It was a very busy park this morning with the first Farmers Market of the season. Lots of people flying kites today too, for some reason.

It was a very busy park this morning with the first Farmers Market of the season. Lots of people flying kites today too, for some reason.

Kite Festival was 10 - 2 Saturday

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder041624e.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder041624f.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder041624g.jpg

From last night's Thunder Up in the Park.

There were no viewing screens so the event ended just as the game started. Tons of families and about half the crowd went into the arena and the other half went home. It was nice to see people enjoying the event who didn't have a ticket to the game.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124b.jpg

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HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124e.jpg

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124f.jpg

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124g.jpg

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124a.jpg

Great pics! Thanks for taking and posting them Pete.

Great pics and looks like the turnout was great. Seems like a big miss not to broadcast the game, but I imagine there are all sorts of rights considerations with trying to do so / probably would be prohibitively expensive.

Great pics and looks like the turnout was great. Seems like a big miss not to broadcast the game, but I imagine there are all sorts of rights considerations with trying to do so / probably would be prohibitively expensive.

Nothing to do with right considerations or money. They used to broadcast the games in "Thunder Alley" when the Thunder first came to OKC. But it drew so many good and bad crowds and it started to be a security issues and there were a few incidents that happened which prohibited it to continue.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/thunder-shut-down-giant-outdoor-watch-party/

This image shows how all the landscaping is starting to mature.

It's funny that there was consternation about the ultimate success of the park due to the close proximity to the Myriad Gardens, but if the weather is decent at all, it's always packed with people and activity. Such a home run.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124c.jpg

The TNT cutaways that I saw made OKC look like it only has two buildings downtown. Pretty disappointing considering how nice it looks down there now.

Sometimes I think that media prefer to prop up the shopworn image of OKC as a dusty cowtown. Not all, of course.

One thing I've noticed is that in multiple articles I've read recently I keep seeing that OKC has a population of 600,000. That is really old news. We've had a full-blown census since then, and now we've crossed into 700,000.

Also, the metro area population of 1.4 million or 1.5 million or whatever it is is rarely if ever reported in these national stories, such as the ones I've read recently about Legends Tower.

I went down there to enter for chance to win one of the 20 pairs of tickets. It was pretty cool seeing how many people were there just for a chance to win tickets. They did 3 rounds of names being called before stopping. You have to be present with a valid ID matching the name to claim the tickets within 5 minutes of when they begin calling names. I counted I think 15 of the pairs being claimed before they stopped going back to drawing names. So not sure what happens to the unclaimed seats, maybe the event staff gets to use them or something.

Before the drawing we went to Social Capital and just watched the masses rolling in using the park and surrounding area. I cannot help but imagine using the Great Lawn for a true watch party. I think a simple fence and security to do weapons check would be easy enough. I would not be surprised if there is something in the works for later rounds involving this idea. Holt has big time passion for NBA in OKC.

I went down there to enter for chance to win one of the 20 pairs of tickets. It was pretty cool seeing how many people were there just for a chance to win tickets. They did 3 rounds of names being called before stopping. You have to be present with a valid ID matching the name to claim the tickets within 5 minutes of when they begin calling names. I counted I think 15 of the pairs being claimed before they stopped going back to drawing names. So not sure what happens to the unclaimed seats, maybe the event staff gets to use them or something.

Before the drawing we went to Social Capital and just watched the masses rolling in using the park and surrounding area. I cannot help but imagine using the Great Lawn for a true watch party. I think a simple fence and security to do weapons check would be easy enough. I would not be surprised if there is something in the works for later rounds involving this idea. Holt has big time passion for NBA in OKC.

Holt wants to do, just getting the Thunder ownership on board (who he isn't going to cross). Ownership wants nothing to do with if it leads to violence like the shooting back when.

I was there about 5:45 and it was packed. My only complaint would be I wished they had spread things out a bit further. I was really hard to walk around. You had to cut through lines and hard to tell where the line ended with all the people. As far as watching games we make it to the WCF I'm sure it will happen a least for road games.

Holt wants to do, just getting the Thunder ownership on board (who he isn't going to cross). Ownership wants nothing to do with if it leads to violence like the shooting back when.

And it's mainly just optics. The violence was unrelated to the game activities, but people to continue to associate it with Thunder alley, even now. So, clearly, if anything bad happens, people can and will blame the team.

^^^^^^^^
How do you mean, unrelated to game activities? It was well-documented that the two rival groups ran into each other at Thunder Alley, which had become more of an an outdoor nightclub in the final couple of (Lakers) games.

Legitimately I left the game early on the night of the shooting, in part because the Thunder had the game in hand, but also because I didn’t want to get caught under the BNSF overpass like I had the game before. You could feel it that night; there was an electricity in the air, and I don’t mean in a good way. The crowd had flipped, and especially late in games had become very loose and aggressive.

When I walked into the arena before the game I ran into the VP of comms for the Thunder and the then-GM of Paycom (then Chesapeake) and they were about to chew their own lips off worrying about the uncontrolled mess outside the arena.

People were talking in this thread or another about how much Craig Sager was into it…well, I can tell you that I personally spent most of the next afternoon with Sager (after the shooting), and he was remarking about how palpable it was that something was going to happen and that in all of his years of covering the NBA he’d never seen such an uncontrolled and combustible environment.

The Thunder came out publicly and laid it off on Bricktown (where the shooting happened) but it was convenient, revisionist history. The shooter and the victims weren’t there to hang out in Bricktown. At all. They were all at Thunder Alley, and the shooting happened as they were walking back to their respective cars, which were parked in the ”free” lot south of Bass Pro.

It’s no coincidence that Thunder Alley was immediately canceled after the shooting. It could be revived, but the only way it could be SAFELY revived is with MUCH stricter crowd control measures.

Can I ask a question that has probably been asked/answered somewhere else? WHY isn't the Festival of The Arts in Scissortail Park? Why do they still block off roads in downtown to have it where they do? Wouldn't it be MUCH better in the park?

Can I ask a question that has probably been asked/answered somewhere else? WHY isn't the Festival of The Arts in Scissortail Park? Why do they still block off roads in downtown to have it where they do? Wouldn't it be MUCH better in the park?

Not Necessarily. Holding FOTA in the park would present an unimaginable stress to the turf, right as it is trying to emerge from dormancy.

Can I ask a question that has probably been asked/answered somewhere else? WHY isn't the Festival of The Arts in Scissortail Park? Why do they still block off roads in downtown to have it where they do? Wouldn't it be MUCH better in the park?

They pumped a lot of money into Bicentennial Park to support holding the FOA. Main reason was because streetcar needed to use Hudson. If it was at Scissortail , they would have to close off Robinson which I guess wouldn't be that bad. What was mentioned in the post above me is true also. It would potentially tear up the grass with foot traffic. There is also scheduling conflicts such as Playoffs occurring at the same time.

These crowd shots are such a great teaser for when/if they have the championship parade celebration culminate at the great lawn.

Can I ask a question that has probably been asked/answered somewhere else? WHY isn't the Festival of The Arts in Scissortail Park? Why do they still block off roads in downtown to have it where they do? Wouldn't it be MUCH better in the park?

That is going to be hard to know for sure with inside info, but there are a few things that seem possible downsides. First is they seem to have a clear preference to set up their tents on concrete (aka street) verses grass, so limiting it to inside the park is is probably a step back there. There are multiple arts affiliated buildings and city buildings either in or bordering the current location that may help with staging equipment ahead of time, power, etc. Closer proximity to downtown offices may help attendance during weekdays. There should be more parking available in an easy walk of the current location than around the park, with no guaranty months out that the hotel and convention center parking garages would not need what is attached to them for events they may be running in parallel. There probably is synergy between the event of the festival and the events in the Civic Center and OKC Museum of Art.

^^^^^^^^
How do you mean, unrelated to game activities.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/thunder-shut-down-giant-outdoor-watch-party/


Oklahoma City police say the shooting and the game were entirely unrelated.

Came across this photo on a Facebook comment from the park using Pete's images. I saw Pete's comment about the landscaping maturing. Really cool to see how much growth in terms of shrubs, trees, and landscaping has occurred in a quick 4 years. Can't wait to see what it looks like in another four years and beyond!

18785

^
That's cool to see.

They simply know so much more about horticulture these days and can do a great job of right-sizing trees and shrubs so they will look good in the medium and long term. Before, the wrong type of plants would often be selected and they would often be placed too close together.

They can also make sure to use plants that will be disease- and weather-resistant. It's amazing how far things have come even since the 80s when most of the planting was done in the Myriad Gardens, which had to be replaced once they did the big remodel.

Came across this photo on a Facebook comment from the park using Pete's images. I saw Pete's comment about the landscaping maturing. Really cool to see just in what seems a quick 4 years how it has grown. Can't wait to see what it looks like in another four years and beyond!

18785

Thanks for sharing the pics. Really neat seeing the maturing of the shrugs and plants in the park. Great location near the arena and convention center.

This park is already great, but I feel like in 20 years it is going to help define the center of downtown and be a nexus of community activity. The debacle that is strawberry fields will be gone eventually, the quality of this park should be a long lasting icon of this city.

I'm in the park 2-3 times a month on Saturdays and it always makes me very pleased to see how well used it is.

This is why I said people are 'surprised' when they come to actually visit OKC. The media, even local, seems to portray OKC as smaller than it is nor not having attractions of the largest city in its state. It's frustrating in some ways because like you said - TnT only showed two skyscrapers (the newest ones) when there's obviuosly more including one that has been refurbished.

Also note the pics were not recent, Devon Tower was lit up whereas in reality it is not. I suspect that 'might' be why the pic was chosen - why didn't the skyscrapers light up (other than BancFirst, Strata, and First National). ....

It's almost the same as the city waiting until the last minute to pour sidewalks or make an effort to spruce things up. ...


The TNT cutaways that I saw made OKC look like it only has two buildings downtown. Pretty disappointing considering how nice it looks down there now.

Sometimes I think that media prefer to prop up the shopworn image of OKC as a dusty cowtown. Not all, of course.

One thing I've noticed is that in multiple articles I've read recently I keep seeing that OKC has a population of 600,000. That is really old news. We've had a full-blown census since then, and now we've crossed into 700,000.

Also, the metro area population of 1.4 million or 1.5 million or whatever it is is rarely if ever reported in these national stories, such as the ones I've read recently about Legends Tower.

This is why I said people are 'surprised' when they come to actually visit OKC. The media, even local, seems to portray OKC as smaller than it is nor not having attractions of the largest city in its state. It's frustrating in some ways because like you said - TnT only showed two skyscrapers (the newest ones) when there's obviuosly more including one that has been refurbished.

Also note the pics were not recent, Devon Tower was lit up whereas in reality it is not. I suspect that 'might' be why the pic was chosen - why didn't the skyscrapers light up (other than BancFirst, Strata, and First National). ....

It's almost the same as the city waiting until the last minute to pour sidewalks or make an effort to spruce things up. ...

That’s it, Hot Rod, a conspiracy of some kind. “Everyone” is out to get Oklahoma City. And David Holt and the City of Oklahoma City delayed the sidewalks because — they are part of the conspiracy!

Damn, if we could only get some forward thinking people downtown. </s>

Here is another before-and-after courtesy of https://twitter.com/JVR405.

First photo is from 2012.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder2012a.jpg

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124aa.jpg

Here's a contrast to 2016.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/scissortail2016a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124c.jpg

^^^^^^^^
How do you mean, unrelated to game activities? It was well-documented that the two rival groups ran into each other at Thunder Alley, which had become more of an an outdoor nightclub in the final couple of (Lakers) games.

Legitimately I left the game early on the night of the shooting, in part because the Thunder had the game in hand, but also because I didn’t want to get caught under the BNSF overpass like I had the game before. You could feel it that night; there was an electricity in the air, and I don’t mean in a good way. The crowd had flipped, and especially late in games had become very loose and aggressive.

When I walked into the arena before the game I ran into the VP of comms for the Thunder and the then-GM of Paycom (then Chesapeake) and they were about to chew their own lips off worrying about the uncontrolled mess outside the arena.

People were talking in this thread or another about how much Craig Sager was into it…well, I can tell you that I personally spent most of the next afternoon with Sager (after the shooting), and he was remarking about how palpable it was that something was going to happen and that in all of his years of covering the NBA he’d never seen such an uncontrolled and combustible environment.

The Thunder came out publicly and laid it off on Bricktown (where the shooting happened) but it was convenient, revisionist history. The shooter and the victims weren’t there to hang out in Bricktown. At all. They were all at Thunder Alley, and the shooting happened as they were walking back to their respective cars, which were parked in the ”free” lot south of Bass Pro.

It’s no coincidence that Thunder Alley was immediately canceled after the shooting. It could be revived, but the only way it could be SAFELY revived is with MUCH stricter crowd control measures.

https://www.kswo.com/story/18601622/update-okc-thunder-alley-shooting-arrests/ The shooting happened in Bricktown which happens every other weekend. Not related to the game. Anyway There were some major problems with Thunder alley and watch parties. Having right outside the arena was an issue. It made for a very small overcrowded space Having people leaving the arena plus people there just hanging out was too cramped. They should of blocked it off though and made people go through security check points but that wouldn't of been easy too do as people had to come from different directions plus the hotel being there. Now we have a huge park. Put a fence around it like we did for the Kings of Leon concert and have better crowd control. Problem solved.

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/denver-nuggets-where-watch-parties-nba-finals-games-denver/ Another option would be to charge people to get in would help the city pay for extra security. I would pay $20 if there was extra security.

Nice try on the dog whistle BSky. Nice try.

Nice try on the dog whistle BSky. Nice try.

What? If you mean ‘dog whistle’ in its modern usage in relation to politics, ummm no. Nothing of the sort. In fact, the suggestion is personally offensive. My reply is fully in context of your suggesting there is some kind of nationwide conspiracy against Oklahoma City, and that our own leaders are somehow in cahoots.

Back to Scissortail Park now?

Holt wants to do, just getting the Thunder ownership on board (who he isn't going to cross). Ownership wants nothing to do with if it leads to violence like the shooting back when.

I'd find this more plausible if the Thunder hadn't just partnered with the outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/thunder-shut-down-giant-outdoor-watch-party/
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/crime/2012/05/23/police-make-two-arrests-in-oklahoma-city-shooting-after-thunder-game/61071435007/


The attorney described Hill as a Lakers fan who also likes the Thunder, but the attorney said the shooting had nothing to do with the game.

“He went down to the game with the shooter,” Bock said. “They were in Thunder Alley. Everything will come out in the next few days. ... It didn't have anything to do with Thunder and Lakers. ... It wasn't a fan-based situation. Some people knew each other from school and some other things and, you know, people get hostile.”
“Nothing to do with the game” is a pleasant fiction. It’s documented that the incident involved people who had all been at Thunder Alley, and that fights and other altercations happened there and then escalated on the walk back to their cars. The closure was correct. That said, it could of course be brought back, but only with stringent crowd control.

I'd find this more plausible if the Thunder hadn't just partnered with the outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

???? I am not aware of an outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

???? I am not aware of an outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

Haha. I think he's talking about the Sunset Patio Grill. lol I started referring to it as "The Murder Capital of Midtown" or "Stabby Town", or "The Gun and Knife Club" " :-)

???? I am not aware of an outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

****Sorry. Don't know why it posted twice. Can't figure out how to delete it.****Haha. I think he's talking about the Sunset Patio Grill. lol I started referring to it as "The Murder Capital of Midtown" or "Stabby Town", or "The Gun and Knife Club" " :-)

I hope in 10 years we see photos of the current arena/park/omni area and are even more wowed by the transformation with the new arena, the growing landscape of the park and potential developments on the bob howard lot, old Paycom lot and strawberry field space. So much potential for this area!!

I hope in 10 years we see photos of the current arena/park/omni area and are even more wowed by the transformation with the new arena, the growing landscape of the park and potential developments on the bob howard lot, old Paycom lot and strawberry field space. So much potential for this area!!

It's coming . . .

Voters have given OKC a chance to get this right with the $900 million DT arena approved. Get the site identified and ground breaking scheduled.

Here is another before-and-after courtesy of https://twitter.com/JVR405.

First photo is from 2012.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder2012a.jpg

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042124aa.jpg

Wow

Scissortail Park partners with The Chickasaw Nation to present SCISSORTAIL PARK CONCERTS 2024
Free concerts hosted on the Love’s Travel Stops Stage & Great Lawn, June – October


OKLAHOMA CITY – Scissortail Park announced today the addition of The Chickasaw Nation as the presenting sponsor for the Scissortail Park Concerts series in 2024. The free concerts hosted on the Love’s Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn are scheduled from June through October. Guests are invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy free performances from local, regional, and national acts encompassing everything from reggae, soul, pop, rock, classical, and folk music.


“The Chickasaw Nation’s continual support of events and programs at Scissortail Park is instrumental to our ability to bring quality free concerts to the community,” said Maureen Heffernan, CEO of Scissortail Park Foundation and Myriad Gardens Foundation. “Governor Anoatubby is a generous leader who values culture and community, and we are so grateful for his support. The Chickasaw Nation joins our benefactor sponsors Dick & Glenna Tanenbaum, as well as sponsors including Omni Oklahoma City Hotel, BancFirst, INSURICA, The Kerr Foundation, and Kirkpatrick Foundation. Our concert series is also supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts.”



2024 SCHEDULE:
The Wailers
“A Night of One Love” featuring The Wailers
Friday, June 14 | 8pm
Love’s Travel Stops Stage & Great Lawn
GRAMMY nominated reggae pioneers celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ album, LEGEND, live on our stage!

Summer of Soul Night
Friday, July 19 | 8pm
Love’s Travel Stops Stage & Great Lawn
Featuring a collection of regional soul artists coming together on Scissortail Park’s main stage!

A Night of OKC VOICES
Friday, August 9 | 8pm
Love’s Travel Stops Stage & Great Lawn
Starring Oklahoma contestants from NBC’s The Voice including AJ Harvey, OK3, Tanner Massey, and Taylor Deneen!


OKC Philharmonic
Sunday, September 15 | 8:30pm
Love’s Travel Stops Stage & Great Lawn
Enjoy an encore performance by Oklahoma City’s Philharmonic orchestra!

The Indigo Girls
Friday, October 11 | 8pm
Love’s Travel Stops Stage & Great Lawn
The grand finale for our season concludes with the GRAMMY-Award winning folk rock duo as heard in the BARBIE movie and their new documentary, “It’s Only Life After All”!

Interesting to see how the landscaping has matured.

First photo is April of 2020; second is April of 2024.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/scissortail043020a.jpg

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/thunder042224c.jpeg

So nice. It will only continue to look better.

I worked across the street from Myriad Gardens in the early 1990s, when they were still in the process of planting small-caliper trees within the park and lining sidewalks, very similar to those trees in Scissortail in the first pic. 30+ years later I now marvel at the mature pin oaks shaking hands over the sidewalks along Sheridan and the other beautiful trees there. The same thing will happen (IS happening) at Scissortail. It was exciting when the park was brand new, but, much like MBG, its best years are ahead.

^

It's one of the reasons I don't get upset when old-growth trees are sometimes cleared; as long as there is a heavy landscaping plan.

Landscape architecture is like everything else: we simply know so much more than just 50 years ago.

It wasn't that long ago that Bradford Pears were the rage and trees with invasive root systems were planted too close to homes and sidewalks, causing havoc.

Lets hope for no October ice storms and those trees will be great in 10 years.

Lets hope for no October ice storms and those trees will be great in 10 years.

its always good management to plant trees every 5-10 years to replace trees as they mature and die or are taken out by storms or disease.

I am sure the park has a great arborist that's helping too.

^

It's one of the reasons I don't get upset when old-growth trees are sometimes cleared; as long as there is a heavy landscaping plan.

Landscape architecture is like everything else: we simply know so much more than just 50 years ago.

It wasn't that long ago that Bradford Pears were the rage and trees with invasive root systems were planted too close to homes and sidewalks, causing havoc.

It's going to be a really special place when the trees in the great lawn are big enough to trim the undergrowth and have a canopy of trees but still have great sight lines to the main stage. Will make concerts in the summer almost pleasant.

Can't wait for all the shade!

I was downtown last evening and Scissortail Park was completely packed; no parking spaces for blocks.

Myriad Gardens was also very busy and there was a concert at Paycom.

After all this time, it still surprises me how busy downtown can be on a weekday night. It's really gratifying to see.

very nice to hear Pete.

That 2nd pic really does show how far OKC (and the world to an extent) has come in 2 years, when compared to the first.

I was downtown last evening and Scissortail Park was completely packed; no parking spaces for blocks.

Myriad Gardens was also very busy and there was a concert at Paycom.

After all this time, it still surprises me how busy downtown can be on a weekday night. It's really gratifying to see.

I am happy that the city decided to invest in itself. Anyone that builds anything worthwhile near sissortail will turn a healthy profit.

I was downtown last evening and Scissortail Park was completely packed; no parking spaces for blocks.

Myriad Gardens was also very busy and there was a concert at Paycom.

After all this time, it still surprises me how busy downtown can be on a weekday night. It's really gratifying to see.

Half the time I'm at Scissortail with the family, we meet another family on a cross country road trip that planned a stopover at a downtown hotel. OKC is a stopping point because they have heard "downtown okc and the park is really cool, clean, safe, and a great stop point. Exceeded even those expectations."

It's happened at least 10 times. That reputation will only grow with time.

^^That's super cool!!! The city should actually think about putting some signs out East Bound I-40 between El Reno & Yukon and West Bound between 240/40 fork and Tinker. "Exit ____. Tap the brakes and relax in 10 miles at OKC's Scissortail Park, right off I-40."

Huge concert tonight at the park, the great lawn is full with the hill full of people. They’ve got food trucks and beverages as well.

I went to the Ballet in the park a couple weeks ago and was really surprised by how big the trees had gotten. I've been out there several times, but it didn't really click until I was looking at the stage through them. I remember thinking it was really bare right when the park opened.

I was downtown last evening and Scissortail Park was completely packed; no parking spaces for blocks.

Myriad Gardens was also very busy and there was a concert at Paycom.

After all this time, it still surprises me how busy downtown can be on a weekday night. It's really gratifying to see.

Jordan Davis. - 'Buy Dirt'

Half the time I'm at Scissortail with the family, we meet another family on a cross country road trip that planned a stopover at a downtown hotel. OKC is a stopping point because they have heard "downtown okc and the park is really cool, clean, safe, and a great stop point. Exceeded even those expectations."

It's happened at least 10 times. That reputation will only grow with time.

Scissortail Park is up there as one of our best MAPS projects ever.

The Omni and the Convention Center enhances the park when the sun goes down. Was at the Jordan Davis concert and it's quite the light show.