Dennis Spielman

I Opened It…

On July 19, 2016

On my way home after doing an interview in Tulsa, I took Route 66 part way home and found the Stroud Spaceport. Created by Vernon (Craig) M. McGuire, the Flying Saucer of Stroud began back in 1994 when a friend gave him an eight foot satellite dish. He had planned on making an umbrella top for a table until another friend gave him another dish, thus having two identical dishes. At that point the creation of The Flying Saucer was born.

The top hat to the saucer consists of commercial dryer door, pool filter, small satellite dish, UHF antenna, and over 100 platinum coated aluminum hard drive disks.

Naturally, I had to open it. Naturally, I filmed it, of course.

I opened it! pic.twitter.com/1H7o1KkpQ0

— Uncovering Oklahoma (@uncoveringok) July 18, 2016

If you’re traveling Route 66 through Stroud, check it out for yourself. You can see it on Main Street (Route 66) just west of N. 8th Ave. It’s a little west of Rock Cafe.

Full Moon Run and Ride, Graphite, and Dig It

By Dennis

On July 14, 2016

In Real

Run and ride your bike at Oklahoma City’s Myriad Botanical Gardens during their Full Moon Run and Ride event. Held on the evenings of full moons, this free event will take you through downtown. Join other runners in a 5K run, led by Ultramax Sports Oklahoma, through the scenic downtown area as the sun sets. Bring your bike and meet up a for a leisurely one hour ride. Downtown-area routes are specially planned by Schlegel Bicycles.

Then we go to the Plaza District to visit the art gallery, Graphite, who focuses on highlighting local artists.

While in the Plaza District, the counter-culture store, Dig It, shares their unique offerings you won’t find elsewhere.

Fun Facts: I filmed four segments in the same day while I was at the Plaza District: An Artist Statement Minute with AK Westerman, Graphite, Dig It, and finally Roxy’s Ice Cream Social.

Beats and Bites, The Patriarch, and the Wheeler District

By Dennis

On July 7, 2016

In Real

Get something to eat while listening to great music at Riverwind Casino’s Beats and Bites. Megan Williams from Riverwind and Will Martin from Nacho Biznez talk about the experience at Beats and Bites.

Then we go to Edmond to visit the craft beer house and lawn, The Patriarch, which is literarily a house. General Manager, Stephen Viljoen, explains what sets them apart from other bars.

Finally, we end in Oklahoma City along the river to the new Wheeler District Ferris Wheel where District Developer, Blair Humphreys, shares the interesting story of how the Ferris Wheel ended up in OKC.

This week’s end credits features music from the local band, Wicked Shimmies, with their song, “On My Way Out.”

As usual, be sure to watch it all the way to end for the bloopers.

Independence Day Fireworks in Norman

By Dennis

On July 5, 2016

In Real

For the Fourth of July, I went with some friends to watch the fireworks in Norman. I took my camera and tripod with me and this year I did some long exposure photographs. I had seen a photo of this technique online and thought it was a cool idea to try out myself. Normally, I don’t care to take pictures of fireworks because I prefer to enjoy the moment and they never look that great anyway, however, these turned out amazing!

For this session, my f-stop was at 20 with an exposure time of one minute for most of the pictures. Because of the time it took to capture the image and then process it, I only took several photos, which also allowed me to enjoy the show not from a viewfinder.

We had a special viewing spot on top of a parking garage we enjoyed. We didn’t have to deal the mud, bugs, crowds, and the traffic from Reaves Park. 😎

I hope you had a great weekend!

Wheeler Criterium and On The Lawn

By Dennis

On June 30, 2016

In Real

It’s time for summer fun!

In the new Wheeler District the Race Director for Wheeler Criterium, Chad Hodges, talks about the weekly bike races and how you can be a part of it, even if you don’t bike.

Then the Executive Director of the Western Avenue Association, Rachael Taylor, talks about the monthly summer family fun event, On The Lawn.

Get out there and enjoy the summer! I’m working on a special summer fun compilation video so stay tuned for it.

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