10 things for Spring

Friday was the first day of spring and I couldn't be happier. Winter wasn't too bad this year. Like most Oklahomans, I'm ready for the warm up, ready for outdoor activities, gardening and opening the windows at home and letting in some fresh air before summer's heat comes raging in. Here are my 10 favorite things about spring in Oklahoma.

1.Fashion

To make a major fashion statement this spring, all you need are breezy maxi dresses, statement jewelry and strappy sandals. The elegant lengths of maxi dresses came in style big-time last summer and are still the rage. Dress them up with some statement jewelry — big, bold and sparkly. And bare your toes in a revealing pair of sandals. From metallic gladiators to canvas Espadrilles, sandals are the footwear for spring and summer.

2.Weather

As spring brings warmer weather, everything becomes brighter, greener and more hopeful. Bulbs bloom, splashing color into scenes that just weeks ago were dull and dismal. But along with the good comes the bad. Oklahoma’s spring weather can get dicey, and this year’s winter tornadoes could be a sign of an eventful storm season. According to www.farmersalmanac.com, "Tornado alley may be very active.” Last year, Oklahoma had 77 tornadoes touch down, but that’s minor compared to 1999 when 145 tornadoes struck. If you’re interested in becoming a storm spotter, contact your city’s emergency manager. The National Weather Service in Norman offers free training during March at the request of city or county emergency managers.

3.Gardening

This year, vegetable gardens are bigger than ever. With the economy in crisis, people are growing vegetables everywhere and every which way. From "green roof” gardens to upside-down gardens and vertical gardens, veggie enthusiasts are using their imaginations to grow their edibles.

4.Outdoor activities

Spring is the perfect time to load your family into the car and head to one of Oklahoma’s great outdoor destinations.

Camp at Beavers Bend State Park and go fly-fishing on the Lower Mountain Fork River in southeastern Oklahoma. It’s beautiful this time of year.

Go crappie fishing on Lake Eufaula — Oklahoma’s biggest lake and best crappie lake.

Campgrounds are packed with crappie fishermen in the spring because the fish are spawning in shallow water.

Go climbing in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

Go bird watching. The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is a great spot for birding and holds a birding festival the last weekend of April.

5. Entertainment

From the glittering lights of Broadway to Oklahoma Red Dirt, music, art and theater options abound this spring.

The Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts is scheduled for April 21-26 in downtown Oklahoma City. The Paseo Arts Festival is May 23-25 in the Paseo Arts District, between Lee and Dewey from NW 28 to NW 30.

"The Lion King” is coming to the Civic Center Music Hall beginning April 21. "Another Hot Oklahoma Night: A Rock & Roll Exhibit” opens in May at the Oklahoma History Center.

The deadCenter Film Festival will be June 10-14 in downtown Oklahoma City and features dozens of independent films from local and national filmmakers.

Elsewhere in the state, Country Fever Festival 2009 hits Pryor on June 18-21 at the Pryor Creek Festival Grounds.

The 2009 Norman Music Festival is a free day chock-full of local and national acts including The Starlight Mints. It is set for April 25.

For rock concerts, spring’s hot tickets are Bruce Springsteen on April 7 and Fleetwood Mac on May 3, both at the BOK Center in Tulsa.

6.Earth Week

Oklahoma Earth Week is April 22-25, and there are many ways to celebrate our home planet with special events across Oklahoma. See Page 3C for Oklahoma City’s Earth Week offerings and for a list of Earth-friendly things children can do to celebrate Earth Week.

Metro Transit will honor Earth Day by offering free bus and trolley rides from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 22.

Bus service in Oklahoma City, Tinker Air Force Base, Norman and Edmond is included in the offer. Get route information and learn how to ride the bus by going online to www.gometro.org or call 235-RIDE (7433).

You can take a free bike-riding course at a brown bag lunch-and-learn April 24 on the east steps of City Hall and stick around for an optional 90-minute bike ride around downtown Oklahoma City. Call 297-3908 to register.

Martin Park Earth Fest will feature Earth-friendly educational booths and free seminars from 10:30 to 5 p.

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