Volunteers Rock!

There are so many ways that volunteers help us out here at the History Center. They give tours, they help us with work down in Collections, they tell their friends about the fun happenings here, they lend a hand when it's time to install exhibits, and sometimes they even give us the artifacts and stories that we put into our exhibits. This was the case with Another Hot Oklahoma Night.


Red, white & blue Scene outfit worn by Barbara Lopez DePriest when she was a Scene Dancer.

Upstairs in the Noble Gallery, we have a section devoted to the late '60s-early '70s dance show The Scene. When one of our lovely lady volunteers, Barbara, found out about this, she let us know that in her youth, she was one of the energetic teenagers who hopped and bopped on The Scene. In addition to getting her story, she donated her dance clothes, which are now on display, and some posters.


Ted Oney's hot rod in the Rockabilly section of Another Hot Oklahoma Night.

Curators David Davis and Matt Reed put together the portion of Another Hot Oklahoma Night focusing on '50s culture and Rockabilly. They spent a lot of time talking with our volunteers; interviewing the ones who were teenagers in that time period to get a first-hand account of what it was like to go cruisin' on a Friday night, roll up your t-shirt sleeves, and put on a leather jacket. Through their interviews with volunteers they met Ted Oney. Mr. Oney decided to lend us the hot rod he is rebuilding to put on display in that section of the exhibit. According to Mr. Oney, "Everybody cruised Main Street back then, because Main Street was a two-way street...go up and down the street to show off your car and spin your tires and things like that."

Volunteers like these are great resources for our curators, and all they're doing is talking about their lives! If you're interested in joining the fun of volunteering, contact Robbin Davis at rdavis@okhistory.org - we'd love to have you join!

"Time Changes Everything"

"Time Changes Everything," a two-act play written by former Tulsa World entertainment writers Thomas Conner and John Wooley and directed by Vern Stefanic, imagines a world where Oklahoma music legends Bob Wills and Woody Guthrie meet. Wills and Guthrie are not known to have met in real life, but the theatrical version envisions a discussion about music and life between the two iconic figures portrayed by Oklahoma musicians Brad Piccolo and John Cooper. In the second act, Piccolo and Cooper join their band mates for a live musical performance by the Red Dirt Rangers featuring the songs of both Wills and Guthrie. The first performance of this unique production took place at the Liddy Doenges Theater in the Tulsa Performing Arts Center on June 25, 2009.

The show begins at 7pm on Saturday, March 20, 2010 here at the History Center. Tickets are available for purchase from the History Center Gift Shop or by phone with credit card. To order by phone, please call (405)522-3602. Reserved seats are $35 and general admission are $25. OHS members receive $5 off admission. Tickets are limited, so don't delay!

Ghouls Gone Wild-the Aftermath

We survived the terror of the Ghouls Gone Wild parade! Actually, the parade was a lot of fun and we had a great time putting together our float out of "repurposed" materials from the Exhibits Shop. On our float, we decided to portray a campy '50s sci-fi horror movie as directed by Ed Wood, in drag. Aliens crash landed their flying saucer into the old Wiley Post Historical Society building, turning all the humans into zombies. Not to fear, 3-D Debbie and her faithful robot, Bazark, were there to save the day with their laserbeams. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking :-)


David and his scary alien eye.


Getting the float ready for the road!


Is it time to start yet?


We had offers of people who wanted to be abducted.


Every float's better with a dancing robot.


And here we go down the street!


Great fun with creative people! Thanks OK Gazette for the Ghouls Gone Wild Parade!

Ghouls Gone Wild!

The Oklahoma Gazette's 3rd Annual Ghouls Gone Wild parade is coming up on October 24th and the History Center is proud to be a part of it! Rockabilly legends The Collins Kids, who played for our Another Hot Oklahoma Night: A Rock and Roll Exhibit opening back in May, are returning to Oklahoma to serve as grand marshals for the parade.

The Exhibits Team, Collections Staff, and Research Division Staff have all come together to build a unique and creative float for this one-of-a-kind parade. Look for updates on our float, and an explanation of our theme, "It Came from the History Center," in subsequent posts.

A Rockabilly Good Time!

On Friday, Oct. 23rd and Saturday, Oct. 24th, the Oklahoma History Center will be hosting a weekend celebrating Rockabilly culture past and present.

On Friday the 23rd, the History Center will be the venue for a rockin' good time with The Beltline, Clyde Stacy, and The Starkweather Boys, along with a special Rockabilly fashion show put on by the Velvet Monkey Salons here in Oklahoma City. Tickets are $10 in advance (available at the History Center 522-0765 and the Velvet Monkey Salons) and $15 at the door for an evening of great music and entertainment.

Saturday the 24th we will have a vintage car show and roundtable discussions at the History Center with Rockabilly pioneers like The Collins Kids, back in their native Oklahoma to be the grand marshals for the Oklahoma Gazette's Ghouls Gone Wild parade. They will also be performing Saturday night in conjunction with the parade. Everyone should come out to see the craziness and the History Center's float!

And, to get you ready for some great music, here's a NewsOK.com video on Clyde Stacy and his performance coming up on the 23rd!

You Should Have Been Seen at The Scene!

Well Ladies and Gents, The Scene here at the History Center earlier this month on September 4th was a huge smash! The building was bursting at the seams with folks enjoying great music from Uptown Syndicate, Jim Edgar and the Roadrunners, Brewer and Brewer, and the Five Americans while dancing the night away. I thought I'd give you a little taste of what we got to enjoy that night.


The line of eager Scene-goers was long even before the doors were opened!


It was Ronnie Kaye's birthday, so we made sure we had plenty of cake.


Uptown Syndicate got the night started off right with some great funk.


The crowd really loved Jim Edgar and the Roadrunners, who played the hits of the '50s and '60s.


The crowd really got after it!


Brewer and Brewer played "One Toke Over the Line."


And the Five Americans rocked their hit "Western Union."

It was a great evening to reminisce, see old friends, and to just get down and boogie. The History Center dance floor definitely got its workout that night! Thanks to everyone who came out to make The Scene such a great time!

The Scene!

Ever feel nostalgic for go-go boots, mini-skirts, and psychedelic music? On Friday night, September 4, 2009 the Oklahoma History Center, KOMA, and the Oklahoma Gazette are proud to present "The Scene," a recreation of the 1960s dance party television show hosted by Ronnie Kaye.

The party will feature special performances by The Five Americans, Jim Edgar and the Roadrunners, and Uptown Syndicate, as well as the famous Scene Dancers!

The doors open at 6:30pm on September 4th for this dance down memory lane. Tickets for this groovy shindig are only $15 and can be purchased at Thrifty Pharmacy locations (10904 N. May in OKC and inside Crest Foods at 15th and Santa Fe in Edmond) as well as at the Oklahoma History Center. Call (405)522-0765 for more information. Ronnie will see you there!