Tulsa World Magazine: 2021 Tulsans of the Year

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

TULSA W O R L D

M A G A Z I N E

| ISSUE 35 | WINTER 2021 TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

ISSUE 35 WINTER 2021

Inside Holiday gifts from local stores, festive appetizers and perfect poinsettias

TULSA PAC • CELEBRITYATTRACTIONS.COM

TULSA W O R L D

M A G A Z I N E

Winter 2021

TULSANS OF THE YEAR‌

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Okies in the news: We talked with a few big stars with local ties and asked them about their Sooner state pride.

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Ready, set, gift! We found gifts at local stores to help you stock your holiday gift closet.

Our staff has selected local people to honor who have brought pride to Tulsa in 2021.

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‘The Moment’: Each Tulsa World staff photographer tells the story behind a favorite photo.

ALSO INSIDE

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Oklahoma Made: Garden Deva makes divine gifts.

At Home: Brighten your home with poinsettias.

Life in Native America: Lacrosse has Indigenous origins as stickball with deep Oklahoma roots.

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minutes.

Best Bites: Treat holiday guests to amazing snacks in

Fashion: Spring-summer 2022 fashion trends and how to wear them.

Let’s Go: Celebrate the holidays and winter events.

COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: MIKE SIMONS AND TIM CHAMBERLIN, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE ABOVE LEFT: Sterlin Harjo, co-creator of “Reservation Dogs.” TOM GILBERT, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE ABOVE RIGHT: Native Oklahoman Ron Howard. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE BOTTOM RIGHT: Tulsa World Photo staff. JOEY JOHNSON, FOR THE TULSA WORLD

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Tulsa World Magazine 3

FROMTHE

EDITOR.

TULSA W O R L D

M A G A Z I N E

Tulsa World Magazine is a specialty

Tulsans of the Year show their compassion

A

Nicole Marshall Middleton Tulsa World Magazine Editor

re the Tulsans of the Year all Tulsa residents?

No. But each honoree brings pride to the Tulsa community in his or her own way.

Sense of community — and compassion for others living in our community — is a key theme exhibited by the 2021 Tulsans of the Year.

And I personally could not be happier to share their stories and celebrate their accomplishments with our readers. I hope this compassion is contagious. It has certainly inspired me.

For example, Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, seen on the cover, were recognized as Tulsans of the Year for their leadership efforts to get their citizens vaccinated.

But they didn’t stop there.

Showing true compassion for the Tulsa-area community, officials from the three nations began offering vaccines to the general public as soon as the tribes had large enough supplies.

“We take a lot of pride in being good neighbors,” Hill said to Tulsa World Magazine reporter Michael Overall.

We can all appreciate the value of a good neighbor, especially during trying times.

Standing Bear noted to me that it took many people working together to make the vaccination efforts a success — truly, communities working together.

In addition to the Tulsans of the Year, we celebrate the holidays in this Winter issue with gifts you can buy locally and have on hand for events or when guests drop by for a visit. We’ve also got great recipes for snacks to nosh on for when those guests arrive.

And with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, one thing we should all try to do is be in the moment a little more. But that’s a lot easier said than done.

Our Tulsa World staff photographers are experts at capturing unique and special moments before they vanish. In this edition, we showcased those talents with an extended collection of our regular feature, “The Moment,” with photographs submitted by all six photographers.

We also have stories on the Native American history of lacrosse, fashion trends for spring and an update on stars with Oklahoma ties in the news.

We hope you enjoy this edition and have a happy holiday season!

4 Tulsa World Magazine

publication of the Tulsa World, 315 S. Boulder Ave., Tulsa, OK 74103.

This magazine is published with the December 5, 2021, edition of the World.

All content copyright Tulsa World 2021.

The contents may not be reproduced without permission.

NICOLE MARSHALL MIDDLETON Editor nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com STACEY DICKENS Assistant Editor stacey.dickens@tulsaworld.com TOM GILBERT Photo Editor JOHN WALBLAY Page Editor

Additional copies of Tulsa World Magazine can be found at the Tulsa World or at local retailers. Annual magazine subscriptions are $29.70 for six issues. To subscribe or have single issues mailed for $4.95, go to tulsaworldmagazine.com or call 918-581-0921.

ADVERTISE IN TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE To advertise, call 918-581-8509 or email Libby First at libby.first@tulsaworld.com

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Is there an Oklahoma trait you feel fortunate to have?

Jimmie Tramel // Tulsa World Magazine

Celebrities with Oklahoma ties are always in the news. While talking to a few recently about their newest projects, Tulsa World Magazine reporters asked them each the same question.

Here are the responses:

“Just sort of an earthy, simple common sense from (my parents). I think Dad had it. We would call it Midwestern zen. We would always refer to it as that Midwestern zen, which is sort of the ability to be in that moment and understand the truth of that moment and be calm with that and accept and sort of take your next step based on the reality of just understanding where you are in the world and what’s going on and not deluding yourself, but also not diminishing yourself. It’s a kind of a — I think that sort of centered quality differentiates me from a lot of people I work with and they always appreciate that quality, I think, in me when I’m working, whether in the old days in front of the camera or the last decades behind it. I really attribute that largely to my dad, but I also think it’s a cultural characteristic. There is a kind of hot temper I don’t really have, and Dad didn’t have it much either, but I know of that as well. I don’t draw a lot of lines in the sand.”

— Ron Howard, actor-director (born in Duncan)

“This is probably more of a farmer’s mentality than just pure Oklahoma, but something I learned from Dad is the cows need milking and the chickens need feeding. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 10 degrees outside or 75 degrees outside. You’ve got chores. You’ve got to do them.”

— Clint Howard, actor (parents were Oklahomans)

Ron Howard and Clint Howard are brothers, but they feel like our brothers because they grew up in our television sets.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

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Tulsa World Magazine 5

“I think we are all nice to people, by and large.

If you think about Bill Hader and Kristin Chenoweth and Gary Busey, from what I am told, and my brother Mike Nelson, who is out there as a producer, I think what people say about us that we are easy to deal with and it’s important to us that we are kind and decent and that goes a long way. I’ll say we drive friendly.”

— Tim Blake Nelson, actor from Tulsa

COURTESY, CHUCK FOXEN, CIRCLE CINEMA

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“Moving to Henryetta made my life. I learned the value of hard work and all the values that are so often attributed to small town life.

You hear it said often, but it’s true. In a small town, a man or woman’s word is their contractual agreement.”

— Troy Aikman, pro football Hall of Famer, Super Bowl-winning quarterback from Henryetta

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

“I have been to many places across the world and have met some amazing people, but, in my opinion, Oklahoma has a lot of very kind people. I think we lead with kindness for the most part. That is something I’m very proud of when I say I’m a proud Oklahoman.”

- Kristin Chenoweth, Broken Arrowborn actress and singer DOUG HOKE, THE OKLAHOMAN

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Tulsa World Magazine 7

Okies

news IN THE

Here’s what these Okies and other stars with Oklahoma ties have been up to lately: It’s been an active year for Broken Arrow-born Kristin Chenoweth.

Chenoweth The Tony and Emmy Award-winner was one of the stars of “Schmigadoon!,” the Apple+ limited series that was both an homage to, and satiric parody of, the sort of movie musicals popular in the 1940s and ‘50s.

Then, in October, she released her second holiday-themed album, “Happiness is... Christmas!,” which includes such holiday songs as “Christmas Time is Here,” “Merry Christmas, Darling,” “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” with lyrics by fellow Broken Arrow native Ralph Blane.

Chenoweth will be performing songs from the “Happiness is... Christmas!” album, along with other music of the season, at a special gala concert Dec. 13 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

Oh yes, and she got engaged to musician Josh Bryant, whom she has dated since 2018.

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD FILE‌

Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond made her film acting debut in “Candy Coated Christmas,” which debuted Nov. 19 on the Discovery+ streaming service.

Thanks to her popular Food Network Show, “The Pioneer Woman,” Ree Drummond is no stranger to being in front of the camera. However, the Pawhuska resident tried something unusual this year, making her film acting debut in 8 Tulsa World Magazine

“Candy Coated Christmas,” which debuted Nov. 19 on the Discovery+ streaming service.

The movie is the story of a young woman who returns to her mother’s hometown of Peppermint Hollow after her plans to launch a business are derailed by circumstance. Drummond plays the owner of a local bakery who befriends the woman and introduces her around town.

The “Candy Coated Christmas” cast includes Molly McCook, Aaron O’Connell, Jae Suh Park and John McCook. The film was written by Alex Yonks, Joey Plager and Ellie Kanner, who also directed.

Trisha Yearwood published her fourth cookbook, “Trisha’s Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food for Friends and Family,” in August, and in November, COURTESY, HONS‌ the country singer and Food Network star was featured in “A White House Thanksgiving,” a holiday special about the Thanksgiving traditions and favorite recipes of President Joe Biden’s family that aired Nov. 20 on the Food Network.

Yearwood and first lady Jill Biden prepared some of those recipes, including the first lady’s Grandmom Jacobs’ Savory Stuffing and Trisha’s Thanksgiving Turkey Gravy. Behindthe-scene photos and recipes can be found at foodnetwork.com/whitehousethanksgiving.

Tulsa actor Tim Blake Nelson starred in the title role of a new western (“Old Henry”) in 2021. Nelson played a widowed farmer with a secret and, if you get on his bad side, you really don’t want to know what that secret is.

Actor and filmmaker Ron Howard was born in Duncan, Oklahoma. He and younger brother Clint Howard are the sons of Rance and Jean Howard, who were raised in Oklahoma. Ron and Clint partnered to write a book (“The Boys”) about their careers and

the parents who guided them through the pitfalls of being a child actor.

Troy Aikman, a Pro Football Hall of Famer from COURTESY, HONS‌ Henryetta, announced that he is bringing Blake Shelton to Henryetta for a benefit concert. An inaugural Highway to Henryetta Festival is scheduled June 11 at Nichols Park and will benefit educational and community initiatives in the town. “(Shelton) said yes in a matter of five minutes. I was blown away,” Aikman said. “It was one of those deals where I know Blake a little bit. I don’t claim to know him that well. I’ve always felt that Oklahoma was really important to him, and this proved it to me. I’m not sure if Blake has ever stepped foot in Henryetta, Oklahoma.”

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OKLAHOMA MADE

Touch of

whimsy Garden Deva products make unique gifts, add flair to home and garden

Grace Wood // Tulsa World Magazine Garden Deva products will bring an air of whimsicality to your home with their products this holiday season.

For over two decades, Garden Deva — founded by Tulsa artist Lisa Regan — provided unique metalwork to homes and gardens all over Oklahoma.

Since Regan’s retirement in 2017, new owners Kari and Bobby Babcock continued Regan’s vision by creating metal artwork in-house, teaching metalworking classes and hosting art markets in their Third and Peoria shop.

Garden Deva regularly hosts themed events to show off the handiwork of its craftsmen and other local artists.

This winter, the Garden Deva team will transform its gallery into a verifiable winter wonderland to showcase a “Narnia-inspired” product line just in time for the holidays.

“We have a really whimsical style, and we like to put a smile on the face of anybody who comes in our shop,” Kari Babcock said. “We want to make our gallery an experience for whoever comes in, so we make themes that are interactive and immersive for our guests. We try to provide a creative experience for anyone who comes into the shop and wants to take that into their own garden.”

All Garden Deva products — yard sculptures, garden poles, trellises, fire bowls, house numbers, custom work and more — are made in-house by staff designers and fabricators. For those who want to learn how to make their own sculptures, Garden Deva offers classes of varying levels.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

ABOVE: Garden Deva’s metal trees are a unique way to decorate your home for Christmas.

LEFT: All of Garden Deva’s metal artwork is made in-house at its Third and Peoria shop.

COURTESY PHOTOS, GARDEN DEVA

“We have a beginner metalsmithing class where you learn how to take a sheet of metal, cut something out of it, and create your own Garden Deva sculpture,” Bobby Babcock said. “We’ve had people make address numbers for their new homes and wind chimes — all sorts of neat decorations. We Tulsa World Magazine 9

also have an intermediate class, which goes into more of the assembling and finishing side of things. We have a really good time being able to introduce people to how we create things and the process that goes behind it.”

Kari Babcock said the holiday season is typically the busiest time of year for the Garden Deva team.

“The holidays are our favorite time of year,” Kari Babcock said. “This year, we’ll have a very ‘Starry Night,’ winter wonderland, ‘Narnia-style’ product

line. We’ll do Christmas ornaments, little metal Christmas trees and entire holiday vignettes — we’ll have a Christmas village that you can do inside your home or on garden poles in your garden, which will have woodland animals like deer, foxes and owls, and moons, stars and clouds for a celestial theme as well.”

Garden Deva products make for a great gift for your friends and loved ones, Bobby Babcock said.

“There’s nobody I’ve ever known to make anything like what we make,” Bobby Babcock said. “Our products

are very fun and give your home a little more lively, whimsical feel to it.

Life can be mundane sometimes, but when you have a little something that spices it up, it can really brighten your day.”

“In a lot of ways, we represent Tulsa to a lot of people,” Kari Babcock said.

“It’s a good way to capture a little bit of Tulsa in your gift-giving this year, especially if you’re sending out gifts to friends and family who don’t live in Tulsa. It’s a way to share the Tulsa small-business love anywhere you’re doing gift-giving.”

1 6 T H A N N UAL

CHEROKEE ART MARKET

COURTESY, GARDEN DEVA‌

DECEMBER 6 – 17

Ornaments from Garden Deva make a great gift for the holiday season.

“Tell Me Turtle Stories” Renee Hoover Cherokee Nation

A V I R T UA L E V E N T Elite Native artists from across the U.S. present new work at the largest Native American art show in Oklahoma.

Add to your collection with exquisite jewelry, pottery, sculpture, paintings, textiles and much more. View art virtually in the online gallery and purchase directly from the artists.

cherokeeartmarket.com COURTESY, GARDEN DEVA‌

This holiday season, give an ornament representing Tulsa to out-of town friends and family.

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ASK THE EXPERT

Let Grigsby’s take guess work out of remodeling Experts encourage preplanning and navigating

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emodeling your home sounds like a fun idea – until you’re in the thick of it.

Suddenly those visions of a “wet room” bathroom with heated tile floors, new hardwoods throughout the living room, dining room and office, and the luxury vinyl plank floors in the family room downstairs seem distant.

Those grand ideas have been replaced with a layer of dust an eighth of an inch thick created by all of the tile that has been removed.

You’re eating takeout for the 23rd night in a row in the bedroom – the only livable room in the house – while you wait for the new tile or hardwood to show up, and you’re realizing that it’d be better to eat boxed mac and cheese now that unexpected costs have left you half-broke. If only you could use the kitchen.

That’s a nightmare scenario, but it’s rooted in reality, says Penny Carnino, director of operations at Grigsby’s Carpet, Tile and Hardwood in Tulsa. And reality is right where she wants her potential customers to be.

That’s because she knows that the experts at Grigsby’s can help customers turn potential remodeling nightmares into the homes of their dreams.

“When you watch HGTV, they’re not really good about showing the horrible mess that comes with any remodeling project,” Carnino said. “I think there are a lot of people that don’t grasp that.”

“We try to manage it as best we can, but there’s going to be a mess,” she said.

“Also, in a perfect world, there are no back orders or delays,” she said. “Realistically, those things are happening right now, especially with the way things are in the ports, then there are no truck drivers, and then there are supply issues due to labor shortages.”

And lastly, costs are only increasing.

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PENNY CARNINO DIRECtOR Of OPERAtIONs Grigsby’s Carpet, Tile & Hardwood

Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

“More price increases are coming. That’s a fact,” Carnino said. “I would not delay one minute if you want something done for the holidays.”

Telling customers that their dreams will be messy, take time and cost money might not sound like a great business strategy, but Carnino wants clients to know that Grigsby’s can help them navigate the reality minefield and end up with the beautiful home they envisioned.

As far as the mess, know that there is going to be one, she says. The installers will keep it to a minimum, that the cleanup won’t take forever, and that it will be worth it.

Grigsby’s has a tool on its website that allows visitors to try out new designs by uploading photos of their rooms and then choose flooring options so they can better visualize what the new floor looks like in their space.

“That really helps take part of the guesswork out of it,” Carnino said. “But first thing, once you have an idea of what you want, come in the store and start the looking process.

Always check to see what’s in stock. We always have great values in style and design that customers are looking for.”

“Showrooms can be overwhelming, but if you’ve been online and at least know what you like, our experienced staff can guide you in the right direction.”

If at all possible, “don’t start a project until all of your material is in hand,” she said.

Don’t put off the project too long.

“If it’s feasible for you to do it, now’s a great time. It’s going to be less expensive now than it will be later,” she said.

“We just really want people heading into that remodeling process to be aware of what they’re getting into and know in the end it’s worth it.”

For more information, visit grigsbys.com or call 918-627-6996.

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ASK THE EXPERT

Winter not affecting real estate market

LeLand Chinowth, president Chinowth & Cohen Realtors

Best time to buy or sell your home is now

I

n any other year, real estate markets change with the seasons. Typically, as the weather cools down, the market cools down; as the weather heats up, the market heats up. This usually results in buyers and sellers having a busier market in the spring and summer and a slower market in the fall and winter. But that is not currently the case.

Leland Chinowth, President of Chinowth & Cohen Realtors, said, “We are experiencing an unusual extension of that hot season this fall and winter. The luxury sales market stands out as particularly strong this year with the number of sales for homes over $1 million being nearly two and a half times that of last year. And last year was the best real estate market in Tulsa’s and the country’s history.”

“Tulsa has recently passed one million in population. We know from studying other cities like Austin and Kansas City, when the population of a metro area passes one million people, the rate of growth starts to expand rapidly. We are seeing a very high level of buyers moving to Tulsa from both coasts, most notably California,” Chinowth said.

Chinowth said there has been a drastic increase in the number of sales in all prices ranges over $500,000, but real estate brokerages are seeing the sales numbers slow down in the some of the other price points. Much of this is due to the lack of inventory and the slow down in new home construction brought on by the pandemic and the subsequent lack of materials for new homes.

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Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

Chinowth said, “We are working with over 35 of Tulsa’s top builders, and many of them are looking for lots and development projects throughout the Tulsa area metro. We are seeing large tracks of land that have been on the market for several months - or even years - now selling.”

Another factor of the steady market in the Tulsa area is the continuous migration of East and West Coast residents moving inland to places like Oklahoma. “Tulsa has recently passed one million in population. We know from studying other cities like Austin and Kansas City, when the population of a metro area passes one million people, the rate of growth starts to expand rapidly. We are seeing a very high level of buyers moving to Tulsa from both coasts, most notably California,” Chinowth said.

And although home inventory has increased over the last few months, it is a slow, gradual increase that has not really changed the market much.

Chinowth said, “It’s the first time in the history of the nation when anything else that is going on doesn’t matter - whether it’s hot weather or cold weather or who’s in office or a lot of other things that would usually make the market shift and change. We have a shortage of homes across the nation. And unless there is an unforeseen circumstance like a war or something else no one can predict - we’re going to have a really strong market for the next 18 months.”

However, the interest rates are not going to stay where they are currently sitting; interest rates are only going to increase. So, Chinowth says the right time to buy or sell is right now.

He said, “Even if you think you’re overpaying a little bit now, it’s cheaper than what you’d be paying in the long run with a lower price and a higher interest rate.”

For more information visit ccoklahoma.com or call 918-392-9900.

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ASK THE EXPERT CR HEAD, PRO BBQ SLINGER Head Country

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SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

Big bites & big appetites just in time for the holiday season!

Head Country favorites entertain family and friends

T

here are some things in life we just don’t question. Who knows why chili tastes better with football, or why hot chocolate is sweeter by a campfire, or why BBQ and good times go together? All we know is, when these opportunities arise, it’s best to just show up hungry.

Same goes for holiday appetizers. We don’t need to know why it’s so much fun to graze an apps spread, or why we look forward to them almost as much as the big holiday meal. All we need to know is, there will be sturdy plates, lots of options, and that all our favorites will be there.

When we say appetizers, we don’t mean small bites. We set out the big spoons and jumbo toothpicks, and we serve up big flavors. The best appetizer spread packs variety, is easy to customize, and whips up in a hurry. We always start with these recipes first: Meatballs. While we love an excuse to dip mouthfuls of meat into BBQ sauce, the best meatball recipes are more than just a sauce-to-mouth delivery system.

One of our favorites takes smoked meatloaf from sit-down meal to bite-sized. And then there’s the classic combo of grape jelly, BBQ sauce, and meat—an aroma that fills the entire house with memories of home, and tastes exactly like you remember.

Sliders & Pull-Apart Breads. Slice a pack of Hawaiian rolls horizontally in half, load with BBQ pulled chicken and shredded cheese, brush the tops with garlic-parsley butter, and pop in the oven until golden. Pull-apart sliders, done. Or, slice into a loaf of French bread to make a crosshatch, pull the bread apart slightly, & full with cheese and shredded BBQ chicken or pork. Top with black olives, pickled red onions, and chives. This pullapart bread is a show-stopper served in a cast-iron skillet.

Dips. Creamy, meat-packed, ovenbaked dips are our go-to. One of our favorites starts with a mixture of cream

cheese, shredded chicken, BBQ sauce, black beans, corn, red onion, and spices and comes steaming out of the oven topped with two kinds of shredded cheese. Serve with sliced sweet peppers, veggie sticks, or

“When we say appetizers, we don’t mean small bites.” toasted baguette.

Charcuterie Board with Smoked Brisket & BBQ Pulled Pork. Nothing fancy here. We love serving meat and cheese on a big hunk of wood, and we invite our BBQ favorites to the party.

Serial grazers will come back for seconds and thirds. Smoke the meats yourself, or support your favorite local pitmaster and pre-order meat by the pound.

8 oz brisket, sliced 8 oz smoked chicken 8 oz smoked pulled pork 2-3 flavors of your favorite Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauces 4 oz sliced colby jack cheese 4 oz sliced sharp white cheddar cheese 4 oz pepperjack cheese 1/4 cup whole grain mustard 1/4 cup fig jam Assorted crackers 1/2 cup cocktail pickles 1/2 cup dried apricots 1/2 cup dried cherries 1/2 cup sliced pimento peppers Arrange meat, cheese, and sauces (arrange on the table in the bottle and in small bowls for serving and dipping) on a large platter or wood cutting board. Line up the crackers between the meat and cheese.

Fill in the empty spaces on your board with the pickles, apricots, cherries, & peppers.

Don’t forget to leave room for toothpicks. A sprig or two of fresh herbs will score points with discerning mothers-in-law.

Get more recipes and tips at HeadCountry. com/recipes or call 580-762-1227.

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ASK THE EXPERT

Curious how SBA loans help businesses grow?

Local bank experts offer recommendations

D

o you want to acquire a business? Purchase new equipment or machinery? Expand your business into a new market? If so, then an SBA loan might be right for you.

“It’s good to think of SBA loans as expansion capital.

The money can help take your business to the next level and supercharge your growth,” said First Oklahoma Bank President Thomas Bennett III. “It helps entrepreneurs with cash flow.”

First Oklahoma Bank has a long history of partnering with the Small Business Administration and offers different types of SBA loans, with the most common being the 7(a) loan.

Put simply, an SBA loan is a small business loan that is partially guaranteed by the Small Business Administration.

Under the loan program, eligible borrowers can make lower down payments and receive longer loan repayment terms than they would with a traditional bank loan. Borrowers can finance real estate up to 25 years, equipment up to 10 years, and long-term working capital up to 10 years.

“It’s good to think of SBA loans as expansion capital.

The money can help take your business to the next level and supercharge your growth.”

“Another common reason people look for SBA loans is a lack of collateral available to secure the debt. Banks typically require the value of the collateral to exceed the loan amount. This is not a requirement of the SBA,” said Ray Foreman, chief lending officer for First Oklahoma Bank.

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Thomas BenneTT iii

Ray FoReman

First Oklahoma Bank

Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

The 7(a) guaranteed loan program is the SBA’s primary lending program. The maximum loan amount for a 7(a) loan is $5 million. The SBA typically guarantees from 50% up to 85% of an eligible bank loan, up to a maximum guaranty of $3,750,000. The exact percentage of the guaranty depends on sundry factors.

To be eligible for the loan program, a small business must meet the following requirements: • Operate for profit • Be engaged or do business in the United States or its possessions • Demonstrate a need for the loan • Meet the definition of a small business • Use the funds for a sound business purpose, among other criteria Examples of eligible businesses include private medical facilities and equipment needs for dentists and other health care providers, pharmacies, heavy equipment franchises, owner-occupied commercial real estate, veterinarian practices, jewelry stores, technology, landscaping, attorneys, manufacturing companies, among others.

Ineligible businesses include non-profits, passive holders of real estate, pyramid sales, religious organizations, political or lobbying activities, businesses restricting patronage, finance companies, investment companies, to name some.

“For business owners looking to purchase real estate, buy out a business partner, expand, start or acquire a new business, an SBA loan from First Oklahoma is an excellent option,” said Foreman.

For more information, visit firstoklahomabank.com or call 918-392-2500. Member F.D.I.C. SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

ASK THE EXPERT

MARK HILL MARKETING STRATEGIST Tulsa World Media Company

Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

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Changes shed light on new business practices Expert shines for Four Seasons Sunrooms

hings aren’t always what they seem.

Take for instance when Brian Jones, project manager and owner of Four Seasons Sunrooms, added retractable shades to his product line. The belief was retractable shades were only a great product for the summer to manage the level of light entering a room.

Turns out, they are perfect year round because during the winter months, they keep the heat in!

Something similar happened when Jones’ believed his advertising wasn’t working, so he pulled back. That is, until the team at Tulsa World Media Company showed him the way customers are interacting with media is changing, and now so is Jones’ marketing plan!

“I’ve been with the Tulsa World for years and I love the Tulsa World,” Jones said. “Everything changes, and thank goodness the Tulsa World has made some changes too!”

With many diverse media platforms, Mark Hill, lead account marketing strategist, was able to dive in and identify digital opportunities to strategically connect Four Seasons Sunrooms to the right audiences to drive sales.

“Consumer behavior is changing and so are we,” Hill said. “Using research and trends, we are able to hone in our tactics to find consumers actively looking for our client’s goods or services.” No job is the same.

That’s something Hill and Jones share. As Hill uniquely crafts marketing campaigns to fit his client’s needs, Jones and his sales manager, Bob Collins, take on each customer’s project with a custom approach.

“Now days, customers are designing their spaces more for entertaining,” Collins said.

Every project differs in size and budget, he said.

“Because of the level of customer service we offer, we are very hands on. After an actual site visit, we get an idea of what the client has in mind,” Jones said. “Then we can show them how we can help fulfill their dream.”

SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

No journey is the same. Another thing Hill shares with Jones and Collins.

“From creative messaging, the medium that message is served on, and the right timing, our team works together to elevate our client’s marketing campaign for the best return on their investment,” Hill said. “We are able to craft the right campaign that fits the right season.”

Similarly, Four Seasons Sunrooms also recommends products to fit their customers’ vision.

“Over the years we’ve built heat blocking glass sunrooms to enclosures around existing spaces all over northeast Oklahoma and into Arkansas,” Collins said.

“Carrying retractable screens really opened up new possibilities. We can install them inside sunrooms, or even attach them to outdoor pergolas!”

The typical customer is also changing.

“We learned when it has a remote control, we attract younger customers,” Jones said. “Now we offer louvered roof systems for people who want a covered, rain-proof porch.

Combine them with retractable shades, and we can create an open space to be enjoyed, or convert to an enclosed space - all with the power of a button.”

It’s simple, we need to reach people and let them know what we can do for them, Jones said.

“It takes people like Mark and the team at the Tulsa World to help us do just that,” he said.

Tulsa World offers a full-service menu of marketing resources from traditional media, a Premier Google Partnered digital agency – Amplified Digital, and e-commerce solutions including a partnership with Amazon.

“There are businesses in our community that need help getting started and having their dreams realized,” Hill said.

“So, let’s start a conversation!”

For more information visit amplifieddigitalmarketing.com or call 417-527-3986.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

‘Must have’ foods and table displays every hostess needs Don’t stress! Entertaining tips and tricks sure to delight

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hen I was growing up, my mom called it a relish tray,” said Kim Zieg, co-owner of OkieSpice and Trade Co. Zieg didn’t dwell much on why people would rather say “charcuterie board” than “relish tray.” But as a businesswoman, she knows which one is selling like proverbial hotcakes right now.

“Charcuterie boards are still the big thing,” she said. “It started a couple of years ago, and now more and more people are trying to re-create those at home.

“Of course they make a great gift,” said Zieg, who, with her husband, Steve, owns OkieSpice and Trade Co. in downtown Sand Springs.

“And then we sell all the stuff that goes with them,” such as the spoons, forks, knives, bamboo boats and other serving items.

But what about the food? Yes, OkieSpice sells that, too, Zieg said, ticking off a list that includes pickles, jellies, nuts, salami, summer sausage and even the store’s own artisan blended cheeses made on site.

“We try to focus as much as we can on Made in Oklahoma products,” Zieg said.

“We also have a bacon jam that’s just to die for,” she said. “It’s a staple in a lot of folks’ homes now.”

Zieg said the store also sells salsas, spice blends and seasonings.

“We try to focus as much as we can on Made in Oklahoma products,” she said.

Steve Zieg said newcomers to charcuterie boards should know a couple of things up front. First, he said, don’t wait till the guests have arrived to prepare the board.

It needs to be done in advance. But not too far in advance, he added. The food likely will be a mix of items that refrigerate well, such as cheese, and those that don’t, TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

such as bread.

“But you can get caught up in trying to make everything just so perfect that you get worn out,” Kim Zieg said. “People just want to visit.”

It’s true that the sky can be the limit in terms of cost for putting together an eye-popping charcuterie board, what with all of the additional serving pieces and the food itself, but it doesn’t have to be, Zieg said.

For those on a budget, there are costeffective ways to make a big splash at holiday gatherings.

“If they can afford to invest in maybe one or two neutral serving pieces or maybe even a board, that’s good,” she said. “They can always dress it up with less-expensive accoutrements and holiday décor,” such as pine sprigs and Christmas ornaments.

And if not a charcuterie board, perhaps a Gurgle pot, which Zieg said is probably her second-biggest seller this holiday season.

“The colors on them are outstanding, and we have a great variety of colors,” she said.

But if you’re still not sure what approach you want to take, just stop by the store, she said.

“It’s really an idea sharing place here at OkieSpice,” Zieg said. “We love what our customers do. It always ends up being a big conversation and swapping of ideas.”

That same friendly vibe is what Zieg hopes to bring to her newest venture – the Hippy Cowgirls Bou-dega.

She is hopeful that the store, which she calls “a wine and cheese bar up front focusing on Oklahoma wines and cheeses with a Western flair boutique in the back and a patio on the side,” will open around the first of December.

ASK THE EXPERT KIM ZIEG CO-OWNER OkieSpice & Trade Co.

Email us your questions at expert@ tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

For more information visit okiespiceandtrade.com or call 918-514-0045. OkieSpice is located at 107 N. Main St. in Sand Springs.

SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

at home

HOLIDAY WARMTH Low-maintenance poinsettias an easy way to brighten your home Grace Wood // Tulsa World Magazine

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ike hot cocoa, snowmen and stockings hung above the fireplace, poinsettia plants are synonymous with the Christmas season. There are many things, however, the average person doesn’t know about the special Christmas plant.

Native to southern Mexico, poinsettias are actually considered a tropical plant that can grow up to 12 feet tall in their natural environment. After being brought over to the United States in the 1800s, people began using poinsettias mainly as a houseplant —specifically, a Christmas decoration to adorn the insides of their homes.

“Poinsettias provide so much color in a very dark time of the year — as the days get shorter through the fall and into the winter season, those are the shortest days that we have,” said Susan Brammeier, plant buyer at Southwood Landscape & Garden Center. “To have something bright blooming in your house at that time is just

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TULSA WORLD FILE PHOTOS

At Southwood, they also hand paint and use glitter on poinsettias to create different colors, which actually lengthens the life cycle of the plant. TOP OF PAGE: Red and white poinsettias are popular during the holiday season.

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beneficial for people.”

After witnessing the native Mexican people use the poinsettia plant in ceremonies and rituals around Christmastime (when they’re in full bloom), Joel Poinsett, the U.S. Minister to Mexico, decided to transport the plant back to his native country. Now, poinsettias are a Christmas staple in the United States, and are only getting more popular, said Brammeier.

“We’re getting a lot more interest than we had in past years in this holiday flower,” Brammeier said. “We sell 5,000 during the holiday season in all kinds of colors and sizes.”

Brammeier said despite the prominence of poinsettias, there is much that people don’t know or get wrong about the plant — namely, the fact that they are actually not poisonous, contrary to popular belief.

“They’re no more poisonous than any other houseplant — that’s a myth we need to dispel,” Brammeier said. “There’s also over 100 varieties of poinsettias out there. More than just red, we have pink, white, salmon and some that are a beautiful, rich orange. There’s a lot of cool ones to choose from — you don’t always have to have your grandmother’s red poinsettia.”

Brammeier said that at Southwood, they also hand paint and use glitter on poinsettias to create different colors, which actually lengthens the life cycle of the plant.

“We’ll take a salmon-colored poinsettia and add blue paint, creating a beautiful purple color,” Brammeier said. “That process extends the life of the plant

because we use a special glue that closes up some of the pores that allow water to escape from the plant.”

Garden centers typically start selling poinsettias a little before Thanksgiving.

It’s best to buy them early, Brammeier said.

“It’s a good idea to get them early,” Brammeier said. “In spite of what you might think, they’re not delicate at all.

As long as you provide the right amount of care for them, you’ll have them in your house until you decide to throw them away next spring. They’ll last a very long time indoors.”

Brammeier said caring for poinsettia plants is relatively simple.

“Most importantly, protect them from the cold — any time spent below 40 degrees can damage it,” Brammeier said. “Keep your home anywhere from 65 to 75 degrees and place it in a nice, bright indirect light, and water it only when the top part of the soil feels dry.”

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR POINSETTIA Caring for your poinsettia doesn’t have to be hard.  



Temperature: Keep your home between 65 and 75 degrees.

Water: Water your poinsettia when the top soil is dry, or when you pick up the plant and it feels light.

Light: Place your poinsettia in bright but indirect sunlight.

BELOW: Garden centers typically start selling poinsettias a little before Thanksgiving. It’s best to buy them early.

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GIFTS ON HAND 20 Tulsa World Magazine

Stock your holiday gift closet with gifts from local stores Megan Miers For Tulsa World Magazine Photos by Stephen Pingry

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was the night before the office party and the only creature stirring was a harried co-worker searching her cabinets for something to wrap up for the annual gift exchange.

Sound familiar? If you’ve ever found yourself scrambling to find gifts for unexpected guests, office exchanges or impromptu holiday get-togethers, you’re not alone.

Last-minute gift-giving has been the subject of many a holiday joke, including a memorable 2016 “Saturday Night Live” sketch in which host Emma Stone and regulars Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon sang the praises of a dusted-off Christmas candle “re-gifted around the world in just one day.”

And though it’s easy to see the humor in these gift-giving dilemmas the rest of the year, it’s not so funny when you find yourself pawing through the hall closet at the last minute for something that will do and dreading the thought of having to head out to another store crowded with holiday shoppers. Why not avoid the hassle this year by picking up a few thoughtful gifts ahead of time to keep on hand for gift-giving emergencies?

Check out these easy ideas for stocking your holiday gift closet:

THAT HOLIDAY GLOW A thoughtfully chosen candle makes a stylish and fragrant holiday gift that goes well with any décor. Stock up on a few festive options such as Magnolia Soap and Bath Co.’s Christmas tree dough bowl candle ($65) or long candle ($140), or Lefco’s Absolute orange blossom candle in a sleek, marbled glass vessel ($95, The Cook’s Nook).

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

GIFTS THAT PAMPER Pamper your friends with bath and body care treats such as Magnolia Soap and Bath Co.’s whipped body butter gift set ($35), plant-based bar soaps (five for $30) or a cheeky green Grinch soap ($7).

Pick up a few Spongelle body wash-infused buffer sponges ($11, Margo’s Gift Shop) or French-made La Chatelaine’s hand cream trio ($32) for a luxurious and relaxing holiday gift.

FESTIVE SCENTS A Graybill and Downs infuser in Boxwood Grove scent ($68, Margo’s Gift Shop) makes a lovely and sweetsmelling gift to keep on hand.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN Keep a few puzzles on hand for friends to enjoy fireside on chilly winter nights. Pair a Zen puzzle ($50, Margo’s Gift Shop) or a Wentworth wooden puzzle ($18, Margo’s Gift Shop) with some homemade cookies and your favorite hot chocolate mix for a fun and tasty gift.

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Tulsa World Magazine 21

DOWN-HOME HOLIDAY Celebrate the holidays Soonerstyle by stocking your closet with a few Oklahoma-themed gifts.

Try an Oklahomashaped enameled steel bottle opener ($20, Margo’s Gift Shop), a wooden bar board etched with the Tulsa skyline ($10, The Cook’s Nook), Oklahoma stone coasters ($15, The Cook’s Nook) or an insulated tumbler with a whimsical Oklahoma map ($35, The Cook’s Nook).

SUGAR AND SPICE Jams, condiments and spice mixes make delicious holiday gifts. Keep your closet stocked with several sweet and savory options for easy, last-minute gift-giving.

Try locally made Bubba-Q-Boys barbecue rub ($10, The Cook’s Nook), which combines sweet and salty flavors with a dash of heat; tangy, Missourimade Papa Hart’s Pickles ($17, Margo’s Gift Shop); Muskogee-produced gourmet honey ($14, Margo’s Gift Shop); or Lesley Elizabeth cranberry balsamic vinegar ($14, Margo’s Gift Shop).

MAKE THE CUT Kitchen gadgets make great last-minute gifts and can be easily tossed into a gift bag with some festive kitchen towels or flavored oils. Try this Kuhn Rikon paring knife ($10, The Cook’s Nook) in cheery holiday red.

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TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

SOMETHING FOR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS It never hurts to have a few emergency treats and toys on hand for gifting your furry friends in the neighborhood. Try Give Pet’s Breakfast All Day snacks paired with a squeaky egg sandwich ($10.99 and $10.99, The Dog Dish); Bocce Bakery’s birthday cake-flavored bites with a squeaky gift box ($5.99 and $12.99, The Dog Dish) or Orbee’s interactive Snoop toy ($15.99, The Dog Dish) with Bocce Bakery Bac’N Nutty bites ($6.99, The Dog Dish).

l a i c Spe ! r e ff O Don’t miss another precious moment!

Try

Hearing Aids BUON NATALE Food gifts are always a hit, but for a savory twist this year, pair a gourmet pasta such as Sapori Antichi’s rainbow farfalline ($11, The Cook’s Nook) with Sutter Buttes artichoke marinara ($10, The Cook’s Nook).

FOR FREE! (918)

493- 4040 The Hearing Aid Experts 23

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

24 Tulsa World Magazine

Tulsa deserves people who bring pride to the city.

In 2021, these people stood out for doing just that.

Meet our Tulsans of the Year, and read their uplifting stories.

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM 25

26 Tulsa World Magazine

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TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Sterlin Harjo A lifechanging year for ‘Reservation Dogs’ co-creator Jimmie Tramel Tulsa World Magazine

Sterlin Harjo said he hoped people would love “Reservation Dogs” and respond well to it, but he didn’t think people would love the show as much as they do.

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Sterlin Harjo is working on season two of “Reservation Dogs.”

TOM GILBERT PHOTOS, TULSA WORLD‌MAGAZINE

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

he shot-in-Oklahoma series “Reservation Dogs” has been showered with universal acclaim. Co-creator Sterlin Harjo was asked if there has been any comment or any specific bit of feedback that has been the most meaningful to him.

“I think when Native parents tell me or they thank me that their kid is enjoying it and watching it with them and seeing themselves on TV for the first time and how that has made a difference,” he said. “I think that’s my favorite comment.”

“Reservation Dogs” is a groundbreaking venture because the series features an all-Indigenous cast and creative team. The series, shot primarily in Okmulgee, isn’t an outsider’s stereotypical depiction of Natives.

“Reservation Dogs” follows four youths

on the modern-day rez and provides a look at Indigenous life that should ring familiar to many Oklahomans, especially those raised in small towns.

Harjo, who co-created “Reservation Dogs” with New Zealand filmmaker Taiki Waititi, has been selected a Tulsan of the Year by Tulsa World Magazine because of the series’ significant and positive impact and because of the attention the series has brought to Oklahoma and Indigenous peoples.

“We couldn’t be happier with the creation, production and reception of ‘Reservation Dogs,’” David Hill, principal chief of the Muscogee Nation, said.

“Every level of this series is authentic, with Native artists creating and telling Native stories. Representation matters, and an accurate portrayal of our way of life to a global audience is both refreshing and revolutionary.”

Harjo, a Tulsa resident for about 16 Tulsa World Magazine 27

years, was asked for his thoughts about being chosen a Tulsan of the Year and said this: “You know, it’s cool. It feels good. I’ve been here for a long time, working hard. It’s very nice to be recognized for it. I love Tulsa. I have made it my home, and it has been a choice to make it my home. I love the music. I love the arts scene. I love the people. And it’s just my vibe and my temperature and my pace. I like it a lot.”

Harjo and cast members attended a premiere for “Reservation Dogs” in August at Circle Cinema. One month later, FX announced that the series had been renewed for a second season. Also in September, Harjo and the four primary cast members — D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis and Lane Factor — were invited to appear at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. They spoke about the importance of Indigenous representation.

“To be able to do that, to know that you’re sort of making history, it’s all very overwhelming and you have to keep your perspective,” Harjo said, adding that it was a wonderful feeling to experience the moment with the actors from the series.

Harjo said he hoped people would love “Reservation Dogs” and respond 28 Tulsa World Magazine

It’s very insane.

I didn’t know. People at FX and different places kept telling me, ‘You know, this is going to change your life,’ once they started seeing the show. And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah. Sure. I’m going to be be able to deal with this.’

But it buckles you a little bit at first. I wasn’t quite ready for the response.”

- STERLIN HARJO

well to it, but he didn’t think people would love the show as much as they do.

“You can’t expect that unless you’re a psycho,” he said. “So I was just hoping that people enjoyed it, and they seem to enjoy it. It beat all my expectations, really, the way people reacted to it.”

Was there one moment that made him realize how much the show was being embraced?

“I think it was when the memes started coming in,” he said. “When all the memes started happening, I was like, ‘Wow, they really like this.’”

Where do we go from here?

Harjo and the creatives behind

“Reservation Dogs” are plotting the second season. He hopes people will like the second season as much or more than the first season, and he’s hoping there will be a season three: “I think we’re headed in that direction.”

Without giving anything away, is there anything Harjo can say about season two? After a pause, he said he can’t think of anything because he and others are in the middle of writing it. He is, admittedly, slam busy thanks to “Reservation Dogs.”

“It’s very insane,” he said. “I didn’t know. People at FX and different places kept telling me, ‘You know, this is going to change your life,’ once they started seeing the show. And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah. Sure. I’m going to be be able to deal with this.’ But it buckles you a little bit at first. I wasn’t quite ready for the response.”

Harjo, though busy, also said it’s a “great” busy: “I cannot complain.”

Kaniehtiio Horn, the actress who played Deer Lady in a season one episode of “Reservation Dogs,” said “good for him” when told that Harjo was being honored as a Tulsan of the Year.

“He deserves everything good that comes his way,” she said. “He has opened so many doors for so many people and so many friends of mine.”

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Cherokee, Osage and Muscogee tribal chiefs Tribes play indispensable role in COVID-19 emergency response Michael Overall Tulsa World Magazine

T

he conference room had a TV monitor displaying real-time numbers of reported COVID-19 cases from across the country. But as the meeting began on March 19, 2020, the screen reported no deaths in Oklahoma.

Principal Chief David Hill watched the scrolling data as he met with an emergency task force to plan the Muscogee Nation’s response to the approaching pandemic.

And he remembers the

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Principal Chief of the Osage Nation Geoffrey Standing Bear said many in the Osage Nation contributed to vaccination efforts.

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD‌ MAGAZINE Tulsa World

Magazine 29

largest tribal health system in the country with a $924 million annual budget. And the Muscogee Nation invested $40 million this year to buy a hospital building in south Tulsa, where it opened a COVID treatment clinic not just for tribal citizens but for all Tulsa residents.

If there was any doubt before the pandemic, COVID-19 made it very clear that all three tribes — Cherokee, Muscogee and Osage — now play a major role in shaping public policy across northeast Oklahoma. And as vaccines became widely available this year, the tribes became indispensable partners with state and county governments to distribute the shots.

‘GOT TO WORK TOGETHER’‌

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

“Part of my goal as chief,” Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. says, “is to make sure that there’s an understanding that all of the reservation is our responsibility.”

moment when the state’s number switched from zero to one.

“I still have a picture of it,” Hill says. “I think we were all wondering just how high that number would eventually get.”

When the current chiefs were young men, the three major tribes in the Tulsa area would have played a minimal role in 30 Tulsa World Magazine

dealing with such a huge crisis, especially outside their own populations. Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., for example, remembers when the Cherokee Nation bought an RV to deliver health care services to rural communities, which seemed like an enormous investment at the time.

Now the Cherokees operate the

Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear asked the tribal newspaper to come take photos last December when he became one of the first people in the Osage Nation to take a COVID-19 vaccine.

“I wanted everybody to see it,” Standing Bear says. “’Look, I’ve taken it and I’m still here.’ I did the same thing with the second shot and now the booster. I’ve had the newspaper there every time.”

But he understands why a lot of people remain skeptical about the vaccines. The federal government has a long history of breaking promises to Indian tribes,

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he says. And the pharmaceutical industry reassured the public about the safety of prescription opioids while the drugs wreaked havoc across the Osage Nation and the rest of Oklahoma, he says.

“They brought it on themselves, this level of distrust,” Standing Bear says. “The pharmaceutical companies and the government kept doing things over the decades that allowed this kind of situation to happen, because of the way they behaved.”

But history also showed Standing Bear how important it was to distribute the vaccines as widely as possible. The Osage Nation lost roughly 90% of its population between 1808, when the tribe was forced out of its

ancestral homeland in Missouri, and 1890, when the Osage Reservation became part of Oklahoma Territory.

“It was mostly from disease,” Standing Bear says. “Measles, typhus, smallpox — they caught everybody by surprise. And it was devastating. So we have seen what disease can do. And that’s why we understand how important it is to be alert and work together. Quickly. That’s the key.

You got to work together quickly.

If we don’t work together, everybody’s going to suffer.”

‘OUR RESPONSIBILITY’‌

Chief Hoskin grew up in Vinita, 90 miles northeast of Tulsa. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma, 130 miles southwest of the city. And now he serves as

chief in Tahlequah, nearly 100 miles southeast.

Nonetheless, he’s being honored as a Tulsan of the Year, along with Chief Hill in Okmulgee and Chief Standing Bear in Pawhuska. None of them live or work here, so is it stretching the definition of “Tulsan”?

Not much, Hoskin says.

“I have not lived there, but I love the city,” he says.

All three tribes have obviously played a significant role in Tulsa history, but they seem likely to have an even bigger impact on the city’s future, Hoskin says.

“It’s important to the tribes because it’s such a center of economic and cultural vitality for this region,” he says. “Its success means success for the Cherokee Nation also. But I think we’re in

Congratulations P R I N C I PA L C H I E F CHUCK HOSKIN JR.

Tulsan of the Year WADO (THANK YOU) FOR L E A D I N G T H E WAY I N C O V I D  19 R E S P O N S E A N D VACCINATION R OLLOUT

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Tulsa World Magazine 31

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE‌

Like their Osage and Cherokee counterparts, Muscogee officials began offering vaccines to the general public as soon as the tribe had a large enough supply. “We take a lot of pride in being good neighbors,” Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill says.

an era where the opposite is true as well: The Cherokee Nation’s success is to the benefit of Tulsa.”

Vaccination efforts demonstrated that mutually beneficial relationship more clearly than ever, he says. Nobody will ever be able to count the lives saved, but there’s no denying that the tribes are taking a 32 Tulsa World Magazine

more active role in public affairs.

“Part of my goal as chief,” Hoskin says, “is to make sure that there’s an understanding that all of the reservation is our responsibility.”

‘LEAD BY EXAMPLE’‌ Chief Hill hesitated to take a vaccine when the shots initially

became available late last year.

Not because he doubted its safety but, with a limited supply at first, he wanted others to have it.

The Muscogee Nation had set clear priorities for the early batches, with the first shots going to tribal elders and healthcare workers. Hill was going to wait his turn, until Muscogee health officials intervened.

“You’re the chief, and we need you healthy,” they told him.

And they wanted him to set an example.

“You got to lead by example,” Hill says, “especially in a time of crisis.”

Taking office only three months before the pandemic reached Oklahoma, Hill had been among the first elected officials in the state to close public facilities, including casinos. And when vaccines became available, he wanted once again to set the pace.

The tribe offered a $500 incentive for Muscogee citizens who took a shot by the end of September, or $300 for those who take a vaccine by the end of the year.

“We’ve done everything we can to promote it,” Hill says. And not just within the tribe.

Like their Osage and Cherokee counterparts, Muscogee officials began offering vaccines to the general public as soon as the tribe had a large enough supply.

They organized a drive-through clinic at the Tulsa County fairgrounds that delivered more than 4,000 doses in late March.

And the tribe’s mobile health clinics delivered doses to rural communities for Muscogee citizens and non-citizens alike.

“We take a lot of pride in being good neighbors,” Hill says.

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TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Deborah Gist Superintendent guides TPS through challenging times Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton Tulsa World Magazine

Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist says the past year and a half has been “extraordinarily difficult” for educators to navigate.

MICHAEL NOBLE JR., TULSA WORLD‌MAGAZINE

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ell before COVID-19, Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist had to learn to expect the unexpected when working with students.

Leading a district of more than 32,000 students and almost 6,000 employees during a pandemic with ever-changing public health guidance just magnified the importance of that.

“I don’t think any of us imagined what we’ve gone through in the last year and a half,” the fifth-year superintendent said. “It’s been extraordinarily difficult. It’s already challenging to be an educator in Oklahoma where we do not prioritize our children, sadly, and the pandemic has really exacerbated and brought to light the inequities that exist in our communities in Oklahoma.”

Despite public criticism about the decision, TPS followed the guidance of public health officials and kept the majority of its students in distance learning longer than other area districts during the 2020-2021 school year as part of an effort to prevent further community spread of COVID-19.

Although some special education students and elementary grades had in-person classes during the fall 2020 semester, the majority of TPS students did not return to campus for full inperson instruction until February.

The district was relying on advice from public health professionals to

make that call, but Gist acknowledged that that did not make the decision any easier, particularly when that guidance was constantly changing to reflect new information about COVID-19.

Further compounding the problem, she said, is the need to strike a balance among the mental health, safety and academic concerns of staff, students and their families.

“It has been excruciating to try to find that balance and to make decisions that no matter what you decide, have huge implications on students, your team and all of their families,” Gist said. “When you think back to the very first part of the pandemic when we started our year, every health professional — nationally and locally — said ‘Do not start the year in person,’ so it felt important to follow that guidance.”

Despite the additional challenges brought on by the pandemic, the district was able to expand some of its more popular programs in 2021, including increasing the number of neighborhood schools offering dual language instruction and the addition of TPS’ second Montessori program.

Additional further expansion of both programs is not off the table, Gist said.

“We have continued to grow access in the district,” she said. “We’re very interested in growing both our Montessori programs and our language programs.”

Tulsa World Magazine 35

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Kajeer and Maggie Yar Couple dedicated to seeing Greenwood flourish Kevin Canfield Tulsa World Magazine

OPPOSITE PAGE: Maggie and Kajeer Yar stand atop their building at Greenwood and Archer next to the Greenwood Rising building. Greenwood Rising sits on land they donated to the project.

STEPHEN PINGRY, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE‌

36 Tulsa World Magazine

K

ajeer and Maggie Yar have been together forever.

They met at Maggie’s house when Kajeer was home from the University of Chicago for Christmas break. He was a freshman and just 18; she was a junior at Booker T. Washington High School and, as she’s quick to point out, “almost 17.”

Then came nine years of longdistance dating — Maggie went off to the University of Michigan, and both later attended law school — before they decided to make it official.

Twenty-two years and three children later, you can find them spending much of their time in the Greenwood District, where they have been at the forefront of the revitalization of the historic neighborhood.

The Hille Foundation, established

by Maggie Yar’s parents, Jo Bob and Mary Ann Hille, provides the vision and financial support for the work the Yars are responsible for carrying out.

“We try in what we do here (to be) within the same spirit of Greenwood — just that everybody is welcomed,” said Maggie Yar, who serves as the foundation’s executive director. “And it really does feel like a neighborhood here. It’s a community.”

The core of Greenwood wasn’t much of a community when the Hille Foundation began investing in the area about a decade ago. First came GreenArch LLC, a mixed-use develop-

ment on the southwest corner of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street that opened in 2013. By the end of this year, 21 N. Greenwood will begin operations across the street, offering retail and commercial space on the ground floor, three floors of Class A office above, capped with a rooftop event center called The Vista at 21.

Kajeer Yar said GreenArch has filled a need for affordable housing for service workers and students who want to be downtown without having to pay sky-high rents. That’s one step toward building a diverse community.

Another is providing professional services like the ones the Yars hope will occupy 21 N. Greenwood.

“The district in its heyday, premassacre, post-massacre, wasn’t just simply gin joints and Count Basie,” Kajeer Yar said. “It was doctors, lawyers, financiers, restaurants, apartments, cleaners, shoe stores.”

The Yars’ role in sparking the redevelopment of Greenwood makes them worthy candidates for Tulsans of the Year — but that’s not what got them here. It was the land they didn’t develop.

The Hille Foundation — at the behest of the Yars, and with the full support of the foundation’s board — donated a third of an acre on the southeast corner of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street for the construction of Greenwood Rising history center.

That reduced the size of 21 N. TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

Greenwood by about 10,000 square feet and added a penny or two to the cost of the project, but the Yars felt it was the right thing to do.

“It was important that if we donated the land, that first of all it had to be on the corner of Greenwood and Archer, and secondly, there wouldn’t be strings attached,” Maggie Yar said. “We would want to give it up so that Greenwood Rising could own the land free and clear.”

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

Kajeer Yar remembers when the cranes used to construct GreenArch nearly a decade ago were the only ones you’d see in the skies of Greenwood. Not anymore.

Everywhere you look, new buildings are popping up.

The Yars insist they are just a small part of the development boom, but credit is due to this couple who bet on a passion project and are watching it pay off for the entire community. That, after all, was always the goal.

“We really saw Greenwood as a unique opportunity,” Maggie Yar said. “It blended all of the ideals we were looking for — revitalizing a part of downtown that has, in our opinion, Tulsa’s best and worst history all within these same blocks. So that is really why we focused here.

“We have always felt optimistic about Greenwood and felt that its coming of age or revitalization was coming, and we wanted to be part of it.”

Tulsa World Magazine 37

38 Tulsa World Magazine

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Kristin Barney Animal welfare advocate on mission to improve lives Kelsy Schlotthauer Tulsa World Magazine

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alming, classical music; essential oils wafting through the air.

This is no spa, but the Tulsa Animal Welfare shelter — albeit with a few changes.

The thought might cause even the average animal-lover to quizzically perk up an ear, but animal enrichment, as Kristin Barney explained, can make a huge difference in the life of a pet, especially one occupying a shelter kennel while awaiting a fur-ever home.

Pets calmed with tunes or stimulated with new smells, activity mats, treat-filled puzzle toys and outdoor play will have better mental and physical health while in a shelter, which means they’re less likely to get sick and more likely to present better for adoption.

“We are Tulsa Animal Welfare, so the welfare of the pets that are in our care is really important to us,” Barney said. “While the shelter environment is never a great place for an animal to be, we want to make it as positive of an experience as we can while they’re here.”

Barney is in Tulsa temporarily on a long-term mission. She and her co-worker, Catherine Eldredge, will stay for a year as part of the Shelter Embed Program through Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society, which aims to transform the country into one of no-kill shelters and communities by 2025.

“No-kill” isn’t the absence of euthanasia, Barney explained, for such will always be necessary for animals who suffer irreparable medical or behavioral conditions that do not allow for an acceptable

How Oklahoma and Tulsa County rank Oklahoma is listed on Best Friends’ website as a medium-priority state with an animal save rate of about 78%. The goal is to save about 90% of animals, animal welfare advocate Kristin Barney said.

Oklahoma saved 6,830 more animals in 2020 than in 2019, the website states.

Kristin Barney, director of operations for the Shelter Embed Program at Tulsa Animal Welfare, poses with her dog, Hansel.

IAN MAULE, TULSA WORLD‌MAGAZINE

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

BF’s top 10 priority states from total pets killed/total pet shelter intake: Louisiana: 15,288/80,671 Georgia: 14,735/165,636 Oklahoma: 11,560/89,353 Illinois: 10,365/112,375 Michigan: 9,714/116,076

Texas: 52,106/547,038 California: 39,111/456,717 North Carolina: 27,031/186,425 Florida: 24,289/283,942 Alabama: 16,825/101,769

Visit bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025/animal-welfare-statistics for the State of Animal Welfare Today.

In Tulsa County in 2020: 12,129 cats and dogs were saved out of 15,271 entered through intake, making for a gap of 1,855 killed. There are six no-kill shelters out of 11 shelters in the county.

Tulsa World Magazine 39

If people want to keep their animals, we want to help them be able to do that,” Barney said. “We don’t want there to be so much stigma that people won’t reach out for help for fear of judgment because in this moment right now they’re having a hard time feeding their animal.” quality of life.

No-kill means saving animals that are healthy or otherwise treatable for adoption.

Best Friends set its goal five years ago, when nearly 1.5 million cats and dogs were being killed in America’s shelters because they didn’t have the community support or resources needed to save them.

Shelter overpopulation is vast, and “while adoption is very, very important, we’re not going to be able to adopt our way out of this situation,” Barney said.

Spaying and neutering is vital, as are community education and resources like the ones Barney and Eldredge are working to improve to ensure the pets coming to the shelter are only those who actually need to be there.

Lost pets are more likely to be reunited with their owners if their finders do some detective work themselves rather than dropping the pooch or feline at a shelter, Barney said, and many people who feel forced to surrender their animal for temporary financial or other reasons may find there is help available through the shelter’s community resources.

“If people want to keep their animals, we want to help

40 Tulsa World Magazine

them be able to do that,” Barney said. “We don’t want there to be so much stigma that people won’t reach out for help for fear of judgment because in this moment right now they’re having a hard time feeding their animal.”

They also want adoptees to feel free to come back if their arrangement doesn’t work out.

“We want to make sure we’re finding the right fit where the family is happy and the pet is happy,” Barney said.

Barney said she and Eldredge have focused on expanding programs that support those positive outcomes, many of which TAW had already begun before they arrived.

That means building up the animal diversion and retention program with more call-takers to talk with owners and forming more partnerships with local businesses and veterinarians for more resources.

They’ve also worked to expand TAW’s transport program to send adoptable pets elsewhere, recently as far as Canada.

“There are — believe it or not — communities that don’t have enough adoptable pets to meet the demand,” Barney said.

Animal enrichment is another improvement; there’s now a cal-

endar of rotating engagementactivities such as the oils and KONG toys to keep the dogs and cats stimulated.

Barney’s desire to see every pet find a loving home started with her own.

“My mom’s disabled, so we grew up with a service animal in our home,” Barney said. “I saw early on how important that human-animal bond is and how transformative animals can be in people’s lives and, I think, vice versa.”

A dog trainer for several years, Barney found herself taking a job at her local health department in Arizona — a “natural transition,” she quipped — and finding a passion for fixing up programs that showed room to improve.

When she was assigned to her local shelter, she fell in love with the passion of its employees and volunteers, and she honed her leadership skills on finding ways to support them in their work.

“All I did was kind of pave the way for them to be able to do what they were experts on,” she said.

Through the Best Friends program, that’s exactly what she hopes to do at TAW. “They have come a really long way before we ever stepped foot in this community,” Barney said, referring to TAW’s progress.

“It started with Mayor (G.T.) Bynum’s 2018 Comprehensive Animal Welfare Reform Plan, and it has just continued from there in steady improvement.

I hope that with our presence here we can take it over that final hurdle but not without the tremendous work that’s been done before (Eldredge) and I got here.”

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Amelia Cannon

Nurse’s wake-up call for COVID-19 shots goes global Andrea Eger Tulsa World Magazine

Aurora Cannon, 3, battled COVID-19 in the Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis. She was released after a 12-day stay in August.

COURTESY, AMELIA CANNON

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

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rontline healthcare workers were hailed as heroes when the coronavirus first gripped the planet in early 2020.

But by the time the Delta variant resulted in a sudden, devastating surge in hospitalizations in summer 2021, local doctors and nurses said politicization and disinformation campaigns against face masks and COVID-19 vaccines had people in their own communities and even families questioning the validity of their expertise and first-hand knowledge of the situation.

Enter Amelia Cannon, then a registered nurse in the emergency room at Tulsa’s Saint Francis Hospital, whose gripping Facebook posts in August became a wakeup call that went worldwide.

At the time, Cannon was not only a nurse on staff but also the mother of one of the youngest critical COVID-19 patients ever treated at the Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis.

She believes she gave her 3-year-old daughter Aurora Cannon the virus after contracting it from one of the many unvaccinated patients she had treated at work.

On Aug. 12, Amelia Cannon posted on Facebook: “If you choose not to be vaccinated, you’ve made a choice for my daughter, too. Your choice led to my innocent child being hospitalized. So forgive me, but I am angry. I am angry that I have done EVERYTHING right.

Angry that I come to work and exhaust myself to treat unvaccinated patients.

Only to bring it home to my babies. Can you imagine my frustration? My guilt?

My fear?”

She wanted the world to see what she was witnessing, day in and day out of Aurora’s 12-day hospital stay.

What began as a case of COVID-19 pneumonia turned nightmarish for

COURTESY

Amelia Cannon, then a Tulsa ER nurse, speaks with local reporters in an August 2021 videoconference interview about her 3-year-old daughter’s serious case of COVID-19.

Amelia and her husband Kyle Cannon, as their daughter went into sudden respiratory distress and landed in the Pediatric ICU. On Facebook, Amelia posted cell phone video of the little blond-haired toddler with exhausted eyes, sucking in rapid, shallow breaths through ventilation therapy apparatus strapped to her face.

Another video showed Aurora in obvious fear and distress as she was strapped into a rapidly vibrating vest that was shaking loose the secretions trapped in her lungs.

Those videos, photos and late-night posts by Amelia went viral, with hundreds of thousands of video views on her page alone, to say nothing of the video shares by news organizations here in Tulsa and all around the globe.

A crowdsourcing fundraiser set up for the Cannon family drew nearly $37,000 in donations.

When Aurora recovered and was discharged home, Amelia shared her gratitude to everyone concerned: “I am so happy that this chapter of our lives is coming to a close. We will never be the same.”

Tulsa World Magazine 41

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TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Braylin Presley Bixby standout is dazzling, accomplished and ambitious Bill Haisten Tulsa World Magazine

TOP: During the Tulsa World’s All World awards ceremony, Bixby’s Braylin Presley was named the Offensive Football Athlete of the Year.

Presley also was the Tulsa World’s 2020 state Player of the Year.

MICHAEL NOBLE JR., TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE ‌

BOTTOM: In the 2019 Class 6AII championship game, this Braylin Presley touchdown gave Bixby a 40-36 victory over Stillwater.

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD‌MAGAZINE

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s a part-time employee of a downtown Bixby ice cream shop, he hears the whispers from customers: “Is that Braylin Presley behind the counter? I think that’s Braylin Presley.”

It is, in fact, Braylin Presley behind the counter.

When he wasn’t making dazzling plays as a senior for the Bixby High School football program, he was scooping ice cream treats. A labor of love.

“Oh, yeah. I really, really like ice cream,” said Presley, whose favorites are strawberry shortcake and cherry pineapple pecan. “If people come in and they know who I am, I don’t make a big deal out of it. I also don’t shy away from it.

“Recently, there was a family of four with some young boys. They came in and recognized me. We talked for 10 minutes. I can be good at football, but it’s more important to be a good human. That’s a lot more important than football.”

When Presley graduates in May, he’ll do so as one of the more accomplished athletes in Tulsa-area football history.

Running parallel to Bixby’s quest for a fourth consecutive state championship was Presley’s bid for a personal distinction — to become the first Tulsa County football player to twice win the Tulsa World’s state Player of the Year award.

Presley and his older brother already have a cool distinction. Before Braylin was the 2020 Tulsa World state Player of the Year, Brennan Presley won the same award in 2019. Brennan now is a sophomore wide receiver at Oklahoma

State.

The only other brothers each to have been selected as the Tulsa World state player of the year were Midwest City’s Mike Gundy (1985) and Cale Gundy (1989).

During a summer breakfast at the Presley kitchen table, Arthur Presley learned for the first time that his sons and the Gundy brothers are linked.

“Why am I just now hearing this?”

Arthur said. “That’s pretty cool. That’s unbelievable, really.”

As Braylin spent the first 12 years of his life in Tulsa and the past five in Bixby, he has fans, friends and acquaintances all over the place. So do his siblings and parents. Older brother Brandon played football at Booker T. Washington. Older sisters Britney and Brandee were decorated track athletes before Braylin and Brennan became football stars.

Currently an eighth-grader, Braeden Presley is the youngest sibling and on the same level of football talent occupied by his brothers.

The Presley kids’ mom — Tia Presley — was a basketball and track athlete at Booker T. Washington. Arthur Presley is a former Hale running back and for 29 years has been a mechanical journeyman for the City of Tulsa.

“Eventually, I want to get into architecture and marketing,” Braylin says about life after football. “People think I’m crazy when I say this, but before I’m 40, I want to be a millionaire.

“I want to be in a position where my parents and sisters and brothers never have to work another day in their lives.

I want to take care of the next generation of Presleys.”

Tulsa World Magazine 43

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Cynthia Jasso Tulsan helps immigrants find resources during pandemic Tim Stanley Tulsa World Magazine

OPPOSITE PAGE: Cynthia Jasso, cofounder of the Tulsa Immigrant Relief Fund, is shown at Pancho Anaya Bakery, which has been the site of multiple events supporting undocumented immigrants during the pandemic.

STEPHEN PINGRY, TULSA WORLD‌MAGAZINE

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ynthia Jasso could hardly believe her eyes: The line of people waiting stretched not only out of the door, but down the street and around the corner.

“There were moms with young kids, older abuelitos or grandparents — all ages. ... I was like, ‘oh my gosh,’” said Jasso, describing the scene outside Pancho Anaya Bakery one morning last year.

Co-founder of the Tulsa Immigrant Relief Fund, set up to support undocumented immigrants during the pandemic, Jasso worked with community-based organizations like Growing Together, which had coordinated with the bakery to serve as a partner site for distributing the donations.

But she’d had no idea the distribution event would generate so much of a response.

“Inside, the entire place was packed,” Jasso said, adding that she was able to meet some of the people and hear their stories.

A year later, the need has not gone away, she said.

But neither, thankfully, has the support that made the effort possible.

Since its launch last year, the relief fund, administered by the Tulsa Community Foundation, has raised around $2.6 million, and served almost 4,000 immigrant families in Tulsa County, helping them with basic needs such as utilities, rent and medical expenses.

“I kind of get emotional thinking

about it,” Jasso said. “It’s been just such an honor and a privilege to be part of this greater community of folks who have come together for our immigrant community.”

She had the idea last year when it became evident that, despite their economic contributions, stimulus checks and COVID-19 relief were not reaching undocumented families.

Jasso, who works for the George Kaiser Family Foundation, shared her concern with a colleague and together they started a fund to help.

With GKFF’s support, and sizeable donations from local philanthropic organizations, they then partnered with Catholic Charities and others to get those resources to the area’s immigrant population.

For Jasso, the subject of immigration has always been personal.

A first-generation Mexican American, her parents are from a rural town in Mexico, where there were few opportunities and school only went through sixth grade.

Seeking a better life, the couple came to the U.S., where they settled in southern California.

Jasso was born there, as were her two younger brothers.

What brought her to Oklahoma later was her work for Teach for America. That was eight years ago, and she taught sixth grade math in Sapulpa Public Schools.

Jasso has found a home in Tulsa.

“I’m here to stay,” she said. “I’ve fallen in love with this community and I think it’s been so welcoming to me and to so many people.”

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

She has also found a calling.

Serving immigrants “is my life’s work,” she said. “I never thought that would be the silver lining of TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

the pandemic.”

“Immigrants contribute so much to our community,” Jasso added. “If we can find a way to

better serve and support and unlock all the incredible assets that they bring to the table, it just makes our community better.”

Tulsa World Magazine 45

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

A.J. Johnson, founder of the Oasis Fresh Market, takes calls from around the country about ways to duplicate his work at the new market.

STEPHEN PINGRY, TULSA WORLD‌MAGAZINE

A.J. Johnson For Oasis’ owner, grocery store more than a place to buy food Tim Stanley Tulsa World Magazine

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s important as providing people in the community with the food they need is, Oasis Fresh Market was never intended to be just another grocery store.

“It’s right there in the name — Oasis,” A.J. Johnson said. “An oasis is a refuge, a safe place, a shelter.

It’s a place where everyone feels welcome. That’s why one of the

most important things we do here at Oasis is that we greet everyone who comes into the store. We want them to take a step inside and think, ‘Yes — I belong here.’”

Johnson is the majority owner and operator of Oasis Fresh Market, 1725 N. Peoria Ave., the first full-service grocery store to open in north Tulsa in nearly 15 years, and the first Black-owned grocery store Continued on Page 48

46 Tulsa World Magazine

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

Changing the Game in Food Deserts In the middle of the pandemic, A.J. & his Team opened up

Oasis Fresh Market.

For 14 years, there was no access to a full-service grocery store. The definition of Oasis means - refuge & safe place.

North Tulsa has been known as a ‘Food Desert’ & now there is a refuge, a safe place, an OASIS in the desert.

We want to congratulate A.J. & his Team on having the courage to tackle this moment to serve so many!

You are invited to come shop, support, & check us out at Oasis Fresh Markets:

www.oasisfreshmarkets.net

The Oasis Projects, Non-Profit:

www.theoasisprojects.org

Oasis Fresh Market exists

to eradicate food deserts by providing fresh & healthy access to ALL!

Oasis Fresh Market More, than just groceries, equipping YOU for life.

Oasis Fresh Market 1725 N. Peoria Avenue Tulsa, OK 74106 TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

MON - SAT | 8AM-9PM SUN | 8AM-8PM

A.J. Johnson, Owner aj@oasisfreshmarkets.net Tulsa World Magazine 47

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE‌

Oasis Fresh Market owner A.J. Johnson fist-bumps customer Angel Ogundare as she shops at the store in August. Ogundare works at Waffle That and was buying items for the restaurant.

in the community in decades.

The 16,500-square-foot store was funded through a partnership that involved the Tulsa Development Authority; the city of Tulsa, through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program; the George Kaiser Family Foundation; the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation;and the Zarrow Family Foundation.

The idea was to create a locally owned grocery store that would help alleviate north Tulsa’s status as a “food desert.” But Johnson, who served as executive director of the Tulsa Dream Center, a nonprofit service organization, wanted to provide more than mere comestibles.

“That is why we have the Oasis Project, which is the nonprofit element of this business,” Johnson said. “We want to bring in resources to help equip people for life.”

On the first Saturday of the 48 Tulsa World Magazine

month, the store hosts representatives from a variety of local businesses and organizations to offer patrons information about available services.

“We’ve had people from the University of Tulsa Law college, the Parent Child Center, Morton Health Services, local vendors with product giveaways,” Johnson said. “It’s a way to give people information about resources that maybe they had no idea existed.

“People want to feel that they are seen, that they are heard, that they are safe,” he said. “That’s why the Oasis Project exists — to do all we can to help the people in our community feel seen, heard and safe.”

Johnson’s work has also been seen by cities around the country.

“We’ve only been open for less than a year, but not a day goes by that I don’t get a phone call from someone in some other town, asking how we’ve been able to do what we do, and wanting us to

show them how to do something similar,” he said.

Johnson said a franchise program that could ultimately place Oasis Fresh Markets in other “food desert” communities throughout the country is in the works. But he said that one of the secrets of Oasis’ success might be difficult to replicate elsewhere.

“The public-private partnership model in Tulsa is unique and very special,” Johnson said. “Tulsa has the reputation of being one of the most philanthropic cities in the country.

“Tulsa has a lot of great people — some with titles, some without titles — and one thing they all have in common is that they sincerely care about their community,” he said. “I’m always hearing from people, grandmas to garbage men, who tell me they like what they see us trying to do here at Oasis. And those words of encouragement keep me pushing forward.”

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Viola Fletcher, Hughes Van Ellis and Lessie Randle Race Massacre survivors acknowledged for courage Kendrick Marshall

T ‌

Tulsa World Magazine

he most poignant moment of the year for Viola Fletcher, Hughes Van Ellis and Lessie Randle took place less than a month before the world would collectively recognize the period in time that gained them an audience in front of America’s most powerful lawmakers.

Washington, D.C., was the setting. The last known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on that day in May told members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee that memories of the unbridled carnage they witnessed were still raw and vivid a century later.

Fletcher, 107, of Bartlesville, sat at a table on Capitol Hill and painfully recounted the sequence of events she unwillingly confronted 100 years earlier.

“I have lived through the massacre every day. … I will TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

never forget,” said Fletcher, who explained that she could “still smell the smoke” and “hear the screams” from the night her family fled the city from mobs of white men.

The three — linked for decades by the horrible event — also pleaded with lawmakers to consider reparations for the generational impact that still resonates as a result of the massacre.

The group and their legal representatives have filed a state reparations lawsuit seeking damages.

“Please give me, my family and my community some justice,” said Randle, then 106.

Amid the ongoing battle to right what they’ve assessed as a moral wrong, the survivors — and their indelible mark on history — were part of several documentaries, magazine profiles and lengthy national newspaper articles.

Closer to home, present-day Tulsans revered Fletcher, Van Ellis and Randle leading up to and after the centennial commemoration.

During the Black Wall Street Memorial March on May 29, the “treasures” of Tulsa, as State Rep. Regina Goodwin described them, were led by a carriage throughout

the historic Greenwood District.

Later in the week, the trio were met and publicly acknowledged

by President Joe Biden, who made an appearance in Tulsa on June 2 to commemorate the anniversary of the massacre.

“Mother Randle, Mother Fletcher, Mr. Van Ellis, descendants, all survivors — thank you. … Thank you for your courage,” Biden said. “Thank you for your commitment. Thank you to your children and grandchildren, your nieces and nephews. To see and learn from you is a gift, a genuine gift.”

The survivors received even more gifts in the form of an all-expense-paid trip to Accra, Ghana, in August and later donations from organizations.

Van Ellis, who said he had never traveled to Africa previously, said he was “overwhelmed” by the gesture. Fletcher called the trip “great.”

In a year that shined an international spotlight on a portion of Tulsa’s regrettable history, Fletcher, Van Ellis and Randle beamed the brightest.

“Feel good about yourself,” Van Ellis said this summer to the throngs of people who showered him and other survivors with praise. “Be your best in life.”

Tulsa World Magazine 49

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Tulsa Race Massacre survivors Hughes “Uncle Red” Van Ellis (left), Lessie Benningfield Randle and Viola Fletcher take part in the Black Wall Street Memorial March in a horse-drawn carriage May 28 in Tulsa. Fletcher was holding up three fingers for the three survivors known as the “Tulsa 3.”

MIKE SIMONS, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE‌

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

Tulsa World Magazine 51

TULSANS OF THE YEAR

Brad Scrivner

CEO leads Vast Bank to crypto milestone Rhett Morgan Tulsa World Magazine

Vast Bank CEO Brad Scrivner helped lead the way as Vast became the first federally chartered bank to receive approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to provide customers the ability to buy, sell and custody cryptocurrency directly from a checking account.

MICHAEL NOBLE JR., TULSA WORLD‌MAGAZINE

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n 2019, Valley National Bank made a bold statement by announcing it was rebranding as Vast Bank and building a six-story, mixed-use office building downtown.

But what Vast did in 2021 was even bolder.

It became the first federally chartered bank to receive approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to provide customers the ability to buy, sell and custody cryptocurrency directly from a checking account.

For his efforts in achieving the milestone, Vast Bank CEO Brad Scrivner has been chosen by Tulsa World Magazine as a Tulsan of the Year.

“The Biolchinis (the bank was founded

by Bob Biolchini in 1982) are a very generous, very entrepreneurial family that wants to see good things happen in Tulsa,” Scrivner said. “As we have success, we want to invest back and be a part of this exciting story that’s going on in Tulsa.

We think it’s a really exciting place to be.

“If we’re going to have to figure out a way to compete and stay relevant to ever-changing customer preferences and ongoing technological advances, we felt like we needed to do things differently.

So, we felt like there was an opportunity for us to move into a digital leadership position.”

Early in 2021, Vast executed an end-toend cryptocurrency transaction. Later in the year it rolled out its crypto banking service.

Cryptocurrency is an emerging technology-based form of digital money with benefits over traditional currencies that include advanced security, reduced intermediaries, cross-border transactions and nearly instant settlement, even with large transactions.

Through Vast’s crypto banking applica-

tion, customers will have the ability to purchase a range of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano (Ada), Ethereum (Ether), Litecoin, Orchid and Algorand.

“If you think about a safe deposit box, in the physical world in terms of a bank, the bank owns the box, itself, but you as the owner own the contents, whether it’s jewelry or art or gold,” said Scrivner, 52. “The bank is the custodian, the safe keeper of that asset.

“That is a direct parallel with the digital assets. The digital wallet is just the safe deposit box in a digital format. The cryptocurrencies are just those digital assets sitting inside that digital wallet.”

The extra layer of reassurance that banks have traditionally provided will continue to push financial institutions into the crypto sector, Scrivner said.

“There are those folks out there who are crypto-curious,” he said. “They hear about these things. But they are uncomfortable going out and investing directly with an exchange or directly with the Fintech. So, now you have a national bank that has come in, highly regulated, and 60% of those folks who are cryptocurious say, ‘Yes, if my bank is involved, I’m willing to invest.’”

A former defensive back for the University of Missouri, Scrivner said his financial achievements are the work of many, just as they were during his days playing football in the Big Eight Conference.

“There are players whose role is more visible but it takes the entire team to be able to drive the high-performance culture, to build the things we are building,” he said. “From the shareholders to our executives, to our tellers, to the entire organization, we have really built an amazing team.”

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ASK THE EXPERT

ANNETTE RIHERD DIGITAL STRATEGIST

Amplified Digital Marketing

Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

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Local ammo owner goes regional with some help Marketing expert leads growth to four states

hat started out as a simple call inquiring about website development, turned into more than what Lance Pilant, owner of Four State Ammo, bargained for when Annette Riherd, digital strategist for Amplified Digital - Tulsa World Media Company’s full service digital agency, returned the call.

“After being in the ammo distribution business for 6 months, I started looking for a digital partner,” Pilant said.

“I looked in the southwest Missouri area, but wanted a bigger partner and I found that on the Tulsa World website. I was lucky Annette answered the call.”

Riherd started the conversation and learned where Pilant was in his current business, what his hurdles were, and where he wanted to go.

“For Lance, he was looking to build a website and then needed to know what the best marketing tools were to drive business to his website for the best results,” Riherd said.

With a storage facility full of ammunition, Pilant needed more than word of mouth to promote his product, because that strategy just wasn’t making a dent. His next hurdle was finding the right audience and getting in front of them the right way.

“That’s when Annette came in,” Pilant said. “She helped us structure our website and overall streamline our online presence for the best customer experience. Together with her team, Annette provided feedback, how they would optimize our campaign to learn what works and what doesn’t, and showed us how they use online tools to drive customers to our product.”

Google and Facebook have a lot of processes in place when it comes to marketing ammo, Pilant said.

“We definitely saw challenges in managing our messages as well as getting in front of the right audience as a reputable company,” he said. “Annette provided solutions to help navigate the right channels to get my company in SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

front of the right consumer.”

In the last year, Pilant’s ammo company saw substantial growth.

“Without Annette, we’d still just be a local ammo provider to our friends and neighbors, but now with a strategic online presence we are driving exposure and revenue from a four state area!” he said.

Now Pilant can keep his focus on supply and nurturing his relationships to keep his stock full. As long as he can get it, he can sell it, Pilant said.

“That’s when Annette came in,” Pilant said. “She helped us structure our website and overall streamline our online presence for the best customer experience.”

“With nationwide supply chain and bottleneck issues affecting the bigger companies, you can figure an outfit like me can get product out in a few hours or days – it’s a huge advantage,” he said. “I’ve worked for the big companies, and I’ve seen the results of digital marketing. Annette was able to craft those tactics with a small budget for a small business person – but give us the attention of a large corporate client.”

Riherd said helping small to large business owners just starts with a conversation. There are products that are more controlled, but the team at Tulsa World Media Company’s full-service Premier Google Partnered digital agency – Amplified Digital – can find a solution!

“Annette really does a fantastic job!” Pilant said.

For more information visit amplifieddigitalmarketing.com or call 918-694-3490.

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Televisions have never been more customizable to fit Video expert saves you money and sets up your TV

P

erhaps you remember when television, complete with an array of channels and a simple remote control, was something every home just had.

Maybe you remember an even earlier time, when the youngest child in the house functioned as the “remote,” getting up to change the channel on command of the adults in the room.

Those were the days, right? Television has never been so simple.

But wait a second.

Maybe you’re glad to be rid of those days of “57 Channels (and Nothing On),” as Bruce Springsteen lamented. Perhaps you’re thrilled by the opportunity to get just what you want out of television and pay only for what you use.

At Video Revolution, you’ve come to the right place.

That’s because as traditional television providers – companies such as Cox Cable and DirecTV – have evolved over the years, the burden of distributing the service they provide has substantially shifted to the end user, according to Austin Morton, a project manager for Video Revolution.

And what Video Revolution can do for you is help you determine what type of television service you need based on your viewing habits and preferences; assess whether your home’s internet infrastructure is sufficient for that service; and then provide nearly all of the hardware, wiring and installation skills to bring it together.

“The main thing I want people to focus on is what they actually want to watch,” Morton said. “People might say, ‘Oh, I don’t really watch TV, so I just want an antenna for local programming,’ but then they find out that they don’t get ESPN or CNN. “At first you don’t miss them,” he said, “but then when they’re not there, you really miss them.”

But there’s a solution for that TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

consumer, he said. One or two inexpensive streaming services can fill in the gaps and make for a lower-cost, entirely fulfilling experience.

“For the very tech savvy, switching to streaming can usually be a tremendous cost-savings each month” or even allow consumers to access their television service from multiple locations, he said.

Even besides the cost-savings, streaming TV has a couple of advantages, Morton said.

Streaming services typically don’t require a contract, so customers can subscribe month to month, even pausing subscriptions until, say, the next football season.

Also, he said, such services typically are “hardware agnostic,” meaning the brand, style and type of device the viewer uses to access the content is immaterial.

But Morton sees customers come in all the time who aren’t very technology-savvy, and streaming television can be confusing.

They just want to point the remote at the television and watch their shows.

And those people probably will want to stick to a more traditional type of television service, even if it means they don’t realize all of the cost-savings of streaming TV. “The big things we focus on are consistency and congruity,” he said. “No matter what room they walk into, it looks and feels the same to them,” whether they’re using a Roku Stick, a Fire Stick or a Cox remote control.

Navigating all of this can be a pretty simple process when you have an expert such as Video Revolution leading the way, Morton said.

“We come out for free, assess goals and expectations, assess the present Internet service and create a plan,” he said. “Then we make sure that the whole game plan works together.”

For more information visit videorevolution.com or call 918-495-0586.

ASK THE EXPERT AUSTIN MORTON, PROJECT MANAGER Video Revolution

Email us your questions at expert@ tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

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ASK THE EXPERT Sloan Manning, aSSt. Manager Mango Cannabis

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Ways medical cannabis can help destress holiday mania Expert explains how to battle fatigue

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ango Cannabis isn’t a school, and Sloan Manning isn’t a teacher.

Yet for Manning – the assistant manager of the medical marijuana dispensary at 71st Street and Mingo Road – education is the key to growing the business.

“People have been told that it’s a drug and it’s bad, but they haven’t experienced the benefits of it,” Manning said.

“You don’t experience the risk of addiction from cannabis. No one has ever died from cannabis use. It’s far more beneficial; it’s natural; and it’s far less harmful,” he said.

Manning said just about everyone has an illness or condition of some sort that could be modulated with cannabis.

“Anxiety, pain, depression, sleeplessness, ADHD, Parkinson’s, MS, autism – there are so many things that people experience on a daily basis that cannabis can help with,” he said.

Best of all, with cannabis, results are seen more quickly than with traditional pharmaceuticals, he said.

“Mood-stabilizing medications may take months to know if it’s going to work.

Cannabis you can tell much more quickly,” he said. “And you can dose yourself depending on what you need at a given time.”

With the madness of the holidays on the doorstep, Manning said Mango Cannabis has whatever you need to get through it all.

“THC, a major component of cannabis, is a nice neurostimulant, but there are hundreds of others that used individually or combined can get you calm,” he said.

If you’re the type to lie awake all night worrying about what remains to be done, Mango Cannabis has a simple gummy that can allow you to get your rest with few or no side effects the next day.

On the other hand, if you’re burning the candle at both ends, the dispensary has

products to give you a little pick-me-up.

“It’s not about giving you a ton of energy, but it’s going to help you push through and get past the fatigue that you’re feeling,” Manning said.

Maybe you need pain relief but still need to be able to function the next day.

“We can get you through the pregame, the actual holiday nonsense and even the postholiday recovery,” he said. “It just boils down to the patient and what they really need.”

But if you’re new to the medical marijuana scene, how do you know what to buy? That’s where Mango Cannabis’ depth of experience comes into play.

“It’s about education. People typically don’t find out about these things until they come in here,” Manning said.

But for anyone who stops by, he added, “we will try to figure out the best person for you to speak with and realistically the best delivery method because not everything is going to work for every person.”

“There are lots of little ways to get it in you, so you have the freedom to choose how to address that.”

“It’s about education. People typically don’t find out about these things until they come here,” Manning said.

Those “lots of little ways” include everything from edibles such as gummies; topicals, such as lotions, tinctures and transdermal patches; infused coffee products and other beverages; e-liquid or vape juice for vaping; and even vegan and gluten-free options.

“We sell a lot of the actual flower or buds,” Manning said. “The most traditional way is to smoke it, but that’s kind of becoming a thing of the past because now we can distill the THC.” Photos by Shevaun Williams.

For more information visit mangocannabis. com or call 918-940-3525.

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STOP BY TODAY AND DISCOVER HOW WE CAN HELP YOU THIS HOLIDAY SEASON EDMOND

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Tulsa World Magazine 57

ASK THE EXPERT

JOEY JOHNSON

RANA MCVAY

Tulsa Tech

Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

T

Need a workforce training provider? Look no further!

Tulsa Tech experts maximize employee skills

he one constant in the world of work is change.

The mechanization that began with the Industrial Age has given way to a technological era in which computers have taken over much of the work we do, leaving humans needing to be retrained for other tasks.

A global pandemic has changed not only how we work but where we work and how we communicate with our coworkers and customers.

All of that upheaval drives home the need for a workforce training provider to help businesses maximize employees’ skill sets and develop new skills by customizing the training to fit the needs.

Fortunately, such a provider exists: Tulsa Tech.

Rana McVay, assistant director of the Business and Industry Services Department, said Tulsa Tech’s client service coordinators represent the school throughout the region.

“They are our relationship-builders,” she said. “They go out to a company and do a needs assessment, and from there, we develop a customized training session.

“It could be anything from safety to manufacturing. It could be one hour; it could be one day; or it could be one semester,” she said.

“If we don’t have it, we figure out how to provide it.”

Joey Johnson, a client services coordinator for Tulsa Tech, said the school provides a lot of training on heavy equipment, such as forklifts and excavators.

“But we also do a lot of safety training,” he said. “Our safety instructor may go out and do a one- to two-hour class once a month, like OSHA training.”

Tulsa Tech is presently offering a firefighter academy.

“It typically takes two to three years to get all of these classes that we’re doing in eight weeks,” Johnson said.

“The fire chiefs say it typically ends up costing $20,000 to $30,000 to pay for the classes, overtime, per diem and so

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forth,” he said. “This is just so much more affordable.”

McVay said Tulsa Tech also excels in providing training in computer software, such as Excel and Outlook, as well as the so-called “soft skills” – leadership, communication and the like.

“We can’t train them enough on those kinds of things,” she said. “Employees need to be able to communicate with their colleagues.”

Tulsa Tech’s leadership package has 10 modules that can be customized based on clients’ wishes.

Sometimes the trainers need a little training themselves.

Such was the case when the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly changed overnight how most businesses were operating.

“We were not initially prepared to deliver training virtually during the pandemic,” McVay said.

Johnson added: “A major challenge was just getting into businesses. A lot of our client services coordinators’ work is face-to-face. So we had to get creative about how to do that.”

So Tulsa Tech developed an online computer training program, McVay said.

“We set up processes to train employees who are working at home just as effectively,” she said. “We learned how to deliver training virtually.

“The show can still go on regardless of the circumstances,” she said. “We just have to be creative.”

If the pandemic slowed Tulsa Tech any, it’s hard to tell from the numbers.

In fiscal year 2020, the school served 10,668 students and held 4,147 classes, providing customized training for 502 companies while consulting with 987 manufacturers.

“People return because we are delivering a package that is full of what they asked for plus some,” McVay said.

For more information visit tulsatech.edu or call 918-828-5000.

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Five tips to consider when choosing the right preschool

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ith a national reputation for preschool education, Tulsa has a lot to offer parents.

Whether you’re committed to going to your neighborhood school, looking at other public options or exploring private preschools, there are a few things you want to do.

First, go visit during school hours.

“It needs to feel right,” says Vanessa Jones, head of Holland Hall’s primary school, and an early childhood teacher with 24 years of experience. “Parents need to have a positive vibe, a good feeling when they go there.”

Walk into the classrooms and see a normal day.

“I would look for how many adults are in the room. How are the adults interacting with the children? How are the adults interacting with each other? You can learn a lot from that. Look at the materials, the cleanliness and organization.

“Does it feel like there are too many kids? Or even too few?”

Then there is the curriculum. Jones suggests asking a school if there are weekly or monthly lesson plans, and what benchmarks they expect your child to hit.

“Are they following a purchased curriculum or is it teacher-created?

In my experience, teacher-created is ideal because it ebbs and flows with the particular group of kids you have at that time. A canned curriculum is the same every year, and kids aren’t the same.”

Many parents want to see dozens of extracurricular options, but Jones doesn’t think that’s as big a priority.

“Every minute doesn’t have to be filled,” she says. “Children need unstructured play time, with plenty of outside time, in addition to academics.”

At Holland Hall, preschoolers are often exploring the 162-acre wooded campus, which is filled with a pond, creek and walking paths. A weekly yoga lesson helps the youngest learners practice mindfulness, self-control and build core strength.

Of course there are also ways to TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

engage outside of school hours — scouts, sports, dance, acting and ballet.

But the school day should be the focus, Jones says.

“Early childhood is a critical time of learning for children; you don’t get a second chance to learn something for the first time. Enrolling in a quality early childhood program lays a critical foundation for future learning.”

And it all comes back to the feeling you get as you walk in the buildings and talk to teachers and even other parents.

“When any family chooses Holland Hall, they automatically become a part of our community,” Jones says. These relationships can last a lifetime.

“In addition to a top-notch education, I believe one of the best parts of Holland Hall is the family that is created,” she says. “By offering an early pre-K through 12th-grade experience, children get to grow up together and make lifelong friendships.”

It’s not uncommon to see primary school teachers cheering for former students at sporting events and even at graduation.

“We get to do life together, form deep relationships and work in partnership with each other,” Jones says. “The relationships formed between families and teachers are exceptional. They make Holland Hall what it is.”

Choosing a preschool 1. Is the atmosphere comfortable?

2. What is the student-teacher ratio?

Will your child get individualized attention?

3. Explore the curriculum. Do the learning expectations match your expectations?

4. Are interactions between adults and children and among their peers respectful?

5. Visit the playgrounds. Much of preschool is focused on emotional and social development, so outside and unstructured time can be crucial.

For more information visit hollandhall.org or call 918-879-4767.

ASK THE EXPERT VANESSA JONES Head of the Primary School Holland Hall

Email us your questions at expert@ tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

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ASK THE EXPERT

PAUL JACKSON

CHARLEY FEELEY

Clear-tone

Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

I

How YOU can save Christmas by listening Encouraging loved ones with hearing loss

t’s difficult to watch someone you love retreat into the background, but that’s often what happens when a person is experiencing hearing loss.

Fewer conversations take place, and the person begins to rely on loved ones to take over more of the communication role.

“The holidays are a time of joy for a lot of folks, but they can be a time of real sadness for folks with hearing loss because they remember what it was like, but they’ve been withdrawing over the years,” said Paul Jackson, a licensed hearing aid specialist and the director of marketing for Clear-tone Hearing Aid Laboratories.

Unfortunately, that sadness can extend to the spouse and others close to the person with hearing loss, too.

Clear-tone wants your next holiday to be different.

“This is our most exciting time of the year because our Christmas campaign is really about trying to get people to take that first step,” said Charley Feeley, director of hearing care for Clear-tone.

Most people won’t take that first step alone or without encouragement, however.

“It’s really hard to separate yourself from hearing loss because you feel like you are being attacked, not your hearing loss or your inability to understand,” Feeley said.

“A lot of folks will link hearing loss in their minds to aging, and there’s a lot of truth to that,” Jackson added. “It’s not the only factor, but it is a factor.

“So they’re having to face their own mortality. There are a lot of emotions at play there on top of the hearing loss itself.”

That’s where a compassionate spouse or partner can be most helpful. It’s important to let the person with hearing loss know that they are loved and appreciated and that their “presence” has been missed.

Clear-tone’s holiday campaign is the perfect tool for SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

supportive spouses, relatives and even friends to use as a way to bring up the issue of hearing loss and encourage action.

The campaign is what Jackson and Feeley call a “30-day fitting program and quality control period” in which a client can try out a pair of hearing aids risk-free.

“They can take them home and wear them in their environment and the places they go over the holidays,” Jackson said.

During that period, Clear-tone will work with the client to optimize the fit and hearing quality.

“The holidays are kind of our super bowl time of the year,” Feeley said. “We try to reach as many people as we can. It’s like our way of saving Christmas.”

Or maybe even saving a relationship.

“People are meant to be social.”

“The thing about hearing loss is that the inconvenience really falls more on the person who doesn’t have the hearing loss,” Feeley said. “It’s frustrating to watch when men act like it’s not a big deal, but we see with their wives that it really is affecting the quality of their life together.”

But confronting all of that is worth the effort.

“The thing we see consistently is that it has a real social impact on people,” Feeley said. “Even people who are introverts. People are meant to be social.

“That’s what’s so magical about this Christmas campaign when people do give it a chance,” he said. “It’s so fun to watch people when they realize what they were missing – the little sounds that make up the fullness of life around them.”

For more information visit mycleartone.com or call 918-493-4040.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

CA P T U RI NG

‘ T H E MO M E N T ’ “The Moment” is a regular feature of Tulsa World Magazine showcasing the work of Tulsa World’s staff photographers, some of the most talented photojournalists in the country.

The feature reveals what caught the photographer’s eye when the events in the photograph

transpired and what makes this moment in time special to him.

For the last magazine of the year, we talked to each photographer to create a special extended collection. Here are the Tulsa World photographers’ favorite moments of the year.

Tulsa World photographers (from left) Tom Gilbert, Stephen Pingry, Mike Simons, Ian Maule, John Clanton and Michael Noble Jr. stand in front of the Tulsa World building.

JOEY JOHNSON, FOR THE TULSA WORLD

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THE MOMENT

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Timeless view TOM GILBERT // Tulsa World Magazine

There is a moment when you stop and say nothing. That moment happened to me when I watched the sunrise on the Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve just north of Pawhuska. It truly is a treasure for Oklahoma.

It gives you the feeling you are going back in time and experiencing something that not all have experienced. There are many moments when you visit, but that moment of the sun bursting through the clouds over the horizon is truly breathtaking. I wish this photo could give it more justice.

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THE MOMENT

Echoes of history MIKE SIMONS // Tulsa World Magazine

This photo is of a quiet moment from a loud event.

People from all over the world had descended on Tulsa for the Tulsa Race Massacre centennial. At the conclusion of the Black Wall Street Memorial March, members of the African Ancestral Society, some dressed in colorful outfits with skeleton gloves and masks representing spirits and elders, gathered around the Black Wall Street Memorial to sing, dance and honor victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre. As they placed their hands on the memorial, the graphic nature of the image grabbed me, and the more I looked at it through editing, the more I liked the photo because it shows the huge amount of people affected, the money that was lost and the way it still emotionally affects people.

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THE MOMENT

Driller re-do JOHN CLANTON // Tulsa World Magazine

Growing up in and around Tulsa, I’ve always liked the Golden Driller. My grandfather was a construction worker who always wore boots, a hardhat and had a collection of belt buckles, so, as kids, my brother and I liked to imagine that statue was somehow about him. Even though every Tulsa World photographer has taken pictures of the Driller at some point, on this weekend, I got to see his size and scale in a little bit different way as painters sprayed on a new coat of customtinted gold paint.

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THE MOMENT

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Surreal setting IAN MAULE // Tulsa World Magazine

I saw this photo when I was heading back from a portrait assignment and saw a man walking across a frozen golf course. I’m from north of Chicago, and winter always reminds me of home and how even when the world looks surreal, people still have to work and traverse in it.

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70 Tulsa World Magazine

THE MOMENT

Bird crossing STEPHEN PINGRY // Tulsa World Magazine

I was driving by the Gathering Place to look for a feature when I noticed bikers and runners were having to avoid a family of geese on the pathway, so I thought it might make a fun photo. When I started taking some photos, I noticed a sign that warned of congested pathways from the construction, but it made me laugh since it was the geese that were causing the congestion. Just a fun moment.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM 71

THE MOMENT

American dream MICHAEL NOBLE JR. // Tulsa World Magazine

Every face says it all and adds to the moment in this photo of Tulsa’s first children’s naturalization ceremony. It was a beautiful moment, and the joy was in the air. Pictured are Mohammad Abdel Baset Nasser (right) and friends and family on July 8 at the Gathering Place.

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ASK THE EXPERT

Weight gain & more effects men’s libido

GREG GIRARD Tulsa Men’s Clinic

Testosterone is answer to overall men’s health

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atigue, memory problems, depression, libido issues and weight gain sound like a recipe for an overall feeling of unwellness that many people would chalk up to too much stress.

But for many men, the answer might be much simpler: too little testosterone.

Greg Girard of Tulsa Men’s Clinic said there are a number of early indicators that a man’s testosterone might be lacking. They include a lack of energy, waning mental alertness, falling asleep after dinner, a lack of strength and endurance, little success from workouts, being unable to lose weight and little to no interest in sex.

“When you have no energy, you have no life,” Girard said. “Then you can fall into heavy depression and become obese because you’re not exercising or getting out.”

He described it as a cascade effect that can worsen even further from there – inactivity, obesity and depression can exacerbate cardiovascular issues and lead to diabetes, for example.

Testosterone benefits the body by helping convert fat to muscle mass at a higher rate, increasing the libido, improving energy, assisting with memory and cognition, helping with endurance and focus, and promoting much better results at the gym.

And all of those things contribute to a stronger, healthier person, including a more active love life.

Tulsa Men’s Clinic can help.

With a board-certified urologist and medical doctors on staff, Girard said, the clinic offers two treatment protocols: once-weekly injections or time-release pellets inserted into the fatty tissue that last for months.

The pellet therapy is a great option for men who don’t like needles or who don’t have time to incorporate a weekly appointment into their schedules, he said.

It’s also beneficial for people who might live far from

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

the clinic.

With the pellets, a small incision is made, typically in the buttocks or “love handles,” and then a pellet is inserted.

The incision is closed, and the testosterone is released gradually and consistently over about four months.

The injections require a quick weekly visit to the clinic, but “with the injectables, you feel it every week,” Girard said. “You get a boost every week.”

“About day six you start to roll off a little bit, but then you’re a day away from the next injection,” he said.

It’s really just about what fits best with your lifestyle.

“They’re equally effective, and they’re the same price,” Girard said.

Most insurance policies don’t cover testosterone therapy except in cases in which the hormone is at critically low levels, he said, but Tulsa Men’s Clinic does offer payment plans.

Girard said the clinic offers several different packages but that testosterone therapy typically runs between $150 and $225 a month.

How long treatment will be necessary depends on the client’s age and lifestyle.

“We’re getting a lot of guys in their 20s now,” he said, pointing to high estrogen levels in food and even high cortisol levels from the stress of playing video games.

“And nothing will make you lose your testosterone quicker than smoking a lot of cannabis,” he added.

Girard said most people older than 40 will likely need to continue therapy throughout their life.

“But I can’t think of a time in history where we need our alpha males more than we do right now, and we need a lot of energy,” he said. “We need all of our men out there to come in and get their testosterone right.”

For more information visit tulsamen.com SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

ASK THE EXPERT DR. BILL LEWIS Tulsa Integrated Health and Injury Center

Email us your questions at expert@ tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

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Early intervention is key to successful recoveries Neuropathy expert can help improve quality of life

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europathy, or nerve deterioration, is most often associated with diabetes, and indeed, diabetes is the No. 1 cause of neuropathy.

But despite that ranking, diabetes still accounts for only about a third of the cases. There are many additional causes of neuropathy, according to Dr. Bill Lewis of Tulsa Integrated Health and Injury Center.

There are over 100 known causes of neuropathy. In addition to diabetes, neuropathy can be caused by cardiovascular or circulatory problems among other conditions.

And although not age-related, per se, it does typically affect people who are 50plus.

Compounding the issue is that a lot of people suffer from more than one problem.

Dr. Lewis said patients who come to his office typically have been experiencing balance issues, numbness or tingling in upper or lower extremities and often pain which effects their daily activities including sleep.

“Most people we see have already been through other doctors’ offices or clinics and were given medication, or their primary care physician referred them to a podiatrist or neurologist,” he said.

“By the time they get to us, they’ve exhausted a lot of possibilities and haven’t gotten anywhere. That’s because nothing they’ve been told has dealt with the actual cause.”

Deteriorating nerves are like a plant that’s not getting water or sunlight, Dr. Lewis said.

“You have to figure out what they’re missing and give it back to them,” he said.

“If you do that, they’ll come back.”

But there can be a “point of no return.” “At its worst, neuropathy puts people in wheelchairs and can lead to amputations,” Dr. Lewis said.

Tulsa Integrated Health prescribes therapies to restore what the nerve and

circulatory systems are missing.

For example, infrared therapy promotes the healing of blood vessels and the production of new ones.

“If we are going to fix the problem, we have to do two things. We have to stimulate the nerve to grow and repair and make sure we’re getting the blood supply back to the nerves as they’re healing, he said.

In other words, you have to both water and fertilize the plant.

The earlier the intervention, the better the chance for a full recovery.

“Usually pain will start to go away pretty quickly. Balance will get better next,” Dr. Lewis said. “Numbness and tingling usually takes the longest. Just like there’s a progression of decline, there’s a progression of improvement.

Tulsa Integrated Health offers a free nerve screening to assess damage. That’s the first step, and it’s a prudent one for anyone over 50 to take.

“It’s about quality of life,” Dr. Lewis said.

If damage is found, a complete exam that Medicare and nearly all insurance companies cover is recommended.

“We just want the opportunity to do our exam and see the results and talk about treatment opportunities. After performing the exam, we will sit down and talk about the extent of any damage found and what treatment plan would be best,” Dr. Lewis said. “Ninety-five percent of our patients are retired and on fixed incomes, so we have payment options if there is any out of pocket expense.”

The price of untreated neuropathy can be much greater: remodeling your home to accommodate a wheelchair, or the inability to drive.

“It’s about quality of life,” Dr. Lewis said. “It robs them of that freedom and independence.”

For more information visit call 918-268-8204.

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ASK THE EXPERT

Going the extra mile is all in a day’s work Credit Unions band together to help members

W

hen the COVID-19 pandemic put its focus on Tulsa, the Pearl District Federal Credit Union turned up its attention on its members.

Known until several years ago as the Hillcrest Federal Credit Union because of its roots in serving the employees of the nearby Hillcrest Medical Center, the credit union’s three employees began putting together appreciation packages for the many nurses, doctors, medical technicians and other health-care workers who came through its drive-through lanes.

“It was just little stuff, like hand sanitizer, candy, hand cream, puzzle books, that sort of thing,” CEO Linda Curtis said.

But for the Pearl District Federal Credit Union, “that sort of thing” is everything.

And sometimes, it’s a very big thing.

Curtis, who has been with the credit union for 51 years, recalled a recent situation in which two members were stranded in Mexico after the husband contracted COVID. The couple had taken only minimal cash and a couple of credit cards with them on their trip, but the hospital stay in Mexico had cost $10,000 a day, and the bill needed to be paid before he could be released.

The couple’s adult daughter, who had flown to Mexico to help out, called Curtis seeking assistance getting the couple’s money to them.

Curtis called two other larger credit unions for their input on how to make the seemingly impossible possible, “and within three hours, we had the money on the daughter’s debit card, and they were able to get him out of the hospital,” she said.

“I can’t tell you how many people have come in and said, ‘No banks can help me. Can you help me?’

“And we said, ‘Yeah, we’ll figure out something,’” she said.

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LINDA CURTIS CEO of Pearl District Credit Union

Email us your questions at expert@tulsaworld.com, and our expert will answer on our Tulsa World Scene Facebook page!

“You’re not just a number,” Curtis said. “We know our members. They talk to us. They’re like family.

“You go to a big bank, and they don’t know who you are. They don’t care about your problems.”

Even after its name change, the Pearl District Federal Credit Union still serves mostly health-care workers from across the city, but now it’s also able to serve businesses, workers or residents in the Pearl District.

“Originally, that’s what credit unions were about – businesses,” Curtis said. But now they’re often more about communities of people – educators, health-care workers, residents and businesses in low-income neighborhoods.

“So we expanded our field to help more people,” she said.

Curtis said credit unions in general tend to be more involved in the community and play a larger role in members’ lives while treating everyone the same.

“We look at everyone the exact same way. Our goal here is to provide the best service,” she said. “Once you’re established with us, we know you, and we serve you.”

Curtis pointed to the $450 Christmas loans that are available to Pearl District Federal Credit Union members in good standing, no credit check required, and the small personal loans that are available to help out when needed.

Plenty of people are still living paycheck to paycheck,” she said, adding that everyone faces unexpected expenses on occasion.

“We just try to get you out of a bind,” she said.

And membership is easier these days.

“We certainly encourage family members to join and take advantage of the benefits,” Curtis said. “I think once people go to a credit union, they see the difference.”

For more information visit pearldistrictfcu.com or call 918-731-3728.

SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

LIFE IN NATIVE AMERICA

TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE

Lacrosse was started by Indigenous North Americans and was originally known as stickball.

A gift to all ‘Creator’s Game’ of lacrosse has Indigenous origins as stickball

F JACOB FACTOR Tulsa World Magazine Born and raised in the Tulsa area, Jacob Factor, a Muscogee Nation citizen, grew up learning about Native American stories from his Muscogean family and in Indian Education classes in Sapulpa. He is a Tulsa World staff writer.

78 Tulsa World Magazine

or hundreds of years, Indigenous North Americans played the “Creator’s Game,” lacrosse, as a way for them to learn their places in the

world.

Lacrosse — which began as stickball — is a game with sacred and humble origins that is now played worldwide, according to Justin Giles, staff curator for the Museum Management Program at the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Giles is a Muscogee Nation citizen from Broken Arrow who has played lacrosse for a Division I college and professionally for an Indigenous national team. He grew up with the Muscogean story of stickball, learning that the Creator gifted the sport to all hu-

man beings. Giles also helped encourage the rapid growth of lacrosse as a competitive sport in the Tulsa area.

For many Indigenous tribes from all over North America, such as the Iroquois Confederation (also known as the Haudenosaunee) and the Five Civilized Tribes of the southeastern United States, stories told of the Creator using lacrosse to teach tribal citizens that they had a purpose.

As I learned growing up, the “first” lacrosse game was played long ago between the land animals and the birds.

The Bear, strong and overpowering; the Deer, fast and agile; and the Great Turtle, steadfast and sturdy, played for the land animals.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

The Owl, wise with keen sight, and the Eagle and Hawk, both nimble and good at making quick turns, played for the birds.

According to the Muscogean version of the story, just before the game was to begin, two small animals, a bat and a flying squirrel, approached the land animals and asked to play with them. Although they had wings, the two animals had been rejected by the birds because they were furry.

The Bear and the land animals took pity on the bat and the flying squirrel.

After the game began, the land animals made the bat and squirrel sit out, though, until the land animals realized the bat’s wings would come in handy against the birds.

Once it got dark outside, the bat was the only one who could see the goal and scored the winning goal for the land animals.

“That story is about how everyone has a place in society,” Giles said.

“We use the game and story to find out who you are.”

Giles first learned stickball from his mother’s teachings of Muscogee culture. Stickball sticks adorned the walls of his family home, and even from a young age, Giles was interested in the game.

“One of my first memories was asking what those sticks are,” Giles said.

After his family moved to Virginia, he really only was able to play with his younger brother or when they traveled back to Oklahoma as there were not many Native American children where he lived.

In elementary school, Giles read a book for a report about the history of lacrosse and its origins in the Haudenosaunee and he immediately identified with it.

“After that book report, I told my parents, ‘I don’t want to play soccer anymore,’” Giles said. “‘I want to play lacrosse.’”

So, Giles started playing lacrosse.

On a family trip back to Oklahoma when he was in sixth grade, Giles was practicing lacrosse in the yard when an older Native American man asked what he was doing.

Giles told him he was playing lacrosse.

“Lacrosse?” the man said. “We play stickball out here.”

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WRIGHT PHOTO, COURTESY NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION‌

Members of the Osage and Pawnee nations, including Pawnee Bill, gather in a lacrosse field in Perry in 1930.

After that, Giles remembered thinking, “I’ll show you. I’ll bring lacrosse to Oklahoma.”

Little did Giles know, he actually would help lacrosse grow in Tulsa.

After high school, Giles received a scholarship to and was the first Native American to play lacrosse at the University of Virginia.

During college, Giles also played for the Iroquois Nationals, a professional lacrosse team comprised of Indigenous players and organized by the Iroquois Confederation. Giles even went to Japan with the Nationals to play in the World Lacrosse 19-and-under championships.

Giles’ journey is part of a larger movement within lacrosse in which Indigenous people are reclaiming the sport that was literally taken away from them.

From the late 1800s to as recently as 1990, Native Americans and First Nations citizens were not allowed to play lacrosse in either Canada or the United States.

According to the Smithsonian Institution, in 1880, the National Lacrosse Association of Canada banned First Nations people from playing “officially on the grounds that the Indians were paid ‘professionals’ not eligible for ‘amateur’ sports.”

In the U.S. in the 1930s, the USA Lacrosse Association banned Native

Lacrosse or stickball?

Stickball is the original form of the sport lacrosse. It has been played for centuries by Indigenous people of North America. There are some regional variations of stickball, but the game was used by most tribes as a way to settle disputes, as training for warriors, and as entertainment. Stickball was played with one or two sticks, and as many as 100,000 players would race across huge open areas to catch a deerskin ball with their sticks and take it to their team’s goal without touching the ball with their hands, according World Lacrosse.

Modern-day lacrosse is based on the Iroquoian version of stickball, which is played with one stick.

Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century were the first Europeans to witness the game. One of those missionaries, Jean de Brebeuf, wrote in 1636 about the game being played by the Huron people and called it “lacrosse.” Two centuries later, a Canadian dentist founded the Montreal Lacrosse Club in 1856 and drafted the rules modern lacrosse uses.

Though the terms “lacrosse” and “stickball” can be mostly interchangeable, two-stick stickball is still played by tribes from the Great Lakes region and the southeastern United States today, and the Iroquois Confederation has created a professional lacrosse organization known as the Iroquois Nationals, the first and only Indigenous professional sports team and a member of the World Lacrosse league.

Tulsa World Magazine 79

TOM GILBERT, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

Citizens play stickball at the Cherokee Heritage Center during the Cherokee National Holiday in Tahlequah in 2014.

Lacrosse sticks from the Seneca tribe formerly in the collection of and possibly collected by Dr. William Clark Barnard are shown.

NMAI PHOTO SERVICES, COURTESY NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Americans for the same reasons.

It wasn’t until the Iroquois Nationals debuted in the World Games in Perth, Australia, in 1990 that Indigenous 80 Tulsa World Magazine

North Americans were able to play the sport they had created.

Since then, Indigenous people have started the resurgence of lacrosse within their communities.

But Indigenous people aren’t trying to keep lacrosse to themselves. The reclamation movement is about sharing the sport with all of the Creator’s people and teaching everyone they are important in society.

“We’re taking the game back, but not in the way of ownership,” Giles said.

“We want to share it with the world, but we want to make sure people know

where it comes from. It’s a sport for the people, made by the Creator for the people. This is an Indigenous game.”

Giles said once people know that aspect of lacrosse, it becomes more than a game. It’s history, culture and education.

And, under Giles’ leadership, the sport has taken hold in the Tulsa area, with multiple area schools and clubs participating in the sport.

“It’s been amazing to be a part of the growth and to see the torch being passed to these other kids,” Giles said.

After Giles moved back to Oklahoma to take a position as the assistant director of the museum and cultural archives at the Muscogee Nation, he set about bringing lacrosse here.

“As I’m driving back (to Oklahoma), I TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

Sticks collected from A’ko’si’ (Oklahoma Kickapoo), Roy Kickapoo (Oklahoma Kickapoo), and Nepa ka’o na’kwe (Oklahoma Kickapoo) in 1910 by anthropologist Mark Raymond Harrington.

NMAI PHOTO SERVICES, COURTESY NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION (2/5511).

COURTESY, JUSTIN GILES

Justin Giles (left) plays the Muscogean two-stick version of lacrosse.

COURTESY, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Two unidentified boys (Mississippi Choctaw) pose outdoors holding stickball game sticks in 1908.

just start Googling ‘Tulsa lacrosse,’” Giles said. “All I could really find was the Tulsa Youth Lacrosse website.”

Around 2011, Giles connected with the founder of Tulsa Youth Lacrosse and started developing the leagues by bringing in his college coaches and leaders in the lacrosse community to have clinics in Tulsa.

Soon, though, Giles ran into some problems. The schedule competed with baseball in the spring, and parents and coaches who wanted their children to be one-sport players limited recruiting options.

“In Oklahoma, it really goes: God, country, football,” Giles said. “And not necessarily in that order.”

The biggest obstacle Giles noticed were football coaches not wanting their players to get injured playing another sport like lacrosse.

Wanting to persuade football coaches to let their players compete in lacrosse, Giles set up a meeting with Jenks High School’s famed late head football coach, Allan Trimble.

“He just looked at me and straight up went, ‘Well, what do you want with me?’” Giles said.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

Giles then explained that lacrosse is not a contact sport like football, but it does have enough contact that football players can get that practice in during the offseason.

Giles also mentioned how much running was involved in lacrosse, and that’s when Trimble started to take interest. “‘I know you got some linemen that need to run,’” Giles told Trimble. “That’s when his ear perked up.”

After convincing him that lacrosse can help develop athletes, Giles helped start the Jenks lacrosse club.

Once Jenks got its club, everything started falling into place for lacrosse in the Tulsa area.

Clubs started popping up from Broken Arrow, Giles’ hometown, to Owasso, which produced in 2021 Oklahoma’s first Division I college lacrosse player, Trey Goins.

“To see that growth is humbling and exciting,” Giles said.

“Especially from my own state.”

Now, lacrosse in Tulsa is bigger than ever. Jenks, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Union and Cascia Hall high schools all have varsity clubs, and the Tulsa Alliance Club lets students from other area schools play lacrosse.

Giles said the trajectory for the sport is still on the rise.

“At one point, lacrosse was an East Coast, white, elitist game,” Giles said.

“But now, it’s getting spread out across the country.”

With Oklahoma’s heavy Native American influences, an Indigenous-created sport like lacrosse will be able to take root and grow.

“Like an ice storm in Tulsa, it’s gaining momentum,” Giles said. “The future of lacrosse in Oklahoma: I see Friday night lights in the fall for football, and Friday night lights in the spring for lacrosse.”

A ball stick and breechcloth used for lacrosse matches by members of the Muskogee Nation, and collected in 1969 by William F. Stiles, are shown.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION (24/3410).

PHOTO BY NMAI PHOTO SERVICES

Tulsa World Magazine 81

PHOTOS COURTESY, Osage CasinO

Visit the Osage Nation’s largest casino in Tulsa

J

ust minutes away from downtown Tulsa, Osage Casino Hotel Tulsa is the largest of the Osage Nation’s seven casino properties. Located at 951 W. 36th St. North, the 247,000-square-foot property is home to more than 1,600 electronic games, 15 table games and craps and roulette. For a relaxing staycation or friends’ weekend, enjoy a nice slumber in one of more than 280 luxury hotel rooms, which includes 21 suites and seven hospitality suites.

Major entertainment acts have returned to the Skyline Event Center, a 2,000- seat venue with five suites. Also a part of the Osage Casino Hotel Tulsa is a 16,000-squarefoot banquet and meeting space, a gift shop, a resort-style pool and hot tub, private cabanas, fitness center, parking garage, Thunder Bar & Grill, and Roni Peppo’s Pizza Kitchen.

The Osage Nation uses the revenue from the Osage Casinos to fund tribal government and its programs, provide for the funding of the tribe and its members, promote tribal economic development, and support

charitable organizations. This includes the health benefit plan for all Osage tribal members and supporting Daposka Ahnkondapi, the Osage Nation’s elementary immersion school in Pawhuska.

Osage Nation to develop new entertainment district near the Lake of the Ozarks.

The $60 million project will be completed in phases and will include a new hotel, restaurants and a casino. Miller County, where the district will be built, is about five hours northeast of Tulsa.

New Osage casino hotels coming to Pawhuska and Bartlesville Osage Casinos is expanding its entertainment options in northeastern Oklahoma with new casino hotels in Pawhuska and Bartlesville. Osage Casinos is investing $90 million into the properties.

“Demand in both markets continues to rise, and I am proud that we worked together as an enterprise to see this come to fruition,” Byron Bighorse, CEO of Osage Casinos, said in a statement.

Construction is currently underway for both locations.

The Pawhuska casino hotel, which will be located at 1421 John Dahl Ave., is across Oklahoma 60 from its current

location and will accommodate 43 luxury hotel rooms, including four suites, meeting and banquet space, full service catering, on-site dining venue, and 250 electronic games. It will also include a fitness center, pool and spa.

The Bartlesville casino hotel, which will be located at 1803 U.S. 60, is about 2 miles west of downtown Bartlesville. It will include 86 luxury hotel rooms, including 15 suites, meeting and banquet space, three on-site dining venues, and 500 electronic games. The facility also will have full-service catering, a patio, fitness center, pool and spa.

Upcoming shows at Tulsa’s Skyline Event Center: Wynonna Judd - Dec. 5th • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm The Red Dirt Rangers - Dec. 31st • Doors 7:30pm, Show 8:30pm Commodores - Jan. 8th • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm Lewis Black - Jan. 29th • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm Pat Green - Mar. 25th • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm Gin Blossoms & Sister Hazel - Apr. 1st • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm Scotty McCreery - Apr. 29th • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm Skid Row - May 6th • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm KC and The Sunshine Band - May 21st • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm Los Lobos - Jun. 11th • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm Ted Nugent - Jul. 28th • Doors 7pm, Show 8pm SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

Osage Casinos Continues to be One of the Hottest Attractions in Northeast Oklahoma, and the Growth Hasn’t Stopped.

With the groundbreaking of two new casinos in Pawhuska and Bartlesville in 2021, Osage Casinos will bring additional meeting spaces, delicious dining options, and top-notch entertainment to Oklahoma.

The Tulsa casino is just five minutes from the exciting nightlife options in downtown Tulsa.

But with world-class acts like CMA Awardwinning country duo Maddie and Tae, ESPN–Top Rank fights or the Revivalists playing at the Skyline Event Center, there is no need to leave

venue, the property boasts a resort-style pool and hot tub to melt your cares away.

Customer health and safety is at the forefront of all casino locations. Earlier this year, Osage Casinos installed a top-of-the-line air purification system. Additionally, executives moved swiftly in early 2020 to implement temperature kiosks for staff, cleanliness tracking software for each machine and new COVID-19 operating procedures. The result is a venue

Osage Casino Hotel Tulsa.

where guests can enjoy exciting entertainment options with peace of mind.

With nearly 300 luxury rooms, including more than 20 suites, Osage Casinos’ Tulsa location is perfect for a romantic getaway, fun-filled

To start planning your next visit to Osage Casino Hotel Tulsa, follow the fun on Instagram and Facebook @OsageCasino or visit

weekend with friends, or a relaxing staycation.

osagecasino.com.

In addition to the casino and entertainment

Pantry

JUDY ALLEN Judy Allen has been writing about food for more than 20 years, working as senior food editor for Martha Stewart Living and as a recipe contributor to other national publications.

Allen has covered the Tulsa food scene since 2006, working with Tulsa’s top chefs to get the word out about restaurants, events, recipes and any other food news. She enjoys cooking almost anything but loves it even more when others cook for her.

86 Tulsa World Magazine

APPS I

Holiday snacks can be made in a snap with pantry staples

Story and photos by Judy Allen

once tested every recipe in an enormous hors d’oeuvres handbook that Martha Stewart Living was publishing. I was an intern at Martha Stewart Living magazine, and the project took months, for there were hundreds of recipes.

I learned a lot during that period, such as how I will NEVER make soup dumplings at home, how I LOVE thin, crispy pizza stuffed with Robiola cheese and truffle oil, and

how straightforward it is to make breadsticks.

And dip.

And mixed nuts.

My biggest takeaway was that with a well-curated pantry (I include my fridge and freezer as part of my pantry), many holiday apps and snacks are a breeze to whip up. The following recipes are in my holiday entertaining (and snacking) repertoire and are favorites any time of year.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

 BAKED BRIE EN CROÛTE‌

Serves 6 to 8

Keep a jar of your favorite jam or preserves in the pantry and a box of puff pastry in the fridge, and all that’s needed for a perfect party plate is a small wheel of your favorite brie or Camembert cheese.

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but still cold 1 8-ounce wheel of brie or Camembert ¼ cup jam, jelly, preserves, chutney, or other condiment 1 egg, beaten 1. Heat oven to 425° with a rack in the center. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry to a square twice the size of the brie. Set the cheese in the center. Spread a thin layer of jam or jelly on the top of the cheese.

2. Fold the pastry up and over it, pressing the dough together at the top and along the seams. Gather the dough at the top and tie it with a piece of twine to secure it. Carefully transfer the cheese to a lined baking sheet. Whisk an egg together until fluffy and lightly brush it all over the dough.

3. Bake brie until the pastry is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Let the cheese cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a serving plate. Serve with crackers and dig in immediately.

JUDY ALLEN, FOR TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE‌

Use whatever herbs, citrus or spices you have on hand to season these breadsticks.

ROSEMARY AND ORANGE BREADSTICKS (OR GRISSINI)‌ Makes about 3 dozen

I like these easy-to-make breadsticks with rosemary and orange zest, but use whatever herbs, citrus or spices you have on hand.

3 cups all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon salt 2¼ teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary 2 tablespoons grated orange zest 3 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil Flaky sea salt

1. Heat oven to 375°. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, rosemary and orange zest in the bowl of a food processor. Add olive oil and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. With the machine running, gradually add between 3/4 and 1 cup ice water until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.

2. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until the mixture forms a shiny and elastic dough. Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape roughly 8-by-11-inches. Cut the dough crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips.

Rolling gently with your fingertips and palms, shape the dough into long thin strips (14-17 inches long).

 ARTICHOKE, ROSEMARY AND WHITE BEAN DIP‌ Makes about 3 cups

Canned beans, marinated artichoke hearts and good olive oil are three ingredients I keep on hand, for this quick spread is a go-to dish for impromptu guests or when I just don’t have it in me to make dinner.

Don’t skimp on the olive oil because it gives the dip its luxurious texture. In addition, olive oil provides a nice herbal, grassy flavor, so drizzle with abandon.

I like to serve this savory snack with freshly baked rosemary-orange breadsticks, but store-bought grissini, pita chips or other dippers work just as nicely.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

3. Transfer the sticks to two baking sheets, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Gently press the ends of the breadsticks into the baking sheet to keep them straight while they are baking. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days (if they last that long!).

1 9-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

2-3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for drizzling Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Breadsticks, to serve

1. Place artichoke hearts, beans, cheese and rosemary in a food processor and pulse until combined. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until smooth.

2. Season with salt and pepper, transfer the mixture to a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Tulsa World Magazine 87

ZESTY BAKED CHICKPEAS‌ Makes about 3 cups

I tend to keep my pantry well-stocked, just in case the need to bake, cook or snack arises, which it does, quite often! Cans and jars of various veggies, spreads, sauces and the like occupy a shelf in my pantry, but prime real estate goes to canned beans, which I use regularly. Chickpeas are popular in my house – tossed in crisp salads or warm pasta, the little nuggets offer a protein punch to any meal.

1. Heat oven to 400°. Drain, rinse and pat dry chickpeas from 2 15-ounce cans.

2. Toss chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of your favorite spice blend (I like to use half ground cumin and half ground red chile or paprika).

3. Bake, tossing occasionally until browned and beginning to crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RIGHT: Tossed with a bit of olive oil and spices, then baked to a crisp, chickpeas can also serve as an excellent substitute for that bag of greasy chips.

FROMAGE FORT‌ The French cheese spread, literally “strong cheese,” is made by blending bits and pieces of assorted leftover cheeses – which we all have after the holiday feasts and parties.

Serve the spread with crusty bread or crackers and a crisp salad or smear over bread and pop under the broiler for a few minutes until nicely browned.

The spread will keep for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator – bring to room temperature before serving. And keep in mind that the flavors will intensify as the days pass.

½-1 pound cheese pieces 1 clove garlic, grated or minced ¼-½ cup leftover white wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper A tablespoon or two of softened butter or cream cheese, if needed

1. Place cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, wine, a good sprinkling of pepper and a pinch of salt.

2. Process until the mixture is creamy. If your mixture is too stiff, blend in some butter or cream cheese to soften it up.

3. Pack the mixture into small containers. Use as is, or chill until ready to serve.

88 Tulsa World Magazine

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

SWEET AND SPICY MIXED NUTS‌ Makes 6 cups

A bowl of these zesty but sweet nuts won’t last long. Make extra to keep around or hand out these addictive nuts in holiday tins or shiny gift bags tied with ribbon.

Your friends and family will be asking for them again and again.

70+

Flavors of Deliciousness! www.okiegirlfudge.com www.facebook.com/okiegirlfudge TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

½ teaspoon ground ¾ cup sugar coriander 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper 2 large egg whites 6 cups mixed nuts, 1 tablespoon such as pecans, kosher salt cashews, 1 teaspoon ground walnuts, ginger almonds, and ½ teaspoon ground hazelnuts cinnamon 1. Heat oven to 300°. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine sugar, cayenne, salt, ginger, cinnamon and coriander in a small bowl.

2. In a larger bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Whisk in sugar mixture and stir in nuts until combined. Divide nuts among baking sheets and spread into a single layer.

3. Bake until golden and fragrant.

Transfer to a clean piece of parchment to cool completely.

Holiday Pantry Staples Keep these supplies on hand to whip up something for friends and family.

In the pantry:

canned beans marinated artichoke hearts roasted red peppers mini pickles (cornichons) jars of olives granulated, brown and powdered

sugars

dried fruit and assorted nuts jams and preserves ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger,

cloves, allspice and cayenne pepper

jars of pickled veggies

In the fridge:

assorted cheeses salami/prosciutto/other cured meats store-bought hummus unsalted butter fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, sage

and parsley

lemons and limes for juice and zest eggs heavy whipping cream

In the freezer:

puff pastry sheets, phyllo dough and

prepared pie dough

peeled and deveined shrimp

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courtesy, Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City Unveils Two New Broadway-Style Shows An Old Time Christmas, Now – December 30 With 6.5 Million Twinkling Lights, An Unforgettable Christmas Tree & New Meal Packages

S

ilver Dollar City is celebrating An Old Time Christmas by presenting two new production shows. One is the all new Home For Christmas and the other, a complete rescoring and restaging of the classic Dickens’ Christmas Carol, nearly 700 miles of lights and many traditional favorites of the reigning, 4-time winner of ‘Best Theme Park Holiday Event*’ in America.

Silver Dollar City is internationally acclaimed for creativity and presentation, and shines its brightest during this extravagant festival running now-December 30, 2021. Highlights include 30 shows each day & night, an elaborate 8-story, animated Christmas tree, over 6.5 million lights, Christmas in Midtown, holiday foods, Rudolph’s Holly Jolly™ Christmas Light Parade, The Frisco Sing-Along Steam Train, A Dickens’ Christmas Carol plus awardwinning rides coasting through the night skies.

Along with “Rudolph’s Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade” winding through the streets twice each evening, multiple venues present other fan favorites such as The Living Nativity, the Saloon Frontier Fa-La-La Follies, Gospel groups and more. The City’s new $500,000 production, Home For Christmas, a Broadway-style show, “will feature 12 singers and dancers, a four-piece band, 28 songs and over 40 costume changes,” says Producer Casey Robertson.

A Dickens’ Christmas Carol is also returning, with new staging, new music and new twists on the classic favorite. “It will be SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

remarkable, from the snow to the beautiful set design, guests will be immersed in the Dickens’ experience. We have revitalized a holiday classic and made it into something really special,” Casey added.

Rollercoasters soar through the night sky with Christmas lights below, while Silver Dollar City’s famed Steam Train takes riders on a sing-along adventure. Bright lights line every inch of streets, buildings, walkways and trees, greeting guests with Joy on Town Square’s custom-designed, video-motion, towering tree. Just steps beyond, guests find Christmas in Midtown’s jawdropping display of light tunnels, wreath portals, flying angels, running reindeer, a moving train, stars, snowflakes, flying Santa and a giant turning globe, all created at Silver Dollar City.

New this Christmas season, the Holiday Meal Package gives the food enthusiasts a chance to enjoy a meal and a snack of their choosing, including a souvenir Christmas mug. Guests can visit family-style restaurants serving holiday foods along with treats of the season created in on-site kitchens & bakeries. Foods include Holiday Dinner with smoked turkey, ham, prime rib and trimmings, specialty soups like potato leek, Silver Dollar City’s Miner’s Beef Stew plus a variety of desserts from homemade ice cream to fried pies and holiday funnel cakes.

Silver Dollar City’s largest and newest addition, Rivertown, adds to the feeling of celebration with thousands of LED lights outlining

Clara Belle’s Cinnamon Bread bakery and the Rivertown Smokehouse, featuring fresh-smoked meats and specialty desserts. The Rivertown Smokehouse offers covered decks with heaters, allowing for outdoor dining along the banks of the Mystic River. *Silver Dollar City is the reigning ‘Best Theme Park Holiday Event’ as selected by the readers of USA Today in a national poll. The City is the proud recipient of this award four times in total.

For more information, tickets, multi-day getaways and schedules visit: www.silverdollarcity.com

Silver Dollar City celebrates An Old Time Christmas holiday event with some impressive statistics such as more than 6.5 million lights (that’s 680 miles of brilliance!), 1,000 decorated Christmas trees, 600 wreaths, and over 3 miles of garland and ribbon.

Christmas In Midtown bursts with the colors of 1.5 million LED lighted tunnels and displays up 9 stories.

SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE

MAXIMIZE

YOUR LOOK Anna Codutti // Tulsa World Magazine ‌

W

e’ve come a long way from Coco Chanel’s guidance on accessories, “take off the last thing you put on,” which falls into the generally good advice category of “less is more.”

But for the next season in fashion, as the pandemic continues to wane, designers are letting us know it’s OK to subscribe to the idea that “more is more.”

You want to make an ensemble out of all your boldest garments, along with those wild shoes you haven’t been able to wear outside since you bought them online? Do it. Spring-summer 2022 is the time to show off.

THIBAULT CAMUS ASSOCIATED PRESS‌

ABOVE: Almost every runway show in fall featured sleeve lengths with enough fabric to cover models’ hands, including Valentino. The Italian design house achieves the hidden-hand look beautifully with a mix of textiles to elevate a cuffed white button-down into a new classic.

RIGHT: French design house Lanvin was among those who showed plus-size looks in their ready-to-wear collections during fall fashion week events. Women with curves look great in body-contouring garments, and the ruched draping in this piece is universally flattering. Dramatic, saturated colors are also highly on trend for spring-summer 2022.

ABOVE: Strong shoulders should be achieved by expert tailoring, not padding. Saint Laurent’s ready-to-wear collection shows how it’s done without going full-on pagoda shoulders, made popular earlier this year by a certain Disney villainess designer.

Those with small chests get a more flattering silhouette, and plus-size arms look smaller with that extra pop of shape at the top.

VIANNEY LE CAER INVISION PHOTOS VIA AP‌

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The bold palette for spring-summer 2022 was literally the foundation for Dior’s ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week.

With plenty of contrast, the French design house managed to incorporate all of the bright yellows, blue-greens and pinks that are on trend for next season. How to wear nearly fluorescent hues?

Try pairing a bright skirt with a sedate, nude-color top. Flesh tones look great next to almost all shades of pink, too.

FRANCOIS MORI, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Volume is key in the latest trends out of top fashion houses. Think 1980s-era silhouettes made modern, like this deconstructed blazer vest from Givenchy’s spring-summer 2022 collection. How to wear it?

Pair a high-volume garment with something more fitted to bring contrast.

Prabal Gurung was among a handful of designers who showed plus-size looks in their ready-to-wear collections. For fashion on bodies with more curves, it’s important to consider pattern. Break up the print in places where it can read too loudly on a large body: the back and sides.

For this look, the gingham pattern is hidden in those places by the beautiful outerwear adding another dimension to the tight-fitting dress.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

THIBAULT CAMUS, ASSOCIATED PRESS

EVAN AGOSTINI INVISION VIA AP

VIANNEY LE CAER INVISION VIA AP

VIANNE Y LE CA ER, INVISION VIA AP

Hermes elevates the braletteand-joggers silhouette with a tiered waist and attractive draping. The skirt features a gathered “paperbag” design for the waist, popular among several design houses for this coming spring.

A lot of bling could be found at fall fashion weeks, including in several pieces from Balmain.

Tulsa World Magazine 93

This look from Stella McCartney’s Paris Fashion Week show is a great example of how to make all the spring-summer fashion trends work together. Cutouts are in almost every collection, but showing that much skin can be tricky for real-world fashionistas with nonmodel bodies. But paired with a high-volume blazer, the cutouts are classed up and can be hidden when needed. The wide-leg trousers pair perfectly with the high-contrast top by breaking up the fabric with creative textile changes achieved with quilting. The pop of eggshell from the strapped belt brings drama while breaking up the suit’s monochromatic design.

VIANNEY LE CAER INVISION VIA AP‌

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Editor’s note: All events are subject to change. Please check websites for more information.

DECEMBER‌ > THROUGH 12/31, CASTLE CHRISTMAS The Castle of Muskogee offers train rides through the Village, an old-fashioned hayride or rides on Christmas ponies and camels (all weather permitting).

WHERE: 3400 W. Fern Mountain Road, Muskogee FOR MORE: okcastle.com

LET’S GO.

> THROUGH 12/31, PHILBROOK FESTIVAL Philbrook Festival is now an all-day experience with a regular schedule of holidaythemed offerings and activities for the whole family. During the day, enjoy a variety of activities, special exhibitions, a communitysourced Lego Villa and festive decor, 9 a.m.3 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. At night, see thousands of lights illuminate the gardens.

Celebrate the season with hot cocoa, musical light shows, make-and-take art projects, visits with Santa Claus and more. The festival runs on select nights Nov. 26–Dec. 24.

Advance timed entry ticket required.

WHERE: Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road FOR MORE: philbrook.org > THROUGH 1/1, RHEMA CHRISTMAS LIGHTS More than 2 million colored lights adorn the buildings and grounds of Rhema Bible Church.

WHERE: Rhema Bible Church, 1025 W. Kenosha Ave. in Broken Arrow FOR MORE: rhemalights.org

COURTESY, CASTLE OF MUSKOGEE‌

Experience Christmas at the Castle of Muskogee.

IAN MAULE, TULSA WORLD FILE‌

Arvest Winterfest and its outdoor skating rink are returning to downtown Tulsa this year. > THROUGH 1/3, ARVEST WINTERFEST The 14th annual Arvest Winterfest returns to downtown Tulsa. This year will feature the return of the outdoor ice skating rink.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: tulsawinterfest.com > 12/4, TULSA SYMPHONY PRESENTS “THE POLAR EXPRESS” The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra will perform the score to this animated version of the beloved Chris van Allsburg story of Christmas.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsasymphony.org TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

IAN MAULE, TULSA WORLD FILE‌

Christmas lights shine at Rhema Bible College in 2020.

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At Cain’s Ballroom, the legendary dance floor was filled with socially distanced music fans, who watched Cody Canada and The Departed perform a New Year’s Eve concert. They return for a show Dec. 18.

JOHN CLANTON, TULSA WORLD FILE‌

> 12/7, GRADY NICHOLS CHRISTMAS CONCERT If it’s December, it must be time for Tulsa’s acclaimed saxophonist, Grady Nichols, to stage his annual Christmas show.

WHERE: Mabee Center, 7777 S. Lewis Ave. FOR MORE: mabeecenter.com > 12/8, DIAMOND RIO Long-running country act Diamond Rio plays at Hard Rock Live.

WHERE: Hard Rock Live at Hard Rock, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa FOR MORE: hardrockcasinotulsa.com > 12/9-11, TULSA FARM SHOW The Tulsa Farm Show, billed as Oklahoma’s premier agricultural and ranching event, returns to Expo Square for the 28th year.

WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St. FOR MORE: tulsafarmshow.com > 12/10-19, “THE NUTCRACKER” Tulsa Ballet debuts its new version of this holiday classic, choreographed by Val Caniparoli and Ma Cong.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsaballet.org. > 12/10-23, “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” This original, Tulsa-created musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ tale of Ebenezer Scrooge returns for the 44th year.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: americantheatrecompany.org > 12/10-11 HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH TOMMY HOWELL C. Thomas Howell of “The Outsiders” is returning to the Outsiders House Museum with castmate Darren Dalton for musical performances on consecutive nights.

WHERE: Outsiders House Museum, 731 N. Saint Louis Ave. FOR MORE: The Outsiders House Museum Facebook page. > 12/11, COLLINSVILLE CHRISTMAS LIGHT UP PARADE Watch as a parade of lights illuminates Collinsville’s Main Street.

Where: Main Street, Collinsville.

For more: cityofcollinsville.com/calendar > 12/11, HOLIDAY ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL New Orleans Square’s inaugural Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival will be a celebration of the most wonderful time of the year, with vendors,

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children’s activities, hot chocolate and pictures with Santa Claus.

WHERE: 3800 S. Elm Place, Broken Arrow FOR MORE: New Orleans Square Facebook page.

WHERE: 105 W. Reconciliation Way

> 12/11, 2 HIP CHICKS ROADSHOW The 2 Hip Chicks Roadshow brings a unique shopping experience to Expo Square. The traveling event show brings the latest in fashion, crafts, salvaged and upcycled furniture and more.

WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St. FOR MORE: twohipchicksroadshow.com

WHERE: River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway

> 12/11, TULSA CHRISTMAS PARADE The 95th Tulsa Christmas Parade, presented by American Waste Control, returns for a traditional parade experience this year. The parade is free to attend, but bleacher seats are available for purchase.

WHERE: Downtown Tulsa FOR MORE: tulsachristmasparade.org > 12/11, OKLAHOMA VS. ARKANSAS The Sooners and Razorbacks men’s basketball teams meet for a neutral-site game as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com > 12/12, ELF ON THE SHELF CHRISTMAS MUSICAL Two performances of The Elf on the Shelf Christmas musical will be staged on this day at Tulsa Theater.

WHERE: 105 W. Reconciliation Way FOR MORE: tulsatheater.com > 12/17-26, WINTER WONDERLAND Gathering Place will once again transform into a Winter Wonderland to celebrate the holidays.

There will be seasonal performances, carolers, festive food and holiday drinks. One can enjoy a ride on the Winter Wonderland Express and capture a family photo with Santa Claus.

WHERE: Gathering Place, 2650 S. John Williams Way FOR MORE: gatheringplace.org > 12/17-18, “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” AT THE DRIVE-IN For those wanting to feel the winter chill while enjoying this holiday classic, head out to the Admiral Twin Drive-In for a special showing of American Theatre Company’s production.

WHERE: Admiral Twin Drive-In, 7355 E. Easton Ave. FOR MORE: americantheatrecompany.org > 12/18, CODY CANADA & THE DEPARTED/ RED DIRT RANGERS Red-dirt icons Cody Canada & the Departed will perform with the Red Dirt Rangers at Cain’s Ballroom.

WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St. FOR MORE: cainsballroom.com > 12/18, BLUE OCTOBER Alternative rock band Blue October comes to Tulsa Theater.

TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

FOR MORE: tulsatheater.com > 12/19, MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER Mannheim Steamroller performs at River Spirit.

FOR MORE: riverspirittulsa.com > 12/30, GARY ALLAN Country singer/songwriter Gary Allan plays at Hard Rock Live.

WHERE: Hard Rock Live at Hard Rock, 777. W. Cherokee St., Catoosa FOR MORE: hardrockcasinotulsa.com

JANUARY‌ > 1/4-9, “MEAN GIRLS” The popular teen comedy by Tina Fey comes to the stage in this touring production.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: celebrityattractions.com > 1/14-30, “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” The hills are alive, as Theatre Tulsa presents the story of the Von Trapp Family singers, in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s final collaboration.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: theatretulsa.org

> 1/15, “FOLK DANCES” Principal guest conductor Daniel Hege leads the Tulsa Symphony in music by Bartok, Britten and Vaughan Williams.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsasymphony.org > 1/28-30, GREEN COUNTRY HOME & GARDEN SHOW The 19th annual Green Country Home & Garden Show returns to Expo Square with vendors for all your home and garden projects.

WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St. FOR MORE: coxradiotulsa.com > 1/29, “STAR WARS” John Williams’ classic score to the first “Star Wars” film comes to life, as the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra performs the music as George Lucas’ movie is shown.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsasymphony.org. > 1/29, JEFF DUNHAM Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham brings his act to the BOK Center.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com > 1/30, TOOL Rock act TOOL brings its arena tour to Tulsa.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com

Celebrate the best of family holidayy traditions Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve 5:30pm - 10pm

• • • •

Free Drive Through Train rides through the Village Over 1.2 million shimmering lights Holiday Hayride through the Village

3400 West Fern Mountain Road Muskogee, OK

918-687-3625 okcastle.com

Tulsa World Magazine 97

> 2/19, ERIC CHURCH Country singer Eric Church brings his tour to the BOK Center.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com > 2/20, THE WEEKND Pop star The Weeknd plays the BOK Center.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com > 2/25, 27, “EMMELINE” Tulsa Opera presents the first opera by artistic director Tobias Picker, an adaptation of Judith Rossner’s best-selling novel.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsaopera.com

MARCH‌

TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE‌

Eric Church returns to the BOK Center in February.

FEBRUARY‌ > 2/5, “SPITFIRE” The Tulsa Symphony performs music by Walton, Khachaturian and Shostakovich, along with Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” featuring vocalist Janinah Burnett.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsasymphony.org > 2/5, DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers plays at Cain’s.

WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St. FOR MORE: cainsballroom.com > 2/10, BEACH BOYS The Beach Boys perform at River Spirit Casino Resort.

WHERE: River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway FOR MORE: riverspirittulsa.com

> 2/10-13, “VENDETTA: A MAFIA STORY” Tulsa Ballet presents the long-awaited U.S. premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s dramatic story ballet, about a young woman’s ruthless rise to the top of organized crime.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsaballet.org > 2/18, TIM ALLEN Actor and comedian Tim Allen brings his tour to River Spirit Casino Resort.

WHERE: River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway FOR MORE: riverspirittulsa.com > 2/18-20, DARRYL STARBIRD NATIONAL ROD & CUSTOM CAR SHOW The Darryl Starbird National Road & Custom Car Show is a can’t-miss event for car enthusiasts.

WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St. FOR MORE: starbirdcarshows.com

We have kids bikes in stock!

Talk to us about an e-bike.

www.tomsbicycles.com 98 Tulsa World Magazine

6861 S. Peoria | 918.481.1818 2648 E. 11th St. | 918.592.2453

> 3/5, “UNFINISHED” Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, known as the “Unfinished,” will be the centerpiece of this Tulsa Symphony concert.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsasymphony.org > 3/8-13, “TOOTSIE” The Tony Award-winning musical version of the Dustin Hoffman film comes to town.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: celebrityattractions.com > 3/15, PRICE IS RIGHT LIVE Come on down to the stage tour of the iconic game show.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com > 3/17, DUA LIPA British pop singer Dua Lipa visits the BOK Center.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com > 3/18, JUSTIN BIEBER The former teen idol and Grammy Winner brings his world tour to Tulsa.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com > 3/24-27, “SWAN LAKE” The ultimate in classic ballet returns to the Tulsa stage in a new production by Tulsa Ballet.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsaballet.org. > 3/26, HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS Family entertainments meets basketball when this world-famous team takes the court.

WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com > 3/29, “ALTON BROWN: BEYOND THE EATS” The acerbic host of “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef America” presents his latest foray into culinary chaos and comedy.

WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsapac.com TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

FILM LIVE WITH ORCHESTRA PRESENTED BY

TULSA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FULL ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY RON SPIGELMAN

JANUARY 29, 2022 (918) 584-3645 OR TULSASYMPHONY.ORG MUSIC BY

JOHN WILLIAMS

WARREN CLINIC URGENT CARE Whether you access our on-demand virtual care, 24/7/365 days a year, or you visit us in-person at one of our many locations, Warren Clinic providers are here for you.

If you’re looking for care for a sudden illness, a minor emergency or injury, visit saintfrancis.com/urgentcare to select a time and clinic location to visit, or choose a video visit online.

TULSA Springer Building 6160 South Yale Avenue 918-495-2600

Tulsa Hills 7858 South Olympia Avenue 918-986-9250 South Memorial 10506 South Memorial Drive 918-943-1050 SAND SPRINGS 102 South Main Street 918-246-5750

BROKEN ARROW Elm Place 2950 South Elm Place, Suite 120 (101st Street and Elm Place) 918-451-5191

Kenosha 1801 East Kenosha Street (71st Street and OK-51) 918-449-4150 VIRTUAL CARE Visit saintfrancis.com/urgentcare

*If you are experiencing severe illness, a major injury, symptoms of a heart attack, stroke or shortness of breath, please call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room.

saintfrancis.com/urgentcare

SELECT LOCATIONS OPEN CHRISTMAS DAY AND NEW YEAR’S DAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SAINTFRANCIS.COM/URGENTCARE.

URGENT CARE HOURS FOR IN-OFFICE VISITS: Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

(Springer location only)

Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

VIRTUAL URGENT CARE: Visit saintfrancis.com/urgentcare to schedule a virtual urgent care visit 24/7/365.