By Alyssa Brawdy
Fall 2023
I used to hear about this place called Tumbleweed from friends, family, and people I followed on social media when I was in high-school. This was before I even moved to Stillwater to attend Oklahoma State University. What I did not know was that it was not some ordinary night club for people aged 18 and over, unlike the club that my brother and friends go to back home. Tumbleweed is different and so is the atmosphere, but why is that? I fully believe this is largely due to the history of the dancehall and how it came to be, who founded it, and where it is now. There are so many special aspects about this place and personal stories to which I can add my own. Tumbleweed is a great place to meet new people, go on first dates, and let loose when all we can think about are those college assignments. College students, such as myself, can head to Tumbleweed to escape from reality for just an hour or two to take the edge off of the grueling classes we attend 5 days a week.
The Tumbleweed we know today is owned by Phillip Randolph, nephew to R.A. Lospeirch, who bought Tumbleweed in 2011. “Tumbleweed spans over 65 acres and has an outdoor rodeo and concert arena. The rodeo arena has a capacity of 3,000 people on a grassy hill overlooking a private pond. The concert arena has a capacity of 8,000 people with both reserve seats and general admission available to most shows” (Calf Fry). There are two clubs inside of the Tumbleweed dance hall building itself. The main club, which is not named, is right when you first walk in and is focused around country music and line dancing. Next to this dance floor on the North side of the building there is a mechanical bull that people can pay $5 to ride for fun. However, there is no significance to the mechanical bull. The other dance club is known as Tremors, and was once a Steakhouse restaurant, but has since been redone and repurposed. Tremors plays high-energy rock music (Calf Fry) “Both clubs have floating wooden dance floors and both enjoy the playing of top 40 hits, as well as older hits” (Calf Fry). From experience I can say that both clubs are really fun to dance in, but I love getting to two-step with my boyfriend and line dance with friends I have met here at Oklahoma State. Tremors is usually more crowded due to it being a smaller dance floor, but is still just as fun nevertheless. There is also a little area for photo opportunities with the Calf Fry sign, which my friends and I took advantage of. Just be prepared to work up a sweat. If you are sensitive to light like myself, I recommend staying on the main floor.
Before Tumbleweed was bought by Mr. Randolph, it was owned by a lovely couple, Hank Moore and Sherry Perrin. These two lovebirds met when they were both students at Oklahoma State University. They went on their first date at Tumbleweed and then continued to go there many times after that to practice their dance routines on a regular basis for competitions (Calf Fry). When they got older the couple eventually bought the place in 1987 from the Klingers. The Tumbleweed that Hank and Sherry knew as young college students was nothing like how it is now, and it was actually quite small. When the couple bought Tumbleweed they decided to spend their first 10 years of ownership expanding the club “a piece at a time” (Calf Fry). One of the first things they did was transform the steakhouse restaurant that the Klingers had built and made it into another sort of side club. I guess you could say it was an alternative club for those that were not into country music, but still wanted to enjoy a night out at the Weed’. Maybe it was a backup dance floor in case country music ever hit a low again. Although, if you do not like country music then what are you still doing in Stillwater?
Tumbleweed was first built in 1981, the same year my mother was born. It was said that Tumbleweed was a vision for a few couples from around the Stillwater area. “Mr. and Mrs. Jack Hesser, R.A. Lospeich, and John and Linda Klinger” all had one similar idea that brought these people together whether they knew each other before this project or not (Calf Fry). How these people came to know each other is not common knowledge to the public, but they had their heart and mind set on one goal, which was to build a dancehall. “They purchased 10 acres of land from Benny Bradley in the Northwest part of Stillwater and started building Tumbleweed ” (Calf Fry). They built the place from the ground up and eventually, just like any business or club, they hired employees to help manage the place. Garth Brooks would be one of these workers and would go down in Oklahoma country music history. However, John and Linda Klinger did not know that at the time they were hiring their new bouncer. “The owners succeeded and did well for their first 4 years in business until the liquor laws changed in 1985” (Calf Fry).” Business declined in the mid-‘80s when Oklahoma’s liquor laws became more stringent” (Sweeney 2013). The Klingers had a brilliant idea and put in a steakhouse to help with the hardship. Unfortunately, also around this same time, country music decreased in popularity. This was because not much country music was being produced and what was produced all sounded too similar. When the original owners were ready to move on and sell the business, they sold it to Mr. Moore and Miss Perrin.
Garth Brooks is considered a “country music superstar” and is also an Oklahoma State University Alum (Trammel 2023). He attended OSU from 1980 to 1984, the same time that Tumbleweed was first getting its start. Just like most broke college students, Brooks needed a job to make some money. “I mean, hell, when I was here in Stillwater, there were weeks when I still had eight days before payday and I had seven bucks left in the account,” he said during a Friday press conference at the McKnight Center (Trammel 2023). Brooks worked for the Klingers as a bouncer at Tumbleweed and did what bouncers do. He made sure that no one got in who was not supposed to and kicked those out who did, or caused any issues. Funny enough, one of the girls he kicked out one shift ended up being his first wife, Sandy. “As he has stated in numerous interviews, he was asking her for her number and address to take her out while having to escort her off the premise” (Calf Fry). He too, found love at Tumbleweed just like Brad and Sherry had in their college years. Most nights were the same for Garth though.
Garth Brooks also liked to entertain the crowds at Tumbleweed on his nights off by playing live country music. He could not read or write music when he arrived at OSU. “So I came here to do jingles, write these little short jingles for advertising,” said Brooks (Trammel 2023). “And that was the field I went in under journalism. But in those four years, I learned a lot about myself. That’s a beautiful thing” (Trammel 2023). This is part of the reason why people even go to college besides getting a degree. People also go to learn more about themselves and grow. College is also the time to meet people and make friends, or shoot, even find love whether you are purposefully looking or not. “Brooks came from a large family, being one of six kids, and originally came to college on a track scholarship for javelin throwing” (Trammel 2023). The only way he could pay for college was through scholarships. After discovering his newfound talent in college and following his heart, Garth was able to take off in a career he had never even imagined. He even helped bring good country music back. OSU may have music major options, but they do not offer a get famous off of being a singer and songwriter major, at least from my perspective as a student here. His story is inspiring because it goes to show that it does not matter your background or the wealth you come from, you can still find something you are good at and succeed. Brook’s story is what gives basic college students like you and I hope. Even if we do not become rich and famous we can still aspire to something. We just have to start somewhere.
Thursday nights are college nights at Tumbleweed where you get in for only $5. It is a fun outing that I like to do every once in a while as a date night with my boyfriend, or just as an outing with some friends as pictured earlier. I highly recommend going and trying it out for yourself. You might meet the love of your life or a new friend, but you will never know unless you put yourself out there at least once. If you are in college, go explore. If you have a talent for something like Garth Brooks does, look into what you can do about it, because maybe it can become your career someday. Maybe you too can help out a struggling industry. One night at Tumbleweed can change your outlook on life, or even change it in general for the better. So take a break from homework, breathe, and go dance and tumble at the Weed’.
Works Cited
Brawdy, Alyssa. Tumbleweed Photograph. 8 Sept. 2023.
Sweeney, Catherine. “A History of Tumbleweed’s College Days.” Ocolly.Com, 20 Sept. 2013, https://www.ocolly.com/a-history-of-tumbleweeds-college-days/article_f2981c7e-21ab-1 1e3-88ea-001a4bcf6878.html#:~:text=In%202011%2C%20Philip%20Randolph%20boug ht,the%20music%20industry%20in%20Oklahoma.%E2%80%9D. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.
Tramel, Jimmie. “Garth Brooks Returns to Stillwater for Concerts to Boost OSU Scholarship Mission.” Tulsa World, 15 Apr. 2023, https://tulsaworld.com/entertainment/music/garth-brooks-returns-to-stillwater-for-concert s-to-boost-osu-scholarship-mission/article_3c75e98a-d961-11ed-8c55-7b827c1fd9b9.htm l#:~:text=Brooks%20attended%20OSU%20on%20a,you%20see%3F%E2%80%9D%20h e%20said. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.
“Tumbleweed History.” The Tumbleweed Stillwater Oklahoma, https://www.calffry.com/about. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.
archiveoklahoma.com 