Roscoe Turner to Tulsa's "socially challenged"

By Michael Bates on October 8, 2007 11:55 AM | | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (1)

Roscoe Turner, Tulsa's most believable city councilor, drills for the truth, in an open letter to bored Tulsa hipsters:

Those who believe the Tulsa metropolitan area has nothing to offer and must spend tax dollars developing the river to keep our young professionals entertained must be socially challenged. There are so many things to do in the Tulsa area that some have to plan and schedule weeks and months ahead of time to make sure they don't miss those activities in which they are most interested. But, for those nay-sayers who think there is nothing to do around here, I've pulled together the following list of great things to do in the Tulsa area:

1. Catch a TU football game at Chapman Stadium (formerly known as Skelly Stadium)

2. Check out a 66ers basketball game at the historic Fairgrounds Pavilion

3. The Tulsa Opera is going into its 60th year in Tulsa

4. The Tulsa Ballet has been declared one of the best in the world

5. The Old Lady On Brady is a great place to find a concert

6. Tulsa's floating amphitheatre usually has a movie night

7. Octoberfest

8. Mayfest

9. When was the last time you were at the Tulsa Zoo?

10. The Oklahoma Aquarium

11. Enjoy a play at Tulsa's Little Theatre

12. Don't forget Discoveryland

13. Eat fresh and buy local at the many community Farmer's Markets

14. Visit one of the area Herb Festivals

15. Shop the antique markets

16. Play a round of golf at one of the many area courses

17. Watch the Golden Hurricane play basketball at the Reynolds Center

18. Hike a trail at the Oxley Nature Center

19. Stay in shape walking or riding your bike on one of the many area trails

20. See what's happening at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

21. Try your luck at Cherokee, Creek or Osage Casinos

22. Grab a concert at the Osage event center

23. Take a trip down Route 66

24. Walk through one of the many shows at the Quik Trip Center (formerly known as the Expo building)

25. Dine, shop, or see a movie at the Riverwalk

26. There's always something to see at the Bass Pro Shop

27. Tulsa Drillers

28. Tulsa Talons

29. Tulsa Oilers

30. Gilcrease Museum

31. Philbrook Museum

32. Tulsa Air & Space Museum

33. The American Theatre Company always puts on a great production

34. What's going on at the Tulsa Convention Center?

35. And soon, very soon-or so we're told, you can see SOMETHING at the new BOK Arena

Once you've made your way through this list you can start at the top and work your way back through it. This by no means is an exhaustive list of the wonderful things there are to do in the area, but it's a great start for those who have decided that they are bored and want the rest of us to foot the bill for their entertainment. There are many hard-working people who live paycheck to paycheck; many elderly who worked their whole lives to retire on a very limited income, these people cannot afford to pay more taxes for your entertainment - especially those who live in areas of Tulsa where the city has made promises and reneged on them time and time again.

So, get out and spend some of your young professional money and generate some tax revenue, and before long we will have the money to fix the streets, open swimming pools and recreation centers at our community parks, mow the grass in all areas of the city, fix broken water lines and provide public safety by hiring more police. Then maybe, just maybe, we can take a look at doing something with YOUR RIVER.

Roscoe H. Turner

I'll add three things to Councilor Turner's excellent list -- make a point to visit the following websites, on a regular basis, to learn about even more interesting things to do and places to go around Tulsa:

Categories

Arkansas River , Tulsa Downtown

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» The Boys Are Back In Town! from Tulsa Topics

Even though I don’t think my wife and me are “socially challenged,” I decided to take Roscoe Turner’s tip #29 and watched our Tulsa Oilers defeat the OKC Blazers 5 – 4 in a pre-season match-up. Most of the players wer... Read More

Tracked on October 12, 2007 1:51 PM

6 Comments

Paul Tay said:

Hey, just by getting STUCK in traffic on Memorial during ANY given rush is entertaining.

I challenge ANY Tulsa hipsters to find, in ANY other city, American or otherwise, the spectacle of an UNIDENTIFIED bicycling object in red blasting down the BA between the Utica and Denver exits.

October 8, 2007 12:45 PM
W. said:

As a fellow who's not that far removed from his hipster days, I would take one look at Roscoe's list and say, "He doesn't get it."

One reason is that Roscoe's so old, he's practically doddering. Hipsters hear the usual stuff from parents and clueless elders, so they tend to be quickly dismissed.

But the main reason Roscoe's list fails is the absence of beer, local music and weird, funky art (not what you see in Gilcrease). Those are the things that fuel hipster scenes across the country. Youngsters are looking for adventure, feeling their luck, are bored with the status quo, and eschew sleep deep into the night because they don't want to miss something.

At the least, if Roscoe had mentioned the Pink Eye, Flytrap Records, or the "underground" clubs north of downtown, he'd sound a little more informed.

October 8, 2007 2:06 PM
sbtulsa Author Profile Page said:

Actually, I think Roscoe's list is well informed for the following reasons.

What Tulsa needs to attarct are families. Would you take children to the "underground clubs north of downtown"? No one escews sleep deep in to the night past adolescence, even it that adolescense lasts until the thirties. People with children will go places the kids like.

What attracts people with families is better jobs. When they make that decision, its based on cost of living, public safety, and the job they are coming to. Schools play a big role for those who are bringing families with them. The toys the "eleite urban planning families" are forcing on us will not attract permanent residents. It will bring in temporary residents who will grow out of what the "scene" is and move on to a city or suburb that is family friendly.

Further, the taxes we need to pay for these toys will raise the cost of living. businesses will have to pay more to attract transfers (both salary and relocation costs), which will shrink profits. These taxes will also preclude adding more police and fixing the streets.

No, Rosoce cites events that are good for families, which is what Tulsa's foundation should be built on.

October 8, 2007 4:39 PM
David S. Author Profile Page said:

There is free college soccer also.
ORU vs.NSU Tuesday night at ORU....

October 8, 2007 6:57 PM
T.D. Davis said:

>Things to do in the Tulsa area
My List of Things to do in Tulsa




Here is a great site about
Tulsa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa,_Oklahoma 


October 10, 2007 12:05 AM
Michael Bates Author Profile Page said:

A great list, but here's a belated correction, from the folks at the Perryman Ranch:

"The Perryman Ranch was established before Oklahoma statehood and is the Creek allotment of Mose S. Perryman, son of Tulsa's "First Family," George and Rachel Perryman. The ranch is a working ranch owned by Monetta Trepp, granddaughter of Mose Perryman. The Perryman Ranch is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, and is overseen by a Board of Directors. The 100 year old ranch house and property (which contains the original barn, well, and outbuildings) is available for tours. Tulsa’s first post office is preserved in the Perryman homestead.

"Website: www.perrymanranch.com / Corporate Office (918) 298-2300, FAX (918) 298-2300. Information e-mail: info@perrymanranch.com"

November 26, 2011 12:08 AM

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Michael Bates published on October 8, 2007 11:55 AM.

Environmental considerations for the river tax proposal was the previous entry in this blog.

John Benjamin: The last transformative event wasn't transformative enough is the next entry in this blog.

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