KREMLIN—Midway between Kremlin and Hillsdale is a station situated on U.S. 81 aptly named Midway.
The convenience store and subsequent gas station originally opened in the 1980s to service customers in the two rural communities as well as serve as a midway stopping point between Enid and Pond Creek.
It was first locally owned by the Chelf family, who lived in the home directly to the east of the station, and then changed hands a few times before sitting empty for a while, according to Teri Hicks and Shelli Minnick, the current store manager and assistant store manager, respectively.
For the past 20 years or so, Dr. Bobby Kang of Enid has owned the property; Hicks and Minnick manage the day-to-day operations for the Kang family.
“It’s the same now as it was then,” Hicks said, adding the name Midway has always been included in the name. Many locals still refer to it as Larry’s Midway.
Both Hicks and Minnick remember Midway when they were students at Kremlin-Hillsdale High School. Their kids and grandkids now stop in the store, which offers café items such as burgers, deli sandwiches and salads, pizza, and freshly baked cookies in addition to the conveniences of a mini grocery shop.
“That way they don’t have to drive to Enid,” Hicks said.
And although Midway has gas pumps, which like most gas stations doesn’t make any money for the business, it’s what’s inside the store that makes the place profitable.
Midway is known for its burgers, and people from across Northwest Oklahoma will drive out for them, Hicks said. The homemade ranch is a hit too; Midway even sells it by the bottle now.
They have regular customers that order food—oil field workers, farmers, and locals—along with the passerby travelers. Many of the regulars pop by to grab something from the hotbox to tide them over until dinner or to have a snack on their way to an out-of-town game, after school, or on a work break.
Midway caught the eye of movie scouts for “Twisters” in late 2022 as did its former sister station Lone Ranger at the junction of U.S. 412 and U.S. 60 in Orienta.
Hicks said the scouts just showed up in the store one day asking to talk to Midway’s owner. She said it took a while before Kang agreed. The biggest obstacle was Midway would be closed during filming of the movie, which meant no gas or food could be sold even after hours.
“The whole lot was locked down,” Hicks said, and film security crews watched the property overnight.
But the movie scouts won the Kang family over and they were compensated a week’s worth of lost business for the four days Midway was actually shut down.
Filming begins
The week of May 15-18, 2023, all of Midway’s employees received four days of paid vacation except Hicks and Minnick, who were required to be on site up to 12 hours a day to monitor and ensure no damages were made to the property while “Twisters” film crew and cast were there.
“It was really fun,” the managers admitted, despite being exhausted since they both logged 80 hours at work by that Saturday. They were compensated for their efforts too.
“We were sworn to secrecy,” Minnick said, adding for three months before the filming actually took place neither manager could confirm or deny “Twisters” would be filming at Midway thanks to the non-disclosure agreement.
But once the casting call for extras went out, a sign went up on Midway’s doors citing the station would be closed for those four days.
“We couldn’t even park here,” Hicks said. Everyone parked along the main blacktop in Kremlin near the co-op, ball field, and community center, and then were escorted by bus to and from Midway.
The first two days (Monday and Tuesday) were mostly set up, Hicks said, which included moving around all the free-standing shelves, removing the tobacco, covering the beer, and flipping over brand names.
Since Pepsi was a brand sponsor, no Coke products or signage could be shown, Hicks said.
The film crew overhauled the building inside and out:
- Bathrooms were repainted and décor replaced
- Flooring gaps were matched and repaired
- Dining booths were resituated, tabletops replaced, and “new” décor displayed at each table
- A temporary pony wall was installed by the front door
- A deli case was moved and a TV was temporarily installed above what was previously the coffee and fountain area
- Kitchen was packed with consoles, cables, controls, and computers
- Back of the building exterior walls were repainted with designs including airplane propellers and the word “Midway”
- A Midway sign was made and displayed on the front of building
The back storage rooms were converted into costume and prop rooms along with cast seating. The only spot untouched with the managers’ office, which was where Hicks and Minnick mostly camped out during filming, watching the security cameras.
One of the unique aspects they noticed was the use of a smoke machine during filming. The smoky haze was meant to keep out glare onscreen, they said.
Another aspect, they mentioned, was there could be no humming or vibrating of the appliances, so everything was unplugged when filming was happening.
Hicks was fascinated by the director’s chair which was assembled and perched on tracks so Lee Isaac Chung could roll and swivel with the scenes.
Security and secrecy were abundant during that week in May.
No one was allowed on the “Twisters” film set without permission, nor could anyone have their cell phones or cameras. Kang, who owned the property and had approved the deal for filming, once came to the set unannounced to see what all the excitement was about and had to be escorted by security.
Once the main film stars of “Twisters” appeared on set that Wednesday and Thursday, Hicks said, Oklahoma Highway Patrol oversaw traffic and gawkers on the Kremlin blacktop and U.S. 81 near Midway.
It was a frenzy of activity on the lot with at least 300 people there every day, Hicks said.
Neither she or Minnick were allowed to interact or approach the main film stars; however, they had a brief encounter with Glen Powell, who played tornado wrangler Tyler Owens, upon selling him a pack of gum.
Even though Midway was technically open for business on that Friday since the “Twisters” film crew and cast had left for Fairview the night before, “We couldn’t cook or put anything back together,” Hicks said.
“We had their lighting, so we were here without lighting for half a day,” she said about that Friday, until the film crew could dismantle their expensive lights so Midway’s staff could replace with the store’s original lighting.
Tourism boom or bust
“Twisters” hit the big screens the following summer of 2024.
Oklahoma Film and Music Office released a map of all the filming locations including Midway and Lone Ranger, which hasn’t been an active and open gas station for 10 years.
Unfortunately, Midway didn’t get to keep most of the props used in the movie, so when the few tourists arrive, they don’t really see much to match.
Hence, Midway really hasn’t seen an uptick in business since “Twisters” came out.
“A lot of people may not know,” Hicks said, other than the locals, about Midway starring in the “Twister” reboot.
Obviously, the improvements to the floor and bathroom remain, but little else did.
Hicks said they tried to obtain the Midway sign that had been above the entrance, but since it was plywood and plastic, they were told it was too lightweight and therefore it was a safety issue.
And because the painted word of “Midway” on the back wall was considered a prop and advertisement, it was painted over by the film crew for legal reasons, Hicks said.
They do have photos of the filming days and are attempting to restore the dining area so film buffs can pose at the booth like Javi (Anthony Ramos) and Scott (David Corenswet) talking with Storm Par investor Riggs (David Born) when Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) interrupts.
Film buffs can also spot similarities behind the building in the parking lot where Kate and Tyler conversed about the skies—the antenna tower, the Chelf’s old house, and the propeller design on the back wall.
Someday in the near future Midway plans to do some marketing campaigns to promote their part in “Twisters”; however, both managers said they’ve been stymied by the fact Midway is a small business just trying to stay open and they simply do not have the time to focus on it.
The plan is to eventually have a photo wall and hopefully memorabilia for sale such as t-shirts and hats that attribute Midway as a “Twisters” star.
“I’d do it all over again,” Minnick said. Hicks agreed.
They are in touch with the movie company representatives in Oklahoma City, so Midway may again be the site for future movies filmed in the state.
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Article originally published as part of Enid News & Eagle Progress section about Northwest Oklahoma.
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A scene from “Twisters” that was filmed inside Midway’s dining area. The pony wall seen by the door was removed after filming concluded since it was considered a prop as was the picture on the wall above the booth. (Screenshot/Universal Studios)