On April 30 at 6:00 pm the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid will host an event to kick-off their new exhibit, "Patti Page: Once upon a Dream." Recording artist Darla Z will perform some of Patti's hits, and members of the Page family will reminisce about her life. Dr. Bob Blackburn will lead the ceremony. The evening is free and open to the public.

A series of exhibits on Patti Page, who died at age 85 on Jan. 1, 2013, will be displayed by the Oklahoma Historical Society at four sites across the state to help develop the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture (OKPOP) in the Brady Arts District of Tulsa.

"The OKPOP will be presented in a 75,000-square-foot building dedicated to the creative spirit of Oklahoma's people and the influence of Oklahoma artists on popular culture around the world," said Dr. Bob Blackburn, executive director of OHS. "Patti Page embodies the spirit, art and influence of these Oklahoma artists."

The other Patti Page exhibits will be at the Pioneer Woman Museum in Ponca City, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, and the Claremore Museum of History. Each exhibit will display and focus on different aspects of Patti Page's long career.

Darla Z has opened for musicians such as Willie Nelson and Wayne Newton. She has starred in three network television specials and recently was seen in public television's Darla Z's Christmas Round the World. She will be accompanied by gifted pianist Alyssa Sue Kozlowski, a soon to be graduate of the UCO School of Music, was also pianist in the public television special,   Darla Z's Love Songs Round the World.  On guitar, Dwight Ham, from Ponca City, who also attends UCO School of Music.  Both artists frequently perform and travel with UCO's jazz ensemble.  

Admission to "Patti Page: Once upon a Dream" is included in museum admission. The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and tells the story of the settlement and development of northwest Oklahoma. For more information on the exhibit, please contact the Heritage Center at 580-237-1907 or www.csrhc.org.The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is located at 507 S. Fourth Street in Enid.

The Oklahoma History Center announces the opening of its newest exhibit, "Jṑqī́g�c�t: Tipi With Battle Pictures." This rare artifact will be on exhibit starting Thursday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday, in the Gaylord Special Exhibits Gallery.

While doing regular upkeep on the Indian collections housed within the Oklahoma Museum of History, a curator discovered something that had been forgotten for many years. Stored on one of the shelving units was a rolled canvas tipi that no one had seen for many decades. This tipi is known as the Tipi with Battle Pictures. The tradition and history embodied by this tipi can be traced to 1833 when Little Bluff became the sole leader of the Kiowa people. The Tipi with Battle Pictures also figures prominently in another recent Oklahoma Historical Society venture: the recent acquisition and conservation of the 1920 silent film "Daughter of Dawn.  "In fact, the tipi was authenticated using photographic stills from the movie.

The Chisholm Trail Museum's annual Living History Day will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2015. Encampments of living historians on the museum grounds will demonstrate the lives of lawmen, gunfighters, soldiers and early settlers from the Chisholm Trail era through the early days of Oklahoma. Butter will be churned in the Cole Cabin and classes will be conducted in the Gant One-Room Schoolhouse. Folk music will be played outside on the museum grounds, and the work skills and artistry of spinning, weaving, lace making and other crafts will be demonstrated throughout the day.

Other activities and reenactments taking place throughout the day will include Annie Oakley and her husband, Frank Butler, thrilling the audience with their tremendous feats of sharp shooting, and the Underhill bank robbery that took place in Kingfisher in 1933. After watching the reenactments, visitors can wet their whistles with a cold bottle of sarsaparilla and eat something that will stick to their ribs. Capstone the Magician will be on hand to bring mystery and laughter to his audience, and Howdy the Longhorn also will be in attendance for photographs and rides. The program includes rope making, chuck wagon cooking and many other activities to see and do. More than 60 individuals and groups will relive life in the 1800s for visitors, with activities ranging from flint knapping to blacksmithing to riding an 1882 Highwheel Bicycle.

Living History Day runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children ages 5-18, and ages 5 and under free. The Chisholm Trail Museum is located at 605 Zellers Ave. in Kingfisher. For more information on the museum and Living History Day, please call 405-375-5176 or visit www.ctokmuseum.org.