Oklahoma City KEY - Cover Story

Downtown Oklahoma City will be dressed to the nines in her sparkling winter attire for the second annual Bob Howard Auto Group's "Downtown in December" winter celebration. A flurry of yuletide activities including ice sculptors, street carolers and thousands of sparkling lights will transform Downtown into a holiday wonderland through the holiday season.

A magical Downtown Holiday Parade will wind through Oklahoma City's bejeweled streets at 6 pm December 6. The 20-year-old parade will feature dozens of seasonal entries, all festooned with whimsical holiday lights. The parade ends in Bricktown with the official lighting of the state's tallest cut tree, The Oklahoman Christmas Tree. Skaters of all ages and abilities can take to the ice, slipping and sliding on the frozen outdoor Braum's Ice Rink located in the front yard of the majestic Civic Center Music Hall at 201 N. Walker. The ice rink will be open from noon to 10 pm through January 4. For information, visit www.downtownokc.comor call (405) 236-3640.

Thousands of twinkling lights will grace the Myriad Botanical Gardens during the spectacular OG&E Garden Lights. Holiday revelers wanting to experience the sights and sounds of the outdoor grounds can take a walking tour of the lighted Gardens. Visitors can take refuge from the cold weather by retreating to the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory. The Myriad Botanical Gardens is located at Reno and Robinson in downtown Oklahoma City. Regular hours are 9 am to 6 pm Monday thru Saturday and noon to 6 pm on Sunday. For information visit www.myriadgardens.com or call (405) 297-3995.

Visitors will encounter dozens of historic warehouses that have been converted into Oklahoma City's finest restaurants and nightclubs along the north canal. Foliage will sparkle and glitter with Bricktown Lights and The Forest of Trees Sponsored by Bass Pro Shops and Sonic. Walking the canal path, guests can see 50 festive holiday trees decorated by metro area schools through New Year's. Enjoy the magnificent Kerr-McGee Holiday Lights on the Canal featuring festive displays and more than 50,000 lights from a Water Taxi. Adults and children of all ages will enjoy the fun-filled ride through Bricktown's wonderland of lights. Ride free from 6 to 9:30 pm every Thursday through Saturday in December and New Year's Eve. For more information visit www.bricktownokc.com or call 236-8666.

Your family will be dazzled at the Devon World of Trees displayed at the Cox Convention Center. View over 25 trees decorated by groups representing various countries, cultures, crafts and organizations from around Oklahoma. Trees will be on display through the first of the New Year. The event is free to the public and viewing hours are from 10 am to 8 pm daily.

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art special exhibitions gallery offers world-class exhibitions and beginning December 12 will welcome a new exhibit, George Washington, A National Treasure. This exhibit includes the full-length portrait of the leader in the final year of his presidency by Gilbert Stuart. The second and third floor galleries feature the Museum's permanent collection of European, Asian and American art. In addition to the galleries, visitors will find the world's tallest Dale Chihuly glass sculpture in the glass atrium, a 252-seat theater, Museum Store and Museum Cafe. Hours are 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday thru Saturday; 10 am to 9 pm on Thursdays; and 1 to 5 pm on Sundays. Closed on Mondays. For more information call 236-3100 or visit www.okcmoa.org.

Sing, dance, strum and laugh your way through the holidays when the curtain goes up at the world-class Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker. "Yuletide Magic!" from December 3-6, "The Servant of Two Masters" from December 5-14, ChristmaSing on December 7, and "Nutcracker" on December 12-14 and 19-21. For a complete calendar of events, tickets and driving directions, call (405) 297-2264, or log on to www.okcciviccenter.org.

The Oklahoma City Blazers Hockey Team promises non-stop, heart-pounding action all season long in downtown Oklahoma City's newly opened Ford Center. Games are scheduled on December 5, 12, 13, 16, 20, 25 and 31. Most games begin at 7:35 pm. For more information or tickets, visit www.okcblazers.com or call (405) 235-7825.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial, where stately walls, placid water and a field of empty chairs honor those who died in – and those who survived – the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in 1995. At dusk, the outdoor memorial glows with breathtaking beauty as 168 chairs, a poignant reminder of each life lost, illuminates the outdoor grounds as beacons of hope. The adjacent Memorial Museum houses state-of-the-art exhibits that paint a striking picture of a day America will never forget. An original copy of the Declaration of Independence will be on display in the Museum from December 5 through 14. For information visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org or call (405) 235-3313.

Transportation around downtown during the holidays is a snap—just board METRO Transit's Holiday Spirit Trolley. Park just once and catch a trolley to the Civic Center Music Hall, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Ice Rink, Garden Lights, the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Bricktown. Adult trolley fare is only 25 cents for rides through downtown. Trolleys operate 7 am to 11 pm Monday through Friday; 9 am to11 pm Saturday; 10 am to 6 pm Sunday. For complete parking and trolley information visit www.gometro.org or call (405) 235-RIDE.

Revelers eager to learn more about downtown Oklahoma City can take a New Century Tour on the Holiday Sprit Trolley. New Century Tours are 45-minute, pre-recorded tours of the downtown area, the State Capitol and Oklahoma Health Center. The tours will run six days a week, from through December 31. Tours will leave from the OKC Convention and Visitors Bureau, 189 W Sheridan (corner of Robinson and Sheridan) at 10 am Monday though Friday. Saturday tours will depart from the northeast corner of the Cox Business Services Center every hour on the hour between 10 am and 4 pm. For more information, call 232-TOUR or log on to www.okctours.com.

The Arts Council of Oklahoma City will usher in the New Year with family fun during the annual Opening Night celebration on December 31. Downtown will come alive with more than 15 entertainment venues hosting dozens of entertainers from 7 pm to midnight. The evening will culminate with the traditional countdown and fireworks. For information visit www.artscouncilokc.com or call (405) 270-4848.

For more information about the Bob Howard Auto Group's "Downtown in December," visit www.downtownokc.com or call the Downtown in December Hotline at (405) 236-3640.

This website designed, hosted and maintained for KEY of Oklahoma, Inc. by

...when it's time to establish an Internet presence.