Guest: With worst times behind it, Fairfax, Oklahoma, is ready for its best of times
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Charles Dickens may well have been describing Fairfax. In March 1923, my mother, Louise, was born in the hospital in Fairfax, Oklahoma. It was the same week in which an explosion rocked the neighborhood. Indeed, my grandmother, Anna, was in the hospital when the bombing occurred just down the street.
In the Grayhorse cemetery, my family lies next to the known victims. I have wondered how that played out in the life of my mother and grandmother. While I will never know, I have a clear view of how it played out in Fairfax’s story.
Fairfax was a dynamic place full of life and possibilities. But as fortunes go, Fairfax then faded to almost a ghost town. Over the years, the oil and gas industry deserted Fairfax. A small tornado nearly finished her off. Fairfax was deserted and left to wither and die. But thanks to a new industry, the film industry, Fairfax is ready for a new start.
What a difference a year makes! Hollywood and a dynamic story came to life, and a new town is planned for sustainable tourism.
Friends of Fairfax Inc. and a coalition of organizations, which includes the Osage Nation and local investors, have come together to rebuild Fairfax for her next phase of development. We call it our Humpty Dumpty Project.
Indeed, Fairfax still has all the elements of a small city. We have a K-12 school, a great rural hospital, a golf course, a city park, a bank and a city lake well known for excellent fishing. And then the best news was recently received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a grant to build out a world-class art museum and studios for our artists and craftsmen and women. The new art space has now drawn in a new restaurant and other elements that will focus on the new Fairfax. We have plans to have an open call for artists soon.
Friends of Fairfax is looking for others to join our efforts. We have partnered with the Osage County Industrial Authority and the Osage Nation CDFI to offer small business loans. We are investigating tax credits for large investors to join our coalition. We have an array of properties that can now be reimagined and reused to bring back the shine to Fairfax.
We accept that Fairfax has seen the worst of times and is now ready for the best of times. After 100 years, the story has been told. The streets of Fairfax are once again welcoming new visitors and offering new opportunities to prosper.
The dark shadows of the time have faded, and the colors are becoming brighter each day. New businesses and outstanding opportunities await those who participate in this new adventure. I can’t wait to see what the next 100 years will be like.
Join us.
Kay Bills lives in Grayhorse, Oklahoma.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Film industry has given Fairfax, Oklahoma, hope for the best of times
