Tulsa, OK

The Green Country Bicycling Advisory Group (working title) will have an organizing meeting on Thursday, September 11th at the Martin East Regional Library at 7PM.

TAOBIKE has long supported local bicycling advocacy, education, and planning in the Tulsa region. In order to work effectively with INCOG and local governments, TAOBIKE is inviting members of the Green Country area to form a standing Bicycling Advisory Group (hereafter referred to as the BAG) to provide input from the cycling community on issues relating to bicycle commuting, bicycle safety, facilities improvement, project identification, project review, and any other relevant bicycling issue. The BAG will perform the same function as INCOG’s former Bicycling Advisory Subcommittee while remaining independent of INCOG.

Why do we need a BAG? INCOG’s Bicycling Advisory Subcommittee has met infrequently over the last few years because of personnel changes at the agency. TAOBIKE seeks representatives from throughout the region to participate in a more stable group, the Green Country Bicycling Advisory Group.

The Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) performs regional transportation planning for member governments, seeing that plans meet federal standards and that they are consistent and coordinated throughout the region. INCOG also performs due diligence by seeing that federal funds allocated to a project are actually used for that project. The Bicycling Subcommittee assisted with planning the annual Bike to Work events, as well as providing input on various facility proposals.

Membership in TAOBIKE is entirely voluntary and there are no dues. The BAG will require something more valuable than your money–your time. Members may participate by attending public meetings with government officials, poring over planning documents where the devil is truly in the details, or writing emails in order to initiate a dialog. We don’t need large numbers to be effective. But we do need inter-connectedness. Effective advocacy means learning about best practices in bicycling, both from a public policy viewpoint and a personal one. It means much more than just knowing how to ride a bike. Members should educate themselves, their clubs, and the public about the best cycling practices in order to better serve the cycling public. TAOBIKE exists to help advocates in this cause and to represent policies in the interest of the public.

Simply attending this meeting is the first step. It shows an interest in making Tulsa a better place for all cyclists. The next step is to learn more about bicycling. Finally, there’s the commitment to spending time on bicycling advocacy. Without committed local advocates, we will not see positive changes that directly effect local cyclists.
ABOUT TAOBIKE

This group was originally Tulsa Bicycling Advisory Group, or T_BAG. All the members of the first INCOG BAG were invited to join. The group was regional, however, not specific

to the city of Tulsa. Hence the need for a name change. They’ve worked with INCOG and Tulsa Public Works regarding the on-street plan and found many areas for improvement. TAOBIKE has been the formative hub for each iteration of INCOG’s Bicycling Subcommittee. It is a loosely-organized group of like-minded volunteers.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Edward Wagner
918.407.7434
e.j.wagner.jr@gmail.com

The Riddle – The Enigma of Art

This exhibit of recent abstract paintings by David Cade includes more than 20 large works in oil and mixed media.

(pictured: Alpine Silhouette 2007, 30″ x 40″ oil on canvas)

John Stossel

ABC’s “20/20″ Emmy Award-winning news anchor (known for his “Give Me a Break” segment) kicks off Tulsa Town Hall’s 08-09 season with his talk, “Pandering to Fear: The Media’s Crisis Mentality.”

A season subscription for the Town Hall series is $60. For another $20 per event, members can attend a luncheon (day of lecture) with the featured speaker that includes a question-and-answer session.

For a season subscription, call 749-5965.

Breaking the Mold - Tulsa Symphony Orchestra

The guest conductor for this performance is Alastair Willis. He served as Resident Conductor of the Seattle Symphony from 2002-2003, after having held the post of Assistant Conductor of that orchestra since September 2000. He previously held the position of Assistant Conductor with the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras and Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Willis has appeared with the Chicago Symphony, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the St. Louis Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, Oregon Symphony, San Diego Symphony, San Antonio Symphony and the orchestras of Hartford, Rhode Island, Knoxville and Harrisburg within the past seasons.

Born in Acton, Massachusetts, Mr. Willis received his bachelor’s degree with honors from England’s Bristol University and continued his studies at Kingston University, where he earned a post-graduate Certificate of Education degree, teaching classroom music from grade-school to high-school levels. He won a scholarship in 1996 to study with Maestro Larry Rachleff at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, graduating with a Master of Music degree in 1999.

“He “paints” sound, adding warmth and depth the way a visual artist blends colors.”
- Palm Beach Post

The symphony will perform:

Estacio — Spring’s Promise
Stravinsky — Suite from Pulcinella
Beethoven — Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, op. 55 “Eroica”

For season tickets, please call 584-3645.

Divas 2008 — A Benefit for H.O.P.E.

Some of Tulsa’s favorite singers — Cindy Cain, Christy Hanekwinkel, Annie Ellicott, Fiawna Forte, Susan Herndon, Rev. Carolyn Mobley, Heather Richetto-Rumley, John Sawyer, Rebecca Ungerman and Pam Van Dyke — will combine their talents to benefit H.O.P.E., a nonprofit group dedicated to preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Northeastern Oklahoma. This annual event includes live and silent auctions.

Evening show tickets are $25 and $40; $125 for table seats. Matinee tickets are $15 and $25: $50 for table seats. Table seats include refreshments.

Tulsa International Airport is partnering with Airfarewatchdog.com to provide prospective travelers a convenient tool for locating low airline fares.

Airfarewatchdog.com is an airfare comparison, alert, and listing site that hunts for exceptionally low airline fares. When low fare is found with a sufficient number of seats, a listing will be posted on their website.

Airfarewatchdog.com is the only site on the World Wide Web that compares Southwest Airlines’ fares with those sold by other airlines. Travelers seeking the lowest fares should be flexible with their travel dates and check fares frequently. The scrolling flights listed on the Tulsa International Airport website are a sample of fares that Airfarewatchdog.com’s fare analysts have found. When users find a fare, they simply click on it and they will be taken to a page with details about the flight and booking instructions.

For more information on this service, log on to www.tulsaairports.com and click on the watch dog in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

Directions to Tulsa International Airport:

Driving directions coming from:

• From I-244 E, exit HW 11 E on the left. Once on HW 11 look for the exit marked Virgin St/Airport Terminal, follow the signs to the terminal
• From I-244 W, exit HW 11 W via exit 12B towards Tulsa International Airport. Take the exit marked Virgin Street/Airport Terminal. Follow the signs and turn right on Airport Dr.
• From HW 169 N, exit onto I-244 west, from I-244 W exit HW 11 W via exit 12B towards Tulsa International Airport. Take the exit marked Virgin Street/Airport Terminal. Follow the signs and turn right on Airport Dr.
• From the Owasso / Collinsville areas, take HW 169 S, exit I-244 W, from I-244 W exit HW 11 W via exit 12B towards Tulsa International Airport. Take the exit marked Virgin Street/Airport Terminal. Follow the signs and turn right on Airport Dr.
• From the Broken Arrow area, take HW 64/51 W (Broken Arrow Expressway), exit HW 169 N, from HW 169 N, exit onto I-244 west, from I-244 W exit HW 11 W via exit 12B towards Tulsa International Airport. Take the exit marked Virgin Street/Airport Terminal. Follow the signs and turn right on Airport Dr.
• From the Glenpool / Okmulgee area, take HW 75 N, follow signs for I-244 E, from I-244 E, exit HW 11 E on the left. Once on HW 11 look for the exit marked Virgin St/Airport Terminal, follow the signs to the terminal.
• From the Sand Springs area, take HW 64/51 E (Broken Arrow Expressway), exit I-244 E, from I-244 E, exit HW 11 E on the left. Once on HW 11 look for the exit marked Virgin St/Airport Terminal, follow the signs to the terminal.
• From the Sapulpa area, take I-44 E, take the HW 75 N inter-change, exit I-244 E, From I-244 E, exit HW 11 E on the left. Once on HW 11 look for the exit marked Virgin St/Airport Terminal, follow the signs to the terminal.
• From the Catoosa / Claremore areas, take I-44 W, merge right onto I-244 W, from I-244 W, exit HW 11 W via exit 12B towards Tulsa International Airport. Take the exit marked Virgin Street/Airport Terminal. Follow the signs and turn right on Airport Dr.

It’s official. Tulsa is working to Preserve America. Last Thursday Mayor Kathy Taylor accepted an official certificate with Tulsa’s national designation as a Preserve America Community. Dr. Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma’s State Historic Preservation Officer, made the presentation in the lobby of the downtown Philtower building.

“This confirms what we in Tulsa have known for many years – that our community has a rich collection of historic resources,” Mayor Taylor said. “We are especially proud to achieve this designation with the National Preservation Conference coming to Tulsa in October.”

Tulsa will host more than 2,500 visitors for the National Preservation Conference, October 21 – 25. The event is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information about the conference, visit either www.tulsapreservationcommission.org or www.preservationnation.org.

The Tulsa Preservation Commission highlighted the Philtower on the application for Tulsa to become a Preserve America Community. The building’s upper floors have been converted into residential lofts, creating Tulsa’s first mixed-use high rise. This private-public partnership included funding from rehabilitation tax credits and a $1 million grant from the citizens of Tulsa through the 2001 Third Penny Sales Tax.

The Tulsa Preservation Commission administers Historic Preservation Zoning, identifies and nominates properties to the National Register of Historic Places, and produces educational material describing Tulsa historic resources.

The Tulsa Preservation Commission has a new address and a new home!

Physical:  175 East 2nd Street (map it)

Mailing:  200 Civic Center

Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103

phone: 918-576-5687