Reba McEntire to Open “Reba’s Place” Near Hometown

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It was a little disconcerting to say the least when back in September word came down that the 66-year-old Reba McEntire had to be quote/unquote “rescued” from a 100-year-old abandoned building in Atoka, Oklahoma, which is about 16 miles south of her hometown of Chockie. It’s probably a bit alarmist to say she was ever in any grave danger, but while checking out the old brick building, the staircases leading from the 2nd and 3rd floors collapsed, resulting and Reba and others having to exit the building via a window and a ladder.

Since Reba was in the building with a local banker, some concluded that maybe Reba was looking to buy it. Well she’s buying something in Atoka, because she has formally announced that the town of just over 3,000 folks will be the home of the “Reba’s Place” restaurant, bar, music venue, and retail store. It will be the home of all things Reba, including many pieces of personal memorabilia from her career.

Though Atoka is a pretty small town, it’s situated right at the confluence of Federal Highway 75 coming up from Dallas, and Federal Highway 69 coming down from Muskogee, which receives a good bit of traffic. It’s also in the heart of the Choctaw Nation. The town was founded by the tribe in the 1850s, and is named after of the tribe’s elders. Reba is working closely with the Choctaw Nation on the project.

“I’m very excited to be opening a place so close to my roots,” says Reba. “The Choctaw Nation and the city of Atoka are wonderful partners and I can’t wait to welcome our first guests to Reba’s Place. We are working very hard to create something not only for the local community, but that will also bring in folks from across the country.”

Reba could have chosen to open a place on Lower Broadway in Nashville right beside all the other big-named celebrity bars and restaurants in the entertainment corridor. But instead she chose to put her money back into the community from where she came. In 1974 while a sophomore in college at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Reba performed the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. In the crowd was Red Steagall, who was so impressed, he brought her to Nashville where she was signed to Mercury Records. The rest is history.

Reba’s Place is scheduled to open in 2022, and it will be yet another country music destination spot in the heart of Red Dirt country, Oklahoma.

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