SPORTS
Sam Levrault
Dreamland Kickball Tournament, Photos, Sam Levrault Media
Tulsans from across the city came together at ONEOK field March 23rd, all in the name of community and kickball. They gathered to participate in a kickball game that also served as community fundraising event in celebration of ten years of the Dreamland Festival, a community event featuring music and other arts, scheduled for September.
Game Day
Oasis Fresh Market vs Terrance Crutcher Foundation
The Sunday afternoon game was a matchup between Oasis Fresh Market and the Terrance Crutcher Foundation. Both teams were “Diamonds,” as emblazoned on the backs of their jerseys printed by local company Town Apparel, as well as representing the number “10” in recognition of ten years for the festival. An impressive roster of over fifty community members were seen either on the teams or part of the referee crew on the field, full of familiar faces and friendly smiles.
Team Oasis Fresh Market
Team Captain Aaron “AJ” Johnson
Team Oasis Fresh Market, headed by Team Captain Aaron “AJ” Johnson, owner and CEO of Oasis Fresh Market, a full-service grocery located on 1725 N. Peoria Ave., started the game off with an early lead before ending the game with a 3-2 victory.
After the game, Johnson praised the efforts of the organization and described the game as a great event. Though thrilled about his team’s victory, Johnson also shouted out Dr. Tiffany Crutcher and her team, Terrance Crutcher Foundation. He described how the game was an great example of community bonding.
“People coming together from all different communities, different backgrounds, but we share the common goal,” Johnson said in an interview with The Oklahoma Eagle. “We all love north Tulsa. We care about the development [and] are all invested in that.”
When reflecting on the community involvement both on and off pitch, Johnson describes the day as “really what [the event is] all about: when everyone can come together, egos aside, and [as] one heart, one band, one sound.”
Team Terrance Crutcher Foundation
Team Captain Aaron “AJ” Johnson
Dr. Tiffany Crutcher led the other half of “Diamonds” onto the field today in black jerseys as captain of Team Terrance Crutcher Foundation.
Crutcher, executive director of the local non-profit, was all smiles and positive vibes after the match. “It felt great,” she said in an interview with The Oklahoma Eagle. “I told everybody there’s only one winner out there today, and that’s community. Community came together for a really, really great cause: to raise funds for students at McLain [High School] and for the Dreamland Festival.”
Crutcher also highlighted the positivity exuded by both teams. She described the event as “a beautiful display of community, two great organizations doing just great work in the community, serving community.”
The kickball game was more than a simple playground game for those involved. Crutcher explained the impact the community event can have: “Every ball we kick is a seed that we’re planning for the future generation, for Greenwood, for the ancestors,” she said. “Dr. Martin Luther King talked about chaos and community – Today we chose community.”
Dreamland Tulsa
Honoring the Williams Dreamland Theatre
Dreamland Tulsa is a community-driven organization dedicated to enriching Tulsa through music, art, and cultural development. The organization, led by Steph Simon, organizes the annual Dreamland Festival, which honors the Williams Dreamland Theatre, a prosperous and beloved venue that was destroyed during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The festival was created to provide a platform for artistry to be elevated, expressed and appreciated.
The ‘Kickball Kickoff’ was a fundraising event in support of the festival. Simon explained that the goal of the event was to obtain funds for the festival.
When reflecting on the success of the community match, Simon praised the engagement of all involved. “Everybody came out, played for the calls, and community won today,” he said. “It was a great picking [of players]. It was very hard to choose, knowing so many people in the city, but everyone came out, gave 110%.”
