EXTRA! - "Take me back to Tulsa"

Oklahoma Historical Society sent this bulletin at 03/01/2023 05:00 AM CST

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Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, c. 1944. The musical group is standing with their instruments in hand

History Center Research Museums & Sites Preservation Publications

March 1, 2023

A photograph of Bob Wills sitting at a piano, with the words Bob Wills Day below the photo

Celebrate the King of Western Swing!

On Monday, March 6, experience the music and memories of an Oklahoma legend—Bob Wills! From 1 to 5 p.m., enjoy an afternoon of live performances under the dome on the second floor rotunda of the Oklahoma Capitol. At 6 p.m., catch a special live recording of A Very OK Podcast at Ponyboy in Oklahoma City. Open to all, the events commemorate Wills, the Country Music Hall of Fame artist, Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee, and true innovator whose imprint on popular music can still be heard today.

This special live recording of A Very OK Podcast will be hosted by OHS Executive Director Trait Thompson and former OHS Executive Director Dr. Bob Blackburn. Thompson and Blackburn will be joined by Jeff Moore, director of OKPOP; Carolyn Wills, Bob Wills’s daughter; and authors Brett Bingham and John Wooley, known for their recent title Twentieth-Century Honky-Tonk (2022).

The podcast event is part of the OHS History OffCenter series. The OHS is proud to partner with the Oklahoma Arts Council, and OKPOP to host these events.

Bob Wills, known as the “King of Western Swing,” was born on March 6, 1905. Learn more about his life by clicking here.

A NEW EXHIBIT OPENS TODAY AT THE OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER!

A heading that reads "Taking Flight: Oklahomans Explore the Skies"

A B-24 Liberator #42-40738 aircraft nicknamed “The Oklahoman.” Men of the 389th bomb group 566th bomb squadron stand at the nose of the plane

Today, at 10 a.m., the Oklahoma History Center will open its newest exhibit Taking Flight: Oklahomans Explore the Skies. This exhibit will feature the first steps toward air travel, as well as the remarkable ways that Oklahomans contributed to all aspects of aviation.

In the Vose Atrium Gallery, the exhibit’s timeline of flight begins with a large-scale mural of a 1900s-period hot-air balloon created by artist Manuel Cruz III, which represents the dawn of exploration of the skies. Visitors can explore both military aviation and the development of commercial flight, learn more about the history of airplane nose art, and view items worn and used by US pilots.

The exhibit provides a wonderful introduction to Launch to Landing: Oklahomans and Space, located in the nearby Gaylord Special Exhibit Gallery. Launch to Landing has as its centerpiece the Skylab 4 Apollo Command Module (CM-118) on loan from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Image: A B-24 Liberator #42-40738 aircraft nicknamed “The Oklahoman” with members of the 389th Bomb Group, 566th Bomb Squadron (image 15320, American Air Museum in Britain).

A graphic of the state of Oklahoma with a map pin in the center and the words #ExploreOHS next to a photo of a father and daughter taking a selfie

A new Travel Contest begins today!

The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is excited to host another #ExploreOHS Travel Contest, which will be held Wednesday, March 1, through Friday, March 31. During these dates, participants will travel to OHS museums and historic sites across the state—competing to see who can visit the most sites! This contest is open to the public, and all entries must be submitted on social media using the #ExploreOHS hashtag. Click here for eligibility requirements and details about how you can participate.

The person (or family/group traveling together) who visits the largest number of OHS sites (March 1–31, 2023) will win a prize pack of OHS swag and your choice of:

Option 1 – Name a baby bison this spring at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum
Option 2 – Ride on a keelboat on April 22 at Fort Gibson Historic Site

A complete list of OHS museums and historic sites is available at www.okhistory.org/sites. Use the clickable map of 20+ sites to start planning your road trip today!

a living history reenactor dressed as a schoolteacher at the CSRHC writing with pen and ink at a schooldesk

TEXTING THE OLD FASHIONED WAY

Putting pen to paper

History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip takes place on the first and third Saturday of each month at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. On those days, the historic buildings in the museum's Humphrey Heritage Village come to life with reenactors. Dedicated CSRHC volunteers dressed in period clothing, like this schoolmarm, will have you convinced you have stepped back in time to the 1890s! To see all of the upcoming History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip events planned in the coming months, click here. For more information, please call the CSRHC at 580-237-1907.

a photo of a man in overalls, working as a blacksmith. He has a hammer in one hand and tongs holding a horseshoe in another

IT TAKES UPPER BODY STRENGTH

Swing that hammer!

Visit the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School (CSM) in Perry to watch the Saltfork Craftsmen give Blacksmithing Demonstrations in the blacksmith shop on Saturday, March 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Their demonstrations will also be held on May 6 and August 5. The forge will be lit at 10 a.m., then guests can enjoy watching the time-honored craft. Young and old alike will have opportunities to safely take part in the process with supervision. This educational event is free to attend, but donations are always appreciated. For more information please call the helpful staff at the CSM at 580-336-2405.

a number of schoolchildren writing in script with pen and ink at old-fashioned desks in a one-room schoolhouse.

Learn with the Oklahoma Historical Society!

The Oklahoma Historical Society has many museums and historic sites brimming with learning possibilities. Our resources are available to every type of learner. Study early Oklahoma, check out our one-room schools, dive into OHS e-exhibits, discover ways to bring history to your classroom, and much more! Click here to browse these resources.