Celebrating 20 Years of Main Street Bliss
by Jayne Detten and David Keathly


This year a wonderful event is taking place in downtown Ponca City, OK. No, we’re not speaking of the State Centennial Celebration, although that outstanding event will be highlighted in the fall at our community Birthday Bash. The extraordinary event is the twenty year anniversary of the Main Street program contributing to the success of the community.

During this twenty year time frame, our community has seen many changes in the downtown historic district…

In 1987, the Poncan Theatre was dark and its future unsure. The theater had been closed for several years and the roof had serious leaks causing great damage. Soon a small group of Main Street people formed the Poncan Theatre Company and started rescue efforts. Within a year, the organization had been designated a 501C3, and the owners, Enloe and Wanda Baumert, had made a gift of the theater to the company. Fund raising projects started in earnest and the theater was rescued from the wrecking ball. Other structures such as the Paris Furniture Building, the Bus Depot and Grand Central Station found new adapted uses. Betty’s Boutique, John’s Apparel, Toni’s Rexall Drug Store, the Gift Shop and dozens of other shops relocated or expanded. After decades of decline, a definite turnaround aided by the Main Street program was seen in the district.

By the mid-nineties, the City Hall building was quickly deteriorating. It suffered from nearly eighty years of ware, leaky roofs, lack of ADA and current code provisions and many other problems. As a possible alternative a much newer, nearby bank building was for sale at that time. For a while there was some consideration of purchasing that building for a new city hall and abandoning the existing structure. Again, the Main Street organization helped bring the parties together and orchestrated the early plans for renovation of the historic 1917 structure. Today, the building renovation has won several awards and stands as a testament to a successful historic preservation effort in our downtown district. These projects and others have fostered a renewed pride in our community centered on the central business area.

Several important honors have been bestowed on and also been given by the program during the last twenty years. Ponca City Main Street was sited with several awards for building improvements and some special one-of-a-kind awards which are worthy of mention.

The “John Smith Spirit of Main Street Memorial Award” was created in the 1990’s named for John Smith, former owner of Smitty’s Men’s Store downtown. Mr. Smith is now deceased, but lives on in the hearts of many Main Streeters as a local downtown legend. The award continues to honor an outstanding role model for the program. The criterion includes the requirement of selecting a person who is extremely dedicated and passionate as Mr. Smith was about the development of downtown Ponca City. Past “Spirit of Mainstreet Award” winners have included Nida Austin, Debbie Covey, Illene Ozment, Phil Bandy and Barbara Impson.

The state program selected one of our local citizens as the 2005 “Oklahoma State Hero of Main Street” winner. This award is given for outstanding service to the program state wide. Fred Boettcher was chosen as the recipient. Boettcher has purchased and developed several real-estate properties and renovated over fifteen buildings in the district sacrificing many of his own dollars to do so. He continues to offer reasonable rents and has future plans and visions for continued development on behalf of the community. Boettcher has been actively involved with the program since its inception in 1987.

Sharing some fond memories of the program during the last twenty years Phil Bandy, Main Street co-founder and member says….”I remember when the Chamber of Commerce was located in the building that is now Lewis Associates Architects at 112 N. Grand and when the small Downtown Action Group was the only organization in Ponca City that was devoted to promoting downtown prior to the beginning of the Main Street program. The official nationally recognized Main Street program’s organization structure works so much better and has been much more effective in reaching the goals we need to reach in our downtown district.”

Jeff Smith, owner and operator of John’s downtown, told of remembering when… “Ponca City Main Street met in the back of Barney’s Barbershop where if you stood up straight, your risked a concussion because the ceiling was so low!”

David Keathly, present director of the Marland Estate states … “I remember when I met the state officers for the first time. We were upstairs in a then vacant building (now Zino’s restaurant). Fred Boettcher, Phil Bandy and others were sharing their ideas of the great potential for downtown Ponca City and why we should be selected in the first round of the Main Street program application process in 1986. Then came the disappointing news of not being selected that year due to a minor glitch. And then the mad scramble to reevaluate and rewrite the application. We were selected the following year in 1987, and the rest is history!

Past directors of the program have included Steve Tedford, David Keathly, Tamara Sharp, Michelle Jean, and Tim Wilkins. Over the last 20 years the Main Street office has been housed in Barney’s Barbershop, the little house on north 3rd St owned by Jack Keathly at the time, above the Gift Shoppe downtown and in the City Hall where is presently located.

Current members of the board are: Nida Austin, Albertsons Food Store; Phil Bandy, Ann Bandy Insurance; Dave Bishop, ConocoPhillips and Chair of Board; Link Cotham, Waddell and Reed, Inc.; Barbara Impson, Moore's Clothing and Vice Chair of Board; Nancy Murphy, Murphy Insurance and Secretary of Board; Keni Ray, Home Nat’l Bank; Christina Rich-Splawn, Graf-X-Tina Graphics; Wanda Sheehan, Angel Central volunteer and Treasurer of Board; Nancy Tyndall, Tyndall Family Dentistry; Richard Winterrowd, Lewis & Assoc Arch.; Chris Henderson, City of PC/Community Development (ex-officio).

Main Street staff consists of Jayne Detten, Executive Director and Vonda Barnwell, Office Assistant. Main Street has four working committees which meet on a monthly basis. Those committees and chairmen are: Organization - Christian Rich-Splawn, Promotions - Barbara Impson and Nancy Tyndall, Design - Richard Winterrowd, and Economic Restructuring - Link Cotham.

Main Street is in place to benefit the entire community, not just the downtown merchants. Membership is open to all. The program needs the support of many persons and entities to succeed. The rewards of a renewed downtown environment spread to all corners of the city and to all facets. These community-wide benefits include enhanced tourism, improved infrastructure, a more pleasant shopping, entertainment and recreational area and a better economic development climate. A revitalized downtown instills pride and ownership in the citizens in the “heart of their community”, the downtown where Ponca City first began in 1893.

For more information about the Ponca City Main Street program, how to join a committee or membership, contact the office at 580-763-8082 and see the web site at www.poincacitymainstreet.com.