This article was written by Elaine Warner and originally published in Edmond Life and Leisure, and the original article can be viewed here. People from Shawnee will tell you there are lots of reasons to visit the town. For my family, there are two reasons: Hamburger King and the original Van’s Pig Stand. My husband grew up in Shawnee and these two spots were highlights in his history. He remembers years when the family didn’t have a car. “We’d take a cab to church on Sundays. Our church was on East Main Street and after church we’d walk to Hamburger King.” This little diner has a history longer than my husband’s. It’s been in business since 1927 and is now in the hands of the fourth generation of the Macsas family. Although the location has changed since Jack was a kid, the quality of the food still draws him back. Almost everything is made from scratch, with a local lady bringing in fresh pies daily. The big thing here is the beef. If ever there was a reason to use the phrase “holy cow,” this is it. The 100 percent Angus beef comes from cows raised by the monks at St. Gregory’s Abbey. Grass-fed, grain-finished, the animals are pasture raised without hormones or antibiotics, and processed locally. You can’t get fresher or healthier meat. The outside of Hamburger King is totally unpretentious. The inside is original ‘60s retro. This is a long-time, home-town favorite that is easily overlooked by visitors. They’re missing a treat. While Van’s history actually goes back a century, the Highland Street location dates back to the early ‘30s. Van’s is Oklahoma’s oldest barbecue restaurant continuously-owned and operated by the same family. Their Pig Sandwich is the star of the sty. The recipe hasn’t changed since the Shawnee store opened. It features pulled pork shoulder and the original rub. Van’s also has its own barbecue relish and barbecue sauce. While there is a newer location in Shawnee, one in Moore and one in Norman, it’s the Highland store that draws us back. Try it for a great sandwich with a side of nostalgia. Shawnee’s Main Street has suffered through the years – and could use a good facelift. There are, however, some interesting spots that brighten the streetscape – and may lighten your wallet. One of the most surprising is Oak, Ash, and Thorn. First off, the striking store front stands out. Secondly, it’s a metaphysical emporium carrying rocks, crystals, incense, herbs, teas, dream-catchers and more. Check out the locally made jewelry. And don’t miss the selection of interesting jigsaw puzzles. Be careful if you go into Savvy Bites. This store carries so many items; you’re bound to find something you didn’t know you needed. Kitchen items, olive oils, vinegars, French truffles, baby items, décor, some unusual lights – the store is crowded with shelves and the shelves are packed with interesting things. I wasn’t shopping but walked out with a lemon zester and a clip-and-go cell phone strap that was a life-saver on my recent European trip. Thanks to our lunch at Hamburger King, I discovered the Monks’ Marketplace at St. Gregory’s Abbey. Here you can buy a variety of beef cuts, honey from the monks; hives plus jellies, candy, and soap made in other convents and abbeys. There are also some religious items. This little store, under the clock tower on the St. Gregory’s Abbey campus is only open three days a week: Thursday and Friday from 1:30 to 4:00 and Saturday from 9:00 to 11:30 and 1:30 to 4:00. Also on the St. Gregory (now owned by OBU) campus, you’ll find one of Oklahoma’s oldest museums – the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art. Founded in 1919 by Father Gregory Gerrer, it began with treasures Father Gerrer collected from all over the world. The first thing visitors see is a Cabinet of Curiosities collected by Father Gerrer. This random assemblage includes such items as a 1605 volume of philosophy, foreign money, a sawfish bill, and some pieces of porcelain. The thing that always grabs students’ attention is a shrunken head. In addition to being a world traveler and collector, Father Gerrer was a talented painter. One of the prize pieces in the museum is a portrait commissioned by Pope Pius X in 1904. A copy of this painting, also by Father Gerrer, hangs in the Vatican in Rome. Museum collections range from ancient art to contemporary works. Each area gives just tidbits of the periods and styles. Only about four percent of the museum’s holdings are on display at any one time. The museum’s Egyptian collection is one of the nation’s finest. School children are always fascinated with the mummies. The oldest mummy is about 2400 years old. Hieroglyphics on the mummy case tells us that her name was Tutu. Thanks to modern technology (X-rays and CT scans) we know that she was between 40 and 50 when she died. Her arms were folded over her chest, a common practice with high-status mummifications. Other ancient civilizations including Sumerian, Greek and Roman cultures are represented in this area. Asian art from China and Southeast Asia and South America are also included. From Medieval through the early Renaissance, much of the art created was religious or for the church – but not all. On display now is an ivory jewelry case, made in Italy around 1550. An earlier (1446) Venetian suit of armor stands in a corner nearby. Other exhibits display later European and African art, portraiture, Native American art, and contemporary works. When I think of this museum, the word “bijou” comes to mind. The museum is small compared to many art museums. Individual pieces in the collections are carefully chosen and elegantly presented. Mabee-Gerrer is definitely a jewel in Oklahoma’s crown. Shawnee’s a short drive away and the perfect destination for a day-trip but it offers enough for longer visits. ------ Click HERE to find your perfect hotel for a weekend in Shawnee.

We are sure all of Shawnee will be gazing at the sky Monday, April 8 when the celestial ballet of the Sun, Moon, and Earth will once again captivate sky-gazers with a spectacular solar eclipse. This phenomenon, where the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun, temporarily cloaking the latter in a haunting shadow, is not only a visual spectacle but also an opportunity for scientific observation. With areas of Oklahoma expected to experience a total solar eclipse, we're addressing the many questions being asked. When will the April 8 eclipse occur? The April 8 eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024. The eclipse will cross the Red River about 12:27 p.m., and exit the state about 3:07 p.m., according to National Eclipse. But the total eclipse, the direct casting of the moon's shadow, will only last from about 1:44 p.m. to 1:51 p.m. in the state, Great American Eclipse estimates. What type of eclipse will it be? The April 8 eclipse will be a total solar eclipse. What can I expect to see during the April 8 eclipse? If you are within the path of totality, you will witness the moon completely covering the sun, turning day into twilight for a brief period. Outside the path of totality, observers will see a partial eclipse, where the moon covers a portion of the sun's disk. Where will the April 8 eclipse be visible? The path of totality, where the eclipse will be visible in its entirety, will cross through southeast Oklahoma, but people in Shawnee will still be able to observe a partial eclipse - about 95% coverage. Is it safe to look directly at the April 8 eclipse? No, it is not safe to look directly at the sun during any phase of a solar eclipse without proper eye protection. Looking directly at the sun can cause serious eye damage or even blindness. It's essential to use certified solar viewing glasses or other indirect viewing methods to observe the eclipse safely. TravelOK has ISO-certified Eclipse Glasses as does the Ten-Acre Observatory in nearby Tribbey. How can I photograph the eclipse? Photography of an eclipse requires special equipment and techniques. To capture a solar eclipse, you'll need a solar filter for your camera to protect your equipment and yourself from the intense sunlight. Research proper techniques for photographing the sun safely. How often do total solar eclipses like the one on April 8 occur? Total solar eclipses are relatively rare events that occur roughly every 18 months somewhere on Earth. However, the path of totality for each eclipse is typically narrow, so seeing one from a specific location is less common. These are some of the common questions and answers related to the April 8 eclipse. If you have any further inquiries, feel free to ask! If this celestial phenomenon piques your interest in observing the sky more, plan a visit to the Ten Acre Observatory in nearby Tribbey. They conduct guided tours of the night sky and provide educational presentations to schools and civic organizations.

With the efforts of countless individuals and organizations invested in a healthier Shawnee in 2020 Shawnee became the first Certified Blue Zones Community in Oklahoma , and the seal was accepted jointly by our multicultural community's leaders, Mayor Ed Bolt & Citizen Potawatomi Nation Chairman Rocky Barrett. The Blue Zones Project global holistic health initiative was born of one man's search into the answers of why certain places in the world have more people thriving at older ages than most. Through this research into the world's "Blue Zones," an evidence-inspired model was developed to assist communities in deploying these Power 9 principles into their lifestyles and environment to live longer, healthier lives. Thanks to the generous contributions of the Avedis Foundation , the Blue Zones Project of Pottawatomie County was born in 2017, earning the seal of certified Blue Zone Community in 2020, and in 2022 the project began localization efforts and rebranded as Pottawatomie Go, or as its friends call it, PoGo . Because of Blue Zone's commitment to helping make the healthy choice the easy choice, when you visit Shawnee you will find that many restaurants have delicious Blue Zones inspired options that are often vegan and vegetarian, and you will also find that Shawnee is becoming more pedestrian friendly, with sidewalks and urban trails continuing to be developed throughout the city! If you happen into one of our local grocery stores (both Homeland locations & Firelake Grocery), you may be surprised to find nutritious options along the checkout lines as well, including nuts, seeds, and other whole foods. The Blue Zones Certified seal is housed right here in the Shawnee Welcome Center, so stop by to see it as well as grab a copy of our newest visitor's guide while you're here! Want to know more about how Shawnee is building a healthier community? Learn more about the Avedis Foundation and their goal to measurably increase quality of life in Pottawatomie County:

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Eagle Aviary in Shawnee. It was an incredible experience for my friends and I. From the moment we arrived, I felt like I was stepping into another world. The Golden Eagle, Myanabe, who lives at the Eagle Aviary greeted us as we entered. He is huge and beautiful and has an incredible story. Myanabe was poisoned when he ate lead bullets in a discarded animal. The poison caused damage to his body and caused him to nearly go blind. After his recovery, Myanabe is able to live safely at the Eagle Aviary with Bree Dunham, one of the managers of the aviary. The relationship between Bree and the eagle is incredible, built on mutual trust. One visitor to the aviary, Amyy Schumer, shared her thoughts about her experience there. “The eagle aviary is truly a hidden gem of Shawnee. The beauty of the birds is incredible, and it's all the sweeter to see the relationship between them and their caretakers.” One of the most amazing aspects of the Eagle Aviary was the deep connection between the directors and the eagles. The path to starting the aviary was a personal journey for Jennifer and Bree. Their mother and their heritage inspired them toward being involved in taking care of these amazing birds. The Eagle is an important symbol in the Potawatomi culture beginning with their account of creation and continuing today through important moments and ceremonies. One of their most inspiring stories is that of Wadase Zhabwe. Wadase came to the aviary in 2012; she had fallen out of her nest and injured a wing earlier that year. The rehabilitators were not hopeful that she would ever be released. However, after coming to the aviary, Wadase began to fly. A year later, the Eagle Aviary was granted permission to release Wadase into the wild. She was release with a GPS telemetry backpack which she is still wearing today. The updates have allowed the aviary to track where Wadase is flying. Soon, they expect that Wadase will choose a mate and start building a nest. Another visitor, Abigail McPheeters, described her experience. “My favorite part was hearing how they rescue the eagles and then seeing those rescued eagles personally. It is one thing to hear the story and and appreciate it, but it is another thing to hear it and see the results!” The CPN Eagle Aviary offers a permanent home to eagles rescued from the wild that have been injured and cannot be rehabilitated and released. While only a handful of Native American aviaries exist in the U.S., this facility is the first of its kind to incorporate culturally significant elements into the facility design. We pride ourselves on practicing sound husbandry to provide these Eagles permanent homes in an environment created with enrichment intended to replicate a portion of their wild habitat. For more information about the eagle aviary or to schedule a tour, visit http://www.potawatomiheritage.com/aviary .

Looking for a place to bring the family for the sights and sounds of the holiday season, without the big lines of the big city? Shawnee just might be what you're looking for! Click a section to skip to it: Annual Christmas Season Events & Experiences 2024 New Holiday Events Holiday Shopping in Shawnee Annual Shawnee Christmas Events & Experiences Sunshine Shelly's Spirit of Christmas experience is a limited seasonal destination turns Shelly's beloved pumpkin patch into a winter wonderland. Get a fresh-cut Christmas tree, enjoy wintery refreshments, a Christmas light hayride through the Tunnel of Light, shop handmade artisan goods while the kids play in the "real" snow playground, and see a Christmas movie on the big screen! 2022 Dates: Nov 25 - Dec 23, open Thursday - Sunday evenings from 5 - 8 pm. Night-time Downtown Christmas Parade & Fireworks is an annual Shawnee tradition that brings thousands to a cheery, light-lined Main Street for a Christmas parade and fireworks show that is the perfect beginning to the Christmas season. Takes place annually on the 1st Friday of December. Information to participate as a float or vendor can be found here . 2022 Date: Dec 1 at 6:30 pm Oklahoma Baptist University's Hanging of the Green is an art music tradition that has taken place at OBU for over three-quarters of a century, and in the towering and iconic Raley Chapel since 1961. The ceremonies include performances of sacred art music celebrating the birth of Jesus by OBU choirs and musicians, and often includes accompaniment by the Shawnee Community Orchestra. Takes place the first Saturday in December. 2022 Date: Dec 3 at 8pm in Raley Chapel's Potter Auditorium Locomotive Operators of Central Oklahoma (LOCO) 's Christmas Train Rides feature the 1/8th size model trains that run year-round at the quaint track just outside of Shawnee Twin Lakes, but each December the trains and track are decorated with holiday lights and visited by the Clauses themselves! The experience includes a free photo with Santa & Mrs. Clause, plus wintertime refreshments like hot cocoa and cookies. 2022 Dates: Dec 4, 11, and 17 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm 2024 New Holiday Experiences in Shawnee Irving Berlin's White Christmas: The Musical is being performed live at Shawnee Little Theatre in 2022, with seven performances Nov 11 through the 19. Update: as of 11/7, nearly all performances are sold out! Christmas at the Pottawatomie County Museum is a brand-new event in 2022 featuring an indoor light show and free photos with Santa! Admission to the museum is free for this event, Dec 3 and Dec 10 from 1 - 4 pm. The light show will also be available for viewing throughout the month of December during the museum's regular hours . Messiah: Christ in Art is a limited-time exhibit from the permanent collection of Oklahoma's oldest art museum, the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, explores the different ways that Christ has been depicted in art through the ages. The exhibit will be open to the public December 17 through January 22nd during regular museum hours, and the Gallery Talk & Reception featuring curator Delaynna Trim is set for January 20th at 7pm. Find a new place to do your holiday shopping in Shawnee this season at VisitShawnee.com/shop! ---- This article is NOT intended to be a comprehensive list of holiday events or destinations in and around Shawnee, Oklahoma. To view our entire event calendar, go to visitshawnee.com/events . To see all destinations in Shawnee, go to visitshawnee.com/play.

This article was originally published in the Norman Transcript on April 16, 2023 and was authored by Elaine Warner. ------ Let’s start with a bit of history. With Indian Removal in the early 1800s, tribes were assigned areas in what would become the state of Oklahoma. The five “Civilized Tribes,” Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole, occupied almost the entire area with two exceptions. The Quapaw and Seneca tribes were assigned small portions of the northeastern corner. The panhandle still belonged to Mexico. The Creek and Seminole tribes were given a large swath of central Oklahoma stretching from near Fort Gibson to the western border. Following the Civil War, some of the Creek/Seminole section was ceded to the Sac and Fox, Potawatomi, Shawnee and Kickapoo peoples. Boundaries shifted, tribal territories shrank, and settlement kept encroaching. By the 1890s, the Indians, although named possessors of territory, were pretty much kicked to the curb. The most obvious remnants of their occupation were the names given to counties, towns, and streets: Pottawatomie County, Shawnee, and one of Shawnee’s main streets, Kickapoo. While both the Citizen Potawatomi and the Absentee Shawnee nations have tribal headquarters in Shawnee, the influence of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation is most obvious to visitors. As a writer, the difference in spelling between the county and the Nation bothered me. Blake Norton, Director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center, explained, “Both spellings are phonetic, but Potawatomi is closest to the real word.” and the Cultural Heritage Center is where you should begin your exploration. A discriminating choice of artifacts, gorgeous graphics and interesting interactive elements are thoughtfully organized to help visitors understand both the cultural heritage of the Nation and the historical influences on and by its people. The narrative begins with their foundation story and tribal legends. The tribe originated in what is now Maine and eastern Canada, then migrated to the Great Lakes region. The first of several large displays depicts Potawatomi women working with rice. Wild rice was considered sacred and served not only as nourishing food but was used as medicine and in ceremonies. Potawatomi bands remaining in the Great Lakes area have preserved many of these traditional customs. The Citizen Potawatomi are one of seven Potawatomi bands recognized in the U.S. There are two other First Nations recognized in Canada. The Citizen Potawatomi’s own designation for themselves is Zhishibéni or Duck People. Exhibits take visitors through Potawatomi traditions, interactions with other tribes and the coming of Europeans. You’ll review a lot of American history – and a lot of history you didn’t know. Tribal history takes a darker turn with the era of Indian removals. In spite of good relations, even intermarriages with Europeans, the Potawatomi were not spared Andrew Jackson’s harsh policies. A council to discuss removal was called by the government. When tribal leaders arrived, they were arrested and put in shackles. The army scoured the nearby forests to round up tribal members who sought to resist. This was the beginning of the best-documented Potawatomi removal, known as the Trail of Death. Eight-hundred and fifty-nine Native Americans were forced marched from their northern Indiana homes to Kansas. One of the most touching displays in the museum is a wall of moccasins created by members of the Potawatomi community. Each pair represents ten of the participants on the Trail. To really appreciate all the museum has to offer, plan to spend at least and hour – I spent two and could have spent more time there. Also in this area of town, you’ll find the tribe’s FireLake Casino and FireLake Golf Course. If you’re hungry, both the Casino and the golf course have sandwiches and a small shop near the casino has nishnabe tacos. That name, rather than Indian tacos, is a whole ‘nother story. The other do-not-miss Potawatomi project is the Grand Casino Resort. Jack and I spent the night at the Casino hotel – an attractive and comfortable stay. The staff members who checked us in couldn’t have been more welcoming. They answered my myriad questions patiently – by the time we checked out the next day, I felt like I’d made new friends. Greg Cox, Player Development Manager, took me on a tour of the resort. The largest area is, of course, the casino. There are 1,450 electronic games and more than 30 table games but the floor does not feel crowded. Players can play machines with pennies or play higher stake machines up to $100 dollars. A tour of the casino is worthwhile whether you are a gamer or not. The video screen above the food court on the first floor is worth seeing. Options in the food court include Mexican and Italian dishes, ramen, barbecue, coffee and sweets. Self-serve stations offer free ice cream, soft drinks, coffee, and tea. On the second floor the Fire and Ice Bar serves alcoholic beverages. Nearby, a lounge features live music on Friday and Saturday nights. A concert venue hosts larger concerts. The Foreigner concert, April 29, has been sold out for months. The conference space serves a double purpose. In addition to hosting meetings and events, the area is constructed as a storm shelter designed to keep guests safe even during an F-5 tornado. Other amenities include a full-service spa – I got to enjoy a great massage – and a roof-top pool. Golf packages for FireLake Golf Course are available. Diners have several options besides the food court on the gaming floor. The Grandstand Sports Bar with lots of TVs for fans serves casual favorites. The Grand Café is quieter and serves an excellent breakfast at an amazingly reasonable price. My chicken avocado sandwich for lunch really hit the spot. Flame Brazilian Steakhouse is open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday. The décor is sophisticated, and the salad bar includes such exotic items as fresh oysters. There are more than 130 casinos and over 80,000 slot machines in Oklahoma. I asked Greg Cox what made the Grand Casino stand out. He replied, “Good enough isn’t good enough. We’ve got to be better. We hire good people. The personal connection is primary. We out-people the other casinos.” See the original article published at the Norman Transcript here.