Change is A-Comin’

A pedestrian bridge was scheduled to be hoisted into place in the early morning hours of Sept. 14, and Shannon Cox was not about to miss it. Oklahoma City’s always-busy Northwest Expressway was closed from midnight to 5 a.m. between Wilshire and MacArthur boulevards so that the 121-foot-long bridge could be moved into its spot spanning Northwest Expressway, east of...

A Canyon For All

Five miles south of I-40 on US-281, the Oklahoma prairie yawns open, revealing a canyon near Hinton. The chasm, made of orange-brown, cross-bedded, fine-grained sandstone, is known as Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park. The Caddo County site is a geological formation, part of the Permian-age Rush Springs aquifer.  The canyon includes an unusual formation, sometimes labeled a “hoodoo,” that has...

Birds of a Feather

“We’re a donation-based museum,” says Lauren Gandara, who greets people at the American Pigeon Museum and Library (APM&L). “There’s no entry fee. So people can come and check us out for free.” Gandara is also the caretaker and mother hen for the museum-owned pigeons that live at what’s called “the Loft.” It’s a habitat next door to APM&L, where there’s...

Back in the Saddle

While some people think seeing Oklahoma by motor vehicle is the way to go, others would argue the proper way to do it is by horseback. Jeanne Keffer Remer, director of the trail program at Honey Lee Ranch Trail Rides in Jones, thinks fall is a great time to get back in the saddle again ... or discover horseback riding...

A Blooming Business

Flower farms have been blooming all over Oklahoma. And, much like the delightful products they grow, they come in a rainbow of varieties: Some allow for customers to visit and pick flowers themselves, while others sell pre-picked and selected bouquets to clients or for special events. And while this may sound like a simple, pleasant afternoon in the garden,...

Time to Get Spooky

Pumpkin, witches and ghouls, oh my! October beckons Oklahomans to visit a variety of Halloween-centric activities. Along with the spooky stuff, you might also find some lions, tigers and bears at the 39th annual Haunt the Zoo in Oklahoma City.  Every Saturday and Sunday in October from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Haunt the Zoo provides an entertaining and unique way...
Navigating all the responsibilities of life can be difficult enough for anyone, but for people with disabilities, the challenges can be exacerbated by a lack of accessibility. In the state of Oklahoma, however, there is somewhere they can turn: the Oklahoma State Office of Disability Concerns. “The Office of Disability Concerns acts as a conduit for Oklahoma citizens with disabilities...

Making Monsters

Special effects (SFX) and prosthetic makeup are some of the most integral parts of filmmaking, especially when it comes to horror and science fiction. Tate Steinsiek, a native Oklahoman, is a master of the craft, working on everything from small budget horror flicks all the way up to The Amazing Spider-Man.  “Monsters and imagination were a big part of my...

Hosting a Ghost or Two

As Brett Bingham and I noted in our recent book, Twentieth-Century Honky-Tonk, what might be termed the “modern era” of Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom began 48 years ago this month, when a pair of young Tulsa promoters – R.C. Bradley and Jim Edwards – talked the owner into letting them book a Halloween show featuring neither Western-swing nor country-music acts....

Creating Charm

A Rousing Remodel  Photography by Nathan Harmon Located in Tulsa’s historic Maple Ridge neighborhood, this alluring home received a brand new kitchen. Prior to the remodel, the galley kitchen was small and dark, but a few strategic moves let in the light. The main goal of the remodel was to lean into the historical aura of the home. “The house looks historic...