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Heart of Hip-Hop and King of Kings, Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café is quickly becoming an incubator for OKC’s hip-hop culture.

By Jeremy Martin Cover by Kimberly Lynch Photos by Alexa Ace

NEWS 4 CITY consumer fraud

6 CITY Pivot Project’s Girl Talk

program

7 STATE TEEM culinary arts classes 9

COMMENTARY

ordinance

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panhandling

10 CHICKEN-FRIED NEWS

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12 MARIJUANA Redbud Soil Company 13 THC GREEN GLOSSARY

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FUN 34 PUZZLES sudoku | crossword 34 SKULLDUGGERY LANE CARTOON 35 STARGAZER

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Internet access made white-collar crimes such as identity theft much easier to commit. | Photo Bigstock.com

Criminal X

Oklahoma law enforcement officers shed light on a crime they say too often remains in the dark.

By Nazarene Harris

Six years ago, retired Oklahoma City Police officer Edward Stupka took his car to his local tag agency for renewal and got the shock of a lifetime.

“They said the tag’s already been renewed,” he said. “I said, ‘I promise it has not. My car is outside, and I haven’t renewed it yet.’”

After several conversations with police officers, dozens of trips to state government offices and one long emotional roller coaster, Stupka said he realized someone had stolen his identity to obtain the title to his 2003 Chevy Tahoe.

Stupka said after the conman stole his identity, he stole a car similar to his and sold it to an unsuspecting buyer.

“I guess really there were two victims in this case,” Stupka said. “It upset me because as a police officer, I didn’t think this could happen to me.”

He took precautions to safeguard himself from identity theft before he became a victim. He shredded his mail religiously.

After 27 years as a police officer and after suffering from identity theft in 2013, Stupka, 62, said he believes no one can ever completely safeguard themselves from identity theft and the invention of the internet has made whitecollar crimes more prevalent.

“When it comes to identity theft, the internet can be the devil,” he said.

Untraceable

According to a 2018 report released by Federal Trade Commission, identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the nation, where an average 35,000 identities are stolen each year.

Stupka is one of countless Oklahomans who have fallen victim to the white-collar crime, Oklahoma City Police Department spokesman Gary Knight said.

It’s ironic, he said, that identity theft happens so often, yet there’s rarely a 4

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face associated with the crime.

“Identity theft cases are incredibly difficult to solve,” Knight said. “If the crime is committed without evidence and it doesn’t happen locally, that makes solving it even more difficult.”

It upset me because as a police officer, I didn’t think this could happen to me.

Edward Stupka In the instance that a credit card is stolen or taken out in someone’s name and then used at local retailer, police stations work with the retailer to capture video surveillance footage and target the suspected criminal. Knight said the internet levels out any harm it could induce by white-collar criminals when police stations post screenshots of alleged suspects on social media.

“Social media becomes incredibly helpful in instances were the crime is committed locally and there is evidence,” he said.

When a criminal steals the identity of an Oklahoman over the internet, telephone or out from across state lines, Knight said, more cases than not become manageable rather than solvable.

“The person who steals an identity could be your neighbor or some guy working out of a hotel in a foreign country,” he said.

Likewise, Knight said, identity theft crimes can be as simple as someone stealing a credit card from a purse and using it at a local Walmart or as complex as involving well-organized foreign offices connected to and communicating with local criminals.

There have been instances, Knight

said, when police officers have raided local hotel rooms and discovered several individuals working on computers with stacks of social security numbers in hand.

While the idea of intelligent whitecollar criminals actively preying on random individuals can be terrifying, Knight said case studies have proven that most of the criminals are not as smart as they are perceived to be and that most instances of identity theft are not life-altering.

“There are exceptions to every rule,” he said. “But more often than not, we’ve found that identity theft is more of an inconvenience than a tragedy.”

Oklahoma attorney general Mike Hunter said even though identity theft crimes are prevalent and difficult to prosecute, there remain tactics individuals can use to prevent themselves from becoming victims.

“I tell people that one of the easiest and best things they can do to prevent themselves from falling victim is to screen their calls,” Hunter said. “Don’t pick up a phone call if you don’t know who’s calling. If the person is legitimate, they’ll leave a voice message.”

In collaboration with the Attorney General Offices’ Consumer Protection Unit, Hunter and state experts on whitecollar crime regularly hold seminars educating the public on how they can prevent themselves from becoming victims of identity theft and what they can do if they suspect their identity has been stolen.

While the Consumer Protection Unit can take complaints and investigate whitecollar crimes, Hunter said a person’s first point of contact should be the police.

A 2018 Child Identity Fraud Study published by financial advisory firm Javelin Strategy & Research found that a disturbing increase has been seen in the number of children whose identities are stolen each year.

According to the study, more than 1 million children in the United States were victims of identity theft in 2017.

The study revealed that nearly half of all child victims were under the age of 12.

Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to victims of identity theft in the U.S., reported that warning signs parents should look out for include receiving calls

from collection agencies or credit cards sent to the family’s home in the child’s name, a child receiving preapproved credit card offers and evidence that a credit report exists in a child’s name.

Stupka said he has learned the hard way that identity theft criminals don’t discriminate when it comes to choosing their victims. While the suspect in his case remains at large, Stupka said he was able to reclaim the title to his car with a payment of $300.

“I know it’s not a large sum,” Stupka said. “But when you’re having to pay for the crimes committed against you by someone else, it feels that way.”

Stupka said he believes fees associated with reclaiming one’s identity should be waived in the instance that a police report has been filed.

Prevention On its website, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has posted the following steps individuals can take to prevent becoming victims of identity theft: •

Never throw away ATM receipts, credit statements, credit cards or bank statements in a usable form.

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Never give your credit card number or social security number over the telephone unless you make the call.

•

Reconcile your bank account monthly and notify your bank of discrepancies immediately.

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Keep a list of telephone numbers to call to report the loss or theft of your wallet, credit cards, etc.

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Report unauthorized financial transactions to your bank, credit card company and the police as soon as you detect them.

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Review a copy of your credit report at least once each year.

Notify the credit bureau in writing of any questionable entries and follow through until they are explained or removed.

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If your identity has been assumed, ask the credit bureau to print a statement to that effect in your credit report.

•

If you know of anyone who receives mail from credit card companies or banks in the names of others, report it to local or federal law enforcement authorities.

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Girls at Pivot - A Turning Point for Youth can participate in Girl Talk once a month and hear from professional women from the community who have overcome adversity. | Photo provided

Pivot project

Researchers find a link between expanding Medicaid for low-income adults and insuring children. By Nazarene Harris

When Shantel Farrow was 6 years old, she learned that nothing could be done about the sexual molestation she had endured that year. After telling her mother that a friend of the family had sexually molested her, the mother-and-daughter duo went to their local police department in Oklahoma to report the incident but left the station somber, with the realization that the young girl’s perpetrator would remain unpunished and free to continue harming other young girls.

Though the perpetrator was shunned from Farrow’s family, other abusers would enter her life throughout her adolescent years. With an engrained belief that the police would not help based on that first impression with law enforcement, Farrow never reported the abuse. It was revealed to her family only when, at 14 years old, Farrow attempted to take her own life.

“I internalized everything,” Farrow said. “I really withdrew from friends and family. I thought if I got too close to someone, I’d have to eventually tell them what was going on, and doing that seemed like a very scary thing to do, so I kept my friendships very surfacelevel for a long time.”

After her attempted suicide, Farrow immersed herself in her church and met her first mentor, youth director Rae Ann Wilson.

“She saw me for me,” Farrow said.

“She helped me identify my strengths.

When she learned that I made good grades in school, she insisted on paying 6

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for me to take the SAT and ACT and for my college applications.”

Farrow took her newfound appreciation for mentorship with her to University of Oklahoma, where she studied sociology. During college, she attended her first therapy session, an experience she said changed her life.

She went on to earn a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and was determined to impact others the way Wilson had impacted her.

Today, Farrow is a 37-year-old mother of three and a licensed marital and family therapist who works fulltime as a therapist and intake manager at Oklahoma City-based nonprofit Pivot – A Turning Point for Youth.

Pivot allows Farrow to use her passion for therapy and mentorship to make a difference in the lives of those who the organization’s vice president of development and community engagement Melanie Anthony calls society’s most often overlooked and undervalued.

Turning point

While a teenager’s face might not be the one that comes to mind when a person hears the word “homeless,” Anthony said there are many homeless teens in Oklahoma.

They are couch-surfing at their friends’ houses, living in their cars, weighing the pros and cons of going to a homeless shelter and, when necessary, camping out under bridges.

According to a 2013 study from The

American Institute for Research, Oklahoma ranked fifth in the nation for the number of children under the age of 18 who were homeless that year.

The report revealed that in 2013, 43,643 children were homeless throughout the Sooner State. Most were residing in transient and temporary living conditions.

When considering seeking help or searching for a homeless shelter, Anthony said she hopes adolescents will consider Pivot.

Pivot’s mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of Oklahoma’s youth through offering participants housing and basic needs like food and clothing, education and job assistance, prevention, intervention and therapeutic care through one-on-one or group therapy sessions.

Those who receive help through Pivot are usually between the ages of 12 and 21, but Anthony said no one who comes to the organization for help is ever turned away.

Pivot offers those in need with an onsite six-bed emergency shelter and additional onsite shelters for those who need to stay for longer periods of time.

“We’ve had kids walk in our front door and say, ‘My friend told me if I ever needed help, I should go here,’” Anthony said. “That’s the reputation we want.”

Pivot – A Turning Point for Youth rebranded itself last year after realizing that the organization’s former name, Youth Services for Oklahoma County, seemed to suggest an affiliation with the state or federal government.

On the nonprofit’s website, organizers tell their story.

“Since 1972, Youth Services for Oklahoma County has positively impacted the lives of young people and their families. While our services have impacted thousands, our name has been a source of confusion for those outside

our orbit. Many would-be supporters have had trouble understanding our role. ‘Are you a government agency?’ some asked, due to our institutional sounding name. ‘Why should I donate — don’t you get money from the state?’ others asked. And often, people even ask, ‘What exactly do you do?’ It was time for a change,” Pivot president and CEO Kami Kuykendall wrote. “Our new name is about that moment when young people realize, ‘Yes, I can do this!’ It’s the point where confidence, self-esteem and the support of a dedicated adult inspire a positive change that leads to a lifetime of success and fulfillment.”

Farrow and Anthony recognize that the new name conveys that the organization is a place youth can turn to when in need.

With the desire to do more at Pivot, Farrow recently created Girl Talk, a monthly event where a professional woman who resides in Oklahoma visits Pivot to talk with some of the young girls receiving services from the organization.

The speaker, Farrow said, is usually a woman who overcame challenges and adversity similar to what the girls participating in the event might currently be going through.

“Someone can tell a person what they should do all day long, but these kids are smart and they want to hear from authentic people,” Farrow said. “When they know they are hearing from someone who’s gone through what they’re going through, it makes a big difference.”

Farrow shares her story of surviving abuse with the youth she counsels at Pivot and hopes that by doing so, they will open up to her in return so the cycle of healing, mentorship and support can continue.

The next Girl Talk event is 4 p.m. Feb. 11 at Pivot – A Turning Point for Youth, 201 NE 50th St. Visit pivotok.org.

Shantel Farrow is a therapist and intake manager at Pivot - A Turning Point for Youth. She created the organization’s new mentorship event Girl Talk. | Photo provided

S TAT E

Cooking dreams

The Education and Employment Ministry, TEEM, offers inmates the chance to gain cooking skills.

By Nazarene Harris

Deborah Palmer and Joby Johnson were two of 10 incarcerated Oklahomans who found hope and healing in the kitchen this fall. The duo participated in culinary classes provided by Oklahoma City-based nonprofit organization TEEM, The Education and Employment Ministry, at 1501 N. Classen Blvd.

Since 1987, TEEM has assisted those recovering from addiction or reentering society after incarceration with employment opportunities and social services.

From 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. for five days a week, the friends prepared entrees from sushi to gumbo and everything in between, TEEM executive director Kris Steele said.

While TEEM has offered culinary art classes to inmates since 2012, Steele said the latest graduates are the first ones in over a year. The program was stalled when TEEM’s headquarters changed locations in 2016.

Equipped with a new state-of-theart kitchen and new chef Steven Joule, program organizers hope the culinary arts program will change lives.

“We started with culinary arts training because there are a myriad of opportunities within the food service industry,” Steele said. “Graduates of the program can become waiters or waitresses, cooks, greeters, receptionists, shift managers, caterers and, of course, chefs as well.”

All graduates receive a ServSafe certificate upon completion of TEEM’s monthlong culinary arts program.

Certificates are administered through National Restaurant Association, representing mastery in food preparation, holding and serving and helping job applicants stand out, Steele said.

Before classes begin, inmates undergo an intensive screening and

Deborah Palmer graduated from TEEM’s culinary arts program in December. | Photo TEEM / provided

thorough interview process. In general, class participants are nonviolent offenders who are nearing the end of their incarceration. The idea is to offer inmates education they can use immediately upon their prison release.

Visionary meals

Steele said Palmer, 35, is a shining example of the program’s success.

Not even a month after graduating from TEEM’s culinary arts program and being released from prison, Palmer has interviews lined up with some of Oklahoma City’s most acclaimed restaurants.

“Before I took this class, I didn’t even know what a poached egg was,” Palmer said. “I can make that easily now.”

Palmer hopes to cook for guests at Oklahoma City’s 21c Museum Hotel’s restaurant, Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge. While cooking for guests at Mary Eddy’s would be a dream come true, Palmer said it pales in comparison to cooking for her favorite people: her 17-year-old son Logan and her 5-yearold twin daughters.

Palmer was released from prison on Dec. 21, a few weeks after she graduated from TEEM’s culinary arts program. For the past four years, she served time in prison for drug offenses.

While in prison, Palmer’s mother cared for Logan while her sister cared for her daughters. Palmer dreamed of cooking meals for her children when she was in the kitchen with her TEEM classmates.

“I was a boxed dinner kind of girl,” she said. “I joined the program mostly continued on page 8

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Not that we know anybody in town who does that.

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with the hope of learning how to cook meals at home for my family after getting out of prison. I never really imagined I could take it much further than that.”

Part of teaching inmates to become good cooks, Joule said, is teaching them how to believe in themselves again.

“One of my favorite parts of the class takes place during the restaurant- and menu-building stage where students are put into teams and they have to come up with a concept, restaurant name, menu and costs,” Joule said.

“Watching people’s eyes light up with visions and dreams of things to come, and putting those things on paper quickly makes it real for each person.”

A Bible verse Joule lives by is Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people will perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

For Johnson, 27, reclaiming his life’s vision has been an uphill battle.

“Right now, I’m just trying to focus on the basics — getting a job, a car, a stable place to live,” Johnson said. “The fun can come later.”

His definition of fun changed dramatically during the three years he spent in prison for drug-related offenses.

He admitted to using and selling marijuana.

“I was addicted to drugs, but I also enjoyed getting a quick buck; that was addicting to me too. I thought I was having a good time,” Johnson said. “I know now that that’s not what fun is, that’s not what life is about.”

With the help of family members and TEEM, Johnson is working on obtaining employment with a restaurant in the Oklahoma City metro, preferably one that specializes in seafood.

“Lobster… that’s hands down my favorite meal to make and to eat,” Johnson said. “I love seafood.”

While anxiety and regret hits him from time to time, Johnson said the dream of cooking for his 6-year-old daughter regularly keeps him going.

His daughter currently lives with family members, but Johnson said with

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each move he makes toward stability, the possibility of the two bonding over home-cooked meals becomes more of a reality.

He hopes to make his daughter spicy taco salad, one of his favorite dishes.

Johnson cooks the entree by combining cooked ground beef, lettuce, cheese, avocados and crushed spicy Dorito chips, scooping the mixture into heated taco shells or bowls and topping it off with a signature sauce.

Johnson graduated from TEEM’s culinary arts program in December shortly before being released from prison.

Palmer said talking to her children about her cooking classes and favorite meals allowed them to bond even while she was still in prison. Now that she’s out, she said she’s lucky enough to already be cooking in the kitchen with her son.

“Logan’s competitive just like me,” Palmer said. “I’ll tell him I can make a steak now, and he’ll say, ‘Me too. I bet I can make it better.’ We’ll both make a steak and let our family decide which one tastes better.”

In the past 30 years, Steele said, TEEM has served more than 15,000 Oklahomans.

“There is no such thing as a spare Oklahoman,” he said.

Culinary arts training is just one way TEEM hopes to equip inmates with what organizers call “micro-credentials,” or education that is provided in a time-conscious manner and focused on building job-related skills.

Micro-credentials usually come with certifications from high-demand industries, Steele said.

While TEEM will continue offering culinary arts training, Steele said organizers hope to expand upon partnerships with area vocational schools to offer TEEM participants training in areas like information technology (IT), construction work and electrical safety.

In addition to educational and employment training, TEEM offers participants free legal aid and case management.

Visit teem.org.

Joby Johnson graduated from TEEM’s culinary arts program in December. | Photo TEEM / provided

CO M M E N TA RY

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.

Blocked intersections

A U.S. district court judge’s upholding of Oklahoma City’s anti-panhandling ordinance does not mean it should stay on the books. By George Lang

On Dec. 19, U.S. district judge Joe Heaton ruled that Oklahoma City’s anti-panhandling ordinance is constitutional. The ordinance, as it was originally written, was designed to clear medians of individuals asking for money at OKC’s busy intersections, but after receiving pushback from organizations that work with the city’s homeless as well as a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) citing First Amendment rights, the ordinance was recast as a traffic safety measure because who can argue with that?

Certainly not The Oklahoman’s Editorial Board. On New Year’s Eve, the newspaper printed an opinion piece saying that “an Oklahoma City ordinance that outlawed panhandling from traffic medians always passed the common-sense test.”

No, it didn’t “always” pass such a test. It was retrofitted as a public safety issue after people with sufficient brain and heart pointed out that Oklahoma City was effectively trying to hide its homeless problem — or more to the point, hide from it.

The editorial writer went on to try to paint ACLU and other detractors as the truly heartless in this matter: “To shrug off the preventable injury or death of panhandlers is inhumane.”

So I decided to contact the City of Oklahoma City to find out if there were any documented incidents of panhandlers being injured while standing on medians.

According to city spokesperson Kristy Yager, police do not identify victims as panhandlers or non-panhandlers when writing incident reports. So any reports of such incidents involving panhandlers are either anecdotal or apocryphal and are being cited to fit your anti-panhandling agenda.

Homelessness has always existed in America, whether it was during the Revolutionary War, when so many men

were fighting for independence that the colonies’ agricultural economy largely depended on itinerant laborers to harvest crops; or the post-Civil War “great depression” that impacted former soldiers, who were wounded and often addicted to the opiates given to them during and after amputations. Homelessness became pandemic during the 1930s Great Depression, during which an estimated 1 in 20 Americans were homeless and many lived in shantytowns that were dubbed “Hoovervilles” because of the economic calamity that took place under the policies of President Herbert Hoover.

His successor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presided over the creation of the social safety net that kept so many people from slipping through society’s cracks. No system is ever perfect, but Roosevelt took us out of centuries in which society’s poorest were put in workhouses, resorted to crime or simply starved.

But in the 1980s, as President Ronald Reagan took office, society and government’s attitudes toward the homeless population took a hard turn. Still dealing with the post-Vietnam recession that caused interest rates to skyrocket, Reagan slashed government programs across the board, including programs benefitting the homeless. During his time in office, Reagan slashed the budget for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by 60 percent. Within that budget, monies set aside for subsidized housing were eviscerated by about 70 percent. Reagan suggested that churches and synagogues carry the burden that was sloughed off by the federal government, which is about as Marie Antoinette as one can get without the powdered wig and hoop skirt.

Yet Reagan appeared to have no selfawareness when it came to the role his administration had in the ballooning of the country’s homeless population. Two

days before Christmas 1988, as he preTimes saying that the right to sleep on pared for his final month in office, Reagan sidewalks “doesn’t exist anywhere” and told ABC’s David Brinkley that homeless “The founding fathers never put that in people were homeless by choice. the Constitution.”

“They make it their own choice for They did, however, put in the Foreign staying out there,” Reagan said. “There Emoluments Clause, but that does not seem are shelters in virtually every city, and to matter to Giuliani, who I guess is a strict shelters here, and those people still prefer constructionist except when he is not. out there on the grates or the lawn to going Not all people who panhandle are homeless, and not all homeless people into one of those shelters.” panhandle. But the recently upheld That was fundamentally false. That following year, I volunteered with the Oklahoma City ordinance against panSalvation Army in San Francisco to help handling disproportionately affects the rescue elderly residents who were trapped city’s homeless or marginalized population. It is, at its heart, descended from a in high-rise retirement homes after the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. In Giulianian notion that people society has addition, I helped serve hot lunches to not welcomed or provided help to should not be seen by the rest of us. Out of sight, people who were displaced by the 6.9 magout of mind. nitude quake, and I quickly came to understand that a great number of them were Fortunately, Mayor David Holt is homeless. We were told that shelters were looking at facilities for Oklahoma City’s packed before the earthquake and were homeless population as a possible comstretched to point of breaking afterward. ponent of the upcoming Metropolitan No one wants to live that way. No one Area Projects 4 (MAPS 4). As development does it by choice. If you are a rugged indicontinues on the west side of downtown, vidualist who prefers the open air, you the homeless in that area are being pushed become a forest ranger, not a sentient, farther away from the important organientirely in-control individual who chooses zations that offer them support in that to sleep on a grate of her or his own accord. neighborhood. This would exceed the The Reagan solution of kicking the can Oklahoma Standard that we, as a society, down the road to the church steps far outdon’t always strive for as much as our lasted him. People who insist that Rudy reputation would suggest.

Giuliani has gone completely bonkers in Beyond that, before the ACLU takes the Trump era suffer from blinkered recthis case to the U.S. Supreme Court, ollection or short-term memory loss. In Oklahoma City should vacate the ordi1999, after two cases that year in which nance and help the people in greatest need two people were attacked by former rather than trying to hide them. mental patients living on the street, Giuliani went into full fire-breather mode and suggested locking up the homeless.

George Lang is editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Gazette and began his career at Gazette in 1994. ‘’Streets do not exist in civilized societ| Photo Gazette / file ies for the purpose of people sleeping there,’’ said “America’s Mayor” during his weekly radio call-in show on Nov. 19, 1999.

“Bedrooms are for sleeping.”

School1.8(3).pdf 1 9/4/18 12:11 PM He wasGazette also quoted in The New York

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Science diet

On Jan. 2, University of Oklahoma meteorologist with the extremely scientific first name Kelvin Droegemeier was approved in a U.S. Senate voice vote to become President Donald Trump’s chief adviser on all things science. For those not familiar with voice votes, it’s kind of like an Applause-O-Meter used during talent competitions or rap battles, or like walking up to a polling place volunteer and yelling, “Yes on State Question 788!”

Now, Chicken-Fried News certainly wishes Droegemeier the best in his new pursuit in the same way we would treat astronauts on the first manned space flight to Mercury: We hope things work out, but who are we kidding? Trump doesn’t like science unless it involves Russian Twitter bots or erectile dysfunction pills. Science gets in the way of good ol’ carbon emissions and usually predicts that Mar-A-Lago will be underwater in a few years.

Regardless of whether sending Droegemeier into the White House for science briefings is like launching a canary into a burning coalmine, he asked for it by giving some really mealy answers during his August confirmation hearings. As reported in The Oklahoman, Droegemeier said he will “welcome all points of view … science rarely provides immutable answers about anything.”

Actually, that’s kind of what science does. The scientific method involves the development ofhypotheses, formulation of theories, measurement-based tests on those theories and then the refining or disproving of those theories based on the findings of the experiment. Zealots in lab coats who prattle about “intelligent design” stop at the theory stage, as do climate change deniers and Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry when he talks about the moon.

So, if Droegemeier had to pretend that he will accept the Flat Earth Society and Jenny McCarthy just as readily as he will meet with Nobel laureate immunologist Bruce Beutler or neuroscientist Cara Santa Maria, CFN assumes that is the price of admission to the Oval Office. But CFN wonders how many times Trump will insist that the moon is really made of cheese and should be mined for curds by the Space Force before Droegemeier runs screaming from the West Wing.

Stealer's remorse

What’s loud, slow and weighs 50,000 pounds? It’s definitely not a certain ChickenFried News staffer trying to get back to work after a drunken New Year’s Eve. The answer would be a parked front loader that was stolen from a construction site in Oklahoma City in early December.

The owner of the stolen CAT 950G reported it missing to Oklahoma City Police Department, which concluded that a thief must have

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driven it off a worksite in the middle of the night … because that’s obviously the most discreet thing to do.

Nonetheless, the tactic worked and the perp might have gotten away with it if the vehicle’s owner didn’t tack missing CAT 950G posters around town.

One man saw the posters and anonymously left the owner an address over the phone. We can only imagine that this Good Samaritan got teary-eyed by the memory of his own front loader that also went missing one cold winter night.

That, or he was the actual perpetrator with stealer’s remorse, and that front loader was like The Tell-Tale Heart with really pungent exhaust.

Either way, the owner tracked his front loader down, found it in an empty field, drove it back to OKC and hopefully made sure to lock it up before he closed it down for the day.

Thus reads the happy ending of a made-inOklahoma children’s bedtime story.

The moral of the story?

Keep your filthy hands off my front loader, son.

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Snow patrol

In its first month of operation, Oklahoma City Streetcar could take a cue from the U.S. Postal Service’s unofficial motto of “neither snow nor rain nor gloom.” The streetcar’s operations have been thwarted due to street flooding, icy conditions and clueless parking jobs from people who don’t know what it means to stay inside a white line.

During the “great snow storm of 2019,” the streetcars had to run a reduced schedule on battery power due to ice accumulation on the streetcar’s power wires. During the wintery weather, it serviced about half of its 6.9mile loop, which is great if you want to ride around Midtown in a circle. Who hasn’t wanted to do that?

Another streetcar was delayed due to flooding after a street drain was clogged, proving that three inches of water was too much for our new civic toy.

The streetcar system drew the wrath of The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer, who took to Twitter to complain about long wait times in “dangerously freezing temperatures” on New Year’s Eve. “It’s time for EmBark to get their act

together on screen arrival times,” he wrote while tagging the department and streetcar’s Twitter profiles.

State Rep. Forrest Bennett brought up a good point when he compared the fancy new streetcars to the city’s venerable busing system. The streetcars are located mostly Downtown and Midtown with plenty of benches, digital wait times and access to retail for warmth. Many people who use the city’s public bus system do not have the same luxury.

While there are still kinks to work out of the streetcar system, it seems to delivering what city leaders wanted it to be: a nice story for when national writers come to chronicle the success of MAPS3.

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M A R I J UA N A

THE HIGH CULTURE

Redbud roots

A local soil company specializes in producing the perfect soil in which to grow medical marijuana. By Matt Dinger

If you need the dirt on growing cannabis in organic soil, Redbud Soil Company is the place to get it.

Co-owners Chris Brady and John Martin have known each other since eighth grade, and it’s apparent by the way they can finish each other’s thoughts.

“When [State Question] 788 passed, I called Chris about maybe consulting me doing a grow, and Chris decided to inform me that that wasn’t a good idea for me to do,” Martin said.

“That was a real nice way of putting it,” Brady said.

“Then a couple days later, he called me and goes, ‘You know what? I do have an idea though,’” Martin said.

And thus Redbud Soil, 1113 NW First St., was born.

“I’ve been growing for 10 years, and when I started growing, I learned real quickly that I didn’t like what was on the shelves, so I always made my own stuff and that’s where the soil came from,” Brady said. “When I started to grow, I lived in Arkansas, in Eureka Springs. ... Super-soil was still a thing.

People still use that term today, unfortunately. That was what we kind of started with. And then it turned into recycled organic living soil a few years later. And so, you know, I started making Redbud Soil Company specializes in sustainable soil that can be used for years. | Photo Alexa Ace

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my own soil and throwing it away, and then that didn’t last very long because I realized it was such a waste, so I will recycle it into my outdoor vegetable garden and things like that. And then we got to the point probably a year into it, a year and a half into it, of being able to recycle it and keep it for years, and so then that morphed into turn it into no-till. And no-till is, instead of having to recycle it, you put worms in there, you have bugs in it, you put it in the pot, you don’t touch it for years, so it was definitely a multi-year process to get to where we are now.”

A 1.5 cubic foot of soil is $24.99, and a yard costs $275. It takes about 45 minutes to make.

“You’re not going to buy a soil from another store that is this high quality and that is this alive,” Brady said. “It’s impossible. This would be the Cadillac/ Lexus of soils. The good thing is, I only sell it to you one time. You buy it one time and you keep it in the pots for five to eight years.”

The living organisms generate enough heat that the soil is nearly hot beneath the surface. Plunging your hand into it feels like slipping your hand into a glove that someone has been wearing for hours.

“Unlike FoxFarm and all those other things, you buy that and maybe try to recycle it yourself or you throw it away, you can keep this for five years,” Brady said. “No more soil you have to get ever.

Just cover crops and amendments between cycles. There’s worms in there; they eat everything. Just curate some specific insects and that’s it.”

A “cover crop” like clover helps aerate the soil, he said, which prevents compaction issues that lead to things like root death in cannabis plants.

“The cover crops help shoot roots down and keep the soil open and breathing,” he said. “If we’re doing any kind of trimming or defoliation or anything like that, we’re going to throw it on the top and just let the worms eat it and turn it into nutrients again. Nothing gets wasted. We try to mimic outside as much as we can inside, because you know, in the fall, what happens? Leaves fall. It goes back into the earth and we do it all again. We’re just doing that every three months.”

Worms will not need to be added again.

“They’ll totally survive. ... They will self-regulate how many can be in that pot,” Brady said.

Once the soil is ready to go, it only requires a quart of water three times a week.

“The water-holding increases as the soil ages,” Brady said. “Zero to six

months, it’s going to be okay. Six to 12 months, it starts getting pretty good.

After 12 months, you can water next to nothing. If you have water that runs out of this pot, you’re watering too much. If you get one drop on the ground, you overwatered. The whole point is to conserve, and this just turns into this living mass.”

Along the way, there are “soil amendments” that need to be added. Keeping in line with Redbud’s mission, it makes some of them from the waste of nearby local businesses. Its lactic acid bacterial serum is made from old milk from Urban Agrarian in the Farmers Market District, while its bokashi — a Japanese term that means “fermented organic matter” — is made from spent grains from Stonecloud Brewing Co. right up the street.

“I’d like to just get people onto organics using no chemicals,” Brady said.

“There’s no chemicals in our store anywhere. Everything’s 100 percent natural. We just want to have people grow the highest-quality, high-terpene, organic cannabis possible and not screw up a lot of stuff, help them get ahead of the curve.”

While it all seems relatively simple,

Redbud Soil Company | Photo Alexa Ace

there is more that goes into a successful cannabis grow. If you need help, Redbud charges for consulting a commercial growing operation but will help customers with simple advice for their home grows for free.

“To be realistic, I’ve fucked up enough shit that if you pay me for two hours, I can line you out so good,” Brady said.

“It doesn’t cost you as much as losing your entire crop,” Martin said.

While winter has technically just started, spring isn’t far away and patients who are planning to grow in enclosed outdoor spaces at home will need to get started soon. Redbud also sells packages of seeds for $30 and will be selling clones soon.

“If you’re going to do outdoor, you’ve got to start planning in about a month and a half,” Brady said. “You’d probably already need to get your cloning going and get everything prepped for outdoor right now and get your soil ordered. We make it all here by hand.”

Chris Brady and John Martin own Redbud Soil Company | Photo Alexa Ace

THC

GREEN GLOSSARY

DISPENSARY This is a business, usually a retail location, where patients can consult with a budtender to select and purchase medical marijuana.

These are safe access points, places where a patient with a license can avoid going through black market providers to get their cannabis. Some dispensaries are also cultivators and sell their own flowers onsite, while others depend on outside cultivators.

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EDIBLES So you have your medical marijuana license but the days of smoking up are past you? Edibles can be an effective method of ingesting THC without lighting up. Edibles can be found in the form of gummies or candy bars with recommended dosages on the wrappers, or they can be prepared at home using cannabis butter or infused cooking oil. Just be prepared to wait for impact — it takes usually around 45 minutes to feel the effects from edibles, while only a couple of minutes for smoking or vaporizing.

FLOWERING TIME This is the amount of time it takes for a marijuana plant to go from sprout to harvest. Certain varieties do take longer, like sativa, which requires a few more weeks to reach harvest than the indica varieties, and that can make a difference on what cultivators decide to grow.

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THE HIGH CULTURE TOKE BOARD

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CONSUMERS natural person or entity in whose name a marijuana license would be issued

Applications Approved: 28,005

DISPENSARIES allows the entity to purchase medical marijuana from a processer licensee or grower licensee and sell medical marijuana only to qualified patients, or their parents or legal guardian(s) if applicable, and caregivers

Applications Approved: 826

GROWERS allows the entity to grow, harvest, and package medical marijuana for the purpose of selling medical marijuana to a dispensary, processor, or researcher

Applications Approved: 1,357

SOURCE January 7, 2019 twitter.com/ommaok

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M A R I J UA N A

Applications Received: 35,802

Busted plans

A past out-of-state warrant resulted in a local cannabis businessman spending nearly a month in jail without charges. By Matt Dinger

Daniel Newberg expected to open his medical marijuana dispensary, No Rhyme or Reason Kratom Shoppe & CBD, after the paperwork went through in November. Now, he sees no rhyme or reason why his application cost him nearly a month of his life behind bars.

Newberg was in the process of converting one of his shops to a cannabis business. He got his Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) approval. He was cleared by Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). Then his name landed on the desks at Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control (OBN).

“They called me the week of Nov. 9th asking to inspect — like a pre-inspection for the dispensary,” Newberg said. “They just want to see where I’m planning on storing stuff in storage and if I have my safe. They understand that we could be in mid-construction. Most people are.

It’s just one of the things that we had to do. So I was like, ‘Okay, yeah that’s fine,’ and I scheduled it for the 13th.

“That Tuesday, my business partner actually came to the 10:30 appointment.

I didn’t think we’d all have to be there.

They basically did nothing and they told him that they needed all the partners available. And they rescheduled it for later on that afternoon, and in the meantime, they confirmed that I would be there, but they also went to my grandparents’ house looking for me.”

Newberg said OBN agents also went to his other three stores looking for him before he arrived at the proposed dispensary location, 7910 N. May Ave. “They walked in and immediately said that I had a warrant out of state in Tarrant County [Texas]. You know, ‘Put

your hands behind your back,’” Newberg said.

It would be more than three weeks before he walked free.

In March 2012, Newberg was charged in Tarrant County District Court with theft of property valued at $1,500 to $20,000, court records show.

Newberg was working for an apartment complex, and as part of his pay, was given a unit for free.

“I was young and dumb,” he said. “I accepted a payment for rent that wasn’t for me, and I had them write it to me, basically. Wrote it to my company. And it shouldn’t have been. And I was basically subleasing an apartment that was given to me for free and whatnot.”

Newberg flew from Los Angeles to Texas after he was charged. He said he pleaded guilty to a lesser offense and was given a two-year deferred sentence with some community service. He immediately paid the restitution — approximately $3,500 — and transferred the case to Oklahoma. He spent the next two years without incident and thought the case was concluded.

Because Newberg did not appear before a judge at the end of his probation, a felony warrant was issued for him out of Tarrant County. OMMA didn’t see it. OSBI didn’t see it.

Oklahoma City police didn’t see it when they pulled him over less than two weeks before his arrest.

But OBN did.

Newberg spent nine days in the Oklahoma County jail, where he waived extradition and was picked up by a third-party transport company on Thanksgiving.

“We traipse across Oklahoma and

Daniel Newberg spent nearly one month in jail after his dispensary application got flagged over an out-of-state warrant. | Photo Alexa Ace

Texas for three days, picking up other inmates as we’re shackled hands and feet in the back of this, it looks like a dog-catcher van,” he said. “That’s how I keep referring to it. So it took us three days to go what would have taken me three and a half hours. I didn’t arrive there until that Saturday at 10 or 11 p.m.”

That was Nov. 25. When Newberg finally had a court date on Dec. 7, the felony warrant was dismissed, Tarrant County court records show.

“Apparently, there was a letter that they sent, and I guess it got sent back to them is what we found out at the court here recently about that final court date,” he said. “And, you know, all these years, I didn’t know. I thought I actually completed probation, otherwise I would have went down there and did it myself.”

He returned to a life in ruins. His business partners wanted to pull out.

One of his stores in Norman had been forced to close. Employees were quitting and his sales were down. And his husband — who felt like Newberg had been hiding a criminal past — decided to separate from him.

“I’ve been an emotional wreck since then,” Newberg said on New Year’s Eve. “I’m just now getting back to normal, I think. You know, it’s hard. It was the most terrifying experience of my life; I know that. Some of the stuff that I saw in there was pretty ridiculous; the way they treated the inmates was inhumane. I feel like animals get treated better. You know, I think that’s gonna be an emotional toll on me for the rest of my life. And I can’t see a therapist because all my money is tied up right now. I’m trying to pinch pennies so this wasn’t all for nothing because I’m not gonna let them win, basically.”

OBN spokesman Mark Woodward said the bureau’s hands were tied in the matter.

“Because he applied with us and we did a background, it was our background that found that he had a felony warrant,”

Woodward said. “We contacted Texas.

They said, ‘Yes, if you have the opportunity to get him, we want him back.’ And, of course, on a felony, you’re commanded by the court. You don’t have discretion, like on a misdemeanor.”

But Newberg’s attorney, Blake Johnson, questions OBN’s authority in the licensing process.

“It’s not at all clear that [State Question] 788 intended to give OBNDD any authority whatsoever, and the statutes it created don’t reference that agency,” Johnson said. “788 gives the Department of Health regulatory authority over the industry, and the Board of Health has created a rule requiring licensees to register with OBNDD.” Woodward said OBN has statutory authority to inspect anyone dispensing controlled substances, regardless of SQ788’s wording; they handle inspections like they would a pharmacy.

“Title 63 covers anybody who has registration from us who possesses, administers, dispenses controlled drugs, and they are nationwide,” Woodward said. “So because we’ve got distributors, registration and manufacture registrations from California to New Jersey who are registered with us. And so it’s natural for us to do a national search because we have registrants nationwide.

It’s not to shut anybody out. We’ve processed close to 1,400 approved and denied eight. ... This is the first one that we’ve actually had an outstanding felony warrant on. I think 615 dispensaries have been approved.”

OBN is still approving licenses without inspecting their facilities first, Woodward said. But Newberg said they used that as a pretext to lure him in for an arrest.

While he was jailed, OBN also rejected Newberg’s application for the dispensary, records show.

“The company meets every requirement listed in the statute and already has its dispensary license from the OMMA. Daniel didn’t have a disqualifying conviction before, and he doesn’t have any new conviction as a result of this ordeal,” Johnson said.

Woodward told Oklahoma Gazette in October that OBN was “going to stay in [their] lane.” He said that is still the case, except in rare instances like these. Now that the warrant has been cleared, Woodward urges Newberg to re-apply.

“We’re not trying to stop anybody.

Just do what 788 and OMMA rules say before you apply and you’ll be fine. ... He didn’t leave with a choice but to deal with it because he came into our lane, so to speak,” Woodward said.

Like Newberg, Johnson sees no rhyme or reason for any of this.

“He sat in jail in two different states for nearly a month, missing Thanksgiving with his family, just to be sent back home,” Johnson said. “I just can’t imagine what law-enforcement priority or public interest was served here.”

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REVIEW

EAT & DRINK

Buffet quest Italian Express offers downtown an affordable and fresh buffet experience. By Jacob Threadgill

Italian Express 119 W. Main St., Suite 101 | 405-602-3181 WHAT WORKS: The pizza and fresh dough are very good.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: They should upgrade the salad from iceberg lettuce.

TIP: It is open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday.

In 1992, Pizza Hut installed all-youcan-eat buffets in 2,000 of its restaurants across the country. It was back in the days when Pizza Hut operated as an old-school parlor and was a full-service restaurant with booths and silverware.

Most Pizza Huts these days operate as a sterile, takeout-only bastions for mediocre pizza. Since Domino’s public mea culpa about a decade ago, it has skyrocketed up my personal big chain rankings with the reworked recipe.

Pizza Hut was my favorite as a child, but I’d rank it bottom tier now. I ate Pizza Hut on Christmas Eve because it was the only pizza place open, and the in-laws have a tradition to eat slices in honor of Jesus’ birth. I’ve heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as bad pizza,” but Pizza Hut — with its lacking crust, flavorless sauce and rubbery cheese — is challenging that assumption.

My desire to find a good Italian buffet recently took me to the downtown lunch option Italian Express, 119 W. Main St., Suite 101, where owner Hassan Daneshmand has been serving an affordable pizza, pasta and salad bar for 15 years.

Located in the retail portion of First National Center’s parking garage, Italian Express has long been a weekday lunch option for those working downtown, but it’s also worth making the trip if you’ve got a craving.

I didn’t know what to expect when I made my first trip to Italian Express, but 16

J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Daneshmand himself greets customers, gets your drink and, along with his kitchen staff, makes sure the buffet is freshly stocked.

For me, buffets can sometimes be an awkward experience. Am I supposed to pay before or after? Will it just be a joyless conveyor belt of rotating Sysco options?

Daneshmand alleviated those concerns by heartily greeting me upon entrance and his attentiveness throughout the meal. Customers pay the $8.77 for the buffet and drink when they leave.

“It’s about taking care of the guests,” Daneshmand told me. “Money is the least of my concerns. If they’re happy, they’ll pay on the way out.”

Daneshmand arrives every weekday at 6:30 a.m. to prep the dough for breadsticks and pizza and sauces for the buffet, which are made fresh every day.

He makes meatballs by hand.

“I don’t own a freezer or a microwave,” he said.

Daneshmand came to the U.S. in the late ’70s from Iran and has extensive experience in restaurant operations with both Chi Chi’s Mexican Restaurant and Zio’s Italian Kitchen.

I’m a firm believer that there is an intrinsic connection between food preparation and the passion with which it is made.

When someone like Daneshmand is getting up early every day to bring the buffet to downtown denizens, he can elevate the food to more than the sum of its parts.

Italian Express

Spaghetti with meat sauce | Photo Jacob Threadgill

could easily cut its already-affordable buffet cost by ordering premade pizza crust or using frozen meatballs, but I commend Daneshmand for not cutting corners.

I didn’t go to Italian Express with the intention of comparing it to Stella, Patrono, Osteria or any of the high-end Italian options in the city, but it surpassed my expectations.

Daneshmand said that little has changed with the buffet operation in its 15 years. It has the same salad, pizza and pasta options daily. The salad bar is a large bowl of iceberg lettuce with a few flecks of carrots and purple cabbage — the standard salad mixture. I’ve heard the argument that iceberg is good when it acts as a vehicle for other vegetables, but there wasn’t much in the way of nutrients at the salad bar.

Vegetables toppings included tomatoes, olives, cucumbers and mushrooms, which are all fine and good, but I’d prefer a more nutrient-rich lettuce base.

Iceberg offers almost nothing in the way of nutrition, while romaine has a gram of protein, 1.8 grams of fiber and more than 100 percent of the daily value of vitamin A per serving.

Of course, I realize no one is going to the Italian buffet in search of a healthconscious meal, but a solid dose of fiber can help mitigate an indulgent experience.

left Pasta options at Italian Express right Pizza at Italian Express features dough made fresh every day. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

Customers can go to the pasta bar where they can choose from spaghetti or penne with variety of sauces: meatballs in red gravy, marinara, ground beef sauce, Alfredo and sausage. It also offers cheese ravioli in a tomato cream sauce and a cheesy lasagna with beef.

The meatballs did their job, but I thought the accompanying sauce was a little thin and flavorless. The meat sauce and regular marinara were good.

I was impressed by the lasagna, which had a lot of ricotta in between layers, and I thought the ravioli was an unexpected surprise.

I liked the pasta, but the pizza was the star of the buffet for me. I ate a couple of cheese slices and was impressed with the sauce and fresh dough.

There was also a vegetarian pizza without tomato sauce, a pepperoni pizza and a supreme version. I’d say that it ranks with Luigi’s Pizza, 7901 N. May Ave., for best lunch buffet pizza and is exponentially better than whatever Pizza Hut is selling these days.

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Chigama combines Asian and Latin flavors with French technique. By Jacob Threadgill

Chigama isn’t just a fusion of cuisine; it’s also a fusion of two of the most successful and experienced restaurant minds in Oklahoma City.

The combination of Asian and Mexican flavors comes from the mind of Jeffrey Khowong, who, after 14 years as executive chef at Western Concepts (Sushi Neko, The Lobby Café and Bar, Mushashi’s) joined with the Ha family after they closed Dot Wo Garden to open Chigama at 3000 W. Memorial Road in late November.

Before moving to Oklahoma City in 2005, Khowong’s career took him to some of New York City’s finest restaurants like Eric Ripert’s Michelin Guide’s 3-star rated Le Bernardin and the seafood institution Oceana under Rick Moonen, among other stops.

When it came time to leave Western Concepts, Khowong drew inspiration from the success of Empellón in New York City, which is run by Alex Stupak, one of the world’s pre-eminent pastry chefs, who left baking behind to pursue tacos.

“I wanted to do something casual, affordable and healthy,” Khwong said.

“I thought about tacos because people can eat tacos every day; it’s a very casual thing. It’s almost like sushi in that the combinations are endless. I then thought about an Asian fusion taco: walnut shrimp with mango chili.”

The menu was built around tacos, sandwiches, entrees and noodles that have both Asian and Mexican flavors with Khowong’s classic French technique. Crispy salmon ($16) is served with fermented black bean sauce — a staple in Chinese restaurants — but Khowong uses white wine to make a black bean beurre blanc.

The New York strip steak ($25) is

Helicopter Missions: Vietnam Firefight

Chigama features bright and contemporary decor and is owned by the Ha family, who founded Dot Wo, one of Oklahoma City’s oldest Chinese restaurants. | Photo Alexa Ace

served with Japanese shishito pepper and a Mexican-inspired roasted garlic papa frita. Za Jiang Mein ($10) is a traditional Chinese noodle dish that Khowong said also includes Japanese and Korean touches in addition to chorizo and pork belly ragu.

Chigama is currently offering seven types of tacos that range from $3 to $5.

The shrimp taco has been the most popular; it is an interpretation of walnut shrimp but uses pine nuts, lime butter and picked cabbage. The tacos are stuffed with various ingredients.

The pulled pork is placed over beans while the pulled chicken taco comes over rice. There are also Angus beef, fried fish, seared tuna and vegan options for tacos, which are served on corn tortillas.

“I’m really picky about tortillas because some of them are too dry and some are too mushy,” Khowong said.

Both Khowong and co-owner Steven Ha said that the menu is still being tweaked in its first few months.

Khowong expects to add a duck confit taco among other additions that might come from customer feedback.

Chigama places an emphasis on using organic, antibiotic- and steroidfree proteins.

“Tacos are really good,” Ha said. “It’s not going to be something that is cheesy and greasy. We kind of look on the healthier side, but the flavor kicks in hard.”

Khowong has known the Ha family

Saturday, January 19 ® ­ ­ 1-3 pm Directed by Richard Max, Helicopter Missions: Vietnam Firefight tells the story of one of the most dangerous helicoptor missions of the Vietnam War. Program moderated by former Huey helicopter pilot, retired Captain Bob Ford.

Admission to the History Center is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for students, free for members, active duty military and veterans with ID. There is no additional cost to attend this screening.

For more information call 405.522.0765 or visit okhistory.org 800 Nazih Zuhdi DR, OKC

The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums.

continued on page 18

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EAT & DRINK

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since he moved to Oklahoma City, and Ha said that they wanted to hire him when they opened Dot Wo Garden 10 years ago.

“He’s like my big brother,” Ha said of Khowong. “We shut down Dot Wo Garden recently because we had a good opportunity with the land and ended up closing, unfortunately. A Chinese restaurant is very difficult. There are a lot of Chinese restaurants here, and Dot Wo is some of the greatest, but this was an opportunity to be on the forefront on a new market.”

The former Dot Wo Garden was sold to developers who have opened a Del Taco. The original Dot Wo is still in operation at 10600 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Khowong moved to Oklahoma City at the behest of his wife, who is a native of the city. He said that when he first started applying for jobs, they told him he was overqualified. He got a job with Western Concepts after he realized executive director Kurt Fleischfresser knew Moonen.

“It’s a small world,” Khowong said. “[Fleischfresser] is my mentor and good friend. It’s interesting right now in Oklahoma City; it’s growing up so fast.

It’s a good thing that have so many things going on; we’re moving rapidly. We want to challenge ourselves [at Chigama] and want to be good for the market.”

Khowong helped add menu items to Sushi Neko in 2006, when he said that there were only a handful of sushi restaurants in the city. He said the embrace of sushi is one the many ways the market has changed since he moved to Oklahoma.

“Now, we are health-conscious when it comes to food in Oklahoma City,” he said. “People have started eating more healthy since I’ve been here. It used to be pork belly was No. 1; now I’m seeing more vegans and more organic products are coming out.”

Khowong reflected on one of his first jobs outside of a New York Chinese kitchen. He worked at the second

F E AT U R E

Helping You Develop Life Skills

Steak, shrimp and fish tacos at Chigama | Photo Alexa Ace

Lisa Hoke (American, b. 1952), Come on Down Oklahoma (detail), 2015.

Cardboard packaging, glue, and hardware. Museum commission with funds from the Carolyn A. Hill Collections Endowment, 2015

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above Chigama has both steamed and deep-fried buns. below In addition to tacos and entrees, Chigama specializes in a variety of noodles, like the daily variety of soup. | Photo Alexa Ace

Sbarro location at the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania.

“When a good day would come, we didn’t even know where to put all of the cash,” he said. “We kept it in garbage bags; that’s how busy they were. I created a pizza with chicken and green onion, and everyone was laughing at me. Every trend is different. Pizza is endless; you can put anything you want. It’s just because of culture that they didn’t understand that. No one was putting chicken on pizza back then; only pepperoni and sausage.”

Khowong said that he is happy to embrace fusion cuisine and is very pleased with the reception of Chigama during its first few weeks of soft opening.

“We’d like to open another store; that’s the plan,” he said. “Anything goes nowadays. José Andrés opened China Poblano in Las Vegas, where they serve dim sum at a Mexican restaurant.”

Visit chigamaokc.com.

F E AT U R E

Uptown social

Social Deck + Dining opens in the former Chae Modern Korean building on the western edge of Uptown 23rd. By Jacob Threadgill

The void left on the far western side of Uptown 23rd District with the closing of Chae Modern Korean last April has been filled by Social Deck + Dining, where owners Jamie and Jordan Winteroth want to put an emphasis on local ingredients with eclectic menu items and everyday brunch.

The Winteroths are veterans in the restaurant industry but are living their dream of going out on their own. Jordan Winteroth cut his teeth in the industry with Ted’s Escondido Café before going to Deep Fork Group, where he met Jamie.

The couple went to A Good Egg Dining where Jordan Winteroth helped open both Republic Gastropub locations.

The couple purchased the building at 1933 NE 23rd St. from Daniel Chae in the middle of 2018 and opened Social at the end of December after adding an additional 20 seats inside the restaurant and 40 outside divided between two patios.

“We adore Daniel, and he was really sad to have to close Chae,” Jamie Winteroth said. “What a cool way to honor that by buying it from a friend to make sure that it doesn’t sit here empty and become something else that wouldn’t have the same community impact.”

Jordan Winteroth had experience opening a restaurant, but not from the ownership side. He leaned on Robert Black, former corporate chef with Good Egg who now does independent consulting with his wife and their company Springboard, to help design the menu.

“The kitchen didn’t have a grill, and he told us that we can execute the menu without it,” Jordan Winteroth said. “It’s one of those things that we probably would’ve just bought because every Seating inside Social Deck + Dining includes 20 additional seats than what was available at Chae Modern Korean. | Photo Alexa Ace

kitchen I’ve worked in has had a grill.”

Black worked with the Winteroths, who designed a menu inspired by their trips to the Pacific Northwest, under the mantra “simple food done well.” The restaurant opens daily at 10 a.m. with everyday brunch service that trends to the lunch side but has plenty of breakfast items.

Each menu is divided into “let’s share” appetizers and “it’s all mine” entrees. The brunch menu includes the popular johnnycakes ($7) that are the restaurant’s answer to pancakes — cornmeal fritters topped with “cowboy crack,” candied jalapeños and served with fresh fruit.

The brunch menu includes familiar items like eggs Benedict with salmon cakes, chilaquiles ($12) and a Dutch baby ($8), but it also has Mediterraneaninspired baked eggs ($14), which are served with lamb kefta, a type of meatball.

“We love going to brunch, and there wasn’t always the opportunity,” Jordan Winteroth said. “The restaurants offering it are doing a great job and are crazy-busy. They’re so busy that a lot of times you can’t get in or it’s an hour and half wait. We recognize there is still a need and opportunity for other businesses to open up to help get it out to the community.”

The restaurant has a limited afternoon transition menu as the kitchen converts to dinner service in the evening. The dinner menu has plenty of international flair. The half chicken ($22) is served with tikka masala; the katsu sandu ($12) is pork cheek served with cabbage and tonkatsu sauce. Pan-seared scallops ($28) are served with local Della Terra pappardella and sweet peas, and the restaurant’s answer to steak frites subs the traditional cut of steak with a slow-cooked short rib.

Chef de cuisine Kaci Messerly, formerly of The Pritchard, The George and

Belle Kitchen, leads the kitchen on a day-to-day basis.

“It’s our take on American fusion,” Jamie Winteroth said. “It’s international cuisine we’ve made an American way, so we’ve made it comfortable for people to try lamb kefta or katsu sandu.”

They’ve partnered with local purveyors like Della Terra and Heritage Grains Bread Co. and will source as many items as possible locally.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel; new American cuisine has been around for a long time,” Jamie Winteroth said.

“We love this neighborhood. We’ve had people walk and scooter over here even on chilly days because they want something nicer than is offered around here. It’s an untapped corner of Uptown 23rd.”

Other top sellers in its first few weeks of operation include the ora king salmon ($28), which is a top-of-the-line offering from New Zealand and environmentally sustainable. The garlic shrimp is another favorite, as it comes served with a side of crispy Brussels sprouts with balsamic, lardons and cremini mushrooms. The Frites and Gravy is Social’s take on the national dish of Canada — poutine — but replaces lukewarm cheese curds with a deep-fried variety.

The evening cocktail service is centered on classics like the Old Fashioned and the Club Social, but Social puts an emphasis on real ingredients like sugar instead of simple syrup.

The breakfast cocktail selection has a lot of “bubbly,” champagne and prosecco, coffee cocktails and mimosas. The restaurant uses the tagline “skillets and champagne” because many of the dishes are ser ved in a skillet, like the cassoulet, which has three types of beans,

Pan-seared scallops with Della Terra pappardelle | Photo Alexa Ace

chicken things, short ribs and bacon.

“We like to drink champagne because it makes every day a celebration,” Jamie Winteroth said.

The dessert menu includes a wild blueberry cake doughnut, a dark chocolate pie with orange tequila crust, an ice cream sundae and a seasonal fruit crumble.

The Winteroths said they look forward to serving the community and while the building’s parking space is limited, guests can park on the street after 6 p.m. They advised brunch customers to go to the back of the building for extra parking spots.

“We’ve had an outpouring of support on social media and every night have friends and family in,” Jamie Winteroth said. “That’s what it’s about. We want to find ways to support the local school districts, the college and neighborhoods. We want to be here a long time.”

Visit besocialokc.com.

above Chillaquiles at Social Deck + Dining below Baked eggs with lamb kefta at Social Deck + Dining. | Photo Alexa Ace

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GAZEDIBLES

EAT & DRINK

Breakfast craving

What happens when you have a hankering for pancakes and sausage but it’s afternoon or later?

These seven restaurants will be sure to provide all of the waffles and bacon that you’d like, Ron Swanson-style.

By Jacob Threadgill with photos by Alexa Ace and provided

Neighborhood JA.M.

Bistro B

Metro Diner

Open from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Neighborhood JA.M. has been one of the newest breakout hits for Hal Smith Restaurant Group, which added a Norman location in 2018 and will expand to Tulsa this year. It offers a variety of items including sweet pancakes; the pineapple bourbon ones are among the most popular.

Are you getting tired of the same type of breakfast protein options with your eggs? Check out Bistro B, which pulls off a pan-Asian diner concept complete with large menu very well. Replace traditional steak and eggs with shaken beef, which is marinated in soy, oyster and fish sauces before cooked.

This Florida-based chain is one of the fastest-growing restaurants in the country since appearing on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and it excels when serving its over-the-top breakfast items like fried chicken and waffles served with strawberry butter or breakfast pie — your favorite morning meats, potatoes and eggs baked in a pie crust.

15124 Lleyton’s Court thatsmyjamok.com | 405-242-4161

1620 SW 89th St. bistrobokc.com | 405-735-6358

3000 W. Memorial Road metrodiner.com | 405-437-3079

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Jeff’s Country Cafe

Chae Cafe & Eatery

Sherri’s Diner

Brielle’s Bistro

Jeff’s Country Cafe isn’t open 24 hours a day, but it is one of the best bets for a late-night breakfast option. You will not find an obscure form of eggs Benedict at Jeff’s, but you will find the classics and a huge omelet selection that has fun additions like gyro meat.

Owner Daniel Chae took his former All About Cha location independent, brought back some of the favorites from Chae Modern Korean and put it alongside top-notch coffee service and all-day brunch items like short rib Benedict or the DMZ Waffle made with fried chicken, egg and pork belly gravy.

Sherri’s offers country cooking in a fun, colorful and kitschy environment, but it is hard to get to the dinner menu when there are excellent pancakes on the menu from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Be sure to check out one of Sherri’s homemade cinnamon rolls.

This 2018 addition to Midwest City is more than a stop for excellent Cajun classics; it also serves breakfast from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Its breakfast menu includes pancakes or waffles, chickenfried steak, homemade biscuits and six kinds of omelets, including a Creole variety with Andouille sausage.

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ART

ARTS & CULTURE

Gardens inspiration Susan Morrison-Dyke and Anthony Dyke took cues from nature for their latest exhibit. By Jeremy Martin

Inspirations from Nature, an exhibition of paintings at Myriad Gardens, probably isn’t what you think.

“Just painting a flower is so obvious,” said Susan Morrison-Dyke, one of the two featured artists. “We wanted it to be so much more poetic.”

Rather than painting flower patches or detailed landscapes from the gardens, Morrison-Dyke and her husband Anthony Dyke, Inspirations from Nature’s other featured artist, took cues from the garden’s palette of colors and also from the structure of the garden’s visitor center.

“This was really meant to reflect the architecture of the new space,” Morrison-Dyke said. “Incorporating that with the natural elements of the botanical gardens so you’ve got colors that reflect organic forms and shapes and then the architectural, structurist, more formalist shapes. … The architectural space itself, just the scale. When you go see the show, when you walk in, it feels perfect for the space.”

The couple’s best known work, the six-panel mural at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, is not particularly representative of their current styles, they said.

Though her work typically explores the spatial relations of abstract figures, Morrison-Dyke said she draws inspiration from natural palettes.

“I just tried to use color really well,” she said. “Earth, slate, sky … there are natural elements in my work normally. … People have this idea that color is just bright and has to be out of the tube. No, color is a way of drawing. You create space; you create spatial depth with color. That’s what’s important with abstract painting, that you’re building the right tonality, the right colors, the way that you’re manipulating the space and it’s not all about being bright. Color has to be so subtle in the way that you use it, it’s a whole art in itself.”

While Morrison-Dyke’s style is more abstract, inspired by shape and color, Dyke said he does draw inspiration from reality.

“I come from more of a realistic kind of edge where the abstraction kind of evolves out of looking at something real out there,” Dyke said. “Sometimes I use a photograph or two to help structure something. … Whereas she’s more inventive with color, I base my color on what I’m looking at.”

Under the supervision of the two artists, a new hanging system was installed to display their paintings, about 25 in all, “mostly very big-scale paintings” as Morrison-Dyke describes them. The couple said they finished the paintings for the exhibition in about three months.

“We painted very diligently and

quickly on this,” Morrison-Dyke said. in and sees something and they like what “There are one or two in there we rethey see, and they think it will look great worked for the show. I in this room and so that had done it for a show at makes you feel good Untitled about a year because painting is an isolated tradition.” and a half ago. Everyone had to come up with The feedback is work outside of their meaningful to both Dyke genre, and when I came and Morrison-Dyke, who up with that piece, it was have 26 years, two art studios and countless more of a pop art piece, very abstract but pop joint exhibitions between art. So in order to reinthem. Combining natural and architeccorporate it back into the Myriad, I wanted to tural subjects allowed rework it a little bit; it’s them both to work in more finished than it their preferred styles.

“Blue Pond” by Anthony Dyke was when I showed it at | Image Myriad Botanical Gardens / provided “We were really [Artspace] at Untitled.” excited when we found Reworking existing out we were going to paintings is a common have a show there technique, Dyke explains. because we could just “Sometimes you’ll do what our normal grab a canvas that you’re stuff would be because feeling ambivalent about, I’m more architectural and you’ll work right over and he’s more nature, it and use layers underlandscape-oriented,” neath, and the surprises Morrison Dyke said. “I come out,” Dyke said. do think our work has gotten more similar in “That’s what keeps you going as a painter anyway this show; it’s never is the element of surprise been this similar.”

After so many years when you’re painting and really that’s the thing “Rosie Tinted Studio” by Susan Morrison-Dyke and so many shows, that engages the artist is | Image Myriad Botanical Gardens / provided keeping their individuto have that playfulness al styles distinct might with it.” have become more difficult.

“If we wanted to, we could be more For Morrison-Dyke, the reason to similar,” Morrison-Dyke said. build off existing paintings is obvious.

“The scariest thing is a white, blank Her husband offered a more detailed canvas,” she said. “So you go work into differentiation. something you’ve already created; it’s “I’m more naturalistic,” Dyke said. like with writing — you already have so “We’ll do a figure drawing at the studio, much in it. It’s a process. … Most of the and I’ll do my sketching, which is more greatest artists worked in series. You naturalistic, more fluid, and she’ll do more don’t get it right the first time.” of a stylized person. But I think when she Also like writing, painting is a does abstraction, it becomes harder to process that mostly takes place behind draw that line and see the difference.” closed doors.

Morrison-Dyke will always offer her “The actual physical creation happens suggestions for color selection.

“Sometimes I’ll come in and be like, when you’re alone,” Morrison-Dyke said, ‘Why did you ever put that purple next “whereas with music and theater, the to that green?’” she said, “and he’ll be creation happens in front of people so the whole experience is different.” like, ‘Well I like it. I’m gonna keep it,’ The lack of feedback in the creation and the next thing I know I’ll come back process makes them grateful that their in, and he’s changed it.” paintings are hanging in the visitor Inspirations from Nature is on display center where she knows they’ll be seen. through Feb. 28. Admission is free. Visit “They have huge amounts of public myriadgardens.org. coming in every day, so a lot of people are seeing it,” Morrison-Dyke said. “And that’s the best part of it; you don’t want to be in a place where no one ever comes in.”

The works are for sale, with a portion of proceeds benefitting Myriad Gardens Foundation, and selling art is another way to determine if it has an impact on the public, “We’ve sold a few pieces from other shows out of there,” Dyke said, “and it’s Inspirations from Nature nice because it’s just people that like Through Feb. 28 what they see. The average person comes Inspirations from Nature, an exhibition of paintings by Susan Morrison-Dyke and Anthony Dyke, is on display in the visitor center at Myriad Botanical Gardens through Feb. 28. | Photo provided

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Myriad Botanical Gardens 301 W. Reno Ave.

myriadgardens.org | 405-445-7080 Free

T H E AT E R

I

Theatrical spectrum

Real Jewish Rye Kaiser’s Grateful Bean Café N Walker & 10th • 236-3503

Carpenter Square Theatre’s production of Dancing Lessons examines differences in order to emphasize connection, love and dance. By Ian Jayne

The romantic comedy is a genre that gets at everything: love, life and the individuals who journey through both.

Carpenter Square Theatre’s upcoming production of Dancing Lessons — a heartwarming look at the nuances of identity and romance — encapsulates all of this and more.

The show runs Friday-Jan. 29 at Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W. Main St. Tickets are $5-$25.

Written by Mark St. Germain, Dancing Lessons follows its two-person cast closely as they move beyond what’s comfortable and into love. Ever is a man with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) condition wherein social interactions are frequently more difficult. When Ever discovers that he will have to dance when he receives a service award at National Autism Coalition, he enlists the help of Senga, a Broadway dancer who lives in his building.

“He’s really nervous about being conspicuous,” said Daniel Willsey, the actor who is playing Ever, “because he’s never danced in his life.”

Senga has injured her knee, and frustrated by this setback to her career, she accepts the exorbitant sum that Ever offers her for a single dancing lesson.

“She’s used to being a dancer, where she’s just able to do whatever,” said Chelsea Davis, who plays Senga. “She

Kaiser’s

from left Chelsea Davis plays Senga and Daniel Willsey plays Ever in Carpenter Square Theatre’s production of Dancing Lessons. | Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided

Mon – Thurs 11a-6p • Fri – Sat 11a–8p

PRESENTS

really has a lot of anger, but she works through it.”

Brought together by circumstance, Ever and Senga discover all that they have in common.

“What we find out over the course of the play is that they’re very similar,” said Willsey. “He has a lot of difficulty making connections and making friends and understanding social cues, and she has pretty much cut herself off socially.

She doesn’t really have any friends; she’s not close to any of her family.”

The titular “dancing lessons” become the catalyst for Ever and Senga’s initial connection and the subsequent deepening of their relationship.

Rehearsing, representing

Dancing Lessons is Davis and Willsey’s debut at Carpenter Square and the sixth play that director Tom Cowley has overseen. All three were hooked by the show’s premise and the nuanced humor of its script.

“It looked like just a great show from the description that I saw online,” Davis said. “The themes of it — you continued on page 24

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T H E AT E R

don’t really see a lot of shows that touch on autism.”

Willsey said that he hadn’t considered auditioning since he usually does musicals, but he decided to go out for the role, if just for the audition experience. After he got the news that he would play Ever, Willsey said the first thing the cast did was schedule an initial read-through.

As part of his preparation process, Willsey read the script and searched it for clues so that he could figure out who Ever is and what he wants. Willsey also did some online research about Asperger’s and the autism spectrum as well as watching shows like The Good Doctor and Atypical.

“My goal is to create a real person up there,” Willsey said. “I want to go up there and bring a whole, real guy into this role.”

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It looked like just a great show from the description that I saw online. The themes of it — you don’t really see a lot of shows that touch on autism.

Chelsea Davis Willsey also contacted Autism Oklahoma, a nonprofit organization that aims to serve Oklahoma families and individuals affected by autism. In particular, Willsey connected with one of the organization’s professional development programs, Invisible Layers Productions, which consists of college-aged people on the spectrum who act in, produce and edit their own films. Willsey said the script encourages theaters to reach out to such local organizations and individuals in order to create a context of accurate and respectful representation onstage and engagement offstage.

“It’s been really fun to work on this,” Willsey said. “[Ever] is a wonderful character. It’s been fun to dive in and learn who he is and bring him to life. I’m just really thankful to Carpenter Square for giving me the opportunity to do that.”

Cowley, who has performed over a hundred roles himself, said that he encourages actors to bring their creativity to the stage and aims, as a director, to create conditions that allow for optimum artistic expression.

“It’s the director’s job to interpret what the author has presented, and then I set limits on that,” Cowley said.

“Within that, the actors are free to develop their characters. If they get too close to the edge, I’ll push them back, but other than that, I like to give the actors a great deal of freedom because it allows them to bring out a great deal

of their creativity.”

Davis said that the role of Senga is one characterized by physicality closely tied to her anger and frustration at her situation in life.

“I’m in a leg brace the entire show.

That definitely helps; getting into the leg brace helps me get into character a lot,” Davis said.

She also draws from within herself to tap into frustrations that are then transformed on the stage.

While Ever doesn’t like to be touched, Senga is used to physical contact as a necessary part of dance routines, Davis said.

“It’s really a challenge for both of them to get out of their comfort zones and try to learn from each other,” Davis said.

Staging connection

Being a two-person show, Cowley said Dancing Lessons is relatively easy to stage. Most of the events take place in apartments. What’s difficult, though, is the timing — an essential component of dance (and comedy).

One element that requires specific timing is the show’s soundtrack, which Cowley said is replete with ringing phones and doorbells announcing entrances that have to be perfectly synched with the onstage action.

Cowley described another pivotal movement wherein Senga and Ever dance to a spare and simple arrangement of Andy Williams’ “Moon River” before it expands into the full bombast of a symphonic orchestra arrangement, accompanied by dance.

Part of Cowley’s process when it comes to directing is also to focus on the creativity of everyone involved in the production — not only the cast, but also the tech crew and the designers.

Dancing Lessons takes as its central conceit something associated with both romance and social anxiety — dancing in public — and uses it as a catalyst to tell a story of love, acceptance and, of course, connection.

“It will be a worthwhile evening for people on many levels,” Cowley said.

“It’s a great story. It’s very entertaining, it’s very funny, and it’s got some subtext when you think about people that are trying to get along in this world who don’t necessarily have to the tools to do it. It’s got some meat, and it’s presented very nicely.”

Visit carpentersquare.com.

Dancing Lessons Friday-Jan 29 Carpenter Square Theatre 800 W. Main St. carpentersquare.com | 232-6500 $5-$25

SHOPPING

Clothing connection

Caleb Fountain uses his retail knowledge to give designer fashion a local twist at his new store, 1032 Space. By Ian Jayne

World-famous fashion houses are known precisely for their ability to stitch together the unique with the globally recognized. 1032 Space, the new Oklahoma City-based clothing store and brainchild of Caleb Fountain, is a hyper-local outpost of internationally acclaimed haute couture.

Located at 1 NE Second St., 1032 Space opened Oct. 26 after a year of preparations on the part of Fountain. 1032 Space carries a wide selection of pieces from its carefully curated selection of established and emergent brands, including Aimé Leon Dore, Helmut Lang, John Elliott and Pleasures, among others.

Although 26-year-old Fountain has spent the past several years of his life working in the retail fashion industry, fashion initially held little interest for him when it meant being dragged around the mall. As he grew older, though, Fountain became involved in the heavy music scene, which spurred his burgeoning interest in clothes.

“That comes with its own style,” Fountain said. “It’s black skinny jeans and band T-shirts, and I think being involved in a scene that was so heavy on image and style, that really went deep into what I ended up growing into.”

Fountain’s involvement with fashion continued after he graduated from college and began working at Blue Seven.

“That was the first time I’d ever been around clothes that cost a little bit more money,” Fountain said, describing the moment as a gateway into what would become his passion for designer clothing.

After working at Blue Seven, Fountain worked at The Factory, a now-closed clothing store in Automobile Alley.

Fountain started as a sales associate, but after about a year, received a promotion and began work as the buyer for the shop’s selection of men’s clothing.

When he started work at The Factory, Fountain didn’t have the dream of owning his own retail store, but he soaked up all he could learn from the sales experience.

“Basically, since I’ve been out of high school, I’ve been on a retail floor, and I’ve just fallen in love with that; talking to people and being able to answer people’s questions about things, just making the connections,” he said.

Fountain gleaned the ins and outs of running a clothing business from his tenure at The Factory. By ordering from different designers, he made contacts that would become invaluable when The Factory closed in September 2017, after Ashley Liddell decided to focus on women’s clothing.

“Whenever this time came, I was three years down the road, where most people who start a new store have to start at ground zero and work [their] way up,” Fountain said. “Coming into this, we had a really good idea of what was going to work and what wasn’t. We got to build relationships with the customer base here and really help build the market that exists now.”

He set himself a one-year timeline to bring 1032 Space to life, a goal only postponed by a month since he didn’t end up

finding the retail space for his store until September this year. The location had previously been a men’s clothing store, which was already outfitted with flooring, lighting and dressing rooms. Fountain and his friend Mike Montgomery, who runs the YouTube channel Modern Builds, added in new fixtures, clothing racks and a cash register desk.

During the process of establishing 1032 Space, Fountain was also working with the fashion industry’s purchasing calendar in which pieces are purchased from designers several months in advance of when they’ll be in retail shops and boutiques. He made purchasing trips in January and June for the pieces that have been for sale this fall and will be up in the next few months, respectively. He described this process as a leap of faith, trusting that everything would work out with the new store.

“My goal was one year, and I was happy with the fact that it took a year and a month,” Fountain said. “It was still pretty within my range.”

Oklahoma roots

Although many of the pieces for sale at 1032 Space come from international fashion hubs like Paris or New York, Fountain selects them with an Oklahoman audience in mind, a process helped largely by the fact that he has spent his entire life here and continues to call Oklahoma home.

“I learned a lot of lessons just about Oklahoma and how we shop,” Fountain said. “It’s pretty hard to sell a coat in Oklahoma at a higher price point because we all drive everywhere. We leave our warm house, get in our warm car, drive to our destination and then we just have to walk from our car to the inside and then we don’t want the coat anymore.”

Consequently, 1032 Space carries a variety of denim jackets and hoodies but not so many heavy coats. One of Fountain’s key axioms for the store is that it carries inventory for a vast array of customers Caleb Fountain opened 1032 Space in September 2018. | Photo Alexa Ace

1032 Space sells a variety of brands such as Aimé Leon Dore, Helmut Lang, John Elliott and Pleasures. | Photo Alexa Ace

— everything from graphic T-shirts in the $35-$50 range to pants and shirts that range in price from several hundred dollars into the thousands.

1032 Space also carries brands that can’t be found anywhere else in Oklahoma, an area of the retail industry that Fountain described as “completely untapped” in the area. Part of Fountain’s mission is making fashion accessible.

He recalled going to stores when he was a teenager — some where he felt welcome, even though he couldn’t buy anything, and others where he felt alienated.

“I never wanted that to be a thing: where somebody walked in and felt like they didn’t belong in this store,” Fountain said. “It was really important to me that if a kid mows lawns on the weekends and wants to come in and shop at a cool store that feels higher-end, he can come in and buy a T-shirt, but then also if you play in the NBA and make $80 million a year, we’re going to have stuff that you like, too. It includes everybody.”

Another element of 1032 Space ties the store specifically to Oklahoma: its name.

After graduating college, Fountain lived in Norman with some friends, but when their lease came up, he didn’t know what he was going to do. He went to lunch with his grandfather — who had lived at the same address for Fountain’s entire life, number 1032. His grandfather was moving to a different house, and Fountain moved into the 1032 residence, where he has stayed ever since.

Although Fountain’s grandfather passed away two years ago, his legacy lives on at 1032 Space.

“He was a self-made businessman after he retired from the Air Force, so everyone in my family throughout this process has just been telling me how much I’m reminding them of my grandpa,” Fountain said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without the things that he put into place for me.”

Visit 1032space.com.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 9

25

PARTY

Saturday january 19th

www.lumpyssportsgrill.com

How can we stop

teen suicide?

1 in 10

STUDENTS ATTEMPTED SUICIDE last year.

Doing what’s right isn’t always what’s easiest. But as part of the United Way of Central Oklahoma, you’re not afraid of these questions. You’re part of the answer.

Raise your hand and stand with us.

Give today at

StandUnitedOKC.com

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J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

CO M M U N I T Y

BACK TO THE 80´S

ARTS & CULTURE

Good spirits

A local food charity raises funds with a scotch-tasting event. By Jeremy Martin

Whether reading the statistics about poverty and food insecurity in Oklahoma makes you want to find a way to help or to pour yourself a good, strong drink, a local charity is offering you the chance to do both.

Scotch-tasting fundraiser Cheers 4 Charity 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave., benefits local nonprofit Filling Tummies, working to fight hunger in Oklahoma.

Executive director Lisa Blacknoll said she founded the charity in 2017 after realizing the dire need many people in the state have for food.

“Oklahoma ranks among the worst in the nation for hunger,” Blacknoll said.

“As a mom, I just wanted to do something to do my part to make sure there aren’t as many kids going to bed hungry at night.”

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2017 report Household Food Security in the United States, 15 percent of Oklahoman households surveyed experienced “low or very low” food security, a “statistically significant” difference from the U.S. average of 12.3 percent. Blacknoll, who also works at Boeing and owns LUX baby bottle company, said the more she studied Oklahoma’s poverty and hunger rates, the more serious she realized the problem was.

“I kept researching and researching and found out that all of the statistics about Oklahoma and hunger are true,” Blacknoll said. “For whatever reason, I didn’t know that hunger was that bad in The Filling Tummies mobile food pantry is a brightly colored school bus that travels to schools, low-income apartment complexes, senior centers and afterschool programs offering free, fresh food. | Photo provided

the state. … I thought we, at least, could do our part, and we also want to share with others that hunger is a major problem here in Oklahoma, and we want to do something bigger to fill that gap and try to entice more people to get involved.”

The Filling Tummies mobile food pantry is a brightly colored school bus that travels to schools, low-income apartment complexes, senior centers and after-school programs offering free, fresh food.

“Our transformed school bus has farm crates that line the outside,” Blacknoll said. “We take this directly to schools, and the entire school is allowed to come out and fill their bags with fresh fruits and vegetables for nights and on weekends when there are the most issues with hunger.”

According to the Food Research and Action Center report A Half Empty Plate: Fruit and Vegetable Affordability and Access Challenges in America, 12.2 percent of Oklahoma households with children have difficulty accessing affordable, fresh produce.

“Among people reporting poor health status,” reads the report, “the prevalence of fruit and vegetable affordability and access challenges was four times that of people reporting excellent health status.”

Blacknoll said she believes this issue also affects children’s ability to learn.

“Kids could live in an area where there’s nothing but convenience stores,” Blacknoll said. “There’s places right here in Oklahoma City and our surrounding area with no access to healthy food, so when they are eating, they’re not able to get the proper nutrition. We believe this is correlated with the education of children. They have to have food, and

healthy food, so that they can think and have a chance to be at least level-set with the other kids from different states. We believe that feeding the kids first will improve their education.”

The more people like her realize the problems children have accessing food, Blacknoll said, the more people will feel a responsibility to help.

“The personal stories are completely heartbreaking,” she said. “The closer you are to something the more you learn, and so by learning and hearing the details … it makes us want to do even more. Our board is largely comprised of moms, and what I want to do is pull in other moms who are willing to help feed other mothers’ children. … I thought if we were to let other moms and women know that these children were suffering, that they would join in and help us.”

Sympathy for hungry children, Blacknoll has discovered, is more than a maternal instinct.

“While my focus was initially on mothers, the men also feel just the same,” Blacknoll said. “They’ve been just as close and heavily involved with supporting, especially the volunteers who have been with the kids on the days of distribution. We would love to have more men involved.”

While food insecurity is a serious issue, Blacknoll said Cheers 4 Charity is intended to be a good time, offering a new experience for many of the Filling Tummies volunteers and donors.

“We wanted to do something fun and something that was relaxed,” Blacknoll said. “By all means, we are no experts in scotch, so it’s something different that not everyone knows about, so we hope that the event will be great for those who love scotch and who love whisky, but also as enjoyable for those who just like to eat and drink.”

In addition to “gourmet, mouthwatering appetizers” from McNeal’s Catering with Class and Moore’s 3 Star Barbecue, Cheers 4 Charity offers an Omertà Cigar Bar and a presentation by “scotch aficionado” Bill Brittain.

“We want people to feel like they’ve come out to support a good cause but that they also can have a good time, and

Taco Tuesday?

presents

More like...

February 20-26 okctacoweek.com

CALL 405.528.6000 FOR DETAILS

Scotch-tasting fundraiser Cheers 4 Charity, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave., benefits local nonprofit Filling Tummies, working to fight hunger in Oklahoma. | Photo bigstock.com

JAN. 23 – FEB. 17, 2019

(405) 524-9312 • LyricTheatreOKC.org Everyone’s favorite mischievous monkey and “The Man in the Yellow Hat” spring to life in this adventure-filled family musical.

Based on the books by Margret and H.A. Rey and the play owned by Universal Stage Productions Music by John Kavanaugh Book and Lyrics by Jeremy Desmon Directed and Choreographed by Matthew Sipress

Tickets start at just $20!

Charge Tickets by Phone: (405) 524-9312 or Online: LyricTheatreOKC.org

Daytime performances only!

Perfect for field trips or a surprise for the entire family!

For group reservations and discounts, email Groups@LyricTheatreOKC.org today!

Junie B. Jones - The Musical 2018

Junie B. Jones - The Musical 2018

James and the Giant Peach 2017

Photos by KO Rinearson

it’s not necessarily the traditional gala or dinner,” Blacknoll said. “We are planning to have some scotches that will indulge scotch lovers’ whisky fantasies. We’re also planning to have cigars that we believe attendees will love, including some new boutique cigars. We are going to provide some brands that they likely would not find outside of a tasting event.”

Ultimately, Blacknoll said, she would like to raise enough funds to help every hungry child she comes in contact with.

“Whenever we go, we’re providing food for 400-700 students,” she said.

“When we show up, we’re feeding the entire school, and it’s quite the effort to make sure that everyone’s able to put whatever they want in their bag.

We’re looking to give them the opportunity to fill a complete bag to take with them. … We’re not standing over them, telling them, ‘You can only have one or two,’ but we are reminding them to make sure that they share with their fellow students. We don’t want them to feel there’s a limit because there’s so many limitations, and food, if you’re hungry, healthy food shouldn’t have a limitation. Everybody deserves to eat.

Everyone deserves to have access to healthy food.”

Tickets are $100-$150. Visit fillingtummies.com.

Cheers 4 Charity 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 19 Dunlap Codding 609 W. Sheridan Ave. fillingtummies.com | 405-652-9884 $100-$150

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 9

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ARTS & CULTURE

Natural Choice Urgent Care There for you when your Dr. cannot be

WALK-IN CLINIC DR. RANDY WHITEKILLER

405-608-6820

9901 North May Ave, Suite 110 Oklahoma City

CHeese NaN 4621 N. May | OKC | 778-8469

OKCU FILM INSTITUTE PRESENTS A FREE MOVIE

Maborosi (1995)

directed by

Hirokazu kore-eda, Japan Sunday, January 20 • 2PM Norick Art Center 1601 NW 26th St Oklahoma City University FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC for more info: 208-5707, filmlit@okcu.edu

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J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

CO M M U N I T Y

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CLINIC

Infant minds

An Oklahoma City nonprofit sheds light on the impressionable first years of life and how first experiences have a lasting impact. By Nazarene Harris

In a warm room filled with paintings, books, bean bags and puzzles, a handful of children gather around their teacher, except for one small boy whose head hangs down as he keeps painfully quiet with his back toward the group and his face buried in a corner of the wall.

Signs of a child’s distress are not always so obvious, Jordan Huffman, an Early Head Start lead teacher at Oklahoma City-based early childhood education center Educare, said. But this portrayal is an accurate example of what a toddler’s distress might look like.

“It’s very possible,” she said, “that a toddlers emotional distress can begin immediately after birth. For example, when a baby cries, a common belief is that it’s best to let the baby ‘cry it out,’ but what that actually does is teach a baby not to rely on his caregiver, that crying doesn’t work and that he might as well not ask for help at all.”

Infant early childhood mental health clinician Billie Sue Peck, who works with Huffman to address her students’ mental health needs, said a baby might also respond to a caregivers’ lack of response by crying even louder.

“He might think, ‘The only way my caregiver responds is if I cry very loud,’” she said.

Both reactions, the women said, are examples of coping mechanisms learned during infancy that carry into the toddler years and even into adulthood.

Infant and early childhood mental health coordinator Angela Fultz said the notion that it’s good to let a baby “cry it out” is one of many misconceptions society allows to fester. Another fallacy, she said, is the notion that babies don’t create lasting memories.

“They don’t develop memories the same ways adults do,” she said. “But they do develop memories and what happens during infancy doesn’t stay in infancy.”

Huffman, Peck and Fultz are employees at one of Oklahoma’s oldest nonprofit organizations, Sunbeam Family Services.

In 2004, Sunbeam received a grant to administer an Early Head Start program in Oklahoma County. Early Head Start is a federally funded early childhood development program provided for children of low-income families.

In 2009, Sunbeam opened Educare, where Sunbeam’s mental health services combine with those offered by Early Head Start. The collaboration, Huffman said, is a lifesaver.

“When I’m at a loss of how to handle a distressed student, just having [Peck] come into my classroom and say, ‘We’re going to work it out together,’ is a tremendous relief,” Huffman said.

Making memories

Educare houses 16 classrooms that serve children from birth to age 5. With one teacher for every four children, there is enough room and time for a mental health specialist to visit classrooms regularly.

School curriculum, Huffman said, includes lessons specifically designed for children in the early stages of life.

An assessment is given to every child new to the program and enrolled students once a year. An “ages and stages” questionnaire gauges children on cognitive, problem solving, gross motor, fine motor and communication skills, and children are screened for emotional wellbeing during another assessment.

“We try to determine whether or not a child is able to calm themselves, if they cry for more than 30 minutes even while they are being soothed, if they smile when a caregiver is talking to them and if they are able to make eye contact,” Huffman said.

If a child demonstrates a weakness in a particular area, she said, one-on-one therapy is provided to strengthen skills.

Education is critical to children younger than age 5, Fultz said, as their minds are wired to absorb information and create a foundation for learning.

“Eighty percent of humans’ neuron connections are developed before our third birthday, and 90 percent are formed before our fifth birthday,” Fultz said.

While infants don’t have the cognitive ability to create the same kind of narrative like memories that adults do, they remember their experiences through visceral memory, or memories that involve their senses.

“That’s why our earliest memories revolve around the smell of our grandma making breakfast in the morning, the feel of grass on our feet, the sight of sparkling Christmas paper or the tone of a parent’s voice,” Fultz said.

When visceral memories are positive, Fultz said, the infant learns to trust, explore and develop properly.

When they are negative, the opposite holds true: an infant can learn to distrust, be anxious and ultimately displays learning delays.

The danger of believing that infants can’t develop memories, Fultz said, is that the disbelief can result in a laissezfaire attitude about neglect, which according to data from Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services, continues to be the highest single category of child maltreatment statewide, composing 87 percent of all substantiated DHS cases in 2017.

The pressure to create positive mem-

from left Educare Early Head Start lead teacher Jordan Huffman and infant early childhood mental health clinician Billie Sue Peck work side by side to ensure the children supported through Sunbeam Family Services receive quality early life mental health care. | Photo Nazarene Harris

ories on a developing mind can be intense.

“The good news,” Fultz said, “is that parents don’t have to be perfect; they just have to be good enough.”

Good enough

Being attentive to a child’s needs, engaging in conversations with them, demonstrating unconditional love for them and apologizing when mistakes are made go a long way, Peck said.

When it comes to parenting, the old saying holds true; it takes a village.

Educare is one way parents, in particular low-income families, can ensure that despite financial difficulties, their young children are forming positive experiences.

Peck said the mere act of addressing a child’s emotional wellbeing works wonders.

While she agrees that parents don’t need to be perfect, she would like to see day care programs across the state improve.

Currently, there is no state mandate that requires day care workers to receive infant mental health training or that a mental health expert advises such care workers.

“We’ve had private day cares reach out to us and say they want to mimic what goes on here,” Peck said of Educare.

“I would love to see all early childhood care centers provide their employees with infant mental health care training.”

To a child who is developing memories at light speed, she said, such training makes all the difference.

Visit sunbeamfamilyservices.org.

CALENDAR are events recommended

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

BOOKS Brad Taylor book signing the New York Times bestselling author will autograph copies of his book Daughter of War: A Pike Logan Thriller, 6-7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. FRI Comic Book Club: Ms. Marvel learn about the latest incarnation of the popular comic book hero at this meetup for graphic-novel enthusiasts, 2-3 p.m.

Jan.12. Literati Press Comics & Novels, 3010 Paseo St., 405-882-7032, literatipressok.com. SAT Faculty & Visiting Instructors Reading instructors in the Red Earth master of fine arts creative writing program at Oklahoma City University will read from their work, 7-8:30 p.m. Jan. 9. Old Trinity of Paseo Event Center, 3000 N. Lee Ave. WED Read the West Book Club: The Coming a group discussion of the historical novel by David Osborne about the life of Daytime Smoke, the real-life son of explorer William Clark and a Nez Perce woman, 1-2:30 p.m. Jan. 13. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SUN Second Sunday Poetry hear the works of a variety of local poets, 2 p.m. second Sunday of every month. Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN

FILM The Favourite (2018, Ireland, Yorgos Lanthimos) as Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) grows weaker and her health fails her, her friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) takes on royal responsibilities in 18th-Century England, Jan. 9-10.

Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave, 405-235-3456.

WED-THU

Roma (2018, Mexico Alfonso Cuarón) a maid becomes involved in a middle class familiy’s domestic drama in 1970s Mexico City, through Jan. 10. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave, 405-235-3456. FRI-THU

HAPPENINGS Art Without Borders, Love Without Walls a multimedia event featuring live music by Kali Ra and Jabee, a poetry reading by Edson Alvarado and a screening of the film Los Americanos by Kyle Kauwika Harris, 9 p.m.-midnight Jan. 12. Factory Obscura, 1522 S. Robinson Ave. SAT Board Game Day enjoy local craft beer while playing old-school board and arcade games with friends, 5-8 p.m. Sundays. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. SUN Café Society: Inspiring Conversations With Jeff Krisman the arts podcast host will present a live episode featuring musicians Jared Lowery, Kangwa Mundende and Willie Peterson, and a roundtable of local comedians discussing their craft, 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 10. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, 1ne3.org. THU Chicago Steppin Class learn how to do the popular dance at this free weekly class, 7-9 p.m. Thursdays.

L & G’s on the BLVD, 4801 N. Lincoln Blvd., 405-5242001, facebook.com/landgsontheblvd. THU Conversational Spanish Group Meetup an opportunity for all experience levels to practice speaking Spanish, 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Herland Supper Club enjoy dinner and company at this monthly meetup for Herland Sister Resources, a local nonprofit organization seeking to strengthen the women’s community in OKC, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 12. Zorba’s Mediterranean Cuisine, 6014 N. May Ave., 405.947.7788. SAT LIVE! on the Plaza join the Plaza District every second Friday for an art walk featuring artists, live music, shopping and more, 6-10 p.m. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 405-426-7812, plazadistrict.org. FRI Mindful Yoga Happy Hour practice mindful meditation with Bhante Santhapiya, followed by coffee, tea and conversation, 5-7 p.m. Fridays.

Oklahoma Buddhist Vihara, 4820 N Portland Ave., 405-810-6528, okbv.org. FRI OKC Pow Wow Club New Years Dance see traditional dances performed by of several Indigenous tribes at this annual event now in its 61st year, 1-11 p.m.Jan. 12.

Moore High School, 300 N. Eastern Ave. Moore. SAT Oklahoma Boat, RV, & Tackle Show shop for fishing tackle, boats, RVs, hunting supplies and more at this three day expo, Jan. 11-13. Oklahoma State Fair Park, 3220 Great Plains Walk, 405-948-6700, okstatefair.com. FRI-SUN Oklahoma Observer Newsmakers preview the upcoming state legislative session with House Democratic Leader Emily Virgin and Sen. George Young at this event with hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, 6-7 p.m. Jan. 10. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU 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 Dr, 623-810-0295. THU Rage in the Cage 63 see mixed-martial arts fights including Ken Coulter vs. Lee Smith and Morgan Solis vs. Erica Torres, 8 p.m. Jan. 11. OKC Farmers Market, 311 S Klein Ave, 4054860701. FRI 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

Dave Stone You might have heard him co-hosting the nominally paranormal-themed podcast The Boogie Monster with Kyle Kinane or voicing recurring character Brock Bill on Adult Swim’s Squidbillies or seen him performing on Last Comic Standing, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson or Viceland’s Flophouse. But if you haven’t experienced Stone discussing the finer points of Bigfoot and biscuits, now’s your chance to correct your mistake. The always-unpredictable Matt Raney opens. The show is 7-10 p.m. Sunday at The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $10$15. Visit ticketstorm.com.

SUNDAY Photo provided

Second Friday Art Walk tour shops studios, venues and galleries to view visual art exhibits, hear live music and more, 6 p.m. Jan. 11. Downtown Norman, 122 E. Main St., 405-637-6225, downtownnorman.com. FRI SoonerCon Festivus celebrate Frank Costanza’s holiday “for the rest of us” with the traditional airing of grievances and other seasonal games and activities, 6-9 p.m. Jan. 12. Wiley Post Park, 2021 S. Robinson Ave., 405-297-2756, okc.gov. SAT Wednesday Night Trivia test your knowledge on various subjects for the chance to win prizes, 8 p.m.

Wednesdays. The Garage Burgers and Beer, 1117 N. Robinson, 405-602-6880, eatatthegarage.com. WED

FOOD Illusion Brunch enjoy a breakfast buffet with a full bar and watch performances by Keosha Simone, Londenn Raine, Erikka Shaye and more, 11 a.m. Jan. 13. Kong’s Tavern, 563 Buchanan Ave., 405-310-4250, kongstavern.com. SUN Turkish Brunch enjoy Turkish pastries, desserts and other brunch items and view photographs from the Turkey Purge Photography Exhibition, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 12. Raindrop Turkish House, 4444 N. Classen Blvd., 405-702-0222, raindropturkishhouse.org. SAT

Outdoor Fungi Cultivation When exploring the mushroom kingdom, it’s always imperative that you know how to separate the “fun guys” from the “gonna dies” before you start topping your pizza with finds from the forest floor. Find out about safe and edible varieties of mushrooms good for culinary and medicinal purposes at this presentation from Earthwise Mycology and even learn to grow some of these ’shrooms yourself (not that kind) from inoculated logs and straws. The presentation is 2-4 p.m. Saturday at SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St. Tickets are $20-$40. Call 405-208-8291 or visit sixtwelve.org. SATURDAY Photo bigstock.com

YOUTH Baby Signing Time: Series 1 an American Sign Language class with songs, stories and activities for children 0-3 years old and their parents, 11 a.m.-noon Fridays through Feb. 1. Thrive Mama Collective, 1745 NW 16th St., 405-356-6262. FRI Early Explorers toddlers and preschoolers can participate in fun scientific activities they can repeat later at home, 10-11 a.m. Thursdays. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU OKC Drag Queen Story Hour children and their families are invited to a story and craft time lead by Ms. Shantel and followed by a dance party, 4 p.m. second Saturday of every month. Sunnyside Diner, 916 NW Sixth St., 405.778.8861. SAT Reading Wednesdays a weekly story time with hands-on activities, goody bags and reading-themed photo ops, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED

from the mysterious Phantom in this musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jan. 9-20, Jan. 9-20. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. WED-SUN Pick-A-Tune with Lucas Ross get a brief introduction to playing the banjo at this event where banjos are provided, 2-3 p.m. Jan. 12. American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-604-2793, americanbanjomuseum.com. SAT PoetryAndChillOKC Open Mic see spoken-word and other artists perform and sign up for some stage time of your own, 9 p.m.-midnight Jan. 11. The Queen Lounge, 2306 N. MacArthur, 405-606-8616. FRI Public Access Open Mic read poetry, do standup comedy, play music or just watch as an audience member, 7 p.m. Sundays. The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo Plunge, 405-315-6224, paseoplunge.org. SUN Red Dirt Open Mic a weekly open mic for comedy and poetry, hosted by Red Dirt Poetry, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.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

Russian Romantics hear musicians from Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble perform early 20th-century works by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Sergei Taneyev, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, 127 NW Seventh St., 405-2353436, stpaulscathedralokc.org. TUE

PERFORMING ARTS

The Skirvin Jazz Club a weekly live jazz show presented by OK Sessions, 7:30 p.m. Fridays. Park Avenue Grill, 1 Park Avenue, 405-702-8444, ParkAveGrill.com. FRI

Blue Sunday a monthly blues tribute show hosted by Powerhouse Blues Project,6-8 p.m. the second Sunday of every month. Friends Restaurant & Club, 3705 W. Memorial road, 405-751-4057, friendsbarokc.com. SUN Comedy Showcase local standup comics including Missy Sally, Dr. K and Justin Keithley are scheduled to perform at this show hosted by Elecktra, 7-9 p.m. Jan. 13. Sauced on Paseo, 2912 Paseo St., 405-521-9800, saucedonpaseo.com. SUN Divine Comedy a weekly local showcase featuring a variety of comedians from OKC and elsewhere, 9 p.m. Wednesdays. 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., 405-463-0470, 51stspeakeasy.com. WED 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 Lumpy’s Open Mic Night play a song of your own or just listen to the performers at this weekly show hosted by John Riley Willingham, 9 p.m.

Wednesdays. Lumpy’s Sports Grill, 12325 N. May Ave., 405-286-3300, lumpyssportsgrill.com. WED Open Mic hosted by Elecktra, this open mic has an open-stage, almost-anything-goes policy and a booked feature act, 6-11:30 p.m. The Root, 3012 N. Walker Ave., 405-655-5889, therootokc.com. MON Open Mic a music and comedy open mic hosted by Amanda Howle, 7:30 p.m. every other Wednesday.

Triple’s, 8023 NW 23rd St., 405-789-3031. WED Open Mic a weekly comedy show followed by karaoke, 7:30-9 p.m. Fridays. Don Quixote Club, 3030 N Portland Ave., 405-947-0011. FRI The Phantom of the Opera soprano Christine goes from chorus girl to star performer with help

The Trailer-Hood Hootenanny join Rayna Over and friends for a night of comedy, music and drag performances, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays. Frankie’s, 2807 NW 36th St., 405-602-2030, facebook.com/ frankiesokc. FRI UCO Jazz Ensemble hear Brian Gorrell and the University of Central Oklahoma’s Jazz Ensemble I perform at this concert, 7-8 p.m. Jan. 9. UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth St., 405-359-7989, ucojazzlab.com. WED

ACTIVE Co-ed Open Adult Volleyball enjoy a game of friendly yet competitive volleyball while making new friends, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., 405-350-8920, cityofyukon. gov. WED 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 Open Badminton hit some birdies in some morning pick-up games of badminton with friends, 10 a.m.noon Saturdays. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main St., Yukon, 405-350-8920, cityofyukon.gov. SAT 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 Yoga Tuesdays an all-levels class; bring your own water and yoga mat, 5:45 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE

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CALENDAR C A L E N DA R

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VISUAL ARTS American Indian Artists: 20th Century Masters an exhibition of Native art from the Kiowa Six, Harrison Begay, Tonita Peña and more, through May 12. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum. org. SAT-TUE

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.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-TUE Cowboys in Khaki: Westerners in the Great War learn about the ways Westerners contributed to the US effort in World War I at this exhibit featuring military, rodeo and other historical memorabilia from the time period, through May 12. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

SAT-TUE

Greg Burns: A Collection of Contemporary Watercolors the Oklahoma artist displays works inspired by trips to New Mexico and Florida, through Jan. 19. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, 1ne3.org. THU-SAT 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. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI-SUN Joan Faught view paintings inspired by the Hubble Telescope, through Jan. 31. Porcelain Art Museum, 2700 N. Portland Ave., 405-521-1234, wocp.org. TUE-THU Menstruation Art Show an exhibition of artworks related to menstruation, femininity and body positivity; donations of feminine hygiene products will be collected for the homeless population of Oklahoma City, 6:30-9 p.m. Jan. 12. BlackMint Collective, 800 W. Sheridan Ave., facebook.com/ blackmintcollective. SAT 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. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com.

SUN-THU

Resistance an exhibition of artist Don Holladay’s works created from burlap, string, house paint, joint compound, sand, collaged photographs, gravel and clothes pins, Jan. 11-Feb. 24. Norman Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org.

FRI-SUN

Welcome Home: Oklahomans and the War in Vietnam explores the impact of the war on Oklahoma families as well as the stories of Vietnam-

making its

triumphant return to oklahoma city!

JANUARY 9-20 CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALL OKCBROADWAY.COM (405) 594-8300

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J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

Viva Opera Italia Have an aria with your lasagna and a parlando with your Parmesan at this event pairing Italian food and wine with opera. Performers from Opera on Tap will serenade while you sup on cioppino seafood stew and try not to slurp the restaurant’s famed sugo red sauce. The show begins 8 p.m.

Saturday at Vito’s Ristorante, 7521 N. May Ave. Tickets are $5 and do not include food. Visit facebook.com/operaontapokc. SATURDAY Photo provided

A Date with the Duke: In Old Oklahoma Saddle up with John Wayne for dinner and a movie. Fill your hands (and plates) at the buffet and cash bar while you watch the actor formerly known as Marion Mitchell Morrison romance a Sapulpa schoolmarm (Martha Scott) and battle a greedy oil tycoon out to snatch land rights in pre-statehood Indian Territory. Be prepared for 1943 Hollywood attitudes about Native Americans and Wayne singing. Michael R. Grauer, McCasland Curator of Cowboy Culture, will introduce the film and offer some historic context. The date begins 5 p.m. Friday at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St. Tickets are $35-$40. Call 405-478-2250 or visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.

FRIDAY Photo provided

ese families relocated to Oklahoma, Through Nov. 6. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. MON-TUE 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, Oct. 10-March 31 Free, Through March 31. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951000, oklahomacontemporary.org. WED-SUN

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 33

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

COV E R

MUSIC

Word play Art of Rap and Heart of Hip-Hop are building the community of OKC MCs. By Jeremy Martin

Collin The Chill One came to compete at the Art of Rap after finding it through an internet search.

“I just went on Google and typed in something along the lines of ‘hip-hop events OKC’ and I saw this show and it popped up as one of the first things on Google, and I was like, ‘Oh, hell yeah.

Tomorrow night,’” said The Chill One before the show began Dec. 10. “‘Time to get my feet wet, you know?’ … It’s always good to just rip off the Band-Aid. … Even if it’s intimidating, you gotta go at it.”

In addition to wet feet, the monthly hip-hop competition, held at Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café, 2900 N. Classen Blvd., offers MC contestants the chance to win $50 and a spot on Heart of HipHop, the cafe’s monthly showcase, but the opportunities it creates for artists by putting them all in the same room together might be better than prize money.

Mars Deli, a member of hip-hop collective Sativa Prophets, credits Art of Rap for introducing him to the local scene.

“I had no clue about anything or anybody,” Deli said. “I did one show here.

I lost. I didn’t even get into the second round, but it was just nothing but artists and produc-

ers. Winning or losing, I could get booked for a show still. I could find artists I could work with and make my shit better. Win, lose or draw, you’re going to see people here that are doing shit — actively doing shit. I always tell people whenever it’s their first time doing it, ‘Don’t get discouraged whether you win or not. Just start making connections. That’s what matters.’ If I would’ve just walked out, if I just left, I wouldn’t be in Sativa Prophets.

I wouldn’t have met any of the guys that I met. I wouldn’t have done any of the shit that I did. … The networking here is more important than the $50 that you win.”

Fellow Prophet Mike Huckeby, aka Huckwheat, who has transitioned from a contestant to one of the judges, said the “sense of community” is the “most important part” of the competition, but he also offered a few words of advice to newcomers.

“Practice,” he said. “Come to one and check it out. Just be prepared. … Don’t rap over your own vocals. … We want to hear you in a live setting. This is the underground. We’re in a basement.

That’s the vibe, always. It can get real raunchy and raw. As soon as somebody says some slick shit up there, you’ll see people just lose it.”

Scenario

Art of Rap began as a way to open the stage up to newer talent at the popular Heart of Hip-Hop show, launched in 2014

by Jacobi Ryan (formerly known as Fresh) and Original Flow, MCs who began performing at Hubbly Bubbly’s poetry mics in 2013. Chief Peace and Joey Sativa rounded out the original Heart of Hip-Hop lineup.

J i m C o n w a y, who now hosts the Art of Rap, said he heard about Heart of Hip-Hop from his friend DJ Triple8 who originally manned the turntables at the show.

“He told me, ‘The best rappers in the city that nobody even knows are Jim Conway organizes and hosts the Art of Rap, Heart of Hip-Hop and King of Kings events. | Photo Alexa Ace

right here,’” Conway recalled.

Triple8 got Conway a spot on the show, and he was surprised and impressed to find a welcoming, warm environment, something he’d learned not to expect in OKC. “I retired when I came to Oklahoma because there was no inclusion,” Conway said. “I was actually doing Christian rap back then, and it was like, ‘If you’re good, you’re a threat.’”

Heart of Hip-Hop, meanwhile, lived up to its name.

“They created a demand and a spot and a niche where there was none,” Conway said. “That’s what Hubbly Bubbly is. It’s a hub where artists come together. … In Oklahoma City, you’re not supposed to take a bunch of great artists and come together. We’re supposed to fight each other. … But we’re going to come together.”

In an effort to include more artists in Heart of Hip-Hop while still exercising quality control, Hubbly Bubbly added another night of hip-hop to its lineup: Art of Rap, a competition open to anyone, hosted by Conway and judged, reluctantly in some cases, by the Heart of Hip-Hop regulars.

Christopher G. Acoff, aka Original Flow, said he’s still unsure that creativity can be scored fairly.

“I feel like art in itself is subjective, so then to tell another artist how he or she should perform is difficult,” he said.

“I don’t have all the answers for you. I can’t tell you what to do better. I can just tell you that you did all you could do at that point in time, and that you’re growing as a person. … We’re all in the same boat. I have no place to tell

Original Flow is a judge at Art of Rap and a founder of Heart of Hip-Hop. | Photo Alexa Ace

anybody else what they should be doing.

I’m trying to figure it out myself.”

Having artists judge artists, however, at least ensures the judges’ decisions are based on firsthand knowledge of the subject, and having basically the same panel of judges (give or take an occasional guest) every month sets a consistent standard.

“They know we’re going to be around,” Acoff said. “They know what they’re going to get. It’s going to be an authentic vibe with no politics or fake shit.”

Award tour

Ten contestants are judged in three rounds of competition. In the first round, contestants perform a verse from an original song and the judges consider audience reaction in their scores.

“The whole competition is about the three skills you should possess as an MC,” Mars Deli explained. “You should be able to rock a crowd. When you get on the mic, your music should make people want to get up and dance.”

On other nights, Hubbly Bubbly’s crowds included Shaquille O’Neal, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. This night, Collin The Chill One was up first, and he immediately got a response from the crowd: He brought his song on his cellphone, a frowned upon faux pas in the Art of Rap (thumb drives, which are easier to navigate and don’t run the risk of ringing mid-song, are preferred). A several-minute delay ensued, drawing audible groans

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MUSIC continued from page 31

COV E R

from the audience. Though The Chill One eventually performed, he received the lowest score of the night from the judges and did not advance to the second round.

“If you’re opening up for a festival and you give them your phone, they’re gonna tell you to go find some other place to shove that phone,” Acoff said afterward. “I think it’s imperative for us if we want to see creatives develop to their full potential we need to let them know what’s going on with their performance as much as we can.

We want to chop off the fat basically.”

The criticism, Conway said, is always meant to be constructive and is almost always accompanied by encouragement.

“It’s all in love,” he said. “I lit Collin’s ass on fire in the first round, but he earned it. But what you don’t see is that we talked between the rounds and I said, ‘Man, keep doing what you’re doing.’”

Huckeby said this honest feedback made competing in Art of Rap more intimidating to him than performing at a concert.

“I don’t get nervous at shows, but whenever I used to compete here, I would get nervous every time because it’s not you they’re here to see,” Huckeby said. “Your name’s not on the bill. … You have to impress people.”

Art of Rap regulars and past winners including Queen Caution, Wesley Warhol and Druce Wayne fared better in round one, advancing to the second round, which requires contestants to rap over a beat chosen by the DJ. “The DJ’s not on your side,” Huckeby said. “He wants to hear cool shit, too, but

Nymasis is the DJ for Art of Rap, a monthly hip-hop competition held at Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café. | Photo Alexa Ace

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he’s not like, ‘Ooh I want him to win.’ He’s just spinning. … He’s going to throw whatever record he wants to hear you on.”

Though this round requires quick thinking and can reward improvisation and freestyling, contestants are not expected to battle each other like in the Eminem film 8 Mile.

“It’s not always pretty,” Conway said. “[But] the spirit of Art of Rap is not a battle.”

Nymasis, who now serves as the DJ for Art of Rap after winning the competition five months in a row, was initially confused about this point.

“I was coming at people, battling people because I thought that was what was going on,” Nymasis said. “Nobody told me any differently. Nobody was like ‘Hey bro, we don’t really get down like that.’ … So I came on here like I always come on, a little loud and a little abrasive and out of pocket a little bit, but I meant well, and I didn’t know that’s what the joint was.”

He has since come to appreciate the environment fostered at Art of Rap. “These are dudes that I respect outside of this building, outside of this event, outside of hip-hop,” Nymasis said. “When you can look at somebody and respect them, it’s really easy to be humble and keep this vibe around it and not tolerate any of that negative, ‘look at me’ shit that a lot of people are on.”

Vibes and stuff

Ryan said he wants to encourage this atmosphere of mutual respect.

“One thing I’ve enjoyed myself is the lack of ego involved,” Ryan said. “There’s not been much dick-swinging or swordfighting.”

After round two, only Warhol and Wayne remain. Warhol, who said he grew up competing in rap battles and won Art of Rap three months in a row

Andrew Grimm and ellen cherry host the podcast Why Aren’t You Famous? | Photo Blonnie Brooks

last year, said the competition and the judges’ honest feedback encourages performers to improve.

“If somebody’s bad, they’ll tell them as opposed to just catering to people’s feelings,” Warhol said, “but they’re not out to break hearts. Ninety percent of the time, they’re going to give you what you actually deserve. There have been times when I’m like, ‘Man. I need to step my game up.’”

Round three, which Mars Deli called “the great eliminator,” requires contestants to rap a cappella with no beat.

“There’s been some really impressive wins,” he said. “A lot of times in the third round, it’s super-passionate. It’s really heartfelt. … A lot of people can rap. Not a lot of people can rap and say something without a beat. That really is what separates the men from the boys in this competition. I’ve seen people do some amazing shit with no beat, and I’ve seen people who I thought would kill just get up there and flat-line.”

Wayne and Warhol both did well with the judges, but Wayne, who originally came to hip-hop through spoken-word poetry and called round three his “bread and butter,” ultimately won.

“I put pressure on myself to succeed,” Wayne said. “It gives you that relief of success to prove your abilities. It’s a good training spot. It’s a good thing for the hip-hop community.”

Wayne, Warhol, Queen Caution, Nymasis and all the other Art of Rap winners for 2018 will compete for top honors at the second-annual King of Kings tournament Feb. 11 at Hubbly Bubbly.

Ryan said he wants Art of Rap and Heart of Hip-Hop to continue creating opportunities for aspiring stars in OKC. “Before this, there wasn’t anything for artists on this level,” Ryan said. “We all had our journeys to get to this point.

We had to learn all this stuff on our own.

No one told us how to be professional performing, to not bring your phone, to be prepared in a certain manner. … It’s good that we have something in place to help other people who are kind of fumbling in the dark like us.”

Mike Huckaby, aka Huckwheat, is a key player in the Sativa Prophets. He met fellow member Mars Deli at an Art of Rap competition. | Photo Alexa Ace

Conway, who also uses hip-hop shows to raise funds for schools and children in south Oklahoma City with his Lifelines nonprofit organization, said his ultimate goal is to transform the local culture.

“If you get enough have-nots together, no one can stop you,” Conway said.

“In 10 years, we are not going to be an exclusionary scene. In 10 years, everybody’s going to remember, ‘That fat-ass named Jim Conway helped me when nobody else would. Jacobi helped me.

Original Flow helped me. They helped me, so I’m going to help the next person.’ … That’s the only way for us to get better.”

The next Art of Rap is scheduled for Jan. 14, followed by Heart of Hip-Hop on Jan. 24. Visit hubblybubblyokc.com.

Art of Rap 9 p.m. Monday Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café 2900 N. Classen Blvd. hubblybubblyokc.com | 405-609-2930 $5

Heart of Hip-Hop 9 p.m. Jan. 24 Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café 2900 N. Classen Blvd. hubblybubblyokc.com | 405-609-2930 $5

King of Kings 9 p.m. Feb. 11 Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Café 2900 N. Classen Blvd. hubblybubblyokc.com | 405-609-2930 $5

REVIEW

South bound

Buddy South brings an air of nostalgia and Southern-fried fun to Exchange & Rockwood.

By Nathan Poppe

Buddy South made a stellar first impression on me.

Windows down; local NPR affiliate turned way up. What I initially thought was a Drive-By Truckers cut ended up being something a bit more fun and funny. Now, it’s your turn to say hi.

Oklahoma City-based quintet Buddy South is the country/Southern rock twist cone that’s being served by drummer Brian Barber, pedal steel guitarist Nathan Guilford, bassist Kevin Lee Wells, guitarist Bart Young and vocalist JR Smith (a recent Okie transplant via Virginia).

These seas o n e d players who all balance Exchange & Rockwood | Image Dryline Productions / provided

day jobs somehow eluded my radar for a couple of years and slipped out one helluva album last summer at VZD’s.

Exchange & Rockwood contains a dozen twangy originals that shine like an energetic debut should. Oklahoma’s music scene has welcomed and elevated a host of young, modern songwriter talent. The Johntourage — Fullbright, Moreland, Calvin Abney — immediately spring to mind, and you can practically trace a line of marked improvement and growth through their discography.

But Buddy South seemingly released a fully developed meal of a record before I even sat down to order. Sure, it’s none of the band members’ first musical rodeo, but it’s a welcomed surprise.

Exchange & Rockwood — a nod to the band’s Cowtown rehearsal space — is the product of a band that seems to straight-up enjoy playing music together. There’s no ego, suspenders or questions of Americana authenticity to contend with, just a polished collection of tracks constantly

playing to the band’s love of Southern rock.

And man, their confidence and sense of humor slap from the starting gate.

The record’s self-deprecating opening lines on “Hard Time” would feel at home on a Ron White standup special. Smith sings, “Couldn’t get lucky in a women’s prison with 20 pardons in my hand.” It is a goofy line followed by dozens more. For much of the first half of the record, Buddy South finds a sweet spot between sounding both carefree and clever. Side B is a little heavier with songs tackling the trappings of nostalgia, faded Polaroids, small towns and bad luck. I’d like to hear more tracks like the record’s finale, a bonus song called “Dying Breath.” It turns the Southernfried sounds down a few notches and reveals a more sensitive side of Buddy South. I like the big, broad gestures throughout the record, but every road trip needs at least a couple of pit stops.

Exchange & Rockwood strikes me as the product of a lotta thinkin’ and drinkin’. It is as memorable of an intro-

Local Southern rock band Buddy South produced one of 2018’s best debuts by an OKC artist, Exchange & Rockwood. | Photo provided

duction as anything I’ve heard out of Oklahoma in years, goes down smooth and doesn’t overstay its bubbly welcome.

Buddy South is the old-school bar band you didn’t know you already loved.

Speaking of loved ones, my dad retired about the time this band got started. He took a couple weeks off before tending to car lots. He now spends his days washing windows, refueling SUVs and picking up messes. Overqualified doesn’t begin to describe his relationship to the gig. It’s a job normally reserved for three college dudes on summer vacation. He reminds me of Buddy South, a band still working for the love of the game.

Short on time? Stream “Hard Time” and “Better Days.”

Pairs well with: Sturgill Simpson’s High Top Mountain, Roger Miller’s A Trip in the Country and Steve Earle’s new So You Wannabe an Outlaw.

LIVE MUSIC SUNDAY, JAN. 13

These are events recommended

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

Alan Scardapane, The Root. SINGER/SONGWRITER Celtic Jam, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK

MONDAY, JAN. 14

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 9

Jason Hunt, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant. FOLK

Katie & the Elements, The R & J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ

TUESDAY, JAN. 15

THURSDAY, JAN. 10

Country Clique, Friends Restaurant & Club. COUNTRY

Bishop Marsh, Saints. JAZZ

FOLK

Elizabeth Speegle Band, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. JAZZ/POP

Hot House Band, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. JAZZ Jared Lowery Trio, [Artspace] at Untitled. JAZZ Peter Asher, The Blue Door. FOLK/ROCK Shelly Phelps and Dylan Nagode, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Café. JAZZ

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 The Blend, Remington Park. COVER The Fonts, Eatery & Cocktail Office @ The Union.

COVER

Jemar Poteat, The Blue Door. JAZZ Not My Weekend/Rome Hero Foxes, 89th Street-OKC. POP OKCDC/The Banned, Oklahoma City Limits. COVER Peter Asher, The Blue Door. FOLK/ROCK Ravens Three, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK

Dustin Cooper, Sean Cumming’s Irish Restaurant.

Abbigale Dawn & The Makebelieve Norman native Abbigale Dawn covers a lot of ground in a half hour on her self-titled EP, dreamily drifting over the horizon in “Paper Boats,” picking through “Connecticut With You,” forecasting “Saturday Rain” and cheerily threatening property crimes to alleviate the “Ex-Boyfriend Blues” (“I saw her name on your caller ID. The only one you’ll be calling now is the police.”) The influence of Billie Holiday and Gillian Welch can be heard in her voice, and the understated, biting humor in some of her lyrics offers occasional flashes of John Darnielle, but Dawn’s clearly setting out to find a path of her own. Likeminded folk trio Annie Oakley share the bill. The show starts 9 p.m. Friday at Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., in Norman. Admission is free. Call 405-230-0311 or visit opolis.org. FRIDAY Photo Michael Duncan / provided

SATURDAY, JAN. 12

Infamous/Trip G/J -Cynical, Opolis. HIP-HOP

36 Inches, Landing Zone. ROCK

Jahruba & The Jahmystics, Othello’s. REGGAE

The Blend, Remington Park. COVER

Midas 13, Newcastle Casino. ROCK

Born in November, Sanctuary Barsilica. R&B Chad Todd Band, McClintock Saloon & Chop House.

The Red Plains/Wicked Shimmies/Demon Seeds, Resonator. ROCK

Riders Ford, Landing Zone. COUNTRY

COUNTRY

Rock N Rog, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. ROCK

Wade Bowen/Adam Hood, Tower Theatre.

Don’t Tell Dena/The Odyssey, Bison Witches Bar & Deli. ROCK

Sam Riggs, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY

COUNTRY

GO TO OKGAZETTE.COM FOR FULL LISTINGS!

Kyle Reid, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 Franks & Deans/YourMom/On Holiday, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK J.W. Teller/Brad Fielder, Red Brick Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER

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

JAZZ

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.

O KG A Z E T T E . C O M | J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 9

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PUZZLES NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE

BREAKING NEWS | 0113

By Zhouqin Burnikel Puzzles edited by Will Shortz

ACROSS 1 19,000+-foot Peruvian volcano 8 Husband of Lara in Doctor Zhivago 13 Quarters 18 “That’s way better than I can do” 19 As we speak 21 Moisturizer brand 22 *Stereotypical movie outcome 24 Instigated, with “on” 25 The Matrix character 26 Wallops 27 Thought-provoking 29 Reveal 30 [Poor, pitiful me!]

32 “Contact” org.

34 *Startling disclosure 36 Demands serious effort (of) 40 Vacation spot offering a warm welcome?

42 Fig. usually expressed as a percentage 43 ____-Town (city nickname) 44 Gave a 46 *Bringer of cold weather 53 *Law-enforcement target 56 Grammy winner Morissette 57 Constitutional Amendment about

presidential election procedures 58 Get soaked, say 59 Duke and others 61 One of eight in “Old MacDonald

Had a Farm” 62 Polish off 63 ____ Valley 64 Pilot follower, maybe 66 According to 69 *Battery boost 72 “____ makes man wiser and clear-

sighted”: Vladimir Putin 73 Fish dish that Nobu restaurants are

noted for 75 Ref. works that can run $1,000+ 76 Bill Clinton or Barack Obama 77 March ____ 78 Like priests 81 Morning fix, slangily 85 Like Benadryl: Abbr.

86 Ticks off 87 *Moved closer to home?

89 *Help for users 92 Plains tribe 93 Ticked off 94 Rain-____ (bubble- gum brand) 95 Continental trade grp., once 97 Without principles 99 *Very soon 105 Criticism 107 ____-mo 108 Cross 109 Nirvana, e.g.

110 Biblical son who was nearly

sacrificed by his father 113 Woman famously evicted from her home 115 “No way!”

117 Things used for dumping … or a

literal hint to the answers to the

starred clues?

122 Adorable sort 123 Sun block?

124 “In a perfect world …”

125 Sitting posture in yoga 126 Enter again, as data 127 Many East Asian World Heritage Sites

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45 It’s in your jeans 47 The Browns, on scoreboards 48 Increasingly outmoded circus roles 49 All thumbs 50 Rust, e.g.

51 Course halves 52 Hand-carved Polynesian statues 54 Empire once spanning three continents 55 Lopsided win 60 Range rovers 61 “I know the answer!”

63 Out-of-the-blue 65 Symbols of sovereignty 66 Can’t stand 67 Shade of gray 68 Leave thirsty 69 Peru’s ____ Chávez International Airport 70 Some intersections 71 Supplement 74 Dream up 76 “Hasta ____” 79 Works in a museum 80 “Gotcha” 81 One keeping a secret, metaphorically 82 Apollo 13 commander 83 Word-of-mouth 84 Drain feature 86 Up to it 88 Pitcher Hideo Nomo, e.g., by birth

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9 Plus 10 Cutting 11 Mead ingredient 12 “That’s so kind of you!”

13 Course rarity 14 Continuing source of irritation 15 Radio City Music Hall has a famous one 16 Caterpillar alternative 17 Box ____ (tree) 19 Beat by a nose 20 Pieces of three-pieces 23 Booted 28 Pricey mushroom 31 Roughly estimated 33 Many a craft brew 35 Common email attachments 36 Height: Prefix 37 Prison weapon 38 ____ anchor (stay still, nautically) 39 “Sounds good!”

41 Sea whose Wikipedia article is

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98 Certain keg attachment 99 Female friend: Lat. 100 Connection 101 Buttinsky 102 “Oyez! Oyez!” e.g.

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SUDOKU VERY HARD | N° 250834975

Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com

Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute).

SKULLDUGGERY LANE By Ingvard Ashby

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Puzzle No. 0106, which appeared in the Jan 2 issue.

H U B B U B

O N L I N E

T W I T C H

J A F A R

U T I C A

G I N U P

L I S P O P N W A A R E A C R S H O K I D 34

J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 9 | O KG A Z E T T E . C O M

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

T R I B E C A A M U S T

I O N I Z E S

P E T T A X T I R I L L S L A S T S

M A R T E N S T R O P R O A M R U E

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

B A S E A F O R E S K I R T I S S U E

I C E R

S C R A P

S E A L D N E F M A C E L E R A V S L O T A C M A R A B E R G R A S M H Y E A T N L A V E N

A U P T P E T A T R K O T E T H Y L

T H E S E

I M P A C T

N I E C E S

STARGAZER ALL SIGNS

Are you interested in a personal horoscope?

Vivian Carol may be reached at 704-366-3777 for astrology appointments. horoscopesbyvivian.com

Since the end of December, we have had numerous aspects related to Pluto, planet of the 1 percent, plutocrats, the economy and all Powers That Be, including death. The bright side tells us that transformation is at hand; the truth is exposed and spotlights will chase shadows away.

The more seamy side of Pluto has to do with manipulation of the highest order with its self-serving tactics. Pluto’s motion is related to vast power and social/political judgments that affect the masses. This is prominent not only in the USA, but worldwide. It seems fitting that these aspects are occurring now, given the unstable condition of many structures. I hope for positive, phoenix-like transformation although it will surely require time to manifest.

ARIES

(March 21-April 19) Chiron will soon enter your sign.

This points rather directly to your physical and emotional well-being.

If anything is outside of normal, it will begin to nag at you.

Don’t ignore symptoms because they won’t just go away.

Make a plan to see your doctor soon.

TAURUS

(April 20-May 20)

Changes may be occurring in your primary relationship. One of you is probably trying to hang onto what is familiar. Changes and growth must be allowed to happen or the relationship will become stale. Let things flow naturally. Don’t jump to conclusions or make problems bigger than they are.

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20) This is a good time to communicate with your partner. It is very important that you set the critic aside and engage in a conversation about feelings, even if you think it is about things. For example, if this person did not do something that was expected, avoid the blame game. Ask what was happening on the interior that kept him/her from completing the plan.

CLASSIFIEDS

HEALTH

CANCER

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

(June 21-July 22)

The eclipse energy of this month continues its background effect on everyone, but most especially on Moon Children. Tune out if this energy is too much for you. Indeed, whether global or personal, anything built on sand rather than solid ground is showing cracks and signs of impending change.

LEO

There is a potential for becoming caught in ego games with a loved one. Any of the “games” will do, but this week’s aspect is particularly fond of playing “How much do you love me? Prove your feelings.” You could be asking the question or the other might be asking you. Try to stay with communications that are more authentic.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

You might need to concentrate to avoid critics, whether they be internal or external. Instead of accepting blame or guilt, use the energy to make improvements wherever they are needed. Avoid contracts and business negotiations for a week or so because misunderstandings might develop.

SCORPIO

(July 23-Aug. 22)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Your work or daily routine takes on a quality of intensity this week.

Family and home matters might play a part in the situation. Concentrate on breathing deeply and moving with deliberation. It is possible that you are more intensely emotional than the situation deserves. Take a step back and look at it from a larger perspective. This is likely to be something that affects you but is not about you.

VIRGO

Please note the opening paragraph about Pluto because it is one of your ruling planets. Concentrate on serving up the truth as you know it with tact and diplomacy.

The Scorpion sometimes delivers their thoughts about others with a force that can be hurtful, even though you perceive it as being for their own good.

The more you attempt to hurry, the more rocks in your path. You might just as well take your time and allow things to develop as they will. Rushing along will not get you there any faster. If a traffic jam gets in your way, try to take it in stride. These things happen with regularity.

The cosmos is not pointing at you.

SAGITTARIUS

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

PISCES

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Details might nag your mind and your time like pecking ducks. You and significant others are not having the best of communications right now. You might be in the mood to nitpick yourself or others. You will probably feel better generally if you work alone. Put the critic in the closet.

If you have been channeling your energy into a project that has positive value for many, you might be receiving recognition and applause now. If, instead, you are working on something that is purely to make your ego shinier, you will find others are fighting you every step of the way. Think about your motives.

(Feb. 19-March 20)

This is a fine time to enjoy books and/or TV, meditate and journal.

Give yourself time for selfexploration and even just goofing off and relaxing. Your dreams are meaningful and your intuition strong. Beware of any offer that looks too good to be true. Yes, it is. Don’t bite, lest you lose.

CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS

HOMES

MUSIC

CLASSIFIEDS

JOBS

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