A Note From Bob…

Winter/Spring 2014
A Note From Bob…
A
s you may note, we have made some changes to our Woolaroc
newsletter. With this current issue, we will be going to two letters per
year, one is the Winter/Spring edition and the second one is the Summer/
Fall. The new format will allow us to go into greater detail with stories and
information than the shorter, quarterly letters allowed. We hope you enjoy!
2013 was a great year for Woolaroc…crowds were great, renovations were
completed on the first floor of the museum, we hosted the incredible Lewis
& Clark Art Show, we were featured on an OETA television special plus so
much more. As great as 2013 was, we view it as something to build from, to
continue to grow and to improve in every way possible. We had guests from
all 50 states this past year plus from more than 35 countries. Nine years
ago I told many of you that people saying “Woolaroc is the best kept secret
in Oklahoma” was not a compliment and we don’t want to be a secret…
we continue to work to get the word out across Oklahoma and across the
country that we are a destination. As former Governor Frank Keating said,
“nowhere in the country can you find such a place…a museum on the
prairie with hundreds and thousands of amazing artifacts for the public to
enjoy.” Our Foundation Chairman Bob Kane put it quite well, “to understand
Woolaroc you have to experience it…and you will learn something from it.”
Thanks to all of you who helped make 2013 a great year for Woolaroc…
now let’s make sure that we continue those efforts for 2014!
Bob Fraser, CEO
Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve
The Frank Phillips Foundation, Inc.
You can contact Bob at [email protected].
B
Playground at Woolaroc!
ack in 2007, the Children’s Playground and Old West Village was added to the grounds of Woolaroc and to say
it has been a hit for the last seven years would be an understatement. But as many of you know, the attitude of
Woolaroc is to make improvements to things before they need it rather than after.
So in the spirit of that and thanks to the generosity of the Lyon Foundation
and the Frank Phillips Foundation, the playground at Woolaroc (which
was already the hit of the place to our young guests) is in the process
of getting even better. A new “Chugga Train” made by American
Parks Company is now up and ready at the Playground…this new
addition has all kinds of features that young children will love to
play on, from climbing toys to slides and more. In addition, the town
buildings have all had a fresh coat of paint on their signage, so they
will also be looking nice and ready for Spring 2014!
Welcome home…to Woolaroc!
2
T
Lewis & Clark Art
Show Extended
o say that Woolaroc’s first “national” art show was a
success would be an understatement, it was (and still is) a
major success for Woolaroc in so many ways. Going back more
than a year, our opportunity to host a show of this size and
scope is what stimulated the museum renovations which as
most of you have seen, resulted in new state of the art lighting,
new gallery colors, new staging of the art and several newly
designed exhibits. All of these improvements have allowed us
to “tell the story” in a better way than we did before.
The Lewis & Clark show itself
officially kicked off in late September
with a wonderful Sponsor/Artist
dinner on the 27th followed by a day
of seminars, a special luncheon at the
Lodge and then the art show itself
on Saturday evening in the museum.
The crowd’s since then have been
fantastic; the show has attracted
first time visitors (which is great!)
and our regular members along with
educators from around the state.
The response to the show from the
public has been so great that
the owner of the collection
(paintings), Tim Peterson,
agreed to extend the show from
the original December 29 date
to April 30, 2014. If you haven’t
had the chance to come see
this extraordinary show, you
now have a second chance!
Many of our members have
come to view it multiple times,
finding and seeing something
new with each visit.
Valentine Dinner E
at the Lodge
ach year, many of our members and guests look forward to a
unique and very special occasion, the annual Valentine Dinner
at the Lodge. The “magic” of Woolaroc never shines brighter than it
does on this special evening when couples of all ages take advantage
of this wonderful opportunity to share Frank & Jane’s dining room
(and home!) for a romantic Valentine dinner.
Due to the popularity and demand,
we are once again offering four
different seatings: 6 pm and 8 pm on
Friday, February 14 and 6 pm and
8 pm on Saturday, February 15. We
limit each seating to 50 people and
typically they sell out quickly, so if
you haven’t already, be sure to call
the Woolaroc office Monday–Friday at
918-336-0307, ext. 10 or 11 to secure
your reservation.
A wonderful dinner with the
incredible ambiance of the Lodge
complete with romantic music, valet
parking and much, much more…we
hope you can join us!
3
Meet the Staff
A
s most of you are aware, the staff at Woolaroc
is one of the finest…thanks to their work ethic,
their dedication to Woolaroc and in many instances,
their historical attachment to the place. Nowhere is
that more true than the Building/Maintenance staff at
the Museum…here is a quick snapshot of some of the
people who bring the “magic” to Woolaroc everyday:
• Tim Sydebotham—Tim serves as
the Manager and Supervisor for
not only the Museum but for all
the buildings at Woolaroc. Tim has
worked at Woolaroc for almost
15 years, but his connection with
the place goes back a lot further
than that as his Grandfather was
Uncle Frank’s shop carpenter and
his father (Curtis) continued the
tradition before Tim stepped in.
The best thing is that each of them
brought a sense of responsibility
and true craftsmanship to the job…
Tim only knows one way to do a
job and that is the right way, the
first time. The recent renovation to
the museum and the preparation
for the Lewis & Clark Show would
not have been possible without
Tim’s skills and leadership.
• Bill Tucker—Bill came to work for
Woolaroc in 2003 and many of you
may remember him helping out
with the old Oil Patch when it was
located over by the mausoleum.
Eight years ago, he came to work
with the museum staff and can be
found doing a multitude of things,
but primarily he
is the guy who
makes sure that the
unique floors are
always clean and
shining and that
the place is in tip top condition.
You might also find Bill working
on the chiller units, the boilers
or the backup generator…if its
mechanical, Bill is involved!
• Jim Ross—about 6 ½ years ago,
Jim walked into the Woolaroc
office asking about a part time
job (Jim had retired from career
#1) and since then, he has been
an important part of everything
that our buildings crew has done.
Whether it is cleaning or sweeping
or setting up for a party or tearing
down from a party, there is no
task too big or too small for Jim to
take on…and if we ever need help
anywhere on the ranch, you can
count on Jim to be the first one to
raise his hand. It was a good day
for Woolaroc when he happened
to stop by and asked if we had any
part time work available!
• Shiloh Thurman—Shiloh came to
work for Woolaroc about four years
ago, so in Woolaroc years he is still
brand new! Shiloh splits his work
between the Museum (Ken Meek,
Museum Director) and with Tim
and Building/Maintenance. Shiloh
has been a wonderful addition to
both departments and has been
a hungry study for both, learning
the history of Woolaroc and the
museum so that he conducts many
of our group tours and at the same
time, learning the mechanics of
what makes everything work so
that he has a good understanding
of both sides of the museum. Shiloh
is part of the “next” generation
of Woolaroc staff who will be
entrusted to maintain the history
and the buildings in good working
order!
New “Guest”
at the Lodge
T
he bontebok is an antelope and is native to South Africa.
This beautiful animal is a medium-sized antelope, chocolate
brown in color with a white underside and a white stripe from
the forehead to the tip of its nose. At one time they were on the
endangered species list as the number of wild bontebok’s were
down to just 17 animals, but over the last 30+ years, the South
African people have done a good job of protecting them so that
their numbers have rebounded to safe levels.
Our bontebok was a gift to Woolaroc from Mark Fogley and it is
a beautiful mount and fits in nicely with all the other “guests” in
the Lodge!
4
Woolaroc’s
Walking
Trails
O
ne of the most overlooked amenities
at Woolaroc are the wonderful walking
trails that weave and wander thru the Osage
Hills. The path to the trails begins behind
the Heritage Center by the Buffalo Haunt
concession area. For those wanting a short
and easy walk, you can take a leisurely walk
down to Indian Princess Falls where you
will see the beautiful waters of Woolaroc
cascading down the rocks and into the stream
down below. On your way to the falls, you will
see some amazing rock formations on your
left hand side and the trees and meadows to
your right. For those with a little more time
and adventure in your soul, you can take
either the Warrior Loop (one mile hike) or
the Outlaw Loop (1.5 mile hike)…on both of
these you will cross streams, some rocks and
truly see what this countryside was like a
hundred years ago. You will often see a lot of
the native wildlife, depending on how quiet
you are with your adventure! Directional
signs have been placed along the route to
make sure that you don’t get “lost in the
Osage”, but trust us, it is a hike worth taking
for everyone who enjoys what nature has to
offer!
5
New Additions to Woolaroc’s
Museum Collection
M
any of you were able to join us for the opening weekend of the
Lewis & Clark Art Show while others have had the opportunity
to come tour the show in the last few months.
As you know, on Saturday,
September 28 we hosted a very
successful art sale as part of that
special weekend. The sale was an
overwhelming success, as seven out
of the eight paintings that were for
sale by Charles Fritz sold and fifteen
of the bronzes by Richard Greeves
sold that night. Greeves said that it
was the most successful sale that he
has been a part of in the last twenty
years…high praise for Woolaroc and
for our guests!
The largest painting by Fritz is
titled “When the Herd Shades Up and
the Cowboys Come In” and it was
purchased that night by the Hale
Family Foundation in Tulsa through
the Tulsa Community Foundation.
The Hale Family Foundation also
purchased one of Greeves’ finest
bronzes, “Toussaint Charbonneau
Family”, a wonderful piece that
features Charbonneau, his wife (and
scout for Lewis & Clark) Sacajawea
and their baby.
Not only did the Hale Family
Foundation purchase these two
major pieces, they then turned
around and donated both of them
back to Woolaroc!!! Needless to
say, we were overwhelmed by the
outstanding generosity. Bob Fraser,
Woolaroc CEO stated “what an
incredible gesture by the Hale Family
Foundation to make such a sizable
and meaningful contribution to
Woolaroc. These two pieces will not
only serve to further strengthen our
collection, but will also be a forever
reminder of this wonderful Lewis
& Clark Show. Ken Meek (Museum
Director) and I were thrilled to accept
this gift and we look forward to
finding the perfect home for each of
them within our collection.”
6
Animal Updates From Woolaroc
W
ithout exaggeration, the magic of Woolaroc shows itself all
over the ranch all year long, but nowhere does it shine any
brighter than with our wonderful animals. Here is a brief update of
what is going on with some of our animals:
• Llamas—much to our surprise,
we have had two recent additions
to the llama pen with a chocolate
brown baby born in early
December and a snow white baby
born in the midst of the arctic cold
wave in early January!
• Bald Eagles—each winter we
anxiously wait to see if our eagles
return and this year we have been
blessed to have at least five of the
majestic birds wintering here at
Woolaroc. To have the opportunity
to watch them soar above Clyde
Lake and do their dances in the sky
is amazing…
• Buffalo Herd—ranch manager Jim
Marsh reports that we had another
strong spring “crop” of babies with
34 of them born last March/April.
The reasons for the larger numbers
is that they are being very well
cared for with the best grasses
available plus the addition of some
new, young bulls that we acquired
two years ago from Ted Turner.
We don’t keep all of our babies,
once they are weaned we usually
sell about half of them to other
ranches.
• Scotch Highland Cattle—these
amazing looking cattle who appear
to have walked off the movie lot of
a Star Wars movie, continue to do
well as they graze and live in the
large middle pasture at Woolaroc.
We currently have 9 of them.
• Longhorn Cattle—these beautiful
animals with their amazing horns
and colors have the run of most
of the ranch and seem to do
a good job of hiding from the
public on most days…but when
they do decide to cross the main
roads, guests will see a beautiful
assortment of cattle. Thanks to a
new bull that we introduced about
two years ago, the newest calves
have some very unique colors and
patterns to their coats.
• Ostrich—as you may remember,
a few years ago we were down to
having only one ostrich and so we
acquired two new females, Laverne
& Shirley! These two have now
joined their elder in the ostrich
pen and help to entertain cars and
guests as they have done for so
many years before!
7
I Can Rent Woolaroc?
T
he “magic” of Woolaroc is available to everyone, not only as a
guest but also for special events that you may want to host here.
Here are some of the options that are available to you:
• Events Center—located next to
the Lodge and looking out across
Clyde Lake, the Events Center
is perfect to host a wedding
reception, wedding, birthday’s,
business meetings or a dinner
for 100. With a full catering
kitchen and two bathrooms, it is
the perfect spot for many of our
guests. Rental cost is only $500 for
all day usage.
• Clyde Lake—there is probably
no place in NE Oklahoma that
is better known for weddings,
parties and family get together’s
for the last 75 years than Clyde
Lake. Located just below the
Lodge, this was the location for
Uncle Frank’s favorite events at
Woolaroc and today it is busy
almost every weekend with a
wedding, wedding reception or a
family reunion. An added bonus
to renting Clyde Lake is that you
and your guests can wet a line
and fish from the banks and try
to bring in some of those bass
that the lake is famous for! All day
rental: $750
• The Lodge—this special place
of history is used today just
like Frank Phillips used it in
the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s…for
business dinners and parties. You
can rent the Lodge for an evening
and enjoy a social hour in the
living room, tour the private
upstairs and then enjoy a dinner
MEMBERS UPDATE
Phoenix, AZ
Robert & Peggy Dunn
Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Stephen Dunn
Fresno, CA
Don Huntley
Pacific Palisades, CA
Jim & Jodie Rea
Greeley, CO
Gerald & Jeannie Shadwick
Fort Myers, FL
Tom Schlager
Coffeyville, KS
Travis & Cortney McClure
Louisville, KY
Mike & Kwan Fraser
Bossier City, LA
Mark Morales
Saint Peters, MO
Louis Whitehair
Bartlesville, OK
Clint & Jaime Bales
David & Judy Bastian
Russell & Joyce Bone
Jenny Brown
Michael & Lois Bryan
Kathy Cain
Greg Cantrell
Jim & Kate Carroll
Price Connors
Stan & Cynthia DeFehr
Steve & Virginia DeFrees
Heather & Kevin Forman
Andrew & Kaci Fouts
Denise Gregg
Bob & Sharon Hamilton
Ralph & Carol Hanna
Elizabeth Golbach
Steven & Joan Heidorn
Jim Hess
Hart Holtz
James & Leona-Marie Hutchins
Linda Jones
Darrell & Kaye Keltner
Matt & Stacy Link
Rep. Steve Martin
Sherry Moore
Harris Moreland
Dewey & Jeannine Payne
in the dining room. The cost of the
Lodge rental is $1,000 (food and
drink is extra).
• Museum—for the big event in
your life or for your company,
can there be anything better than
having your gala event within the
historic Museum of Woolaroc? A
sit down dinner at the Museum,
surrounded by world-famous art
and by the history of the last 90
years creates an atmosphere like
no other and memories that will
last a life-time. The cost to rent the
Museum for the evening is $5,000
(food and drink is extra).
If you would like more information,
contact our Events Coordinator at
Woolaroc, Nikki Harrald. Nikki can be
reached Monday–Friday at
[email protected] or call her at
918-336-0307, ext. 14.
WELCOME TO NEW FRIENDS
OF WOOLAROC MEMBERS
Teresa Perrey
Raymond & Jeannie Purdum
William Quattlebaum
Ray Richter
Bruce Robinett
Terry & Dana Roby
Joe Sears
Mark White
Brenda Wiens
Claremore, OK
Maynard Phillips
Dewey, OK
Michael & Paula Giroir
Harold & Darleen Lowry
Tommy Strate
Hominy, OK
Lewis & Becky Trentman
Lenapah, OK
Neal & Lee Kottke
Morrison, OK
Clark & Sharon Shouse
Oklahoma City, OK
Jim Walker
Ponca City, OK
Travis & Teri Harris
Tulsa, OK
John & Megan Beck
Austin Buerge
Jason & Carrie Dill
Keith Goddard
Michael Gordon
Hans Helmerich
Leslie McIntosh
Cody & Amber Phillips
Micah & Hannah Phillips
Sherry Reinhardt
Robert & Jill Thomas
William & Susan Thomas
Dallas, TX
Rick & Janet Arnold
Houston, TX
Wayne Braun
Elizabeth Smith
Nichols Hills, OK
Mark & Lela Sullivan
For more information on becoming a member, call 918-336-0307 or 888-WOOLAROC or contact us at www.woolaroc.org.
8
WOOLAROC STAFF
Bob Fraser, CEO
Ken Meek, Museum Director
Linda Stone, Curator of Art
Paula Blackwell, Lodge/Buffalo Haunt/
Events Center Mgr.
Beth Greene, Retail Manager
Jim Marsh, Ranch Manager
Jan Tucker, Bookkeeper
Nikki Harrald, Event Planner/
Docent Coordinator
The Frank Phillips Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 1647
Bartlesville, OK 74005
BULK RATE
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
NONPROFIT
BARTLESVILLE, OK
PERMIT 109
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
WOOLAROC TRUSTEES
Robert M. Kane, Chairman
William O. Johnstone, Vice Chairman
Stephen S. Adams
Rand C. Berney
J. Scott DuCharme
Mark Headley
Robert S. Hughes II
David Kedy
Merl Lindstrom
David L. Sigmon
Katsy Mullendore Whittenburg
Dean G. Zervas
2014 Schedule of Events
January 1–April 30 Lewis & Clark Art Show
January 24–26 Bucks Only Traders Camp
March 19 Animal Barn Opens
March 19 1840’s Mountain Man Camp Opens
April 11–12 Spring Traders Encampment
May 10 Woolaroc Spring Trail Ride
May 26 Memorial Day—Woolaroc Open
Summer Schedule Begins (Open
Tuesday thru Sunday)
June 28–29 Kidsfest
July 4 Independence Day—Woolaroc Open
September 1 Labor Day—Woolaroc Open
September 2 Fall/Winter Schedule Begins—
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Mountain Man Camp
closes for the season
Animal Barn Open Weekends
Only thru 12/21
September 13 Woolaroc Fall Trail Ride
October 3–4 Fall Traders Encampment
October 4 Cow Thieves & Outlaws Reunion
November 28– Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights
December 21 Fri/Sat/Sun—5 to 9 pm
July 15–17, 22–24 Camp Woolaroc, An
Adventure in Learning
Regular Hours: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday. Closed Monday & Tuesday.
Summer Schedule: May 26–September 1. Open Tuesday thru Sunday. Closed Monday.
Admission: Ages 12–64—$10; Seniors 65 & older—$8; Children 11 & under—Free
918-336-0307 • 1-888-WOOLAROC • www.woolaroc.org