Calendar of Events

Due to positive tests for the coronavirus across the area and the constant changes still taking place as of our press deadline, please confirm the events and services listed in this calendar are still in place before making your plans to attend or participate. It’s especially important to ensure the safety of your family, loved ones and yourself by practicing safe COVID-19 recommendations.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

YELLOW ROSE THEATER OKLAHOMA BRANSON TOUR 2021 – Enjoy the Best Branson Style Without the Drive! MARCH 12 & 13 - TODD OLIVER & FRIENDS Featuring Irving, America’s Only Talking Dog! MARCH 19 & 20 – JOHNNY CASH: THE MAN IN BLACK Starring Bennie Wheels MARCH 26 & 27 – THE BRITISH INVASION GROUP CALL NOW 405-793-7779 Tickets Going Fast.

FRED JONES JR. MUSEUM OF ART OK/LA PANEL DISCUSSION: ED RUSCHA March 5 – 3:00 p.m. This spring, two concurrent landmark exhibitions, OK/LA at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, Oklahoma, and Ed Ruscha: OKLA at Oklahoma Contemporary in Oklahoma City, explore the lasting influence of Oklahoma on the career of Los Angeles-based artist Ed Ruscha. In the spirit of collaboration, join us Friday March 5th at 3pm for a conversation with curators from both institutions and special guests Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, discussing the important role of both cities in Ruscha's work. To register, visit www. ou.edu/fjjma/Events.

FRESH START COMMUNITY CHURCH FOOD PANTRY open the third Thursday of each month, 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., 309 N Eastern Avenue, West Campus-Family Life Center. Canned and dry goods available. Must be a resident of Moore (please bring an ID).

CHURCH & SPIRITUAL CONNECTION

CITY MEETINGS & EVENTS

CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m Moore City Hall, 301 N. Broadway, Moore

PARKS BOARD MEETING Tuesday, March 2 at 6:00 p.m. The Station at Central Park, 700 S. Broadway MOORE URBAN RENEWAL AUTHORITY MEETING Monday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. Moore City Hall, 301 N. Broadway, Moore

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MEETING Tuesday, March 9 at 5:30 p.m. Moore City Hall, 301 N. Broadway, Moore

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. Moore City Hall, 301 N. Broadway, Moore

CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m Moore City Hall, 301 N. Broadway, Moore

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

ADOPT-A-PET Moore Animal Shelter, S-I35 Service Road. Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., closed on holidays. For additional information call (405) 793-5190.

BIG TRASH PICK UP Moore residents will be allowed two FREE big trash pick-ups a year and one free voucher to the city landfill for each physical address in Moore. Call (405) 793-5070 to schedule your trash pick-up.

CT CLOTHING CLOSET Last Saturday of each month, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. CrossTimbers United Methodist Church, 3004 S. Sunnylane, Moore. CrossTimbers UMC Clothing Closet is a place where those in need can find men’s, women’s and children’s clothing along with shoes and accessories. All sizes are available and are free for community members.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM Moore Police Dept. is starting a Neighborhood Watch Program. If you’re interested in helping your neighborhood reduce crime, contact Sgt. Jeremy Lewis, (405) 793-4448.

HEYDAY LIVE TRIVIA NIGHT Thursday nights in March 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. HeyDay Upstairs at Revolutions, 3201 Market Place, Norman. Think you know it all? Prove it at HeyDay trivia night. Put your knowledge to the test with 1/2 priced domestics and discounted appetizers while you play!

SOONER SORCERERS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Saturday, March 13, beginning at 10:00 a.m. DZ Comics and Gaming, 625 N. Moore Avenue. This tournament will be competitive and fun, but remember the friendships are where the real magic is! If you haven't played in a while or would like to find a teammate, please let me or anyone in the Oklahoma Magic community know and we will try our best to make sure you can find a deck or a friend. Prize support for the First Place Team will be $600 in cash, an Oklahoma Team Championship 2021 Team Trophy, Individual Format Medals for each team member, and a box of Modern Horizons. The Second place team will receive $300 in cash with a box of Modern Horizons and a From the Vault Lore Box Set. The Third and Fourth place teams will receive $150 in cash and a box of Guilds of Ravnica. Various playmats from past tournaments in the region will also be handed out as door prizes to a lucky few. To reserve a team slot, one member of the team needs to call DZ Comics in Moore, Oklahoma and pay the entry fee of $120 per team.

DOMESTIC QUILTING MACHINE EXPANDED Friday, March 12 at 11:00 a.m. and Saturday, March 13 at 3:30 p.m. The Stitching Post, 901 N. Moore Avenue, Suite B. Presented with award-winning international instructor and competition quilter Jane Hauprich. $60 per day or $100 for both days. Please sign up online or call the store to register for both days. For tickets visit www.sewbargains.com/module/class.htm or call The Stitching Post at 405-495-4699.

20 IN 30 DAYS OF YOGA Beginning Monday, March 1 at 6:00 a.m. Cornerstone Yoga, 1920 N. Eastern Avenue. Saturday, February 20, 7:00 a.m., The Boxcar Coffee, 2100 N. Eastern Avenue, Suite B. The seasons are changing! Jumpstart yourself as you March into Spring by practicing 20 days of Yoga in 30 Days! Practice online or in person. Our classes are growing and we're adding more teachers! At the end of the 30 days get a free t-shirt, t-party celebration and great sense of accomplishment for a job well done. Be sure to check in online, we'll also have a poster board to show your progress! Let's go! Tickets are available at www.csyok.com or call 405-735-7133.

FORT THUNDER HARLEY DAVIDSON CAR & BIKE SHOW Saturday, March 27, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Fort Thunder Harley-Davidson, 500 SW 11th Street. Free car & bike show. For more information call 405-793-8877. YOGA BEGINNER SERIES (SPANISH/ENGLISH) Fridays at 7:00 p.m. & Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. Cornerstone Yoga, 1920 N. Eastern. 6-week series. Are you tired of sitting on the couch? In front of the computer? Do you want to learn Yoga in a safe environment? You'll have 2 opportunities a week. Fridays at 7pm and Saturdays at 11am. You can learn IN Studio or Online. Learn the basic principles and the basic fundamental poses to get you started in a Yoga practice just for you! All CDC guidelines practiced. Sign up soon. In studio space is limited. Cost is $75. Call 405-735-7133 for details.

FOR MOORE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EVENTS – VISIT MOORECHAMBER.COM/ EVENTS/CALENDAR

FOR SOUTH OKC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EVENTS – VISIT BUSINESS.SOUTHOKC.COM/ EVENTS

SENIOR CONNECTION

P.A.L.S. PROGRAM FOR SENIORS Seniors are assigned to a buddy who will call every day to check on you. Sign up with Sgt. Lewis, Moore Police Dept., (405) 793-4448.

PROJECT RETURN HOME FOR ALZHEIMER’S PATIENTS IN MOORE For information about enrolling a loved one, contact Virginia Guild at (405) 793-4478 or Sgt. Jeremy Lewis at (405) 793-4448.

TRANSPORTATION: • Metro Transit will provide van service for age 60 and older on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the Moore area to Oklahoma City for medical appointments. Call Jackie at (405) 297-2583.

• Moore Council on Aging. Seniors may have transportation anywhere in the city of Moore for errands or appointments. 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Call (405) 799-3130 at least one day in advance.

• “Share-A-Fare” for age 60 and over or disabled. Purchase taxi fare at 40% off.

SEE THE FULL CALENDAR AT

OSSAA Working to Ensure High School Sports is Here to Stay

Ayear ago this month, the Oklahoma high school sports world came to an abrupt halt. It began with the COVID-19 postponement of the March 11, 2020, NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz. The NBA soon canceled its season, and shortly after that, the OSSAA high school basketball playoffs were shut down, followed by the spring sports and activities season.

Mike Whaley, the Associate Director of the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA), says the heartbreaking shutdown was necessary.

"It's as disheartening a thing as has happened to me in all my years in education," said Whaley. "All of a sudden, there was no baseball season, no track season, no golf season. All those spring sports kids who graduated in 2020 just woke up one day, and their seasons and careers were over."

Whaley knows Oklahoma high school sports as well as anyone. He was selected to the Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame in 2014 following a 31-year career that led him to Westmoore from 2000-2009. In the wake of the cancellation of the 2020 spring sports season, Whaley says the OSSAA staff was challenged to find a safe way to ensure that kids could participate in sports in the upcoming school year.

"Mr. Jackson (OSSAA Executive Director) challenged us in May," said Whaley. "We were asked to explore ways to make sure our sports seasons took place for the year, even though those games and seasons might not look the same."

That commitment to balance the safety of everyone involved in high school sports with the importance of allowing kids to compete was embraced with a passion.

"Everybody would tell you that this has been the most unique challenge we've ever experienced by far," said Whaley. "We had to react to information that was constantly changing on a week-by-week, day-byday, and sometimes hour-by-hour basis."

Whaley says the OSSAA turned to several resources as they worked to create a strategy for the return of sports in the fall of 2020. They relied on a sports medicine advisory committee that monitored the changing details from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Oklahoma State Department of Health, and the Oklahoma governor's office. They also realized early on that the OSSAA would need to give member schools across the state a good deal of say in managing their own unique situations.

"Our board felt early on that a lot of the issues like restrictions on attendance would ultimately need to be decided at the local level," said Whaley. "Things are different between Moore, Blanchard, and Washington, for example. We just believed that what happens in Moore schools should be decided by those administrators in Moore schools."

Fortunately, there is a great deal of trust that exists between the OSSAA and local school administrations.

"The guys running things in Moore and at so many of our other schools do a great job," said Whaley. "We have a lot of confidence in those guys and knew that if we gave them good information that they would make good decisions."

Whaley says that what's truly remarkable is how site athletic facilitators and district administrators quickly picked up skills in fields that weren't their primary areas of responsibility or study.

"If you look at those guys' transcripts, you don't see a whole lot of public health or disease control training," said Whaley. "But they stepped up to the challenge all across the state and worked hard to keep their kids safe while still allowing them to compete."

The result has been wildly successful by any standard. Even with occasional game postponements and cancellations, Oklahoma's high school athletes have been able to participate in fall and winter sports. And as we turn the corner into March, one year after the sports world skidded to a stop, the state tournaments in basketball, wrestling, and swimming are on schedule. The same is true for the spring sports season.

"Our activities certainly don't look like they have in the past with attendance and social distancing restrictions," said Whaley, "But they're taking place. Our kids are getting a chance to compete in a way that keeps them as safe as we possibly can."

Whaley says he's grateful that, for the most part, the parents and grandparents of the state's high school athletes have embraced the changes.

"I had one grandparent call me the other day," said Whaley. "And he was adamant about the fact that he wanted his grandchild to have a chance to play. 'My grandchild cannot go through this again,' was what he told me. He said he'd be willing to watch it streaming or any other way as long as his grandchild was taken care of. That's the standard we've been working toward. Making sure the kids have a chance to play."