Press Release
December 2, 2015
Contact: Robbin Davis
Pioneer Woman Museum, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 580-765-6108
rdavis@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/pioneerwoman
Holiday Happening in Ponca City Promises Holiday Enjoyment
Ponca City, Okla. — Eight local organizations and businesses have come together to offer Ponca City residents and visitors truly unique holiday experiences. "When we started the Holiday Happening three years ago, it was the Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum and the Ponca City Art Center. Last year we added the Marland Grand Home and the Marland Mansion. This year the Standing Bear Museum has joined along with four of our downtown shops," said Robbin Davis, director of the Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum.
Local businesses joining in this year's Holiday Happening events include the Cherokee Strip Company, Simply Unique Antiques, the Bag Lady Boutique and the Depot Market-Place and A.T.A. Gallery. Each location will offer a variety of activities, entertainment, discounts and refreshments the weekend of Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13.
On Saturday, December 12, visitors to the Marland Grand Home, located at 1000 E. Grand Ave., will enjoy pictures with Santa Claus, caroling around the grand piano with the Ponca City Senior Center Choir and a hands-on, make-and-take art activity for children. A limited quantity of the second annual "Whit" fox ornament will be available for purchase, and a tabletop snowman view and vote art contest will be sure to delight guests. Activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the children's art activity running from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 580-767-0427.
Also on December 12, the Ponca City Art Center, located at 819 E. Central Ave., will host its POP-UP Christmas Art Show from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Local artists from across Oklahoma will sell handmade, unique Christmas gifts including blown glass marbles, handmade stationery, locally made soaps and candles, gift sized paintings and prints. The center also will stage the "Art of Christmas" exhibit from December 5 to January 9. Christmas-themed art exhibits, decorated trees and gingerbread house village will be presented by organizations including the Standing Bear Museum and Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum, and artists including Nicki Lillard, Erin Daugherty and Sandy Meador. For more information, please call 580-765-9746.
The Standing Bear Museum and Education Center, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 60, U.S. Highway 77 and U.S. Highway 177, will present an artist showcase featuring Linda Rous and her hand carved My People Indian Dolls from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday December 12. Guests will be invited to visit with the artist about her inspiration and her work process. Rous's work has a global following and is in many public and private collections around the world. For more information, call 580-762-1514.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 12, the Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum, located at 701 Monument Rd., will host a free presentation by Dr. Sara J. Richter entitled "Christmases on the Plains," discussing the creative celebrations of 19th century settlers on the Great Plains. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a Holiday Open House, shopping, and holiday treats. For more information, call 580-765-6108.
Four downtown shops also will participate in the Holiday Happening on Saturday, December 12. Simply Unique Antiques, located at 211 E. Grand Ave., will give shoppers an opportunity to sign up for one of three $50 gift certificates to be given away from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Participants do not have to be present to win. In addition, a 20 percent storewide discount will be available to patrons. For more information, call 580-716-0145.
The Cherokee Strip Company, located at 409 E. Grand Ave., will host Treats and Treasures from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Enjoy local food samples and treats while shopping for treasures. Edmond, Okla., sculptor Bob Willis and his Western-style sculptures created using various materials will be spotlighted in the store. For more information, call 580-765-0004.
The Depot Market Place, open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and located at 702 S. Third St., will kick off its 12 Days of Christmas with a Blue Grass Christmas featuring local blue grass band Prairie Fire beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, call 580-763-7948.
The Bag Lady Boutique, located at 205 E. Grand Ave., will host a Holiday Open House with refreshments, discounts and treasures to peruse from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. For more information call 580-762-8828.
On Sunday, December 13, Simply Unique Antiques will continue its 20 percent storewide discount from noon to 5 p.m. The Depot Market-Place will host its 12 Days of Christmas event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Cherokee Strip Company will continue its Treats and Treasures event from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"In addition to our one-day POP-UP Christmas Art Show, which will be a great place to purchase unique handmade Christmas gifts, the Ponca City Art Center is bringing back the Art of Christmas Exhibit for the entire month of December," said Kelsey Wagner, executive director of the Ponca City Art Center. "This year our Christmas exhibits are bigger and better. Some items being integrated into this year's exhibit include a 17-foot canoe, fallen trees from an Oklahoma family farm and a five-foot-tall ornament made from welded metal. Each exhibit will offer a unique perspective on Christmas traditions."
"Our hope is that this event will continue to grow and be one that the local community looks forward to every year. It ties perfectly into all of the holiday events that go on in our community including the lighting of the Christmas tree downtown and the Festival of Angels," said Davis.
For more information about any of the programs and events for the Holiday Happening, contact one of the locations or Robbin Davis at the Pioneer Woman Museum at 580-765-6108, piown@okhistory.org or visit the Ponca City Holiday Happening Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/poncacityholidayhappening.
The Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains 31 museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
