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Tom Mix Museum
by Kathryn Mann
Tom Mix, The King of the Cowboys, was once a marshal in Dewey, Oklahoma
The Tom Mix Museum is located in Bartlesville's sister city Dewey. It is a wonderful memorial to the King of the Cowboys Tom Mix. Between 1909 with the silent film The Range Riders, and ending in 1935 with full sound feature The Miracle Rider, he was one of the biggest movies stars in the world, starring in over 270 features and earning $10,000 a week. (That's $130,000 in 2011 dollars!)
A limited number of the Tom Mix stamps were postmarked at the Tom Mix museum the day before they were issued on April 18th, 2010
The year before he become a movie star Tom Mix lived in Dewey and served as the town's marshal as well as a bartender. He was a skilled horseback rider and also worked on a nearby cattle ranch.
It is uncertain how many movies Tom Mix made. The number is estimated at between 270 and 320.
The museum includes almost every important artifact related to Mix including his cowboy outfits, saddles, guns, and even a life-sized replica of his companion and costar, Tony the Wonder Horse.
Tom Mix's grandson in front of a poster of his grandfather at the Tom Mix Museum
Mix retired from making movies in 1935 at the age of 55. Following his retirement from filmed he started and headlined the very successful Tom Mix Touring Circus.
The Tom Mix Circus was a full circus that also included a western theme
In 1940 Tom Mix was killed in a freak accident in Arizona when his car overturned as he swerved to avoid an unexpected road construction site. He was killed when a metal suitcase in the back seat struck the back of his neck and killed him instantly. That suitcase, known as the suitcase of death, is also on display in the Tom Mix Museum. There is a marker today on the roadside near where he died that reads. "In memory of Tom Mix whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the Old West in the minds of living men." Mix remained popular for more than a decade after his death because of popular comic books he was featured in as well as a cowboy radio series based on his character.
Tom Mix was the 1909 riding and roping Rodeo champion
You owe it to yourself to learn about Tom Mix. He is largely forgotten today because most of his movies have been lost forever. That is because most movies until 1950 were filmed using a cellulose nitrate base that unless carefully stored crumbles into dust after several decades. There is a small theater in the back of the museum which is usually showing one of his films.
This is the 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton Tom Mix died in. It has been completely restored. It features custom leather fender spats, gun holster, and cowboy boot shaped gas pedal
.
Tom Mix comic books were very popular for more than ten years after his death
The Tom Mix Museum is located at 721 N. Delaware in Dewey. It is open from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM Tuesday thru Saturday and 1:00 to 4:30 PM on Sunday. The phone number is 918-534-1555.
Tom Mix mural on outside wall of the Tom Mix Museum
Of Note: The Tom Mix Museum is located on the spot where Jacob Bartles' trading post was located when he founded Dewey. He named his town after Admiral George Dewey. Across the street he built the Dewey Hotel which is now a museum. Bartles' store remained in business until 1950 when it was destroyed by a fire.
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2011 OK Mozart Festival – A Swinging Affair
by Kathryn Mann
OK Mozart is adapting to a younger audience by making the lowbrow highbrow with several of the most acclaimed and exciting string groups in the world. Hot Club of Cowtown, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Turtle Island String Quartet present an eclectic mix of musical styles that blend country, swing, rock, classical, blues, folk, and jazz.
Hot Club of Cowtown - performing live Saturday, June 18 at 2:00 PM
I have seen all of these groups perform before, and each is even better live than on their recordings. All are made up of highly energetic and incredibly talented virtuosos that captivate an audience with their musical abilities and charisma. My favorite musician in these groups is Hot Club of Cowtown's violinist and vocalist Elena James whose voice is enchanting and beauty is riveting. She also has done three recent tours with Bob Dylan as a featured musician in his band.
OK Mozart has been a bastion of the best "old time music" of the ages – classical – for the people of Oklahoma. This year I expect a lot more children, teenagers, and young adults to attend the festival as more great musical genres become part of the repertoire.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops - Thursday, June 16 at 8:00 PM
Turtle Island Quartet - to perform on Monday, June 13 at 8:00 PM
History of Bartlesville's Hillcrest Country Club
by Kathryn Mann
Original Hillcrest Country Club from 1926, which was designed by Edward Buehler Delk
Hillcrest Country Club has had a long and revered history in both Bartlesville and Oklahoma. Gale Morgan Kane's fascinating recent book Bartlesville Means Business is an exhaustive history of the club and the tremendous impact it has had on the community since its opening 85 years ago.
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The book traces Frank Phillips' dream in the early 1920s of building a magnificent country club to promote the city of Bartlesville to Eastern investors, to its opening in 1926 when its board proclaimed it wanted the club involved in every civic function of the city. From that time on, Kane documents that unlike clubs in most towns Hillcrest was a broad based social organization focused on the growth, culture, and social welfare of the community.
Throughout the book there is a tapestry of portraits of Bartlesville's most influential and successful citizens including H. V. Foster who at one time was wealthiest person west of Mississippi as a of his control of almost all the prime oil land in Oklahoma, as well as the two men who are most responsible for the propensity of the community, Frank Phillips the founder of Phillips petroleum, and his visionary disciple Boots Adams.
The book is cornucopia of fascinating information on the design of the club, and major events in its history. I was fascinated to learn for example the golf course and clubhouse were both considered the most beautiful in the state when the club opened. This is in large part due to the fact that the course was designed by Perry Duke Maxwell, one of the most acclaimed golf course architects in America, and the original clubhouse was the work of the great architect Edward Buehler Delk who also designed Philbrook in Tulsa, Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, and the La Quinta Mansion in Bartlesville.
Gale Morgan Kane, author of Bartlesville Means Business
You can find this book at the Bartlesville History Museum and also purchase it on Amazon.
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Bartlesville Community Calendar (Jun-Jul 2011)
Performances and Events in and around Bartlesville
June thru July 2011
JUNE
June 9, Thursday
6:00 p.m. - A Symphony of Color - Art exhibit opening
at
Hopestone Studio
downtown at 120 Frank Phillips Blvd.
with extended hours during the OK Mozart music festival June 10-18
Week of June 10-19
OK Mozart Music Festival
featuring classical, chamber, country, and more performed by top-notch mucisians
at the beautiful
Bartlesville Community Center
sample of shows listed below
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
June 12, Sunday
2:00 p.m. - Buster Keaton in The General - classic silent film on the big screen with live accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra
at the
Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
June 13, Monday
8:00 p.m. -
An Evening with Jimi Hendrix performed by the Turtle Island Quartet
at the
Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
June 14, Tuesday
8:00 p.m. - Spencer Prentiss Classical All Stars present Budapest at Night
at the
Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
June 16, Thursday
8:00 p.m. - The Carolina Chocolate Drops
at the
Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
June 17, Friday
8:00 p.m. - Woolaroc Outdoor Concert
advance purchase recommended
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
June 18, Saturday
2:00 p.m. - Hot Club of Cowtown
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
8:00 p.m. - An Evening with Joshua Bell
OK Mozart "Grand Finale" concert
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
June 23, Thursday
6:00 p.m. - FREE Night at the Balpark - Come watch the American Legion Indians play Stillwater
Hosted by 66 Federal Credit Union
JULY
July 14-17, Thursday-Sunday
Children's Musical Theatre of Bartlesville presents Annie Get Your Gun
by Irving Berlin
at the Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
Please submit information about performances and events in and around Bartlesville to: kathrynmann@OnlyInBartlesville.com
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Cedar Waxwings Return to Bartlesville
Photos and article by Kathryn Mann
This is a Cedar Waxwing on the branch of a cedar tree in January
There is a small grove of Eastern Red Cedars on the trail I walk on several times a week in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. In late January there are usually several dozen Cedar Waxwings feasting on their small cones. Within a week all the Cedar Waxwings are gone and do not reappear in my area until late May when they begin to dine on several Mulberry trees (including a large one in my front yard). Cedar Waxwings love the mulberry fruit which looks like a blackberry, but tastes more like a grapefruit.
As you can see from these photos the Cedar Waxwing is brown on top and has a yellow breast. It has a beautiful small feathered crest on its head and a white-lined black mask over its face which makes me refer to these guys as "bandit" birds. Their wings are a dark gray and are decorated with several red tips and a yellow border at the bottom of its tail. The under tail is white. They are about 7 inches in length. They are very social creatures and often sit and feed next to several other waxwings. I often see one picking a berry and then passing it down a row of birds so they all get about the same number of berries. They also often clean one another. In my area you will often see a few Baltimore Orioles mixed in with a couple dozen Cedar Waxwings in a Mulberry Tree.
I have been told you might be able to attract Cedar Waxwings to your yard by putting some raisins or finely sliced apples on a raised feeder.
Finally you may recall the children's nursery rhyme Pop Goes the Weasel with the lyrics:
All around the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun.
Pop! goes the weasel.
A penny for a spool of thread,
A penny for a needle.
That's the way the money goes.
Pop! goes the weasel.
Up and down the City Road,
In and out of the Eagle,
That's the way the money goes.
Pop! goes the weasel.
Half a pound of tuppenney rice,
Half a pound of treacle,
Mix it up and make it nice,
Pop! goes the weasel.
The fact is there is no mulberry bush; it is a tree, and while it is unlikely you will find a monkey or weasel in one, they are a favorite May hangout for Cedar Waxwings, my "bandit bird".
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Bartlesville Community Calendar (Feb-Apr 2011)
Performances and Events in and around Bartlesville
February thru April 2011
FEBRUARY
February 1, Tuesday
1:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Mid-America Christian University
at Doenges Field
February 4, Friday
5:30 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Basketball against College of Saint Mary (NE)
5:30-7:00 p.m. - Bruce Goff A Creative Mind exhibit public reception and live music.
at the Price Tower
7:30 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Basketball against Bellevue Unversity (NE)
February 5, Saturday
3:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Basketball against Peru State College (NE)
5:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Basketball against Peru State College (NE)
February 6, Sunday
2:00 p.m. - Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra performs "Symphonic Safari"
at the Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
February 8, Tuesday
10:00-11:00 a.m. - Tower Tots: Valentine’s Tea Party for children ages 3 to 6, with accompanying adult
at the Price Tower (registration required)
1:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Rogers State University
at Doenges Field
February 11, Friday
5:30 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Basketball against Haskell University (KS)
7:30 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Basketball against Haskell University (KS)
February 12, Saturday
3:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Men's Baseball against Henderson State
at Doenges Field
3:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Basketball against College of the Ozarks (MO)
5:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Basketball against College of the Ozarks (MO)
February 15, Tuesday
1:00 & 3:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball
vs. Mid-America Christian University
at OKWU Field
February 17, Thursday
5:00-7:00 p.m. - Spanish Language Tour of Bruce Goff: A Creative Mind
at the Price Tower
February 18, Friday
12:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Grandview University (DH)
at Doenges Field
February 19, Saturday
12:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Grandview University (DH)
at Doenges Field
12:00, 2:00 & 4:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan Univ. Women's Softball
vs. Mid-America Nazarene Univ.
at OKWU Field
6:00-11:00 p.m. - 9th Annual All That Jazz Event. 6:30 New Orleans buffet; dance to music by GNote
at Hillcrest Country Club - benefits the Westside Community Center
reservations 918-336-6760
February 22, Tuesday
2:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Grandview University (DH)
at OKWU Field
7:30 p.m. - Shanghai Circus performs at the
Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
February 23, Wednesday
1:00 & 3:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball
against Rogers State University
at OKWU Field
February 25, Friday
2:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Hastings University
at Doenges Field
February 26, Saturday
12:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Hastings University (DH)
at OKWU Field
MARCH
March 1, Tuesday
1:00 & 3:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Women's Softball against Western Oklahoma State
at OKWU Field
March 2, Wednesday
2:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Friends University
at OKWU Field
March 5, Saturday
1
2:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Park University
at OKWU Field
7:30 p.m. - Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra performs "GRIEGarious"
at the
Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
March 12, Saturday
1:00-5:00 p.m. - ShamRockTheVille 5K and Party - Race at 1:00
Awards and party at Hilton Garden Inn to 5:00 with Irish music by Carde Ne Gael
Downtown Bartlesville - Benefits Mary Martha Outreach
918-337-3703 to register
2:00 & 4:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball against Tabor College
at OKWU Field
March 15, Tuesday
2:00 & 4:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball against Sterling College
at OKWU Field
March 16, Wednesday
2:00 & 4:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball against Evangel University
at OKWU Field
March 17, Thursday
6:00-8:00 p.m. - Llive Celtic music performance by Kilkenny Road at the Price Tower
March 22, Tuesday
2:00 & 4:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball against Hillsdale Free Will Baptist
at OKWU Field
March 25, Friday
12:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Peru State College (DH)
at OKWU Field
March 26, Saturday
11:00 a.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Peru State College (DH)
at OKWU Field
APRIL
April 1, Friday
1:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Bellevue University
at Doenges Field
April 2, Saturday
12:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Bellevue University
at Doenges Field
April 3, Sunday
2:00 p.m. - Bartlesville Choral Society performs "Gods, Monsters & Heros"
at the Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
April 4, Monday
7:30 p.m. - A Chorus Line performs at the Bartlesville Community Center
box office 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2797
April 5, Tuesday
3:00 & 5:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball against Central Christian College
at OKWU Field
April 7, Thursday
2:00 & 4:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball against Oklahoma City University
at OKWU Field
April 8, Friday
12:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Central Christian College (DH)
at Doenges Field
April 9, Saturday
12:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Central Christian College (DH)
at Doenges Field
April 15, Friday
5:00 & 7:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball against Bellevue University
at OKWU Field
April 16, Saturday
12:00 & 2:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Women's Softball against College of Saint Mary
at OKWU Field
April 23, Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Symposium: Bruce Goff in Theory and Practice (with break for lunch)
at the Bartlesville Public Library, Meeting Room A
call
918.336.4949 for reservations
1:00 p.m. - Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Baseball against Central Baptist College (DH)
at Doenges Field
Please submit information about performances and events in and around Bartlesville to: kathrynmann@OnlyInBartlesville.com
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