On the Town: Museum to exhibit treasures of Spiro Mounds By: Lillie-Beth Brinkman The Journal Record December 24, 2020
Lillie-Beth Brinkman
Imagine the treasures assembled in the vaults of Rome or in King Tut’s tomb in Egypt. Then picture those treasures in eastern Oklahoma, and you have an idea of the significance of Spiro Mounds, a prehistoric Native American site in far eastern Oklahoma.
Spiro was an important regional trading, political religious center between 800 and 1450 AD for the Mississippian civilization. In its day, the site included burial, temple and house mounds. It is the only site of its kind open to the public and is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. The modern-day Caddo Nation and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes descended from the Spiro people.
On the Town: Great Conjunction a bright reminder of hope By: Lillie-Beth Brinkman The Journal Record December 22, 2020
Lillie-Beth Brinkman
My children and I ventured out to the western edge of the Oklahoma City metro area Monday night to try to catch the “Christmas star,” the bright lineup of Jupiter and Saturn known as the “Great Conjunction,” the closest these two planets have been in orbit in nearly 400 years.
Some people think that such a planetary alignment may have been the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men to Jesus at his birth, conveyed by the Bible’s Gospel of Matthew. Astronomers theorize that Jupiter, Saturn, the moon and the sun aligned several times around 7 or 6 B.C., which is consistent with theories that Jesus was born in this time period, according to space.com and other sources. Some believe the star might have been a Jupiter/Venus conjunction in 2 B.C.
On the Town: Merry Christmas week, everyone! By: Lillie-Beth Brinkman The Journal Record December 18, 2020
Lillie-Beth Brinkman
It has been an unusual year, to say the least, and I have been missing some of the big holiday gatherings that we all love, especially friends, family and hugs. But even though we can’t gather safely in person this year, let’s gather with the people in our house and enjoy great, local entertainment on our TV screens. Here’s a roundup of things to watch this week to keep the spirit of Christmas going.
The locally produced, written and filmed holiday hip hop movie Finding Carlos is streaming on deadCenter Film Festival’s website and in certain theaters through the end of the month. My good friend Lance McDaniel is director, and he and Melissa Scaramucci wrote the script, which includes dancers from across the state and modern versions of several
On the Town: See Santa Saturday at Scissortail By: Lillie-Beth Brinkman The Journal Record December 17, 2020
Lillie-Beth Brinkman
Now that most schools are out for the holidays, let’s add some festive outdoor – and safe – holiday fun to our list of family things to do, including at Scissortail Park in downtown Oklahoma City.
Santa will be visiting Scissortail Park from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, and even though he has to stay socially distanced like the rest of us, you can still take your photo with him from a bench in front of his sleigh. While you’re downtown, go ice skating in the Sky Rink beginning at noon Friday through Sunday and then from 1 to 7 p.m. on Thursday. Admission is $5 for the day (through 8 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Friday and Sunday) and free for members of either Scissortail Park or the Myriad Gardens.
On the Town: Bradford House plans ‘Porch Pop-Ups’ fun By: Lillie-Beth Brinkman The Journal Record December 15, 2020
Lillie-Beth Brinkman
If you haven’t yet visited The Bradford House, you now have a specific reason to stop by and look around this charming and colorful Oklahoma City hotel, which was built in 1912 and opened earlier this year.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, the hotel will host its second “Porch Pop-Ups” event with local holiday shopping and treats like mulled wine and pastries from the Quincy Bake Shop and edible gifts from Bradford House Sundry. The large wraparound porch is one of the hotel’s focal points and has room for Saturday’s shops – Udander, Market at Commonplace, Solare and Commonplace Books, Edmond.