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Roses popular, easy to grow in Oklahoma
Roses are one of the most popular plants in Oklahoma gardens, and many are relatively easy to grow, especially the newer varieties like the Knock Out® rose. Roses offer color and fragrance in the garden, and many make wonderful cut flowers. If you have a garden, you should try your hand at growing roses!.
03/22/2012 | Comments 0From ‘Long Black Limousine’ to Elvis
That would change years later. For the next seven years, band members came and went. Finally, Black put together a group of musicians that have been with him for more than 20 years. They include guitarist Graham Pugh, bass player Rick Alongi, drummer Bob Gorley and keyboard player Phil Sapper, formerly of Harvey and the Wallbangers.
03/01/2012 | Comments 0Young artist generates new ideas for veterans memorial expansion
“This will not be done with any public money,” said Howe, an Air Force pilot who flew B-52s during the Vietnam war. “Each statue will cost $40,000, but this type of art puts us in a different realm. It will take us into the world of art, which opens new avenues for giving.
02/23/2012 | Comments 0Fleck and Flecktones to perform April 10 at Rose State
The extraordinary initial line-up of his incredible combo are touring to support their latest recording, “Rocket Science.
02/17/2012 | Comments 0Real Life
In my presentation, I told the club members about the importance of supporting their local newspaper. After all, we received numerous compliments about our publication and its new appearance, content and local ownership. In this business, compliments can be few and far between, so we enjoyed all of the positive remarks.
02/17/2012 | Comments 0‘General’-ly speaking
In fact, every night when he goes home, the general’s hat comes off – if only temporarily – and suddenly the commander of one of the most critical U.S. Air Force bases turns into father, husband, scuba diver and avid fan of New England sports teams..
02/10/2012 | Comments 0Longtime MWC fire department spokesman Jerry Lojka retires
Lojka spent 29 years at the Midwest City Fire Department and served in several roles, including firefighter, inspector, investigator, public education officer, public information officer and fire marshal.
His favorite job was that of department spokesman as he answered questions from the press, and conveyed important fire prevention tips to the public.
Real Life: Lojka will be missed at fire department
This week’s retirement of Midwest City Fire Marshal Jerry Lojka reminded
me how an effective and well-intentioned PIO does his job. During the
past 14 months I’ve discovered that he knows his job and he understands
the role reporters play in the world of news and information.
02/03/2012 | Comments 0MWC grad, Hudson to receive national awards
Midwest City School graduate Lester Claravall will receive the prestigious Lewis Hines Award for Service to Children and Youth during a ceremony in New York City on Monday.
The award will be presented by the National Child Labor Committee, which serves as the sponsor for the Lewis Hines awards...
Images of 2012 MLK Prayer Breakfast
Several hundred people attended Midwest City’s 15th annual Martin
Luther King, Jr., Prayer Breakfast Monday at the Sheraton Hotel’s Reed
Conference Center. Featured speakers were former state legislator Angela
Monson, Oklahoma City police officer Paco Balderamma and Midwest City
graduate and current University of Oklahoma student Rodney Farrow.
01/19/2012 | Comments 0
October 22nd, 2010
Billy Sims Barbecue restaurant touches down in Midwest City
The number 20 served Billy Sims well in football. Years after his sports career ended, it may be his lucky number again.
He is on his way to owning 20 Billy Sims Barbecue restaurants. The 15th store is in Midwest City, one just opened in Lawton, and another is planned for Owasso. Sims wore the number 20 on his jersey while playing high school football in Hooks, Texas. He retained the number at the University of Oklahoma and with the NFL's Detroit Lions.
Sims, the Heisman Trophy-winning running back from OU, opened his first Billy Sims Barbecue with partner Jeff Jackson in Tulsa six years ago. At first, he hesitated to put his name on the restaurants, but envisioned one day having two or three locations. When he decided to brand the eateries with his name, he knew that initially would get people though the doors.
Sims wondered, however, if it would keep them coming back.
"I knew after the honeymoon was over with, if the food wasn't any good, people would say, 'He can run, but he can't cook,'" Sims said.
Diners in Tulsa liked his smoked ribs and signature barbecue sauces so much that now the Tulsa area has seven stores. The rest of the sites may be found around the state and in Missouri.
After the opening of the Midwest City store, 1701 S. Air Depot, earlier this month, franchisee Trent Crow plans to open other Billy Sims Barbecue restaurants around the metro area. It is his first franchised store in the chain. He and the corporate office are being choosy about where and how many will open in the Oklahoma City area. There is already one location each in Oklahoma City, Norman and Edmond.
"We're really going to start expanding in the Oklahoma City market," Jackson said. "But we don't want to be like a Subway or Quizno's, where there's one on every corner."
RIBBON CUTTING
The community welcomed the restaurant staff and Sims Oct. 14 at a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce.
"We're very happy to have Billy Sims Barbecue open in Midwest City," Mayor Jack Fry said. "This certainly will help our sales tax revenue."
Led by Armando Rivera, the eatery stands in the former Quizno's, which Rivera managed. When Crow was scouting locations, he made a few visits to Quizno's and observed Rivera and his team. When plans were in place for the Quizno's to close and for Crow to take over the space, he offered Rivera a job.
For a successful restaurant, Sims said, the food must be good, and " just as important " the staff has to provide great service.
"The key is the food and the people working here," he said.
GOIN' SOUTH
Sims is eyeing Texas for future expansion. Although his college football glory days were in the Sooner state, he said Texans are always hungry for good barbecue. He spends about half his time in the Lone Star State and has homes in Texas and Oklahoma. He said there is hardly a barbecue restaurant in both states that he hasn't visited at one time.
"People in Texas like barbecue," Sims said. "They can get past the Sooner thing if they have good barbecue."
The stores are sticking with the tried and true recipes, with few variations. One recent addition was a line of barbecue sauce for diabetics. As of yet, nothing is fried, but Sims said he might consider adding options like french fries. But he doesn't want to change much, since the menu has proven successful so far.
Sims and Jackson do not have a target for how many stores they hope to eventually have in the chain. For now, matching Sims' old jersey number is not too far out of reach.
"Jokingly, when we started out I said, 'Let's do 20, because I had number 20 in college, high school and the pros,'" he said. "I'm glad it wasn't 84. We'll just take it a store at a time."
photo A crowd including Billy Sims (center in hat) and Mayor Jack Fry (in tie) cut the ribbon for Billy Sims Barbecue Oct. 14. Photo/Kelley Chambers
He is on his way to owning 20 Billy Sims Barbecue restaurants. The 15th store is in Midwest City, one just opened in Lawton, and another is planned for Owasso. Sims wore the number 20 on his jersey while playing high school football in Hooks, Texas. He retained the number at the University of Oklahoma and with the NFL's Detroit Lions.
Sims, the Heisman Trophy-winning running back from OU, opened his first Billy Sims Barbecue with partner Jeff Jackson in Tulsa six years ago. At first, he hesitated to put his name on the restaurants, but envisioned one day having two or three locations. When he decided to brand the eateries with his name, he knew that initially would get people though the doors.
Sims wondered, however, if it would keep them coming back.
"I knew after the honeymoon was over with, if the food wasn't any good, people would say, 'He can run, but he can't cook,'" Sims said.
Diners in Tulsa liked his smoked ribs and signature barbecue sauces so much that now the Tulsa area has seven stores. The rest of the sites may be found around the state and in Missouri.
After the opening of the Midwest City store, 1701 S. Air Depot, earlier this month, franchisee Trent Crow plans to open other Billy Sims Barbecue restaurants around the metro area. It is his first franchised store in the chain. He and the corporate office are being choosy about where and how many will open in the Oklahoma City area. There is already one location each in Oklahoma City, Norman and Edmond.
"We're really going to start expanding in the Oklahoma City market," Jackson said. "But we don't want to be like a Subway or Quizno's, where there's one on every corner."
RIBBON CUTTING
The community welcomed the restaurant staff and Sims Oct. 14 at a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce.
"We're very happy to have Billy Sims Barbecue open in Midwest City," Mayor Jack Fry said. "This certainly will help our sales tax revenue."
Led by Armando Rivera, the eatery stands in the former Quizno's, which Rivera managed. When Crow was scouting locations, he made a few visits to Quizno's and observed Rivera and his team. When plans were in place for the Quizno's to close and for Crow to take over the space, he offered Rivera a job.
For a successful restaurant, Sims said, the food must be good, and " just as important " the staff has to provide great service.
"The key is the food and the people working here," he said.
GOIN' SOUTH
Sims is eyeing Texas for future expansion. Although his college football glory days were in the Sooner state, he said Texans are always hungry for good barbecue. He spends about half his time in the Lone Star State and has homes in Texas and Oklahoma. He said there is hardly a barbecue restaurant in both states that he hasn't visited at one time.
"People in Texas like barbecue," Sims said. "They can get past the Sooner thing if they have good barbecue."
The stores are sticking with the tried and true recipes, with few variations. One recent addition was a line of barbecue sauce for diabetics. As of yet, nothing is fried, but Sims said he might consider adding options like french fries. But he doesn't want to change much, since the menu has proven successful so far.
Sims and Jackson do not have a target for how many stores they hope to eventually have in the chain. For now, matching Sims' old jersey number is not too far out of reach.
"Jokingly, when we started out I said, 'Let's do 20, because I had number 20 in college, high school and the pros,'" he said. "I'm glad it wasn't 84. We'll just take it a store at a time."
photo A crowd including Billy Sims (center in hat) and Mayor Jack Fry (in tie) cut the ribbon for Billy Sims Barbecue Oct. 14. Photo/Kelley Chambers
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