MSG Attacks! by Oklahoma Gazette

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INSIDE COVER P. 20 For years, messages about fat

content and monosodium glutamate (MSG) in food shaped how people chose to eat. Oklahoma Gazette debunks the myths.

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Linda Cavanaugh today left and during her early years reporting for WKY (now KFOR) | Photos provided

Glory road

A look back at Oklahoma’s leading female corporate executive sheds light on the state’s road to feminism. By Nazarene Harris

A story or two has been told of an Oklahoma girl who grew up and made her small town proud. Carrie Underwood won American Idol’s fourth season and continues to reap fans and fame with her impressive vocal abilities. Kristen Chenoweth dazzles on Broadway, and Olivia Munn graces Hollywood’s red carpets and movie screens nationwide. Carlene Roberts is a name that’s likely not as well known, yet her journey up the corporate ladder during the 1950s is one that made career success for women in the Sooner State possible in the years and decades that followed. Roberts was born in Kansas on Aug. 28, 1913, to a father who worked as a teacher and a mother who would later hold secretarial positions out of sheer necessity. Before Roberts was born, her father died from an electrical accident and her mother, Josephine Lewis Roberts, later moved the family to Oklahoma when Roberts was just 2 years old. Roberts became an avid learner and an exceptional student by most accounts. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in dramatic arts in 1934. While she had dreams of becoming an actress, the Great Depression and a regional dustbowl led Roberts to attain whatever steady work she could acquire. Roberts worked for Oklahoma City’s Chamber of Commerce shortly after graduating from college where former city manager Orval M. Mosier was impressed with her quick wit. When Mosier landed a job as an executive with American Airlines, he asked Roberts if she would be his secretary full-time, and she accepted. 4

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Before her plane touched down in New York City, the local media in Oklahoma were dumbfounded by the woman who dared venture out of state for a career instead of a husband. “Blond. Blue eyed. Tiny. But not the least bit demure,” was the description provided by The Oklahoman. Roberts demonstrated success with every project she was assigned, including finding housing for hundreds of American Airlines employees after the company relocated headquarters. Her work earned her promotions, and her promotions earned her the media’s continual curiosity. The Miami News described her as “as glamorous as they come,” while a Washington columnist stated that she was “a very hot-looking dish.” Dorothy Chandler with The Los Angeles Times wrote the following: “An Oklahoman girl, she started up her ladder to fame by the secretarial approach. Girls, take note and work on that shorthand.” Roberts was skilled at more than shorthand. Her leadership and communication skills earned her the title of vice president of American Airlines in 1951. During a 1997 interview with The New York Times, Roberts mentioned how the airline’s president, C.R. Smith, agreed to her promotion as vice president but didn’t believe women belonged in executive roles. In 1954, at the age of 41, Roberts married U.S. Commerce Department assistant secretary Lothair Teetor and bid her career farewell. “I really wanted to make it a happy marriage,” she said in a 2007. “It never occurred to me not to resign.”

After a life spent trailblazing and observing in her later years that it was possible to work and raise a family, Roberts died on Oct. 29 at the age of 105.

She persisted

One hundred and five years after Roberts’ birth, women in Oklahoma are climbing up the corporate ladder but unsure of how to balance responsibilities. Forty-eight-year-old Louisa McCune is the executive director of nonprofit organization The Kirkpatrick Foundation. The foundation supports central Oklahoma’s arts, culture and educational endeavors, among others. She has held her current role for a little over seven years and previously enjoyed success as a journalist. For 13 years prior, she worked as editor-inchief of local magazine Oklahoma Today. As a busy mom to three boys, McCune said she’s still learning how to balance her work life with her personal life. “Aren’t we all trying to do that? I had no example to go by, and so I’m still learning how to manage, to be quite honest,” she said. McCune was raised in Enid by a father who worked as a surgeon and a mother who, while described by McCune as intellectual and driven, never reentered the workforce after marrying. “I think she had fantasies of becoming a foreign dignitary,” McCune said. “But she didn’t pursue them.” While Oklahoma Hall of Famer Linda Cavanaugh experienced her fair share of struggles while balancing work and home life, she said she experienced her fair share of sexism as well. “When I was hired, the station’s main photographer made it clear that he was not a fan of a woman in the newsroom,” Cavanaugh said. She said it wasn’t so much what the photographer said to her as what he didn’t. “He just refused to talk to me,” she said. “We’d drive to our assignments in complete silence.” When more women began entering the newsroom, Cavanaugh said several male employees quit, making their sentiments toward feminism known.

“I think there was some apprehension about what we were capable of,” she said. “A lot of guys thought we couldn’t carry the camera equipment, but really it’s just about as heavy as a baby, and we can carry babies.” Before Cavanaugh became WKY’s (now KFOR) first female newscaster, she said her news director had an honest conversation with her that conveyed both excitement and apprehension. “He said, ‘We want to try something new,’” Cavanaugh recalled. “‘We aren’t sure it’s going to work, but we hope that it does. We want you to anchor the news.’” Of the few men Cavanaugh said showed her disapproval, there were tenfold who showed her support. Born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, Cavanaugh graduated from University of Oklahoma with a degree in journalism. Her father was a schoolteacher who, after growing up with all boys, expected nothing less from his four daughters than what a man could accomplish. Cavanaugh’s sisters hold the positions of CPA, oil and gas executive and schoolteacher. Last year, at age 67, Cavanaugh retired from KFOR News 4 after 40 years with the station. She never experienced ageism, she said, adding that KFOR News 4’s management team has maintained its progressive tendencies. “I wasn’t asked to leave by any means,” she said. “I just figured 40 years was a nice, round number.” She said she’d like to see women stay in the workforce for as long as they desire. “Longevity,” she said, “is a gift.” It is one McCune said she hopes to inherit. “For as many strides that we’ve made in the workforce, I believe there’s still more to be done,” McCune said. “We’ve gotten ourselves into the workforce; now we’re learning how to balance life in the workforce, and I’d like to see us thrive in the workforce.” The women agreed that while those who thrive exceptionally might be few and far between, there’s certainly enough motivation to try.

Carlene Roberts from Oklahoma was one of the nation’s first female executives in 1951. | Photo provided

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Taking time

Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform plans on moving forward with commutation and possible expungement efforts. By Nazarene Harris

She has been called the face of a movement. Twenty-six-year-old Kayla Jo Jeffries stepped out of prison on Dec. 5 a free woman, thanks to a commutation declaration that was signed by Gov. Mary Fallin the same day. Smiling from ear from ear, release papers in hand and holding back tears of joy, Jeffries told reporters the first thing she wanted to do with her freedom was hold her children. “It’s been a really crazy week. I have a wonderful support system that helped me get back on my feet in a lot of practical ways. I was able to get my driver’s license back, a car ... I even have a job. But in other ways, it’s been kind of overwhelming. Going into Walmart for the first time again was bad,” Jeffries said with a laugh. “I don’t want to go so far as to say that prison institutionalizes people, but I have been so used to someone telling me when to eat, sleep and socialize even, that it’s taking me some time to adjust to my freedom.” Jeffries, who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars for possession of methamphetamine, earned a cosmetology license while in prison that helped her get a job her first week out. She said she’s grateful for her lawyer, Glen Blake, members of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, law school students from University of Tulsa, Gov. Fallin and all Oklahomans who voted yes on State Question 780 two years ago. “I remember reading in prison that the law would not be retroactive,” Jeffries said. “That stung a little, but I was still happy for those who it would affect moving forward.” Jeffries had no idea, she said, that through the process of commutation, where a judicial sentence is reduced, her own 20-year prison sentence would be completely cleared two years later.

Crisis mode

If the plethora of internal violence and drug abuse cases weren’t enough to indicate that a crisis had been brewing within Oklahoma’s nearly 30 prisons for decades, a damning statistic from the nonprofit think tank organization The Prison Policy Initiative made it clear. This year, the organization revealed that Oklahoma is ranked first in the nation for the number of people incarcerated. “America incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world, and Oklahoma incarcerates more people than any other state in the nation,” Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform chief of staff John Estus said. “Basically, right here in this state, more people are in prison than in any other place in the entire world.” 6

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In response to several concerns, one being overcrowding within Oklahoma’s prisons, Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform organized a statewide initiative to pass State Questions 780 and 781 in Nov. 2016. SQ780, also known as The Oklahoma Reclassification of Some Drugs and Property Crimes as Misdemeanors Initiative, lowered the charges of certain nonviolent drug- and theft-related crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, which carry a maximum penalty of a one-year prison sentence and a $1,000 fine. The law would, in effect, make drug possession a misdemeanor and theft of items totaling less than $1,000 in value a misdemeanor as well.

It took us 30 to 40 years to get in this mess. It’s going to take us more than a year or two to get out. John Estus Provided that SQ780 would pass, SQ781 would allocate the funds saved by the initiative to privately run rehabilitation facilities where drug users could gain mental health and substance abuse treatment along with job training and education. Supporters of the state question said it would reduce overcrowding in the state’s prisons, save taxpayers money and allow drug abusers access to treatment that would likely prove more successful than what they would otherwise receive behind bars. “One in three people in Oklahoma’s prisons need mental health treatment, and one quarter of inmates are serving time for a nonviolent drug offense,” Kris Steele, former Republican house speaker and current chairman of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, said. “It is time to take a smarter approach to public safety by increasing access to programs that address the root cause of crime.” By contrast, opponents of the state question argued that criminal drug abusers should be separated from lawabiding citizens in the case that such offenders turn violent. “I will have a conversation with a family about a guy who has been six times in the county jail for meth, and then he kills somebody. And I will have to tell them, ‘If the law hadn’t changed,

I could have stopped this guy,’” Cleveland County district attorney Greg Mashburn said. Jeffries said from personal experience she knows that drug abuse rarely ceases in prison. “I saw more drugs in prison than I had ever seen when I was out of prison,” she said. Jeffries first saw heroin as an inmate in one of Oklahoma’s prisons. Having been off drugs for years now, Jeffries said it was her newfound faith and not any kind of treatment program that launched her path toward sobriety while she was an inmate. On Nov. 8, 2016, State Questions 780 and 781 passed with 58.23 percent of voters casting ballots for the measure and 41.77 percent voting against it. While the new laws applied only to current and future offenders, Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform began a behind-the-scenes movement that would grant justice for the previously accused.

Unfinished business

Project Commutation is Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform’s newly titled initiative to grant commutation for the over 1,000 inmates behind bars who would not currently be there had State Question 780 been in effect when they were arrested. University of Tulsa law student Sarah McManes said she was one of about 30 law students from the school who helped review the cases of over 700 inmates eligible for commutation. “This process was completed in a matter of months, but we spent thousands of hours working on these cases during those months,” McManes said.

Kayla Jo Jeffries is one of 21 inmates who was granted commutation by Gov. Fallin on Dec. 5. | Photo Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform / provided

Twenty-one of the 700 inmates considered for commutation were granted their requests by Fallin on Dec. 5. “As we prepare for the Christmas holiday season,” Fallin said with tears in her eyes during a press conference, “let’s not forget there is a God of second chances.” Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board granted an additional nine inmates commutation recommendations on Dec. 12 and expects Fallin to grant or deny those requests before her last day in office in early January. A remaining injustice, Estus said, is that for now, those granted commutation receive their reduced sentences with felony charges remaining on their records. “Life with a felony is hard,” he said. “A felony charge can determine whether or not these newly released individuals can gain employment, enroll in school, get a car and a home.” Estus said he’d like to see Oklahoma’s Legislature enact a policy that would allow free expungement, or the sealing of convictions, to those granted commutation. With attorney fees included, an expungement in Oklahoma can cost as much as $1,000. Estus said the granting of recent commutations is just the tip of the iceberg toward criminal justice reform in Oklahoma. “It took us 30 to 40 years to get in this mess,” he said. “It’s going to take us more than a year or two to get out.”

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Outdated hate

A group of Del City students joins two lawmakers in their efforts to remove LGBTQ+ discrimination from classrooms. By Nazarene Harris

Students from Del Crest Middle School in Del City told Oklahoma Legislature members on Dec. 7 that the state’s laws concerning AIDS prevention need a makeover. On national Civics Day, Aaron Baker’s eighth-grade civics class students presented state Legislature members at the capitol with reasons AIDS prevention education in the state is both outdated and discriminatory. The education might have been reflective of the culture their parents were raised in, the students said, but it has no place in theirs. In 1987, state lawmakers passed a measure that mandated AIDS prevention education for seventh- through 12th-graders in public schools across the state. While Oklahoma is among the minority of states in the nation that do not mandate sex education in public school, AIDS prevention is mandated through a statute passed over three decades ago. The mandate states that school districts can utilize AIDS prevention course curriculum and materials from the state Department of Education in conjunction with the state Department of Health or from a source of their choosing as long as the health department approves of the curriculum. Parents can choose to opt their children out of the education with a written request. 8

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However districts choose to educate students on AIDS prevention, the law states that certain lessons must be conveyed. “AIDS prevention education shall specifically teach students that engaging in homosexual activity … is now known to be primarily responsible for contact with the AIDS virus,” the mandate states. “Avoiding the activities specified … is the only method of preventing the spread of the virus.”

We’re not asking you to be politically correct; we’re just asking you to be correct. Justuce Wright While the mandate mentions that “promiscuous sexual activity,” “intravenous drug use” and “contact with contaminated blood products” can also cause AIDS, the students said the causation the law implies between homosexuality and AIDS is offensive and inaccurate. “It’s been 30 years since this law was written,” Justuce Wright, 13, said. “We know that being gay doesn’t mean you have HIV or that you’re going to get it. But people might think that’s true if all they hear is what’s in this law.”

Aaron Baker’s eighth-grade civics class from Del Crest Middle School gathered at the capitol Dec. 7 to advocate for an update to the state’s AIDS education mandate. | Photo Alexa Ace

In most cases, the students said, what the law says becomes what the teacher says and what the teacher says becomes what students think.

Reflective values

Last year, State Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, authored House Bill 1538 that would change the language of the state’s AIDS prevention education mandate. “People assume AIDS is over, but we’ve actually seen a slight increase in instances of contraction in Oklahoma in the past few years. We need to make sure that we are giving our students the most up-to-date and accurate information possible so they can take the measures they need to take to protect themselves,” Virgin said. For starters, Virgin said, the 1987 mandate does not address how HIV can be a precursor to AIDS. Virgin said she’d like to see revisions to the mandate that include adding HIV prevention education and a clear acknowledgement that unprotected homosexual activity is not the only way one can contract the disease. While Virgin’s bill failed to become law during the last legislative session, she recently teamed up with State Rep. Marcus McEntire, R-Duncan, to draft a new bill that would be similar to HB1538. While the bill’s focus will be prevention education, Virgin said she hopes that changing the language of the mandate will be one way lawmakers and educators can show support for the state’s LGBTQ+ community, one that some of Baker’s students belong to. Out of Baker’s class of about 20 students, three identify as LGBTQ+. Those three are reflective of the 34 percent of individuals from Generation Z (those born between the mid 1990s and the mid 2000s), who identify as being LGBTQ+ according to a study

published by United Kingdom-based marketing research company Ipsos MORI. “Kids our age are figuring out who they are,” Reagan Hare, 13, said. “Part of that is figuring out what our sexual preferences are.” The students said that while their generation might be open-minded, junior high students can be cruel. “The worse thing that a boy can be called in school today is ‘fag,’ ‘gay’ or ‘queer,’” David Scott, 13, said. While Scott identifies as heterosexual, he said bullies have called him gay for years. “I’m kind of a sensitive guy,” Scott said. “I’m a nice guy; I guess in their eyes, that makes me gay.” The students said bullies who target those they believe are LGBTQ+ in their school are easier on girls than they are on boys, a testament that speaks to the loss of several young boys across the nation due to suicide in recent years. Just this past August, a 9-year-old Colorado boy committed suicide after being teased for being gay at school. According to The Trevor Project, a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth, suicide is the second leading cause of death of those between the ages of 10 and 24. The rate is significantly higher for those who are bullied due to their sexual identity. Baker’s students said if Oklahoma’s lawmakers are hesitant to spark a change in attitude regarding the state’s LGBTQ+ community, they should at least support students in their effort to make a change. “I know this is a red state,” Wright said, “but we need to get with the times. Older people say people my age are all about being politically correct, but that’s not the case. We’re not asking you to be politically correct; we’re just asking you to be correct.” Baker’s students were overjoyed to learn that Virgin will continue her efforts to update the state’s AIDS education mandate. “We learned a lot about civics and a lot about ourselves through this project,” Angel Bushey, 14, said. “Even though it was really scary to stand up there in front of [the Legislature] and talk about what we believe, I would definitely do it again.” By creating legislation that is bipartisan, Virgin believes the bill will receive success this time around. She said she and McEntire will file their bill by Jan. 17, the deadline to submit new legislation that will be considered during the upcoming 2019 legislative session.

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Taking shots The Oklahoman editorial board dangerously spreads anti-vaxxer junk science. By George Lang

Just 10 months ago, a child in Norman was diagnosed with an entirely preventable disease, one for which a vaccine was developed 55 years ago. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the disease to be eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, but 18 years later, Oklahoma Department of Health was forced to issue a press release warning the public about potential contraction of measles if you’d been to a Norman pediatric health clinic, a nearby hospital or a Norman Chuck E. Cheese location during the first week of February. In 2018. In the United States of America. Here we are talking about measles again like we’ve been zapped, Pleasantvillestyle, into a black-and-white Encyclopedia Britannica health education film from the 1950s. Thanks to a discredited 20-year-old paper authored by a British gastroenterologist who apparently tried to self-examine his own colon headfirst, we now have measles outbreaks. Furthermore, a local media outlet that should feel some responsibility for passing along garbage science gave a local anesthesiologist/anti-vaccine activist a forum to do just that. How did we start contracting an ancient malady in the 21st century by choice? It all started in 1998 when Andrew Wakefield and a dozen other physicians published “Ileal-lymphoid nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental 10

Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

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disorder in children” in the British medical journal The Lancet. Those who got past that thick-as-pudding title learned that Wakefield et. al. were claiming a causal connection between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and the incidence of autism. Quite understandably, many parents of autistic children latched onto Wakefield’s report as an explanation for their children’s mystifying condition. People want answers when their children are atypical. Wakefield’s report, which claimed the presence of small amounts of mercury in the MMR vaccine caused autism, seemed to provide those answers. Wakefield toured the U.S. and spoke at autism conferences, and his claims were included in a 60 Minutes report. Then, beginning in 2003 and continuing through last year, reporter Brian Deer of The Sunday Times in London published a string of revelations about Wakefield, including that while he claimed to be independent and uncompromised by an agenda, Wakefield had been commissioned by British solicitor Richard Barr to discredit the efficacy of the MMR vaccine, thus allowing Barr to bring class-action lawsuits against drug companies manufacturing the shot. And while no other clinicians were able to replicate Wakefield’s findings, Deer reported that Wakefield had intended to launch his own vaccine, which would only have a

| Image Bigstock.com

place in the market if the MMR shot were discredited. Wakefield was subsequently booted from the U.K.’s General Medical Council for his grossly irresponsible statements and The Lancet retracted the paper, but his fake findings were in the wind. In 2005, an American nonprofit called Generation Rescue was founded to spread Wakefield’s false gospel on autism. Its president is now former Playboy model and MTV Singled Out co-host Jenny McCarthy, the highestprofile anti-vaxxer in the country. Because of McCarthy’s group’s efforts, parental buy-in on vaccinations has plummeted in the U.S. and U.K. In 2017, over 60 cases of measles were reported among Minnesota’s large Somali-American community, the result of false information spread within that community linking autism to the MMR shot. These preventable outbreaks are public health disasters, and the problem is so acute that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention devotes an entire page on its website to debunking the Wakefield/McCarthy myth. But the careful explanations by scientists and clinicians are not good enough for The Oklahoman. On Dec. 10, The Oklahoman’s opinion page ran a guest column by Steven Lantier, an anesthesiologist with The Surgery Center of Oklahoma, who wrote

the following: “Vaccines are absolutely one of the causes of autism.” He went on say that there were “documented cases of vaccines given one day, and regression into autism the next,” though there is no scientific evidence to support this and certainly no case studies cited in the column. Thanks to the First Amendment, Lantier can say anything he wants, though if I ever see him hovering over me with a gas mask, I’m jumping off the table. I mainly blame The Oklahoman’s editorial board for promoting Lantier’s claims. Sure, they ran an opposing viewpoint the next day, but that just promotes the irresponsible belief that reasonable people can disagree on the importance of vaccinations, or as Kellyanne Conway said last year, that there are “alternative facts.” The editorial board seems to have gone all-in on junk science, forcing The Oklahoman’s reporters to refute its unconscionable claims on social media. Just the week before, the board wrote that climate change is not worth fighting if it means sacrificing comfort. Reporters are busy as it is without having to clean up these messes every single week on Twitter. I don’t know this for a fact, but I wonder if this has something to do with Governor-elect Kevin Stitt’s past antivaxxer statements. A lot of people voted to have Oklahoma run like a business, specifically like a subprime lender, but not as many want to let their babies build up a tolerance for diphtheria rather than get their DPT shot. Running Lantier’s opinion piece certainly looks like an attempt to shore up one of Stitt’s weakest policy areas. What I do believe is that people have lived with such relative safety for so long that the threat of serious diseases seems theoretical to many of them. My parents’ generation can remember when public pools were closed in Oklahoma City to reduce the spread of polio. Dr. Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine arrived when they were in their early teens. He was a superhero to millions of children, saving them from a painful life spent using crutches and wheelchairs and being respirated in iron lungs. By giving a forum for scientifically refuted claims about vaccines, The Oklahoman does a terrible injustice to Salk’s memory and to the future of our state’s children.

George Lang is editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Gazette and began his career at Gazette in 1994. He is married to Laura Lang, which greatly improves his likeability. | Photo Nazarene Harris

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chicken

friedNEWS Sickly situation

Defensive funds

If the federal budget process asked for spending suggestions the same way an improv comedy group asked for settings for a scene, it would go something like this: “OK, we’re looking for a way to spend your tax dollars. Who has a great idea?” “Medicare for all.” “Green new deal.” “Universal basic income.” “OK, it sounds like we’re getting a lot of suggestions for ‘increased defense department spending.’” Just days after President Donald Trump referred to Fiscal Year 2018’s $716 billion Defense Department spending as “crazy” (he would know) and implied that its funding might drop to $700 billion, Trump settled with Secretary of Defense James Mattis and the Armed Services Committee on a $750 billion recommendation for next year’s budget. Despite the fact that 2018 defense spending was $61 billion higher than requested by the Defense Department (a number that matches or surpasses Russia’s entire annual military spending), what is the impetus for the nonstop increase? Defense Department officials recently said that anything less than $733 billion in spending will cause a security risk for the country. They somehow said that without breaking out into laughter. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) was named to the Senate Armed Services Committee following the death of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) earlier this year, and it didn’t take long for his new role to become ethically murky. The Daily Beast discovered that Inhofe purchased more than $50,000 worth of stock in defense contractor Raytheon, not long after signing off on the $750 billion defense proposal. Inhofe slid the blame to a third-party financial advisor, whom he informed to divest in all defense stocks, but we wonder if that would be the case had The Daily Beast not done some digging. At least Inhofe had the decency to hand out responses to the report on little cards to reporters. James Inhofe might have divested in Raytheon, but who knows what mustachioed Jimbo Binhofe is up to.

A little over 2,000 people live in Prague, Oklahoma, and it’s more than likely that the staff at the city’s main hospital, Prague Community Hospital, are hoping everyone in the city doesn’t get sick all at once. Last week, hospital employees went without pay and said they’ve heard of similar situations happening at other hospitals that are owned by the same Florida-based businessman. This man, whom we’ll call Ebenezer, has apparently been sued on multiple occasions. Amid the drama, Prague Community Hospital’s CEO resigned due to stress, leaving the day-to-day operations at the hospital resembling a modern-day version of A Christmas Carol (happy ending pending). The town’s mayor, whom we’ll call Tiny Tim, said a “Christmas miracle” has been keeping employees caring for their patients despite fear of going without pay again. Prague Community Hospital is miles from any other hospital or clinic and serves as the only accessible health care facility for many of the city’s residents. Nurses are allegedly buddying up

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in an effort to help one another out with bills, groceries and childcare while leaving each other canned goods in the hospital’s hallways. In all seriousness, this story speaks to all that is wonderful about Oklahomans. As much as we here at Chicken-Fried News like to rag on how our state can’t seem to go a week without earning a negative headline in national news, this story makes us look pretty damn good. So here’s one for our state’s nurses. You humble and knowledgeable servants care for us when we are at our most vulnerable. In a state with one of the lowest rates for overall health and wellbeing, you care for those of us who come in droves to your doctor’s offices and emergency rooms on the regular.

With new leadership on the horizon from a soon-to-be governor with questionable beliefs regarding vaccinations, we here at CFN think it’s likely that we’ll need you more than ever during the next four years. In the likely event that Ebenezer doesn’t emerge from the Sunshine State to fix the problems he has created in one of our small towns, we’ll happily work to hunt his crooked ass down in the name of journalism with a vengeance … and, of course, in the name of Christmas spirit as well.

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Oklahoma Gazette and OMMA’s Melissa Miller go through common questions surrounding medical marijuana patient applications. By Matt Dinger

With 25,000 patient applications on file and more than 18,600 medical marijuana licenses already issued, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) is keeping busy. While many issues are already set by statute, there is still a lot of gray area in issues like product testing and rules on public consumption. Melissa Miller, OMMA’s communications manager, fields some of the most commonly asked questions regarding its role in the burgeoning cannabis industry. Oklahoma Gazette: How long does it take to receive application approval from OMMA? Melissa Miller: Once the application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by the OMMA. If it is deemed complete and meets all requirements, an approval letter with the license will be put in the mail within 14 days of the application submission date. Mailing time varies depending on a number of factors. If an application is incomplete due to unclear or missing information or documents, the applicant will receive email correspondence stating the item(s) that need to be corrected and will be able to resubmit the application free of charge. The submission date is the date a complete application is provided. OKG: What are the most common reasons medical marijuana license applications are denied? Miller: Application rejections and application denials are two different results. Rejections result when the application is incorrect or incomplete. Denials are rare and result when the applicant does not meet the eligibility requirements for a license. For instance, a dispensary application that fails to prove the location is more than 1,000 feet away from a school would be denied. If an application is rejected, the applicant has the opportunity to correct any issues with the application and resubmit free of charge. Common rejection reasons for patient applications include: 1) the applicant photograph does not meet the requirements, 2) the physician recommendation form is not filled out correctly and 3) the driver’s license or identification card is not submitted with both the front and back in color. OKG: Will OMMA representatives be allowed or able to attend patient drives and approve or deny licenses on site in 2019? Miller: OMMA staff/representatives do not provide on-site assistance at any location or event. All applications must

be carefully reviewed by OMMA staff to ensure applicants meet all requirements for approval. Immediate or on-site approval is not provided. OMMA provides assistance MondayFriday from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. by phone at 405-522-6662. Applicants are also encouraged to visit omma.ok.gov for application instructions, forms and other resources. OKG: Is the cost of a two-year patient license static, or can we expect to see higher or lower prices for a license in 2020 and 2021? Miller: All license application fees are set in statute and, as such, would require statute changes to be modified. OKG: With what state or federal agencies and private entities does OMMA share patient application information? Miller: Patient information is sealed by law pursuant to 63 O.S. § 420A et. seq. OMMA does not share patient application information with any agency or entity.

Application rejections and application denials are two different results. Rejections result when the application is incorrect or incomplete. Denials are rare and result when the applicant does not meet the eligibility requirements for a license. Melissa Miller OKG: Will there be a seed-to-shelf tracking system for Oklahoma medical marijuana products? Miller: There are currently no requirements for businesses to utilize any specific software for product tracking. However, businesses are required to maintain an electronic inventory management system that meets certain requirements, as stated in the emergency rules [OAC 310:681-5-6(c)]. Otherwise, businesses may choose which systems work best for their needs.

OKG: Can two patients with valid licenses legally sell or share product purchased from dispensaries? Miller: A medical marijuana patient license allows an individual with an approved application to legally buy, use and grow medical marijuana and medical marijuana products in Oklahoma. A patient license does not allow holders to sell or share medical marijuana or medical marijuana products. OKG: Is delivery of medical marijuana by a third party legal, specifically to a residence by a vehicle, according to state law? Miller: As stated in the emergency rules [OAC 310:681-5-18(c)], “No dispensary shall allow for or provide the delivery of medical marijuana or medical marijuana products to patient license holders or caregiver license holders.” Licensed growers, processors and dispensaries are provided a transportation license for transporting medical marijuana between licensed medical marijuana businesses only. OKG: Besides the Oklahoma State Department of Health, what other state agencies will be involved with OMMA’s oversight or regulation of the medical marijuana industry going forward? Miller: Currently, there are a number

Melissa Miller, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority’s communications manager | Photo provided

of agencies that are involved in the oversight or regulation of the medical marijuana industry. Business licensees must be in compliance with all other applicable Oklahoma statutes and rules and, therefore, will interact with other state agencies. These agencies may include Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control (OBNDD); Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry; and Oklahoma Tax Commission. OKG: What are the restrictions regarding criminal history for patient and business licenses? Miller: There are no restrictions related to criminal history for patient license applicants. For business applicants, all owners of the business must provide a background check. Nonviolent felony convictions in the last two years and any other felony conviction in the last five years for any owner will disqualify the applicant.

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Hemp-y holidays

Celebrate the season with The High Culture’s first gift guide. By Matt Dinger

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7507 Broadway Extension luckysgrowsupply.com 405-353-1212 Done trimming the tree and ready to trim the trees? The TrimBin tray by Harvest More ($59.99) features an ergonomic design that makes trim work easy. The two-part system allows for versatility and efficient use of space that allows you to work from a couch or table. The package includes a top bin with 150-micron interchangeable stainless steel screen, a bottom bin with a mirror finish collection tray and a static brush for sweeping pollen. The high molded walls keep your work contained.

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REVIEW

EAT & DRINK

Corner comfort

Edmond’s Bistro Twenty Two does a lot with a small space. By Jacob Threadgill

Bistro Twenty Two 1417 E. Danforth Road, Edmond facebook.com/bistrotwentytwoedmond 405-820-9599 WHAT WORKS: The herbed goat cheese on the salad and with the pork is a nice preparation. WHAT NEEDS WORK: The jus needed more of an acid element. TIP: Make a reservation on Monday and get 10 percent off the bill.

It is not often that you find a restaurant space that feels like home the first time you walk through its door. Bistro Twenty Two at 1417 E. Danforth Road in Edmond is tucked into the corner of a shopping center, and it does a lot with a limited amount of space. I was initially unsure of where to enter the restaurant because I noticed booths essentially right next to the entrance, but that’s just because things get a little cozy. There is a total of 10 booths and tables situated around a charming wine- and liquor-focused bar. It’s the kind of vibe that brought me back to a neighborhood Italian restaurant I went to growing up. In an age when some variation of counter service is becoming the norm, it was nice to sit down and enjoy a meal at this quaint and cozy eatery operated by Clay Falkner (Signature Grill) that features classic French-inspired dishes from

executive chef Ryan Murphy. Bistro Twenty Two celebrated its one-year anniversary in early December and is on the heels of reshuffling its menu and operating hours. General manager Bob Flynn said that after crunching the numbers, they recently decided to end lunch service in favor of opening an extra evening [Mondays]. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. “Edmond is a hard town to do lunch,” Flynn said. “We decided to save on the cost of operating for lunch and give people what they really want [dinner].” The change in hours brought with it a new menu. A new appetizer, baked Brie cheese inside a puff pastry, is served with toasted almonds, red grapes, apricot jam and toast points ($16), and Flynn said has been one of the most successful additions. New entrees include a grilled rack of lamb with an ancho chili and cherry gastrique and wild rice and carrots ($48); a half chicken served over prosciutto and mushroom fricassée with mashed potatoes and asparagus ($26); salmon topped with candied pecans over wild rice and braised Swiss chard with a champagne beurre blanc ($28); and baked halibut with Asiago risotto, Swiss chard and roasted tomato sherry butter. The new items join successful menu

items like classic and shrimp escargot, Gouda bison burger ($18), Reuben sandwich that features housemade corned beef and sauerkraut ($14) and a pork chop with whole grain mustard pan jus, grilled broccolini, Yukon gold potatoes topped with pancetta, herbed goat cheese and caramelized leeks ($28). The appetizer crab cassoulet with warm cream cheese, Havarti, tomatoes and spinach topped with breadcrumbs remains one of the most popular items on the menu, and it showcases Murphy’s training that included The Coach House and the former MMR Prime Steakhouse. “[Murphy] can probably recite The Joy of Cooking off the top of his head,” Flynn said. “I really love that his flavor profile is that nothing is super spicy; he doesn’t hide behind heat to get his point across. He blends a lot of different techniques while adding the French side of it.” I was able to walk into Bistro Twenty Two and be seated without a reservation on a Monday evening, but that turned out to be a missed opportunity because the restaurant recently started a Monday Night Supper Club that offers 10 percent off the final bill if you make a reservation on a Monday. Flynn said reservations for Fridays and Saturdays are necessary and are recommended for Thursdays as well. I started the meal with the B-22 house salad ($9), which is butter lettuce tossed in a basil vinaigrette and topped with herbed goat cheese, crispy bacon and toasted almonds. For its price, the portion underwhelmed me. It was five leaves of lettuce dressed and topped with the cheese and bacon. I thought

A half chicken served over mushroom and pancetta fricassée is a new menu item at Bistro Twenty Two. | Photo provided

the cheese canceled out the subtle vinaigrette; I would’ve preferred the cheese to act as a dressing because it was an interesting preparation. For my entrée, I ordered the pork chop. As impressed as I was with the size of the chop, I wanted more than two small potatoes cut in half, but it was nice to see the herbed goat cheese make another appearance during my meal. I was equally excited for broccolini, especially since it was grilled. The difference between broccolini and broccoli might be small, but I like the fact the broccolini is sturdy enough to withstand the grill. The pork chop was cooked to a chefsuggested medium temperature. It was half-covered in the whole-grain jus with plenty on the side for dipping. The jus had plenty of flavor that comes from the fond created when searing the pork chop, but it was missing an element in the holy trinity of salt, fat and acid. I think the chef wanted the vinegar from the mustard to provide the acid part of the dish, but it got lost on my palate. A small element in an otherwise tasty sauce and the size of a salad are minor critiques, and I enjoyed the meal and environment in the small and cozy restaurant. I like that it offers bistro classics like escargot and cassoulet while also offering something as fancy as rack of lamb and something as proletariat as a New York-style Reuben sandwich. If you plan a trip to Bistro Twenty Two, call ahead for a reservation, especially at the end of the week.

Baked Brie is a new menu item at Bistro Twenty Two in Edmond. | Photo provided O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8

COV E R

EAT & DRINK

Culinary legends

The vestiges of food myths surrounding high-fat diets, incomplete proteins and MSG still affect dietary decisions. By Jacob Threadgill

In 1990, Oklahoma’s adult obesity rate hovered around 10 percent. By 2017, that rate increased to 36.5 percent, the third highest in the country. It’s a trend that mirrors a national increase in overweight and obese citizens that projections estimate could include 75 percent of the country’s population by the next decade. What caused the increase? There is no single smoking gun. Access to fresh food, the subsidization of corn and a reliance on heavily processed foods all play heavy hands, but it is hard to overlook the vilification of fat over sugar that still dictates opinions on what constitutes a healthy food option. The watershed year for nutrition guidelines and crazes was 1992, and its vestiges are still felt today. The same year the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled its nowdefunct and much-maligned food guide pyramid, the most popular snack item that year was the Nabisco line of SnackWell’s that promoted fat-free but high in sugar cookies and crackers as guilt-free snack options. The original suggestion to the USDA for its food pyramid included a strong base of fruits and vegetables, but the version that was sent to the public featured the most prominent food group as simple carbohydrate-heavy bread, cereal, rice and pasta after lobbying from grain, meat and dairy industries — all of which are heavily subsidized by 20

D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

the USDA according to an autobiography by Luise Light, the former USDA director of dietary guidance and nutrition education research. “The ‘Pyramid’ [originally] emphasized eating more vegetables and fruits, less meat, salt, sugary foods, bad fat and additive-rich factory foods,” Light wrote in What to Eat. “USDA censored that research-based version of the food guide and altered it to include more refined grains, meat, commercial snacks and fast foods, only releasing their revamped version 12 years after it was originally scheduled for release.” There were reports in USA Today and The New York Times in 1992 of people chasing Nabisco trucks and bribing grocery store workers to get their hands on SnackWell’s “guilt-free” snacks, which were anchored by the devil’s food sandwich cookie. Although the cookie had zero fat, its first ingredient was (and remains to this day) sugar. A single 16-gram cookie had nine grams of sugar in 1992. The amount of sugar has been reduced to 5 grams in recent years as SnackWell’s current owner B&G Foods removed high-fructose corn syrup and other additives. SnackWell’s boom didn’t last long. By 1998, Nabisco was already reformulating its product to add fat to certain SnackWell’s products in attempt to regain market share. A New York Times story from that year on the recipe

change focuses on fat as the culprit of health issues, only mentioning sugar to say that it was added to its mini chocolate cookies to sweeten the taste.

Fat shaming

The disparagement of fat over sugar dates to the 1960s, when the Sugar Research Foundation — now known as the Sugar Association — paid three Harvard University scientists to research the connection of sugar, fat and heart disease, according to research uncovered by JAMA Internal Medicine in 2016. The sugar foundation picked favorable studies to include in the final report, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 1967 and put the onus of heart disease on saturated fat while minimizing the effects of sugar.

Many nutrition experts feel that the villainizing of fats over the past several decades is what has led to the obesity epidemic in our country. Tawni Holmes NEJM did not require financial disclosures until 1984. All three of the Harvard scientists involved in the study have died, but one of the scientists paid by the sugar industry — D. Mark Hegsted — became head of USDA, where he helped formulate the agency’s precursor to the food pyramid. Hegsted’s research suggested that sugar’s main concern was only with tooth decay.

The influence of corporate interest in food studies continues to this day. In 2015, The New York Times revealed that Coca-Cola spends millions of dollars annually to fund studies that minimize the role of sugar in heart disease. In 2016, Associated Press reported that candy makers fund studies that suggest that children who eat more candy weigh less than those who do not. According to American Heart Association, men should consume 37.5 grams of added sugar per day, and women should consume 25 grams. The average U.S. citizen consumes just over 71 grams per day. “Many nutrition experts feel that the villainizing of fats over the past several decades is what has led to the obesity epidemic in our country,” said Dr. Tawni Holmes, professor in nutrition, dietetics and food management at University of Central Oklahoma. “When they removed fat from products, sugar was added so that they would still taste good. Anytime you have extremes in thinking — cutting one thing out completely — you get away from moderate intake with a variety [of foods], and this is when we tend to see the scales tip towards negative side effects. Sugar that’s not utilized immediately for energy gets stored as fat, which then contributes to the same cardiovascular risk factors as a high-fat diet.” A study done by Healthline of 3,223 U.S. residents found that a majority of respondents were concerned by sugar in the diet, but two out of three struggled when it came to identify foods that are high in hidden sugar. They were as likely to choose sugary cereal over avocado toast for breakfast and assumed that a Starbucks chocolate croissant (10 grams) had more sugar than Dannon strawberry yogurt (24 grams). Even during the fat-free craze of the ’90s, sugar and simple carbohydrates

Aji-no-moto is the top selling brand of MSG in the world. Mushroom seasoning is an all-natural replacement for MSG, harnessing natural glutamic acid in mushrooms. | Photo Alexa Ace

were under scrutiny. The same frenzy that led to fad diets such as Sugar Busters! and the Atkins diet can still be seen in the tenets of the Whole 30 and ketogenic diets today. Since 1959, research shows that 95 to 98 percent of attempts to lose weight fail, and twothirds of dieters gain back more than they lost, according to Huffington Post’s “Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong,” by Michael Hobbes. “Any of these fad diets will make you lose weight because you’re cutting something out,” Holmes said. “People go back to eating the way they were before because they can’t maintain that type of eating long-term because it’s not sustainable long-term or not palatable. They gain the weight back and it gets you into yo-yo dieting, which is a little bit unhealthier than if they stayed at the same weight. It’s been one side blaming the other, and in reality, if everyone ate moderate amounts of fats and carbohydrates — and the right type of them [complex carbohydrates and vegetable fats that have not gone though hydrogenation, the process that turns them into trans fat], we’d be better off. It is a constant quest for a magic cure, and we never get there because we’re cutting something out.”

Holmes recommends shopping on the outside aisles of the grocery store, where customers are less likely to find heavily processed products, and planning meals ahead of each week to cut out the reliance on eating out or cooking prepackaged meals with preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup at home. She also stressed the inclusion of a highfiber diet. Fiber binds with saturated fat and cholesterol and prevents it from developing as arterial plaque. “If a product has more than five ingredients — especially if you can’t pronounce many of them — it’s a good sign that there is a better option,” she said. Holmes said that while diets that cut out entire food groups are inherently flawed, the idea that a plant-based diet has incomplete proteins is a myth and should only be a concern if you aren’t eating a variety of plant-based proteins. “A plant-based diet can be very healthy if you’re eating a variety of foods,” she said. “Portions can be complementary in nature like rice and beans or hummus and pita, giving you all the essential amino acids you need, and there are plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids in a single food such as soy and soy-based products like tofu, tempeh, edamame, quinoa and buckwheat.”

MSG lies

In 2002 — nearly a century after it was first discovered — the fifth taste, umami,

was officially recognized by an academic report in Chemical Senses. The initial discovery of umami came from Tokyo professor Kikunae Ikeda while eating a bowl of dashi, a soup made from seaweed. He wondered how it contained meat flavor without the presence of meat. Ikeda, who was a chemist, found a common bond between tomatoes, cheese and asparagus — they are high in glutamic acid, a nonessential amino acid — and published findings in 1908. He renamed the acid umami because it means “delicious” or “yummy” in Japanese. He isolated the flavor in the form of monosodium glutamate [MSG], processed by the body the same way as glutamate, which naturally occurs in most food proteins. MSG made its way to the U.S. in the 1930s, where it became a common addition to frozen and canned goods until NEJM published a letter from ChineseAmerican doctor Robert Ho Man Kwok, who complained of chest palpitations, headaches and joint pain after eating at Chinese restaurants and placed the blame on MSG. Kwok’s letter combined with a growing movement to remove additives from food made MSG a pariah in the restaurant and food industries. In the intervening decades, singleand double-blind studies have failed to produce the symptoms described by Kwok under the headline “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” Chinese res-

Food Guide Pyramid A Guide to Daily Food Choices

Fats, Oils, & Sweets USE SPARINGLY

KEY

Sugars (added)

Fat (naturally occurring and added)

These symbols show fat and added sugars in foods.

Milk, Yogurt, & Cheese Group 2-3 SERVINGS

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nuts Group 2-3 SERVINGS

Vegetable Group 3-5 SERVINGS

Fruit Group 2-4 SERVINGS

Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta Group 6-11 SERVINGS Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Dr. Tawni Holmes is professor in nutrition, dietetics and food management at University of Central Oklahoma. | Photo provided

taurants have taken the brunt of antiMSG sentiment despite the fact that products like soy sauce, fermented cheese and dry-aged beef naturally have plenty of glutamate. During a 2012 presentation at the MAD Symposium in Copenhagen, chef David Chang addressed the stigma of MSG. He talked about speaking with a customer who was insistent they added MSG in food at his Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York and complained of joint aches despite the fact that they did not. “The same people that say they’re allergic to MSG will happily dip their sushi in soy sauce or eat a miso soup,” Chang said. “Two food ingredients that are high in MSG are Marmite and Vegemite. People are slathering their toast with Marmite, and it’s just a healthy dose of umami.” There have been an increased number of news stories over the last few years writing off MSG as completely harmless. Even with a rash of coverage in favor of MSG, it remains the sixth most mentioned ingredient customers want to avoid according to the International Food Information Council. Over 40 percent of U.S. citizens say they don’t want to eat MSG. It is on Whole Foods Market’s banned ingredient list. The ingredient is classified as “generally recognized as safe” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but there is some evidence to suggest that people might be sensitive to MSG, which is led by American University professor Kathleen Holton, who has made some double-blind connections between glutamate intolerance and chronic pain, but it is considered a rare occurrence and doesn’t rise to the frenzy associated with “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” In Oklahoma City, MSG is available at international markets such as Super Cao Nguyen, 2668 N. Military Ave., but it also offers an unprocessed version made with mushroom powder and salt.

The food pyramid was introduced by the FDA in 1992. | Photo provided

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8

EAT & DRINK

AUTHENTIC INDIAN CUISINE lunch & dinner F E AT U R E

BUffets

Dinner Menu AvAilAble

Recipe favorites

Spruce up your holiday meal with something other than the standard turkey or ham centerpiece. By Jacob Threadgill

A lA CArte | Wine & Beer | HAlAl MeAt PrivAte Dining UP to 60 | CAtering AvAilABle 709 N. MOORE, MOORE 701-3900 WWW.HIMALYASOK.COM

Photo bigstock.com

Roasted garlic Ingredients

A Christmas meal can be equal parts nostalgia and conundrum. Less than a month after Thanksgiving, many families turn around and have a similar meal again during Christmas. If you’re looking for something other than a turkey or ham as your centerpiece, chef

Kurt Fleischfresser provides his version of a roasted pork loin that is served with roasted garlic and a recipe for an applehoney tart. Hospitality 84 executive chef Jeff Chanchaleune provides his version of the classic pecan pie, which recently debuted on Ponyboy’s new menu.

5 large heads of fresh garlic 2 cups light chicken stock or water 1/4 cup olive oil (pomace, pure or extra virgin) 1 teaspoon of salt fresh ground pepper Preparation Cut the bottom 1/4 (this is where the garlic comes to a point) of each head of garlic off; this will expose the ends of most of the garlic cloves. Place the garlic cut-side-down in an 8-inch skillet (the garlic should be just touching each other and the edges of the pan without a lot of open space left in the pan) and add the rest of the ingredients to the pan. The liquid in the pan should just about cover the garlic but not quite. Put it in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake it until the liquid has almost evaporated or the top of the garlic is soft to the touch (like a baked potato when it is done).

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Roasted double loin of pork with caramelized onions and pine nuts

to get in), and then season with the salt

Ingredients

is hot, sear the roast on all sides. (Be

1 double loin pork roast, tied (ask

Photo bigstock.com

and pepper. In a preheated ovenproof Photo bigstock.com

skillet, pour in the oil, and when the oil patient and make sure the roast is nice

your butcher to cut and tie this

and brown all around.) While searing

roast for you at about 5 pounds)

the roast, take one of the onions and

Apple-honey tart Ingredients

8 cloves of fresh garlic

cut it into a large dice. Once the roast

4 small hot peppers

is completely seared, put the chopped

8 fresh sage leaves

onion in the open spaces around the

6 apples (preferable slightly tart)

1/4 cup olive pomace oil (or your

roast and place it in a preheated oven

1/2 cup honey (preferably local)

at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The roast

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large yellow onions

will take about an hour to come to an

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

internal temperature of 155 degrees

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups light chicken stock or water

Fahrenheit (or 165 degrees Fahren-

1 1/2 tablespoons of salt

heit for well-done). While it is cook-

Preparation

fresh ground pepper

ing, finely slice the remaining onions

Roll out the pie dough into a circle, leav-

A few rosemary and thyme sprigs if

and, over a medium heat in a heavy

ing the dough about 1/8-inch thick. Dust

saucepan, caramelize the onions using

the underside of the dough with the corn-

a 1/4 of a stick of unsalted butter. Move

meal and place it on a cookie sheet. Halve,

Preparation

the cooked roast to a platter and pour

peel and core the apples and slice them

Begin by making eight holes in the

off the fat in the pan without pouring

about 1/8-inch thick. Starting 1/2 inch in

roast by inserting a 1-inch-wide knife

the onions. After the fat is removed,

from the edge of the crust, fan the apples

blade; the holes should be about 2 inch-

deglaze the onions in the pan with two

in a circle around the dough. Repeat the

es deep and evenly distributed around

cups of dry white wine and reduce it

fanning process until the interior of the

the sides of the roast. In each of the

to a syrup. Over the reduced wine and

tart shell is covered evenly. Sprinkle the

holes, stuff a sage leaf, half of a pepper

onions, add the chicken stock and bring

sugar, dot the butter and drizzle half of

and a clove of garlic. On the areas of

it to a boil and strain the liquid into the

the honey over the tart and bake it at 400

the roast between the butcher’s string,

pan with the caramelized onions and

degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes;

lightly score the meat about a quarter

reduce it to a saucelike consistency.

the apple and crust edges should be nice

of an inch deep, making a checkerboard

Slice and plate the pork loin. Spoon the

and brown. Right before serving, drizzle

pattern (this will allow the fat to render

caramelized onion sauce over the slices

the rest of the honey on the tart and serve

out and the seasoning and onion flavor

and top the dish with toasted pine nuts.

it with whipped cream or ice cream.

favorite cooking oil)

available

1 batch of buttery pie dough (recipe follows)

Photo bigstock.com

Buttery pie dough Ingredients 2 cups sifted flour 3/4 tablespoons coarse salt

2/3 cup unsalted butter, cold 4-6 tablespoons ice water Preparation With a fork or pastry cutter, mix flour, salt and butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Using your hand, work in 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time until a slightly dry dough ball forms. (Be careful not to overwork the dough.) Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

Aunt Judy’s Pecan Pie Ingredients 1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar

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1/2 cup corn syrup 1/2 cup maple syrup

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1/4 cup melted butter 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 pound pecan pieces Preparation

Caesar Salad Union Salad

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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the pie crust according to the package instructions and then let it cool to room temperature. Turn down the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the sugars, corn syrup, maple syrup and pecans in a mixing bowl until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and then the butter. Pour the mixture into the cooled pie crust. Bake the pie for 1 hour. Let it cool to room temperature and then enjoy! Photo Ponyboy / provided

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Whipped potatoes, fire roasted corn salsa

Ginger jasmine rice, fire roasted corn salsa

Boneless Short Ribs

Vermicelli Bowl

Guajillo sauce, pickled jalapenos, corn salsa, elotes, tortillas

Cedar Plank Sea Bass

Honey mustard glaze, black bean cassoulet

Bread Pudding Caramel sauce

Vegetarian/Vegan Caramelized soy, enoki mushrooms, Japanese eggplant, peppers, garlic

DESSERT Flourless Chocolate Cake

Chocolate sauce, whipped cream, berries

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GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Christmas cookies

It’s time for Christmas, and Santa shouldn’t be the only one getting his fill on delicious cookies. Remember, cookies will keep you warm this winter. By Jacob Threadgill with photos by Alexa Ace, Gazette/file and provided

Cafe Disco

629 W. Main Street, Suite 103 cafe-disco.com | 405-594-2496

This new Film Row coffee shop knows the perfect combination: colorful and flavorful macarons dunked in freshly brewed coffee. Owners Amanda and Spencer Sakurai combined their two passions for a great result. Cafe Disco offers 10 regular macaron flavors and rotates two season options.

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Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza

5860 N. Classen Blvd. ucpizza.com | 405-842-7743

What better than a cookie covered in ice cream and chocolate sauce? How about a freshly baked cookie the size of a personal pan pizza? Upper Crust fires up the cookies in the same oven used for pizza, and it’s an indulgent treat big enough for an entire family (or one).

D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

7509 N. May Ave. belle-kitchen.com | 405-430-5484

Whether it is the original location on May Avenue or the Deep Deuce store, Belle Kitchen will leave you satisfied with its sweet treats. You might know the bakery for its doughnuts, but Belle Kitchen’s macarons were recently featured on Cooking Channel’s Cheap Eats. You can get a single macaron for $1.50 or a dozen for $18.

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The large wood-burning pizza oven in the corner of this Midtown favorite does a lot more than blister and char pizza in short amounts of time. While the oven is heating up in the morning, the staff bakes sweet treats for the day, including mammoth cookies that are as delectable as the pizza.

Husband-and-wife duo and Europeantrained pastry chefs Laura Szyld and Matt Ruggi have elevated Oklahoma City pastry expectations since opening their patisserie in Chisholm Creek earlier this year. Get filled up on macarons that are filled with ganache or try one of the many kinds of croissants that look nothing like the American version.

You heard the phrase “hand caught in the cookie jar,” but how often do you really get to pull a cookie out of a cookie jar? At 1 Smart Cookie, you can reach for seasonal flavors perfect for winter like chocolate peppermint, but there’s a reason the store has been an OKC staple for over a decade — the cookies are good, and your hand won’t get stuck.

Saturn Grill has one of the most robust vegetarian and vegan-friendly menus in the city. Eating clean for lunch or dinner just means you’ve got more room for Saturn Grill’s rotating menu of desserts that includes daily specials like pumpkin spice cookies that are perfect for fall and winter. The cookies are large and fluffy and will fill you up on your sweet tooth.

1004 N. Hudson Ave., Suite 106 thehallskitchen.com | 405-600-1991

13230 Pawnee Drive, Suite 114 ganacheokc.com | 405-286-4068

12100 N. Rockwell Ave, Suite 7 1smartcookie.com | 405-721-5959

6432 Avondale Drive, Nichols Hills saturngrill.com | 405-843-7114

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D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

ART

ARTS & CULTURE

Artistic inheritance

An exhibit and sale at Gallery One at The Paseo features work by two generations of the Tiger family. By Joshua Blanco

Gallery One at The Paseo’s current exhibit is a collection of works by the Tiger family. The daughter of world-renowned artist Jerome Tiger, Dana Tiger and her two children showcase a collection of works offering a genuine representation of their artistic nature that pays homage to their ancestral heritage. After losing her father at age 5, Tiger’s mother founded the Jerome Tiger Art Company as a means to ensure a steady source of income while maintaining the creative legacy of her late husband. Shortly thereafter, Tiger’s uncle stepped in to help raise his brother’s children, making it a point to keep Tiger and her brother actively involved in the arts. Drawing and painting from a young age, young Tiger would enter art shows on a regular basis, paving the way for a future career not so different from that of her father. Art is like a second nature to Tiger and her family, and she has worked to instill the same passion in her children, carrying forward the torch of creativity that was passed on to her years before. “We have such a legacy that we stand on, and we had to try to live up to that legacy by becoming skillful in our own right,” she said. “When you have Jerome Tiger for a father, you can’t really expect to be looked at with high regard unless you give it your all, you know, because he was one of the greatest.” And it would appear she has been successful in this endeavor. Though only 23, her son, Coleman Lisan Tiger Blair, makes his living as a sculptor whose work has been showcased at sites as prestigious as the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Dana Tiger’s son Coleman Lisan Tiger Blair is a prestigious sculptor with a passion for teaching others. | Photo Alexa Ace

Having won a number of competitive art competitions beginning in his childhood years, Blair tries to impart his abilities to others who might be interested in forging some artwork of their own. Earlier this fall, he visited Taft Middle School in Oklahoma City, giving the students a short lesson in sculpting. “If even one child out of that day develops that talent or that gift and becomes something of that, then it was worth something,” said Cheryl Harder, partner in the Gallery One Tiger family project. Harder and her husband, Allan, have known the Tigers for some time, having purchased their artwork in the past. She said that like Blair, Hvresse Christie Tiger, 25, is an artist whose style differs significantly from that of her mother. According to Tiger, her daughter is more fashion-conscious, combining a youthful approach with a modern flair. But that doesn’t mean the two are completely unalike. Hvresse takes after her mother in a number of ways, especially with regard to her early interest in art, a common thread woven throughout the fabric of the family line. “Before she could talk, she was carrying around a notebook and drawing in it all the time,” Tiger recalled. Now she has a child of her own, and he too appears to be following in the footsteps of the artists before him. “He runs around and draws on all our paintings when we’re not looking,” Tiger said of her grandson. “We don’t get onto him too bad because I used to do the same thing to my father’s work. My dad’s works — they’re priceless really — but here I was, a little tiny toddler running around marking up his work every chance I got.” A current exhibit at Gallery One at The Paseo features art by two generations of the Tiger family. | Photo Alexa Ace

Cultural legacy

Because she and her two children share the same studio space in Muskogee, she’s able to spend more time with her grandchild, adding to the satisfaction of her work. Tiger was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1999, and painting hasn’t always been easy for her. However, thanks to the newest addition to the family, she’s able to find more excitement in her daily routines. “She’s done such a great job with her children. Now she’s got a grandchild and that just ignited her again and has given her new life,” gallery organizer Jim Barnett said. “It’s just an amazing story.” Despite wrestling with her illness for several years, Tiger has been able to maintain the lifestyle of a dedicated artist, making a living off the work she’s able to sell. Following her diagnosis, she was unsure of how long she would be able to continue as a professional artist. With this in mind, she began dabbling in abstraction and pieces that might appear more contemporary when displayed alongside her traditional works, which she continues to paint to this day. Both styles can be seen at the exhibit on display in the Gallery One exhibit at 2927 Paseo St. And viewers are in for a treat, as those who take interest in her works often express their appreciation for her unique style. “I think in her art, you see the future and the past,” Barnett said. “It’s just hard to explain. I think it’s a lot about womanhood and the woman’s side. I Dana Tiger, the daughter of famous artist Jerome Tiger, has been making art since she was a toddler. | Photo Alexa Ace

from left Hvresse Christie Tiger, Dana Tiger, and Coleman Lisan Tiger Blair’s art is on display at Gallery One at The Paseo through Jan. 2. | Photo Alexa Ace

think she speaks for not only Native American women but for American women too. She just brings another dimension.” “I just gravitated towards that, and it was like my voice coming out through my painting,” Tiger said, elaborating on her preference for this subject. “That’s just what naturally flows and made me feel like I was accomplishing what I wanted to accomplish in my art.” But her accomplishments aren’t limited to her artwork alone. In 2001, she and her husband founded Legacy Cultural Learning Community, a nonprofit that offers camps and other activities for Native children with the purpose of educating them on the ways of their ancestors through art-related projects. Whether she’s dealing with her art or charity or both, Tiger believes her life’s work is an important part of her culture and what it stands for. “It’s a continuation of the strength and value of our native ways in Oklahoma,” she said. “This is our home, and we have a lot to say about where we come from and what it means to be Native, and we express that in our work.” The Tiger family exhibit is on display through Jan. 2. Collectors are also presenting the works of other well-known Native American artists like Woodrow Wilson Big Bow, Robert Redbird, Archie Blackowl, Woody Crumbo and Duane Taylor. In addition to her paintings, Tiger is showcasing the work she has produced in partnership with Michael Deo, an apparel artist with whom she has recently collaborated. “It’s a lot more than just art,” Harder said. “It’s more about bringing people together.” Many of the works will be available for sale. Visit paseogalleryone.com.

The Tiger Family: Dana, Allison, & Christie through Jan. 2 Gallery One at The Paseo 2927 Paseo St. paseogalleryone.com | 405-524-4544 Free

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 , 2 0 1 8

Christmas

at St. Paul’s Cathedral We welcome you with open arms and open hearts! The Cathedral community is vibrant, active, diverse and inclusive. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny, Bishop | The Rev. Canon Susan Joplin, Priest-in-Charge | Mr. H. Scott Raab, Canon Musician

Christmas Eve Service

Monday, December 24 | 4:45pm*, 6:45pm*, 10:45pm *childcare available

Christmas Day

Tuesday, December 25 | 11:00am stpaulsokc.org | 127 NW 7th at Robinson, OKC. | 405.235.3436 Trolley Stops: Law School and Automobile Alley

Please Join Us! Sunday Services 8am - 9am - 11am 28

D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

ARTS & CULTURE ART

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Rewarding clay

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center’s ceramics sale features everyday objects made by the arts center’s ceramics program. By Jeremy Martin

Buying unique, thoughtfully constructed, locally made holiday gifts might be cheaper than you think. Through Sunday, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center’s annual ceramics sale offers customers the chance to purchase items made by instructors and students in the arts center’s ceramics program. “If people are shopping and they want to purchase something that’s one-of-a-kind,” said Julie Delliquanti, director of education and public programs at Oklahoma Contemporary, “most of the stuff that’s in our sale are things that t h e y ’r e not making multiples of, or if they’ve made a couple of things, they’ll all look a little bit different. It’s an opportunity to buy something that, even if it’s a mug, there’s only going to be one like it on the table. The price point is pretty low and more affordable for people. You can come and get something cool if you have $20 or $15 or less; you can actually find something here.” The sale, an annual tradition for at least 20 years, raises money to benefit the ceramics education program at Oklahoma Contemporary, currently located at 3000 General Pershing Blvd. “It might go to buy equipment, like a kiln or new tables or stools or just anything the ceramics studio needs … and things that are used regularly have to repaired,” Delliquanti said. This year, the sale also includes a juried exhibition, Contemporary Clay, which features ceramic works by local artists Liz Boudreaux, Peter Coates, Eric Hoefer, Mayumi Kiefer, Kara Lane, Paul Pfrehm and David Stevens. “It’s kind of a hybrid,” Delliquanti said. “All that work is also for sale, but those price points are a little bit higher than the general inventory that’s in the ceramics sale. If you go in, you can purchase from Contemporary Clay and that piece might be $200, or you can buy from the ceramics sale and find a great mug or a plate or a bowl for like 5 or 10 or 20 dollars. There’s kind of something for everyone.” The ceramics for sale also serve a variety of purposes, from daily use to decorative display. “Most of the items in the ceramics sale are functional pieces,” Delliquanti said.

“They’re vessels, mugs, plates, bowls, teapots, pitchers, platters. It’s nothing sculptural or figurative or anything like that. It’s mostly functional ware. In Contemporary Clay, there are functional things like vases, bowls, mugs and tumblers and teapots, too, but then there are also some pieces that are purely ceramic objects, that are more like just an artwork. Then there are some that are kind of a bridge between the two. There may be something that looks like a vessel, but you might not use it as a vessel. You might just keep it as a piece to have on a shelf or whatever, but most of the stuff in the ceramic sale are things that people would use on the day-to-day.” Students in Oklahoma Contemporary’s ceramics classes learn use a variety of techniques to create their pieces, and Delliquanti said the arts center plans on expanding the program when it moves to its new campus at NW 11th Street and Broadway Avenue in fall of 2019. “It’s everything from hand-building to throwing-on-the-wheel pottery to more advanced explorations in ceramics,” Delliquanti said. “It’s a program that we are going to be building on as we move to the new space — more classes, more types of classes, more instructors and a broader range of the types of classes that we offer.” Oklahoma Contemporary also offers free weekly classes for military veterans. “They don’t pay anything,” Delliquanti said. “Their tools and equipment and clay and everything is covered. … There’s an application process, but there’s no requirement other than being a vet.” The eight-week classes offer veterans a chance to learn about ceramics while socializing and making personal connections, Delliquanti said. “There’s 12 people in a class, so they’re in a class with 11 other veterans,” she said, “people who kind of understand their life and what they’ve been through, and they speak the same language about a lot of things. It’s a nice, supportive place for them to have artistic practice and be above A lidded pot and right a trio of planters are some of the items at Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center’s annual ceramics sale. | Photos provided

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creative. … The ceramics program really is like this communal place because you have to come there to do it. All the equipment’s there — the clay’s there; the kilns are there, the glazing room. And you have to kind of rely on other people because you’re not the one firing your work.” The ceramics process, from shaping the clay to firing it in the kiln, offers a chance to create a physical object, a rewarding experience, Delliquanti said, but one that requires careful concentration. “A lot of the feedback that we get from veterans is that the tactile part of it is very important,” she said. “Everybody — whether you’re a veteran or not — if you put a piece of clay in front of somebody, the first think that they want to do is just grab it, manipulate it. There’s something very satisfying about that. And it’s a slow process. It’s a multistep process, and there are lots of possibility and points of failure, ranging from when you build it till when it dries and you fire it and glaze it. It’s a methodical process, and it slows people down.” While other art forms, such as painting and drawing, can be intimidating to people with low skill and experience levels, most of the people taking ceramics classes at Oklahoma Contemporary are novices and have the chance to progress at about the same rate as their peers. “It feels very democratic,” Delliquanti said. “You come in and you’re like, ‘OK. We’re all starting from the same place. We may be experts in some other thing outside of this, but in here, everybody’s kind of starting from the same point.’

The annual ceramics sale at Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., offers shoppers the chance to buy items created by students and instructors in the arts center’s education program. | Photo provided

You don’t have to feel like you know anything, and that’s a little bit different from drawing or painting, where people feel like ‘I need to be quote-unquote “talented” to be able to draw,’ but with ceramics not so much. It’s pretty equalizing across the board. I think that’s why it’s so successful with veterans and I think it’s really easy for adults who have no background to say, ‘Yeah, I’ll take a beginning class,’ and then most people who take a class they just keep on moving on through it. They’ll take intermediate and advanced classes. They just keep coming back because it’s fun.” Pieces in the ceramics sale (excluding works in the Contemporary Clay exhibition) have all been reduced in price by 50 percent through the end of the sale, and paintings, photographs, handmade knives and many other items created by local artists and artisans are also on view as part of the center’s ArtNow exhibition. Visit oklahomacontemporary.org.

C.C. BE A NIE S, SCA RV E S A ND GLOV E S

Staying warm has never been cuter! Shop today to find a wide selection of C.C. beanies, scarves and gloves. We offer a wide variety of colors, styles and sizes sure to please you and the ones on your holiday list!

Lush Fashion Lounge 14101 N. May Ave. #114 lushfashionlounge.com | 405.936.0680

POINSE T T I A BA SK E T S

Make this holiday fabulous! Select from a wide assortment of arrangements for home, family and friends to deck the halls. Add a touch of color with poinsettias, garland, mini holiday trees and more! They’re sure to look great and add a special touch to every holiday gathering.

Tony Foss Flowers 7610 N. May Ave. tonyfossflowers.com | 405.302.8845

Ceramics sale and Contemporary Clay through Dec. 23 Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd. oklahomacontemporary.org | 405-951-0000 Free

T U X T ON CHIN A DISHWA R E

Add a slash of color or colors to your dining table this holiday season with Tuxton China dishware. This set is microwave and dishwasher safe as well as oven proof.

Market Source Restaurant Supply 4525 N. Cooper Ave. marketsourceonline.com | 405.524.1111

OR IGIN A L A R T NO T E CA R DS

OKCANNA LLC 12415 N Rockwell Ave. www.okcannallc.com | 405.367.7572

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 , 2 0 1 8

SHOPPING

ARTS & CULTURE

Shop and chop

The Social Club in downtown Norman is a combination salon and shop offering cool cuts and unique gifts. By Jo Light

Upon entering The Social Club, 209 E. Main St., in downtown Norman, you might see a mix of people — customers in the middle of hair appointments, families browsing handmade jewelry or clients chatting with stylists. The large, bright space is divided into a hip salon and eclectic gift shop, the result of two friends and business owners merging their dreams into one cool, modern concept. Erica Smith and Dana Scott were acquaintances while in college at University of Oklahoma, where Scott studied public relations and Smith studied political science. Scott said that Smith was cutting her hair after college, which is how they started getting to know each other better. “I would call her ‘my dreamer friend,’” Scott said. “So we would just sit around and dream up these things that we wanted to make happen in our lives.” Scott pointed Smith out as she worked in the salon, a pair of sunglasses perched on her head while styling a client’s hair. When Smith decided to leave her job at a larger salon to open one of her own, Scott went in to share the space for her event-planning and jewelry-making businesses. Their first shop was on Crawford Avenue, and it opened in 2012. Scott said she always dreamed of owning a shop but thought she would attain that goal much later in life. Instead, she put up a small retail shelf in Smith’s first salon. They expanded by 2013 and shortly after moved into their current, much larger location on Main Street, where they’ve been for almost five years. “We’re sort of an anomaly,” Scott said.

“Not so much anymore, but in the beginning, people were like, ‘We’re so confused. What are you?’ We’re a shop and a salon. I own the shop and Erica owns the salon.” Scott said the partnership and sharing of responsibilities opened up opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise had, including moving into a fairly large space in downtown Norman that houses eight salon chairs. During a brief move to Los Angeles, Scott developed an interest in hair and beauty, as well. When she and her husband returned to Oklahoma, she decided to join Smith on the salon side too. “If I look at my books and I have a day full of clients that I know and love, it’s, like, the best day ever,” Scott said. In the salon, they offer haircuts to both women and men, blowouts, color services, eyelash extensions and waxing. They use R+Co products and offer complimentary beverages with every service. The salon has nine stylists and one esthetician. Scott called their hair philosophy “lived-in” and natural. “Everyone here does take education very seriously,” Scott said. “We want to be on top of the hair game in Oklahoma.” On the shop side, Scott has curated a mix of vintage, local and handmade goods, and the space, to some extent, reflects a light, carefree California sensibility. They have a Social Club branded line of candles, glassware and small prints, and Scott continues to make jewelry. Up until about six weeks ago, Scott and her husband were hand-pouring the shop’s candles in their kitchen, but they’ve since trained another employee to help them. Seasonal scents include Mistletoe Make Out and Stoke My Fire. “I love to give a good gift,” Scott said. “To give somebody something that you know they’re going to love or use forever or make them really happy in a moment when they’re down, or whatever it is, I think there’s something so powerful about that. So I think I do all of my buying in the mindset of, ‘Who would you give this gift to? For what would you give this gift?’” Scott worked for Iron Curtain Press, a company founded by Rosanna and Joel Kvernmo, while she lived in Los Angeles. She witnessed their extreme attention to detail when they made items like notepads, and she knew that she wanted to feature their stationery products in her shop. “I think when you have a maker making something, versus big-box stores, you know that there’s more inThe Social Club is home to a salon as well as a gift shop. | Photo Alexa Ace

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tentionality put into it,” Scott said. The shop also sells small-batch greeting cards, clothing and accessories, barware, printed goods, office supplies and textiles like napkins, towels and bandannas. The Social Club makes a yearly cocktail calendar as well as a desk calendar, which are printed in Norman through Transcript Press.

If I look at my books and I have a day full of clients that I know and love, it’s, like, the best day ever. Dana Scott Scott has made an effort to include many Norman and Oklahoma City artists in her shop. There are also California crafters she met while living in the state and artists she has discovered at The Little

The Social Club sells a wide array of jewelry, prints, candles and other gifts. | Photos Alexa Ace

Craft Show in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Brands include Mariposa Coffee, Confetti Riot and Pink House Alchemy. She pointed out a set of baby milestone cards that are illustrated by local artist Roshni Roberts. The watercolor cards can be used in photographs to document a baby’s first year, but these uniquely have a space to journal on the back. Scott said she always seeks out products like this that she can’t find anywhere else. One exclusive item Scott commissioned from the Oakland-based People I’ve Loved art collective is a map of Norman printed on a tea towel or a tote. It features all their favorite handpicked Norman locations and is a popular gift item. Scott said they are currently working toward opening an Oklahoma City location in the West Village development near Film Row. The shop/salon concept will be the same. They hope to open sometime next summer. Visit wearethesocialclub.com.

CO M M U N I T Y

Mary Blankenship Pointer top center said Red Andrews Christmas Dinner will serve 6,000-7,000 people this year. | Photo Red Andrews Christmas Dinner Foundation / provided

Worthy tradition The 72nd Red Andrews Christmas Dinner is Tuesday. By Matthew Price

enough that I knew Mr. Andrews, and I’m sure he looks down with joy every year from the special place in heaven in which he most certainly resides.” Red Andrews Christmas Dinner Foundation is a nonprofit organization with an endowment that should allow volunteers to keep the dinner going far into the future. “I won’t be here in 70 years doing this,” Pointer said. “It’s up to the next generation to build on that foundation.” And she has no doubt that Oklahomans are up to the challenge. “I believe that Oklahomans always work together to help each other,” she said. “They always look for the best in every situation, and they always step up.” Visit redandrewsdinner.org

Donation Box The warmth provided by Red Andrews Christmas Dinner, a Dec. 25 tradition in Oklahoma City dating back to the 1940s, isn’t just a one-day affair. Red Andrews Christmas Dinner Foundation has provided thousands of winter coats to Oklahomans in need over the past few years. However, an organization that has provided the foundation with coats in previous years has run short. The foundation’s secretary/treasurer Mary Blankenship Pointer said she hopes the community can make up the difference in donations this year. Many of the dinner’s attendees are people who work outdoors. “Most of the people who attend the dinner are working very, very hard and trying very, very hard, and they just don’t have the money,” said Pointer. Many attendees forgo their own winter coats to make sure their children have them instead. New and gently used coats can be taken to any Red Andrews toy drop-off location or to Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, on Christmas Eve. Pointer said those who wish to help may even bring coats and donations on Christmas Day, and volunteers will work on distributing the items. The full list of locations to drop off coats and other donations is online at redandrewsdinner.org. Making Christmas bright for children is also a major focus of the foundation. All children attending the dinner receive a free gift and a photo with Santa Claus. Pointer met a boy last year who confided that he had been good all year, but he hadn’t found a Christmas present under the tree that morning. “We told him, ‘Look! There’s Santa right there, and he has your toy,’” Pointer said. The foundation serves a warm turkey meal with side items and a dessert to 6,000-7,000 attendees each year. “Last year, we had such a turnout. … We ran out of everything except green beans,” she said. “We’ve worked really

hard to get people who need to be there.” The meal is served 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the event hall in the southwest corner of Cox Convention Center. Pointer said take-home boxes can be prepared for homebound loved ones. “A lot of people have two or three generations of family members in the same house,” Pointer said. The foundation wants to help even members of the family who can’t get around as easily. Pointer said the dinner also serves as a way for many not to be alone on Christmas. Some attendees are military members who can’t go home for the holiday. In the 1940s, noted boxing promoter Red Andrews discovered conditions some parking lot workers were facing living in mud shacks behind Stockyards Coliseum. Andrews had previously hosted a Christmas dinner in Tulsa and decided to restart the event in OKC. From those beginnings, Andrews continued the dinner annually until his death in 1977, when his family took the reins. In 2012, declining health of family members temporarily put the dinner in jeopardy, but local volunteers rallied to put on the event and form Red Andrews Dinner Foundation in 2012. The current board includes president Robert Goldman; vice president Ken Cassil, whose grandmother was Andrews’ sister; and Pointer. Pointer said the volunteers at the dinner come from a wide swath of Oklahomans. “We have had governors, senators; we’ve had judges — we’d had everyone from every walk of life,” Pointer said. “It has made me more thankful for everything in life. I look at life completely different.” Bud Elder, former director of Oklahoma Film Commission, volunteered at last year’s dinner, taking pictures of attendees with Santa and Mrs. Claus. “What lingers with me from that experience is the sense of fellowship — everyone on the same page of love and respect,” Elder said in an email. “I’m old

New, unwrapped toy or coat donations are being accepted at the following locations: Cort Furniture 4300 NW 39th St. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday Jackie Cooper BMW 14145 Broadway Extension 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday

2019

NEW YEAR’S EVE MY SO CALLED BAND

12.31.18

PARKER MCCOLLUM 01.17.19

JEFF TWEEDY SOLD OUT AT THE AUDITORIUM AT THE DOUGLASS

03.01.19

BEN RECTOR SOLD 0OUT 3.08.19 BEN RECTOR JENNY LEWIS BRONZE RADIO RETURN

ON THE PATIO

BROTHERS OSBORNE

03.09.19

04.04.19

04.05.19

04.09.19

TICKETS & INFORMATION AT

THEJONESASSEMBLY.COM 901 W. SHERIDAN, OKC

The Goldman Law Office 222 NW 13th St. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday Republic Bank & Trust 3550 W. Robinson Ave., Norman 1200 E. Lindsey St., Norman 401 W. Main St., Norman 805 N. Main St., Noble 11671 S. Western Ave. 3500 W. Robinson Ave., Norman Lido Asian Cuisine 2518 N. Military Ave., Suite 101 Monetary donations Republic Bank & Trust — Mary Blankenship Pointer C/O Red Andrews Christmas Dinner Foundation 11671 S. Western Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73170 All checks should be written to Red Andrews Christmas Dinner Foundation.

Come Celebrate With Us! Our Christmas Eve service begins at 10:30 with a choral prelude.

Red Andrews Christmas Dinner 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday Cox Convention Center 1 Myriad Gardens redandrewsdinner.org Free

8400 S. Pennsylvania OKC 73159

405.682.3405 www.stjames.epiok.org O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 , 2 0 1 8

ARTS & CULTURE Constance Squires is the author of the novels Along the Watchtower and Live from Medicine Park and has had essays published on multiple platforms. | Photo provided

BOOKS

A job lost, a home lost, finally her possessions lost. She tumbles on with brief gasps as she takes in the glimpses of her world collapsing, yet she still believes she can swim. Jail is not enough. Homelessness is not enough. Her pride holds her under. A cleverness that served her so well in college now is servant to her addiction, finding loopholes to justify her downward spiral. She is even unmoved after an unseen friend and last human link to her past posts bail and then cuts their connection as friends and family sometimes must do in order to avoid also being pulled into the turmoil by the ones they love. “You try to worry about the opinions of people you know, instead, but all your high school friends, college friends and family are out of your life now, each leveraging their company against your drinking and losing.” This is what the immersive nature of literature can do: provoke a deep empathy for a life that we, the inexplicably fortunate, have not had to endure. Hit Your Brights avoids sanctimony and judgment. It defies the temptation to reveal trauma or genetic predisposition to conveniently explain away the character’s disease, turning her instead into an Everyman since we all carry the potential for life-altering substance abuse.

Addictive account

An Oklahoma writer delves into the turmoil and power of addiction in her latest collection of short stories. By Charles Martin

Addiction’s cure is not as simple as strength, family or faith. It’s not just moral fiber, intellect or cunning that separates the victims of addiction from the survivors. If the solution was so simple, so easy to prescribe, then our fabulously funded pharmaceutical industry would have already discovered, distilled and dispensed the cure in pill form. Constance Squires — author of Along the Watchtower and Live from Medicine Park and professor of English at University of C e n t r a l Oklahoma — might not know the cure either, but she knows Hit Your Brights will be published by University of Oklahoma Press Jan. 31, 2019. | Image provided

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the disease well enough to divine the future of an alcoholic’s final spins within an addiction maelstrom in her short story collection Hit Your Brights. “On a Monday morning you will wake up, afraid to open your eyes, because you will not know where you are. Somehow, you are in your house.” A full life’s momentum of substance abuse sweeps the character onward as if she’s tumbling through white water currents and smacking into river rocks too slick for her to find purchase and salvation. The unnamed character in the collection’s titular story is no fool; she sees her life breaking apart but believes she still has power over her addiction. She can swim against this current. “You go home and drink fifteen beers and three tequila shots and listen to music and look at Malcolm Lowry splayed open at the spine on your coffee table and you imagine how someday all this pain and suffering will be over and you will possess uncommon wisdom.”

Punished people

In Philip K. Dick’s deeply personal A Scanner Darkly, he wrote an afterward to friends with whom he had once shared both home and addiction. “This has been a novel about some people who were punished entirely too much for what they did,” he wrote. “They wanted to have a good time, but they were like children playing in the street; they could see one after another of them being killed — run over, maimed, destroyed — but they continued to play anyhow.” Squires’ collection contains the same intimate knowledge of the struggle against self-defeatism, both from the perspective of the defeated and as witness watching helplessly from the shores. “Swan Lock” is a grandmother and daughter trekking through Vietnam to identify the father/son’s body. The lifelong sex tourist had died in a motorcycle crash after carefully hiding his compulsion from his mother but reveling in his seedy conquests in letters to his children. Squires calls it “emotional incest.” “Division Bell” is set during a Pink Floyd concert where an alcoholic attempts to make amends with his wife through their shared love of music only to be stuck next to an old, knowing hippie instead. And in the case of many of her protagonists, the husband resists enlightenment because of a stubborn belief that the situation remains fixable. In his mind, a grand gesture would demonstrate his emotional weight, a gravity

that was sure to pull his wife back to him. “He needed to show her a different side of himself, if there was one. Show her that he did care about things — about her.” Squires never reveals whether that grand gesture worked, but of course we all know it won’t. It can’t because he isn’t addressing the real problem. The answer often seems clear, like in “Division Bell.” It is the answer we tell our suffering friends and what we try to tell ourselves when we are the ones suffering. But if the cure for addiction was as simple as illumination, then we would have already distilled and dispensed it in pill form with a modest copay for those with good insurance. A spectator’s helpless view of someone else’s addiction is also explored in “Clean” as an eccentric WWII vet offers his niece a fistful of (allegedly) radioactive coins as a magic cure to help her get her life straight. The gift is insufficient, of course, as our attempts of aid often feel when offered to those being whisked away from us by their diseases.

A job lost, a home lost, finally her possessions lost. She tumbles on with brief gasps as she takes in the glimpses of her world collapsing, yet she still believes she can swim. Jail is not enough. Squires’ stories are rooted inside a modern Oklahoma — not the painted and pristine visage we show the world, but the mascara-run and gin-blossomed face we see the morning after. It is our honest face that, according to Alcoholics Anonymous, is necessary to know for those who hope to conquer the disease. “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable,” reads the first of AA’s twelve steps. That first step remains elusive for many of Squires’ characters, and we — the reader and their fictional loved ones — can only watch as the addicts sink beneath the swell. “You remember that you have no money and will have to write a check for the $1.70 drink,” Squires predicted for her Everyman about to purchase a soft drink. “This seems silly to you. If you’re going to write a bad check, for which you will end up paying between $25 and $75 in bounced check fees, you should at least make the purchase worth it. You buy a case of Budweiser instead and walk back to your house, watching as the bus stops and speeds off toward the freeway and your former job.” Visit constancesquiresofficial.com.

CALENDAR are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

Full Moon Gathering celebrate the full moon of the winter solstice with astrologers Jo Gleason and Kelsey the Cosmic Goddess, 7-8:30 p.m. Dec. 20. Chi Gallery, 2304 NW 17th St., 405-401-0540, facebook. com/chi.gallery. THU

BOOKS

Historic Train Car Tours see the inside of a 1929 Pullman parlor car on a guided tour offered for a limited time, through Jan. 1, 2019. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE

Brunching with Books a book club meeting every other week, with reading selections chosen by group preference, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Buttermilk Paseo, 605 NW 28th St., 405-605-6660, buttermilkokc.com. SAT

Holiday Lights Spectacular see more than 100 animated lights displays and a 118-foot Christmas tree on a 1.5-mile drive soundtracked by classic holiday songs, through Dec. 25. Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, 8700 E. Reno Ave., 405-739-1293, midwestcityok.org. FRI-TUE

Kent Frates book signing the author will autograph copies of his nonfiction books Oklahoma Courthouse Legends, Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases, Vol.I and II, and Oklahoma Hiking Trails, 3-5 p.m. Dec. 22. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT

Holiday Pop-Up Shop shop for seasonal gifts, treats Christmas trees and more at this annual market with rotating vendors, through Dec. 23. Midtown OKC, NW Eighth St., 405-235-3500, midtownokc.com. THU-SUN

Mark J. Hainds book signing the author will discuss and autograph copies of his book Border Walk, detailing his 1,000-plus mile trek along the Texas-Mexico Border, 6-7:30 p.m. Dec. 21. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-3409202, bestofbooksok.com. FRI

FILM Bad Santa (2003, USA, Terry Zwigoff) an alcoholic mall Santa and his helper stage a holiday heist in this dark comedy, 7-9 p.m. Dec. 20. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. THU Filmography: Anomalisa (2015, USA, Charlie Kaufman) a man struggles to find a meaningful connection with another person in this surreal stop-motion drama, 8-10 p.m. Dec. 21. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. FRI Meet Me in St. Louis (1944, USA, Vincente Minnelli) in the lead up to the 1904 World’s Fair, four sisters learn valuable lessons while preparing to move to New York, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 23. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SUN National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989, USA, Jeremiah Chechik) The Griswold family’s holiday plans are complicated by the unexpected arrival of unwelcome relatives and a missing Christmas bonus check in this comedy starring Chevy Chase and written by John Hughes, 8-10 p.m. Dec. 22. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SAT Paige Howard (2018, USA, James Ridley) the premiere of a Video Hero film written by Nicole Jocleen with a soundtrack by WoRm, 8-10 p.m. Dec. 24. SandRidge Energy, 123 Robert S. Kerr Ave., 405429-5500, sandridgeenergy.com. MON The Polar Express (2004, USA, Robert Zemeckis) a young child’s belief in Christmas magic is restored by an enchanted train ride to the North Pole, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 22. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SAT Pot o’ Gold (1941, USA, George Marshall) a failed music store owner (James Stewart) goes to work for his uncle’s factory but ends up befriending a musical family his uncle can’t stand; aired on TV station OETA as part of their Movie Club, 9 p.m. Dec. 22. SAT

Illuminations: A Northern Lights Experience a high-tech light show in the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, through Jan. 2, 2019. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE-WED Last Stop Holiday Shop shop for seasonal gifts from local artisans and vintage curators and enjoy snacks, spiked hot cocoa and mulled wine, 7 p.m. Dec. 19. The Prairie Rebellion, 1928 NW 34th St., 405-519-6027. WED Mid-South Wrestling Alliance Xavior, Prince Mahalli, Paul Puertorico, Double D, Gemini are scheduled to appear at this regional wrestling promotion, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21. OKC Farmers Market, 311 S Klein Ave, 4054860701. FRI Music Industry Networking Night a meetup for local artists, promoters and fans with boardgames and drink specials, 7-11 p.m. Dec. 26. The Root, 3012 N. Walker Ave., 405-655-5889, therootokc.com. WED The Night B4 Christmas: Ugly Sweater Skate Jam & Food Drive children can bring a canned food item for discounted admission at this Christmas Eve event hosted by comedian JC mademelaugh, 8 p.m.-midnight Dec. 24. Skate Galaxy, 5800 NW 36th St., 405-605-2758, skategalaxyokc.com. MON PAMBE Ghana Global Market shop for handmade and artisanal crafts, clothing and other items at this holiday pop-up shop benefitting bilingual education, through Dec. 24. The Sieber Apartments, 1307 N. Hudson, 405-605-4206. MON Queen Mariah’s Variety Show a monthly stage show featuring various drag performers, 10:30 p.m. Saturdays. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-6022030, facebook.com/frankiesokc. SAT RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4 Watch Party meet up with other fans to watch the popular reality show paired with a live drag show featuring local performers, 7-9 p.m. Fridays. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI Sewing: Block of the Month Class make a different block each month to create quilt; bring your own scraps of fabric, a sewing machine and more, 6 p.m. Thursday. Mustang Parks & Recreation, 1201 N. Mustang Road, 405-376-3411, cityofmustang.org. THU

Community Kwanzaa Celebration Created by African studies professor Maulana Karenga in 1966, Kwanzaa is a weeklong nonreligious event dedicated to the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles, and modeled after “first fruits” celebrations in southern Africa. Seven candles — three red, three green and one black — represent the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith with a day dedicated to each. This community celebration features a play, a movie screening, a night of jazz and storytelling, a potluck dinner and more to honor the holiday. The celebration is Dec. 26-Jan. 1 at National Association for Black Veterans Center, 3663 N. Lottie Ave. Admission is free. Search “OKC Kwanzaa 2018” on Facebook for a complete list of events. DEC. 26-JAN. 1 Photo provided

Territorial Christmas Celebration take a tour of Guthrie’s Victorian inspired architecture in a horse-drawn carriage and enjoy holiday light displays, through Dec. 24. Downtown Guthrie, Wentz and Oklahoma Ave., 405282-0197, offbeatoklahoma.com. SAT-MON Toastmasters Meeting hone public speaking and leadership skills in a move-at-your own pace environment, 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays. McFarlin United Methodist Church, 419 S. University Drive, 623-810-0295. THU Victorian Yuletide make holiday cards, wreaths and ornaments, help trim the tree, hear live music and view the museum’s exhibitions, 5-9 p.m. Dec. 20. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Winter Solstice Celebration hear live music from Ocean, go ice-skating and see the Sugar Plum Fairy, a Snow Globe Ballerina, and the Ice King and Queen at this seasonal event, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 21. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. FRI Winter Solstice Celebration celebrate the longest night of the year with performance art, warm drinks, live music from Kali Ra and poetry by Kerri Shadid, 9-11 p.m. Dec. 21. Factory Obscura, 1522 S. Robinson Ave. FRI

HAPPENINGS

Surf and Turf this weekly all-you-can-eat feast in the Bricktown Brewery features prime rib, snow crab legs, shrimp and more, 4-10 p.m. Thursdays. Remington Park, 1 Remington Place, 405-424-9000, remingtonpark.com. THU

YOUTH Christmas Express take a train ride with Santa Claus with holiday carols, stories, cocoa and cookies, through Dec. 22. Oklahoma Railway Museum, 3400 NE Grand Blvd., 405-424-8222, oklahomarailwaymuseum.org. SAT Explore It! get your questions answered of what, why and how about the natural world we live in, 11:30 a.m -noon Saturdays, through Dec. 29. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. SAT

PERFORMING ARTS

Christmas Eve Party a holiday celebration hosted by Tee Dot and Vai and music by DJ Phreeze, 9 p.m.2 a.m. Dec. 24. The Tree Lounge, 203 NE 36th St., 405-528-2324, facebook.com/treeloungeokc. MON

A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour an annual holiday showcase featuring contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race; hosted by Miz Cracker and Monét X Change and featuring Latrice Royale, Aja, Thorgy Thor, Miss Vanjie and Farrah Moan, 8-11 p.m. Dec. 21. Rose State College, 6420 SE 15th St., 405733-7673, rose.edu. FRI

Christmas in Harlem a holiday theme party drawing inspiration from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, featuring live music and burlesque, 9 p.m. Dec. 23. La Brasa, 1310 NW 25th St., 405-524-2251, labrasaokc.com. SUN

Festivus Celebration participate in the Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strength at this event celebrating the holiday made famous by Seinfeld and try the brewery’s limited edition Festivus beer, 6-11 p.m. Dec. 22. Anthem Brewing Company, 908 SW Fourth St., 405-604-0446, anthembrewing.com. SAT

Feast of the Seven Fishes Dinner a seven-course seafood dinner celebrating an Italian-American Christmas tradition, 5-10 p.m. Dec. 19. Patrono, 305 N. Walker, 405-702-7660, patronookc.com. WED

Storytime Science the museum invites children age 6 and younger to hear a story and participate in a related scientific activity, 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE-SAT

Biggest Latin Party in OKC! dance to salsa, bachata, merengue and kizomba music, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays. Salsa Maritza, 7312 Cherokee Plaza, 956-457-4270, salsamaritza.com. FRI

December Full Moon Circle - Healing Lights prepare for the new year with an evening of meditation with a potluck dinner and a candlelight ritual, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Dec. 21. Labyrinth Temple, 417 NW 25th St., 405-406-8318. FRI

Be-Cause We Are Vegan learn about vegan meal prepping at this annual holiday workshop, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Dec. 22. Will Rogers Garden Center, 3400 NW 36th St., 405-943-0827, okc.gov. SAT

Sneaky Snakes a toddler education program teaching children about reptiles with crafts and other activities, 10-11 a.m. Dec. 20. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405-424-3344, okczoo.com. THU

Art Battle Series II artists compete for cash prizes and the right to host the next event at this painting contest featuring live music by The Red Plains, 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Dec. 21. The Root, 3012 N. Walker Ave., 405-655-5889, therootokc.com. FRI

Christmas in the Park drive or walk through through nearly three miles of lighted Christmas displays featuring more than 4 million twinkling lights and ride the Santa Express Train at this annual event, 6-11 p.m. through Dec. 31. Yukon City Park, 2200 Holly Ave., 405-354-1895, cityofyukon.gov. TUE-MON

FOOD

They Shall Not Grow Old It’s hard not to picture the past in sepia tone or shades of gray, but this documentary by director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) helps remedy that with high-resolution restorations of black-and-white battlefront footage from World War I. Released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day and offered in both 2- and 3-D, They Shall Not Grow Old seeks to make the Great War more accessible and immediate and much harder to forget. Showtimes are 1 and 4 p.m. Dec. 27 at Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16, 150 E. Reno Ave.; AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial Road; and Regal Spotlight Stadium 14, 1100 N. Interstate Drive, in Norman. Tickets are $12.50$16.29. Visit fathomevents.com. DEC. 27 Photo provided

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Gospel Brunch hear contemporary and classic gospel music performed by The Judge & The Jury accompanied by brunch cuisine and a Bloody Mary bar, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Sundays. Stella Modern Italian Cuisine, 1201 N. Walker, 405.235.2200, stella-okc.com. SUN It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play Frank Capra’s classic holiday film is presented as a mock radio broadcast in this play adaptation, through Dec. 23. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 405-2822800, thepollard.org. FRI-SUN Jazz & Blues Mondays a weekly showcase for musicians and vocalists, 8:30 p.m. Mondays. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-208-4240, iceeventcentergrill.eat24hour.com. MON

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continued from page 33 Lyric’s A Christmas Carol the annual production of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic returns, through Dec. 24. Lyric Theatre, 1727 NW 16th St., 405-524-9310, lyrictheatreokc.com. FRI-MON Pick-A-Tune with Lucas Ross learn to play a song on the banjo; instruments provided, 2-3 p.m. Dec. 22. American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-604-2793, americanbanjomuseum. com. SAT

Scrooge In Rouge a naughty retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, through Dec. 23, Through Dec. 23. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI-SUN

ACTIVE Full Moon Bike Ride and Run enter a 5K run in scenic downtown or bring your bike for a leisurely ride as the sun sets, last Tuesday of every month, 8 p.m. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE

Holiday Light Ride take a bicycle tour of Automobile Alley and Heritage Hills to see the Christmas lights while listening to holiday tunes, 6 p.m. Dec. 13 and 21. Downtown OKC, 211 N. Robinson Ave., 405235-3500, downtownokc.com. THU-FRI Monday Night Group Ride meet up for a weekly 25-30 minute bicycle ride at about 18 miles per hour through East Oklahoma City, 6 p.m. Mondays. The Bike Lab OKC, 2200 W. Hefner Rd., 405-603-7655. MON Wheeler Criterium a weekly nighttime cycling event with criterium races, food trucks and family activities, 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave., 405-297-2211, okc.gov. TUE

VISUAL ARTS Alexis Austin: See-Through Women in Secret Kitchens an exhibition of the latest works from the experimental abstract painter, through Dec. 19. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-232-6060, iaogallery.org. FRI-WED American Indian Artists: 20th Century Masters an exhibition of Native art from the Kiowa Six, Harrison Begay, Tonita Peña and more, through May 12, 2019. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT-SUN Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage an exhibition of artworks created by people with dyslexia including students from Oklahoma City’s Trinity School, through July 14, 2019. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-SUN Christmas at The Elms gallery artists including Jeff Dodd, Dan Mieduch, Michi Susan, Beth Hammack, John Brandenburg and more will showcase works that can be purchased as holiday gifts, through Dec. 22. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. FRI-SAT Daren Kendall: Threshold With Me view seven sculptural thresholds based on the seven terraces of Dante’s purgatory, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma. FRI-SUN Greg Burns: A Collection of Contemporary Watercolors the Oklahoma artist displays works inspired by trips to New Mexico and Florida, through Jan. 19, 2019. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, 1ne3.org. THU-SAT

The Space Presents OKlaHO-HOHOMA! This sketch comedy revue directed by Second City alum Topher Owen features local comedic actors and advertises itself as “by Oklahomans for Oklahomans.” If we can’t laugh at ourselves, the holiday season (not to mention the upcoming legislative session) is really going to drag. The show runs Friday-Saturday at Actors Casting & Talent Services, 30 NE 52nd St. Tickets are $15-$20. Call 405-702-0400 or visit thespaceokc.com. FRIDAY-SATURDAY Photo provided

Inspirations from Nature an exhibition of abstract paintings by Anthony Dyke and Susan Morrison-Dyke celebrating the beauty of nature and architecture, through Jan. 31, 2019. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE-THU

Pet Food Pantry Angel Tree The Pet Food Pantry of Oklahoma City delivers pet food, flea and tick medication and supplies to seniors, veterans and other pet owners in need in the metro area. Help them ensure these pets don’t go hungry during the holiday season by donating items for their annual drive or select one of the bone-shaped ornaments from the tree representing pets with special dietary needs and purchase the food indicated. Drop off donations through Dec. 31 in the lobby of Neel Veterinary Hospital, 2700 N. MacArthur Blvd. Call 405-664-2858 or visit petfoodpantryokc.org. THROUGH DEC. 31 Photo bigstock.com

City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SUN Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art an exploration of contemporary pop art inspired by Andy Warhol, Nick Cave, R. Luke DuBois and others, through Feb. 28, 2019. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. SUN-THU Seeds of Being curated by students enrolled in the university’s Native American Art & Museum Studies Seminar, this exhibition examines the impact of art in indigenous communities, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE-SUN Small Works VIII an annual exhibition featuring artworks by Carol Beesley, Carolyn Faster, Steve Hicks and more, through Dec. 23. Norman Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. FRI-SUN

Into the Fold: The Art and Science of Origami features origami artists from around the world and displays the techniques of artful paper folding and other unique applications of origami, through Jan. 13, 2019. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-SUN

Still Looking: The Photography Collection of Carol Beesley Hennagin an exhibition of selections from Hennagin’s extensive collection, including works by Edward Weston, Frederick Sommer and more, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE-SUN

John Brand view works by painter/photographer John Brand, through Dec. 31. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com. SUN-MON

Ticket to Ride: Artists, Designers, and Western Railways view some of the paintings, studies, posters, and graphics that resulted from collaborations between artists and commercial designers with Western rail companies between the late 1880s and early 1930s, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. FRI-SUN

Josette Simon-Gestin view paintings by the French artist alongside works by Oklahoma artist Marc Baker, through Dec. 30. Nault Gallery, 816 N. Walker Ave., 405-642-4414, naultfineart.com. FRI-SUN The New Art: A Milestone Collection Fifty Years Later an exhibition including longstanding highlights and rarely seen works celebrating the museum’s purchase of a 154-piece contemporary art collection in 1968, through Dec. 30. Oklahoma

Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts & Crafts Movement an exhibit exploring the revolutionary artworks of Victorian Engliand featuring many works not previously seen outside the UK, through Jan. 6, 2019. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT-SUN

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Whiteout at Campbell Art Park an outdoor artwork made by hundreds of transparent white spheres embedded with white LED lights and animated in large-scale patterns, through March 31, 2019. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-000, oklahomacontemporary.org. WED-SUN

edmond rd .

(405) 285-1250

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For OKG live music

see page 37

EVENT

MUSIC

Wedded bliss-mas Bryce and Bethany Merritt come home for Christmas With the Mrs. By Jeremy Martin

Married musicians Bryce and Bethany Merritt have known each other since first grade, but they grew up celebrating Christmas differently. The two Will Rogers Elementary School alums will return to Edmond from their Nashville home for their fourth annual holidaythemed duo show, Christmas With the Mrs., 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at University of Central Oklahoma’s Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth St., in Edmond, but only Bethany Merritt was raised to be a Christmas caroler. “I grew up in a very musical family,” she said. “All my siblings and my parents are all musicians, and so that was definitely kind of a year-round thing for me growing up, but me and my family have always gone Christmas caroling in probably a little more intense way than most people casually Christmas carol. … We would probably rehearse for caroling. Whereas most people might just say, ‘OK, everybody sing, “Let It Snow” or “Jingle Bells,”’ we are reading music for, like, four-part harmonies and dividing up the roles, and it’s a whole other style of thing.” Her husband, who has seen the caroling rehearsals in person, elaborated. “They give each other notes, so, like, ‘OK, you need to be louder here, softer here and blending more here,’” Bryce Merritt said. “It’s a lot more involved than …” Bethany interrupted. “We’re just trying to provide the best possible listening experience for whoever’s doorstep we’re standing on,” she said. Bryce Merritt’s family, meanwhile, was less musically inclined. “We had the complete opposite,” he said. “I can’t remember singing any Christmas songs with my family outside of being forced to sing next to each other in church.” The Merritts dated off and on while attending Edmond Memorial High School, but “officially started and didn’t stop in 2012,” Bethany Merritt said, which was when they reconnected as students at Belmont University in Tennessee. They married in 2015, the inaugural year of their Christmas With the Mrs. holiday shows. Br yce Merritt typically makes soul-inspired pop songs

while Bethany Merritt performs with a jazz trio, and Christmastime offers them the chance to blend their preferred genres without compromising their individual creative identities. “We both have our separate styles that we, for the most part, like to really focus on,” Bethany Merritt said, “but we love singing together, so we decided to make Christmas the one time of year intentionally where we really do a duo thing. … Christmas felt right, and we have the time to travel around together.” Some of the couple’s favorite Christmas albums — Ella Fitzgerald’s Swinging Christmas, Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, John Legend’s A Legendary Christmas and Ingrid Michaelson’s Songs for the Season — combine elements of both of the Merritts’ chosen musical styles. “When I think about the classic Christmas songs, like ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘Let It Snow,’” Bryce Merritt said, “I feel like all of the forms of those songs and the harmony are written as jazz songs, and then in the past 10 or 20 years, the pop world has, like, stolen them and turned them into pop songs. So I think that’s why Christmas provides a perfect place for us to both kind of do our thing because we can do them the straightahead jazz standard way, or we can come up with a little bit more modern feel or something in the middle, but I think it’s harder to do that in any other genre.” However, the Merritts’ preparations for their annual holiday shows are much closer to Bethany’s family’s caroling rehearsals. “Because we are both professional musicians and because this show, and really anything we put out, is kind of like our musical baby, it’s definitely pretty intense,” Bryce Merritt said. “We try to have everything arranged the way we like it, and we have everything rehearsed to what we think will sound best and translate the best to the audience. So it’s definitely not like, ‘Show up, and we’ll play some Christmas songs and have a good time.’ We definitely try and make it as presentable as possible.” The first three years of Christmas concerts were accompanied by Christmas With the Mrs. EPs, but this year, the amount of energy and time spent on Bryce Merritt’s solo album Chroma: III, released in October, made recording a fourth The Merritts have released three volumes of Christmas With the Mrs. albums to date. | Images provided

volume in the holiday series too difficult. They plan to release another Christmas album next year with a full band and at least one original holiday song, but taking a year off helped them spend more time celebrating the season. “This has been the first year that we’ve been able to decorate our own place for Christmas because usually we don’t even bother,” Bryce Merritt said. The break has also allowed them to enjoy other musician’s seasonal songs without worrying about recording their own. “In the past, if I was listening to Christmas music, it was usually research,” Bethany Merritt said. “You know, ‘What arrangements can I get ideas from?’ and trying to check out what other people have done.” But even without a new album to record, hearing holiday favorites still sparks concerns about giving the audience the best possible listening experience. “We have to make sure that we’re providing something both familiar and unique and special and memorable and not too serious,” Bryce Merritt said. “It’s a hard balance. I was thinking about it today, actually, as we were listening to some Christmas music. Because either you do a Christmas song that everybody has heard a million times before, which is good because they’ll know it, but then you’re fighting against every other artist’s version of that same song because every song has been done so many times, or you can kind of put something new on the table that nobody’s ever heard before so there’s nobody to compare it against, but then people don’t know it. So it’s finding that right balance of sprinkling in your own thing while also giving people the traditions that they like.”

Bryce and Bethany Merritt’s Christmas With the Mrs. holiday concerts are scheduled 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at University of Central Oklahoma’s Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth St., in Edmond. | Photo provided

In the past three years, Bethany Merritt said the Christmas With the Mrs. shows have become an annual institution for some concertgoers. “It’s become a part of some people’s Christmas traditions,” she said. “When someone tells me that, it feels like, ‘OK, there’s a big weight because I have a responsibility now.’” They might feel the pressure of audience expectations and struggle to balance the commitments of their individual music careers with their annual duo act, but the Merritts, whose families both still live in Edmond, can count on at least one certainty at the end of their holiday tour. “We’ll spend Christmas with our families,” Bryce Merritt said. “That’s the nice part about finishing the show in Oklahoma, that as soon as we’re done, we’re already home.” Tickets are $20. Visit ucojazzlab. com.

Bryce and Bethany Merritt’s Christmas With the Mrs. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday UCO Jazz Lab 100 E. Fifth St., Edmond ucojazzlab.com | 405-974-2100 $20

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8

MUSIC Miillie Mesh released Jungle Juice this year, but she’s been planning the album since 2012. | Photo provided

the 27th, and I ended up dropping it on the 31st, and I was even going to wait again and say, ‘Hey, I’m just going to drop it next summer.’”

F E AT U R E

Meeting expectations

Fresh squeezed Miillie Mesh finally releases her long-awaited EP Jungle Juice. By Jeremy Martin

When Oklahoma Gazette last spoke to Oklahoma City hip-hop artist Miillie Mesh, she said to be on the look out for a jungle-themed album dropping in June or July. That was 2015. Jungle Juice, Mesh’s EP debut, was finally released in October of this year. At one point, she thought it might never come out at all. “I had to find a new producer,” Mesh said. “I started on the project with a different producer, and me and him kind of clashed, so I found a new one and then I was able to decide if I really wanted to pick up and start over again with a new producer because I wasn’t even going to go that route. I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll just trash that idea.’ … Since, like, 2012, I wanted to make

Jungle Juice combines elements of dancehall, reggaeton and R&B with hip-hop. | Images provided

D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Jungle Juice, I think, but I just never had the producer or the beats, the things I needed to create it.” Mesh’s recipe for Jungle Juice would have an “island/jungle vibe” and a “cultured feel,” combining Afrobeat, Afrotrap, Caribbean, reggaeton and pop with influences ranging from Nigerian singer/songwriter Wizkid and Jamaican dancehall artist Red Rat to ’90s R&B singers Brandy and SWV. “I wanted my music to not just be for one genre,” Mesh said. “When you listen to it, it’s not just rap. I sing on there as well, and there’s some dance breakdowns. … It’s a timeless sound, very overseas too. I didn’t want it to just be local or American. I just really wanted it to be like you could listen to this anywhere.” But finding a producer that could help her pull it off was a challenge. After meeting local producer and rapper Bleverly Hills at a concert, she featured on his song “Thangs,” which can be heard in an episode of HBO’s Ballers. When he produced her single “Lurk,” released in June, Mesh knew he was the missing ingredient for Juice. “With Blev, I was able to just try some things and branch out and be comfortable enough to do that,” Mesh said. “He’s very cultured in music and diverse styles, and he can do pretty much anything. I would say he’s one of the best producers in the city. He can literally make boom-bap, hip-hop, rap. He can make you pop records. … He’s not a beat-

maker; he’s an actual producer.” Mesh sent him recordings of lyrics she’d been working on for several years, and he built beats around them, reshaping several of the album’s tracks in the process. “Three songs stayed the same because they were such good ideas, I left them alone,” Mesh said, describing “Formula,” “Givenchy” and “Monsoon.” “I think there’s only two tracks on the EP that are completely new, and that’s ‘Lingo’ and ‘Naughty.’ And ‘Tusk,’ I rewrote ‘Tusk,’ like, four times. … The beat was sped up, and once you change a beat and the tempo and stuff, it changes the feel of the song. … It sounded like a mantra at first, but when he got a hold of it, he switched it and made it more of that jungle trap. He made it a club banger. … He made everything much more current with the beats. He made it much more pop.” The two began making Juice in January. It was mostly finished by June, but Mesh held on to it for several more months to fine-tune it. “I’m very particular and picky, so I was adding on extra ad-libs and just changing up different things, adding bridges and breakdowns just to make it more cohesive and give it that personality, give it my personality,” she said. When she was satisfied with the results, she was still unsure about putting the album out after years of delays and setbacks. “It was kind of nerve-wracking, but then it was a relief that I finally finished it,” Mesh said. “Putting it out was nervewracking because I didn’t know what the perception would be like. I didn’t know if people would still care after waiting for how long? They wait for it and it’s just like, ‘Is it going to come out or not?’ I pushed the release date back and back. I was supposed to drop it on

The feedback from listeners, once Mesh finally decided to release the album, has been overwhelmingly positive. She said that many people call her “the queen of rap in Oklahoma,” and Juice meets their high expectations. “They don’t look at me as just a rapper,” Mesh said. “They say I’m an artist. … They expect things to be not what the mainstream is doing. I don’t too much follow trends. I’m not a big fan of trying to do what everybody else is doing to go viral or anything like that, so I think it was expected. When you call something Jungle Juice, it could be anything. … I don’t know what genre to place it in. There’s rap, there’s trap on there. I tried to hit every single style and blend it together to make this perfect juice. I don’t think people were surprised at all. I think it’s exactly what they wanted.” She’s considering expanding the EP into a “way more elaborate” full-length and planning to release a video for nonalbum single “Lurk” in 2019. She said she’s also thinking about taking vocal lessons to get more comfortable with singing so she can incorporate even more musical styles into her sound. “I love rap, but there’s more genres than just rap,” Mesh said. “I’ve never been a person where I only listen to rap. I listen to techno; I listen to house music, dubstep, jazz, some classical music, some country. I like female country singers. I love ’80s music; that’s one of my favorite genres of music, ’80s pop. So I think I’m just going to be even more experimental and definitely open the gates for me to not just be a rapper, but more of an artist and a musician, etc., a singer/songwriter.” Whatever she does next, she won’t rush it. “I’ve never been a person to just do something just because,” Mesh said. “There has to be a reason for it. There has to be a plan. It has to be something I can really take my time with.” Even the unconventional spelling of her name is carefully thought out. “A lot of people get that wrong, but it’s two ‘i’s’ after the ‘m,’” she said, “because I keep my third eye open.” Visit facebook.com/meshmagdalen.

LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19

Randy Cassimus, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC Stewart Wolfs, Legacy on Main Street. COVER Sydney Adams, Eatery & Cocktail Office @ The Union. SINGER/SONGWRITER

SATURDAY, DEC. 22 80’z Enuf, Remington Park. COVER

Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road, CHK/Central Boathouse. COUNTRY/FOLK

Adam Miller, Bedlam Bar-B-Q.

The March Divide/Jade Castle/Don’t Tell Dena, The Root. ROCK

Andy Adams/Kyle Reid/Carter Sampson, The Blue Door. COUNTRY

Martha Odom, The R & J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ

Steve Earle, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Chelsey Cope/DJ Werewolf/Samantha Crain, Opolis. ROCK

Electric Avenue, Newcastle Casino. COVER

Alteras/Titans in Time/Crobone, 89th Street-OKC.

Felina & the Feels/Hudson Roar, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. ROCK

Heart of Hip Hop, Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café. HIP-HOP

Isaac McClung, Eatery & Cocktail Office @ The Union. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Hot House Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. JAZZ

Jackson Taylor & the Sinners, Margarita Island.

Playboi Carti, The Criterion. HIP-HOP

COUNTRY

Kent Fauss Trio, McClintock Saloon & Chop House.

Raul Reyes, Saints. JAZZ

COUNTRY

FRIDAY, DEC. 21

Lisa & Laura, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK

Black Out Bob/The Flannels, Oklahoma City Limits.

Mudd Flux/Outside The Shadows/Tribesmen, The Root. ROCK

Bread & Butter Band, 51st Street Speakeasy.

Roustabouts/Beastfoot/Klamz, 51st Street Speakeasy. COVER

COVER

COUNTRY/BLUEGRASS

Casey Donahew/Stoney Larue, Diamond Ballroom.

Uncle Zep, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. COVER

COUNTRY

Vince Van & the Outlaws, Landing Zone. COUNTRY

The Chebon Tiger Band/The Matthew Tilley Band, Main Street Event Center. BLUES/ROCK

SUNDAY, DEC. 23

Drive, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse. COVER

John & Jessi, Rococo. JAZZ

Felina & the Feels/The Indigos, Saints. ROCK

The Musical World of “The Doctor”, Ice Event Center & Grill. JAZZ/BLUES

Hank Western, Chisholm’s Saloon. COUNTRY Jabee/Steph/LTZ, 89th Street-OKC. HIP-HOP

Made Monster/Crystal Vision, Tower Theatre. ELECTRONIC

Michael McDonald, Riverwind Casino. POP Midas 13, Katt’s Cove. ROCK On a Whim, Bossa Nova Caipirinha Lounge. JAZZ

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Dutch Coven, The Deli. COVER

THURSDAY, DEC. 20 ROCK/METAL

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MONDAY, DEC. 24 Elizabeth Wise/Wess McMichael/The Ravens, Othello’s. BLUES Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK Maggie McClure & Shane Henry, McFarlin United Methodist Church. POP

TUESDAY, DEC. 25 Country Clique, Friends Restaurant & Club. COUNTRY

Kyle Reid, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails. SINGER/SONGWRITER

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 26 Elizabeth Speegle Band, The R & J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ

The Lunar Laugh Released in September, The Lunar Laugh’s latest single “By the Light of the Living Room” describes the confusion, hurt feelings and “bitter tears” inherent in the imminent dissolution of a long-term relationship, but the sugarcoated vocal harmonies and powerpop instrumentation belie the sadness of the situation described in Jared Lekites’ lyrics, as though the immaculate production and meticulously assembled song structure might compensate for the messiness in the narrator’s love life. It’s all too pretty to be depressing. The show starts 8 p.m. Friday at VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave., Suite D. Tickets are $7-$10. Call 405-524-4203 or visit vzds.com.

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

FRIDAY Photo provided

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

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O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 8

PUZZLES 1

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE TOP GEAR

By Sam Ezersky | Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz | 1223

ACROSS

1 Early wake-up time 7 Title for Iran’s Ruhollah Khomeini 11 Herbert of old Pink Panther films 14 Penultimate tourney round 19 “Doesn’t matter to me” 20 Not yet completed 21 ____ moment 22 Sash go-with 23 Ancient capital of Laconia 24 Brew 25 Letters before single, double or triple 26 Lace tip 27 Casting doubt on 30 Lake Volta’s land 31 The best, informally 32 Radio/TV character played in film by Michael Horse (1981) and Johnny Depp (2013) 33 Like some ruins in the Western Hemisphere 35 Lookalike 36 8.5” x 11”: Abbr. 37 Scare quote? 38 Words of resignation 40 Topic concerned with hacking and software rights 42 Put on a few layers 44 Three-star mil. rank 45 Pope who supported the House of Borgia 47 Diminishing returns? 50 They’re between shoulders 54 Word with shot or suit 55 Rowdydow 56 Not abstaining 57 Much sales 58 “No bid” 60 An end to depend 62 Head honcho 63 “Resume speed,” msically 64 Emailing option 65 Riddle-ending query 67 Toward the stern 69 Its first letter stands for “India” 70 Certain tenant 72 Lex, e.g., in NYC 74 Misfortunes 75 Going for broke 77 Sides in Risk 78 Bette Midler’s “Divine” nickname 80 Tense periods, for short 82 Archer of film

83 Dangerous environment 84 Easy-to-swallow pill 85 Food item cracked open before eating 87 Prized duck 89 It comes after II Chronicles 91 “Today was just brutal!” 94 Coiner of the term “Oedipus complex” 96 / 97 Thickheaded 100 Words of denial 101 Lost 103 All-nighter aid 105 Sets of plotted points 106 Shade of pink 108 Immediately … or where this puzzle’s five shaded squares appear? 111 Floor 112 Japanese symbol of luck 113 Largo or lento 114 Swimming 115 Notable schemer 116 Some dash lengths 117 Rock stars are frequently on this 118 Come out 119 Standard parts of combo meals 120 “I’m good, thanks” 121 E-tail site since 2005 122 King’s speech?

DOWN 1 Kind of year 2 Collision 3 Calf raised for its meat 4 Gloucester and Kent in King Lear 5 Certain bubbly, informally 6 Final work of Willa Cather’s Prairie Trilogy 7 Tennis commentator’s cry 8 Police officer who’s not necessarily on horseback 9 “Play next” command on a music app 10 Shade of green 11 Cowboy’s rope 12 “Here we go again …” 13 Followers of openers 14 By oneself, in a way 15 It’s played for half a beat in 4/4 time 16 Country whose name consists of three consecutive state

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ACCOUNTING/HR MANAGER Marian Harrison

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Karen Holmes CIRCULATION MANAGER Chad Bleakley

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PUBLISHER Peter J. Brzycki

MARKETING ASSISTANT Kendall Bleakley

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postal abbreviations 17 Peaceful 18 ____ spawn (hellions) 28 “Ooh, let’s do that!” 29 “Eww, that’s enough!” 34 MetLife Stadium team, on scoreboards 37 Clear and set, as tables 39 Scanned IDs 41 Italian pistol 42 Gets to 43 One who cracks the whip? 44 Plastic construction piece 45 Serving in a red-and-white striped box 46 Totally out 48 Juice brand 49 Longtime NBA on TNT analyst 51 Who wrote “Some people talk to animals. Not many listen,

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though. That’s the problem.” 52 Action of a ladle 53 Miss ____ (2016 political thriller) 54 Some fall births 57 Heroes of the Battle of Britain, for short 59 Babe 61 Mannerly 66 Freelancers’ units: Abbr. 68 Colorful treat that resembles a rocket 71 All-Star Mets catcher of the 1990s-2000s 73 Corner PC key 74 Tow destination 76 Scat snippet 79 “Quién ____?” 81 Sanctuaries 84 Be conned 86 [Shiver]

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88 With 93-Down, half of a double helix 90 Skunklike, say 91 Like TV but not radio? 92 “Old MacDonald” farm sounds 93 See 88-Down 94 Purchase at an African market 95 “Yay, team!” 97 Cause damage 98 Volunteer’s declaration 99 Snowball fighter’s protection 102 Botanical opening 104 Marriage money 105 “Ciao!” 107 Gifts that one usually bows when receiving 109 Certain dirección 110 What stars have

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N A S A L

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R C L O E I B O M P E S S N E D A W U R A A S T I L O T W H Z S E M A Y A L E T T H F I S H S T O H U T

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: Write a parable or fairy tale that captures what your life has been like in 2018. Testify at Freewillastrology.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19)

the coming year, I’ll be rooting for you to draw inspiration from the latter, not the former. Erecting new boundaries will be healthy for you—if it’s done out of love and for the sake of your health, not out of fear and divisiveness.

Consumer Reports says that between 1975 and 2008, the average number of products for sale in a supermarket rose from about 9,000 to nearly 47,000. The glut is holding steady. Years ago you selected from among three or four brands of soup and shampoo. Nowadays you may be faced with twenty varieties of each. I suspect that 2019 will bring a comparable expansion in some of your life choices, Aries—especially when you’re deciding what to do with your future and who your allies should be. This could be both a problem and a blessing. For best results, opt for choices that have all three of these qualities: fun, usefulness, and meaningfulness.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Cancerian poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau advised artists to notice the aspects of their work that critics didn’t like—and then cultivate those precise aspects. He regarded the disparaged or misconstrued elements as being key to an artist’s uniqueness and originality, even if they were as-yet immature. I’m expanding his suggestion and applying it to all of you Crabs during the next ten months, even if you’re not strictly an artist. Watch carefully what your community seems to misunderstand about the new trends you’re pursuing, and work hard to ripen them.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

People have been trying to convert ordinary metals into gold since at least 300 AD. At that time, an Egyptian alchemist named Zosimos of Panopolis unsuccessfully mixed sulfur and mercury in the hope of performing such magic. Fourteen centuries later, seminal scientist Isaac Newton also failed in his efforts to produce gold from cheap metal. But now let’s fast forward to twentiethcentury chemist Glenn T. Seaborg, a distinguished researcher who won a share of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1951. He and his team did an experiment with bismuth, an element that’s immediately adjacent to lead on the periodical table. By using a particle accelerator, they literally transmuted a small quantity of bismuth into gold. I propose that we make this your teaching story for 2019. May it inspire you to seek transformations that have never before been possible.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

United States President Donald Trump wants to build a concrete and fenced wall between Mexico and America, hoping to slow down the flow of immigrants across the border. Meanwhile, twelve Northern African countries are collaborating to build a 4,750-mile-long wall of drought-resistant trees at the border of the Sahara, hoping to stop the desert from swallowing up farmland. During

In 1891, a 29-year-old British mother named Constance Garnett decided she would study the Russian language and become a translator. She learned fast. During the next forty years, she produced English translations of 71 Russian literary books, including works by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Turgenev, and Chekhov. Many had never before been rendered in English. I see 2019 as a Constance Garnett-type year for you, Leo. Any late-blooming potential you might possess could enter a period of rapid maturation. Awash in enthusiasm and ambition, you’ll have the power to launch a new phase of development that could animate and motivate you for a long time.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

I’ll be bold and predict that 2019 will be a nurturing chapter in your story; a time when you will feel loved and supported to a greater degree than usual; a phase when you will be more at home in your body and more at peace with your fate than you have in a long time. I have chosen an appropriate blessing to bestow upon you, written by the poet Claire Wahmanholm. Speak her words as if they were your own. “On Earth I am held, honeysuckled not just by honeysuckle but by everything—marigolds, bog after bog of small sundews, the cold smell of spruce.”

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

“Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out.” This advice is sometimes attributed to sixteenth-century politician and cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Now I’m offering it to you as one of your important themes in 2019. Here’s how you can best take it to heart. First, be extremely discerning about what ideas, theories, and opinions you allow to flow into your imagination. Make sure they’re based on objective facts and make sure they’re good for you. Second, be aggressive about purging old ideas, theories, and opinions from your head, especially if they’re outmoded, unfounded, or toxic.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Memorize this quote by author Peter Newton and keep it close to your awareness during the coming months: “No remorse. No if-onlys. Just the alertness of being.” Here’s another useful maxim, this one from author Mignon McLaughlin: “Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.” Shall we make it a lucky three mottoes to live by in 2019? This one’s by author A. A. Milne: “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Until 1920, most American women didn’t have the right to vote. For that matter, few had ever been candidates for public office. There were exceptions. In 1866, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the first to seek a seat in Congress. In 1875, Victoria Woodhull ran for president. Susanna Salter became the first woman mayor in 1887. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Sagittarius, 2019 will be a Stanton-Woodhull-Salter type of year for you. You’re likely to be ahead of your time and primed to innovate. You’ll have the courage and resourcefulness necessary to try seemingly unlikely and unprecedented feats, and you’ll have a knack for ushering the future into the present.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Studies show that the best possible solution to the problem of homelessness is to provide cheap or free living spaces for the homeless. Not only is it the most effective way of helping the people involved; in the long run, it’s

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Many people in Iceland write poems, but only a few publish them. There’s even a term for those who put their creations away in a drawer rather than seeking an audience: skúffuskáld, literally translated as “drawerpoet.” Is there a comparable phenomenon in your life, Aquarius? Do you produce some good thing but never share it? Is there a part of you that you’re proud of but keep secret? Is there an aspect of your ongoing adventures that’s meaningful but mostly private? If so, 2019 will be the year you might want to change your mind about it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Scientists at Goldsmiths University in London did a study to determine the catchiest pop song ever recorded. After extensive research in which they evaluated an array of factors, they decided that Queen’s “We Are the Champions” is the song that more people love to sing than any other. This triumphant tune happens to be your theme song in 2019. I suggest you learn the lyrics and melody, and sing it once every day. It should help you build on the natural confidence-building influences that will be streaming into your life.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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also the least expensive. Is there a comparable problem in your personal life? A chronic difficulty that you keep putting band-aids on but that never gets much better? I’m happy to inform you that 2019 will be a favorable time to dig down to find deeper, more fundamental solutions; to finally fix a troublesome issue rather than just addressing its symptoms.

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