OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA mDM May-June 1990 Vol. 40, No. 3 THE MAKING OF RALPH'S CAFE 10 The success of a Smithville cafe is built on Ralph Webb's gift for barbecue and his customers' gift for gab. By Ra&h Mad, illustrations by Liz Anne Williams Kester. FRIENDS FOREVER 17 Charlie Wilson and Fred Addison became friends 45 years ago and have remained so until at least last week. By Raw Mad,photography by byL)crbid~renshaw. FINDING RAINY MOUNTAIN 28 Novelist and poet Scott Momaday writes with hypnotic beauty about the ancestral home of the Kiowas, Rainy Mountain in Kiowa County. By Barbara Palmer, paintings from the Kiowa Tribal Museum. 12 REASONS TO COME HOME TO OKLAHOMA 33 A dozen for the road. SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR 38 Family reunions head for the great outdoors. By C.A. Fu/ler. I rage 35 TODAY IN OKLAHOMA 4 IN SHORT 5 LETTERS 6 OMNIBUS Decoration Day, bv Keuan Goff 7 PORTFOLIO Route 66 22 FOOD Cruising Sonic, by Sklah Bn'~ht 43 WEEKENDERJenks' Antiques 45 ARTS Somewhere Out West ..., by Barbara Palmer 47 ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR A guide to what's happening 49 COVER: Canoes docked at Mountain Fork River in Beavers Bend State Park. Photograph by David Fitzgerald. Inside front cover: A string of catamarans at a national Hobie Cat regatta at Lake Hefner in OKC. Photograph by Fred W. Marvel. Back Cover: A summer evening at the Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City. The Crystal Bridge botanical garden is at right. Photograph by Richard Smith. May-June 1990 OKLAHOMA rowing up in a small town dor of a state park. in Oklahoma is an experi- Small towns can thrust a few indi- enry Bellmon, Governor ence to be treasured. Small viduals into a leadership role and, as town life offers neighbors Ralph Marsh notes in his story on page who celebrate the birth of a new baby 10, the spirit of a town will find a place and bring food and sympathy after the to settle. Often it's a cafe where the loss of a loved one. You can drive to town leaders can sound out the commu- work in a few minutes with no traffic, nity on various issues and townspeople and frequently grandparents and cous- can be heard. Sue (:arrcr. Editor-in-Chie ins live nearby who share holiday fun, Oklahoma's towns, their parks and babysitting and life's concerns. highways will become greener with the This issue of OHahoma Today focuses planting of more than 50,000 trees and 'l'lnr Alillcr. Marketing on the joys of living in a small town. We wildflower seeds this year. Donated by hope many of our readers will pause and American Nursery Products of Tahle- reflect on how they are living the good quah and Greenleaf Nursery in Park life. Others who have opted for big city Hill, the trees will be planted through- glitter or left the state may feel a twinge out the state on November 16.Commu- (;lcnn Sulli~an,h.xnrrfrer I)ir?',f of nostalgia and head for home. At least nity leaders wanting to participate in this r\licll3el I,, hloccia. Dept~fy1); '1'1)ni Crcidcr, /'ark.$ that's our purpose. Homecoming '90 program may call Kris Mlarck, f%znnirrq @ /lfi'r/op Small town friendships endure. My (405) 521-341 1 for applications. Karhlccn hlarks. .lfork~tir~~Srfe best friend and I met when we were Editors always want to know why 'l'om Rich. Lod~ babies in Wewoka; together we sur- subscribers take the magazine and vived the crises of adolescence and then which stories they like the most. Okla- went our separate ways. Although we homa Today is no exception. Last fall, we have not lived in the same city since mailed surveys to a sample of our sub- high-school graduation, we can still visit scribers. And the responses were more !,ester I). Hcnd like family with occasional good-na- reassuring than surprising. Ha~elU'rhcr Jor R.1,. Rollin\ tured ribbing. The largest number of respondents I<ric l.\YilI~i~~~i\ Charlie and Fred are like that. Their indicated that ORIahoma Today educates story begins on page 17. Charlie called them "all about the stateM-its history, places to visit, recreation and events. 0k/ahori1~17i)ddy(ISSX 00.30-1 to discuss his story and to warn me that hi-month11 in January, Alarch. 11, "Fred's no beauty, you know. If Fred Another large group indicated they ber and November. Suh\criptirtn entered a beauty contest and he was the subscribe because of their pride and only one entered, he'd probably come loyalty to the state. in fourth." Most rated articles about the state's Family reunions, high- school reun- scenic beauty, nature and historic sites I as most important. They indicated a Reproducrion in \\,hulc or in pdrt \v~rhot~t ions and even community reunions this permiusion 1s prohihired. 'l'he m.%ga/inc i\ nor summer duridg Homecoming '90 will growing interest in our Indian heritage, resl>onsiblc for ~~nsolicltcdmaterial for edlt(irldl bring together those who fondly re- state parks and weekend trips. We member their early experiences in a found the personal comments about the small town. Former residents of com- magazine most helpful. munities which no longer exist-Doby While the survey will be useful in Springs and Stecker are two-will visit assigning future articles, it's not the over homemade ice cream, fried whole answer. Your letters are always chicken and slices of watermelon. carefully read. We do appreciate your They'll fish, swim and play softball. suggestions for future stories and the C.A. Fuller of Ardmore writes on page anecdotes and comments concerning 38 about families who choose to gather stories in recent issues. So keep those for their reunions in the outdoor splen- cards and letters coming. -Sue Carter Oklahoma TODAY I Mountains Of Blooms A New Most days, the Quartz Mountains sit on the plains of southwestern Oklahoma looking as brown as plump bran muffins rising from a cupcake tin. Okie Anthem? Not so in spring. "Then," raves park naturalist Vicky Upon hearing the tune, the Queen Mason, "the mountains turn yellow, There's a dance they do of Country says she fell for the song's in Oklahoma. up-tempo beat and positive lyrics A dance like you've and the chance to sing with a good friend from Oklahoma. "I don't do never seen... many duets," says McEntire, 35, "so Sit down and we're I'm very proud one of my first was with a fellow Okie." gonna show you The twosome debuted the song How to do that before "80,000 good Okies" at Oklahoma Swing. opening ceremonies for the 1989 Summer Olympic Festival in A b/anketof Indion blankets at Vila&. A year ago, Oklahoma natives Norman. By January of this year, the Vince Gill and Tim Dubois had just song was a single and by February it pink and orange. It's just amazing." wrapped the first verse of what they was number 25 on the charts and Wildflowers get the credit. Quartz hoped would moving up. Mountain State Park is an ecological be a Top 40 "I'm hoping it's the new state intersection where the tall grass prairie song for Gill sonn," quips the 33-year-old Gill. of the east meets the short grass when the "I'm lobbying prairie of the west. This collision of country singer for that." nature means some 80 species of wild took a good Ilk Oklahoma flowers thrive here. "We have some hard listen. radio stations wildflowers that are found only in the Recalls Gill: have given the western part of the state, some that are "I said, 'If we song plenty of found statewide and one flower (a gave the girl air play, and pink longhaired phlox) that's found red hair it's you can't listen only in the park," says Mason. Reba to the catchy The annual mass blooming at (McEntire). Vince Gi// tune without Quartz rates among Oklahoma's best- Let's write it wanting to kept secrets. "I hear it over and over that way. Then she can turn around take to the again," says Mason. "People tell me and sing about me in the second dance floor. they never knew about this place until verse.' " I RebaMcEnrin Ironically, the they heard of it by chance through a The result was a song about swing dance for which the song is friend of a friend of a relative of a Oklahomans written by named doesn't exist. friend." Oklahomans to be sung by "I'd like to invent one," offers Gill. That seems destined to change. Oklahomans. Gill called it, There's just one small obstacle: Mason has written a new illustrated "Oklahoma Swing." "I don't dance." brochure on the park's 24 most common wildflowers-among them the state wildflower, Indian Blanket, National Trust for Historic the three-petaled lavender Spiderwort Preservation, some 200 Oklahoma and the white, spiky Prairie Larkspur. Egging on buildings have gained a slot on the A new season of wildflower National Register of Historic Places as identification walks got under way in Preservation well as the protection such a April. And, for the second year, the Ask Kent Ruth why he spent 40 of distinction brings. "It does make it park will host a one-day, free his 73 years working to preserve more difficult to demolish them," Wildflower Workshop on May 19.