(C) Daily Yonder - Keep it Rural This story was originally published by Daily Yonder - Keep it Rural and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Country Music Legend Helps Revitalize a Small Town in Oklahoma [1] ['Kristi Eaton', 'The Daily Yonder'] Date: 2024-01-25 When a rural town along a major highway in Oklahoma was looking at revitalization efforts, they turned to a homegrown legend. Atoka, Oklahoma, population of about 3,200 people, sits near Highway 69, and is located about two hours from Tulsa, two hours from Oklahoma City, and two hours from Dallas. It’s also in Atoka County, where country music superstar Reba McEntire hails from. McEntire, who grew up in a tiny community called Chockie in Atoka County, was home during the Covid-19 pandemic and met up with Carol Ervin, the economic development director for the city of Atoka. “I was visiting with her and her sister, Susie, one evening, and she said, ‘I want to do something that will honor mom and daddy. I want to do a legacy project.’ And I looked at her. I said, ‘We have a plan. Would you listen to a pitch?’” Ervin told the Daily Yonder. Ervin and her team had already been formulating how to rebuild Atoka’s downtown area, purchasing underutilized buildings in hopes of revitalizing them. When Ervin heard McEntire was interested in a project, she immediately got to work on her pitch. Out of months and months of meetings and pitches came the idea for Reba’s Place, a restaurant and bar, that sits in the downtown district of Atoka in a century-old Masonic Temple. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is also a co-owner of the restaurant, Ervin said. “We are always looking for new ways to extend the excitement for both tribal and non-tribal members, community members and tourists alike, and partnering with Reba McEntire and bringing Reba’s Place to Southeastern Oklahoma will continue to make Choctaw Country a destination hot spot,” said Janie Dillard, senior executive officer of the Commerce Division at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Dillard said Reba’s Place has helped spur the economy in Atoka and has encouraged others to invest in the community. “We’ve seen new businesses open and main street Atoka is thriving,” she said. “Since Reba’s Place opened a year ago, 205,000 visitors have stopped to eat at Reba’s Place and to check out the community. Reba’s Place has put Atoka on the map.” The Choctaw Nation reinvests revenues generated from Reba’s Place back into the community to help support health services, education, housing, and other businesses, she added. For example, in Atoka, the Choctaw Nation has a community center, senior nutrition program, health clinic and diabetes wellness center, affordable rental housing, independent elder housing, a head start program, and owns and operates the Choctaw Travel Plaza and a Chili’s Restaurant franchise. “Thousands of people pass through Atoka on Highway 69 every day and now they are stopping to see what the town has to offer. Atoka is now a tourist destination,” Dillard told the Daily Yonder. Reba’s Place has had a large impact on the downtown area and the city as a whole, Ervin said. “Before Reba’s Place, the majority of our buildings were closed or boarded,” she said. “We’ve got several new businesses downtown. But the other part of it is the influx of visitors that are not only downtown, but they’re also out on the highway. So we’ve got boutique shops out there, we’ve got restaurants everybody is getting, it’s kind of like the rising tide raises all ships. But it has really made a huge economic impact in our area.” She added that when Reba’s Place is fully staffed, it employs about 135 people. Garett Smith, Reba’s Place restaurant manager and McEntire’s niece, said the restaurant has had an “amazing” impact on the city of Atoka. “Just the new businesses that have sprouted up that are currently being put in, it’s amazing to see it all happening. And to be here from the ground floor up is pretty cool. Everything from retail to candy stores to a brand new fountain soda shop. It’s been amazing,” she said. The fact that we just started – there’s no telling what Atoka will look like three to five years from now.” Ervin said the popularity of Reba’s Place can be replicated in other communities – in fact, it’s already happening elsewhere in Oklahoma. Tishomingo has Ole Red, a restaurant and music venue inspired by musician Blake Shelton, while Pawhuska has the Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond’s Mercantile. “It’s a very successful trend currently because people are wanting to tour – they’re wanting to get that personal experience with somebody that they admire,” Ervin said. “And we’re very lucky that Reba was raised here in Atoka County, and the fact that she is such a quality individual.” Related Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. 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