Charitable Giving by Oklahoma Gazette

FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | METRO OKC’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY | DECEMBER 16, 2015

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contents 33

ON THE COVER

NEWS

LIFE

This holiday season, local businesses, employees and community organizations prove why metro-area residents are some of the most generous in the nation. On the cover, youth often benefit most from the kindness of people who support groups like The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital, Infant Crisis Services, The Education and Employment Ministry, and The Salvation Army. By Laura Eastes, P.4 Photo by Bigstock.com Illustration by Christopher Street

Performing Arts: The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol

Books: Super Indian

Sudoku / Crossword

Music: Medicine Brother, Evan Felker & Friends, listings

Film: JediOKC, Jingle Bell Rocks!

Astrology

Classifieds

Cover: charitable giving

Holiday Festivities Directory

Legal: Celebrity Attractions

City: panhandling ordinance

Food & Drink: Anchor Down, Gorō Ramen + Izakaya, Hillbilly’s, briefs, Boulevard Cafeteria, OKG eat: staff picks

Chicken-Fried News

Community: Child’s Cup Full

Commentary, Letters

Education: school board candidates

LIFE 15

Holiday Services Directory

OKG picks

Mission statement Oklahoma Gazette’s mission is to stimulate, examine and inform the public on local quality of life issues and social needs, to recognize community accomplishments, and to provide a forum for inspiration, participation and interaction across all media.

Buy This Holiday Gift Guide

Community: wrap up homelessness

Visual Arts: Oklahoma Arts Council, Passwords

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news cover

Sharing spirit This holiday season and year-round, local businesses, employees and community organizations prove why metro-area residents are some of the most generous in the nation.

When asked about her family’s Christmas traditions, 30-year-old Shawn Wilson is like most others with a fondness for the holidays. She smiled before sharing that Christmas is a cherished time of year for her family, especially for her grandmother, who always decorates the house with Santa figurines and trims the family’s holiday tree. As a child, Wilson picked one present from underneath the tree to unwrap on Christmas Eve. She selected wisely, and her three younger sisters followed her lead; the other gifts would have to wait until the next day. As she got older, Secret Santa became part of the family’s gift-giving mix. Regardless of the gift distribution, the family always gathered for a big holiday meal to cap off another Christmas together. Wilson’s vivid childhood memories are still clear as day. However, her demeanor became somber as she spoke about this holiday season. “It is one of the toughest times of the year,” Wilson said. “Being incarcerated, you miss your family. You want to be there. If they could only give us day passes and we could go for a few hours, I promise I’d come back.” An inmate at Kate Barnard Community Corrections Center in Oklahoma City, Wilson is serving an eight-year sentence for robbery and kidnapping. If there is a bright spot to reflect on this year, Wilson said it’s her decision to make a change. In October, she enrolled in the culinary arts training program at The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM). The nonprofit provides education and job placement services to inmates three to six months before their scheduled release. “My grandma visited the [TEEM] website, and she cried,” Wilson said. The website helped her south-Texas family understand the services the re-entry program offered in OKC. “My family is behind me and supporting me because they know I am making steps to better my life,” she said. With Wilson’s determination, TEEM’s direction and motivation from family, this will be her last Christmas in the custody of the Department of Corrections. “[My grandma] told me on the phone she is going to leave the Christmas

mark hancock

by Laura Eastes

Kris Steele of TEEM organizes donations for the children of incarcerated parents. tree up until I get home, which is the first week of February. So my grandmother’s Christmas tree will be up seven extra weeks this year,” Wilson said. As TEEM’s executive director, Kris Steele hears stories like Wilson’s often. Incarceration has “reaching effects on the entire family.” Some of those family members are children, and many participants are parents. It is difficult for a parent who misses Christmas morning with their children, but added stress comes from parents who wonder if their child is remembered. This year, no child will be forgotten, as TEEM staff organized a toy drive this fall. Donations of action figures, games, dolls and more were displayed in a storelike setting. Family members of TEEM participants came “shopping” with no funds exchanged after family members, often grandparents, selected holiday gifts for youngsters. The project reached 120 children. The event was viewed as a success in its inaugural year, and Steele said staff and participants are thankful for the toy donations and gifts made to the nonprofit throughout the year. Donations as small as $15 can cover the cost of a participant receiving their birth certificate, which is essential for

4 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

employment. A gift of $50 allows a participant to ride the Embark public transit bus to and from their new job for a month. Scholarship gifts around $1,000 cover tuition for trade education programs, like culinary arts or welding. “No gift is too small,” Steele said. “Whatever level of donation it is, we will utilize it and maximize its reach.”

Traditional giving

The same rings true for staff and volunteers of The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Command when manning the iconic red kettles dotted across 68 metro locations. Salvation Army bell ringers accept donations from pennies and dimes to dollar bills. In years past, the metro campaign has raised half a million dollars. Maj. Carlyle Gargis said kettle donations help sustain the area command’s social services programs for the coming year. In the OKC area, the Salvation Army operates a 109-bed emergency shelter, outreach programs at five senior centers, a year-round food pantry and an after-school program in El Reno. Bell ringers will accept donations through Dec. 24. Another well-known holiday campaign for the Salvation Army is its

Angel Tree program, which provides the public an opportunity to bring holiday cheer to underprivileged children and seniors by donating gifts. This year, 5,000 children and their families are part of the program. Those parents and guardians visit the Salvation Army this week to pick up gifts. “One of the reasons why I love this program so much is these parents are able to take these gifts home, wrap them and put them under their tree,” said Gargis, area commander. “On Christmas morning, their children know they’ve been remembered, too. Our hope is that those children would never know The Salvation Army was involved.” For those who know of Salvation Army’s involvement, it is a holiday blessing. “There is always tears and faces of being overwhelmed. You have to remember how tough it is on someone who couldn’t take care of their family and had to ask for help,” Gargis said. “That’s a tough deal in itself, but it is met with very nice gifts, a food basket, a Bible and a loving face of someone who cares.” continued from page 7

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above, from left Moore business owners Greg Derr and Michael Milligan bought gifts for 10 children and donated them to Salvation Army volunteers June McCoy and Terri Holcomb at the Angel Tree in Penn Square Mall.

Jo Jones in the waiting room at Infant Crisis Services on North Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City, where she works continued from page 4

Thankful Tuesday

Infant Crisis Services board members shared their gratitude to donors and supporters by swapping Giving Tuesday for Thankful Tuesday on Dec. 1. “It was fun for us to say thank you instead of asking for a donation,” said Jo Jones, director of development and communications for the local nonprofit. “Of course, people still made donations,

but it was a little different tack.” This was the second year that Infant Crisis Services, a nonprofit that provides life-sustaining formula, food and diapers to babies and toddlers, participated in the four-year-old holiday. Giving Tuesday follows Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, but instead of shopping, consumers give to a charitable organization. The Giving Tuesday concept has grown in popularity with nonprofits, which typically mark the day by emailing donors or rallying social media for donations. It also kicks off the start to holiday giving and year-end generosity, said Jones, who also serves as presidentelect of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Oklahoma Chapter. “This is certainly a really good time of the year for nonprofits, and certain nonprofits will remind their donors the clock is ticking,” said Jones about donations paying off at tax time.

Giving guidance

Oklahomans are known for giving, whether it be money, meals, clothing or time. The state’s philanthropic spirit

became known the world over after the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. The community came together to help neighbors and strangers. Outof-state visitors took notice and called the service commitment the Oklahoma Standard. The standard continues and is most visible in times of distress, like after the 2013 Moore tornado or the Oct. 24 Stillwater parade crash. A facet of the standard is charitable giving, and OKC is the seventh most charitable major metropolitan area in the nation. The Chronicle of Philanthropy released the rankings in a 2012 report that showed Oklahoma County residents donated $628 million to charity and Cleveland County residents added $158 million for that year alone. “In Oklahoma, we do have some very wealthy companies, individuals and foundations, but I think it is more than just that,” Jones said. “It goes down to the individual. … Not only are people charitable, but there are thousands of charitable organizations out there for people to support.” Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits reports there are more than 19,000 nonprofits across the state, which makes it challenging to select which organizations to support. Jones recommended that donors reflect on their passions when deciding where to give. “Many of the people who give to Infant Crisis Services either just had a baby or are new grandparents,” Jones said. “They can’t imagine a child doing without.” Jones also suggested researching organizations by visiting GiveSmartOKC.org, an online resource administered by Oklahoma City Community Foundation, utilized by many metro nonprofits. Through search options, it is easy to locate information about an organization, its management, governance and financials. Each nonprofit also lists contact information for volunteering and giving, along with a Web address.

Office space

For the 40-member staff at OKC’s Auto Finance USA office, the act of giving is a yearlong endeavor. Though the level of giving tends to heighten during November and December with an office canned food and coat drive benefiting The Salvation Army, co-workers continue to donate to the recently established community giving fund. Coworkers Katie Schwarz, Patricia Thweatt, Cynthia Trujillo and Vivian Noah said the fund began after seeing missed opportunities to give back to and benefit their community throughout the year.

For more

Learn about the nonprofits mentioned in this story. >> Oklahoma City Community Foundation’s GiveSmartOKC database: givesmartokc.org >> The Education and Employment Ministry: teem.org >> The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command: salvationarmyokcac.org >> Infant Crisis Services: infantcrisis.org >> Association of Fundraising Professionals, Oklahoma Chapter: afpoklahoma.afpnet.org >> A New Leash on Life Inc.: newleashinc.org >> Pets & People Humane Society: petsandpeople.com >> The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital: miracleshappenhere.org

It began after asking coworkers to nominate local nonprofits to support through office fundraisers. Through an online ballot, they selected A New Leash on Life Inc., an organization that trains service dogs. No one pulled out a checkbook to donate. Instead, the office environment changed. To participate in casual Fridays, workers donate $10 at the beginning of each month. In the break room, vending machine prices were raised a small amount and the extra change was earmarked for their chosen charity. Staff meetings featured raffles for prizes, which were purchased by redeeming reward points earned from buying office supplies. Unique ways to support a cause, mixed with co-worker camaraderie, led to donations of more than $1,000 to each of the three local nonprofits, including Yukon’s Pets & People Humane Society and The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany. “None of us are rich, and many of us live paycheck-to-paycheck, but we can still help those in need,” Noah said. Coworkers showed pride as they discussed fundraising. The pride carries into talks about the benefiting nonprofits. After giving to A New Leash on Life, a representative and a service dog stopped by the office to thank employees. “That’s what people like about it,” Schwarz said. “They had a part. They contributed because they were connected.” The holiday season brings on giving, but it’s the influence on those donations that keeps Oklahomans giving in December and year-round. Learn more about The Curbside Chronicle on P. 32.

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 7

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Lindsay and Adam Zodrow

Stronger schools Two educators vie for Seat 3 in the upcoming Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education vote. By Laura Eastes

Two candidates with education backgrounds are running for Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education’s vacant Seat 3 in the annual school election Feb. 9. Carrie Coppernoll Jacobs and Adam Zodrow are running for the seat now occupied by Phil Horning, who is not seeking a third term. The seat includes schools located in both northwest and southwest portions of the city, like Taft Middle School and Northwest Classen High School. The term is four years.

Carrie Coppernoll Jacobs

Jacobs is a former journalist and journalism teacher for Putnam City North High School. She is a marketing specialist for BigWing Interactive, a digital marketing company. As a mother of two young daughters, Jacobs has a stake in the quality of education in Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS). Her motivation for the position comes from her experiences in education, which began as a public schools reporter for The Oklahoman. “There are a lot of stakeholders in education, and I’ve been in three of those roles: watchdog, teacher and parent,” Jacobs said in an email. “I think that experience has made me able to ask good questions, listen to all sides and always work with the success of students in mind.” If elected, she plans to boost support for schools by identifying parents, businesses and community leaders for involvement in their nearby schools. Her advocacy for OKCPS would go beyond the local community, as she aims to discuss concerns with state leaders. “Our kids need our support now more than ever,” Jacobs said. “We all have to work with urgency.”

8 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

Adam Zodrow

Zodrow spent 11 years in public education, including teaching middle school English. He is a content strategist for OKC’s Traction Marketing and travels as a teacher consultant for Catapult Learning, a provider of K-12 instructional services and programs. He is a Denniston Park resident and has two children. Zodrow’s strengths include his background in the classroom and understanding of curriculum. His passion is to improve neighborhood schools, like the urban revitalization efforts underway in the Plaza, Midtown, Paseo and Uptown 23rd districts. “My hope is to galvanize a generation of families that are excited about the growth of OKC. Not just our amazing business districts, but our neighborhood schools as well,” Zodrow said in an email. “I hope to direct some of the incredible energy for ‘all things local’ to our neighborhood schools.” If elected, Zodrow said he would advocate for new elementary and middle school sites in the southern part of District 3. As a former charter-school master STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teacher, he believes charters benefit the community. OKCPS can learn from their successes and potentially implement new practices into elementary schools. He hopes to change young families’ minds about the district. He said some parents have lost confidence in OKCPS and look to alternatives for schooling. “My hope is to transform our neighborhood schools into the best option for these families, through a reintegration of the arts, initiatives to rally families around their schools and implementation of student programs that give families an incentive to keep their kids here,” Zodrow said. The annual school election is Feb. 9. The deadline to register to vote is Jan. 15.

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news legal

Access denied Celebrity Attractions files a lawsuit after Oklahoma City Civic Center Foundation pursues a new vendor for its Broadway series. by Laura Eastes

after awarding an exclusive contract to the Nederlander Organization. Celebrity Attractions is asking the judge to award the company a 2016-17 permit or award damages reflecting the significant time and financial expense used to book the upcoming season. Celebrity Attractions’ attorney, John D. Stiner, filed the lawsuit Nov. 16.

Beauty and the Beast

Center changes

In June, Oklahoma City Council, acting as the OCPPA, amended an agreement granting the foundation authority to promote shows at the civic center for the next 25 years. Through the agreement, the foundation is to select one national touring Broadway show season as a co-presenter for the annual series. The foundation invited service providers to submit a request for proposals for Broadway services, and four groups responded, including Celebrity Attractions, according to an email letter signed by Jim Brown, civic center manager. Oklahoma Gazette obtained two emails about the civic center changes after seeking comment from the City of Oklahoma City concerning the lawsuit, which tells only one side of the story of a legal dispute. City spokeswoman Kristy Yager acknowledged the lawsuit and said the city is preparing to defend it. She was unable to comment further. Brown’s email was only sent to residents who contacted the city in regard to the lawsuit. The message provided details about the selection of New York City’s Nederlander Organization, which was awarded the exclusive contract beginning with the 2016-17 season. “A selection committee appointed by the Foundation determined that the best match for the Civic Center and our Oklahoma City audiences was a group that also provides top-tier Broadway Shows for markets including New York, Chicago, San Diego and Tucson,” the email said. The decision came as a surprise to Celebrity Attractions staff, who believed their application stressed the company’s ability to bring quality shows to the venue. Based on ticket sales, Payton argues, city residents “voted with their pocketbooks” in supporting Celebrity Attractions.

MATTHEW MU RPHY / P ROVI DED

“I always tell people there are two words in show business,” explained Ed Payton, CEO of Tulsa-based Celebrity Attractions. “If you don’t have the business, you don’t get the show. If you have the business, people will come to your city to see the show.” Payton argues Oklahoma City has show business, an essential aspect for community and economic development. His knowledge comes from years in the business and fulfilling the legacy of his brother, Larry Payton, who founded Celebrity Attractions from his spare bedroom in 1983 with a goal of bringing the best in live entertainment to Oklahoma. As a presenter of national tours, Celebrity Attractions played a role in creating OKC’s show business, at least on the Broadway end. In a recent interview with Oklahoma Gazette, Payton shared that Celebrity Attractions first brought Broadway shows to Civic Center Music Hall in 1992. Since then, shows like Disney’s The Lion King, Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera rolled into the downtown performing arts center. “We used to really fight to get shows to come to Oklahoma City,” Payton said before describing the steady rise in subscribers. According to Celebrity Attractions, Oklahoma City recorded the largest number of subscribers in the nation for a one-week Broadway season in 2013 with 15,704 subscribers. “Now, the phone rings and they are begging to come,” Payton said. Celebrity Attractions is coming up on 25 years in OKC. Within the next five weeks, audiences will view Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Jersey Boys at the civic center through Celebrity Attractions’ current Best of Broadway series. Those shows could be some of Celebrity Attractions last in the venue. On Sept. 30, the company was told no permit for the 2016-17 Broadway series would be issued. Now, the company is suing Oklahoma City Public Property Authority (OCPPA) and Oklahoma City Civic Center Foundation in federal court. In the lawsuit, Celebrity Attractions asserts that the foundation violated the First Amendment when it prohibited other organizations from booking Broadway shows in the public facility

We don’t believe it is right for any single vendor to have the right to exclusively book Broadway shows. — Ed Payton

Lawsuit claims

Other claims by Celebrity Attractions surround the company’s time and effort put into booking a 2016-17 season. Traditionally, Celebrity Attractions’ staff spends the spring and early summer in discussions with touring show producers. In August, the company presents the dates to civic center staff for “locking in” and applies for a permit in January, according to the lawsuit. Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts the foundation and OCPPA were aware of Celebrity Attractions’ efforts and “knowingly allowed Celebrity to continue its efforts to finalize contracts with producers which had expressed an interest in bring (sic) their shows to Oklahoma City during 2016-17.” The company also accused the foundation of inappropriate use of Celebrity Attractions’ ticket buyer contact database. In an email sent to Celebrity

Attractions subscribers and addressed to “Broadway Supporters,” Joe Hodges, foundation president, contended OCPPA owns the Broadway series subscriber list as part of Celebrity Attractions agreeing to use the facilities in the past. Additionally, Hodges said there was no violation of First Amendment rights. “Although the Authority (OCPPA) granted the OKCCC Foundation the right to present the Broadway series, any other organization or business has the opportunity to use available dates at the Civic Center for performances and other events,” the email said. The email also shed light on another reason the foundation switched Broadway show providers. Unlike the Celebrity Attractions agreement, “a larger portion of revenue from the Broadway series will stay in Oklahoma City.” The additional revenue will be reinvested into the capital improvement fund for the civic center. Payton said the foundation should allow access to more than one Broadway provider. It would allow theatergoers double the options when it comes to Broadway shows in OKC. “As a public facility, we believe we have the right to continue to access that facility,” Payton said. “It is really pretty simple. Let us have access to the civic center because we don’t believe it is right for any single vendor to have the right to exclusively book Broadway shows.”

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 9

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Safe passage A median safety ordinance drives help away from the issue. By Laura Eastes

Oklahoma Gazette

“This proposed ordinance is a very narrow tool to help public safety,” Meg Salyer said during public debate last week over a new panhandling ordinance.

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S T N E V E G A N N E R A E K UPCOMAIT A FIREL

If there’s one thing Oklahoma Citians agree on, it’s that panhandling and homelessness is a problem. For over a year and a half, leaders of VOICE (Voices Organized in Civic Engagement) OKC stood ready to tackle the multifaceted issue. The coalition of religious leaders, nonprofits and other various groups created a proposal calling for a holistic approach to solve the issues of the homeless and people who panhandle. With involvement from the City of Oklahoma City, the group believed that by educating the public, it would impact the number of drivers handing donations to people holding cardboard signs, reducing the number of people standing on city medians. VOICE OKC’s plans ended Dec. 8. No longer will the group pursue an education campaign to direct people to give to social service organizations and support The Curbside Chronicle. Plans to study the homeless and people on the verge of homelessness were also squashed, along with any future help to launch new programs tackling panhandling in the same ways as Albuquerque, New Mexico, where panhandlers came off street corners when the city provided day jobs. Following Oklahoma City Council’s approval of a controversial median safety ordinance, VOICE OKC moved on to another cause. “They made their decision when they decided to reject [VOICE OKC’s] proposal and approach the issue in a different way,” said Sundra Flansburg, VOICE education fund president. Flansburg and other members of VOICE OKC urged the council to

reject the ordinance, which they viewed as harmful by criminalizing activities that homeless and poor people rely on to survive. During the meeting’s public comment period, the group supported the council deferring the ordinance’s vote to June. That would allow the group to begin its education campaign with the city’s support. The vote to defer the ordinance failed 6-3, with council members Meg Salyer, James Greiner, Larry McAtee, John Pettis Jr., Mark Stonecipher and Mayor Mick Cornett voting against it. Solving the issues of homelessness and panhandling is now up to the council, Flansburg said. “I think the next step is on them,” Flansburg said. “We will sit back and see what they do.”

Safety ordinance

Beginning Jan. 7, it is illegal to stand, sit or stay on a city median less than 30 feet wide when within 200 feet of an intersection. The law exempts medians wider than 30 feet or city medians that feature benches, gazebos, park equipment or trails. Oklahoma City police can fine violators $100. Under the new law, panhandlers and solicitors, such as youth sports teams, the Chronicle and firefighters for the Fill-the-Boot campaign, must move to the side of the road. Another exemption allows individuals to stand on medians, but they must stand more than half a football field away from the place where two roads meet. The council approved the ordinance in a 7-2 vote with council members Ed Shadid and Pete White opposed. The ordinance became a hotly

news city to see any evidence that the current law is not adequate to address those. “This would potentially create a public safety issue where none existed today. It would jeopardize The Curbside Chronicle, one of the most important and powerful tools of combating homelessness. It would create an enforcement nightmare.”

Call for action

A man and his dog panhandle from the median at NW 140th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Oklahoma City. discussed issue locally after Salyer authored the controversial ordinance to curb panhandling in September; the issue was reintroduced two weeks later as a median safety ordinance following citizens questioning its constitutionality. Before the vote, Salyer said the bill was always intended to improve safety. The Ward 6 representative believes panhandlers on the city’s medians pose a threat for both the safety of the solicitor and drivers. Statements from Police Chief Bill Citty back her argument. Citty reported the dangers of standing on medians during the Sept. 29 and Dec. 8 council meetings. When Shadid suggested deferring action for six months to allow VOICE OKC to begin its campaign, Salyer argued the education campaign and ordinance were two separate issues. “This proposed ordinance is a very narrow tool to help public safety,” Salyer said. “The education campaign piece is incredibly important to help citizens around our community to understand … we need to redirect, if we can, the giving. That education campaign we talked about for a year and a half with many of these people in the room is extremely complicated. “People don’t want to be told not

to give. There are many nuances of the campaign that need to be worked out.”

Reactions

Rayna O’Connor, editor-in-chief of the Chronicle, doesn’t see the ordinance as a safety measure. Two years ago, the street magazine began working with vendors — many former panhandlers — to sell the latest issue of the street magazine from city medians. The publication curbs panhandling, as vendors keep a portion of the proceeds from each sale, empowering them overtime to move off the streets, into housing and, often, full-time jobs. O’Connor argued that the ordinance moves people, not just magazine vendors, into harm’s way. “We think it is pretty ironic to move people from an intersection where traffic slows down and there are crosswalks for pedestrians,” O’Connor told Oklahoma Gazette. “Now, you move people into the middle of moving traffic, which is going at higher speeds. Vehicles have no way to actually stop and engage with a person. I think that proves immensely that this is about making panhandling harder — unfortunately, making selling The Curbside Chronicle harder.” Vendor Robert Hatcher, a former homeless man, joined O’Connor in

addressing the council. Both said the ordinance was the wrong approach to the issues related to homelessness and panhandling. “We need to put mechanisms in place that will address the root issues as to why panhandling occurs in our community,” said O’Connor, who stated the publication’s future is unclear. “We need to offer people who panhandle a better way to earn income. We need to understand the barriers people in poverty face that make employment and housing difficult to achieve without support. This ordinance does none of that.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma also expressed concerns over the ordinance and whether it violates the First and Fourth amendments. After the meeting, the ACLU announced plans to monitor the implementation and law enforcement. Ryan Kiesel, ACLU executive director, asserted that the ordinance is unnecessary. Currently, it is illegal for panhandlers or solicitors to enter the street to accept donations. “Where is the evidence of a problem? Where is the public safety issue that the current law does not address? We don’t want to argue that there aren’t public safety issues,” Kiesel said. “We’ve failed

Two of the council members, Salyer and Stonecipher, believed the ordinance would not interfere with VOICE OKC moving forward with its education campaign. Prior to the vote, each expressed interest in the campaign coming to fruition. “I’m all for us working together over the next six months, but I firmly believe that this is a safety issue,” said Ward 8 councilman Stonecipher. “When my police chief tells me it’s a safety issue in the median and we need to address it, let’s address the ordinance today, and let’s keep working together.” Salyer hopes the talking point will turn into community action. “I am incredibly grateful [for] the voices in our community who have come together to talk about the important issue of homelessness and the challenges faced by the many less fortunate in our community,” Salyer said. “My hope with all of you in this room today is that this energy turns into a real call for action.” However, action by VOICE OKC is redirected to the criminal justice system reform. VOICE OKC hopes to educate Oklahomans on fines and fees that create prisoners of debt in coming months. “An organized group of citizens identified an issue of concern, thoroughly researched it and then not only raised that problem with [the council], but proposed a plan,” Flansburg said. “It is frustrating to seeing the council go in a different direction.”

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Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 11

Chicken We’re No. 9!

Oklahoma is the ninth most charitable state in the nation, according to a recent WalletHub report. Across America, 95.4 percent of households donate to community causes, according to financial social media company WalletHub. That’s an average of $2,974 a year. The National Philanthropic Trust estimated that, in 2014, $338 billion was donated, 72 percent of which came from individuals. Utah ranks No. 1 in both volunteering and donated income. Louisiana had the lowest volunteer rate, and New Hampshire donated the least amount of income. Oklahoma ranked No. 5 on the chart showing the highest percent of donated income, with almost four times more donated income than New Hampshire. Yeah, that means we make less money, but we give more of what we do earn. Way to go, Oklahoma!

Fried news Fear Factor

Oklahoma is overweight — it’s no secret. But the University of Oklahoma might be taking their new weight-loss plan for students a step too far. How else can it explain the recent discovery by one student that her chocolate cake had a “special” filling? “Just enjoying my chocolate cake when ... it’s alive,” said Laura Beth McGraw in a video she posted of the roach crawling around in her dessert from Couch Restaurant on campus. Other students reported mold on bread and lunch meat, gnats and other detritus that might cause gentlestomached Sooners to boomer everything into the nearest toilet or wastepaper basket. We at Oklahoma Gazette, however, applaud the move by campus eateries. Not only does it boost the local economy by getting students to dine at any of Norman’s non-contaminated restaurants, but it’s a sure way to counteract the Freshman 15.

Fashion MVP

In the future, archaeologists will exhume the collapsed remains of Oklahoma City, long buried after earthquakes finally rip open the very earth beneath our feet, and they will marvel at the perfectly preserved and stylishly adorned Russell Westbrook. California-born but Oklahomaclaimed, Westbrook might be best known as a basketball star now, but every day, he’s Russelling his way into the next Coco Chanel. Take Westbrook Frames, his eyewear company that just came out with 15 new sunglasses, for instance. Or his various partnerships with brands like Del Toro, Barneys New York and Marcelo Burlon County of Milan. Or the fact that he always looks so pretty. Most players just end up owning part of a car dealership or putting their name on a steakhouse. Westbrook is going to write his name on the inside of your underwear, and you’re going to pay him a lot of money for the privilege. God help us all if he ever moves in free agency. He’s the only thing keeping OKC off all those “worst-dressed cities in America” lists.

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No service

When you feel like going on a bender, there’s no better place than the confines of McDonald’s ceiling. That’s what one unlucky Oklahoma City man thought anyway. Thirty-two-year-old Clayton Davidson fell through the ceiling tiles of McDonald’s at 2101 NW 23rd St., near Pennsylvania Avenue, earlier this month, causing thousands of dollars in damage. Have we mentioned he was stark naked? There was nary a stitch on him. News9.com reported that court documents show police found “shoes, pants and a bottle of alcohol” in the ceiling and Davidson faces felony charges for destruction of public property. We have many questions — What was he doing in the ceiling? How did he get in there, and why didn’t anyone see him? Wouldn’t the insulation in the ceiling be

really itchy? — but what we really want to know is where he left his socks, shirt and underwear. When we go on benders, we prefer to eat our 20-piece chicken McNuggets alone, in the privacy of our living rooms, in front of our TVs. We also try to make ourselves wear underwear, at the very least — it’s what separates us from the animals.

Hazardous ’Homa

Using FBI crime data, RoadSnacks identified the 10 Most Dangerous cities in Oklahoma, and the results surprised the hell of us. We know what you’re thinking — you hear so many stories about crime in Lawton; surely it’s the most dangerous, right? Wrong. According to RoadSnacks’ data, Lawton is only the sixth most dangerous city in the state. Oklahoma City ranked No. 5, which isn’t great, but at least it isn’t No. 1. Tulsa, Oklahoma’s second largest city, clocked in at No. 4. Shawnee, Del City, Muskogee and Wagoner earned spots 7-10. You should probably do yourself a favor and just stay away from southern

Oklahoma. Ardmore, Durant and Ada took the top three spots in the list. We find it a little baffling since some of us grew up there and there is literally nothing to do except roam around Wal-Mart and drive up and down all five blocks of Main Street all night.

Brother elf

Big Brother has never been so small. There’s a good chance you’ve met the Elf on the Shelf. Do you remember the jay-blue eyes that seemed to follow you from his perch atop the mantle? Was he climbing a ladder to nowhere on your childhood Christmas tree? How does he climb with those little, lifeless arms? Unfortunately, ChickenFried News has more questions than answers. Thankfully, someone out there has bothered to check our holiday guests twice. Last year, a paper published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said the plastic imps are actually a ploy to make the world comfortable with

surrendering their privacy and “teaching young people to blindly accept panoptic surveillance.” It’s a scandalous claim of Santa’s Helpers, to be sure, but should anyone really be surprised? He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. There are enough families, enough children in the world that the Jolly One couldn’t possibly keep them all straight. Santa needs help — covert, prying help. Who watches the watchdogs? More elves, apparently. Over the past several days, NewsOK.com has reported an elfish guest named Sparkle who has a penchant for rummaging and vandalism. Around the Gazette offices, our elf is either good at hiding or nonexistent, though some have reported seeing a Ken doll with a penchant for peeping lounging around. As long as we’re all being watched, we might have no choice. Be good, for goodness’ sake.

Oklahoma Gazette | DECember 16, 2015 | 13

commentary Ga re tt fi s be c k / FI L E

Of climate marches and extinctions By Nathaniel Batchelder

Global Climate Marches took place in Oklahoma City and around the world on the weekend before the Paris Climate Summit began Nov. 30. According to the Global Climate March website, 780,000 people participated in 2,300 marches in 175 countries. The message of the marches was, “We demand a climate treaty in line with the realities of science and the principles of justice.” Marchers also sought agreement to leave most remaining fossil fuels in the ground and finance a fair global transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel, producing carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide and other particulates contributing to asthma, emphysema and lung cancer. While transported by rail, 1 percent of coal’s mass is lost into the atmosphere as coal dust, further contributing to lung irritation and disease. Strip mining coal is

an environmental disaster. Production of electricity must be shifted to solar and wind power. These do not cause earthquakes, global warming, climate change or lung disease or require thousands of years of safe storage of radioactive wastes. People and industries can reduce their carbon footprint by conserving energy, insulating buildings, installing LED lighting, driving hybrid and electric vehicles and reducing meat consumption. Geothermal systems heat and cool buildings with less energy. Emissions of CO2 are warming the atmosphere and the oceans. Sea levels are rising as polar ice melts, but also because water expands as it warms. Oceans become acidified as they absorb CO2, causing the bleaching of coral reefs and reducing the reproductive capacity of fish that serve humanity as food.

Business schools teach that healthy economies depend upon economic growth. Growth is considered good in the production of energy, food, products and services, particularly as human numbers have risen from 3 billion in 1960 to 7 billion today and perhaps 9 billion within this century. Economic equations, however, do not factor in costs of degrading quality of air, water, land or natural systems supporting life. Because we live on a finite planet, unlimited growth has serious consequences. Zoologists tell us that we are, right now, living in the sixth great extinction of species on earth. The previous five had natural causes. The most recent was 65 million years ago when an enormous asteroid slammed into the Gulf of Mexico. Dense clouds of dust encircled the earth, blocking sunlight, killing vegetation and chilling earth to deadly levels. The

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

majority of plants and animals living then disappeared. Goodbye, dinosaurs. The current era of extinctions is considered anthropogenic, or caused by humans. Beginning some 10,000 years ago, human societies began displacing other species. Our impact has grown dramatically with industrialization, population expansion, increased consumption per capita and disposal of wastes into the air, water and land. Estimates are that 50,000 species of plants, animals, insects and microbial life go extinct every year as a result of human impact. Virtually every religious tradition emphasizes humanity’s responsibility to be stewards of nature and the environment — God’s creation. For all these reasons, humanity must fundamentally change our ways or watch the continued destruction of natural systems supporting life. Nathaniel Batchelder is director of The Peace House in Oklahoma City.

LETTERS Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@ okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette. com. Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.

Thought police

Our government has no doubt embarked on a program whereby “thought police” can read peoples’ minds. The goal is to jail and/or fine those people who have “politically incorrect” thoughts. I will gladly allow them to know exactly what is on my mind. “Go to hell, mind your own business and get a life!” — Mickey McVay Edmond

and elms, with the most damage to any particular species being suffered by lacebark, or Chinese, elm (Ulmus parvifolia). In general, the native trees have been doing better than the exotics. Not to say that there hasn’t been damage, just that it is less so. My official question/statement/ appeal: Considering the susceptibility of lacebark elm to critical structural failure via ice buildup as periodically found in Oklahoma, why do municipalities (i.e., Oklahoma City, Norman, Stillwater) continue to specifically recommend their planting around parking lots, where their sudden explosion will most likely damage the most expensive property a person owns? Notably, while Oklahoma Forestry Services list lacebark elm as having a fact sheet, it does not specify it as “recommended for planting in urban areas.” (Source: www.forestry.ok.gov/ ok-tree-guide) — David Murray Norman

Tree damage

Power scheme

I have been taking note of the arboreal damage from Thanksgiving weekend’s 2015 OK Ice Storm and have found that the majority of the damage has been sustained by Bradford pear trees

OG&E’s star rate increase witness Ashley Brown said Oklahoma’s current policy for net metering is unfair during his testimony in support of the utility monopoly’s proposed rate increases for

14 | December 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

homeowners with solar or wind systems. Brown said OG&E must take back excess power from customers at the retail rate rather than the wholesale rate. Maybe in some states, but not in Oklahoma. We can’t sell what is known as distributed energy generated by our solar or wind systems back to OG&E at either retail or wholesale rates, although that would be a great way to encourage renewable energy investment. Instead, net metering only lets us offset energy consumed with energy produced at our homes. Any extra energy is exported for free to the grid, essentially a donation from solar or wind homeowners to OG&E and the company’s full-service ratepayers. Brown, executive director of Harvard Electricity Policy Group, is misinformed about net metering laws in Oklahoma.

Apparently, he frequently testifies against solar and wind development for electricity utility executives who belong to his organization. I wonder what else he got wrong in his expert testimony intended to convince Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners to let OG&E unfairly raise rates on customers who have invested in wind or solar energy. — Jackie Gaston Yukon Monkey, business

It can be proven that monkeys evolved from humans. All that would be required to do so is to take DNA samples from the executive branch, the Supreme Court and Congress in Washington, D.C. — Ron Sills Oklahoma City

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okg picks are events

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

BOOKS

Sunday, December 20th

53rd Annual Presentation of a Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols 9:15 AM and 11 AM

Thursday, December 24th Christmas Eve Service 4:30 PM Children’s Pageant Family Eucharist 10:30 PM Choral Prelude 11 PM Midnight Mass

Friday, December 25th Christmas Day Service 10 AM Holy Communion

BBC / P ROVI DED

Join us this holiday season!

Kent Rollins Signing, you don’t have to live like a cowboy to eat like one, but what the heck, pull up a log or a rock and hang out around the campfire while you dig into one of Kent Rollins’s delicious “ranch recipes” from A Taste of Cowboy: Ranch Recipes and Tales from the Trail while you read one of his yarns from the very same book to the missus and little Angus, 6:30 p.m., Dec. 17. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU Doug Hacking Book Signing, boasting praises from such local celebrities as Gary England and Mary Fallin, Hacking’s book Relationship Resonance is a how-to guide for forming meaningful connections personally, professionally and spiritually, 11 a.m., Dec. 19. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. SAT New INK, this event showcases new local authors; this month features Autumn Slaughter, Mo Anderson, Caleb Jordan, Rick Henson, Ali West, Anesha Sharp, and Paula McCabe, 3 p.m., Dec. 19. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks. com. SAT Kurt & Cathy Leichter Signing, at the age of 14, Kurt Leichter, alone, boarded the USS Westernland in Antwerp, Belgium, bound for America with a small suitcase and a straw hat; On God’s Polishing Wheel is the story of that young boy, 2 p.m., Dec. 20. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SUN

FILM Hitchcock/Truffaut, (2015, France, dir. Kent Jones) fifty years ago, French New Wave filmmaker and critic Francois Truffaut successfully gained an interview with the notoriously inaccessible Alfred Hitchcock; this film captures their lengthy conversations, including the six days they spent in Hitchcock’s office at Universal Studios, paying homage to one of the greatest film pioneers of all time, 5:30 p.m., Dec. 17-19; 2 p.m., Dec. 20. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 2363100, okcmoa.com. THU-SUN The Bride Wore Black, (1968, France, dir. Francois Truffaut) in this precursor to Tarantino’s Kill Bill, the recently and tragically widowed Julie Kohler attempts to throw herself out the window; when she fails to kill herself, she resolves instead to get revenge, 8 p.m., Dec. 19. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Mississippi Mermaid, (1969, France, dir. Francois Truffaut) when a lonely bachelor decides to meet a woman in whom he’s interested that he met through the personal ads, a mysterious woman shows up who looks nothing like her supposed picture; when the mysterious

OCU Downton Abbey Screening If you’ve never watched Downton Abbey, it’s basically Game of Thrones if Game of Thrones exclusively followed the Lannisters, the Lannisters lived in a country house in Yorkshire and Game of Thrones was the exact opposite of itself in literally every way. If you do enjoy Downton Abbey, you might also consider joining Oklahoma City University and OETA for a free screening of the premiere of season six. Before the show, guests may delight in tea and a costume contest. Attendance is free, and the festivities begin 6 p.m. Monday in Kerr McGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. Visit oeta.tv/downton-abbey.

Monday woman disappears, he must flea to the South of France to solve the mystery of her identity, 5:30 p.m., Dec. 20. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. SUN The Polar Express, (2004, US, dir. Robert Zemeckis) based on the classic children's book of the same name, Polar Express tells the tale of a magical train that takes children on a wondrous adventure to the North Pole, where they see amazing sights and meet the big man in red himself, 7 p.m., Dec. 22. Harkins Theatre, 150 E. Reno Ave., 231-4747, harkinstheatres.com. TUE

HAPPENINGS Holiday Light Spectacular, over the course of two decades, this annual lights display has grown to more than 100 light displays spanning over a mile and a half drive, including a 118-foot Christmas tree and dancing

light shows coordinated to music, 6-10 p.m., Nov. 20Dec. 30. Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, 8700 E. Reno Ave., Midwest City, 739-1293, midwestcityok.org. Christmas in the Park, come drive or walk through a dazzling exhibition of over four million Christmas lights covering four hundred displays; best of all, admission is free, so bring all your friends and family to kick your holiday rear into gear, 6-11 p.m., ongoing. Yukon City Park, 2200 S. Holly Ave., Yukon, cityofyukonok.gov. Winter Shoppes at Myriad Botanical Gardens, if you love your friends, you love your family, but maybe you don’t love supporting big corporations, and you don’t have time to Pinterest that crap, then the Winter Shoppes at Myriad Gardens just might be your saving grace; lots of very cool local businesses are bringing all your holiday needs to one awesome pop-up holiday outdoor shopping fest, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Dec. 18-20. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080,

Lucasfilm Ltd. / PROVIDED

Star Wars Marathon Event

16 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

Camp rations? Check. NoDoz? Check. Adult space diapers? Check. Congratulations! You are now officially ready for the 16-hour marathon of every Star Wars movie, or to drive to Florida to attempt a kidnapping. Personally, we prefer the former, but please leave us out of the deposition if you can’t refrain. Otherwise, head on over to AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial Road, 1 a.m. Thursday morning to watch Episodes I-VI one last time before the premiere of Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Tickets are $65 and can be purchased at amctheatres.com. Call 755-2466.

Thursday

PR OVI DED

Suedehead Kenny is a goth ex-con on a 10-point plan to get his life back together after being released from jail, a plan that goes awry when he’s unexpectedly let go from his security job at Northpark Mall. As a clickbait article headline might say, you won’t believe what happens next. Director Mickey Reece premieres Suedehead 8 p.m. Saturday at Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd. The event will be hosted by local comedian Cameron Buchholtz. Tickets are $5. Visit allevents.by/5334569 for info and to RSVP.

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Saturday oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. FRI-SUN Annual Cowboy Christmas Ball, have yerselves a merry Christmas, y’all; guests at the 21st Annual Cowboy Christmas ball can expect a homecooked meal, traditional Western songs and dances, a visit from Santa, and a live performance by Michael Martin Murphey, 7 p.m., Dec. 18. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI Drop-In Art, think outside the two dimensional box … which is really more of a square, if it’s two dimensions, but hey, whatever, just think outside of it for the sake of this description, which is to say that you can make three dimensional pop-up holiday cards during this week’s Drop-In Art, 1 p.m., Dec. 19. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Griswald Family Ugly Christmas Sweater, enjoy unlimited games all night and no cover if you show up in an ugly Christmas sweater; just don’t electrocute yourself on the Christmas lights, 7 p.m., Dec. 19. Flashback Retropub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., facebook.com/flashbackretropub. SAT

EXCLUSIVELY AT

Merry & Bright, celebrate the season with free admission at the Crystal Bridge all December long and check out awesome light displays and more, 6-9 p.m., Dec. 20. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 297-3995, myriadgardens.com. SUN Trans-Siberian Orchestra, believe the hype; the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is coming back to town to rock your faces off in the most festive and elegant way possible, playing all your favorite holiday hits and more, with a twist, 4 & 8 p.m., Dec. 23. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. WED

FOOD Holiday Entertaining Show, however hard you’re entertaining your holiday guests, entertain them HARDER; join Buy For Less to learn everything you need to know-and buy- for the perfect holiday get-together shindig and impress all your friends, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Dec. 19. Buy For Less, 3501 Northwest Expressway, 9466342, buyforlessok.com. SAT continued on next page

N. MAY AT WILSHIRE OKLAHOMA CITY 405.842.4243 MITCHENERFARRAND.COM Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 17

continued

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CALL 405.440.1053 Holiday River Parade ’Twas the Sunday before Christmas, and all along the shore waited children for Santa at 6 p.m., not before. He flew through the sky, that red-suited gift-giver, when his reindeer dove down and landed right on the river! There was thunderous applause and a fireworks show, a parade, Santa’s elves and … garlic bread dough? That’s not right … Marlon Brando! Wait, no … water buffalo? Oh, whatever. This is hard. Ho-ho-ho! The parade is 6-8 p.m. and free to attend. The viewing area is located in front of Devon Boathouse, 725 S. Lincoln Boulevard. Call 630-7668 or visit okcparade.com.

Sunday Saturday Cooking Class, why would you ever eat vegetables NOT drenched in wine after learning how to cook this delicious dish of carrots, green beans and pearl onions in chardonnay sauce, 1 p.m., Dec. 19. Buy For Less, 3501 Northwest Expressway, 946-6342, buyforlessok.com. SAT

Third Thursday, bring the little ones for a story and craft day along with $3 admission and enjoy some of the beautiful historic art and artifact exhibits for yourself, 10 a.m., Sept. 17. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 235-4458, oklahomaheritage.com. THU

Uptown Cooking Class, if you have ever thought to yourself, gee, I wish I could carry this steaming hot oatmeal with me in my hand and eat it on the way to work, but I hate bowls and spoons and don’t want to burn myself or get oatmeal all over my tie, then you should get on over to this cooking class so you can learn to bake oatmeal muffins; it’s like oatmeal for your hands, 1 p.m., Dec. 19. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. SAT

Discover the Dinosaurs, okay, so we’re not quite to Jurassic Park levels of technology, but at least Ian Malcolm won’t be there to be all, “folly of man, just because you can doesn’t mean you should, look at my well-oiled bare chest, blah blah blah;” check out this killer walk-through exhibit featuring animatronic dinos, fossil panning, and more, all day, Dec. 18-20. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. FRI-SUN

Baking with Almond Flour, it is almost exactly like regular baking, but a bit nuttier; join Jessica Cox to learn about all the health benefits of this highprotein gluten-free flour alternative, 2:30 p.m., Dec. 20. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SUN

Crafts For Kids, they’ll hold your holiday cards and look cheerful doing it, OR ELSE; bring your kids in so they can make reindeer- and snowman-shaped holiday card holders, because hands and fridge magnets are overrated, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Dec. 19. Lakeshore Learning Store, 6300 N. May Ave., 858-8778, lakeshorelearning.com. SAT

A Taste of Holiday Cheer, everyone knows that the way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach, so naturally sampling and learning to cook all sorts of holiday snacks, drinks and desserts is just the ticket for even the humbuggiest of Scrooges, 5:30 p.m., Dec. 22. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. TUE

Santa Claus at Uptown, it’s the perfect opportunity to wait in a long line, put your kids in a strange man’s lap and then take pictures of them as they tell this complete stranger what they want for Christmas as part of a totally normal American tradition, 11 a.m., Dec. 19. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. SAT

YOUTH

Zoo Chef Christmas Style, make tasty treats for our zoo animals, your pets, and you; Santa will stop by with an animal artist to paint a Christmas card just for you, 10 a.m., Dec. 19. Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Pl., 424-3344, okczoo.com. SAT

Devon Ice Rink, see how well you fare in a nearly frictionless environment at this year’s Devon ice rink; perhaps you’ll discover a new talent you never knew you had … or maybe you should try, like, knitting or something. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. Junie B in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Junie B. has a whole world of problems this Christmas, and they’re about to get worse when Junie B. draws Tattletale May, who has been ruining her fun all along, for Secret Santa, 11 a.m., Dec. 16 & 18. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 606-7003, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org. WED & FRI

18 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

PERFORMING ARTS A Christmas Carol, Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge was lacking in holiday spirit, so fate sent him three- the Ghosts of Christmas’ Past, Present, and Future; come see Charles Dickens’ classic ghost story brought to life onstage and leave the humbug at home, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 16, 17 & 23; 8 p.m., Dec. 18; 2 & 8 p.m., Dec. 19; 2 p.m., Dec. 20; 2 & 7:30 p.m., Dec. 22. Lyric Theatre, 1727 N.W. 16th St., 524-9312, lyrictheatreokc.com. WED-WED Gabriel Rutledge, since abandoning his successful pizza delivery career in 2000, Gabriel’s talent, hard work, and lack of a fall back plan have made him

into one of North America’s finest touring comics, 8 p.m., Dec. 16 & 17; 8 & 10:30 p.m., Dec. 18 & 19. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 239-4242, loonybincomedy.com. WED-SAT The Santaland Diaries, the stage adaptation of David Sedaris’s hilarious account of his stint as a Christmas elf in Macy’s is a delightfully absurd look at the commercial underbelly of the holiday season, 8 p.m., Dec. 17-19. Shakespeare on Paseo, 2920 Paseo St., 2353700, oklahomashakespeare.org. THU-SAT Shen Yun 2016, a Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops-together creating one spectacular performance, 7 p.m., Dec. 23; noon, Dec. 24. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. WED-THU

ACTIVE Rage in the Cage XXXXII, that’s an awful lot of rage, maybe you should bring them some chamomile tea or some lavender bath salts or something; otherwise check out the 43rd Rage in the Cage cage match, featuring Jeremy Jones, Ken Coulter, Travis Nero and more, with 12 fights for the title, 6 p.m., Dec. 18. Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. FRI OKC Thunder vs. LA Lakers, there are no lakes in Los Angeles, but the Thunder might get ‘em to cry a river; come see for yourself and don’t forget your pom poms, 4 p.m., Dec. 19. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. SAT OKC Dodger Dash 5K and Fun Run, double up on your winter charity by heading out to the Dodger Dash, where not only do all proceeds go directly to the OKC Dodgers Baseball Foundation, but there will also be donation centers collecting coats, gloves, scarves, and hats to be donated to OKC Public Schools, 8:30 a.m., Dec. 19. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 218-1000, milb.com. SAT Big 12/SEC Challenge, the women’s college basketball showdown to end all women’s college basketball showdowns, at least until next year, is here, 1:30 p.m.,

Dec. 20. Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. SUN

VISUAL ARTS A Gift of Art, put down the hideous sweater he won’t even wear anyway and pick up some art, and support some very cool local artists while you do it. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo #A. Christmas Market, the art-lover in your family deserves a gift as unique as she is; show you care with one of the small works available at the Christmas Market exhibition, featuring small works by local artists. The Purple Loft Art Gallery, 514 NW 28th St., Suite 400, 412-7066. Deck the Walls Art Show & Auction, when the art is 4 x 4 inches, you sure don’t have to worry about fitting it in your car or on your walls, so be sure to stock up for yourself and your family and friends; all proceeds will benefit the Paseo Arts Association’s events and programs, 5:30 p.m., Dec. 18. SixTwelve, 612 NW 29th St. , Oklahoma State, sixtwelve.org. FRI Dirty Santa Novelty Toys, local artist Allin KHG makes some of the most unique, bizarre, and in some cases downright terrifying toys you’ve ever seen; delight your friends and terrorize your family at this year’s game of White Elephant or Dirty Santa or whatever by showing up with one of these adorably macabre contraptions, on sale through Christmas Eve. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.

‘TIS THE SEASON TO GIVE

Holiday Small Works, the fine artists at Kasum have pulled out all the stops to make sure everyone on your holiday list is covered, or at least their walls are. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.

Donate before December 31st

Red Earth Treefest, leave corporate Christmas far behind with a uniquely native Oklahoma twist on trees at the first annual Red Earth Art Center Treefest; each of the tree displays at Treefest features handmade decorations provided by five Oklahoma Native Tribes, with not a homogenous bauble in sight. Red Earth Museum, 6 Santa Fe Plaza, 427-5228, redearth.org.

Give at www.kgou.org

David Hamilton

MAR K H ANCOCK / FILE

KGOU listener & giver

Kent Frates Book Signing Following six of the most infamous cases in state history, Kent Frates’ nonfiction narrative Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases is a must-read for anyone with an affinity for Oklahoma history and a disinterest in sleeping at night. The history profiles cases chronologically from Machine Gun Kelly’s kidnapping of Charles Urschel through the Girl Scout Murders all the way up to the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. Frates will be on hand 2-4 p.m. Saturday to answer questions and sign copies at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 6100 N. May Ave. Attendance is free. Call 843-9300.

Saturday

For okg music picks see page 44

lunch & dinner 6014 N. May 947.7788 zorbasokc.coM Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 19

20 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

Anchored dogs The grilled cheese masters at The Mule decided it was time to try their hand at corn dogs, and the result is delicious.

Roger Dog

Maga Coney

BY GREG ELWELL

Those who have never been will be forgiven for not immediately understanding the concept of Anchor Down, 30 NE Second St. It’s The Mule, but with corn dogs instead of grilled cheese. That might be a tad reductive, but considering the owners of The Mule opened Anchor Down six months ago with a pretty similar philosophy — taking a simple food and making it spectacular — it’s fairly accurate. However, the menu is a lot smaller at Anchor Down, which means I got to eat pretty much all of it. Take your Prilosec; it’s about to get bumpy. Inside the shipping container complex OKSEA, the best thing you can do for your mouth is order the jalapeño and cheese hush pups ($7) and a beer. These baseball-sized corn fritters are sweet and spicy and gooey, and there’s nothing healthy about them, unless you count the fiber in the raw pepper slices. But they taste so good. Dip them in queso or just squirt some mustard on top and go to town. I like to think people invented exercise in anticipation that these hush pups would someday exist. There is also a dessert hush pup option with strawberries and powdered sugar, if that’s your scene. I tend to stick to the spicy and the cheesy, though. Though the menu lists it as a seasonal

corn chowder ($4), what I had was really more of a soup of the day. But it did have corn in it. A tortilla soup with big chunks of tomato and good heat, it was a nice blend of light and spicy. Be sure to ask what the soup is before you order, though — it’s always a-changing. What doesn’t change is the Roger Dog ($7), which is a good thing. The restaurant had a special all-beef dog made, and it’s enrobed in corn batter and fried to perfection. It tasted a little bit like a corn dog you’d get at the state fair, except the sausage inside actually has flavor and texture. Anchor Down makes its own ketchup, too, and I suggest you try it. I was less enthused about the Guard Dog ($8), which is a vegan product through and through. I took a couple of bites and I was also through and through with it. If you like field roast, you might feel differently, but I’ll reserve my money and stomach space for other items. Similar to the 5th Amendment at Big Truck Tacos, the Wild Dog is a different kind of sausage, depending on what’s available. But these are the same guys who invented the Macaroni Pony at The Mule, so I think you can be sure they’ll chef you up something good every time. If your aim is to die happy, let me point you to the Cheese Dog ($7), which are a pair of corn dogs filled with smoked cheddar and served with a luscious toma-

Anchor Down 30 NE Second St. | anchordownokc.com | 605-8070 What works: Excellent corn dogs and cheesefilled hush pups that will haunt your dreams. What needs work: The Guard Dog should be put out to pasture. Tip: It’s not yet open for lunch yet; plan accordingly.

to gravy. Gooey, smoky melted cheese and crispy, slightly sweet corn batter are a match made in heaven, which is probably where you will go sooner than later if you eat these regularly. Some people don’t like corn dogs, which is an outrage and a sham. I demand to see your papers, you so-called “people”! But, whatever; they can get a Maga Coney ($7) with Anchor Down’s beef hot dog covered in mustard, chili, cheddar,

queso, jalapeño and green onion. It comes in a bun instead of on a stick. It’s pretty dang good. And if you’re not hungry, hey, Anchor Down also happens to be a pretty good bar for watching a basketball game, drinking cocktails and enjoying the neighborhood — which is exactly how one might describe The Mule to their friends. “You know, it’s like Anchor Down, but with grilled cheese.”

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 21

P HOTOS by GA RE TT FI S BEC K

life food & Drink

Tsukemen ramen

Project ramen A successful pop-up restaurant cements its place in OKC with a permanent location. By Greg Elwell

Project Slurp held nine ramen pop-up dinners. Project Slurp sold out nine ramen pop-up dinners. “The fastest one sold out in 15 minutes,” chef Jeff Chanchaleune said. “That was the vegan one. So, we will cater to vegans.” “To an extent,” Rachel Cope said. After taking Oklahoma City by storm with its high-end ramen and topshelf cocktail dinners, Project Slurp has become something new: a permanent Plaza District resident. Gorō Ramen + Izakaya, 1634 NW 16th Street, is slated for a March opening if all goes well, Chanchaleune said. The path to opening a restaurant with his friend Cope has been an evolution, and the resulting product will be a blend of their styles. The Izakaya concept is that of a relaxed place for after-work drinks and late-night dining, and Cope’s vision is for a comfortable, warm, sexy place to hang out. “Kind of like Empire (Slice House, her other restaurant) at night,” she said.

Ramen team

The food is pure Chanchaleune, with a focus on bringing Japanese flavors and styles to Oklahoma City. As a former co-owner of Kaiteki Ramen, he helped create a demand for ramen locally. With Gorō, they get to see their ideas writ large on their own venture. Cope and Chanchaleune are consummate perfectionists in their own arenas, and their partnership is all about pushing the other to new heights. “One of our rules is that we have to be able to tell each other no,” Cope said. “The only way this works is with open communication. That’s what’s great

22 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

Rachel Cope and Jeff Chanchaleune of Gorō Ramen + Izakaya about knowing each other for so long.” In Cope, Chanchaleune has a frontof-house expert who is dedicated to making the service and atmosphere every bit as on-point as the food. “We make the perfect team,” he said. For those who love ramen, Gorō makes a perfect bowl. Its house broth will be a chicken paitan, but the intensely flavorful tsukemen dipping ramen is sure to be a hit. If Chanchaleune and Cope are the perfect team, Gorō is a perfect fit for the area, helping cement the Plaza District as the late-night food and drink center of the city — Gorō’s neighbors include The Mule, Oak & Ore and Saints. Those who can’t wait until opening day for a bowl will be happy to hear that Project Slurp is planning a few more pop-ups between now and March, so you won’t have to wait all winter to try its ramen again.

P HOTOS BY GA RE TT FI S BEC K

life food & Drink

P HOTOS BY GA RE T T FI S BEC K

Shrimp and grits

Full hillbillies

Crawfish Benedict

Restaurateurs hope a name change and the addition of brunch will drive patrons to give Hillbilly’s a try. BY GREG ELWELL

“The question we asked ourselves was, ‘What’s a hillbilly?’” said manager Aly Branstetter. Hillbilly’s (formerly Hillbilly’s Po-Boys and Oysters), 1 NW Ninth Street, was facing an existential crisis. The food was good. The service was good. The customers were missing. The name was holding them back, Branstetter said. People who don’t know about po-boy sandwiches or are scared to eat oysters aren’t likely to come into a place with just those items in the name. “Dropping the name changed everything for us,” she said. “People who loved us before will find out that the menu still has all of those dishes and a few new options.” Because a hillbilly doesn’t come from just one place, the food has become more than just Cajun-fusion, though some of those elements still remain. And an overlooked menu option — the ability to put any of their po-boy flavors over rice or greens — has become more visible.

“I truly believe that when everybody loves what they’re doing and they care about the food and the service, the people will come.” — Aly Branstetter

Hidden flavor

At the same time, the restaurant is itself a kind of hideaway, Branstetter said. Ninth Street sometimes seems a world away from nearby Broadway Avenue, and it’s not uncommon to find customers lounging on the porch, sipping a moonshine cocktail and watching trains ramble past. Still, the problem with being hidden is that people have trouble

finding you. So Hillbilly’s has taken a page out of the Oklahoma City restaurant playbook and instituted that driver of all hungry patrons: brunch. “Hillbilly’s did brunch when we first started, but it went away,” Branstetter said. “We always get people asking about brunch, so we know there’s lots of interest.” The brunch menu reads like a murderer’s row of decadent dishes. The classic eggs Benedict gets a makeover with crawfish replacing ham and Cajun spice in the hollandaise. Perennial favorite shrimp and grits and biscuits and gravy are there, too, with a few choices on the gravy: peppered, sausage, crawfish or corned beef. Brunch will run Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and

Branstetter said the staff is passionate about making the new dishes. “I crave this food,” she said. “It’s exciting. And I truly believe that when everybody loves what they’re doing and they care about the food and the service, the people will come.” Freed from the old name, the restaurant can now do as its new website suggests and “Go Full Hillbilly.” The idea is that you can have a rollicking good time with friends, get tipsy on moonshine and stuff yourself with comfortable favorites with no judgments and no reservations while the staff takes care of all the details. It’s a lifestyle, Branstetter said, and one she hopes more of Oklahoma City will proudly adopt.

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 23

food briefs by Greg Elwell P HOTOS by m a rk han co ck

Christmas Holiday Parties?

We’ve got you covered with cookie trays, party trays & party subs, breads & pastries & corned beef

Clarity Coffee

M-F 7am-6:30pm • Sat 9:30am-4pm 2310 N Western 524-0887

American pie Edmond loves All-American Pizza so much that owner Frank Sweiss (pictured) is opening a third store there early next year. Located at 3325 S. Boulevard in Edmond, the new store comes as demand for pies continues to grow. “We do pick-up only. We can’t handle delivery yet,” Sweiss said. “We connect with customers by word of mouth, and it’s working.” While chains are constantly popping up, Sweiss said he doesn’t consider them competition. Pizzas are $5.99 and $7.99, and he said food costs are at 50 percent because people care about quality. “Good food and low costs. That’s why we succeed,” he said. Frank and his brother Mark Sweiss started the business in 2000 and now have eight locations across the metro. Originally, the business started as Pizza Grandiosa.

Carino’s reopens It took nine months, but Randall Kamp’s baby is back. An electrical fire gutted Johnny Carino’s Italian Grill, 2905 W. Memorial Road, on March 7, shutting down the popular chain’s location. On December 7, it officially reopened. Owner Kamp said he knew the damage was too severe to reopen quickly, so the restaurant underwent a full remodel. Despite the major work needed, he said closing the restaurant down permanently was never a consideration. Every week they were closed, Kamp said he received phone calls and emails from diners eagerly awaiting Johnny Carino’s return. In addition to a few new menu items, the restaurant also features an updated bar area with several TVs to show sports.

24 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

Coffee can be a chore sometimes. That’s something owner Steve Willingham hopes to change with his new shop, Clarity Coffee, 431 W. Main St. “We’re focused on quality with speedy, pleasant service,” said Willingham, whose history includes time roasting beans for Elemental Coffee Roasters. “We love what we do, but we’re not here to be preachy.” Whether you’re a coffee fanatic or a novice, he said, all are welcome. And there are no judgments about your order, either. Barista Paul Zimmerman said if someone orders a vanilla latte, his goal is to make that vanilla latte “hella dope.” “If that’s all they drink, I want to make the best version of that for them,” he said. The welcoming interior has lots of counter space, chairs and, most importantly, plug-ins for computers and USB cords. If people want to treat his office like their office, Willingham is happy to oblige. Those interested in latte art should mark Jan. 21 on their calendars for Clarity’s latte art competition and party.

Holiday Spirits Continuing its slate of themed cocktail dinners, Cafe 501, 501 S. Boulevard in Edmond hosts a Holiday Spirits Dinner Dec. 17. The five-course menu is $59 and filled with seasonal culinary delights, including a cranberry and Boursin bite, crab and artichoke in puff pastry, butternut squash soup, beef tenderloin and barley stew and black forest cherry cake — each with a paired cocktail, like the rosemary-maple bourbon sour and cherry chocolatini. Unlike many set-menu dinners in the city, Cafe 501 does a “dine at your pace” meal, meaning it is served through the evening. Reservations are required by calling 359-1501.

life food & drink

photos by G a re tt fis be c k

Classic sunset

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Open Monday, Dec 21 Open Sundays 5PM - 9PM 1 block from Civic Center & OKC Museum of Art

Gift Cards now Available 305 N. Walker

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405.702.7660

First opened in 1948, classic Boulevard Cafeteria closed its doors last week. BY GREG ELWELL

Young couples took pictures and older patrons barely held back tears during the final lunch service for Boulevard Cafeteria, 525 NW 11th St., in Midtown. Owners Stewart and Harrison Schroer, the third generation of their family to run the classic cafeteria, closed the restaurant on Dec. 11 because they were not able to secure a new lease on the property. “We had a 20-year lease on the property starting in 1991, and after it expired, we spent two years in lease negotiations that went nowhere,” Stewart said, wiping down a table amidst a busy lunch service. “You just can’t sustain a business on a month-tomonth lease.” The restaurant needs new carpeting, new booths and other updates, but Stewart said it’s impossible to reinvest in the business when they could be kicked out with just a month’s notice. Security guard Frank Gregory, who made sure the parking lot was reserved for Boulevard customers, said the staff only found out a couple of days ago. Inside, longtime diner Phil Conley sat with an untouched plate of pecan pie. After coming to the Boulevard for 62 years, he said the news of its closing broke his heart. “They’re all closed down,” he said of Oklahoma City’s once-rich crop of cafeterias. “This is the last of the Mohicans.” Nobody else makes stew like Boulevard, he said. No place else has One of the last trays of food carried to a table at Boulevard Cafeteria before it closed

Cliff Whisler selects menu items from the line at Boulevard Cafeteria in Oklahoma City. pecan pie he likes. Cliff Whisler couldn’t recall exactly when he started dining at Boulevard Cafeteria, but in the last several years, he had been coming in almost every day. “I don’t really know where I’ll eat now,” he said. Co-workers Brooks Ray and Jo Dixon said they’d miss the apple dumplings and Spanish spaghetti. But the real loss is the staff, who became a second family for many of the regulars. Former State Senator Joe Dorman said the city is losing too many places like Boulevard. “It’s terrible to lose an institution like this,” he said. “I see so many regulars every time I stop in.” One of those is an employee who worked there since 1971. Her eyes red from a day of tearful goodbyes, she summed up her feelings in two words: “Just sad.” Schroer said he doesn’t know what is next for the property, but they will be auctioning off the fixtures in January to anyone who wants to take a piece of the business that began in 1948 with them.

Staff quaffs Everybody wants to drink with Oklahoma Gazette staff. And why not?! We’re a fun bunch of semi-literate lushes. But, just as our writing styles often differ, so too do our drinking habits. That’s why we’ve rounded up our favorite watering holes, so you can stalk us individually, eventually kidnapping us and holding us for ransom. (Fun fact: You will not get paid.) — by Greg Elwell, photos by Garett Fisbeck and Mark Hancock

The Other Room

Phoenix Rising

Saints

3001 Paseo St. | 602-2002 picassosonpaseo.com/about-other-room

2120 NW 39th St. 601-3711

1715 NW 16th St. | 602-6308 saintspubokc.com

Photographer “Marky” Mark Hancock’s favorite place to down a beer is Paseo’s down-and-dirty bar The Other Room. The drunken kid brother to Picasso Cafe, this is a fun place for your funky bunch to meet to discuss things like movie careers, underwear modeling and what Reese Witherspoon smells like. Also relevant: It serves alcohol, which is one of the most effective ways to legally become inebriated.

Have you ever caught on fire? That is too bad. Being engulfed in flames is not a prerequisite for drinking at Phoenix Rising, but it’s also not going to disqualify you. All are welcome! Photographer Dr. Garett Fisbeck, MD, DDS, LOL, prefers this spot to drown his sorrows and lift his spirits and then lift those spirits to his lips to drown his sorrows in them. It’s all very complicated, but thirst-quenching, nonetheless.

Grammar nerd and assistant editor par excellance Brittany Pickering doesn’t go out drinking very often because she’s pretty much always at the paper, fixing the mistakes all of us dummies make. But when she does have a few minutes, she’s heading to Saints in the Plaza District for great drinks and the amazing menu of chef Mitchell Dunzy. And when it’s not too rowdy in there, she can read her book in peace, thanks very much.

26 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

Oak & Ore 1732 NW 16th St. | 606-2030 oakandore.com

No-nonsense news reporter Laura Eastes loves nothing more than chasing down a lead and then tackling the lead and beating the truth out of it. She. Is. Mean. But sometimes she also just likes a beer, and there’s no place better for a pour than Oak & Ore, which has smallbatch craft beers from across the state and around the world. And the food’s pretty good, too.

The R&J Lounge and Supper Club 320 NW 10th St. | 602-5066 rjsupperclub.com

Discerning drunks and foodies (like food writer Greg Elwell) know that the place for carafes of champagne and tartine croque Parisienne is The R&J. With chefs Russ Johnson (R) and Jonathon Stranger (J) at the helm and Brad Ackerman working his magic in the kitchen, this skinny little bar is a hit and a half. And there’s even a private den in the back so you can swill your sherry in peace.

The Pump Bar

Urban Johnnie Bar & Grille

2425 N. Walker Ave. | 702-8898 pumpbar.net

Do you like to party? That’s nice. Calendar writer extraordinaire Kirsten Therkelson does not like to party. But she’ll go to a party at The Pump Bar because that’s a fun place no matter what you’re up to. Whether you’re ordering a big glass of Haterade or one of the intoxicatingly delicious and deliciously intoxicating Tiki drinks, be sure to check out the rotating food specials on the board to soak up some of that fun juice.

121 NE Second St. | 208-4477 urbanjohnnie.com

Publisher/owner/professional grumblemuffin Bill Bleakley might have been lying about his preference for watching sports with a beer at Urban Johnnie — the last thing he wants is for any of us to sit down next to him and say, “You know, if I owned the paper…” Or it’s a double-bluff and he’s there right now, outwitting us all once again.

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life community

Crafting hope Child’s Cup Full offers education, job skills and a global marketplace for West Bank refugees.

The plight and placement of Syrian refugees is a focal point of recent political news. The tug of war between Americans who support and oppose accepting them into the U.S. also is witnessed among members of Congress and presidential hopefuls. People fleeing their home countries to escape persecution, war and other dangers, however, is not a new or rare phenomenon. In 2014, there were 19.5 million refugees worldwide, according to The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the agency whose mandate is to lead and coordinate international action to protect migrants and resolve related problems worldwide. That is approximately the population of New York state, according to 2014 U.S. Census Bureau numbers.

Global vision

Though there is no simple solution to end the crisis, small organizations throughout the country and world — including the nonprofit Child’s Cup Full, a Normanbased project that empowers and provides refugees and low-income women artisans in the West Bank access to the global marketplace — help. Janette Habashi, associate professor in the University of Oklahoma’s (OU) Department of Human Relations and founder and executive director of Child’s Cup Full, said the group began in 2009 as a student organization on OU’s Tulsa campus. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency reported in 2014 that the West Bank, located in the Middle East, is home

to approximately 750,000 refugees who live in 19 camps. “We started as an effort by students to fundraise for after-school programs for the refugees,” Habashi said. The student organization eventually raised around $7,000. It was a successful haul, but by that time, Habashi and the students were more educated on the plight of female refugees — they knew they wanted to do more. “We did not realize how much work it requires,” Habashi said about transforming the group into to a 501(c) nonprofit. She took business classes at OU to help smooth the transition. The Child’s Cup Full action plan also changed. Instead of focusing only on afterschool programs for refugees, they decided to give women opportunities to learn a craft and become employed. They chose the town of Zababdeh in the northern West Bank. The women would sew and embroider children’s toys, women’s clothes and jewelry to be sold worldwide. The plan is ambitious, and ambition usually isn’t cheap. “We need management, we have to have marketing, we have to have staff on the ground, we need to fundraise for machines,” Habashi said. “We need lots of basic stuff to start up the operation.” What originally started as a fundraiser with a goal of of $7,000 is now a project with a $350,000 budget, a dollar amount it has yet to hit. “We need to find someone who believes in us and supports us,” Habashi said. “There are so many opportunities, but the resources are limited.

Children’s handmade felt toys made for Child’s Cup Full

p hotos by Ga rett fi s bec k

By Adam Holt

Janette Habashi at the University of Oklahoma in Norman

Positive change

Though the group has yet to reach its budget, the program has launched. Refugee women are taught skills like sewing and embroidery to create toys and clothes. “We have children’s lines, which is the toys. We have designs also, like shirts, and we’re doing jewelry. In the future, we want to have men’s lines,” Habashi said. The products are high quality and usually involve traditional Palestinian embroidery. “For example,” Habashi said, “each toy, like the calendar, takes 26 hours to make. It’s handmade, it’s embroidery, they do the cutting.” The felt children’s calendars hang on the wall. They often have small felt pillows with the days of the week sewn onto them with Velcro on back, allowing them to be placed on wherever they are needed. Youth items are sold at childscupfull.org as well as a growing number of stores across the globe. Women’s embroidered shoes and jewelry are found at darzah.org. The women are paid a fair living wage, but more importantly, Habashi said, refugees have seen changes in themselves. “There was one woman who I was surprised with because she is very reserved,” Habashi said. “She said, ‘Now that I have a salary, my family started listening to me. My husband listens to me. My mother-in-law started listening to me.’” Habashi also said another woman, a single mother who was given the option

to work at home, chose to work at the work center because there, she is someone; she has status and is a part of something positive. Habashi said the women’s center where the refugees work is a beautiful house with a yard and is comfortable. “It’s respect for women,” Habashi said about the center.

Funding needs

Currently, there is a full-time staff of nine plus some part-time workers at the center. They have trained 43 other women but do not have the budget to pay them or room to house them. Habashi continues to be positive about the effort. “I know we are still suffering financially, but we’re gaining a lot of momentum,” she said. “I know something is going to happen. The potential is so great.” Habashi said the group plans to begin a Kickstarter crowdfunding project in February to help raise money. Though the nonprofit hasn’t hit its desired dollar mark, Habashi said everyone has been helpful. “People have been very generous. I think what they want is an opportunity to do something,” she said. “Everyone can offer something.” Whether donating money, buying products or spreading the word, Oklahomans can help. Habashi said those with design and marketing experience can contact the organization, too. Learn more at childscupfull.org and darzah.org.

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 29

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With 10 colorful wrapping paper prints each designed by a local artist, The Curbside Chronicle hopes it has found a new way to support those attempting to transition out of homelessness. Among the artists contributing designs to the Wrap Up Homelessness in OKC campaign are Skip Hill, Erin Robinson, Ruth Borum Loveland, Kalee Jones, Dylan Bradway, Dustin Oswald, Tessa Raven, Matt Goad, Dusty Gilpin and Denise Duong. Ranya O’Connor is director of The Curbside Chronicle, which prints a magazine produced and sold by homeless in the city as an alternative to typical panhandling. O’Connor said some other publications like theirs around the country have tried their own wrapping paper campaigns, which is where Curbside got the idea. Individuals, in addition to 25 different brick-and-mortar retailers around the metro, will be selling twoto three-foot sheets of the paper for $8 throughout December. Magazines will continue to be printed and sold during that time.

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O’Connor said for the most part, artists were given complete artistic freedom in their designs. “I think it’s way cooler than anything you could buy at Target or Dollar General,” she said. Though she enjoyed and appreciated all of the artists’ works, she said one of her favorites was the design by Hill, which uses nutcrackers as a way of honoring the long history of homeless veterans. Robinson said she was honored to be able to work on the project and be included in the talented group of local artists. Her design features a woodsy, wintery scene with wildlife native to Oklahoma. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to be homeless, especially during this time of the year,” she said. “I am always looking for a tangible way to help people in need. With this project, I was able to do that and give other people the same opportunity.” Goad’s design is packed with colorful geometric shapes and animal imagery.

provi ded

By Ben Luschen

A vendor of The Curbside Chronicle displays the artistdesigned wrapping paper on sale now. Proceeds benefit the street paper and its vendors. “For me, animals can be a good analogy conveying people’s wants and needs,” he said. “‘Everybody needs a home,’ is the idea that all creatures need and deserve a place to live, whether it’s the shell of a turtle or a gold fish bowl. People are no different.” O’Connor said all money from sales by individual vendors around Oklahoma City will go to The Curbside Chronicle for things like housing, food and other necessities. Money from wrapping paper sales made at participating stores goes to support programming expenses, like vendor uniforms and publication costs, at the Chronicle. The Wrap Up Homelessness campaign marks the first time the Chronicle has sold anything other than its publication. O’Connor said she is open to trying other campaigns like this one. “I think this is the first of many,” she said. “I think we’ll stick with publishing the magazine full-time, but we would like to look into a few seasonal offerings every year.” For more information about the campaign, including a list of participating retailers, visit wrapuphomelessness.com.

Gold standard Over 50 years, Oklahoma Arts Council makes a measurable impact on the state.

By Ben Luschen

Never short on answers, Amber Sharples is still delighted to guide the curious through the Oklahoma State Art Collection. The collection, housed in the Capitol building, is managed by Oklahoma Arts Council, which spent 2015 celebrating 50 years of existence. Sharples once managed the collection before being named the council’s executive director in 2013. She speaks passionately when showing off the paintings and sculptures on the first-floor gallery. It breaks her heart to think of visitors coming to the Capitol without stopping by. The collection, Sharples said, deserves more than a passing glance. Often, the pieces are as historic as any of the other works of art throughout the building. “[A painting] tells a story through shaping a context in a way that words on paper cannot always convey as easily,” she said. “Everything from dress to attire to how people interacted — you can infer a lot through historical context through the arts.” It’s a state history that itself has been impacted by the council through the last half-century.

Artistic mission

Oklahoma Arts Council was founded in 1965 by Gov. Henry Bellmon as the Arts and Humanities Council of Oklahoma. Sharples said Bellmon was an amateur fiddler and a great arts supporter. He created the organization to increase access to the arts, especially in rural

seed council funding into long-term growth. “We vet organizations for their artistic quality and merit,” Sharples said. “We make sure the access is there, that the performers and musicians and visual artists, et cetera, are top quality.”

Arts today

“You can infer a lot through historical context through the arts,” Amber Sharples said of the Oklahoma State Art Collection at the Capitol building. communities. That commitment to access is something the organization still hopes to expand outside urban hubs like the Plaza District. One way it accomplishes that is through community grants, seed money that gives culture a kick-start. Kay Decker, executive director of the Freedom West Community Development Corporation, said a council grant was key in revitalization efforts in Alva, a town with fewer than 5,000 residents. Through a two-year, $25,000 grant, Decker’s nonprofit helped facilitate a community cultural roadmap and fundraise $216,000 toward revitalizing an old building that will harbor creative spaces and leasing opportunities.

The Oklahoma State Art Collection gallery at the State Capitol is managed by Oklahoma Arts Council.

“The council was established for the purpose of developing and supporting arts across the state,” Decker said. “It’s important that we have them.”

Making history

Sharples said Oklahoma was one of the first states to adopt an art agency. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) also celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The NEA started during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration and was the primary motivator behind the creation of many state art agencies. Joel Gavin, Oklahoma Arts Council director of communications, said government support of the arts had been building steadily since the time of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was an oil painter. President John F. Kennedy also was a proponent of federal art programs before Johnson’s term began. “It was one of those things that had had a lot of movement leading up to it, and then it finally happened,” Gavin said. The NEA’s existence created an incentive for states to add their own agencies to receive federal arts grants to match state funding. Funds matching is one way the council seeks to make the most impact locally. OK Mozart International Festival, Woody Guthrie Folk Festival and Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival are examples of local entities that turned

As Oklahoma Arts Council looks ahead, it works to adapt a more personal approach to the arts. Sharples said staff is looking into ways to collaborate with other agencies and industries. “Now that we have the infrastructure built, we can capitalize on those organizations being established in communities large and small,” she said. The director said the organization can use the arts to assist combat veterans by expanding its arts in the military initiative. As the state’s population gets older, Sharples said she also thinks arts can play a role in assisting the aging. Through various partnerships, the council hopes to promote programs that comfort Alzheimer’s or dementia patients through music. “Where they might not be able to remember that family member’s name, they are able to remember lyrics to songs, they’re able to engage and stay emotionally connected,” she said. “It helps enrich those families and it helps enrich the life of that individual.” It’s an exciting time to be an arts professional in Oklahoma, Sharples said. Downtowns are booming, and not just in large, metropolitan areas. The arts have served as a tool to revitalize Main Streets everywhere. However, the power of that tool might be limited by how much funding is available. Sharples said the arts have proven to show a great return on investment and that while she knows times are financially tough across the state, she hopes legislators will continue to see their value. “I see excitement. I see that the infrastructure is strong,” she said. “Now, we just have to take it to the next level and have the ability to kind of cross-work with other sectors to really unleash the power of the arts, to be transformative.”

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 33

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Okie wordplay Passwords brings together six Oklahoma artists to showcase the power of language across art mediums. By Paul Fairchild

Passwords Noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday through Jan. 21 IAO Gallery 706 W. Sheridan Ave. individualartists.org 232-6060 Free

“I saw a trend with people my age and in my peer group in Oklahoma who were creating art with text in a variety of ways,” said artist Laura Reese. “In this information age, we use a lot of text. Text has always been a way to create a narrative.” That, she said, inspired her to create Passwords, an exhibit aimed at exploring the meaning found at the intersection of text and images, on display now at Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery (IAO), 706 W. Sheridan Ave., on Film Row. “If you have pieces in a gallery that have text and some without text, I feel like the pieces with text are more accessible. They’re easier to get drawn to because there’s something to read and interact with,” said Ryan Harris,

one of six Oklahoma artists featured in the exhibit, which runs through Jan. 21. Harris’ works feature words made of words, ghosted onto sharp, translucent black-and-white photographs. “Words can be the great equalizer because you can clearly and plainly in text convey the concept that you’re trying to portray within a certain piece,” he said.

Text rules

Each word in Harris’ Dynasty series calls out the subject of the photo and is filled with text taken from a love letter written to the photo’s subject. His subjects, however, didn’t influence his media choice. That was determined by market forces. Photography can be free, and black-and-white prints are always cheaper than color ones. “There are obviously pros and cons with everything, and I feel like there are ups and downs to using text,” Harris said. “But my initial introduction into really doing anything creative was poetry. I wanted to really

34 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

From left Kerri Shadid, Laura Reese and Ryan Harris pose with three of work submissions for Passwords, an exhibition by six artists working with text at IAO Gallery on Film Row. carry that over into the physical fine art that I was making, and text has been an integral part of the art I make.” Reese, however, prefers a more flexible and colorful medium, opting for colored pencils. She juxtaposes sexually explicit images with comic book-style word balloons with dialogue that distills a clear relationship between an imaginary viewer and the image. Three words best describe their content: Not for children. “I don’t necessarily want things to be about shock value or necessarily about sexuality, but I think using sexual imagery can sometimes create a dialog about personal truth, like private and intimate moments,” Reese said. “I’m really interested in gender identity and sexuality, but also just using that imagery to reveal personal information.” Reese is an independent curator and is programs coordinator at Oklahoma

Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC). She hand-picked all six artists for their success with exploring the revealing and concealing powers of text with a variety of media, including drawing, fiber, printmaking and photography.

Cultural connections

“Humor, sincerity and awkwardness are the tools of my craft. Gender, awkwardness, sexuality and death are key players in my productions,” Reese said. “I am concerned with a perceived cultural lack of empathy and spirituality as a new generation immersed in technology emerges. I’m interested in what sounds, textures and smells will trigger memories, tell stories and alter our perceptions of each other and ourselves.” Though he likes to keep his work on a budget, Harris said he is no stranger to photography. It’s where his passion for art was

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Words can be the great equalizer because you can clearly and plainly in text convey the concept that you’re trying to portray within a certain piece. — Ryan Harris

Oklahoma Printmaking Network, which strives to maintain a high profile in the international printmaking community. As a curator, she developed exhibits for Norman Arts Council, Living Arts of Tulsa, Academia Non Grata and Urban Land Institute. Another artist featured in Passwords is Durant’s Zachary Presley, who investigates the misappropriation of Native American culture with irony and humor. Using text, he subverts expectations of what Native culture is and should be. Oklahoma City’s Kerri Shadid takes a paradoxical approach to language, questioning the value of words and suggesting the superiority of experience. She toys with the aesthetic quality of text, often removing the shapes and sounds of words from their expected context. Employing absurdity, she relentlessly seeks a deeper meaning beyond syntax. “In bringing these six artists together, I hope to show the community the variety of ways in which text is used in art,” Reese said. “Each artist explores the power of the written word to create new meanings in tandem with their images.”

provid ed

born, though he’s a Renaissance man who works with printmaking, sculpture, film, video, installation and performance. A Norman native, he studied studio arts at the University of Oklahoma. But not wanting to leave photography far behind, he was president of F-Stop Society, a studentrun organization at OU’s School of Art & Art History. At age 24, he has been a guest in many exhibitions, seeing a degree of success that many artists work years for. Reese is professionally trained as well and studied fine arts and printmaking at OU. A fellow in OVAC’s prestigious Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship, she also co-founded

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Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 35

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Oklahoma City Ballet’s The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker returns with poise and polish to Civic Center Music Hall. By Jack Fowler

The Nutcracker 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. SaturdaySunday, 7 p.m. Monday-Tuesday Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. okcballet.com $25-$75

A holiday tradition every bit as timehonored as eggnog and fights with your relatives, The Nutcracker has long served as the only ballet some theater patrons see all year. In these parts, it might be the only ballet most have ever seen. Even if that’s the case, audiences for this season’s Oklahoma City Ballet performance of Marius Petipa and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece should find enough surprises to make them put it on the calendar again for 2016. Thanks to a $500,000 donation last season from Devon Energy, audiences who haven’t attended the yearly Civic Center Music Hall performance in a while will be treated to new sets and costumes, both of which are lovely. Costume designer Susanne Hubbs’ updates, shimmering and staid at the same time, give the story an entirely different feel than the Baroque, slightly grotesque production that gave the willies to so many of us as children. Gone is Drosselmeyer’s powdered wig, the eerie formality of the children’s party clothes and all the knickers, epaulets and other affectations that could give past interpretations of The Nutcracker an alien air. The new costumes are sleek, muted, almost Victorian, way more Downton Abbey than Amadeus. The women’s costumes, no matter which time period they might have borrowed from, are beautifully detailed and retain their simplicity. Men never seem to have as much to work with in the costume department (see art imitating life), but The Nutcracker

36 | DECEMBER 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

gives designers a yearly exception: Drosselmeyer (performed by Daniel Hardman and Joe Seaton). After all, if you can’t dress up an eccentric, oneeyed magician/toymaker, you might be in the wrong business. In this case, Drosselmeyer sports white face makeup and a knee-length, purple velvet coat in a look so reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s Joker that one can’t help but think it’s intentional. The sets, designed by Gregory Crane, are wonderfully realized, especially when paired with Aaron Mooney’s light design. The opening scene is dreamy and sepia-toned, and when combined with Crane’s twisting bedposts and dramatic sense of proportion, the sets take on an almost Tolkien-esque look. In later scenes, especially “The Land of Snow,” the sets shimmer in beautiful contrast. Artistic director Robert Mills has a fine stable of dancers to work with, and he choreographs the more swirling and hectic scenes beautifully. Whether it’s a stage filled with children or battling mouse armies, the movements are fluid, well-executed and lovely. The Nutcracker has largely become, especially in recent years, a ballet for children. OKC Ballet’s production is no exception, as evidenced by its opening night audience, which was filled with dozens of beaming little girls in tiaras and ball gowns. The Christmas lights that adorn the boxes of the civic center change colors during the opening orchestral number (performed beautifully, as always, by Oklahoma City Philharmonic). When Clara (Amanda Herd-Popejoy, DaYoung Jung and Arianna Lawson) made her first appearance, the little girls in the audience gasped. In short, it’s everything we expect from The Nutcracker, which is why we still go. What’s admirable is that OKC Ballet has found a way to let us keep enjoying it.

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Oklahoma Gazette: What are some of your childhood memories of Christmas? Ebenezer Scrooge: I have nothing but disdain for a holiday that left me alone, away from those I cared about. OKG: Well, who are some of those people you’ve cared about

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Say the name Ebenezer Scrooge and specific words immediately come to mind: miser, cranky, cheapskate. They are followed by words like redemption, of course, but it’s that first impression that sticks with people. Scrooge, a man of many moods, is Charles Dickens’ awful-turnedwonderful protagonist from the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. He has been portrayed many times in many productions ever since. Oklahoma Gazette chatted with Scrooge for a few minutes during Lyric Theater of Oklahoma’s production of A Christmas Carol, which runs through Dec. 27. Find showtimes and tickets at lyrictheatreokc.com. This show features a multifaceted incarnation of Scrooge made possible by Washington, D.C., actor Christopher Bloch, who also performed the role at Ford’s Theatre — yes, the one where President Abraham Lincoln was infamously shot in 1865. On a brisk December morning after a performance, Scrooge sat at his desk and reviewed rows of figures penned on parchment. He glanced up, quill in hand, and said, “I am a very busy man,” before greetings could be made. Attempts at small talk were met with bluster as he jumped from his chair, railing about the frivolity of Christmas. When asked what he likes best about the holidays, he said, “I suppose it’s that they only come once a year.”

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Christopher Bloch plays Scrooge in Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s production of A Christmas Carol. throughout your life? ES: There have been some people, in the course of my lifetime, who I did, to a degree, enjoy. Jacob Marley was, indeed, a good and fair business partner, and I do miss him from time to time. He carried his fair share and was an able and willing colleague. OKG: Anyone else? ES: There was a girl I knew once, when I was young. Belle. But I dare not think of that, of her. (At this, his face took on a sweet wistfulness that belied his brusque manner.) I suppose I have a glimmer of a friendship with Fred; he keeps trying to ask me to come to a Christmas feast. Of course, I won’t. I suppose it’s out of some familial obligation. His mother, my sister, was a good soul who died in childbirth. OKG: So, isolating yourself at Christmastime is an act of selfpreservation? You’ve had your heart broken and now you guard it? ES: (He paused for a moment.) Balderdash! I know nothing of such nonsense.

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life books

Native artistry Arigon Starr draws inspiration for her award-winning superhero comics from life, punk music, singing cowboys and “The Rez.”

P ROVI DED

By Wilhelm Murg

As a boy, mild-mannered reservation bingo hall janitor Hubert Logan ate tainted commodity cheese that was laced with Rezium, an experimental element designed to solve world hunger. The substance gave him enormous strength, subsonic hearing, fire breath, a super sense of smell and even the ability to understand the barks of his pet dog. More powers continue to emerge for Super Indian as his adventures unfold on the Web and in his paperback anthologies written, drawn and published by Arigon Starr. Starr is something of a force of nature in the Native American art world.

Punk spirit

When she entered the Native music scene in the late 1990s — dominated at the time by new-age flute players, sanctimonious folk singers and a nonstop line of blues guitarists — Starr screaming over punk music on “Salmon Song” was a much needed injection of inspiration from the contemporary world. Such moments confused people looking for “traditional” Native music, and punks were taken aback at her Yoko-Ono-meets-Dale-Evans persona. Due to that personality, there’s a certain poetic beauty in the fact that much of her career was launched at the Autry Theater in Los Angeles, named after America’s favorite singing cowboy. She won a Native American Music Award for her first CD, 1997’s Meet the Diva. Since that time, Starr has established herself in both theater and music, including a one-woman show, The Red Road, in which she played 11 characters from Sapulpa. Like all of her music, it is streaming on Spotify. She has also continued to rack up accolades, including a recent award for Super Indian, which won Best Trade Paperback from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers organization in Albuquerque.

38 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

Arigon Starr

Drawing inspiration

Starr is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma. Though she comes from a military family that moved around a lot, Oklahoma has always been her family’s home base. It’s that base that became the foundation of Super Indian — much like Stan Lee’s Amazing Spider-Man, Super Indian spends as much time dealing with the character’s day-today problems as it spends on actual superhero concerns. But in Starr’s stories, Logan is on “The Rez” and she

satirizes the Native world. “Drawing was something I always did for fun; I used to do comics like The Beatles and Queen and imagine that they were doing all of this crazy stuff. I would just amuse my friends and show them what I did that week. I never saw it as something where I could be successful or make money at it,” she recently told Oklahoma Gazette. “I had skills as a musician, and an actor and a writer; I thought that would be more immediate than trying to make it as a comic book

A r igo n Star r / P ROVI DED

artist, but I never stopped drawing.” Super Indian came about during a bus ride with other Native theater participants in Brisbane, Australia, as they headed to a conference about indigenous theater. “I knew Jon Proudstar had Tribal Force out there, but that was really all I had ever seen,” Starr said, noting the first Native American-produced superhero comic book. “All of the other stuff I had seen was not written by us, not drawn by us and was so full of stereotypes that it made you want to tear your hair out. It was full of the Hollywood stuff — just leather, feathers, here we are again. ‘Oh my god! He’s a natural shaman!’” she said.

Radio show

Super Indian first came to the public as a radio piece. Starr was working with the Autry National Center in Los Angeles when it received a grant to do radio theater. “They were looking at doing Native stories for radio theater, and I always thought of Super Indian as being like the Batman TV show of the 1960s: It was very cheeky and funny, and all of these little things could be thrown is as humor that could be very pointed and right on, especially in the community,” she said. “Indians laugh about stuff; humor is a way to not annoy people by being on your soapbox. I have seen that in our community and in our art, and I didn’t want to be that person because then you have to keep doing it and living in that space and being angry all of the time. No thanks, man!” The scripts were “heightened silliness” about what Indians talk about all the time, she said: “‘Oh, you’re not Indian because blah, blah, blah’ or ‘I’m more Indian than you.’” The theater ran out of money before it ran out of shows. Starr had Super Indian scripts left over that

After eating tainted food, Hubert Logan gains superhuman abilities as Super Indian. had not been produced, so she started going to comic conventions and talking to creators about how to make a comic book in the modern world.

Modern age

It was recommended that she start it as a Web comic, so in 2011, Starr released the first half page of Super Indian. She continued to create a half page each week, which led to two trade paperbacks of the comic, and she is putting finishing touches on a third volume, due out this spring. “There are a lot of resources out there; you don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” she said. “There are books; there’s How to Draw [Comics] the Marvel Way — there is all kinds of stuff.” Technology helps, too. “With Photoshop, it is much easier,” she said. “Twenty years ago, there was no way to do this, but now, we have the power to do this stuff, and there’s really no reason we shouldn’t be doing it.” Fifteen years later, we have Indian punk and rap, and Starr even participated in Eureka Productions’ 2013 anthology Native American Classics, which featured multiple Native cartoonists and writers. Starr is one of the original voices to emerge from the left field of Oklahoma’s Native American community at a crucial time (the explosion of the Internet) and has taken the community’s art in bold new directions.

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 39

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O V E R

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Okl ahoma Gaz ette | december 16, 2015 | 41

‘Big’ Brother This local band’s formal debut was a long time coming, but the wait and the work is worth it.

Medicine Brother

By Ben Luschen

Medicine Brother 9 p.m. Saturday Blue Note Lounge 2408 N. Robinson Ave. medicinebrother.com $5 8 p.m. Dec. 29 Nice Tuesdays 714 Hardin Drive, Norman medicinebrother.com Free; donations encouraged

While some bands use a first record to establish chemistry or poke around at finding their place in the sound spectrum, guitarist Aaron Robinson said Medicine Brother’s self-titled debut is a natural and logical progression for a group of old friends. The four-song EP is the danceable rock quintet’s first project under the Medicine Brother moniker, and it’s set for a Dec. 26 online release via iTunes and Spotify. Still, most of the hometown friends from Ada have been making music together for over 10 years. Medicine Brother EP features vocal coaching from local singer-songwriter Graham Colton and mixing from OKC native and former Coldplay and Philip Glass engineer Michael Trepagnier. Robinson, who lives in New York while working for a dance company, said some have compared the project’s sound to postrock act Explosions in the Sky or BritishAmerican rocker Fleetwood Mac. The group recently released a live recording of “The Milk” as a free,

streamable, bonus track via its website, medicinebrother.com. The upbeat, poprock tune showcases the charisma vocalist Laura Medcalf brings to the band. While not a founding member, she has been friends with the act’s core lineup since high school. “She brings the party; she has great energy onstage,” Robinson said. “She had a performance quality about her that I think we all didn’t have before she came into the band. She’s all smiles, so we all feed off that.” Medcalf’s impact on the record could only have been enhanced by Colton. The Medicine Brother EP was recorded the first week of October at the singer-songwriter’s Lunar Manor Recording Studio in Oklahoma City. Robinson said Colton would come in, listen to them and suggest ideas. Though likely to go unnoticed by most listeners, Colton also contributed accenting vocals to the project. “We took him up on a lot of his suggestions,” Robinson said. “There’s backup vocals on all of the songs that weren’t there until we met Graham. A lot of changes happened in the studio that I think the EP really benefits from.” Robinson said he hopes the band gets to work more with Colton.

Big, loud

Robinson grew up in Ada with fellow guitarist Dillon Branscum, bassist Spencer Bennett and drummer Bart Estes. They formed their own, semi-formal band in

42 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

high school that would play at house parties and various shows around the area. The friends did not become Medicine Brother until the summer of 2014. The Estes family, Robinson said, owned a lot of land outside of the city. On that land was a large garage where the teenaged friends practiced their music loud and proud any time of the day or night. “Today, we always try to sound really big and really loud, and I think that’s why some people say we sound like Explosions in the Sky, because we have really big choruses and stuff,” Robinson said. “I think a lot of that came from playing in this really big, high-ceiling garage and just being loud all the time. We’re probably going to suffer ear damage.” In those days, Robinson said the group was heavily influenced by bands like Incubus and Red Hot Chili Peppers, though now they have added some more eclectic tastes, including The Weeknd, Adele and Father John Misty as well as local bands Deerpeople and The Non, now defunct. After high school, Robinson accepted a basketball scholarship from East Central University, but at the time, the school did not offer the musical degree he wanted. After a year, Robinson and Branscum became among the first to enroll at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Academy of Contemporary Music in the fall of 2009. Both were included in the school’s first graduating class. Robinson said there was a sense that he was venturing into uncharted territory

when he signed up for the then-fledgling school in downtown Oklahoma City. However, the risks he took paid off. Robinson said even outside of the education the school provided, the connections he made during his time there and the guest speakers he heard were invaluable. “I kind of like diving into the unknown,” he said. “Maybe that’s a characteristic of our whole band.”

Future plans

The main drive behind recording Medicine Brother EP, Robinson said, was simply to share music the band members were excited about with the rest of the world. The group hopes to release about two EPs a year from now on. Another part of sharing music includes touring. The band is planning a small Midwest tour in the spring. It also plays Saturday at The Blue Note Lounge, 2408 N. Robinson Ave., and Dec. 29 at Nice Tuesdays, 714 Hardin Drive, in Norman. The band also regularly collaborates with Hartel Dance Group and hopes to bring some of their dancers along. Whatever the future might hold, Robinson said it excites for no other reason than the opportunity to work more with his friends. “We walk into rehearsal space and nobody’s worried about anything,” he said. “There’s no drama. A lot of times in bands, people are worried about different things. We just show up and play; we play music together and have fun.”

A N N A L EE MED I A / P R OVI DED

life music

Natural songwriter Musician Evan Felker joins his friends to raise money for the Woody Guthrie Coalition and its annual festival in Okemah.

PR OVI DED

By Adam Holt

Evan Felker & Friends 8 p.m. Friday Crystal Theatre 401 W. Broadway St., Okemah okemahcrystaltheatre.com 918-623-9313 $30

Evan Felker, singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of Oklahomabased The Turnpike Troubadours, hosts a fundraiser for the Woody Guthrie Coalition 8 p.m. Friday at Crystal Theatre, 401 W. Broadway St., in Okemah. Proceeds from the Evan Felker & Friends show help the coalition fund the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, which returns July 13-17. The annual event began in 1998 to honor its namesake and happens each year on the weekend nearest July 14 to celebrate the iconic folk musician’s birthday. For 17 years, entry was free. However, in 2015, parts of the festival charged admission to offset lodging and transportation costs for its annual roster of music acts. Artists donate their time to perform in WoodyFest. Felker will play as part of The Natural Disasters, a band his friends created for Friday’s event. Felker said a singer-songwriter hosting a concert benefiting the memory of an Okemahborn folk icon is fitting. In September, Felker and the Troubadours were recognized as Writer of the Week in American Songwriter magazine. Felker said he owes his talent to his teenaged discovery of Red Dirt music. “At about the time when a lot of my buddies were going off to college in Stillwater and coming back on the weekends, partying and stuff, they were bringing back music like [Cross Canadian] Ragweed, [Jason] Boland and all that stuff,” he said. “I think I was probably 16 or 17.”

Finding meaning

The Stillwater Red Dirt sound took hold of Felker, changing his perspective of what a musician was and could be. “Anything that was sort of underground with really good songwriting, I remember I latched onto that because I thought you had to be

Evan Felker

Garth Brooks or Kurt Cobain to do well,” said Felker. It is Red Dirt’s tradition of songwriting that Felker grasped, and it has become his and the Troubadours’ calling card. “It seemed to be from an honest person’s perspective, to a large degree. It felt homemade, a real person writing a real song and it being good and being appreciated for what it was,” he said. As one would expect, Felker’s songwriting ability and focus has changed over the years. “I like to think I’ve improved. I’ve been exposed to more life, different art, different songs,” he said. “I like to think I can tell a more succinct story.” The lyrical clarity with which Felker now writes affects his song’s subjects as well as the form. “I probably write more prose than abstract poetry,” Felker said. “Some of the earlier songs were what I call an abstract narrative. They weren’t quite as much about a linear story as much as pretty imagery.”

Lyrically, Felker is a precise writer, but subject matter is a different story. He said lyrical themes can be, and usually are, everyday occurrences, like women, natural disasters and drinking problems. However, it’s the viewpoint that is most important to him. “It’s just whatever strikes me, a perspective that hasn’t been beaten into the ground, an interesting one where you can find some commonplace scenario that you can find some poetry in or beauty in,” he said. When speaking about lyrics, Felker comes off more literary than the average musician, no matter the genre. His use of phrases such as “abstract and concrete narratives” and “poetry and prose” bring to mind the image of a college English major more than a musician. Felker said he wants his lyrics to have impact. “I kind of like tearing away at them. I like to go back through them line by line,” he said. “I usually go through and try to really get them, line by line, to where each line has some meaning.”

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 43

Live Music

ma rk h anco c k / file

life music

DJ Six, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. VARIOUS Fit For A King/’68, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16

Hosty Duo, The Deli, Norman. ROCK Jabee, 51st Street Speakeasy. HIP-HOP

Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. JAZZ

Jackson Taylor Band, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COUNTRY

John Moreland, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Jim the Elephant, Baker Street Pub & Grill. ROCK

Lower 40, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COUNTRY

Justin Echols Trio, Hefner Grill. JAZZ

Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club.

Karen Khoury, Legend’s Restaurant, Norman. PIANO

Mistletones, Devon Tower. CHRISTMAS

LUCKY/Shaun Suttle, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. COVER

Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

Randy Cassimus, Full Circle Bookstore. ROCK

Tony Schwartz, Hefner Grill. JAZZ

Rocky Kanaga, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC Roots of Thought, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

THURSDAY, DEC. 17 80’z Enuf, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COVER Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK Bryce Merritt, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. SINGER/ SONGWRITER Clips x Ahoy/Hype Turner, Subsonix at the Market. ELECTRONIC Danny Gokey/Natalie Grant, First Baptist Church, Moore. CHRISTIAN Dave Thomason Band, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COVER Frenchy, Wormy Dog Saloon. POP Jason Eady, The Blue Door. COUNTRY Justin Echols Trio, Hefner Grill. JAZZ Justin Young, SandRidge Energy. JAZZ

Souled Out, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. POP

SATURDAY, DEC. 19 Brandon Jackson, Fuze Buffet & Bar. COUNTRY Cody Johnson, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY Damn Quails, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks, Edmond. JAZZ

Kristen Stehr, Remington Park. COUNTRY Life of the Party, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. COVER

Mom-O Claus/Santa Claus, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. CHRISTMAS

Daniel Jordan, Fuze Buffet & Bar. ACOUSTIC Dirty River Boys, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

My So Called Band, The Deli, Norman. COVER

Friday

Patrick Winsett & The Foolish Pride Band, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. ROCK Susan Pierce, Full Circle Bookstore. VARIOUS

Red Dirt Rangers: Kids’ Christmas Show, The Blue Door. COUNTRY

Tasty Bang, Blue Note Lounge. INDIE

Santa Claus, Oak Tree Golf & Country Club, Edmond. CHRISTMAS

The Weathermen, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. ROCK

SquadLive, Riverwind Casino, Norman. POP

Travis Linville, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Stars, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. COVER

Very Merry Christmas Show, Oklahoma Country-Western Museum & Hall of Fame. COUNTRY b r ian tamborello / provi ded

DJ Josh Tullis, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. ELECTRONIC

Gift Raps 2

Local hip-hop hero and Emmy-winner Jabee Williams hasn’t always been on top. Having dealt with homelessness in his childhood, he’s using his newfound prominence to give back. Not only does Gift Raps 2 promise a crazy-good offering of like-minded local artists such as Josh Sallee, DJ Keilo and Jabee himself, the event also functions as a collection drive for CityCare OKC, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and empowering local homeless folks. Admission is free, but donations of nonperishable foods, socks and gloves are requested. The show takes place 9 p.m. Friday at 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St. Call 463-0470 or visit facebook.com/jabeemusic.

Justin Echols Trio, Hefner Grill. JAZZ

The Sword, ACM@UCO Performance Lab. ROCK

Brandon Jenkins, The Blue Door. COUNTRY

pick

Jim the Elephant, Baker Street Pub & Grill. ROCK

Mike Hosty, 51st Street Speakeasy. ACOUSTIC

Banana Seat, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COVER

music

Jeremy Thomas Quartet, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

The Electric Church/White Mule/Little Fuss, The Deli, Norman. ROCK

FRIDAY, DEC. 18

okg

Gum/The Conflation Congregation, Opolis, Norman. ROCK

SUNDAY, DEC. 20 Claire Piersol Trio, Uptown Grocery Co., Edmond. JAZZ Earl Day, Hefner Grill. PIANO Edgar Cruz, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. ACOUSTIC Intronaut, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Jon Dee Graham/Mike June, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

TUESDAY, DEC. 22 GB & Garrett Dale, Blue Note Lounge. FOLK LUCKY/Shaun Suttle, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. COVER Tequila Songbirds/Michael Fracasso, The Blue Door. FOLK

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 23 Bryce Dicus, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COUNTRY Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. JAZZ Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club. Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

Karen Khoury, Legend’s Restaurant, Norman. PIANO Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

The Sword, ACM@UCO Performance Lab, Thursday

44 | december 16, 2015 | Oklahoma Gazette

MONDAY, DEC. 21 Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK Sky Smeed & Tyler Gregory, Underground. FOLK

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

life film

Force awaiting p rovi de d

Members of JediOKC are passionate about the new Star Wars film and improving the lives of others. By Ben Luschen

Marvel movies,” she said. “I’m sure Star Wars is going to be even better because they have a lot of expectations to meet.” Fan club member Londall Guyse said while he is a fan of the prequel movies of the late ’90s and early 2000s, he thinks it was time for Lucas to move on. “He took it as far as he could, and so now he’s passed it on to the new generation of movie directors,” he said. “I think that was probably one of the best things for him to do as well as [for] Star Wars and for fans.” John Eads joined JediOKC in 2011. His first costumed event was that January for the Special Olympics. He was hooked. Calling for their favorite Jedi Knight, children run toward John Eads with expressions he’ll never forget. “I wasn’t even Obi-Wan Kenobi, but I was addressed by so many kids as Obi-

Bell a ball

Wan Kenobi at that point that I was just like, ‘It doesn’t even matter who I am anymore; I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi,’” he said. Founded in 2001 by a 13-year-old boy who wanted to meet with other collectors in the area, JediOKC has grown to include more than 300 enthusiasts of all ages. The club’s community outreach efforts are what keep many involved. JediOKC makes costumed appearances at charity events for Integris Children’s Mental Health Services, Autism Oklahoma and Down Syndrome Festival & 5K. Recently, the group visited Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater’s Christmas party for youth crime victims. “If not for all the charity work, we’re just a bunch of nerds in costumes,” John Eads said.

Costumed JediOKC members celebrate the holidays during a recent party with Oklahoma County district attorney David Prater. Guyse also owns My Chic Geek in Oklahoma City, an otherwise traditional boutique with a “nerdy” twist. Ten percent of its profits go to charity. He sometimes dresses as Episode I’s Darth Maul, and preparation can take over four hours. He said the opportunity to brighten the lives of others is the reason he joined JediOKC. “They do a lot of good work for the community, and we need a lot of that,” he said. “That’s why we’re in it; that’s why our 10-year-old and 14-year-old are in it — to show them that they can have a love of something but also give back to the community.”

Jingle Bell Rocks! director, writer and producer Mitchell Kezin

Oscilloscope Laboratorie s / PROVIDED

Most members of JediOKC, a local Star Wars, sci-fi and fantasy fan club, are optimistic about the direction of the epic film franchise under new director J.J. Abrams. The group will be costumed and greeting guests Thursday-Saturday at Warren Theatre, 1000 S. Temple Road, in Moore during the premiere of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Though she has been a Star Wars fan all her life, it will be the first time Carissa Eads, 26, has seen the movies in a theater. Carissa and her husband John met through JediOKC. Carissa Eads said she thinks Disney, which purchased the franchise from George Lucas in 2012, will positively impact the legacy of the series. “They’ve owned Marvel for a while, and they’ve done amazing things for the

O come all ye faithful to the early stocking stuffer that is Jingle Bell Rocks!, a merry little documentary devoted to loony Christmas tunes. By Rod Lott

Jingle Bell Rocks! 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive okcmoa.com 236-3100 $7-$9

So wide is the appeal for Jingle Bell Rocks! that the documentary can be embraced by Christmas-music fanatics and foes alike. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, its subject is virtually inescapable to the ears of America’s shoppers, drivers and diners, yet what tickles the tympanic membrane of one tortures another. While lending credence to both groups, the film unmistakably stands on the side of letting such sounds snow. For those inclined to agree — at a rate between 33 1/3 and 45 rpm, of course — you better not stall, and I’m telling

you why: Jingle Bell Rocks! (exclamation point theirs, yet well-earned) has a single showing scheduled at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Truth be told, once is all you need to be put in That Holiday Mood. The film’s audience surrogate is also its director, writer and producer, Mitchell Kezin. To say he’s (chest)nuts over holiday harmonies is an understatement; the man collects seasonal slabs of vinyl and polycarbonate plastic like a skid-row prostitute does STDs. In this, his first feature, he operates as host as he travels cross-country to talk with fellow collectors, as well as creators of timeless classics and outright obscurities. Among them are cult filmmaker John Waters (Hairspray), who shared his love for oddball, tinsel-strewn tunes with the masses via the 2004 compilation album A John Waters Christmas; Run-D.M.C.’s

Joseph “Reverend Run” Simmons, who recounts how he wrote the 1987 charity track “Christmas in Hollis” (forever immortalized in Die Hard) over a spliff and eggs; and, representing the Sooner State in his inimitable way, The Flaming Lips ringleader Wayne Coyne, whose mother’s unreliable TV memories led the alt-rock iconoclast to birth the 2008 DIY sci-fi film Christmas on Mars, whose soundtrack album is certainly the only to contain such Yuletide gems as “The Gleaming Armament of Marching Genitalia” and “In Excelsior Vaginalistic”). All this, plus novelty DJ Dr. Demento, Schoolhouse Rock! songwriter Bob Dorough, Hispanic Elvis impersonator El Vez, married indie-rock act Low, unsung easy-poppers The Free Design and many more. Bringing a side dish of gravitas to the party is Kezin’s own narrative about how

his Christmas-music obsession is fueled by hole-in-his-heart memories of hearing and interpreting the Nat King Cole ballad “The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot” as a child pining for his absentee father. His bittersweet recollections culminate in a moment that gives Rocks! a climax that can be forgiven for feeling a little forced because Kezin has accumulated so much goodwill in the interim. With impressive animated sequences, it’s a doc as accomplished as it is infectious. Ironically — even cruelly — the film has no soundtrack disc of its own, and only the Scroogiest among viewers won’t want one. Prepare for a trip to your nearest Guestroom Records location to assemble an aural souvenir companion album yourself, track by track. (Remember: Torrent sites are for Grinches.)

Oklahoma Gazette | december 16, 2015 | 45

P h o n e (4 0 5 ) 5 2 8 - 6 0 0 0 | E - m a i l : a d v e r t i s i n g @ t i e r r a m e d i a g r o u p. c o m

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY by ROB BREZNY

Homework: What’s the most selfish, narcissistic thing about you? Do you think that maybe you should transform it? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19) “Charm is a way of getting the answer ‘yes’ without having asked any clear question,” wrote French author Albert Camus. I have rarely seen you better poised than you are now to embody and capitalize on this definition of “charm,” Aries. That’s good news, right? Well, mostly. But there are two caveats. First, wield your mojo as responsibly as you can. Infuse your bewitching allure with integrity. Second, be precise about what it is you want to achieve — even if you don’t come right out and tell everyone what it is. Resist the temptation to throw your charm around haphazardly. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) I suspect that in the coming days you will have an uncanny power to make at least one of your resurrection fantasies come true. Here are some of the possibilities. 1. If you’re brave enough to change your mind and shed some pride, you could retrieve an expired dream from limbo. 2. By stirring up a bit more chutzpah that you usually have at your disposal, you might be able to revive and even restore a forsaken promise. 3. Through an act of grace, it’s possible you will reanimate an ideal that was damaged or abandoned. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) To the other eleven signs of the zodiac, the Way of the Gemini sometimes seems rife with paradox and contradiction. Many non-Geminis would feel paralyzed if they had to live in the midst of so much hubbub. But when you are at your best, you thrive in the web of riddles. In fact, your willingness to abide there is often what generates your special magic. Your breakthroughs are made possible by your high tolerance for uncertainty. How many times have I seen a Gemini who has been lost in indecision but then suddenly erupts with a burst of crackling insights? This is the kind of subtle miracle I expect to happen soon.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) In September of 1715, a band of Jacobite rebels gathered for a guerrilla attack on Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. Their plan was to scale the walls with rope ladders, aided by a double agent who was disguised as a castle sentry. But the scheme failed before it began. The rope ladders turned out to be too short to serve their intended purpose. The rebels retreated in disarray. Please make sure you’re not like them in the coming weeks, Cancerian. If you want to engage in a strenuous action, an innovative experiment, or a bold stroke, be meticulous in your preparations. Don’t scrimp on your props, accouterments, and resources. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) If you give children the option of choosing between food that’s mushy and food that’s crunchy, a majority will choose the crunchy stuff. It’s more exciting to their mouths, a more lively texture for their teeth and tongues to play with. This has nothing to do with nutritional value, of course. Soggy oatmeal may foster a kid’s well-being better than crispy potato chips. Let’s apply this lesson to the way you feed your inner child in the coming weeks. Metaphorically speaking, I suggest you serve that precious part of you the kind of sustenance that’s both crunchy and healthy. In other words, make sure that what’s wholesome is also fun, and vice versa. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Your mascot is a famous white oak in Athens, Georgia. It’s called the Tree That Owns Itself. According to legend, it belongs to no person or institution, but only to itself. The earth in which it’s planted and the land around it are also its sole possession. With this icon as your inspiration, I invite you to enhance and celebrate your sovereignty during the next seven months. What actions will enable you to own yourself more thoroughly? How can you boost your autonomy and become, more than ever before, the boss of you? It’s prime time to expedite this effort. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Police in Los Angeles conducted an experiment on a ten-mile span of freeway. Drivers in three unmarked cars raced along as fast as they could while remaining

in the same lane. The driver of the fourth car not only moved at top speed, but also changed lanes and jockeyed for position. Can you guess the results? The car that weaved in and out of the traffic flow arrived just slightly ahead of the other three. Apply this lesson to your activities in the coming week, please. There will be virtually no advantage to indulging in frenetic, erratic, breakneck exertion. Be steady and smooth and straightforward. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You will generate lucky anomalies and helpful flukes if you use shortcuts, flee from boredom, and work smarter rather than harder. On the other hand, you’ll drum up wearisome weirdness and fruitless flukes if you meander all over the place, lose yourself in far-off fantasies, and act as if you have all the time in the world. Be brisk and concise, Scorpio. Avoid loafing and vacillating. Associate with bubbly activators who make you laugh and loosen your iron grip. It’s a favorable time to polish off a lot of practical details with a light touch.

you’d be wise to keep in mind, Capricorn. In the coming weeks, what’s most delicate and vulnerable about you will have more staying power than what’s massive and fixed. Trust your grace and tenderness more than your fierceness and forcefulness. They will make you as smart as you need to be. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Aztec king Montezuma II quenched his daily thirst with one specific beverage. He rarely drank anything else. It was ground cocoa beans mixed with chili peppers, water, vanilla, and annatto. Spiced chocolate? You could call it that. The frothy brew was often served to him in golden goblets, each of which he used once and then hurled from his royal balcony into the lake below. He regarded this elixir as an aphrodisiac, and liked to quaff a few flagons before heading off to his harem. I bring this up, Aquarius, because the coming weeks will be one of those exceptional times when you have a poetic license to be almost Montezuma-like. What’s your personal equivalent of his primal chocolate, golden goblets, and harem?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) “Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it.” Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön said that, and now I’m telling you. According to my divinations, a new frontier is calling to you. An unprecedented question has awakened. The urge to leave your familiar circle is increasingly tempting. I don’t know if you should you surrender to this brewing fascination. I don’t know if you will be able to gather the resources you would require to carry out your quest. What do you think? Will you be able to summon the necessary audacity? Maybe the better inquiry is this: Do you vow to use all your soulful ingenuity to summon the necessary audacity?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) “Unfortunately, I’m pretty lucky,” my friend Rico said to me recently. He meant that his relentless good fortune constantly threatens to undermine his ambition. How can he be motivated to try harder and grow smarter and get stronger if life is always showering him with blessings? He almost wishes he could suffer more so that he would have more angst to push against. I hope you won’t fall under the spell of that twisted logic in the coming weeks, Pisces. This is a phase of your cycle when you’re likely to be the beneficiary of an extra-strong flow of help and serendipity. Please say this affirmation as often as necessary: “Fortunately, I’m pretty lucky.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) “Once I witnessed a windstorm so severe that two 100-year-old trees were uprooted on the spot,” Mary Ruefle wrote in her book Madness, Rack, and Honey. “The next day, walking among the wreckage, I found the friable nests of birds, completely intact and unharmed on the ground.” I think that’s a paradox

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

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