine
TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Tulsa World Magazine 31
in the know
Sweet ‘n Sticky Championship ribs commemorate RibCrib founder Bret Chandler’s days on the barbecue competition circuit. Tulsa World Magazine file
Want some championship barbecue? Try these places
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COOKING WITH FIRE
N
By Scott Cherry | Tulsa World Magazine
o doubt Oklahomans have been prominent on the barbecue competition circuit since the early days of the biggest contests. Pitmasters from the Sooner state probably have won more medals than any other dating to the beginnings of the most prestigious events — Memphis in May, Memphis, Tennessee, 1978; American Royal World Series of Barbecue, Kansas City, Missouri, 1980; and Jack Daniel’s World Champion Invitational Barbecue, Lynchburg, Kentucky, 1989. The majority of the competitors held other jobs while they carved out time to be with their teams. Only a few channeled their expertise into a retail restaurant operation. “People say you can’t do world-championship barbecue out of a restaurant,” says Joe Davidson of Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue. “But I say we use the same cookers, the same pecan wood, the same cuts of meat, the same fire and temperature, so why can’t we?” And why not? Here are some we found in the Tulsa area with a competition background.
MAC’S BARBEQUE
1030 W. Rogers Blvd., Skiatook
Mike McMillan was among the early successful Oklahoma competitors, as he and wife Vickie traveled the competition circuit in the 1980s and ’90s. Among his winnings were the Oklahoma state championship, Arkansas state championship, the rib division at the Jack Daniel’s and reserve grand champion at the American Royal. McMillan has retired, but son-in-law Adam Green carries on the tradition of serving awardwinning ’cue in Mac’s cozy dining spot in Skiatook.
TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Mike and Vicki McMillan of Mac’s Barbeque in Skiatook were among the earliest Oklahomans on the barbecue competition circuit. Tulsa World Magazine file
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BUFFALO BBQ
201 N. Highway 11, Sperry
Donny Teel, a disciple of Mac’s Mike McMillan, has been a beast on the competition circuit — grand champion Jack Daniel’s, grand champion American Royal Open and reserve grand champion twice at the American Royal Open, among many others. He still competes in more than 30 tournaments a year and serves ’cue out of a trailer in Sperry from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. MondayFriday (unless he’s on the road or the weather is bad). When sold out, he posts it on Facebook, which usually happens before 6.
Donny Teel of Buffalo BBQ in Sperry shows off a handful of the many awards he has won on the barbecue competition circuit. Tulsa World Magazine file
RIBCRIB
Multiple locations
Bret Chandler opened RibCrib in 1992 in Tulsa, serving only five hickory-smoked meats and two sides. To increase his knowledge and offerings, he and his PigMen team hit the competition trail and soaked up tips and recipes from fellow pros, winning accolades along the way, including a top-10 finish at the American Royal. Today, RibCrib has more than 60 restaurants scattered across eight states, including 11 in the Tulsa area.
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Founder Bret Chandler gained knowledge at barbecue competitions while building RibCrib into an eight-state operation. MATT BARNARD/ Tulsa World Magazine file
TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Joe Davidson is one of the most decorated competitors on the barbecue tournament circuit, winning more than 300 titles. STEPHEN PINGRY/ Tulsa World Magazine file
OKLAHOMA JOE’S BAR-B-CUE
25 W. Fifth St. 6176 E. 61st St. 19361 N.E. Robson Road, Catoosa 333 W. Albany St., Broken Arrow
Joe Davidson and his teams are among the most-decorated competitors of all time on the circuit, winning more than 300 state, regional, national and international titles from 1991 through 2009. Highlights include Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas state championships, overall grand champion Jack Daniel’s and overall grand champion American Royal. They have won titles for sauces, beans, ribs, dry rub, brisket, pork, hot wings and poultry in a variety of contests.
SIZZLIN’ BONES BBQ COMMISSARY 700 N. Lee St., Fort Gibson
Tim Ryal and Alissa Gage are relatively new to barbecue competitions, first entering some local events in 2009. After hitting the trail in earnest, they started picking up awards, winning first place in pork out of 164 teams at the American Royal and third in pork at Jack Daniel’s, among many others. Ryal opened the restaurant in 2014 and added Commissary to the name to honor his late cousin and best friend, Joel LaRue, whose favorite barbecue spot in Memphis was The Germantown Commissary and because the restaurant is two doors from the real fort in Fort Gibson, less than an hour from Tulsa.
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COOKING WITH FIRE
Made to last For Hasty-Bake grill owners, it’s a love that lasts generations By Michael Smith • Tulsa World Magazine
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TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
“I currently have 40-something Hasty-Bakes. If I knew the exact number, I’d probably have to lie to my wife — who is a saint because it’s like Hasty-Bake Tetris out there,” said Tulsan Brad Anthamatten of his vast Hasty-Bake grill collection. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World Magazine TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Tulsa World Magazine 37
L
ove can last forever if you are the owner of a Hasty-Bake grill and if your first love is smoking and grilling. ¶ “It’s like this: Grant Hastings created a product to cook ribs, and he accomplished what he set out to do. I’ve got a grill that’s 68 years old, and I can win a competition with it,” said James Johnsen of Jenks. ¶ “This is a product that you use, and the whole family goes crazy over the food it produces. People like hearing, ‘Those are the best ribs I’ve ever eaten.’ That’s pretty cool.”
Testimonials are part of the cult of Hasty-Bake, of the pride that people take in what Hastings created in 1948. It’s the company’s 70th anniversary, and these Tulsa products are among the most coveted grills in the world. There’s a reason Johnsen has at home 11 of these charcoal grills/smokers that innovated by using indirect heat. Thanks to an adjustable firebox, a Hasty-Bake can smoke, or bake, or grill. Johnsen still has the one he bought 30 years ago during high school. He bought another one at a garage sale 15 years ago. He entered a barbecue competition, and he won. “Then you think, ‘I must be big time,’ and that started this whole thing. Next thing I know, I’ve owned about 30. I go on the hunt now, go pick them up or have them shipped to me,” said the Boeing aircraft mechanic. “I love the way they cook, but I also love the construction, and it takes a lot to impress me. I’ve got brand-new models that I’ve never cooked on. They’re just to look at. That’s how bad it is.” If Johnsen has got it bad, Brad Anthamatten may have it worse when it comes to volume buying. “I currently have 40-something Hasty-Bakes. If I knew the exact number, I’d probably have to lie to my wife — who is a saint because it’s like Hasty-Bake Tetris out there,” said the Tulsan of his stocked storage area. He doesn’t cook on all 40 — that would be crazy, right? — but focuses on three grills, led by a built-in model that became a centerpiece of his outdoor kitchen. “We call it ‘The Freak’ because it’s a 38 Tulsa World Magazine
At top, a thermometer is shown on a HastyBake grill in Brad Anthamatten’s collection. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World Magazine
Above, Hasty-Bake collector James Johnsen displays an original pamphlet at his home in Jenks. Matt Barnard/Tulsa World Magazine TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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really tall one I found that had been refurbished with the entire cabinet double insulated, and I’ve never seen another one like it,” Anthamatten said. “So we figure maybe it was for commercial cooking at a restaurant, and it might be from the 1960s, and from that era, you can still find houses in Tulsa with built-in Hasty-Bakes in the kitchen, and some people aren’t sure what to make of them.” His other go-to models: a 1960s “camper” model (“Some people say it looks like a toolbox. It’s good for cooking for two people.”) and a “ranger” model (“That one goes to the lake, a little bigger with an adjustable firebox.”). His admiration for all things HastyBake (from original brochures to a retro apron he hunted down) runs deep, and it has for a long time. “You’re talking about a product that is decades old, with a design that is virtually unchanged, and you can still go to 1313 S. Lewis Ave. (the company’s headquarters) and get replacement parts, and they work. That’s remarkable,” Anthamatten said. Johnsen agrees, adding, “They are solid and well-built. I’ve rebuilt from the ground up before, ones that anyone else would have said, ‘That’s totally shot.’ Not when I was done with it.” Some people buy grills — don’t bring up gas grills with these loyalists — that last a few years and they go to the dump. That’s not these fellows. “I’ve had people say, ‘The HastyBake is so expensive,’ but if you buy one and you take care of it, you’ll be passing it down to your kids,” Anthamatten said. “My 19-year-old son has already talked to me on this subject and so has my nephew.” That generational use of these grills is another commonality among the “Hasty-Bake Mafia,” as some on the Hasty-Bake Grill Community Facebook page call themselves. Johnsen is getting an early start on the process, firing up a Hasty-Bake or two for his son’s birthday parties. “That’s been for a couple of years,
but for his fourth birthday, I bought a small pig and smoked it on the HastyBake,” Johnsen said. “Well, my son loves dinosaurs, so when it was done, I propped it up, and I got a pizza box and cut it up to make what looked like a triceratops shield. “I got it to fit around the pig’s head, and my son just loved his triceratops. So I’ll be doing a pig dressed up as something every year from now on.” And when his son leaves for college, he’ll be leaving with that first portable Hasty-Bake model that Johnsen purchased. For Anthamatten, he’s already a second-generation Hasty-Bake owner. He still has several copies of a newspaper story that shows his dad cooking on his Hasty-Bake when Anthamatten was 2 years old, “so it’s been in my blood my whole life. “My dad knew Grant Hastings, as many in Tulsa did, and Dad was a good cook who made a lot of fantastic meals and that made an impression on me.” Each has a go-to Hasty-Bake meal, with Johnsen more often than not smoking hamburgers with mixed-in cheese and sausage on indirect heat, while Anthamatten often cooks tri-tip cuts of beef by smoking it first and then finishing it off with direct heat. Both men are collectors, and both of them count their Hasty-Bake grills among their most prized possessions. “Well, there’s my 1953 Chevy pickup that isn’t going anywhere, and after that would be my 1950s model HastyBakes,” Johnsen said. “They’re that important.” “Oh, it’s gonna be near the top,” Anthamatten said, “because it’s a very personal connection for me with my dad. “But there’s also something unique about this among other things I collect: I still get to interact with my Hasty-Bakes all the time, which makes me happy and a lot of other people happy.” Such is the legacy of Hasty-Bake grills: They have been making people happy for 70 years, in Tulsa and all over the country.
At top, Brad Anthamatten has a vast Hasty-Bake grill collection. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World Magazine At far left, Brad Anthamatten shows off an original apron that’s in his Hasty-Bake collection. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World Magazine
At center, a Hasty-Bake logo is shown on a vintage model. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World Magazine At left, Hasty-Bake collector James Johnsen opens one of the “coffin top”-style grills at his home in Jenks. Matt Barnard/Tulsa World Magazine TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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A rusted pickup truck points the way to The Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston.
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COOKING WITH FIRE
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ELLSTON — I’m always on the hunt for great barbecue. It’s a lifetime quest, really. From Kansas City to Memphis and several other places, I’ve sought out food featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” “Food Paradise” and “BBQ Pitmasters.” But one in my own state escaped me — the Butcher BBQ Stand just off Route 66 in Wellston. When I saw this place on “BBQ Pitmasters,” I knew I had to check it out. Butcher BBQ looks and feels like a classic barbecue joint. A rusted International truck with an arrow on the door points the way The Butcher BBQ Stand to food. There’s a yellow school bus, a wall of liTULSA cense plates and a 40-foot Area shipping container where OKC shown food is served. No dining below room; instead, you’ll find an awning and wooden picnic tables. It’s 61 degrees on a Skyline Dr. recent visit, but feels Wellston colder given the overcast, gray skies and a slight, 66 but persistent, wind. But 44 less-than-ideal weather N doesn’t matter, even at STEVEN RECKINGER/Tulsa World a place where you’ll be sitting outside. People are 3402 W. U.S. 66 Wellston, Oklahoma already waiting in line Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (or before Butcher opens. until food runs out) Friday-SatAsk people in line what urday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or to get and you’ll likely until food runs out) Sunday hear: “It’s all good” — at Online: least that’s what I was butcherbbqstand.com told when I asked waiting To order rubs, sauces and customers. more: butcherbbq.com A nice couple from Ozark, Alabama, talk about coming here whenever they’re in the area. They haul trailers for a living, and Butcher BBQ is one of their regular stops when they’re on the road. The line moves fast. This place routinely experiences lines much longer. Twenty people for an 11 a.m. opening is just a warm-up. I find a seat at one of the picnic tables and settle in with my three-meat combo and sides of beans and mac and cheese. Simply put, this joint produces some of the best
Butcher BBQ on Route 66 serves up competition-worthy meat in Wellston TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Story by Patrick Prince Photos by Matt Barnard Tulsa World Magazine
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barbecue I’ve ever had — and I’ve had a lot. Butcher’s meat is sweet, and that’s the way I like it. The ribs feature Butcher’s “honey rub,” with honey powder being a key ingredient. After cooking for a few hours, the ribs are wrapped in foil with butter, honey and brown sugar and smoked for a few more hours. The ribs have a beautiful mahogany color. They’re tender, sweet and flavorful. I think good pulled pork is hard to find. Often, it’s dry and lacks flavor. The pulled pork at Butcher’s doesn’t have that problem. It is a home run. It has a combination of Butcher’s premium rub and honey rub. The pulled pork is not injected, however; only the briskets get Butcher’s signature injection. The pulled pork gets dry rub before and after it hits the smoker. The brisket, too, hits the spot. Everything has the right amount of smoke, which comes from a hickory-oak pellet blend and a lump of pecan wood. “I kind of took what we do, the small things that we do in competition and kind of (adapted) it for mass production,” owner Levi Bouska said. “I can’t do every tiny minute detail (that they do in competitions), but I do pretty close.” “We” refers to Levi and his dad, David Bouska. Long before there was the Butcher BBQ Stand, David was a butcher by trade and an TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
accomplished pitmaster on the competition barbecue circuit (he got to the finals of season 5 of “BBQ Pitmasters” and has won numerous other awards). But there was no restaurant until Levi opened one. Butcher BBQ is David’s recipes, but Levi’s heart and soul. The idea to open a restaurant came to Levi midway through 2014 while on a “guys’ trip” to Broken Bow. “We were just hanging, having a good time, and I just thought, this is really what I want to do in life is take our competition style and give it to the public,” Levi said. “I went back to my dad and said, ‘Look, this is what I want to do. I want to do a restaurant with our recipes and stuff.’ And he said, ‘If anyone is going to be able to do it, it’s going to be you.’ ” David helped Levi buy the structure that serves as the nerve center of the operation, and Levi’s grandmother Billie loaned him $45,000. Billie also supplied the land, the same grounds where Levi’s grandfather, Clifford, opened a barbecue restaurant. It burned down when Levi was a teenager and never reopened. Levi spent a good bit of his childhood in that restaurant. On May 16, 2015, The Butcher BBQ Stand was open for business, and from Day One,
Above, owner Levi Bouska cuts meat during the lunch rush at The Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston. At left, the macaroni and cheese is the perfect accompaniment to the ribs, sausage, sliced turkey and brisket at The Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston.
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Jennifer Helms and Russell Taylor have lunch at The Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston.
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Customers eat in the covered dining area at The Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston.
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business has been solid. “I’ve never really had a down period,” Levi said. “I wouldn’t say we’ve ever been slow.” Many days, Butcher BBQ sells out of food and closes early. Levi will sell as many as 120 slabs of ribs and 80 brisket points on a summer day. At times, the lines are outrageous. On Father’s Day 2017, Levi estimated he had a line of about 120 people. Not all of them got food. “When we ran out of food, there were about 20 people left,” Levi said. “I gave them all gift cards since they had been in line for an hour to an hour and a half.” Levi said he’s served food to former Sooner and current NFL quarterback Sam Bradford and players from the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s also a family from McKinney, Texas, who routinely makes the drive to Butcher’s. Anthony Garriott is Levi’s right-hand man and longtime best friend. His wife, Lynlee, runs the counter. Colton Danker, Levi’s cousin, has been at Butcher BBQ since the beginning. Levi is a Wellston High School graduate, as is his dad, who recently retired as a full-time butcher but still competes in barbecue competitions around the country. For Levi, operating a restaurant in Wellston, a community he’s know his whole life, is important.
“When I (opened the restaurant), so many people helped me,” Levi said. “I love this and you have to love it. This is truly my passion. There’s nothing else, truly, that I would ever want to do. I absolutely love this.” Although Butcher BBQ is open only three days a week, Levi stays busy. Even Thursdays, when the restaurant is closed, can be 12- or 13-hour days for Levi as he prepares briskets, cooks beans and does whatever else needs to be done. Levi, who recently turned 28 and will soon become a father for the first time, remains humble and is not afraid to put in the long hours. “Sometimes we’ll be closing up and it will be super nice outside,” he said, “and I’ll just sit out there at a picnic table and just kind of look at everything and say, ‘This is crazy … this is awesome.’ ” David is a proud dad and for more than his son’s success in the restaurant industry. “What gives me more pride than anything else is Levi himself, stepping up to life and passing on a legacy to his kid someday that was passed on to me from my dad,” David said, “and that is taking care of your fellow person, treating each individual person as if they’re your best friend, taking care of your family, loving your fellow man and cooking some damn good barbecue, also.” TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
On Route 66 near Wellston 1. Pops Diner
Arcadia, 16 miles west of Wellston One of the newer attractions on Route 66 and just down the road from the Round Barn, a 118-year-old building that claims to be the most photographed landmark on Route 66.
2. Rock Café
Stroud, 24 miles east of Wellston A Route 66 destination for more than 80 years and is open seven days a week.
3. Hungry Horny Grill
Chandler, 10 miles east of Wellston In a former Mobil gas station. Menu focuses on owner Floyd Townsend’s East Texas-style dry-rubbed barbecue and signature burgers.
4. The Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum
Warwick, 3 miles east of Wellston The gas station was built in 1921, five years before Route 66.
5. The Boundary restaurant
Luther, 11 miles west of Wellston Offers barbecue in a rustic wood building. It takes its name from its proximity to the Indian Meridian, which was the starting point for surveys of what would become the state of Oklahoma.
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Pops Diner in Arcadia is a frequent stop for many travelers along Route 66 in Oklahoma. Tulsa World Magazine file
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COOKING WITH FIRE
Area barbecue aficionados share tips to get tasty bark with different ingredients
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BY JESSICA RODRIGO | FOR TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE
ugar, spice and everything nice can find its way into dry rubs and barbecue sauces. ¶ The trick — if you ask seasoned smokers and competitors — is balancing the sweet and spice with a little bit of chemistry. ¶ Rubs and sauces work in unison to create a stunning cut of meat cooked to perfection and offer the eater layers of flavors in every bite. ¶ “You want that bark to be smoked through to the meat. You want it to tear when you bite into it to build the foundation of the texture, while still having the tenderness of the center,” said Joshua White, a competitive barbecuer and owner of Bubba-Q-Boys. Beyond the meat itself, the process starts with a great rub, he added. Having spent a lot of time and money developing his awardwinning rub, White created his signature Salty Sweet with Just a Little Heat that he starts with whenever he competes. To develop a beautiful bark, a good dry rub needs to have salt and sugar to flavor the meat and create a caramelized coating on the surface. Inspect the ingredient list of most commercial rubs and there will be some sort of sugar, be it brown or granulated, and salt, which could be kosher, coarse or sea salt — both affect the outcome of the bark. “We tried multiple sugars in the process,” White said. “A lot of the sugars came off tacky, and others made it kinda slimy.” Choosing the right sugar to create a desired texture may be overwhelming with all the options available these days. Kim Zieg, owner of OkieSpice and Trade Co. in Sand Springs, said endless options are available to people who want to build their own spice blends and rubs. There are even smoked sugars, powdered honey and granulated molasses. On top of that, salt also comes in various flavors that can help stack and layer the flavors.
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Basics to build from Use the following recipes as guides to help you create your own rub or sauce. Add your favorite ingredients or experiment with new ones.
SIMPLE BARBECUE SAUCE ½ cup ketchup 2 tablespoons brown or white sugar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire or soy sauce 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon mustard powder or 1 teaspoon mustard ¼ teaspoon salt ¹/8 teaspoon black pepper 1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire or soy sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt and black pepper. 2. Bring the sauce Paprika (clockwise from to a simmer, then top), salt, cayenne pepremove it from the per, brown sugar, onion heat and allow to powder, pepper and garlic cool slightly before powder form a simple rub applying to meat that can be customized to or allow to cool your own tastes. completely before MATT BARNARD/ storing. Tulsa World Magazine
SIMPLE SPICE RUB ¼ cup packed brown or white sugar 2 tablespoons salt 1½ tablespoons ground black pepper ½ teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder 1-2 teaspoons onion powder 1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing until evenly blended. Store in airtight container. 2. To use, spread over the surface of chicken, pork or beef at least 30 minutes before placing in the smoker or on the grill.
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The right rub is key to getting a tasty bark on your barbecue.  IAN MAULE/Tulsa World Magazine file
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“Kosher salt will adhere to the surface better, and the same goes for demerara sugar, too,” she said. “It might sound weird to use a smoked salt when you’re already smoking something, but it really adds to the flavor.” With the combination of salt, sugar and spices, the rub should start to develop a darkened exterior that can range from a light brown to a rich mahogany or a sooty black. “Once you get that bark, then you use a sauce to add the nuances to make it stand out more than someone else’s,” said Rob Taylor, owner of Smoklahoma and a competitive barbecuer. Near the end of the cooking process, many competitors will begin applying their signature sauce to the meat to finish it. It’s common for these sauces to be built upon area standards, including Head Country and Butcher BBQ, which already have the common flavor profiles people enjoy with their barbecue. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there are 10 ‘Frankenstein’ sauces out there where they start with Head Country and then tweak it to their own,” Taylor said. Building a barbecue sauce is a simple process, he added, that is a lot like building a base rub. It circles back to layering the flavors and finding the right balance among each ingredient. “Sweetness is a popular thing when it comes to barbecue sauce,” Taylor said. “This area is almost exclusively a ketchup-base society and then you’ve got your black pepper and you want to give it some acidity from mustard.” With help from the heat and smoke, the sauce will transform into a glaze and blend with the bark created by the rub. Ketchup is a champion ingredient in most sauces — it has a high sugar content — along with other ingredients that will help it turn into a lick-yourfingers sticky coating. More common ingredients in sauces include Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and other spices. Other ingredients that have piqued the interest of home smokers and competitors at OkieSpice and Trade Co. include powdered sriracha, powdered beer, jalapeño sugar, bourbon-smoked sugar and more, according to Zieg. Those extra flavors are what make up the secret ingredients for prized sauces. Taylor’s preference includes garlic, cumin and mustard for a little zip. For White, he leans a little heavier on the heat spectrum but admitted he dialed TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Head Country sauce (left) and Bubba-Q-Boys rub are two options for those looking to add some local flavor to their barbecue. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World Magazine
Locally made rubs or sauces to get to know Smoklahoma Bubba-Q-Boys Daddy Hinkle’s Butcher BBQ
Head Country JR Okie Smokie 3 Guys Smokin
it back for his commercial rub. In the end, he came up with a blend that he said customers have enjoyed on the competition circuit and elsewhere. “It’s a fan favorite on corn on the cob,” White said. “One customer from Pennsylvania said he likes to put it on his potato soup.” Taylor added a last bit of advice for anyone who wants to dabble in building a rub or sauce: A sauce is only as good as the cook making the food; it’s not going to cover up any cooking mistakes. “When you’re competing, you’re looking for a great cooked piece of protein. The rubs and the sauces are there to enhance the flavor of it,” he said. Sometimes people want to jump right in and try it on a large brisket or $50 worth of ribs, only to find out they don’t like it. Then they’re stuck with a rub they don’t like and possibly food that no one is going to eat. “You’ve gotta try it in the cooking process, make a small cup of it and test it on a few chicken breasts,” Taylor said. Tulsa World Magazine 53
deco.
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Add living space with a custom outdoor kitchen TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
STORY BY MICHAEL OVERALL PHOTOS BY TOM GILBERT TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE Tulsa World Magazine 55
Above, the chimney’s height required a massive base, which became the focal point of Wayne Tedder’s outdoor kitchen. At right, a purpose-built niche in the kitchen counter provides room for a free-standing charcoal grill.
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rass hasn’t taken root in the yard yet. The walls still smell of fresh paint. And the new home’s first owner hasn’t even finished moving furniture into the living room. But Jake Turner can already tell you what’s going to happen someday, in the distant future, when the current homeowner decides to move on and put this house on the market. ¶ A real-estate agent will take a photo of the front of the house and one or two pictures inside to include in the sales listing. ¶ “Then he’s going to take a dozen photos of this from every angle,” Turner says, standing next to the home’s shiny new grill on the rear patio. “If there’s an outdoor kitchen, it sells the house. Every Realtor knows that.” Outdoor kitchens are a growing trend in Tulsa for new-build developments and home-improvement projects, with Turner’s company, Everything Outdoors Tulsa, working on as many as six or seven projects at a time. Oklahoma’s climate, with relatively mild and short winters, makes them usable almost year-round, especially if the outdoor space includes a fireplace for heating. “We call them outdoor kitchens, but people really use them almost like an outdoor living room,” Turner says. “It’s a place to relax, a place to hang out. It’s just an extension of the house.” And like houses, outdoor kitchens TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Jake Turner (left), owner of Everything Outdoors Tulsa, worked closely with homeowner Wayne Tedder in his new outdoor kitchen in Broken Arrow.
Outdoor kitchens require highly durable appliances and rugged building materials.
vary widely in size and cost. Some will rival the counter space of an indoor kitchen and run well into the six-figure range to build. But a more typical set-up, similar to the example Turner recently finished in Broken Arrow, can cost less than $25,000. “I tell people, ‘You don’t have to go to extremes,’ ” he says. “It depends on how you want to use the space. If you’re going to have big outdoor parties, that’s one thing. But if it’s just you and your family, you probably don’t need a 16foot counter and full-size fridge.” TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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One thing every outdoor kitchen does need: durable appliances that can survive harsh Oklahoma weather, from spring thunderstorms to winter freezes. This particular set-up in Broken Arrow offers several cooking options, including an 80,000-btu stainless-steel grill and a Hibachi-style flat-top, both fueled by natural gas. A purpose-built notch in the kitchen counter holds a separate charcoal grill. Custom-made to fit the measurements of an existing patio, cinder-block construction is faced with Oklahoma dry-stack stone, with the color carefully selected not to match but to complement the home’s brick exterior. Not only will the low stone wall stand up against fierce thunderstorms, but also will help shield the patio from predominant southern winds. While it’s a new home, it wasn’t originally designed to include an outdoor kitchen, but the homeowner wanted to add 58 Tulsa World Magazine
While no two custom-built outdoor kitchens are alike, a “typical” one, such as the one at Wayne Tedder’s Broken Arrow home (at top), can cost less than $25,000. Above, cinder-block construction is faced with Oklahoma dry-stack stone. The color was carefully selected to complement the home’s brick exterior. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
one to the rear patio before he moved in. A high vaulted ceiling over the patio presented a problem, with fire codes requiring the top of the chimney to rise 2 feet above the roof. And the chimney’s height, in turn, required a massive base to support the weight of the stone, Turner says. To keep proportions balanced, he used a “stair-stepping” or “wedding cake” design, with the chimney growing narrower as it climbs higher. It incorporates wiring that will let a flat-screen TV be mounted over the fireplace, if desired. “I told him what I wanted, and he built it exactly the way I wanted it,” said homeowner Wayne Tedder. “I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.” Building outdoor kitchens for more than 25 years, Turner moved from the East Coast after the 2011 Joplin tornado damaged his in-law’s house. Tulsa offered the chance to be close to family while enjoying a city large enough to support his construction and landscaping company, which also operates in Oklahoma City. He plans to expand soon to Houston.
The patio’s vaulted ceiling required a tall chimney, which offered the chance to create a dramatic design element. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
‘Home’ is Rocklahoma
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BY JIMMIE TRAMEL TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE
With assist from chainsaw-wielding rocker, Wisconsin couple make Pryor their home
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he term “chainsaw virtuoso” is more than likely reserved for only one person on Earth: vocalist Jesse James Dupree of rock band Jackyl. ¶ Dupree provided the “chainsaw solo” in Jackyl’s 1992 hit “The Lumberjack.” No one “plays” the chainsaw quite like Dupree, who revved one up during a performance at the 2017 Rocklahoma music festival north of Pryor. ¶ Rock star wasn’t Dupree’s first job. Was he an actual lumberjack? He had to be something prior to becoming a rock star, right? ¶ “What did you do before?” Dave Giencke asked Dupree about 10 years ago. ¶ Dupree responded with something along the lines of “Well, you wouldn’t understand, but we use these things called Symons forms and we pour concrete walls.” ¶ “Really?” Giencke said. ¶ Giencke, who understood exactly what Dupree was talking about, took out his phone and showed Dupree pictures of concrete trucks and forms. ¶ “Oh.”
Lori Farmer of Tulsa reacts as Slayer performs on the main stage during the 2015 Rocklahoma in Pryor. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World Magazine file
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Dave and Sharon Giencke are the “faces” of Rocklahoma. IAN MAULE/Tulsa World Magazine
Just like that, Giencke and Dupree had two reasons — the music business and the concrete business — to bond. Giencke and Dupree are friends. Giencke’s wife, Sharon, said the guys in Jackyl are just like family. As the 2018 Rocklahoma music festival approaches, it’s important to note that Dupree is an important figure (unsung hero?) in Rocklahoma’s continued existence. But the real reason for this story is to introduce readers to Giencke. Dave and Sharon are the “faces” of Rocklahoma, billed as America’s biggest Memorial Day Weekend party. They live on the festival grounds. “It’s just Dave and I and a cat and a dog,” Sharon said. “We don’t need a lot of room. It’s perfect.” But they’ll welcome lots of company when rock bands (including Poison, which headlined the first Rocklahoma in 2007) and thousands of campers and visitors descend upon the property in May. Dave is the vice president of Pryor Creek Music Festivals, which makes him the highest-ranking Rocklahoma executive with boots on the ground 62 Tulsa World Magazine
here. When an interview was requested, he suggested meeting at the restaurant at Salina Highbanks Speedway, a dirt track auto-racing venue in a town near Pryor. He wore working-man clothes, if Green Bay Packers apparel falls into that category, to a dinner interview. That’s because he’s a working man. At Dave’s core, he’s a farmer from Wisconsin who got into the concrete business. He had never been to Oklahoma until Jan. 1, 2003, when, because of his concrete expertise, he was asked to visit a Mayes County pasture that investors wanted to transform into a facility to stage outdoor music festivals. “There were still cows on the property,” Sharon said. “We had to close the gate.” Dave’s company (Dave’s Concrete) was responsible for pouring the first concrete at the site — and many yards of concrete since. In the department of one thing leads to another, he graduated from helper to investor to guy who is never going to leave. “We made the decision that even if somebody came along with a big checkbook and bought Rocklahoma, we are
here to stay,” he said, indicating during the interview that he and Sharon will build a new home on 210 adjacent acres that they partnered with another family to purchase. Their status as Oklahomans wasn’t always so secure. In fact, Rocklahoma’s future was so shaky at one point that the Gienckes pulled up stakes and moved back to Wisconsin. But the chainsaw virtuoso intervened and that’s why, if a Jackyl set runs a little long during a Rocklahoma performance, maybe Dupree is entitled to the extra stage time. Let’s dial all the way back before that, before Rocklahoma was Rocklahoma. Music festivals featuring other genres of music were tried at the venue, but the festivals didn’t generate enough ticket sales to support the cost of the talent roster. “The entertainment on the country side is so expensive,” Dave said. In the fall of 2006, a decision was made to stage something other than a country show. Poison, a rock band whose glory years (three multiplatinum albums) came during the MTV era, was booked for $70,000. That left TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Rocklahoma 2018 The 12th annual music festival, billed as America’s biggest Memorial Day Weekend party, will take place May 25-27 at “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds in Pryor. Weekend and single-day tickets, plus other ticket options, are on sale at rocklahoma.com.
The daily lineups:
Friday, May 25: A Perfect Circle, The Cult, Stone Temple Pilots, I Prevail, Sevendust, The Used, Trivium, Yelawolf, Red Sun Rising, SOiL, Adelitas Way, Big Story, Everybody Panic, Cimino, Midnight Devils, Chaotic Resemblance, Firstryke, ASKA, Down For Five, Agnozia, Silent Theory, KillSET, Dead Horse Trauma, Kirra, City of the Weak, Dirty Soul Revival, Dirty Blvd Saturday, May 26: Godsmack, Ghost, Vince Neil, Clutch, Pop Evil, Underoath, Diamond Head, Shaman’s Harvest, Butcher Babies, Powerman 5000, Like A Storm, Wayland, LA Velvet, Black Tora, Dead Metal Society, Dead Girls Academy, TROY, Heaven Sent, Wild Planes, Maplerun, Hallow Point, The Maension, Renegades, Duel, Kevlar, Stanley’s Revenge Sunday, May 27: Poison, Cheap Trick, Halestorm, Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, Candlebox, Machine Gun Kelly, 10 Years, Andrew W.K., Lynch Mob, New Years Day, Well Hung Heart, Mind Of Fury, Maxx Explosion, A Brilliant Lie, War of Thrones, Davey Suicide, Coda Cutlass, Love N Revenge, Shallow Side, Ten Thousand One, The Grizzly Band, Oddfellas, Jenny Wood, Bringer Also, a Thursday, May 24, campground party will feature Screaming for Silence, Dark Avenue, As Above So Below, Save the Hero, Hyperdose, One Step From Falling, Weston Horn and the Hush, Ryder, Honor Amongst Thieves and Wither. The Rocklahoma campgrounds will be open from noon Sunday, May 20, through noon Tuesday, May 29. Festival doors open at 2 p.m. daily May 25-27. Camping is only available with weekend ticket purchases.
A guitar with signatures of rock bands hangs on the walls of the offices of Rocklahoma. IAN MAULE/Tulsa World Magazine
$330,000 in the budget to book acts for a two-day festival. With Poison as the anchor, the intent was to build the show around what Dave described as ’80s “hair bands.” Longtime Rocklahoma host Eddie Trunk is on record as saying he doesn’t like the term because it’s often meant to disparage, but, whatever you want to call bands from that period of rock, they were interested in joining Poison in rural Oklahoma. “We ended up turning our two-day show into a four-day show,” Dave said. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Dave wanted to make a splash when announcing the lineup for the inaugural Rocklahoma — Rocklahoma 2007 — to the music world. He rented the legendary Whiskey A Go Go in West Hollywood for the big reveal. The day before the announcement, Dave sat down for lunch with someone who keeps close tabs on the music biz. Said the person: “Dave, I don’t know what you think you are doing. These bands can’t fill clubs in New York.” The words made Dave uneasy. The announcement took place as
scheduled. Rock radio personnel from Tulsa, Oklahoma City and surrounding states had been flown there to share the news with listeners. Dave got his first sign that Rocklahoma was going to be a success when, after the announcement, he called home to speak with Sharon and she didn’t have time to talk. She was too busy. “I am watching these online sales just coming in — bing, bing, bing, bing,” she said. “And us girls were taking phone orders.” Tulsa World Magazine 63
Sharon Giencke looks through VIP tickets while working at the Rocklahoma office.  IAN MAULE/Tulsa World Magazine 64 Tulsa World Magazine
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Someone from Europe (the country, not the band) bought the first ticket. Don Dokken had done an interview before the announcement, so the news leaked early and a female fan from Spain took advantage and became the first ticket-buyer. Ticket sales began about noon. And Sharon said she remained so busy that it wasn’t until 8 p.m. or after that she had a chance to call her husband who, by that time, was celebrating. “The first year, we sold tickets on every continent except Antarctica,” he said, adding that a lot of extra construction took place just to satisfy demand. There were some close to home who wondered, “What the heck are you bringing to Pryor?” As if Rocklahoma was going to trigger a clad-in-spandex zombie apocalypse. But Dave reminded concerned citizens that the festival was taking place 4 miles north of the city. “The show went off and, to the amazement of a lot, even though we had almost triple the attendance of country, we had less arrests than we had at the country show,” he said. “People put their garbage in cans. They didn’t come there to get arrested. They came to have a good time.” Barbara Hawkins, director of the Pryor Area Chamber of Commerce, said the first Rocklahoma was almost like a high school reunion for the bands. They had been off the radar long enough to be appreciated again. “It brought people out that hadn’t heard these bands in years,” Sharon said. Added Hawkins: “Everybody was great. The audience was great. A U.S. audience had never seen a three-day camping festival like that. That was something that Rocklahoma started building.” Rocklahoma’s launch was newsworthy enough that Rolling Stone dispatched Rob Sheffield to the festival. He wrote a 6,287-word story that appeared in a Dec. 27, 2007, issue of the magazine. Sheffield’s story also compared Rocklahoma to a high school reunion. He wrote that drummer Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses fame showed up just to hang out. “All these bands, we hated each other when we were competing in the clubs,” L.A. Guns vocalist Paul Black told Sheffield. “But now, if we don’t support each other, take care of each other, who will?” Dave and Sharon said “copycat” festivals popped up — and faded away — around the country. Pryor’s party kept going but not without speed bumps. Country shows at the festival grounds were eventually discontinued. A Red Dirt show proved to be the least investors lost on a “country” show because the price TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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The crowd at Rocklahoma gathers in front of the main stage during the 2015 festival in Pryor. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World Magazine file
tag for performers was more affordable. Rocklahomas of varying degrees of success were staged in the years following the initial triumph, but investment partners grew tired of putting money into the venture and they didn’t want to continue, according to Dave. The plug was oh-so-close to being pulled. “Sharon and I actually moved back to Wisconsin and started back doing concrete work there,” he said. They moved back because a partnership with AEG Live made it possible for the show to go on. AEG Live is the liveentertainment division of Los Angelesbased AEG and is the largest producer of music festivals in North America. Sharon compared AEG to family. “They are a big company, but they are good people,” she said. The Rocklahoma-AEG introduction was brokered by Dupree, if you feel like crediting him with an assist. AEG originally wanted only to consult, according to Dave, but a deal was reached after AEG learned Rocklahoma was on the verge of vanishing. “They wouldn’t cut the deal unless Sharon and I came with it,” Dave said. “We needed to come back if we were going to make this work.” Dave said Rocklahoma has slowly been 66 Tulsa World Magazine
evolving (AEG infused the lineup with more current acts), and now, it’s to the point where it’s making a little money. “Most of the money is going back into the facility,” he said, adding that half a million dollars was spent on improvements last year. The property’s infrastructure has been upgraded and 7,000 campsites are available. Dave — he’s proud of the Rocklahoma brand — said 2016 was the event’s best year. He expects 2018 to top 2017. He hinted at additional uses for the facility in the future that would incorporate other genres. He’s not sure if they could ever do a true old-school rock show again. “I think it was a one-hit deal like Woodstock was,” he said. Added Sharon: “They did compare it to Woodstock, remember?” Sharon gave a shout-out to all the people who have attended Rocklahoma over the years. “They mean a lot to me because, without them, we are not Rocklahoma. They are the backbone of Rocklahoma, the people.” Her praise was contagious during a group interview, leading to compliments for volunteers and others. “We organize about 1,000 volunteer shifts for each event,” Hawkins said. “And many of the people who come are
local business people — business owners, managers and their employees — who come to work for four or five hours just to support it because they believe in it. And we have a lot of Tulsa people who come over and help.” Dave said local friends and associates have been at the ready when needed, like when rain and mud became factors in 2015. “I don’t think any of my friends watched the event,” he said. “They were on tractors, helping people and trying to make the thing successful. I can’t do it without them. They are just good people.” Because Sharon answers the phone a lot, she knows many Rocklahoma attendees feel like Pryor is their home away from home. And Pryor became home for the Wisconsin transplants who live on the festival grounds. “I want to say Dave and Sharon are two of the most remarkable people I have ever met,” Hawkins said. “They not only work hard, but they are smart. They are smart about the way they go about business. They are smart about the way they built Rocklahoma. ... It’s gorgeous. We’re proud of it, and we’re proud that they have decided to make Pryor their home. They are great, great community residents and that’s what we always hope for.” TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Summer festivals Mark your calendar for some of the biggest events in the Tulsa area
The fifth annual Hanson-led Hop Jam festival is set for May 20 in the Tulsa Arts District. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World Magazine file
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>>Oklahoma Renaissance Festival April 28-June 3 The Castle of Muskogee, 3400 W. Fern Mountain Road, Muskogee okcastle.com Step back in time to the 16th century with Queen Elizabeth I of England, King James of Scotland and more than 600 costumed performers and artisans as they create the boisterous village of Castleton at the annual Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. Held at the Castle of Muskogee, this festival will feature a royal court, jousters and jesters, magicians, musicians and minstrels. Browse more than 135 handcrafted booths for one-of-a-kind items.
Festival brings together the best in Tulsa-area food trucks, musicians and artists for a day on Jenks’ Main Street. Sample a wide variety of foods, listen to local acts and browse dozens of shops.
>>Jenks America Food Truck Festival May 5 Main Street, Jenks jenkschamber.com The Jenks America Food Truck
>>Tabouleh Fest May 12 Main Street, Bristow bristowchamber.com The annual Tabouleh Fest celebrates Bristow’s Middle
>>Rooster Days Festival May 10-13 Central Park, 1500 S. Main St., Broken Arrow roosterdays.com Rooster Days Festival in Broken Arrow is one of the oldest continually running festivals in Oklahoma. Rooster Days includes amusement rides, carnival food, wine garden, music and entertainment, and a market place.
Eastern ancestors who arrived in Oklahoma during the late 1800s. Immigrants brought with them tabouleh, also spelled tabouli, a fresh salad dish made with bulgur wheat, fresh vegetables, parsley, mint, olive oil and lemon juice. >>Stilwell Strawberry Festival May 12 Downtown Stilwell, Division Street strawberrycapital.com Held since 1948 as a way to promote the strawberries grown in the area, the annual Strawberry Festival in Stilwell has become one of Oklahoma’s most loved hometown festivals. With games, live entertainment and free strawberries and ice cream, the annual festival will also feature a 5k run, helicopter rides, carnival rides, plenty of food and merchandise and vendor booths. Tulsa World Magazine 67
>>Tulsa International Mayfest May 17-20 Main Street, downtown Tulsa tulsamayfest.org The annual Tulsa International Mayfest brings juried artists from across the country, live music, food vendors and more to downtown Tulsa’s Main Street. >>Blue Dome Arts Festival May 18-20 Blue Dome District, Second Street and Elgin Avenue bluedomearts.org Enjoy browsing through booths 68 Tulsa World Magazine
filled with handmade crafts, paintings, pottery, carvings, photography, jewelry, home decor and more. Chat with local artists while perusing and shopping original works by these regional artisans. >>The Hop Jam May 20 Tulsa Arts District thehopjam.com A unique celebration of beer and music, The Hop Jam celebrates the artisanal beer movement in Oklahoma, as well as the Oklahoma music scene. Organized by pop-rock
trio Hanson, this event has grown every year. >>Rocklahoma May 25-27 1421 W. 450 Road, Pryor rocklahoma.com A three-day rock music festival featuring more than 70 entertainment acts on three stages, featuring some of the top names in hard-rock music, as well as 1980s-era classic rock and metal bands. This year’s lineup includes A Perfect Circle, Godsmack, Poison, Cheap Trick, Stone Temple Pilots, The Used and many others.
Above, the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival in Muskogee opens April 28 and runs through June 3. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World Magazine file
At right, Chase Paddock, 9, looks at art creations from Steven Meadows’ booth during last year’s Mayfest. Tulsa World Magazine file
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>>Boots & BBQ Festival June 1-2 Claremore Expo Center, 400 Veterans Parkway, Claremore claremorereveille.com Go to the Boots & BBQ Festival in Claremore for a sanctioned Kansas City-style barbecue cookoff. This event attracts some of the top barbecue competitors in the nation. Get a heaping plate of barbecue and vote for your favorite team. >>Sunfest June 1-3 Sooner Park, Bartlesville bartlesvillesunfest.org Bartlesville’s SunFest is known as one of Oklahoma’s biggest outdoor picnics. Live music, arts and crafts, children’s games, storytellers, food and much more. >>World’s Largest Calf Fry Festival & Cook-off June 2 Craig County Fairgrounds, 915 E. Apperson Road, Vinita vinita.com Experience the ranching history of the Vinita area by tasting the festival’s namesake — calf fries — also known as a local delicacy.
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>>Black Gold Days June 14-17 Black Gold Park, 95 W. 145th St., Glenpool glenpoolchamber.org The annual Black Gold Days festival in Glenpool celebrates the city’s rich oil history with familyoriented activities and fun. The city honors the history of the local Glenn Pool oil field, named after Ida Glenn. >>Green Corn Festival June 21-23 Charley Young Park, 50 W. Dawes Ave., Bixby bixbyoptimist.com The Green Corn Festival is an old-fashioned family festival and picnic in downtown Bixby. See the Green Corn Parade, an antique tractor pull, corn-eating contest, watermelon seedspitting contest, balloon toss and more. >>Muscogee (Creek) Nation Festival June 21-24 Claude Cox Omniplex, 2950 Warrior Road, Okmulgee creekfestival.com This annual celebration includes cultural exhibitions, a golf tournament, concerts featuring local and national acts, arts and crafts, food, a parade through downtown Okmulgee and activities for all ages.
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Tulsa World Magazine writer James D. Watts Jr. stands alone on the patio on the east side of the Philbrook Museum of Art overlooking the gardens. 70 Tulsa World Magazine
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Solitary refinement Spend an afternoon alone in a museum and you start to see the world differently By James D. Watts Jr. Photos by John Clanton Tulsa World Magazine TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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T
he things you see, when you take the time to look. The number of times I’ve stood before WilliamAdolphe Bouguereau’s “The Little Shepherdess,” I cannot begin to count. I’ve been coming to the Philbrook Museum of Art for many years — occasionally at my leisure, most often for my work — and this 1889 painting of a young woman in rustic clothes, standing barefoot in a pastoral setting, a stout stick across her shoulders, gazing out at the viewer with a subtly challenging expression, is one I’ve seen many times. It’s hard to miss, for one thing. “The Little Shepherdess” has become something of a signature image for Philbrook, adorning postcards and calendars and occupying a significant space just inside the main floor of the Villa Philbrook. And perhaps, in one of those many visits, I noticed that in the background of the painting, captured in a few loose brushstrokes of umber, is not a herd of sheep, as one might expect in a painting called “The Shepherdess,” but some sort of bovine creatures — cattle, maybe, or oxen. So where are the sheep that should be under the watchful eye of this Little Bo-Peep? A brief stroll around this gallery leads one to Rosa Bonheur’s “Meadow with Sheep,” with a couple of woolly beasts in the foreground, one of which seems to have its gaze fixed on “The Little Shepherd” across the room. It’s a surprisingly intense gaze for a creature as famed for its timidity as a sheep. Perhaps the flock was in the care of “The Little Shepherdess” and decided the pastures were much greener in Bonheur’s landscape, where a distant figure, leaning on its shepherd’s staff in a saucy pose, keeps watch. These are the sort of thoughts one tends to have after spending several hours wandering physically and mentally through the halls and galleries of a more or less empty museum. Or, in this particular case, about 45 minutes. 72 Tulsa World Magazine
The grand staircase is seen in the Villa Philbrook at Philbrook Museum of Art. Being alone in such a place lets one focus on the incredible detail of the extraordinary building.
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Tulsa World Magazine writer James D. Watts Jr. looks through the “Museum Confidential” exhibit. Philbrook is now offering what it calls “Me Time Monday,” allowing a single patron, who applies for the opportunity through social media, to have the run of the entire museum.
All about me “Would you like to have Philbrook all to yourself for a whole day?” read a Dec. 20, 2017, post on the museum’s Instagram feed. “Sign up for a #MeTimeMonday.” The post continued, “Starting in 2018, a few lucky guests will get to enjoy @philbrookmuseum all to themselves for a whole day. Email us at newsletter@ philbrook.org to tell us how you’d spend your Monday alone. #metimemonday.” The idea for this began when Jeff Martin, the museum’s communications manager, learned about the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and its “Empty Met” tours, in which a limited number of people are given a guided 90-minute tour of the museum prior to its regular opening. “I had seen some of the images they had posted online of the museum TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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practically empty of people,” Martin said, “and I thought it would be neat to be able to have a place like that all to yourself for the day.” Well, not entirely all to oneself. “The staff is here working, we’ve got our security people on the premises, and there are cameras just about everywhere,” Martin said. “So it’s not like the place is completely empty. But even so, when the museum is closed and you’re walking around, it’s easy to believe you’re the only person here.” Some basic ground rules must be observed: Do not touch the art, nor sit upon certain items of furniture within the Villa Philbrook. If I go out onto the grounds, only one certain door will be open. The museum’s gift shop, for what should be obvious reasons, is off limits. And for equally obvious reasons, the famed Philbrook Museum Cats — Acer, Perilla and Cleome — are not allowed inside the museum.
Mission statement Most people go to museums for a reason. A new temporary exhibit has opened that they want to see. Visiting family and friends need to be entertained and impressed for an afternoon. It’s a Saturday morning and the museum’s restaurant is a favorite stop for brunch. So it is only natural that potential participants in Me Time Monday share their purpose of wanting to hide out in an Italianate villa for most of a Monday. That first Instagram post received about 85 responses, with people saying, if chosen, they planned to dance through the galleries, wander about without shoes or talk to the statues and people in the paintings as if they were long lost friends. The person who first caught the Philbrook staff’s attention was Valerie Fischer, a mother of eight children who rarely gets much time — let alone a day — to herself. “I want to make it clear that I have a wonderful husband,” Fischer said. “But even with all of his help, I don’t get a lot of free time. I’m a lifelong Tulsan, so the whole idea was beyond intriguing.” Fischer was one of the first people to post a comment to Philbrook’s original message and “was surprised as anyone” when she got a response. When asked how she planned to spend her Me Time Monday, Fischer listed a number of things, from meeting the Philbrook cats to playing the pianos. Lauren Boyd was selected for the February Me Time. “I remember seeing the original post,” Boyd said. “As best I can remember, I said I wanted to take selfies with all of the statues, and I wanted to walk really slowly through every gallery and take the time to learn as much about everything as I could. “I also wanted to have a picnic on the TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
grounds,” she added, laughing. “Unfortunately, it was outrageously cold the day I was there, so I couldn’t do the picnic. That was disappointing.” As for myself, I had no purpose. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to spend the entire day roaming the halls of the museum or strolling around the 23 or so acres of artistically maintained grounds and gardens. But I should have enough time to visit with most of my favorite items within the permanent collection, such as “The Little Shepherdess,” and perhaps discover some surprises. But the main thing was to be alone, my only companions the faces that stare out of the paintings on the wall, the only sounds the distant hum of the climate control machinery and the squeak of my very new, but very comfortable, shoes. That’s when the first disembodied voice made itself heard. Along with the thunderous bangs and crashes.
At top, Kehinde Wiley’s Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV is on display inside The Philbrook Museum of Art. Above, a painting called “Hattie King Huey,” by Louis Betts, is on display at the top of a very uncrowded flight of stairs at Philbrook. At left, the pergola on the Philbrook grounds is among the places one might encounter one of the museum’s cats. But on this cold day, the cats were nowhere to be seen.
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We are not alone The voices — coming through the back wall of the Helmerich Hall gallery, where I was spending a final few minutes taking in the “Museum Confidential” exhibit — were those of Philbrook workers going about their business. And that was a bit disappointing. I would rather imagine that the place was haunted — that the display of personal items from the family of Waite Philips, the Tulsa oil man who built Philbrook in 1927 and then gave it over to the city of Tulsa to be used as an arts center a dozen years later, had somehow summoned the ghosts of the people who once called this ornate place home, and that the eyes, so painstakingly and realistically painted on to the ring and broach in the “Tiny Villa” area of the “Museum Confidential” exhibit, would blink. They don’t. I move on. As the door to the Patti Johnson Wilson Hall is open, I take a trip down the aisle and up onto the stage of the small theater. A peek behind the grayish-green curtain reveals a Steinway piano. “I was given permission to play the Steinway in the auditorium,” Fischer said. “I’m a professional pianist, and I do a lot of accompanying, so it was a real treat for an introvert like me to be playing without an audience.” Fischer also was allowed to play the piano that sits in the villa’s Grand Hall and posted an Instagram video of her performance of Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag.” “I even bought a selfie stick for this,” she said, laughing. “I’m a short person with short arms, and I knew I was going to need one for this experience.” Beyond the piano behind the curtain was a staircase curving down to the green room. The door is unlocked. “Oh, hey,” said the man I find standing in the center of the room. “You must be doing that Monday thing.” He identified himself simply as “Stony, one of the security guys,” and told me the green room had recently been renovated. “There used to be this weird green carpet down here,” he said. “Now they replaced it with a nice wood floor. Looks pretty good, don’t you think?” Stony then suggested I choose my exit wisely. “You go out that door,” he said, pointing, “and you’re going to end up outside.” I trace my steps back to the theater and then into the Villa Philbrook itself, taking my time to stop in every gal76 Tulsa World Magazine
lery. The small collection of Wedgwood pottery, with its soft blues and browns, is where it’s always been, while down at the other end of the grand hall the museum’s latest addition, “Equestrian Portrait of King Philip IV” by Kehinde Wiley, dominates what was once called “The Italian Room.” “One of the things that surprised me was the amount of contemporary art in the museum,” Boyd said. “One of the things I wanted to see was the Kehinde Wiley painting, which is incredible. But even though I’ve been coming to Philbrook forever — my grandmother is an artist, so this was a place we visited a lot — I never associated it with contemporary art. So I was very pleasantly surprised to see that.” In what used to be the South Terrace, a woman was sprawled over the glass panels in the floor. “I’m one of the volunteers — been doing that for seven years,” the woman said, then introduced herself as Lynn McNair. “I’m doing a condition report on the dance floor. There are some places where the grout needs to be replaced and where some of the tiles need to be polished to smooth out where they’ve been chipped. “I don’t think they ever plan to replace the tiles,” she said, pointing to one square of glass that has a distinctly different hue. “They had to, some years ago, but to me, it still just sticks out like a sore thumb.” She gathered up her utensils, saying, “Maybe one more day, and I’ll get this done.” “The one thing I wanted to do but didn’t,” Fischer said, “was to dance on the disco floor. That’s my one regret.”
Exterior motives I should be outside. Not simply because it is a sunny, temperate March day, with just enough of a breeze to keep one comfortable, but because I’m sitting in what used to be the southernmost porch of the original Villa Philbrook, long ago sealed off and currently housing examples of the museum’s Kress Collection of Renaissance paintings. Given pride of place in this room is the massive “The Adoration of the Child with Saints and Donors” by Biagio d’Antonio da Firenze. It’s one of the paintings I always make a point to see when at Philbrook because it’s one of the most outrageously bizarre objects in the museum’s collection. And I include in that Tony Oursler’s “Swathe,” the TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Above, a view of the gardens at the Philbrook Museum of Art. Far left, patrons can roam the nearly-empty museum during “Me Time Monday” at the Philbrook Museum of Art. At left, Tulsa World Magazine writer James D. Watts Jr. scribbles some notes as he observes items from the Waite Philips family collection that are part of the “Museum Confidential” exhibit.
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multimedia blob with the weird mouths and faces. “The Adoration of the Child with Saints and Donors” is a surreal experience simply because of all that’s going on within its admittedly large frame. The solemn sameness of the faces in the foreground. The shattered building that presents and obscures the “vanishing point” of linear perspective. The scenes mythical, biblical and historical occupying the background, in defiance of logic and, to be honest, linear perspective. The peacock perched on the roof. The way the blanket underneath the Child is curling up of its own accord. The more you look, the more mysterious it all seems. And as I contemplate these mysteries, I realize that even the climate control system has ceased its ever-present hum. I truly feel alone. Then the chain saw rattles to life on the other side of the southernmost wall. A murder is being committed.
The great outdoors “Yeah, ‘crapemurder,’ ” said Trevor Gibson, Philbrook’s head horticulturalist. “That’s what some people call it. It’s also called ‘clubbing.’ ” Gibson has been lopping off the new growth on a stand of crape myrtles in the South Allee area of the Philbrook Gardens. “What you see here,” he said, pointing to thin branches rising out of a soonto-be lopped trunk, “is just one year of new growth. The reason for doing this is, there’s this pest that feeds on new growth. It’s all over the South, and we think it’s coming this way.” He plucks one of the fallen branches and points to tiny, flaky white patches along the bark. “Funny thing is, when you squeeze on it, it turns red,” Gibson said. As Gibson gathered up stacks of branches and loaded them on a motorized cart to haul away, I wander through the East Garden, keeping an eye out for one of the cats, as I settle onto one of the metal benches that line the South Allee. “One of the things I really wanted to do was meet the cats,” Boyd said. “They are truly Instagram stars — you follow Philbrook’s Instagram and the cats are all over it. But it was too cold for me to be outside the day I was there, so I guess it was too cold for the cats to be out, too.” But all the birds and squirrels gamboling over the Philbrook grounds in the most carefree manner this afternoon 78 Tulsa World Magazine
lead one to assume that the cats are elsewhere, patrolling a different region of the acreage or, more likely, engaging in their own particular form of Me Time Monday. “When I was out in the gardens, one of the men took me to find the cats,” Fischer said. “They were all sitting pretty close together, which I was told was rather unusual. So I was able to pet all the cats, and one of them even took a little walk with me.” When it was constructed, Philbrook was a pastoral getaway for the Philips family, a place to escape the hubbub of downtown Tulsa, where the family usu-
ally spent its weekdays. I remember, in the course of researching one of many stories I’ve written over the years about the history of the museum, coming across a quote from Waite Philips that the villa was to be a place where the Philips children might entertain friends on the weekends. Perhaps that is what gives Philbrook and its environs that aura of being a place out of time, a world unto itself, where a person can bask in beauty both natural and man-made. That aura, however, does not keep out other man-made things, not so beautiful, like the whiz and rumble of traffic, the TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
The lone car in the parking lot outside the Philbrook Museum of Art belongs to Tulsa World Magazine writer James D. Watts Jr., who participated in “Me Time Monday” at the museum.
mournful bleat of a passing train and the shriek of a house alarm, angry at being violated. That’s about the time that the chainsaw starts up again, which means maybe it’s time to go back inside. But before I re-enter the Villa, I take a detour into the not-so Secret Garden, where herbs for the museum’s restaurant are cultivated. At this time of year, it’s mostly brown and withered, but there are a few streaks of green along the ground — hearty sprigs of rosemary, tiny leaves of thyme, struggling stands of sage. I pluck a leaf and crush it, getting a whiff of the familiar, oddly comforting scent. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
A meeting with mother The lower level of the villa is where a small portion of the museum’s American Indian art collection is displayed. While it makes up the bulk of Philbrook’s permanent collection, most of the really impressive items — portions of the Eugene B. Adkins Collection and longtime holdings such as Louisa Keyser’s Degikup basket, considered one of the most important and precious items in the collection — are elsewhere, at Philbrook Downtown. But the examples of various styles of Indian pottery and work of innovative artists, such as Harry Fonseca,
Helen Hardin and Maria Martinez, are always worth a visit. Then it’s up to the top floor, where what used to be bedrooms and bathrooms now house the American art collection. One room is devoted to a recent bequest of art by the Wyeth family — N.C., Andrew and Jamie — by Marylouise Cowan. A large space is devoted to studio art, a legacy of one of Philbrook’s most important shows, “The Eloquent Object,” from 1987. But I take a deliberately circuitous route through these rooms — resisting the temptation to buff the noses of the bronze great Danes standing sentry at the top of the grand staircase, giving nods of recognition to the “Portrait of Mrs. V., Mrs. Herman Duryea,” by John White Alexander, and the “Portrait of Mary Patton” by Robert Henri, before ending up in front of Alexandre Hogue’s “Erosion No. 2: Mother Earth Laid Bare.” Hogue, who was for many years the head of the University of Tulsa’s art department, gained national fame with what became known as his “Dust Bowl” paintings — stark, stylized depictions of the damage man in his heedlessness and greed can inflict on the surface of Earth. And this 1936 painting remains as unsettling and compelling today. It has a power, a terrible beauty, that is almost beyond words to describe. In one of my conversations with Hogue before his death in 1994, he described his art this way: “I go out, observe the land and record it, taking the natural forms apart and putting them back together in better order. That’s what an artist has to do.” Because that is what art is supposed to do. Spend the time to look — to really look — at any work of art, and it will take a bit of your soul apart and then put it back together in better order. Which is how I felt that bright, sunny March day, more or less alone with a favorite work of art and my thoughts. I felt more than just relaxed. I felt, if only for a moment, whole. Then the phone in my coat pocket started buzzing, reminding me of all the quotidian tasks that awaited me in the outside world. I closed the notebook, capped the fountain pen and — now feeling more alone than I had all day — made my way to the exit. Tulsa World Magazine 79
>>5/4-5, ‘NANYEHI’ Musical about the life of Nancy Ward, whose political and military accomplishments earned her the title “Beloved Woman of the Cherokee.” Written by country music artist and Oklahoma native Becky Hobbs. WHERE: The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa FOR MORE: hardrockcasinotulsa.com
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Current and upcoming events around the area
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>>4/28-29, ‘TURANDOT’
>>5/1-12/31, ‘EXPLORING THE BIG TRAIL’
Tulsa Opera presents “Turandot,” Giacomo Puccini’s final and most musically adventuresome opera. A sweeping saga of pride, passion and devotion, the legendary fable tells of a princess so beautiful that men literally died to woo her — and contains one of the most famous melodies in all of opera, the tenor solo “Nessun dorma.”
The exhibit features rare, stereoscopic photographs taken during the filming of “The Big Trail,” the 1930 film starring John Wayne that is considered the first big-budget epic motion picture of the sound era. Circle Cinema will host a special screening of the film May 6.
WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsaopera.com >>4/28-29, ‘THE IRISH CURSE’ Tulsa Project Theatre presents this adult comedy about a group of Irish-American men who gather weekly to discuss their shared “shortcomings,” as they come to grips with issues of body image, masculinity and sexuality. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. FOR MORE: tulsaprojecttheatre.com
WHERE: Gilcrease Museum, 1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Road; Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Ave. FOR MORE: gilcrease.org, circlecinema.com >>5/1-2, SHEN YUN The popular stage spectacle promises to present “5,000 years of traditional Chinese cultural” through music, dance and colorful costumes. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsapac.com >>5/3-6, TULSA BALLET SIGNATURE SERIES
Neil Simon’s comedy about two aging vaudeville performers who reluctantly agree to a reunion performance, where long-held grudges and vicissitudes of time take their comic toll.
Kurt Jooss’ 1932 mediation on war and its consequences, “The Green Table,” highlights this mixed bill that includes the return of Nacho Duato’s “Rassamblement” and the Tulsa premiere of resident choreographer Ma Cong’s newest work, “Glass Figures,” which earned rave reviews during Tulsa Ballet’s recent New York City performances.
WHERE: Sapulpa Community Theatre, 124 S. Water St.
WHERE: Lorton Performance Center, 550 S. Gary Place
FOR MORE: sapulpatheatre.org
FOR MORE: tulsaballet.org
>>4/28-5/6, ‘THE SUNSHINE BOYS’
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>>5/4-12, ‘Seascape’ Edward Albee’s 1975 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama begins with a middle-aged couple relaxing on a beach, where they are joined by two sea creatures who have decided to take an evolutionary leap and begin new lives on dry land. Presented by American Theatre Company. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. FOR MORE: americantheatrecompany.org >>5/4-13, ‘MR. BURNS: A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY’ Theatre Tulsa stages the second production of the season of this black comedy, about how an episode of “The Simpsons” becomes a cultural touchstone after an apocalypse — and how stories can evolve into myths. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. FOR MORE: theatretulsa.org >>THROUGH 5/5, TRAIL OF TEARS ART SHOW The annual Trail of Tears Art Show is one of Oklahoma’s oldest shows. Open to artists from all federally recognized Native American tribes, the Trail of Tears Art Show displays a wide range of creativity and artistic style. WHERE: Cherokee Heritage Center, 21192 S. Keeler Drive, Tahlequah FOR MORE: cherokeeherritage.org
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>>Through 5/6, ‘MUSEUM CONFIDENTIAL’ Go behind the scenes of Philbrook Museum of Art through its exhibit “Museum Confidential,” a unique creation designed to show through continually changing exhibits and interactive displays how an institution such as Philbrook works. Practices, archives, stories and never-before-seen works of art are revealed in this groundbreaking exhibit. WHERE: Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road FOR MORE: philbrook.org
Scott Stulen, director of the Philbrook Museum of Art, gives a tour of “Museum Confidential.” The exhibit focuses on previously unshown work and the process behind an exhibit’s creation. MATT BARNARD/ Tulsa World Magazine file
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Country singer-songwriter Marty Stuart visited the Woody Guthrie Center for the opening of the exhibit that bears his name. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World Magazine file
>>Through 5/6, ‘MARTY STUART’S WAY OUT WEST: A COUNTRY MUSIC ODYSSEY’ The Woody Guthrie Center hosts “Marty Stuart’s Way Out West: A Country Music Odyssey,” highlighting the music and career of singersongwriter Marty Stuart with an exhibit focusing on West Coast influences on country music. The Grammy Museum-curated exhibit features items connected to artists including Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and Stuart. WHERE: Woody Guthrie Center, 102 E. M.B. Brady St. FOR MORE: woodyguthriecenter.org >>5/12, ‘HOME GROWN’ The Tulsa Symphony closes out its Pops season with a concert featuring singer-songwriter Annie Ellicott, pianist Barron Ryan and saxophonist Clark Gibson, as well as solo turns by orchestra musicians. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsasymphony.org >>5/12, 19, 20, ‘ZOOMAN AND THE SIGN’ Theatre North presents this drama by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “A Soldier’s Play,” about a community’s reaction — or lack of one — in the face of senseless violence. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. FOR MORE: myticketoffice.com >>5/13, 6/10, ‘Second Sunday Shorts’ Original short plays by local writers, performed in stage readings, some of which tell continuing stories from month to month. Presented by Heller Theatre Company. WHERE: Agora Event Center, 1402 S. Peoria Ave. 82 Tulsa World Magazine
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FOR MORE: hellertheatreco.com
Cassatt, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro — in the medium of printmaking. The exhibit, curated by Sarah Lees, draws from collections throughout the U.S. and includes key paintings by each artist, as well as their works on paper. WHERE: Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road FOR MORE: philbrook.org
>>5/17, ‘Las Arpias’ Eight women — portrayed by some of Mexico’s leading telenovela actresses — are the suspects in the murder of a millionaire in this comic thriller. Performed in Spanish. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsapac.com >>5/18-20, DISNEY’S ‘THE LION KING JR.’ Students in Theatre Tulsa summer theater workshops present this abridged version of the popular musical. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. FOR MORE: theatretulsa.org >>5/18-27, ‘JOLLY ROGER AND THE PIRATE QUEEN’ A man goes to outrageous lengths to win the love of his fair maiden, whose ideal man is a pirate, in this comedy presented by Spotlight Children’s Theatre WHERE: Spotlight Theatre, 1381 Riverside Drive FOR MORE: spotlighttheatre.org >>5/19, Play Your pART Brunch LeVar Burton, host of the PBS series “Reading Rainbow” and star of “Roots” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” will be the keynote speaker for this fundraiser for Arts Alliance Tulsa. WHERE: Hyatt Regency Tulsa, 100 W. Second St. FOR MORE: artstulsa.org >>5/24, ‘Black Wall Street’ Alicia Hall Moran’s one-woman show takes a
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LeVar Burton will be the keynote speaker for the third annual Arts Alliance Tulsa Play Your Part Brunch. Courtesy/Gotham Artists unique look at the Tulsa Race Riot in a staged concert built around a story about money and the lesser-told story of Black-American Finance in New York City and beyond. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. FOR MORE: choregus.org >>6/8-15, OKM MUSIC FESTIVAL The annual event formerly known as the OK Mozart International Festival will feature multigenre performances, from classical and chamber music to rock and contemporary. In addition to concerts, the weeklong event also includes educational speakers and children’s activities. WHERE: Bartlesville Community Center, 300 S.E. Adams Blvd., Bartlesville FOR MORE: okmmusic.org >>6/9-9/9, ‘INNOVATIVE IMPRESSIONS’ This unique-to-Philbrook exhibit explores the groundbreaking work of three artists — Mary
>>Through 6/10, ‘NORMAN ROCKWELL: BEHIND THE CAMERA’ A unique look at the creative process of Norman Rockwell, showing how the artist meticulously used photography to create most of his beloved, iconic images. WHERE: Gilcrease Museum FOR MORE: gilcrease.org >>6/19-24, ‘AN AMERICAN IN PARIS’ Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon took Broadway by storm with “An American in Paris,” which he directed and choreographed. Adapted from the 1951 film that starred Gene Kelly, the musical incorporates the music of George and Ira Gershwin to tell the story of three men who find themselves in love with the same woman WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsapac.com >>6/27, DIANA KRALL The award-winning jazz vocalist and pianist brings her “Turn Up the Quiet” tour to Tulsa. WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: myticketoffice.com
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LET’S GO. S
ummer in Tulsa means a full calendar of events, with annual favorites like Tulsa Craft Beer Week, 80’s Prom and Taste of Bixby returning. The BOK Center’s 10th anniversary concert series brings U2, Justin Timberlake, George Strait and The Eagles to the downtown venue. And be sure to catch a Tulsa Drillers baseball game or a Tulsa Roughnecks match at ONEOK Field.
5/2 u2
U2 will kick off its 15-city “eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE” tour at the BOK Center as part of the venue’s 10th anniversary celebration. U2 has been on many BOK Center wish lists for fans. The band last played Oklahoma in 2009 when the “U2 360” tour was at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. But the Irish quartet played Tulsa’s Brady Theater in 1983 when the young band was on its War Tour. Before that, it came to Cain’s Ballroom in 1981 to promote its debut album, “Boy.” WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
Bono sings with U2 at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The rock group will perform in Tulsa on May 2. SARAH PHIPPS/The Oklahoman
>>4/28, Eli Young Band
>>4/28, Vance Joy
>>4/28, 80’S PROM
Eli Young Band will brings its award-winning tunes to Paradise Cove. The country music group’s hit singles include “Crazy Girl,” “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” and “Drunk Last Night.” Its latest album, “Fingerprints,” was released last year.
Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy will perform at Brady Theater. His debut album, “Dream Your Life Away,” was released in 2014 and his latest, “Nation of Two,” was released earlier this year. He is best known for his singles “Mess is Mine” and “Riptide.”
The annual 80’s Prom will celebrate its sweet 16th at Cain’s Ballroom. Don your neon spandex and get ready for the raddest event in the city, featuring DJs Robbo, XYLO Sesame and Afistaface. The 18-and-older event will include a costume contest, stage acts, photo booth and more.
WHERE: Brady Theater, 105 W. M.B. Brady St.
WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St.
FOR MORE: bradytheater.com
FOR MORE: cainsballroom.com
WHERE: Paradise Cove, River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway FOR MORE: riverspirittulsa.com 84 Tulsa World Magazine
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5/10 huey lewis and the news
Grammy-winning Huey Lewis & the News is coming to Paradise Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort. The group has written and performed such classic top 10 hits as “Heart of Rock & Roll,” “Stuck With You,” “I Want A New Drug” and “If This Is It.” The group also wrote and performed “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time” for the hit film “Back To The Future.” WHERE: Paradise Cove, River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway FOR MORE: riverspirittulsa.com
Huey Lewis and The News will rock the stage at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa on May 18.
RICHARD FROLLINI/ Coda Photography
>>4/28, SIP, SAVOR & SHOP: THE TASTE OF CLAREMORE Sip, Savor & Shop: The Taste of Claremore showcases the city’s favorite eateries. Come sample tasty treats and enjoy sidewalk entertainment, shopping and a silent auction. WHERE: Downtown Claremore FOR MORE: downtownclaremore.org >>5/2, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band Grammy Award winner Lyle Lovett will return to perform in Tulsa. The country singer-songwriter has released 13 studio albums and 25 singles, including the hit “Cowboy Man.” His most recent album, “Release Me,” was released in 2012. WHERE: Paradise Cove, River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway FOR MORE: riverspirittulsa.com >>5/3-12, TULSA CRAFT BEER WEEK Tulsa Craft Beer Week highlights the growing craft beer community in Tulsa with the help of breweries and local business owners. Past events have included beer dinners, pint nights, brewery tours, a beer-themed brunch, tap takeovers, outdoor festivals and more in places all over the city. WHERE: various locations in Tulsa FOR MORE: facebook.com/tulsacraftbeerweek >>5/10, Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown Multiplatinum hard rock band Five Finger Death Punch will reunite with Shinedown for a BOK Center concert. Five Finger Death Punch released a greatest hits album (“A Decade of Destruction”) with two new tracks in late 2017. The band’s seventh full-length album is slated for a June release. Shinedown is also set to release a new album, “Attention Attention,” in 2018. WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com >>5/10, Modest Mouse Rock band Modest Mouse will return to Tulsa to perform at Brady Theater. Each of the group’s past three studio albums reached the top 20 of the Billboard albums chart, including 2004’s “Good News for People Who Love Bad News,” which went platinum, and 2015’s “Strangers to Ourselves,” which ascended to No. 3. WHERE: Brady Theater, 105 W. M.B. Brady St. FOR MORE: bradytheater.com TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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5/5 Justin Timberlake
Superstar artist Justin Timberlake will bring his The Man Of The Woods Tour to Tulsa’s BOK Center as part of its “10 for 10” concert series, a planned celebration commemorating the arena’s 10th anniversary. Timberlake’s latest album, “Man Of The Woods,” was released earlier this year. WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
Amy Harris/Invision via AP 86 Tulsa World Magazine
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5/16 willie nelson & allison Krauss
Country music legend Willie Nelson will appear with Grammy winner Alison Krauss at the BOK Center. With a six-decade career and 200-plus albums, Nelson is the creative genius behind the historic recordings of “Crazy,” “Red Headed Stranger” and “Stardust.” He has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor and activist, according to a press release. In April 2017, Nelson released “God’s Problem Child,” his latest studio album, with 13 new songs. Krauss’ new album, “Windy City,” is her first effort away from her band, Union Station, in a decade. The album has received critical acclaim and two Grammy nominations. WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
>>5/10, Tyler Henry The E! Television Network star of “Hollywood Medium” and best-selling author Tyler Henry will bring his unique gift to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. According to a news release, audiences will be treated to Henry’s new live show in which he will share and discuss “life lessons I have learned from the departed.” The show will also include a multimedia video presentation and a live interactive Q-and-A. WHERE: The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa FOR MORE: hardrockcasinotulsa.com >>5/11, Papa Roach Grammy-nominated rock band Papa Roach will bring its hits to Brady Theater. The group has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and is known for such songs as “Last Resort,” “She Loves Me Not” and “Getting Away with Murder.” WHERE: Brady Theater, 105 W. M.B. Brady St. FOR MORE: bradytheater.com >>5/12, OklaHomeGrown Music Showcase The second annual OklaHomeGrown Music Showcase will feature performances from six of Oklahoma’s hottest bands to benefit Cancer Sucks!, whose mission is to “provide a forum for those who have lost loved ones to cancer while aggressively raising money to find a cure,” according to its website. Set to perform are Nicnos, Skytown, Good Villains, Weston Horn & The Hush, NoiseBleedSound and Golden Ones. WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St. FOR MORE: cainsballroom.com >>5/16, Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World will bring its Integrity Blues tour to Cain’s Ballroom. The American rock band formed in 1993 and has produced nine studio albums, with its most recent, “Integrity Blues,” released last year. The group is known for such hits as “The Middle,” “Pain” and “Work.” WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St. FOR MORE: cainsballroom.com TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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5/29 depeche mode
English electronic band Depeche Mode will bring its Global Spirit Tour to the BOK Center. Formed in 1980, the group is on tour in support of its 14th studio album, “Spirit,” released in 2017. Depeche Mode is known for such hits as “Blasphemous Rumours,” “Shake the Disease” and “Enjoy the Silence.” WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
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Depeche Mode, with lead singer Dave Gahan, will perform May 29 at the BOK Center. Luca Bruno/Associated Press
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Let’s Go.
may-june >>5/19, Tom Jones Singer Tom Jones, whose body of work spans 50 years, will bring his hits to Paradise Cove inside the River Spirit Casino Resort. Jones has sold more than 100 million records, and his resume includes 19 top 40 hits in the U.S., including “It’s Not Unusual,” “What’s New Pussycat,” “Delilah,” “Green, Green Grass of Home,” “She’s a Lady” and “Kiss.” He was knighted for his contributions to music in 2006. WHERE: Paradise Cove, River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway FOR MORE: riverspirittulsa.com >>5/19, David Crosby Music legend David Crosby will bring his new tour to the Brady Theater. Crosby is a founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with each band. WHERE: Brady Theater, 105 W. M.B. Brady St. FOR MORE: bradytheater.com >>5/24, TASTE OF BIXBY Sample delectable appetizers, entrees and drinks at the annual Taste of Bixby. The event is open to the public. WHERE: 10441 S. Regal Blvd., Bixby FOR MORE: bixbychamber.com >>5/30, LANY Indie pop band LANY will perform at Brady Theater. The group released its debut self-titled album in 2017 and has performed with John Mayer and Ellie Goulding. WHERE: Brady Theater, 105 W. M.B. Brady St. FOR MORE: bradytheater.com >>6/1-2, George Strait Country legend George Strait will come out of retirement to perform two shows at the BOK Center as part of the venue’s 10th anniversary celebration. A second show was added after the first sold out within seconds of going on sale. Strait has sold more than 100 million records worldwide with several going gold, platinum and multiplatinum. His hits include “Unwound,” “Amarillo by Morning” and “All My Exes Live in Texas.” WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com >>6/2, ROUTE 66 BLOWOUT Held in downtown Sapulpa since 1989, the Route 66 Blowout celebrates the nostalgia of the Mother Road with a car, motorcycle and truck show. The event features an art show and sale, historic walking tours of Sapulpa, live music, crafts and commercial vendors. WHERE: Downtown Sapulpa FOR MORE: route66blowout.com >>6/2-3, TULSA PRIDE BLOCK PARTY & PARADE The longest-running LGBT festival in Oklahoma features live music, food, various vendors in a marketplace setting, a children’s zone and more, along with the Tulsa Pride Parade, presented by the Oklahomans for Equality. WHERE: Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, 621 E. 90 Tulsa World Magazine
Cyclists with Freewheel ride into Pryor in 2013. Tulsa World Magazine file Fourth St. FOR MORE: okeq.org >>6/7, TOP OF THE TOWN Top of the town grants exclusive access to some of Tulsa’s most iconic structures and benefits the Child Care Resource Center. See for miles from some of the tallest buildings in the state. In addition to touring downtown hot spots at your own pace, you’ll be provided some tastes of Tulsa along the way, as well as beverages and live music. WHERE: Downtown Tulsa FOR MORE: ccrctulsa.org >>6/8-10, LEAKE COLLECTOR CAR SHOW & AUCTION More than 700 cars are anticipated to cross the two-ring auction block during The Leake Collector Car Show and Auction, featuring a vast array of cars. WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St. FOR MORE: leakecar.com >>6/10-16, OKLAHOMA FREEWHEEL Oklahoma Freewheel is a weeklong bicycle tour
through the state. The route changes each year but typically begins near the Red River, Oklahoma’s southern border with Texas, and travels north to end just across the Kansas state line. Distances traveled each day can vary from 50 miles to 75 miles. WHERE: across Oklahoma FOR MORE: okfreewheel.com >>6/11-23, 2018 Pinto World Championship Show The Pinto Horse Association brings the world’s largest gathering of Pintos to Tulsa for the 53rd annual Pinto World Championship. WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St. FOR MORE: exposquare.com >>6/14, Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot Grammy Award winner Brian Setzer will bring his blend of rockabilly and swing to Paradise Cove. Considered one of the world’s greatest living guitarists, Setzer has sold 13 million records and produced such hits as “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town.” WHERE: Paradise Cove, River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway FOR MORE: riverspirittulsa.com TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Let’s Go. june
Tulsa Roughnecks Fernando Arce looks to pass during USL soccer action at ONEOK Field. The 2018 season continues into October. JOEY JOHNSON/for the Tulsa World
>>6/16, Tech N9ne Rapper Tech N9ne returns to perform at Cain’s Ballroom. A co-founder of the record label Strange Music, the songwriter has produced 11 studio albums, with a new album, “Planet,” set for release this year. Special guests Krizz Kaliko, Just Juice, Joey Cool and King Iso will also take part in the show. WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St. FOR MORE: cainsballroom.com >>6/17, The Eagles The Eagles, who christened the BOK Center in TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
2008, will return to the downtown Tulsa arena for its 10 anniversary celebration. Performing with Vince Gill and Deacon Frey (son of the late Glenn Frey), The Eagles is one of the most influential and commercially successful American bands of all time, selling more than 120 million albums worldwide, crafting six No. 1 albums and winning six Grammys. WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com >>Through 8/31, Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers’ season is underway and con-
tinues through summer, with the last home game set for Aug. 31 at ONEOK Field. Enjoy ballpark fare, beer and fireworks throughout the season. WHERE: ONEOK Field, 201 N. Elgin Ave. FOR MORE: tulsadrillers.com >>Through 10/13, Tulsa Roughnecks The Tulsa Roughnecks’ season kicked off in March and continues through October, with the final athome match set for Oct. 13 at ONEOK Field. WHERE: ONEOK Field, 201 N. Elgin Ave. FOR MORE: roughnecksfc.com Tulsa World Magazine 91
The End.
MICHAEL
OVeRALL A transplant from Ponca City, Overall has now lived in Tulsa for nearly 20 years and has been writing for the Tulsa World just as long. He is a projects team reporter and proud father of two.
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Living on both sides of the Interstate 44 divide
A
co-worker leaned over to whisper a warning into my ear. “Be careful about the friends you make,” she told me, a recent college graduate at the time who had left Oklahoma to take a job in Texas.
She nodded subtly toward a nearby cubicle where I had just been talking to someone else. “What’s wrong with her?” I whispered back, with several scandalous scenarios flashing through my mind. Was she embezzling from the company? A drug addict? A secret agent from the former Soviet Union? No. Worse. “She’s an Aggie,” said the co-worker, a proud Longhorn. I chuckled, assuming it must be a joke. But she wore an icy scowl that made it perfectly clear she was perfectly serious. There’s a long, bitter rivalry between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. And as I found out while living there, some Texans — a lot of Texans, it seemed — don’t leave the rivalry on the field. They sincerely don’t like each other. It’s not like the Bedlam rivalry in Oklahoma. At least, not as I have experienced it. Sooners and Cowboys like to give each other a hard time and crack jokes — Why is OU in Norman and the state penitentiary in McAlester? McAlester got first choice. — but when the game is over, we all go back to being friends. Well, at least after a few days we do. When I left Texas to come to Tulsa, I discovered a different kind of rivalry: midtown vs. south Tulsa.
Charming curb appeal vs. low-maintenance. Easy commutes vs. second bathrooms. Utica Square vs. Woodland Hills. But is it the Aggie/Longhorns kind of rivalry or the OU/OSU kind? Bitter and deeply felt? Or good-natured and ultimately just for fun? It’s somewhere in between, I think. Over the years, like a lot of Tulsans, I have lived on both sides of the Interstate 44 divide. And I have heard all the jokes: What do you call a walk-in closet in midtown? The kids’ room. But nobody takes it personally. Until money gets involved. Then the rivalry can turn more serious. Midtown resents the endless new developments and the seemingly bottomless pit of cash available to widen roads in south Tulsa. And south Tulsa gets touchy about the tax breaks and incentives and bond money pouring into downtown, not to mention a $250 million Gathering Place that will open later this year in what has been described as “midtown’s crown jewel.” But here’s what will keep the city rivalry from ever heating up too much: There is no loser. When one side grows and prospers, the other side wins, too.
TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Meet Keynote Speaker Chris
Harris Jr.
Bixby High School Alumni, Super Bowl Champion and Denver Broncos Cornerback
Saturday,
June 23, 2018 5-8 p.m.
Marriott Tulsa Southern Hills Dinner Awards Ceremony Photo Booth
$40 Gen. Adm. $100 VIP Sponsored by
Honoring the Best in High School Sports limited seats available!
Tickets | allworldawards.com | 918-699-8807
WARREN CLINIC URGENT CARE
Save time. Schedule online. For sudden illnesses, minor injuries and after-hours care that can’t wait, visit one of our conveniently located Warren Clinic Urgent Care locations.
Mon – Fri: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (all locations) Sat: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Springer location only) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (all other locations) Sun: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (all locations)
TULSA Springer Building 6160 South Yale Avenue Tulsa Hills 7858 South Olympia Avenue South Memorial 10506 South Memorial Drive
Online scheduling is available at warrenclinic.com/urgentcare. For additional information, call 918-488-6688.
SAND SPRINGS 102 South Main Street BROKEN ARROW Elm Place 2950 South Elm Place, Suite 120 (101st Street and Elm Place) Kenosha 1801 East Kenosha Street (71st Street and OK-51) warrenclinic.com/urgentcare