Things to Do in Owasso

If you ask an engineer what a bridge is made of, he or she might say steel and concrete. But if you ask the owners of Broken Arrow Roller Sports, the response might be polished floors and wheels. The facility doesn't construct bridges, per se, but it is in the business of connecting things–albeit families, friends, and different generations altogether. Groups find a common interest in gliding across the roller-skating floor, which Broken Arrow surrounds with a host of other activities that includes an arcade, a snack shop, and free Wi-Fi. The rink also rents itself out for private birthdays, enabling party hosts to invite as many guests as they want and avoid having to instill the one-in, one-out rule that dominates most other birthday parties.

When the Tulsa Talons bolted for San Antonio in 2011, the city lacked a professional indoor football team for the first time in more than a decade. That didn’t last long, however. The Oklahoma Defenders promptly filled the role in 2012, playing their inaugural season as part of the American Football League. In 2013, the team left the AFL to join the Champions Professional Indoor Football League. The move to the CPIFL was complemented by the addition of radio broadcasts of every game, letting fans listen in whenever a big tackle is made or the opposing coaches settle a tie by jousting each other atop offensive linemen. At their games, Defenders keep fans pumped up with plenty of off-the-field entertainment, including appearances from mustached mascot Billie the Regulator.

The newly renovated Oilers Ice Center provides visitors with a regulation-size indoor rink designed for ice hockey, figure skating, curling, and public skating sessions. Four curling rings sit beneath the frozen carpet, which is kept smooth with frequent passes of a zamboni blasting classic R & B hits from its stereo. The venue doubles as the official practice space for Oklahoma’s Central Hockey League team, the Tulsa Oilers, and offers adult hockey leagues throughout the year. Busy families of dexterous ice veterans can take advantage of the center’s flexible hours, and adventurous couples can spend Friday nights using their skates to trace the shape of hearts or prenuptial-agreement fine print into the ice.

One of 41 geographic sections that make up the PGA of America, the South Central PGA promotes enjoyment of golf and involvement in the game as the sport's ambassador to the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and much of Kansas. The association, which includes male and female golf professionals as well as a slew of courses, aims to spread the ideals of golf through high standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, integrity, and community involvement. A cornerstone of this mission involves introducing new generations to the sport through Junior Golf programs, which instill admirable attributes in youngsters to prepare them for life's rough patches and stealthy sprinkler heads.

A Piedi Dance Company twirls together the skills of its instructors, Gayla and Josh Pappalardo. A dancer since age 3, Gayla began sharing her lifetime of rhythmic know-how at her first ballroom-instructor gig in 2004. Josh brings his background in gymnastics and hip-hop to classes, infusing classic ballroom styles with a bouncy and engaging edge. At their studio, they introduce patrons to youth, adult, and social ballroom and Latin dances, including the waltz, foxtrot, cha-cha, and East Coast swing. They can also choreograph dance numbers, provide instruction for wedding dances, and start the chicken dance at any social function.

Clad in their families' colored tartans, members of more than 30 Scottish clans gather on festival grounds in Tulsa for the annual Scotfest. Scottish traditions are passed on to festival patrons with a showcase of Highland crafts, educational workshops, and strongman Scottish games, in which more than 60 athletes compete in games that include tire flips, truck pulls, and tug of war.

Scotch tastings feature reps from Rubright & Hardagain answering questions about different types of scotch, the distilling process, and why some whiskies are resentful about being locked in barrels for years. Meanwhile, vendors refuel visitors with authentic Scottish food before sending them off to dance to traditional folk and Celtic rock acts such as Celtica, Tullamore, Jiggernaut, and Celtic-influenced Texas rock band Cleghorn. As youngsters play in a designated children's area, a parade of Celtic dogs trots through the grounds and poets pen their entries for a limerick competition.