In its history, Oklahoma has drawn more than its share of dreamers, free thinkers, wanderers and interesting people. Some were just passing through, others came to settle and some wound up here by happy accident. Thus it was that a gourdophile and the Zen Spoonmaster found themselves in Eucha.

"Actually we were going to go east,” said Jan Meng , the gourdophile. "We had had newspapers for years. We sold our lates...