Tulsa's Gathering Place Celebrates 5 Years With Special Events

Tulsa's Gathering Place is celebrating five years this week with several special events to celebrate. Executive Director Julio Badin joined News On 6 to talk more about what they have planned.

DOG PLAY WEDNESDAY: YAPPY BIRTHDAY BASH

Wednesday, September 6 | 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. | PSO Reading Tree

Gathering Place is kicking off its fifth-anniversary celebration with dogs at Dog Play Wednesday: Yappy Birthday Bash presented by AARP Oklahoma! Guests can enjoy yappy hour drinks from The Patio while their dogs get a free pup-cake of their own from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the PSO Reading Tree.

STORY TIME: BIRTHDAY EDITION

Thursday, September 7 | 4 p.m. TO 4:30 p.m. | PSO Reading Tree

Join us for the first fall Story Time of the season as Hot Toast Music Co. sings the Story Time theme song live and reads stories about parks. After the story, decorate your very own party hat in honor of Gathering Place’s fifth anniversary! Story Time will take place from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the PSO Reading Tree.

Plus, before the story, textile artist Rachel Hayes will speak about her new installation on display at the PSO Reading Tree. The installation–titled A Color Story–includes multicolored fabric flags designed to catch the sun and blow in the breeze.

5TH BIRTHDAY BASH

Friday, September 8 | 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. | PSO Reading Tree

Gathering Place is five years old! Gather with us on the park’s official fifth anniversary as we celebrate the milestone with a free birthday party for the whole family! Guests can enjoy a variety of birthday fun such as enjoying delicious party treats, music and dancing, face painting, caricatures, lawn games, a life size paint-by-number, and more. The 5th Birthday Bash will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the PSO Reading Tree.

STORYTELLING SUMMIT

Saturday, September 9 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | ONEOK Boathouse

On Saturday, September 9, guests are invited to become immersed in the power of storytelling through various experiences led by impactful storytellers in the community. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., guests will learn about different avenues of storytelling with a photography walk, a drawing class, lectures, and workshops led by prominent Tulsa artists, musicians, filmmakers, photographers, and others. In addition, guests are invited to share their stories with students from The Juice Radio Show as they broadcast live from the Cabinet of Wonder.

Plus, attendees will get the first look of Gathering Place’s new exhibit, A Park For All: Celebrating Five Years of Gathering Place, that officially opens to the public on Sunday, September 10!

PARK TOURS AND TINY THINGS

Sunday, September 10 | 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Various Locations

Get a glimpse of Gathering Place through a new lens at Tours & Tiny Things! Guests are invited to go on various free park tours led by Gathering Place experts—guided garden tours led by the horticulture team, playground tours led by the park’s Director of Facilities Ken Sutter, and a park tour in Spanish with Juan Miret. Each tour is offered at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and last about an hour. Registration is encouraged!

After the tours, guests can explore the new additions to Mark Dion’s Cabinet of Wonder and make their own tiny clay creation of an artifact from the exhibit with Tiny Things by Bowen from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

AN EVENING WITH MICHAEL VAN VALKENBURGH

Sunday, September 10 | 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. | Williams Lodge Parlor

For the first time ever, world-renowned landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh will give an exclusive public lecture at the park and share his retrospect of the design and construction of Gathering Place. Registration is now closed for this event.

A PARK FOR ALL: CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS OF GATHERING PLACE

On display through Saturday, September 30 | ONEOK Boathouse

In addition to five days of festivities, a new exhibit—titled A Park for All: Celebrating Five Years of Gathering Place—will be on display in ONEOK Boathouse from Sunday, September 10, through Saturday, September 30. The exhibit showcases portraits of storytellers who share their experiences and adventures in the park.