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This metal and pipe stone sculpture of a Native American smoking a peace pipe was created by renowned sculptor Robert Dean, having been commissioned by Major Gen. (Ret.) Lee Baxter and his wife Terry. Photo by Jeff Kaley


The Jewel has begun to shine again


“Let’s put a new coat of paint on this lonesome old town.”


— Tom Waits, “New Coat of Paint”


There’s also diversity in selection around town. “Kathy’s Caravan is a gallery of treasures, with objects from Africa and around the world,” Schucker said. Other artwork and craftwork can be found at Mew & Company, Get


Cobbled and The Mason Jar. In addition to the galleries, there are 16 pieces from well-known metal sculptor Robert Dean, which can be found on private properties throughout town. “Medicine Park is a wonderful little town, a very special place,” Kent said, adding that artists fi nd the Wichita Mountains Refuge to be “one of the great sources of painting possibilities in the world.” The desire to turn Medicine Park into an arts-friendly community gained momentum when former Mayor Dwight Cope took offi ce in 2005. A long- time area teacher and coach, Cope became interested in the concept of using the arts to revive the community, and he’s done so with a series of music events that began when the fi rst Mayor’s Blues Ball was held on a stage downtown. The idea of using music—free music, at that—as a draw to bring people to


Medicine Park caught fi re. Since the fi rst Mayor’s Blues Ball, fi ve other music events have emerged—the Park Stomp, the Red Dirt Ball, the Disco Ball, Rockin’ the Park and the Flute Festival. “I started the Blues Ball because I thought Medicine Park would be a great place for blues music and art shows,” Cope, a Cotton Electric Cooperative member, said. “We had a big fl ood in 2006 and wanted to raise some money to help pay for the damages. “The fi rst Blues Ball was on Labor Day weekend and I called in a favor to get musicians to help get it started. It was a one-day event; it expanded to two days the next year, and then evolved into a three-day event. We don’t charge admission, but I was able to get a grant for $2,500 from the Oklahoma Arts Council. Then I got another grant for the Red Dirt Ball, and the other music events evolved.”


Mainly featuring musicians and bands from Oklahoma and North Texas, the Blues Ball now presents 12 to 15 acts during the three-day event. The recently created Red Dirt Ball is even more ambitious, with over 20 acts—like 2016 headliner James McMurtrey—performing during the three-day festival. “The objective was to get Medicine Park back on the map again. By the 1960s and ’70s, the town was pretty much off the map, and by the early ’90s, the town had a rough reputation. But people have really gotten behind the music events. We’ve got a lot of great sponsors and the only public money spent is on advertising,” Cope explained. “It’s hard to say how much money the music events bring in, because it’s free admission. For the Blues Ball, we have 10,000 people over the course of three days. Those people eat, visit the shops, and stay the night.” Music and arts are reviving the town.


Odus Hennessee can remember some good


times in Medicine Park’s past, but he wasn’t around when the township was earning the name “Jewel of the Southwest.” Founded in 1908 by state Sen. Elmer


Thomas, the village 14.5 miles north of Lawton enjoyed its salad days from concep- tion through the 1940s. Medicine Park, with its healing waters and cobblestone architec- ture, was dubbed “The Jewel.” Tourists were attracted to hotels, spas and


dance halls by beautifully landscaped gar- dens, productive fi shing holes and plenty of natural beauty. On any given day, you could share the sidewalks with colorful characters like Will Rogers, Les Brown, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde. Hennessee, a Cotton Electric Cooperative member, knows the town’s history and has some pleasant memories from the 1960s through the dawn of the 21 Century. However, by the time Hennessee became mayor in 1999, “The Jewel” had become an eyesore. Medicine Park’s reputation as a tourist spot had cratered, as had the cobblestone build- ings and the town’s population, which had dropped steadily for decades. “In 1994 or ’95, there were only about 140 people,” said Hennessee, a decline he and others attribute to the arrival of criminal el- ements who had brought in drugs, theft and gun play, and a general attitude of apathy among a citizenry that didn’t seem to care anymore. Then things began to change.


Continued on Page 28 APRIL 2016 27


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