Parade lights way to the future
Parade lights way to future

By Michael Kimball

Published: November 18, 2007

As a former mayor of Oklahoma City and a man well-known to local residents, Ron Norick has plenty of reasons to look back with fondness on his city's past.

But sitting on the deck of Devon Discovery, about an hour before the boat was christened Saturday as part of the Devon Energy Centennial River Parade, all Norick wanted to talk about was the future.

"Just because it's the end of Oklahoma's first century, that doesn't mean we're going to stop working hard going into the next century,” Norick said.

Norick and other organizers of the boat parade feel as if their event embodies Oklahoma City's transition into a dynamic regional power.

The parade began after dark following fireworks and other entertainment organized for thousands of spectators.

It followed a route down the Oklahoma River, which is a focal point for urban renewal efforts taking place over the next decade in the same spirit that yielded Bricktown.

Over the next several years, as part of the "core to shore” plan, the city intends to combine public and private funds to reinvigorate the area between the Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway and the river.

"The public dollar was put in with MAPS and MAPS for Kids, but now the private dollars are coming in,” said Norick, now serving as chairman of the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority. "It's because of the corporations who say, ‘Yeah, we want to be a part of it.' And they write us a check. ... Corporations that are competing in the marketplace are willing to come together for the sake of making the city better.”

Twenty-four boats, all decked out in lights, participated in the parade, which was free to spectators thanks to corporate sponsorship. The biggest was the Devon Discovery, decorated as a package to symbolize its status as a gift from the energy company to Oklahoma City.

Christina Rehkop, a Devon employee charged with decorating the boat, said it was adorned with more than 20,000 lights and was the result of more than a week's worth of effort from a small army of workers.

"This parade is so fun and unique to Oklahoma City, and it's really exciting to see all of the people come out and line up on the banks to watch and cheer,” Rehkop said.

The other boats in the holiday-themed parade, sponsored by various coalitions of companies and other organizations, included one fashioned as Santa's sleigh to help honor a child's dream, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Others focused more on the state's heritage in recognition of the centennial.

Of the hundreds of participants and thousands of spectators, perhaps no one exemplified what Norick hopes for the future of Oklahoma City more than Dan and Jackie Whygle. City residents for the past 11 years, they said they've never known Oklahoma City to be anything other than the vibrant, cosmopolitan city it is now.

"There's been a lot of change, and obviously I think it's for the good,” Jackie Whygle said. "I think this is the nicest part of the city, and it's exciting all of the changes that are still out there.”

It's that kind of attitude that Norick hopes will continue to dominate the minds of Oklahoma City residents in the state's second century.

"This is a city that people want to live in, and a city people already here can be proud of,” Norick said. "I'm just happy I'm a part of it.”

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