The University of Central Oklahoma College of Fine Arts and Design will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mitchell Hall Theatre with a special alumni showcase at 7 p.m., Monday, June 29, in Mitchell Hall Theatre on Central’s campus.

Held on the theater’s centennial date, the one-night-only event will bring together alumni from UCO’s dance, theatre arts and music programs for an evening of performance, reflection and celebration. Featuring performers from multiple generations, the showcase honors a venue that has served as a cornerstone of arts education, performance and community life in Edmond for a century.

The program will include musical theatre performances, dramatic readings, dance works and original music presented by alumni whose careers have taken them to professional stages, classrooms, studios and creative industries across the country."

For 100 years, Mitchell Hall Theatre has been much more than a building,” said Collin Andrulonis, UCO theatre arts alumnus and director of the Mitchell Hall Centennial Alumni Showcase.

"It has been a place where artists discovered their voices, built lifelong friendships and created memories that continue to shape their lives. This showcase is an opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary alumni who have come through its doors and to honor the impact Mitchell Hall has had on generations of performers, students and audiences.”Opened June 29, 1926, Mitchell Hall Theatre has hosted thousands of performances, lectures, ceremonies and community events throughout its history. Generations of UCO students have rehearsed, performed and grown within its walls, while countless audience members from Edmond and across Oklahoma have experienced the arts there.In addition to celebrating the theatre’s legacy, proceeds from the event will support the ongoing upkeep and future improvements of Mitchell Hall Theatre, helping ensure it remains a vibrant performance venue for generations to come.

Following the performance, guests are invited to attend a reception and reconnect with alumni, faculty, students and friends while commemorating this historic milestone.

Tickets are $35 and may be purchased online at go.uco.edu/alumni-showcase.

For a complete list of UCO College of Fine Arts and Design events and performances, visit BronchoArts.com.

By Kimberly Burk, 

for Edmond Life and Leisure

The animatronics that make up the immersive exhibit Dinosaur Expedition "are so lifelike and incredible,” says Trevor Leonard, an Edmond resident and chief operating officer of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. 

And for many families, one visit is simply not enough.

As of June 4, more than 1,225 season passes had been sold to the exhibit, which continues through Nov. 1.  

"Our dino season pass has been a hit,” said Lindsay Scovil, assistant director of membership, who also lives in Edmond.  "Dinosaurs can be a passion for a lot of people.”

ZOOfriends members can purchase dino season passes for $28 per person.

"You only need to go four times and you have paid for it,” Scovil said. Scovil said the zoo has already identified about 70 dino season passport holders who have visited Dinosaur Expedition repeatedly since it opened March 6.

"A lot of thought goes into these exhibits,” Leonard said.  "We spent about a year researching this.” Leonard said several dinosaur exhibits are available from vendors across the country, but the zoo chose this one based in part on advice from other zoos and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.The more than 60 life-sized dinosaurs in the exhibit represent the Jurassic, Cretaceous and Triassic periods, and include signage with educational information.

"We don’t know what the skin or coating of a dinosaur actually was,” Leonard said, but the "skin” on the dinosaurs in the exhibit "feels kind of fleshy. It moves in a way that dinosaurs probably moved.”The dinosaurs, some more than 60 feet long and 25 feet tall, were designed to demonstrate movements and vocalizations that paleontologists believe are scientifically accurate, said Candice Rennels, director of public relations for the zoo.

Dinosaur Expedition also features children’s rides and a walking dinosaur experience for a small extra cost. Complete information about zoo memberships, daily admission and special exhibit information based on age and family size can be found on the zoo website. The zoo received an award this year for offering one of the 10 best zoo memberships in the nation, Rennels said. Many Edmond residents are ZOOfriends members. 

The largest of the dinosaurs greets visitors when they enter the plaza, and guests then walk along a secluded path to discover more dinosaurs, fossil digs, photo opportunities, interactive exhibits and more. 

"Visitors can get close enough to touch all the dinosaurs,” Leonard said. As a child, Leonard read about dinosaurs and viewed illustrations. 

"If you were fortunate you got to see the bones at a museum or something,” he said.

"But to view more than 60 life-sized dinosaur animatronics moving around and making sounds, that’s quite a different experience,” Leonard said.

"You hear a lot of wows. It’s really fun at the front gate to see the kids tentatively approach the dinosaur. They want to be close but not too close,” Leonard said.

"Even the adults,” Rennels said, "will walk in and gasp.”

"Visitors often come dressed for the occasion,” Rennels said.

"We have seen so many dinosaur T-shirts, dinosaur pajamas and dinosaur hats,” Rennels said. "The exhibit brings out the kid in everybody.”

On the first Sunday of every month from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., the dinosaur movements and sounds are turned off for a sensory-friendly hour. 

Leonard said the popularity of the exhibit "has exceeded our expectations.”

While dinosaurs no longer walk the earth, many of their descendants through a distant common ancestor can be found throughout the zoo Rennels said, including the cassowary, also known as the "dinosaur bird,” which has a large body, fierce claws and a helmet-like structures on its head that many dinosaurs are believed to have had.

City of Edmond.

June 6 is a big day in Edmond. From 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Route 66 Road Rally - hit the Mother Road for the ultimate adventure!  Explore 26 destinations from Sapulpa to Edmond, meet new friends, and win amazing prizes. Start anywhere along the route stopping at checkpoints along the way to check in via smartphone for a chance to win $1,000.

Registration is $25 per vehicle register at www.100greatestmiles.com anytime before noon on June 6.

This is not a timed event, so take your time cities along the way. Shop, eat, play, visit, learn, and take photos to make the most of your experience! The grand prize of $1,000, along with many other exciting prizes, will be awarded at our official after-party at The Chicken Shack in Arcadia, OK, on June 6th at 6:00 PM. All vehicles and ages are welcome.

About the Route 66 Midpoint Corridor

Known as the 100 Greatest Miles of Route 66,is a coalition of 11 Oklahoma communities dedicated to preserving and celebrating our stretch of Historic Route 66. Our mission is to "Unify, Beautify, and Preserve” this iconic roadway, ensuring its vibrancy for generations to come. The towns of Edmond, Arcadia, Luther, Wellston, Chandler, Davenport, Stroud, Depew, Bristow, Kellyville, and Sapulpa are committed to maintaining the timeless beauty of Route 66. Through ambitious clean-up and beautification projects and fun, engaging family events, we strive to drive traffic to each city and celebrate the history of America’s Mother Road. With a vision to create an unforgettable experience for travelers and locals alike, we are dedicated to rejuvenating and honoring the spirit of Route 66 while showcasing its historical significance. For more information or to register for Road Rally 2026, visit www.100greatestmiles.com.

Post Road & 15th Street (parking lot next to the Edmond Water Tower) 

Celebrate the opening of a new wooden boardwalk, pavilion and launch pad for mountain bikes at Arcadia Lake. For the past six years, Oklahoma Mountain Bike Association (OMBA) Trail Manager "Turbo Joe” Miller and a dedicated team of volunteers have worked alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to transform Arcadia Lake’s east side from just 1.5 miles of trail into more than 15 miles of premier mountain bike trails and features. Through a successful Army Corps Partnership Handshake Grant and the support of generous community sponsor, the project expanded far beyond its original vision. New amenities include The Launch Pad pavilion and drop-in platform, picnic areas, changing stations, professional trailhead signage, bridges, boardwalks, and a spectacular 300-foot elevated boardwalk overlooking the trail corridor below. The June 6 grand opening celebrates years of collaboration between volunteers, local businesses, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the mountain biking community, further establishing Arcadia Lake as one of the premier mountain bike destinations in the Oklahoma City metro area.

The festival is themed around Edmond’s Route 66 icon, the Blue Hippo. Free family-friendly activities, performances, artists and all things blue. In addition to carnival-style activities, visitors can participate in hippo and Route 66 Trivia throughout the park. Be part of a community art project and hippo-themed activities, such as the Hungry Hippo game station. Try to win a Hot Wheels race, tour the Historic Rodkey House and American Legion Hut, or purchase one of the hippo art pieces being created LIVE during the festival. Just to create the right atmosphere, visit the 30 blue classic cars and trucks on 4th street, and musicians will perform the BLUES and pop in the park pavilion.

Musicians at the Pavilion:

4-5:30 Big G Blues Band with Garrett Jacobson

6-7:30 From A to Z, pop with Zach and April Gaddis

8-9:30 OK3, contestants on Season 25 of "The Voice”

Performances:4-6:00 Soltani Music School Performances

4-6:00 Bart Taylor, Roper

4-7:00 Dancing with Grandma

4-7:00 Blue Hippo Storytime with Anita, each hour

5-7:00 Troy Scott, magician

5:30-6 Ballet Folclórico Xochipilli OKC

6:30-7:30 McTeggart Irish Dancers of OK

7-8:00 Chelsea Parks, Hooplahoma

Live Art Demonstrations:

4:00 Jay Tracy (painter) and Clint Stone (painter)

5:00 Talla Jurney (youth painter) and Matthew Nelson (painter)

6:00 Forrest McKinley (cartoonist) and Katelyn Noel Knick (painter)

7:00 Troy Scott (caricatures) and Elizabeth Czaplinski (printmaking)

8:00 Janet Funk (etching) and Sara Whitehead (mixed media)

Visit EdmondHistory.org for further information and continuous updates.