P. 15 Oklahoma City offers an exciting array of New Year’s Eve celebrations, catering to a variety of tastes and interests. From nostalgic dance parties and glamorous throwback themes to immersive performances, there’s something for everyone.
By Daniel Bokemper
by Tim Buchanan
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Happy holidays! Let’s raise a cheer, to fresh beginnings and the coming year. With OG charm, traditions thrive, the Oklahoma Gazette keeps hope alive.
Old and new in perfect blend, a festive start where roots extend. Here’s to joy, to all we do — holiday magic, old and new!
Council elections
Voters in two OKC wards will select city council members in February.
By Ben Felder
Oklahoma City’s northeast and southwest wards will hold city council elections in February, while two other wards will automatically retain their current council member after no challengers emerged.
Elections will be held Feb. 11 in wards 3 and 7. A candidate is elected if they receive more than 50 percent of the vote. The top two vote-getters will advance to an April 1 runoff if no majority is met.
In Oklahoma City’s northeast Ward 7, four candidates are running for the open seat.
Nikki Nice had represented the ward since 2018, winning reelection in 2021 without a challenger. However, Nice was elected to the state Senate this year, leaving her city council seat open.
Andrea Holman, Masood A. Haqq, Camal Pennington and John A. Pettis, Jr. will be on the Ward 7 ballot.
Pettis previously served as the Ward 7 councilman but resigned in 2018 after facing felony embezzlement charges, which were later dropped. Pettis pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of
failing to file a tax return.
Pettis said he wants to continue pushing for economic development in northeast Oklahoma City.
Ward 7 has been a historically Black community, and recent council members have focused on increased economic development, more fresh food options and access to community centers.
“I will continue to fight for Ward 7 to get its share of city bond projects that will lead to high-quality jobs and sustainable growth opportunities for local businesses,” Pettis said.
Pennington, the executive director of It’s My Community Initiative, a coalition of community-based nonprofits focused on northeast Oklahoma City, is also running in Ward 7.
“I am running for office because I believe a strong community isn’t something you are given; it’s something you build together,” Pennington said.
“While serving in Ward 7 for City Council, I will advocate for policies that empower families, improve public safety, increase affordable housing options and give opportunity for eco-
nomic development.”
Holman, president of a northeast neighborhood association, and Haqq, an author and member of the Council on American-Islamic RelationsOklahoma, will also be on the ballot.
Ward 3
Barbara Peck, elected to Ward 3 in 2021, is running for reelection against challenger Katrina Bedell Avers.
One of the most significant issues in Ward 3 this year was a proposed amphitheater that drew pushback from the largely suburban community concerned about noise and traffic. Peck was a vocal opponent, and the council later voted to deny the project’s zoning request.
“I think we would all enjoy it,” Peck told Ward 3 residents this year. “But we need to be able to enjoy it by paying to go there to here/see the bands we want to, not by stepping out our back door.”
In 2021, Peck finished second in a six-person race but took the most votes in a top-two runoff.
On her website, Avers said she is a scientist and entrepreneur “focused on data-driven and innovative solutions that protect public safety, foster economic growth and invest in infrastructure and community resources.”
Uncontested races
Ward 1 Councilman Bradley Carter and Ward 4 Councilman Todd Stone will each automatically return to their seats, as neither drew a challenger.
Carter, first elected in 2021, represents the city’s northwest ward, while Stone, elected in 2017, represents the city’s southeast ward.
The city council is made up of eight ward representatives, along with the mayor, who is elected citywide. The mayor’s annual salary is $24,000, and each council member is paid $12,000 a year.
Two years ago, the city’s ward boundaries were slightly adjusted, moving at least 100,000 residents to new wards. Each ward is home to around 85,000 residents.
Campaign expenses
City council candidates must report donations and expenses when their total spending reaches $1,000.
In the Ward 3 race, Peck raised around $26,000 earlier this year, according to her latest campaign contributions report. Avers had yet to file a contributions report as of December.
In Ward 7, Pettis raised around $8,300 this year, according to an October financial report, the most recent one available. Pennington raised more than $30,000 as of October, and Haqq raised $34,505. Holman had not filed a campaign contribution report.
Oklahoma City Ward map
CITY
NEWS
Swift expansion
OKC
hopes for a rapid rise in public transit and is already working on expanding the current transit infrastructure.
By Ben Felder
For the past year, a fleet of charcoalcolored buses have zipped along much of Classen Boulevard and Northwest Expressway as part of Oklahoma City’s first bus rapid transit line. Using some bus-only lanes and traffic signal prioritization, the new bus line is meant to somewhat mimic a subway or streetcar.
Fares are paid before boarding, each bus uses a dedicated entry and exit door that is level with bus stop platforms, and frequencies are sometimes as low as every 12 minutes, making a missed bus a small annoyance with just a short wait for the next one.
Called Rapid, the new bus line has been the city’s most significant transit investment in decades. In its first year, the average daily ridership of around 1,200 is nearly twice that of the downtown streetcar system, now in its sixth year of operation.
But city officials hope the northwest Rapid line is just the first step in a new era of bus and rail investments that could start to alter the region’s longtime status as a public transit wasteland.
“For so many decades, we prioritized the widest streets to move cars as quickly as possible,” said Ward 2 Councilmember James Cooper, speaking at a recent meeting of transit officials. “I think that can change.”
In many ways, the city’s transit department is still working to catch up with many other peer cities. Evening and weekend service was only added in the past decade, and there is no current transit service to the airport, making Oklahoma City one of the largest in the nation with that distinction.
Oklahoma City’s transit ridership is below many cities of similar or smaller size, including Akron, Ohio, and
Syracuse, New York.
But plans are underway to build two additional bus rapid transit lines serving the city’s south and northeast neighborhoods. Voters in central Oklahoma are also expected to soon be presented with a proposed regional commuter rail system that would link Edmond and Norman with downtown Oklahoma City.
“If you’re not already tired of traffic, you are going to be, and when you are, it is already too late,” Mayor David Holt said during his most recent State of the City address, where he discussed the need for a regional transit system that includes commuter rail.
More lines
The city’s most recent MAPS 4 funding package included an expansion of the Rapid bus system into northeast and south Oklahoma City. This summer, the city’s Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority reviewed a consultant’s recommended route for the two new lines.
The two routes appear to be treated like one single line centered at the Santa Fe train station downtown. Like the current Northwest Rapid line, the new routes would use some bus-only lanes, which could include one bus-only lane down the center of Shields Boulevard from downtown to Capitol Hill, according to the proposal.
The new routes would also service the city’s future arena, which is being built just north of Paycom Center. The current northwest Rapid line doesn’t connect to the arena, but this year, the city extended it to Paycom Center during Thunder games.
Even in a largely car-dependent
region like Oklahoma City, a sizable part of the population relies on public transit. Recent surveys have shown that more than half of local transit riders lack regular access to a car, and as many as 85 percent of riders have an annual income of $30,000 or less.
However, the city’s transit officials are also hoping new investments will attract more “choice riders,” those who have a car but find public transit to be more convenient.
“We are getting a lot of new riders trying the system for the first time,” said Jesse Rush, the city’s transit director, speaking about ridership at the opening of the new Rapid line. “That’s exactly what we are hoping for.”
Rapid buses commonly have security officers onboard, along with more comfortable seats and Wi-Fi access.
“This could be a life-changing amenity for the residents along this line, especially those who haven’t been users of our public transit system in the past,” Holt said about the new Rapid line.
Commuter vote
In addition to two more Rapid bus lines, city officials hope to see a new commuter rail system.
A Regional Transit Authority made up of area communities has been studying a commuter rail line connecting Edmond and Norman with downtown Oklahoma City. A vote for a special tax to fund the system could come as early as next year, the RTA said.
While far from a reality, the prospect of a commuter rail system is already on the minds of some developers.
This year, leaders with the Guernsey engineering and architectural firm said
part of the reasoning behind a new headquarters and development downtown was the prospect of a commuter rail line for its employees.
“If we get regional commuter rail, that’s going to allow employees to take it from the platform to Edmond and Norman,” Jared Stigge, CEO of Guernsey, told The Oklahoman about its future headquarters at NW 13th Street and Broadway Avenue. “It’s going to be up to the voters ... but I think it could be a big thing for the metro, so we’ll see what happens.”
The city is also including potential commuter rail station access in its new arena plans.
Coming much sooner is a $11 million investment in 140 new bus stops — more than 40 have already been built — that were approved in MAPS 4. Many of the new stops will include new shelters, trash cans, bike racks and lighting.
Back along Classen, where the current Rapid line is, the city is also hoping to spur more transit-oriented development with a recently awarded nearly $1 million federal grant. The money will be spent on a plan to better link pedestrian and cycling infrastructure with transit lines, along with encouraging new affordable housing near bus stops.
“Rapid (Northwest) is providing residents a new, convenient, public transit option along our 9.5-mile route,” said Rush, the city’s transit director. “This grant will help increase development opportunities along Classen Boulevard and make access to Rapid easier for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Join hands with Central Oklahoma Habitat to create change this holiday season, one home at a time.
We welcome both your prayers and your donations. Your gift helps change lives by helping hard-working Oklahomans obtain safe, stable housing and with it, a chance to thrive.
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Rapid transit line provides convienent travel across the Oklahoma City metro. | Photo provided
Pride of OK
Oklahomans love it when we make the news, but these instances of media attention weren’t exactly what we had in mind. By Gazette Staff
This week, lawmakers representing Oklahoma once again garnered national attention with outspoken rhetoric that sheds less than positive light on the state.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, in an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, exchanged tense words with co-host Jake Tapper on several key issues. Sporting a Mullin Ranch jacket on national television, Mullin refuted allegations that Pete Hegseth, current nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, has had an alcohol problem by seemingly suggesting most combat veterans inevitably use alcohol to cope.
“Unfortunately, a lot of our combat vets have come back and faced the same thing,” Mullin said in response to Hegseth’s own comments on how drinking became self-medication.
“They had their identity in the service. They had a job to do. They were responsible for certain things, and they get out of the service and they’re back and they’re sitting there, twiddling their thumbs. They’ve had a lot of experiences that the regular population doesn’t. They have these memories, these thoughts, these sounds, the smells that are still coming back to them. And they turn to drinking with their buddies. That doesn’t mean they have a drinking problem. That means that every combat veteran has had the same issues. … What he was describing is what most combat veterans have faced.”
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that 1 in 10 combat veterans from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan who use its services has a problem with alcohol or other drugs. While no small number, it certainly doesn’t come close to suggesting every combat veteran struggles with alcohol abuse. As a member of the U.S. Senate’s Armed Services committee, it seems like quite the leap for Mullin to defend one man’s alcohol consumption by suggesting it’s just part of being a veteran. However, this wasn’t the first time in recent weeks Mullin has been in the spotlight for what some see as fringe behavior; in fact, it wasn’t even his first time speaking out on Hegseth.
Calling into question the validity of a sexual assault allegation against Hegseth, Mullin lashed out at CNN co-host Dana Bash, launching into an animated defense before Bash had finished her question.
It wasn’t the first time Mullin’s Armed Services Committee involvement led to a bizarre turn on veterans either. Last month, he placed a hold on the promotion of Lt. Gen. Christopher T. Donahue. With multiple tours in
Afghanistan and Iraq, the former Delta Force commander, Army Ranger and paratrooper had a singular obstacle in the way of becoming a four-star general: Markwayne Mullin. It’s still not publicly known why Mullin blocked the confirmation, but once he finally dropped his hold at the beginning of December, Donahue received his promotion with a unanimous confirmation.
Mullin’s name in the press doesn’t end there. Recently on Meet the Press, he showed favor for scrutinizing vaccinations, suggesting they could be linked to autism.
“I’ve also questioned vaccines multiple times. And I think they should be questioned,” he said. “For instance, why is America highest in autism? What is causing that? Is it our diet? Or is it some of the stuff we’re putting in our children’s system?”
According to research from the National Institute of Health, as well as statistics from World Health Organization, the United States does not have the highest rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses, with some countries in Asia and the Middle East reporting higher numbers, and increases in global cases largely attributed to changes in diagnosis parameters.
Mullin isn’t the only state spokesman who has attracted national attention.
Ryan Walters
No stranger to the media, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters recently became the focal point of ridicule from late-night television host Stephen Colbert for his initiative to put a Bible in every state classroom.
Colbert called out Walters during the opening monologue of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, referring to him as one of Trump’s “farm team of far-right weirdos” and “incel Chris Evans” while citing excerpts from an article by Rolling Stone.
“Walters is an ultra-conservative Christian nationalist who has caused a bit of a stir for ordering Oklahoma’s public schools to keep a Bible in each classroom,” Colbert said. “It’s notable that Walters used state money to purchase Trump Bibles at a whopping $60 apiece. Now that Trump’s about to be back in office, Walters is amping up the MAGA by ordering the state’s schools to play students a video of himself praying for Trump.”
The video in question was sent to school districts across the state with a message from Walters requesting schools to show the video in classrooms and share it with parents.
“I will now say a prayer, and to be clear, students, you don’t have to join, but if you so wish, I’m going to go ahead and pray,” Walters said in the video, which was also shown during Colbert’s monologue segment.
“Dear God, thank you for all the blessings you’ve given our country. I pray for our leaders to make the right decisions. I pray, in particular, for President Donald Trump and his team as they continue to bring about change to the country. I also pray that we continue to teach love of country to our young people and that our students understand what makes America great and that they continue to love this country. Amen.”
Many public school districts across the metro, including Mustang, Yukon, Norman and Edmond, refused to show the video in classrooms, commenting their plans to focus on approved curriculum and that Walters doesn’t have the authority to make a mandate like this one.
Also calling into question this authority, Colbert ended his thoughts on Walters with a quote from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who publicly stated, “There is no statutory authority for the state schools superintendent to require all students to watch a specific video.”
When confronted with feedback that some school districts wouldn’t be showing his video, Walters had biting words in an interview with KOCO.
“We know we have some rogue superintendents who like to push a left-wing agenda onto their kids and like to continue to push state-sponsored atheism in our classrooms by pushing out any kind of mention of God,” he said. “But look, we’re not going to tolerate it.”
And by “not tolerate it,” Walters was likely referring to his establishment of the Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism.
Now part of the Oklahoma Department of Education, the office “will serve to promote religious liberty and patriotism in Oklahoma and protect parents, teachers and students’ abilities to practice their religion freely in all aspects.” While the office’s mission mentions protecting free religious practice, its materials notably only reference instances of threats against the Holy Bible and other practices of Christianity.
The press announcement for the office’s establishment also mentions the office will “oversee the investigation of
abuses to individual religious freedom or displays of patriotism” and refers to teacher unions as having “minions to indoctrinate our children against traditional values of faith and family,” a direct quote from Walters.
Bad behavior
Walters’ and Mullin’s actions are just the tail end of a historic showing of bad behavior from Oklahoma representatives.
Over the last two years, members of the Oklahoma Senate Dusty Deevers and Nathan Dahm became fodder for well-known comedians.
Deevers appeared as a focal point of a Jimmy Fallon monologue for his proposed bill that would make it illegal to participate in sexting, which Deevers feels is a form of pornography, with anyone other than your spouse.
In response, Deevers penned a strongly worded post on X, formerly Twitter, claiming that Jimmy Fallon served as a waiter to “pornography’s banquet in the grave” and alliteratively stated that he longed to “see singlehood, marriages, families and futures rescued from the poisonous promises of porn’s insatiable appetite for increasing deviance and destruction.”
Dahm, in a much more lengthy and visible interaction, was interviewed by Jon Stewart about his proposed legislation to loosen gun restrictions. For more than eight minutes, Dahm became increasingly flustered as Stewart questioned him about each of his proposals, including plans to curb gun violence by decreasing “fatherlessness,” which he stated, “we’re doing in Oklahoma.”
The almost-punch heard around the world, however, belonged, yet again, to Mullin, who challenged the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to a fight during a congressional hearing last year. The tense exchange of words ended with Sen. Bernie Sanders having to remind Mullin, “You are a United States senator!”
There’s a theory that Chicago earned its nickname as “The Windy City” because of all the “hot air” local politicians were emitting every time they opened their mouths to speak. The same could be said for the many representing Oklahoma and making a name for themselves in all the wrong ways. What more damage can we expect when their wind comes sweeping down the plain?
| Graphic Kimberly Walker
A fair election process for all
By Dr. A.J. Griffin
I’m a lifelong Oklahoman and a former educator. I also had the privilege of serving in our State Senate for six years. I believed then and now that people should always come before politics. Unfortunately, I had a front-row seat to how our current election system is failing voters. In fact, our closed primary system actively discourages voter participation instead of encouraging a democratic process that is truly of the people, by the people and for the people.
Oklahoma’s closed partisan primaries have transformed our politics from a system that represents the priorities and concerns of a majority of voters into an insider’s game defined by minority rule. That’s because our November elections, in which most voters participate, have been rendered all but meaningless.
Why are November elections meaningless? Consider this: In 2024, the winners of 86 percent of Oklahoma’s elections for federal, state and county offices were either decided on filing day (because a candidate ran unopposed), determined
in a closed partisan primary in June or August or did not have two major parties represented in a general election. That means only 14 percent of November elections featured a Republican and a Democrat, and the vast majority of those contests were lopsided affairs.
Primary elections, in which 5 to 10 percent of voters usually participate, have become the only elections that matter. Hundreds of thousands of voters are left disenfranchised by this system and literally unable to cast a vote for or against their elected officials. It is particularly unfair to independent voters, who number almost half a million and represent 1 in 5 voters. Adding insult to injury, these excluded voters fund these partisan elections with their tax dollars.
That’s why I’m supporting State Question 835, which would open our primary elections to every single Oklahoman, regardless of party affiliation. If the effort is successful, open primaries will replace the current closed primary system in which the Republican,
Democratic and Libertarian parties hold taxpayer-funded partisan elections for their own members.
State Question 835 offers a better way. In the open primary system it proposes, every candidate will appear on a single ballot with their party affiliation. But every voter — Democrat, Republican or independent — can cast a vote. A voter can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of the party they chose to associate with.
Voters get to see all of the candidates, and candidates must face all of the voters.
No more gatekeeping. No more excluding taxpayers from the elections they fund.
Open primaries will also foster better government. When candidates must appeal to all voters, not just a single party’s base, they are more accountable. They must listen to different views and seek common ground. By reforming this system, we can ensure that politicians focus on the needs and priorities of the entire community, not
just the interests of their own political party.
As a believer in the power of a free market, I know that competition is good. Locking a voter out of an election limits competition and stifles debate over ideas.
Our democracy is strongest when all voices are heard. State Question 835 will help to reinvigorate Oklahoma’s representative democracy, giving all voters a real opportunity to shape their own political representation.
By voting “yes” on State Question 835, we can end taxation without representation, improve voter turnout and build a system that works for all of us. Let’s give every Oklahoman a chance to participate.
It’s time to end closed primaries and give all voters the freedom to vote.
Let’s make history together by voting Yes on State Question 835 and creating a fair election process for all.
AJ Griffin, Ed.D., is the President and CEO of the Potts Family Foundation. Prior to her current role, she served in the Oklahoma State Senate for six years, where she was a member of senate leadership and was recognized for improving policies related to juvenile justice, child welfare, healthcare, and criminal justice reform.
chicken friedNEWS
Virtually dropkicked
Airspace hazard
A developer’s quest to build the nation’s tallest building in Oklahoma City is receiving pushback from the city’s airport agency, which claims it might be too tall for approaching airplanes to navigate. At 1,907 feet, the proposed Legends Tower would be twice as tall as any building in the city and serve as a monument to Oklahoma City’s pioneering spirit and crippling inferiority complex.
But Oklahoma City Airports Director Jeff Mulder recently told The Oklahoman it could cause problems for airplanes. “We’re just speaking for the airport, but pilots would have concerns, too,” Mulder said.
If the only thing standing in the way of building this super skyscraper are concerns over flight patterns, hopefully it can be worked out. Anti-abortion climbing activists need a new challenge.
But the list of challenges, including c ommon sense and practicality, is likely much longer.
Have you ever wanted something as badly as Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters wanted to be Donald Trump’s education secretary? Sadly, Walters’ dream of moving from making videos from the front seat of his Camry to tweeting in the back of a limo with the president-elect won’t come to be. Trump chose Linda McMahon, the former CEO of the WWE wrestling company and, unlike Walters, a name Trump actually knew.
The question now becomes, What’s next for Walters? Many have speculated a gubernatorial run in two years. If that’s true, expect to see him start to go harder after the potential challengers, which could be Attorney General Gentner Drummond and State Auditor Cindy Byrd. These are also two state officials who have shown a willingness to try and hold Walters in check.
In the meantime, Walters demands that all Oklahoma public school students pray for him during this difficult time.
Model voting?
It was another good election for Oklahoma Republicans, who didn’t have to stay up late on Election Day last month to learn they would remain in power. Not only was that outcome expected, but the state’s election results typically get posted within a few hours of the polls closing. In recent years, as some swing states have
received increased attention and dealt with razor-thin margins, Oklahoma lawmakers have boasted about their quick count.
“Why can’t Pennsylvania be more like Oklahoma?” many lawmakers like to ask. Yes, it’s part praise for Oklahoma’s election system, but it’s also a small nod to the baseless theories that something’s not right in some of these blue-leaning states.
But comparing Oklahoma to these states is rather foolish. Asking why Pennsylvania can’t get its vote count done as quickly as Oklahoma is like asking why Philadelphia can’t have better traffic like Oklahoma City. Size matters.
However, if Oklahoma lawmakers want to continue their smugness over local election efficiency, they must find ways to get more poll workers. These democratic heroes oversee the vote at each precinct. But earlier this year, it was reported that as many as 75% of counties were facing a poll worker shortage.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Red herrings It’s the most wonderful time of year: crazy bill filing season! As another legislative session approaches, many of Oklahoma’s nuttiest lawmakers will start filing bills with no chance of passage in the hopes of drumming up headlines, which many news outlets will happily oblige.
These crazy bills give some lawmakers a chance to go back to their home districts and claim to Republican primary voters that they tried to stop gay kissing within 1,000 miles of a school or they worked to make MAGA hats part of the state trooper uniform.
Some of these bills are especially maddening because the state has real problems to address. If Oklahoma’s experiment in culture war-driven politics has taught us anything, it’s that trying to force school prayer or stop transgender health access doesn’t do much for poverty, literacy or public safety, which Gov. Top Ten has still failed to realize.
EAT & DRINK
Satisfactory sandwich
Midtown’s new sandwich shop, The Goose Sandies + Bar, is an updated twist on a classic deli but evokes mixed feelings. By Sarah Neese
The Goose Sandies + Bar
1210 N. Hudson Ave. goosedeli.com
405-724-8384
WHAT WORKS: Thanks to a knockout condiment combo, The Goose’s chicken sandwich is one you’ll want to come back for.
WHAT NEEDS WORK: While not meant to be the main attraction, the sandwich bread left something to be desired.
TIP: If you want to take the chicken sandwich for a whirl, you’ll need plenty of napkins. She’s a delightful mess.
Located at NW 12th Street and N. Hudson Avenue in the remnants of a former brewery and taproom, The Goose Sandies + Bar is an up-and-coming Midtown sandwich shop with a “sit down and stay awhile” feel.
With a neighborhood deli exterior and a bar on the inside, The Goose offers up sandwiches, salads and burgers as well as draft cocktails and beer. Can’t sit and stay? There’s a separate area for order pickups, making it easy to grab your food and go.
As a native Oklahoman who longs for an accessible East Coast-style deli, the restaurant’s opening a few months ago piqued my interest. While it was clear the next Katz’s Deli wasn’t landing in the middle of the metro, The Goose’s menu boasts a local twist on the classic delicatessen.
In this vein, my first menu pick was the Midtown, a sandwich layered with corned beef, provolone, sauerkraut and Goose sauce.
Now, I can generally appreciate a motif, but as an avid — and marginally allergic — food explorer, I find it more than a little annoying when an attempt to make an ingredient thematic means I have no idea what’s in it. I’d love to tell you what exactly Goose sauce is, but I
can only give you my strong impression that it directly resembles the dressing found on any standard Reuben sandwich.
From the first bite, I realized the Midtown’s signature corned beef wasn’t like any I’d had before. Thinly sliced, it packed a surprising punch of aromatic spices, almost reminiscent of those on a Christmas ham. But as I continued, I found myself wishing there were a bit more sauerkraut and definitely more of the aforementioned Goose sauce — like, a lot more.
As any sandwich eater will tell you, you either care about the bread or you don’t. For some, a sandwich’s bread makes or breaks the whole experience. Heck, it can lead to undying lifetime loyalty to a single sub shop. However, this bread was, simply put, just fine. A vehicle to ferry ingredients? Definitely. The perfect complement to this sandwich style? Not quite.
Moving on, I wanted to venture out a bit into uncommon territory. While I can’t speak for everyone, I don’t often witness or even hear about many people in this city regularly reaching for a meatball sub. Perhaps I’m blind to a local meatball mania or maybe the Okie craving for something more burgerlike is just too strong for most. But a girl wants what she wants, and I wanted a meatball sub.
The Hudson, topped with cheesy meatballs, mozzarella and roasted red pepper marinara, fit the bill. While the bread paired better with meatballs than corned beef, I still felt it wasn’t shining the way it could. The cheese, however, was putting in the work. Each bite brought equal parts meatball and melted cheese, and overall, it felt like the type of sandwich you’d go in search of after a late night out. (It should be noted that The Goose closes at 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, so it can’t be that late of a night.)
desire is to frequent a New Yorkadjacent sandwich haunt like it’s my religion, so ordering a fried chicken sandwich at a deli seemed almost like blasphemy. However, I decided to do my due diligence and give it a chance. That was where I found The Goose’s true magic: the Whirligig.
Fried chicken, provolone, spicy honey, crunchy pickles and Duke’s mayo — the perfect combination for something great.
I’ll be honest. One look at this sandwich and I was a bit intimidated. The piece of fried chicken physically overshadowed everything else, not even close to fitting within the confines of the bun. But it was more than worth it.
Not to be deterred, I cut the Whirligig in half, truly committed to experiencing the ratio of ingredients as its creator intended. I was rewarded with an explosion of flavor and a mouthfeel that can only be described as, well, succulent. While just one part of this multifaceted sandwich, the fried chicken didn’t disappoint, offering up a tender, well-seasoned bite from the very beginning. With a piece of chicken that large, the bun had no hope of staying the course, but the sandwich’s crunchy pickles beautifully balanced out the otherwise soft texture.
The real applause, however, belonged to the spicy honey. Offering sweet notes alongside the mayo’s umami ones, the honey complemented every one of the sandwich’s ingredients. Accompanied with a lingering kick of spice (the kind that sneaks up in the back of your throat), savoring this combination ticked all of the boxes I didn’t know I wanted or needed in a chicken sandwich.
In an effort to make the sandwich experience complete, I couldn’t miss out on trying The Goose’s house chips. I’m not usually a fan of chips made inhouse, likely thanks to years of accepting under-filled chip bags as the norm. However, I immediately saw the appeal with each rustic chip. The crunch was sublime, while the seasoning cut through the potatoes’ unmistakable flavor.
Overall, my opinion was mixed. While I most certainly didn’t find this new sandwich stop to be holy grail material — and there’s definitely no shortage of chicken sandwiches already alive and well in the metro — I’d be willing to come back again and again if it means I get a sandwich that clearly only has my best flavor interests at heart.
top house-made chips, bottom Whirligig | Photos Sarah Neese
The Hudson and the Midtown | Photos Sarah Neese
& DRINK
French connection
La Baguette Bistro’s Michel Buthion spoke to Oklahoma Gazette about moving to the metro, watching the community and his family grow and plans for the future of the restaurant and market.
By Lauren Thomas-Martin
Three words made La Baguette Bistro’s Michel Buthion leave France for Oklahoma in 1979.
“A wild woman,” he said.
Buthion made life-changing connections when students from Oklahoma University visited France during a summer exchange program. Later, when he and a friend were traveling from Paris to Singapore, the pair decided to take a detour to visit the companionable co-eds. They never made it to Singapore.
“Since we met those OU women, we said, ‘We’re going to stop in Oklahoma,’ since they were very kind when we spent the summer with them,” he said. “It was a fantastic time in Norman. We stayed longer and longer.”
Eventually, his visa expired and immigration was on his trail.
“We had a wild chase in Norman, but they never caught us,” he said.
Family business
Buthion finally came clean, and when he tried to renew his visa, he was told he had two options: He could either be escorted home or go back on his own. He chose to go back to France, get a proper visa and then return to his wild woman in Norman.
From there, he began digging into the food and beverage scene in Norman while working at local bars, but he was not in small venues for long.
“I was the first and last sommelier at Legends,” Buthion said.
A role as the food and beverage director for the Skirvin Hotel followed until the hotel closed eight years later. Buthion then reached out to his friend and owner of La Baguette at the time to offer an amenable takeover. Buthion had a larger vision for the location and wanted to bring his brother, Chef Alain Buthion, in on the operation.
“I talked to my buddy at La Baguette and said, ‘I want to take you over as a restaurant,’” he said. “And my brother was at The Coach House, and I said, ‘Why don’t you come with me? We’ll open together.’”
Michel said the restaurant was well received with little changes needed to appease Oklahoma palates. With fewer restaurants to choose from at the time, La Baguette Bistro stood out for its traditional French cuisine created by a classically trained French chef.
“Alain is the chef, and he has his training background in French cuisine,” Michel said, “so everything was well received.”
Many members of the Buthion family can be seen at La Baguette Bistro. A photo of Michel and Alain’s father, Jean, from the late 1940s at his boucherie in France hangs in the bakery area. Alain can be found in the kitchen, recreating some of his father’s classic French recipes. Michel acts as the public face and business force behind La Baguette Bistro and Buthion Fine Food and Wine Shop, and two of Michel’s sons, Daniel and Pascal, help run the wine shop and bar.
One family member you will not see in la cuisine is Maman Buthion.
“My mother is 94 years old. She doesn’t cook a bit,” Michel said. “She said, ‘I have all you guys cooking. Why should I?’”
Pure luck
For 37 years, the Buthion brothers have owned and operated La Baguette Bistro at 7408 N. May Ave. — not to be confused with La Baguette Cafe & Bakery in Norman. The two are still “partners in buying power” according to Buthion, but the company officially split in 1995 after the Oklahoma City Bombing attack destroyed a third La Baguette location in downtown Oklahoma City. Luckily, no La Baguette employees were harmed in the attack, but the restaurant group ultimately decided to divide the company.
“Believe it or not, the two opening people were 10 minutes late, so otherwise they’d be…,” Michel said and trailed off for a moment. “Everything exploded inside.”
The restaurant was able to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 while many other bars and restaurants closed.
“We were lucky — well, kind of lucky,” Michel said. “We never shut down because we used our to-go market. We had three people only working at that time, but because we never shut down, we never got help from the government.”
Buthion said that many people have asked him about the difference in running a business in Oklahoma versus France. He said the main difference is the once-plentiful opportunity in Oklahoma.
“Now it’s a pain in the ass,” he said. “But back then, it was much easier to open a business with a bank.”
The remarkable staying power of La Baguette Bistro is not necessarily attributed to French business philosophy, but from being a present business owner.
“Stick to the business,” Michel said. “Be there and watch it.”
Happy opportunity
Michel said he’s been approached by corporations over the years, including Disney and a Japanese company that wanted to duplicate La Baguette Bistro overseas, but he declined any out-ofOklahoma offers.
“I had many opportunities … but no corporation for me,” he said. “There’s always opportunity, but you have to be happy.”
After opening the restaurant, Buthion purchased adjoining shopping center spaces to open Buthion Fine
Foods and, five years ago, added the wine shop. This small grocery store with fresh-cut steaks, caviar, pastries, graband-go meals, cigars, and wines ranging from $10 to $4,900 per bottle serves as the main entrance to La Baguette Bistro. After several requests from frequent customers, Michel added an oyster bar to the main dining room two years ago.
While he said he still has a couple more years of work left in him, Michel wants his sons, Daniel and Pascal, to take the helm of La Baguette Bistro and make it their own.
“They’ll take over, and hopefully they will do something else,” Michel said. “We teach them to don’t do like we did. You don’t just oversee it. You do other things.”
Michel Buthion never made it to Singapore, but his over-extended stay led to a lifetime of friendships and success in Oklahoma City. In the years La Baguette Bistro has been open, he said he has seen families grow, high schoolers turn into college students, partnerships turn into engagements and many other milestones celebrated with crepes and chocolate mousse cake.
“Oklahoma City has been very good to us,” Michel said. “We have a lot of great people.”
Visit labaguettebistro.com.
Michel and Alain Buthion
| Photo Lauren Martin-Thomas
If you’ve already started stressing over Christmas dinner, you can stop now. These seven metro restaurants are open on Christmas Day and offer respite in the form of delicious food that you didn’t cook.
By Brittany Pickering with provided and Gazette / file photos
Rally Kitchen + Bar
542 S. University Blvd., Norman nounhotel.com/dining/rallykitchen-bar 405-857-8575
This Noun Hotel restaurant’s Crimson Christmas! dinner includes four courses of traditional Christmas favorites for $25-$65 per person. Rally also has a large wine and beer list as well as cocktail and mocktails. Make your reservation soon; tables are currently open from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. but are sure to be claimed quickly.
Milo 6201 N. Western Ave. ellisonhotel.com/milo-at-the-ellison 405-849-5747
Milo at The Ellison hotel is known for its Oklahoma-inspired dishes made with fresh ingredients. It’s open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Christmas Day, and its holiday dinner featuring elevated traditional holiday favorites can be yours for $69 per person.
Grand House Asian Bistro 2701 N. Classen Blvd. grandhouseokc.com 405-524-7333
If you’re not really into traditional Christmas food, that’s alright, because Grand House Asian Bistro is open 365 days a year, including 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Christmas Day. This Asian District staple has been open for over 35 years and boasts an enormous menu featuring noodles, seafood, vegetarian options, classic Asian favorites and chef specialties, and its famous dim sum.
FLINT Kitchen & Bar
15 N. Robinson Ave. flintokc.com
405-605-0657
Christmas at FLINT is 10 a.m.-10 p.m.. and its four-course meal features a holiday potage parmentier (potato soup’s fancy blended cousin); your choice of one of three salads; either smoked lamb, blackened scallops or coq au vin (aka chicken); potato, Brussels sprouts, mac and cheese, risotto or ratatouille sides; and crème brûlée, toffee pudding or chocolate silk torte.
Gopuram Taste of India
412 S. Meridian Ave. gopuramtasteofindia.com 405-948-7373
Gopuram Taste of India serves up North and South Indian classics 11 a.m.-9 p.m. every day of the year. So you can enjoy biryani, curry, tandoori chicken, palak paneer and delicious naan even on Christmas. (My favorite is lamb korma with garlic naan.)
Tellers
120 N. Robinson Ave. tellersokc.com
405-900-6789
Christmas at First National Center, as the kids say, is a whole thing. And Christmas dinner at Tellers and the Great Hall is no different. It features elevated holiday favorites (including sticky toffee pudding!) and costs $70 for adults and $30 for children. Reservations are required.
The Chalkboard Kitchen + Bar
thechalkboardkitchen.com
1200 N. Walker Ave.
405-898-8120
The Ambassador hotel’s revamped restaurant The Chalkboard Kitchen + Bar is serving up a three-course prix fixe Christmas feast for $70. A definite plus is that smaller plates will be available for children for $35, so you won’t have to worry about wasted food. Be sure to make your reservations soon, as space is limited and selling out quickly.
ARTS & CULTURE
Toast-worthy events
Parties, performances and champagnepopping spectacles ring in 2025 across the Oklahoma City metro! By
Holiday cheer doesn’t have to disappear with your last sip of eggnog. Before you figure out where you’ll stuff your string lights and blow-up snowman, take a night to commemorate your future. And that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Check out these New Year’s celebrations happening throughout Oklahoma City.
Take me back
Who doesn’t love a throwback? For almost a decade, DJ and host Ryan Drake has celebrated the best of the ’90s and 2000s through his monthly dance parties at 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St. This New Year’s Eve, he aims to bring the party to a fever pitch with mashups of familiar favorites and a playlist of now-classic, chart-topping pop.
“Our NYE party is for the people,” Drake said. “I try to put myself into the shoes of the attendees and think of what I would want out of a big night out. That’s why we have free parking and coat checks, very affordable drinks, and you’ll never pay more than $10 to get in.”
If you’ve never stepped inside Speakeasy, it’s easy to wonder how the venue manages to fit hundreds of people. The secret? Inclusion and intimacy. To Drake, his parties bring the perfect independent blend of “dive bar,” “house party” and unrelenting fun.
But it isn’t enough to look up a playlist on Spotify and set it to shuffle. Drake carefully curates his playlist, and this year promises a unique element to party: a visual hour. Starting at 9 p.m., the celebration will temporarily move away from its theme to showcase the best music videos from 2024. After the pregame, the party will dive headfirst into nostalgic bliss.
Daniel Bokemper
“You should expect to scream-sing because you will know most of the songs,” Drake said. “But don’t expect all of them to be played completely. I grew up on Girl Talk, so I try to emulate that energy as much as possible. You might hear four to five songs smashed together in a twominute period.”
51st Street Speakeasy’s New Year’s Eve party starts at 9 p.m. and ends at 1:30 a.m. Admission is $10. Visit 51stspeakeasy.com.
The roaring (20)20s
Want to go even further back than the ’90s? How about an entire century? OKC Nightlife’s (okcnightlife.com) Gatsby House ushers in the new year with an evening of flappers, Art Deco and no shortage of show-stopping surprise at the Skirvin Hilton, 1 Park Ave.
The party kicks off at 8:30 p.m., and partygoers can expect an event that brings modern flare to a historic aesthetic. Admission includes prepaid drinks from one of several fully staffed bars, a live set from two top-rated DJs and one unforgettable night.
If you need a break from the dancing and revelry, Gatsby House offers two areas for some lower-volume mingling as well as no-cost casino games for anyone who wants to try their luck without breaking the bank. Capping off the night is a massive ballroom countdown with a midnight toast that will echo all the way into 3025.
“Each gets better,” said Luke Wryder, CEO of VIP Nightlife. “Our DJs know exactly what music the crowd likes, our team gets everyone in quickly and the Skirvin staff knows how to serve amazing cocktails efficiently. There isn’t a better shindig in OKC.”
The event’s dress code is semi-formal or cocktail attire, but expect to see plenty of diagonal lines with a gold flourish. The party starts at 8:30 p.m. and runs until 1:30 a.m. Tickets start at $89.10. VIP tickets, which include access to a reserved area and appetizers, start at $185. Visit skirvinhilton.com.
In the skies
While Monaco lies at the intersection of France and Italy, a piece of it will float above the OKC skyline this New Year’s Eve. Vast’s Midnight in Monaco takes attendees higher than any other point in the metro, courtesy of Devon Tower’s 50th floor, 333 W. Sheridan Ave. Beauty and elegance define this oneof-a-kind event. Once you can take your eyes away from the breathtaking view of the city — and we don’t blame if you can’t — you’ll have a chance to win big at the Skylight Casino. Starting at 8:30 p.m., you can play your choice of Blackjack, Hold ’Em, roulette and more against a magical backdrop. And who knows? You might walk away with more to celebrate than just the New Year.
From there, you can move into the Infinity Lounge, which will be converted to a dancing hall complete with a live DJ. If you ever feel parched, Vast’s cash bar is loaded with creative cocktails inspired by 007. You’ll be covered if you work up an appetite, too, thanks to a rich selection of savory hors d’oeuvres. Finally, at midnight, you’ll toast in unmistakably Monaco fashion, minus the Grand Prix.
The event’s dress code is upscale business. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Tickets start at $170. Groups of up to eight can reserve a table for $1,800, which includes two bottles of champagne. Visit vastokc.com.
Fun and Follies
Parties are great, but some events command the spotlight and demand a grand stage. Luckily, you don’t need to book a flight to Vegas for a jaw-dropping spectacle. Adèle Wolf’s annual revue, Adèle Wolf’s New Year’s Eve Follies, at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., fits the bill.
Wolf is dedicated to bringing worldclass performance art to Oklahoma City, and she’s bringing a few friends to help! This year’s lineup features Apathy Angel, an award-winning contortionist from New York City; Kyla, a high-flying aerialist from New Orleans; and Jezebelly, a hilarious and glamorous burlesque performer from Chicago who was featured in Vogue. The revue also features
a colorful cast of local talent including vocalist Deonna Marie and belly dancers of the Aalim Dance Academy.
“My goal is to present a show that not only stands out in Oklahoma and enhances our state’s cultural landscape, but also ranks among the best revues in the world,” said Wolf. “That so many top artists from around the world are excited to come work with us is really validating and shows I’ve been on the right path.”
While the bulk of the Follies have never been performed in Oklahoma, Wolf’s long-time fans can still expect a few familiar routines, one of the most recognizable being her routine inside a giant champagne coup. Regardless of their exact order, each performance builds an electric momentum that concludes with a midnight toast and an explosive finale.
“It’s the perfect way to forget your troubles, revel in the present and look to the future with optimism,” said Wolf.
For Wolf, the Follies are more than just a show. It’s a momentary reprieve from reality, a night to let go and get lost in the excitement. And her commitment to delivering a truly special evening shows in her growing following.
“I love spotting old faces and new ones in the crowd,” said Wolf. “I think we can all find a lot of comfort and meaning in nostalgia while also building excitement for what lies ahead. It’s always an honor to usher an audience into the new year!”
Adèle Wolf’s New Year’s Eve Follies starts at 10 p.m. Tickets are $63-$95. Visit adelewolf.com or okcciviccenter.com.
Purposeful party
What’s a New Year’s Eve celebration without a little funk and soul? For the sixth year running, the award-winning band Shortt Dogg lights up newly remodeled The Bryant Center, 2200 N. Bryant Ave., with a performance as important as it is powerful.
The Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Party is a fundraiser for Bring Back The Music, a program dedicated to engaging underprivileged youth with performing arts education. Across the country and especially in Oklahoma, support for the performing arts in schools continues to decline. Johann Kimbro, Shortt Dogg’s founder, bandleader and the executive director of Bring Back The Music, aims to change that.
“Even though this is a fun community event, the funds from it will go to
Skirvin Hilton hosts OKC Nightlife’s Gatsby House party starts at 8:30 p.m. | Photo provided
Anthem Brewing hosts Spring Family Circus’ Midnight Masquerade. | Photo provided
support performing arts education in Spencer,” Kimbro said. “We serve nearly 200 students from eastern Oklahoma County, so the funds from this event will go along way in supporting their musical education.”
Shortt Dogg is no stranger to incredible New Year’s Eve bashes. Formed in 1998, Shortt Dogg was a mainstay of Oklahoma City’s Opening Night, which ended its 37-year run in 2023. Even so, the 10-piece cover band still felt the demand for its unique flavor of dynamic tunes.
Along with Shortt Dogg’s performance, you’ll enjoy a midnight breakfast courtesy of B&B Catering. 360-degree photography will also be available for anyone who wants a digital memento of the extraordinary bash.
And while this is a semi-formal event, Kimbro still expects it to be a warm, cozy and relaxed evening where old friends can reconnect and new bonds will form.
“Shortt Dogg instills a sense of community,” Kimbro said. “The purpose of this celebration is to look back at the years behind us and take stock in where we’ve come from. At the same time, we’ll take stock of the future and the new generations of musicians that will take up our torches.”
The event begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $60. Visit bringbackthemusic.org.
Midnight magic
Sure, some of us dreamed of joining the circus. But this New Year’s Eve, you’ll have a chance to live it. Join the Spring Family Circus as it brings its immersive parade of acrobatics, side shows and bombastic burlesque to Anthem Brewing, 908 SW Fourth St.
Midnight Masquerade and New Year’s Eve Cabaret will feature performers from around the world and head-turning local artists. The event also adds an air of mystery, as guests are encouraged to wear a bedazzled mask. (Don’t sweat it if you don’t have one — masks will be for sale at the entrance.)
For Spring and Natalie Abell, the circus’ co-owners and performers, Midnight Masquerade creates an opportunity for them to bring their undeniably special brand of entertainment back to Spring’s home state.
“I’ve done this full-time for 15 years,” Spring said. “Natalie and I have lived in New York, Chicago, L.A., Vegas — all over the place. We’ve seen all these amazing things, and I’ve finally come back to where I’m from. And I want to bring that here.”
From death-defying acrobatics and Spring’s unbelievable hand balancing to Natalie’s glass walking and a “human ball drop,” the event offers something that will make everyone’s heart race. But beyond the spectacle, Spring and Natalie hope their act leaves an energizing impression on attendees that they can carry into 2025.
“I always love New Year’s because it gives me a time to think back and have a memorable experience with friends,” Natalie said. “We hope that the magic
we build on stage will affect them positively in the new year.”
And just as Natalie and Spring chased their dreams to become world-class entertainers, Spring hopes Midnight Masquerade will empower those watching to do the same.
“They’re going to see something incredible that inspires them to do something incredible in their life, too,” Spring said. “It’s going to help them dream ahead for their new year.”
The event starts at 8:45 p.m. Tickets are $75. VIP packages are available at $100. Visit springproductions.net and anthembrewing.com.
New Year’s Eve Event Guide
’90s-2000s Dance Party
9 p.m.-1:30 a.m. 51st Street Speakeasy 1114 NW 51st St. 51stspeakeasy.com
405-463-0470
$10
Gatsby House
8:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Skirvin Hilton 1 Park Ave. skirvinhilton.com 405-272-3040
$89.10-$849
Midnight in Monaco
8:30 p.m.-1 a.m.
Vast 333 W. Sheridan Ave. vastokc.com 405-702-7262
$170-$1,800
Adèle Wolf’s New Year’s Eve Follies
10 p.m.-12 a.m. Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. okcciviccenter.com 405-594-8300
$63-$95
The Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Party featuring Shortt Dogg
9 p.m.-1 a.m. The Bryant Center 2200 N. Bryant Ave. thekitchenokc.com/the-bryant-center 405-605-3022
$60 8:45 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Anthem Brewing Company 908 SW Fourth St. anthembrewing.com 405-604-0446
Midnight Masquerade and New Year’s Eve Cabaret
$75-$100
In the Paseo Arts & Creativity Center at 3024 Paseo Gallery I: Erin & Samuel Shaw Gallery II: Brent Learned Gallery III: Kevin Thomas
The Paseo Arts District has local and national art, great food, art classes & plenty of shopping! Uptown
ARTS & CULTURE
Nutcracker revamped
Oklahoma City Ballet presents a completely reimagined version of the beloved holiday classic.
By Jo Light
There’s something magical about The Nutcracker that keeps audiences coming back year after year. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is practically ubiquitous in winter, the ballet’s soundtrack playing over mall sound systems or, inevitably, in my office on repeat.
Ballet companies start gearing up for their productions as early as September. In Oklahoma City, it’s no different.
This year, Oklahoma City Ballet is adding some new flavors to this seasonal confection — we’re looking at you, Pistachio Baklava Dancers.
Breaking tradition
Under the creative direction of Oklahoma City Ballet Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye, the company will unveil a bold reimagining of the classic ballet that promises to preserve the heart of the beloved holiday tradition while weaving in fresh characters, sets and more.
performed by the same dancers who appear in Act One as a well-traveled aunt and uncle.
Another change on the technical side is the choice to do open set changes. In traditional productions, the Drosselmeyer character performs magic that alters the various settings through stagecraft.
“We were trying to think, where does the real magic from The Nutcracker come from?” Jolicoeur-Nye said.
In Oklahoma City’s version, characters on stage will move flats and other elements to transition between scenes.
“As a part of this story, we really wanted to immerse the audience into this world,” he said, “and a way to bring them into the world with us was to do these scene changes ‘a vista,’ as we call them, which is within in sight of the audience.”
For example, in the opening, audience members will see the Stahlbaum mansion from the exterior, until dancers take the walls, whirl them around the stage and flip them, revealing the mansion interior and Christmas tree.
“We let the audience see the magic of that scene being created,” Jolicoeur-Nye said.
Keebler, described by Jolicoeur-Nye as “the best drop painter in the entire world,” created the production’s backdrops.
In addition to its regular performances, the company will offer The Nutcracker Tea, a Dec. 21 fundraiser benefitting community programs. Guests can enjoy a special performance and a visit from Santa and Nutcracker characters.
There is also a sensory-friendly performance of the show on Dec. 18.
“That performance started in partnership with AutismOklahoma, and it was really a way to make our Nutcracker more accessible to the public,” Jolicoeur-Nye said.
This presentation features adjusted lighting and sound levels, with no strobing lights or pyrotechnics. It also welcomes audience movement and provides an observation room equipped with fidget toys and a video feed.
Jolicoeur-Nye said that anyone needing accommodation can attend the performance, including families with toddlers or infants.
“It really is a great way, I think, for people to enter the ballet performance world with very young children to see how they do, but also to make accessible for audience members that have sensory sensitivities,” he said.
Jolicoeur-Nye encourages everyone to make it to the show.
“Changing The Nutcracker is a pretty risky move,” said Jolicoeur-Nye, acknowledging the ballet’s crucial role in the company’s season.
The company relies on ticket sales from this production, its largest of the year, to run its operations.
“So changing it is a scary thing to do,” he said, “because you want to walk the line between giving the audience what they’ve come to expect and what you believe they love about The Nutcracker.”
Jolicoeur-Nye and his company designers got together for several days early on, when they locked themselves in a room “for hours and hours on end” to brainstorm.
“We just started from the very beginning,” he said. “And that was identifying what is it that the community loves so much about The Nutcracker ? What are the things that people cherish that we want to hang on to?”
Jolicoeur-Nye and the team decided to preserve the heart of the show while giving it a few key updates. They cohered the ballet’s acts by having characters that appear in the reality Act One reappear in new fantastical forms in Act Two, taking a page from The Wizard of Oz
They also wanted to expand the group that gets to travel into the Nutcracker’s fantasy world, much like the Pevensies in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Gone are the days of lonely Clara watching from her throne as the divertissements unfold in Act Two, Jolicoeur-Nye said. Instead, the production takes the trio of siblings (Clara, Fritz and their older sister Marie) on a journey through the Land of Sweets, each getting more character development along the way.
The production updates some of the ballet’s more dated elements, too. The traditional Arabian Dance, for instance, has been reimagined as the Pistachio Baklava Dance,
World-class team
To bring this vision to life, Oklahoma City Ballet has assembled an impressive team. This includes 27 professional dancers, 35 members of OKCB II, and over 80 students from the Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School.
The production’s designers are a who’s who of theater.
“I think the really braggable thing for Oklahoma City is that the three designers that we have working on this production are world-class designers,” Jolicoeur-Nye said.
The show’s 195 new costumes are by Holly Hynes, a veteran of New York City Ballet and George Balanchine productions. Lighting designer Trad Burns has worked on numerous Nutcracker productions across the country. Scenic designer Michael Raiford is fresh off his award-nominated work on Septime Webre’s ballet The Wizard of Oz
The production’s technical elements are crafted by the same artisans who have brought magic to Broadway’s biggest hits, Jolicoeur-Nye said. The costume makers behind The Lion King and Wicked created key looks, while Cobalt Studios’ Rachel
“Oklahoma City, this community is very lucky to have a production like this,” he said, crediting supporters Devon Energy and The Chickasaw Nation. “Art of this caliber in the Midwest is really something to be prideful of.”
The Nutcracker runs Dec. 14-23 at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., and features 11 performances with live music from OKCPHIL and Canterbury Voices. Single tickets range from $29 to $128.
For more information, visit okcballet. org or call Oklahoma City Ballet at 405848-8637.
The Nutcracker
Dec. 14-23
Civic Center Music Hall
201 N. Walker Ave.
okcciviccenter.com | 405-594-8300
$29-$128
Oklahoma City Ballet debut’s all-new costumes in this year’s update of The Nutcracker. | Photo provided
This year’s reimagined perfomance includes open set changes. | Photo provided
Holly Hynes, a veteran of New York City Ballet created the new costumes. | Photo provided
ARTS & CULTURE
Vintage Plaza
Part of the Plaza District’s allure is its excellent vintage shops offering an eclectic array of pre-loved wares. By
At this time of year, the Plaza District unfolds like a glittering runway along NW 16th Street, its vibrant murals and twinkling holiday lights bordering a collection of storefronts and beloved restaurants.
Among them are some of Oklahoma City’s best vintage and thrift stores — seven of them, all within walking distance.
When holiday shoppers weave through the neighborhood, they’ll learn these shops each offer their own interpretation of vintage charm, from funky collectables to designer pieces and upcycled treasures.
Bad Granny’s Bazaar
1759 NW 16th St. instagram.com/badgranny 405-528-4585
Inside Bad Granny’s, patrons peruse eclectic booths filled with collectibles, clothing, jewelry and local art. Bad Granny’s is a veritable institution, one of the first vintage shops to come to the area in 2009.
Owner Diana Harris is closely tied to the vintage community throughout the city and credited by many as the flash point for the Plaza’s vintage explosion. She said all the local shops get along.
“My Plaza family has grown, and I decided early on that instead of competing, we could all work together to make the Plaza a vintage hub in OKC,” she told Oklahoma Gazette via email. “We all have our own niche, and I am constantly sending customers to the other shops to find their treasures.”
Dig It!
1739 NW 16th St. digitokc.com 405-473-4649
Just down the block, Dig It! champions sustainable fashion with thoughtfully gathered vintage pieces. Exploring its
Jo Light
neon-pink interior, you’ll also find things like vintage records, kooky toys, and decor and art by locals.
It’s owner, Amanda Martinez, told me they have more than a dozen artists who upcycle and repurpose vintage goods into fun new pieces.
“Our goal is to minimize waste and give all vintage a chance to be rehomed!” Martinez said via email.
The holidays are especially exciting for the store.
“We have seen our sweet customers grow up right before our eyes, and the holidays are when many of them return to town and visit the store,” she said.
“It’s so nice to get a hug from a customer you watched blossom into their own authentic self.”
Holy Thrift
1618 N. Gatewood Ave. holythrift.com 312-600-5831
Fans of Y2K and ’90s style might find themselves transported right back in time via Holy Thrift. Alongside the clothing racks, you’ll find walls of jewelry and purses, an impressive selection of boots, and “mix and match” bins where you can grab a few items for a set price.
Nada Alkadi, owner of Holy Thrift, said that she works with 20 people around the country who source the shop’s clothing.
“The Plaza is the go-to hub for vintage shopping,” Alkadi said.
“Anytime someone comes in the shop from out of town, they gush about the ‘vintage row’ and how many different shops are all on the block, allowing them to spend hours in these local curated wonderlands.”
Holy Thrift also has an online storefront (holythrift.com), so if you’re out of town but still want to shop local, you’ve got options.
Dog Daze Vintage
1708 NW 16th St. dogdazevintage.com 405-209-5333
Dog Daze Vintage moved into its current location, next to Grinmore, just this summer.
“It’s been great having the space to be able to showcase more variety and options for our customers as well as accommodating more people now that we’re on the ground floor,” Brittany Lewallen, who owns the space with Dakota Lewallen, said via email.
Dog Daze offers a collection of workwear, knits, denim, old records and more, including some of the coolest graphic tees you’ve ever seen. Stock leans toward a “touch of collegiate and Western flair,” the latter of which they’ve seen as a growing trend.
“We are happy to chat with customers and share tips and knowledge about dating garments,” Brittany Lewallen said.
Aunt Fancy’s
1609 N. Blackwelder Ave., Suite 2 instagram.com/auntfancysokc 405-355-8246
Aunt Fancy’s gives John Waters vibes — in the best way possible. The store’s vintage brand is one-of-a-kind formal and bridal pieces, many of which you might expect to see on Tracy Turnblad.
When I visited, owner Sarah Beth Moore had just finished with a client who found a wedding dress among the collection. Opened in 2023, Aunt Fancy’s carries gowns, gowns and more gowns. Shoppers might find anything from a Victorian-era dress to a sequined number from the ’90s.
“I think that young people in particular have really made a push toward more ethical consumption practices,” Moore said.
Moore, who came from a family of seamstresses, also offers in-house alterations, specializing in vintage textiles, beadwork, sequin work and lace work. She encourages everyone to shop local for the holidays.
“Support local businesses,” she said, “show up in the community, meet people, talk about the clothes.”
TWINHAUS
1630 N. Blackwelder Ave., Suite 3 instagram.com/twin_haus 405-760-1119
TWINHAUS is the newest addition to the Plaza’s vintage lineup, having just opened Sept. 13.
Owned by Oklahoma artists and siblings Amber Rae Black and Justice Smithers, the store offers a unique, darker perspective on vintage. They started with pop-ups but had their hearts set on a brick-and-mortar in the Plaza.
“We love a vampy, dark fashion girl,” Smithers said via email. “Victorian meets modern, and mix in some crazy designer pieces.”
TWINHAUS has racks crammed with black clothing items (a fav) and cool purses — once, it had a ’90s Vivienne Westwood corset.
“Honestly, secondhand and vintage is naturally taking off because everyone is tired of the mass-produced, low-quality products that this fast fashion world is pushing out,” Smithers said. “There is just too much consumption, and customers instinctually are trying to combat that.”
Magoo’s Attic
1630 N. Blackwelder Ave., Suite 202 instagram.com/magoosattic 707-974-1608
One of the district’s most unique locations is filled by Magoo’s Attic. It’s not a literal attic — you’ll find the shop just above Ma Der Lao Kitchen. Established in 2020, Magoo’s Attic’s proprietor is Jordan Elliott-Valdivia, who came on about a year after the store’s opening.
“Magoo’s Attic is where pop culture meets nostalgia with a twist of humor and personality,” he told me via email. “We’re about the experience of discovering something you didn’t know you needed.”
Elliott-Valdivia called the stock “fun and a little cheeky.” One time, he sourced over a dozen 1960s alcohol decanters from a customer with ties to Ada’s first liquor store.
Elliott-Valdivia emphasized his shop’s function as a community space.
“Whether you’re finding a piece that sparks memories, a quirky gift for someone special or just stopping by to soak in the vibe, we want everyone to feel seen, valued and comfortable,” he said.
Dianna Harris encourages the growth of vintage fashion in the Plaza district. | Photo Jesse Edgar
Customer peruses the vintage goods at Dig It!
| Photo Jesse Edgar
BOOKS
Fused glass is a unique way to craft stunning gifts! Fun, easy, and taught in a one-of-a-kind art gallery setting. Fused glass is not glass blowing.
Sc hedule y our clas s on l ine at ar t fus i on st ud io.co m.
L oc at ed at 1 2 18 N West er n Ave nu e. Ea st of Plaza Di s tri ct.
CHANUKAh
ARTS & CULTURE
Novel mimicry
Tulsa attorney Greg Laird has parlayed his decades of experience with death penalty law into a compelling, suspenseful novel about Oklahoma’s death row. By Greg
In the first third of Tulsa attorney Greg Laird’s debut novel One Life for Another, the protagonist’s mentor says, “Don’t ever forget, if you don’t win this case, your client will be executed. … I assure you that it is a feeling to which you will never get accustomed, and despite handling cases with insurmountable odds, if your client dies, you will suffer guilt that will never leave you.”
It’s a perfect summary of Laird’s professional career vis-a-vis capital punishment. His childhood and teenage years were spent between Oklahoma City and Jenks. He graduated from Putnam City North High School, and after completing his undergraduate degree in history at Oklahoma City University, he attended Georgetown University for his law degree.
“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go to a top-fifteen law school and be in D.C.,” Laird said. “I played soccer at OCU, and while there wasn’t really an American pro option at the time, 19-year-old me was definitely thinking about professional soccer in a European league.”
Capital punishment
Steve Hanson, the protagonist of Laird’s novel, is clearly autobiographical to some extent; his career is a fictionalized version of Laird’s early career as a law clerk on capital cases for federal judges in Tulsa and Muskogee. The penultimate appeal for convicted murderers facing execution is a federal court review of state trial proceedings where the defense attorney tries to show that a client’s federal, constitutional rights were vio -
Horton
lated by the lower court, thus Laird’s work with Oklahoma’s Eastern and Northern federal court districts.
“My protagonist gets handed a death penalty case a couple years out of law school, much as I did,” Laird said. “One of the qualifications required of an attorney who is permitted to oversee a capital case is that the judges in the district agree that the attorney is qualified to take the case.”
Capital cases are lengthy, complex, emotionally driven processes that require patience, diligence, tenacity and a deep, broad understanding of relevant law. Clerking is an excellent and tedious way to dive into the details of capital punishment law, and Laird notes that as a clerk at that level, the attorney would spend every hour of the workweek delving into the law and proceedings at every stage of the appeal process, from the lower state court all the way to the final appeal before the Supreme Court.
“After two years of clerking, most attorneys make a decision to either stay in that lane or go do something else,” Laird said. “I wanted private practice, but I guess I never thought I’d have someone’s life in my hands, certainly not when I started law school.”
Laird has been involved in nearly 100 murder trials, including several capital murder cases, the first of which was Ernest Eugene Phillips, who was tried in Durant in 1997 for the stabbing death of Jason McFail. Laird was two years out of law school when he was given the case, and he argued successfully before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that the jury should have been allowed to consider a lesser charge in the sentencing phase.
Hanson’s story in this novel definitely tracks with much of Laird’s experience, and he draws on it without getting bogged down in legalese or insider baseball-style procedural information. Ultimately, this is a work of fiction, so the details are more crime novel than real life, but the weaving of the two into a coherent narrative works.
Young Hanson is given what seems to be an open-and-shut capital murder appeal for a man, Scottie Pinkerton, who is incarcerated at McAlister penitentiary for the stabbing murder of his wife in Claremore. Unlike Laird’s story, this one involves familiar, enjoyable tropes like death threats
and attempts to sabotage his investigation, but it’s clear, too, that some of the characters — like the mentor — are based on Laird’s lived experiences. We meet racist cops, a beautiful tech nerd, an overbearing assistant and a hardboiled investigator, all characters that will be familiar to fans of the genre.
Persistent ideas
The novel has been a yearslong process. Laird took long breaks, like when he had his daughter, now 10, and when death penalty work was all-consuming.
“The book had been lurking there for a long time, a story in my head,” Laird said. “I like good stories, and I remember thinking I’d like to write a book someday. I tried to avoid too much soapbox time in the novel, but there are a few paragraphs for sure. But I think it’s a fun, enjoyable read, not a hammer over the head.”
To facilitate getting the word out, Laird hired a good friend’s sister as his publicist, a step that is crucial for success in self-publishing. Modern publishing requires new authors do much of the work that publishing companies would have handled internally until the rise of digital technology. Now, getting a book published is only the first piece of the work; there are readings, appearances, book signings, panel discussions, reviewing and re-
sponding to online reviews, etc., none of which are convenient for a full-time attorney and father.
After 23 years of death penalty work following his clerk role, Laird has
of Oz on Ice
Breathtaking, Reimagined Journey
Greg Laird | Photo provided
ARTS & CULTURE
Not Christmas
Add some variety to your holiday season with these six unusual films that are sort of perfect for Christmas.
By Phil Bacharach
’Tis the season for Christmas flicks, but c’mon: How many more times can you watch Jimmy Stewart’s life get destroyed by that horrible Uncle Billy or see whether Ralphie gets that Red Ryder BB gun? Terrific films, certainly, but enough already. Even a more contemporary classic like Elf has become ho ho ho hum.
What about exploring more exotic non-Christmas Christmas fare?
And I don’t mean Die Hard. That pop culture argument ran its course long ago. Yippee ki no, you don’t need John McClane and Hans Gruber to indulge your alt-Yuletide itch.
Cruise-ing at Christmastime
An art flick about a sex cult might not scream “Christmas spirit” to the average moviegoer, but look closer. Eyes Wide Shut , the 1999 swansong by Stanley Kubrick (the filmmaker died less than a week after finishing the final cut) is set during the holidays and saturated in the season’s reds and greens. While it divided critics at the time of its release — arguably because its misguided ad campaign promised an erotic thriller — time has been kind to it, and Eyes Wide Shut is now rightly regarded as another Kubrick masterpiece.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play Bill and Alice Harford, affluent Manhattanites whose marriage is rocked after Alice reveals fantasies of infidelity. That admission sends Bill into the night determined to cheat on
his spouse. As it turns out, getting laid isn’t so easy, even for Tom Cruise. After wandering a wonderfully artificiallooking Greenwich Village, Bill crashes a ritualistic orgy whose well-heeled participants are masked. Eyes Wide Shut is an intriguing enigma to the end. (Streaming on Paramount Plus)
No eggnog after midnight!
Gremlins has all the trappings of a traditional Xmas flick. It is set in a picturesquely snowy town, revolves around a unique Christmas present, and even includes a memorable, if notably unmerry, monologue about Santa going down a chimney. But this 1984 offering is an irresistibly mean-spirited romp about little monsters who do very bad things.
Oklahoma-born Hoyt Axton plays an inventor of dubious skill who cajoles a Chinatown merchant into selling him a furry creature called a mogwai. The critter makes an adorable gift for the inventor’s teenaged son but comes with three big rules: 1) Keep the mogwai away from bright light, 2) don’t get it wet, and — most importantly — never, ever feed it after midnight. That last one is a bit tricky, since it is always after midnight, but don’t overthink things. In the capable hands of director Joe Dante, Gremlins is scary, hilarious and gross — often all at once. (Streaming on Max)
A Christmas Carol
Based on a 1952 Patricia Highsmith
novel, Carol is dreamily romantic and a clear-eyed assessment of America in an earlier time. Cate Blanchett portrays the title character, a self-possessed wife and mother going through an acrimonious divorce. While Christmas shopping, she has a chance meeting with a department store worker (Rooney Mara), and the attraction between them is palpable. More than most films, Carol depicts the obsessive, almost disorienting buzz of new romance. The catch, of course, is that these lovers must keep their passion secret amid an unaccepting social milieu. Blanchett’s mesmerizing performance earned her an Oscar nod, but Mara is every bit her equal. Released in 2015, the film’s impeccable production is typical of director Todd Haynes. The period detail is precise, Carter Burwell’s score is appropriately lush and Edward Lachman’s cinematography makes every composition suitable for framing. (Streaming on Netflix)
Misanthropic mistletoe
Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers pays homage to the shambling 1970s comicdramas of the filmmaker’s youth, but he goes a step further by crafting a picture in 2023 that could have been made during that Golden Age of American cinema. Set during Christmas 1970 in snowy New England, it feels like a long-lost film from Hal Ashby, the director of that decade’s The Last Detail and Harold and Maude Paul Giamatti stars as a curmudgeonly prep school professor tasked with watching over students unable to go home over the holidays. Thanks to masterfully rendered storytelling free of easy sentimentality, the teacher develops a makeshift family with a troubled student (Dominic Sessa) and a cafeteria worker (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) grieving the death of her son in Vietnam. The performances are stellar. Giamatti earned an Academy Award nomination; Randolph
deservedly won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar; and newcomer Sessa, whom Payne discovered at the school where The Holdovers was shot, is a revelation. (Streaming on Amazon Prime)
’Twas the night before Christmas…
“Merry Christmas Eve, bitch!” is the dialogue that opens Tangerine, deftly establishing the tone for this 2015 work from idiosyncratic director Sean Baker. Largely populated by nonprofessional actors Baker found on the streets of Los Angeles, it follows two transgender sex workers on Christmas Eve. Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), newly released from a 28-day stint in county jail, learns that her boyfriend-pimp has been hooking up with a biological woman who Sin-Dee dismissively labels a “fish.” Meanwhile, Alexandra (Mya Taylor) is preparing for her first gig as a lounge singer. Throw in a philandering Armenian cabbie and you have the makings of a riotously sleazy comedy. Shot entirely on iPhone 5s, Tangerine ’s shimmering visual scheme accentuates its drug-addled vibe. L.A.’s gritty underbelly won’t be mistaken for Miracle on 34th Street, but as one character observes, “Christmas is Christmas, regardless of the weather.” (Streaming on Netflix, Hulu and Kanopy)
Let it snow
The genesis for Edward Scissorhands was a drawing that director Tim Burton had made as a youth and subsequently gave to screenwriter Caroline Thompson for inspiration. It was easy enough to spot the teen alienation encapsulated in the sketch of a pale-skinned boy with huge scissors in place of hands.
Edward Scissorhands is a fairytale, with Johnny Depp’s title character a stand-in for Pinocchio, albeit one outfitted for a steampunk rave. This nonhuman boy, whose inventor died before he could replace those scissors with mitts, is adopted by a suburban family after its sweetly solicitous mom (a pitch-perfect Dianne Weist) comes across him during her door-to-door rounds for Avon. The movie culminates with a neighborhood Christmas party, but what makes Edward Scissorhands so Yuletide-friendly is an iconic scene of Winona Ryder wistfully dancing in snow that results from Edward’s prowess for ice sculpting. That indelible image is emblematic of the movie’s sumptuous visual pleasures.
(Streaming on Hulu)
top row, left to right Eyes Wide Shut, Gremllins, Carol. bottom row, left to right The Holdovers, Edward Scissorhands, Tangerine. | Images provided
CALENDAR
These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
FILM
The Postman (1997) @ Rodeo Cinema on Film Row As 2024 draws to a close, VHSANDCHILL OKC and RODEO CINEMA present a special BLOCKBUSTED VIDEO screening! Let us take a look back at director Kevin Costner’s vision of a post-apocalyptic “future” with the 1997 magnus opus - The Postman FREE, Thu., Dec. 12, 7:30-11 p.m. Film Row Cinema, 701 W. Sheridan Ave, 405-812-3275, vhsandchill.net/ index.html. DEC 12
Social Justice Movie Night: Killing Richard Glossip Part 2 Doors Open: 6 p.m., Movie Starts: 6:30 p.m., final two (43 min) episodes of Killing Richard Glossip. FREE, Wed., Dec. 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-525-9555, openarms.org. DEC 18
HAPPENINGS
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Join us for a candlelight Christmas Eve service. free, Tue., Dec. 24, 6-7 p.m. Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-525-9555, openarms.org. DEC 24
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Join us for a candlelight Christmas Eve Service. free, Tue., Dec. 24, 8-9 p.m. Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ, 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave, 405-232-4673, cohokc.com. DEC 24
Lights On Broadway cruise down historic Automobile Alley for the district’s holiday open house and experience its stunning light display during the 9th annual Lights On Broadway event! Various retail shops and restaurants will feature buzz-worthy window displays, in addition to pop-up activities, special promotions and giveaways. Enjoy family-friendly programming along the sidewalks such as live music, balloon art, performances, photos with Santa Claus and more. FREE, 4-7 p.m. Dec. 14. Automobile Alley, 1015 N. Broadway Ave., 405-235-3500, automobilealley.org. DEC 14
Holiday Lights Around the Park display with strands of brilliant holiday lights, a lit Christmas tree and other decorations along the Upper Park and Union Station. Everyone is invited to bundle up, stroll the grounds, enjoy the lights and soak in the holiday spirit! Through Jan. 1, 2025. Scissortail Park, 300 SW Seventh St., 405-445-7080, scissortailpark.org/events/holiday-lights-around-thepark/?occurrence=2024-11-28. THU-WED
The Holiday Raffle Pop Up Shop join for a festive shopping experience like no other. Get ready to shop till you drop and win amazing prizes in our holiday raffle. From unique gifts to tasty treats, we’ve got something for everyone on your list. Don’t miss out on raffled prizes every 30 minutes. FREE, Sat., Dec. 14, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Ice Event Center & Grill, 1148 NE 36th St., 405-208-4240, iceeventcentergrill. eat24hour.com. SAT
OKC Community Chanukah Festival join the Chabad Community Center for Jewish Life and Learning for the lighting of the 15 feet tall Menorah, live music and dancing, a fire and light show, traditional foods, treats for children, carnival entertainment, holiday blessings, Dreidel Man and more. Sun., Dec. 29, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Scissortail Park, Love’s Travel Stops Stage, 300 SW Seventh St., 405-445-7080, scissortailpark.org/events/okc-community-chanukahfestival/?occurrence=2024-12-29. DEC 29
Santa at Santa’s Village visit Santa at where the vibes are always warm and the memories last a lifetime! Check out Santa’s mail box to send in your wish list, or write a sweet thank-you note for the gifts you received last year. Saturdays through Dec. 21. Scissortail Park, North Trellis Garden, 300 SW Seventh St., 405-445-7080, scissortailpark.org/ events/santa-at-santas-village/?occurrence=202412-21&time=1734800400. SAT
Santa Sleigh-In Movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) get ready for a fun-filled night with an Outdoor Movie in the Park featuring the beloved holiday classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000, Movie Rated PG). Arrive early to secure your spot on the lawn. Indulge in delicious snacks and hot cocoa from our food trucks. Don’t forget to bring your jacket, blankets, lawn chairs, and popcorn, Sat., Dec. 14, 5-8 p.m. Scissortail Park, 300 SW Seventh St., 405-445-7080, scissortailpark.org/events/ santa-sleigh-in-movie-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-2000/?occurrence=2024-12-14. DEC 14
Winter Solstice Candlelight Service Join us for our annual Winter Solstice Candlelight Service on the longest night of the year. Free, Sat., Dec. 21, 7 p.m. Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-525-9555, openarms.org. DEC 21
FOOD
1/2 Price Pizza Sundays available for dine in or
carry out. Choose between any basic topping pizza, up to a large supreme., Sundays, 4-10 p.m. through Dec. 29. Othello’s Italian Restaurant, 434 Buchanan Ave., 405-701-4900, othellos.us. SUN
Sippin’ Santa pop-up will bring a tropical holiday twist to Suite B in Automobile Alley. Created by renowned tiki connoisseur Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, Sippin’ Santa is a unique blend of holiday cheer and island vibes. The pop-up offers a playful twist on traditional holiday cocktails with new creations like Frosty the Merman, Choquito and Sugar Plum Mai Tai, as well as fan favorites like the Jingle Bird and the original Sippin’ Santa. Free. Walk-ins welcome, reservations available, Through Dec. 31. Suite B, 1 NE Seventh St., Suite B, 405-408-2904, sippinsantasuiteb.com/about. WED-TUE
Wine Wednesdays! Half-Priced Pizza and Wine at Osteria indulge in the perfect midweek treat at Osteria with our Wine Wednesdays. Savor the harmony of flavors as we offer half-priced pizza and select wines throughout the day. Whether you’re a wine enthusiast or a pizza lover, this is your chance to unwind and relish the finest of both worlds., Wednesdays. Osteria, 6430 Avondale Drive, 405254-5058, osteriaokc.com. WED
YOUTH
Crafts and Tales a story followed by an activity ranging from learning about a real specimen from the collections to crafting a thematic piece of artwork, 11 a.m.-noon Wednesdays. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. WED
Storytime with Miss Julie enjoy snacks, crafts and story time, 10:15-11:30 a.m., Saturdays, ongoing. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT
PERFORMING ARTS
The Game’s Afoot Play step into 1936 with us this holiday season! Broadway legend William Gillette, renowned for his iconic role in Sherlock Holmes, hosts a festive gathering at his enchanting Connecticut castle. But when a guest is mysteriously stabbed, the holiday cheer turns into a thrilling game of whodunit! $30, Through Dec. 15, 8-10 p.m. Carpenter Square Theatre, 1009 W. Reno Ave., 405-232-6500, carpentersquare. com. FRI-SUN
A Golden Christmas hold onto your cheesecake! OKC’s favorite beloved Golden Girls are returning to The Boom’s stage! This drag send-up and heartfelt tribute to the characters the entire world has come to know and love, features the return of Brett Young as Dorothy, Joshua McGowen as Blanche, Paul Stafford as Rose and Scotty Taylor as Sophia. The cast also features Courtney Hahne and Rodney Brazil. Running through Dec. 28th, with two brunch performances on Dec. 21 and 28. Fridays, Saturdays, 7-8:30 p.m. through Dec. 28. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc.com. FRI-SAT
“The Barker” A Cabaret enjoy an unapologetic cabaret of self-expression. Toast the misfits, outcast, and originals who dare to be different. $25, third Friday of every month, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Sailor and The Dock, 617 W Sheridan Ave, 4058164250, springproductions.net. DEC 21
Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! Oklahoma Children’s Theatre Presents: Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!, This holiday season, join Oklahoma Children’s Theatre for Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! Enjoy a lively, heartwarming show as Junie B., a spirited first-grader, prepares for her school’s Holiday Sing-Along and Secret Santa exchange. But things go awry when she draws her nemesis May’s name, leading Junie B. to hatch a mischievous plan. Will the season’s spirit inspire her to change? Dec. 1, 7, 8 and 14 at 2 p.m., Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2550 N. Blackwelder Ave. Visit oklahomachildrenstheatre.org or call 405-208-6200. $12 general admission, oklahomachildrenstheatre. org/shows/junie-b-in-jingle-bells-batman-smells/. DEC 14
RACE’s Hip Hop Nutcracker Come experience RACE’s Hip Hop Nutcracker, a unique and exciting twist on the holiday classic! Featuring beats by DJ Nymasis, RACE Collective dancers, and youth dancers from OKCPS and local dance programs, this dynamic performance reimagines The Nutcracker through a fresh, urban Oklahoma lens. Follow Carlos, a spirited young boy raised by a single mom, as he’s whisked away on a magical journey of self-discovery. Along the way, he learns the power of community and familial love in this heartwarming, high-energy show. $25, 7:30 p.m. Fri., Dec. 13, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 14 and 2 p.m . Sun., Dec. 15. Visual and Performing Arts Center at Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S. May Ave., 405-682-7595, app.ticketsage.net/occc-tickets. DEC 13-DEC 15
Water by the Spoonful the 2012 Pulitzer Prizewinning drama follows a group of recovering addicts using dark humor to forge a bond of love and support in chat rooms spread across cyberspace. Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and directed by Isaiah J. Williams. For tickets, email JBT.BoxOffice@
A Christmas Carol Lyric Theatre’s annual holiday performance of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol is back to renew your faith in humanity! Watch Ebenezer Scrooge grapple with his grumpy demeanor and change for the better as he visits the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. The show runs through Dec. 27 at Lyric at the Plaza, 1727 NW 16th St. Tickets are free-$88. Call 405-524-9312 or visit lyrictheatreokc.com. THROUGH DEC. 27 Photo provided
gmail.com or call. Content advisory: Strong language and adult situations. $25; $20 Military/Seniors/Educators; $15 Students, 8-10 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, Jewel Box Theatre, 321 NW 36th St., 405-521-1786, jewelboxokc.com. THU-SAT
Roughtail Comedy Night enjoy great laughs with a great home grown comedy show alongside some great homegrown brews! $15, third Saturday of every month, 8-10 p.m. Roughtail Brewing Company, 320 W Memorial Rd, 914-432-2662, linktree. com/1andrewrose. DEC 21
WELLNESS
Devon Ice Rink Season 2024-25 skate across 5,500 square feet of real ice and indulge in seasonal food and beverage offerings. Experience the magical, park-like atmosphere surrounded by the glittering lights of the Devon Ice Rink., Season Hours, 3–9 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 3–11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Sunday. Basic price is $14 includes ice skate rental, Mondays-Sundays, through Feb. 2. Devon Ice Rink, 100 N. Robinson Ave., 405-235-3500, downtownindecember.com/ devon-ice-rink/. FRI-SUN
Full Moon Sound Bath join MARKANNA Wellness for a relaxing sound bath and meditation to celebrate the December Full Moon. Please bring a blanket, pillow, yoga mat for optimal comfort and wear comfortable clothing. Please arrive no later than 6 p.m. so we can provide a distraction-free environment for participants! Free, Sun., Dec. 15, 6-7 p.m. Myriad Botanical Gardens, Water Plaza Room, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-473-9618, myriadgardens.org/events/sound-bath-full-moon. DEC 15
Don Oliver Fitness offers Rock Steady Boxing to Parkinson’s Patients a Path to Improved Quality of Life Fighting Back Against Parkinsons $99, Tuesdays, Thursdays. Don Oliver, 5118 N. Shartel Ave., 405-848-5551, donsdofitness. com. TUE, THU
Yoga at the Wheel a class for all levels led by This Land Yoga, all that is required is a mat, third Sunday of every month, 10-11 a.m. Wheeler Ferris Wheel, 1701 S. Western Ave., 405-655-8455, wheelerdistrict.com/ ferris-wheel. SUN
VISUAL ARTS
21st Century Mound Builders explore and learn about the Mound Builder cultures along the walking path to the top of the FAM Mound which is 90 feet in height and serves as a cosmological clock, ongoing. First Americans Museum, 659 First Americans Blvd., 405-594-2100. WED-MON
Holiday Cheer at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art enjoy festive treats, ornament making and live music from the Norman High Jazz Band, the Norman Singers and OU’s Galina Brauer Quartet. Plus, be the first to see the new outdoor holiday light display. Special appearance by Frosty the Snowman., Sponsored by
Top Lighting Design LLC. Free with general admission - Adults, $12; kids (17 & under), free, Sat., Dec. 14, 4:30-7:30 p.m. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. DEC 14
Launch to Landing: Oklahomans and Space
This showcase highlights the contributions of Oklahomans to the U.S. air and space program, as well as the state’s early aviation trailblazers. The exhibit features artifacts closely linked to Oklahoma aviators and the U.S. air and space program, including Oklahoma flags that have been flown in space, a NASA Mission Control console, space shuttle heat shield tiles, and lunar samples, commonly referred to as “moon rocks,” ongoing. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org.
TUE-MON
One Place, Many Nations: Acknowledging the 39 An immersive experience, offering a profound exploration of the distinctive histories, cultures, contributions and resilience of Oklahoma’s 39 tribes. Visitors can engage in hands-on activities, interactive experiences and educational opportunities while rotating objects showcasing diverse cultural experiences, Through May 27, 2025. First Americans Museum, 659 First Americans Blvd., 405-594-2100. FRI-MON PAMBE Ghana Global Market The Global Market sells Fair Trade items from around the world. All profits go to local nonprofit PAMBE Ghana to supprt La’Angum Learning Center in northern Ghana. We are open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Nov 1-Dec. 24 (until 3 p.m. on 12/24), PAMBE Ghana Global Market, 7908 N. Western Ave., 405-210-5214, pambeghana.org. FRI-TUE
Watch Out for Flying Chairs: Professional Wrestling in Oklahoma Through this photo exhibit, the evolution of professional wrestling in Oklahoma is explored, tracing its origins from traveling carnivals to its present-day form, ongoing. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org. TUE-MON
WINIKO: Life of an Object, Selections from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian reflecting on the Native belief that their cultural materials hold the spirt of their makers and those who wore or used them this exhibit features of over 100 items that have been returned to the 39 tribes of Oklahoma after being taken from them in the early 1900s, ongoing. First Americans Museum, 659 First Americans Blvd., 405594-2100. MON
Young at Art: A Selection of Caldecott Book Illustrations Join us for Young at Art: A Selection of Caldecott Book Illustrations! This exhibit features 40+ original art pieces and first-edition books from Caldecott Winners and Honor Books. This event is free and open to the public anytime the Downtown Library is open. Tuesday-Saturdays will feature related programming for children birth-10. Free, Through Dec. 21, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Metropolitan Library System, 300 Park Ave., (405) 231-8650, metrolibrary. org. MON-SAT
Work ethic
A holiday music tradition returns for a 10th year to gather donations for local charities.
By Jeremy Martin
An OKC holiday tradition for a decade, concert and charity drive Gift Raps keeps on giving.
“The mission is still the same,” said event founder and hip-hop artist Jabee. “The biggest thing now is that it’s easier for me to partner with organizations for donations, because at the beginning, people didn’t really understand it.”
Featuring performances by Jabee, Original Flow, Willis Writer, Chloe Hart, and Dezzy, Gift Raps is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, at Resonant Head, 400 SW 25th St., Suite A, in OKC. Admission is free with a donation of a nonperishable food item, an unopened toy, socks or gloves. These items will be distributed by the event’s partners, City Center and LiveFree OKC.
Though Jabee said “it’s obviously a lot cooler to get the donations before Christmas because we get toys and stuff that we want to give to parents to give to their kids,” the items will still get to families in need. Holidays between Christmas and New Year’s also focus on
Dec. 28, is dedicated to “ujima,” or collective work and responsibility.
Credible messenger
Jabee also serves as executive director for event partner LiveFree OKC, an organization with the stated goal of reducing violence in OKC. According to the organization’s website, “the problem of violence is often the culmination of longstanding unmet needs in our communities,” and “services and supports are most effective when given by respected community members with similar lived experiences or are otherwise credible to the target population.”
Jabee said maintaining that credibility is important to him as an artist, too.
“I think it’s a big part of why some people relate to me,” Jabee said. “You gotta be able to know the things I’m saying and what I’m talking about is real and legit. I’ve seen it. I’ve been through it. I’ve experienced it.”
He released his latest album, The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Weak,
music or finding inspiration, though.
“I feel like there’s a difference between needing to prove something and having something to say and a story to tell,” Jabee said. “Every day, I’m continuing to live life, and every day, I’m going through something new, and because of that, it feeds my passion to write and to create.”
The album, his first release through the Mello Music Group label, features an appearance by labelmate Quelle Chris and two tracks produced by Conductor Williams, known for his work with Drake and the Griselda collective.
“His production really inspires me,” Jabee said. “He creates the structure. He’s not gonna go back and rework it. What you get is what you get. So I like that type of collaboration. It really forces me to be creative.”
The album title comes from the Gospel of Matthew.
“There definitely is an overall message,” Jabee said. “I think the message is that no matter what, I really want to always strive to do what’s right, but I fall short. … We’re always trying to do the right thing but knowing that sometimes we will fall short.”
Jabee said he expresses his faith through his art, but he would not necessarily call it religious.
“No matter what I’m doing, but especially when I’m writing music, there’s a filter that I put everything through,” Jabee said. “That filter is usually my faith in God. How is this going to look in the eyes of God? How will this sound in 10 years?
this myself because I feel like first and foremost, the current condition of America sucks, and I want to do something positive for the place I’m at,” Original Flow said.
In the near future, he plans to release a live album recorded with his backing band The Wavvez at Factory Obscura last December.
“I like performing with a band,” Original Flow said. “It’s a lot more fun. There’s more people involved in the creation process. Live performances with live instruments is another level. … Performing with a live band has allowed me to really get experimental and adapt to anything, to learn how to be more comfortable on stage with just being an artist and creating. ... Working with the band let me really find my sound.”
He began performing with live instrumentation with his previous band, The Fervent Route. While he describes The Fervent Route as “a little bit more carefree,” he said the music he recorded with The Wavvez has a “more serious depth” shaped by his experiences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the new songs I wrote for the new album is called ‘Flash By,’ and it’s about a situation that happened right outside my house,” Original Flow said. “I saw this police officer literally gun down this guy. In a densely populated area where kids come play, this police officer literally opened fire in a civilian zone. There’s a Mexican family that lives right across from us, and their kids are always out there running around, and thank God they weren’t out there this time. That could have easily been a ricochet from those cops’ guns, and one of the kids could have been hit. I wrote about how fast life can leave, and this experience, it traumatized me. I’m still recovering from that, that someone can just pull up on you and just kill you because they feel threatened. ... The world has definitely got me talking about a lot of that stuff.”
In the new year, Original Flow said he wants to bring more hip-hop showcases to OKC.
“We definitely have a lot of talented artists, and I don’t want them to feel discouraged,” Original Flow said. “I’ve been seeing my friends go, ‘Screw it! I’m selling insurance now!’ ... I want to make sure my people have a place to go and to vent and to do the music they enjoy.”
Visit resonanthead.com.
Gift Raps
8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27
Resonant Head 400 SW 25th St., Suite A resonanthead.com
Free with donation
MUSIC Local loot
Here are four albums from local bands that are sure to brighten any music lover’s holiday stocking. By Jeremy Martin
Fun holiday fact: No adult on your shopping list actually wants you to give them a gift, because they don’t have anywhere to put it. Unfortunately, we have to go on buying our loved ones things they don’t want or need this time of year so they don’t think we secretly hate them. Fortunately, if they’re music fans, they probably already have a stack of records, CDs or cassettes somewhere they can add some of these excellent recent local music releases to without overly upsetting the delicate ecosystem of stuff they’ve already established.
You can even gift a digital download if they’ve only got virtual space to spare. Of course, these albums are also available for streaming if you want to give the artists the invaluable holiday gift of .000000001 cents per play or whatever the going rate is. (Here, the word “invaluable” means “literally worthless.”)
If you reach the end of this little review roundup and think, “You forgot [insert cool local album name here],” please email editor@oklahomagazette.com, and let us know what that album is.
Chat Pile –Cool World chatpile.bandcamp.com
For my money ($27 plus tax at Guestroom Records, 3701 N. Western Ave.), Chat Pile’s second LP is the best album of the year, locally and otherwise. Since dropping its Pitchfork-lauded full-length debut God’s Country in 2022, the band has gone from playing OKC’s 89th Street and The Sanctuary to playing OKC’s 89th Street and The Sanctuary between tours of Europe, but the wider-screen worldview is still about as bleak as you might expect from a band named for toxic mining waste — or anyone who’s even kind of paying attention. “In their parents’ arms, the kids were falling apart,” vocalist Raygun Busch describes in “Shame,” a song with a cleansung chorus concluding, “And god remained silent,” and some of the heaviest vocals Busch has recorded to date reminding us, “All tears flow from the same source.” While God’s Country’s “Why?” asked “Why do people have to live outside when there are buildings all around us?” Cool World ’s “Funny Man” simply warns “Outside there’s no mercy. … Not everyone gets to hide.” Musically, the band has never been tighter. The liner notes mention tape loops and glockenspiel, but any experimentation must’ve happened off the record, because there’s not a wasted note to be heard here; just grooves within grooves. Immaculate production from Uniform’s
Ben Greenberg highlights the gift for shaping intrusive thoughts and distressing sounds into enjoyable hooks and riffs that has made this truly twisted and abrasive band into OKC’s most popular rock act since … Hinder, maybe?
stepmom –Profitopia stepmomband. bandcamp.com
Biting satire is barely concealed beneath bright pink bubble gum on the latest EP from OKC’s self-described “orchestral dream punk band” stepmom. Opening track “Welcome to Profitopia” introduces the mini concept album, moving between menacing drones and cheery hold music while vocalist and guitarist Lindsey Cox mimics passive-aggressive corporatespeak, her chipper tone not really bothering to mask the menacing subtext. “Embrace the Profitopia lifestyle, where your dreams are our bottom line,” Cox says before giving “valued employees” a “gentle reminder” that “productivity-enhancing extraction bots will commence their daily optimization routines in five minutes.” Anyone who’s been coerced into working unpaid overtime in the name of company culture can relate. “Survival Mode” details the costs humans pay for maximum productivity — the fight-or-flight anxiety, the mood-managing medication, the disassociation — that company spreadsheets never account for. The propulsive rhythm moves with the precision of Kraftwerk’s man-machine motorik while Cox’s guitar becomes increasingly chaotic. “Heavy Lifting,” meanwhile, could be describing a bad date. “This conversation is going nowhere,” Cox complains. “I watched you suck up all of the air.” Gary Numan-esque new wave synths give way to a snarling guitar solo, and within the context of Profitopia, the song could be a metaphor for the lopsided relationship between employee and employer. The four-song EP concludes with the unexpectedly upbeat breakup anthem “Self-Destruct,” and the peppy chorus “Watch me selfdestruct my life / It’s alright / Wasting no more time,” doesn’t seem ironic, especially when all the electronic effects drop out and we’re left with a few beats of the band unplugged, a little off key and laughing — humanity restored.
Lust Online –Go Outside lustonline. bandcamp.com
Lust Online’s latest slice of dream pop
is as sweet and airy as expertly whipped meringue, but there’s plenty of substance to sink your teeth into just below the silky surface. Opener “Ms. Brightside” makes a lovely case for optimism for its own sake, and if it replaced its criminally overplayed male counterpart in all instances, the world would be better for it. “Look on the bright side,” sings vocalist and synth player Maddie Razook. “Let’s try just to say we tried.” “Living through a bad thing / Loving at the right time,” begins the chorus, and the fragmentary poetry throughout the album captures the giddy feeling of young tempered just a bit by adult experience. “Night Owl” seems to celebrate the freedom decision fatigue allows for following the heart: “Let’s not take it slow / Rev it up and let’s go,” Razook sings. Guitarist Connor Schmigle breaks up his own brightly distorted Loveless leads with somewhat surprisingly aggressive drum machine programming. I’m too much of a non-musician to guess where Schmigle’s programming ends and drummer Donald James’ more human percussion begins, but both seem to be hitting hard enough to give this musical zephyr forward momentum, especially paired with bassist Lacey Elaine Dillard’s melodic grounding on lightly twangy “Prada 120” and downright danceable “Surreal Landscapes.” Some dreamers sleep restlessly.
PeelingFlesh –
The G Code uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com If the name PeelingFlesh or the band logo that’s less a collection of letters than a scabbed-over chainsaw wound didn’t cue you in, we’re back to heavy — and how! This Tulsa/OKC band commits aural assault by combining the most brutal elements of hardcore, hip-hop and death metal with record scratching and samples describing car jackings, murder and drug addiction just for good measure. The only thing more surprising than how well it all works is how much fun it is. Vocalist Damonteal Harris, who seamlessly moves between Body Count snarls and Demilich guttural growls is the obvious standout, but bassist Austin Hirom’s nearly subsonic low end and drummer Joe Pelletier’s seemingly endless supply of varied blast beats (and, oddly enough, sense of restraint) stitch it all together, and guitarists Mychal Soto and Jason Parrish shred with the savagery of the most memorable movie slashers. If the album’s 26 minutes pass too quickly, check out the Crunk Edition, slowed down to be nearly eight minutes longer. DJ Screw would probably love it.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31 MY SO CALLED BAND AND DJ LITEBRITE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 PAT GREEN
THURSDAY, MARCH 20 THE WALLFLOWERS
THURSDAY, MAY 1 MAT KEARNEY WITH AUGUSTANA
FRIDAY, MAY 2 CHASE RICE WITH CHARLIE WORSHAM
SATURDAY, MAY 24 HIPPO CAMPUS WITH HOTLINE TNT
PURCHASE TICKETS AT
LIVE MUSIC
These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
WEDNESDAYS
Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley Bricktown Pub. ROCK
Jazz Jam, 51st Street Speakeasy. JAZZ
Jazz Night, Bradford House. JAZZ
Sunset Patio Bar Karaoke Night, Sunset Patio. KARAOKE
Trett Charles, River Spirit Casino Resort. COUNTRY
Vintage Vinyl Wednesdays, El Coyote Bar & Cantina. DJ
The Wednesday Band, The Deli. COUNTRY
THURSDAYS
Country Music Group Therapy/Biscuits & Groovy, The Deli. COUNTRY
Joel Forlenza, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. INSTURMENTALISTS
Music Over Midtown, O Bar. VARIOUS
Shelly Phelps and The Storm, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES
FRIDAYS
Joel Forlenza, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. INSTURMENTALISTS
Live Jazz!, Hefner Grill. JAZZ
McKee Brother Jazz Band, Bourbon Street Bar. JAZZ
Mojo’s Blues Revue, Mojo’s Blues Club. BLUES
SATURDAYS
Bedlam Live Local Bands, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. VARIOUS
Joel Forlenza, Othello’s Italian Restaurant. INSTURMENTALISTS
Live Jazz!, Hefner Grill. JAZZ
McKee Brother Jazz Band, Bourbon Street Bar. JAZZ
Mojo’s Blues Revue, Mojo’s Blues Club. BLUES
SUNDAYS
Jazz Night!, Blue Note. JAZZ
Live Jazz!, Hefner Grill. JAZZ
No Whiners Aloud, Mojo’s Blues Club. ROCK
Tin Can Gramophone/Hosty, The Deli. FOLK
MONDAYS
The Aints/Bailey Gilbert & Friends, The Deli. AMERICANA
Blue’s Night Jam Session, Othello’s. BLUES
TUESDAYS
Bruce Benson & Studio B, 51st Street Speakeasy. BLUES
Caleb McGee, The Deli. BLUES
FRIDAY, DEC. 13
BEAT - Belew/Vai/Levin/Carey Play 80s King Crimson, The Criterion. ROCK
BLY’s Christmas Extravaganza, Blue Note. R&B POP
The Imaginaries Finally Home for The Holidays Full Band Show, Beam Live. FOLK
Kaitlin Butts w/ Ken Pomeroy, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY
Live Music: Bluegrass Holiday Jam, Legally Brewed. BLUES
Hanson’s Christmas Ball, Cain’s Ballroom. POP
SATURDAY, DEC. 14
Hanson’s Christmas Ball, Cain’s Ballroom. POP
NMF Calling New Year’s Eve Bash We know there’s one question on everyone’s mind as we enter the new year: Who’s going to play Norman Music Fest in 2025? We can’t tell you, but if you go to the NMF Calling New Year’s Eve Bash, maybe you can tell us. Tickets come with a swag bag, an open bar, food to help counteract the effects of the open bar and, according to the NMF website, they “might just be announcing the 2025 headliners at the party.” They said it, not us. What we can tell you is self-described “flamboyant rock” band The Muffled Sirens are scheduled to headline the New Year’s Eve party, which celebrates “50 years of punk rock.” (Note: While some might count the first Ramones show at CBGB in 1974 as the birth of punk, we’d like to nominate the unknown date in 1975 when influential Chickasha art rockers and former NMF performers Debris competed in a battle of the bands and came in last place.) The show starts at 8 p.m. Dec. 31 at The Chouse, 717 W. Boyd St., in Norman. Tickets are $75-$100. Visit normanmusicfestival.com.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31 Photo Maria Nairn
SUNDAY, DEC. 15
Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Creole Christmas, Tower Theatre. JAZZ
TUESDAY, DEC. 17
Arlo McKinley, Ponyboy. SINGER-SONGWRITER
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18
Edgar Cruz and Friends, Broke Brewing Company. ACOUSTIC
THURSDAY, DEC. 19
PENTATONIX, BOK Center. HOLIDAY
The Bison Bash featuring The Bison & Emily Hollingshed, Cain’s Ballroom. METAL
FRIDAY, DEC. 20
Austin Meade’s Meade-E-Oak’r Christmas Vacation w/ Mitchell Ferguson, Beer City Music Hall. ROCK
Jessica Tate, The Deli. INSTRUMENTAL
Tovar’s Christmas at Cain’s, Cain’s Ballroom. ROCK
SATURDAY, DEC. 21
Arkansauce w/ Bottom of the Barrel, Beer City Music Hall. FOLK
Silverada + Joshua Ray Walker + Vandoliers, Cain’s Ballroom. COUNTRY
FRIDAY, DEC. 27
Braxton Keith, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY Cliffdiver, Cain’s Ballroom. ROCK
Parker McCollum, Paycom Center. COUNTRY
SATURDAY, DEC. 28
Jason Scott & The High Heat, Beer City Music Hall. ROCK
Jason Boland and The Stragglers, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY
Soft Hands NYEEEE, Tower Theatre. ROCK
JD McPherson with Samantha Crain, Cain’s Ballroom. ROCK
SUNDAY, DEC. 29
Red Dirt Unplugged Book Event with Wyatt Flores, Cain’s Ballroom. COUNTRY
MONDAY, DEC. 30
Wyatt Flores, Cain’s Ballroom. COUNTRY Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Paycom Center. HOLIDAY
TUESDAY, DEC. 31
NYE feat. Gannon Fremin & CCREV w/ The Smokin’ Oaks & Chance Anderson, Beer City Music Hall. ROCK
Uptown Get Down NYE feat. The Floozies w/ Gold Lincoln, Ric Float B2B Aeyvo, and L!PB!TE, Tower Theatre. ROCK
Wyatt Flores, Cain’s Ballroom. COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1
Edgar Cruz and Friends, Broke Brewing Company. ACOUSTIC Hangover Ball 2025, Cain’s Ballroom. ROCK
FRIDAY, JAN. 3
Caleb McGee/John Elisha, The Deli. BLUES The Lowdown Drifters & Wade Forster with Dalton Domino, Cain’s Ballroom. COUNTRY
SATURDAY, JAN. 4
“World’s Best Young Elvis” Travis Ledoyt, Historic Ritz Theater, Shawnee. COUNTRY Wade Bowen w/ Austin Dixon, Tower Theatre. ROCK
Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon the first Wednesday of the month. 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.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
OKLAHOMA CITY METRO RESOURCES
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma 3355 S. Purdue Ave. regionalfoodbank.org regionalfoodbank.org/get-help 405-972-1111
YWCA 2460 NW 39th St. ywcaokc.org 405-948-1770
City Rescue Mission 800 W. California Ave. cityrescue.org 405-232-2709
City Care Night Shelter 6001 N. Classen Blvd. citycareokc.org 405-652-1112
Oklahoma City Animal Shelter 2811 SE 29th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73129 www.okc.gov/departments/animal-welfare/programs-and-services/adoptions/ pets-available-for-adoption 405-297-3100
NATIONAL RESOURCES 988Lifeline 988lifeline.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline thehotline.org 1-800-799-7233
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) www.samhsa.gov 1-800-662-4357
To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) twloha.com pleasestayalive.com
Trans Lifeline 877-565-8860
Veterans Crisis Line 800-273-8255
PFLAG pflag.org/find-resources
The Trevor Project thetrevorproject.org/resources Text START to 678-678
Human Rights Campaign hrc.org
Anti-Violence Project avp.org 212-714-1141
American Civil Liberties Union aclu.org
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Homework
What will you revive, rejuvenate, and renovate in 2025? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
If you were walking down the street and spied a coin lying on the sidewalk, would you bend down to pick it up? If you’re like most people, you wouldn’t. It’s too much trouble to exert yourself for an object of such little value. But I advise you to adopt a different attitude during the coming weeks. Just for now, that stray coin might be something like an Umayyad gold dinar minted in the year 723 and worth over $7 million. Please also apply this counsel metaphorically, Aries. In other words, be alert for things of unexpected worth that would require you to expand your expectations or stretch your capacities.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
The Taurus writer Randall Jarrell compared poets to people who regularly stand in a meadow during a thunderstorm. If they are struck by the lightning of inspiration five or six times in the course of their careers, they are good poets. If they are hit a dozen times, they are great poets. A similar principle applies in many fields of endeavor. To be excellent at what you do, you must regularly go to where the energy is most electric. You’ve also got to keep working diligently on your skills so that when inspiration comes calling, you have a highly developed ability to capture it in a useful form. I’m bringing this up now, Taurus, because I suspect the coming weeks will bring you a slew of lightning bolts.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
My upcoming novels epitomize the literary genre known as magical realism. In many ways, the stories exhibit reverence for the details of our gritty destinies in the material world. But they are also replete with wondrous events like talking animals, helpful spirits, and nightly dreams that provide radical healing. The characters are both practical and dreamy, earthy and wildly imaginative, well-grounded and alert for miracles. In accordance with your astrological potentials, I invite you to be like those characters in
the coming months. You are primed to be both robustly pragmatic and primed for fairy-tale-style adventures.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
In December 1903, the Wright Brothers flew a motorized vehicle through the sky for the first time in human history. It was a very modest achievement, really. On the first try, Orville Wright was in the air for just 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet. On the fourth attempt that day, Wilbur was aloft for 59 seconds and 852 feet. I believe you’re at a comparable stage in the evolution of your own innovation. Don’t minimize your incipient accomplishment. Keep the faith. It may take a while, but your efforts will ultimately lead to a meaningful advancement. (PS: Nine months later, the Wrights flew their vehicle for over five minutes and traveled 2.75 miles.)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
During the rest of 2024, life’s generosity will stream your way more than usual. You will be on the receiving end of extra magnanimity from people, too. Even the spiritual realms might have extra goodies to bestow on you. How should you respond? My suggestion is to share the inflowing wealth with cheerful creativity. Boost your own generosity and magnanimity. Just assume that the more you give, the more you will get and the more you will have. (PS: Do you know that Emily Dickinson poem with the line “Why Floods be served to us — in Bowls”? I suggest you obtain some big bowls.)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
The term “cognitive dissonance” refers to the agitation we feel while trying to hold conflicting ideas or values in our minds. For example, let’s say you love the music of a particular singer-songwriter, but they have opinions that offend you or they engage in behavior that repels you. Or maybe you share many positions with a certain political candidate, but they also have a few policies you dislike. Cognitive dissonance doesn’t have to be a bad or debilitating thing. In fact, the ability to harbor conflicting ideas with poise and equanimity is a sign of high intelligence. I suspect this will be one of your superpowers in the coming weeks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
“Amazing Grace” is a popular hymn recorded by many pop stars, including Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, and Willie Nelson. Created in 1773, it tells the story of a person who concludes that he has lived an awful life and now wants to repent for his sins and be a better human. The composer, John Newton, was a slave trader who had a religious epiphany during a storm that threatened to sink his ship in the Atlantic Ocean. God told him to reform his evil ways, and he did. I presume that none of you reading this horoscope has ever been as horrible a person as Newton. And yet you and I, like most people, are in regular need of conversion experiences that awaken us to higher truths and more expansive perspectives. I predict you will have at least three of those transformative illuminations in the coming months. One is available now, if you want it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
“Thinking outside the box” is an American idiom. It means escaping habitual parameters and traditional formulas so as to imagine fresh perspectives and novel approaches. While it’s an excellent practice, there is also a good alternative. We can sometimes accomplish marvels by staying inside the box and reshaping it from the inside. Another way to imagine this is to work within the system to transform the system—to accept some of the standard perspectives but play and experiment with others. For example, in my horoscope column, I partially adhere to the customs of the wellestablished genre, but also take radical liberties with it. I recommend this approach for you in 2025.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
I don’t recommend burning wood to heat your home. Such fires generate noxious emissions harmful to human health. But hypothetically speaking, if you had no other way to get warm, I prefer burning ash and beech wood rather than, say, pine and cedar. The former two trees yield far more heat than the latter two, so you need less of them. Let’s apply this principle as we meditate on your quest for new metaphorical fuel, Sagittarius. In the coming months, you will be wise to search for resources that provide you with the most efficient and potent energy.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
The world’s longest tunnel is over 35 miles long. It’s the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps. I’m guessing the metaphorical tunnel you’ve been crawling your way through lately, Capricorn, may feel that extensive. But it’s really not. And here’s even better news: Your plodding travels will be finished sooner than you imagine. I expect that the light at the end of the tunnel will be visible any day now. Now here’s the best news: Your slow journey through the semi-darkness will ultimately yield rich benefits no later than your birthday.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Would you like to avoid wilting and fading away in January, Aquarius? If so, I recommend that during the coming weeks, you give your best and brightest gifts and express your wildest and most beautiful truths. In the new year, you will need some downtime to recharge and revitalize. But it will be a pleasantly relaxing interlude— not a wan, withered detour—if in the immediate future you unleash your unique genius in its full splendor.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
My treasured Piscean advisor, Letisha, believes it’s a shame so many of us try to motivate ourselves through abusive self-criticism. Are you guilty of that sin? I have done it myself on many occasions. Sadly, it rarely works as a motivational ploy. More often, it demoralizes and deflates. The good news, Pisces, is that you now have extra power and savvy to diminish your reliance on this ineffectual tactic. To launch the transformation, I hope you will engage in a focused campaign of inspiring yourself through self-praise and self-love.
Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes.
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.
PUZZLES
By Alex Eaton-Salners
Puzzles edited by Joel Fagliano
18 M ashhad’s country
19 P ortrayer of Mrs. Smith in 2005’s ‘‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’’
20 C heer for a diva
21 Filipino meat dish
23 Sumatran swinger
34 Echelon
38 Former roles for Kamala Harris and Arlen Specter, for short
39 Component of an old PC tower
42 Avocado toast topper, perhaps
43 L ike the main character in ‘‘Memento’’
45 P ension alternative, in brief
46 ___ Dingbats (icon-filled font)
48 L ayer of a 42-Across
49 H ardly any
50 P aging device
53 O ne may be called on to give, informally
55 Q ueequeg’s figurine in ‘‘MobyDick,’’ e.g.
56 Texter’s vociferous agreement
57 Fair-hiring inits.
58 L ike Hadrian’s Wall in northern England
60 C reates a new account?
62 Divest
64 Nickname
66 El ____ (Castilian hero)
67 Sloth, for one
72 G reek H
73 Was of service to
75 Classic candy company
76 Like
79 Follows
82 Figure (out)
83 J apan’s legislature
84 Swaths of land
86 N .S.A.’s home
89 J . Cole’s ‘‘____ Knows’’
90 G uitar’s resting place, often
91 Snickering sound
92 O ne writing wrongs?
93 Fifth note
94 T hinks highly of
97 G et stuck
98 J a’s opposite 99 E stadio Azteca cheer
100 C arriage, in Cambridge
101 O f all time
103 Symbol of the National Audubon Society
105 Imprimatur
110 Finds
114 O ne of 30+
million Americans
115 Elizabeth’s house
116 M idair collision of sorts
119 W hat Kwanzaa’s first principle, Umoja, means
120 M osque officials
121 Clicking sounds?
122 Mathematician/historian Neugebauer
123 W here Molson Coors is TAP
124 B eer buy
125 Epithet for a G.O.P. moderate, maybe
126 Invite letters
DOWN
1 Spice blend
2 O ne raising Cain
3 In a state of shock, say
4 Containers that can be cracked
5 P et name derived from the Latin for ‘‘faithful’’
6 Element No. 26
7 S cores unexpectedly, as tickets
8 C ain raised him
9 M essy situation
10 ‘ ‘Woe is me!’’
11 P rotagonist of the Zelda games
12 A bsolutely epic
13 P ut together
14 Gloomy mood
15 First name in daredevilry
16 ‘ ‘Phooey!’’
19 B ipartisan 2012 stimulus bill
20 P achyderm of kid-lit
22 ‘The Joy Luck Club’’ author
27 T iny bit
28 N ever-give-up sort
29 ‘ ‘Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’fore
I Diiie’’ poet
31 Individual speech patterns
35 O nline commenter’s qualification
36 Unabridged
37 Newspaper subscriber
39 M ountain goat’s perch
40 U se an e-cig
41 Fencing option
44 B ook return spot
45 S ome classic PCs
47 To’s counterpart
51 N .B.A. coach Steve
52 D igitally endorse
54 B ull or buck
56 An cient
59 Fireworks ingredient
61 W hat crossed fingers behind
one’s back might indicate
63 M onopoly holding
65 ‘ ‘Peter Pan’’ pooch
67 Make an appearance
68 W in for a marketing team
69 B arbershop offerings
70 W inter fishing spot
71 Small card for a short message
73 M eeting, informally
74 Boneheaded
76 Try to find out
77 M oon over Miami, to many a Miamian
78 U ndercover?
80 Circuit diagram
81 Four Corners tribe
85 P owerPoint starting point
86 L isting at an ice cream shop
87 ‘ ‘Ad majorem ____ gloriam’’ (Jesuit motto)
88 Ch emistry Nobelist Rutherford
95 Twisted humor?
96 B attle of Britain grp.
97 P owell of the Federal Reserve
102 W irelessly driven toy, for short
104 Eva of ‘‘Green Acres’’
105 Floor 106 Itsy
107 Alliance of powers
108 P atagonia prowler
109 Smartphone predecessors, for short
111 ‘ ‘Didn’t see ya there!’’
112 Uncharitable
113 Fuel brand with a blue oval in its logo
117 ‘ ‘Jersey Shore’’ airer
118 Corny sound effect?
Daniel Bokemper Ben Felder Greg Horton Jo Light
Jeremy Martin
Sarah Neese Lauren Thomas-Martin
CREATIVE
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Tim Buchanan
ILLUSTRATORS
Steve Hill Nick Hermes
Oklahoma Gazette is proud to partner with Oklahoma Comic Arts Foundation to support local artists. For more information or to apply for the directory, visit www.okcomicarts.org.
