"Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack.”
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— Terence Mann
(James Earl Jones),
"Field of Dreams.”
Last January I somehow lucked onto an e-mail list that included Oklahoma City's wealthiest and most powerful residents (I, of course, fit neither description).
The e-mails — titled "Thoughts on Oklahoma!” — bounced back and forth for a couple of weeks. They all centered on a catchphrase that might sum up Oklahoma City and Oklahoma for outsiders. The discussion began with a suggestion that Oklahoma City go with "Oklahoma City: The best of what America used to be … and can be again.” As the discussion continued, the following suggestions popped up for the state: "Oklahoma — The Essence of America;” "Oklahoma — Home of the American Dream;” "Oklahoma — Keeper of the American Dream;” or "Oklahoma – America at its Best.”
A few months later, veteran Oklahoma City booster Lee Allan Smith made his own pitch for an Oklahoma City slogan: "The Big Friendly.”
Last week, I talked to dozens of travelers spending their time and money in search of "the real America” on Route 66. They're wanting to connect with the Main Street they remember (or think they remember) from their childhoods.
As Route 66 author Michael Wallis is quick to note, it's a romanticized memory at best. They're not remembering the darker side of those days gone by — times when singer Nat King Cole could sing in praise of Route 66 but couldn't sleep in the highway's motels or eat in its cafes.
They're forgetting the highway itself was inadequately designed for heavy traffic, and some areas were paved death traps. And while the merchants that made the highway great — people like Clinton's Pop Hicks or Weatherford's Lucille Hamons — are remembered fondly, no plaques remind us of the con artists who also made money on Route 66.
That line of cars approaching that "field of dreams” — a baseball field built in an Iowa cornfield — has spread out onto the mother road. They're already coming to Oklahoma's Main Streets, in search of an old fashioned hometown feel that once was considered an embarrassment by many in this state.
So as the discussion continues on settling on one great catchphrase, consider the following challenge: how best can the city and state promote an image of being progressive and on the cutting edge, and yet still embrace the warm hokey exuberance of "Oklahoma!” — a play that stands out as an enduring classic from the 20th century.
Ponder that thought, and while you're at it, consider adding a "happy hour” to your plans if you're in downtown Oklahoma City this Friday afternoon.
Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. will cap off its third year of "Soundbites in the Park” with an experiment. Instead of the usual noontime concert at Kerr Park, the final performance, featuring the Groove Merchants, is being moved from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and will include a cash bar and appetizers provided by the nearby Skirvin Hilton Hotel.
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