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Since readers in Oklahoma have been particularly supportive of Appetite for America—and do dearly love their Fred Harvey heritage—I’m pleased to announce an Oklahoma micro-tour, October 18 and 19, coming to the Waynoka Harvey House and then the NWOSU Library in Alva.
10/18 at the Waynoka Harvey House, 1386 Cleveland Street, Waynoka, OK I’ll be giving a talk and doing a book signing, from 7:00-8:30. This is a special event because the Waynoka Harvey House and its contagiously enthusiastic leader, Sandie Olson, were deeply involved in the process of putting together this first, full-length biography of Fred Harvey (for which I am endlessly grateful). Most of the new Harvey Girl photos featured in the book, including the one on the back cover (which has been used in reviews across the country), came from the amazing collection at the Waynoka Historical Society, and the Waynoka Harvey House is sponsoring my Oklahoma visit. For further details, contact Sandie at 580-824-5871 or waynokahs@hotmail.com.
10/19, at the Northwest Oklahoma State University Library in Alva, I’ll be giving a talk starting at 6:30, following by a book signing.
In honor of this Oklahoma mini-tour, a little known fact from page 383 of Appetite for America: the main reason that the Judy Garland movie “The Harvey Girls” got made, after a Fred Harvey-related project had been bouncing around Hollywood for years, was because of the surprise success on Broadway of, that’s right, the musical Oklahoma!. Before that, The Harvey Girls was supposed to be a Western with Clark Gable. Then it was rewritten and retrofitted so it could be described, in promotional material, as “an original Broadway music for the screen.”
Waynoka Harvey Girls from book cover
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One Response to “Oklahoma Tour Dates for Fred Harvey book!”
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Stephen,
You’re in for a real treat in Waynoka — one of the best Harvey sites there is! Possibly the best of the off-the-beaten-track ones. There are a number of nice sites which still exist, and some that are nicely restored for various uses, but few have a strong Fred Harvey emphasis, a good museum, and very few you can actually eat in original Lunch and Dining Rooms. You get a great time-travel “feel” for what it was like at the average-sized eating house in a small town with a visit to Waynoka. Well worth the detour!
Give my regards to Sandie.
–Michael