American Idol Tour 2010

Whether you're an "American Idol" fan or not, the concert tour in Tulsa was great. My niece, Olivia, and I bantered back and forth for months during the competition debating who would win. Her favorite was Tim Urban, and mine was Siobhan (Shibon) Magnus. Towards the end of the competition, Suz and I purchased three VIP tickets and we took Olivia and our youngest granddaughter, Sheridyn, for a quick overnight excursion to Tulsa and the concert.



Oddly enough, there are few quality RV parks in the Tulsa area. We stayed at Cherry Hill Park, which is a very nice mobile home park with several RV sites.



Each site had a concrete patio and driveway. The streets are all concrete with excellent lighting, and the park has a very nice pool and laundry. Access to the park and through it took a little maneuvering with the 40-foot coach and tow vehicle, but with the aid of the GPS it was a breeze.

Suz had a DAR project to work on, so she dropped the girls and me off in front of the BOK Center and returned to the coach with Maynard for the evening. The following picture does not do justice to the unique trees we saw outside the Center. Electronic icicles appear to shoot down the trees.



In my opinion, the BOK Center is smaller than the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, but much easier to enter and exit. Neither venue has very good acoustical value, but the seating at the BOK Center was more comfortable.

With the assistance of the ushers, we found our seats and the girls settled in for an evening of "Idols" (Note the two girls seated next to Olivia with the hats. Apparently, they're fans of "Big Mike," who often wears a similar hat).



The light show and concert introduction was very well done. The opening music and stage screens were much like the television show. The concert included the "top ten" contestants, beginning with #10, Didi Benami, and continuing with a countdown to the number one pick and 2010 American Idol, Lee DeWyze. Here's an assortment of concert pics:


(Left to right, top to bottom: Didi Benami; Andrew Garcia; Katie Stevens; Tim Urban; Siobhan (Shibon) Magnus; Aaron Kelly; Michael (Big Mike) Lynche; Casey James; Crystal Bowersox; and Lee DeWyze.)

In my humble opinion, Crystal Bowersox, by far, out-performed all the other contestants and should have won the competition for the 2010 American Idol. Crystal should have been followed in a tie for second place by Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly. If I were to predict an outcome of their careers, I suspect Crystal and Aaron to go further than the others.




My biggest criticism: No matter how loud you turn up the volume, it doesn't make them sound any better. The concert was loud enough through the first 9 performers, but when the 2010 Idol, Lee DeWyze, took the stage, the volume cranked up even louder.

We called Suz during the last performance and timed it perfectly. She met us right in front of the Center and traffic, nor parking, was a problem. With a peaceful overnight rest and dreams of Shibon (at least in my mind), we returned to OKC the next morning and readied the coach for the next trip.

Is it "Du-rant," or "Dur-ant?"

Susan's late mother, Jose (Josephine) Goff, was born in Durant, Oklahoma. She frequently corrected others when they referred to Durant as "Dur-ant," reminding them that the correct pronunciation is "Du-rant." According to the Durant Area Chamber of Commerce, the town was named after Pierre Durant, pronounced "DuRant" in French. Never argue with Mama!

We couldn't find a likeness of Pierre Durant, but we suspect he looked something like this . . . .



So, why did we travel 151 miles to Mama's birthplace? Why else, of course, the new Choctaw Casino and Resort!

The Choctaw Casino appears similar in architecture to the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel & Casino; only much smaller. Lights reflected against the building change colors after dark.



The buffalo is in the lobby of the casino and water cascades down the wall immediately behind the statue.



The interior of the casino is well decorated and gives the impression of a Las Vegas class casino. Just a side note: It's funny how Nana's feet hurt so bad until she hits the floor of the casino.



The Choctaw RV Park is conveniently situated across the street from the casino.



Because there is so much concrete, the RV Park reminded us of the Oasis RV Park in Amarillo, Texas. But concrete is a good thing. Here, each site included a concrete patio with table, chairs, and umbrella. It's also a KOA park, which is usually well-maintained and has clean facilities.



Well, regardless of the casino's sparkle and glitter promising huge fortunes, we ended the short trip by making our contribution to the Choctaw Nation's coffers. We didn't leave disappointed, however. The RV Park serves as a nice destination for a short trip, and we plan to return and visit the Fort Washita Historic Site at a later time. http://www.civilwaralbum.com/washita/

American Heritage Music Festival - 2010

Our fellow club members, Gary and Donna Balch, recommended we join them in Grove, Oklahoma for the American Heritage Music Festival. I Googled the event and it promised to provide a weekend of fun, family entertainment, i.e., Dobro contest, flat picking contest, banjo/mandolin contest, spoons and bones, and of course, fiddle and clogging contests.

According to the online literature, clogging is a "folk dance of the Appalachians," and dates back over 400 years. Supposedly, it was brought to America by immigrants through our English ancestry. Clogging has become a very popular form of dance and is now represented by America's Clogging Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1981 and is dedicated to the preservation of old time square dance and clogging.

Gary and Donna were unable to make the trip because of mechanical issues with their rig, but we came anyway. Donna recommended Cedar Oaks RV Resort on Grand Lake, which turned out to be a great recommendation.



This park is beautiful at first sight. Tall, mature trees at each RV site and throughout the park on the shore of Grand Lake. The roads through the park are a combination of asphalt and gravel, but all sites have a concrete patio with full hookups. No cable TV, but excellent WI-FI service. When we arrived to check in Thursday evening, we noticed several guests sitting on lawn chairs and visiting outside their rigs. Others were playing cards in one of the four club rooms, while many were gathered listing to a live music performance at another. What a nice place!



Cedar Oaks is owned and operated by Merle & Beverly Coke. The park is situated at 1550 83rd St., NW, Grove, Oklahoma 74344. It's 1 mile south of Sailboat Bridge on Hwy. 59. For reservations, call 1-800-880-8884, or visit http://www.cedaroaksrv.com/

After checking in and returning to the coach to drive to our assigned site, the Cummins 350 refused to start. All the dash lights and buzzers worked, but the engine wouldn't turn over. Well, here's our first, and hopefully last, opportunity to try out our Good Sams Emergency Roadside coverage.

Now, many years and several pounds ago, I would have simply slid underneath the coach with a few wrenches, tapped on the starter solenoid and tightened a few nuts, and with a little luck, off we'd go. But our nation is in a recession, and if our government won't do anything to improve the economy, I guess Suz and I must do our part. So, a $213.00 service call (which should be reimbursed by Good Sams) to Tim Reed of Reed's Truck Service got us going. Tim is the former service manager at Cabin Diesel Services in Big Cabin, Oklahoma. He's gone out on his own and carries with him 30 years of experience. If you should ever find yourself in need of a diesel mechanic in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma, I recommend Tim Reed (918-813-9595).

Newmar Corporation, the manufacturer of our Mountain Aire, did a good job designing the coach works and simplifying the setup procedure. As a result, we were plugged in, slides out, and water hooked up in no time. Ahh, Suz and I just love the dual high-output air-conditioners.

The next morning we took a tour of Grove and Grand Lake. Sailboat Bridge is a local landmark that is part of Hwy. 59 and takes you into Grove . . . .



We stopped for a bite of lunch at Drake's Restaurant, which serves up home-cooked meals. So good we're going back for breakfast tomorrow morning! But we don't recommend El Vallarta Mexican Restaurant (yuck) or Antique Alley (over-priced).

The Music Festival officially got kicked off today (Friday), but after checking in, we discovered that the day's activities are primarily workshops for the musicians. So, we spent the afternoon at Har-Ber Village.

Suz had never visited Har-Ber Village, and I had only visited it once before back in the early 1980s. I remember it to be just a few shops along the water's edge. It has since grown to a sprawling museum of reconstructed log cabins containing numerous antiques. Harvey and Bernice Jones dedicated the Village in "a sincere effort to preserve for future generations the way of life as experienced by our forefathers who carved out of the wilderness this wonderful country we know and enjoy today." Here's what we saw . . . .



Because of his interest in antique tractors and farm machinery, Suz said her Dad would have loved this place.



The picture in the upper, lower left, corner is of an 1800s courtroom. I just had to have that one, as well as the one of the "Law Office" sign on the lower left.



On the way back to the park from Har-Ber Village, we couldn't help but stop and shoot a couple of pictures that caught our eye. The following pic is in honor of our dear cousin, Jami Sue. In light of her keen ability to spot a bargain, we noticed "Cheapo Depo." If you're ever in the Grove area, Jami, be sure to stop and check it out. Just don't bring no soybean burgers to my house!



All I can say for the following picture is: "Only in Oklahoma!"



It's Saturday afternoon and we're on our way to the Music Festival. But on the way, I found the ultimate go-kart . . . .



This little buggy is called a "Zini American." It's manufactured in the U.S. and sells new for approximately $8,000. This model is a 2008 and the dealer took it in on trade for a new golf cart. He's asking $4,000 and it looks brand new. It's powered by a Subaru 504cc motor and runs about 35 mph. The neat thing about it is that it's tagged and street legal (limited to 45 mph streets). If I only had an extra $4,000 and a way to get it home.

Well, maybe I can pick up a little extra money here . . . .



Are you kidding? My luck's just not that good. Let's head for the festival!

Contestants and observers came from all parts of the country. A map of the U.S. was situated at the entrance and we were asked to place a stick-pin on our home town. I even noticed a pin placed on a small town in Alaska.

The Grove Civic Center, where the Festival took place, is a former Walmart store. The building was divided into halves and clogging took place on one side, while fiddling occurred on the other. Vendors were available selling various items, including jewelry, purses, musical instruments, and of course, wonderful pastries and goodies. We arrived just in time to see the clogging finalists perform. Some contestants were members of a team from Kansas who won the National Clogging Championship (Click on the arrow below and watch the competition).



All that clogging worked up my appetite, so while Suz was shopping for a leather purse, I secured some cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast. We then took an afternoon break and returned to the coach to let Maynard "take care of his business." The Festival resumed at 7:00 p.m., and the following pictures are a sampling of what occurred . . . .



The Festival was founded by the "First Lady of Country Fiddle," Jana Jae. You may recall (those of you old enough to remember) that Jana played with the Buck Owens Band back in the 1970s and also on Hee Haw. Jana has made her home in Grove, Oklahoma, and has sponsored the Festival for 13 years. Jana is a phenomenal fiddler, and a "can't miss" if you ever get a chance to see her perform. Her parents, "Daddy Joe" and Bette, also play and performed with her on stage during the Festival . . . .



The highlight of the show, however, was "Hankerin' for Hank," which is a tribute band to the late, great Hank Williams. Hank is performed by Jim Paul Blair, who attended OSU with Susan's nephew, Jerry Clayton Abel, Jr. Jerry and Jim became close friends while attending college and remain in touch today. I'm usually pretty critical about so-called "tribute bands," but this group was great! Jim has Hank Williams down pat, including his voice and mannerisms.


Jana accompanied Jim with her fiddle. What a show!

Other than the minor delay with the starter solenoid, this turned out to be a great trip. In fact, we plan to make the American Heritage Music Festival in Grove an annual event. Thanks for the recommendation Gary and Donna. It would have only been better if you'd been here with us!