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Country video filmed in Oxford

By RHONDA ROSS
Traveler Staff Writer

Even for a Friday the 13th, it was strange to see a John Deere combine facing the curb, and an old Hiland Dairy truck parked parallel on Sumner, the main street in Oxford, as if the drivers had just pulled up to go to the post office, or maybe for a haircut at Mike's Barber Shop.

The 100 block of Sumner was closed off, on one end by large machinery, and the other by the local police. People were lined up on both sides of the street watching the flurry of activity in the center. The cause for excitement was the filming of one of two country music videos.

Oxford High School graduates, Dave Parks, class of 1991, and Dallas Henry, class of 1995, combined their talents to shoot two country music videos in four days in and around Oxford.

Parks, a country music singer/songwriter, had some new songs, and Henry, an actor/producer/director, has his own production company. Together, they hoped the collaboration would benefit them both.

On Thursday night, following the junior high football game, the crowd served as extras for one video.

They filmed from 9:30 until around 10:30 p.m., Parks said. For the video, there was a bonfire and fireworks.

Oxford fans, who had just watched the football game, filed out of the stands to take part in the bonfire scene that was to be filmed less than 300 feet away.

Parks said he felt a little anxious, knowing a full stadium was still needed for filming a scene that required a crowd to watch a "mock band."

He said he was thinking, after the bonfire, "Are they going to come back?" He needn't have worried. They had enough extras, about 500 people, to fill the stands.

"With the fireworks going off overhead, it was awesome," Parks said.

Oxford is home to Parks' parents, Randy and Susan. Both of them work at Oxford schools; Randy is a teacher and Susan is a paraprofessional. While the film crew was in town, the Parks pitched in as needed.

"Mom is in charge of feeding the crew," Dave Parks said. "My folks have been great."

Parks has been living near Nashville for several years, working toward a country music career, but he hasn't been twiddling his thumbs, waiting for it to happen.

He teaches computer classes to grades 5-8 and drives a school bus. Most of his spare time goes into pursuing his musical dream.

He hopes the videos will eventually see air play, maybe on CMT (Country Music Television) or their rival, GAC (Great American Country). It could happen if enough people request the songs, he said.

Henry is currently living in Los Angeles. After getting his feet wet acting in Oxford high school plays, he went on to perform in Southwestern's community theatre, Horsefeathers and Applesauce, in Winfield, before eventually moving to L.A.

Henry said he has had bit parts on the television shows "CSI," "That's So Raven," and "Joan of Arcadia," to name a few, and a recurring role on the soap opera, "Passions," where he plays Joe, the head paramedic.

He wanted to get into directing," television, music videos, anything," he said. He brought some of his crew with him from L.A. and the rest were brought in from Kansas City.

The main reason Henry is in Oxford, he said, is because of Parks' new song, "Living an American Dream."

"I like Dave's song," he said.

Parks said he knew Henry was trying to branch out into directing and had formed his own production company, Hardhead Productions.

"I knew Dallas had shot a few music videos already," he said. "I sent him a copy of my new song and he loved it."

"It's so much fun to be part of a project I'm not in charge of," Parks said, Friday.

The crew was only halfway through its planned four-day shoot. One scene still ahead was expected to last from 11 p.m. until 4 a.m., he said.

"Living an American Dream," was written by Parks, who wrote most of the songs for his new CD. The rest were written by his father.

Parks' title song is an upbeat tune with a patriotic theme about ordinary people living their lives, wanting more than they have, but somehow having what they need.

He sings of the opportunities available to anyone living in America, how "everybody wants to come here, and nobody wants to leave." The song, "Deja vu Rain," will be featured on the other video and was partially filmed in the Oxford Cemetery. It is filled with a haunting melancholy of a lost love.

KAKE TV's Larry Hatteberg followed the filming for a segment of 'Hatteberg's People" that aired Sunday night on KAKE news. At one point, Hatteberg misidentified Oxford as being in Cowley County, but he came on later in the broadcast to correct himself that Oxford was, indeed, in Sumner County. He had interviewed both Parks and Henry for the segment early on in the video shoot.

"Everyone knows how he (Hatteberg) is; he gets to the heart of things, to the emotions," Parks said.

"Well, I'm not an emotional person, but I found myself getting choked up. He did it to me too."

Both men said they were glad to be back in their hometown. Henry told Hatteberg that he hoped everyone would see how special the town is.

"I am overwhelmed by the response of Oxford," Parks said Friday afternoon.

Henry's assistant director, Vance Mitchell, was also impressed with Oxford and the townspeople.

"It's almost surreal," he said. "But everyone has been so great. It's important to Dave to show his roots and where he comes from. Who wouldn't like to have Randy Parks as their teacher, or Susan Parks to cook for them; she's a great cook," Mitchell said. "They're good people. So is Dave."

Throughout the four days of shooting for the two music videos, hundreds of extras, mostly local residents, were featured in various roles. At least some filming for the videos took place at the Oxford Co-op, some at an Oxford residence that overlooks the Arkansas River, and some at an Oxford church.

About a dozen people were needed for one scene Friday afternoon, half of those randomly plucked from the crowd.

One of them was Marilyn Metz, of Oxford. She was chosen to play a teacher in one scene. It wasn't a stretch. Metz has taught several subjects at various grade levels for over 30 years. She's currently an Oxford special ed teacher for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.

Earlier, Metz had been standing with students who were lined up on the sidewalk across the street watching the video shoot. "We brought the whole junior high," she said.

Getting to be in the video was special for Metz. She taught both Parks and Henry in her junior high language arts class years ago.

Seeing Metz talking to a reporter, Parks walked over and said, "What are you telling on me?"

"What do you want me to tell," she countered. They both laughed.

Oxford barber Mike Dowers was temporarily displaced from his job by vehicles, film equipment, and, of course, the blocked-off street. He watched the filming from the curb across the street from his shop. Dowers has been "barbering" for over 50 years, he said, but that morning he had made his debut in a music video -- the part filmed in his barber shop.

"They were in there filming from 9:30 until noon," he said.

Without giving too much away, Dowers said the scene involved several local men sitting in chairs waiting to get their hair cut, when Dave Parks walks in to get a trim. In short, the men give up their spots in line to Parks.

In what may be a coincidence, the barber (Dowers) has no hair.

What followed involved some very large shears, Dowers said, laughing

To hear Parks' "Living an American Dream," or to see pictures from the four-day shoot, go to his Web site, thedaveparks.com or http://daveparks.blogspot.com/.

To view Larry Hatteberg's segment with Parks and Henry, go to http://www.kake.com and click on Hatteberg's People.