Region 6 NAI invites you to celebrate Grass Roots to
Bluegrass in historic Guthrie Oklahoma, February
24-26, 2014. This conference will be unlike any
you’ve attended, because the small town of Guthrie
doesn’t have a traditional “conference hotel.” Instead, you will be traveling by trolley or
shuttle to nearby historic venues, including a 1920 Masonic Temple. We have lots of
great sessions to cover your interests in nature, interpretive techniques, history, and
industry trends. And by the way, if you play music, bring your instrument. Pianists—
bring some sheet music, because the temple has pianos scattered around in unique places!
New Information
Workshop topics include:
A Green, Fringed Fling: Revitalize Your Interpretation of Plants
Facebook for Interpreters
Guiding Our Present by Glimpsing at Our Past
Free Range Children: Experiencing Nature the Old-Fashioned Way
Make It Work! Creating and Adapting Activities for Your Program
Don’t Let Your History Disappear
Tipis on the Prairie: Connecting Children to Plains Indian Culture
Everybody Uses the Environment
An Idiot’s Guide to School Field Trips
Panel Discussion: The Government Shut Down and Its Effect on Parks
Nurturing the Interpreter Behind the Mask
A Lifetime Dream: Getting Back to Your Roots
Bark: It’s What’s For Dinner!
A Sturdy Foundation of Grass
Best of the Butterfly Festival
The Mating Game
Mapping Change Across Generations with Student Service Learning Partnerships
Panel Discussion Topic: History of Region 6
Hands-On Fun with a Purpose
Building Blocks: Presentation Tips for Interpreters
Using Frameworks and Common Core to Look at Your Site from a New Perspective
Swamper Moves to Higher Ground: Coping with Floods in Bottomland Hardwood
Forests
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SUNDAY, FEB 23
TATTING PRE-WORKSHOP
Time: 1-4:00pm
Learn this Victorian form of lace making, utilizing a shuttle and fine crochet
thread. Taught by an expert from Sealed With a Kiss, an innovative yarn shop located in
historic downtown Guthrie, Oklahoma. Limited to 2-6 people.
Cost: $30 - all supplies included
NETWORKING MIXER AT THE BLUE BELL SALOON
Time: 4:00-8:00pm
Enjoy down home cooking at this unique,
historic saloon where Tom Mix, the famous
cowboy movie star, used to tend bar in the
early 20th century. The bar also has signed
pictures from Tom Cruise and Dustin
Hoffman (a location where a Rainman scene
was filmed), and Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton
(Twister was filmed nearby). This bar is
billed as the oldest bar in Oklahoma and has
been visited by several Presidents. Mixer is
included in registration.
MONDAY, FEB 24th
FIRST DAY WORKSHOP
Welcome, Keynote and Sessions are held at the beautiful 1920s Scottish Rite Masonic
Temple in Guthrie, OK.
KENOTE SPEAKER, MIKE WIMMER
Mike Wimmer is the award-winner artist whose realistic paintings capture authentic
details of nature and history. Some of the children’s books he has illustrated include All
the Places to Love, Will Rogers, and One Giant Leap. Wimmer is currently painting
interpretive murals for the National Parks System.
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SCHOLARSHIP AUCTION
Dinner and drinks are provided at the annual Region 6 Scholarship Auction, held in the
historic American Legion building. The company is lively and the items for sale are
always unique! All proceeds go to support students pursuing careers in interpretation.
FIELD EXPERIENCES, Tues, Feb 25th
ADVENTURING WEST
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and
the American Banjo Museum
9:15-4:00pm
The West--vast prairies and cowboys singing to calm their
herds of cattle float in our minds. This Oklahoma City
field trip lets you live these dreams. Spend the morning at
the world-famous National Cowboy & Western Heritage
Museum. Founded in 1955, the National Cowboy &
Western Heritage Museum collects, preserves, and exhibits
notable art and artifacts that highlight the enduring legacy
of the American West. Spend the afternoon at the
American Banjo Museum learning all about America’s
instrument. See replicas of primitive banjos developed by
African slaves in the Old South, Minstrel Age instruments
from the 19th century, post WWII instruments used in bluegrass, folk and world music,
and the museum’s core collection of ornately decorated banjos made in America during
the Jazz Age of the 1920’s and 30s. Lunch will be on your own in the Oklahoma City’s
historic Bricktown area. Limited to 30.
Cost: $30
LESSONS FROM HISTORY
Oklahoma City National
Memorial and the Oklahoma
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Historical Society/Oklahoma History Center Museum
8:45—4:30pm
The great State of Oklahoma, on the cusp of the Great American Desert, is not without
her scars and stories to tell. Come spend the morning with us at the Oklahoma City
National Memorial, the site of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The Oklahoma City
bombing is remembered as a senseless act of domestic terrorism that took 168 lives and
left many changed forever. Learn about the creation of this memorial/museum and its
designation with the National Park Service as an affiliated site. Then spend the afternoon
exploring the Oklahoma History Center Museum. The new history center museum is an
18-acre, 215,000 square-foot learning center exploring Oklahoma's unique history of
geology, transportation, commerce, culture, aviation, heritage and more. This place is
noteworthy for any budding historian (or budding historical interpreter for that matter.)
Lunch will be on your own in the Bricktown area. Limited to 30 people.
Cost: $25
TRAVELIN’ ROUTE 66
The “Mother Road” from Guthrie to Tulsa
8:00am-5:00pm
Why would a concrete ribbon bring visitors
from all over the world, and inspire songs,
television shows, and movies? In reality
(and February), we will travel in
comfortable enclosed vehicles. In our
hearts, though, we’ll imagine we’re
cruising the Mother Road in convertibles or
on motorcycles, with the virtual wind in our
hair, in search of answers to this question. We’ll stop to explore history and unique
features along the way. Bring your camera. Highlights include: Pop’s (600 flavors of
soda and a giant neon pop bottle sculpture), Arcadia’s famous round barn, the Shoe Tree,
Avery Plaza (Route 66’s birthplace), and perhaps even a smiling blue whale. Buy your
lunch along the way, probably in Tulsa. Your guide, Donna Horton, grew up traveling
this bit of highway. Limited to 20 people.
Cost: $35
FUN DAY AT THE YARN SHOP
Sealed with a Kiss Yard Shop (Guthrie)
10:00am-5:00pm
Spend the day surrounded by fabulous fibers at Sealed With a Kiss, one of the most
innovated yarn shops in the United States. Drop in for a day of shopping, or pull up a
chair and sit and knit with the gang. Food will be ordered from a local restaurant. Sit and
Knit chairs are limited to 15 people.
Cost: Free, but please RSVP.
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“WILD” ABOUT NATURE
Oklahoma City Zoo (Oklahoma City) and
Arcadia Lake (Edmond)
9:00am-5:00pm
Need your nature fix during the conference?
Spend the morning at Arcadia Lake, along the
Deep Fork River. You’ll visit the new 1.5 million
dollar wetland education center and boardwalk.
Bring your binoculars, as February is prime time
for viewing bald eagles. Then on to the Oklahoma
City Zoo and Botanical Garden, ranked as the third most child-friendly zoo in the U.S.
Tour Children’s Zoo and Oklahoma Trails, which will immerse you Oklahoma’s 11 ecoregions of Oklahoma. You’ll be treated to a behind-the-scenes experience at the new $13
million-dollar Elephant Habitat. Lunch provided at the zoo’s Canopy Restaurant. Limited
to 40 people. Expect to walk moderate distances.
Cost: $25
NO BONES ABOUT IT!
Museum of Osteology (Moore) and the Sam
Noble Museum of Natural History (Norman)
8:00am-5:00pm
Oh those bones, oh those bones, oh those
skeleton bones. Come join us on a field trip that
will explore more than skeletal remains inside
these museums. The morning excursion will be
to the Museum of Osteology. Focusing on the
form and function of the skeletal system, this
7,000 square ft. museum displays hundreds of
skulls and skeletons from all corners of the
world. Exhibits include adaptation, locomotion,
classification and diversity of the vertebrate
kingdom. The afternoon will include a visit to
the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. This museum tells the story of life, with
over 4 billion years of Oklahoma’s natural history in a 198,000 square foot facility!!
These collections explore ancient life, natural wonders, people of Oklahoma, Paleozoic
era, and world cultures just to name a few. Lunch will be provided. Limited to 30 people.
Cost: $35
CLOSE TO NATURE’S HEART
The Glass/Gloss Mountains (Fairview)
and Sod house Museum (Aline)
8:00am-5:00pm
The first known American explorer
described what he called "The Shining
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Mountains." The name Glass Mountains comes from the sparkling selenite crystals on
the slopes and tops of the mesas. Rising up to 200 ft. above the plains of Oklahoma the
Glass Mountains State Park is our morning expedition. After lunch we will travel to the
Sod house Museum, Oklahoma's only sod house. At one time thousands of sod houses
dotted the plains region of North America. This "Soddy" built by Marshal McCully in
1894 is the only one still standing that was built in the homestead era. Furnished and
preserved by the Oklahoma Historical Society, the sod house features authentic artifacts
of early farm life. This field trip includes stairs and a hike that is beginning to
intermediate in difficulty. Expect to hike at least 1.2 miles on this trip. Lunch will be
provided. Limited to 30 people.
Cost: $40
New: This trip will also include a visit to Little Sahara State Park
WALKING DOWN MAIN STREET
Walking Tour (Guthrie)
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
The first capital of Oklahoma! Guthrie
began its life as a dusty prairie stop
along the AT&SF Railroad (the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Railway). Located in the Unassigned
Lands of the Indian Territory, Guthrie
had been chosen as a site for one of the
Federal Land Offices where land seekers were required to file claim to their parcels.
Spreading across the hills along Cottonwood Creek, Guthrie, became one of the largest
cities west of the Mississippi. Come and join us as we explore the wonderful little down
of Guthrie, Oklahoma. Some of the places we will get to visit include the OK Frontier
Drugstore Museum & the Apothecary Garden, the Oklahoma Territorial Museum &
Carnegie Library, and the Pollard Theatre. Come and learn more about our home for the
2014 NAI Regional Workshop. Lunch will be provided. Limited to 30 people.
Cost: $15
EVENING EXPERIENCES, Tues, Feb 25th
BONEYARD BBQ AND THE POLLARD THEATRE
6:15-10:00pm
After a tasty meal of steak or BBQ at the Boneyard, we’ll
stroll across the street to the historic Pollard Theatre. The
8:00pm production will be a live performance of “The
Miracle Worker,” the story of Helen Keller. Bring your
own meal money, about $15-$20. Limited to 25 people.
Cost: $35
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PAINT YOUR ART OUT
5:30-10:00pm
Begin with balcony seating at Othello’s Italian Restaurant in historic
downtown Edmond, OK, just 20 minutes from Guthrie. Afterward,
walk across the street to the Paint Your Art Out gallery for a private
painting session with professional artist and interpreter, Jay Tracy.
During a three-hour session, sip wine while Tracy shows you step-bystep how to paint your own cowboy boot masterpiece. Minimum 10
people, limited to 25.
Cost: $65
MURDER MYSTERY AT
THE HAUNTED STONE
LION INN
Time
Make sure you are back
from your day trip by __(not
yet established)__p.m. We
are due at the Stone Lion Inn
early for a seven-course
dinner. As the dinner
progresses, an interpreters’
mystery will unfold, and we
will be a part of it. The
Stone Lion Inn is famous in
Oklahoma for its bed &
breakfast and murder
mystery experiences. This dinner mystery will be written especially for our group.
Minimum? Limited to 25.
Cost: $55
NIGHT AT THE ZOOZEUM
6:30-10:00pm
Like to be spooked? Then you might enjoy eating
by candlelight in an 80-year-old stone building that
once housed hundreds of Halloween props. It is now
home to the Patricia and Byron J. Gambulos
ZooZeum, a historical museum that shares the story
of how the Oklahoma City Zoo began in 1902,
following the land run. Afterwards, a naturalist will
lead you on an after-dark stroll through the zoo,
where you will experiences sights, sounds and (yes)
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smells that are quite different than those that occur during the daytime. Limited to 30
people.
Cost: $30
FINGER WEAVING
6:30-9:30pm
Finger weaving is a Native American art form for
making belts, sashes & much more. Taught by an
expert from Sealed With a Kiss, an innovative yarn
shop located in historic downtown Guthrie,
Oklahoma. Dinner will be ordered from a local
restaurant. Limited to 6 people.
Cost: $35 - all supplies included
PUB CRAWL THROUGH
BRICKTOWN
7:00-10:30pm
It’s a tradition---make the Crawl,
get the t-shirt to prove it! Guthrie’s
pub crawl would not take very long,
so we are going to Bricktown, a
huge, walkable (or crawl-able)
entertainment district along the
river walk in downtown Oklahoma
City, the home of Mickey Mantle.
Yes, his place is on the route. So
are the Bricktown Brewery, Tapwerks Ale House, and Put a Cork in it Winery. You pay
for your own drinks. Limit to 30.
Cost: $35
FROM GRASSROOTS TO BLUEGRASS, PICKIN’ AND SINGING’
Come and Go, starting at 6:00
In the past, Region 6 used to have jam sessions on the opening evening. Guthrie is home
to a world class bluegrass festival, where the campgrounds have as much music as the
stages. What a great time and place to revive this tradition! Bring an instrument if you
have one, a song to share, and ears to listen. It’s not about performance, although a fancy
lick may be appreciated. This is for the community. Meet in the hospitality room. No
limit.
Cost: Free
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WEDNESDAY, Feb 26th
WORKSHOP
Return to the Scottish Rite
Masonic Temple for
workshop sessions. Meet the
winners of the Freeman
Tilden Scholarship Awards
during the annual business
luncheon.
EVENING AWARDS BANQUET
Dinner will be held at the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library. Following the
presentation of prestigious NAI Region 6 awards, relax for some Oklahoma-style entertainment.
Learn Victorian-style dancing from staff at the Oklahoma History Center, followed by first-class
bluegrass entrainment, held in the bluegrass capital of the world!
New: An early-morning birding trip is being planned for Wednesday morning and possibly
Thursday morning. Further details will be available at the conference.
LODGING
Lodging options are all within short distance of the temple and easily accessible by trolley. Three hotels
have been selected (below). They are all within walking distance of each other, just 1.5 miles from the
Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, and are fairly new or newly- remodeled. As Guthrie is known for their Bed
and Breakfasts, these are listed as well.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
The main hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, will also be the site of the hospitality room. Government-rate
rooms are being honored at $77, but the number of available rooms is limited per hotel.
Holiday Inn Express ($99) 2227 E. Oklahoma, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-293-6464,
guthrieexpress@gmail.com , www.hiexpress.com/guthrieok
Sleep Inn & Suites ($89) 414 Heather Rd, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-260-1400, sleepville@aol.com
Best Western Territorial Inn ($89) 2323 Territorial Trail, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-282-8831,
bwguthrie@gmail.com , www.bestwestern.com
BED AND BREAKFASTS
Bed & Breakfast Association of Guthrie Dr. Anna Coffin, 117 W. Harrison, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-4108636, mail@guthriebb.com , www.guthriebb.com
Jaded Getaway Anna Coffin, 123 W. Harrison, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-410-8636, acoffin@aol.com ,
www.jadedgetawayok.com
Keepsake Kottage Gerald & Clara Duehning, 623 E. Cleveland, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-282-8085,
keepsakekottage@cox.net
Deer Time Ranch PO Box 1113, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-623-5400, tbobo@emiok.com
Rosa Bella Guest Rooms Darrell Burnett, 117 West Harrison, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-282-9776,
drpdburnett@sbcglobal.net , www.rosabellaguthrie.com
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The Magnolia Moon 323 W. Cleveland, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-282-6467, www.TheMagnoliaMoon.com
Suite Bettie Jean Gary Good, 103 1/2 S. 2nd Street, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-282-6467,
www.BettieJean.com
Angel's Way Guest Ranch Phyllis & Paul Dragus, 23611 N. Luther Rd., Guthrie, OK 73034, 405-2777782, angelswayranch@aol.com
Addison Suites James Long, 208 1/2 E. Oklahoma, Guthrie, OK 73034, 405-293-8239,
www.addisonsuites.net
Pembroke Cottage Mike & Bettye Friese, 415 Pembroke Lane, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-715-1137,
www.PembrokeCottage.com
Red Brick & Roses Becky Luker, 223 S. First, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-282-0012, www.StoneLionInn.com
Redstone Country Inn & Wedding Chapels Jose & Perla Gonzalez, 206 S. 2 nd , Guthrie, OK 73044, 405282-2667, www.redstonebb.com
Stone Lion Inn Becky Luker, 1016 W. Warner, Guthrie, OK 73044, 405-282-0012,
www.StoneLionInn.com
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