Church in historic building hosting fundraiser today for Route 66 Village

The Merge Church, in a historic building in the Red Fork district of southwest Tulsa, is hosting at a matinée screening today of a 1943 John Wayne film as a fundraiser for the nearby Route 66 Village.

Merge Church at 4050 Southwest Blvd. (aka Route 66), inside an Art Deco building that once was a Crown Drug Store, will host a 2:30 p.m. screening of “War of the Wildcats,” also known as “In Old Oklahoma.”

Here’s a description of the film:

Although this is not classified as a comedy, the Duke turns in a sly performance full of great one-liners and facial expressions that will have you rolling. It’s action adventure in the oil fields and it’s very entertaining and fun for all the family. Wayne is Cowboy Dan Somers and he competes with oilman Jim Gardner for oil lease rights on Indian land in Oklahoma, as well as for the favors of schoolteacher Cathy Allen. It has a good supporting cast including George “Gabby” Hayes. You will never see the Duke quite like this in any other role. If you’re a fan of the Duke, this film is a must!

A $7.50 donation will admit one adult (ages 18 and older). The suggested donation for teenagers is $5, and children age 12 and younger will be admitted free. Each person will also receive a free drink (pop or water) and a bag of popcorn. Any additional pop or popcorn will be $1 each.

All the proceeds will go to the Route 66 Village general fund for upkeep and maintenance of the exhibits and grounds.

Parking for the church is in the back of the church building in the parking lots and street to the north between the church and the BNSF railroad tracks.

The Route 66 Village is a transportation-themed park that features the 154-foot-tall Red Fork Centennial Oil Derrick and the Frisco Meteor 4500 steam locomotive. More transportation-themed exhibits and attractions are planned at the park in the coming years.

(Image of the Frisco Meteor 4500 at the Route 66 Village in Tulsa by Les Stockton via Flickr; image of The Merge Church in Tulsa via Facebook)

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