Scissortail Park

[April in the Plaza]

Can I ask a question that has probably been asked/answered somewhere else? WHY isn't the Festival of The Arts in Scissortail Park? Why do they still block off roads in downtown to have it where they do? Wouldn't it be MUCH better in the park?

Not Necessarily. Holding FOTA in the park would present an unimaginable stress to the turf, right as it is trying to emerge from dormancy.

[jn1780]

Can I ask a question that has probably been asked/answered somewhere else? WHY isn't the Festival of The Arts in Scissortail Park? Why do they still block off roads in downtown to have it where they do? Wouldn't it be MUCH better in the park?

They pumped a lot of money into Bicentennial Park to support holding the FOA. Main reason was because streetcar needed to use Hudson. If it was at Scissortail , they would have to close off Robinson which I guess wouldn't be that bad. What was mentioned in the post above me is true also. It would potentially tear up the grass with foot traffic. There is also scheduling conflicts such as Playoffs occurring at the same time.

[caaokc]

These crowd shots are such a great teaser for when/if they have the championship parade celebration culminate at the great lawn.

[Snowman]

Can I ask a question that has probably been asked/answered somewhere else? WHY isn't the Festival of The Arts in Scissortail Park? Why do they still block off roads in downtown to have it where they do? Wouldn't it be MUCH better in the park?

That is going to be hard to know for sure with inside info, but there are a few things that seem possible downsides. First is they seem to have a clear preference to set up their tents on concrete (aka street) verses grass, so limiting it to inside the park is is probably a step back there. There are multiple arts affiliated buildings and city buildings either in or bordering the current location that may help with staging equipment ahead of time, power, etc. Closer proximity to downtown offices may help attendance during weekdays. There should be more parking available in an easy walk of the current location than around the park, with no guaranty months out that the hotel and convention center parking garages would not need what is attached to them for events they may be running in parallel. There probably is synergy between the event of the festival and the events in the Civic Center and OKC Museum of Art.

[BDP]

^^^^^^^^
How do you mean, unrelated to game activities.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/t...r-watch-party/

Oklahoma City police say the shooting and the game were entirely unrelated.

[midtownokcer]

Came across this photo on a Facebook comment from the park using Pete's images. I saw Pete's comment about the landscaping maturing. Really cool to see how much growth in terms of shrubs, trees, and landscaping has occurred in a quick 4 years. Can't wait to see what it looks like in another four years and beyond!

[Pete]

^
That's cool to see.

They simply know so much more about horticulture these days and can do a great job of right-sizing trees and shrubs so they will look good in the medium and long term. Before, the wrong type of plants would often be selected and they would often be placed too close together.

They can also make sure to use plants that will be disease- and weather-resistant. It's amazing how far things have come even since the 80s when most of the planting was done in the Myriad Gardens, which had to be replaced once they did the big remodel.

[Laramie]

Came across this photo on a Facebook comment from the park using Pete's images. I saw Pete's comment about the landscaping maturing. Really cool to see just in what seems a quick 4 years how it has grown. Can't wait to see what it looks like in another four years and beyond!

Thanks for sharing the pics. Really neat seeing the maturing of the shrugs and plants in the park. Great location near the arena and convention center.

[citywokchinesefood]

This park is already great, but I feel like in 20 years it is going to help define the center of downtown and be a nexus of community activity. The debacle that is strawberry fields will be gone eventually, the quality of this park should be a long lasting icon of this city.

[David]

I'm in the park 2-3 times a month on Saturdays and it always makes me very pleased to see how well used it is.

[HOT ROD]

This is why I said people are 'surprised' when they come to actually visit OKC. The media, even local, seems to portray OKC as smaller than it is nor not having attractions of the largest city in its state. It's frustrating in some ways because like you said - TnT only showed two skyscrapers (the newest ones) when there's obviuosly more including one that has been refurbished.

Also note the pics were not recent, Devon Tower was lit up whereas in reality it is not. I suspect that 'might' be why the pic was chosen - why didn't the skyscrapers light up (other than BancFirst, Strata, and First National). ....

It's almost the same as the city waiting until the last minute to pour sidewalks or make an effort to spruce things up. ...

The TNT cutaways that I saw made OKC look like it only has two buildings downtown. Pretty disappointing considering how nice it looks down there now.

Sometimes I think that media prefer to prop up the shopworn image of OKC as a dusty cowtown. Not all, of course.

One thing I've noticed is that in multiple articles I've read recently I keep seeing that OKC has a population of 600,000. That is really old news. We've had a full-blown census since then, and now we've crossed into 700,000.

Also, the metro area population of 1.4 million or 1.5 million or whatever it is is rarely if ever reported in these national stories, such as the ones I've read recently about Legends Tower.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

This is why I said people are 'surprised' when they come to actually visit OKC. The media, even local, seems to portray OKC as smaller than it is nor not having attractions of the largest city in its state. It's frustrating in some ways because like you said - TnT only showed two skyscrapers (the newest ones) when there's obviuosly more including one that has been refurbished.

Also note the pics were not recent, Devon Tower was lit up whereas in reality it is not. I suspect that 'might' be why the pic was chosen - why didn't the skyscrapers light up (other than BancFirst, Strata, and First National). ....

It's almost the same as the city waiting until the last minute to pour sidewalks or make an effort to spruce things up. ...

That’s it, Hot Rod, a conspiracy of some kind. “Everyone” is out to get Oklahoma City. And David Holt and the City of Oklahoma City delayed the sidewalks because — they are part of the conspiracy!

Damn, if we could only get some forward thinking people downtown. </s>

[Pete]

Here is another before-and-after courtesy of https://twitter.com/JVR405.

First photo is from 2012.

[Pete]

Here's a contrast to 2016.

[kukblue1]

^^^^^^^^
How do you mean, unrelated to game activities? It was well-documented that the two rival groups ran into each other at Thunder Alley, which had become more of an an outdoor nightclub in the final couple of (Lakers) games.

Legitimately I left the game early on the night of the shooting, in part because the Thunder had the game in hand, but also because I didn’t want to get caught under the BNSF overpass like I had the game before. You could feel it that night; there was an electricity in the air, and I don’t mean in a good way. The crowd had flipped, and especially late in games had become very loose and aggressive.

When I walked into the arena before the game I ran into the VP of comms for the Thunder and the then-GM of Paycom (then Chesapeake) and they were about to chew their own lips off worrying about the uncontrolled mess outside the arena.

People were talking in this thread or another about how much Craig Sager was into it…well, I can tell you that I personally spent most of the next afternoon with Sager (after the shooting), and he was remarking about how palpable it was that something was going to happen and that in all of his years of covering the NBA he’d never seen such an uncontrolled and combustible environment.

The Thunder came out publicly and laid it off on Bricktown (where the shooting happened) but it was convenient, revisionist history. The shooter and the victims weren’t there to hang out in Bricktown. At all. They were all at Thunder Alley, and the shooting happened as they were walking back to their respective cars, which were parked in the ”free” lot south of Bass Pro.

It’s no coincidence that Thunder Alley was immediately canceled after the shooting. It could be revived, but the only way it could be SAFELY revived is with MUCH stricter crowd control measures.

https://www.kswo.com/story/18601622/...oting-arrests/ The shooting happened in Bricktown which happens every other weekend. Not related to the game. Anyway There were some major problems with Thunder alley and watch parties. Having right outside the arena was an issue. It made for a very small overcrowded space Having people leaving the arena plus people there just hanging out was too cramped. They should of blocked it off though and made people go through security check points but that wouldn't of been easy too do as people had to come from different directions plus the hotel being there. Now we have a huge park. Put a fence around it like we did for the Kings of Leon concert and have better crowd control. Problem solved.

[kukblue1]

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...-games-denver/ Another option would be to charge people to get in would help the city pay for extra security. I would pay $20 if there was extra security.

[HOT ROD]

Nice try on the dog whistle BSky. Nice try.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Nice try on the dog whistle BSky. Nice try.

What? If you mean ‘dog whistle’ in its modern usage in relation to politics, ummm no. Nothing of the sort. In fact, the suggestion is personally offensive. My reply is fully in context of your suggesting there is some kind of nationwide conspiracy against Oklahoma City, and that our own leaders are somehow in cahoots.

Back to Scissortail Park now?

[Will Dearborn]

Holt wants to do, just getting the Thunder ownership on board (who he isn't going to cross). Ownership wants nothing to do with if it leads to violence like the shooting back when.

I'd find this more plausible if the Thunder hadn't just partnered with the outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

[Urbanized]

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/t...r-watch-party/

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news...e/61071435007/

The attorney described Hill as a Lakers fan who also likes the Thunder, but the attorney said the shooting had nothing to do with the game.

“He went down to the game with the shooter,” Bock said. “They were in Thunder Alley. Everything will come out in the next few days. ... It didn't have anything to do with Thunder and Lakers. ... It wasn't a fan-based situation. Some people knew each other from school and some other things and, you know, people get hostile.”

“Nothing to do with the game” is a pleasant fiction. It’s documented that the incident involved people who had all been at Thunder Alley, and that fights and other altercations happened there and then escalated on the walk back to their cars. The closure was correct. That said, it could of course be brought back, but only with stringent crowd control.

[Canoe]

I'd find this more plausible if the Thunder hadn't just partnered with the outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

???? I am not aware of an outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

[borchard]

???? I am not aware of an outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

Haha. I think he's talking about the Sunset Patio Grill. lol I started referring to it as "The Murder Capital of Midtown" or "Stabby Town", or "The Gun and Knife Club" " :-)

[borchard]

???? I am not aware of an outdoor shooting range in Midtown.

****Sorry. Don't know why it posted twice. Can't figure out how to delete it.****Haha. I think he's talking about the Sunset Patio Grill. lol I started referring to it as "The Murder Capital of Midtown" or "Stabby Town", or "The Gun and Knife Club" " :-)

[Thunderbolt]

I hope in 10 years we see photos of the current arena/park/omni area and are even more wowed by the transformation with the new arena, the growing landscape of the park and potential developments on the bob howard lot, old Paycom lot and strawberry field space. So much potential for this area!!

[Laramie]

I hope in 10 years we see photos of the current arena/park/omni area and are even more wowed by the transformation with the new arena, the growing landscape of the park and potential developments on the bob howard lot, old Paycom lot and strawberry field space. So much potential for this area!!

It's coming . . .

Voters have given OKC a chance to get this right with the $900 million DT arena approved. Get the site identified and ground breaking scheduled.