Published: October 06, 2008 12:06 pm      

EOC cities display their talents

The journey began at 8 a.m. as representatives from Eastern Oklahoma County cities gathered for breakfast at Rose State College to start off the Eastern Oklahoma County Tourism 2008 Bus Tour.

Midwest City, Del City, Choctaw, Spencer, Jones, Luther, Harrah and Nicoma Park were all on the itinerary. This is the third year for the tour. Mary Hammon, bus tour chairperson, wrote in her welcome letter that the goal of the tour is to increase the number of visitors in area museums, restaurants, lodging facilities and events. The bus tour is a program of the Eastern Oklahoma County Tourism Council of which Hammons is a council member.

“I think you will find Eastern Oklahoma County offers the best hospitality in the state,” said Freeda Henley, president of the council, during the opening breakfast.

Each town was able to show off that hospitality during the tour as a representative from every city spoke about their respective towns as the bus winded through the various cities. A stop was made in every city as well for tour attendees to be able to experience the town.



Del City

The first stop on the tour was Del City. Mayor Brian Linley began by pointing out a new development project on 29th Street and Sooner Road. He noted that this 55 acre project has been in the works for about 4 years to bring more retail into the area. Restaurants expected to come to the area include Buffalo Wild Wings and Charleston’s. The city issued their first permit for the area last week. Three miles of walking trails are also expected to accompany the retail development in that area.

The next stop in Del City was the May 3, 1999 tornado memorial located south of 29th on Sooner Road by Del Aire Street. The memorial was dedicated earlier this year on May 10. The memorial shows the names of the 7 Del City residents killed by the storm. It also mentions the 500 homes that were destroyed during the tornado. Inside the memorial is a list of all Del City residents and city employees from 1999. The cost of the entire memorial was $156,000. Of this total, $100,000 were provided by donations.

The last stop in Del City was the War Memorial on 15th Street by the Del City Community Center. The memorial bears 20 names, 18 of which were killed in the Vietnam War. One name on the memorial is that of a soldier killed in Iraq. Linley said the memorial has plans to grow as the Army has donated a piece of military equipment to the site.

Spencer

Spencer was the next stop on the trip. Jacqueline Rollins spoke about her home city, pointing out highlights such as the Advantage Bank, the Spencer Shopping Center on 23rd Street and Star Spencer High School. The Precious Pets Cemetery and a llama farm were also pointed out.

The bus made a stop at the Spencer Historical Society museum where cookies and coffees were served and attendees had a chance to look through Spencer’s history.

Representative Mike Shelton, also spoke to the bus at Spencer. He was encouraged by the growth in the area.

“We know what people are starting to know. This is the future Oklahoma City. We can either be a part of the change or resist the change,” he said to the attendees.

Jones

The bus tour continued north to Jones. Jim Selders pointed out staples of Jones such as the library, city hall and police station. He also elaborated on areas that played into Oklahoma history such as a patch of dirt that used to be an orchard that provided brandy for the government. When prohibition reigned, however, the orchard closed down.

The bus stopped at the Jones Historical Museum. The museum was created about two years ago. They are still in the process of collecting memorabilia from residents. The museum is housed in the original train station in Jones.

Selders also mentioned the 104 year old Catholic Church in Jones as well as the Blue and Gold Sausage factory.

Arcadia

POPS restaurant was the next stop on the trip. Bus attendees filed off the vehicle and returned from this restaurant on Route 66 with hands full of unique flavors of soda.

Luther

Luther was the next stop of the tour. Dolph Guerlock shared basic facts about the town with the bus attendees. In Luther, Guerlock pointed out sites such as the public school system, which is the largest employer in Luther as well as new and old businesses. The Veterans’ Memorial was also a site to see in Luther. The memorial is located in a developing historical park in Luther. The memorial was completely built and is maintained by volunteers.

The bus also drove by the historical Booker T. Washington School and Park. The first school was built for black students in 1905, but burned down. It was rebuilt in 1907. It wasn’t until 1916, however, that the school became a reality with the enrollment of 334 students. In 1957, the school closed its doors due to integration. On the site where the school used to sit, Luther has created a community park with a walking/running track, basketball and volleyball courts and playground equipment. A portion of the original building sits on the site as well.

The highlight of the tour was seeing the new Luther auditorium. This $4.6 million building was funded as a bond issue by Luther. It will be used for school as well as community events.

Harrah

From Luther, the bus headed south to Harrah where lunch was served at Harrah Heritage Park Pavillion. Larry Fryar, mayor of the city, welcomed the group before serving them lunch donated by the city of Harrah, Country Boy Market and Meyers Engineering.

After lunch, Harrah showcased its new outdoor amphitheater at the park. The amphitheater was completed at the end of August, just in time for Harrah Daze.

From the park, the bus driver took tour attendees to the Harrah Historical Museum.

Choctaw

The bus continued west on 23rd street to Choctaw for the next stop on the tour. Galia Tennison pointed out sites in Choctaw such as the Cross My Heart Wedding Chapel and the Industrial Park. She noted that Choctaw is home to world-wide companies in this park.

The bus made a stop at the Veterans’ Memorial. Mark Seibold, Choctaw city planner, explained the design plan behind the memorial. He noted that, from discussions with residents, people wanted a fort-like feel to the memorial; they wanted a place where solitude and relaxation were possible. Part of the plan was also to recognize all groups involved in war, from every branch to the Rosie-the-Riveter types that aided the war in their own way. A congregational area with seats is also a part of the memorial. At the far west side of the structure is a black sculpture with a solider cutout, representing prisoner of wars and those soldiers missing in action. The size of the sculpture is comparable to the size of cells POWs from Vietnam would have stayed in.

Choctaw has been working on this project since 2001. They are still selling bricks to place in the memorial.

“This is a project that has been a long time in the works. We’re really proud of where it is,” said Seibold.

After leaving the memorial, the bus driver wound its way through Choctaw as Seibold discussed future plans for Choctaw. He mentioned plans for a 38-acre plot next to the new Braum’s to be developed with apartments, offices and retail. There are also plans for development of a movie theater and other buildings on the land across the street from Choctaw Creek Park on Harper Road.

“We expect there to be a lot of development,” said Seibold. “We want to shape that in a way that is unique to Choctaw.”

Nicoma Park

Bud Green, secretary/treasurer of the Nicoma Park Chamber of Commerce, took over the tour at that time to give the history of this town of 2, 415. The colorful history of the town began in 1925 when the city of Oklahoma City began looking for ways to bring industry into Oklahoma. They settled on developing a poultry colony and purchased the land that is now Nicoma Park to do so.

G.A. Nichols developed the community. In 1928, 96 homes were ready to take inhabitants, each with its own chicken coop in the backyard.

Nicoma Park was advertised as a place where people could be their own boss by raising chickens. The entire town functioned as a poultry cooperative.

Life continued like this in Nicoma Park until a shipment of diseased chickens damaged the industry beyond repair. The poultry business failed, but residents stayed and Nicoma Park lived.

On a tour of the town, Green pointed out original homes, many of which still had standing chicken coops. Some of the chicken coops have been converted into apartments.

Green pointed out that Nicoma Park is a community of firsts. It contained the first motel in Eastern Oklahoma County as well as the first radio station in Oklahoma. It also contained the first shopping center in Eastern Oklahoma County.

The bus made a stop at the Nicoma Park Community Center. Part of the building is the remainder of a building that served as the cooperative headquarters when Nicoma Park was still a poultry community. The rest of the building was added on by a church that owned the building before the city. City council meetings are held in the old sanctuary of the church. Outside of the center sits a gazebo which was a centennial project for the city.

Midwest City

The last stop on the tour was to the Atkinson Center Pony Barn. Representatives were able to view their city’s booth in the old stalls of the barn. A tour of the Atkinson’s home was also available. Cookies and drinks were served to guests as well.

The tour ended around 3:30 p.m. Door prizes from various businesses and city organizations were given away throughout the tour as well. John McEwen of Jones summed up the tone of the tour when he said “East is about the only way things are growing now.”