Jim Economou the 80-year-old owner of downtown Tulsa’s Coney Island Hot Dog Shop told Tulsa Today he only expected to be doing this for thirty years or so.  It has been longer.

His restaurant

is the one place in downtown Tulsa where everyone meets in old school
chairs most adults carefully negotiate to use without regard to
station.  

Side by side they come; millionaires by paupers, judges beside criminals, Cowboys by Rap-misters, young and old love the classic fast food Tulsans know as “THE” Coney Island Hot Dog.

Economou is surprised by longevity, but his father’s recipe has lasted through the Great Depression, World Wars both hot and cold, and now the Obama Depression.  Today, Coney Island marks 85 years in business.  

The shop celebrated with discounts and cake and chocolates.  This writer arrived early and ordered six Coneys for myself and others.  Just tell fellow office workers you are going to lunch at Coney Island and see how many want you to bring a “few” back.

Coney Island got its start in 1926 when Economou’s father, Greek immigrant Christ Economou, brought his unique version of the coney dog to Tulsa.  As defined by him, the classic coney is a small hot dog served on a flour bun with chili, onions, cheese and mustard.  The Coney Island’s chili is made without beans or tomatoes, a recipe he developed.

Jim Economou took over in 1973, and the restaurant moved to its current location in 1995.

In celebration of Coney Island’s birthday Mayor Dewey Bartlett stopped by to read a proclamation. 

Kids had a great time in all the hubbub.  The line of customers was doubled around to keep customers inside and out of the freezing snowy day.  News photographers snapped images and rolled tape.  Jim Economou beamed.

Daily operations of the restaurant are lead by Economou’s sister and brother-in-law, Georgia and Costa Tsilekas.  They are proud to continue the tradition.  It’s a family thing.

Coney Island may move again.  A new owner has purchased the old motel building, but the restaurant lease runs through November.  Regardless of any move, the family pledges it will remain downtown. 

Love for Tulsa and downtown is a part of the Coney Island culture.  Visitors can see it both in the historic photos on the walls and the respect given each customer regardless.

"I’ve always felt this should be a part of Tulsa," Economou said. "We have an emotional tie to this city."  

Coney Island has a Facebook page you can reach by clicking here.

Additional Photos follow:

Happy Birthday Coney Island

Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) Wednesday launched WaysHome, a
free, interactive multi-media tool designed to educate homeowners about their
options to avoid foreclosure, empower them to make informed decisions and
motivate them to take action and seek help in 2011.  

As part of Fannie Mae’s “Know Your Options” initiative to help struggling
homeowners, the WaysHome video uses innovative technology to allow homeowners
to put themselves in real-life situations, make informed choices and
immediately see the outcomes of those actions. 
WaysHome is available at www.KnowYourOptions.com.

“In 2011, millions of homes will be at imminent risk of foreclosure.  As we enter a new year, the company is
expanding its efforts to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure –
WaysHome is an innovative tool to help achieve this goal,” said Jeff Hayward,
Fannie Mae Senior Vice President.  “Since
the beginning of 2009, Fannie Mae has helped more than half a million families
stay in their homes through modification or other solutions.  With initiatives like WaysHome, we are
determined to do everything possible to help homeowners.” 

Unique to the other industry-wide foreclosure prevention efforts, WaysHome
was developed by Fannie Mae to educate distressed homeowners on the short- and
long-term impact of their decisions. 
Through video reenactment, WaysHome allows homeowners to experience
scenarios that address a range of options for avoiding foreclosure that include
repayment plans, forbearances, modifications, deeds-in-lieu, and short sales.

The WaysHome video is set in a neighborhood that has been
hurt by the foreclosure crisis.  Real
actors play three residents of the neighborhood – each in financial
distress.  Homeowners select to play one
of the residents and, as their stories unfold, make important financial
decisions for them and see how the consequences of these decisions play
out.  Fannie Mae provides helpful tips, tools
and links during the process and users have the ability to go back and revise
their decisions should their choices lead to a negative outcome.  Most choices lead
to an immediate consequence followed by a related teaching point.

“With a variety of financial hardships and other circumstances affecting
homeowners across the country, making educated decisions is more important than
ever,” added Jeff Hayward.  “It’s a
travesty when people lose their homes because they don’t know or understand
their options.  Homeowners who are
proactive about working with their mortgage company, housing counselors, or
using consumer tools like WaysHome have a significantly better chance of
finding a solution that allows them to avoid foreclosure.”

In an effort to connect with homeowners who have not yet reached out for
help, Fannie Mae will be promoting WaysHome on www.FannieMae.com, through its
comprehensive new consumer website, www.KnowYourOptions.com,
and a series of events in partnership with local faith-based organizations,
non-profits and industry leaders that include: Safeway Eastern Division;
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; Capital Area Foreclosure
Network; Collective Empowerment Group; NeighborWorks® America; and National
Community Reinvestment Coalition. 
Collateral materials and website content will be made available at no
cost through Fannie Mae’s mortgage servicing and community partners.

Fannie Mae continues to conduct homeowner outreach across the country,
which includes the opening of Mortgage Help Centers in Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas/Fort
Worth with other locations to be announced in the coming weeks.  The company also uses direct mail and phone
calls to encourage homeowners to pursue foreclosure alternatives.

For more information, please visit www.KnowYourOptions.com. 

You are reading the oldest, independent, local news service online anywhere.  As is our tradition, visitor traffic counts are kept by an independent third party and we are pleased to report the following traffic has been certified during 2010.  

Tulsa Today enjoyed a total of 16.5 million hits over the last year.  Our service reports over 2.5 million page views with the average viewing of 9.2 pages per visit during an average 4.8 minutes on the site.

By national standards, those are good numbers and outstanding for a local web site.  The traffic reflects multi-year trends accelerated by the growing regional following for Tulsa Today Publisher’s radio talk show, The David Arnett Show on AM 740 and FM 102.3 news, talk, KRMG.  While only broadcast Saturdays between 4 and 6 pm, audience interest as noted by listener calls and texts are increasing.

We use a worldwide communication media to connect neighbors as we have done since 1996.  We fight for what we believe true, just, and in good humor for the people of our community and we welcome anyone to read and comment within our site.  All we ask is that you have an interest for Greater Tulsa (extending north into Kansas, northeast into Missouri, and east into Arkansas) regardless of your location in the world.  We are the Heart of America, the Center of the Universe and the Cosmopolitan Capital of Indian Country.

We are free people – individualists all. 

 "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."  Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Thank you for your support.

Back Alley Blues and BBQ, opening next spring, has a unique plan for its menu that brings the community and charitable giving together.  Back Alley’s “Side Search” is a three-month series of monthly cook-offs where the community members  will provide their best recipes for pre-determined side dishes to be selected for the restaurant’s menu.

The entry fee for the event will be a $5 donation that goes toward The
American Heart Association in memorial of Marcus Takach, who passed away
from unforeseen heart problems during the Route 66 Half-Marathon in
November.

“It’s all about community,” the restaurant’s ownership announced.
 
The food menu of Back Alley will consist of a Memphis-style, dry rub barbecue and traditional southern sides, but the musical offerings of Back Alley are equally as rare to Tulsa.
 
“Back Alley exists to celebrate Tulsa’s rich blues history,” the announcement said. “We have great blues talent—and following — in our city but no real, reliable venue to showcase it.”
 
The Side Searches will feature live, local blues music in addition to the food competition. Bands for the first round, which will be on January 22, include Danny Buck, Scott Ellison and more.
 
 The cook-offs will be judged equally by a panel of local celebrity judges, the audience, and Ewing.
 
The first Side Search, which will be for a great beans recipe, will take place January 22 at the VFW. The tasting section of the event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., but the music will continue until midnight.
 
The next Side Search will be for coleslaw in February, and then cobbler in March. 

Visiting media professionals have said it is the best television picture they have ever seen.  To me, it perfectly fit my objective of finding the highest value video per dollar spent.  That was my request to the audio video pros at Video Revolution in Tulsa and years later, I remain a happy returning customer.  Here’s why.

Maybe it’s a Scottish thing, but I push for value when I purchase.  In a television unit three years ago, I wanted a projection system for the living room of my downtown loft.  I selected Video Revolution as my retailer for several reasons.  They are locally owned, by Ron Witmer who once worked for a Tulsa television station as a cameraman.  He found his true calling in retail, in part, because of a lifelong fascination with the latest in video and audio technology.  Video Revolution specializes in equipment, installation and service.  They are known for skilled installation, provide technical repair, video and film production.

Walking in their showroom, I have never seen so many televisions in one place anywhere.  They also have a special room set aside to view projection units.  I could not bring myself to consider a furniture retailer that sells televisions on the side or a big box retailer.  I wanted advice from people who really knew what they were talking about.

Video Revolution consults rather than directs the customer.  They asked questions about the space, my viewing habits, and other details on how the unit would be used.  With their help, I selected the Sony VPL-VW40 which had a reputation as one of the very best of the lower cost 1080p projectors. 

Yes, I double checked their recommendations with online reviews and found them right on target.

1080p is the shorthand identification for a set of HDTV video modes that are characterized by 1,080 lines of vertical resolution (1,080 horizontal scan lines) and progressive scan (meaning the image is not interlaced).  The term usually assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a horizontal resolution of 1920 pixels. This resolution is similar to that of 2K digital cinema technology.

In the US, 1080p projectors can be found for less, but the Sony’s strengths made it appealing to a critical eye with limited budget.  It displays the High Definition and Blu-ray signals with stunning clarity and even regular broadcast looks good.

My usage is also for business and Video Revolution is an advertiser both on Tulsa Today and The David Arnett Show on KRMG.  In web production and training meetings for Tulsa Today and other commercial web projects, the 92” screen provides a view that can be seen by everyone in the room.  We use a laser pointer and each of our developers can see clearly rather than crowding around a computer in the writing office.  For this usage, our main computer is hard wired to the projector and operated during presentations by a remote keyboard and mouse.

The installation team did wonderful work.  They ran the wires and connected the various units of the system without flaw.  They adjusted the color.  Truth be told, I would most likely have become frustrated long before everything was wired if I had tried to do it myself – assuming I could have made it work. 

It may be old-fashioned, but I don’t mind paying people to do what they do best so I can concentrate on what I do best.  The team did say that most customers purchasing this system install it in a theatre room specially designed for movie viewing.  They have installed similar units throughout northeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.  My usage is more common and the environment more brutal.

The office/loft space is longer than wide and the unit is mounted to the south away from the windows and across the living space.  What surprised me is how well it can be seen throughout the room even during the day.  Of course for the best picture quality, ambient light should be reduced.  Fortunately for our use in projection the only windows in the loft are “north facing” so there is little direct sunlight.  What surprised me is how well the picture looks from the side – one significant advantage of flat wall projection units.

I purchased an additional lamp after about a year and a half.  It is the most expensive single bulb I have ever purchased, but I worked the old one more than the rated 3000 hours at low power and 2000 hours a full lamp power.  I run at full power and it operated over 3500 hours or about a year and a half.  This in context is remarkable as the loft with 100 year old brick and a bachelor’s housekeeping gets a little dusty.

I also purchased the Sony Blu-ray Disk and DVD Player BDP-S350 which I am happy to own.  Blu-ray is to High Definition what High Definition is to regular television.  The increase in quality is easily discernable and significant even to the untrained eye.

With my limited budget, I utilized my existing audio equipment.  Video Revolution didn’t try to twist my arm on audio.  They did recommend an upgrade, but I was able to compensate to my initial satisfaction for poor speakers and an old receiver using my 16-channel PA.  With RCA output from the video system to the PA, I didn’t really notice how badly my old speakers were working.  When the PA was temporarily unavailable, the receiver showed its age in how it divided sound to the speakers and the poor speakers themselves made the need for an upgrade clear.  At first, I wondered if something was broken.

Video Revolution sent a repairman that said it wasn’t broken – just older than dirt.  Newer movies and broadcast are using audio channels and dividing the sound in ways my system doesn’t recognize.  Thus, I come to my next purchase from Video Revolution.  I anticipate the same great quality from both equipment and service personnel at a competitive price.  

They really are good at what they do and what Video Revolution does keeps expanding.  

They rent televisions and other equipment for special events.  They can transfer images into different formats.  They can repair equipment.  They can shoot and edit video and produce excellent broadcast quality material utilizing state-of-the-art equipment in multiple formats: Beta SP, DVC Pro, MII, Digital Video, S-VHS and 1/2, 3/4, 8 mm. They also specialize in non-linear editing tailored to both personal and business applications. In fact, they are the creative team producing the “Explore Tulsa” television show focusing on unique looks into the people, places, and attractions that make Tulsa and surrounding areas a great place to live, work, and raise a family.  To learn more of that effort, see Explore Tulsa’s Facebook page (click here).  To visit Video Revolution’s virtual store online, click here.  For video and audio quality equipment and service, you will find it at Video Revolution.