The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 4 No. 15 by The Tulsa Voice

GREENWOOD: DETAILS STILL MATTER

THE WATER’S FINE (AND CHLORINATED)

P32

PANHANDLING: A HEATED DISCUSSION

OLD DOGS, GET SCHOOLED

P10

P35 J U LY 1 9 – A U G U S T 1 , 2 0 1 7 // V O L . 4 N O . 1 5

Testimonies of summer A PHOTO ESSAY BY NATE GRACE P23

paradise never sounded So Good.

Tickets On Sale Now

peter frampton fri, july 28 Lindsey buckingham & Christine mCvie sat, aug 5 Ralphie may fri, aug 18 Toto and pat benatar & neil girardo fri, sept 8 Ron white fri, sept 15 steve miller band sat, sept 16 joan jett & the blackhearts sat, sept 23

Chris Isaak fri, sept 29 tom jones sat, oct 7 chase rice fri, oct 27 Live music 7 nights a week, starting at 5pm

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2 // CONTENTS

July 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

ENJOY SOME OF THE BEST DINING TULSA HAS TO OFFER

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FA S SL ER H A L L w w w . f a s s l e r h a l l . c o m HOUSEM A DE S AUS AGES A ND A GRE AT BEER G A RDEN 3RD & ELGIN

EL GUA P O’S w w w . e l g u a p o s c a n t i n a . c o m

EN JOY ME XICA N FOOD A ND M A RG A RITA S ON DOW N TOW N’S ONLY ROOF TOP PATIO 1S T & ELGIN

T HE TAV ERN w w w . t a v e r n t u l s a . c o m FINE DINING IN T HE BR A DY A R T S DIS T RICT M AIN & BR A DY

DIL LY DINER w w w . d i l l y d i n e r. c o m BRE A K FA S T SERV ED A L L DAY LONG 2ND & ELGIN

EL GIN PA RK w w w . e l g i n p a r k b r e w e r y. c o m

PIZZ A, HOUSE-BRE WED BEER, WINGS, 60 + T VS ELGIN & M.B. BR A DY

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

CONTENTS // 3

LE O N SA

N O W !17

# BWC

EUGENE MIRMAN

KYLE KINANE

F20

SKLAR BROTHERS

GINA BRILLON NAOMI EKPERIGIN DAVID GBORIE JORDAN ROCK

BYRON BOWERS

JACQUELINE NOVAK

LATE LATE BREAKFAST

LIZA TREYGER

NICK VATTEROTT

SAM JAY

BRIAN MOSES

JOSH MEYERS

SEPTEMBER 7TH-10TH , 2017 STAND UP • IMPROV • PODCASTS • FILM • PARTIES • LIVE MUSIC

BLUEWHALECOMEDYFESTIVAL .COM 4 // CONTENTS

July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE DEEP END

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

BY BARRY FRIEDMAN

MANAGING EDITOR Liz Blood ASSISTANT EDITOR Kathryn Parkman DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon

On old Jews in pools, baseball, and death

ART DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf AD EXECUTIVE Craig Freeman

FEVER DREAM

EDITORIAL INTERN Mason Whitehorn Powell GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN Katie Volak

PHOTOS BY NATE GRACE

Scenes of summer 2017

CONTRIBUTORS Alicia Chesser, Barry Friedman, Nate Grace, Valerie Grant, Jeff Huston, Hannibal B. Johnson, Fraser Kastner, Joshua Kline, Jennie Lloyd, Mary Noble, Joe O’Shansky, Gene Perry, Dan Riffe, Amanda Ruyle, Andrew Saliga, Holly Wall The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

Member of

The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by

1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926 PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall RECEPTION Gloria Brooks

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Send all letters, complaints, compliments & haikus to: voices@langdonpublishing.com FOLLOW US @THETULSAVOICE ON:

Volleyball at Helmerich Park | NATE GRACE

NEWS & COMMENTARY

FOOD & DRINK

ARTS & CULTURE

8 A STORYTELLER’S RESPONSIBILITY B Y HANNIBAL B. JOHNSON

16 GLOBAL INFLUENCE B Y HOLLY WALL

30 STIMULUS PACKAGE B Y ALICIA CHESSER

Smithsonian distorts Greenwood narrative

Pachac Peruvian Food brings the unique taste of Chifa

9 A PENNY FOR YOUR EDUCATION B Y GENE PERRY

18 QUINTESSENTIAL QUININE B Y ANDREW SALIGA

Less funding for higher education will weaken our economy

10 KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF B Y JOSHUA KLINE Tulsa City Council just voted to effectively outlaw panhandling GREENWOOD: DETAILS STILL MATTER

THE WATER’S FINE (AND CHLORINATED)

P32

PANHANDLING: A HEATED DISCUSSION

OLD DOGS, GET SCHOOLED

P10

P35 J U LY 1 9 – A U G U S T 1 , 2 0 1 7 // V O L . 4 N O . 1 5

Earthquakes increasing yearly and other stuff to get you all shook up

MUSIC

A PHOTO ESSAY BY NATE GRACE P23

40 SET THE TONE B Y MARY NOBLE Dialtone’s constant quest for inspiration

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

41 SOUNDS LIKE PROGRESS B Y DAN RIFFE

Let the buskers busk

31 FLOWER GIRLS B Y JENNIE LLOYD

A perennial search in the city

Refreshing takes on the gin and tonic

19 SWEET REWARDS B Y AMANDA RUYLE Gearing up for the Great Tulsa Honey Sale

32 ADULTS SWIM B Y KATHRYN PARKMAN Bring your ID, but leave the kids and contraband at home

35 NEW TRICKS FOR OLD DOGS B Y MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

46 BAD NEWS B Y FRASER KASTNER

Testimonies of summer

ON THE COVER At POSTOAK Lodge and Retreat, near East 36th Street and North Harvard Avenue, fishing at Mohawk Park, pick-up picnic at 41st Street River Parks plaza, in Brady Heights. PHOTO BY NATE GRACE

Brian Brooks Moving Company delivers

TV & FILM 43 CHRISTMAS IN JULY B Y JOE O’SHANSKY Game of Thrones is exciting and untethered

44 SUPERNATURAL GRANDEUR B Y JEFF HUSTON

‘ A Ghost Story’ is accessible cinematic poetry

45 APES OF WRATH B Y JOE O’SHANSKY

From pottery to firearm safety, you’re about to become way more versatile

ETC. 7 YOURVOICE 38 THEHAPS 42 MUSICLISTINGS 45 FULLCIRCLE 47 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD

There’s a missing link in ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

There’s a lot to love about the Tulsa community, especially in these long days of summer.

Photographer Nate Grace captured much of it for his photo essay, “Fever Dream,” on pg 23. There’s a lot to laugh about here too—and the recent hullaballoo over whether or not Tulsa will

have a new city flag is a good example. Gauging by social media, a lot of people really care about the project. In reality, about 8,000 people (roughly 2 percent of Tulsa’s population) voted

online on the flag designs. By contrast, in April 2016, nearly 45,000 showed up to polls to vote on the Vision package and 58,000 people voted in the June 2016 mayoral race. Regardless, here we are. The people have spoken, sort of. And Tulsa City Council seems to have reneged their support for changing the current one. (They haven’t scheduled an action to adopt a new flag. Some councilors have expressed concern about the process and want more of their constituents’ feedback.) In this issue, we dig into other things our community could get riled up about, like how Oklahoma is leading the nation in higher education cuts (pg. 9), the new language in a city ordinance that will effectively outlaw panhandling (pg. 10), and, even, where you can go swimming without so many damn kids around (pg. 32). But congrats to the anonymous winner. The flag hits on our Native roots (though the design resembles an Osage shield, and Tulsa was settled by the Creeks), our marred race-relations history, the Arkansas River, the oil that made the city “magic,” our Art Deco architecture, and the warmth and community found here. According to The North American Vexillological Association’s criteria for good flag design—keep it simple, use meaningful symbolism, use two to three basic colors, no lettering or seals, and be distinctive or be related—the new one hits those marks. a

LIZ BLOOD

MANAGING EDITOR 6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

yourvoice

animalia

W TOOTH AND CTILA N O CONSERVA a Zoo’s Lost Kin

abitants of Tuls

Meet the inh

gdom

newbie Veteran and in VFW comedians join open mic

by JENNIE LLOYD A snow leopard

at Tulsa Zoo

| RUTH HOLLAND

small primate As if on cue, the window and put male pairs of walked up to a There are male-fe s, glass to greet a Komodo dragon grottos and her hand on the snow leopards, half-century-old The s. The species remed “beard habitat almost pack of toddler rroooh! Jin roared. binturongs (nickna into an enriche moved ered easels,” though than their forone another, then “bear-w larger or garded critically endang times cats” ve fi s. siamangs, impaon to other window s in Lost Malayan tiger’s not related to either), mer home. rs. Lost hout the inMost of the animal Tulsa and Chinese alligato the threat“We designed the tience echoed throug Tulsa Zoo’s previous on x to provide of the Kingdom were “Komodos are Kingdom comple door dayroom x, while newcomers gs numbers are und viewing exhibit comple Zoo residents, ened list. Siaman ng, immersive, year-ro zoo guests n new $21 million binturo Malaya panda, t. red include the down by 50 percen down to opportunities where walked into Lost Kingdom. species. d have again over and a few bird tigers have droppe can feel like they Jin howl-roared to wait for wild,” Burgess said Lindsay the zoo’s comThough Jin has 250–300 in the a forgotten land,” Kalle Burgess, guests can head trying to breed Zoo’s vice press manager, as she breakfast, human Komodo said. “So we are Hutchison, Tulsa munity relation hropy and comthe outdoor tiger’s new home. to here.” the philant over of them about ident talked food and fullhopes Jin will expert,” Burment. “Exploring Canteen for fair The Tulsa Zoo munity engage “I’m not a tiger beers on tap at again, and that teeming with Jin stalked back point Marshall become a mother among the ruins gess said while new wood-fired e a father for will feel a pent-up heavytheir leisure. A s Tahan will becom ting endanwildlife, zoo visitors and engageand forth like a Rajan’s, feature ty the ring. “But pizza restaurant, the first time. Protec mixture of curiosi s weight ready for patio with maintaining a language, about the animal a wraparound indoor where gered species and ment; curiosity based on her body integral , and a desire to impatient for of the tiger yard, population is an she’s viewing g views are healthy thinkin they I’m mission. in the sun—after vation.” Jin likes to nap part of Tulsa Zoo’s are a quiet engage in conser breakfast.” the s most course. and about of dragon breakfast, Komodo Jin didn’t care The zoo’s biggest d is the second tigers, who tend new habitat this to date replace Lost Kingdom species, unlike specifics of her expensive project zoo’s 20-year masa sky-lit indoor and snow even the Hille project of the to talk a lot. In o morning—not the 1960s-era tiger updated, d in 2012, to rea male Komod Bridge, where with ter plan, reveale d area of his own, Foundation Tiger leopard grottos e larger, update out on a heated the heads of and demonbuild and provid dragon splayed she can stalk over ir walkway. naturalistic homes of the animals. hundred feet from habitats for each rock just a few visitors in an open-a and her stration areas. placed of Lost g, were tion ts mornin comple yard elemen “The Jin; heated She wanted her Early this hot June us to conup-close view! was weeding the Kingdom will allow near windows for breakfast. Arroooh a horticulturist his belly. our master plan, the demoneast yard of the tinue work on ing when he warms Jin padded past o section 6,000-square-foot Komod pers African where t, female zookee the on the g e, Exhibi focusin Outsid stration area where . Training Helmerich Tiger Hutchison said. a shallow pool. groups her breakfast of the zoo next,” will be an sat in the sun near chat with small Jin likes to eat a father-daughl part of the g sun amid a The next project Across from her, areas are an integra and the and bask in mornin crumbling exhibit. gs—small, tiger and improved giraffe ter pair of siaman exhibit. Both the donation rolling landscape es—swung stration ar“We got a $1 million expand black-furred primat snow leopard demon to watch temple ruins. s to daughter siato wait until a chance from Osage Casino from ropes. The eas give guests “So she will have s this indoor viewreinhuman e create seen positiv said. and s never the barn mang had zookeepers show he’s done,” Burges a into her new ues up close. other tigers ing,” Burgess said. close before moving Burgess. forcement techniq m is a Noah’s She and the two ing to TULSA VOICE ion—Jin’s 4, 2017 // THE habitat, accord The Lost Kingdo in the zoo’s collect June 21 – July species. named Asian male a ered ark of endang daughter Ava and from their Tahan—moved

Comedian

rg | JOSEPH Ross Clettenbe

& CULTURE 26 // ARTS

n response to “Tooth and claw conservation: Meet the inhabitants of Tulsa Zoo’s Lost Kingdom” by Jennie Lloyd, in the June 21 – July 4, 2017 issue.

dis: “I’m stealing his stage and proclaim this, on I’ll say, ‘I hate LE THE SEQUENTIAL mount... From now THE STEPS CHRONIC foreign wars and n goodnight!’” names of America seat for n Lila Bear was ntly reserves a Memphis comedia by to the bar permane Lounge, Tulsa and popped The Centennial passing through g 30 new a fallen solider. floor of VFW Post new material, includin “When I second out the on try located time as a baby. St.), is one of Tulsa’s jokes about her blad577 (1109 E. 6th the fastest roller with shuffleboard, in was a baby, I was hidden gems, replete and “Hanoi Jane” going for the gold my ing baby, and I was lost I the occasional buffet, “Then said. I my country,” she Fonda urinal targets. they found out one of Tulsa’s sponsorship because On Wednesday nights, feet.” mics happens there. have wheels for best comedy open host is presented by opened mic open show,” The VFW and “This is a comedy . “And e Channel Four night I attended the comedy collectiv selected by Green, Ryan Green on the ‘Shut is are a comedy show a Half, and hosts was crethe first rule of member. The mic CFH a is up.’” who the fuck Lightell-West, and arted jeers were ated by Chris Ashton already an instiLaughter and light-he was from the fresh faces according to Green, years fired back at Green hit the scene three in the packed room. tution when he and top Tulsa comics the house lights, host Vanessa Dawn ago. When longtime CFH took over. Evan Hughes dropped slamyear, grimaced after skipped town this Nicholas Osborne Four and a Half C.R. Parsons stroked “Since of all the ming a shot, and Andrew t, and most likely lation. drunkes contemp folks, I’m the his beard in quiet mic, [Channel Four Zampino giggled be at every open to one the be Deacon and Michael I would an unplugged jukebox. and a Half] decided monitoring,” Green be over something by and other mics can to do the booking fire A bombed set at e. is a sort of trial by performer and audienc said. “Hosting VFW host painful for both seaget rowdy… The a room packed with or for hosts as it can parent But bombing in to be the mean be just as funny, has to be willing soned comics can killing it. sometimes.” from even funnier than usually comes confused the video The rowdiness The first comic ce, who might not Us” with the show the comics in attendan game “Gods Among joke, and endured sin of heckcomedy the in a exactly commit name “American Gods” crowd. each other in the howling from the ling, but rip into a good minute of sighing — MITCH GILLIAM his set before of brotherhood. He banged out the to have Green take and exiting, only

I live in Tulsa and am an admin for the @CloseTulsaZoo Twitter page. I do not like my tax dollars going to fund animal captivity, and VICTOR SKEY FOXTROT WHI think there are more educational ways of spending your money and free time. I ﬁnd it sad and ironic that Osage Casinos donated to this expansion project, too, since zoos are pure colonialism and capitalism masquerading as educational experiences. Zoos, back in the day, also paraded human exhibits of “savages” alongside other animals like freak shows. The zoo is little more than a circus today, and should transition into animal sanctuaries. I know it is not black and white, but where the Tulsa Zoo stands today is clearly not helping conserve anything so long as it sticks lolz

RUSHMORE

CELEBREMOS LA COMUNIDAD. LA COLECCIÓN DE ARTE CHICANO DE CHEECH MARIN

with its colonial roots. I’m sure the people that work there do love animals, but they support a system that actually causes the habitat and environmental degradation they think they’re against. The “Lost Kingdom” appropriates Asian cultures like some museum that refuses to return heritage items to the original owners, continuing a cycle of animal exploitation. In your article, you say that the next project will expand the giraffe exhibit. Let’s not forget that the Tulsa Zoo has killed at least 2 giraffes, and was ﬁned by the USDA for their negligence. Zoos clearly endanger just as much as they “protect.” In the words of Randy Malamud, “I’ve come to regard zoo visits as consumer experiences

that do little more than celebrate people’s power to capture and display a parade of exotic specimens in a mall-like compound.” Thus, I am boycotting Tulsa Zoo and instead putting my money in to true rehabilitation and conservation efforts like that found at Wild Heart Ranch in OK. I vow to visit animals on their home turf, rather than forcing them to come to me. I encourage everyone to read the online article, “Is it Time to Break With the Colonial Legacy of Zoos?” by Jason Michael Lukasik. —@CloseTulsaZoo Letters to the editor are printed unedited.

Send your letters to the editor to voices@langdonpublishing.com

CELEBRATE COMMUNITY. CHEECH MARIN’S COLLECTION OF CHICANO ART

On view now

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

community

Colorized footage by Solomon Sir Jones in “America in Color: The 1920s” | COURTESY SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

A STORYTELLER’S RESPONSIBILITY Smithsonian distorts Greenwood narrative by HANNIBAL B. JOHNSON

he Smithsonian Channel aired the ﬁrst installment of its eagerly anticipated series “America in Color” on July 5. Advance media touted the inclusion of rare movie footage of Tulsa’s early African American enclave, the Greenwood District, and intimated said footage predated the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. But, Tulsa’s under-two-minute “America in Color” segment missed the mark, displaying a surprising level of casualness that risks blunting the remarkable history of the Greenwood District. The voice-over and scene sequencing seemed to pair text about the pre-Riot Greenwood District with footage of mid1920s Muskogee. The narrator described the once-bustling community as “a suburb of Tulsa,” and spoke of the “riots” (i.e., plural). In fact, the Riot stands as a singular event in which Tulsa townspeople massacred their own. The Tulsa tragedy would become the worst single incident of racial violence in American history. Property damage ran into the millions. Hundreds of people died, and scores were injured. 8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

What amounted to a titillating Tulsa history sound bite distorted and decontextualized a complex series of events. In so doing, the Smithsonian piece contributes to the intellectual delinquency of its viewers. When it comes to history, a master storyteller crafts a compelling narrative without resorting to untruths. We should expect no less, particularly from a venerable institutional raconteur like the Smithsonian. Tulsan Douglas Miller posted a scathing critique on his blog. Miller raised five objections, paraphrased and elaborated upon as follows. 1.) The film footage does not show the pre-Riot Greenwood District. Most of the footage consists of post-1921 scenes shot by Solomon Sir Jones, a Baptist minister and businessman. Yale University houses his 1924–1928 work product. 2.) The film ties non-Tulsa footage to the Greenwood District. Muskogee appears prominently in the footage, passing, presumably unwittingly, for Tulsa’s Greenwood District.

3.) The film misrepresents the founding of the Greenwood District. O.W. Gurley, a wealthy migrant from Arkansas, founded the Greenwood District, not a collective of African Americans formerly enslaved by tribal nations (i.e., the “Freedmen”), as suggested in the narration. 4.) The film oversimplifies the cause(s) of the Riot and the posture of the white community. The roots of the Riot include systemic racism, land lust, and jealousy. While white men perpetrated the violence, some white Tulsans recoiled at this gross injustice, actively assisted African Americans, and expressed shame and remorse in the aftermath of the Riot. 5.) The film obscures the rightful legacy of the Greenwood District. The people—their long-suffering and resilience—define the Greenwood District. The Riot rates as a chapter in a bigger, broader, and bolder narrative. In the early 20th century, the Greenwood District rose to prominence as a premier African American entrepreneurial center. De jure segregation confined

dollars within this “Black Wall Street,” a dynamic business hub brimming with risk-takers and deal makers. The alleged assault on a white girl by an African American boy lit the fuse that set the Greenwood District alight. Propelled by sensational newspaper reporting, resentment over black economic success, and a racially hostile climate in general, white mob rule reigned. In the hours between May 31 and June 1, 1921, lawlessness prevailed in the Greenwood District. Fires raged. Mobs prevented firefighters from extinguishing the flames. People, property, hopes, and dreams vanished. Tulsa’s man-made calamity ranks as an assault, a disaster, a massacre, a pogrom, a holocaust, or any number of other ghastly descriptors, and was a taboo topic for decades. Despite overt hostility and resistance, Tulsa’s African American citizens rebuilt the Greenwood District up from the ashes. By 1942, the area sported more than 200 black-owned businesses. This resurgence would not be permanent. Integration, urban renewal (particularly, the location of Interstate 244), and changing economic conditions sealed the community’s fate. Today, the yetagain-reborn Greenwood District consists of a smattering of residences, coupled with a hodgepodge of cultural, educational, entertainment, and business interests. The Greenwood District narrative needs no embellishment and no distortion. “Coloring” this history diminishes the power of the truth it took so long to tell. It also masks the fundamental lessons to be gleaned from acknowledging and understanding the past as it was, not as it might have been. The essence of this saga doubles as our legacy: the triumph of the human spirit. That is an inheritance worth safeguarding. a

Hannibal B. Johnson, a Harvard Law School graduate, is an author, attorney, consultant, and college professor. He writes and lectures about the history of the Greenwood District. July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

okpolicy

or several years, Oklahoma has led the nation in cuts to state aid funding of K–12 public schools. Oklahoma lawmakers have cut state aid per student by 26.9 percent since 2008—almost twice as much as the next worst state, Alabama. The results are clear. Many of our best teachers are leaving for other states, nearly one in ﬁve school districts have gone to 4-day weeks, arts, athletics, and STEM programs are being cut, class sizes are growing, and more. These problems have gotten attention in state and national media—so much that Governor Fallin says she is having trouble convincing businesses to come to Oklahoma because of what they’ve heard about our education struggles. The state of higher education funding has drawn less attention, because even though the state’s support for higher education was also cut deeply, those cuts weren’t leading the nation. That has changed, according to a new report from researchers at Illinois State University. Over the past ﬁve years, Oklahoma cut state funds for higher education by 17.8 percent, the most in the nation. As with K–12 funding, our cuts were much deeper than the next worst state (Louisiana with 11.5 percent cuts). We are one of only seven states that didn’t increase funding over this period and one of only three states that cut funding by more than 10 percent. We jumped to the lead primarily because lawmakers severely reduced funds for higher education last year. Some lawmakers expected colleges and universities would recover much of those cuts by the passage of State Question 779, which would have sent 19.25 percent of the revenues from a 1 percent sales tax increase to higher education. Of course, SQ 779 did not pass, but this year instead of

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

rolling back their cuts, lawmakers cut higher education again by another 3.95 percent. Colleges and universities have coped by a combination of layoffs and program cutbacks, increased reliance on private donations and grants, and tuition increases. The hardest hit have been Oklahoma’s regional universities, which don’t have the large private endowments or other resources that the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University can use to cushion the blow. Oklahoma has now cut total state education spending in seven out of the past ten years. Accounting for inﬂation, we spent $887 million less on education in 2016 compared to 2009—a nearly 17 percent drop. That’s almost three times what we would need to give every teacher a $5,000 raise and make their salaries competitive with other states. These cuts should worry all Oklahomans—not just those who are students or have kids in school. Across the country, the states with the highest productivity and wages are those with the most college graduates. This correlation has grown much stronger in recent decades, as degrees become increasingly important for getting a good job. From 1979 to 2012, the wage gap between families headed by two college graduates and families headed by high school graduates grew by $30,000, after inﬂation. Despite the clear evidence that investing in education strengthens the economy, Oklahoma has become the nation’s biggest outlier, taking our state in the wrong direction, and fast. a

Gene Perry is Policy Director of Oklahoma Policy Institute (www.okpolicy.org).

A PENNY FOR YOUR EDUCATION Less funding for higher education will weaken our economy by GENE PERRY

ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE VOLAK

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

community

arlier this year, Mayor G.T. Bynum announced the launch of Better Way, an initiative to help impoverished citizens who panhandle by offering them on-the-spot day-laboring opportunities to help beautify the city. Compensation includes lunch and a wage of $9 an hour, paid in cash. Modeled after a similar program in Albuquerque, Better Way was originally planned to launch in early 2018, but after an overwhelmingly positive reaction from citizens, city leaders, and nonprofits, Mayor Bynum announced that the program would begin this summer, ahead of schedule. The question of how to best serve and help Tulsa’s homeless population is an often heated conversation between city leaders and the public. In 2014, signs that read “PLEASE DO NOT PAY THE PANHANDLERS” appeared in the Brady Arts District, prompting outcry from some and approval from others. In 2015, Pearl District residents bickered over Iron Gate soup kitchen’s proposed relocation to 3rd Street and Peoria Avenue. Some feared that an influx of homeless citizens seeking a hot meal would undermine efforts to gentrify the neighborhood. Last year, Tulsa City Council voted to increase the fines for a panhandling violation from $50 to $150. In each instance, public opinion has been split along a dividing line of two opposing perceptions: one sees the homeless as a dangerous nuisance and economic drag, the other sees them as people who are struggling and in need of support. After much debate and division over how to address the problem of poverty, Better Way appeared to be one solution everybody could get behind. Then, on June 28, the City Council voted 5–3 in favor of amending a solicitation ordinance to further restrict roadside panhandling, and the debate was rekindled. 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Tulsa City Council just voted to effectively outlaw panhandling, sending mixed messages to people living in poverty by JOSHUA KLINE

“It’s not speciﬁcally going after panhandling,” District 5 City Councilor Karen Gilbert, the amendment’s sponsor, told the Tulsa World after the proposed ordinance’s ﬁrst public reading on June 21. “It’s a public safety issue. We don’t want anyone getting into the street.” The original language of the ordinance—Title 37, Chapter 11, Section 1105, labeled “Pedestrians soliciting rides, employment, business or contributions”—read as follows. No person shall step or stand in the roadway or median used to channel traffic for the purpose of soliciting a ride, employment, business or contributions of any kind from the occupant of any vehicle; provided however, that sworn public safety officers

may solicit contributions for a charitable project officially adopted by their bargaining agents.

I.E.: “Don’t stand in the road, unless you’re a firefighter collecting money in your boot.” The amendment to the ordinance adds new language after “used to channel traffic”: … or place any body part in or over the roadway, or extend into or over a roadway any device, container or sign …

Meaning, it’s now illegal to accept money or gifts through a car window. “We cannot outlaw panhandling because of our First Amendment, so anyone can stand on the street and say or ask

whatever they want,” Councilor Gilbert told me after the revised ordinance was approved. “But we just want to keep both citizens and drivers safe. The complaints that I have gotten from constituents are in regard to panhandlers on the exit ramps and that is one of the most dangerous places to be. We don’t want people reaching into the street or into a car out of fear they might be hit.” Gilbert said she received “a large number” of constituent complaints regarding panhandling on a monthly basis, leading her to sponsor the ordinance change. Though she initially told the Tulsa World otherwise, she’s since made it clear that this is speciﬁcally about going after panhandlers, though she insists it’s for their own protection. “This is a tool for our police ofﬁcers to keep panhandlers off of the street and out of harm’s way,” she said.

“There ain’t nothin’ they can do to stop us,” Tim Davis said. On a brutally hot July afternoon, Davis sat in a camping chair at a heavily littered corner of an access road off of I-244, holding out a cup toward the road. Davis, who is of Seminole descent, came to Tulsa from Florida as a kid. He’s been panhandling in the Kendall Whittier area for three years. On a typical day, he said, he makes $10 to $12, most of which he uses for food. “I don’t stand in the middle of the road, I don’t hold up signs, I don’t do none of that,” Davis said. Davis described to me the world he lives in: watching his friends die, constantly ducking violence, avoiding the cops, and ﬁnding new corners to call a temporary home until the next displacement. “There was a tent city by the river for a while, but we all got kicked out.” July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

I asked him what he would do if he was ticketed for accepting money from a car. “I’d go to prison,” he said. “And you gotta remember, I’m Native American. It’s the same old shit over and over. They won’t give us restitution but they still want us to pay. It’s all about money.”

At the June 28 City Council meeting, District 4 Councilor Blake Ewing made an emphatic case that the ordinance is counterproductive, morally troubling, and bad optics for the city. “I understand that it’s up to the officer’s discretion as to whether or not a violation has occurred to the level that merits a citation or arrest—but if we’re creating an ordinance that we don’t intend to consistently enforce, then I would ask why we’re doing that,” Ewing said. “And if we’re creating an ordinance that we intend to consistently enforce, then I would ask why this would ever rise above any of the other existing ordinances that we’ve got on the books that I think many of us would agree are much more pressing. “Whether it’s targeted specifically at the homeless or panhandlers or not, my concern is that it communicates to those folks that the city is taking efforts to make life even more difficult on people for whom life is already quite difficult.” District 6 Councilor Connie Dodson echoed Ewing’s concerns and added that she worried the new law would force panhandlers to approach more citizens in parking lots and on sidewalks. But councilors Phil Lakin (District 8) and Anna America (District 7 and council chair) argued that the ordinance was about public safety first and foremost. Only Ewing, Dodson, and District 1 Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper voted against it.

“There’s a law in place already,” said Sarah Grounds, executive director of Night Light Tulsa, an outreach program that serves Tulsa’s homeless population with food, clothing, toiletries, haircuts, and conversation every Thursday THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

night under the I-244 bridge on M.B. Brady Street near Maybelle Avenue. “Furthering that law with different language that is going to fine people that already can’t pay their fines or jail them or whatever—it seems punitive.” Grounds recalled an incident two years ago in which a woman who’d been placed in housing by the Mental Health Association couldn’t afford toilet paper and other basic needs. “And she was panhandling for those products,” Grounds said, “until we came in and [helped]. I think there are a lot of good nonprofits out there who are willing to step in and help … but we have to identify the problem instead of just furthering charges on people who can’t pay the fines.” Leaders at the Community Service Council, one of the many organizations that opposed the change to the ordinance, were also concerned. “We are concerned that this new ordinance will encourage harassment of panhandlers, further pushing the homeless out of public view and therefore making them even harder to help,” said Rachel Runfola, who leads the veterans division at the Community Service Council. “Let’s not forget that all too many of those in crisis who we serve are veterans.” “Driving people from public view makes the task of finding and rendering assistance to these individuals far more difficult and expensive,” said Patrice Pratt, director of the housing and homelessness division of the Community Service Council. “In times of shrinking revenues and funding, adding an unnecessary burden to both the vulnerable and those who wish to provide services is counterproductive.” Michael Brose, CEO of Mental Health Association Oklahoma (MHAOK), and representatives from A Way Home for Tulsa—a coalition of 23 public and private agencies focused on fighting poverty and homelessness—met with Councilor Gilbert as well as TPD Chief Chuck Jordan ahead of the vote to express opposition to the ordinance change. “It was pretty much a done deal that it was going to pass, but I think that it’s important for the

public to know we think this will have very little real impact on the frequency of panhandling,” Brose said, citing Oklahoma City’s similar ordinance, which he said appears to have had little impact since its passage last year. In response to the ordinance passage, Brose and A Way Home have offered to work “side by side” with the police department to help habitual violators of the ordinance avoid tickets and jail time and instead assist them with food, shelter, healthcare, and referrals to substance abuse treatment programs. “We hope this happens, and we’re optimistic it will,” Brose said. At the City Council meeting, Blake Ewing expressed similar concerns about the ordinance’s consequences. “I think it’s much more likely that we will see needy people cited for this, given a ticket that they can’t pay, and then the next time they’re cited for this a warrant will be out for them, and they will end up potentially being taken to jail for having reached into the street previously,” Ewing said. “It just doesn’t make sense to me, in a city that’s already struggling to have our police officers available for more pressing issues, to tie up our law enforcement with dealing with panhandlers who reach or even step into the street.” Gilbert disagrees. “I would hope that anyone who receives a ticket would be a responsible citizen and make sure that their fines are paid,” she told me. “If a panhandler cannot pay his or her ticket, they may go to court and bring it to a judge.” So far, Mayor Bynum has not publicly offered an opinion or comment on the issue, besides telling the Tulsa World after the ordinance’s first reading that it “hadn’t yet had any input from his office.” But to many in Tulsa, the message the City Council sent on June 28 was both decidedly mixed and crystal clear. “What I feel like this communicates is that we’re coming after [those in need],” Ewing said to his fellow councilors before the vote. “Not saying that’s the intent, but I think that’s how it will be perceived, and I think we have a responsibility to communicate something different.” a

Happy Birthday Andrew!

CARR IE

How precious is your steadfast love, O GOD! FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST 924 S. Boulder Church & Sunday School • 10:30am Wednesday Meeting • 6:00pm

TELL US WHAT YOU’RE DOING So we can tell everyone else Send all your event and music listings to voices@langdonpublishing.com

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11

Mention @TheTulsaVoice when you post on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with a picture of a burger from one of these establishments for a chance to win a $50 gift card. We’ll pick a new winner every week in July. Stay full, Tulsa.

PALACE CAFÉ • The Palace burger is a generous half pound prime rib steak burger that is ground fresh in-house. It is served on a delicious house-made brioche bun dressed with fresh arugula, Fontina cheese, and onion marmalade. Paired with rosemary truffle fries, this burger is fit for a king! Also try our Turkey Burger featuring house ground turkey with apple onions and celery, chipoltle aioli and served on a brioche bun with grilled vegetables.

1301 E 15TH ST • 918-582-4321 • PALACETULSA.COM

THE CHALKBOARD • Grilled 10oz Angus Beef Chalkboard Burger: House 80/20 ground black angus with wagyu ribeye fat, red onion pork belly marmalade, aged cheddar, arugula salad, ciabatta bun. House cut frites. Open: breakfast, lunch/brunch & dinner.

AMBASSADOR HOTEL TULSA 1324 S MAIN ST • 918-582-1964 • CHALKBOARDTULSA.COM 12 // BURGIN’ OUT

POLO GRILL • It’s life changing!” are words used by a patron to describe Polo Grill’s Half-Pound Tenderloin Burger, a popular menu choice topped with grilled onions, house-made pickles, a choice of cheddar, Swiss, smoked gouda or blue cheese, and served on a Kaiser roll. A fixture in Utica Square for 34 years, Robert Merrifield’s lauded restaurant also offers a flavor-filled Texas Burger featuring chipotle aioli, smoked cheddar, fried jalapenos and onion hay. Each of the robust club burgers offers fresh ground tenderloin off-the-grill and buns toasted to perfection.

2038 UTICA SQUARE • 918-744-4280 • POLOGRILL.COM July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

BAXTER’S INTERURBAN GRILL • Delighting bacon lovers for over 17 years. Baxters Interurban offers their house favorite Honey Peppered Bacon and Smoked Cheddar Burger, for $6.99 from open to close Mondays. Daily lunch specials, Happy Hour specials Monday through Friday from 4-7pm, and half priced featured appetizers. Come discover a downtown tradition.

717 S HOUSTON AVE • 918-585-3134 • BAXTERSGRILL.COM

MARGARITAVILLE • From a large flowing margarita machine to our tropical atmosphere, Margaritaville is more than a restaurant; it’s a state of mind. Margaritaville has everything you need to have a good time: Multi-level venue featuring 2 bars (The Dock Bar, Salty Bar), several private dining areas (Chickee Dining, Tiki Dining), 2 levels of covered terrace dining, stilt walkers throughout the property and live music on the Main Stage and a nightly interactive Volcano Show.

8330 RIVERSIDE PKWY • 918-995-8080 MARGARITAVILLETULSA.COM THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

JOHNNY ROCKETS • Burgers, shakes & fries arrive in a ‘50s diner setting at this outpost of the international chain. Try the Bacon Cheddar Single with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and special sauce on brioche bun!

8330 RIVERSIDE PKWY (INSIDE RIVER SPIRIT CASINO RESORT) • 918-995-8300

BRICKTOWN BREWERY • As “The Oklahoma Original,” we are proud to share our passion for local beer and great food with each of our guests. Our craft beers, burgers and Twisted Comfort Foods are prepared and served with a focus on quality, flavor and portion. Truly, great food that surprises!

BROOKSIDE: 3301 S PEORIA AVE • 918-895-7878 WOODLAND: 9409 E 71ST ST • 918-994-4456 BRICKTOWNBREWERY.COM BURGIN’ OUT // 13

MCNELLIE’S • Sure our beer selection is immense, but the food’s pretty good too! McNellie’s menu is filled with fresh, reasonably priced food. Every day, our dedicated kitchen staff works hard to make a variety of items from scratch, using the best ingredients available. Enjoy our $3.99 burgers & fries every Wednesday from 5-11pm.

DOWNTOWN: 409 E 1ST ST • 918-382-7468 • MCNELLIES.COM SOUTH: 7031 S ZURICH AVE • 918-933-5258 • MCNELLIESSOUTHCITY.COM

DILLY DINER • Downtown Tulsa’s favorite diner. Serving up breakfast all day, housemade bread, pastries, pies & cakes, homemade soft serve, house cured meats, local produce and so much more! Join us for our 1/2 price appetizers every Wednesday from 4-7pm. Open till 1am on weekends.

402 E 2ND ST • 918-938-6382 • DILLYDINER.COM 14 // BURGIN’ OUT

FASSLER HALL • Welcome to Fassler Hall Tulsa. This German gem in the heart of downtown Tulsa is known for its German beer and live entertainment. Half price sausages every Monday, 11pm to midnight! Try the burger with smoked Gouda cheese, sauer kraut & mustard, served with fries.

304 S ELGIN AVE • 918-576-7898 • FASSLERHALL.COM

THE TAVERN • The Tavern is a modern interpretation of the classic neighborhood pub. All dishes are developed using simple preparations that showcase the quality and flavors of each ingredient on the plate. The Tavern offers a wellcurated list of artisanal beer, worldclass wine and specialty spirits.

201 N MAIN ST • 918-949-9801 • TAVERNTULSA.COM July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

BURGIN’ OUT // 15

foodfile

Lomo Saltado at Pachac Peruvian Food is made from stir-fried beef, onions, sliced tomatoes, French fries, and cilantro over steamed rice | GREG BOLLINGER

Global influence

Pachac Peruvian Food brings the unique taste of Chifa by HOLLY WALL

andwiched between a contractor’s ofﬁce and a laundromat in an unassuming strip mall on West 23rd Street is one of the best new restaurants in Tulsa, open since August 2016. Pachac Peruvian Food specializes in Chifa, a unique fusion of Peruvian and Chinese cuisine, born in Lima in the late 19th and early 20th century. Cantonese immigrants from Guangdong began arriving in Peru in droves in the mid- and late 1800s as indentured servants intended to meet the country’s labor needs following the emancipation of its slaves. As their numbers grew and they began to establish themselves in the country, their style of cooking, which combined Chinese tradition with readily available Peruvian ingredients (as well as imported Chinese vegetables and spices), grew in popularity. The name Chifa is derived from the Cantonese word Jyupting, which means “to eat rice or have a meal.” It’s estimated now that there are thousands of Chifa restaurants in Lima—and now there’s one in Tulsa. Humberto Nieri Jr., the 28-year-old owner of Pachac

16 // FOOD & DRINK

Peruvian Food, was born in Lima and raised in California. He and his parents, Maria and Humberto Nieri Sr., owned a restaurant in Las Vegas from about 2005 to 2011, serving Chifa along with more traditional Chinese and Thai dishes. The restaurant folded during the recession, and the family moved to Tulsa, joining other family members already established here. When Humberto Jr., an electrical engineer working as a switch gear technician, decided to open a restaurant here, he focused on Chifa because he saw it as something Tulsa diners, who have plenty of Chinese and Thai restaurants to choose from, hadn’t been exposed to before (although there is another Peruvian restaurant in town, Manos Peruanos in south Tulsa). The restaurant’s small sign and modest storefront belie the vibrant ﬂavors of the cuisine served inside. The dining room is simple and spacious, and the small staff consists of family members. Maria and Humberto Sr. do most of the cooking, although I’ve seen Humberto Jr. taking customers’ orders and then running back to the kitchen to prepare the food himself.

Some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes include Lomo Saltado, a stir-fry of thinly sliced and marinated sirloin, onions, tomatoes, and French fries, served with a helping of steamed rice; Arroz Chaufa, Peruvian-style fried rice with either chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp; and the Pescado a la Chorillana, a fried fish fillet served with rice and potatoes and covered in a sauce similar to—but a little spicier than—the Saltado. Humberto Jr. said all of the dishes on his menu are authentic Chifa dishes—ones you’d find on any restaurant menu in Peru. The food’s unique flavor comes from a mixture of spices and ingredients that often include garlic, cumin, cilantro, and soy sauce, as well as the method of preparation. “Everything is prepared in a certain order to bring out the flavor of the dish,” he said. “You can’t just throw it all together; the flavors won’t be right.” I’ve dined at Pachac several times since its opening almost a year ago, and I’ve tried all of the dishes mentioned above, as well as the House Specialty—egg noodles stir-fried with shrimp, chicken, pork, bok choy, and napa cabbage

in a savory brown sauce. On the owner’s recommendation, this last time I opted to try the Aji de Gallina, a rich dish of shredded chicken in a creamy, cheesy sauce made with Peruvian yellow peppers and cashews, served atop boiled potatoes and with a side of steamed white rice. The dish was spicy, but not unpleasantly so, and the Maracuya, or passion fruit juice, I drank helped cool my mouth down. The Chicha Morada, a drink made from purple corn, cinnamon, pineapple, and clove, is another refreshing option. Each meal is served with a bottle of Aji de Huacatay, a condiment made from jalapeños and Peruvian black mint, and ﬁnished with a fortune cookie. Prices are reasonable, running between $9 and $13 per entrée, and each dish is prepared to order, so call ahead if you’re in a hurry. a

PACHAC PERUVIAN FOOD 728 W. 23rd St. Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–8pm 918-574-2266 July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

Downtown Tulsa Blue Dome District 114 S. Detroit

The Marzano Pesto Pizza Made in house pistachio pesto, imported Italian San Marzano Tomatoes. Pure. Simple. Perfect.

WINNER!

STG Parma Pizza.

“If you don’t love this pizza, you don’t pay for it.” – Mike Bausch, Owner, Andolini’s Pizzeria andopizza.com

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

Tour Northern Italy from downtown Tulsa: Prosciutto from Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma, Italian buffalo milk mozzarella, Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, local basil. 950°F 100% authentic Napoletana pizza. Carefully curated wine list and beer selection. 100% authentic micro-batch Italian gelato. STGItalian.com

FOOD & DRINK // 17

BILLIARDS

downthehatch

& BAR

QUINTESSENTIAL QUININE Start your day with Tulsa’s best breakfast tacos!

POOL with BENEFITS

Refreshing takes on the gin and tonic

BACON • SAUSAGE CHORIZO • VEGGIE

by ANDREW SALIGA

LOCATIONS! 7:30am-10:30am

Monday

Location varies! Check Facebook!

Tuesday

Tulsa County Library, 6th & S. Denver

Wednesday

Tiki gin and tonic made with ginger, dried hibiscus petals, and fresh orchids at Saturn Room | ANDREW SALIGA

Tulsa City Hall, 2nd & Cincinnati

3415 S. Peoria Avenue (918)742-9500 (No Tie Required)

18 // FOOD & DRINK

Thursday

Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boston

Friday

Arvest Bank , 5th & Main

RUM AND COKE. VODKA CRANBERRY. WHISKEY SODA WITH LIME. Drinks named for their ingredients are the epitome of simple, but none are as refreshing as the gin and tonic, which current summer heat makes mandatory. But don’t let the simplicity of the recipe convince you that the G&T isn’t complex. In the craft cocktail world, tonic syrups are a popular choice as they allow the drink maker to dial up or down the ﬂavor. These syrups are added to the gin then topped with carbonated water—the mixture of syrup and bubbles becoming the tonic. With ingredients like cinchona bark, citrus zest, lemongrass, and cardamom, these recipes create a G&T that’s darker in color and rich in ﬂavor. Cinchona bark is the one mandatory ingredient, as it’s where quinine is derived—the ingredient that provides tonic water its distinct bitterness. While cinchona has been used medicinally in South America since before recorded history, it was Europeans that used it to prevent malaria. When stationed in India, the British Navy would add gin and club soda to their daily dose of quinine to offset the bitterness. Both Hodges Bend (823 E. 3rd St.) and Valkyrie (13 E. M.B. Brady St.) make house tonic syrups. Hodges Bend’s recipe results in a sweeter G&T with a balanced citrus brightness, while Valkyrie’s yields a more prominent and pleasant bitterness from the cinchona bark. If you’re interested in trying a tonic syrup at home, check out Strong Tonic, which is made in

Oklahoma City and available throughout town, or go the DIY route and make your own. For a recipe link, visit thetulsavoice.com. Prairie Brewpub (223 N. Main St.), though better known for its selection of local beers, also serves a G&T that you won’t find on the menu. In true brewpub style, they offer a hopped G&T made with hopped gin, hop tonic, and garnished with an expressed orange peel. This is the gin and tonic for the fan of IPAs. Saturn Room (209 N. Boulder Ave.) adds an exotic spin by making a tiki tonic syrup, which includes ginger, dried hibiscus petals, and fresh orchids to the usual lineup of tonic ingredients. The orchids give it a slight earthiness, while the hibiscus contributes refreshing tartness. With a little creativity, the classic gin and tonic can be adapted to suit many preferences and fulfill summer cocktail desires. Try these adaptions: • Garnish with lemon, cucumber, or grapefruit instead of the classic lime. • Make ice cubes with star anise or another spice or herb frozen inside. • Add a few dashes of bitters. Cardamom, orange, rhubarb, and aromatic are good choices. • Use premium tonic water like Fever Tree or Q. This is one of the simplest ways to drastically improve your G&T. a July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

foodfile

Party at The Max

EVERY DAY! Funday:

OPEN AT NOON W/ FREE HURTS DONUTS CHAMPAGNE MIMOSA BAR LIVE EVENT BINGO @ 2pm (WIN A GAMEBOY COLOR!)

Monday: BLUE MONDAY W/ DJ ROBBO @ 9pm $1 COORS ORIGINAL

Tuesday: FREE TOKENS W/ EVERY PURCHASE Wednesday: TEAM TRIVIA NIGHT W/ QUESTIONABLE COMPANY @ 8pm (WIN A SUPER NINTENDO!)

Thursday: LADIES NIGHT W/ DJ MOODY FREE TOKENS FOR THE LADIES W/ ANY PURCHASE Shadow Mountain Honey Company produces small batches of raw honey | JAMES DEMING

SWEET REWARDS

Friday:

7/21 • DJ MOODY

7/28 • SWEET BABY JAYSUS

Saturday: 7/22 • DJ ROBBO OF THAT 90S PARTY

*OPENING AT 2 FOR THE 90S PUB CRAWL

7/29 • THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF DJ SHANNON CHAMBERS!

Gearing up for the Great Tulsa Honey Sale by AMANDA RUYLE WHEN COURTNEY DEMING gave her husband James a beekeeping class for Christmas 2013, she thought he would take the class and decide beekeeping was not for him. Instead, James took the class the following January and promptly ordered two sets of bees and two hives to start what he thought would be a small backyard operation. He wasn’t sure what the future would hold, but knew he had found a new passion in beekeeping. After a few missteps, and a sharp learning curve, his interest has now turned into a full-blown business. Shadow Mountain Honey Company, named after the hill on which the Demings live, now includes swarm rescue and produces honey from approximately 35 hives. That honey will be for sale at the company’s third annual Great Tulsa Honey Sale. “Demand is very strong,” James Deming said. “We did sell out last year. I have been amazed at the response to our sale offerings each year. It just continues to grow. We will have several hundred jars of honey on hand, and it will go quickly.” Seeing the demand and the huge amount of support they have received from fans of their honey, THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

the Demings have been working to expand their product range. They have been experimenting with making lotion bars and beeswax lip balms in a variety of scents and flavors, which will be available to purchase the day of the sale, alongside the honey. They also have expanded their efforts and production space with help from the community. “We have hives in backyards all across the city ... the benefit to the host is primarily the joy of helping the bee population, and to have pollinators in their gardens,” James said. Monitoring the hives, extracting and filtering processes, and jarring enough honey ahead of the sale is a big job, but one that is meaningful to James. “Beekeeping is a passion for me. I enjoy all aspects from caring for the bees—planting plants bees like, watching them work the flowers, and meeting our honey fans and fellow beekeepers.” a

GREAT TULSA HONEY SALE Saturday, July 22, 9am–noon 6332 S. 69th E. Pl. shadowmountainhoney.com

Pepperoni x 3 = The Pepperonipalooza. Math never tasted so delicious. FOOD & DRINK // 19

Barry Friedman (right) and his father Jack Friedman at Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant at River Spirit Casino | GREG BOLLINGER

VIEWS FROM THE PLAINS

THE DEEP END On old Jews in pools, baseball, and death by BARRY FRIEDMAN

THE WOMAN, MID 70S, IF I HAD TO guess, came up to me in the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center pool. I was in the swim lane, not swimming (I’ll get to that in a moment) and wearing a white SPF swim shirt— don’t ask—and with it clinging to my 6’4”, 255-pound frame, I looked like a cumulonimbus cloud. Still, she was all smiles. “We’ve been watching you,” she said, “my group, and we think you’d be perfect for it.” I looked over and there were half a dozen senior citizens in a water aerobics class, hopping, dancing, and squatting to “ABC,” which was playing on the overhead speaker. I’d be perfect for this? Old, wet Jews listening and splashing to The Jackson Five—you had to be there. Or maybe it’s better that you weren’t. I was in the swimming lane, in case you’re still wondering (though I was hoping you’d forget) walking— yes, walking—because I have a bad knee and, clearly, no pride. I looked over and noticed the men in the class: three of the five were also wearing SPF-protected sun shirts. I was so depressed, I nearly took off my water shoes.

MY FATHER, WHO’S 90 BUT KEEPS saying he’s 91 for reasons that defy understanding, fell in his apartment a few weeks back, slipped, he said, on the “shiny ﬂoor” when he got up to find the remote. He’s been watching a lot of “Grey’s Anatomy” on Netﬂix lately and thinks George is an “idiot” and Izzie is a terrible doctor. A neighbor in an apartment immediately below his place heard the thud—a terrible noise, she wrote me on Facebook—and came up to check on him. After she put him on the sofa, turned on the air conditioner, and helped find his glasses, he told her about the Purple Heart he received in the Philippines in World War II, which he probably stole. The story goes that his unit, the First Cavalry, was putting up a bridge when the Japanese started shelling. The sergeant yelled, “Drop the bridge and run,” which my father swears was followed by the sergeant screaming at him: “‘You’re running the wrong way.’ Ka-Boom!” (Yes, my father does the ka-boom when telling the story.) To hear him tell it, he woke up in a hospital a week later, went to the bathroom, and when he came back there was a Purple Heart on the edge of his bed. July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

Thing is, there’s no record he was ever awarded one and, perhaps most damning and certainly most hysterically, he admitted to me once: “Tell you the truth, Ba, when I came back from the bathroom, I couldn’t remember which bed was mine. I assumed the medal was for me.” “You assumed?” “What do you want me to tell you?” “You may have stolen someone’s Purple Heart, Dad.” “Let it go,” he said, as if I was going to report him, as if there’s a 90-yearold man in America who’s been irked about this theft for the past 70 years. Someone stole by damn Purple Heart. It was that Friedman guy, I know it. I called his doctor, who came over to check on him. Read that again: he came over. “Dad, how wonderful, huh? He made a house call.” “Wonder what that’s gonna cost me!” SUMMER RHYTHMS I heard them described once as “God’s Lawn chairs,” Adirondack chairs. Their long, straight, broad backs and gently sloped seats are comfortable, but don’t coddle—like the best of religions, in that respect. The wood makes for a tough, but solid love. First designed in 1903, they, of late, have been made with hard plastics and polymers, which coincides (actually precipitated) the decline of Western civilization. In summer, it’s the perfect chair. During the other seasons, they remind you of summer. If I were God, I’d buy two. Brightly colored orange and yellow Adirondacks are on the casino ﬂoor at the River Spirit Margaritaville. They’re not perfect, these chairs, laminated and with photos of ﬂamingos and sharks and Margaritaville logos—more for the lesser Gods. Classic Adirondacks look natural, stained or painted in muted tones, without plumage or advertisements plastered on the seat and back. But they’ll do. When my father and I gamble here—he can’t remember what it’s called, and so calls it River Cross or River Styx, we come two, three times a week to the Margaritaville side. I sit in one of the Adirondacks outside Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Restaurant, near Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville gift store, beyond the Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville slot machines, and hear Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” playing on a loop. And why isn’t there a Buffett buffet? This song, by the way, which was always fun and ridiculous, THE TULSA VOICE // JULY 19 – AUGUST 1, 2017

Tulsa skyline from ONEOK Field | COURTESY

is now just ridiculous. Buffett in concert changes the lyrics, and has taken to chanting, “salt, salt, salt,” after the “lost shaker of salt” line—think Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and the obnoxious “so good, so good, so good” interjection after “good times never seemed so good.” The place looks like the commercials but the people don’t—true of most casinos. There are tattoos and girth and people in cutoffs and tank tops, walking through and holding towels and sandals, and others in motorized chairs and towing oxygen tanks who are gambling on preposterously themed machines. “They’d never allow this in Vegas,” Dad says of the 50-cent vig taken on each hand of blackjack. “It burns me so.” “So why do you keep gambling?” I ask. “What are you gonna do?” We also go to the Hard Rock Casino—he calls it Hot Rod—which has a 2-for-1 buffet on Tuesdays, which we revere like Lourdes. IT’S STIFLING AT ONEOK FIELD, “Africa hot,” as Neil Simon once put it. Even the cockamamie promotions between innings are done in by the heat and humidity. The mascot appliances race—hell, they don’t even look like appliances anymore—is pathetic. Last year, there was verisimilitude—they had knobs. There was pushing, shoving. I’m here with two friends, both bearded, Chris and Doug. Chris coowns Mondo’s and has a great laugh and is wearing salmon pink shorts; Doug, my dear friend for more than 40 years, is maddeningly conservative, but

he also plays piano and loves baseball and would throw himself in front of a truck for me, as I would for him. We agree on very little, almost nothing, except tonight, between the third and fourth inning: we’ve both have about had it with service dogs. We can build on that. Somebody won—it was 6–6 when we left—but the greatest thing about baseball in the Texas League (where no team in the Texas League North Division is actually from Texas) is that nothing really matters. There, home-stands are long and tonight’s opponent, the Frisco RoughRiders, will be in town through the end of August, I think. Tulsa is beautiful from behind home plate, 15 rows up, on a summer night like this, even if the breeze never gets here and they ran out of wafﬂe cones. DEATH, PART 1 My friend Claudette died after a battle with cancer. No, that’s not right— it wasn’t a battle, it was a terrorist attack on a woman with snark and heart and great hair. She never had a chance. My girlfriend, Melissa, took one of Claudette’s cats—Jaspar, not the feral one, Stewie. You scream, you want to scream, you do scream, as John Donne did, “Death Be Not Proud,” but death is proud, in fact it laughs at you and your tirades and feeble essays and poetry against it. DEATH, PART 2 “You get me back to your mother,” my father has told me. She’s buried in a family circle cemetery in Long Island between a woman name Betty Koralchek, who nobody re-

members being in the family, and an empty plot, reserved for my father. “You get me back there. There’s a spot reserved.” “I know. I’ll get you back there.” “How do I know you’ll keep your word?” “You can trust me.” “Nah.” “You have hot summers here in Oklahoma?” he asks without segue. He’s been here three years. When my father comes to the cemetery, he walks up and down the family circle plot, stopping at stones, muttering, “When did he die?” and “When did she die?” Normie, a cousin, who was blind the last 20 years of his life and who died in 2014, still doesn’t have a stone because his son hasn’t sprung for one yet. There’s a spot reserved for me, too, somewhere, but not for Melissa because she’s not Jewish. Ida, the family circle macha and keeper of the family circle schema, runs a tight ship. The dues are $8 per year, which ensures me a plot. “You know what these go for?” my father asks. I’m 60. He’s paid the dues every year. Every. Year. MY MOTHER IN WATER A million years ago, before my mother died of a cancer that lurked in her body for 28 years after remission, I found her out back, mid-summer, on a raft in our pool at our home in Greenlawn, New York, singing to herself, at peace, a rarity for my mother, for she was a woman who waged a constant battle with disappointment and demons and everyday life. She could battle the world to a draw and then lose her mind over a broken dryer. The crepe myrtles were blooming on either side of the pool, my parents were back together—their 18month separation a failure—and there she was, my mother, Florence Friedman, in oversized sunglasses and a drink in a plastic cup (she liked apricot sours) ﬂoating aimlessly in the deep end. “You’re singing?” I asked. “What’s wrong?” “Wrong,” she laughed. “Why would you say that? A fire on you! I’m happy. What, I can’t be happy?” “No, you can be happy, it just concerns me that you are, that’s all. What’s up?” “I was just thinking, Ba,” she started paddling around, “I could have more, but I couldn’t have better.” a FEATURED // 21

TULS

A PE RFOR MING ARTS CENT ER

TROPICAL FOOD & DRINKS * HAWAIIAN ENTERTAINMENT * FREE FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN

July 28

Opening Gala Performance: Summer Heat International Dance Festival Choregus Productions July 29

Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève: Carmina Burana Choregus Productions July 30

Paul Taylor Dance Company Choregus Productions August 1

GET TICKETS

Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève: Glory Choregus Productions

TULSAPAC.COM MYTICKETOFFICE.COM 918.596.7111

August 1

Brian Brooks: Wilderness Choregus Productions August 18-September 3

Ragtime | Theatre Tulsa

JOIN US FOR THE 1ST ANNUAL URBAN LUAU from 6:30PM-10pm, SATURDAY, JULY 29!

August 29-September 3

Disney’s The Little Mermaid Celebrity Attractions

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

SUMMER in the Garden

We are open late! Thursdays, 5 - 8pm Dog Night August 3, 5 - 8pm Wellness Night: Yoga August 17, 6pm Music Night: Grazz Trio August 24, 6pm Bonus Night: Plant Walk August 31, 6pm

Just 8 miles from downtown

Don’t miss out on these fun events! Composting with Worms August 5 & 6, 1pm Meteor Shower Viewing August 12, 9-11pm National Honey Bee Appreciation Days August 19 & 20, 1pm 3900 Tulsa Botanic Drive | tulsabotanic.org | 918.289.0330 22 // FEATURED

Plains Indian Art Created in Community February 26 – August 27, 2017

TU is an EEO/AA Institution.

Exhibition season title sponsor is the Sherman E. Smith Family Charitable Foundation. Support also provided by Mervin Bovaird Foundation, C.W. Titus Foundation and M.V. Mayo Charitable Foundation.

GILCREASE.ORG July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

SCENES OF SUMMER 2017 BY NATE GRACE

THE TULSA VOICE // JULY 19 – AUGUST 1, 2017

NATE GRACE IS A PHOTOGRAPHER, WRITER, AND MUSICIAN WORKING IN TULSA. He moved here from Austin, Texas, in February 2016. After his move, Grace began documenting Tulsa on Instagram with his #tulsaeveryday hashtag. “A lot of times I do feel isolated, having just moved here. I’m in a weird city,” Grace said. “This project forced me to go out and catch the vibe. It was a way to get to know Tulsa … to break out of my loop. Most of the places I went I hadn’t been before.” Grace shoots on 35mm film, and photographs often when out with his family. “There is so much to do here,” he continued. “Like, ten thousand things. The river, swimming pools, parks, stuff happening at night. So much is going on and people are out doing it—especially if you have a family.” “Tulsa is really kid-friendly, which is awesome for me and for parents. I think about this with [my son] Guthrie all the time. I’m not going out to the bars or at night right now, that’s not where I’m coming from.”

FEATURED // 23

TOP: North Harvard Bait (3353 N. Harvard Ave.) and other scenes of nature overgrowing man-made structures. “To me, these are some of the most beautiful spots,” Grace said. “Especially in Tulsa, because I’m coming from Austin where all the ﬂavor and juice is being completely bulldozed.” MIDDLE: Timothy plays at the 41st Street River Parks plaza. Coleman at POSTOAK Lodge and Retreat, northwest of downtown. LEFT: Girls walk past Center 1 on Brookside.

24 // FEATURED

July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

ABOVE: Girls exercise with their dogs at The Boxyard. “I guess it’s an internet thing,” Grace said. “They said it was. They were doing squats.” (#squatyourdog is, in fact, an internet thing.) RIGHT: Child on the playground at the 41st Street River Parks plaza. BELOW: Cooper, Ashton, and Dennis Jr. (in the air) play on a trampoline. Gayle Crabtree takes a break from work at Duffy’s (2424 E. 15th St.) on the July 4. “[My photography] is generally a gut reaction. You have split seconds to react. If you don’t in that one moment, then it’s boom, gone. So I’m just trying to catch a moment before it’s totally gone,” Grace said.

THE TULSA VOICE // JULY 19 – AUGUST 1, 2017

FEATURED // 25

26 // FEATURED

July 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT: Scenes of summer ritual: girl and puppy at Tall Chief Cove, Skiatook Lake; pool scene at Margaritaville, River Spirit Casino Resort; kids at a campfire at POSTOAK Lodge and Retreat; SALT Yoga class at Margaritaville. LEFT: Adam Jenkins, Ashley Sikes, M’liss Jenkins, and Ashden Duncan at POSTOAK. RIGHT AND BELOW: Man works on a roof in Brady Heights. Man works on 11th Street near South Quincy Avenue. “[Most of] the places I went, people were outside, not at work,” Grace said. “I did try to capture people working, because if I was going to make an actual picture of summertime—people are working their ass off in the sun and in the heat.”

THE TULSA VOICE // JULY 19 – AUGUST 1, 2017

FEATURED // 27

TOP LEFT: Photographer’s partner, Amy Jenkins, and their son, Guthrie Grace, with Amy’s father, Carl Jenkins, on July 4 in Broken Arrow. TOP RIGHT: A family picnics at Utica Square on June 29. BELOW: Charles Reed plays guitar next to The Tavern on East M.B. Brady Street. “I’ve done 28 years straight in prison for nonviolent crimes because of our draconian judicial system,” Reed told Grace. “But the summer times of Oklahoma, I love ‘em because they’re so unpredictable. As they say, Oklahoma weather changes like the wind, but to me it’s some of the best wind that there is. You know what I mean? And so my experiences in summer are rather alright—because in prison you don’t get to look at the stars because you’re locked down. So that’s the thing I enjoy most about Oklahoma and being free—being able to look up at the stars.” Listen to Reed’s song and see more of Grace’s photos at thetulsavoice.com. a

28 // FEATURED

July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE LOOP

loop

Don’t miss the bus!

Use the real time Bus Tracker App available at Scan the QR code and keep track of the Loop with the Tulsa Transit Bus Tracker App. tulsatransit.org facebook.com/TulsaDowntownTrolley

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

FEATURED // 29

onstage

STIMULUS PACKAGE Brian Brooks Moving Company delivers by ALICIA CHESSER

Choreographer Brian Brooks will lead an innovative dance intensive July 31–Aug. 4 ERIN BAIANO

WHEN BUSINESS MAGAZINES LIST the most competitive professions, choreographer regularly sits near the top. So when a dancemaker scores a major residency—as Brian Brooks recently did, with Chicago’s Harris Theatre granting him $600,000 over three years to make and produce new works—the art world breathes a sigh of admiration (with maybe just a tinge of envy). Brooks, 40, has quietly built a portfolio of mesmerizing creations with his troupe, the Brian Brooks Moving Company, based in New York. The company makes its Tulsa debut on August 6 as the closer of Choregus Productions’ second annual Summer Heat International Dance Festival. Brooks—who performed in Tulsa with Wendy Whelan in 2015—has a sexy, minimalist aesthetic with repetitive tasks and unfussy lines that thrillingly complements what the New York Times described as “controlled violence.” His newest dance, “Wilderness,” is a 70-minute drive through this duality with live, onstage music by Sandbox Percussion. Like so many atoms released in a particle accelerator, “Wilderness” launches eight dancers into motion within a simple white box of a set. Preceding the one-night-only performance of “Wilderness,” dancers and dancemakers from across the region have a very rare chance to study with Brooks (without having to travel to do it) during a weeklong intensive, July 31–August 4. For less than the cost of a plane ticket ($500, to be exact), dance artists can take three two30 // ARTS & CULTURE

hour classes per day (technique, partnering, and choreography) with Brooks and members of his company. For your comparison: a local adult dancer is lucky to take one class a week, and usually it’s ballet. The price for the intensive also includes tickets to every Summer Heat performance, featuring some of the very best of international contemporary dance. (This is to the dancing on television what an Antoinette’s dessert is to a pixie stick.) Featured choreographers include Christopher Wheeldon, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Manuel Vignouelle, Lila York, and the American legend Paul Taylor. Though, you don’t have to take a class to attend a show; tickets start at $20. Tulsa’s internationally respected ballet company is richly infused with contemporary dance. But we always crave more: more variety, more challenging work, more unfamiliar ﬂavors. Foundations’ support of writers, theater folks, and visual artists continues to grow, but apart from Tulsa Ballet, dance has struggled to find a foothold here. The people at Choregus do yeoman’s work to fill the gap, giving local audiences a look at major companies from around the world and delivering expert training to the independent dancers and choreographers who might one day draw the world’s attention this direction. a Dancers can register for the Brian Brooks Intensive at 918-688-6112, and tickets for festival performances are available at choregus.org. July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

artspot

FLOWER GIRLS A perennial search in the city by JENNIE LLOYD Katie Allen and Jenny Rausch pick wild flowers in Tulsa | VALERIE GRANT

“T

his is a blessing, this peach tree,” Jenny Rausch said, a pair of yellow-handled shears in hand. On a steamy summer morning, cars roared down Peoria Avenue just south of Cherry Street and past the Prunus persica, boughs heavy with dark green foliage and knots of juicy red-orange peaches. Katie Allen sized up the tree. She brought her own shears. “We might use a branch in an arrangement,” she said. Rausch and Allen run the floral design firm Anthousai. Though the dead heat of July isn’t ideal for foraging, somehow they took me on a plentiful wildflower hunt. So there we were, amid peaches in midtown; they were fuzzy and warm. They smelled like Oklahoma summer. The young women, each dressed in casual, cotton dresses and Chaco sandals, clipped through the branches and added the heavy boughs to their straw basket. There was an easy rapport between the girls, who found each other three years ago in the Whole Foods floral department, where they both worked. “[Working there] sparked an interest for us and opened up a whole new world, as far as making

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

a career out of something like this,” Rausch said. Before, Rausch worked in the service industry and attended OSU-IT for graphic design, while Allen was an ORU grad with experience in event planning and organic gardening. Rausch started Anthousai—a whimsical word for Greek flower nymphs—a year later and asked Allen to join her six months after that. Together, they’ve honed a lush, romantic aesthetic with a focus on foraging. Anthousai is busy through wedding season with two to three events per weekend. Some of their recent work included an outdoor wedding on a 40-acre pecan grove. “We did all these installations, hanging chandeliers with lights over the tables,” Allen said. “And we foraged for all of that greenery from her land.” “We pulled the forest into her wedding,” Rausch said. “Everything flowed, nothing was out of place.” When they’re not crafting custom floral work for brides, Rausch and Allen nourish their creative ambitions with installation pieces and displays. Last year, they did an installation at Tulsa Artery with native Oklahoma grasses.

“We went to Tallgrass Prairie and foraged next to buffalo, and found all these amazing grasses and seed pods,” Allen said. On July 29, Anthousai will create a tropical backdrop piece for photos, as well as leis, anklets, and hairpieces for Hawaiian Dreams on the Green, a Tiki-themed event at Guthrie Green. “People don’t really look at flowers as an art form, but it’s 100 percent a medium just like paint is,” Rausch said. Next, we headed to a meadow near 71st Street and Riverside Drive. “Our best work is when we fi nd something in nature and we couldn’t have planned this at all,” Allen said, “when we’re in a pinch and we fi nd something incredible.” Off the river, in this little patch of goodness across from a Planet Fitness and a Burger King, the wind breezed across a field of high grasses, wildflowers, and sunflowers. The sky was crystalline blue; the clouds were scattered and high. A white propeller plane cruised across the sky like a bumblebee. Foraging from places like a field off Riverside—where it’s unlikely anyone else will step over a patch of prickly weeds to pinch

wild yellow flowers—or from a peach tree next to a salon, is a legal gray area. “We wouldn’t tell someone to go cut from someone’s garden,” Rausch said. “We heavily rely on stuff like plants that are growing out of the sidewalk, out in a field, or a parking lot.” The prop plane cruised across the sky again, overhead. They added sunflowers to the peaches and wildflowers already in their basket. We walked through a path of trees and soft dirt, where they found dark green foliage perfect for an arrangement. This was not the chemical green of mass-produced, greenhouse-grown bouquets you can order online—this green was fed by the Arkansas River. “One of the best things about foraging is that it highlights what’s already there,” Allen said. Rausch agreed. “What we want to achieve as artists is to make people see flowers in a way they haven’t really before.” a

For more information on arrangements, weddings, and events, visit anthousaiﬂorals.com. ARTS & CULTURE // 31

cooldown

ADULTS SWIM Bring your ID, but leave the kids and contraband at home by KATHRYN PARKMAN Adult night at Safari Joe’s H20 is Thursday night, 7–11pm | GREG BOLLINGER

t’s exhausting, dodging the dragon’s breath every time you go outside. But if your quest is an unholy, full-body submersion at a midtown oasis, where every Thursday evening is an adults-only party for thirsty swimmers reliving spring break—it’s worth it. On a Thursday evening in early July, after a $20 entry fee and a bag-search, I walked through a revolving metallic turnstyle and entered Safari Joe’s H20.1 A giant red-footed tortoise greeted me with a languorous nod.2 A pair of macaws,3 native to the rainforests of South America, acted out the early stages of a summer fling, and a green iguana eyed a tasty cricket. I felt like Herzog in the jungle—I loved this place, but against my better judgment. I walked past all types of bodies floating down the winding lazy river. A group of bearded men in their 30s were staking out a cluster of lounge chairs near the rock-climbing wall by the first pool. Swimmers held their beers just above the surface of the water like wobbly periscopes. A couple, partially submerged in the shallow end, snuggled up like the macaws 32 // ARTS & CULTURE

I’d seen earlier. Straws touching lips, hands touching hands. A belly with a large Punisher tattoo. Typically, a live band plays during the adult swim, but this was karaoke night. A DJ introduced two girls who tag-teamed “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” with a perfection that suggested they’d done it a hundred times before. At the Shark Bar (Tiki-style, of course) a plastic shark hung overhead and a gyrating slushy machine churned cotton candy-flavored booze. Another option is a red flavor, which tastes strawberry-ish. Both come in a refillable plastic green or pink cup for $10. (The Shark Bar also sells low-point beer.) I stood in line for a drink while a blonde wearing a bikini and baseball cap sang “Pony Up” by Ginuwine. She reminded me of Ashley Benson in Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers.” I imagined her in a pink ski mask, pointing a pistol and making non-negotiable demands with a canvas bag over her shoulder. The teenage lifeguards kept close watch from their posts near the wave pool—you never know

what might go wrong in 650,000 gallons of water, even during the calm sections of its recurrent surge cycle. Alchemists called water the “universal solvent” because the arrangement of two positive hydrogen atoms and a negative oxygen atom dissolve more substances than any other liquid. Its elemental symbolism conjures purity and wisdom. Cancers, Pisces, and Scorpios, the water signs of the Zodiac, are assumed to be intuitive, emotionally sensitive, and difficult to confine, a tendency to leak into areas or overflow. Water is perceived as a cleansing force in the Bible and in Tarot. Cleansing this was not. Elemental, it was. The primal exhilaration of the wave pool was something I’d forgotten, something lost in the mundane encroachment of adulthood. Immersed in this aquatic concourse, I drifted between inflatable rafts and floated through manufactured swells, my feet intermittently touching the floor. When I opened my eyes beneath the surface in the deep end, my sympathetic nervous system responded

with every instinct I had to get my head above the water. On a different wavelength, I heard a woman’s gravelly, uneven rendition of “Lithium” by Nirvana: “I’m so ugly, but that’s okay, ‘cause so are you.” Her voice made me realize I was thirsty again. It was time for a reﬁll. a

1) You probably used to know this place as Big Splash, which closed in 2015 and reopened in 2016 as Safari Joe’s H20 under the auspices of Joe Estes (“Safari Joe”). Estes looks like a combination of the best parts of Steve Irwin and Fabio, and also has a very Google-able past. 2) A card near the tortoises’ home said they “have nerve endings all through their shells and can feel touches and scratches. If you can reach one, pet it!” 3) Macaws’ strong beaks are perfectly suited for cracking nuts and seeds, according to information taped on the cage. Then, below, a fair warning: “WE BITE! Please keep your hands out of the cages.” July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

I wish...

... to be a policeman

KEEP NEWS

... to go to a Florida theme park

REAL

In 1982, wishes became reality: Make-A-Wish® Oklahoma was born. Oklahoma children with life-threatening conditions were offered hope, strength and joy. ... to have my own elephant

Do you have our next story?

... to meet a real airline pilot

More than 2700 wishes later, our mission has never been stronger. This year, as we celebrate our 35th anniversary, we’ve asked a select team of 35 former Wish kids, families, volunteers and supporters to help spread the word. We’re calling it 35 for 35. Make-A-Wish® America has agreed to match us dollar for dollar to help us reach our goal of $350,000.

... to be a cowboy

... to have an NYC shopping spree

Be a part of our legacy. Help us continue to make wishes come true. Visit 35for35MakeAWish.com or call 918-492-9474. #Wish35

... to have a playset in my backyard

TELL US:

voices@langdonpublishing.com ... to give a piano to my teacher

“Why does watching a dog be a dog fill one with happiness?”

F L O AT I N G T OY S

– J.S. Foer Boz balls

Dash Frisbee

WOX Tug Toy

L AKE SNAC KS

1778 UTICA SQUARE OPEN M–SAT, 10–6 THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

WINNER!

Snow Cone Treats ARTS & CULTURE // 33

OSU Institute of Technology 1801 E. Fourth St., Okmulgee • 800.722.4471 • www.osuit.edu

klahoma State University Institute of Technology is Oklahoma’s only university of applied technology. It is known for world-class teaching facilities, partnerships with industry, and successful students ready to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. Instruction is delivered through innovative programming to educate the high performance technicians that businesses and industries seek today for globally competitive environments. Students choose from 42 majors in more than two dozen degree programs earning Associate in Science, Associate in Applied Science or Bachelor of Technology degrees. Popular majors include culinary arts, natural gas compression, power plant technology, orthotics and prosthetics, nursing, IT network infrastructure, watchmaking, photography and 3-D modeling and animation. OSUIT students have a more than 90 percent employment rate in technical degree programs. The school is also nationally recognized as a military-friendly university, working with service men and women to discover how their military skills can best transfer to college and beyond.

Year Founded ...................................................................................................1946 Undergraduate Enrollment ........................................................................... 3,000 Number of Undergraduate Degrees Offered .....................................................26 Student-Faculty Ratio ................................................................................ 19-to-1

AREAS OF ACADEMIC DISTINCTION Ranked among the top watchmaking degree programs in the world, the OSU Institute of Technology School of Watchmaking exemplifies the crossroads between precision skill and artistic vision. The school observes a rich heritage of classically trained Swiss luxury craftsmanship since World War II and is backed exclusively by the Rolex brand.

DISCOVER THE PIPELINE TO YOUR FUTURE.

Considering a major in the engineering field? We know you’re not just seeking a degree. You’re looking for a career. At OSU Institute of Technology, we have a proven job placement record with one of the lowest tuition rates in the country. It’s that simple. In just two years, you’ll be ready to earn a competitive salary with enormous growth potential.

Discover your future — Apply today. Visit osuit.edu/pipeline

The Pipeline Integrity Technology program will help you develop the skills and knowledge to assess pipeline damage and risk, corrosion control, regulations, safety, design, and integrity management.

34 // ARTS & CULTURE

July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

POTTERY CLASS

3rd Street Clayworks | 3121 Charles Page Blvd. | clayworkstulsa.com This eight-week class at 3rd Street Clayworks costs $175 and is flexible to fit your schedule. The price of a class includes a 25-pound bag of clay, instructions and demonstrations, tools and equipment, and unlimited access to the studio. Before you know it you’ll be making your own mugs that you can fill with liquids of varying viscosities and alcohol contents. Protip: Sign up this fall and make all your holiday gifts in class.

NON-TRADITIONAL DANCE CLASSES Studio 7 Tulsa | 812 E. 6th St. studio7tulsa.com

We know you’ve always wanted to take a twerk class. Learn how to “pop, drop, shake, clap, and isolate” at Studio 7. Pole dance classes will teach you how to strut, spin, climb, and more, all while improving your ﬂexibility and balance, strengthening your arms and core, and making you look badass. Single classes begin at $10, packages begin at $50.

MULTIDISCIPLINE ONLINE CLASSES

Tulsa City-County Library tulsalibrary.org A library card is your key to a variety of online courses in business, software, technology, and creative skills taught by dedicated instructors. If you need to prepare for your educational goals, LearningExpress Library has practice tests and study materials for occupational exams, GED, ACT, SAT, ASVAB, and more. Want to learn a new language? Mango Languages has interactive lessons taught by native speakers in more than 60 languages. There’s also ArtistWorks for Libraries, which has self-paced video lessons on music, voice, and visual art.

ART CLASSES

Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa 101 E. Archer St. | ahhatulsa.org The Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa offers a variety of art classes at the Hardesty Arts Center in the Brady Arts District. The Black and White THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

Photography Workshop is offered the third Saturday of every month from 12–5 p.m. Pieced Together: Stories Past and Present Workshop with Jane Dunnewold is a two-day quilting workshop that explores “the contemporary storytelling possibilities of unﬁnished or damaged quilts.”

continuinged

PART-TIME CLASSES

Tulsa Technology Center 3240 S. Memorial Dr. | tulsatech.edu Continuing education in specialized disciplines like education, business, technology, construction, transportation, and more is easier with the flexible part-time classes at Tulsa Tech. Many refresher or recertification courses are available in classrooms and online. Also available are professional certification programs and licensing at state and federal levels. Most part-time classes begin August 22, and there are several locations in and surrounding Tulsa.

SEWING CLASSES

Owl & Drum | 2814 E. 15th St. owlanddrum.com Owl & Drum offers affordable sewing classes on a regular basis, in addition to project-speciﬁc classes, macramé, shibori dyeing, and wheel yarn spinning. Absolute Beginner Sewing and 3-Hour Open Sewing classes both cost $45, plus materials. In the beginner class, Mary Perisho teaches students how to use a sewing machine and sew a simple envelope pillow cover. Material lists are given the day of class and students receive a 10 percent discount on all supplies purchased that day. If you don’t have a sewing machine you can rent one for $5.

OWL AND DRUM

NEW TRICKS FOR OLD DOGS Because back to school is more fun as an adult, here’s a roundup of classes to take this fall in and near Tulsa. by MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

GUN SAFETY COURSES

2A Shooting Center | 4616 E. Admiral Pl. | 2ashootingcenter.com 2A Shooting Center is an indoor gun range and store that also hosts firearms safety courses. Instructors Wolf and Jerome teach a concealed-carry licensing class every Saturday where you can learn about firearm safety, shooting fundamentals, and self-defense laws. In the AR-15 Build Class, you can learn how to build an AR-15 rifle, if you can pass a background check. Course prices vary.

TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY

ARTS & CULTURE // 35

STUDIO FITNESS CLASSES StudioHop | Multiple locations studiohopﬁtness.com/studios

A membership to StudioHop gives you access to classes at Sculpt Tulsa, Revved Fitness, Balance Pilates of Tulsa, Barre3, Pure Barre, Be Love, Zen Body, The Yoga Room, Physiques by Monique, and Title Boxing Club, among others, so you can take new classes and experiment with different routines until you ﬁgure out exactly what your body needs.

PARENTING AND RELATIONSHIP CLASSES 3RD STREET CLAYWORKS

Family & Children’s Services | 650 S. Peoria Ave. | fcsok.org/classes Family & Children’s Services of Tulsa offers classes to help parents improve relationships with their children and with one another. Other classes are for speciﬁc family issues, such as ADHD Parent Coaching and the 13-week Anger Management course. Helping Children Cope with Divorce is a required seminar for parties involved in any lawsuit regarding custody, paternity, visitation, or support of a minor child in Tulsa and surrounding counties. Some classes are also offered in Spanish.

COFFEE GEEK CLASSES STUDIO 7 TULSA

TOPECA COFFEE

36 // ARTS & CULTURE

Topeca Coffee | 1229 E. Admiral Blvd. topecacoffee.com If you have an interest in specialty coffee that goes beyond simply consumption, Topeca’s Coffee Geek class is for you. You can learn the basic skills toward becoming a barista in the Barista Fundamentals workshop. Other workshops and classes available: “Roast Your Own,” where you can learn how to roast coffee beans, and “Seed-to-Cup: A Journey in Quality and Flavor,” which takes you on “the journey a coffee bean takes all the way from the farm to the café.”

FARM & FIBER CLASSES AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY CLASS

Shepherd’s Cross | 16792 E. 450 Rd., Claremore | shepherdscross.com/ classdetails.html Shepherd’s Cross is a farm near Claremore with a museum, wool mill, Bible garden, educational silo, and other attractions. Fiber Fest Weekends are hosted three times per year, with the next class on August 24–26, priced $74 for an individual day or $179 for the whole weekend. Learn how to process any kind of wool or animal fiber, including washing, dying, wet fitting, carding, packing, spinning, needle felting, and weaving. Another class, “Spin ‘n’ Knit-in,” teaches weaving and other fiber arts the second Saturday of every month from 1–4 p.m. An Animal Husbandry class takes place on September 2, and is all about vaccinations, feet trimming, tail cocking, bloodless castrating, and other flock and heard practices.

CULTURAL CLASSES

Cherokee Heritage Center | 21192 S. Keeler Dr., Park Hill (near Tahlequah) | cherokeeheritage.org/ cultural-outreach This series of classes in Tahlequah is designed to promote Cherokee art by providing traditional and practical information. The upcoming classes include Flat Reed Basketry on August 12 and Blowguns and Cherokee Marbles on September 16, both of which take place on Saturdays, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. and cost $40. Make a dress without scissors in Tear Dress Making in this two-day class, October 14 and 21, priced at $65.

WOMEN’S SELF DEFENSE TRAINING

Warrior Sisters | Locations vary warrior-sisters.org Warrior Sisters offers free, empowerment-based, trauma-informed, women-centered self defense education to women in Tulsa (and soon, Edmond). Besides physical training, the seven-week courses teach verbal and awareness skills, boundary setting, conﬁdence building, and de-escalation techniques, as well as promote discussion of strategies to build a community resistant to violence. a July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

DID YOU MISS WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN TULSA L AST WEEKEND? DON’T MISS OUT THIS WEEKEND! Join 19,500+ subscribers who receive the weekly Insider e-newsletter to find out what the editors of The Tulsa Voice and TulsaPeople recommend for their weekend!

REAL COLLEGE RADIO

Tune into Tulsa’s eclectic, uniquely programmed, local music loving, commercial free, genre hopping, award winning, truly alternative music station. @RSURadio | WWW.RSURADIO.COM THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

ARTS & CULTURE // 37

thehaps

THEATRE

Theatre Pops presents a new stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel “Sense & Sensibility.” July 21–23, $20, IDL Ballroom, theatrepops.org

SUMMER HEAT INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL

July 28 through August 6, Tulsa Performing Arts Center choregus.org

MUSIC FOR PUPPIES

Nine Oklahoma bands, including Fabulous Minx, Dead Shakes, Bringer, and The Bourgeois, will play at Party for the Puppers, a fundraiser for Tulsa SPCA. July 22, Yeti, facebook.com/FabulousMinx

GALA OPENING PERFORMANCE 7/28 The festival begins with an evening of solos, duets, and trios performed by dancers from Joffrey Ballet, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Move: The Company, and several independent dancers.

BALLET DU GRAND THÉÂTRE DE GENÈVE: CARMINA BURANA 7/29

BEER

Tulsa Garden Center will host a Craft Beer Tasting, featuring a talk with Chase Healey of American Solera. July 25, $40, tulsagardencenter.com

One of Europe’s most prestigious dance companies makes its Oklahoma debut with choreographer Claude Brumachon’s ode to Carl Orff’s medieval cantata.

PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY 7/30 Founded in 1954, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has performed in 65 countries and sets the global standard for contemporary dance excellence.

BALLET DU GRAND THÉÂTRE DE GENÈVE: GLORY 8/1 For its second Summer Heat performance, the century-old Swiss company will dance Andonis Foniadakis’s choregraphy to music by Baroque master Gerog Friedrich Handel.

BRIAN BROOKS: WILDERNESS 8/6 Brian Brooks and his New York-based ensemble reveal the duality of the human condition with an alternately combative and intimate performance that suspends the limits of the body and imagination. Brooks will also teach an intensive over the course of the festival. See page 30.

ARTIST TALK

Philbrook will host Chicano Art Today, a talk with Chicano watercolor artist Wenceslao Quiroz, whose art is currently displayed in Cheech Marin’s collection. July 20, 6 p.m., philbrook.org

ANOTHER ARTIST TALK

Tulsa Artist Fellowship will host a Grafﬁti Art Talk with L.A.-based artist Eyeone, TAF Fellow Codak Smith, and Tulsa-based artist Chris Sker. July 21, 6pm, POST, tulsaartistfellowship.org

38 // ARTS & CULTURE

HOME AND GARDEN

The Home & Garden Expo of Oklahoma returns to Expo Square with around 250 exhibitors for all of your home improvement needs. July 28–30, coxradiotulsa.com

STAYCATION

Guthrie Green goes luau with Hawaiian Dreams on the Green, featuring performances by Polynesian group NETANE, 3x limbo world record-holder Shemika Charles, island drinks from Saturn Room, and more. July 29, 6:30–10pm, guthriegreen.com BOOK SIGNING

Hilary Storm hosts Hard Rock Author Event, a gathering and signing event featuring 50 romance authors. July 29, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, tulsahardrockauthorevent.com

POWOW

Tulsa Indian Club hosts the 65th Annual Tulsa Powwow at Cox Business Center. July 29–30, $5, tulsapowwow.org

July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

BEST OF THE REST EVENTS Double Feature Movie Night: The Burning & Sleepaway Camp II // 7/19, MixCo, mixcotulsa.com

Sunday Night Stand Up // 7/30, Comedy Parlor, comedyparlor.com imomsohard // 8/1, Cox Business Center, coxcentertulsa.com

Movie on the Lawn: Labyrinth // 7/19, Elwood’s, facebook.com/elwoodstulsa

Julie Scoggins // 7/19-22, Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com/Tulsa

Movie in the Park: Christmas Vacation // 7/20, Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com

De’Marrio Oates // 7/21-22, Comedy Parlor, comedyparlor.com

Harry Potter Dance Party // Accio dancing shoes! DJs Uber and Afistaface will be spinning enchanting tunes. // 7/21, The Unicorn Club

Tommy Blaze // 7/26-29, Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com/Tulsa The Mic Drop // 7/28-29, Comedy Parlor, comedyparlor.com

SPORTS Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 7/19, ONEOK Field Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 7/19, ONEOK Field Mud Down in T-Town 2017 // Monster mud trucks get down and dirty. // 7/21-22, Tulsa Raceway Park, tulsaracewaypark.com Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs Phoenix Rising FC // 7/22, ONEOK Field

Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 7/28, ONEOK Field Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 7/29, ONEOK Field Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 7/30, ONEOK Field Tulsa Drillers vs Springﬁeld Cardinals // 7/31, ONEOK Field Tulsa Drillers vs Springﬁeld Cardinals // 8/1, ONEOK Field

Tulsa Drillers vs Arkansas Travelers // 7/27, ONEOK Field

Tulsa Beach Party // Inner circle goes tiki with Caribbean cuisine, tropical drinks, live music, and fire performers. // 7/22, Inner Circle Vodka Bar, icvodkabar.com Tulsa Wedding Show // The largest bridal fair in the region, featuring over 100 exhibitors. // 7/23, Renaissance Hotel, thetulsaweddingshow.com Movie in the Park: Moana // 7/27, Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com Astronomy Night // 7/28, Keystone Ancient Forest, sandspringsok.org/ index.aspx?NID=175 Hitchcock on the Lawn: Vertigo // 7/28, Philbrook Museum of Art, philbrook.org Tulsa County Free Fair // See dozens of 4-H and livestock exhibits. // 7/20-26, Expo Square Exchange Center & Pavilion, oces.tulsacounty.org/freefair.html Jurassic Quest XL: Out of Extinction // Come face to face with dinosaurs. // 7/21-23, Cox Business Center, coxcentertulsa.com Outer Spaces - Juried Art Show // 7/22, The Cottage Art Gallery, thecottageartgallerytulsa.com

PERFORMING ARTS Girls Night Out // The “#1 Girls Night Out Show in the country” swings through Tulsa on their Stripped Down Tour. // 7/28, IDL Ballroom, idlballroom.com The Addams Family // Broadway at Boston Avenue presents a musical comedy that shows loving families come in all shapes and sizes. // 7/2130, Boston Avenue Methodist Church

COMEDY Comedy Night w/ Laura Cook, Jyl Johnson, T.J. Clark, Yasamin Bayatfar, Lauren Turner // 7/19, Mainline Art & Cocktails, mainlineartok.com Improv Pop // 7/20, Comedy Parlor, comedyparlor.com The Game Rift // 7/21, Comedy Parlor, comedyparlor.com Army of Stand Ups // 7/22, Comedy Parlor, comedyparlor.com Sunday Night Stand Up // 7/23, Comedy Parlor, comedyparlor.com The Game Rift // 7/28, Comedy Parlor, comedyparlor.com THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

ARTS & CULTURE // 39

musicnotes

Set the tone

Dialtone’s constant quest for inspiration by MARY NOBLE

ocal rap artist Antonio Andrews, aka Dialtone, has a unique approach. Not only does he take his time, releasing what he’s most proud of instead of focusing on constant output, he also creates art in other media that inform and enhance his music. Dialtone’s short film “Magnum” (found on Vimeo) includes footage from Black Wall Street in Greenwood, dialogue with family and friends, and contemplative scenes of him perched on a rock overlooking Turner Falls. Music in the background is from his seven-track EP, also called Magnum, which came out in January. Short films have grown in popularity in hip-hop in recent years, serving as a cinematic accompaniment to a song or entire album, like with Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Unlike “Lemonade” the film, “Magnum” the short film is only six minutes and 38 seconds long, including only snippets of each track. “Magnum” doesn’t flow like a typical story, instead it’s a poetic mashup of scenes and footage that flow with the beat, offering fans a new way to experience Dialtone’s work. “Tone helped us see that we can roll out projects just like we see our favorite artists doing,” said Pade, a local rapper and friend. “That alone made us realize that a local release will never be the same in Tulsa if you’re serious about reaching the masses. Now I have to think about how I want to roll out my next project. It has to make me seem larger than I am. Like ‘Magnum.’ To sum it up, Tone has set the tone.” “A [music] video to me is like a flyer now,” Dialtone said. “You may watch it and think it’s good 40 // MUSIC

Rap artist Antonio Andrews, aka Dialtone, with his paintings | GREG BOLLINGER

but never [want to] see it again. I feel like people that watch this will see it multiple times.” True enough. “Mangum” is engaging. I’ve watched it three times since its June 25 premiere and have listened to the album four times. “It’s not conventional-type beats,” Dialtone said, adding that many of the beats on Magnum were sampled from the 80s hit series “Magnum PI.” The EP was produced by a television-loving Virginia transplant from Tulsa named Papa. “Papa watches a lot of stuff and he’d just snatch something off

a DVD and make a beat out of it,” Dialtone said. Also included in “Magnum,” the film, are scenes of Tone painting, a skill he has been cultivating since his honeymoon in Cancun last November. “We went to all the islands and to see the Aztec ruins, and when I came back that was the first thing I wanted to do,” he said. “At the time I wasn’t really feeling music so I just started painting.” Dialtone paints on various materials including walls and found pieces wood with spray paint or, simply, whatever he can find. The paintings are imaginative and

chaotic. One painting in particular is littered with quotes like, “nobody is perfect and no one cares” and “you can’t win” accompanied by colorful and distorted faces reminiscent of Jean-Michel Baquiat paintings. Dialtone estimates he has made about 30 paintings, but only displays what he is most proud of. “The art helps me with music, I’ll make a song and start painting then the next thing I know it’s been five hours and I’m feeling so inspired to make a song again. It helped me get through that rough spot with music.” Some of his artwork is inspired by a concept he created and calls “No Parking.” “Everybody asks what it means, so it must be something to hold onto,” he said. “It doesn’t really mean anything but it’s a name that catches people’s attention.” “No Parking” quickly turned into a hashtag, and the logo he designed to accompany it, which features an orange parking cone, can be seen on hats and shirts worn by his supporters. His first art show was at Soundpony on May 21, 2017—the same day as the Hop Jam festival, giving literal significance to “No Parking” due to the lack of parking spots in the area. To me, “No Parking” is a more concise way of saying “the rolling stone gathers no moss,” aka, don’t stand still. Positive feedback from fans and encouragement from local artist Jake Beeson have motivated Dialtone to continue to show his art publicly. His next show will be in early August. The location and date of the show will be announced in coming weeks. Those interested in attending can follow him at facebook.com/tonesbeach. a July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

of any exhibition, entertainment, musical or dancing show for any purpose whatsoever. “ The cops told us that if their attention was again drawn to a group of street musicians who had been previously warned to stop, they’d be writing some tickets. Our fiddle player, who was quite a brasshound for a strings player, told the officer that we’d make enough money to pay the ticket and then some. The cop replied that if he had to write tickets, we would also be going to jail.

There was no more busking that night. I watched the other half dozen buskers in the Brady Arts District that night receive similar hassle. But why is an arts crawl threatened by various street performers jamming on the street? It sounds like the kind of thing that happens in an arts district. Later, as my bandmates and I were standing around and wondering what to do next, the cops came back. They said their boss had told them to “let us play.”

I wondered if their boss was the same officer who approached my bandmates when we were busking at the corner of Second Street and Elgin Avenue late one night. We were a little apprehensive, but the only question the cop had for us was “Do you have a guitar I can play?” He was a fairly ripping bluegrass picker and proceeded to play a number of standards with the boys. That’s what progress sounds like. a

A busker in the Brady Arts District | GREG BOLLINGER

Sounds like progress LET THE BUSKERS BUSK by DAN RIFFE

ith the city’s current effort to make panhandling illegal, local musicians are wondering how busking fits in. Playing music on the street isn’t panhandling. Still, the only thing better to hear than applause is the sweet sound of coins and dollars falling into your hat, bucket, or guitar case. I’ve played for people waiting to get into shows at the Cain’s Ballroom, Brady Theater, and BOK Center. I’ve played for people leaving bars at closing time, which is always a crowd that tips well. One of my favorite spots for years was the section of sidewalk next to the TAC gallery, on M.B. Brady Street during the First Friday Art Crawl. There’s usually a horde of sightseers and tourists on the sidewalk, many of whom seem to be entertained by listening to a group of crazy street musicians play bluegrass. I’d love to set up by an expressway off ramp—which in Tulsa has become a common place for panhandlers—and play 30-second songs for people waiting at the light. I remember one particular First Friday I was running a little late and the rest of the band was already kicking out the bluegrass jams. Or, they had been, because as I came walking up, they were being given a hard time by some TPD officers. The cops were saying something about permits for street performing. Title 27, Chapter 12, Section 1205 of Tulsa’s City Ordinance: “It shall be an offense for any person to use or cause to be used any portion of any sidewalk, street or alley for the maintaining or holding

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

MUSIC // 41

musiclistings Wed // Jul 19

BOK Center – Dancing with the Stars: Live – ($45$125) Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays – ($10) On the Rocks – Don White pH Community House – Football etc., Speak Memory, Junfalls – ($5) River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Wink Burcham, Chris Blevins Soundpony – Despero The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project

Thurs // Jul 20

Billy and Renee’s – Leighton, Screaming Red Mutiny, Machine in the Mountain Bound for Glory Books – Little Mazarn Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Sara Evans – ($39-$49) Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Cabin Creek – Bobby D Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Brandon Butler, Allison Arms Hunt Club – Ego Culture Mercury Lounge – The Stiffies, The Shame, The Penny Mob River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jake Flint, Brent Giddens Safari Joe’s H2O Water Park – BC & The Big Rig – ($20) Soundpony – Applied Music Program, Net, Laine The Boxyard – Third Thursday Astronomy Night – 8 p.m. The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Thirst The Venue Shrine – Mic Adams – ($10) Utica Square – Alaska & Madi Vanguard – Nuns, Slow Dreamer – ($10)

Fri // Jul 21

American Legion Post 308 – Double “00” Buck Dusty Dog Pub – Barry Seal Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – Nameless Society Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Cabin Creek – Rivers Edge Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Darren Ray, Rumor Hunt Club – Dante and the Hawks Inner Circle Vodka Bar – Bringer Mercury Lounge – Opal Agafia & The Sweet Nothings, Jody Seabody and the Whirls Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Jazzwich: Live Music and Food Truck Lunch Pepper’s Grill – The Jennifer Marriott Band River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Blue Dawgs, Heath Wright River Spirit Casino - LandShark Pool Bar – The Morgan Band River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove – Mac McAnally – ($30-$40) River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Mike Wilson Duo Smitty’s 118 Tavern – Little Joe McLerran Soul City – Chris Blevins CD Release The Bistro At Seville – Dean DeMerritt and Sean Al-Jibouri The Colony – Dane Arnold & The Soup The Fur Shop – Dan Martin The Max Retropub – DJ Moody Utopia Bar & Lounge – DJ MO Vanguard – My So Called Band – ($10) VFW Post 577 - Centennial Lounge – Grass Crack Zin Urban Lounge – Adrienne Gilley

Sat // Jul 22

Cain’s Ballroom – Asleep at the Wheel & Dale Watson – ($27-$42) Crow Creek Tavern – Brandi Reloaded Elwood’s – Dan Martin 42 // MUSIC

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Cabin Creek – George Brothers Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Jenny Labow, FM Live Hunt Club – Flabbergaster Mercury Lounge – Prophets and Outlaws ONEOK Field – Alan Doyle - Roughnecks Pre-Party River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts, The Hi-Fidelics River Spirit Casino - LandShark Pool Bar – Patrick Stuart River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – The Blue Dawgs Riverwalk Crossing – G-Force Soul City – Mark Gibson & Grant Wiscaver Soundpony – Oilhouse & Gogo Plumbay Diapers for Verse Starship Records & Tapes – Good Morning Bedlam The Blackbird on Pearl – Kashmir – ($5) The Colony – Girls Club, Villains, Animal Names The Max Retropub – DJ Robbo The Warehouse – The Shelter People EP Release w/ The Golden Ones, Carlton Hesston, Hey Judy, The Girls Room – ($10) The Wine Loft – Randy Brumley Vanguard – Boys Home, Four Arm Shiver, Line Brawl, SEEINGXRED, Dad. The Band - Matinee Show – ($7-$10) Vanguard – The Wright Brothers album release w/ Future Tapes – ($10)

Sun // Jul 23

Brady Theater – Chevelle, Dinosaur Pile-Up, RavenEye – ($24) East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Ali Harter, Chris Foster Soul City – Mark Bruner & Shelby Eicher Soundpony – Friendship Commanders The Blackbird on Pearl – Stand Up Comedy – ($5) The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing w/ Liz Wattoff and Chris Combs Vanguard – Arsonists Get All the Girls, I Set My Friends On Fire, Kingdom of Giants, West Cliffs, Hollow Words – ($10-$25)

Mon // Jul 24

Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jacob Tovar, The Marriotts Soundpony – Caregiver to a Monster, Space Horse, Police Academy 2 The Colony – Seth Lee Jones The Run – Bobby Cantrell Vanguard – New Heart, Clear Focus, Valleys – ($7-$10) Woody Guthrie Center – An In-Depth Conversation With Red Dirt Rangers – 5:30 p.m.

Tues // Jul 25

Bound for Glory Books – Dave Dondero, Mike Williams Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Night Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Brent Giddens Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham & Jacob Tovar Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Scott Music, Dos Capos, Erin O’Dowd Smitty’s 118 Tavern – Scott Ellison Band Soul City – Tuesday Bluesday w/ Dustin Pittsley The Boxyard – Dean DeMerritt Jazz Tribe The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Vanguard – Tyler Brown, Justin Blake, Jackson Krecioch, Bryce Hall, Mikey Barone, Sophia

Kameron, Found Vegas – ($25) Yeti – Planet What, Mabs, Don’t Ask, Vagittarius

Sat // Jul 29

Billy and Renee’s – Nameless Society, Contingency Plan, Forbidden Serenity, Not In Public Billy and Renee’s – The Forbidden, Nameless, Public Contingency Party Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Cabin Creek – The Hi-Fidelics Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Travis Kidd, 80’z Enuf Hunt Club – Manta Rays Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jake Flint, Brent Giddens Safari Joe’s H2O Water Park – Mountain Deer Revival – ($20) Slo Ride Saloon – Scott Ellison Band Soundpony – The Noreaga, Dialtone The Colony – The Soup Kitchen w/ Dane Arnold Tulsa Botanic Garden – And Then There Were Two Utica Square – Mark Gibson Yeti – Sniper 66, The Penny Mob, Gutter Villain Zin Urban Lounge – Joe Mack

Billy and Renee’s – Kick Tree, Much Less, Class Zero Cain’s Ballroom – That 90s Party – ($18-$38) Cimarron Bar – Heath Row & The Shadows Gypsy Coffee House – O’Maley B album release Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Cabin Creek – Town West Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Scott Ellison, DJ Too Legit Hunt Club – Taylor Machine IDL Ballroom – Crankdat – ($12-$15) Mercury Lounge – American Shadows, Red Witch Johnny pH Community House – Along Came Paully album release w/ The Riot Waves, Dopamine Dreams, Zach Short, The 30-30s River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts, Zodiac River Spirit Casino - LandShark Pool Bar – The Morgan Band River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Myron Oliver Riverwalk Crossing – Full Flava Kings Soul City – Lauren Anderson Band Soundpony – DJ Sweet Baby Jaysus The Beehive Lounge – The Beaten Daylights, Class Zero, Stinky Gringos The Blackbird on Pearl – Shabaka, EMP, Savage Capony, Nick Leflore, DJ GHB The Blackbird on Pearl – Sot – ($10) The Max Retropub – DJ Shannon Chambers The Venue Shrine – Portal Immortal (U2 Tribute), Wakeland – ($10-$18) Vanguard – The Normandys, Wither, Pawn Shop Heroes, STREETS – ($10) VFW Post 577 - Centennial Lounge – Dirty Creek Bandits, Hey Judy, Sloppy Joe Fiasco – ($5)

Fri // Jul 28

Sun // Jul 30

Wed // Jul 26

Crow Creek Tavern – Dan Martin Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays – ($10) On the Rocks – Don White River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Wink Burcham, Chris Blevins Soundpony – Fascinating, Ramona & The Phantoms The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project

Thurs // Jul 27

American Legion Post 308 – American Strings Dusty Dog Pub – James Groves Blues Machine Elwood’s – Brittany Nicole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Cabin Creek – Redland Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Jesse Joice, Another Alibi Hunt Club – November Lennie’s Club & Grill – Barry Seal Mercury Lounge – Sun and Stone Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Jazzwich: Live Music and Food Truck Lunch Pepper’s Grill – Dean DeMerritt’s Jazz Tribe River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Randy Brumley, The Slicks River Spirit Casino - LandShark Pool Bar – Seth Lee Jones Trio River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove – Peter Frampton – ($45-$350) River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – The Duo Soul City – Lauren Anderson Band Soul City – Scissortails Soundpony – Soft Leather The Bistro At Seville – Dean DeMerritt and Sean Al-Jibouri The Fur Shop – Ashley Raines & The New West Revue The Run – Brandi Reloaded – ($20) Utopia Bar & Lounge – DJ MO Vanguard – This Wild Life, A Will Away, Dryjacket – ($15-$17) VFW Post 577 - Centennial Lounge – Cabot Unknown – ($5) Zin Urban Lounge – Jim Tilly

Cain’s Ballroom – Senior Star Round-Up, Cowboy Jones, The Round Up Boys – ($10) East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Ali Harter, Chris Foster Soul City – Mark Bruner & Shelby Eicher Soundpony – The Build Up - Hip Hop/R&B Showcase The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing w/ Anthony Da Costa Woody Guthrie Center – Anthony da Costa & Adam Levy, Jared Tyler – 7 p.m. – ($17-$20)

Mon // Jul 31 Billy and Renee’s – Voice of Addiction, Redneck Nosferatu, Pawn Shop Heroes Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jacob Tovar, The Marriotts Soundpony – Old Powder New Gun The Colony – Seth Lee Jones The Run – Bobby Cantrell Vanguard – Vesperteen, Future Tapes, The Ivy – ($10-$12) Yeti – The Situation Showcase ft. Saganomics

Tues // Aug 1 Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Night Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham & Jacob Tovar River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Scott Music, Dos Capos, Erin O’Dowd Soul City – Dustin Pittsley Band The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Tin Dog Saloon – Cody Woody July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

OKLAHOMA STUDY OF NATIVE AMERICAN PAIN RISK RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS NEEDED

popradar Kit Harington in “Game of Thrones” COURTESY

$200 compensation ($100/day)

INVESTIGATORS: Drs. Jamie Rhudy & Joanna Shadlow CONTACT: The University of Tulsa Psychophysiology Research Laboratory 918-631-2175 or 918-631-3565

A novel research study is being conducted at The University of Tulsa to identify potential markers of risk for chronic pain in healthy (currently painfree) Non-Hispanic White and Native American individuals.

This study is safe, non-invasive, and does not involve medication. Participants must be able to attend 2 laboratory sessions (4-5.5 hours/day) in which physiological and behavioral reactions to different stimuli are recorded. This is a University of Tulsa, Cherokee Nation, and Indian Health Service Oklahoma Area Office IRB approved research study.

FREE IT ’S L E G A L T IL L

Christmas in July GAME OF THRONES IS EXCITING AND UNTETHERED by JOE O’SHANSKY

here is a harmony to new episodes of “Game of Thrones” and “Twin Peaks” airing on the same night. Cultural zeitgeist, sure, but also the shared obsession of both shows becomes a badge of honor for adherents. For 25 years “Peaks” fans have been waiting for a (proper) conclusion. “Thrones” fans know that feeling all too well. Show runners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have left writer George R.R. Martin behind, taking decades-long fans of the books, and everyone else, to the edge of the world. This season is shorter. And the last will be shorter still. We collectively mark time by these stories. I had a totally different life and home for the premiere of “Thrones” in 2011. As with any epic journey, real or imagined, chances are you’re watching these new episodes with a different group of people than you started watching with. Still, we remain a society, celebrating winter every summer. Soon the reunions will end. But on July 16, the customary re-watch of the previous season’s ﬁnale before the current premiere was largely drowned out by the excitement of giddy commentary, THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

silenced by moments like Arya slitting Walder Frey’s throat, Tommen’s suicide, or Cersei killing the shit out of every short-term enemy she had in a glorious blast of emerald wildﬁre. We calmed down for the main event, ready for Santa. The reunion is treated like a holiday feast. Themed food like artisanal pork shoulder tacos, masterpiece-bite blood-and-guts spaghetti ragù, and a Southwest-style chorizo chili named after Theon Greyjoy (you have to slice the sausages open to extract the meat), are some of the homemade joys devoured between equally curated booze. In the off-season of “Thrones” we order out for “Desi Wokking Dead” night. If you’re a fan of the show you know what this episode is—a reminder of where all the pieces lie on the board and the hints to their next moves. Arya is still bent on vengeance. Cersei and Jamie’s children are dead. Daenerys plots her takeover of the Seven Kingdoms. John and Sansa prepare for the armies of the Night’s King. The Hound ﬁnds religion. The pace is quicker than ever, now that the show is untethered from the books. Nobody knows where it’s going, but we’re getting there fast. a

Tulsa’rsee F ONLY u na Marij yaer Law

Free legal representation for first offense marijuana possession. Tulsa District & City Courts only. No juvenile cases. Reasonable fees for other charges. Some restrictions apply.

Michael Fairchild • Attorney at Large • 918-58-GRASS (584-7277)

We’re giving away FREE STUFF! Register for the July giveaway at thetulsavoice.com by 7/31! $250 DOWNTOWN DINING PACKAGE INCLUDES: Billy’s on the Square Elote Café & Catering McNellie’s Group Naples Flatbread & Wine Bar Sisserou’s Caribbean Restaurant

FILM & TV // 43

filmphiles

Casey Affleck in “A Ghost Story” | COURTESY

Supernatural grandeur ‘A Ghost Story’ is accessible cinematic poetry by JEFF HUSTON

t first blush, “A Ghost Story” has the silliest premise—and visual—that a movie could hope to perpetrate upon a discerning cinephile, suggesting a filmmaker that’s either a prankster or pretentious (or both). In fact, he’s neither. Writer and director David Lowery is a poet. “A Ghost Story,” his experimental indie that defies convention at every turn to profound effect, is one of the best films

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44 // FILM & TV

of the year. It’s haunting, but in poignant ways. The ghost of a man (2017 Best Actor Oscar winner Casey Affleck) remains in the house of his widow (Rooney Mara), and his apparition appears as the oldest of Halloween costumes: a draped bed sheet with two black holes for eyes. And it’s meant to be taken seriously. In the hands of Lowery, this risky abstract conceit about a couple that’s never named (he’s credited as “C,” she “M”) is sincere, even humble, and deeply moving. Told at a languid pace that absorbs rather than bores, “A Ghost Story” is a movie of contemplative empathy. The narrative unfolds by lingering on experiences, not constructing typical plot beats. An early, lengthy overhead shot of the couple sleeping is indicative of Lowery’s observational technique. They’re snuggled together, peaceful. They gently kiss, eyes still closed. It’s not sexual; it’s intimate. After he’s passed, M sits on the floor of their kitchen, eating an entire pie that a neighbor has given to her. It’s a raw, unbroken five-minute take that subtly

portrays the ﬁrst stages of grief. C’s ghostly form watches from a distance, unseen by her. This experiential approach is an extreme counter to more common, heavily wrought tales of loss. Lowery gives room for grief to breathe, to be lived in, rather than driven by contrivances or sentimental clichés. Grieving people don’t want to hear trite encouragements. They just want somebody to be there with them. “A Ghost Story” reciprocates that in cinematic form. In the wordless quiet of this widow’s lonely struggle, it’s saying to a kindred viewer, “I understand. You’re not alone.” But then, the movie shifts and becomes more about the ghost than the wife left behind, raising the stakes of how C’s spirit will continue to haunt this house, and this space, moving forward. By the time it’s all over, you realize that this ghost’s story has followed a three-act structure and taken you places you weren’t expecting. The ﬁlm remains patient and experimental, but the plot gains a narrative propulsion that makes it more compelling, and accessible.

It also becomes more ambitious in scope, including an ethereal perspective on how the ghost perceives time, giving this small-budget endeavor an air of the epic. There’s philosophy, too, including a monologue about the nature of God and art, and how divinely infused creations transcend time to sustain humanity. Lowery also employs a few “ghost story” tropes, like how a ghost manifests its presence by moving objects. They create legitimate scares, but they’re used to emphasize C’s own melancholy and grief, and the existential hole of needing resolution. The ghost, it’s worth noting, is more than just a bed sheet. It drapes and flows elegantly, tailored to move with supernatural grandeur. There are flourishes of Terrence Malick here, as there were in Lowery’s “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” (which also starred Affleck and Mara), but it’s a reach to make stylistic comparisons to help describe this singular movie. That’s part of what makes “A Ghost Story” an unexpected masterpiece—it’s difficult to recall having ever seen anything like it. a July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

filmphiles A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CIRCLE CINEMA

APES OF WRATH Amiah Miller in “War for the Planet of the Apes” | COURTESY

There’s a missing link in ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ by JOE O’SHANSKY

he original “Planet of the Apes” films are seminal scifi. A Civil Rights-era allegory with Chuck Heston as the poster boy for white hegemony, who finds out what happens when the script is flipped. Considering there were assholes still upset about the outcome of the Scopes trial, the personification of (and sympathizing with) apes in 1968 seemed subversive. I was never as taken by those films as the fans were, though I appreciated the schadenfreude. Then 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” the first in a sort of reboot/prequel/origin story variant, turned out to be emotional and well-written, with game-changing visuals that inspired a long-missed sense of wonder, largely due to Andy Serkis’ performance as the sentient ape Caesar. Serkis’ emotive wizardry begged the question: should motion-captured performances be nominated for acting awards? Beyond a certain point, you just forget you’re looking at a CG creation. That’s the magic. In a way, it was “Star Wars” all over again. 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” upped the ante, both technically and narratively, and became the rare sequel, like “The Empire Strikes Back,” that rivals the original. The apes who were ground zero for a Simian Flu that wipes out civilization had to find common ground with the skittish remnants of mankind. It’s a compelling chapter, trading in hope where, for a moment, it seems cooler heads might prevail against human nature. With a title “War for the Planet of the Apes,” you can guess how that turned out. It’s a testament to the qualities of the first two films that this entry feels like a bit of a letdown. The story is smaller and too linear. The human-supremacist Colonel (Woody Harrelson) attempts to assassinate Caesar, inadvertently killing Caesar’s family instead. Caesar, tasked with leading his people out of danger across the desert, opts for vengeance. Returning director Matt Reeves tells more than he shows— the opposite of what made the first 30 minutes of “Dawn” so masterful. The exposition lends an on-rails vibe to a plot that sags in the middle act. Harrelson’s overt God complex lacks the shading of past villains—he’s building a wall!—and the themes of biblical sacrifice and revenge are none too subtle. Yes, the spectacle doesn’t disappoint, but “War” feels like a detour. a

THE TULSA VOICE // July 19 – August 1, 2017

OPENING JULY 21 DUNKIRK Exclusive 35mm film presentation of the new World War II epic from director Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”). Fierce battles unfold by land, sea, and air as the Nazi army surrounds Allied forces seeking evacuation on the beaches of Dunkirk, France. Starring Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, and Mark Rylance. See it ﬁrst in Tulsa at a 6pm screening Thursday, July 20. Rated PG-13. MAUDIE True story biopic about acclaimed Canadian painter Maud Dowley. An arthritic housekeeper, Maud hones her skills as a painter while falling in love Everett Lewis, the man whose famously small house Dowley served in. Starring Academy Award-nominees Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. Rated PG-13.

OPENING JULY 28 A GHOST STORY See review on opposite page. THE LITTLE HOURS A raunchy, controversial comedy set in a convent during the Middle Ages. A young man seeking refuge sparks lust in emotionally unstable nuns as they find it difficult to resist temptation. Starring Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Molly Shannon, and John C. Reilly. Rated R.

STILL PLAYING THE BIG SICK This critically praised rom-com from the Sundance Film Festival, about how the romance between a Muslim American and his white girlfriend—already complicated by his traditional Muslim parents and their ethos of arranged marriages—is challenged further when a serious illness strikes. Based on the real life love story of co-writer/star Kamail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”) and his wife. Co-stars Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, and Ray Romano. Rated R.

SPECIAL EVENTS IT’S THE BLUES: MISSION TO MEMPHIS Documentary about Tulsa blues artist Joshua Yarbrough whose roots-y talents garnered him a rare, coveted slot in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. Q&As after both screenings with Joshua Yarbrough and director Patrick McNicholas. Fri., July 21, 9:45pm & Sat., July 22, 3:45pm THE BOSS BABY (Summer Kids Film) Free presentation of this spring’s animated comedy hit starring the voice of Alec Baldwin. Wed., July 26, 1pm THE ANCIENT MAGUS BRIDE Anime Club presentation for this new eye-popping adaptation of the popular graphic manga sensation. Wed., July 26, 7pm ANGELS IN AMERICA: PART 2 – PERESTROIKA (NT LIVE) The conclusion of the new 2017 staging for Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. This epic human drama about the 1980s AIDS crisis is reimagined by the Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott (“War Horse,” “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”) and stars Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane. Preshow is hosted by Theatre Tulsa’s Nick Cains at 5:45pm. Thur., July 27, 6pm THE OFFICE GEEKS PREMIERE Series Premiere of “The Office” parody show “The Office Geeks,” followed by a bonus episode in which the Real Ghostbusters make an appearance. Event begins at 5pm with a meet-and-greet and 6pm pre-show trivia. $7 general admission; $25 for VIP Thur., July 27, 7pm RESERVOIR DOGS (1992) Graveyard Shift celebrates the 25th anniversary of Quentin Tarantino’s electric film about a group of criminals who follow a jewelry heist gone wrong. The all-star cast includes Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, and many more. Fri., July 28 & Sat., July 29, 10pm

FILM & TV // 45

RE TI

EARTHQUAKES INCREASING YEARLY … AND OTHER STUFF TO GET YOU ALL SHOOK UP • BY FRASER KASTNER

TIPS FOR HOMEOWNERS LIVING IN EARTHQUAKEPRONE AREAS An earthquake “micro-swarm” occurred in the town of Stroud on July 14, with scientists predicting that the quakes could go on for days. Fortunately, the quakes themselves were fairly minor, and no damage or injury was reported. However, since studies show that earthquakes are increasing yearly, we thought we’d offer some tips in advance for homeowners who might have accidentally built their house over someone’s wastewater injection well. Try not to keep fragile knickknacks, like decorative plates or flat-screen TVs, too high off the ground. It’s easy to put things on your shelf and forget about them, but smart homeowners know that the earth itself could literally move at any moment. Plan accordingly. Consider getting insurance. It’s a little harder these days, since some insurers have more than doubled their premiums, while others have increased deductibles, or even stopped issuing earthquake coverage altogether (can you blame them?). On the bright side, if you do manage to get covered, it looks like a payout is pretty much inevitable. Be at peace with the mysteries of Mother Nature. When you feel a gentle rumbling, try some yoga breathing and reflect on the ma jesty of the earth interacting with thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater. It isn’t an earthquake; it’s just a magnitude 4 hiccup. 46 // ETC.

Ongoing coverage of our state’s massive education fail: A panel of Oklahoma students, some from the Tulsa area, fielded questions from teachers and other educators, including State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, at the EngageOK education conference on July 11 about things they wish their teachers knew. Our speculations on what those things are: ● ●

●

We need better sex education. A slide show is the best way to see syphilis for the first time. There should be a special lunchtime for kids who can’t afford to eat. There are a lot of them and it bums everyone else out. Requiring drills for fires, tornados, bomb threats, school shootings, and now earthquakes is way too overwhelming. Instead, revive the simple “hide under your desk and await death” maneuver of the Cold War.

DID YOU KNOW … ● … the State Department of Human Services just got $30 million cut from its funding? Fortunately, most of those affected will be children and the elderly, and they don’t bring in very much tax money. After a while the herd will thin out and this problem will take care of itself. ● … you can call a state or U.S. representative and say anything you want? It’s true! Feel strongly about an issue or upcoming bill? Severe disability and no access to insurance? Want the law out of your uterus? Sounds like a problem for your rep to hear about. They probably won’t personally listen to your message, but someone on their staff most likely has to. What would a nominal democracy be without the illusion of representation?

OKLAHOMA VA DOING “BETTER” The Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General released a report on July 11 that the Eastern Oklahoma Veterans Health Care System has improved greatly in recent months. Presumably, this means that fewer veterans have died due to neglect, which was the case with Owen Reese Peterson, a Vietnam veteran who died of sepsis after being discovered to have maggots in his body last October at the Talihina veterans center. Or Leonard Smith, who choked to death while living in a special needs unit there. High administrative turnover rates were partially blamed for the problems. Honestly, it’s such a relief to find out that the horrifying and unnecessary deaths of our state’s veterans weren’t really anybody’s fault. I mean, can you imagine how people would react if someone took responsibility? The Inspector General notes in his report that 11 of 19 recommendations made in May 2016 have been fulfilled, or about 58 percent. U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe said of veterans’ care: “We have solved the problem in Oklahoma.” This is a minor exaggeration, as a generous teacher would only give us a D-, but it does provide a morale boost for our troops at home, fighting for their lives in a jungle of red tape. a July 19 – August 1, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE FUZZ THE TULSA VOICE SPOTLIGHTS: TULSA SPCA

2910 Mohawk Blvd. | MON, TUES, THURS, FRI & SAT, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 918.428.7722

GATOR is a three-year-old Anatolian shepherd mix. He is very shy when he first meets people, but once he warms up to you he is a big sweetheart! Gator is as playful as a puppy when he feels comfortable, and staff describes him as a “giant lap dog.” He walks well on a leash, and he is looking for his forever home.

ACROSS 1 Snare or floor tom 5 Becomes harder and harder to see 10 Charge alternative 14 Sheriff’s shiner 19 Snowman of Tibet 20 Big-time pop singer from Britain 21 Butter alternative 22 Fourth in a series of 12 23 Dark, Stone and middle 24 A Washington city when doubled 25 Sugar unit 26 Iranian monetary units 27 I’m sorry that I’m sorry (Pt. 1) 31 Subject of a property claim 32 Irish miss 33 Brother of Abel 34 Does basic math 35 Some attentiongetting words 36 Like many fast-food orders 37 “But I heard him exclaim, ___ he ...” 40 Riyadh native 43 Fritter away 45 Dry as a bone 46 Like some ears or cans 47 Most chichi or Bohemian 50 Producing great profits, as a business 52 CD follower 53 Units of energy or work 54 Mighty partner 55 Roused from slumber 56 Schooner beverage 57 Three, in Milano 58 A good deal, in a Shakespeare title 59 Suffix with “Christ” 60 I’m sorry that I’m sorry (Pt. 2) 69 Hither and ___

SAMO is a 10-month-old collie mix. He likes everyone, and would be a great family dog. He is comfortable around other dogs and can be a very protective friend. Samo is still a young pup, but seems pretty laid back for his age. He would be a wonderful addition to any family.

70 Gumbo veggie 71 A word of cheer 72 “When do we want it?” answer 73 Defiant one without a cause 76 “Lake” of ballet 77 And others, abbreviated 79 NYC’s Fifth, for one 80 With sincere intentions 82 NASA or NATO, e.g. 85 Org. with moles 86 Out on the ocean 87 Place for a collection of journalists 89 Poly attachment 91 Source of morning dampness 92 “___ Piper of Hamelin” 93 Cons’ opposites 94 Roll up, as a flag 96 Mend socks 97 Applaud 98 Stir up, as rioters 101 I’m sorry that I’m sorry (Pt. 3) 108 Brick of clay 109 Certain woodwind 110 Angry enough to fight 111 Any prince, traditionally 112 Sci-fi, comedy, drama, e.g. 113 ___ Bator, Mongolia 114 Longish work of literature 115 Transgresses 116 Long, drawn-out tales 117 What the sun does daily 118 Twist into deformity 119 Catch one’s breath DOWN 1 Set of two 2 Fit for the throne 3 Where babies-tobe be

4 Hoodwink 5 Showed submission or fear 6 “Money isn’t everything,” and others 7 Sandwich shop 8 Fitzgerald of jazz 9 Smooth, as a transition 10 Behemoths 11 Former students 12 Trucker’s rig 13 Child’s sidewalk game 14 Certain Spanishspeaking quarter 15 Referring to bees 16 Dull, as clothing 17 Fish organ 18 “Is anyone ___ coming?” 28 Neighbor of Pakistan 29 State, centuries ago 30 Way past ready to go 35 Old-school “moves quickly” 36 Was head of the class? 37 “CHiPs” first name 38 Tear in two 39 Site of a biblical garden 40 Feeding tube? 41 Garlic-flavored mayonnaise 42 Not encountered as yet 43 Appreciate, to hippies 44 Folded part, as skin 45 Do penitence 48 Episode you’ve seen before 49 Old allowance for damage in transit 51 Up to one’s elbows in a flooding 54 “Beg pardon?” 57 Legendary actor Peter O’___ 58 NYC transit org.

The Tulsa SPCA has been helping animals in our area since 1913. The shelter never euthanizes for space and happily rescues animals from high-kill shelters. They also accept owner surrenders, rescues from cruelty investigations, hoarding, and puppy mill situations. Animals live on-site or with foster parents until they’re adopted. All SPCA animals are micro-chipped, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and treated with preventatives. Learn about volunteering, fostering, upcoming events, adoptions, and their low-cost vaccination clinic at tulsaspca.org.

PIPER is a two-year-old Labrador retriever mix. She is absolutely a water dog, and loves swimming and playing in her pool. She is very outgoing and friendly toward everyone. She came to the shelter with her good friend Bullet, who is a little more shy and follows her lead. We would love for them to be adopted together!

59 Country shaped like a boot 61 Wolflike scavenger 62 Sounded like an injured animal 63 Green-lights 64 Mug filler at a banquet 65 Where the city of Qom is 66 Make legal, as a bill 67 Motion picture 68 Say bad words 73 Be literate, in a way 74 State of relaxing comfort 75 Make beer 76 Taxing, as a physical activity 77 Greek god of love 78 Male turkey 81 Former Vice President Agnew 82 Rich, hanging tapestry 83 Electing as a fellow member 84 Paris “Thank you” 88 Large, dark-red oval organs 90 Move like a rattler 92 Check endorsers, typically 94 Aquarium feature 95 Ill or not up to par 96 Winger who starred in “Urban Cowboy” 97 Zagreb native 99 “And ___ you have it!” 100 Some wealthy Mideast leaders 101 Fails to keep up (with “behind”) 102 Thought that leads to something big 103 King ___ 104 Ready, willing and ___ 105 Golfer’s selection, sometimes 106 Type of groovy lamp 107 Start for “while”

MURPHY is a two-year-old domestic shorthair mix. He is a very sweet cat who loves to cuddle. He enjoys lounging on laps and receiving lots of love. Murphy is FIV+, but don’t worry! He is otherwise healthy, and with a healthy diet and a stress-free home, he can live a totally normal lifespan.

Universal sUnday Crossword How noT To aPoloGiZe By Timothy e. Parker

CLASSIC is a domestic medium hair mix. She is just over a year old and a very sweet cat. She loves attention and affection—in fact, she sometimes demands it! She gets along well with other cats, and would probably do well in a home with children. She is looking for a family to call her own.

7/23 ETC. // 47

Pleas e re cycle this issue.