Reporter

Admiral Twin Rises Again

Even for those who hadn't passed under the aged marquee of the Admiral Twin Drive-In for many years, its fiery death on Sept. 10, 2010 certainly caught theirs, and everyone else's attention.

Fueled by the dismay of Tulsans everywhere, reaction to the loss came swiftly with a series of fundraising events. The Circle Cinema screened a duo of Midnight Movies, benefit concerts at the venerated Rose Bowl and at the remains of the Twin proper featured music from local bands, car shows and even wrestling matches.

Between those events and private donations, more than $33,000 was raised to put the rebuild on track.

Still, the rebirth of the Twin was in doubt. While the fundraising efforts were enough to make the rebuild a possibility, it would still take a new business strategy and, more importantly, loans to see the raising of the new Twin from nut to tree. Twin owner Blake Smith, whose family's ownership goes back almost a quarter century, wanted nothing more than to keep the Tulsa cinematic (literally, it appears in Francis Ford Coppola's '80s classic, The Outsiders) and cultural landmark alive.

"I'm a 'what's in front of me' kind of guy," Smith told UTW last March. "What have I got to do now? I still have a mortgage to pay on the place, so how do I do this?"

It was the earnest efforts of Tulsans themselves as much as the money they raised that tipped the scales into balance.

"Without question it was the support of all these people that have donated their time, effort and of course money that showed our lenders that rebuilding was justified," Smith said in a statement. "Without that we wouldn't be announcing that the Admiral Twin is coming back."

On Saturday, June 11, the public groundbreaking ceremony takes those efforts one more tangible step closer to the end zone, less than a year later.

With the gates opening at 10am and the ceremony, led by Smith and Shelby and Rachel Navarro of ONE Architecture, who designed the new screens, to begin at 10:30am, Smith is encouraging locals to take part, along with attending community leaders.

"This is happening because of this amazing community of ours," he said, "and we would like everyone to grab a shovel and come out. Whether or not you donated or have ever even been to a movie at the Twin we would like to invite you to be there for the groundbreaking on the 11th."

The Admiral Twin Public Groundbreaking takes place at 7355 E. Easton St.

Don't forget your shovel. --Joe O'Shansky

Street Faire. Tahlequah is presenting "Arts on the Avenue" on Saturday, June 11 from 8am-10pm. The event is free, open to the public and will take place in historic downtown Tahlequah from Cherokee Capitol Square to Norris Park.

The event will feature a variety of fine art on display along Muskogee Avenue, including jewelry, paintings, pottery, woodcarvings and more.

On Friday, June 10 from 5-9pm downtown art studios will be open for the Studio Stroll. Visitors will enjoy an exclusive opportunity to talk one-on-one with the artists while enjoying their work.

For additional information regarding the fine art festival or for an artist or winery entry application, visit artsontheave.net or contact Donna Tinnin at 918-453-5728.

Spiritual Summer. Reservations are being accepted for two summer retreats at St. Gregory's Abbey, which is located on the campus of St. Gregory's University. The first retreat, "The Eucharist and the New Roman Missal," is July 8-10 and the second, "Learning from Our Life," is August 5-7.

In "The Eucharist and the New Roman Missal," Rt. Rev. Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B., will put into a broader context the revised English translation of the Roman Missal, emphasizing the theology and spirituality of the Eucharist and our understanding of the universal Catholic Church.

The Rev. Charles Buckley, O.S.B., will lead "Learning from Our Life," which will focus on how people can find a spiritual life in the present.

Opening session for each retreat begins at 8pm on Friday night, and the retreats will conclude by 3pm on Sunday. Participants will be welcome to join in common prayer with the monks, and partially in the celebration of the Eucharist.

The cost for each retreat is $85 per person for early payment and $90 for those who pay at registration. This cost includes lodging, meals and the registration fee.

Reservations may be made via e-mail by contacting Fr. Charles at cjbuckley@stgregorys.edu. They also may be mailed to: Summer Retreat Program, St. Gregory's Abbey, 1900 W. MacArthur St., Shawnee, OK 74804. For more information about the retreats, contact Fr. Charles at 405-878-5462 or visit monksok.org.

Chow Down. During the school year, 83 percent of students in Tulsa schools are reliant upon free and reduced price meals.

Tulsa Public Schools wants to help make sure no child goes hungry this summer, so TPS is taking part in Summer Café. This program provides nutritious meals to any child age 18 and under free of charge throughout the summer months.

This summer, the program will run from Wednesday, June 8 through Aug. 12. To find out more information, including a list of the 70-plus serving locations, go to tulsaschools.org/summercafe.

Common Ground. Residents from Missouri displaced by recent storms and who qualify for the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) supplemental nutrition program in Missouri will be able to redeem their food instruments in Oklahoma through the month of June.

Those WIC recipients from Missouri who may be living temporarily in Oklahoma with friends or family or who may have relocated to Oklahoma can redeem their food instruments with any Oklahoma authorized WIC food vendor.

Vendors or individuals with questions about this process may call Bryce at 405-420-4694.