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inside

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

As a free agent, Kevin Durant’s future in OKC is uncertain, and many factors will play in his decision to stay in OKC or move on to another team.

By Jon Hamm. P. 22

4 Religion The Consumption of Mary

22 Cover Kevin Durant

6 Education program cuts

24 Event Fourth of July

8 Health VOLUME Summer Program

26 Visual Arts Native Pop!

10 State labor commissioner 12 Chicken-Fried News 14 Letters

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Cover Chris Street

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28 Visual Arts Tonia Sina 29 Visual Arts Francesca Giani 30 Performing Arts Dreamgirls

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31 Performing Arts Jim Gaffigan 33 Performing Arts OKC Onstage

15 Feature Muu Shabu

34 Calendar

17 Briefs

20 Gazedibles late night

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18 Review Dan’s Ol’ Time Diner

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33 Performing Arts Sarah Silverman

37 Feature First Pastafarian Church 38 Event Choose the Bright Side 39 Event My2K Tour 40 Live Music

41 Puzzles Sudoku | Crossword 42 Astrology

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NEWS

Black Mass and The Consumption of Mary

by Jai Kali Maa 7 p.m. Aug. 15 CitySpace Theatre Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. okcciviccenter.com 405-297-2584

religion

$37

Dark testimony

This summer’s Church of Ahriman public ceremonies will demonstrate a chaotic theology.

By Ben Luschen | Photo Garett Fisbeck

In a Satanic ritual planned for public view in August at Civic Center Music Hall, sulfur, menstrual blood and the ashes of blasphemed and burned Quran pages will be used to “corrupt” a plaster statue of the Virgin Mary.

The ceremony, known as The Consumption of Mary, is part of a ticketed black Mass hosted by Oklahoma City’s satanic Church of Ahriman Aug. 15 at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. A black Mass is a dark parody, or inversion, of a traditional Roman Catholic Church religious service.

Church of Ahriman religious leader Dastur Adam Daniels has drawn local and national enmity for his organization’s public ceremonies and demonstrations.

Archbishop Paul Coakley of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City issued a media statement calling the group’s 2014 black Mass “a satanic inversion and distortion of the most sacred beliefs not only of Catholics, but of all Christians.”

Daniels said this year’s celebrations include The Consumption of Mary as a way to illustrate black magic and his church’s teachings and distinguish them from atheistic Satanism. He also wishes to dispel misconceptions others gener4

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ally believe about the Church of Ahriman.

According to the ritual, the corrupted Mary statue is placed into the center of a Solomonic triangle, which “entraps” her.

Celebrants dance counter-clockwise around the statue before a spirit severs the statue’s head, unleashing a hellmouth, or opening to hell.

Inside the statue is an actual pig’s heart, Daniels said. After the statue has been smashed, a priestess pulls the heart out of the rubble and eats it, thus “consuming” Mary and ending the ritual.

“You’re basically going to have three rituals going on at the same time,” Daniels said. “We’re trying to show people how chaotic we are in nature and how chaotic our religion is. It’s all based on chaos.”

Frequent misunderstandings

The federal government recognizes The Church of Ahriman as a legitimate religious organization, Daniels said.

Therefore, while considered offensive by many Christians and others, its practices are protected by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, which guarantees the right to the free exercise of religion.

“We’re not doing anything against the

Adam Daniels talks about an upcoming black Mass at the Church of Ahriman in Oklahoma City.

law,” Daniels said. “Against canon law, sure. But the United States’ law? No. We’re not doing anything wrong.”

Daniels said his church’s practices draw from the occult, Zoroastrianism and elements of Eastern theologies such as Tantrism and Hinduism. Daniels said some satanic magic and rituals traditionally call for animal sacrifices and eating human flesh, but his church finds alternatives. For example, his congregation uses human menstrual fluid instead of animal blood.

“I just want people to understand that there is no danger in coming to our show,” Daniels said. “It’s public, there are going to be police officers there, it is fully protected. Everyone is going to be safe, and it is an opportunity to learn.”

Daniels extended an open invitation for any religious leader in the city to attend the ceremony free of charge. He added that the black Mass is not a time for church members to judge or personally attack anyone who attends, but to demonstrate who they are and what they believe.

“We don’t judge,” he said. “Hell, we’re trying to get damned. We’re not trying to get judged.”

Emerging conflict

Daniels began studying the occult in 2001.

The Church of Ahriman has had several disputes with the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Catholic Church in the last several years, some of them — like 2014’s black Mass — high-profile.

Daniels claims their perceived feud is a fight launched by the Catholic Church in an attempt to infringe upon his reli-

gious liberties by blocking his ceremonies and rituals.

“They’re the one who started this fight; I’m just bringing it to them,” he said.

Christians and church officials like Coakley often argue that Daniels’ practices extend beyond religious freedom.

“If someone had come to them to rent the Civic Center to stage a burning of the Quran or to hold an event that was blatantly and clearly anti-Semitic, I think they might find a way to prevent it,” Coakley told Fox News in 2014.

Daniels said while the two faiths have differing goals and values, both could theoretically live in mutual peace.

“If they want to issue a full-blown apology, if they want to say they’re sorry and they’re going to leave us the fuck alone, then we’ll leave them alone,” he said. “But I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”

Church of Ahriman members said its teachings offer them true enlightenment in a city and state caught in a Christian bubble. Daniels said these practices helped him find a fulfillment that had eluded him most of his life.

“There’s a certain element of truth, there’s a certain element of beauty in the darkness that you don’t find in the light,” he said. “It’s cold and stark; it’s right up in your face, and if you can’t deal with it psychologically, you’re going to have repercussions. But that doesn’t mean there’s still not a stark beauty in the darkness.”

Coakley and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City did not respond to Gazette requests for comment.

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NEWS

Funding drops

Nearly $39 million was cut from the public school activity budget. How does that affect three prominent organizations? By Laura Eastes

All signs pointed to an unfortunate ending to Oklahoma’s massive budget woes.

Over the past six months, the state has experienced two revenue failures, acrossthe-board cuts of 7 percent and a fiscal year budget hole of $1.3 billion. Sluggish oil prices and an income tax rate trigger contributed to the budget disaster.

Friday, the state’s budget bill goes into effect, flowing $6.78 billion into state agencies, including common education, health and human services, corrections and Oklahoma Health Care Authority. The budget is $360.7 million, or 5 percent, less than the 2016 fiscal year budget prior to the midyear revenue failure.

While a handful of state agencies took double-digit percent cuts, common education appeared to be spared with a $2.4 billion allocation, only a drop of 2.34 percent when compared to the year before.

On the same day Gov. Mary Fallin signed the state’s budget bill, the Oklahoma State Board of Education approved the 2017 Public School Activities Fund budget, which eliminated funding for 11 educational programs and reduced funding for 13 others.

The board allocated $3.3 million less among three well-known education organizations: Teach For America, Great Expectations and Oklahoma Arts Institute. The organizations were handed state funding cuts ranging from 71 to 89 percent. Oklahoma Gazette reached out to the organizations’ leaders to see what’s ahead with fewer taxpayer dollars.

Reliable donations

For the fifth consecutive year, new Teach For America Oklahoma City recruits are taking part in a rigorous training program that includes a closely supervised summer school teaching assignment.

It’s an exciting time for the 50 new recruits as they prepare to meet their students on the first day of school, explained Art Serna, deputy executive director of Teach For America in Central Oklahoma.

Teach For America is a national education nonprofit that places professionals in high-need schools. The program arrived in Tulsa in 2009, expanding to Oklahoma City two years later. In Oklahoma, it has played a critical role in helping districts combat teacher shortages, closing student achievement gaps in disadvantaged schools and building education leaders.

“They come into the classroom, have a powerful teaching experience and make a lifetime commitment to education,” said Serna.

State support contributes to the organization’s operations and recruiting new members to the Sooner State. Taxpayer dollars make the summer training insti6

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tute, which is an opportunity for the new recruits to prepare for the school year, possible. Additionally, Teach For America recruits continue with teaching coaches during the school year. Following their two-year teaching commitment, professional development coaching is offered.

Districts pay Teach For America members as they would other teachers in the district.

State funding for Teach For America is allocated at $250,000 for the fiscal year beginning Friday. The organization will operate with $2.2 million less in taxpayer dollars. Cuts in state funding slow down efforts to expand the program further.

“We are going to do what we’ve done every year to meet the demands of our partners,” Serna said. “This makes it a lot more challenging. We will have to depend on the community to help us get to our vision and goal: to be in three major communities (OKC, Lawton and Ardmore).”

We will have to depend on the community to help us get to our vision and goal.

Art Serna

Shorter reach

As the president and CEO of Great Expectations, Linda Dzialo spends her summers observing professional development classes for educators. With summer institutes in communities like Edmond, Tahlequah, Ardmore and Owasso, Dzialo and the Great Expectations staff introduce teachers to the organization’s methodology, which is designed to motivate, inspire and challenge students to achieve excellence in learning and living.

“I’ve been told hundreds of times by career teachers and teachers with their master’s degrees that this is the best training they’ve ever attended,” said Dzialo.

Created in 1991, Great Expectations is guided by six principles that include building student self-esteem and believing all children can learn. During summer institutes, teachers learn how to adopt 17 classroom practices ranging from critical thinking skills to implementing the habit of students addressing one another by name and demonstrating courtesy. The practices transform classrooms, especially those plagued with discipline prob-

Secondary educators make a presentation during Great Expectations Summer Institute at Edmond North High School. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

lems, low attendance and constant disruption. The shift in classroom culture raises academic excellence, explained Dzialo.

Studies, including one from the University of Oklahoma, support Great Expectations’ asser tions. Great Expectation model schools maintained higher pass rates in math and reading when compared to elementary schools without the program.

In 1998, state leaders offered to support the program by providing summer institute scholarships to teachers. Thousands of teachers are trained thanks to the state’s support. For fiscal year 2015-16, the state awarded $1.1 million to Great Expectations.

This coming year, Great Expectations receives $300,000, a cut of 73.11 percent.

“We understand the state is in a financial crisis,” Dzialo said. “We deeply appreciate the funding we were provided. In this type of crisis, we could have been eliminated.”

As the number of students in poverty continues to increase in Oklahoma and across the nation, Dzialo sees the program as critical. A growing population of students are hungry, tired and stressed when they arrive at school.

“Children need to feel secure. Children need to feel loved,” Dzialo said. “Children need to feel their teachers care.”

Tough decisions

Students discover they can pursue arts professionally at Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, explained Julie Cohen, the institute’s executive director. It’s a common comment Cohen hears from summer students who come from all over the state to train in disciplines like photography, ballet, orchestra and creative writing.

“When they get here, at Quartz Mountain, they meet other students who share their interests,” Cohen said. “They might not have that in their hometowns.

They meet counselors, who are young artists, and they meet the faculty. They realize they could do this for a living and pursue their interests in the arts.”

Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute is an intensive, two-week residential academy for earnest, dedicated high school artists

who train under renowned professionals.

In October, Oklahoma Arts Institute holds its fall session, which is designed as a weekend retreat for adults and educators.

Both programs are held annually at Lone Wolf’s Quartz Mountain Resort.

Traditionally, Oklahoma Arts Institute has received funding from a unique public/ private partnership. A state program, taxpayer dollars and private donations have made the institute a reality for hundreds of students and adults each year.

Matching teacher and student scholarships are provided by the state Department of Education, an initiative that dates back to 1991. The institute ensures all students accepted automatically receive full scholarships by securing additional funds through private donors. Added support comes from Oklahoma Arts Council and the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.

Friday, Oklahoma Arts Institute will have 249,573 fewer matching scholarship dollars from the state Department of Education. The nonprofit’s funding was cut by 71.39 percent with $100,000 flowing into the institute.

“It’s going to have a huge effect on our program,” Cohen explained. “It comes at a time when students are already seeing cuts in fine arts programs at their schools.”

To make up for the revenue cut, costs could be passed on to students. The institute prides itself on offering the summer program at no tuition cost. That removes any financial barriers that would prevent a student from attending.

Reducing the number of fall weekends is also a cost-saving measure being considered. Currently, programming includes three weekends in October. The organization could drop one weekend and cut the number of educators in attendance.

To mark its 40th year, Oklahoma Arts Council is in the midst of a fundraising campaign that includes raising the endowment for scholarships.

“Gifts to the endowment or the Oklahoma Arts Institute for programing are incredible helpful right now...” Cohen said. “We are not funding public education the way we need to be funding it.”

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NEWS

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Trisha McVicker, a VOLUME Summer Program student, reads to Abby Gonzales at The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

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Vital practice

A local training program gives high school students real-world experience in patient care.

By Candice Macis

Mattie Mallory founded the Donald W. Reynolds Complex in Bethany, which serves children with complex medical needs.

In 1893, Mallory saw a need for an orphanage in Oklahoma. She adjusted the mission of the center through the years to fill changing demands; it has helped children suffering from polio and has been a convalescent home. Today, the center has a higher rate of kids with complex medical needs compared to other states, and that’s the private nonprofit’s primary focus, explained Danielle Dunn, The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital Oklahoma public relations coordinator.

Her dedication showed as she explained the history of the center.

One of her colleagues is hospital volunteer coordinator Amy Coldren. Like Dunn, her passion to help youth is obvious. Her mission is to offer meaningful volunteer opportunities for high school students.

Helping youth

Coldren said her office often receives calls and inquiries asking about volunteer work, but youth must be at least 17 years old to help out. So in 2015, Coldren teamed up with Leadership Oklahoma City’s Young Adult Leaders (LOYAL) to help develop VOLUME (Volunteer.

Observe. Learn. Unify. Mentor. Explore).

In addition to planning the structure of VOLUME, Coldren received help from LOYAL in choosing students for the program. VOLUME is an inclusive and exciting educational opportunity students couldn’t get elsewhere.

“There are really not a lot of opportunities for high school students to spend time with patients,” Coldren said. “There are a lot of other opportunities for them to volunteer in kind of a guest services role, but here, they get to work one-onone with our patients at bedside.”

VOLUME includes 24 students from across the metro area and gives them hands-on experience in a hospital setting.

VOLUME Summer Program students | Photo The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital / provided

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Through June and July, the teens go to the center Tuesday and Thursday mornings for job shadowing, character building and bedside work. In the last hour of each shift, they hear presentations about different disciplines. Coldren talked about how the students would learn about speech therapy that day.

Presentations cover speech, physical and occupational therapy, social services and communications. She said the communications presentation addresses living a life of purpose.

Student volunteers

Coldren said the two dozen student participants travel from as far as Yukon,

Here, they get to work one-on-one with our patients at bedside.

Amy Coldren Piedmont, Edmond and Deer Creek.

Applications are accepted from area public, charter and private schools, and this summer’s volunteer class includes students from 13 schools.

“We have [students from] Bishop McGuinness, Heritage Hall, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Southeast High School, Southwest Covenant,” Coldren said.

Trisha McVicker will be a senior at Piedmont High School this fall and aspires to become a pediatric nurse after she graduates. She said she followed The Children’s Center on social media and saw a post about VOLUME applications. She said she also heard about the program from her uncle, who works down the street from the center.

She enjoys being in the program.

“It’s been amazing,” she said. “This hospital is so full of love and hope for the children.”

Julia Guild, a senior at Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, was respectful and contained, even while being interrupted during her bedside rotation, in which students spend oneon-one time with patients. Guild said the program has shed light on future career plans because it helped her realize she loves working with children.

Though she always wanted to be a doctor, she said this program also showed her she prefers to spend more one-on-one time with the children than a physician might be able to. She is now looking more seriously into nursing.

This is VOLUME’s second year.

For more information about The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital and VOLUME, visit miracleshappenhere.org.

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S TAT E

NEWS

Public servant After serving several months as head of the Oklahoma Department of Labor, Melissa McLawhorn Houston readies for changes.

By Laura Eastes

Before presenting an entrepreneurial award to a roofing and sheet mental business with a long history of job creation in the Lawton area, Interim Labor Commissioner Melissa McLawhorn Houston listened as the owner of Brox Industries, the grandson of its founders, spoke about his family’s dedication to serving their community though responsible business practices and creating jobs for their neighbors.

The message was in line with past recipients of the Entrepreneurial Excellence in Oklahoma Award given by the Oklahoma Department of Labor since 2012. Created by late Commissioner Mark Costello, the award recognizes Oklahomabased entrepreneurs who create profitable employment for fellow Oklahomans.

The award was one of the first aspects of the agency Houston became versed in.

She was appointed to the office in November by Gov. Mary Fallin. Daily, she walks by a spread of photos of past award winners in the agency’s hallway. Two

months ago, Houston renamed the award to recognize Costello, who was tragically killed in August.

“Commissioner Costello was an entrepreneur, and he recognized entrepreneurs as the engine for the economy,” Houston told Oklahoma Gazette. “When I came into this office, I thought it was a very fitting way to recognize him and his legacy to rename the award in his honor.”

The award’s core message of helping fellow Oklahomans resonates with Houston, who comes from a background rich in public service. The Norman native wants to serve the state and has done so in various ways since beginning her career as a young attorney stationed at a law office in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Three months into her first job, she survived the 1995 terror attack that destroyed the building, killed 186 people and changed Oklahoma City.

“To have an experience like that at such a young age and at the beginning of my career really brought home the fact that

Interim Labor Commissioner Melissa McLawhorn Houston brings extensive experience in state agency operational management to the Oklahoma Department of Labor. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

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life is short,” Houston said. “I needed to do something that had purpose. That lead me on a path, which I think landed me in positions in service to the state.”

Houston arrived at the labor department as the former chief of staff and policy advisor for Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Before her time in the Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General, Houston was chief of staff for the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security and deputy director of the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association.

Safe environments

As the Commissioner of Labor, Houston is responsible for the enforcement of labor laws that promote fairness and equality in the workforce. The work of the labor department goes beyond settling wage claims. Staff works with employers on workplace safety.

One popular program is the Safety Pays Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Consultation program. Safety professionals work with small, private sector employers on reviewing the workplace and offering solutions for correcting safety and health issues.

The program is offered at no cost to the employer and can reduce workers’ compensation costs.

Under the safety standards and licensing division, department staff inspects broilers, elevators and escalators, fire sprinklers, amusement rides, alarms and alternative fuel pumps.

Houston tagged along for elevator inspections, amusement ride licenses and calibration of CNG pumps at a gas station to learn the regulatory side of the agency.

“The staff have been very impressive to me,” Houston said. “Their salaries are entirely too low. They could go into the private sector very quickly with their talents and skill levels. There are many things we do here, and these people are experts in their areas. … There is a level of team work and a dedication to public service that is agency-wide.”

Early on, Houston announced she won’t seek election after completing Costello’s term. She sees herself in a unique situation to bring about policy change in the agency and not worry about political recourse. The term ends January 2019.

“It is an incredible opportunity, especially for someone who has a real passion for public policy,” Houston said. “I’ll spend three years really taking a look at the agency and what changes could be made.”

As the head of the labor department, Houston would like the agency to be viewed as a partner for businesses. She believes the agency’s services can help businesses achieve their goals while still serving consumers and providing safe workplace conditions.

“I am not a big believer in ‘gotcha’ regulations,” Houston said. “I believe the vast majority of businesses do believe in the safety of their employees and the safety of the public. It is not profitable when someone gets hurt. It is more profitable when people are safe.”

Adults! Summer Reading isn’t just for kids! You can sign up too!

Two weeks remain to earn free gifts and enter drawings to win prizes after reaching each goal.

Participate in Read it Forward. We’ll donate a book to a child in need!

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friedNEWS

FIDLAR’s roof

Where is the best place to film a music video in Oklahoma? Maybe with a big budget, a director could rent a helicopter and get a low-flying, bird’s-eye view of rolling, open plains.

California skate punk band FIDLAR (aka Fuck It Dog, Life’s a Risk) is here to show the world that the best place to shoot video is actually in the wonderland that is The Womb Gallery, 25 NW 9th St., the colorful and outlandish art portal brought to us by Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips.

FIDLAR’s single, “Punks,” is a head-bashing good time on its own, and the video is a perfect complement.

Its premise centers around a party — the kind that pops up in substance-enhanced dreams. It features neon lighting, dollar bill regurgitation and an abundance of mysterious green slime — you know, pretty much exactly what you would expect in a Flaming Lipsenabled project.

In a press release, FIDLAR bassist Brandon Schwartzel said the project was a “dream come true.” The LA-based band used local artists as extras.

“There doesn’t seem to be that much to do in Oklahoma City, so if you’re a weird art kid, you’re probably going to end up hanging out with The Flaming Lips,” Schwartzel’s statement said.

“Something I really like about both of our bands is the preference for friends over professionals. Getting your friends together, giving them a job to do and then watching them excel at it is super cool.”

Schwartzel is right; the end product is pretty cool. There is probably more to do in Oklahoma City than he realizes, but now we can add appearing in a major rock video to the list.

Meth-matics

Keep your meth out of our state! Sure, Breaking Bad glamorizes it by giving viewers hope that if you’re diagnosed with cancer and live on a teacher’s salary, you could start a meth lab to afford treatment. We at Chicken-Fried News have since learned that, well, reality just doesn’t happen that way.

KOCO.com recently reported two men from California were stopped and arrested near Interstate 40 and Meridian Avenue on charges of aggravated trafficking of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.

Police seized 9.5 pounds of the drug and 70 grams of what we’re guessing wasn’t medically prescribed marijuana packed inside a Nissan Altima.

Reporter Kelsey Powell illustrated the size of one ounce of meth by holding up an apple for the news camera. Since we’re OK at math, we’ll also tell you nine pounds is equal to 150 apples. Police estimated the meth was worth more than $10,000.

#FugutiveFound

Criminals can run, but not forever.

Jarred Lee Hynes, 38, was arrested in Tulsa June 20 after months on the run from an Aug. 7 escape from Oklahoma City’s Clara Waters Community Corrections Center. He was serving a sentence of 15

years for unauthorized use of a vehicle. Before that, he served six years in prison for a conviction of shooting with intent to kill, according to Tulsa World.

Agents from Inspector General’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service and Tulsa Police Department picked up Hynes at Brightwaters Apartments on 23rd Street and Southwest Boulevard in Tulsa, according to Tulsa World. The arrest report stated Hynes was arrested on the count of escaping from a penitentiary.

The con was captured less than a month after being featured on the Oklahoma Department of Correction’s Facebook page as part of its #FugitiveFriday feature.

Body cam debacle

As the adage goes, you shouldn’t put the cart before the horse — or in this case, you

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shouldn’t put the body camera on an officer without the union first agreeing to the policy.

According to FOX 25, the Oklahoma City Police Department implemented its new police body camera program before Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 123 signed off on the policy. The quarrel sent the issue to arbitration. In mid-June, an arbitrator sided with the local union, sending the FOP and police leaders back to the table for negotiating its body camera policy.

The devices have become a popular political response to recent national incidents of police misconduct and brutality.

The union isn’t against using body cams on officers. It just wants to discuss the change in workplace conditions, FOP President John George told the TV station.

“It’s really frustrating that we now have to shelve a product that was good for the citizens and the officers,” George told FOX 25. “We don’t want a supervisor to be able to sit down there all day and watch officers to find things wrong.”

The TV station spoke to Police Chief Bill Citty, who explained the policy was fair and the FOP had a seat at the table when the policy was drafted.

Something football

Checotah-raised singer Carrie Underwood has been an industry titan ever since she won American Idol in 2005 to the chagrin of Bo Bice fans everywhere.

And between keying her ex’s car in the “Before He Cheats” video and having a child with uber-hunk professional hockey player Mike Fisher, Under wood has also become the musical voice of NBC’s highly rated Sunday Night Football.

Her version of the program’s theme song “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” debuted back in 2013, but apparently the time has come for something new.

“Somethin’ Bad,” Underwood’s duet with Miranda Lambert, became a No. 1 hit when it was released in 2014. And now “Oh, Sunday Night,” which mixes country, pop and rock and is sung to the tune of that duet, is set to become football’s new theme song.

“I love being part of the Sunday Night Football family and can’t wait for the fans to hear the new theme song,” Underwood said in a media release.

The tune debuts Sept. 11, when the New England Patriots play the Arizona Cardinals.

Mural mania

Oklahoma City Thunder big-man Steven Adams just got a little bigger. The team center

was the inspiration for a new mural outside The Paramount building in Film Row. Graham Hoete, who goes by Mr G, spray-painted the enormous mural to honor the fellow New Zealander.

Adams has become a household name in Oklahoma. According to ESPN. go.com, the pro basketballer posted an average of 10.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game during the Thunder’s postseason.

The center’s popularity has spread across the globe and into his home country.

Adams also became a worldwide trending topic among social media users after being kicked in the groin by Draymond Green during the Western Conference Finals.

Hoete said he heard of the ways Adams was giving back.

Hoete flew to the United States to paint a mural of pop icon Prince in the musician’s hometown, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

However, after realizing he could pay tribute to one of his local heroes, Hoete visited Oklahoma City, too. Now based out of Sydney, Australia, Hoete was about 15 hours ahead of his usual time zone while in Oklahoma.

A spotlight was provided so he could paint after dark. Upon completion, Hoete invited Thunder fans to join him. Hundreds of fans swarmed Sheridan Avenue in hopes of participating in a group photo in front of the

connect to

Film Row fan favorite.

The artist is off to Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, to show his respects to their cities’ stars.

Haterphobia

Oklahoma-headquartered and owned craft store franchise Hobby Lobby, where your aunt buys all her picture frames, might be best known for its fight against federally mandated contraceptive coverage.

However, it recently made headlines after one of its Jacksonville, Florida, franchisees showed intolerance for intolerance.

The company responded to a viral social media photo that shows the words “GOD HATES F**S” spelled out in decorative letters on a shelf inside the Florida shop.

“It is beyond unfortunate that some individuals would use items intended to bring beauty and joy through creativity to instead propagate hate, especially at a time when love is so critically needed right now,” Oklahoma City-based communications coordinator Bob Miller told Florida television station WJXT. It’s cool that Hobby Lobby responded at all, because this could happen anywhere letters are sold. Target sells decorative letters. So do Walmart and a bunch of independent craft stores.

Not long after the rogue arrangement of letters was removed, someone arranged the display to say, “LOVE NOT HATE.”

Confidence at Central

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA TM

uco.edu

ucobronchos

uco.bronchos

UCOBronchos

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letters

NEWS Redefining hate

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.

Taxing tobacco

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in Oklahoma and the nation.

Oklahoma has not increased the tax on tobacco products since 2004. I support raising the cigarette tax in Oklahoma by at least $1.50 for many reasons, some of which are outlined below.

In recent years, studies have examined the impact of cigarette tax increases on smoking prevalence, especially in youth.

Most of those studies have found that higher taxes reduce consumption.

Research shows that when the price of cigarettes increases by 10 percent, it leads to a 5-15 percent reduction in smoking in young adults under age 18 and a 3-7 percent reduction for adults.

An estimated 21.1 percent of adults in Oklahoma smoke. This is something we need to change. According to a recent

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Gallup Poll, 74 percent of existing smokers want to quit. Raising the tax on cigarettes will act as a financial incentive and encourage smokers to take that step. This new, higher price may also encourage people, specifically youth, to think twice about using tobacco products in the first place.

Oklahoma pays nearly $1.62 billion annually for health care costs related to smoking.

In my opinion, raising the tobacco tax has the potential to make a significant impact in the very important campaign to prevent tobacco use and improve the overall health of our state.

Martha Burger Oklahoma City

Creative outlet

I have not lived in Oklahoma City for 16 years, and I just moved back. It is amazing to see the changes that have taken place from the Oklahoma City I grew up in. I picked up a copy of Oklahoma Gazette and found it interesting.

One thing that would be nice to see in the Gazette is a small section dedicated to stories or poetry that is written by the local writers — anything from a short ongoing series to a simple poem. I believe this could add a lot to the Gazette and would also benefit the writing community.

Brock Fleming Oklahoma City

I have only one comment about Ari Nuncio’s letter (Opinion, Letters, “Defining hate,” May 18, Oklahoma Gazette): everything between the first word “your” and the last word “groups” is an ad hominem screed. It is a running diatribe of misinformation, bigotry and non-sequiturs. He infers that he is a Mexican-American, i.e. meaning an American citizen of Hispanic history, and states that Trump has “directed so much animosity at us.” Trump has not said anything negative about Hispanics. Quite the opposite; he has praised them. Of course, Trump employs immigrants. By immigrants, it is assumed that Nuncio meant legal immigrants, and Trump has commented about them numerous times.

Take some time out from promulgating inflammatory rhetoric and look at the news.

I’m a second-generation American, and I am not a hyphenated American. My paternal and maternal grandparents came through Ellis Island. They came to make a better life for themselves, become citizens and contribute to society.

Trump is not going to go after citizens but those who are stealing our treasures.

Pete Lepo Edmond

EAT & DRINK

Thinly sliced steak only takes a few seconds to cook in the boiling vegetarian broth at Muu Shabu.

Boiling vegetarian broth awaits Muu Shabu diners, who cook their own food, bite by bite, at the specially built counter.

f eat u re

Muu Shabu owner Pat Buranasombati brings plates of thinly sliced rib-eye, shrimp and scallops for shabu-shabu-style cooking.

Swish hitter

Muu Shabu hits a home run with diners hungry for a different kind of Japanese cuisine.

By Greg Elwell | Photos Garett Fisbeck

Americans have a habit — perhaps all nations of the world do — of generalizing entire cultures using simplified stereotypes.

Pat Buranasombati said Japan experiences culture condensing. While visiting his brother in Oklahoma City, he found that Japanese restaurants here are “all the same.”

Sushi and teppanyaki might be ubiquitous, but there’s also a dearth of other Japanese options. Indeed, Tamashii Ramen House and upcoming Gorō Ramen + Izakaya serve ramen, but none offer shabushabu.

Until now.

Translated to “swish swish,” shabushabu is also known as Japanese hot pot.

Thin slices of meat, usually beef or pork, are dragged briefly through a boiling-hot broth, cooking them almost instantly.

Previously, the closest place to find shabu-shabu was in Stillwater.

“That’s an hour and a half away,” Buranasombati said. “An hour and a half to drive out there, then you eat, then you drive an hour and a half to get back. I figured, ‘Why not open one here?’”

His answer is Muu Shabu, 1042 E. Second St., in Edmond.

The 31-seat restaurant mimics the plentiful shabu-shabu restaurants he visited when he lived in Los Angeles. A long, U-shaped bar holds bowls for broth. Behind the counter, electric cooktops are flipped on, bringing the vegetarian liquid to a boil.

It’s a simple and healthy cuisine, he said, but it’s also an entertaining way to dine.

Unlike some other foods, shabu-shabu benefits from a primer. While the staff is always happy to answer questions, Buranasombati also directs diners to the restaurant’s Facebook page, where they can view a how-to video.

Prices range from $5.99 for a vegetarian assortment of vegetables, tofu and udon noodles with white or brown rice to $29.99 for the Muu Special with 28 pieces of rib-eye and all the accoutrements in the vegetarian assortment.

“At first, I thought a 28-piece meal would be a funny thing,” Buranasombati said.

“But every day, people come in and order it. I’m amazed.”

Oklahomans’ hunger for steak can’t be overestimated. Regardless of what customers order, though, Buranasombati said he doesn’t want anyone to leave hungry.

There are always free refills on rice. He knows students are on a budget, so he aims to keep his prices low and options plentiful.

Along with rib-eye, the menu includes the more affordable eye round steak. And while beef and pork are the traditional shabu-shabu meats, he added shrimp,

scallops and chicken to the selection.

“People love chicken,” he said.

For those who don’t want meat, the restaurant’s setup gives every seat its own bowl for broth. People keeping vegetarian or vegan can avoid getting any meat or meat by-products in their meals. Those with shellfish allergies can avoid crosscontaminating with shrimp and scallops.

Even chili-heads, always searching for a better burn, can load up the broth with tons of heat without forcing their companions to endure a scorched tongue.

It’s also a good option for a social meal or a solitary one. The open space is ideal for conversations, especially at the corners, but the arrangement also makes it easy for customers to come in on their own for a quick bite.

One of the tastiest additions on the menu is beaten egg for $1 more. Dipping the freshly cooked meat in the egg wash is a good way to add a fuller flavor and feel to each bite. Afterward, it can be added to the broth, almost like an egg drop soup.

Though it might seem like quite a production, Muu Shabu accommodates a number of University of Central Oklahoma staff and educators on a tight schedule.

“It can be 15 minutes, or you can take two hours,” he said. “It depends on the time you have to enjoy your meal. And it depends on how fast they can eat.”

The vegetable broth is cooked daily, and once the menu is more established, Buranasombati said he plans to add sukiyaki broth to the lineup, which is a darker, sweeter broth, as well as appetizers and desserts.

He’s also hoping to get a liquor license, at which point the restaurant will extend its current hours — 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily — for the late-night crowd. But getting more people in might not be a problem. After only a few weeks in business, Buranasombati said, Muu Shabu already has regulars. They visit from Norman, Yukon and Mustang.

“People have come from all over the place. And they come back,” he said.

Oklahomans are willing to learn and try something new, Buranasombati said.

“That’s what I really want: for people to open up and have a new experience,” he said.

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EAT & DRINK b rie f s By Greg Elwell

taurant grills hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken with a bevy of sides. Watermelon Coolers also are on the menu.

Chef Brad Ackerman said he will man the grill, which will give him a good view of the kiddie pool R&J’s will load up with water guns for guests to use all day.

“Kids are always welcome at R&J before 10 p.m.,” he said.

Thirsty parents can stop in and relax poolside with a cocktail and their families.

In addition to grill items, the restaurant is serving its full menu — food and cocktails — all day.

Mama Sinmi’s Chop House co-owner Ijeoma Popoola holds a Suya turkey leg dish. The restaurant closes Friday. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

•Ta-ta, Mama

Friday is the last day for Mama Sinmi’s Chop House as a restaurant.

The West African eatery, 2312 N. MacArthur Blvd., will close after four years, coowner Ijeoma Popoola said.

She and husband Andrew Popoola moved to Oklahoma City after being stationed in Germany and started the restaurant next to another African restaurant, Queen of Sheba.

“It is sad,” she said. “Location was also a big factor for our growth.”

Coming from Europe, Popoola said they had no idea about the different districts in the city, so that’s a lesson learned. The venue will continue catering and selling its beloved red sauce online at mamasinmi.com.

Popoola said there’s a chance, if the stars align, the restaurant could reopen in the future at a different location. program having a huge impact on our community,” said OSU-OKC Farmers Market manager Hallie Williams in a press release.

“Now, SNAP customers will have more buying power by literally doubling their dollars to purchase fruits and vegetables.”

DUO is funded through a Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

OSU-OKC is one of nine Oklahoma Photo Gazette/ File markets participating during the program’s first year.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance The OSU-OKC Farmers Market is open Program (SNAP) participants visiting the 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma Learn more at osuokc.edu/farmersmarket.

City (OSU-OKC) Farmers Market can get more bang for their buck starting Saturday.

The OSU-OKC Famers Market, 400 N. Portland Ave., joins the Double Up The hepcats at The R&J Lounge and Oklahoma program (DUO), which encour- Supper Club, 320 NW 10th St., are putting ages participating families to eat more the weekly Dinner 4 Twelve on hold for a fresh fruits and vegetables by matching week to celebrate Independence Day the value of SNAP purchases made at the weekend with a cookout and water fight market up to $20 per market day. on the patio.

“I foresee the Double Up Oklahoma From 3 p.m. to dusk Sunday, the res-

•Double vision

Patio party

A peach gelato from The Red Cup Supper Club’s June 12 dinner | Photo Patrick Clark II / provided

•Vegan feast

Though The Red Cup, 3122 N. Classen Blvd., is usually closed for supper, Chef Patrick “Beave” Clark II is staging a monthly series of vegan dinners that focus on locally sourced vegetables and fruits.

The Red Cup Supper Club No. 5 is 6:309:30 p.m. July 10 and will likely feature seasonal peaches, Clark said.

“I’m thinking of a peach dessert, different from last month’s intermezzo [course], which was a dish I nicknamed Ain’t No Georgia Peach, which was a peach gelato over sorrel powder with coconut snow, lemon zest and an apricot sweet tea meringue,” Clark said.

While the summer bounty is ongoing, Clark is planning for the winter months to come by creating a larder of pickles and fermented goods.

“I have also started our own vinegar that will soon get paired with many local beers to make individual beer-based vinegars,” he said. “I’m starting this larder so that even into the harsh months, where only greens and select produce are available, we will be able to offer a variety of local goodness.”

Tickets are $60.67, available at facebook.com/thercinokc.

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EAT & DRINK

re v ie w

Double Dan half-pound cheeseburger

Ol’ faithful

Bacon sandwich

South OKC’s Dan’s Ol’ Time Diner is worth a trip through time.

By Greg Elwell | Photos Emmy Verdin

In retrospect, the armor was a mistake.

Time travel, as anyone knows, is a very tricky business. Step on the wrong butterfly and, suddenly, you end up with John F. Kennedy winning the presidency or George Lazenby only making one James Bond film.

So you take precautions. You try to get your outfit right and your lingo down pat.

Don’t carry money printed after the time period you visit. Little stuff like that can make a big difference.

But I screwed up. I’m not sure why I thought Dan’s Ol’ Time Diner, 8433 S. Western Ave., was Dan’s Olde Tyme Dyner. Maybe I wrote it down wrong.

Whatever the cause, it turns out that Dan’s is an onion burger joint in modernday Oklahoma City and not, as I surmised, a tavern in feudal-era England.

Still, people didn’t seem to notice the clank of my suit of armor over the general clatter of a pretty hopping hamburger place. Customers come and go frequently, 18

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and the staff works like a well-oiled machine.

As you might assume, the menu is somewhat limited. Unlike most diners, Dan’s doesn’t dally with breakfast. Dan is all about those burgers, and thank goodness for that.

A 1/8th-pound onion burger will run you $3.39. Slap on a slice of cheese for 60 cents more. They slice the onions up daily, and they’re extra thin, so when they sit on the griddle, they caramelize into a sweet, stringy heap.

You can get a burger without onions.

You shouldn’t. If we were at Dan’s together, I would glare at you as you ordered a burger without onions.

Some people don’t like raw onions.

That’s understandable. Raw onions are sharp, with a weird heat that people find unpleasant. But cooked onions, the kind you’ll find sizzling away on the flat-top grill at Dan’s, are a different beast altogether.

20 16 Runoff Ballots PuBlish July 13 & July 20 Results PuBlish August 24 thank You PuBlishes August 31

Fresh-cut french fries

Dan’s Ol’ Time Diner 8433 S. Western Ave. | 405-634-8806 What works: A Double Dan with cheese is a half-pound slice of heaven.

What needs work: The combo of tater tots, cheese and bacon is surprisingly uninspiring.

Tip: Bare burger? Check out the condiment island in the middle of the dining room.

The application of heat changes the chemical structure of the onion, breaking down large starch and sugar molecules into smaller sugars in a process called pyrolysis. Those smaller sugars taste sweeter to the tongue. The scorching-hot stove also pushes the water out of the onions, which softens them.

So when you say, “I don’t like onions,” you probably don’t mean these onions.

You can dress up your onion burger with whatever you like. Bacon is 80 cents extra, but lettuce, tomato, pickles and condiments are free at the center bar. I like mine simple — a little mustard and a couple of pickle slices.

A normal person could eat a 1/8th-lb. onion burger and be sated, but that’s not me. That’s why you can bump up the beef with a Big Dan (1/4 lb. burger) for $4.79, a Max (1/3-lb. burger) for $6.19 or my personal favorite, the Double Dan (1/2-lb. burger) for $7.59.

The Double Dan is more beef, more onions and more of that sweet Maillard reaction that makes hamburgers one of our most beloved national dishes. Dan’s Ol’ Time Diner makes a juicy burger, and the more meat and onions you stack on, the juicier it gets.

A Double Dan is like a flavorful sponge just waiting to spill all those beefy, cheesy, onion-y juices on your taste buds. I like mine with cheese, but I like everything

with cheese. Sometimes I put cheese on top of cheese — I find it pairs well with cheese.

On a Double Dan, the cheese holds everything together perfectly. I think it’s one of the best burgers in town.

There is no shame in not getting a burger, though, because Dan’s has a pretty wonderful BLT on the menu.

Technically, it’s a bacon sandwich ($4.39), but you can apply the lettuce and tomato from the center bar at your

leisure.

If you prefer to just eat a pile of crispy, chewy bacon on a couple pieces of deeply buttered Texas toast without vegetables, then I like your style, cowboy.

The bacon cheese tots ($4.29) are going to lure many of you in, but I urge you to save your stomach for worthier endeavors.

Freshly fried, the tots are perfectly serviceable on their own. The cheese on top is melted American, and the bacon is a chopped-up version of the kind on the BLT. The ingredients all work alone, but together, they just don’t make much of an impact. It’s a dish that sounds good in concept but fizzles when it hits your mouth.

For the freshest side, you’ve got to get the french fries, which are cut daily and fried in peanut oil. Some are crispy, some have a little more give, but all of them are delicious. They’re each unique, like snowflakes, if snowflakes could be deepfried and served with ketchup.

The fries come in three sizes: petite ($1.99), small ($2.55) and large ($3.30). A petite is enough for two to share; just make sure your guest wants more salt (the fries need them) before you go to town.

And even if you don’t go to town — or you’re dressed for a Ren Faire — you should definitely go to Dan’s Ol’ Time Diner. It’s a perfect example of a restaurant that does one thing and does it exceptionally well.

Your choice for

lunch, dinner & drinks

open daily 11am - 2 am

corner of classen & Boyd, norman 405.329.3330 | themont.com

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g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

Nocturnal nosh

There’s just something about Oklahoma in June that’s reminiscent of Grease. Except here, the summer days are blistering away.

But oh, oh those summer nights. It’s clear the sun is trying to murder your family right now. The only solution is to live in the slightly less miserable heat of the night. Here are some of our favorite eateries serving food after the sun goes down.

By Greg Elwell Photos Garett Fisbeck and Gazette / file

The Mule

Fassler Hall

There’s a reason mules are the perfect symbol of our nation. Eagle, schmeagle — nothing says America like a mule. We’re stubborn and sometimes we smell weird, but we’re hard workers, and we have great hair! Celebrate our nation and the setting sun with a visit to The Mule. This bar and restaurant stays open until midnight Fridays and Saturdays, slinging cold beers and hot melts, and it’s open at 10 a.m.

Sundays for brunch.

If you can read the phrase Late Night Sausage Party on Fassler Hall’s menu without giggling, you’re a better man than me. Who wouldn’t giggle at the prospect of half-priced gourmet sausages like habanero chicken, jalapeño cheddar or hunter (full of smoked venison, buffalo and pork sausage) 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. SundayThursday? Wait. Why are you laughing?

Is there a double entendre I’m not getting?

1630 N. Blackwelder Ave. themuleokc.com | 405-601-1400

421 NW 10th St. fasslerhall.com | 405-609-3300

Banana Island

1117 NW 25th St. facebook.com/bananaislandrestaurant 405-602-1188 Are spicy foods keeping you up, or are you staying up for spicy foods? Whichever way you play it, you should make a stop at Banana Island for the intoxicating mix of Thai and Malaysian cuisines. Open until 11 p.m., it’s a great place for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans who want to eat a delicious, exotic meal late into the evening. And if you want to stay up really late, get a Thai iced coffee.

You might never sleep again.

beat the heat with a

Thai Tea lunch buffet - M-F |11am-2pm

Now CATERING

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Taqueria La Tropicana 1022 SW 29th St. facebook.com/latropicana 405-634-8231

The weirdest thing about Taqueria La Tropicana isn’t the hours, though a south side taco joint open 3:30 p.m.-1 a.m.

Monday-Thursday and 8 p.m.-4 a.m.

Friday-Sunday is a little odd. The weirdest thing about this delightful authentic Mexican restaurant is that you haven’t been there yet. The tacos de papa are a delight, and the barbacoa and carnitas are some of the best in the city, no matter the time.

Chow’s Chinese Restaurant 3033 N. May Ave. 405-949-1663

There’s never a bad time for Chinese food.

Have you had fried rice for breakfast?

Masterful. A quick vegetable stir-fry makes for a light lunch that won’t weigh you down. And if dinner comes and goes too quickly, turn to Chow’s Chinese Restaurant for top-notch cuisine until 11 p.m. From classics like broccoli beef to delicacies like cold jelly fish, you’re sure to find something to like but more likely lots and lots of things you’ll love.

Chelio’s Diner

Gigglez Bar & Grill

Calories go to sleep when the sun sets. It’s science. So when it gets dark, you can forget your diet and get down with the grub you’ve been dreaming of all day at Chelio’s Diner. A hodgepodge of American favorites, including pork chops and chicken-fried steak, await you. So do some notso-traditional diner foods, such as lasagna, egg rolls and chili rellenos. Whatever you choose, be sure to come back for breakfast the next day.

The comics onstage certainly aren’t pulling their jokes from the menu at Gigglez because they’ll get anything but laughs from names like the I’ve Got Nothing to Provalone sandwich or the Guac. Guac. Who’s There? burger. But you’ll get over those groaners when you dig into the food designed by chef Vuong Nguyen (owner of Bonjour). Order fast, though. The laughs might roll on until midnight Friday and Saturday, but the kitchen closes at 11 p.m.

1621 S. Interstate 35 Service Road 405-670-7799

1016 N. Walker Ave. gigglezokc.com | 405-602-2074

Shawarma

Fresh middle Eastern Food

1129 Elm Ave • Norman (405) 329-1401 www.shawarmavite.com

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cov e r

ARTS & CULTURE

Dancing with Mr. D

Speculation swirls around Oklahoma City Thunder player No. 35, Kevin Durant, as his contract expires Thursday. | Photo Gazette / file

OKC Thunder leaders and fans consider the team’s future as Kevin Durant faces free agency.

By Jon Hamm

Thunder All-Star and All-NBA forward Kevin Durant has achieved much in his career, but this summer promises him an opportunity he hasn’t had before.

When the clock strikes midnight Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, Durant will no longer be under contract to play for Oklahoma City Thunder. He will be the most sought-after free agent of the summer. He can choose to continue his basketball career here or in Oakland, Boston, Beşiktaş or anywhere in between.

July 1, he becomes a free agent, free to do what he wants any old time.

Durant hasn’t been with the Thunder as long as Mick Jagger has been a Rolling Stone, but it might seem that way. He’s a founding Thunder player and has been with the team since the Seattle Supersonics relocated from The Emerald City to The Big Friendly in 2008. If Durant is Jagger, then Russell Westbrook and Nick Collison are Keith Richards and Charlie Watts.

As with members of any hit-making music act, Durant’s performance is critical to the team’s success. Basketball is a sport in which a team plays only five people at once, and they play both offense and defense. Subtract a superstar from

that five-man lineup and the team will likely falter. Contrast this to football, which has 11 men on the field and its players specializing on offense, defense, kicking and punting. Players are much more fungible in that sport no matter how elite they might be.

Durant is not the Thunder’s only soonto-be free agent. Guards Dion Waiters and Randy Foye also are free to change teams this summer. While both played critical Thunder roles during last season’s playoff run, Durant is the one who will most impact the team’s future.

Satisfaction

As Durant has grown in stardom, the Thunder has likewise grown in prominence.

Since 2011, the team has appeared in the Western Conference Finals in four of the previous six postseasons, including an NBA Finals berth in 2012. The era could have been even more impressive if not for significant and ill-timed injuries.

Westbrook’s torn meniscus derailed a potential title-winning run in 2013. A strained calf muscle took versatile forward Serge Ibaka out of the lineup for two critical Western Conference Finals games in 2014.

An unprecedented spate of injuries, which included Durant missing 55 games due to a broken bone in his foot, knocked the Thunder out of the playoffs completely in 2015.

The Thunder bounced back to stage with a somewhat improbable playoff run earlier this year that ended with a conference finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, fresh off winning the most regular season games in NBA history, in seven games. Thunder even held a 3-to-1 game advantage over the Warriors, and many assumed it would advance to the NBA Finals. Had

Photo Gazette / file

the Thunder been locked in a series with any other than the league’s winningest regular season team, it might have. Instead, the Warriors won the final three series games and put Durant and the Thunder’s title hopes on hold for at least another season.

Merely making the NBA’s version of the Final Four doesn’t satisfy every fan, 22

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especially those who subscribe to the Ricky Bobby mentality of “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” Clearly, no banners hang celebrating conference finals appearances, but clearing that bar several times in a short span places a franchise among the elite.

Still, Durant just completed his ninth NBA season and remains without an NBA title on his resume. He turns 28 in September and is entering the prime of his career. Whatever decision he makes, the 2013-14 MVP has to consider the likelihood of winning an elusive championship as he ponders his future.

Under his thumb?

Some fans nervous about the Thunder’s future remember recent major free agent defections.

Two of the biggest were when Shaquille O’Neal left the Orlando Magic for the LA Lakers in 1996 and when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach in 2010.

The Magic put up a valiant effort to remain relevant after O’Neal left, but it imploded within three years. The Cavaliers became one of the worst teams in the NBA and remained that way until James surprisingly returned in 2014.

There’s not much comparison to draw from those scenarios and the one Durant faces. O’Neal left Orlando in part because he felt the Magic low-balled him with its initial offer, reportedly in the range $80 million over four years. The Lakers began moving heaven and earth in order to make an offer of $120 million over seven years.

O’Neal made what he has long described as “a business decision.”

Such a situation won’t occur with Durant and the Thunder. NBA players and owners implemented maximum salaries after a contentious 1999 lockout, and the rule has remained ever since. Durant’s first-year maximum salary is expected to be around $26.4 million. That will be the most any team can offer him. The Thunder won’t find itself in a situation where it could be outbid by another team.

James left behind an aging Cavaliers squad unable to attract a costar. The Cavaliers became so focused on “win now” moves that it depleted its overall talent and left few promising future prospects.

Durant faces no such situation in Oklahoma City. He has had a co-superstar in Westbrook for the past eight seasons. The Thunder was the 10th-youngest NBA team last season with an average age of just under 26 years old. That includes 22-year-old rising star Steven Adams, whose improved play in the postseason has many wondering how high his ceiling actually is. Key playoff performers Waiters, Andre Roberson and Enes Kanter are age 24 or younger. The team is set to be just as much of a contender over the next five years as it has been the past five years.

Rock and a hard place

Having all of that young, developing talent is helpful in another way. If Durant chose to leave, it wouldn’t leave Chesapeake Energy Arena cupboards completely bare.

The Thunder’s status as an NBA title contender would take a massive, if not

The team is set to be just as much of a contender over the next five years as it has been the past five years. terminal, hit. His departure would give the Thunder room under the NBA’s salary cap to attempt to fill his void. In simple terms, the salary cap is a complex system that helps maintain competitive balance across the league and sets limits on how teams spend money on player contracts. The way the Thunder is positioned, it would not have room under the salary cap unless Durant left.

Suffice it to say having cap room is not a scenario the Thunder front office wants.

The Thunder could theoretically retool around Westbrook if Durant departed, but Westbrook can become a free agent next year. It could attempt to lure the next best replacement on the free agent market, such as Charlotte’s Nic Batum, Golden State’s Harrison Barnes or Atlanta’s Kent Bazemore. None have notched an All-Star appearance. It would be like replacing the horsepower of a Dodge Viper with a Honda Accord.

Spider and the fly

Durant has given mostly canned responses when asked about his future.

Last August, Durant was asked not about his future specifically but about what frustrates him about media coverage of the NBA. He gave a response that would serve as a fallback any time the topic of his free agency came up.

“Along with Matty Ice (Thunder PR man Matt Tumbleson), I’ve got two people that I trust with my life: my agent and my manager, who’s my best friend as well,” Durant told reporters during a Team USA minicamp in August. “I trust them with my life. So if you hear sources or anything, don’t believe it if it didn’t come from them. I tell them everything. We bounce ideas off each other. We collaborate on a lot of different things. They give me advice. So throughout this year, if you hear sources from anybody, it’s not true unless you hear it from Charlie Bell, Rich Kleiman or Kevin Durant.”

Media was prepared to ask Durant about his future when the Thunder played on the road. A virtual circus was anticipated as Durant and company traversed the country. All told, the experience was mostly tame.

When asked about his future, Durant’s responses were fairly consistent. He often rotated through responses such as “I don’t think about the future,” “I’m just focused on playing better each and every day” or “I haven’t really thought about it.” As much as the media probed and phrased questions in various ways, Durant offered nothing definitive. He didn’t allow his uncertain future to distract the rest of the team.

Respectable

As important as Durant is to the Thunder, he has made perhaps a bigger impact on Oklahoma City and surrounding communities. Most famously, Durant made a personal donation of $1 million to Red Cross disaster relief efforts in May 2013 after devastating tornados wreaked havoc on parts of Oklahoma City suburbs.

Durant also reached out to Nike and convinced the company to donate $1 million in apparel and profits from Durant’s signature basketball shoe.

In 2015, Durant made a pair of notable community contributions through his Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. A new basketball court was unveiled in September at North Highland Elementary School as part of the foundation’s Build It and They Will Ball initiative. In December, the foundation made a third donation to Positive Tomorrows, an Oklahoma school that provides elementary school education for homeless children.

“They needed some help and, simple, I just wanted to help them,” Durant told

Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman when he personally presented a check to the school.

Oklahoma City needs Durant in the community just as much as the Thunder needs him on the basketball court.

Shine a light

All 30 NBA teams hold exit interviews with the media as their season ends. The head coach and the players sit down one at a time to discuss the past season, the future and anything in between. The interviews serve as an epilogue to a thousand-page novel that has left fans riveted night after night.

Fourteen teams get to meet the media as soon as the regular season ends because they missed the playoffs. Fifteen others meet the press after they lose a playoff series. Only one faces the media as an NBA champion.

The Thunder didn’t hold exit interviews after completing a downtown Oklahoma City championship parade route. Instead, it held them June 1 after its loss to the Warriors. Naturally, media and fans looked forward to Durant’s words and body language, prepared to dissect each frameby-frame and word-by-word like a modernday Zapruder film. Durant spoke positively about the season and praised his teammates. The first question thrown his way was about what factors go into his summer decision. Durant paused before thoughtfully answering.

“When I sit down and think about it, to be honest, I haven’t put that list together, I guess. But just being around great people, being in a great basketball environment — that’s the two most important things for me,” he told media. “That’s all I really care about, who I’m going to be doing life with every single day, who I’m going to be playing basketball with every single day.”

Durant was then asked whether he wanted to be courted the way James was in 2010, with all the pomp and circumstance normally reserved for King Edward VII.

“That’s not who I am,” Durant responded. “All that other stuff that comes with… y’know, being who I am and being in this position is not really for me.

“It may seem like I’m not talking and I’m not giving information, but I’m just really trying to make sure I tie everything up properly and make this thing right.”

The NBA’s free agency period begins Friday. Players and teams can agree to terms, but no contracts can be signed until Tuesday due to a moratorium. That could make for an excruciating week for fans awaiting definitive word about Durant’s decision.

One former Thunder player doesn’t seem concerned. During exit interviews, Ibaka was asked about Durant’s situation.

The Congo native’s response summed up the feelings of most observers.

“Where he going to go? Tell me,” he said.

“After what we did in the playoffs this year, where? If he gonna go somewhere, where?”

Editor’s note: Jon Hamm is an NBA Insider for 107.7 The Franchise and a contributor to dailythunder.com. He has studied the complexities of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement for more than 15 years. You can follow him on Twitter @JonMHamm.

from left Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka horse around during a media day photo shoot in this 2014 photo. | Photo Gazette / file

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ARTS & CULTURE Wagner’s Concert Band.

Families are encouraged to bring picnic baskets, blankets and lawn chairs. There will be food trucks located throughout the event, and a 50-member orchestra band concert will perform patriotic tunes. The evening ends with a fireworks display around 9:45 p.m.

Firelake Casino Independence Day Fireworks 8 p.m. Saturday Firelake Casino 41207 Hardesty Road, Shawnee facebook.com/winatfirelake 405-273-2242 Free

Independence Day is normally considered a family affair, but who’s to say adults can’t spend some time playing grown-up games?

If you’re looking to get away from the kids and celebrate ahead of the big day, Firelake Casino is the place to be Saturday.

With four different styles of gaming, it’s sure to be a winning evening.

And because it wouldn’t be the Fourth of July without them, a fireworks display starts at 8 p.m. Admission is free.

event

A Celebration in the Heartland

Have a blast

LibertyFest has been named one of the top 10 Fourth of July events in the country

by CNN and USA Today. | Photo University of Central Oklahoma / provided

Oklahoma celebrates Independence Day with activities and fireworks shows. By Keaton Bell

Fireworks and sparklers aren’t the only ways to celebrate the Fourth of July, especially here in the metro. From festivals and cookouts to concerts and outdoor events, this year’s roundup might just be the most diverse yet. It boasts the usual suspects (Freedom Fest) as well as some oddities (Watermelon Seed Spittin’ World Championship).

Regardless of where you spend the holiday, you’re bound to have a blast.

Red, White & Boom!

8:30 p.m. Sunday State Fair Park 3001 General Pershing Blvd. okcphil.org | 405-842-5387 Free If there weren’t already enough reasons to love the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, its annual Red, White & Boom! Independence Day concert is certainly a big one.

As a gift to the community, the orchestra presents this free annual performance at State Fair Park. Families are invited to enjoy the concert, which starts 8:30 p.m.

Guests can bring lawn chairs and enjoy on-site concessions, making for a fun and culturally enriching evening for all ages.

To cap it off, the night ends with a fireworks display at 10 p.m. following the performance.

LibertyFest

9 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday University of Central Oklahoma 100 N. University Drive, Edmond libertyfest.org | 405-340-2527 Free How spectacular is LibertyFest in Edmond?

Enough that it has been named by CNN and USA Today as one of the top 10 places to be in America on July 4.

With more than 125,000 attendees annually and a huge array of events, LibertyFest doesn’t fool around when it comes to celebrating patriotism. Festivities begin 9 a.m. as a parade of bands, floats, clowns and antique cars make their way down the mile and a half parade route in downtown Edmond.

The day continues 6-9 p.m. at University of Central Oklahoma with ParkFest. It features food, face painting, live music and other fun activities. With an elaborate fireworks display with accompanying music broadcast over UCentral Radio 99.3 FM (KZUC) capping off the day at 9:30 p.m., LibertyFest is the ideal spot for a classic Fourth of July celebration.

The event is free, all-ages and open to the public.

Tribute to Liberty

6 p.m. Monday Joe B. Barnes Regional Park 8700 E. Reno Ave., Midwest City midwestcityok.org/341/ Tribute-to-Liberty 405-739-1293 Free While there might be a huge number of events happening on Independence Day, none are bound to be as low-key and relaxing as Tribute to Liberty.

Starting at 6 p.m. in Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, the event kicks off with acoustic duo Southern Rift playing some country and indie folk followed by Dr. Irv

10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday Buck Thomas Park 1903 NE 12th St., Moore cityofmoore.com | 405-793-5000 Free

Often overlooked in favor of flashier Fourth of July festivals across the state, Moore’s Celebration in the Heartland is a top-notch event. Held at Buck Thomas Park, festivities include food vendors, a youth tent, inflatables and a children’s sand pit.

While the kids are enjoying themselves, adults can peruse the booths of various craft vendors and wineries and take a ride in a DWTA helicopter for $40 per person.

With musical entertainment planned throughout the day and a fireworks display to cap off the night, there won’t be a dull moment at this celebration.

Admission to the event is free.

Midwest City’s Tribute to Liberty features fireworks, live music and food trucks. | Photo bigstock.com 24

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Yukon’s Freedom Fest is fun for the whole family with pony rides, free admission to City Splash Pool, a car show and a performance by Oklahoma City Philharmonic. | Photo bigstock.com

Freedom Fest

8 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday Yukon City Park 2200 S. Holly Ave., Yukon Chisholm Trail Park 500 W. Vandament Ave., Yukon cityofyukonok.gov | 405-354-8442 Free With a name as blatantly patriotic as Freedom Fest, it makes sense that this event would be filled with all sorts of Independence Day celebrations.

There are the usual attractions, like the children’s parade, craft tent and car show. But this year’s festival will also have pony rides, laser tag, inflatables and free swimming at City Splash Pool.

Did you think we were done? Those were just the day activities.

In the evening, festivities continue with a hot dog eating contest, free watermelon and ice cream, a performance

by Oklahoma City Philharmonic and an enormous fireworks display at 10 p.m.

Small-town Independence Day Celebrations

If big festivals with big crowds aren’t your jam, try out some small-town celebrations for a more intimate Fourth of July.

McLoud Blackberry Festival

4-11 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-11 p.m.

Saturday McCloud High School Athletic Complex 1280 W. Seikel Blvd., McLoud mcloudchamber.com | 405-964-6566 Free Is there anything that embodies smalltown charm more than a blackberry festival? For some hometown fun, visit McLoud Blackberry Festival, which began in the 1940s.

Go into blackberry overload and buy some of the freshly harvested berries, blackberry cobbler, sodas and teas. There’s a parade 10 a.m. Saturday downtown, the Blackberry Royalty Pageant and even a

blackberry cobbler eating contest.

In case it doesn’t sound old-fashioned enough, a car show, living history demonstrations and a carnival round out the weekend. The fireworks display begins 10 p.m. Saturday.

World Watermelon Seed Spittin’ Contest

5 p.m. Monday Wacker Park 100 West Paul Ave., Pauls Valley paulsvalley.com | 405-238-3308 Free The World Watermelon Seed Spittin’ Contest, featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not and Guinness Book of World Records, is held in conjunction with other familyfriendly events.

Participants in six age-based categories try to break the record of Jack Dietz of Chicago, who spat a seed 66 feet 11 inches in 1989. Registration and admission to the event is free.

But if you’d rather watch the contest instead of take part in it, there’s still plenty of fun to be had with a fireworks display and live music.

July 4th Games

8 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Monday Courthouse Square 510 Illinois St., Pawnee cityofpawnee.com | 918-762-2108 Free

Guests won’t find any high-tech events or gizmos in Pawnee on Monday, but they will find a whole lot of old-fashioned charm. Be transported back to yesteryear with events like a turtle race, an egg toss, a boot toss and sack races. Kids can participate in tug-of-war tournaments and tricycle races.

After a day filled with low-key events, fireworks go off at 10 p.m.

Admission is free.

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ARTS & CULTURE

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Brent Learned’s “Stay Tuned...” is one of around 40 Native American-created works in Native Pop! on display Friday through July 28 at Paseo Plunge. | Photo Emmy Verdin

Cultural Pop!

A Paseo Plunge exhibit celebrates contemporary Native American art and the people who create it.

By Ben Luschen

Native Pop! opening reception 6 p.m. Friday The Paseo Plunge 3010 Paseo St. paseoplunge.com 405-315-6224 Free

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). L’Algérienne, 1909. Oil on canvas. Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris. MNAM-CCI. Legs du Victomte Guy de Cholet aux Musées nationaux, 1916, 2009. AM 2009-214. © 2016 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

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A vintage 1950s television broadcasts a new, colorful image inside its wood-paneled frame.

Artist Brent Learned remembers the black-and-white Indian-head test pattern often used by broadcast television stations into the 1970s. He recently mimicked the design in his piece “Stay Tuned...,” making it his own with splashes of bright, bold colors.

“If you grew up at a time where you saw that on TV before you went to bed or when you woke up, that would resonate and it had the Native image,” he said. “What I’m doing is reclaiming that, doing it in my own style and presenting it as a piece of art.”

“Stay Tuned...” exemplifies Learned’s mission for the Native Pop! group art show, which opens Friday and runs through July 28 in Paseo Plunge’s Exchange Gallery, 3010 Paseo St. An opening reception is 6-10 p.m. Friday.

Learned, a member of Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, said he

worked with fellow artist and Native Pop! exhibitor Joe Hopkins over the last year to assemble a collection of works that challenge traditional Native American art concepts and reclaim cultural and historical narratives.

The show features 35 to 40 pieces, all for sale, including works by Learned, Hopkins, Bunky Echo-Hawk, Debra YepaPappan, Gregg Deal, J. Nicole Hatfield, Ryan Red Corn, Steven Grounds, Dallin Maybee, Steven Paul Judd and Joshua Garrett.

Hopkins said he has noticed Native trends toward pop and street art in recent years, especially among younger artists.

Like Learned, Hopkins enjoys using vivid colors in his work. Some of his art on display interjects grayscale images with lively intensity.

“You look at old black-and-white photos, and after a while, they all start to look the same,” Hopkins explained. “What I’m trying to do is to bring the old into the new.”

Bridging the public’s idea of what Native American art and people are is only one part of Native Pop!’s mission.

Claiming narratives

Many notable depictions of Native Americans originated outside of Native culture, Hopkins said. He cited Washington Redskins, Land O’Lakes butter and Crazy Horse malt liquor logos as examples.

“To the average viewer, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, well, they’re all cool with that.’ As Natives, we’re not cool with that,” Learned said. “We’re trying to reclaim that and say, ‘No, this is how we want to be seen; this is

how we want to present ourselves.’”

He remembers the time he visited an American West-themed art show and met a cowboy painter whose art features a horse depicted with Learned’s traditional tribal paint and symbols. When he asked her what the symbols meant, she explained the tribe added them for decorative purposes, which Learned knew was not accurate.

Improperly depicting Native symbolism, whether artistically or commercially, damages tribes, people, culture and history, Learned said.

“You’re going to muddy the water up,” he said. “When people buy that product, they’re going to tell that false story, and that’s how lies get spread.”

Learned said people often discuss Native Americans as if they only exist in the past. The Native Pop! concept partly originated from a desire to expand awareness of modern Native life and art.

“As Native Americans, we reflect today’s society,” Learned said. “People think of us as being extinct and how we’re a non-entity. No; we’re still here.”

“Travois to a Pow Wow” is another Learned piece included in the show. A travois is a wooden, sled-like frame tribe members strapped to a horse to transport loads from place to place. In “Travois to a Pow Wow,” Learned painted a couple in traditional regalia on the window of a 1975 Ford car door.

“That’s how we move nowadays,” he said. “I’m taking something old and making it new again.”

Learned said it is often up to Native artists to properly teach others about who Natives are as people in a society that often misrepresents or minimizes their existence.

“We’re letting them know we’re not just in natural history museums,” he said.

“We’re in art museums and galleries and we’re among you.”

Traveling exhibit

Learned and Hopkins said Native Pop!’s Paseo Plunge run is just the beginning.

They both said galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Portland expressed interest in hosting a similar exhibit. Since each piece in this group show is for sale, artists hope to put together a new, traveling exhibit that will tour the country.

Learned said Native American art collectors will be particularly interested in this exhibit.

“You get the younger generations who come up and they don’t want to hang the same stuff [as] their grandfather,” he said.

“Every generation changes with the time, and that’s one of the things we’re doing.”

Hopkins said he hopes gallery guests learn more about contemporary Native art.

“The main goal is to bring awareness to the expansion of Native American art,” he said. “I think it’s going to blow a lot of people away.”

We’re letting them know we’re not just in natural history museums.

Brent Learned

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ARTS & CULTURE

Movement master

Reduxion Theatre Company’s new artistic director approaches acting in a different way. By Brett Dickerson

“We’re not porn stars. We’re not cage fighters,” said Tonia Sina, Reduxion Theater Company’s new artistic director.

She drew a distinction between sex or brutality perpetrated as “big-screen” entertainment and simulated intimacy or violence portrayed during live theater.

It’s an important distinction she believes is key to maintaining safe environments for actors and satisfying experiences for audiences. As a movement coach, actor and director, it’s a distinction she teaches theater performers.

Stage actors, unlike two-dimensional characters on a movie screen, are in closer physical proximity to those viewing their art, which changes the dynamic.

During live theater, audiences are more comfortable with sensitive subjects when they’re clearly, confidently, accurately and safely portrayed by actors and the director, Sina said. That makes careful, skilled coaching a necessity.

Sina recently directed Reduxion’s In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), which ran four weekends and ended last week.

She has more than a decade of professional experience as a movement teacher focused on intimacy for the stage without creating emotionally precarious situations 28

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for actors, a subject in which she also published a book, Safe Sex: A Look at the Intimacy Choreographer.

She joins Reduxion with her husband, Matthew Ellis, who was hired as the theater company’s artistic associate. He brings extensive experience as a fight choreographer, educator, director and actor.

The play

Her background served her as she directed The Vibrator Play because of its sensitive subject matter.

The play is set in the late 1800s, when social and medical ignorance of female sexuality caused a number of women emotional complications from a lack of sexual fulfillment. Medicine’s response was to have doctors manually stimulate women. Later in the century, physicians turned to electric devices.

Because of the conservative nature of the surrounding culture, Reduxion asked playwright Sarah Ruhl for compromises in how it is billed simply because the word “vibrator” is in the title.

“I contacted the playwright and I said, ‘We are doing this in the Bible Belt, and we have a lot of issues advertising it,’” Sina said.

“But she told me, ‘I understand where you

Tonia Sina is Reduxion Theatre Company’s new artistic director. | Photo Ryan West Photography / provided

are, and you are very brave.’”

Indeed, a local publication ran a glowing write-up about the play but omitted the second half of the production’s title throughout the piece.

The play itself uses that period in medicine to explore the relationship between a doctor and his wife who works as his assistant during these procedures.

The presentation onstage is not explicit, but the subject is a very adult one.

Safety coaching

Sina’s college and graduate school training focused on teaching physical movement onstage to create authentic-looking performances without allowing emotional or physical impact to the actors.

Her experiences as a young actor led her to understand the importance of training and discipline in theater companies.

“I’ve been onstage where my partner suddenly started doing sexual things with me that weren’t built into the choreography,

I’ve been onstage where my partner suddenly started doing sexual things with me that weren’t built into the choreography.

Tonia Sina

and I had to stand in front of an audience and pretend that it’s OK,” Sina said.

“Essentially, you are being assaulted onstage in front of an audience, and you have to be in character.”

If there is no expectation or choreography of intimate or violent scenes, then emotional and physical dangers are real.

“It leaves a very wide-open gap for a lot of inappropriate behavior,” Sina said.

She said that actors are often injured when production companies expect them to simulate violence without specific coaching on how to safely do it.

Goals

As Reduxion Theatre Company artistic director, Sina said her goals are to continue to grow the company and provide a strong reputation for presenting enduring themes in innovative ways.

She said she is excited to join a company that often pushes the envelope, especially in Oklahoma.

Sina and Ellis have been friends with Tyler and Erin Woods, who co-founded the company eight years ago.

With Sina and Ellis’ new roles, Tyler Woods can turn his focus and energy to the business and marketing sides of the company.

“Tyler is excellent when it comes to the business of theater, which is unusual for artists,” Sina said.

“I am thrilled to have such a passionate and dedicated artist join our team,” Woods said in an email statement to Oklahoma Gazette. “Having admired her work for many years, it is exciting to see the innovation and fearlessness that she is bringing to the table.

We are energized … and we are excited to share it with our patrons.”

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Francesca Giani curates modern and contemporary art for Oklahoma City Museum of Art. | Photo Richard Gutierrez / provided

Art appreciation Francesca Giani joins Oklahoma City Museum of Art as its modern and contemporary art curator.

By Adam Holt

For residents in metropolitan areas like Oklahoma City, access to art and historically significant objects is often taken for granted. Civic pride, education and boasting rights are regularly carried by local museums and art galleries, but questions about how these things found their homes are usually few.

Curators are architects of the museum experience. They formulate the concepts behind exhibitions, determine their components and direct the flow of the stories being told. Without curators, museums would be glorified storage lockers.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA) recently announced Francesca Giani as its curator of modern and contemporary art. Giani’s prior job was guest curator at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

Giani earned her bachelor’s degree in Renaissance art from the University of Naples. Opportunities afforded to her by American museums and galleries that did not exist in her home country spurred her move stateside.

“Access to museums [in Italy] is not as direct as it is here, meaning there weren’t opportunities for internships and volunteer opportunities,” she said. “[They] were mostly government-run, and to work in a museum, you have to pass a nationally competitive exam. I was fascinated by the world of American museums for being so different.”

In 2011, she received her master’s degree in art history from San Diego State University. From there, she began an internship at OKCMOA.

Cultural rebirth

The responsibilities of a curator are often assumed by and rarely explained to those outside the museum world. Giani said the duties can be broad but focus on a story and how it is told.

“As a curator, you start developing an idea for an exhibit … you can approach it in many ways,” she said.

Historical exhibits can be approached chronologically, for example, and a permanent collection can be themed and focus on something specific, like portraiture or landscapes.

She said an example is Our City, Our Collection: Building the Museum’s Lasting

She was born and raised in the home of the Renaissance.

“When you grow up in Italy, you grow up surrounded by art, whether you want to or not,” she said of her upbringing in southern Italy, near Naples.

Her family, including her mother, who studied design, also appreciated art.

“My mother initially was an architect, then turned to teaching. She’s an art historian in a sense,” she said. “My parents always took me to museums, visiting cities, historical cities, which [in Italy] every city is a historical city.”

Defining curatorship

Legacy, currently on display at OKCMOA. It tells the story of Oklahoma City Museum of Art through its gifts, bequests and acquisitions. Pieces by Georgia O’Keeffe, Marcel Duchamp and Gustave Courbet are arranged to highlight the people and organizations from which the museum received the works.

Rather than focusing on the artist or subject of the piece, a theme gives a fresh look at works the museum has long held dear. For instance, in 1942, 23 showcased works were donated from the federal Works Progress Administration.

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Personal passion

Giani said the style of art she is most drawn to is that of the minimalist light and space movement. The sensorial art form sprouted in 1960s California and uses light and geometric shapes to affect perception and environment. It is the focus of her University of Oklahoma doctoral thesis.

She also is working on a sensational art exhibition for the museum.

“Some of it is optical, some of it kinetic,” she explained. “It might also include some light and space artists who work with perception and sensorial deprivation. It would be an exhibit that would allow us to showcase our very impressive collection of optical and kinetic work.”

She also wants to change the perception that modern and contemporary art is intimidating.

“It is OK not to understand art fully,” she said. “It is part of contemporary art.

Contemporary art is a reflection of a society, of a history that is still unfolding.

It is OK not to have a full grasp of what you are looking at.”

Learn more about Oklahoma City Museum of Art at okcmoa.com.

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performing arts

Dream jobs Lyric Theatre’s production of Dreamgirls is filled with star appeal.

By Keaton Bell

Dreamgirls 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Saturday Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. lyrictheatreokc.com 405-297-2264 $30-$94

Since it debuted on Broadway in 1981, Dreamgirls has become one of the greatest musicals of all time and earned multiple Tony Awards. Part of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s summer season, it runs Wednesday-Saturday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Written by playwright Tom Eyen with music composed by Henry Krieger, 30

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Kristina Love as Lorrell Robinson, Anna Uzele as Deena Jones and Tinasha LaRaye as Michelle Morris in Dreamgirls | Photo KO Rinearson / provided

Dreamgirls tells the story of fictional girl group The Dreams on the rise in 1960s Detroit. Largely inspired by the showbiz aspirations of Motown acts like The Supremes and The Shirelles, the show traces the highs and lows that accompany achieving one’s dreams.

The story centers on full-figured lead singer Effie White and the heartache she endures after being reduced to a background singer with Lorrell Robinson by the more “photogenic” Deena Jones. The show is filled with emotionally charged musical numbers, and the plot is rife with record executives, rival musicians and romantic entanglements. Actress Tiffany Mann, who portrays White in this production, was very aware of the daunting task ahead of her when she signed on to perform the iconic role.

“Effie White is a huge undertaking, so I had to roll up my sleeves and get ready to do some work to find my own version of who she is,” Mann said. “I feel that we all can relate to Effie in some way. That’s why audiences are so drawn to her. Dream, obstacle, revelation, triumph — we’ve all been there.”

In fact, that sense of readability is at the heart of Dreamgirls’ endurance. The show has been featured on Broadway, toured across the U.S. multiple times and just this year premiered in the West End. It was made into a film in 2006 starring Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson. Hudson gave an Oscar-winning performance as Effie.

Enduring appeal

The musical has a special appeal that keeps audiences — as well as casts — coming back. Dreamgirls was the first

show that Kristina Love, who plays the sweet-natured Lorrell, acted in professionally; she was 16 years old. The show represents a milestone that strikes an emotional chord in her life.

“The story is timeless because there are so many universal themes within the show,” Love said about the show’s depiction of fighting for one’s dreams and finding redemption for mistakes. “It is applicable to every human being in some way, regardless of age, color, upbringing.

It is a story which offers an authentic portrayal of matters that lie in the heart of every human being.”

Kyle Taylor Parker portrays James “Thunder” Early, a raucous performer inspired by soul legends like Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson. With a recent stint on Broadway playing Lola in Kinky Boots, Parker is hardly a stranger to the stage.

But even he admits that Dreamgirls is something special, a musical just as timely today as it was when it debuted.

“As an artist of color in the entertainment industry, I can’t help but relate to James,” Parker said. “While a lot has changed, there are many themes in the show that are still challenges when it comes to being black and building a career in the music world.”

Cast members have worked hard to ensure the production resonates with audiences just as much as it does with them. With only two weeks from the start of rehearsals to opening night, actors formed relationships quickly and had a blast stretching their creative muscles.

“The beautiful thing about a short rehearsal process is you challenge your brain in a way that you don’t normally work it in doing eight shows a week every

day,” Love said. “It makes the experience extremely intense and rewarding when you see what you’re capable of doing in such a short time.”

Parker said that it also makes it easier not to overanalyze in the rehearsal room, making everything much more relaxed and natural in the process.

“It forces the actors to do as much prep work and character background as possible on their own so they can bring it to rehearsal the next day, and this group is bringing it,” he said. “I’ve never been more inspired to do my best.”

With so many passionate and highcaliber performers, Lyric Theatre’s Dreamgirls is sure to have audiences dancing in the aisles and bopping along in their seats.

“I hope people leave the show with a greater understanding of love for themselves and for those closest to them,” Love said. “I hope they understand that no accomplishment, no award, no accolade is worth losing a friend or loved one. I want the audience to feel inspired, loved and lifted when they leave the building.”

It is a story which offers an authentic portrayal of matters that lie in the heart of every human being.

Kristina Love

Always funny (and hungry) Jim Gaffigan brings his Fully Dressed tour to Riverwind Casino.

By Ben Luschen

If you are what you eat, comedian Jim Gaffigan must be sneaking in something more substantial than Hot Pockets.

Gaffigan performs 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

July 8 at Riverwind Casino, 1544 State Highway 9, in Norman. He has risen to represent the comedy world’s middle-aged everyman, a loving father who often catches himself contemplating the virtues of cake or the thrill of finding the last french fry in the fast-food bag.

His relatable humor and clean, familyfriendly act have made him into a marketable figure. When Chrysler needed a celebrity face to sell the point that its Pacifica minivan is as much for dads as it is for soccer moms, Gaffigan was an easy pick.

The Manhattan-based comedian was also a natural fit to play Colonel Sanders in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s oddly selfreferencing campaign featuring a rotation of spokesmen. Gaffigan took over as the colonel in February, replacing Saturday Night Live alum Norm Macdonald, who replaced Darrell Hammond, another former SNL comedian, six months before.

KFC rotates Colonel Sanders pitchmen so often, even Gaffigan is not totally sure about his status with the company. In a June interview with Uproxx, he said the fried chicken chain will likely move on to a new actor soon.

“I think then they’re moving on to another person. I don’t know who that might be,” he said. “It was always presented to me as a temporary gig. And I thought that was appealing, and I’m a huge Darrell Hammond fan and a huge Norm Macdonald fan, so it was great to follow in the footsteps of those guys.”

Gaffigan does not have to worry about being replaced on The Jim Gaffigan Show, a fictionalized account of his own life. The sitcom is often compared to a tamer version of Louis C.K.’s Louie on FX. The Jim Gaffigan Show is in its second season on TV Land. His show has seen a mostly positive critical reception, though its ratings in its first season were not particularly strong.

Critics had especially high praise for “The Trial,” the second episode of the newest season, which aired June 19.

The episode revolves around the satirical aftermath of a mildly sexist Tweet

by Gaffigan. He is put on trial and has to explain why his jokes should not be so heavily scrutinized.

The A.V. Club gave the episode an Arating, saying “on paper,” the premise of the episode should not work. It praised “The Trial” as a tasteful commentary on political correctness in comedy, a topic some comedians approach maybe too dismissively.

“It’s cute and funny, and a little bit cheesy,” The A.V. Club wrote. “But that’s where Jim Gaffigan’s strength lies as a sitcom lead. He has the ability to take these subjects — the concept of the sitcom dad, faith — and reframes them in a way that doesn’t feel rehashed or even expected.”

Gaffigan’s Norman stop is part of his Fully Dressed tour. It coincidentally comes the day after his 50th birthday. It is assumed the comic will enjoy a slice of cake to celebrate his golden year. Gaffigan professed his love for the celabratory staple on his 2006 DVD Beyond the Pale.

“Pie can’t compete with cake,” he joked.

“Put candles on a cake, it’s a birthday cake.

Put candles on a pie and somebody’s drunk in the kitchen.”

Jim Gaffigan: Fully Dressed 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. July 8 Riverwind Casino 1544 State Highway 9, Norman riverwind.com 405-322-6000 $55-$75

2 tickets to

performing arts

Cake king

Jim Gaffigan performs July 8 at Riverwind Casino in Norman. | Photo TV Land / provided

cain’s

violent ballroom

femmes

enter to win

okgazette.com/gWW

saturday july

17

2016

Go to okGazette.com/GWW to enter to Win a pair of tickets

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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Join us all summer long at the Civic Center Music Hall!

last call!

Nominations Open

for the 2016 Class of fORTY UndeR 40

JUNE 28 - JULY 2

Help us recognize outstanding leaders.

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

deadline is fRidaY, jUlY 8, 2016.

TICKETS STARTING AT $30

JULY 12-16

JULY 26 - 30

AUGUST 9 - 13

GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE SAVE! Call about your group today.

LyricTheatreOKC.com – 405.524.9312

BROUGHT TO YOU BY www.okc.biz

Allied Arts, Oklahoma Arts Council, NEA 32

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performing arts

ARTS & CULTURE

Spotlighting community

OKC Onstage creates a hub for artists and enthusiasts to learn about community theater, dance and more. By Ben Luschen

Angela Prock wants to put Oklahoma City’s performing arts scene center stage.

“With Oklahoma City and the current renaissance that’s happening right now, we said, ‘Wait. Why isn’t theater a part of that renaissance?’” Prock said. “Why aren’t we a part of that?”

OKC Onstage is an online networking and discovery tool where performers, creators and audience members can learn about local theater, improv, dance, choir and other performing arts groups.

Prock joined co-founders Laura Bartlett and Lara Randolph to create the website and social media platform featuring 45 local performing arts companies. Each has a background in theater and performing arts.

Stage-setting

performing arts

OKC Onstage launched June 1 after the team developed the concept over the last

year. It came as the three friends discussed all the theater events in the city and considered starting a theater company.

“Oklahoma City doesn’t need another theater company,” Prock decided. “It needs someone who’s going to market the theaters.”

Prock, a music theater graduate from Oklahoma City University, said many people have tried to pull together the performing arts community, but little of that outreach was aimed at people outside the scene.

OKC Onstage is not necessarily based on anything from another city, but Prock said similar online outlets do exist. New York City has Playbill.com and Broadway World. Dallas has John Garcia’s The Column.

“That feedback has made us feel really empowered, to say the least,” Prock said of the local reaction to OKC Onstage.

OKC Onstage founders Angela Prock, Lara Randolph and Laura Bartlett with Oklahoma Showgirls Aubrey Wagner left and Kara Thompson right during a recent OKC Onstage launch party | Photo OKC Onstage / provided

Expanded inclusion

OKC Onstage has room to grow and organizers hope to expand into local college and university performing arts.

Prock said finding ways to include everything going on at colleges will be challenging due to the variety in area schools.

OKC Onstage also wants to add children’s theater events as well as blogs and reviews.

“We want to build the community of people who go out and participate in that side of [the arts scene in] Oklahoma City,” she said.

Twenty local theater companies, four dance companies, two improv troupes and

Straightforward standup

Sarah Silverman 8 p.m. Saturday Global Event Center WinStar World Casino & Resort 777 Casino Ave, Thackerville

Outspoken comedian Sarah Silverman performs Saturday at WinStar World Casino & Resort.

winstarworldcasino.com 800-745-3000 $45-$85 18+

By George Lang

Click on Sarah Silverman’s Twitter feed during an election year, and the actress and standup comic is in the fight, posting scathing broadsides or just making certain her followers get the straight scoop.

Silverman, who brings her standup set to Oklahoma 8 p.m. Saturday at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, said her progressive politics and election-year frenzy come from her upbringing in Bedford, New Hampshire, the center of the universe during primary season.

“It’s funny because my standup isn’t political at all for some reason,” Silverman said during a recent email exchange. “I mean, it’s socially political for sure in places, but yes, on Twitter I get into it. I grew up with parents who took very seriously their rights as active citizens. My mom’s jewelry box was filled with political buttons.

She was a photographer for the McGovern campaign. We always had campaign volunteers staying at our house on election years.”

That spirit was in effect during the po-

litical off-season, as well; her father, Donald Silverman, was trained as a social worker and owned a clothing store called Crazy Sophie’s Factory Outlet in Bedford. During winter, he would merge his two vocations, heating the store’s vestibule so homeless people could make it through the cold New England nights. Silverman said her passion for social justice might be the reason she goes straight for the transgressive sexual, religious and societal jokes that populate her act.

“If you’re too close or care too much, you become a puddle of feelings and paralyzed,” she said. “I can only be funny about it if I can get some distance from it. ”

Heavy subjects

Silverman started her standup career in 1992, and the following year, she earned a featured performer/writer slot on Saturday Night Live, surviving 18 weeks in Lorne Michaels’ comedic churn but getting cut after none of her written sketches made it

a other groups are listed on the site.

“Oklahoma City has an incredibly rich culture and a wonderful performing arts community,” she said. “It wasn’t being marketed in a way where people could find it easily.”

Prock said with refocused promotion and community unity, Oklahoma City’s performing arts scene could be seen in an elevated light.

“You’re looking at a group of people that is just as large as Dallas, yet Dallas is on the market as the next big performing arts community,” she said.

Learn more at okconstage.com.

Sarah Silverman doesn’t temper her in-your-face comedy style to suit the places she performs in.

Photo Robyn Von Swank / provided

to air that season. But that year of frustration led to projects such as The Larry Sanders Show, Mr. Show and The Sarah Silverman Program on Comedy Central that better suited her unique voice. She stays busy but doesn’t subscribe to the “one hour of new material per year” philosophy of her friend Louis C.K., preferring to let the material evolve naturally.

“I’ve done two specials 10 years apart,” she said. “I’m sure I had material for a couple specials between that time, but I’m terrible at monetizing what I do. It’s a product of keeping my overhead so low, I suppose. That said, I feel ready to do another special, so I suppose I will in the near future.”

Silverman’s enduring popularity and

outspoken nature occasionally turn her into a target. In late June, she was the butt of an anti-Semitic tweet by former reality TV star Tila Tequila that became widely reported in the press. She said it happens too frequently to count.

“I get that every day, all the time,” Silverman said. “If I let it, it can scare me … but I can be very brave if I just don’t read it.

All that hatred was in people before the Internet. I just never saw it. So it’s smart, I think, to continue to not see it as much as I can, though every once in a while, I’ll retweet one so they can feel what it’s like to actually be held slightly accountable.”

But her fearlessness gets its best forum on stage, where nothing is sacred and nearly everything is gleefully profane. She said that she never tempers her material, even when performing in the most conservative states.

“I’d feel bad inside if I did. I’ve never been good at curbing myself,” she said. “Oklahoma’s got some fucked-up politicians, but it’s also got Wayne Coyne, so … I’m all in.”

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calendar These are events recommended

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

FILM Summer Movie Fun: Kung Fu Panda 2, (US, 2011, dir. Jennifer Yuh Nelson) Po and his friends fight to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but first the Dragon Warrior must come to terms with his past; $2 movies and concession discounts, 9:45 a.m. June 27-July 1.

Harkins Theatre, 150 E. Reno Ave., 405-231-4747, harkinstheatres.com. MON - FRI Sonic Summer Movies: Hotel Transylvania 2, (US, 2015, dir. Genndy Tartakovsky) Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. WED Knight of Cups, (US, 2015, dir. Terrence Malick) a writer indulging in all that Los Angeles and Las Vegas have to offer undertakes a search for love and self via a series of adventures with six women, 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. June 30, 2 p.m. July 2. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-2363100, okcmoa.com. THU/SAT Dheepan, (FR, 2015, dir. Jacques Audiard) the story of Tamil soldier Dheepan and young refugee Yalini who pose as husband and wife in order to escape their war-ravaged homeland, 5:30 and 8 p.m.

July 1-2, 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. July 3. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI - MON

HAPPENINGS OKC Summer Classic Dog Show, see your favorite breeds up-close and personal, June 29-July 3. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405-6028500, coxconventioncenter.com. WED -SAT Bricktown 4th Fest, Fourth of July fireworks, baseball and great entertainment, July 4. Lower Bricktown Fountain, 150 E. Reno Ave., lowerbricktown.com MON

FOOD Scotch & Cigar Night, sample a dram and mingle with fellow enthusiasts as you indulge in fine scotch and cigars, 6 p.m. June 30. Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse, 7 Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-272-0777, mickeymantlesteakhouse.com. THU

Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 405232-6500, carpentersquare.com. FRI -SAT

Quick Class: Tasty Turmeric, learn about turmeric and the nutrients it offers, 5:30-6 p.m. June 30.

Natural Grocers, 7013 N. May Ave., 405-840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. THU

Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s most beloved love story comes to life on stage in a vibrant storybook production, 8 p.m. July 1-2. Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 405-359-4630, edmondok. com/parks. FRI -SAT

Food Truck Triple Play, food truck festival with more than 35 trucks, life music and family entertainment, 6-11 p.m. July 1. Joe Carter Parking Lot, Joe Carter Ave. and California Ave. FRI

Sunday Twilight Concert Series, free concert every Sunday, 7:30-9 p.m. July 3. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SUN

Weekly Farmers Market, shop local produce, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. July 2. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-2326506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT

ACTIVE

YOUTH Titanoba: Monster Snake, exhibit of a realistic replica of the largest snake on record weighing an estimated one-and-a-half tons and measuring 48 feet long. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-3254712, snomnh.ou.edu. SAT Free First Monday for Kids, complimentary admission to the museum for children 17 and under, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 6. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu. MON Toy Invention, become an extreme toy engineer and use your imagination to deconstruct and reconstruct the perfect toy or game, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 6. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. WED Weekly Walk-Ups, make and take crafts on Mondays, play with food on Tuesdays, story time on Wednesdays, crafts focusing on the environment on Thursdays and a scavenger hunt on Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon, June 29-July 6. Children’s Garden, 301 West Reno & Harvey Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com. WED -WED Kids Bowling, kids bowl free all summer long; program designed to give back to the community by providing a safe, secure and fun way for kids to spend time this summer. Sooner Bowling Center, 550 24th Ave., Norman, 405-360-3634, soonerbowl.com. SUN Mythbustin’, now it’s your turn to wonder, research, guess and put things to the test as you discover what really works and what really doesn’t, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 5. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Rowing Camps, half-day camps focus on rowing; full-day camps include rowing plus RIVERSPORT Adventures in the Boathouse District and whitewater rafting, through Aug. 5. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org.

July Fourth events Riversport Adventures Fourth of July There are plenty of options for those who want to be active this Fourth of July.

Riversport Adventures is open on the holiday and invites families to start a new tradition of rafting, paddle boarding or zip lining. The public can arrive as early as 10 a.m. Monday at Riversport Adventures, 800 Riversport Drive. Admission is free.

Visit riversportokc.org.

Drop-In Yoga, yoga class in the museum’s galleries, 5:45-6:45 p.m. June 30. Oklahoma City Museum

Monday Photo Georgia Read / provided

TUE

Art Adventures, young artists are invited to experience art through books and related projects for children ages 3-5, 10:30 a.m., every Tuesday.

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE

Wild About Animals Painting Series: Caracal, combine your love of art and animals by creating your own artwork and even meeting an animal artist, 6-8 p.m. July 5. Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Pl., 405-424-3344, okczoo.org. TUE

Summer Art Camp: Geometric Printmaking, youths ages 7-9 explore James Siena’s pattern style and apply his contemporary concepts to create their own printed images; experiment with a variety of relief printmaking techniques using an assortment of fun gadgets and tools, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., July 5-8. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. TUE Summer Art Camp: Optical Art: Animating Patterns, learn how to dazzle your friends by creating animated optical delights; ages 10-12 make drawings and paintings from shapes and patterns and turn those visual experiments into short animated videos, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 5-8. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary. org. TUE

PERFORMING ARTS Aaron Kleiber, stand-up comedy performance, 8 p.m. June 29-30, 8 and 10:30 p.m. July 1-2. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-2394242, loonybincomedy.com. WED -SAT

Missing Pieces Quirky art enthusiasts, take note: Local fiber artist Leigh Martin’s collection of knitted sculptures makes its debut 6-10 p.m. Friday at The Project Box, 3003 Paseo St. The exhibition, Missing Pieces, runs through July 30 and focuses on the whimsical, detailed flowers that Martin creates as a way of sharing her awe at nature’s complexity. The Project Box is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays.

Admission is free. A knitting workshop featuring the artist is noon-3 p.m. July 16. Visit theprojectboxokc.com or call 405-609-3969. Friday, ongoing Photo Leigh Martin / provided

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Ultimate Adventure Camps, kids try adventures like zip lining, the SandRidge Sky Trail, high-speed slides, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and whitewater rafting, May 30-Aug 12. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org.

Norman Day Celebration Norman’s annual Independence Day event includes a nickel find, free-throw contest, putting challenge, inflatables and more.

Norman Day Celebration begins 1 p.m.

Monday at Reaves Park, 2501 Jenkins Ave., in Norman. Fireworks begin at 9:45 p.m.

Admission is free. Visit normanok.gov.

Summer Art Camp: Prolific Patterns, inspired by artist James Siena and his use of visual algorithms, 7- to 9-year-old students create a body of work based on patterns; projects include zentangles, large-scale repetitive patterning, collaborative work and printmaking, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 5-8. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary. org. TUE

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Advanced Sailing Camps, pick up where the OKC Riversport Youth Sailing Camps left off; campers will sail in teams and learn skills such as docking and using a jib, through July 29. Lake Hefner East Wharf, 9101 Lake Hefner Parkway.

Green Day’s American Idiot, two-time Tony Awardwinning hit musical; Green Day’s powerhouse album is brought to life in this electrifying rock musical of youthful disillusion, 8 p.m. June 30-July 2. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 405282-2800, thepollard.org. THU -SAT The Agony & The Agony, a once-promising playwright, he finds himself a virtual shut-in with only rejection letters to amuse himself until his wife meets a leading producer who also happened to have written his last rejection letter and he starts to write again; a series of events continues to complicate matters further, 8 p.m. July 1-2.

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

Icons of Badassery As the title subtly conveys, Icons of Badassery is a public art showcase celebrating badasses. The exhibition is 6-10 p.m. Thursday at Studio 3108, 3108 N. Classen Blvd. The call to artists asked for different interpretations of badassery — whether it’s a mind-blowing action movie or the feeling you get when you see a muscle car — in the years leading up to 1984. Call 405-210-5701 or e-mail micah. moad@yahoo.com. Visit facebook.com/ studio3108. Thursday Photo bigstock.com

of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. THU Beer Yoga, join Brooke Larson for a one-hour, beginner-friendly yoga class followed by a pint of beer, 10 a.m. July 1. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., bleugarten.com. FRI OKC Energy vs. Rio Grande FC Toros, professional soccer game, 7:30 p.m. July 2. Taft Stadium, 2901 NW 23rd St. SAT Sailing at Lake Hefner, sunset sailing and sailing lessons aboard a full-size boat; sails from Oklahoma City Marina and East Wharf. OKC Municipal Marina, 4407 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-922-7787, SailorBrains.com. SAT Stars & Stripes Forever 5K, don your red, white and blue for this celebration 5K race at Lake Hefner Stars & Stripes park, 7 a.m.

July 4. Stars & Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner, 405-297-2756, okc.gov/parks. MON OKC Dodgers vs. Colorado Springs, minor league baseball game, 7:05 p.m. July 4-6. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405218-1000. MON -WED

VISUAL ARTS Art After 5, enjoy the OKC skyline along with live music, friends and cocktails on top of OKCMOA, 5-11 p.m. June 30. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Best of the West, exhibit showcases works by Harold Holden and Christa Blackwood. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery. com.

Christmas in July, start shopping early with Christmas art objects by gallery artists, July 1-31. The Purple Loft Art Gallery, 514 NW 28th St., Suite 400, 405-412-7066.

Contemporary West II: New Works by Stephen St. Claire, a feature of landscape paintings using the Dialuminism technique which embeds metal leaf and oil painting within layers of solar protective resins.

Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.

Dances With Brushes, Norman artist Mitsuno Ishii Reedy began her career in mid-1970s painting award-winning portraits, still-lifes and landscapes for collectors throughout the United States. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org.

Edmond People, Edmond Politics, showcases a variety of political memorabilia and historic photographs that illustrate the many ways Edmondites have participated in local, state and national politics. Edmond Historical Society & Museum, 431 S Boulevard, Edmond, 405-340-0078, edmondhistory.org.

GeoEthics, Ying Kit Chan uses a wide range of media and employs environmental ethics alongside Taoist and Buddhist ideologies to examine our relationship with nature, form the mental impact of contemplation to the actions resulting in environmental degradation. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, artspaceatuntitled.org.

Handmade jewelry, beautiful handmade jewelry

by Carol Egger. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, Suite 113-R, 405-848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com.

Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus Live Do you like action? Do you enjoy stunts that involve contraptions with wheels? It’s your lucky day! Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus Live, an extreme sports show featuring 30 motocross and BMX daredevils, screeches into Oklahoma City 7 p.m. Friday. The death-defying show revs its engines at Remington Park, 1 Remington Place. Tickets are $39-$79. Visit nitrocircus.com. Friday Photo Mark Watson / provided

Jerry Piper, mixed media artist focuses on texture, design and brilliant manipulation of color. The Purple Loft Art Gallery, 514 NW 28th St., Suite 400, 405412-7066.

Lowell Ellsworth Smith: My Theology of Painting, never before seen exhibition pulled from the Museum’s vault explores the artist’s personal process and approach; featuring watercolor studies and Smith’s own words and observations, it introduces man, his methods and his belief in the power and potential of creative energy. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris, experience the full scope of Matisse’s extraordinary career through nearly fifty of his paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints dating from the late nineteenth century to after World War II; including additional major works by Picasso, Renoir, Braque and more. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

O. Gail Poole: Rediscovered Oklahoma Master, over the course of five decades, O. Gail Poole built, tore down and rebuilt his artistic style with breathtaking regularity, creating one of the most diverse bodies of work of his generation; a head-turning collection of the master’s portraiture and landscapes. GaylordPickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-235-4458, oklahomaheritage.com.

Our City, Our Collection: Building the Museum’s Lasting Legacy, exhibit that tells the story of the museum’s history as a series of transformative gifts, bequests and acquisitions; including artists such as Georgia O’Keefe, Rembrandt van Rijn, Gustave Courbet and more. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Paseo First Friday Gallery Walk, see what the historic Paseo Art District has to offer; galleries and shops host receptions for new shows and featured artists along with live music, food trucks and local restaurant options, 6-10 p.m. July 1. Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo. org. FRI

Red Brick Night Eating, shopping and listening to music make a great evening out.

Guthrie offers just that in its monthly Red Brick Night series. This weekend welcomes singer-songwriter Sherree Chamberlain and jazz act Equilibrium. Food trucks and pop-up shops will line the streets. The event begins 5 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of N. Wentz Street and E. Oklahoma Avenue in Guthrie. Admission is free. Fireworks begin around 10 p.m.

Visit facebook.com/redbricknights.

Saturday Photo Guthrie Chamber of Commerce / provided

Pop-Up Studio, raising awareness of the importance of art and cultural destinations and giving American Indian artists a platform to display their work featuring Chickasaw and Ponca artist Brent Greenwood, through July 8. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., Ste. 100, 405-767-8900, exhibitcgallery.com.

Print on Paseo Art Show, printmaking ranging from traditional style to contemporary; exhibit spotlighting the depth and diversity of the work of Oklahoma printmakers, July 1. Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.org. FRI Pry the Lid Off, Summer Wheat explores history, revealing the world behind Johannes Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid”; depicting the four rooms of the maid’s personal chambers and includes a variety of 2-D and 3-D media, from faux stained-glass panels made of mylar and mesh to silhouetted dishes and a peek inside imagined dresser drawers. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

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 Pl., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

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

The Modernist Spectrum: Color and Abstraction, explore the invigorating ways in which postwar American artists, especially those associated with the Washington Color School, made it new, producing novel work that sought to reinvent abstract art through an alternatively rigorous and playful manipulation of color, line and shape.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Through the Eyes of the Lynx: Galileo and Microscopy, the second of two Galileo’s World exhibitions; the Academy of the Lynx, or Accademia dei Lincei, were responsible for the first published report of observations made with a microscope (Apiarium, 1625) as well as with the telescope. At the same time Galileo was making his telescopic discoveries, he was also experimenting with lenses to magnify the small. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu. where to wonder, where to wander, solo exhibition from Tim Stark; collection of works that bring to life the mix of blurry and clear moments whirling through the countryside between each stop.

Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 405-360-1162, mainsite-art.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 live music

see page 40 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

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FIRELAKE.ARENA FIRELAKEARENA

BRIAN FALLON & THE CROWES & RYAN BINGHAM Tulsa, OK

★ 423 NOrTh MaiN sT.

TICkETS & INFO: caiNsballrOOM.cOM

MUSIC

f e at u r e

from left Michael Vaughn, Gilson Machtolff, Chris (last name not provided), Red Magner, Evan Miller and Josh Babb operate First Pastafarian Church in Norman.

Starchy sect

First Pastafarian Church picks up Norman’s do-it-yourself music ethos where Dope Chapel left off. By Ben Luschen | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Water from the air-conditioning unit drips onto heads as guests enter First Pastafarian Church.

“It’s holy water,” said Josh Babb. “That’s how we baptize people into the church.”

Babb is a founding member of the Norman church at 115 S. Crawford Ave., the former home of music and art venue Dope Chapel.

First Pastafarian Church does not belong to an obscure Christianity offshoot, nor does it represent any religious movement practiced by the likes of Bob Marley. Instead, its congregation follows the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) social movement. Its deity is a noodle-armed, floating knot of pasta and meatballs topped with two expressionless eyes.

A large portrait in the venue’s front window features FSM and a nude “Venus of Urbino”-esque figure in a parody of Michelangelo’s famous “The Creation of Adam” fresco inside Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel. The image and the church’s odd title generate a lot of interest, and not all of it is positive.

“If someone has a negative reaction, you can see it when they walk by,” Babb said.

“They’ll scowl and then walk off.”

Babb said the founding members became interested in launching the church after they learned the building that housed Dope Chapel was for rent. It continues the former occupant’s role hosting regular events with

an all-art, no-fuss emphasis but does so while promoting the ideals of His Noodly Appendage.

Chapel to church

Pastafarianism was born in the mid-2000s as backlash against teaching intelligent design and creationism — specifically in public school curriculum. In 2005, a sarcastic request to require equal FSMism education was sent to the Kansas State Department of Education. The letter and deity it described became an internet sensation after its text was published online.

None of the church’s organizers, including priest Red Magner, were heavily involved in Pastafarianism until they acquired the space. Babb said the idea to launch the church came as what founders saw as a logical progression from the Dope Chapel concept. Why not turn the chapel into a real church?

Magner delivers sermons and leads prayers from official FSMism doctrine. The

church also hosted his wedding ceremony on Jan. 1.

He first heard about FSMism after a friend who played a show at the church told him about it.

“I went online and I did a lot of research and I thought about it for a while,” Magner said. “Then I just got involved in the church.”

Becoming an officially recognized Pastafarian priest was not a difficult process. He downloaded a certificate after paying a small fee.

Magner’s sermons have defined First Pastafarian Church’s four basic tenets, all of which are basic pleas for decency and good conduct at shows.

The first two tenets Magner delivered were “Don’t litter” and “Take a shower.”

Brushing one’s teeth and wearing deodorant were included within the shower credo.

Babb noticed repeated offenses even after sermons.

“People were still littering everywhere and they weren’t taking showers clearly, so the third message was, ‘Don’t be an asshole,’” he said. “Yet again, people were doing everything and being assholes, so the last … was ‘You’re all animals and you’re not getting any new sermons until you master the basics.’”

Babb said congregants have yet to follow all four tenets and added he is unsure if they ever will.

Similarly, Magner theorized that master-

If someone has a negative reaction, you can see it when they walk by. They’ll scowl and then walk off.

Josh Babb

ing the principles might be the key to true enlightenment.

“Maybe nobody knows because as soon as you achieve all three, you ascend,” he said.

Launching point

A major goal of the church is to promote a variety of musical acts. Babb said it strictly follows a do-it-yourself, local-minded ethos.

It doesn’t charge artists to perform, or at least it hasn’t yet.

“It’s actually really hurting us financially just because shows do cost money, not just time,” Babb said. “We’ve had music five days in a row multiple times this month.”

That was a mistake, he said, but church leaders are learning more about what they can and cannot do as they go.

Gilson Machtolff is a guitarist in the rock band Magic Munchbox, a regular act at the venue. He said it is his favorite place to play.

The church held the first Magic Munchbox gig that wasn’t hosted by the band itself. Machtolff said he first messaged Babb in February about playing there.

Organizers needed another band to round out a show lineup, so Babb asked the act to perform later that night. It did.

“We came down here, played for the 10 to 15 people that were here and loved the place,” Machtolff said. “Every time we’ve come back, it’s just been bigger and better.

It keeps evolving.”

Babb said one of the church’s missions is to act as a bridge for new artists to enter the wider Norman music scene.

“It’s really hard to get into Opolis,” he said. “Dope Chapel was just like, ‘Oh, you’re an artist. Do you want to perform something for people? Get the fuck in here.’ That’s basically what we try to carry on.”

Learn more about First Pastafarian Church and upcoming shows at firstpastafarian.church.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

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event

MUSIC

Brilliant idea

Choose the Bright Side brings together 16 hip-hop artists to help send terminally and chronically ill children to camp. By Greg Elwell

Rap has an image problem. heart surgery two weeks ago,” he said. “The camp gives her people to connect to.”

Gathered around a table at District House, 1755 NW 16th St., rappers Jim Foundation operations coordinator Nicole Wright said the help offered by Conway and Drew “Druce Wayne” Wood and DJ Joshua “Triple8” Tullis know that Oklahoma City’s rap community is “pretty cool.” the public’s idea of rap music isn’t always “This year, we have about 200 kids regpositive. istered,” she said. “Basically, it’s five days of “That’s what we’re trying to change,” Tullis said. total and pure fun. Our mission is that illness The trio’s project, Choose the Bright Side, doesn’t define a child.” is 6 p.m. July 8 at District House. The free show features 16 local rappers raising money Building connections for Cavett Kids Foundation, a nonprofit that Conway said a group of performers plans to sends terminally and visit the camp for a day before the fundraiser to chronically ill children to build a better connection summer camp.

Choose the with the people they’re Wood is a driving force Bright Side in the fundraiser because helping.

“I need to get close to it of his personal experience 6 p.m. July 8 with the charity. His sister and spend time with the District House has a chronic heart kids to see the struggle and 1755 NW 16th St. disease, and the work to see the happiness,” he districthouseokc.com Cavett does greatly said.

405-633-1775 impacts her life.

Wood said the show Free (donations accepted) takes its name from the “She just had open-

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Guerilla Breed Collective founder Jim Conway helped plan Choose the Bright Side to support the community. | Photo Vernon Deas / provided

foundation’s impact on children — helping them maintain a positive outlook on life.

Making a difference in the community is the most powerful way for rappers to change the way the city views them and vice versa, Conway said.

Choose the Bright Side headliners are Original Flow & the Fervent Route, Chief Peace, Joey Sativa and Fresh. The event also features S. Reidy, Taylor Latre, Druce Wayne, Worm, Peyton Benge, Levi Hinson, Werdoze, Motian, J. Sparxx, Bishop and T.McCoy. Conway said his group, Guerrilla Breed Collective, is dedicated to using music to positively affect the community. And with Tullis’ SomedayNow Music production

company involved, he said Choose the Bright Side is going to be a high-energy show from creative and production sides.

In addition to Cavett Kids Foundation, local apparel makers Group Fly, Select Classics Apparel, Lost Coin and OKCVLT will have tables at the show.

Choose the Bright Side happens during LIVE! on the Plaza monthly art walk, so Wood said he expects a successful event, both in attendance and fundraising.

“Most people are willing to be on a show bill, especially when there’s a cause involved,” he said. “For this, there was no problem getting people involved.”

event

98 Degrees and the rest of the My2K Tour stops in Tulsa July 9. | Photo provided

Heat check

98 Degrees and the My2K Tour bring back the boy band era. By Ben Luschen

Like many parents, Drew Lachey watches bandmates are married with children, and Disney movies like Mulan with his kids. the musicians have obviously aged a couple Unlike most parents, Lachey is featured of decades. on the film’s show-stopping closing They are more seasoned, more experinumber “True to Your Heart,” a duet his enced. iconic boy band 98 Degrees recorded with Still, he said the four are like brothers, legend Stevie Wonder. even though they are not all blood-related.

It is the kind of career experience Whenever they get together, they fall back Lachey will never forget, but for now, his into familiar routines.

“When we get around each other and 10-year-old daughter Isabella and 6-yearwe start hanging out, the same jokes that old son Hudson are not all that impressed.

“They don’t really get it,” Lachey told were funny to us 20 years ago are still funny to us now,” he said. “The same Oklahoma Gazette. “They hear ‘True to things that annoyed us Your Heart’ come on at about each other then the end and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s you Dad,’ annoy us now.” and then they just go on My2K Tour The My2K tour repre98 Degrees with special about their lives, you sents an opportunity to guests O-Town, Dream know? It’s not like, ‘Oh see a band many fans and Ryan Cabrera my goodness! My dad never saw perform when sings the soundtrack on they were younger. Back 8 p.m. July 9 Mulan!’” then, going to a concert Brady Theater The former Dancing depended on whether 105 W. Brady St., Tulsa their parents got them with the Stars champion bradytheater.com tickets. Those fans are reunites with brother 918-977-6849 older now, and Lachey Nick Lachey and the rest $25-$69.50 said some of them are of the original 98 Degrees lineup (Justin even bringing their kids.

A lot of 98 Degrees’ music is emotionJeffre and Jeff Timmons) for the My2K Tour, a package also featuring late-’90s ally based. Lachey said he often hears from pop acts Dream, O-Town and Ryan fans that songs helped them through tough Cabrera. My2K stops June 9 at Tulsa’s times. The group is also often present in some of fans’ happiest moments. Its song Brady Theater, 105 W. Brady St. Lachey said his daughter is just starting “I Do (Cherish You)” has become a popular to grasp the concept of her father’s celebwedding tune.

“For us to be a part of a couple’s most rity, but his son still does not see it as anything out of the ordinary. memorable day or them starting their lives “My son’s like, ‘What’s famous mean?’ together and them choosing our song, We’re having a lot of discussions about that’s big as well,” Lachey said. that right now,” he said. “But I prefer them The band is often invited to perform to think of me as Dad as opposed to anythe song at weddings, but Lachey said it thing else.” hasn’t yet taken anyone up on the offer.

Next year marks the 20th anniversary However, he wouldn’t rule out the possibilof 98 Degrees, a group that quickly rose to ity of doing a reception someday.

“It’s got to be the right one,” he said. prominence in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the boy band heyday. Lachey said Lachey said the band won’t reinvent that period was pop music’s pinnacle. It the wheel for this tour. also featured music from NSYNC, “Get the people together, get on a party Backstreet Boys and O-Town. bus, have a few drinks, come on out,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to do.”

A few things have changed since 98 Degrees started in 1997. Three of the four O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

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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, 6.29 Curtis McMurtry, The Blue Door. COUNTRY Maxwell, The Criterion. R&B Oakville, Louie’s Grill & Bar. ROCK

THURSDAY, 6.30 Bombs Away/Dropshop/Gurt, OKC Farmers Public Market. ELECTRONIC Colourfull Hill/No x Thanks/Piece of Mind/Life As One, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Dashboard Confessional/Taking Back Sunday/ Saosin/The Early November, The Criterion. ROCK Janice Francis-Smith, Sauced on Paseo. FOLK Jason Young Band, Oklahoma City Museum of Art. COUNTRY Jon Dee Graham, The Blue Door. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

O’Kingdom/Ira Hill/Heartbreak Heroes, First Pastafarian Church of Norman, Norman. ROCK

Leon Bridges You might never have the opportunity to see legends like Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke in action, but Leon Bridges is definitely the next best thing. His debut, Coming Home, was lauded as one of the best albums of 2015.

Catch the dynamic performer singing soulful, gospel-tinged R&B cuts like “River” and “Lisa Sawyer” 9 p.m. Friday at WinStar World Casino and Resort, 777 Casino Ave., in Thackerville. Tickets are $50-$95. Visit winstarworldcasino.com or call 800-6226317. friday Photo Phil Smithies / provided

Ryan Dorman, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Stryper/Sign of Lies/Spinal Cross, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK

Portal Immortal: An Evening of David Bowie, Opolis, Norman. COVER

The Dead Armadillos, Charles J. Johnson Central Park, Midwest City. ROCK

Push Play, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. ROCK

Tom Marshal, Noir Bistro & Bar. COUNTRY

SONGWRITER

FRIDAY, 7.1

COUNTRY

747, Lumpy’s Sports Grill. ROCK

The Broke Brothers, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe.

Sabrina Carpenter, Frontier City. SINGER/ Scooter Brown Band, Wormy Dog Saloon.

REGGAE

BettySoo, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ Corey Morrow/John Baumann, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Daniel Jordan, Fuze Buffet & Bar. ACOUSTIC

Them Hounds/Sativa Prophets, The Root. VARIOUS Zac Lee Quintet/Jared Cathey/David Bowen, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

SUNDAY, 7.3

Evolution Underground, Oklahoma City Limits.

Jarvix/Tapes/The Ivy/Emily Davis, First Pastafarian Church of Norman, Norman. VARIOUS

Max Ridgeway Trio, Full Circle Bookstore. JAZZ

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

ROCK

Melodie Cooper, Remington Park. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

MyRock, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ROCK Space4Lease, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK SquadLive, Riverwind Casino, Norman. VARIOUS

Sunday Jam Session with Tyler Lee & Friends, Oklahoma City Limits. SINGER/SONGWRITER The Captain Ledge Band, Red Brick Bar, Norman.

FOLK

Twilight Concert Series: The Push, Myriad Botanical Gardens. ROCK

The Mills Band/Bread & Butter Band, Chevy Bricktown Events Center. COUNTRY

Zero2sixty, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ROCK

Woody & Sunshine, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Cafe.

MONDAY, 7.4

VARIOUS

SATURDAY, 7.2 Amy Black’s Muscle Shoals Revue, The Blue Door.

VARIOUS

Bonethrower/Stardeath and White Dwarfs/Cloudland Canyon, Womb Gallery. VARIOUS Chasing Jenny, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

Twilight Concert Series: Borderline, Myriad Botanical Gardens. COUNTRY

TUESDAY, 7.5 Andy Adams Singer-Songwriter Night, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER Debbie Henning, Puebla Tacos y Tequileria, Norman. ACOUSTIC

Cherry Death/Weak Knees/Blake Burgess, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, 7.6

Deuces Wild, Baker Street Pub & Grill. VARIOUS

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

DJ Jason Daniel, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. VARIOUS

Troyboi, Kamps 1310 Lounge. ELECTRONIC

Electric Avenue, Riverwind Casino, Norman. POP Forever Today/Mopak/Shawn Gunter, Red Brick Bar, Norman. ROCK John the Franklin, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ROCK Justin Young, Fuze Buffet & Bar. JAZZ Melodie Cooper, Remington Park. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

Miss Brown to You, Full Circle Bookstore. BLUES Oakville, The Deli, Norman. ROCK

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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 405528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@ okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

puzzles

VOL. XXXVIII No. 26

New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Artful Thinking

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By Tracy Bennett | Edited by Will Shortz | 0626 ACROSS 1 Whammy 5 Where les enfants might play 9 Rendered speechless 15 Female lobsters 19 Every which way 20 Subject for a mariachi band 21 Insubstantial 22 Like Voldemort 23 Artist’s favorite spiritual?

26 Ablution, e.g.

27 Firefighter’s need, maybe 28 Summer Olympics host after London 29 ___ vu 30 Food item a cook might flip 32 Prescription pain medication 35 Nos. in a directory 37 Look for 38 Several, in Seville 40 Cool with what others are doing 42 Go (for) 43 Christmas song line from an artist?

47 Batman villain 51 What Mississippi cheerleaders

ask for a lot 52 How you might do something gross 53 Cagney or Lacey: Abbr.

54 Daughter of James II 55 Where there’s Wi-Fi availability 57 Get ready to drive 60 Former six-term senator from Indiana 61 More yang than yin: Abbr.

62 Monetary bribes, in slang 64 What a star probably has 65 NRA piece?: Abbr.

68 Artist’s favorite Broadway musical?

70 Revival meeting miracles 71 ___ Zulu (warrior dubbed

Africa’s Napoleon) 72 Atlantean superhero of DC Comics 73 ___ Field 75 Defrocked villain on Buffy the

Vampire Slayer 76 Vista opener?

77 Roman of film 81 Michigan college 82 ___ generis 83 Part of an umpire’s count 86 Put in writing

2

87 Parts of an orrery 89 Artist’s expression for “Such is life”?

92 Easter purchase 93 Worth all the hype, as a film 94 Snorkeling aids 95 “Tsk!” 98 Finger 99 Cuts some slack 103 Zero Dark Thirty locale 105 Castaway’s construction 107 Rough position?

108 Sedona maker 111 The Roman way 112 How the expert artist passed her exam?

116 The Cosby Show boy 117 Last word in the Torah 118 Rain man?

119 Inclination 120 ___ Club 121 River that “sweats oil and tar” in

T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land 122 Predoctoral tests, for short 123 Approximately DOWN 1 Tatooine race in the Star Wars saga 2 What’s big at the movies?

3 Like old unrecyclable bottles 4 Certain Jaguar 5 Pre-exam feeling, maybe 6 Playground retort 7 South Korea’s ___ Tae Woo 8 Buffet cabinet 9 Key of Schubert’s “Trout”

Quintet: Abbr.

10 Bronze 11 Topper 12 Ancient 13 Patchwork quilts have lots of them 14 “Good point” 15 Artist’s line of weary resignation?

16 “On This Night of a Thousand

Stars” musical 17 Capone’s top henchman 18 Wintry mix 24 Flawed, as mdse.

25 Party host’s convenience 31 Reposed 33 “Laborare ___ orare”

(Freemasons’ motto)

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59 Dash 60 Dairy consumer’s enzyme 62 Erotic 63 Good wife in The Good Earth 65 Org. protecting music copyrights 66 “Congress ___ make no law …”

67 Actress Hayek 69 Prefix with poise 74 Pain and suffering 77 “Gay” capital 78 Summer lawn sight 79 New Jersey’s ___ University 80 QB mistakes: Abbr.

82 Holy mlle.

84 Turn to bone 85 Apiarist’s woe 88 Watchful ones?

89 Holy city of Iran

Accounting/HR Manager Marian Harrison Accounts receivable Karen Holmes

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publisher Bill Bleakley Associate Publisher James Bengfort

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34 What Morehouse College lacks 36 Before, poetically 38 Home of Kings Peak 39 Little muchacho 41 What the tipsy artist had at the bar?

42 Liz of Garfield, e.g.

44 Pay to cross town, maybe 45 First chimp to orbit Earth 46 Pay to cross town, maybe 47 Pop icon?

48 The Odd Couple role 49 Daft 50 “Phooey!”

53 Gauntlet thrower’s challenge 56 What the artist confused people * with?

58 Norse source for Loki lore

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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.

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

90 Access charge, of a sort 91 Debatable sighting 93 Words to live by 95 Blurts (out) 96 ___ yoga 97 Arabic name meaning “wise” 98 J. Carrol ___, Oscar nominee for

Sahara 100 Phycologist’s study 101 Some templegoers 102 Pro vote 104 Birdbrain 106 “___ fair …”

109 Discoveries of Michael Faraday 110 Regarding 113 Easter purchase 114 ___’easter 115 Boardwalk Empire network

Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering Staff reporters Greg Elwell, Laura Eastes, Ben Luschen Contributors Brett Dickerson, Jon Hamm, Adam Holt George Lang Photographer Garett Fisbeck Editorial & PHotography Interns Keaton Bell, Candice Macis, Hannah Meeske, Erick Perry Marketing & Editorial Intern Ian Jayne Marketing Intern Diondra Ross

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

Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley

Sudoku Puzzle Very Hard

ASSISTANT Circulation Manager Duke Fleischer

Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers Grid n°509944631 diabolic1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com

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New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers

Art Director Chris Street

Puzzle No. 0619, which appeared in the June 22 issue.

A D D U P

S O R T A

B D R O I I B E

S U P E R B O W L M V P

G R O M E H S A B D O G O O I N H F L O S Y O

U B E R

M T P O C O O O N H O S G A N R E M I S S S E D R G O A S R E S S

E S P E T P A R S E S Y S E E N S O P N O T L A A T N O O T E T S E T

A P R E S C O X E D

B O S E P O U T

R A R C H E Y S T H A M T T N

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G E N R E

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

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free will astrology

By Rob Brezny

Homework: For one week, pretend to already be something you're on your way to becoming.

Report results to Truthrooster@gmail.com.

accomplish this noble goal, or will your efforts be less melodious? It all depends on how much poised selfdiscipline you summon.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) During winter, some

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Once upon a time, weren't you the master builder who never finished building your castle? Weren't you the exile who wandered aimlessly while fantasizing about the perfect sanctuary of the past or the sweet safety zone of the future? Didn't you perversely nurture the ache that arose from your sense of not feeling at home in the world? I hope that by now you have renounced all of those kinky inclinations. If you haven't, now would be an excellent time to do so. How might you reinvest the mojo that will be liberated by the demise of those bad habits?

bears spend months hibernating. Their body temperatures and heart rates drop. They breathe drowsily. Their movements are minimal. Many hummingbirds engage in a similar slow-down — but they do it every single night. By day they are among the most manic creatures on earth, flapping their wings and gathering sustenance with heroic zeal.

When the sun slips below the horizon, they rest with equal intensity. In my estimation, Aries, you don't need a full-on immersion in idleness like the bears.

But you'd benefit from a shorter stint, akin to the hummingbird's period of dormancy.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) "Dear Dr. Brezsny: A

psychic predicted that sometime this year I will fall in love with a convenience store clerk who's secretly a down-on-his-luck prince of a small African country.

She said that he and I have a unique destiny. Together we will break the world's record for dancing without getting bitten in a pit of cobras while drunk on absinthe on our honeymoon. But there's a problem. I didn't have time to ask the psychic how I'll meet my soulmate, and I can't afford to pay $250 for another reading. Can you help? - Mopey Taurus." Dear Mopey: The psychic lied.

Neither she nor anyone else can see what the future will bring you. Why? Because what happens will be largely determined by your own actions. I suggest you celebrate this fact. It's the perfect time to do so: July is Feed Your Willpower Month.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Of all the concert pianos

in the world, 80 percent of them are made by Steinway.

A former president of the company once remarked that in each piano, "243 taut strings exert a pull of 40,000 pounds on an iron frame." He said it was "proof that out of great tension may come great harmony." That will be a potential talent of yours in the coming weeks, Gemini. Like a Steinway piano, you will have the power to turn tension into beauty. But will you actually

42

J u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) In accordance with the

astrological omens, I have selected three aphorisms by poet James Richardson to guide you. Aphorism #1: "The worst helplessness is forgetting there is help." My commentary: You have the power to avoid that fate.

Start by identifying the sources of healing and assistance that are available to you. Aphorism #2: "You do not have to be a fire to keep one burning." My commentary: Generate all the heat and light you can, yes, but don't torch yourself. Aphorism #3: "Patience is not very different from courage. It just takes longer."

My commentary: But it may not take a whole lot longer.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You may not know this,

but I am the founder and CEO of Proud To Be Humble, an acclaimed organization devoted to minimizing vanity. It is my sworn duty to protest any ego that exceeds the acceptable limits as defined by the Geneva Convention on Narcissism. However, I now find myself conflicted. Because of the lyrical beauty and bighearted charisma that are currently emanating from your ego, I am unable, in good conscience, to ask you to tone yourself down. In fact, I hereby grant you a license to expand your self-love to unprecedented proportions.

You may also feel free to unleash a series of lovely brags.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) The next 28 days will not be a favorable period to sit around passively wishing

to be noticed. Nor will it be a good time to wait to be rescued or to trust in others to instigate desirable actions. On the other hand, it will be an excellent phase to be an initiator: to decide what needs to be done, to state your intentions concisely, and to carry out your master plan with alacrity and efficiency. To help ensure your success during the next 28 days, make this declaration each morning before breakfast: "I don't want to OBSERVE the show. I want to BE the show."

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) "In life, as in bicycling,

pedal when you have to, coast when you can." So says author James Lough, and now I'm passing on his advice to you — just in time for your transition from the heavy-pedaling season to the coasting-is-fun phase. I suspect that at this juncture in your life story you may be a bit addicted to the heavy pedaling. You could be so accustomed to the intensity that you're inclined to be suspicious of an opportunity to enjoy ease and grace. Don't be like that. Accept the gift with innocent gratitude.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) "When a jet

flies low overhead, every glass in the cupboard sings," writes aphorist James Richardson. "Feelings are like that: choral, not single; mixed, never pure." That's always true, but it will be intensely true for you in the coming weeks. I hope you can find a way to tolerate, even thrive on, the flood of ambiguous complexity. I hope you won't chicken out and try to pretend that your feelings are one-dimensional and easily understandable. In my opinion, you are ripe to receive rich lessons in the beauty and power of mysterious emotions.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pop artist Andy Warhol said that in the future, everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. His idea had a resonance with the phrase "nine days' wonder," which as far back as Elizabethan times referred to a person or event that captured the public's fascination for a while. You Capricorns are entering a phase when you're far more likely than usual to bask in the spotlight. Between now and September 2017, I bet you'll garner at least a

short burst of glory, acclaim, or stardom — perhaps *much* more. Are you ready for your close-up? Have you prepped for the influx of attention that may be coming your way?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) One of my readers,

Jay O'Dell, told me this story: "After my cancer surgery, a nurse said to me, 'You may as well try magical thinking. Regular thinking hasn't helped.'

I said to the nurse, 'Well, why the hell not?' That was seven years ago." In bringing O'Dell's testimony to your attention, I don't mean to suggest you will have any health problems that warrant a strong dose of magical thinking. Not at all. But you may get wrapped up in a psychological twist or a spiritual riddle that would benefit from magical thinking. And what exactly is magical thinking? Here's one definition: The stories that unfold in your imagination have important effects on what actually happens to you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Let's talk about

X-factors and wild cards and strange attractors. By their very nature, they are unpredictable and ephemeral, even when they offer benevolent breakthroughs. So you may not even notice their arrival if you're entranced by your expectations and stuck in your habitual ways. But here's the good news, Pisces: Right now you are not unduly entranced by your expectations or stuck in your habits. Odds are high that you will spy the sweet twists of fate — the X-factors and wild cards and strange attractors — as they float into view. You will pounce on them and put them to work while they're still fresh. And then they will help you hike your ratings or get the funding you need or animate the kind of love that heals.

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.

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

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