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This past weekend, downtown Tulsa rocked with entertainment options for all ages.
Aside from writing what has quickly become Tulsa's most popular online column (according to my mother), I run what is basically a large-scale book club.
The members are passionate about it and are loyal to their core. Most of them view reading as their favorite activity. So when a comment was made on my Facebook page a few days ago, I knew something was going on.
The comment was: “Too much going on in Tulsa this weekend to READ!!”
Too much going on to read? Usually reading is what a lot of people do in place of actually having something else to do. I remember a not-so-distant past when I would scour the newspaper, searching in vain for some interesting weekend activities. But things have changed. This weekend, downtown Tulsa was a cultural hub. From those family-friendly “American Idol” folks at the BOK Center to the ridiculously popular “Wicked” playing at the Tulsa PAC, you would think that would be more than enough for anyone’s entertainment calendar.
But there was also this little thing called Dfest. Heard of it? Just your run-of-the-mill world-class music festival with dozens and dozens of bands and enough attendees to start a new town. Walking the closed-off streets on Friday night; seeing the joy in people’s faces; and breathing in that aromatic blend of fried food, cigarette smoke, generator exhaust and sweat, I couldn’t help but be proud of what this little place has done in just a few years. And I know it sounds a little cheesy and right out of “Father Knows Best,” but “proud” is the right word. The only word.
The fact that we not only have the people to will these things into reality, but also the citizens willing to spend their hard-earned money (even in tough economic times), makes me wonder what’s still to come. There was a time when this would have been more than enough. Things are happening now that I could barely imagine as a kid. But now that I have tasted it, I want more. And so do you.
With each new experience, our appetites grow. Thankfully we have some great cooks in the kitchen. And this is just the appetizer.
