Making America hate again?

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ON THE COVER Photo illustration Chris Street 4-10 Twenty-one years after the Oklahoma City bombing, Elohim City’s

founding family is done talking about its alleged association with convicted antigovernment and white supremacist domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh.

But the Millar family’s views on race and the genetic superiority of whites definitely makes that difficult. By George Lang

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NEWS Confederate flag supporters gather in the shade of Tulsa’s City Hall as they hold a rally to support the flag July 25, 2015. | Photo Michael Wyke / Tulsa World / File / Provided

Active patriot groups in America

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Barack Obama (2009-2015)

The rise of hate?

While specific trends of hate and extremist antigovernment group activity in Oklahoma is hard to pin down, their national numbers are on the rise. By George Lang

For many people, including the 1 in 4 Oklahomans each year who marry a member of a different race, “separatist” versus “supremacist” is a distinction without a difference. Intolerance, discrimination and segregation are simply different shades of the same things: extremism and hate.

Despite its avowed passivity and public disavowal of hate as a community philosophy, to the general public, Elohim City has come to symbolize both hate and extremism, attracting members of such groups in search of spiritual counsel. And the number of those groups is rising nationally. Mark Potok, senior fellow at Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), said his organization tracks hate and extremist groups based ideology rather than actions or criminality. He said the number of active hate groups in the U.S. went up from 784 in 2014 to 892 in 2015. The number of extremist, antigovernment “patriot” groups also spiked in recent years, far surpassing their 4

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previous peak of 858 in 1996 to 1,360 in 2012. After two years of decline, activity spiked in 2015. SPLC tracked 998 active antigovernment groups last year.

In Oklahoma, hate group numbers went up from 11 in 2014 to 17 last year. However, antigovernment groups fell from 15 in 2013 to 10 in 2015. Potok said it is hard to pin

2015: 998

“I went back to look at the counts in Oklahoma, and they went up and down and up again,” Potok said. “These are essentially, by and large, accidents of history.

There’s not a lot of rhyme or reason to it.

Groups pop up and disappear very often because somebody’s girlfriend left the state and they left and took their little organization with them, or somebody leaves the movement or somebody gets into it.”

Those 17 hate groups in the state are dominated by multiple Ku Klux Klan (KKK) groups, three black separatist organizations, a neo-Confederate ministry and Windsor Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. The church was placed on SPLC’s hate groups list after pastor Tom Vineyard made several antigay statements before the Oklahoma City Council in 2011.

Vineyard did not respond to an interview

These are essentially, by and large, accidents of history. There’s not a lot of rhyme or reason to it.

Mark Potok down an actual trend for the state, due in part to low population numbers compared to states such as California, which historically have large numbers of such groups.

request.

Potok attributes the rise of KKK groups nationally to the 2015 fight over the Confederate flag in South Carolina — the number of chapters rose from 72 in 2014

2014: 874 2013: 1,096 2012: 1,360 2011: 1,274 2010: 824 2009: 512 George W. Bush (2001-2009) 2008: 149 2007: 131 2006: 147 2005: 132 2004: 152 2003: 171 2002: 143 2001: 158 Bill Clinton (1993-2001) 2000: 194 1999: 217 1998: 435 1997: 523 1996: 858 1995: 809 1994: 224 (the year Southern Poverty Law Center began tracking patriot group numbers)

Sources: Southern Poverty Law Center Spring 2016 Intelligence Report, SPLC 2015 Intelligence Report story “The ‘Patriot’ Movement Timeline,” SPLC 2013 Intelligence Report story “The Year in Hate and Extremism”

By Oklahoma Gazette

to 190 in 2015, and there were rallies in support of the flag in 26 states last year.

Ryan Lenz, editor of SPLC’s Hatewatch blog, said the increase of KKK activity in Oklahoma can be traced to the state’s geography and recent immigration trends.

“Oklahoma is one state removed from the border,” Lenz said. “So something like the Klan, while historically an anti-black organization, in recent years, as the realities of current affairs that animate hate groups have diversified or changed, immigration is a large factor.”

Active hate groups in America 2015: 892 2014: 784 2013: 939 2012: 1,007 2011: 1,018 2010: 1,002 2009: 932 2008: 926 2007: 888 2006: 844

‘Not much has changed’ Editor’s Note: 21 years after the Oklahoma City bombing, Elohim City’s founding family is done talking about its alleged association with convicted antigovernment and white supremacist domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh. But the Millar family’s views on race and the genetic superiority of whites definitely makes that difficult.

In early 1996, almost one year after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Gazette photographer Mark Hancock and I drove east on Interstate 40 in my wife’s 1987 Grand Am. As we passed the

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2004: 762 2003: 751 2002: 708 2001: 676 2000: 602 1999: 457 1998: 537 1997: 474 1996: 240 1995: (data unavailable) 1994: (data unavailable)

God’s city

Israel United in Christ during a protest of a satanic mass at Civic Center Music Hall Sept. 21, 2014. | Photo Garett Fisbeck / File

2005: 803

Source: Southern Poverty Law Center Spring 2016 Intelligence Report, SPLC 1999 Intelligence Report story “Number of Hate Groups Tops 500” continued on page 6

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Shawnee Mall on our way to a remote white separatist community on the eastern border of Oklahoma, a blackand-yellow religious billboard loomed near the Shawnee City limits: Are You Going to Heaven, or to Hell?

It’s the kind of question most visitors to the tiny village of about 100 people could answer easily for themselves, depending on their response on their approach to Elohim City, or “God’s City.” It was the smiling residents with their Jim Crow attitudes about race that clinched most visitors’ assessment of the heaven/ hell binary.

We went there to report on a place of particular intrigue for reporters covering the labyrinthine backstories of the bombing, a place to which Timothy McVeigh allegedly placed a phone call two weeks before the attack — most likely to Andreas Karl Strassmeir, a German national McVeigh met at a Tulsa gun show in 1993. The resulting story, “Welcome to Elohim City,” prompted many letters to the editor and phone calls, and not all of it praise. Due to my straightforward journalistic decision to let the members of the community tell their own story of Christian Identity, a white separatist doctrine and apocalyptic ideology, with little editorializing on my end, one of my former history professors at the University of Oklahoma wrote a scathing letter to the Gazette, calling for me to be fired, appar-

Defining extremism

ently for not flicking a lighted match out the window on my way out.

For many others, it became one of the defining stories of the Gazette’s post-bombing coverage, a view of the lifestyle and philosophy of antigovernment, back-to-nature white separatists in the logging-rich forests of eastern Oklahoma. It was a story that needed telling.

Two decades later, discussions about race are far less civil than they were in the mid-1990s, and presidential campaigns have done much to stoke that incivility. With white nationalist groups robocalling voters during primary season and the sound of quasi-racist “dog whistles” on the campaign trail becoming its own toxic noise pollution, it was time to revisit this place — this time, through the providence of cellular technology.

By George Lang

Defining character

Twenty-one years after the Oklahoma City bombing, David Millar is done talking about Timothy McVeigh. According to Millar, McVeigh — the convicted murderer of 168 people on April 19, 1995 — never visited Elohim City, and the attendant rumors and theories about his community’s involvement in the bombing were dispensed with long ago.

“We have people calling us and wanting to talk about the Oklahoma City stuff — you

know, the bombing and the federal building — and we’re not interested in discussing that at all anymore,” Millar said in a recent Oklahoma Gazette phone interview. “We’ve been through that, and it’s been proven that we didn’t have anything to do with it. And we actually don’t remember the details, so it doesn’t solve anything to just continually rehash that.”

Millar, 48, is the younger son of Robert Millar, a Canadian ex-Mennonite who founded the 400-acre community in 1973.

Since 2001, David Millar’s older brother, John, has served as Elohim City’s spiri-

tual leader. Other than his father’s death and the installation of cellphone service; high-speed Inter net ; a nd a new, 7,000-square-foot church, David Millar said that not much has changed in Elohim City since the days when federal investigators and journalists made regular visits to the village, looking for clues or connections to the bombing. The buildings still run the gamut from mobile homes to rounded, low-to-the-ground structures that would not look out of place in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Shire.

“I think we’ve maintained a similar population,” David Millar said.

“We usually run about 100 or more, half of them children. People come, and some people get married and move, get jobs and others show up, so we probably don’t have many more people than we did back then.”

Other things remain the same, such as the presence of James Ellison, the former leader of the Arkansas white supremacist paramilitary group known as The Covenant, The Sword and the Arm of the Lord (CSA). Ellison, now in his mid-70s, has lived there two decades. Richard Wayne Snell, an Arkansas white supremacist who was executed on the day of the continued on page 8

Klux Klan (Tulsa)

mass confiscation of weapons.

nationalists endorse a racial

of pro-Confederate sentiments

•United White Knights of the

Examples include patriot groups,

definition of national identity,

held by secessionist American

Ku Klux Klan (Broken Bow)

militias, sovereigns and “com-

including white supremacist

states. Neo-Confederates often

Southern Poverty Law Center

•Oklahoma Knights of the

mon law” courts. Oklahoma City

and/or separatist ideologies.

view the Confederate States of

(SPLC) recently released its

Ku Klux Klan (Broken Bow)

bomber Timothy McVeigh was

Groups include the Council of

America and its role in the Civil

annual Intelligence Report and

•Oklahoma Knights of the

drawn to the extreme antigovern-

Conservative Christians, the

War positively. They oppose im-

identified what it considers ac-

Ku Klux Klan (Idabel)

ment tenets of mid-1990s militia

Ku Klux Klan, racist skinheads,

migration and acculturation and

tive hate-based and antigovern-

•United White Knights of the

groups.

Christian Identity, neo-Confed-

endorse standards of American

ment groups across Oklahoma in

Ku Klux Klan (Haworth)

•American Patriot Party

erates and neo-Nazis.

heritage they believe modern

2015. This list includes Oklahoma

•United White Knights of the

(statewide)

groups determined by SPLC and

Ku Klux Klan (Hugo)

•Constitution Party of

Black separatist: A political

•Kingdom Treasure Ministries

groups discussed in Oklahoma

•Oklahoma Knights of the

Oklahoma (Chandler)

movement that typically

(neo-Confederate, Owasso)

Gazette’s cover story.

Ku Klux Klan (Hugo)

•Eagle Forum of Oklahoma

opposes integration and racial

•Aryan Republican Army

(Oklahoma City)

intermarriage and asserts that

General hate: Advocates

White supremacist: A

(A white supremacist group

•Oath Keepers (Oklahoma City)

blacks are the biblically chosen

intolerance, hatred, animosity,

person who believes the white

Oklahoma City bomber Timothy

•Oklahoma Defense Force

people of God — often strongly

malice and/or violence based

race is exceptional compared to

McVeigh associated himself

(militia; Inola)

anti-white and anti-Semitic.

on gender, sexual orientation,

nonwhite races and is the only

with in the 1990s. In 1997, The

•OK-SAFE, Inc. (Oklahomans

•Israel United in Christ (Okla-

gender identity, sector or class

group that should have

New York Times defined it as a

for Sovereignty and Free

homa City)

of society, disability, race, reli-

ultimate authority over

group “dedicated to the violent

Enterprise) (Tulsa)

•The Israelite Church of God

gion and/or national origin that

nonwhite races.

overthrow of the United States

•Outlaw Militia (Creek County)

in Jesus Christ (Oklahoma City)

differ from their own.

•Ku Klux Klan (KKK): A secret,

Government and the death of all

•Overpasses for America

•Nation of Islam (Tulsa)

•Windsor Hills Baptist Church

fraternal group that confines

Jews.”)

(Tecumseh)

membership to American-born

society has abandoned.

(anti-LGBT, Oklahoma City)

•The Three Percenters — III%ers

Neo-Nazi: A group that

•Tony Alamo Christian Ministries (Muldrow)

white Christians. In Oklahoma,

Antigovernment: These

(Pottawatomie County)

believes in ideas and policies

it includes:

people are generally considered

•We the People (Tulsa)

of Adolf Hitler’s Nazis; espouses

•Rebel Brigade Knights

conspiracy theorists. They ad-

of the True Invisible Empire

vocate extreme antigovernment

White separatist: A political

LGBTQ communities and some

(statewide)

doctrines and often believe

movement that believes whites

Christians.

•Loyal White Knights of the Ku

citizens must be well-armed to

should live separately from non-

•National Socialist Freedom

Klux Klan (Oklahoma City)

defend themselves from impend-

whites and/or exclude

Movement (Tulsa)

Sources: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Southern Poverty Law Center, MerriamWebster, The New York Times, Harvard, Wikipedia

•United White Knights of the

ing New World Order removal of

nonwhite races.

Ku Klux Klan (Lawton)

citizens’ property rights, tyran-

Neo-Confederate: Endorses

By Oklahoma Gazette

•Ku Klos Knights of the Ku

nical gun control laws and/or

hatred of Jews, minorities,

White nationalist: White

20th- and 21st-century revivals continued on page 8

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NEWS

Robert Millar founded Elohim City in 1973. After his death in 2001, his sons John and David have helped keep the community going. | Photo Gazette / File

continued from page 6

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Murrah Building domestic terrorist bombing for the 1983-84 murders of a pawnbroker he thought was Jewish and an African-American state trooper, is still buried in Elohim City.

Millar said that Elohim City is labeled frequently as a militant group or a hate group and it is often lumped in with the kind of people who have visited there, including members of the Aryan Republican Army, a group of white supremacists who robbed 22 Midwestern banks in the mid1990s. Millar said that journalists often misidentify his community as white supremacists and describe Elohim City as a “compound” (a term at which he bristles), and John and David Millar both fervently deny in the press that Elohim City is a hate group. Such terminology, David Millar said, amounts to what he calls “paper terrorism.”

In concrete terms, many Elohim City residents are part of Christian Identity, a belief that the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic and Nordic people are the true descendants of the biblical Israelites and other races are barred from achieving salvation and will not take part in the Kingdom of Heaven.

According to Southern Poverty Law Center, a Montgomery, Alabama-based legal research organization devoted to the study and reporting of intolerance, Christian Identity rose to prominence in the 1980s as an influential philosophy among militant right-wing groups such as the CSA. “We get labeled white supremacist. We don’t think there’s anything supreme about us, but our God is supreme. And he chose our people to do particular work,” Millar said.

“What we do believe in is racial purity.

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people and black people marry black people and Chinese marry Chinese,” he said.

“We’re different not by a freak accident of evolution, but this is the creation that the Lord made. We all have unique abilities and a unique plan, so to confuse the issue and make one brown race — that’s all; just a little bit of everything, which I guess is the humanist view of this that would be politically correct — to do that would just add confusion.

“We don’t have a problem with the other races, but the wonderful distinctions in our culture, our genetics are something that should be amplified.”

cording to his interpretation of scripture, the election of an African-American man as president of the United States flouted the word of God. “We’re still a predominantly white country; the majority in America would still be the Anglo-Saxon Germanic people.

If that’s the case, then they ought to have somebody in the chief office ruling over them. I think that would bring more peace and tranquility in the nation,” Millar said.

“The idea of having Barack Obama as president brought a downhill spiral to our nation’s economic growth and recovery after all the war spending that Bush did, the racial tensions have grown rapidly since he’s been in there, and it hasn’t brought peace. The scripture talks about that,” he said. “It says, ‘Don’t have a foreigner that is somebody from another race lead over you. Do not elect them into that office.’ It will not bring peace, tranquility or stability in the nation, right?”

At this point, a shift toward “birtherism” should not be too surprising coming from one of Elohim City’s leaders, especially since Donald Trump, a frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, popularized the concept. But it underlines how the ideas that originate from fringe groups can be so effectively mainstreamed in today’s political climate.

“If you put an Arab … if you got one of them that believes in Islam in as president of the United States or in a place of power and they don’t really have any of the Western civilization thoughts on equity that most of America does, it’s going to be a problem. They can’t really relate in that way,” Millar said. “As a matter of fact, I think that’s why there’s a lot of racial tensions and it’s hard for the children to be brought up in an interracial family, because you have one heritage, African-American, they have a different way of looking about things; they have different way of eating

I think Cruz would be an excellent president. But when you get into genetics like that … really you have to get into the real genetics.

David Millar

Race relations

Robert Millar died on May 28, 2001 and was buried near the final resting place of Snell, his friend and spiritual follower. He died three years before Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama gave his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention and seven years before that same man, the child of a white American woman and a black man from Kenya, became president of the United States, an obvious worst-case scenario for the leader of a community that believes in “racial purity” as a key tenet.

David Millar said he thinks Obama’s election was an experiment by a young generation with noble intentions, but ac-

certain foods. It’s just going to be different than the average Anglo-Saxon man and his family in their house.

“It’s not that one’s right and one’s wrong; it’s that they’re different, and then the child grows up and doesn’t really know where to fit in,” he said. “One of them likes the cornbread and one likes the Irish potatoes.”

The end

In 1996, Robert Millar talked about a future in which Chinese armies would descend on the continent, destroying American society and spurring on the “wars and rumors of wars” promised in Matthew 24:6 that presage Armageddon. In the end, Elohim City would remain to rebuild the

world in its image.

When asked about his father’s endtimes scenario, David Millar said it remains true, but with 21st century updates.

“I think some of the fundamental concerns are definitely the same today in 2016 as they were back in ’96, although the face of some of them takes different shapes,” he said. “I’ve had people talk with me about the Chinese invasion, and there were large concerns about that back in the ’80s. In a sense, they have been invading; they own a lot of the ports, and the market share in America has gone up, and we owe them a lot of money.

“I think some of the ideas of how that’s going to play out have changed. It’s looking a lot different with Trump running now, isn’t it? Nobody knows what’s going to happen.”

Millar is a supporter of Trump, though he quickly pointed out that Elohim City’s political stance on the Republican primaries is hardly monolithic. One niece told him she could not stand how Trump comports himself on the campaign trail with a level of crassness that occasionally gives Millar pause as well. But Millar said he approves of Trump’s international policies, including the Trump Wall along the U.S.Mexico border and playing tough with China’s army of commerce.

“One thing that is refreshing about Trump is that he speaks his mind,” Millar said, closely approximating the sound bites that have come from the real estate mogul’s supporters since he began surging in the polls. “I don’t always like what he says, but at least he’s just saying whatever comes to his mind. With a lot of the other politicians, you don’t have any idea what they’re really thinking.

“He’s not refined as much as Cruz, but at the same time, you sort of appreciate that because you think, well, you’re getting the real Trump. I think that’s one thing this nation’s had sort of enough of, this political correctness where you’re afraid to say what you think, you know, without being accused or frowned on or having to look around and see who’s staring at you.”

Millar frequently paraphrases Daniel 2:21 in describing how politics work in his world view, saying that “the Lord sets up whom he will.” So, if Donald Trump were to be elected the 45th president of the United States, it would be God’s will, according to Millar.

“Everybody thought he didn’t have a leg to stand on, and here he is, dominating the Republican Party,” Millar said. “We’re finding that pretty interesting.”

So, here is the end of the world, 2016 edition.

“Are you familiar with George Washington’s Vision?” Millar asked. “In the vision, which some people say is doctored or made up, he pretty clearly spells out all the different wars, major wars, we’ve been in. It talks again of a final, if we can say, Armageddon situation.”

Again I heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ At this continued on page 10

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the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his lips and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it on Europe, Asia, and Africa. Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene. From each of these countries arose thick black clouds that were soon joined into one; and throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men, who, moving with the cloud, marched by land and sailed by sea to America, which country was enveloped in the volume of cloud. And I dimly saw these vast armies devastate the whole country and burn the villages, towns, and cities that I had beheld springing up.

“America is almost lost,” Millar said.

“But all of a sudden, fires start springing up and the nation is saved again.”

George Washington’s Vision is definitely made up. The story was published in 1861 by sometime journalist Charles Wesley Alexander writing under the pen name Wesley Bradshaw, and it is supposedly based on the reminiscences of an elderly veteran named Anthony Sherman who fought with Washington at Valley Forge.

In fact, Alexander/Bradshaw wrote several of these “visions” attributed to other Americans such as Gen. George B. McClellan as patriotic inspiration pieces, along with pulp stories like Pauline of the Potomac, which was about a French woman with wizardlike powers fighting for the Union army. Yet this short piece of fiction now shows up on countless end-times websites as if it were a true religious vision experienced by the father of our country.

“I think it’s talking about the spiritual warfare that’s going on for the hearts and minds of Americans,” Millar said.

“Whether this election will help with it or not, I don’t know, but I think there is a core in America that are going back to the Lord. They’re wanting to get back to the fundamentals of our founding fathers.”

Of course, that all hinges on a President Trump or a President Cruz, who is just European enough, it turns out, to make the cut for Elohim City.

“As a matter of fact, I think Cruz would be an excellent president. But when you get into genetics like that … really you have to get into the real genetics,” Millar said. “When you go over to a lot of these countries like England or Italy or Spain, you have to find out who you’re really talking about because some of them are really genetically closely related to the majority of Americans and some of them are not.

“So Cruz is far more closely related — seemingly, genetically — to the bulk of America than he is to a lot of the Cubans that are over there. If somebody has a lot of Cuban values, that is something that has to be considered.”

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ac t i v e

Raghavendra Pai, an Edmond high school student, works alongside an Oklahoma City park worker to plant milkweed at Oklahoma City’s Bluff Creek Park.

Play outdoors

Let’s Move! Outside comes to OKC with the YMCA leading the effort to get families engaged outdoors.

By Laura Eastes | Photo Laura Eastes

Oklahoma City is embarking on a national movement to engage the next generation of outdoor stewards to play, learn, serve and work on public lands.

A series of service projects, recreation and environmental education initiatives will launch in OKC over the next two years through the Let’s Move! Outside initiative.

OKC was one of 50 U.S. cities chosen to participate in the nationwide movement established by first lady Michelle Obama.

Kris Sarri, the department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for policy, said existing efforts to get people outdoors and connected with nature prompted the Department of the Interior to select OKC. “Just learning about the incredible work [Mayor Mick Cornett] is doing and the city is doing, Oklahoma City really gets it,” Sarri said March 22 at Bluff Creek Park.

Leaders from the City of Oklahoma City and YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City joined Sarri to kick off the initiative at the park. The YMCA will lead the local effort. Additionally, the federal agency will support an AmeriCorps volunteer to aid in the efforts.

“We really think this will allow us to go bigger, faster and more boldly, in terms of working on outdoor stewardship,” Sarri said.

The city has invested millions of dollars in quality-of-life projects to get people outside and active. Voters first supported sales tax-funded Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) in 1993. The first round of MAPS projects brought improvements along the North Canadian River and financed a downtown ballpark in Bricktown. Renovations to improve the city’s parks followed the passage of a 2007 bond issue.

Now, through MAPS 3, the city is undergoing major capital improvement projects for a new downtown park, trails, sidewalks and continued improvements to the Oklahoma River.

With the Let’s Move! Outside initiative,

Go to BestPlacestoWorkOK.com to register Application deadline: May 20, 2016 the YMCA hopes to build on city park participation and connect new residents to urban public spaces.

“The overall goal is to engage anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 volunteers,” said YMCA’s Angela Jones, the initiative’s community coordinator. “[The Department of Interior] is looking to engage 1 million people across the nation. … U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has set the bar high, but we feel … that goal is doable.”

The American Express Foundation will provide two years of funding to the local nonprofit for coordinating new efforts and facilitating collaboration with other local groups focused on nature or youth. Through joint efforts, the YMCA looks to create and strengthen programs that encourage children and their families to visit local, state or national parks in Oklahoma. The YMCA will connect with local partners at a community summit planned later this spring.

“The goal is to have that collaborative spirit,” Jones said. “How can we capitalize on what is currently happening?”

One way is to emulate the Oklahoma State Parks Passport Program, which encourages children to visit any of the state’s 34 parks with a passport booklet. Through a partnership with the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department, a similar booklet is in the works for OKC parks, Jones said.

Children will find activities and suggestions for OKC park visits in the booklet.

Additionally, the YMCA is inviting state park rangers to interact with youth at its summer camps.

With a goal to increase park visits by the thousands, Jones admitted there will be challenges. Studies show that some children prefer screens to outdoors for recreation.

However, Jones is confident newly created programs and collaboration efforts will lead families to play and gain a better appreciation for the outdoors.

(405) 605-6789 Partners: okc.BIZ, Oklahoma Gazette, OK HR, The State Chamber of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

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s tat e

NEWS

Loaded question State Question 777 is becoming a hotly discussed topic in communities across the state. What is the measure and why such passionate debate?

By Laura Eastes

By farming the land her family has owned for over a century, Amanda Rosholt is living a legacy. As a child, she recalls her grandfather welcoming non-farmers and ranchers to the family’s grain operation outside of El Reno.

As advocates for agriculture, Rosholt’s family often showcased its practices and livelihood to visitors interested in Oklahoma’s farming way of life.

Decades later, not much has changed.

Now married with two children, Rosholt continues to farm the land as generations before her. Like many Oklahoma farmers, she is closely monitoring the wheat crop and hoping for the perfect rainfall for a quality

Those against the measure, which include the Sierra Club, The Humane Society of the United States and Oklahoma Municipal League, anticipate harm to animal welfare, water quality and agriculture jobs if voters pass the amendment. Opponents argue the amendment erodes local and state leaders’ power to enact laws regulating agriculture.

Save the Illinois River, along with Rep. Jason Dunnington, R-Oklahoma City, filed a lawsuit challenging the state question as “too vague to be enforced” and said it “unconstitutionally delegates policymaking choices.”

The state question comes before Oklahoma voters on the Nov. 8 ballot.

of agriculture technology, livestock procedures and ranching practices, except in the case of a “compelling state interest.”

After review by Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, the ballot language was rewritten because it was perceived the original text didn’t comply with state law.

His additions explained the proposition’s effects and further defined “compelling state interest.”

In late June 2015, Gov. Mary Fallin certified the ballot language, provided by Pruitt, in an executive proclamation, adding the state question to the Nov. 8 ballot.

Looking deeper

About three years ago, the Kirkpatrick Foundation — a well-known central Oklahoma philanthropic organization focused on arts, culture and civic projects — expanded its efforts to support animal wellbeing and environmental conservation.

Louisa McCune, foundation director, said foundation leaders launched a study to understand the Right to Farm act’s potential impact on animal well-being and the environment.

Oklahoma-based farms produced more than 4.5 million cattle and calves in 2014, ranking the state as the fifth-highest producer in the nation, according to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. | Photo bigstockphoto.com

harvest in a few months. Every day, she and her husband work on the cow-calf operation they started a few years ago.

The tradition runs deeper than the ties to her Canadian County land. Rosholt serves as director of the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation, an organization committed to sharing the impact of agriculture in Oklahoma. Additionally, the foundation serves as a voice for farmers and ranchers and highlights the unique roll farming families play in Oklahoma.

Rosholt strives to protect the livelihoods of all Oklahoma farmers and ensure the legacy lives on for generations to come. This desire prompted her to support State Question 777.

“Agriculture is very much a part of our history and our heritage,” Rosholt told Oklahoma Gazette. “This is not about protecting my livelihood or my job; it’s about protecting Oklahoma’s legacy.”

The foundation joins a variety of agricultural organizations — Oklahoma Farm Bureau, American Farmers & Ranchers, Oklahoma Pork Council and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association — supporting SQ 777, which has become known as the Right to Farm by proponents and the Right to Harm by opponents.

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Seven months before polls open, SQ 777 is being heavily debated in community forums across the state. Opponents and proponents don’t agree on much but arrive at the same conclusion: The state question impacts all Oklahomans, and generations will feel it.

The beginning

Three years ago, Rep. Scott Biggs, R-Chickasha, filed legislation to create a constitutional amendment protecting farming and ranching practices. House Joint Resolution 1006, otherwise referred to as the Right to Farm constitutional amendment, was proposed just months after North Dakota became the first state to enact similar legislation to protect farming rights.

The measure was greeted with support from lawmakers as it moved through the legislative process in 2013 and 2014, but it died in conference. It wasn’t successful until it was reintroduced in 2015, months after Missouri voters approved a similar measure.

House Joint Resolution 1012, which called for adding Section 38 to Article 2 of Oklahoma’s constitution, passed the House and Senate.

The measure seeks to safeguard farming and ranching by prohibiting legislators from passing any laws to hinder the advancement

The foundation maintains the proposed amendment violates the foundation’s ethics of stewardship for animal welfare and the environment. Their analysis also concluded the amendment infringes on elected leaders’ right to govern and favors one industry —agriculture — over others.

The foundation’s analysis made it a leading educator on the impacts of SQ 777.

Traveling across the state and participating in community forums, McCune and Brian Jones, the foundation’s education director, present the study’s findings.

“I think people have a myriad of concerns about environmental degradation and animal well-being set in retrograde. There would be no regulations, no laws made in the future about any of these areas,” McCune said. “That’s a big concern. Municipalities and counties could never make ordinances to handle concerns in communities under State Question 777 without it kicked into a courtroom.”

Concerns range from the proposed amendment’s influence on anti-puppy mill and cockfighting laws to water quality issues. The foundation believes passing the amendment will give preference to industrial factory farms, which are often owned

by global corporations.

Jones, a licensed attorney, warns that Oklahoma is straying into uncharted territory, as its proposed constitutional amendment is unprecedented. Unlike related Missouri and North Dakota’s laws, Oklahoma lawmakers included the wording “compelling state interest,” which is the toughest standard known to law.

State constitutions provide protections of speech, press and religion. The state question asks Oklahomans to extend protections to ensure the right to farm or ranch.

“This is a very new idea, and it’s a new idea to present any industry with an opt-out, which is sort of what State Question 777 is — a way to opt out of regulations they feel are overly burdensome,” Jones said.

Agriculture leaders

Rosholt argues that the future of agriculture rests with sustaining the family farm and ensuring farmers and ranchers can continue their way of life for centuries to come.

An SQ 777 supporter, she sees the amendment as a way to combat unnecessary regulations on the agricultural community. The amendment also clears the way for farmers and ranchers to employ new technologies to modernize practices. Under the amendment, farmers and ranchers would continue to abide by laws passed before Dec. 31, 2014.

“We want to create an environment where young producers are encouraged to enter the market,” Rosholt said. “Additional or burdensome regulations do not encourage them to do so, and it makes it harder and harder for some to get involved in agriculture. We continue to see a rising age of the farmer. More pressures are placed on farmers and ranchers to produce more with fewer resources, less land and less water.”

The amendment benefits all farmers and ranchers equally, Rosholt said. She recalls Oklahoma farmers and ranchers calling on legislative leaders to support HJR 1012 and working with lawmakers to draft the legislation.

“This amendment applies to Oklahoma residents,” Rosholt said. “It is Oklahomans deciding what is best for Oklahoma agriculture. It is not out-of-state interest groups using money to influence legislation. We are continuing to keep the voice local.”

Official view

The loss of local control under SQ 777 has some elected officials like Choctaw Mayor Randy Ross bothered. If the amendment passes, Ross believes his hands would be tied if constituents’ brought concerns like agricultural waste or pesticides flowing into Choctaw Creek.

“The city would be powerless,” said Ross, who has served as mayor for 14 years. “The county would be powerless and the state would be powerless. … Under State Question 777, there is no control at the local level, county or state level. If there is a real issue, it would have to be taken up at the federal level.”

With a statewide vote scheduled for this fall, debate will continue on the merits and demerits of State Question 777. Oklahoma voters ultimately decide the amendment’s fate — should farming and ranching have constitutional protections or not?

h e a lt h

Only option

A proposed wavier offers an opportunity to expand health coverage and stop negative budget effects on Oklahoma health care.

By Laura Eastes | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Given Oklahoma’s dire budget situation, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) proposed a 25 percent rate cut to Medicaid providers.

The proposal, which could take effect June 1, will weaken and eventually destabilize the state’s health care system, said Nico Gomez, the authority’s CEO. As head of the state’s Medicaid or SoonerCare program, Gomez acknowledged the pushback the agency received following

the late March budget cut announcement.

Emails and phone calls Gomez received bluntly stated that hospitals would be forced to scale back services, physicians would be unable to serve SoonerCare patients and nursing homes would close their doors.

“If we are not able to prevent or restore Medicaid provider rates as soon as possible, it will destabilize the health care system,” Gomez said April 7 to the crowd gathered at the authority’s Oklahoma City office.

At-a-glance What is the Medicaid Rebalancing Act of 2020?

Proposed by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the plan calls for state lawmakers to pursue a Section 1332 waiver, which is available under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In addition to preventing cuts to or restoring Medicaid provider rates, the plan transfers 175,000 adults between the ages of 19 and 64 years old who earn less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level to the state’s Insure Oklahoma program. A Medicaid-funded program, Insure Oklahoma would allow those former SoonerCare members to receive private health insurance with available tax credits, although modest premiums and copays can be expected.

What is needed to make the plan a reality?

It is estimated that $100 million is required in state funding for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to proceed with the act. To create the needed revenue, authority CEO Nico Gomez suggested lawmakers approve a $1.50-per-pack tax on cigarettes.

Would Oklahoma receive federal dollars?

Yes. Under the act, Oklahoma would contribute $26.4 million and the federal government would kick in $502.2 million during the program’s first six months. The share of the cost would gradually increase over the years with Oklahoma paying $105 million, and federal dollars reaching just under $1 billion in 2020.

Would other state agencies benefit from the act?

Yes. The act is a joint effort among the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma State Department of Health and Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

Source: Oklahoma Health Care Authority

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

Nico Gomez introduces the Medicaid Rebalancing Act of 2020 at an April 7 public meeting in Oklahoma City.

“The system is hurting. People are hurting.

Families are hurting. We are not going to solve all of this with this,” Gomez said, referring to the authority’s recently crafted Medicaid Rebalancing Act of 2020. “We can prevent a lot of future pain if we do it right.”

The proposal

The authority unveiled the Medicaid Rebalancing Act of 2020 to the public April 7, a week following its initial introduction to Gov. Mary Fallin and legislative leaders.

Under the act, OHCA calls for the Legislature to apply for a State Innovation Waiver, commonly called the Section 1332 Waiver, available through the federal government’s Affordable Care Act (ACA). The waiver allows states to avoid many ACA provisions and offer tax credits to help pay premiums.

Essentially, Oklahoma creates its own plans but gains federal funding. The waiver takes effect at the beginning of 2017.

With the waiver, Oklahoma would transfer 175,000 SoonerCare patients to private insurance through Insure Oklahoma. The measure would mostly impact women and children in families that earn more than 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Both state and federal funds would facilitate the expansion of Insure Oklahoma, which receives federal Medicaid dollars.

Additionally, the plan calls for restoring provider rates back to the 86.5 percent Medicaid rate.

Although the plan calls for utilizing an ACA waiver, Gomez said it was not a Medicaid expansion.

The proposal comes with a $100 million price tag. Gomez suggested lawmakers consider a $1.50-per-pack tax on cigarettes to

finance the plan, as his agency services a high number of tobacco users.

“My suggestion is let us use the revenue that tobacco companies make from selling legal products to help offset the cost of care that is going to be required to take care of [tobacco users] long term,” Gomez said. “Let’s make sure we have a system that will be there when they need it. I think the cigarette tax is not unreasonable in these circumstances.”

The approach would reduce the state’s number of Medicaid patients by 22 percent, according to authority estimates.

Outside support

Oklahoma Hospital Association, which has repeatedly called on lawmakers to expand Medicaid, endorsed the authority’s plan.

“We also strongly urge legislators to act now to restore funding for Medicaid by raising the cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack,” Craig W. Jones, the association’s president, said in a media statement. “With Oklahoma facing a monumental budget crisis and health care systems in the state crumbling, it is imperative lawmakers show courage and find the money needed to save health care and save lives. Raising the cigarette tax is a reasonable solution to help address a life-threatening problem that is growing daily. Further cuts to Medicaid would be catastrophic for the people of Oklahoma.”

Gomez agreed. The authority’s proposal stands alone, as no other options are before lawmakers.

“We decided we can no longer continue down this road until we get to the point where the whole system just breaks,” Gomez said.

“We had to provide an option.”

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NEWS

A SeASonAl Guide to CentrAl oklAhomA p u b l i S h i n G m Ay 4 , 2 0 1 6

Featuring a 3 month CAlendAr including: Fairs and Festivals Concerts Museums

Art Exhibits Theater Day Trips

Classes Workshops Summer Camps

AlonG with expAnded editoriAl Content

Attention publiCity SeekerS Submit calendar events at www.okgazette.com or email to listings@okgazette.com Please be sure to indicate ‘Summer Guide’ in the subject line.

We do not accept calendar items via phone.

Deadline to submit items for our Summer Guide calendar is fridAy, April 15, 2016 by 5pm.

specialsections@okgazette.com | 405.528.6000 14

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cit y

Summer never seems long enough so Gazette is giving its readers the go-to guide for filling every second with fun across the state.

2x2 | Photo Joseph Mills / Provided

Artful engineering

AIA Central Oklahoma’s 2016 architecture tour includes nine buildings designed or renovated by architects. By Christine Eddington

For the 15th year in a row, the Central Ken Fitzsimmons, AIA of TASK Design, to Oklahoma chapter of The American enlarge the kitchen, add a master bedroom Institute for Architects has gifted the and laundry and update the patio area.

Gladys Kravitz that lives within each of us with the perfect excuse to prowl our way American Energy through the most interesting-looking Partners Fitness Center homes and businesses in the metro Saturday 911 NW 67th St. from noon to 5 p.m. Refreshments will be American Energy Partners Fitness Centers offered at AIA headquarters, 1300 N. is an unused basement structure that was Shartel Ave. transformed into a sports and leisure facilThe buildings may be ity for employees. The revisited in any order, which sulting masterpiece houses adds to the fun of the tour. two racquetball courts, an 15th Tickets are $15 each in adaptable climbing wall, a Annual AIA advance or $20 the day of the basketball court, fitness Architecture tour and can be purchased studios, locker rooms and a Tour online at aiacoc.org. cafe. Outdoors, employees Proceeds benefit the projenjoy a running track, courtnoon-5 p.m. Saturday ects of AIA Central yards, terraces and a sunken 1300 N. Shartel Ave. Oklahoma, including a retention pond, which can aiacoc.org scholarship fund, according be used as a volleyball court.

405-948-7174 to executive director Melissa It is an innovative, complete $15-$20 Hunt. reinvention of an existing Eric Schmid’s work on concrete structure to create the Jesus Saves Building a bold venue for health and near downtown is among the nine highfitness. The project was designed by Allford lighted on the tour. Each location was deHall Monaghan Morris. signed or renovated by architects.

“The building used to house a Bible reBuick Building binding business, and the guy who owned 1101 N. Broadway Ave. it added ‘Jesus Saves’ to the front,” Schmid The Buick Building was completed in 1924 said. “The current owner, Tarena Self, acand was originally designed by architect quired the building. Together, we did a total Solomon Layton. It is now home to intervention. The only things we kept were Broadway 10 Bar & Chophouse and four the brick walls.” suites of private corporate offices, which were designed by Fitzsimmons Architects.

Krogstad House It will soon house a breakfast and brunch 3209 Robin Ridge Road restaurant. The building went through the This home was built in 1964 and designed national historic tax credit program for its

by Robert Reed, and it shows clear influence rehabilitation, which began in 2012. Shortly from one of his professors, Bruce Goff, at afterward, tenants moved in and created the University of Oklahoma. The home was custom spaces. commissioned by one of the initial developers of Quail Creek. It is now in the hands of Positively Paseo Home owners Lynne Rostochil and Chuck Hodges, 322 NE 15th St. who bought it in 2015 and commissioned This home was designed by John Postic,

Buick Building | Photo Fitzsimmons Architects / Provided

1930s. Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has brought this historic structure back to life.

A contemporary spin on the original graphics and signage references the building’s character and history. A new steel structure, staircase and a minimal number of walls were inserted into the building to divide it into two residences, one above and one below.

2x2

The Arc | Photo Bill Howard of Howard, Samis & Davies / Provided

AIA, of Studio Architecture and is owned

by Clint and Carey Carter. It is one of the stars of a historic neighborhood within sight of the state capitol. STUDIOArchitecture worked with Positively Paseo, a nonprofit community housing development organization that focuses on revitalizing historic neighborhoods around downtown Oklahoma City, to design the house with a collage of details and styles present in Classen’s North Highland Park. This project is unique because it is designed to blend in, not stand out.

PLICO

126 Harrison Ave. PLICO was built in 1924 by C.F. Meadors and was originally the Como Hotel. It has been vacant and boarded up for the past three decades. The project includes the renovation of the two-level flatiron building and the construction of a modern rooftop addition, boardroom and outdoor deck. The architect on the project was Elliott + Associates. After being occupied for 64 years and then boarded up for 27, PLICO is now one of the few flatiron buildings in Oklahoma City and has become the eastern gateway into downtown.

Jesus Saves

36 NE 10th Jesus Saves is an adaptive reuse of a former bindery originally constructed in the mid-

1161 NW 57th St. This is one of the four homes that make up the 2x2 micro-community in Meadowbrook Acres. On the ground floor is an open living space with 10-foot ceilings opening to a private courtyard. Upstairs is the spacious master suite with a spa-inspired bath and large soaking tub. Two more bedrooms, another bath and a large balcony are also on the second floor. This home features Italian kitchen systems, high-end finishes and appliances and energy efficient lighting and mechanical systems. The architect of the 2x2 project is 405architecture, and it is owned by Meadowbrook Modern.

sideXside

1171 NW 56th St. Meadowbrook Modern and 405architecture are known for creating living spaces with straightforward, modern architecture.

The two homes of sideXside occupy a former single-family lot in Meadowbrook Acres, and each has an open floor plan, high ceilings and lots of gorgeous natural light.

The Arc

616 NW 21st St. The Arc was occupied by Sunbeam Home until 2015, when it was purchased and converted to office space. The two-story midcentury modern brick structure was designed by Bill Howard, AIA of Howard, Samis and Davies. The ground floor consists of a waiting room and reception area and a series of offices. The second floor is an executive office with an enclosed deck and an open library. There is a large meeting room in the basement. The outside of the structure incorporates vertical windows in the small offices, large windows at each of the corners of the building and a mansard roof.

The Arc is owned by Midtown Builders.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

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for the 2016 Class of

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Help us recognize outstanding leaders.

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Nominations Open

Cyber summit

OCU’s School of Law hosts its second national summit on homeland security law.

By Oraynab Jwayyed | Photo provided

National Summit on Homeland Security Law: The State of Cyber

To nominate one of Oklahoma City’s brightest young leaders visit www.okc.biz

deadline is friday, july 8, 2016.

Noon-5 p.m. Tuesday J. William Conger Moot Courtroom Oklahoma City University School of Law 800 N. Harvey Ave. oculawsummit2.eventbrite.com $75 Note: A reception in McLaughlin Hall follows the event

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FOLLOW US ON

In 2014, there were roughly 117,339 cyber attacks on businesses each day, totaling about $720,000 on average per incident for many companies.

It is a problem large enough to warrant a second summit at Oklahoma City University’s (OCU) School of Law. The State of Cyber is noon-5 p.m. Tuesday and coincides with the 21st anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

The summit addresses how businesses and government agencies can protect themselves against cyber attacks and features guest speakers from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. Panel discussions tackle topics such as the recent battle between the Department of Justice and Apple Inc. to unlock and access the iPhone data of one of the suspects in the December San Bernardino domestic terrorist attack.

Joe D. Whitley, who served in the Justice and Homeland Security departments under the George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan administrations, is among the panel of speakers.

“Cybersecurity is a concern for everyone, and we want information to remain private. If we have a conversation with someone, we want it to be between the two people having it,” Whitley said.

Many are familiar with the term “hacking,” or using technology to gain unauthorized access to system and network data. Whitley said monitoring and neutralizing the threat is a key component of privacy protection and cybersecurity.

Privacy is not limited to information sharing. Businesses such as hospitals and utility companies can have sensitive equipment compromised. The country’s infrastructure also is at stake. “[The government’s job is to ensure that] dams, roads and bridges in America are protected because there’s a cyber connec-

tion to just about anything these days,” Whitley said.

To protect these businesses and the country, the Department of Homeland Security is collaborating with the private sector to facilitate rapid information sharing.

“About 85 percent of America’s infrastructure is in private hands,” Whitley said, “so what Homeland Security is doing is creating an emergency response team.”

The team would streamline information sharing between the department and various businesses to warn them of intrusions. For example, in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the FBI worked with local police to find the suspects. The FBI traced identifying markers found on the explosives to Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who were later convicted of their roles in the attack.

“Twenty-one years later, the FBI investigation might be very different because they’re looking at information coming from computer sources that is available now that might not have been available then,” Whitley said.

Cyber security is a concern for everyone.

Joe D. Whitley This sharing of resources would ensure that advanced evidence such as facial recognition and DNA is collected on time to capture the perpetrators.

After the summit, a reception will be held in OCU’s McLaughlin Hall. Visit oculawsummit2.eventbrite.com to register and for more information.

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e d u c at i o n

Community members listen during an April 5 charter school expansion meeting at Fairview Missionary Baptist Church.

First offer

OKCPS is no stranger to charter growth, but now conversation is a public discourse.

By Laura Eastes | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Earlier this month, the Oklahoma City community began a discussion about altering public education after three charter schools sought to become bigger and more established players in the city’s education arena.

Charter school expansion in Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) is a hotly debated topic with passionate views on both sides. However, all agree on one point: the need for an education system that prepares every student to succeed.

In their 14 years educating students in grades fifth through eighth grades, leaders of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Reach College Preparatory say that’s exactly what they’ve built in rented classroom space at F.D. Moon Elementary School. KIPP parent and volunteer Gary Jones used data to back up his claim. As the first KIPP leader to address the crowd of more than 150 at the first district-sanctioned community meeting on April 5, he evoked in people their desire for each student to learn.

“We want to make sure everybody understands something,” Jones said. “A lot of people think this is about the ‘who gets’ and the ‘who don’ts.’ It is really about all of us getting the same thing.”

KIPP offer

KIPP leaders proposed creating a “worldclass” elementary school in northeast Oklahoma City and eventually expand into a high school model. Over time, they want KIPP to move into the city’s southern quadrant.

Serving northeast neighborhood students in prekindergarten through eighth grades, KIPP wishes to locate in an existing OKCPS building suitable for 900 students.

Additionally, the charter would expand its network into a local high school utilizing classroom space, but share certain facilities such as bathrooms, the cafeteria and library.

First established in Oklahoma City in

2002, KIPP is known for providing quality education to low-income minority students through longer school days and its goal to send all its graduates on to higher education.

Four years ago, KIPP’s success was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with the coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools Award.

KIPP was the first charter to publicly share its proposal. Through a partnership with The Inasmuch Foundation, local nonprofit Possibilities, Inc. is facilitating public forums. Each begins with charter leaders outlining possible plans, followed by groups presenting hopes and concerns and concluding with charter leaders answering questions. Two additional KIPP expansion meetings are planned this month.

Fellow charters John Rex Charter Elementary School and Santa Fe South will present expansion plans in similarly formatted meetings facilitated by Possibilities later this spring.

Growing presence

It’s arguably an important time for parents, community members, teachers and education leaders to take part in the forums.

OKCPS leaders repetitively stressed they would foster public participation before any charter school proposals would be considered.

However, charter presence has steadily grown in the district for years without a public conversation. During the 2007-08 school year, 12 charters authorized by the district served 3,718 students. Three academic years later, the number grew by 1,071 as the district authorized 13 schools.

Currently, 4,809 students attend 11 charter schools sponsored by OKCPS, according to the 2014-15 Statistical Profile.

There are 371 students at John Rex, which is listed in the district’s profile but sponsored by the University of Oklahoma.

A year ago, the Oklahoma City Board of Education approved contracts to expand the number of students served by Santa Fe South elementary, middle and high schools. The 2015 proposal with Santa Fe South to absorb OKCPS’ south side students passed with a unanimous board vote.

Eight months ago, the board approved a contract to sponsor the newly established Lighthouse Academies of Oklahoma City, which serves 263 students in prekindergarten through fourth grades.

During that month, a bill to amend the Oklahoma Charter School Act became law.

For the first time, charters could locate outside of Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas. Now, school districts can adopt charter models and operate district schools as charters.

OKCPS could become one of the first districts to apply aspects of the new law if the eight board of education members approve an expansion plan.

INTEGRIS AND

MAYO CLINIC. THERE’S STRENGTH – AND HOPE – IN NUMBERS.

Opening doors

KIPP leaders desired to expand charter reach in Oklahoma City before its presentation at the February school board meeting, said Tracy McDaniel, the school’s principal.

In 2014, a $1.05 million grant was awarded to KIPP from the Inasmuch Foundation, which donates to public and charter schools.

The funding allowed the charter to begin growing its model by paying for staff training for new schools and producing a feasibility study. At that time, KIPP planned to grow to a five-school model and serve over 2,500 students per year.

Talk of charter school expansion has received some pushback, most notably from the teachers union. At the first community meeting, opposition flyers were scattered on tables from the Oklahoma City Federation of Classified Employees, AFT Local 4574 — a union for district employees.

Typically, teachers unions rally against charter school proposals, as they fear job losses and that state money might be transferred from the district to charters.

Charters generally have a mixed record, but many in Oklahoma City have brought about better academic outcomes for students than traditional schools.

Seven of the 11 charter schools authorized

by OKCPS received a grade of B- or higher on the Oklahoma Department of Education’s most recent A-F report card.

However, in 2013, poor academic performance mixed with financial mismanagement led the district’s board to end ties with and close Marcus Garvey Leadership Charter School.

Other concerns expressed at the meeting included KIPP’s ability to serve students with behavior issues and special needs.

If the district approves KIPP’s expansion plan, McDaniel said the school wouldn’t “cherry pick” students. KIPP accepts all children within the school’s boundaries, just as regular public schools do.

“If you are satisfied with what you have, that’s a problem,” McDaniel told the crowd.

“We shouldn’t be satisfied with what we have.

I am looking for a solution. What is best for our community?”

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Working Together.

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chicken

friedNEWS

Investment time!

Last fall, University of Oklahoma President David Boren told a large crowd gathered at the Capitol, “Let the people vote.”

Minutes later, supporters of Our Children, Our Future submitted an initiative petition for a statewide vote on a one-cent education sales tax. In February, the grassroots group began collecting signatures.

About six weeks later, more than 200,000 Oklahomans signed the petition. The state requires around 123,000 valid signatures for the question to appear before voters in November.

“We think it just shows the people of Oklahoma really want a chance to vote on a comprehensive solution for our education problems,” Boren told NewsOK.com.

Boren called it “investment time in Oklahoma.”

Move over “Okie Dokie” or “Thunder Up.” At Chicken-Fried News, we think “Investment time!” should be the state’s new catch phrase.

After all, we are facing a $1.3 billion state budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year. The impact will be felt by all state agencies, including public education, health, public safety and prisons.

It’s investment time, or basically time for lawmakers to stream more revenue into the state budget.

If no movement comes this session, it’s very likely another grassroots group, with the help of another well-liked and admired Oklahoman, could propose a sales tax increase to fund another state service — perhaps a penny tax for mental health treatments or road repairs projects.

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Fly-by romance

An Oklahoma City woman pleaded guilty in late March to public lewdness after local “video vigilante” Brian Bates used a drone to record her having sex with a 76-year-old man in a parked vehicle.

Amanda Zolicoffer, 27, was sentenced to a year in prison, reported online crime website The Smoking Gun. The case against the aged co-defendant, Douglas Blansett, is pending. The pair was arrested in December.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) caught wind of the unusual case and reached out to Bates for comment.

And just in case BBC reporters were unfamiliar with the Internet or how to perform Google searches, he said, “I’m sort of known in the Oklahoma City area” — especially after this case.

His drone hovered over Blansett’s Ford F-150 and captured video of the pair making whoopee while parked in a deserted tire yard.

“Zolicoffer’s pants were off and the driver appeared to be having sexual intercourse with Zolicoffer,” an Oklahoma City Police affidavit shows.

Water war?

An atheist group is upset about a religious display. In other breaking news, water is still wet — including the water inside the Broken Arrow water tower bearing the name “First Baptist Church.”

Freedom From Religion Foundation representative Andrew Seidel said the tower is an official endorsement of Baptists by the city and told Fox News, “At some point, that name is going to have to come off the water tower.”

Well, that’s true. An outdoor paint job will only last so long before time and the elements wear it away. But the city could always touch it up or repaint it to keep the tower looking nice. So, even if the name comes down, it’ll probably go right back up again.

Legally? Well, that’s the real question.

Seidel said the display is prohibited by the Constitution.

Broken Arrow city attorney and chief legal adviser to the Broken Arrow City Council Beth Anne Wilkening said First Baptist Church donated the land to the city with the agreement that the tower would bear the church’s name.

Here’s an easy fix: Freedom From Religion Foundation could donate some paint and maybe even hire a painter to go up on the tower and add the words “Land donated by” above the church’s name and “but not necessarily endorsed by the City of Broken Arrow” underneath it.

Easter mouse

Nothing ruins an Easter potluck like a mouse’s head and leg in your can of green beans. Yes, you read that right.

A ndrew and Chelsea Belf lower bought a bunch of fancy cut green beans from a metro-area Crest Foods grocery store and discovered something not so fancy in one of the cans.

The two youth group leaders were preparing an Easter dinner for church when Andrew made the discovery.

“I just noticed there was something black in the green beans and was like that’s not normal. So I picked it up and threw it.

[It was a] mouse head!” Andrew Belflower told KFOR-TV. The couple alerted the grocery store and made a call to Best Choice, the canner of said green beans, to inform the company there might be a lot more than vegetables in some of its goods but was unable to reach anyone during the holiday weekend. The Belflowers held on to the animal remains in case Best Choice wanted them.

“I’m afraid there could be some bacteria or something in it, and if this has been in a batch, maybe the distribution center will want to test it,” Chelsea Belflower said.

KFOR-TV reported that Best Choice

has since pulled its cans of green beans from Oklahoma shelves as a precautionary measure.

Love lost

That Russell Westbrook, always so quiet and pensive.

Not much ever seems to bother him.

Just kidding! Westbrook is about as fiery as they come. Whether it’s slamming home a breakaway dunk or shutting down media members in the locker room, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard leaves few gray areas in his life.

With that said, it’s no surprise Westbrook was an open book when it came to discussing former teammate and current Detroit Piston Reggie Jackson after a loss. Westbrook appeared visibly frustrated after Jackson put down a flamboyant dunk in a late-game victory against the Thunder and engaged in an extended skipping celebration as the game clock ticked off its final seconds.

“Honestly, I think that was some real bullshit,” Westbrook told reporters afterward.

It would be hard to state his feelings any more plainly.

Center Steven Adams had a long, lessthan-cordial chat with Jackson during the game’s closing free throws. No one on the Thunder sideline seemed pleased with the former teammate.

“Just surprised, really,” Adams said after the game. “Says a lot about him.”

Losing probably made Thunder players a little more grumpy, but Jackson’s taunts are made all the more petty when one considers his squad barely squeaked by Oklahoma City on a night the team was resting stars Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka.

It’s no secret there appears to be bad

blood between Jackson and his former team, which he ditched for more playing time.

The Thunder and Pistons will not play each other again this season, barring the unlikely event they would meet in the NBA Finals. Watch out for next season’s rematch, though.

Westbrook knows a thing or two about vengeance.

Quote of the week “Just three years ago, they said marriage shall be defined by the states. After continuous pounding, what did they do this last year? They defined it for us. Sure, some bills may get struck down, but eventually you’re going to push the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.”

Sen. Joseph Silk, R-Broken Arrow told WoldNetDaily that his legislation, Senate Bill 1118, would have “force[d] the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v.

Wade.” SB 1118 was blocked midMarch.

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letters

NEWS

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.

days, we try to consider the feelings of a much wider variety of people (as opposed to a much whiter variety of people).

Unless you can find a way to make the country and the world less diverse, you’re going to have to learn to treat people unlike yourselves with respect.

Ari Nuncio Oklahoma City

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.

No ducks

Legalize it

Governor Fallin is struggling with trying to find ways to handle the billion-dollar deficit the state is experiencing. Meanwhile, the state is spending millions of dollars on law enforcement trying to stop the alleged influx of marijuana from Colorado, as is Kansas.

Both sued Colorado (and failed) because of the marijuana issue and its cost to police it. The only one to benefit from these lawsuits will be the lawyers because they could not win an unprovable case.

Oklahoma needs to embrace marijuana and legalize it, as it will eventually be legal in every state. Colorado already has collected so much revenue from marijuana taxation, they don’t know what to do with it. Oklahoma has too long relied on the oil and gas industry to make ends meet.

This do-or-die attitude needs to change.

Marijuana for recreational use scares a lot of

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people into to rejecting it without even thinking about the benefits of medical use.

Marijuana might well be on the ballot in November for the people to decide. Let’s hope that the wording on the ballot is not confusing as it has been in other states that caused the proposal to be defeated.

Phil Gabler Oklahoma City

Social civility

Like any social convention that aims to define what should and should not be socially acceptable, political correctness can be taken too far. It can be awkward, contrived and overbearing. But when Mickey McVay

(Opinion, Letters, “Politically incorrect?,” Feb. 17, Oklahoma Gazette) says that political correctness — as in all political correctness — offends “many of us,” he seems to be advocating no boundaries at all. He seems to be saying that we should all be able to use whatever language we want, whenever and wherever we want, with no social consequences.

Political correctness is the modern equivalent of what we used to call common courtesy. If you didn’t use certain language around certain people because you knew (or should have known), you could get your mouth washed out with soap or start a duel or something. The only difference between today’s idea of civility and yesteryear’s is that nowa-

In the last 135 years, no president has been refused a vote on a nominee for an open seat on the Supreme Court. Over that time span, no less than seven justices have been nominated and confirmed during presidential election years.

Perhaps most remarkable and earlier in our history, one justice was nominated and confirmed after an election. Defeated in the 1800 election, President John Adams nominated John Marshall to be chief justice. A genuine “lame duck” at the time, Adams especially relished the Senate confirmation of Marshall.

Our current president is not a lame duck.

That designation is reserved for an officeholder who is leaving his/her seat after a current election but before a replacement is sworn in. President Barack Obama cannot qualify as a lame duck until after November’s election of a new president.

Frank Silovsky Oklahoma City

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Mother’s Day

Love Notes

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DEAREST MOM, words can’t express my appreciation for putting up with my laziness all these years. I know you only were helping me grow up.

YOuR lAzY buT lOving SOn, biFF

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EAT & DRINK

Fire away

Cultivar’s farm-to-fire concept has craft taco lovers salivating. By Greg Elwell | Photos Garett Fisbeck

There is a push-pull dynamic in every restaurant. The meeting of art and commerce, of intent versus expectation, is a tough line to walk. And at new Automobile Alley hot spot Cultivar Mexican Kitchen, 714 N. Broadway Ave., it’s a tension best illustrated by queso.

“Seventy percent of our produce is organic,” president Gary Goldman said.

“Our chicken is 100 percent GMO-free, free-range, pasture-raised chicken. We’re not out to portray ourselves as something we aren’t.”

The “farm-to-fire” restaurant strives to give customers clean, healthy, delicious food. But when customers during the soft opening brought up issues with the queso, Goldman responded. Top Chef season 13 winner Jeremy Ford, a student of head chef Dean Max, was visiting the kitchen when he heard there was a problem with the queso and decided to fix it himself.

“We didn’t go to Velveeta,” Goldman said. “But we are using a white cheddar now that gives it the right texture.”

As much as people want to eat real, fresh food that doesn’t come boxed or canned or pre-made, it still has to taste great.

It’s a philosophy that has staff grinding corn for a homemade masa that creates fresh tortillas unlike any that can be found in stores. Having that base for the tacos is important, Goldman said.

“It doesn’t matter what you put on your sushi if you can’t get past the rice,” he said.

“That’s how important great tortillas are to our tacos.”

Goldman said the response from the staff when they smelled the masa was almost emotional. There’s nothing like the smell of fresh-ground Oaxacan corn, and it’s a rarity outside of home kitchens because it’s so labor- and ingredient-intensive.

But Goldman said all that work is worth it when customers take a bite.

Max factor

Cultivar developed over the last two years, but its origins go back to Goldman’s first job after graduating from Oklahoma State University. Working at Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, he met Max and found a friend, mentor and business partner.

“I was a young chump,” he said. “I just happened to land with one of the best culinary minds in the country.”

Max founded DJM Restaurants, a culinary consulting company with restaurants across the U.S. and in the Bahamas, with a focus on farm-to-table food.

Goldman, who in the intervening years worked with the Hal Smith Restaurant Group at Chesapeake, reached out to Max when he was ready to open his own concept. Their collaboration is Cultivar.

“I grew up eating meat and potatoes. Dean educated me on clean eating,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing. We’re as GMO-free, as organic and as sustainable as we can be.”

Cultivar’s quesadilla, duck confit and oxtail tacos

Seasonal elote from Cultivar

Cultivating customers

Cultivar president Gary Goldman in the newly opened restaurant

Clean eating isn’t just marketing.

Goldman said it’s good business. The food just tastes better. Combine that with Max designing the “craft tacos” and you have an unbeatable combo.

In addition to some mainstays, including lamb, chicken and veggie tacos, Cultivar has seasonal varieties that will change every few months.

The starting menu has duck confit, scallops and oxtail tacos that are sure to be mourned once they’re gone, but Goldman said Max’s talent for flavors ensures they’ll be replaced with something everyone will love.

Loving Cultivar isn’t hard. Despite an ordering system that might take a visit or two to fully figure out, it’s a bright, warm space with high ceilings and tons of natural light. Part of the credit for that goes to designer and architect Larry Pickering, who worked with Goldman to make their shared vision a reality.

“The response has been tremendous,” Pickering said. “It’s a great mix of dining environments: indoor, outdoor, bar, private, communal. There are a lot of moving parts, but it’s working well.”

Open wide

One feature Goldman insisted on was the full bar. People can come in, grab a meal and go, but to create a truly livable space where people feel comfortable whiling away an afternoon, they needed a conducive environment.

The concept might be fast casual, Goldman said, but he still wanted a place where people would want to spend their time. As Oklahoma City moves into spring and summer, the doors on the front of the restaurant will be open more, giving patrons a beautiful view of bustling Broadway Avenue while they enjoy plates of tacos and fresh margaritas.

“This is a miraculous time in Oklahoma,” he said. “The city has been really appreciative. We’ve heard a lot of thank-yous from customers, and it’s humbling to hear. It’s the right time and the right conditions for us.”

And with the right cheese in the queso, it might be the right time for Cultivar for a long time to come.

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e v ent

Nicole Emmons-Willis shows off the stop-motion model kitchen used in her new Domesti City, OK exhibit at Current Studio.

House beautiful

Current Studio patrons get a divine dinner and a sneak peek at artist Nicole Emmons-Willis’ new exhibit. By Greg Elwell | Photos Garett Fisbeck

Somewhere in Oklahoma City is a halfDomesti City, OK as an examination of feral cat that artist Nicole Emmonsthe self-imposed entrapment of life in a relationship.

Willis wishes she could be.

“My husband doesn’t understand the “We have all these roles to fulfill,” she relationship,” she said. “But she’s free. She said. “Doing the dishes. Making dinner.

Falling in line. What does that mean?” can come and go as she likes. I respect her.”

That feline helped inform EmmonsHer exhibit, including a life-sized dollWillis’ new exhibit Domesti City, OK, house room, is about navigating what it created as the first artistmeans to be independent in-residence at Current and a feminist while still St udio, 1218 N. being a wife.

Patron Dinner Pennsylvania Ave. The “I was blown away,” exhibit opens April 21 she said of being chosen 7 p.m. April 21 with an exclusive patron as Current Studio’s first Current Studio dinner featuring a fourartist-in-residence.

1218 N. Pennsylvania Ave. course vegetarian menu Karper said Emmonscurrentstudio.org created by Picasso Cafe Willis is the perfect 405-673-1218 chef de cuisine Sara choice because her work $100 Howard and inspired by exemplifies what she and the art show.

Owens want the space to Courses are paired with Prairie Wolf become: not simply a gallery for paintings vodka cocktails. Seating is limited to 32, for photography, but a place for art that isn’t about commerce. and tickets are $100 each. Reservations are required.

Emmons-Willis said working at Gallery co-curator Romy Owens said the Current pushed the art farther and its dinner is a way to reward those who finanassistance in collaborating and commucially support noncommercial art with a nicating is an immense help. special meal and time with the artist to view Following the patron dinner, the the exhibit before it opens to the public. studio holds a Grand Opening Sponsor Co-curator Kelsey Karper said they’re Launch Party 6-8 p.m. April 22 for all trying to create an experience you can’t sponsors who gave $50 or more. Food is get anywhere else. provided by The Metro Wine Bar & Domesti City, OK combines stop-moBistro. Sponsor information is at gofundtion animation, puppetry, performance me.com/currentstudio. and an interactive space to explore the The exhibit opens to the public 11 dichotomy of “living the dream” of doa.m.-6 p.m. April 23. The grand opening weekend closes at 6 p.m. the next night mestic bliss while still yearning for freedom from the drudgery and insanity with Sunday Soup, a regularly occurring of a monotonous lifestyle. $10 event to fund upcoming Current Emmons-Willis worked as an animaStudio projects.

Visit currentstudio.org. tor on Robot Chicken, Little Bill and, most recently, the film Hell and Back. Using her expertise with stop-motion animation and her experience as someone who came to marriage at age 40, she created

e v ent

Arts feast

Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts returns to Bicentennial Park with a renewed focus on food.

By Greg Elwell | Photo Gazette / File

Oklahoma City’s Festival of the Arts is to prepare food with a sample taste at the many things. It’s a showcase for artists end.

Participating chefs — including Scotty across the country. It’s a hub for creativity and community to meet. It’s where you get Irani doing a grilled flank steak and a giant roasted turkey leg, a plate of Indian romaine salad with petits pois a la française, food, some shaved ice and a gyro and eat Bill Kamp showing how to brine and smoke them all like you’re training to be a meat and Victoria Kemp from Florence’s monster.

Restaurant preparing ham, cabbage and Oklahoma City Arts Council commucornbread — will work under a giant mirror nications director Christina Foss said that to let audiences follow along with each step.

But for those who would rather just eat, wasn’t always the way. The festival is a feast for many, but when it began 50 years ago, the much-loved International Food Court the focus was decidedly less culinary. has been split into two rows of booths on “The first year, we had volunteers either side of Civic Center Music Hall, making sandwiches for people,” she said. running up Couch and Colcord drives. Foss “Now we have 30 food vendors.” said the new flow is different, but still The festival, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdaypleasing.

April 24, has grown in leaps and bounds “Logistically, we had to do it, but we over the last half-century. Returning to hope it leads people to walking and looking Bicentennial Park, around more, maybe 500 Couch Drive, seeing some areas of presents new chalthe festival they Oklahoma City wouldn’t see otherlenges, Foss said.

Festival of the Arts “We’ve had to wise,” she said. “And rebuild all of the inby splitting up, it 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. frastructure we’d demight clear some conTuesday-April 24 veloped over the last gestion from food Bicentennial Park 30 years in that localines.”

500 Couch Drive tion,” she said.

Indian tacos and artscouncilokc.com corn on the cob are “Redeveloping all of 405-270-4848 back, of course, but that in one year is a Free major feat.” this year’s festival has For the last few newcomers Sara Sara years, the festival has put more emphasis Cupcakes and VZD’s Restaurant & Bar on culinary arts demonstrations. With the serving hoisin-glazed chicken wings ($9) ability to redesign the layout, organizers and signature cupcakes ($4). The Meat put the demonstration tent right in the Market Refectory is helping raise money center of the park, adjacent to the artists. for deadCENTER Film Festival with “We added three new demonstrations brioche and crème ($8) and lobster sliders a day, so now we have 34 participating ($12), which Foss said has everybody at the chefs,” she said. “This is the fourth year council buzzing. we’ve done it, and people are really startIt’s a long way from volunteers making ing to take note.” sandwiches, after all.

Demonstrations are free, take about 45 Learn more about the Festival of the minutes and include information on how Arts on P. 32.

A couple digs into Indian tacos at the 2015 Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts.

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REVEIW

EAT & DRINK

Bricked house Upper Crust’s pizzas are good, but the bricked chicken steals the show.

By Greg Elwell | Photos Garett Fisbeck

It was the chicken that made me worry.

Go into a steakhouse and the steak should be the best thing on the menu. Drop by a taco shop and you’d imagine the tacos ought to be your must-have item. No one is surprised to find out that a Chinese restaurant specializes in Chinese food.

But that bricked chicken at Upper Crust Pizza, 5860 N. Classen Blvd., is better than any pie on the menu.

the fatty satisfaction of the meats.

For something a bit more direct in its intentions, the aptly named Some Like It Hot pizza ($13) is all about the spice.

Peppadew, pepperoncini, hot cherry peppers and spicy Italian sausage bring the heat and a balsamic glaze gives it that vinegary pop that puts the flavor into focus.

The eponymous crust of Upper Crust is chewy — a good base for all these strong flavors — but be prepared for a slightly smaller pizza than you’d find at chains. This is a Upper Crust Wood high-quality product, and it’s Fired Pizza about the same size as pizzas at 5860 N. Classen Blvd.

The Wedge, Pizzeria Gusto and okcbestpizza.com | 405-842-7743 The Saucee Sicilian.

That dough comes in handy What works: Bricked chicken is a winner. in another dish I love: classic Turkey piadine is a wonderful sandwich. turkey piadine ($10). That’s a fancy word for a fancy flatbread What needs work: Get your balsamic on sandwich, but it’s a doozy. the side to avoid flavor overload.

Sliced turkey and bacon are a great base for any sandwich, Tip: There are deals on a pizza and a bottle of wine or a pitcher of beer 4-6:30 p.m. but with that slightly chewy, slightly doughy bread and a mix of Swiss cheese, jalapeños, That might sound like a slight on the onions and chili mayo, it has got kick that pizza, but I assure you, it’s just a tip of the puts any Subway sandwich to shame. That cap to a really tremendous piece of bird. chili mayo is a killer. Bottle and sell it, Bricked Chicken ($13) is an airline-style Upper Crust. I’m buying.

Because I’m sometimes a dainty little chicken breast marinated in garlic and herbs before being smash-seared. The flower, I also got the Farmer’s Market chicken holds onto its moisture even as Salad (small for $5, large for $8), and it the flavorful skin is crisped to a lovely was the weirdest thing. You know when bronze, propelling you through bite after you eat something and it tastes good, but bite of this dish until — poof — it’s all gone. then you don’t immediately need a nap Another bit of chicken on the menu afterward? That’s what it was like eating that you cannot ignore are the Buffalothis mix of bibb lettuce and arugula; thinstyle wings ($9), which are trimmed to sliced apples; crunchy, sweet candied make for the easiest hot wing eating exwalnuts; and tangy Gorgonzola cheese. I perience you can get while still eating ask for the balsamic vinaigrette on the actual hot wings. side not for diet reasons, but just because Do we have to talk about how boneless this salad has so much flavor, too much wings are a joke? Don’t fall for chicken balsamic is just overpowering. nuggets drenched in sauce; get this sweet Ovens are pretty awesome. You can and spicy version of the real deal. They’re cook pizzas, piadines and other round crisp, fatty and delicious, and it won’t take things, like the ridiculously good cookie much work to strip the meat from the pie ($8). This isn’t going to change your bone. life. Or if it is, wow, you have led a very Now if you’re still in the mood for sheltered life. It’s a big, warm, oven-fresh chicke — what? Oh, you want to get to the cookie with ice cream on it. There’s pizza in this review of a pizza place? Fair nothing not to love here, unless you’re like enough. Let’s split the difference and talk Batman, but instead of a robber, your about the Al Frey Do Chicken pizza ($17). parents were killed by warm, chocolatey happiness.

Marinara sauce is the jam, and don’t bother saying any different. But as good as Though it’s actually an appetizer, I a classic crust with red sauce can be, there’s think Little Bit of Goat Cheese ($9) would something quite alluring about sweet, make a pretty good dessert, too. It’s a creamy Alfredo sauce on a pie. Alone, that lovely hunk of creamy goat cheese covered might be a bit too much, but Al Frey Do in panko breadcrumbs and fig preserves breaks up the richness with chunks of served with warm pita bread. It’s not as bricked chicken and smoked bacon and sweet, but it goes well with a bottle of wine. crisp slivers of spicy red onion and herbaSo what if the best thing at Upper Crust ceous chive. The bite of the vegetables is isn’t pizza, but a delicious piece of persoothed by the creaminess of the sauce and fectly cooked chicken? It’s not as if the

Bricked chicken

Al Frey Do Chicken pizza

Classic turkey piadine

rest of the menu suffers by comparison.

On the contrary, this is a restaurant that has proven over the years that it doesn’t matter what you’re cooking as long as you do it really well. It’s that blend of culinary

talent and great service that have put Upper Crust in the upper echelon of Oklahoma City pizza parlors.

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g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

Photo bombastic

“Some foods are too pretty to eat” is a really stupid thing to say. It’s food. Of course you can eat it! But if you’re struck by the innate and haunting beauty of a dish, or you just want to post it on Instagram to make sure your friends are jealous, here are great places to find eats that are too pretty and too delicious to leave undocumented.

By Greg Elwell Photos by Garett Fisbeck

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a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Nic’s Grill

1201 N. Pennsylvania Ave. 405-524-0999 Take cash and a camera when you go to Nic’s Grill for one of the most revered cheeseburgers in Oklahoma City/ America/the world because Nic might let you take a picture, but he definitely won’t take your credit card. There will probably be a line out the door, but don’t let that deter you, because some things in life are worth the wait and a burger from this tiny Ten-Penn landmark is one of them.

Signature Grill

1317 E. Danforth Road, Edmond signaturegrilledmond.com 405-330-4548 Some of the best food in Edmond can be found at Signature Grill, but choose your seat carefully. While the plating is immaculate, the lighting can get pretty dim.

But it’s worth it to have your Instagram photo team professionally stage the area to get a shot of a perfectly cooked steak covered in slowly melting blue cheese before you cut off a bite and run it through the red wine demi-glace. One potential problem: Your team might want to share.

Packard’s New American Kitchen

201 NW 10th St. packardsokc.com | 405-605-3771 After several conversations with uncomfortable servers, it has become clear that pictures taken at Packard’s should be focused on the food and not the attractive waitstaff. But why not both? A cute bartender holding a beautifully built Bloody Mary or a handsome waiter with a plate of bronzed pork chops, creamy grits and vibrant pickled onions might take your picture viral. And if not, maybe you’ll at least get a phone number.

Covell Park

1200 W. Covell Road, Edmond covellpark.com |405-285-1720 Duck. Duck. Goose. No, wait; that’s still duck. Look over Covell Park’s exquisite duck risotto all you like; you still won’t find any goose. What you will see is a creamy risotto, a splash of crunchy green onion and a sumptuously seared and sliced piece of duck that even Daffy and Donald couldn’t resist. It doesn’t matter how ugly this duckling used to be — this dish is proof that beauty is on the inside.

Bonjour

3705 W. Memorial Road 405-286-9172 You know in movies from the 1980s when a girl in a bikini would walk by and a whole line of dudes would lower their plastic neon sunglasses to get a better look? The food equivalent of that scene is when your eggs Benedict are served at Bonjour. Is that Kenny Loggins playing guitar in the next booth? No, but your taste buds are definitely in the danger zone because this combo of hollandaise, poached eggs and pastrami is r-r-r-r-radical to the max.

Sushi Neko

Mahogany Prime Steakhouse

4318 N. Western Ave. sushineko.com | 405-528-8862 If you think the outside of a fish looks good, you ought to check out what they’re doing with the insides at Sushi Neko. You’ll never look at an aquarium the same way after a visit to this Western Avenue hot spot.

Whether it’s a boatload of simple, fresh sashimi or a tasty concoction of tempurafried shrimp, crab and avocado wrapped in vibrant pink soy paper (aka the Terry Roll), the cats at Neko know how to make seafood into food you have to see.

145 W. Sheridan Ave. mahoganyprimesteakhouse.com 405-208-8800 You know what’s pretty? Meat. Vegetarians might feel differently, but a marbled steak seasoned and seared to a spot-on medium rare is my idea of a masterpiece. Even when it’s alone on a plate, the contrast between a stark-white plate and Mahogany’s bone-in rib-eye is a sight to behold. Cut into it and check out that bright pink center and follow it up with a picture of the big smile on your face after you take a bite.

Our 7th annual

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Sample some of Oklahoma's finest wines in stores throughout our district!

For tickets call 405.235.7267 or visit stockyardscity.org

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31

ARTS & CULTURE

Folloonw Us

facebook

e d u c at i o n

The “no adults allowed” Youth Art Mart sells original pieces

by Festival of the Arts vendors for $5 or less.

Spring rite

Festival of the Arts celebrates its 50th anniversary Tuesday through April 23 at Bicentennial Park. By Brett Dickerson | Photos provided

...all the cool kids are doing it! facebook.com/okgazette

Oklahoma Gazette

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On its 50th anniversary, Oklahoma City will find eased traffic flow around popular Festival of the Arts returns to the location food booths. Twenty-one vendors, including where it started. Both have substantially popular local restaurants, offer appetizers, changed since then. desserts and drinks along Couch and Bicentennial Park, between Oklahoma Colcord drives on the north and south sides City Hall and Civic Center of Civic Center Music Hall.

Music Hall, underwent a Produced by Arts major, $4.6 million redeCouncil of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City sign that makes it more Festival of the Arts helps Festival of the usable and attractive than fund the nonprofit council’s Arts ever. year-round free and lowThe festival has grown cost programs, such as af11 a.m. to 9 p.m. to proportions that few ter-school and summer Tuesday-April 24 leaders might have imagyouth arts events.

Bicentennial Park ined 50 years ago.

500 Couch Drive It runs six days, The move artscouncilokc.com Tuesday through April 24, “We knew we were going 405-270-4848 in and around Bicentennial to have to move over two Free Park between Walker and years ago,” said Peter Note: No pets allowed Dolese, Arts Council of Lee avenues and Colcord and Couch drives in downOklahoma City executive director. town. For the past several years, attendance The event was in its prior location at reached an estimated 750,000, with around 5,000 volunteers. the west end of Myriad Botanical Gardens for approximately 30 years.

Thanks to a design by longtime OKC What’s new This year, organizers emphasized the architect Rand Elliott, recently renovated Bicentennial Park incorporates festival’s free experiential aspects of the festival even more than in years past. dramatic Art Deco elements of neighborArtist demonstrations are a feature that has been enhanced this year.

Artful Experience, located near City Hall, allows guests to watch working artists and ask questions about their processes. Guests can interact with visual artists, potters and well-known local chefs.

Three concert stages also feature local performing artists daily. Stages are located on each side of Civic Center, 201 N. Walker Ave., and a main stage on the front steps of City Hall, 200 N. Walker Ave. A youth art area was organized to allow easier movement to activities and events.

Eats are always a big festival draw.

Organizers promised that hungry guests

ing Civic Center Music Hall and City Hall.

The park rebuild makes the area more attractive and more functional.

Festival relocation became necessary due to heavy construction of streetcar and other projects at the festival’s previous venue, organizers said.

The hard work by arts council leadership paid off, as Bicentennial Park provides a more visually integrated space where visitors can easily enjoy a number of festival features.

“The park is more people-friendly than ever,” said Christina Foss, Arts Council of OKC director of communications.

Paid parking is a convenient option for visitors, too. The Sheridan Avenue lots visitors have used for years are available this year. Every 15 minutes, shuttles run to and from the drop-off point at Walker Avenue and Colcord Drive. In addition, the Arts District Parking Garage, located within a block of the festival, is another paid option.

Central focus

A key festival element each year is visual art.

This year’s theme is First of Spring. The event poster artist is David Holland from Oklahoma City, organizers said.

Festival of the Arts revolves around artists and their works featured in 144 event booths. Each space reveals artists’ talent in pencil and ink, printmaking, watercolor, oil, photography, glass, clay, sculpture, fiber, wood, leather and jewelry.

Artists from across the state and nation arrive each year with enough works in tow to accommodate six days of what can be intense selling. Pieces span from thousands of dollars for larger works to less than $25 for smaller prints and generate questions as well as sales.

Artist selection

One common question asked of organizers each year, especially by artists, is how they are selected to participate. Festival co-chairs Suzi Clowers and Kermit Frank explained how the process works.

After 50 years of increased event popularity, they said, the selection process became very involved. This year, 504 artists representing 41 states applied to compete for 144 slots. A deliberate and long process ensures accepted applicants are valuable to the festival and its guests.

Artists submit portfolios in June and July. Once submitted, the jury process begins.

Children engage in hands-on art projects at last year’s Festival of the Arts.

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a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Three volunteers from three U.S. regions juried the 2016 festival applicants. It is a blind process, meaning judges do not know artist names or locations. Specially designed software uses juror scores to generate the final list of selected artists.

This year, 88 of the 144 chosen artists are from Oklahoma, Clowers and Frank said. It frustrates them when people occasionally question the process.

“It makes me sad to hear that there’s a perception out there that anybody is discriminated against, particularly local people,” Frank said. “We want there to be as many local people as there possibly can be.”

One requirement that might surprise first-time applicants is providing a photo of what their booths look like.

“It’s not only to see what ideas they have for the booth,” Clowers said. “It’s to see the scale of their work compared to the booth.”

Both agreed it’s important for local artists to apply and be a part of the process.

“We start by asking a new volunteer what they are interested in and then try to make the fit to the job,” Frank said.

Read our story about the Festival of the Arts food on P. 27.

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Youth activities

The festival’s most intensive experiential parts feature youth activities. In past years, activities were scattered across the grounds of Myriad Botanical Gardens and involved families walking a block to participate in each one. That’s not the case this year.

A youth art stage, Young at Art Mart and Children’s Art Field are located near City Hall so children can easily move from one area to the next. A face-painting area also is located nearby.

Art Stage allows children to observe artists at work. The “no adults allowed” Young at Art Mart sells original works by favorite festival artists for $5 or less, and kids can create their own masterpieces at Children’s Art Field.

Performing arts

The festival’s three outdoor stages showcase performers from elementary-school novices to adult professionals. Pop singer-songwriter Maggie McClure, jazz duo Smooth Soulful Sax & Axe, children’s act The Night Nights, hip-hop artist aDDlib, bellydancer troupe Mystical Hips, traditional dance group Yumaré Mexican Folkloric Dancers and 2016 Gazette Music Award winners and honorees Red Dirt Rangers, Jabee, Lincka, Elizabeth Speegle Band, Shortt Dogg, Helen Kelter Skelter, Edgar Cruz, Cooki Turner, as well as dozens of others, will perform during Festival of the Arts.

Street performers also will be featured each day in the center of the park.

Volunteer power

“It takes 5,000 volunteers to make the Festival of the Arts happen,” Clowers said.

That number might sound like fantasy until one does the math, Frank added.

“There are 48 committees that we have to staff with volunteers, plus the other leaders,” Frank said. “And each committee has 96 volunteers.”

That’s 4,608. Then add eight production teams required to set up the festival.

Festival of the Arts features various children’s activities.

Angels and Friends Party 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 20 Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. artscouncilokc.com $65-$2,500

Annual fundraiser Each year, the Angels and Friends Party allows people who want to support Arts Council of Oklahoma City and its year-round programming to mingle in a relaxed atmosphere.

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“It has been in a tent in different locations in the past,” said Peter Dolese, Arts Council of Oklahoma City executive director.

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“But this year, it will be in the nicest location we have ever had.”

The venue is Civic Center Music Hall’s atrium, 201 N. Walker Ave. Tickets are $65 for guests wanting to enjoy food and drinks.

Patron tickets are $250, $500, $1,000 and $2,500 and include additional benefits.

The event is the council’s only fundraising party each year.

Proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s yearly slate of programs, such as Opening Night, Art Moves, Festival of the Arts, Storytelling Festival, All Access Arts, Out of the Box, Sunday Night Twilight Concert Series and others.

Online ticket sales end Tuesday. Single tickets are available at the door.

By Brett Dickerson

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

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ARTS & CULTURE

Performing Arts

Amy Schumer

nd sa . w U ne GO h t K g ep on or d . n u n t i atio go r k o t pp form e a u t S in na o D

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a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

‘Inappropriate’ feminism?

Amy Schumer brings her uncomfortably brave satire to Chesapeake Energy Arena.

By Wilhelm Murg | Photo bigstock.com

Amy Schumer brings her standup tour to and rape. (She plays the female character OKC 8 p.m. Friday at Chesapeake Energy in a military video game only to watch Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave. her character sexually assaulted and sent Schumer is best known for her awardto the Pentagon to do paperwork after winning Comedy Central television show reporting it.)

Inside Amy Schumer and for writing and However, there is some debate over starring in the hit Judd Apatow film whether Schumer’s views are “new femTrainwreck last year. She worked her way inism” or simply the same old jokes wrapped in a new, media-friendly up to the top of the comedy heap by appearing on shows such as Live at Gotham, package. Her line “I used to date Hispanic Last Comic Standing (where she came in guys, but now I prefer consensual” refourth place) and Reality Bites Back. ceived a lot of criticism, and the sentiment Schumer is particularly noteworthy has since been echoed with an even darker tone in Donald because she’s not just funny; her work is viTrump’s 2015 statement ciously satirical and she on u ndo c u ment e d Amy Schumer Mexican immigrants: has no fear of dark “[T]hey’re rapists, and subject matters.

8 p.m. Friday “I kind of go back and some, I assume, are good Chesapeake Energy Arena forth between being like people.”

100 W. Reno Ave. ‘I’m pretty; I know I’m Schumer’s response amyschumer.com pretty, but I know I’m not to the criticism was that 866-448-7849 that pretty,’” Schumer it was a joke and people $38-$95 said in 2011 of her found it funny, which is standup act. “Then I’ll true. Many great cometalk about sex a lot, like I talk about being dians regularly cross the line, such as promiscuous, and I totally have been; I Lenny Bruce’s use of “inappropriate” totally had a good amount of sex, for the language and subject matter in the 1960s wrong reasons, for the right reasons, and or Richard Pryor’s liberal uses of the N word in his comedy in the 1970s.

I talk about it openly and unapologetiSchumer’s work is definitely groundcally.”

While Schumer’s characters are atbreaking; where it falls socially will be tractive and promiscuous, they are a far debated for years. cry from the glamorous party girls preThe fourth season of Inside Amy sented on reality television shows; they Schumer premieres April 21 on Comedy are often depicted as superficial, selfCentral, and a fifth season has already obsessed, unhappy and prone to black been green-lit by the network. out in public.

Visit amyschumer.com for more inThe dark side of Schumer’s social formation. satire goes so far as to joke about subjects traditionally considered taboo, like sexually transmitted infections, abortions

Performing Arts

Star symphony Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage celebrates 50 years of music from the historic franchise.

By Ben Luschen | Photo Erika Goldring / Provided

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra plays during Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage.

Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 8 p.m. April 22 Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave.

Jerry Goldsmith scored Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. His work on that film has been called some of the best in cinematic history.

The Star Trek universe celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016, and classic music from Goldsmith and many others who have contributed to the vast series of film and television shows is not forgotten.

Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage is a concert tour dedicated to honoring the franchise’s music legacy. It stops in Oklahoma City 8 p.m. April 22 at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Justin Freer, conductor and producer of The Ultimate Voyage, said he holds Goldsmith’s work in high regard.

“I think that score’s a monumental masterpiece,” he said. “Here we are, all these decades later, looking back at that score as one of the pinnacle moments of film music history, and I think it will always be that.”

okcciviccenter.com The Ultimate Voyage 405-297-2584 focuses on scores across $20-$75 the history of the series.

The show features the best and most memorable music from the franchise, played by the Czech National “I adore the franchise,” he said. “Fifty Symphony Orchestra. Freer has worked with the traveling orchestra on past tours featuryears of anything is quite an accomplishing music from The Godfather and Titanic. ment.”

All the music will be synchronized to A lot has changed in the Star Trek univideo. Different themes from the past 50 verse since it began in 1966. The stories years — “the Enterprise,” “man’s exploration” changed creative hands and were influand “life forms” — are explored. Freer said enced by countless producers, directors, the performance musically traces themes costume designers and composers. through a montage of clips and memories.

However, what strikes Freer is not what Freer considers himself a Trekkie. Born changed, but what remains. in 1980, he recalls being introduced to the “It’s a minor miracle that all these franchise as a kid while watching Star Trek: amazing changes over the years have resulted in such a consistent high quality,” The Next Generation. His interest eventuhe said. ally led him to the older films and Goldsmith’s Star Trek music often reflects themes work.

of romantic adventure or curious awe.

Freer said Star Trek composers grappled with the idea of escapism in space. They’re transporting people to another world, or even between worlds. Along with that comes a sense of enormity, but also of direct, personal connection.

“I think that’s one of the things [Star Trek creator] Gene Roddenberry was so good at describing when he started this out in ’66,” he said. “I think any great music in film or television does one primary thing and does it well: help tell the emotional story of the content on film.

It does what visuals cannot do.”

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

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Richard Linklater’s newest film finds passion amid silliness and college antics.

By Jacob Oller | Photo Van Redin / Paramount Pictures / Provided

Gazette’s weekly winner will be announced each week in the table of contents. Printed winners have 7 days to claim tickets. must give email, full name & Phone number.

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Rambling weirdos

Writer/Director Richard Linklater is the king of the ramble. From his debut Slacker to hazy Dazed and Confused, the delicate cadence of the Before series and the formulative memory vignettes of Boyhood, Linklater has made a career of roundabout raconteuring. Everybody Wants Some!! brings his lackadaisical, narcotic strut at its highest potency to a Texas college baseball team in the heart of the ’80s.

From this team of skirt-chasing, bingedrinking, freshman-hazing jocks, the movie carves out intricate notches into its definition of masculinity. We’re chauffeured around the team’s off-campus housing and its orbiting parties, practices and local bars by naive (though not as much as some) freshman pitcher Jake (played by Blake Jenner, sporting a Linklater-like shagginess).

His teammates are specifically defined in the vague ways that we define schoolmates and dorm buddies: with a particular story or nickname summarizing our entire view of them as people. There’s a guy named Coma, a guy who only ever talks — with a socially ambivalent intensity — about how utterly talented he is at baseball, a Twilight Zone-recording stoner and a farm boy. They are snapshots in a yearbook, aimed to condense a year’s living in an image.

Many of inescapably charismatic Jenner’s co-stars leap from the screen.

Former child actor Tyler Hoechlin’s brawny team captain combines temper, coolness and leadership just a few inches short of mature, while newcomers Temple Baker and J. Quinton Johnson shine as a quintessential dumb jock and a confident straightshooter, respectively. Glen Powell plays Finn, Jake’s motor-mouthed mentor, with such pizzazz, empathy and confidence pitched somewhere between complete narcissism and transcendence that he’s easily the breakthrough performance of the piece.

The bricolage of personalities is unified not only by baseball, youth or testosterone, but by passion. We see competitive energies turn every event into a friendly pissing contest with easily discerned winners and losers. Love and sex become as much a sport as anything else. Strategy always forms the basis of conversations; from pickup lines to life planning, the slackers are made ambitious by their framing.

Though the rich-hued picture slowly drifts along sunny dirt roads and populated parking lots, bright enthusiasm bursts from every nook. Jake’s crush Beverly, a drama student played by wonderfully metered Zoey Deutch, brings a quiet intensity as a foil to the rambunctious bros. She and Jake meander down a river, tubing at dawn before first classes, discussing life, goals and loves.

The pros and cons of leaving their hometowns for a larger college, becoming small fish in a big pond, sink in as Jake raises a Sisyphean analogy for baseball.

Striving over and over for something seemingly meaningless might appear to be a waste of time, but then again, isn’t everything? And isn’t it beautiful that we get to be passionate about anything at all in our time on this world?

Everybody Wants Some!! is Linklater’s greatest achievement in that genre so far.

The tunes — from disco to honkytonk and Van Halen — especially roar from the speakers.

Eclectic and unassuming, this movie defines masculinity not as purely chauvinistic, violent or domineering, but a collection of weirdos who all possess (and to some extent embrace or repress) these qualities in differing amounts. The fact that it never comes out and says any of it, instead choosing to thrill us with bong rips and bar fights, makes Everybody Wants Some!! another addition to a master collection.

s p o rts

Michel center readies for a kick at Rayo OKC’s first match April 2.

Fresh footballers

Rayo OKC kicks off its first season as OKC’s newest soccer team.

By Brett Dickerson | Photo Rayo OKC / Provided

Oklahoma City’s newest professional soccer team, Rayo OKC, had a good problem April 2. The demand for tickets from people who showed up to watch its inaugural game went far beyond the number of seats allotted in its system.

At game time, lines of people still waiting to buy tickets snaked out into the parking lot at Miller Stadium on the campus of Yukon High School west of OKC. “Every ticket that we had in our ticket system was gone, so I authorized to open up 200 additional standing-room-only tickets,” Brad Lund told Oklahoma Gazette.

The official attendance number by the end of the evening was 6,416.

Lund is a managing partner along with Yukon native DeBray Ayala. Sean Jones of Mustang is the minority owner. Wellknown Spanish soccer club Rayo Vallecano de Madrid is majority owner and provides experience and expertise.

Expansion club

Rayo OKC is an expansion club in the North American Soccer League along with two others in Miami and Puerto Rico. The league has 11 clubs total that play spring and fall seasons. Rayo OKC will become the league’s 12th club when it joins in the fall.

The addition of Rayo OKC means there are now two professional soccer clubs in the OKC area. Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is in the United Soccer League and plays at Taft Stadium near May Avenue and NW 23rd Street. That club played its first season in 2014.

Lund said that his team’s game April 2 was “the first pro sporting event in the history of Yukon.” Because of that, he had no reliable measure of what the response

would be ahead of time.

He said that earlier in the week, he was feeling down because it looked like Rayo was going to get too much competition from the University of Oklahoma’s Sooners playing in the Final Four the same night.

“But as each day went by, our ticket manager kept saying, ‘We’re selling tickets.

We’re selling tickets,” Lund said.

Familiar kicks

Rayo Vallecano de Madrid is a part of the La Liga league. Lund said that this is the first club in that league to invest in soccer in the U.S. He estimated that “about 40-50 percent” of those in attendance at the April 2 game were Hispanic, which was a sign that the parent company’s name did have an impact.

“The Hispanic community certainly recognizes the name,” Lund said. “They are more than aware of that franchise and that league. I was especially proud of the diversity of the crowd.”

Residents of eastern Canadian County are not the only ones the club is targeting.

Miller Stadium, built with the rest of the new high school campus in 2012, puts the team in a great location.

“The campus and the stadium have a lot of curb appeal,” Lund said. “But Interstate 40 and the Kilpatrick Turnpike being within a few miles is what sold me. It’s about a 12- to 20-minute drive from pretty much anywhere in OKC.” Lund believes the team is off to a good start, even though it has not officially made its first goal. The score was 0-0 at the end of its first match.

For a schedule, tickets and club and player information, visit rayookc.com.

I was especially proud of the diversity of the crowd.

Brad Lund O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

37

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by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

BOOKS Poetry Reading and Book Signing, inaugural book signing and poetry reading of One, a book collaboration by Oklahoma poet Angie LaPaglia and Oklahoma multidisciplinary artist Darshan Phillips, 2-3 p.m., April 16. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. SAT New Ink, discover newly released books and soon-to-be bestsellers, 3-5 p.m., April 16. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Allison Adelle Hedge Coke Reading, Coke reads from her collection of poetry and signs books, 6-8 p.m., April 16. The Paramount Room, 7 N. Lee Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountroom.com. SAT Book Reading and Signing, contributors to Veils, Halos, and Shackles, a book full of 249 poems by poets from various countries, will sign the book and read excerpts, 2 p.m., April 17. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks. com. SUN

FILM An Act of Love, (US, 2015, dir. Scott Sheppard) documentary following Rev. Frank Schaefer as he was put on trial in the United Methodist Church for officiating his son’s same-sex wedding, 6:30-9 p.m., April 14. Oklahoma City University Angie Smith Chapel, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., okcu. edu. THU

Chips for Charity Enjoy a night of casino gaming while raising money for good causes right here in OKC. Junior Hospitality Club’s ninth annual Chips for Charity fundraiser starts 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Chevy Bricktown Events Center, 429 E. California Ave. The event features food by local restaurants and beer by COOP Ale Works.

Junior Hospitality is a philanthropic club of women who devote their time to volunteering and raising funds for local charitable organizations. Chips for Charity proceeds support Junior Hospitality’s community projects and Citizens Caring for Children, a local nonprofit helping children in foster care. Tickets are $50-$75. Visit jhok.org. Saturday Food from Iguana Grill | Photo Gazette / File

Chimes at Midnight, (US, 1965, dir.

Orson Welles) the most unconventional Shakespeare adaptation; rather than one work, Welles’ masterpiece combines and reinterprets elements from both Henry IV plays, Richard II, Henry V and The Merry Wives of Windsor, 5:30 p.m., April 15-16; 2 p.m., April 17. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN Take Me to the River, (US, 2015, dir. Matt Sobel) a California teen plans to come out to his extended family during their family reunion but an accident with his cousin puts a halt to his plan, 8 p.m., April 15-16; 5:30 p.m., April 17. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-2363100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN

Charlie Chaplin Double Feature, enjoy a short film followed by a feature-length Charlie Chaplin presentation, 8-10:30 p.m., April 15. The Paramount, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountokc.com. FRI Meet Dayton Duncan, spend an afternoon with award-winning filmmaker, author and longtime Ken Burns collaborator Dayton Duncan; presentation from Duncan on his latest project, a preview of the remastered The National Parks: America’s Greatest Idea, with a Q&A to follow, 3-4:30 p.m., April 16. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. SAT Planet Thunder Brainstorm, free film lovers’ mixer and conference to inspire and inform the local filmmaking community, with guest speaker Fritz Kiersch, veteran film director and head of the Moving Image Arts program at Oklahoma City University and a panel of working professionals, 7 p.m., April 16. District House, 1755 NW 16th St, 405-633-1775, districthouseokc.com. SAT Man with a Movie Camera, (US, 1929, dir. Dziga Vertov) part documentary and part cinematic art, this film follows a city in the 1920s Soviet Union from morning to night; depicts scenes of ordinary daily life in Russia and celebrates the city’s modernity, with its vast buildings, dense population and industries, 8 p.m., April 16. The Paramount, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountokc.com. SAT Life Itself, (US, 2014, dir. Steve James) documentary recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert; a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful and transcendent; based on the bestselling memoir of the same name, 2 p.m., April 17. Meinders School of Business, NW 27th Street and McKinley Avenue. SUN

Tickets start at $30 // Shows through April 24 Tickets: 405.524.9312 . LyricTheatreOKC.com

Allied Arts | Oklahoma Arts Council | National Endowment for the Arts

COMING SOON DREAMGIRLS

CIVIC CENTER JUN 28-JUL 2

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THE WIZARD OF OZ CIVIC CENTER JUL 12-JUL 16

Paul Medina book signing Paul Medina has used the arts to serve as a child advocate in Oklahoma City for the last two decades. His young adult book Unbroken Circle is a sequel to Enchanted Circles. The artist hosts a free book signing 3 p.m. Saturday at Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway. Visit enchantedcirclesseries.com or call Full Circle at 405-842-2900. Saturday Unbroken Circles by Paul Medina / Provided

Singin’ in the Rain, (US, 1952, dir.

Stanley Donen) classic musical film staring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor; three performers transition from silent films to “talkies,” 7 p.m., April 19. Harkins Theatre, 150 E. Reno Ave., 405-231-4747, harkinstheatres.com. TUE

HAPPENINGS Premiere on Film Row, family-friendly event the third Friday of each month, features film screenings, live music, art exhibitions and gourmet food trucks; 7-10 p.m., April 15. Film Row, 700 W. Sheridan Ave., filmrowokc.com.

FRI

Record Store Day at Guestroom Records, hundreds of exclusive RSD releases, food and refreshments available from local favorites including COOP Ale Works, The Sandwich Club, Waving Wheat bakery, The Garage and Holey Rollers Donuts along with live entertainment and sales, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., April 16. Guestroom Records, 3701 N. Western Ave., 405-601-3859, guestroomrecords.com. SAT Narrative Poetry Workshop, storytelling workshop in conjunction with the temporary exhibit, Willard Stone Centennial: A Legacy of Art Through Family, 1-3 p.m., April 16. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-2354458, oklahomaheritage.com.

Remington Place, 405-602-664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU Cleats and Cocktails, join Wes Welker and the Wes Welker Foundation for a night of fun with the opportunity to bid on silent and live auction packages, play in the “Casino Royale” lounge and dance to your favorite hits; proceeds benefit Oklahoma City schools and nonprofits, 7 p.m., April 15.

Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, 7000 NW Grand Blvd., 405-848-5611, okcgcc.com. FRI L’Amour du Vin, showcases a selection of fine wines from four French winemakers paired with a five-course meal prepared by the Vast culinary team, 6:30 p.m., April 15. Vast, 333 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-702-7262, vastokc. com. FRI Cheese & Wine of Italy, we all know that Italy is home to “The King of Cheeses” ParmigianoReggiano, but Italy is also home to an array of other cheeses, each of which is made in its own culturally and gastronomically

A Good4U Breakfast, discover why eating a complete breakfast can help you throughout the day, with improved cognition, metabolic and cardiovascular support and overall health, 3-4 p.m., April 17. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 405-840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SUN The ABC’s of What You Eat: Grape Tomatoes, learn the facts about grape tomatoes including nutritional benefits, how to select, store and serve them; prepare and enjoy healthy and delicious Greek salad kebobs, 9:30 a.m., April 19. Uptown Grocery Co., 9515 N. May Ave., 405-242-6080, uptowngroceryco.com. TUE Silver Oak/Twomey Wine Dinner, relish an elegant evening at the Museum Cafe; five-course meal prepared by chef Henry Boudreaux is paired with the perfect complementary wine, 6-9 p.m., April 19. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. TUE

SAT

Fairy Tale Ball, Happily Ogre after, a unique, fun-filled gala for the whole family; dress up in your finest fairy tale attire for an evening of dining and dancing along with all your favorite fairy tale characters; children and tweens will have their own dining event complete with performances, dancing, games and fun activities while adults dine, play and bid on live auction packages, 5:30-10 p.m., April 16. The Petroleum Club, 100 N. Broadway Ave., 405-232-1184, petroleumclubokc.com. SAT Evening EscApe, a special fundraising event to help the great ape conservation; evening includes wine and beer, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, silent auction and a behind-the-scenes tour of Great EscApe and the opportunity to interact with and ask questions of Great EscApe keepers, 6:30-8:30 p.m., April 16. Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Pl., 405-424-3344, okczoo.com. SAT Pretty in Pink ’80s Prom, dust off that ’80s prom dress or ruffled shirt; FlashBack RetroPub brings guests an ’80s prom experience like never before, 8 p.m., April 16. Flashback Retropub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. SAT Level Up Your IG Game, ultimate blend of social media strategy and how to create eye-catching photography; two creatives, House of Margot and Egg In A Glass, team up to provide guests with foolproof digital gameplans, 2-4 p.m., April 17. Rally, 1745 NW 16th St., rallyokc.com. SUN Lawn Maintenance Seminar, learn more about maintaining healthy and lush lawns and understand which lawn varieties work best in certain landscapes and how to care for each variety, 1:30-3 p.m., April 19. Northeast Regional Health & Wellness Campus, 2600 NE 63rd St. TUE OETA Day, meet and greets with Curious George and Daniel Tiger, storytime with a guest reader, a photo booth and many more family-friendly activities, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., April 20. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory. org/historycenter. WED

FOOD Cork & Canvas, an upbeat evening of live music, delicious appetizers, wine pairings and a selection of silent and live auction packages, including oneof-a-kind artworks by students; proceeds benefit Positive Tomorrows, 6-9 p.m., April 14. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020

Spaceballs Hanging out with your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate and need a movie to see? For that specific scenario, Spaceballs seems appropriate. Luckily, the Mel Brooks spoof on Star Wars will be playing 7:15 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 7 15 p.m. SaturdaySunday at Evans Theatres Robinson Crossing 6, 1300 N. Interstate Drive, in Norman. Admission is $2-$3. Visit evanstheatres.com or call 405-701-5600. Friday-Sunday Spaceballs | Photo Brooksfilms / Provided distinct region; learn about all of them while enjoying five wines from across the Italian countryside, 6:45-8:15 p.m., April 15.

Forward Foods-Norman, 2001 West Main St., Norman, 405-3211007, forwardfoods.com. FRI Saved By The Crawl, dress up in your ’80s/’90s best and get your crawl on in the historic Deep Deuce District with drink specials for crawlers at each location; proceeds benefit funding for awareness, education, advocacy and research for skin cancer, melanoma and cancers related to melanoma, while also helping local families directly affected by these cancers, 5-10 p.m., April 16.

Deep Deuce District, 100 NE Third St. SAT Cooking Demo, learn how to prepare delicious eggs Benedict, 1 p.m., April 16. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 405-509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. SAT Introduction to Wildcrafting Dinner, Jackie Dill, expert Wildcrafter, gives an introduction to wildcrafting with partner Mike Givens, wildcrafting chef, to prepare a delicious four-course meal, discuss some commonly found wild edibles and learn wildcrafting basics, 5-8 p.m., April 16. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SAT

YOUTH A Night Under the Stars, family workshop; enjoy stellar crafts and star-themed activities; meet and astronomer and look through a real telescope, 7 p.m., April 15.

Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu. FRI Dr. Orr’s Birthday Bash, celebrate Dr. Orr’s 84th birthday at Orr Family Farm; for families and children of all ages; enjoy activities such as a short obstacle course, face painting, lawn Twister, and play birthday bingo, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., April 16. The Orr Family Farm, 14400 S. Western, 405-799-3276, orrfamilyfarm.com. SAT Art Making: Silkscreen T-shirts, learn basic silkscreen printing techniques then design and print your own one-of-a-kind T-shirt, 10 a.m.-noon, April 16. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. SAT Colors of the Rainbow, explore the museum’s galleries for colors, families and create colorful three-dimensional rainbows; ages 15-36 months, 10-10:45 a.m.; ages 3-5, 11 a.m.-noon, April 16. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-2363100, okcmoa.com. SAT

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calendar are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com. continued from page 39

7:30 p.m., April 14-16; 2:30 p.m., April 17. The Stage Door Theater, 601 Oak Ave., Yukon, 405-265-1590, stagedooryukon.com. THU-SUN Light Up The Sky, the comedic shenanigans make this Moss Hart classic one of the best looks at how a new play evolves in spite of everyone’s intentions, 8 p.m.,

15; 1:30 & 7:30 p.m., April 16; 1:30 p.m., April 17. Civic Center Music Hall, CitySpace, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-2972584, okcciviccenter.com.

FRI-SUN Bonnie & Clyde, at the height of the Great Depression, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow went from two small-town nobodies in West Texas to America’s most renowned folk heroes and the Texas law enforcement’s worst nightmares, 8 p.m., April 15-16, 2 p.m., April 17. Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main, Norman, 405-321-9600, soonertheatre.com. FRI-SUN The Dinner Detective, this improvised show is just another ordinary dinner, with one exception — someone in the midst is guilty of murder, and just might be sitting across from you, 6-9:30 p.m., April 16. Sheraton Hotel, 1 N. Broadway Ave., 405-2352780, sheratonokc.com. SAT

ACTIVE Go the Distance Oklahoma Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ 2016 spring conference is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at OKC Embassy Suites Hotel, 1815 S. Meridian Ave. Three editors, two agents and one art director will speak on the theme Go the Distance. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is a nonprofit network of 22,000 writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators and booksellers around the world focused on literature, magazines, film, television and multimedia for children. Conference registration is $150-$200. Visit scbwi.org. Saturday Sara Sargent | Photo Oklahoma Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators / Provided

Sensory Safari — Hearing, explore the natural world with sensory activities and crafts, animal demos and more, 10-11:30 p.m., April 16.

Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Pl., 405-4243344, okczoo.com. SAT Pitch, Hit & Run, boys and girls competing in hitting, pitching and running, 1-3 p.m., April 17. Yukon Community Center, 2200 S. Holly Ave., Yukon, 405-354-8442, cityofyukonok.gov. SUN

14-16; 2:30 p.m., April 17.

Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 405-521-1786, jewelboxtheatre.org.

THU-SUN ’night, Mother, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize; this eloquent, enthralling and ultimately shattering play explores the final hour in the life of a young woman who has decided that life is no longer worth living, 7:30 p.m., April

Drop-In Yoga, yoga class in the museum’s galleries, 5:456:45 p.m., April 14. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU OKC Dodgers vs. Nashville Sounds, minor league baseball game, 7:05 p.m., April 15-16, 18-20; 2:05 p.m., April 17. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-218-1000. FRIMON/WED Pat’s Run Shadow Run, 4.2mile run; the signature fundraising event of Pat Tillman Foundation, which as created to honor the legacy of Tillman, the professional football player and U.S. Army Ranger killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004, 1 p.m., April 16. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/parks. SAT

VISUAL ARTS Accoutrements, finely crafted jewelry and weaving

by Andrea Kissinger. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo St. #A, 405-525-2161, inyoureyegallery.com.

April Featured Artists, Oklahoma City-based artist

Art Adventures, children can experience the world of art through stories and projects in this event series; this week’s story is Mouse Paint

by Ellen Stoll Walsh, 10:30 a.m., April 19. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 325-3272, ou.edu/ fjjma. TUE

PERFORMING ARTS Steve Hirst, his unique brand of humor manages to translate the comical differences between the U.K. and the U.S. and his act has often been described as a mix between Benny Hill and the movie Snatch; impressions, music and a closing bit that will have you falling out of your seat, 8 p.m., April 13-14; 8 & 10:30 p.m., April 15-16.

Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405239-4242, loonybincomedy. com. WED -SAT Where the Lilies Bloom, young Mary Call Luther has spunk, guts and spirit, and she needs them if she’s to keep her family together after the death of her father and hide her father’s death from the county welfare,

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Kelly Rogers creates embroidered paintings inspired by both her collection of antique family photos and sketches of her family; Sarah K. Coffman works with a wide variety of mediums, including ink, paint, paper, wood, thread, leather and found objects, and loves experimenting with woodburning; Reagan Kloiber uses watercolors and ink on fabric placed on embroidery hoops, then adds stitching to the final work. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-5253499, dnagalleries.com.

Art from the Earth, sculptures made from materials found in and around Central Park Community Garden; works call attention to spaces in between the destinations in our lives. Central Park Community Garden, NW 32nd Street and Shartel Avenue. em/BARK: A Migratory Experiment, a sequel to Christie Hackler’s popular installation ; exhibit celebrates the monarch butterfly as a symbol of freedom, of release from the past and joy for the future with 300 brightly colored enameled butterflies. The Project Box, 3003 Paseo St., 405-6093969, theprojectboxokc.com.

Flora and Felines, a cat’s-eye view into Oklahoma artist O. Gail Poole’s unique artistic vision; exhibit collects some of Poole’s most engaging work, a collection of whimsical depictions of cats in nature, blending into their surroundings. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-297-3995, myriadgardens.com.

Fringe Women Artists of Oklahoma, annual group show featuring works from 19 Fringe artists. Graphite Gallery, 1751 NW 16th St., 405-919-0578, graphiteokcart.com.

Philip Van Keuren: Murmurations, although each work stands on its own the entire body of images is considered one work of art. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-9995, artspaceatuntitled.org.

Photography Exhibit, showcasing photographer Ron Brandon. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, Suite 113-R, 405848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com.

Scattering Light-The Optics of Clouds, oil paintings by David Holland focus on how light interacts with clouds and also features educational components. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Cleats & Cocktails Wes Welker Foundation celebrates raising $1 million for student athletes at its Cleats & Cocktails fundraiser. The foundation supports at-risk youth and provides a positive influence in their lives by funding physical education building projects and equipment for schools and athletics-focused organizations. Wes Welker graduated from Heritage Hall and went on to play in the NFL. Cleats & Cocktails is 7 p.m. Friday at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, 7000 NW Grand Blvd. The event features live and silent auctions of sports memorabilia and packages. Tickets are $150. Sponsorships are available. Visit weswelkerfoundation.org or call 405-286-9021.

Friday Jeff Lott, Kliff Kingsbury, Tommy McVay, Wes Welker and Mike Smith | Photo Wes Welker Foundation / Provided

Spring 2016 Show, featuring works in oil, acrylic, watercolor and mixed media; handmade jewelry and ceramic sculptures will also be featured. The Studio Gallery, 2642 W. Britton Road, 405-752-2642, thestudiogallery.org.

Spring Selections, a sampling of new works from gallery artists through the early spring, Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.

Ted West Exhibit, photographer from Oklahoma City whose photo collages draw on free association and creative accidents to create unusual stories. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 405232-6060, iaogallery.org.

Peter Pan Take a trip to Neverland with Oklahoma City Ballet’s production of Peter Pan. Think of happy things and set sail with Tinker Bell, Wendy and Peter 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Kids can enjoy making Tinker Bell wands and pirate’s hooks before each performance in the south lobby, and OKC Ballet dancers will meet guests after each matinee show. Tickets are $22-$72.

Visit okcballet.com or call 405-848-8637. FridaySunday Peter Pan | Photo Oklahoma City Ballet / Provided

The Photographic Legacy of Dr. Charles Simmons, show curated by Bill Broiles for the Ntu Art Association celebrates contributions of Simmons, who retired from the United States Air Force as a highly decorated Master Sergeant and then embarked upon a new career in education. Owens Arts Place Museum, 1202 E. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 405-260-0204, owensmuseum.com.

Calendar 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 405528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@ okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For okg music picks see page 48

f e at u r e

MUSIC

Full Jacket

Oklahoma City welcomes My Morning Jacket and bassist Tom Blankenship for the first time.

By Ben Luschen | Photo Danny Clinch / Provided

My Morning Jacket has Rosie to thank for helping it survive the long nights.

Rosie, a two-toned ’89 Dodge van, was the alt-country band’s first tour vessel.

She was named for the classic AC/DC song “Whole Lotta Rosie.”

“It looked like a shit sandwich because it was poop brown on the top and bottom and cream in the middle,” said Tom Blankenship, bassist for the Louisville, Kentucky, group.

Blankenship spoke with Oklahoma Gazette before the act’s April 27 show at The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave. It will be the first time My Morning Jacket has played in Oklahoma City, he said.

The act now travels in a cushy tour bus, but in the early years, bandmates pulled Rosie into shady truck stops on late nights and tried to sleep across her benches.

“One guy would wake up every couple of hours and turn on the van to make sure everybody stayed warm,” Blankenship recalled.

My Morning Jacket has consistently churned out high-quality records in its 17-year run. Blankenship is the only remaining member of the band’s original lineup aside from charismatic founder, vocalist and guitarist Jim James. In his time, the bassist has seen the group upgrade its travel arrangements and musically morph along with the tastes and attitudes of its members.

While My Morning Jacket’s discography might be of consistent quality, no one release can be called a close clone of another. The band always finds new angles with which to approach music, in some instances making marked sonic leaps between records.

Navigating Nashville

Blankenship would often stop with his bandmates in Oklahoma City for a quick bite to eat en route to concerts in Austin or New Orleans. He can remember playing a 2011 concert in Tulsa, but for one reason or another, a show in the state’s capital city has eluded the act until now.

“I’m excited to be there and explore the city a little bit,” he said.

The musician has nearly spent his entire adult life as a member of My Morning Jacket, which also means he has been forced to spend much of that time on the road between tour stops. He said no one really likes sleeping on a bus, but

at the same time, he relishes the opportunity to take in everything the world has to offer.

“I would not be content to spend my career just in the studio all the time,” he said. “I have a really difficult time just being in there, especially if there’s no windows or anything else. I just feel like I’m in a cave the whole time.”

Performing is still his favorite part of the job, Blankenship said. Touring also forces him to visit cities he wouldn’t otherwise and experience things outside of his comfort zone.

“Being away from home is never fun, but we’ve gotten to the point now where my wife can fly in and out of the cities she wants to come into, so we have our families and our support system around us,” he said.

The Kentucky transplant makes his home in Nashville. Blankenship said it was a different world for him before he moved to the country music mecca. In the past, he never spent much time thinking about what was going on with contemporary country or popular music.

That side of the music industry seems unavoidable as stars like Carrie Underwood film music videos within walking range of his home.

In a 2015 feature with Rolling Stone, James had harsh words for the state of mainstream country music, saying it “deliberately dumbed down the human race.”

Blankenship did not accuse modern country of bad intentions, but he did say he thought the music could use some more creativity.

“I don’t have negative feelings toward [modern country music]; I just think it is what it is,” he said. “I think modern pop music is pretty amazing. I think it always has been. Yeah, of course it’s super catchy and super simple, but I think it’s kind of a fun challenge to write songs like that.”

Sonic snapshots

My Morning Jacket exists in an eclectic realm between pop and country. The band’s reputation for taking on music in new ways is the result of an intentional effort to be different and the byproduct of a band filled with adventurous musicians.

“I think part of it is we were just excited to try new sounds every time,” Blankenship said. “We’re all turning each

I think modern pop music is pretty amazing. I think it always has been.

Tom Blankenship

My Morning Jacket

other on to new music elements outside of all the time from country and Southern My Morning Jacket tot a lly d i f ferent rock music, including with The Barr genres. Those kinds of synthetic sounds.

Brothers influences obviously These projects reprework their way into sent periods 8 p.m. April 27 Blankenship recalls what we’re doing.”

The Criterion The members do fondly.

500 E. Sheridan Ave. not sit down before a “I could say it criterionokc.com about every record record and decide it 405-840-5500 because it’s a snapwill sound a certain $30.50 shot in time of who way. There are no literal comparisons or the band was in that blueprints that are year or that couple of made, Blankenship said. Instead, My years that we were making music,” he said.

Morning Jacket’s sound is a result of who “It’s kind of cool, like a little Polaroid.” the band members are as people and muThough the band has taken creative sicians at a given time. hiatuses in the past, the bassist doesn’t Blankenship doesn’t point to particusee any end in sight for My Morning Jacket lar songs he’s proud of. It changes from as it approaches two decades of music. record to record or from show to show.

“I don’t want to put too much into it Instead, he looks at the different eras My because you never know what’s going to Morning Jacket has gone through. happen,” he said. “But I also feel like the At Dawn, its second studio album, is a 17 years I’ve been doing it kind of went by release the band put out on its own. Z, rein a flash. Maybe the next 17 years of the band will go by just as quickly.” leased in 2005, broadened the act’s range.

It transformed all previously established notions of what the group was, introducing O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

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event

MUSIC

Piping dreams

Flatfoot 56

Chicago’s Flatfoot 56 brings punk flair to Yukon’s Iron Thistle Scottish Festival.

By Ben Luschen | Photo Anthony Barlich / Provided

Thousands of educators crowded Chicago gressive styles, for sure.” streets. A one-day teachers’ union strike The act owes its format partially to culminated in an all-out rally as protestthe fact that Bawinkel, who formed the ers plugged up rush-hour roadways in band with his brothers Justin and Kyle one of the nation’s busiest metropolises. in 2000, happened to be friends with a In the middle of it all was Tobin bagpipe player.

The Bawinkels grew up on Chicago’s Bawinkel, a substitute teacher by day and frontman for upbeat southwest side, an Celtic pu n k act area known for its Flatfoot 56 by night. st rong ly Ir i sh neig hb orho o d s .

Bawinkel and his band Iron Thistle Scottish The city is also headline Iron Thistle Festival home to a proud Scottish Festival with performances 5 p.m. lineage of hardcore April 29-May 1 April 30 and May 1 in punk acts.

Kirkpatrick Family Farm Yukon. “[Irish culture] 1001 Garth Brooks Blvd., Yukon Illinois has been was all around us unitedscotsok.com operating without a all the time,” he 405-640-9036 budget for several said.

“We loved Free-$6 months. Ch icago Celtic music in Public Schools was general, and we forced to shut down wanted to play it. some schools in recent years due to lack We found a way to take our two favorite kinds of music and mix them together.” of funding, and the city and teachers’ After shows, fans approach the musiunion are at heated odds in contract negotiations. cians and ask what part of Ireland or “It’s a bad situation, so everyone was Europe they’re from. kind of like, ‘We need to put our foot down “The first bands to do this style are and say, ‘Hey, listen. This is no good,’” American,” he said. “Celtic punk didn’t Bawinkel said in a recent phone interview really come from Ireland; just traditionwith Oklahoma Gazette. al Celtic music.”

Iron Thistle is not the first Celtic fest Flatfoot 56 has been active for 16 years. The band, known for its jovial Flatfoot 56 has played, but Bawinkel said brand of bagpipe-backed hardcore punk, he would like to book more. Many festivals hire classic pipe and drum acts. is unconventional.

Many of its moshing fans might not “I’ve had guys in almost their 70s consider that the man behind the microstage-dive at shows, which is really inphone spends his days filling in for absent teresting,” he said. “It’s a blast.” history teachers. But few things encapAbove all, the musicians try to be a sulate the punk ideal more than participositive, fun-loving band without any pating in a thousands-deep teacher clear agenda or anger. strike. On top of that, there might not be “Our biggest joy is to make people an instrument more punk than bagpipes. laugh and have a good time,” Bawinkle “It is an instrument of war,” Bawinkel said. said. “It’s kind of a good one for the ag42

a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Left to Die

The crowd awaits the naming of Gazette Music Awards’ Class of 2016 Friday during ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Fest in downtown Oklahoma City.

Tyson Meade and Parker Millsap Helen Kelter Skelter

Representatives for Blue Note Lounge

f e at u r e

Shortt Dogg

Elizabeth Speegle Band

GMA love

Lincka center

LoneMoon center left accepts his Best Underage Band award.

Gazette staff and presenter Ferris O’Brien toss swag to fans.

It’s official. Gazette Music Awards Class of 2016 was inducted during last week’s ACM@UCO Metro Music Fest in downtown Oklahoma City.

By Jennifer Chancellor | Photos Garett Fisbeck

Friday evening, The Spy’s Ferris O’Brien helped present Gazette Music Awards to 26 Oklahoma artists and venues and Lifetime Achievement honoree Tyson Meade and Rising Star honoree Parker Millsap. In the midst of hundreds of music fans during ACM@UCO’s Metro Music Fest event in Bricktown, reader-voted winners took the stage as their fans cheered them on.

Oklahoma City artist Joe Slack designed and created this year’s Woody Award trophies. Gazette Music Awards’ presenting sponsor was Firelake Arena. Special thanks goes to the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma for opening up its stage and welcoming the awards show, music fans and Class of 2016 winners and honorees.

2016 Gazette Music Awards winners and honorees:

Best Red Dirt / Rockabilly: Red Dirt Rangers

Best Acoustic: John Moreland

Best Rock: Kirra

Worth mentioning: Dusty Rose, Kyle Dillingham

Best Americana / Folk: Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road Worth mentioning: Parker Millsap, John Fullbright

Best Country: Kaitlin Butts Worth mentioning: Turnpike Troubadours,

Worth mentioning: Kent Fauss, Stoney LaRue

Best Music Gear Store: Rawson Music Worth mentioning: OKC Music and Sound,

Worth mentioning: Zoot Suit, Midas 13

Norman Music Center

Worth mentioning: Evolution Underground,

Worth mentioning: Russell’s, The Copa

Best Cover: My So Called Band

Best Place to Dance: Groovy’s

Uncle Freddy

Best Overall: Jabee

Best Place for Karaoke: Blue Note Lounge

Worth mentioning: Kirra,

Worth mentioning: Cookie’s,

Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road

Henry Hudson’s Pub

Jason Young Band

Best Electronic / DJ: Blev

Best Other Genre: Horse Thief (folk rock)

Best Music Festival in Oklahoma: Rocklahoma

Worth mentioning: Warcopter, LoneMoon

Worth mentioning: Junebug Spade

Worth mentioning: Norman Music Festival,

(indie stoner pop), Shortt Dogg (funk,

Backwoods Music Festival

Best Jazz: Elizabeth Speegle Band Worth mentioning: Justin Young, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

Best Latin: Lincka

Worth mentioning: Edgar Cruz, brujoroots

Best Metal: Left to Die

Worth mentioning: Soul Torrent, A Dying Art

Best Punk: Helen Kelter Skelter

Worth mentioning: Cosmostanza, Red City Radio

Best R&B: Shortt Dogg

Worth mentioning: Meant2B, Cooki Turner

Best Rap / Hip-Hop: Jabee

Worth mentioning: Josh Sallee, Trash TV

R&B, hip-hop, smooth jazz)

Best Underage Band: LoneMoon

Best Live Music Venue (Small): 51st Street Speakeasy

Worth mentioning: Part-Time Savants,

Worth mentioning: Blue Note Lounge,

The Void In Me

Thunder Alley Grill & Sports Lounge

Worth mentioning: Samantha Crain,

Worth mentioning: The Zoo Amphitheatre,

Kyle Dillingham

Chesapeake Energy Arena

Best Singer-Songwriter: John Moreland Best Record Store: Guestroom Records

Best Live Music Venue (Large): Diamond Ballroom Lifetime Achievement: Tyson Meade Rising Star: Parker Millsap

Worth mentioning: Charlie’s Jazz-Rhythm & Blues Records, Trolley Stop Record Shop

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

43

MUSIC

event

New and used vinyl and music memorabilia fills Jack Ware’s tiny 3 Dachshunds record shop in Edmond. | Photo Lauren Bieri / For the Gazette

Vinyl revolution Local shops old and new ready for Record Store Day on Saturday. By Jezy J. Gray

It’s hard to overstate the uncertainty that gripped the recording industry during the opening bars of the 21st century. Legal action against file-sharing services like Napster did little to stop the surge of online piracy, brick-and-mortar giants toppled like so many neatly-stacked cassette tapes and aurally overloaded iPods screamed that the ways fans interacted with music was undergoing a revolution.

Record Store Day began in 2007 — a year after the iconic, California-based Tower Records retail chain filed for bankruptcy and closed shops across America — as a way to promote independent music retailers in the wake of that disruption.

Now a high holiday for vinyl geeks across the globe, this anticipated third Saturday in April routinely welcomes a deluge of special releases, unique in-store events, live performances and swelling crowds at independent record shops.

Record Store Day (RSD) offers pledged retailers an opportunity to introduce themselves to new audiences, and each year, many area shops seize it. From Edmond to Norman, locally owned stores around the metro host April 16 events and sales and celebrate their independence.

Indie anchor Guestroom Records is an obvious choice for those hoping to snatch special Record Store Day limited-edition reissues, expanded releases and exclusives

from alternative giants like Hüsker Dü and The Flaming Lips.

But RSD regulars know by now that different shops receive different releases.

Shop owners can request specific releases — say, Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force’s exclusive RSD 12-inch vinyl remixes of “Planet Rock” or Matthew Sweet’s double LP exclusive RSD release of Goodfriend (Another Take on Girlfriend) — but they won’t know how many copies they’ll receive, if any. And most indies will not hold RSD releases for shoppers; albums must be purchased in-person. That’s the point: Get out and enjoy the human experience of discovering music in a locally owned, independent store with knowledgeable staff and like-minded audiophiles.

Trolley Stop Record Shop in OKC, with its trove of well-curated used, collectible, rare and new old stock LPs, is a great place to start. While Trolley Stop is not a pledged RSD retailer, store owner John Dunning is fiercely independent. He is planning what he calls “a big to-do” featuring live music, food and drinks. Other metro-area shops — such as the new 3 Dachshunds Records & Collectibles shop in Edmond — offer discounts and special merchandise.

3 Dachshunds owner Jack Ware said he’s marking down all the vinyl in his store for Record Store Day. “I’m going to have a crate of records for

Jack Ware at his 3 Dachshunds record shop in Edmond | Photo Lauren Bieri / For the Gazette

25 percent below wholesale,” Ware said.

“I’ll have a few special drawings that day as well. This will be our first Record Store Day, so we’re really excited to be a part of it and see who it brings out.”

Ware said he chose to open a brick-andmortar record shop, even in the age of streaming services like Spotify, because there is a demand for vinyl. Even so, the response stunned him.

“What I have discovered with this store — and it surprised me; I never expected this — is the amount of young people getting into vinyl,” he said. “Just about all of my Christmas sales came from parents buying turntables for their kids. They might be streaming a lot of their music, but they still care about records.”

The albums they care about also surprised him.

“I’ve had kids in here buy Fabian albums or pick up stuff by The Everly Brothers. I’ve sold Scorpions albums to

10-year-olds and Glenn Campbell albums to high-schoolers,” he said. “In fact, had a mom come in just the other day who bought her young son a turntable, and you know what kind of records he wanted?

Ragtime! That was amazing to me.”

While storeowners like Ware are optimistic about the future of over-the-counter music sales, the industry panic during the early and mid-2000s wasn’t unjustified.

Earlier this month, no less a cultural bellwether than Kanye West announced he would no longer release physical CDs — he called the unadorned artwork of 2013’s divisive Yeezus an “open casket” for the medium — and few would argue with him.

“There was a CD store out on Northwest Highway that closed up,” Ware said. “A lot of people tell me it’s getting hard to sell CDs. All I can tell you is what my customers tell me: They prefer the sound quality of LPs. They like the artwork. It’s something you can’t duplicate with a disc or a

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download code. That’s why so many people come out for Record Store Day.” The success of Record Store Day demonstrates that there is a healthy appetite for supporting independent brick-andmortar shops like 3 Dachshunds, Guestroom Records and Trolley Stop Record Shop. In fact, nationwide, Record Store Day 2014 brought independent

music retailers their best weekly numbers in nearly 25 years. Ware said he hopes the continuing RSD festivities will help grow that base and that passion a little more with each passing year.

Learn more about RSD and find pledged RSD shops at recordstoreday. com.

Tiger Beat From Hell: Record Store Day edition

By Wilhelm Murg

are introduced to a world that works

Every Record Store Day offers a wide

with a different aesthetic other than

variety of music: scratchy acoustic blues,

what is new or what is popular. Instead,

rusty metal, unknown gospel, out-of-

factors like nostalgia, history, package

print rockabilly, obscure psychedelia,

aesthetics, rarity and musical quality all

esoteric foreign folk, forgotten prog

come into play.

rock, audiophile classical pressings

Sometimes, if you let a collector

— you name it. All the colors of the

show you what he thinks is cool about

aural rainbow are there, and to me, this

something, you can see it too. Then

mixture of popular and cult items reflect

you’re hooked on a whole new style of

the psyche of the current record-buying

music you never thought about before.

public, which is one of the broadest

All it takes is the right Martin Denny

markets one can

album and you

imagine.

find yourself with a library full of Yma

Headlines shout about the resur-

Sumac, Les Baxter,

gence of vinyl these

Arthur Lyman,

days, but even

Esquivel! and all

with the increased

the other exotica

demand for physical

luminaries.

Outside of

media, it still makes up only a sliver of

record collecting,

the market. Yet

there is a pressure

while the rest of

to conform. Within record collecting,

the world follows the latest scripted celebrity battles or teen sensations, I’ve

Record Store Day 2016 offers Devo founding member Gerald Casale’s It’s All Devo. | Photo Provided

there is a sense of independence; no one collects the

noticed there is a

same things, and

constant demand

there’s a certain

for Captain Beef-

celebration in your

heart records.

friends finding obscure records you

And it is not just the Cap’n, but Can,

couldn’t care less

Brian Eno, Gong,

about.

You like Tiny

Ennio Morricone, Love, The Cramps,

Tim? Picture discs

Devo, Moondog,

of The Bangles? Red

Miles Davis, John

Japanese vinyl?

Record collect-

Cage, The Residents and many other artists who were underappreciated in

UPCOMING EVENTS AT FIRELAKE ARENA

Sun Ra’s Spaceways gets its debut vinyl release on Saturday. | Photo Provided

29

BRETT ELDREDGE THOMPSON SQUARE

ing is a way to let your freak flag fly.

When I was younger and even

their time. They now have devoted followings that keep their

snottier, I thought there was an eternal

albums in print and create high-dollar

coolness I and all these other people

prices on sought-after originals.

were turned on to. But as I get older, I

Now, with Facebook groups devoted

APRIL

realize it has nothing to do with cool-

to posts of whatever records members

ness; it is about quality. It doesn’t matter

are playing, you see a lot of these and

if it is Glenn Gould playing Bach or Blind

even more obscure titles popping up.

Boy Fuller making his guitar sing; quality

Suddenly, one is aware of cults built

is always cool to those who truly love

around Klaatu, The Incredible String

music.

Band or Amon Düül II. In my entire life before 2007, I only

Editor’s note: The Tiger Beat From Hell

saw one Sun Ra record. I bought it. Now,

column was founded (too long ago

I cannot keep up with Sun Ra reissues.

for us to remember exactly when) by

I keep trying to figure out this market

Oklahoma-based arts and entertain-

of which I am a member. As you go

ment reporter Wilhelm Murg. It ran for

deeper into collecting, you meet more

years in various formats and publica-

and more collectors who are into other

tions. Like old vinyl, Murg revisits it

types of music, and in the process, you

when the urge strikes.

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MUSIC Power Trip

Norman Music Festival April 21-23 E. Main Street, Norman normanmusicfestival.com

event

Free

Road Trip

Frontman Riley Gale is ready to bang heads at Norman Music Festival with band Power Trip.

By Ben Luschen | Photo Angela Owens / Provided

Editor’s note: Oklahoma Gazette is featuring one performer a week in the lead-up to Norman Music Fest.

Riley Gale stomped around the stage in Oklahoma City, trying to be larger than life itself. Opening up for Lamb of God and Anthrax, he had to be.

Gale fronts Dallas-based hardcore band Power Trip, which opened for the metal mainstays at Diamond Ballroom in February. That tour, also featuring artsy black metal band Deafheaven, offered Power Trip its biggest platform to date. Gale hopes that tour’s Oklahoma City stop was a good introduction for those who might see the act’s April 22 show at Norman Music Festival.

Power Trip usually plays for crowds of 100 to 300, depending on the city and venue. Each stop in which Gale opened for metal megalith Lamb of God was one of the band’s most

populated shows to date.

Gale called the tour Power Trip’s introduction to big show business. He learned the best way to control large crowds by watching Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, a smart and polite person to talk to offstage.

“When he gets up on stage, he turns the country side of him up like 1,000 percent,” Gale said.

Before this experience, Power Trip’s vocalist played stripped-down punk shows where he felt more at home in his own skin.

“With the Lamb of God thing, you needed to develop this professional wrestling type of character where you’re like, ‘OK, you motherfuckers! I’m fucking stoned, and I’m happy to be here!’” he said.

Gale said Power Trip’s venture on that tour was a net positive. The band did not make much money. It was forced to spend most of its tour guarantee on a driver and a mid-

level, eight-bunk camper.

“We were sleeping in this rumbling truck bed thing for a month,” he said. “That was stressful. It was like cutting your teeth on the next level of touring.”

However, the opportunity granted the act a lot of exposure. Power Trip usually plays in local music clubs and came up performing in home basements. Playing mid- and largelevel venues with two legendary rock acts put it in front of a lot more people. Everyone bandmates met, from Blythe down to the stagehands, was nice, too.

Musical freedom

Gale was first introduced to the Sooner State before the Lamb of God tour. When he was a teenager, many punk and hardcore tours traveling the Midwest never made it down to Texas. He made the long drive to Oklahoma City or Tulsa.

On one occasion, he remembers deciding to leave the Denton, Texas, area at 5:30 p.m. to catch a Tulsa show at 7 p.m. A friend at a gas station hooked him up with a case of free beer and a tank of fuel.

“We just drove 90 miles an hour and got to Tulsa in like two hours or something like that,” he said.

Power Trip plays music fests but isn’t a band that’s routinely on the festival circuit.

Instead, Gale said he plays shows where he thinks he can have the most fun.

“If [Norman Music Fest] was just a club show in Norman or something like that, where it’s like 15 bucks to get in, I probably wouldn’t be as excited about that,” he said. “But the fact that it’s an open, outdoors, fair setting with people mingling around and it’s free, that’s when I’m like, ‘OK, this can be really cool.’”

Sometimes playing a fun show means venturing outside of Power Trip’s element.

Though there will be plenty of thrashers on deck in Norman, any free music event will draw mixed company.

He relishes the opportunity to share the band’s music with all types of fans.

“Some people, you put them in a public space and tell them they can act like an asshole and act crazy for 30 minutes, a lot of people want to take advantage of that,” he said.

Gale said he hopes his band’s music is enjoyable for a wide range of tastes.

“If you like heavy music, I can imagine you can probably get down with Power Trip,” he said. “You can say that we don’t suck, I guess.”

Power Trip took a break from performing after the Lamb of God tour. Gale said he’s eager to start playing in front of live crowds again. In the meantime, the band has been preparing its new record for an expected summer release.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

47

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live music These are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

WEDNESDAY 4.13 Ben Folds, Chevy Bricktown Events Center. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

Birds of Chicago/Awna Teixeira, The Blue Door. ROCK Haniwa/Exit Glaciers/Jaeson Pemberton, First Pastafarian Church of Norman, Norman. POP

ROCK

Terror Pigeon/ MethDad/Electric Church, The Root.

The Friends No BS Jam, Friends Restaurant & Club. VARIOUS

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THURSDAY 4.14 Adam Aguilar, S&B Burger Joint NW OKC. ROCK Barry Manilow, Chesapeake Energy Arena. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club.

ROCK

Darrell Blanchard/Darren Cipponeri/Imago, Sauced on Paseo. VARIOUS Dave Thomason Band, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COVER LUCKY/Shaun Suttle, Flint.

COVER

One-Eyed Doll/Eyes Set To Kill/Open Your Eyes, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Penny & Sparrow, ACM@UCO Performance Lab. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

The Garage Band Jam, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK

FRIDAY 4.15 1 Stone Band, Sliders. COUNTRY

Jacob Tovar

Easter Island Music and Camping Festival Enjoy the outdoors. Let the annual Easter Island Music and Camping Festival in Keetonville soothe the postwinter road-trip itch with headliners like Orgone and Split Lip Rayfield as well as local favorites such as The Panda Resistance, Wink Burcham and Jacob Tovar. It runs Thursday-Saturday at Valley Park Sports Complex, 6802 OK-20, about 20 minutes north of Tulsa.

Admission is $40-$85. Visit easterislandfestival.com.

Thursday-Saturday Photo Phil Clarkson / Provided

Randy Cassimus, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC

The Suspects, TapWerks Ale House & Cafe. REGGAE

Reverend Horton Heat/The Stockyard Playboys/The Oh Johnny! Girls, OKC Farmers Public Market. COUNTRY

Wade Bowen, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

Souled Out, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. POP

Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Sauced on Paseo. SINGER/

Stars, Baker Street Pub & Grill.

COVER

ZZ Top, Firelake Arena, Shawnee. ROCK

PIANO

Costa Upson/Paul Benjaman/Chris Combs, Opolis,

Norman. VARIOUS

Daniel Jordan, Fuze Buffet & Bar. ACOUSTIC DJ Josh Tullis, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. VARIOUS Doc Louie, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK

Edgar Cruz/Jeff Nokes/Marco Tello, Puebla Tacos y Tequileria, Norman. ACOUSTIC Faster Pussycat/ Stealing Saturn/The Dusty Rose Band/ Coming Up Zero, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Legends, Remington Park.

VARIOUS

Medicine Brother/Bowlsey, Blue Note Lounge. VARIOUS Michael Fracasso/Annie Oakley, The Blue Door. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

Nicnos, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK

48

a p r i l 1 3 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

SONGWRITER

FACS: Colin Deibert, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. CLASSICAL Hector Anchondo Band, Red Brick Bar, Norman. COUNTRY

SATURDAY 4.16

Michael Kleid, Flint. VARIOUS

Amarillo Junction, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COUNTRY

Tim Standford Jam, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES

Derek Paul/Zac Copeland/ Ben Brock, S&B Burger Joint, Midwest City. ROCK

Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/ Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

DJ Tom Sawyer, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. VARIOUS

TUESDAY 4.19

Dr. Pants/Jarvix/ Andrew Delaney, The Basement. ROCK

Amarillo Junction, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COUNTRY Christian Pearson/Gary Johnson, Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

SUNDAY 4.17

Elizabeth Speegle Band, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse.

JAZZ

Hidden Agenda, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Jason Young Band, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. COUNTRY Jim the Elephant, Baker Street Pub & Grill. ROCK Layken Michelle, Remington Park. VARIOUS Mackynsie McKedy/Kaitlyn Daniel/Jimmy Pappe, Rodeo Opry. COUNTRY Michael Kleid, Fuze Buffet & Bar. VARIOUS Otis Watkins, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Rick Jawnsun & Jam Skippy/ Zac Copeland Open Mic, Hillbilly’s. ROCK Shadowman Blues, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES Shakers of Salt, Akin’s Natural Foods. COVER Steve Crossley Solo, Bellini’s Underground. VARIOUS The Hillbenders, The Blue Door. BLUEGRASS

Acoustic Jam with Austin Nail, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK LUCKY/Shaun Suttle, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. COVER Stitches/STR8KASH, Farmers Public Market. HIP-HOP

WEDNESDAY 4.20 David Liebe Hart/Limp Wizurdz/Akiba/Cosmostanza, 89th Street Collective. VARIOUS Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings.

Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 405-5284600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette. com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

puzzles

VOL. XXXVIII No. 14

New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Jumping To Conclusions

By Nathan Last | Edited by Will Shortz | 0410

ACROSS 1 ____-Town (sobriquet in many a

Kanye West song) 4 To Kill a Mockingbird theme 10 Get heavily (into) 14 Distinctive Harry Potter feature 18 Overactors 20 Hebrew for “my Lord” 21 Period for reflection and recharging 23 With 113-Across, heard but

disregarded … or a hint to

interpreting the Across answers

with circled letters 25 Gallant type 26 “____ Dei” (prayer) 27 Baldwin’s 30 Rock co-star 28 Clean-air org.

29 Mayan food staple 30 Browser navigation aids 31 Common query from one about

to leave the house 35 The left, informally 36 Meditate (on) 37 Modern surgical aid 38 Come-____ 39 ____-surfing 40 Show wear 41 Arcade-game sound 43 Nicknames 46 Indignant reply when someone withholds information

49 Contract part 53 P.M. after and before Churchill 54 Carson who won the 2001 T. S.

Eliot Prize for Poetry 55 “Come on … be daring” 57 Increases, with “to” 59 “No worries” 62 Look from Scrooge 63 Sally 66 Tell 68 Bubbling 70 24-note tune 71 Quattros and TTs 73 “I had nothing to do with it” 75 Olympic sprinting champion Devers 77 “Oh, boo-hoo!”

79 Overly ingratiating 81 Senior project 85 Some Ivy Leaguers 86 “Would you consider this suggestion?”

88 Nutritional figs.

90 Roman statesman known as “the

Censor” 91 Given the signal 92 Label for a suit?

93 Some Johnny Hart panels 96 Not true?

98 Outlaws 99 Out of control 100 Comment to the not-yet convinced 105 Mountain goat 106 Politico with the autobiography An American Son

107 The Engineers of the N.C.A.A. 108 Disneyland’s Main Street, ____ 109 ____ rima (meter of Dante’s Divine Comedy)

111 Former name for Syracuse athletes 113 See 23-Across 117 Rustic backyard plaything 118 Subject of 1972 negotiations

with China 119 Part of a bloodline 120 Coins with fleurs-de-lis 121 Remnants 122 Famed Six Flags Great Adventure roller coaster

123 Talking-____

DOWN 1 ____ Pets (1980s fad) 2 “Just hold on” 3 2009 Grammy nominee with

the lyric “But this ain’t SeaWorld, this is real as it gets”

4 Singer Carly ____ Jepsen 5 Nabokov heroine 6 Heart: Lat. 7 “Moments from now” 8 More grounded 9 June and July 10 Feminist issue in the workplace 11 Israeli leaders?

12 Helped the cause, say 13 Foe of Saruman, in Tolkien 14 Hearty entree 15 Director Michael 16 Company that passed Walmart in

2015 as the world’s largest retailer 17 Extends, in a way 19 Disinvites, e.g.

22 Mr. Noodle’s friend on Sesame Street 24 Tricky curve 31 Kapow!

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EDITOR-in-chief Jennifer Palmer Chancellor jchancellor@okgazette.com

86 Actress Blanchett 87 ____ Viv, caretaker of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

89 Enter angrily 90 Glades 93 From memory 94 Former CBS Evening News anchor 95 Outback maker 97 Loom 98 “Scram!”

99 Looks out for?

101 Dialogue 102 Calc figures 103 “And I ____ …”

104 Accustomed 105 “Were ____ hazard a guess …”

110 Lover of Aphrodite 112 Farm female 114 Brace 115 Laugh half 116 “Lux” composer

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers I V O R

W A G E D

E L L I E

O W I E

B Y O B

C A N N E L L O N I

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R E D D B E Y A X E R A S C A T H M I E O T A O U D R D O E E F

S H O T T I N E S Q U E S N E S V E T O R I E N Y S P A T O R E T O R M Y O U R S R O J E O P I S M E F A B N N A N Y E S E R E N T R O S

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

E N T T O R E R I C P U S U T U S L I P E D E E L S R E S B S F O S I R T J E R E I U S I R A I D O U R V R E A L K E R T I M P E N A I L

Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering Staff reporters Greg Elwell, Laura Eastes, Ben Luschen Contributors Brett Dickerson, Christine Eddington Jezy J. Gray, Oraynab Jwayyed, George Lang Wilhelm Murg, Jacob Oller Photographer Garett Fisbeck Marketing & Editorial Intern Kylie Kallsen Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley ASSISTANT Circulation Manager Duke Fleischer Art Director Chris Street Print Production Coordinator Ashley Parks Advertising/Marketing Design Coordinator Erin DeMoss

Puzzle No. 0403, which appeared in the April 6 issue.

N O D E

Account Executive / Advertising assistant Leah Roberts Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn, Saundra Rinearson Godwin, Elizabeth Riddle, Sarah Brigance Nathan Ward

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58 Aphorisms 60 El ____ Real 61 Symbols on old manuscripts 63 Not for prudes 64 Energy field, of sorts 65 Tennyson work 67 Jabber 69 Post-menorah-lighting treats 72 Branded 74 Impeccably 76 “Rumor has it …”

78 Oscar ____, star of Inside

Llewyn Davis 80 Facilities often referred to by

their first letter 82 2010’s “California Gurls” or 1996’s “Macarena” 83 Goal of having no unread emails 84 Lake Oahe locale: Abbr.

Accounting/HR Manager Marian Harrison

Receptionist/calendar Arden Biard, Coordinator

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

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32 2003 No. 1 hit for OutKast 33 Parts of Polynésie 34 Rig, e.g.

35 General of the Resistance in The Force Awakens

36 Doctrines 40 Awesome 41 Unlikely to be talked out of 42 Sight seers 44 Makes dim, as the 42-Down 45 Fifth-century pope who was the first to be called “the Great”

47 One waiting in Waiting for Godot 48 Sweaters, e.g.

50 Layer of the 42-Down 51 Slip (through) 52 Slips up 55 Duke Ellington’s “All ____ Soon” 56 Sacha Baron Cohen persona

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Accounts receivable Sue Auld

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Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com Grid n°1292 easy

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Marketing Manager Kelsey Lowe

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Sudoku Puzzle Easy

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First-class mail subscriptions are $119 for one year, and most issues at this rate will arrive 1-2 days after publication.

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Oklahoma Gazette is circulated at its designated distribution points free of charge to readers for their individual use and by mail to subscribers. The cash value of this copy is $1. Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.

Please address all unsolicited news items (non-returnable) to the editor.

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A S H R A M S

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

T B A L L

V A N E

A M M O

L U A U

I D E A L

T O R T S

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C Y S T

Graphic Designer Anna Shilling www.okgazette.com Order mounted or ready-to-frame prints of Oklahoma Gazette covers, articles and photos at okgazette.yourheadline.com 3701 N. Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73118-7102 Phone (405) 528-6000 Fax (405) 528-4600 Copyright © 2016 Tierra Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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free will astrology Homework: Would it be possible to turn one of your liabilities into an asset? How? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free,” said novelist Ralph Ellison. Would you consider making that a paramount theme in the coming weeks? Will you keep it in the forefront of your mind, and be vigilant for juicy clues that might show up in the experiences headed your way? In suggesting that you do, I’m not guaranteeing that you will gather numerous extravagant insights about your true identity and thereby achieve a blissful eruption of total liberation. But I suspect that at the very least you will understand previously hidden mysteries about your primal nature.

And as they come into focus, you will indeed be led in the direction of cathartic emancipation.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

“We never know the wine we are becoming while we are being crushed like grapes,” said author Henri Nouwen.

I don’t think that’s true in your case, Taurus. Any minute now, you could get a clear intuition about what wine you will ultimately turn into once the grape-crushing stage ends. So my advice is to expect that clear intuition. Once you’re in possession of it, I bet the crushing will begin to feel more like a massage — maybe even a series of strong but tender caresses.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

Your sustaining mantra for the coming weeks comes from Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer: “I am not empty; I am open.” Say that aloud whenever you’re inclined to feel lonely or lost. “I am not empty; I am open.” Whisper it to yourself as you wonder about the things that used to be important but no longer are. “I am not empty; I am open.” Allow it to loop through your imagination like a catchy song lyric whenever you’re tempted to feel melancholy about vanished certainties or unavailable stabilizers or missing fillers. “I am not empty; I am open.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22) According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are close to tapping into hidden powers, dormant talents, and future knowledge.

By Rob Brezny

Truths that have been off-limits are on the verge of catching your attention and revealing themselves.

Secrets you have been concealing from yourself are ready to be plucked and transformed. And now I will tell you a trick you can use that will enable you to fully cash in on these pregnant possibilities: Don’t adopt a passive wait-and-see attitude. Don’t expect everything to happen on its own. Instead, be a willful magician who aggressively collects and activates the potential gifts.

resist sadness, you are always sad. If you resist suffering, you are always suffering. If you resist confusion, you are always confused. We think that we resist certain states because they are there, but actually they are there because we resist them.” Can you wrap your imagination around Adyashanti’s counsel, Libra? I hope so, because the key to dissipating at least some of the dicey stuff that has been tweaking you lately is to STOP RESISTING IT!

Enlightenment. I think that’s exactly what you should do right now, Capricorn. To undertake such a quest would reap long-lasting benefits. Here’s what I propose: First, identify three dreams that are important for your future. Next, brainstorm about how you could return to the roots of your relationships with them. Finally, reinvigorate your love for those dreams. Supercharge your excitement about them.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

During every election season, media pundits exult in criticizing candidates who have altered their opinions about important issues. This puzzles me. In my understanding, an intelligent human is always learning new information about how the world works, and is therefore constantly evolving his or her beliefs and ideas.

I don’t trust people who stubbornly cling to all of their musty dogmas. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because the coming weeks will be an especially ripe time for you to change your mind about a few things, some of them rather important. Be alert for the cues and clues that will activate dormant aspects of your wisdom. Be eager to see further and deeper.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

This would be a perfect moment to give yourself a new nickname like “Sugar Pepper” or “Honey Chili” or “Itchy Sweet.” It’s also a favorable time to explore the joys of running in slow motion or getting a tattoo of a fierce howling bunny or having gentle sex standing up. This phase of your cycle is most likely to unfold with maximum effectiveness if you play along with its complicated, sometimes paradoxical twists and turns. The more willing you are to celebrate life’s riddles as blessings in disguise, the more likely you’ll be to use the riddles to your advantage.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Right about now you might be feeling a bit extreme, maybe even zealous or melodramatic. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were tempted to make outlandish expostulations similar to those that the poet Arthur Rimbaud articulated in one of his histrionic poems: “What beast must I worship? What sacred images should I destroy? What hearts shall I break? What lies am I supposed to believe?” I encourage you to articulate salty sentiments like these in the coming days — with the understanding that by venting your intensity you won’t need to actually act it all out in real life. In other words, allow your fantasy life and creative artistry to be boisterous outlets for emotions that shouldn’t necessarily get translated into literal behavior.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Adyashanti is my favorite mind-scrambling philosopher.

One of his doses of crazy wisdom is just what you need to hear right now. “Whatever you resist you become,” he says. “If you resist anger, you are always angry. If you

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Friedrich Nietzsche published his first book, The Birth of Tragedy, in 1872, when he was 28 years old. In 1886, he put out a revised edition that included a preface entitled “An Attempt at Self-Criticism.” In this unprecedented essay, he said that he now found his text “clumsy and embarrassing, its images frenzied and confused, sentimental, uneven in pace, so sure of its convictions that it is above any need for proof.” And yet he also glorified The Birth of Tragedy, praising it for its powerful impact on the world, for its “strange knack of seeking out its fellow-revelers and enticing them on to new secret paths and dancing-places.” In accordance with the astrological omens, Sagittarius, I invite you to engage in an equally brave and celebratory re-evaluation of some of your earlier life and work.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) “Go back to where you started and learn to love it more.” So advised Thaddeus Golas in his book The Lazy Man’s Guide to

“What am I doing here in mid-air?” asks Ted Hughes in his poem “Wodwo.” Right about now you might have an urge to wonder that yourself. The challenging part of your situation is that you’re unanchored, unable to find a firm footing. The fun part is that you have an unusual amount of leeway to improvise and experiment. Here’s a suggestion: Why not focus on the fun part for now? You just may find that doing so will minimize the unsettled feelings. I suspect that as a result you will also be able to accomplish some interesting and unexpected work.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

How many fireflies would you have to gather together in order to create a light as bright as the sun?

Entomologist Cole Gilbert estimates the number to be 14,286,000,000. That’s probably beyond your ability to accomplish, Pisces, so I don’t recommend you attempt it. But I bet you could pull off a more modest feat with a similar theme: accumulating a lot of small influences that add up to a big effect. Now is an excellent time to capitalize on the power of gradual, incremental progress.

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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Are you a well-spoken, Gazette-reading, idea-driven, local Oklahoma business-lover with the desire to help metro OKC businesses grow and succeed? Then we are looking for you! Oklahoma Gazette is actively seeking resumes for outside advertising sales position. Sales experience in retail or service industry a plus.

• Send resume to cduane@okgazette.com •

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Qualifications are as follows: Minimum 18 years of age prior to being accepted into the

Program; must be a high school graduate or have a GED and provide transcript. We anticipate accepting 10 to 15 apprentices this year. Applicants will be selected based on highest qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, or national origin. The P.H.C.C. Contractors, party to the Plumbers and Pipefitters J.A.T.C. Agreement, are Equal Opportunity Employers.

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Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, preference or discrimination.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of this law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings in our newspaper are available on an equal housing opportunity basis.

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