Some Reagrets

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CONTENTS 28

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ON THE COVER

“You get the tattoo you deserve,” said Think Ink Tattoos owner Josh Crain. As one of the artists at the Norman-based tattoo parlor, Crain has seen people from all walks of life come into his shop, from lawyers and Devon Energy employees to college kids who are just ready to get some ink. “If you do the research, you’ll never regret your tattoo,” he said.

Some people, though, do not do the research. Story by Greg Elwell, P.24.

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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.

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If there is ever a silver lining to the number of disasters Oklahoma City has seen, it is that they have really taught the nonprofit and faith-based community the real value in seamless collaboration.

Helping homelessness

— Dan Straughan

City government, police and nonprofit organizations work together to help OKC’s homeless population.

By Ben Felder

When temperatures dipped below freezing, the tent covering seemed to do very little to keep Phyllis Hinman and her boyfriend, Raymond Marks, warm.

On those chilly winter nights, Hinman dug out the earth to create a fire pit and built an adobe oven to cook food.

Hinman and Marks were surrounded by the woods but were not in some remote forest miles from civilization.

Instead, the two lived in Trosper Park, an undeveloped area in southeast Oklahoma City near the corner of Eastern Avenue and Grand Boulevard, a bustling intersection that seemed miles away from the remote campout.

“We just used the resources that were around us in order to survive,” said Hinman, 50, as she described collecting rainwater to use for a makeshift shower and to wash clothes.

For nearly four years, the couple was without steady work or a roof over their heads. They were considered chronically homeless, which is a classification that statistics say is the hardest to escape from.

Then, one day, a worker with Be the Change, a local nonprofit, and officers with the police department’s homeless outreach team showed up and offered help.

“We had just never asked for help before,” Hinman said. “But we soon discovered that asking for help is one of the greatest things you can do.”

With the help of a caseworker at The Homeless Alliance, Hinman and Marks gained access to important personal documents, received medical attention and moved into a modest home with

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updated appliances and a fenced-in yard last month.

“We both looked at each other when we saw that refrigerator and said, ‘We can have ice cream,’” Hinman said.

With a home to call their own, Oklahoma City’s homeless count dropped by two. Over the last few years, it has trended down, and those who work in the homeless community say it’s proof that important programs between nonprofits and the city are working.

“It’s a collaborative effort, and it’s getting results,” said Dan Straughan, executive director of The Homeless Alliance.

An annual count of the city’s homeless earlier this year showed 1,300 homeless individuals across Oklahoma City, which is a decrease of 12 percent.

However, officials with The Homeless Alliance say the true number of those living without a home is likely closer to 5,000.

The count also showed a decrease in the city’s chronic homeless, which is a term for those who have been homeless for at least a year or have experienced four episodes of homelessness over the past three years. The chronic homeless count was down 14 percent compared to the previous year and 32 percent down since 2013.

Straughan said the decrease is especially exciting since various homeless agencies have joined forces over the last few years in a strategic way to end chronic homelessness in the city. That collaborative effort was on display when Hinman and her boyfriend were given a

chance to leave the streets.

“They showed us that if we just accept their help and be in their program, that life was going to be better for us,” Hinman said. “We went from spending the hot, long summers, the harsh rain and cold nights we have been through to having our own place to call home.”

It’s working

Straughan started The Homeless Alliance 11 years ago and said he has seen the community become more collaborative in its effort to end homelessness in recent years.

“There are somewhere between 80 and 100 government, faith-based or nonprofit entities working with the homeless in Oklahoma City, and a decade ago, those folks didn’t even know each other, let alone work together,” Straughan said. “If there is ever a silver lining to the number of disasters Oklahoma City has seen, it is that they have really taught the nonprofit and faith-based community the real value in seamless collaboration.”

Many of those entities joined forces in 2012 to take part in Zero: 2012, which is a national effort to end veteran homelessness by the end of this year and end chronic homelessness by the end of 2016. Oklahoma City is one of 75 communities across the country taking part in the program, Straughan said.

Working together provides a holistic approach to helping the city’s homeless population that would appear to be working when the annual numbers are considered.

“This effort to house people is a community effort,” said Kinsey Crocker, director of communications at The Homeless Alliance.

The effort to end homelessness is not just a nonprofit mission; the city of Oklahoma City has also increased its efforts, including the planning department, which works to find money and landlords to increase the number of housing options available.

“If we are talking about ending chronic homelessness, we are looking for units that can house them permanently,” said Jerod Shadid, an associate planner who oversees various homeless grant programs for the city. “We are looking at construction of more units. We also have a massive number of vacant and abandoned units in this city that are difficult to get your hands on. There are solutions to the problem, but we just need to figure out how to get our hands on those solutions.”

The Oklahoma City Police Department launched a homeless outreach team last year that has officers dedicated to helping the homeless connect with available services instead of simply arresting individuals or kicking them out of a makeshift camp.

“You can’t arrest yourself out of this problem,” Straughan said.

In just its first six months, the homeless outreach team connected 87 homeless individuals with local services, visited 138 homeless camps and took 376 calls, according to statistics provided by the police department.

Hinman said officers from the outreach team played a big role in helping her transition off the streets.

Homeless count

Local officials say the yearly count of OKC’s homeless population is often inexact and could be as many as four times higher. But the numbers provide a look at whether the local homeless population is increasing or decreasing.

Year Count 2011 1,221 2012 1,303 2013 1,362 2014 1,481 2015 1,300 Source: 2015 Oklahoma City Planning Department — Division of Community Development

“[An officer] would come and pick us up in his squad car and take us to doctor’s appointments, and before that, we never had the opportunity to get medical attention,” Hinman said. “One of the officers also made sure we had a bus pass.”

Finding landlords

The Homeless Alliance and other organizations have the resources to provide housing assistance, but finding

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landlords willing to rent to a person who had been living on the streets can be a challenge.

“You need regular old apartments that you or I would stay at with landlords who are willing to rent to people who are traditionally viewed as high barrier,” Straughan said. “Sometimes that means people with felonies, people with mental illness, people with an eviction history.”

While many landlords might be turned off by the idea of renting a unit to a person who has been homeless, Straughan said there is an advantage for the landlord.

“When they choose to rent to [our clients], they get a guaranteed rental payment and they never have to worry about the rent being late,” Straughan said.

“They also get a professional staff person, a case manager, a social worker, who, if you are having problems with that tenant, instead of having to call the police, you can call the case manager. It can be a really good deal for the landlords even though, on the surface, it is not the type of client they would normally rent to.”

Shadid said the drop in homelessness can only be sustained if more housing becomes available.

“We are trying to locate more units to house people, and that’s starting to become a real issue,” Shadid said.

Clients gather at The Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City.

“We are going to need that to keep the momentum we have going.”

Shadid said the city is applying for grants to construct more units, but that process can take a long time. When it comes to ending chronic homelessness for a person, Straughan said the first step is securing a place for that person to live.

“What we have found is this housing first method of addressing chronic homelessness is the best way to go,” Straughan said. “You provide the housing first, and then you provide the wraparound services. You can’t address

your pancreatitis if you are living under a bridge. You can’t detox and get sober if you are living on a park bench. If our housing choices are drastically limited, we can’t take that first step.”

Sweet home

Hinman’s description of her new home makes it sound like a mansion when, in reality, it is most likely a modest dwelling that would not impress anyone who has never been without a home of their own before.

“The house we are in is newly

remodeled with brand-new heat and air, refrigerator and stove, washer and dryer,” Hinman said. “It’s just wonderful.”

Hinman said she wants to complete an education program in hopes of securing employment, which she can focus on now that she doesn’t have to worry about collecting rainwater or cooking food in an outdoor fire pit.

“The people who helped us are just wonderful, and I can’t say enough about what they did for us,” Hinman said.

“I feel like we have a chance now that we didn’t have before when we were homeless.”

Straughan said the annual data shows that the efforts over the last several years to end homelessness in Oklahoma City are working and agencies like his are becoming better at finding the right solutions.

“There is no question that it is working and it is having a clear impact on our numbers, which means a clear impact on our costs as a city to address homelessness,” Straughan said. “But it’s especially quite extraordinary when you consider the human impact and the lives that are being changed.”

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City construction

Community members and city leaders were able to provide input about the program.

Officials step their game with their approval of PlanOKC.

By Brett Dickerson

Is it okay for your neighbor to move a couple of braying donkeys into the backyard of his 50-foot lot next door to you in the middle of the city?

A host of codes come into play in that scenario if it were to take place in OKC. Cities pass codes to make it easier for people to live in close proximity to each other.

The circumstance would be different if you lived on 160 acres in the country and your neighbor did the same thing. There is space and distance from your house. There might be trees and a fence to block the sound, smell and view.

But city life involves more coordination than might be recognized.

Step forward

Aubrey Hammontree, planning director of Oklahoma City, talked to Oklahoma Gazette about the new comprehensive plan for the city. “[PlanOKC is] really looking at revitalization on the assets that we have, strengthening our neighborhoods and communities and building smarter, better in the future as we go forward,” Hammontree said.

Over the last seven years, she has been in charge of developing the framework for guiding the development of infrastructure and compatible communities within OKC. Now, PlanOKC is available to the public and anyone who is thinking about launching

any new development.

Hammontree pointed out that a key part of developing the plan was using more than 8,000 survey instruments to gain input from over 22,500 residents of OKC. She said that technology of digital interaction with residents and going out into neighborhoods made heavy contributions to the process of developing PlanOKC. At the Oklahoma City Council meeting on July 21, Hammontree announced the new website that will help interested citizens and developers better understand how the city can grow in ways that will allow mixed-use development that is compatible with the

Anyone can go to planokc.org and explore the new plan.

The planning department encourages anyone with an idea for development to start with the tools on the website that will allow anticipation of what the city will expect of them for a particular location.

Hammontree said that in the past, developers had to try to understand “vague land use designations” and then develop a plan. But too often, once they would approach the city for approval, they were told to go back and adjust their plan.

She said that the advantage of this new plan might be less time and money spent just trying to guess what is expected on a larger scale.

Rewarding residents

The payoff for all residents of Oklahoma City will be even greater.

PlanOKC calls for development to follow certain land “typologies” — grouping of similarities — that guide development and the building of infrastructure to support it so that there is a well-organized grouping of businesses and living areas that help sustain each other.

The use of typologies instead of just areas of land-use designations is that mixed-use “retail nodes and corridors” can complement each other and the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

The question will not be whether a proposed development will fit into a particular land-use zone geographically; rather, the question will be whether the development fits the typology of surrounding existing development and will be compatible with it.

A considerable amount of time has been spent on the plan identifying future needs for infrastructure.

Sewer, water, streets, fire, parks, sidewalks and trails are all considered

Oklahoma City timeline 700,000

NEW STATE CAPITOL BUILDING

city founded

DOWNTOWN’S THRIVING BUSINESS DISTRICT

600,000

FIRST COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR OKC, THE CITY PLAN

Population

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

PARKS PLAN

frisco railroad

STATE PLANNING LEGISLATION PASSED

DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

SECOND COMPREHENSIVE PLANC, THE COMPREHENSIVE CITY PLAN

THIRD COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, OKC PLAN PRESERVATION AND SERVICE PRIORITIES

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OKC PLAN, 2000-2020

INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM EXPANDED

NEW DEAL MYRIAD GARDENS CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

MURRAH FEDERAL BUILDING BOMBING FOCUSES ATTENTION ON REBUILDING

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE, OKLAHOMA CITY VISION: BUILDING A QUALITY COMMUNITY FIRST MAPS PROGRAM BY VOTERS

100,000

MUSEUM OF ART OPENS

OKLAHOMA RIVER BECOMES HOME TO USA ROWING

OKC THUNDER MAPS FOR KIDS

MAPS3 CORE TO SHORE

0 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Source: planokc.org

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The goals of PlanOKC center around seven areas: • neighborhood safety • Schools • housing • neighborhood stability • Food systems • Transportation choice • Social connections

The plan calls for these initiatives from those goals: • Enhance crime prevention and effective policing • Incorporate safety into neighborhood design • maximize location efficiencies of school sites • create partnerships to expand housing choice and availability in key areas • Expand housing diversity by type and cost • Preserve and enhance special needs housing • revitalize and stabilize urban neighborhoods • Enhance suburban and rural development design

in the assessment process for deciding what needs improvement.

Once those assessments are made, the prioritization of investments will be made by determining the highest need, existing levels of service, greatest effect of potential projects and physical constraints.

Big issue

Hammontree used the term “chasing of development” to characterize the way that OKC has found itself doing planning in the past, and PlanOKC is intended to turn that process around.

Instead of the city constantly trying to keep up with developments by trying to add infrastructure to development already underway, the typologies of land and streets, along with guidelines of future development, will allow the city to carefully develop infrastructure

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Hammontree pointed out that a key part of developing the plan was to to use more than 8,000 survey instruments to gain input from over 22,500 residents of OKC.

live on stage Saturday, August 22nd at 8 p.m. in the OCCC Visual & Performing Arts Center Theatre co-presented by KGOU and OCCC

along lines of carefully channeled development.

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Already useful

The Capitol Steps: Putting the Mock in Democracy!

At the end of Hammontree’s presentation to the city council, Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer complimented the whole planning department on the important new tool that had been developed.

“I just want you to know that I used this just last night with a neighborhood issue and was able to go to page 50 and look at the land use plan,” Salyer said. “It really is going to be helpful for us just talking to our neighbors with issues that they have going forward.” aloft in deep deuce

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Goals and initiatives

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Great divide

Child Support Services helps bridge the economic gap for children of single-parent homes.

By Ben Felder

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But now, we have a national system, and it is a much more orderly system.”

While CSS advocates for payment for the custodial parent — the parent with legal custody of the child — the agency will also work with noncustodial parents who might have a hard time making a child support payment. For example, an incarcerated father might not be able to keep up with payments while behind bars.

“We have specialized case workers who will work with both parents to work out a solution because sometimes that felon might just not be able to pay the balance when they get out,” Dart said.

Sometimes that work involves connecting the noncustodial parent with other agencies and organizations that can offer support and assistance.

“Maybe the problem is the [noncustodial parent] needs some help with literacy, and we will try to plug them in with a reading program,” Dart said. “The basic thing is getting a person employed so that person can take that money off the top and support their [child]. “We are trying to help them succeed, not out to punish one side or the other.”

There is quite a bit of research that shows if you can get that [child] support to be reliable … the children really do benefit from that.

— Gary Dart

One-parent home

Oklahoma is located in a geographic belt with low percentages of children living with both parents, according to American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census.

“Single-parent families ... are most common in a Southern arc beginning in Nevada and extending through New Mexico, Oklahoma and the Deep South before coming up through Appalachia into West Virginia,” wrote New York Times reporter David Leonhardt in a June article about the one-parent household trend in the south.

Oklahoma isn’t just one of several states with low percentages of twoparent households; it’s third lowest with only 39 percent of children living in a home with both of their biological parents.

Utah has the highest rate of twoparent households at 57 percent.

“There is quite a bit of research that shows if you can get that [child] support to be reliable … the children really do benefit from that,” Dart said.

mark hancock

With as many as 207,000 cases pending at any one time, Oklahoma’s division of Child Support Services (CSS) ensures that children living with a single parent or sometimes no parent at all have some type of financial support.

That can be especially important in Oklahoma, which has the third lowest percentage of children living in a twoparent home, according to the latest census data.

“We have 41 officers around the state to cover all 77 counties,” said Gary Dart, director of CSS. “If there is a question about paternity, we have tools available and we have contracts with DNA testing facilities. But once you’re past that stage [of confirming paternity], it’s just a matter of getting with the parents and looking at what their income level is. We will ask the court to frame an order based on that information.”

Seventy percent of the state’s CSS payments are made as deductions directly from paychecks, the agency reports.

“We then continue to work with the parents to make sure the support is reliable every time,” Dart said.

Oklahoma’s CSS program has existed for 40 years since it was established July 1, 1975, just eight days after it was signed into law by Governor David Boren. More than 1,440 child support cases were filed in the first year, and $211,300 was collected.

Today, more than $1 million a day is collected by Oklahoma’s CSS, Dart said.

Most child support cases start with a court order.

“We have to have an order so we know what we are enforcing,” said Jeff Wagner, a CSS spokesperson. “Even if it’s an agreed matter, we take it to a judge so there can be some finality to it and a document in place.”

Sometimes CSS has to work with agencies in other states in order to collect child support payments.

“Ten to 15 percent of our cases involve other states one way or another,” Dart said. “Either we have a case and the opposing party is in another state, or vice versa. That’s not an uncommon situation. You used to have situations where persons would run from state to state … it was just a convoluted mess.

Several studies, including one

by W. Bradford Wilcox, a professor at the University of Virginia, which was referenced in Leonhardt’s article, show a correlation between living with both biological parents and economic opportunity.

Those studies might indicate that it is no coincidence that Oklahoma has a 24 percent child poverty rate, which is higher than the national average, according to data from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). The NCCP also reports that 63 percent of poor children in Oklahoma do not live in a two-parent household, compared to just 25 percent of non-poor Oklahoma children who

live in a single-parent household.

With the economic odds seemingly stacked against children in one-parent homes, Child Support Services becomes vital as an advocate and enforcer of payments made by the noncustodial parent.

“It’s considerably higher than it used to be,” Dart said about single-parent households. “That’s part of the society we live in. But the best we can do is say, ‘If it’s not going to be that storybook situation for a family, what can we do to make sure the child is going to get the benefit of having parental involvement?’”

The new Arts District Garage earns international recognition with an award and an architectural contribution to downtown.

By Brett Dickerson

Just mention the words “parking garage” around any group and you will get at least an “ugh!” if not profanity and stories about the dark, scary, confusing parking garages that they recently used or perhaps use daily.

Architect Anthony McDermid set out to design a better kind of parking garage for downtown Oklahoma City, and his firm, TAP Architecture, won an international award for it.

The architectural partnership earned top honors when the International Parking Institute gave them the Award for Architectural Achievement for 2015 at their annual meeting in July.

Arts District Garage sits between Main Street, Colcord Drive and Hudson and Walker avenues in the heart of Oklahoma City.

The award itself is significant, but even more significant is that the expectation for parking garages in OKC is now higher because of a successful collaboration.

Setting the bar

Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, now operating under the new brand EMBARK, is the client for the new garage.

Debi Holtzclaw, parking manager for the trust and lead city staff member on the project, said that the goal was to set the bar higher for parking structure standards in downtown OKC. “We didn’t want it to really look

Anthony McDermid

like a parking garage,” Holtzclaw said.

“We didn’t want just a standard parking garage stuck in there.”

Because of its prime location, a provision was made in its engineering to support later development of more stories of apartments on top, an unusual feature for parking structures in OKC. EMBARK set some high expectations for the architects, demanding that the exterior design exceed the usual designs for parking structures and complement both the art deco and modern architectural styles that are prominent in the Arts District.

McDermid had high praise for EMBARK and its staff’s depth of experience in developing parking garages.

“They were a sophisticated client,” he said. “They provided enough money for the facility to include some enhancements that you don’t ordinarily see in a garage.”

Those enhancements show the years of experience of the EMBARK staff as they learned from developing and using their past parking garages.

Innovations

Poor lighting both in the daytime and at night is a No. 1 complaint that many past parking garage users have had. To solve that problem, TAP incorporated white, non-peeling paint on the ceiling of each floor with LED lights and unusually open sides to each level using steel, cables and glass panels that allow

for much more light.

Since the garage is designed for multiple uses, which would include many drivers who are in the garage for the first time to attend events downtown, clear signage and the colorcoding of each floor makes for easier, faster movement in and out of the garage, especially at night.

Entry and exit from the garage is possible from both Colcord Drive and Main Street, using automated pay stations accessible either on foot or in the exit lanes.

Offices, retail

TAP is designing the first floor buildout for retail and offices, which will open in the fall. EMBARK offices will include a large and a small multimedia conference room for OKC committee and commission meetings when the Oklahoma City Council chambers cannot be booked.

Two other tenants are also building spaces. One is The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, and the other is Clarity Coffee.

Steve Williams, owner of Clarity Coffee, said that he is eager to open his coffee shop in September and become a part of downtown, “where the action is and where the people are.”

TAP achievements

McDermid said the Arts District Garage is one of TAP’s most important contributions to public life in OKC

since he and John Ward formed the company by merging their firms in 1988.

Oklahoma Judicial Center was what McDermid called “one of those once-in-a-lifetime projects” that involved adding new facilities for the Oklahoma Supreme Court onto the existing building that was once home to Oklahoma History Center, giving the appearance that the new addition had been a part of the original building all along.

John Rex Charter Elementary School has been in use now for one school year and was the first school built anywhere close to downtown since the early days of OKC. TAP developed the Core to Shore concept plan and is making plans for the renovation of Santa Fe Depot, which will involve a major engineering feat of opening a tunnel under the existing tracks into Bricktown. Core to Shore is an extensive project that will create a downtown park that includes the existing Myriad Botanical Gardens and will expand south to the Oklahoma River. It will involve new mixed-use development with a 40-acre park.

“That’s a game-changer for our city,” McDermid said. “It will put us on a world-class city status. There are no world-class cities without world-class parks.”

That’s what TAP is about — not just playing the game, but changing it.

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mark ha n coc k

Game changers

CHiCKEN CKEN Blue flu

If you’re looking to rob a town blind, it might be time head to Chelsea, where all four of the town’s full-time police officers and two part-time patrolmen resigned, leaving the northeastern hamlet to the care of seven reserve officers.

Chelsea’s police chief, assistant chief, captain and patrol officers said so long after alleged political string-pulling by the town’s leaders over the arrest of a local construction company owner on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Somehow, Kenny Weast, a town administrator, showed up at the scene as officers arrested Brian Haggard on March 3. Other influential politicos in Chelsea — Are there a lot of those? — called the cops and made their displeasure over the arrest known. When the town board voted to keep Weast on, it prompted the mass resignation.

But before anyone rides into town with a six-shooter and a mind to rustle cattle or whatever they have in Chelsea,

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FRiED NEWS be aware that Weast announced the Rogers County sheriff’s deputies would patrol the town of about 2,000 people until the situation is resolved.

Birthday bungle

Like Samantha Baker in John Hughes’ Candles Brat Pack classic Sixteen Candles, University of Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops isn’t very happy when his relatives forget his birthday, and it’s even less impressive when your brother is University of Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops.

Coaches have to remember a lot of things: plays, the names and numbers of their players, how to keep their cool during games.

And Bob has won numerous awards and championships, but somehow he just couldn’t manage to remember Mark’s birthday this year.

They were on a family vacation in Destin, Florida, when Mark was recognized by a Kentucky fan who wished him a happy birthday. Then Bob looked at Mark and said, “It’s your birthday?”

While Mark didn’t have any

awkward underwear incidents involving a room full of teenage boys or problems with his grandparents meddling in his dating life, he did manage to respond with a bit of sarcasm that Samantha Baker would appreciate.

“I said, ‘Yeah. Thanks for being so in tune, Bob. Thank you,’” Mark said while telling the story at Lexington Rotary Club in Lexington, Kentucky.

Affluent affair

We give Gov. Mary Fallin a hard time for a couple of reasons.

1. She’s a public figure and needs a little ribbing.

2. Because it’s funny.

But after word broke that she spent more than $1 million on her second inauguration, we’re just going to tip our hat. You’ve got to respect a player that balls so hard.

Yes, there are likely better things on which to spend that money — schools, jails for the kids failed by the schools, bridges that don’t crumble — but none of her party

fund came from taxpayer money.

According to the inaugural committee’s report, nearly $900k came from contributions. One hopes that, for the $25,000 a piece given by Clay Bennett, Love’s Travel Stops, Devon Energy and The GEO Group (they run for-profit prisons), they at least got unlimited trips to the buffet.

Really, what better way to celebrate another four interminable years of public gaffes, cuts to essential services and Fox News appearances than a big, fancy party paid for by the corporate interests that own our government.

Hurray for Oklahoma!

Blowtorch bandit

Usually, robberies involve a gun, but 24-year-old Alexander Pratt decided to change things up a bit with a blowtorch.

Rather than sticking with the traditional gun-to-the-head, “give me all your money” method, Pratt held a lit blowtorch to the face of a Star Fuel Mart

clerk and said, “Don’t make this a bad night for you,” while demanding that the clerk open the register. He then stuffed the money into a trash bag, snagged two packs of cigars and made a brief attempt to raid the safe before exiting the building.

OKC officers arrived at the scene and spotted Pratt roaming through an apartment complex nearby the convenience store. Before he even had a chance to light up his stolen cigars with his handy blowtorch, Pratt was arrested for armed robbery.

President Cornett?

In 2016, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett will be known around the country as “America’s mayor.”

NewsOK.com reported that in 2014, he was named second vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. This year, he’s serving as vice president under the organization’s first black female president, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. Next year, Cornett will serve as conference president.

Members of the organization must

be mayors of cities with at least 30,000 residents.

Cornett was elected mayor of OKC in 2004. During his time as mayor, he has challenged residents to get healthy and exercise, has overseen multiple MAPS projects and has made education and jobs priorities.

Quick fix

During President Obama’s visit to the Sooner State, he was given an Oklahoma City Thunder T-shirt by Gov. Mary Fallin, who briefly met with him on the tarmac at Tinker Air Force Base.

She waited until a little later (via press release) to give him a piece of her mind.

“I was deeply disappointed that during his visit, the president did not address the ongoing illegal immigration crisis or the failure of our federal justice system to stop or even contain it,” said whoever writes things for Fallin to say.

Yes, it was a shame that during his two-day visit to Oklahoma (which does not border a foreign country), the president did not solve the illegal immigration issue that has been vexing some in the United States for decades.

Funnily enough, we took a quick look at Fallin’s record in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served the Fifth District from 2007 to 2010.

Did you know she didn’t sponsor any bills to address the illegal immigration crisis? How weird!

In three years, she didn’t have time to get to those pesky aliens, but she did have a chance to push for House Resolution 60: Recognizing and commending University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford for winning the 2008 Heisman Trophy and for his academic and athletic accomplishments.

Did Obama even spend any time in Oklahoma recognizing Sam Bradford?

For shame, Mr. President. For shame.

Sleepy security

First National Center, 120 N. Robinson Ave., is experiencing a crime spree of sorts. The downtown high-rise

experienced burglaries (yes, plural) on July 7, and thieves got away with thousands of dollars.

The funny thing is that First National Center has round-the-clock security.

One of the recent victims was Cafe 7. Suspects took the entire safe with them.

Co-owner Stephanie Morrical said rollers were removed from a trash can before the safe was placed on top of it and it was pushed out of the building.

Oklahoma City Police think the Cafe 7 heist occurred about 30 minutes before St. Anthony’s Metro Medical Office, also located in the same building, was hit. There, they netted a diamond watch, cash and office supplies.

Even with video cameras, the crew of ne’er-do-wells avoided showing their faces. So if you see somebody with a fancy watch riding a safe on wheels down the street and stapling Post-It notes together willy-nilly, you should probably give the cops a call at 235-7300.

S U CC E S S S TO RY # 9 8

Seen walking obediently around campus and enjoying frisbee on the quad, Jenny’s days of running with a fast crowd seem a distant memory.

GROUP CLASS • BOARDING SCHOOL • PRIVATE LESSONS

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COMMENTARY

Embracing our Muslim community

BY ADAM SOLTANI

“Go back home!”

As a proud Oklahoma Muslim, nothing has offended me more than the above, and in the last 20 years, that is saying a lot.

Since the heartbreaking bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building shook our state, the Muslim community has unfortunately grown accustomed to being looked at with suspicion after media speculation wrongly pointed the finger at them.

In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, I vividly remember my heart being torn to shreds as I was left reconciling the mourning of fellow Americans we had lost with the offensive and hurtful comments aimed at Muslims. I was only in my first semester at the University of Central Oklahoma when a friend and I were attending a football game and, as we returned to our car, a truck passed

by and called us “sand niggers.” This was my first, but unfortunately not last, interaction with anti-Muslim hatred in our state.

In the years since, I have learned to accept those among my fellow Oklahomans who will hate me because of my faith, my ethnic background or because I promote acceptance and understanding of the growing diversity in our state.

What I cannot come to accept — and I don’t believe any American should have to — is being told to “go back home.”

No American should have to justify being home in his own country.

America’s foundation was predicated on the idea that all individuals, regardless of their faith, should have the protected right to life, liberty and property. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson addressed

his countrymen and quoted John Locke. He said, “Neither Pagan nor Mahamedan (Muslim) nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the Commonwealth because of his religion.”

If our forefathers had this vision for a diverse and pluralistic America, what has happened to us?

Oklahoma is my home.

Muslims are home in Oklahoma, as are Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists and all other groups that adhere to a faith or lack thereof. The reality is that our diversity in cultures, religions and viewpoints is what makes us so unique.

We should not only be accepting of that, we should wear it as a badge of honor. Instead of spreading hateful and divisive messages, we should seek opportunities to unite and work toward the greater good for our state.

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

In one of my favorite quotes from the Holy Qur’an it is said, “O mankind!

Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another.”

This is a reminder from God that teaches us that all our differences are a part of God’s overall design and that we all share one origin, one history. These variations in the human creation should bring us to know, understand and love one another even in the midst of hatred, intolerance and division.

Perhaps if, as fellow Oklahomans, we can follow this commandment from God, when my son reaches my age, he will no longer be told to “go back home”; rather, Oklahoma will embrace him with her loving arms and tell him, “You are home.”

Adam Soltani is the executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

LETTERS Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section.

The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@ okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette. com. Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.

No-win situations

Referencing John Thompson’s commentary (News, Commentary, “There is no cheap or easy fix,” July 8, Oklahoma Gazette): He talks a lot about a team but fails to name names.

The team is owned, operated, managed and coached by parents. No amount of money can make up for bad parenting or bad parents. If your kid(s) fail, it is you — the parent — who has failed.

I say this as a retired teacher who said, “To hell with it!” after I was physically assaulted in an OKCPS school.

I reported the assault to my principal and to Oklahoma’s “safe schools” hotline.

When nothing happened, I knew I was gone. My wife and I had just enough

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money for me to quit. Most of the other teachers with whom I shared a lunch break with considered themselves to be stuckers and suckers. The geezers like me felt stuck in a job with no other options being seen. The 20-something teachers felt like suckers who had probably had the best of intentions, only to find themselves in a deadly, dead-end career.

The leaving rates of new teachers prove my point.

— Richard F. Hicks Oklahoma City Home run

The article in the Gazette (Life, Film, Cover Story, “Driving home,” July 1, Gazette) was an outstanding and grade A+ work by Brett Dickerson.

He kept consistent and engaged with his effort. He was friendly and professional with my staff and patrons.

He was there several times, capturing the best photos and interviews. I am so proud of the article and Brett’s abilities to capture the drive-in atmosphere in the article. The front cover was perfect, too!

Thank you again for giving this Oklahoma City icon a nice endorsement and entertaining article for the entire city

to see and fall in love with once again.

— Lindy Shanbour owner, Winchester Drive-In Oklahoma City

No shelter

Unlike John Harris (News, Commentary, Letters, “Mansion meanies,” May 20, Gazette), I applaud the Gazette for taking a shot at the six-month renovation of the governor’s mansion.

For five years, Fallin has asked Oklahomans to sacrifice because we can’t afford to invest in the health care of our people and education, with another cut in per-student funding on top of leading the nation in cuts for a decade.

Superintendent Rob Neu says flat funding next year will cost Oklahoma City Public Schools $2.8 million.

Homeowners and cities are being besieged with floods, tornadoes and earthquakes induced by injection wells, but Fallin wants a “blank check” (officials refuse to disclose the costs) to make her more comfy.

More troubling is that officials are “considering” adding a storm shelter to the mansion. Fallin did everything in her power to stop the public from voting on a bond issue to fund storm shelters for schoolchildren. If a tornado warning is issued, the governor and legislators should be rushed to the nearest elementary school without a storm shelter; if teachers can cover the bodies of terrified kids, so can they.

— D.W. Tiffee Norman

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 1 3

OKG picks are events

recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

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The BOBs, book club for teens 12 and older; discussion of the book Stargirl led by Charlie Warren, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 4. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 340-9202, bestofbooksedmond.com. TUE

FILM The Wizard of Oz, (1939, US, dir. Victor Fleming) experience the technicolor classic on the big screen once again as Dorothy travels through the mysterious and colorful land of Oz to find the place she never thought sheíd miss most- home, 9 p.m., July 29.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. WED Finding Nemo, (2003, US, dir. Andrew Stanton) take a float through the White Water Bay wave pool and follow Nemo as he embarks on the accidental adventure of a lifetime- and his fretful father Marlin and forgetful friend Dory as they try to track him down, 8 p.m. White Water Bay, 3908 W Reno Ave., 943-9687, whitewaterbay. com. FRI The Stanford Prison Experiment, (2015, US, dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez) based on the terrifying true story of 24 college student volunteers who took on the roles of guards and prisoners in a makeshift prison for a 1971 psychological experiment, this film retelling demonstrates in sharp relief that sometimes the most terrifying monsters are those that live inside of us, 5:30 & 8 p.m., July 31-Aug. 1, 2 & 5:30 p.m. Aug 2. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa. com. FRI SUN DUEL, (1971, US, dir. Steven Spielberg) don’t miss this free screening of Steven Spielberg’s feature directorial debut, provided by the OKC Film Club; catch all the action and suspense as David Mann, an ordinary commuting salesman, is stalked and terrorized by an unknown antagonist in a tanker truck, 7:30 p.m. District House, 1755 N.W. 16th St., okcfilmclub@gmail.com, facebook.com/OkcFilmClub. TUE

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Internet Cat Video Festival Calling all cat lovers! The Internet Cat Video Festival returns Caturday, er …

Saturday to Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave. Enjoy 75 minutes of the most adorable feline-focused frolic the Internet has to offer for free. The film starts at 9 p.m., but make sure you get to the Great Lawn by 7:30 p.m. for pre-show fun such as food truck fare, live music from Culture Cinematic and drinks from COOP Ale Works. Visit oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com.

Saturday

HAPPENINGS Warm B4 Winter Benefit, Sisu Youth is providing an afternoon of entertainment, tasty treats, and a silent auction where guests can bid on a plethora of wares and collectibles, including a pair of Russell Westbrooksigned Zero Jordans, with all proceeds going to support the only overnight youth homeless shelter in Oklahoma City, YogaLab, 1745 NW 16th St. SAT

National Picnic Day, if you prefer your food in baskets, then boy do the Myriad Botanical Gardens have great news for you, because on August 1st they will be celebrating National Picnic Day with a picnic lunch accompanied by a learning experience provided by Dr. Ann Fleener in which participants can learn all about food and insect science, noon-1 p.m., Aug. 1st. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SAT

Downtown Dash

DIAMOND & TOURMALINE

BY MICHAEL BARIN

P ROVI DED

Refinance an auto loan you have with a competitor and will give you ...

The second annual downtown race series, Run This Town, gives OKC runners opportunities to benefit local organizations while working on their 5K times. Run through gorgeous Midtown, Heritage Hills and Mesta Park in the Downtown Dash, starting 8 p.m. Saturday. Registration is $35, and proceeds from Run This Town events benefit Downtown Oklahoma City Initiatives, a nonprofit committed to preserving downtown OKC. Visit downtownokc.com/RunThisTown for more information on Downtown Dash and two additional Run This Town races happening in August.

Saturday

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Cowboy Caravan Oklahoma State University’s Cowboy Caravan is a familyfriendly carnival that runs 4:30-7 p.m. Aug. 11 on the OSU-OKC campus in the Student Center, 900 N. Portland Ave. Bring your young Cowboy fans for face paintings, autograph sessions with OSU athletes and coaches and a pep rally featuring the OSU spirit squads and Pistol Pete. Visit orangeconnection.org.

Aug. 11

Dance Lessons at Friends, country dance lessons and live country band. Friends Restaurant & Club, 3705 W. Memorial Ave., Suite 604, 751-4057. TUE

FOOD Weekly Farmers Market, shop goods from local produce, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., Jan. 3. Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT The Dinner Detective, interactive murder mystery dinner show, 6:15-9:30 p.m., Aug. 1.

Sheraton Hotel, 1 N Broadway Ave., 235-2780, sheratonokc.com. SAT

YOUTH Okietales, educational program designed for youths ages 5-9 to learn Oklahoma’s diverse history, ranging from topics of the Wild West to Land Runs and Pioneer Life; Admission $2 per child, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 521-2491, okhistory.org/ historycenter. WED City of Moore Fishing Derby, cast a line and see how good a catch you can make- entry is free and if you can catch it, you can keep it; meanwhile, OK Wildlife will be available to answer questions about fish cleaning, fishing safety, and ichthyeverything else, 7:30 a.m., Little River Park, 700 S.W. 4th St., Moore, cityofmoore.com. SAT

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H&8th Night Market OKC’s popular monthly festival H&8th Night Market is 7-11 p.m. Friday at Hudson Avenue and NW Eighth Street in Midtown. Along with the city’s favorite gourmet food trucks and live music, you’ll find unique shopping opportunities at Industry Flea, an open-air market full of vintage finds and local artisan goodies at 10th Street and Hudson Avenue. After you are done at Industry Flea, head over to NW Ninth Street and Hudson Avenue for a meet-and-greet with Oklahoma City Energy Football Club players from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The festival is free and pet-friendly. Visit h8thokc.com.

Friday Cuppies & Joe Storybook Hour, fun for kids and adults alike, as kids can sit and listen to story time while adults enjoy coffee and cultured conversation; cupcakes appropriate for all ages, 10 a.m. Cuppies & Joe, 727 N.W. 23rd St., 528-2122, cuppiesandjoe. com. SAT Ice Cream Social, Bethany Library is celebrating the end of the summer reading program and cooling off with some frozen treats and face painting; free to attend, 2 p.m. Bethany Library, 3510 N Mueller Ave., Bethany, 789-8363, metrolibrary.org. SAT Outdoor Games, put down the paper, shut down the computer, grab your kids, and go play outside at Martin Park, who is offering an abundance of outdoor activities, including a scavenger hunt, bug catching, and all kinds of games, 3 p.m., Aug. 1. Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Road, 755-0676, okc.gov/parks. SAT

PERFORMING ARTS Bang Bang’s Brothel of Boom, Bang Bang Queer Punk Variety Show takes on the fun theme of the Oldest Profession with belly dance, drag, pole and aerial acrobats, hula-hoop dance, burlesque, live singing, magic, juggling, and comedy, 8 p.m., July 31.

The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 601-7200, theboomokc. com. FRI Ron White, comedian Ron White, best known as one fourth of humor collective Blue Collar Comedy, is bringing his scotch-drinking cigar-smoking backtalking brand of comedy and brash southern wisdom live to Oklahoma’s Riverwind Casino, 7 p.m., Aug. 7.

Riverwind Casino, 1544 State Highway 9, Norman, 322-6000, riverwind.com. SAT Songwriting Workshop, workshop with Oklahoman singer/songwriter Bryan White, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Aug. 1.

Rodeo Opry, 2221 Exchange Ave., 297-9773, ohfo.org.

SAT

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Billy Elliot, in the face of his family’s disapproval, a prodigious young boy overcomes the odds to become a ballet dancer in this dramatic but uplifting musical scored by Sir Elton John and brought to you by Lyric Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 4-5. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 297-2264, okcciviccenter.com.

TUE-WED In the Heights, the Tony-award winning musical, In the Heights, tells the story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood, a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music, 7:30 p.m., July 30, 2 & 7:30 p.m., July 31 & Aug. 1, 2 p.m., Aug. 2., Sooner Theatre, 101 E Main, Norman, 3221-9600, soonertheatre.org. THU-SUN

ACTIVE Sunset Rooftop Yoga, enjoy Yoga Flow every Thursday evening at sunset on the Caliber Building’s rooftop; class is accompanied by live music, 7-8 p.m.

Balance. Yoga. Barre., 911 N. Broadway Ave., 6206807, balanceyogabarre.com. THU OKC Dodgers vs. New Orleans Zephyrs, come out and support your OKC Dodgers as they try to beat the opposite team and also beat the heat; enjoy beer, hot dogs, and maybe even catch a foul ball, 7 p.m., Aug. 1, 3, & 4, 6 p.m. Aug. 2. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S Mickey Mantle Drive, 218-1000, okcdodgers.com.

SAT-TUE Sunday Archery Class, all the coolest characters are excellent at archery these days, and whether your kid’s a Katniss fan or you just want to work on your Hawkeye shot, you both can head out to Martin Nature Park for a professionally taught class where equipment will be provided, 2 p.m., Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Road, 297-1429, okc.gov/ parks. SUN

barre3 Community Free Class, this challenging combination of ballet barre, yoga, and Pilates is a fullbody workout, and at this event participants can try it on the Great Lawn for free, 7-8 p.m., Aug. 3. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. MON Total Wellness Class, the Oklahoma County Health Department wants YOU- to get healthy for free; that’s why they are providing free total wellness classes covering everything you need to know about diet and exercise to be the best you you can be, 10 a.m., Aug. 4.

Belle Isle Library, 5501 N Villa Ave., 425-4422. TUE Wheeler Criterium, OKC’s premier cycling festival for friends and family of all ages; cheer on OK’s top cyclists and enjoy yummy food trucks, 5:30 p.m., Aug. 4. OKC Downtown Airpark, 1701 S. Western Ave. TUE

VISUAL ARTS 21st Annual Art Show at INTEGRIS Cancer Institute, artists of all ages wishing to express how their lives have been affected by cancer will have their work on display; the exhibit is open to all forms of art including but not limited to fiber, graphics, oil, watercolor, mixed media, photography, pottery, sculpture, writing, or poetry, July 24- Sept. 3. Integris Cancer Institute, 5911 W Memorial Road.

A Foot in Two Worlds, exhibit by sculptor and storyteller Holly Wilson that tells a story through seven one-of-a-kind sculptures and seven large-scale photographs. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd.

America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66, exhibit shares the history of one of the world’s most famous highways including photographs, narrative, music and objects from the highway’s heyday. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 2354458, oklahomaheritage.com.

Cafe Society, gathering and conversation with Pakistani artist, Madihah Janjua, as she explains her struggles as a female artist from an Eastern World, 6:30 p.m., July 30. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE 3rd St., 815-9995, artspaceatuntitled.org.

Chromatopia: Color of Place, exhibit of multidisciplinary artist with a focus on conceptual fiber creations, Heather Clark Hilliard. Governor’s Gallery, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., 521-2931, arts. ok.gov.

Emphasis on a Colour Environment, art by painter and curator Amena Butler who investigates color and ways hues in differing compositions impact our environment. Urban Roots, 322 NE 2nd St., 297-9891.

If I Were, artist Holly Wilson creates one of a kind figures cast in bronze; the figures capture moments of our vulnerabilities and strengths, May 21-Aug. 21.

Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com.

INKspit: The Print/Rap Show, The 2nd edition of an experimental show combining over 20 printmakers and 6 rap artists for a one-of-a-kind experience, July 31. Dope Chapel, 115 S. Crawford Ave., Norman, (580) 917-3695, facebook.com/Dop3chapel.

Perceptual Art in Perspective, perceptual art is about how the observer interacts with shapes and colors; each person brings his or her own interpretations, and perhaps illusions, to the canvas. Paseo Gallery One, 2927 Paseo St., 524-4544, facebook.com/ paseogalleryone.

Rebecca Twilley and Brandi Twilley, paintings and drawings exploring fantasy, fairy tales, heroes, mystical creatures, time travel, dark arts and Gothic times. AKA Gallery, 3001 Paseo St., 606-2522, akagallery.net.

Seeking Monet, exhibit featuring works by Oklahoma painter, Beth Hammack and internationally recognized photographer, Catherine Adams. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

Through the Eyes of the Lynx: Galileo, Natural History and the Americas, The Academy of the Lynx was one of the world’s earliest scientific societies, whose star pupil happened to be Renaissance artist and scientist (among other vocations) Galileo Galilei; this exhibit celebrates the contributions of Galileo and the Academy of the Lynx in the areas of natural science and history, Aug. 1-Jan. 18. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.

Taste & Take WEDNESDAY THRU SUNDAY

PROVIDE D

712 N BROADWAY | 405.232.WINE (9463) | WEWOKC.COM WED 11AM-7PM | THURS-SAT 11AM-11PM | SUN 1PM-7PM

A Poem Is a Naked Person Oklahoma Premiere Tulsa Sound music icon and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell is the centerpiece of this long-awaited documentary filmed and edited by Les Blank ( (Burden of Dreams Dreams, Fitzcarraldo Fitzcarraldo). Blank died in 2013 but said he always considered A Poem Is a Naked Person to be his personal masterpiece. It was filmed between 1972 and 1974 and showcases incredible moments from the performer, singer-songwriter, session musician and pianist’s wild and storied career. See our related story on P. 39.

Wednesday, Aug. 5

For OKG music picks see page 37

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life food & drink

red velvet cupcake

Whipped Cream

Ashleigh Barnett works in the kitchen of her bakery, Crimson & whipped Cream, in norman.

Norman bakery Crimson & Whipped Cream brings rustic pastries home.

red velvet whoopie

By GreG elwell

She moved to New York City for Pilates, but Ashleigh Barnett stayed for the baking.

When the competitive and surprisingly stressful world of Pilates training became too much, she would retreat to the comfort of New York’s plentiful bakeries. She was not a natural chef, but she went to culinary school to fill her time. That is when the pastry course took hold.

“When our brief pastry section came around, I thrived. Rules, science, recipes, planning,” she said. “Everyone else was dying, and I loved rolling dough into perfect circles. At that point, I felt like I had maybe found something that I could be great at.”

She now owns Crimson & Whipped Cream, 331 White St., in Norman.

“When I went to NYC, I said I was never coming back to Oklahoma ... no good food or culture or whatever,” she said. “Typical young person ranting.”

But the draw of family and affordable living drew her home, so when she considered opening her own bakery, Oklahoma seemed more and

more appealing.

“This business really does take a village, and I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish that anywhere else,” Barnett said. “I also liked the idea of changing the community in Oklahoma to have more of the things I liked about living in NYC. Now I know so many people who moved away and then came back to make Oklahoma a better place to live.”

It’s also a better place to eat, thanks in part to her skills in the kitchen, which she honed during an internship at Trois Pommes Patisserie in Brooklyn.

“I loved going to work every day,” she said. “I showed up early and I stayed late. I had the best time.”

Teamwork

She still spends plenty of hours at work.

During the school year, she’s in the kitchen about 50 hours a week. Usually, summer is time for a break, but this year, she spent her time off opening Post Script, a new stationery store next door to Crimson & Whipped Cream.

“The only reason I’m able to do that is because I have two great full-time people in the kitchen,

Cassie (Zaccarelli) and Cindy (Johnston),” she said. “The hardest part of this business has been finding people that can take over in the kitchen.”

Don’t worry, cookie enthusiasts; Barnett still spends most of her time creating confections that delight the taste buds.

It takes careful choreography with her co-workers to fill a case with freshly baked pastries using only two ovens, but when it works, it’s a joy.

“We get into a really nice rhythm from 6 to 8 a.m. It’s probably my favorite time of day,” she said. “We don’t really talk. There’s just a flow.”

Things come in and out of the oven like clockwork, appealing to her meticulous nature. And when one of the ovens went out, Barnett said it was nearly apocalyptic.

Their output ranges from moist whoopie pies and sturdy, peanut butterfilled sandwich cookies to gorgeous loaves of pumpkin bread and crunchy, hearty granola.

“Honestly, I’m surprised by how much people love the granola bars,”

PHOTOS By G ARETT FISBECK

Peanut butter sandwich cookie

she said. “It’s such a rustic recipe, but it’s that perfect combination of sweet and salty. I love that people can’t get enough.”

It’s a feeling with which Barnett is well acquainted.

“I am notorious for eating cookies for breakfast,” she said. “I live for sugar.

It’s terrible.”

With her new stationary store opening and the school year quickly approaching, it’s also a sweet life.

“Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I can hardly believe it,” she said. “I feel so fortunate that all my decisions have led me to combine two of the things I love most: food and handwritten snail mail. I love everything to do with celebrations.”

For those in Norman, Crimson & Whipped Cream has become a place to share in the celebratory spirit, especially with a cookie or three.

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 1 9

Manna mania Fabulous Indian cuisine returns to Northwest Expressway.

By Greg Elwell

When Taj on Northwest Expressway closed in 2009, I was lost, adrift, cut off from that long buffet covered in all my Indian favorites. So long, veggie korma.

Goodbye, dear sweet pakora. The eatery moved to NW 23rd Street in 2011.

I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.

It has taken too long, but great Indian food has returned to that part of the metro. The problem: You don’t know about it yet.

The dining room at Manna Cuisine of India, 7908 N. MacArthur Blvd., is worryingly underused, especially because the food coming out of the kitchen is wonderful, true Northern Indian fare.

My trips to Manna yielded plenty of excellent dishes. I highly recommend you start with the samosas (two big ones for $3). These pyramids might be vegetarian, but they’re too good to be healthy. Deepfried and crispy with seasoned potatoes and peas inside, these are the ultimate Indian comfort food.

I was less enchanted with the hot wings ($6.99), but only because the skin wasn’t quite crisp enough for my liking.

The sauce was good — not your usual Buffalo — but the texture wasn’t what I hoped it might be.

But I forgot all about the chicken wings when the lamb biryani ($11.99) arrived. It comes with yogurt on the side because you’ll need it to tame this fiery fried rice dish. The lamb had a firm texture and soaked up the spice blend.

The rice was crisp and addictive. I asked for medium heat and started sweating

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Samosas Tandoor chicken

going to spend it on more dal fry anyway.

For those who like their bird on the bone, the chicken tandoori ($10.29) is the right choice. Nearly dyed red with the marinating spice, it’s cooked over a fire and has lots of crispy bits to prove it. It’s best with a bit of grilled lemon squeezed over the top, in my opinion.

The decor inside Manna is nothing to write home about. Is there any decor you are writing home about? Certainly your

Manna Cuisine of India 7908 N. MacArthur Blvd. | 470-7099 What works: Garlic naan and biryani for days.

right away. But no matter how many signals my mouth sent my brain to stop, my tongue kept countermanding them.

Here’s one of the memos: RE: Biryani issue: Mouth can shut up (LOL!); this rice stuff is too good. Just keep eating and you can get us all ice cream later.

Sincerely, Tongue I want to go back and have a biryani feast. Manna does shrimp, goat, chicken and vegetable biryanis, and I bet they’re just as good/painful as the lamb.

For non-masochists, I recommend butter chicken ($11.99), which takes tandoor oven-cooked breast chunks and

What needs work: Spice levels might be

too high for beginners. simmers them in a rich, creamy cashew sauce. It’s Tip: Call ahead if you want it to-go like chicken tikka masala or strap in for a wait. (also on the menu), but I like butter chicken even more.

Need to sop up some sauce? Sure family has better things to do than read you do! That’s as good a reason as any to about the interior design of the places in order garlic naan ($2). But beware: This which you’ve eaten. bread is so delightful, you’ll be ordering a But it doesn’t matter. It’s clean. You’re second and third before you know it. not there to look around in wonder.

Dal fry ($9.99) isn’t on the menu but You’re there to eat from big, heaping was recommended to me when I tried to plates of delectable Indian food cooked order dal makhani. It is tender lentils in a right when you order it. spicy sauce served over a bed of perfectly Now that you know Manna is there, cooked rice. Again, I recommend why are you still reading this? Head over ordering mild heat because the medium now — Take your paper with you! — spice knocked me down and took my and enjoy what it has to offer. lunch money, which is fine; I was just

PHOTOS BY GA RETT FI S BEC K

life food & drink

food BriefS

M A RK HA N COC K

By GreG elwell

PROVI DED

Expect Patrono The Arts District has a new dining spot with the opening of Patrono, 305 N. Walker Ave. It’s the first restaurant owned by executive chef Robert DeCoste, who worked for 30 years in the industry, starting as a dishwasher at age 14. Over the years, he climbed the ranks to work with famed chefs Paul Prudhomme and Todd English, including a stint as executive chef at Olive (now closed) in Washington D.C. Patrono means “patron saint” in Italian, and DeCoste saw the word frequently as he and his wife traveled through Italy.

“We’re doing a menu I haven’t seen much in Oklahoma City,” he said. “It’s authentic Italian, not American Italian. These are things I’ve been cooking for years, things I ate while traveling through Italy.”

While French food is known for its simplicity, DeCoste said he has always thought of Italian food as simply prepared fresh ingredients.

“The people who have come in so far have been willing to try anything,” he said. “We did a special with grilled octopus and squid and had no trouble selling it.”

Flying pies The new downtown location of Revolve Pizza Kitchen, 100 W. Main St., plans to celebrate its grand opening 11 a.m. Tuesday by tossing 150 pizzas and other prizes off the top of the Century Center building.

Co-owner Kendall Tripp said the location is perfect for Revolve’s business, bringing in a big lunch crowd.

“We’re built for downtown,” he said. “Our pizzas cook in three-and-a-half minutes. That’s gourmet pizza in minutes for workers who don’t have a lot of time.”

In addition to parachuting pizzas, Revolve hopes to tempt hungry patrons to come inside with a week’s worth of specials. From 8-9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, the restaurant will give away one free breakfast pizza per customer.

Thirst giving

Goodbye, hello

MARK H ANCOCK

Restaurant workers do not, historically, have great health insurance.

That’s where Thirst for a Cause comes in.

The event, put on by Thirst Wine Merchants and nonprofit Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation, raises funds for independent restaurant employees who need financial assistance for unforeseen medical issues.

“This is a common problem with employees from restaurants,” said Alex Kroblin, managing partner at Thirst Wine Merchants. “We had about 300 people at last year’s event.

We’re hoping to grow it a little each year.”

The seventh Thirst for a Cause is 6:309:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at Jim Thorpe Museum, 4040 N. Lincoln Blvd. Tickets are $75 in advance and $89 at the door and can be purchased through Oklahoma Restaurant Association by calling 942-8181.

The event features about 200 wines from 30 national and international wineries and food from 10 local restaurants.

Previous recipients of funds from Thirst for a Cause include a hostess with stage four leukemia, a line cook recovering from a kidney transplant and a server with terminal cancer.

So long burgers. Hello pizza.

Bricktown is home to the 12,000th location of Domino’s Pizza, 300 E. Main St., and the restaurant will donate $12,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oklahoma to celebrate. Before it was torn down, the lot was the long-time home of Bricktown Burgers.

The restaurant will have a ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. Monday, with Domino’s president and CEO Patrick Doyle scheduled to attend.

Unlike other Oklahoma City Domino’s location, the Bricktown restaurant will be a dine-in “pizza theater” concept where customers can watch as pizzas are made, use free Wifi and watch flat-screen TVs. O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 1

Cool off It’s getting hot in here. But hold on! No matter what a song tells you, it’s “illegal” to “take off all your clothes” in public. So much for hiring Nelly & Nelly: Attorneys at Law. Before you are hauled off for indecent exposure, here are some of Oklahoma City’s best restaurants for eating and drinking when the heat is on.

— by Greg Elwell, photos by Mark Hancock, Garett Fisbeck and Keaton Draper

Roxy’s Ice Cream 1732 NW 16th St., Suite B roxysicecream.com | 521-1300

Now a food truck and a brick-andmortar ice cream shoppe, Roxy’s is a local phenomenon with its tasty custom ice cream concoctions. Hurry in and try its new graham cracker flavor (so popular it might become permanent).

Even better, get a double dip with German chocolate and make your own sweet s’more on a cone.

The R&J Lounge and Supper Club

Hummus Mediterranean Cafe

320 NW 10th St. rjsupperclub.com | 602-5066

811 SW 19th St., Moore | 759-7024 hummusmediterraneancafe.com

Stick a straw in a carafe of sparkling prosecco and you’re in for a good night.

But if it’s still daytime and the sun is trying to kill you, ask your friendly R&J bartender to pour you a Painkiller, Blue Hawaiian or Brown Derby in a gorgeous vintage tiki mug and say aloha to your troubles.

At the time of Oklahoma’s founding, hummus was considered a punishment.

Oh, how far we’ve come since then.

Now, we love cold beans — as long as they’re chickpeas mashed with spices and olive oil and served with pita.

And there’s no better place to chow down than aptly named Hummus Mediterranean Cafe.

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THAI restaurant

500 NW 23rd St 405.524.0503

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The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro 6418 N. Western Ave. metrowinebar.com | 840-9463

Even in the summer, waiters at The Metro are allowed to yell, “Hot soup coming through!” But they’re lying.

During summer, the only soup people really want is The Metro’s signature chilled cucumber avocado soup or its decadent vichyssoise (cold potato soup).

If you haven’t tried them yet, chill out and go already.

Leaf + Bean

Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

2901 NW 36th St. leafandbeanokc.com

7516 N. Western Ave. tokyookc.com | 848-6733

Leaf + Bean must be wondering how the coffee gets all the press.

Leaf is right there, with top billing, just shouting to the world that there is spectacular tea for the pouring.

Sure, the coffee is tasty Topeca Coffee Roasters, but have you tried the iced tea with the house-made syrups? You’ll never look at Lipton again.

Ragu and Prego paid millions in the great People v. Hot Spaghetti lawsuits of the 1980s. (Editor’s note: No, they didn’t. We’re being sarcastic.)

That’s when Tokyo stepped in with its delightful cold soba noodles.

No more scalding sauce in your eyes when a slurp goes wrong. Plus, if you have a hankering for sushi, it has some of the best.

Kaisers Diner 1039 N. Walker Ave. kaisersdiner.com | 232-7632

Finally, the bitter rivalry between ice cream and soda is at an end.

Kaisers Diner — the Jimmy Carter of Oklahoma City restaurants — brokered a ceasefire that turned into a partnership we can all enjoy: soda and ice cream coexisting in a glass, like a cheesy bumper sticker. Tip one back and celebrate peace in our time.

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Call in orders available for pickup.

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LIFE COVER

Semi-permanent

Artist Josh Crain knows a thing or two about tattoos from personal experience and his work as owner of Think Ink Tattoos.

Nine years after tattooing became legal in Oklahoma, some are beginning to rethink their ink.

BY GREG ELWELL

“You get the tattoo you deserve,” said Think Ink Tattoos owner Josh Crain.

As one of the artists at the Normanbased tattoo parlor, Crain has seen people from all walks of life come into his shop, from lawyers and Devon Energy employees to college kids who are just ready to get some ink.

“If you do the research, you’ll never regret your tattoo,” he said.

Some people, though, do not do the research.

Awful objects

Jenny Heinrichs, co-owner of gift and decor shop Awful Objects, has two tattoos she wishes she didn’t get, and they came a decade apart.

“I have a tattoo on my lower back, the classic tramp stamp,” said Heinrichs. “I got it when I was 19, chose it off the wall of a tattoo shop in Deep Ellum. It’s not cute.”

And the man who put the ink on her was not the thoughtful artist type, either.

“He was a big guy with long hair,

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covered in tattoos,” she said. “He told me he’d just bought a Mustang and asked me out.”

At 19, she said, she was too young to be choosing a tattoo that would live forever above her butt.

She was 29 when she chose a black, angular phoenix for her upper back.

“It’s not pretty,” Heinrichs said. “I didn’t choose wisely.”

“Libery,” death

Comedian Spencer Hicks makes Oklahoma Gazette frequently for his standup routine (including a feature in last week’s issue), but he’s also in possession of a priceless tattoo story.

Whenever he visits a new state with his wife Carri, Hicks gets a new tattoo — like collecting snow globes, but with needles in his flesh.

On his shoulder is a cross from a stop in Texas. On the inside of his arm sits the word “Love” from a trip to Hawaii.

Coming back from exotic Montana, he had chosen an American skull with

victory wings coming off its head.

But then he strayed from tradition.

After winning a gift certificate to Lead Sled Devils Tattoo Shop in Oklahoma City, he decided to turn his winged skull into a sleeve tattoo replete with the word “Liberty” underneath.

“We took a break after he finished the outline, and I went to check it out in the bathroom mirror,” Hicks said.

“That’s when I noticed he’d left the ‘t’ out of ‘Liberty.’ I said, ‘I hate to be a stickler, but...’”

The artist inserted the letter during the coloring process, but Hicks said it still looks wonky.

“It’s on there for good,” he said.

Permanent solution

Lyric Mallow, a nurse at Advanced Aesthetics, 14001 McAuley Blvd., Suite 150, said it doesn’t have to be, though.

Her job is tattoo removal, and business is booming.

Using an Alex TriVantage laser, she blasts tattoos off over an average of 10 sessions.

I’m not going to tattoo ‘Drake’ on somebody’s forehead. That’s the responsibility of the artist.

— Josh Crain

“Depending on the size of it, the treatments can go quite fast,” she said. “If it’s larger, we break it down into sections so we don’t risk swelling around an extremity.”

The top reason for removing a tattoo is to get rid of an ex, Mallow said, but they also do it for charitable reasons.

“We do free tattoo removal for

from left Lyric Mallow, an RN at Advanced Aesthetics, demonstrates how she uses a laser for the tattoo removal process with a fellow RN Amber Watson. victims of human trafficking.

Those tattoos marked them as property,” she said. “They’re so grateful to have it gone. It’s very rewarding to help them.”

Those are her favorites to laser away, but coming in second are people who got tattooed as part of a bet.

“We also get a lot of lower back tattoos and neck tattoos,” she said, “even more recently. You’d be amazed at the things we see.

I thought I had seen some very interesting tattoos working in the operating room, but I was amazed to see some of these.”

When it comes to getting inked, Mallow said people are endlessly inventive. Luckily, the pain of tattoo removal, while intense, doesn’t last nearly as long.

“It’s very painful, but it’s fast,” Mallow said.

“Tattoos that take three hours to go on, we can knock it out in 5 minutes.”

Some get lidocaine shots for the pain, and she said others bear down on little squeeze balls.

artist.”

It’s actually illegal to get face or hand tattoos in Oklahoma, Crain said. But aside from breaking the law, he also advises against relationship tattoos.

“Someone’s name is an age-old mistake,” he said. “Don’t just wing it. Do your research. I do a ton of research before I’ll tattoo someone.”

When giving someone a tattoo related to their religion, it’s the details that make a big difference.

By the time he has the needle in his hand, he often knows more about the person’s religion than they do.

But it’s rewarding to give someone a tattoo they’ll love forever.

“We had someone come from Australia. That says a lot,” Crain said. “This woman was a tattooist who liked our work. She flew from Australia to San Francisco to Oklahoma. I tattooed the whole back of her calves, and after half a day of laying there in pain, she flew back to San Francisco and back to Australia.”

Heinrichs said that even though she regrets Joyful pain her tattoos, she’s Crain said he works considering getting hard with those another one. who come into “I would get Think Ink to make another tattoo, sure they won’t need which is hilarious,” Mallow’s services. she said. “I’ve “There’s always got a whole a lot of counseling Pinterest board on a bigger of tattoos. It’s project,” he said. magical thinking, Oklahoma law forbids “I’m not going obviously.” hand and face tattoos, but to tattoo ‘Drake’ that hasn’t stopped many on somebody’s forehead. That’s the from getting them anyway, responsibility of the including Josh Crain.

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Invisible spotlight A fundraiser for an overnight shelter is planned to help homeless youth in OKC.

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Warm B4 Winter sisu youth overnight shelter Project fundraiser 12-5 p.m. saturday yogalab 1745 NW 16th st. sisuyouth.org

Sisu Youth hopes to raise $100,000 to help combat youth homelessness in Oklahoma. The organization opened a youth day shelter in June 2014 as the first step in a more comprehensive approach to taking care of homeless young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

On Aug. 1, YogaLab, 1745 NW 16th St., in the Plaza District will host a minicarnival to raise funds for Sisu. The event will include activities for all ages, including live music, face painting and a silent auction.

“We are calling it Warm B4 Winter,” said Penny Reynolds, executive director and co-founder of Sisu. “The money raised will go to fund the Sisu Youth Overnight Shelter Project.”

Reynolds and her fiancée, Amber Richardson, started the organization together, and it has survived its first year as a volunteer-driven 501(c)3 charity. The name comes from a Finnish word that means “to have extraordinary determination and resoluteness in the face of extreme adversity.”

Currently, the day shelter provides

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services, including clothing, food and hygiene products, to 40 young people.

Case management is also provided, but with only one volunteer case manager on staff, the number cannot exceed 40 for now. Sisu also refers clients to social services agencies for education, work, housing and health care.

The next step in Sisu’s development is the overnight shelter, which a local church has offered to provide. Reynolds said she cannot reveal the name of the church, as the overnight shelter is meant to be a safe place for Sisu’s clients to spend the night. The shelter will require that Sisu be more than just volunteer-based, though.

“We want to get everything taken care of before the winter cold gets here,” Reynolds said. “The funds we raise at Warm B4 Winter will cover rent and staff at the shelter through next summer.”

Youth homelessness brings with it complications beyond adult homelessness, especially when the homeless are under 18 years old. The numbers in Oklahoma are stark, but they are also hard to quantify because the metrics are factored in a less-thanstraightforward way.

According to Oklahoma State Department of Education data, more than 15,000 students were homeless in the 2013-14 school year. Those numbers are a bit deceptive when it comes to youth in need of emergency services or shelter, though. The

Volunteers get acquainted, clean up and go over intake procedures at the Sisu Youth day center. numbers are compiled in compliance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, and that piece of legislation has broad parameters to define homelessness.

More than 13,000 of the students counted as homeless by the Oklahoma DOE were in the “doubled up” category. These are young people (and, often, their families) who are sharing housing for a variety of reasons, including loss of permanent housing, economic hardship, abandonment or being kicked out of the parents’ house.

Those numbers are extraordinarily high, and research indicates that those young people do not do as well in school as their peers, but that degree of homelessness is quite different in terms of the relative safety of the youth and the services required.

The funds we raise at Warm B4 Winter will cover rent and staff at the shelter through next summer.

— Penny Reynolds

In fact, the Point-in-Time report released by Oklahoma City Planning Department in 2015 shows that there were a total of 1,300 homeless people in Oklahoma City, counting those sheltered, unsheltered and in transitional housing, but not those who are doubled up. Of that number, 112 were unaccompanied youth.

Kim Woods, deputy director of The Homeless Alliance, said the numbers are mainly used to determine trends and don’t reflect an accurate count.

“They are meant as a snapshot,” she said. “Since many of the kids choose not to report for a variety of reasons, including misinformation about reporting, the actual number of unaccompanied minors is hard to accurately calculate. We can assume the numbers are higher than what is reported, though.”

Both Reynolds and Woods said that the numbers should not be taken as a sign that things are fine. Certain demographics — including females because of the threat of sexual violence and LGBT youth, who make up a shocking 40 percent of youth homeless — are more at risk. LGBT youth are kicked out of their parents’ homes for religious or family dynamics issues at a disproportionate rate. Children are also forced out of foster care as soon as they turn 18, even if they are not moving to a stable environment.

Youth homelessness is a problem, but the numbers indicate that programs like Sisu Youth can make a big difference.

“The numbers are not as daunting for people when you break down the categories; anyone can make a difference,” Woods said.

Sisu is providing one of only two drop-in day shelters in the city — the other is provided by Be the Change, a nonprofit. Sisu’s day shelter is open five days a week, and Reynolds said the overnight shelter will be open seven days a week if the funding is adequate to cover costs. Her passion for the issue comes from her own experience.

“I was homeless myself when I was 19 and 20,” she said. “It makes you feel invisible, and it tempts you to define who you are based on homelessness.”

To help raise funds, Plaza District businesses and local artists have donated items for the auction, and musicians and poets are donating their time. The auction will include experiences such as overnight stays at Oklahoma bed and breakfasts, and Russell Westbrook donated a signed pair of his newly released sneakers.

“We want people to come out and have a good time,” Reynolds said. “YogaLab has made the space available, and we’ll have music inside and outside, including Sherree Chamberlain. All the donations go to the overnight shelter project.”

Ultimately, Reynolds said, the goal is to help young people overcome the issues she struggled with as a homeless youth.

“Sisu wants young people to know that we see them; they are not invisible; they are not alone. Help is on the way,” Reynolds said.

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life HISTORY

Racial divide A black man was accused of killing a cop in 1910 Oklahoma City, and the rest is history.

By Bobby J. Dobbs

An hour after midnight on Feb. 25, 1910, police officer Morris Reagan stood watch over his quiet northside beat in Oklahoma City. Only the full moon overhead offered him any companionship as he patrolled alone in the brutal cold.

In 1910, Oklahoma City was a town of about 64,000 people. Yet, in the newspapers, a new murder or robbery splashed across the headlines daily. That morning’s paper would be no different.

Around 1 a.m., Dr. John Riley was heading home after working late at St. Anthony Hospital, where he had been attending a man shot by police earlier that day. As he made his way toward his home at 1302 N. Broadway Ave., he passed the still-standing Cadillac Building near the intersection of 10th Street and Broadway. There, he noticed Officer Reagan questioning a black male wearing a dark overcoat and a white scarf.

A few moments later, Dr. Riley would be tending to his second gunshot victim of the night.

As Riley was parking in his garage, a loud gunshot pierced the quiet neighborhood. Riley raced back to the intersection where he found Officer Reagan lying facedown on Broadway with a hole in his forehead. Although still alive, Dr. Riley could see that it was a hopeless case and that Reagan was “in the arms of death.”

He ran to a nearby residence and roused the occupants in order to use their phone.

Oklahoma City Police Department had not had an officer killed in the line of duty for 12 years. When the call came into police headquarters, everyone was stunned.

Assistant Chief Joe Burnett and several detectives jumped into a police buggy and headed north on Broadway. As they galloped past Fourth Street, Officer Braun noticed a black man briskly walking south. Braun immediately halted the buggy and detained him.

The man, whose name was Will Martin, was wearing a heavy coat and scarf and was walking in a direction away from where the murder had taken place.

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Broadway Avenue in 1910

Martin was then hauled to police headquarters and given a “severe crossexamination” by Chief of Detectives Shirley Dyer. Police boasted to reporters that a full confession was expected.

That made him the prime suspect.

Stunned, Martin explained that he was heading downtown from his room near Seventh Street and Broadway in search of a drink. Furthermore, he asked what wardrobe and speed of pace should be expected on a cold night where the temperature was only around 10 degrees.

Unpersuaded, the police transported him to the crime scene, where Dr. Riley identified him as the man he saw being questioned by Officer Reagan.

Martin was then hauled to the police station and given a “severe crossexamination” by Chief of Detectives Shirley Dyer. Police boasted to reporters that a full confession was expected.

A confession

Yet, despite the best efforts of Dyer and the accusatory finger of Dr. Riley, who directly confronted Martin at police headquarters, telling him, “The man that killed Reagan wore a white scarf, and you have one on!” Martin would not confess and insisted that he was innocent.

Outside, a crowd of angry citizens began to form. Fearing vigilantes, the police called in reinforcements and transferred Martin to the Oklahoma County Jail, where he was booked for murder.

Martin reportedly wept and prayed in his cell and was placed on suicide watch.

In 1910, justice was hard to find if you were black, especially in the Jim Crow-era South. The presumption of innocence was little more than an empty slogan if you were accused of a crime against a white person.

Often, the accused were lynched before they could ever reach trial. And

if a trial did take place, guilty verdicts were routinely rubber-stamped by allwhite juries who did not want to risk the social implications of siding against other whites.

That’s what makes the case of Will Martin such a rarity.

Police desperately searched for the murder weapon in the hours that followed the shooting. Despite an “unrelenting search where police scoured thoroughly” every inch of Broadway and Robinson Avenue, looking for the discarded revolver, it wasn’t found.

Nevertheless, in the days that followed, evidence against Martin began to mount. A fellow police officer named James Rippey claimed that he had seen Reagan search Martin for weapons in the past and had overheard Martin threaten to kill Reagan if he bothered him again.

Another officer named Veasey claimed that Reagan told him, “A nigger named Martin was looking for him with the intent to shoot him” and sought his advice in purchasing a better gun to protect himself.

The noose was quickly tightening around Martin’s neck.

provided

Homeward bound

BoBBy J. doBBS / p rovi de d

The jail ledger that shows that Will Martin was held for murder (top line).

The accused

On the other hand, not much is known about Will Martin. His age and personal details are never mentioned in contemporary accounts, but it is known that for several years, he worked as a porter at the Threadgill Hotel on Broadway. While there, he had acquired a very good reputation among the management and other porters he

worked with.

When the head clerk of the Threadgill, Alfred Allen, heard of his arrest, he stepped forward as the first white person to publicly question his guilt. He, along with others at the Threadgill, started a defense fund and hired a lawyer for Martin.

It was a gesture that probably saved his life.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy County Attorney Edward R. Hastings. In a move that would be completely unthinkable in today’s justice system, Hastings allowed the victim’s 80-yearold retired father William Reagan to help try the case.

The older Reagan was hard of hearing but still mentally sharp and proclaimed to the press, “In the old time days, this man would never have stood trial, but I am an old man and an upholder of law and order.

I intend to devote all my efforts to [Martin’s] conviction.”

The trial began on June 28; a jury composed of prominent Oklahoma City residents with well-known Oklahoma City surnames such as Hefner and Putnam would decide the case.

The prosecution

The prosecution’s case showed its weakness early on thanks to the expert cross-examination by Martin’s attorney, George S. Black. The star witness, Dr.

Riley, who had on multiple occasions positively identified Martin as the man he saw with Reagan before the shooting, began to waver. When pressed on the issue, he replied that “all negroes look alike” but swore that the clothing worn by the suspect was the same.

The defense

Martin’s lawyer then demonstrated that, contrary to the testimonies of Officers Veasey and Rippey, Will Martin had never been arrested and had no criminal record.

Rippey’s credibility particularly took a hit when he testified that he heard Martin threaten Reagan from a “few feet away.” A transcript of his earlier statement showed that he had previously said he was about 60 feet away when the threat was allegedly made.

Martin himself took the stand and testified that he didn’t know Officer Reagan and had never seen him “until they drug me up to his dead body.”

His defense concluded with a string of white former co-workers and friends who testified about his high moral character and honesty. A reporter remarked that he’d never seen a case where “a negro had as many prominent whites testify as to his good character as Martin.”

The last person the jury would hear

from before retiring for deliberations was the slain officer’s father. He made an impassioned plea to the men on the jury, begging them to deliver a guilty verdict. “There isn’t any question about [Martin] being the right man,” he said.

The verdict

With no eyewitnesses, no murder weapon and only the barest of circumstantial evidence, the men on the jury were asked to convict a man and send him to his death simply because he was black and wore winter attire near the murder of a white man.

After only an hour of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.

The ultimate fate of Will Martin has been lost to history.

After he walked out of jail on July 1, 1910, he simply vanished from the record.

It is possible that he left Oklahoma City and began a life somewhere else; it is also possible that someone unsatisfied with the verdict might have inflicted his or her own retribution on him.

Interestingly, James Rippey, one of the officers who gave questionable testimony, later ran for sheriff of Oklahoma County and received an endorsement from the Ku Klux Klan.

He was not elected.

The case of officer Reagan’s murder still remains unsolved.

BoBBy J. doB BS / provided

Morris W. Reagan, the murdered officer, was a native of Texas and a man of the law for many years in various parts of the state before joining the Oklahoma City Police Department just three months before his death. He was 49 and was married with two small children.

Reagan came from a highly respected Southern family.

His father, William Reagan, was a retired lawyer and magistrate. His brother Thomas was a former police officer himself and had only recently quit to join the fire department.

However, Officer Reagan’s most interesting relative was his uncle John officer Morris R. Reagan H. Reagan, the Postmaster General of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Before his passing in 1905, he was the last surviving member of the Confederate government. Local sympathy was high for this family.

provided

Reagan family

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Oklahoma Gazette

Functional fashion Quilting is making a comeback as an American pastime.

By ADAM HolT

Quilts are objects of multiple functions. They capture warmth, serve as decorations and tell stories.

The quilter comforts people and wraps them in a story. Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright said form should not follow function but should be one in a spiritual union, an adept description of a quilt.

The popularity of quilting among millennial women is rising, and no one personifies this more than 20-something Edmond native Meg Callahan. She is now a small business owner whose quilting designs, a modern take on classic ideas, have caught the attention of admirers near and far.

“Quilting is a very time-honored tradition,” Callahan said. “It’s taking small pieces of fabric and reattaching in a pattern. I like to research specific designs and make a twist based on the process.”

Callahan’s parents helped plant the seed of her artistry at a young age. She grew up in a household encouraging her to create and experiment, often by designing clothing. Influenced by her mother, an architect and painter, and by the practicality of her father, an attorney, she loves projects that represent art and utility.

After high school, she attended Rhode Island School of Design with an initial interest not in quilting but in furniture design.

“I really like the mathematical aspect of furniture artistry,” she said.

“Then I tried quilting mainly as an experiment and fell in love with it.”

From that point in 2011, quilting became her calling.

She has since started her own

3 0 | J u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

quilt design business, M. Callahan Studio, and recently moved back to Oklahoma. Much of her work is influenced by her home state.

“While in Rhode Island, my appreciation for Oklahoma went up times ten,” Callahan said. “The epic sky and stormy weather, I use that for inspiration for my work.”

All quilts produced by Callahan are made to order. She often collaborates with customers and works with any request. Pre-designed and pre-sewn quilts are also available and priced lower. To help with the orders, Callahan works with local long-arm quilter Sandy Garn for final stitching.

“She’s cutting-edge,” Gard said of Callahan. “She represents an evolution in the craft. Being a graphic designer, she’s able to take a design, create it using a computer and take that to fabric. That’s new in the world of quilting.”

Her designs have also caught the eye of the press. Mentions of her work have found their way into The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Metropolis. Last year, Garden & Gun, a publication concentrating on southern American sporting culture, food, music, art and people, named her a victor in the Best of the South Awards.

Callahan took top prize in the home category. She credits Oklahoma and its people for the award, her inspiration and her state of mind.

“I don’t think the award is as much about me as much the community and the environment that I come from,” she said. “I love Oklahoma.”

Talented ink

Rawb Carter at his booth inside Mind Bender Tattoo

A local shop strives to be more than just another tattoo parlor.

BY JACK FOWLER

All Decked Out 7-11 p.m. Saturday Mind Bender Tattoo 4012 N. Tulsa Ave. mbtattooart.com 600-6201

We all remember the bleak picture that hand-wringing Okie conservatives painted for us a decade ago when tattoo parlors were still illegal.

Through trembling lips, they described seedy hordes of filthy, painted barbarians loitering on the once-pristine street corners of our fair city, howling at our daughters, parking their choppers on the church lawn, descending on our God-fearing neighborhoods like some Mongol army bent on shattering the peace of the sanctified.

Well, that was stupid.

Mind Bender Tattoo, 4012 N. Tulsa Ave., is more reminiscent of an art gallery than a tattoo parlor because that’s exactly

what it is. It’s clean, brightly lit and inviting, and the walls (and the help) are covered with so much artwork, it’s almost difficult to take in. Paintings of every style and medium imaginable — all created by Mind Bender’s smiling, Technicolor staff — adorn every flat surface in the building. Portraits of Stan Lee and Sid Vicious, favorite cartoon characters, detailed renderings of the Millennium Falcon — it’s like a giant funhouse, but for grown-ups.

The pieces are part of the venue’s last art show, which featured the work of the seven talented tattoo artists with booth space at Mind Bender: Bobby Deneen, Jay MF Roberts, Shmitty, Derek Ketner, Josh Reynolds, Adam Antunano and Rawb Carter. The work will be coming down soon to make room for their next show, which promises to be no less eye-popping.

All Decked Out, opening Saturday, features Adam Antunano 18 local artists with street art, tattoo and design backgrounds who were charged with creating an original piece using a

skateboard deck as their canvas.

About half the decks are already there, and the work is as beautiful as it is diverse.

“We have art shows about every three months,” said “shop mama” and self-appointed tour guide Corissa. “We usually try to reach out to our friends in the tattoo community for shows but really show all kinds of stuff.

The tattoo community, and the art community in general, is really tight right now, so these shows end up being a lot of our friends.”

Their friends produce work as diverse and serious as any group of artists in the city. From painstaking, dark realism to cartoonish design, introspective abstracts to pop-culture hero worship, each artist brings a signature style to the shop that becomes apparent the longer you’re there. Tattoo art shows feel a little different from other art shows.

“They’re a lot more fun,” said Carter, a friendly, bearded canvas of a man who can’t help smiling when he talks. “I feel like when I go into a lot of other art shows around the city, there’s kind of a quiet atmosphere, kind of a ‘behave yourself ’ vibe. It’s not bad or anything; it’s just different. But I think tattoo artist shows are more relaxed.

They’re a celebration.”

He’s right. The shop buzzes with

Painted skateboards at Mind Bender Tattoo positive energy, even on a normal Tuesday afternoon. Mind Bender artists quietly work on their own pieces while they’re not tattooing customers (or each other), giving the shop an air of a fully functioning, viable art studio.

Oldies music plays over the PA system.

Everybody seems to be in a fine mood and happy visitors are there. It’s way more sunshine and good vibes than Sodom and Gomorrah.

“The shows here are really cool and really fun,” Carter said, beaming again, “a lot o’ good art and a lot o’ good people.”

Visit mbtattooart.com to learn more about the venue, its artists and upcoming shows.

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 1

P HOTOS BY GA R E T T FI S B E C K

LIFE VISUAL ARTS

SuDOku/CROSSWORD SuDOku Puzzle meDium

WWW.S uDOKu-P uZZlES .N ET

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

NeW YORk TimeS CROSSWORD Puzzle ANSWeRS Puzzle No. 0719, which appeared in the July 22 issue.

B O C A

U H U H

S E S A M E

P L A Y O N

S I C S

T R O T

B L O B

Y U G O

R I C E

G O K A R A T M V E E A T T S U P P O N C O A T T A E B L L L E O S

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

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

P E R F I D Y

E V A D E

R I G I D

B I I S L O I L M M I C O C H R E E A T O L P A S T S I C H K O M I T O

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

S I M O L E O N F R E T S

P L E N I T U D E

E L O I S C E R E A E V D O S N

U S E D

R A T S

I T E M

T H R U

A L Y D A R

M O S E Y S

D I N O

S L E W

• Oklahoma’s Only in-house hardware manufacturer • Best selection of premium & house

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daily specials available

By Tom McCoy / Edited by Will Shortz

ACROSS 1 Polite Indian form of address 6 Sub (for) 10 Ending for many a scandal 14 Wan 19 Saudi neighbor 20 Warmly welcome 21 Border river between China

and Russia 22 Hackneyed 23 “Belt it out, Adam!”?

26 Something “common” that’s not

always so common 27 Road component 28 Another shot 29 Fleur-de-____ 30 Advocated, as caution 31 Log-in requirements 33 Delhi bread 35 1970s-’80s Dodge 36 Thinks highly of 38 “I forbid you from providing

special access”?

42 Your father’s blockheadedness?

45 It comes between ads 46 Mao ____-tung 47 Liquids that burn easily 48 A forum is for ’em 50 Go to bat for someone 53 Middling 54 Reprehensible 56 “____ you embarrassed?”

57 Dry forecast 60 Thanksgiving mo. in Canada 61 Female counterpart of John Doe 63 One of the Mannings 66 Coin flip with a penny?

69 Heel 70 Sent down the ladder 72 Old Mideast inits.

73 Target for food 75 Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve 76 Bind tightly 78 Ohio senator who was one of

J.F.K.’s eight “Profiles in Courage” 82 Beige and ecru 86 Often-contracted phrase 87 Title parrot in a 1998 film 89 Football stat: Abbr.

90 1,000 kilograms 92 Emotional problem that is

surprisingly fitting?

94 Prepared some amazing

Mediterranean fruit?

1

2

3

4

5

19

DOWN 1 Go (through) 2 “Vissi d’arte,” e.g.

3 Openly expresses disapproval 4 100 things, on average 5 More resentful 6 Rodin sculpture of a couple 7 See 108-Across 8 Keeps moist, as vegetables in a

grocery store 9 It’s driven through something driven 10 Really fun time 11 Question asked breathlessly at a meeting 12 Making a good pitch?

13 Work units 14 Take on 15 Breastbones 16 “Keep up the fight” 17 Alternatively 18 Beggary 24 Alternatives to commas, informally 25 Don’t do it 32 Like a profile picture 34 Plus other things of that sort 35 Baker 36 Tarzan’s adopters 37 Inflict upon 38 Cannon who married

Cary Grant

10

12

33

43

47

48

53

70

45 50

89

90

94

95

85

78 87

92

110

102

107

111

112

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

39 Here, in Haiti 40 Knows about 41 Earned 43 Strand because of cold

weather, say 44 Scatter 49 “You’re right, though I

wish you weren’t” 51 One of 100 in The

Divine Comedy 52 Domain of

Charles V: Abbr.

54 Herculean 55 Volunteers 58 Staple of the fur trade in

the 1700s-1800s 59 Lament 61 Wrangler, for one 62 ____ old thing 63 Paradisiacal 64 Old frozen dinner brand

109

93

101 106

88

98

100 105

108

74

97

104

69

86 91

99

81

62

77

96

80

56

73

76 84

79

52

68

72

83

51

61

67

82

41

46

60

75

40

35

55

71

18

30

34

49

66

17

39

44

59

16

26

54

65

15

22

38

58

14

29

32

57

13

25

37

64

11

21

42

103

9

28 31

63

8

24

27

36

7

20

23

98 Deaf person who uses speech

and lip-reading 99 Hestia, to Artemis 100 2 and 3 tsps., e.g.

101 Middles, in Middlesbrough 103 “Oh, come on!”

105 Old White House nickname 106 Body that’s a lot thinner than it

used to be 108 With 7-Down, like some rabbits 111 Cheri of S.N.L. 112 Do a bad job as a watchman?

115 Fun times 116 Coney Island’s ____ Park 117 Astrophysicist ____ deGrasse Tyson 118 Source of “Vissi d’arte” 119 Scale-busting 120 Latin for “let it stand” 121 Shore bird 122 Travelocity option

6

113

114

65 “Later!”

67 Very liberal 68 Piece of the pie 71 The “O” in Ogden

Nash’s alphabet of

baseball players 74 Math set with an

unspecified number

of elements 77 ____ beetle 79 “We’re done for” 80 Expressions of outrage 81 Class work 83 Engaged in an activity 84 Fate 85 Leave stealthily 87 One who comes with baggage 88 Flower that symbolizes immortality 91 Skeptic’s challenge 93 Wii, e.g.

0726

New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle THE SHORT FORM

95 Physics particles named

after a James Joyce coinage 96 Injudicious 97 Golfer Aoki 101 Do the dishes?

102 Like some characters in

The Hobbit 103 Common khakis go-with 104 Try 105 Evils 107 Character seen in The Hobbit 109 Formerly 110 Ring out 113 Kit ____ bar 114 Game-winning row

Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute). The answers to the New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle that appeared in the July 22 issue of Oklahoma Gazette are shown at left.

Oklahoma Gazette VOL. XXXVII No. 30

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O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e | J u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 3

p rovi de d

life active

Victory lap

Oklahoma Victory Dolls

Local organizations have completed a rare merger, strengthening the city’s roller derby scene.

By Brendan Hoover

Go to

okgazette.com/GWW to enter to win a pair of tickets:

DEF LEPPARD Monday, August 10 @ Chesapeake Energy Arena

gazette’s wEEkLy winnER wiLL bE AnnouncED EAch wEEk in thE tAbLE oF contEnts Printed winners have 7 days to claim tickets 3 4 | J u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e

Flat track roller derby has a small but passionate fan base in Oklahoma City. With three squads in the metro, sometimes the local scene can get stretched thin. Bouts are sometimes scheduled for the same night, and fans have to choose which team to go see.

The few roller derby referees in town have to call one bout over another.

That’s why the merger between Oklahoma Victory Dolls (OKVD) and OKC Outlaws is a big deal. The move, announced July 7, is expected to consolidate resources to build the sport locally.

“We’re all working toward the same goal, which is playing the best roller derby we can, so it didn’t make sense to go against our friends any longer,” said Katy Lundburg, the Outlaws’ training committee head who skates under the nickname Emma C. Hammer. “When we pooled together, it was just better for everybody.”

The merger allows skaters of different abilities to compete at different levels, said Melissa Heying, the OKVD athletic committee head who skates under the nickname Menace.

Six months in the making, the deal proved serendipitous because the Victory Dolls’ leadership was searching for ways to grow their league when skaters from the Outlaws approached them to discuss a merger, said Candace Timmons, who skates for the Victory Dolls under the nickname InstaSLAM. Skaters from both leagues worked out the details, from combining coaching staffs and practice schedules to sorting out duplicate jersey numbers, Timmons said. Both teams host bouts in the Centennial Building at Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, 3001

General Pershing Blvd., so choosing a home venue will be easy.

“They all worked closely to make sure that both leagues would benefit from this,” Timmons said.

In the world of roller derby, she said, it’s more common for teams to fracture than to come together for a common cause.

“When you get these large groups of women, sometimes you have disagreements,” she said. “This is such a big deal because you don’t see mergers a whole lot. We’re just really excited about the potential this brings to the state of Oklahoma.”

OKVD is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that does charity work in Oklahoma City, including visiting places like The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany and doing skating clinics at area schools.

The Outlaws have also donated proceeds from home bouts to local organizations, and Lundburg said having nonprofit status under the Victory Dolls would make giving easier.

The leagues have already combined on the rink. Lundburg is the first Outlaws member to make the Victory Dolls All Star Squad and will join the team when they travel to Cleveland Aug. 21-23 to compete in the International 2015 WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs. She is a jammer, the skater who wears a star on her helmet and scores points by passing opposing skaters on the track.

In the physical, full-contact sport of roller derby, success comes only through hard work and determination, said Heying.

“We’re not just out there skating around,” Heying said. “We are athletes, and we want to be seen how athletes are.”

p rovi de d

life active

Victory lap

Oklahoma Victory Dolls

Local organizations have completed a rare merger, strengthening the city’s roller derby scene.

By Brendan Hoover

Go to

okgazette.com/GWW to enter to win a pair of tickets:

DEF LEOPARD Monday, August 10 @ Chesapeake Energy Arena

gazette’s wEEkLy winnER wiLL bE AnnOuncED EAch wEEk in thE tAbLE OF cOntEnts Printed winners have 7 days to claim tickets 3 4 | J u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e

Flat track roller derby has a small but passionate fan base in Oklahoma City. With three squads in the metro, sometimes the local scene can get stretched thin. Bouts are sometimes scheduled for the same night, and fans have to choose which team to go see.

The few roller derby referees in town have to call one bout over another.

That’s why the merger between Oklahoma Victory Dolls (OKVD) and OKC Outlaws is a big deal. The move, announced July 7, is expected to consolidate resources to build the sport locally.

“We’re all working toward the same goal, which is playing the best roller derby we can, so it didn’t make sense to go against our friends any longer,” said Katy Lundburg, the Outlaws’ training committee head who skates under the nickname Emma C. Hammer. “When we pooled together, it was just better for everybody.”

The merger allows skaters of different abilities to compete at different levels, said Melissa Heying, the OKVD athletic committee head who skates under the nickname Menace.

Six months in the making, the deal proved serendipitous because the Victory Dolls’ leadership was searching for ways to grow their league when skaters from the Outlaws approached them to discuss a merger, said Candace Timmons, who skates for the Victory Dolls under the nickname InstaSLAM. Skaters from both leagues worked out the details, from combining coaching staffs and practice schedules to sorting out duplicate jersey numbers, Timmons said. Both teams host bouts in the Centennial Building at Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, 3001

General Pershing Blvd., so choosing a home venue will be easy.

“They all worked closely to make sure that both leagues would benefit from this,” Timmons said.

In the world of roller derby, she said, it’s more common for teams to fracture than to come together for a common cause.

“When you get these large groups of women, sometimes you have disagreements,” she said. “This is such a big deal because you don’t see mergers a whole lot. We’re just really excited about the potential this brings to the state of Oklahoma.”

OKVD is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that does charity work in Oklahoma City, including visiting places like The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany and doing skating clinics at area schools.

The Outlaws have also donated proceeds from home bouts to local organizations, and Lundburg said having nonprofit status under the Victory Dolls would make giving easier.

The leagues have already combined on the rink. Lundburg is the first Outlaws member to make the Victory Dolls All Star Squad and will join the team when they travel to Cleveland Aug. 21-23 to compete in the International 2015 WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs. She is a jammer, the skater who wears a star on her helmet and scores points by passing opposing skaters on the track.

In the physical, full-contact sport of roller derby, success comes only through hard work and determination, said Heying.

“We’re not just out there skating around,” Heying said. “We are athletes, and we want to be seen how athletes are.”

P r ovi de d

life music

Blended colors The members of Ripple Green go from small-town upstarts to globe-trotting adventurers with their new EP.

By Brett Fieldcamp

the world helped form the majority of new release Timepiece.

“We love to absorb everything that is happening around us and then squeeze it all out into a song or across a full project,” Parks said. “I don’t recall it ever being a conscious choice to blend our music around the culture we had been living in, but our time abroad definitely shaped us as people and, therefore, shaped our music.”

From the beginning, much of that shape has been formed by a wide range of influences, many far removed from the expected inspirations of much of Oklahoma’s current indie and psychrock outfits. There is a more direct pop sensibility in Ripple Green’s songwriting that, coupled with the

members’ desire to experiment and toy with different sounds, gives the band a wide appeal.

“As musicians, we are not ones to limit ourselves to certain genres or scenes,” Gillette said. “Rather, we tend to become attached to an artist if they are writing great songs that evoke emotion in ourselves.”

The EP’s title track highlights the urgency and spontaneity of the band’s European tour and was even recorded in England separately from the rest of the release.

“The song was written a few days before going into the studio,” Wade said, “so the recording seems to portray a more adventurous and nonconfined feel, which [producer Steven

Wilkinson] helped to capture.”

The remainder of the project was recorded back home at OKC’s Lunar Manor with producer Graham Colton working to capture that same kind of European energy.

“We tracked out everything at our home studio and definitely had our share of trials and errors,” Wade said, “but we dialed in our ideas so that we could focus more on getting the right tones once we got into Lunar Manor.”

Timepiece will be released through iTunes and ripplegreenmusic.com on Friday. Check out the “Timepiece” video, featuring the guys partying at Stonehenge during the Summer Solstice, online now.

Provided

“As people and as songwriters, we try to avoid stagnation,” said Joel Parks, guitarist and lead vocalist of Ripple Green.

Those words go a long way toward explaining the band’s ambitious nature.

Starting out as a young three-piece in small-town Duncan, Parks, bassist Lucas Gillette and drummer Tremaine Wade focused their thirst for adventure into traveling and creating a unique sound.

A particular interest paid to catchy hooks and fun, buoyant writing made Ripple Green’s music a perfect fit for the Britpop audiences of Europe, where the band spent six months touring in 2014. The collective experiences and perspectives gained on the other side of

Ripple Green

Faltering fusion A local jazz fusion band is calling it quits and encourages OKC to support artists.

By Greg Horton

[PEACH] Farewell Concert with Adam & Kizzie and Pidgin 7 p.m. Saturday CityPres 829 NW 13th St. $5

Jazz fusion band [PEACH] performs its last concert 7 p.m. Saturday at City Pres, 829 NW 13th St. The band formed in 2011 with singer-guitarist Aslan Crawley, drummer Connor Pruitt and bassist Loren Calvin Dunaway III. The trio released an EP the same year but has since focused on releasing singles. Crawley said the band’s split is due to his planned Aug. 5 move to New York.

“The jazz fusion scene is not receiving a lot of support in Oklahoma,” he said. “As part of our last show, we’re going to feature two local fusion acts we

[PEACH]

hope can gain some more support in the community.”

Opening acts include Norman-based Pidgin, followed by Adam & Kizzie, who signed with Ropeadope Records and released The Book of EEDO Vol 2 last year. Crawley is a fan of both bands.

“I’ve seen Pidgin slowly gain a following in the area,” Crawley said.

“They’re very good, and they had a fantastic set at Norman Music Festival.

Adam & Kizzie could also use more support locally, but they are definitely gaining attention here and elsewhere.”

The other members of [PEACH] will remain in Oklahoma, but Crawley did not speculate about whether they would form a new band after his departure. Before he leaves, he plans on recording a solo project at Post 352, 3909 NW 10th St., a studio/venue owned by fellow ACM@UCO alumnus

Benjamin Edison.

With the recent closing of Urban Roots, Crawley said venues for fusion musicians are hard to find.

“For jazz musicians, one of the only options are three-hour sets at area restaurants, but they have to play standards and covers in those settings,” Crawley said. “That sort of music does nothing to push the genre forward.”

At least part of the issue is economic.

Getting a bar or restaurant to feature a fusion band or even pay a flat rate for a show is more difficult if the community does not show up in sufficient numbers to make it economically viable for business owners.

Even as the UCO Jazz Lab trains excellent jazz musicians, those musicians are finding it more difficult to find bookings around Oklahoma City where they can play their own music.

“People need to realize that there is a community here who will support this, but it’s all disjointed,” Crawley said. “If everyone that liked this music would get together, Oklahoma City is right on the verge of being able to support fusion.”

For a city with a historic district like Deep Deuce and its ties to jazz, community support for jazz fusion would seem to be a no-brainer, but the numbers say otherwise.

Crawley sees a community that would like to support fusion, but until artists are allowed to play music they have created, the jazz fusion genre will probably suffer in the state.

“The scene just won’t pay enough to support the original material yet,” he said. “It’s easier to get paid doing three hours of covers at a restaurant, and the people who love fusion won’t show up to support that.”

O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 5

A l an M e ss e r / P r ovi de d

life music

Homestyle songs Country music legend Tanya Tucker returns to the Sooner state with a concert Friday in Quapaw.

By Mark Beutler

7 p.m. Friday The Pavilion Downstream Casino Resort 69300 E. Nee Road, Quapaw downstreamcasino.com 918-919-6099 $25-$45

It has been a long road back to the spotlight for country music superstar Tanya Tucker. She first hit the Billboard charts at age 13 with her 1972 album debut, Delta Dawn.

Not long after that, she was on the cover of Rolling Stone and has been turning heads ever since.

Tucker’s songs have stood the test of time, and she has changed her style to

reflect each new trend in country music, from 1970s story songs like “Lizzie and the Rain Man” to ’80s power-ballads “Love Me Like You Used To” and the ’90s-era “Down to My Last Teardrop.”

But life caught up with the Country Music Award-winner a few years ago when she lost her father and manager, Beau Tucker. Then, in 2012, her mother died. That’s when she said it was time to step away and regroup to figure out the next phase of her life and career.

“We are never prepared for this time in our lives,” Tucker said in a recent interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “We know it’s coming, and we are never ready for losing a parent. The past few years, I have been going through a struggle with depression, but I am trying to get back in

the saddle. That saddle is a little squeaky right now, but I’m getting there.”

Tucker brings her new band and impressive roster of hits to Oklahoma’s Downstream Casino Resort, 69300 Nee Road, in Quapaw for one show with Travis Tritt on Friday. It’s a short road trip up the turnpike to see two of country music’s living legends.

“Oklahoma has always been one of the best states for us to perform in,” Tucker said. “My dad was from Coalgate, so I am proud to say I have a little Okie running through my veins.

It will be so good to come back and see everyone.”

The past few years have been a bit of a blur, Tucker said. She spent some of it traveling with her youngest daughter,

seeing the sights, riding horses and clearing her head.

Ultimately, she said it was her fans that encouraged her to get back on stage.

“I realized I needed to be performing, using the talents God gave me. So when I said I was coming back, all hell broke loose,” she said. “I have a new management company, a new team, a new band.”

A new album is in the works, her first since 2009’s My Turn.

“The album will be out soon ... I hope radio plays it. I’ll just make sure it’s so good they have to play it,” Tucker said. “I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Oklahoma. If I was a crying girl, I’d be crying right now. I love every one of y’all.” mark elliott / Provided

Travis Tritt and Tanya Tucker

Tanya Tucker

Twinkle-core?

Speak, Memory plays a type of rock that is hard to define.

By Greg Horton

Speak, Memory with Lesser Men, Mammoth, Mourning and Null 7 p.m. Saturday Industrial Skatepark 18 SW Sixth Street, Suite A facebook.com/speakmemoryok $8-$10

Oklahoma City-based indie rock band Speak, Memory will be one of the featured acts at an upcoming skate park show. The three-piece act has gone through several stages of evolution since it formed in 2011.

“We started out as Tandaradei,” guitarist-songwriter Tim Miller said.

“Can’t pronounce it? You aren’t the only one.”

The band also began as a four-piece that included a violin. Eventually, the violinist dropped out, as did the original bassist and drummer. Miller reached out

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Speak, Memory

to two guys, one a long-time friend, to fill the latter two spots.

Speak, Memory is now Miller, Cameron Ferguson on bass and Jonathon Thomas on drums.

“We give all the credit to a friend for the name,” Miller said. “We knew we didn’t want to be Tandaradei anymore, but didn’t know what was next. Calvin, our friend, tossed out Speak, Memory — it’s the title of an autobiographical memoir by Vladimir Nabokov.”

In the book, Nabokov talks a great deal about his youth and his years at Cambridge University. Miller said the material resonated with him because it fit within the context of the band’s creative process.

“The past fuels us to create art,” Miller said. “It also teaches us to learn from our mistakes and remember the ones we love. Most importantly, the name was easy to pronounce.”

Speak, Memory’s 2014 EP Value to

Survival is available on Bandcamp and Spotify, and as a complete project, the songs all work, but they’re not really finished yet. There are no vocals for any of the tracks, but all the songs have lyrics.

“We just never got the vocals mixed in,” Miller said. “The most common reason is that we can’t find anyone committed enough to be the vocalist for the band. For now, though, no one is complaining when we do them as instrumental numbers.”

Listening to the six songs on Value to Survival, you would likely never guess the songs were not originally meant to be instrumental.

Miller said they are still making plans to add the vocals at some point.

Many of the instrumental rock genres rely heavily on keys and strings, but Speak, Memory pulls off listenable instrumental rock with the classic threepiece band, sort of an homage to its

post-punk roots.

Post-punk is one of the labels Miller uses when describing the band, but he prefers to use “twinkle-core” as a joke.

Somewhere on the Internet right now, people are engaged in profanitylaced arguments about the usefulness or accuracy of sub-genres, and twinklecore as a sub-genre of emo gets more than its share of attention.

The description fits at one level.

Miller’s guitar playing focuses on bright, shimmery notes, but the band is much more diverse than any post-emo subgenre could describe.

The skate park show at 7 p.m.

Saturday at Industrial Skatepark, 18 SW Sixth Street, Suite A, will feature four other bands: Lesser Men, Mammoth, Mourning and Null.

Miller emphasized that the show is not at Norman Industrial Skatepark though it shares the same name.

Chad Sullins & The Last Call Coalition, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. ROCK

Aaron Newman Band, Baker Street Pub & Grill. FOLK

DJ Ray, Colcord Hotel. VARIOUS

Drive/Tyler Smith Solo, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ROCK

Evin Brady/Desi & Cody, Lower Bricktown Live on the Green. FOLK

Forever Came Calling/You, Me and Everyone We Know/ Seasons Change, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

Christian Pearson/Gary Johnson, Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

PIANO DJ R&R, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. HIP-HOP

Gentry, Kendell’s Bar. VARIOUS

Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. JAZZ

Holly Miranda, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

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

Jacob Cummings, JJ’s Alley. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Stephen Schultz, Tommy’s. JAZZ

Jason Savory, Toby Keithís I Love This Bar & Grill.

COUNTRY

Wink Burcham/Ali Harter, The Deli, Norman.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

JOY/CobraJab/Nebulae, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

THURSDAY, JULY 30

KALO, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. BLUES

2AM, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ROCK Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club.

Justin Echols Trio, Hefner Grill. JAZZ

Kingfish, Five Star Grille. ROCK Lee Mullen, Riverwind Casino, Norman. country Leonard Witham, Red Brick Bar, Norman. COUNTRY Meanstreak, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK

Bret Michaels, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Catoosa.

ROCK

Ripple Green/Helen Kelter Skelter/Rachael Brashear, 51st Street Speakeasy. ROCK

Chateau, 51st Street Speakeasy. VARIOUS

Rockwell Ryan, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC

David Morris, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO

Shortt Dogg, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES

Drive/Charles Scott Duo, Colcord Hotel. ACOUSTIC

Stars, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COVER

Kevin Welch, The Blue Door. ROCK

Stranded at the Station, Full Circle Bookstore. VARIOUS

Rick Jawnsun, O Asian Fusion, Norman. ACOUSTIC Sophia Massad, Wormy Dog Saloon. ACOUSTIC Stars, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COVER

FRIDAY, JULY 31 Alice in Chains, Brady Theater, Tulsa. ROCK Amarillo Junction, Mad Cow Saloon. COUNTRY Bri Bagwell, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

P rovi de d

LIVE MUSIC WEDNESDAY, JULY 29

OKG

Bricktown reggaefest

music

pick

Friday-saturday

Josh Heinrichs featuring SkillinJah headlines this year’s Bricktown Reggaefest, which hits the heart of Bricktown this weekend. Bring your friends and family to the corner of Reno and Oklahoma avenues Friday and Saturday for live music, Jamaican food and beer. Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free, and all ages are welcome. Visit bricktownokc.com.

SATURDAY, AUG. 1 [PEACH] Farewell Show, City Pres OKC. ROCK 100 Bones, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. ROCK Aaron Newman Duo, Red Rock Canyon Grill. FOLK All Have Sinned/Broken Flesh/Solomon, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Avenue, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse. COVER

Cactus June Band, Mad Cow Saloon. COUNTRY

Eldredge Jackson, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

Casey & Minna, Hillbillies Po Boy & Oyster Bar. FOLK

Gentry Counce, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

Centennial Rodeo Opry 38th Anniversary, Rodeo Opry.

COUNTRY Chad Todd, Sliders. COUNTRY DJ Josh Tullis, Colcord Hotel. ELECTRONIC Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks, Edmond. JAZZ Earl Day/Justin Echols Trio, Hefner Grill. JAZZ Gary Kyle, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Graham Colton, The Overholser Carriage House. SINGER/ SONGWRITER Jim the Elephant, Baker Street Pub & Grill. ROCK Locust Avenue/The Conflation Congregation, Opolis, Norman. ROCK Insubordination/Lotta Tuff, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Mark Vollertsen, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC Miss Blues, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Pearl, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK R5/Jacob Whitesides, Frontier City. SINGER/ SONGWRITER Smilin’ Vic, UCO Jazz Lab, edmond. BLUES

Mike Hosty ‘One Man Band’, The Deli, Norman. ROCK Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

MONDAY, AUG. 3 Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK

TUESDAY, AUG. 4 Drag the River/Shut Up Matt Jewett, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5 Kristin Diable, The Blue Door. ROCK Mark Vollertsen, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC

The Blend, Remington Park. ROCK Urban Addiction, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. POP

SUNDAY, AUG. 2 eldredge Jackson sunday uCo jazz lab

Provided

Cymbals Eat Guitars, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Earl Day, Hefner Grill. JAZZ Edgar Cruz, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. ACOUSTIC

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

Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 7

p rovi ded

life film

Human perspective A film and discussion is set to illuminate Jewish-Muslim relations.

By Greg Horton

The Jewish/Muslim Film Institute screening of Free Men 1:45-4:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9 Emanuel Synagogue 900 NW 47th St. jewishmuslimfilminstitute.com 359-0369 Free

The Jewish/Muslim Film Institute will present its third film and discussion with the screening of Free Men Aug. 9 at Emanuel Synagogue, 900 NW 47th St.. Rabbi Abby Jacobson said the films chosen by the institute portray snippets of Jewish-Muslim relations. The program started as a joint effort of local clergy and nonprofit organizations.

“There has always been a good relationship between the Jewish and Muslim clergy in Oklahoma,” Jacobson said. “We wanted to do something to showcase that because we believed it goes against what many people believe is true.”

Mike and Joan Korenblit, co-founders of Respect Diversity Foundation, were instrumental in the planning and implementation of the institute. Mike Korenblit, who grew up in Ponca City, is the son of Holocaust survivors who were aided by Christians.

The message of respecting diversity, for the Korenblits, is deeply embedded in family and religious narratives.

“My husband and I go to religious events regularly,” Joan said, “and we noticed that Muslims and Jews were not getting together at some of these events.

We wanted to change that.”

The couple called several of the

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metro’s religious leaders, including Jacobson, and they all said yes to the idea of a film and discussion.

The group agreed to screen thoughtprovoking films with religious, ethnic and intercultural themes. The Jewish/ Muslim Film Institute and a list of films for the public events emerged from those interactions.

Jacobson said film was chosen as the best vehicle for the conversations because it allows the group to showcase stories without distractions.

“The films still offer human stories, but they keep us from getting bogged down in the details of a person’s life or story that might occur if we had a speaker in the room,” Jacobson said. “We can discuss details and we can abstract about the issues because this is not someone’s personal story.”

She said the institute was developed to continue the good work that had already been done in the community by the clergy and nonprofits. The bonding that happened among the clergy and planning group while they discussed the films could be extended to the broader community.

That community has grown beyond the metro area, as well. Jayme Cox is the president of The Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice (OCCJ), a Tulsabased organization that partners with the institute. The organization works with students to help them better understand how stereotyping and prejudices affect relationships and individuals.

“We see religious prejudice every day,” Cox said. “Even our political leaders regularly engage in prejudice, as seen in

anti-Muslim rhetoric. We got involved with the institute because we think it’s important to promote respect and understanding.”

The idea of understanding differences is a common theme among the institute’s members, but understanding usually involves a moment when people are confronted with ideas or experiences from another’s perspective — it’s not just something to be taught or read; it is something to be experienced. It was this experience of another’s perspective that got Imam Imad Enchassi involved with the institute from the beginning.

Enchassi is the imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City.

Last summer, he was watching an early morning report about a conflict that broke out in Gaza after an American Muslim youth was killed.

“I was up for early morning prayer when I saw the news,” he said. “I texted Rabbi (Vered) Harris to say I was distressed about the news. To my surprise, she texted me back to say the same thing. It occurred to me that I had been thinking about it from my perspective, but I was confronted with a new reality: a Jewish rabbi was distressed about the death of a Muslim youth, too.”

That epiphany led to a conversation between the mosque and Temple B’nai Israel, where Harris serves as the rabbi.

“We got Muslim and Jewish youth in the same room, and we had a conversation about what was happening between Israel and the Palestinians.

These youth were about the same age as the American Muslim youth who was killed,” Enchassi said. “We learned that

Muslims cared about Jews being killed and Jews cared about Palestinian and American Muslims being killed.”

The idea of positive confrontation translates to the film conversations. After a film is shown, a panel of clergy and nonprofit organization leaders participate in a panel discussion. Jacobson said that guests are asked to submit written questions, and those questions are addressed to the panel.

Christian clergy are also represented in the institute, and Enchassi said that is as it should be.

“You cannot have a conversation about Jewish-Muslim relations and not invite all the children of Abraham,” he said, a reference to Abraham as the progenitor of all three Abrahamic faiths.

“All sides have input into this peace process. People of faith have a profound agenda to promote peace, charity and common understanding, both in their faith communities and statewide.”

Free Men is French film about Jews and Muslims working together to resist police efforts to spy on a Paris mosque.

The film also addresses the issue of identifying as Algerians first, rather than opting for a religious or ethnic alliance, a message that is critical for unity in our country as well.

“The tenets of the three Abrahamic faiths include an insistence that we are to serve other humans,” Enchassi said.

“Whether that is by caring for the poor or needy, promoting justice or pursuing other social goods, the process of fulfilling these tenets brings us closer together and makes for better citizens.”

Pr ovi de d

State screening A documentary about Leon Russell finally gets its home debut.

Leon Russell

By Ben Felder

A Poem Is a Naked Person special event screening with Leon Russell, Harrod Blank and Maureen Gosling 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5 Circle Cinema 10 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa circlecinema.com 918-585-3504 $35-$50

Forty years after filming, an intimate documentary of Oklahoma rock star Leon Russell made its official premier earlier this year at South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW).

Next month, A Poem Is a Naked Person makes its Oklahoma premier at Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Ave., in Tulsa.

“It’s probably going to be the biggest event that we have had at the Circle,” said Chuck Foxen, Circle’s programmer.

Creative differences between the filmmaker and Russell prevented an earlier release, but unedited versions have circulated for years.

“I saw a bootleg version of it five or six years ago, and it’s pretty amazing,” Foxen said. “It’s like an Okie-centric gem of film. No one has seen this stuff.”

Originally directed by Les Blank, who passed away in 2013, it was completed by his son, Harrod.

“That’s a question that we don’t need to worry about,” Harrod said when asked at SXSW why the release took so long. “Let’s just celebrate what it is and keep moving.”

The SXSW premiere also featured Maureen Gosling, who worked as the film’s sound designer from 1972 to 1974.

“The experience of making this film was like dropping into a whole other world,” Gosling told Oklahoma Gazette in March. “[Russell] would bring these bands in to use his studio, and he would bring in Freddy King, the O’Neal Twins, Phoebe Snow — all these people would be there, and we would get to be in these sessions.”

Russell was credited as pioneering an Oklahoma sound that combined elements of rock and gospel and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The film’s state premiere in Tulsa is fitting, as Russell started performing live

there at age 14.

Russell, Blank and Gosling will be at a special Wednesday, Aug. 5 screening.

The film officially opens Friday, Aug. 7.

Foxen said Circle Cinema had been hoping to get the film for several years.

“We’ve known of the film since I’ve been here, and I’ve been here 10 years,” Foxen said. “People have brought it up and tried to get it shown, but we never could. It’s always been on the back burner.

“But when they played the film at SXSW, once I heard that happened ... I emailed and said we would love to help the Oklahoma premiere.”

Learn more at circlecinema.com or call the box office at 918-585-3404.

g arett fisbeck

Mitchell classics

UCO offers a summertime cool-down with a free movie.

By Mark Beutler

Movies@Mitchell Oklahoma!

7:30 p.m. Saturday Mitchell Hall Theatre University of Central Oklahoma 100 N. University Drive, Edmond uco.edu/cfad Free

Unlike today, when folks hang their bare feet over the seat in front of them and cell phones light up the darkened theater, movies used to be a dress-up occasion.

Back in the early part of the 20th century, going to the movies was an event. Men and women dressed in their best attire for an evening of fine entertainment.

Now, the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) harkens back to those days for the second annual summer series, Movies@Mitchell.

“Seeing a movie at Mitchell Hall [Theatre] is not only a free source of airconditioned entertainment for families in our community throughout July,” said Meghan Braseull, director of facilities and

productions for Mitchell Hall, “it is also a great way to experience how movies were originally enjoyed in the mid-20th century — in a lovely theater.”

This throwback to an earlier time doesn’t necessarily mean audiences have to dress up, and flip-flops are certainly appropriate for the 21st-century crowd, but seeing a film in a theater like Mitchell Hall can be a fun alternative to large, multiplex cinemas.

“Prior to the invention of television, going to the movies was quite the event and films were often showed in theaters that doubled as live performance venues,” Braseull said. “Seeing a movie at Mitchell Hall recreates the atmosphere and bigevent style one would have enjoyed when going to the movies in the 1940s and 1950s.”

Last year, during its inaugural run, audiences were treated to films mainly from the 1980s. For the 2015 season, the theme will be musicals. The final movie will be Oklahoma! on Saturday. Other classic musicals like Little Shop of Horrors,

Meghan Braseull in front of Mitchell Hall Theatre West Side Story and Singing in the Rain were shown early this month at Movies@ Mitchell.

Each movie was selected for a special reason, Braseull said. The showing of Oklahoma! coincides with the university’s yearlong UCO@125 celebration, honoring the state the university has served for 125 years.

“Additionally, West Side Story [served] as a primer in anticipation of the UCO Jazz Division and dance department’s premiere adaptation of the Leonard Bernstein production that opens this fall,” Braseull said.

The other featured musicals were chosen based on a Facebook survey.

“The original idea for this series came about a couple of years ago,” Braseull said.

“We simply wanted to do something for the community and the families, and we thought this is something everyone would enjoy.”

Popcorn and concessions will be

available, and admission to the movie is free. Audience members will have an opportunity to donate via text to the Build Mitchell Hall campaign, which will nearly double the size of the historic theater.

“Mitchell Hall has serviced the community for more than 80 years, and we are happy to continue doing so, even during the summer months,” Braseull said. “This new campaign will enlarge the facility and is designed by Elliott + Associates Architects.”

The renovation will include two new rehearsal spaces, a comprehensive costume shop and makeup lab, an enhanced green room, a storm shelter that doubles as a blocking studio, an open gallery space, study lounges and faculty offices.

Mitchell Hall is located in Edmond on University Drive, between Main and First streets on the UCO campus. For a complete list of all UCO College of Fine Arts and Design events, including those at Mitchell Hall, visit uco.edu/cfad.

O k l a h o m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 9

Ant-Man

Get small

One of Marvel’s more obscure heroes looms large in a different kind of superhero film.

By GreG elWell

While other Marvel Comics movies are getting more cosmic, Ant-Man gets it right by going small and personal.

Guardians of the Galaxy was a bona fide hit, and rightly so. Though the actors in the film weren’t unknowns, the characters meant nothing to anyone besides hardcore comic book fans.

That’s the challenge for Ant-Man, in which Paul Rudd (Wet Hot American Summer, every other movie you’ve ever seen) plays Scott Lang, a recently paroled felon who wants to go straight for his daughter.

Standing in his way: The Man. It turns out that it’s hard for an ex-con to find a good job, or any job, which leads him back to his cat burgling ways at the mansion of rich industrialist Hank Pym. In the comics, Pym was the original Ant-Man and a founding member of The Avengers. (He actually joined the team before Captain America.) Here, played by Michael Douglas, he’s a man who left the defense industry when he found they were trying to hijack his research for military means.

With his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly, Lost), Pym wants to recruit Lang to help him steal his research back from a somewhat deranged scientist — played with demented intensity by Corey Stoll (House of Cards, Law & Order: LA) —

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who took over the company.

The strength of the film is that it largely gets away from super-heroics and focuses on one of America’s most-beloved movie genres: the heist flick.

As often happens, Lang is the leastinteresting character in the bunch, with shining comic performances from David Dastmalchian, T.I. and Michael Peña as Luis, who nearly steals the whole movie.

Much has been made of the exit of original director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), but while I’m sure he would have turned in an excellent film, Peyton Reed (Bring It On,

Yes Man) handled the comedy well, and the action was fun and easy to follow.

Ant-Man might not rise to the level of some of the earlier Marvel films like Iron Man and The Avengers, but it’s still much better than Iron Man 2, which was, seriously, kind of awful. Fans of the interconnected universe will be happy to see a few familiar faces from other franchises pop up here and there, as well.

It might not be a can’t-miss film, but if you need a fairly laid-back action flick with above-average comedy chops, AntMan comes through big where it counts.

Ant-Man might not rise to the level of some of the earlier Marvel films like Iron Man and The Avengers, but it’s still much better than Iron Man 2, which was, seriously, kind of awful.

p Hotos p rovi ded

life film

FRI, JULY 31

CHRIS STAPLETON SAT, AUG 1

ALVIN CROW p rovi de d

THURS, AUG 6

Damned funny Adult Swim released the first season of Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, and trust us; everyone can relate to this live-action comedy show.

“Hell is for children.”

— Pat Benatar “War is hell.”

— William Tecumseh Sherman Those are all wrong, of course. Hell is where your pretty face is going in the recently released first season of Adult Swim show Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell.

The live-action comedy follows an associate demon named Gary (Henry Zebrowski, Wolf of Wall Street) who works an office job in hell. It’s pretty terrible, as you might imagine. His boss is Satan (Matt Servitto, Banshee), every day is Monday and the break room is just a tiny door leading to a thousand spinning blades.

Plus, everybody has to wear yellow polo shirts. It’s not a good look.

The DVD has all six first-season episodes on one disc with plenty of outtakes, deleted scenes and commentary for each one. But it would be worth it for the show alone, which combines smart writing with passable CGI reminiscent of 2007’s Adult Swim series Saul of the Mole Men. Gary is a sympathetic character, especially when it’s clear how quickly his intern Claude will climb past him up (down?) Hell’s corporate ladder. But he’s also pretty stupid, and Your Pretty Face makes it easy to laugh at his fairly upbeat attitude toward the worst job anyone could have.

The show is filled with beautiful little touches that make office life hellish for those on earth and elevates the concepts to new depths — key cards that beep but only occasionally open doors, archaic operating systems

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designed to make everyone work harder, meetings that last forever.

The special effects are a bit cheesy, but if that’s the sort of thing that bothers you, this probably isn’t your show anyway.

Adult Swim is forever mining new chunks of gold out of anti-comedy.

There are plenty of moments of shock and discomfort, but Your Pretty Face stays true to its logic. Of course Hell would be a terrible place for everyone.

Of course working in a cubicle for eternity would be the worst possible version of the afterlife.

In the first episode, while flaying a soot-covered Eddie Pepitone, Gary quickly runs out of breath and says, “I don’t know who’s being tortured more here, you or me.”

While he’ll go through several more indignities as the episodes progress — shoveling an endless mountain of coal, preserving the condo where Satan has sex with his ex-girlfriend and losing his summoning word — the torture is definitely reserved for those on-screen.

Anybody watching will have a hell of a good time.

Sorry about that pun. Consider it your punishment for not watching this show already.

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | j u ly 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 | 4 1

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: Express gratitude for the enemy who has taught you the most. FreeWillAstrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) “I am very much in love with no one in particular,” says actor Ezra Miller. His statement would make sense coming out of your mouth right about now. So would this one: “I am very much in love with almost everyone I encounter.” Or this one: “I am very much in love with the wind and moon and hills and rain and rivers.”

Is this going to be a problem? How will you deal with your overwhelming urge to overflow? Will you break people’s hearts and provoke uproars everywhere you go, or will you rouse delight and bestow blessings? As long as you take yourself lightly, I foresee delight and blessings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) In her io9.com article on untranslatable words, Esther Inglis-Arkell defines the Chinese term wei-wu-wei as “conscious non-action . . . a deliberate, and principled, decision to do nothing whatsoever, and to do it for a particular reason.” In my astrological opinion, the coming days would be a favorable time to explore and experiment with this approach. I think you will reap wondrous benefits if you slow down and rest in the embrace of a pregnant pause. The mysteries of silence and emptiness will be rich resources.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) “I always liked side-paths, little dark back-alleys behind the main road — there one finds adventures and surprises, and precious metal in the dirt.”

The character named Dmitri Karamazov makes that statement in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov. And now I’m thinking that you might like to claim his attitude as your own. Just for a while, you understand. Not forever. The magic of the side paths and back-alleys may last for no more than a few weeks, and then gradually fade. But in the meantime, the experiences you uncover there could be fun and educational. I do have one question for you, though: What do you think Dmitri meant by “precious metal in the dirt”? Money? Gold? Jewelry?

Was he speaking metaphorically? I’m sure you’ll find out.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) “Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason,” says comedian Jerry Seinfeld. His implication is that rejecting traditional strategies and conventional wisdom doesn’t always lead to success. As a professional rebel myself, I find it painful to agree even a little bit with that idea. But I do think it’s applicable to your life right now. For the foreseeable future, compulsive nonconformity is likely to yield mediocrity.

Putting too much emphasis on being unique rather than on being right might distract you from the truth.

My advice: Stick to the road more traveled.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) I expect you to be in a state of constant birth for the next three weeks. Awakening and activation will come naturally. Your drive to blossom and create may be irresistible, bordering on unruly. Does that sound overwhelming? I don’t think it will be a problem as long as you cultivate a mood of amazed amusement about it. (P.S. This upsurge is a healthy response to the dissolution that preceded it.)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Expiration dates loom. Fond adieus and last laughs and final hurrahs are on tap. Unfinished business is begging you to give it your smartest attention while there’s still time to finish it with elegance and grace.

So here’s my advice for you, my on-the-verge friend: Don’t save any of your tricks, ingenuity, or enthusiasm for later. This is the later you’ve been saving them for.

You are more ready than you realize to try what has always seemed improbable or inconceivable before now. Here’s my promise: If you handle these endings with righteous decisiveness, you will ensure bright beginnings in the weeks after your birthday.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) A company called Evil Supply sells a satirical poster that contains the following quote: “Be the villain you were born to be. Stop waiting for someone to come along and corrupt you. Succumb to the darkness yourself.” The text in the advertisement for this product adds, “Follow your nightmares . . . Plot your own nefarious path.” Although this counsel is slightly funny to me, I’m too moral and upright to

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Has a beloved teacher disappointed you? Are there inspirational figures about whom you feel conflicted because they don’t live up to all of your high standards?

Have you become alienated from a person who gave you a blessing but later expressed a flaw you find hard to overlook? Now would be an excellent time to seek healing for rifts like these. Outright forgiveness is

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Much of the action in the world’s novels takes place inside buildings, according to author Robert Bringhurst. But characters in older Russian literature are an exception, he says. They are always out in the forests, traveling and rambling. In accordance with astrological omens, I suggest that you draw inspiration from the Russians’ example in the coming days. As often and as long as you can, put yourself in locations where the sky is overhead.

Nature is the preferred setting, but even urban spots are good. Your luck, wisdom, and courage are likely to increase in direct proportion to how much time you spend outdoors.

one option. You could also work on deepening your appreciation for how complicated and paradoxical everyone is. One more suggestion: Meditate on how your longing for what’s perfect might be an enemy of your ability to benefit from what’s merely good.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) French and Italian readers may have no problem with this horoscope. But Americans, Canadians, Brits, and Aussies might be offended, even grossed out. Why? Because my analysis of the astrological omens compels me to conclude that “moist” is a central theme for you right now. And research has shown that many speakers of the English language find the sound of the word “moist” equivalent to hearing fingernails scratching a chalkboard. If you are one of those people, I apologize. But the fact is, you will go astray unless you stay metaphorically moist. You need to cultivate an attitude that is damp but not sodden; dewy but not soggy; sensitive and responsive and lyrical, but not overwrought or weepy or histrionic.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Which signs of the zodiac are the most expert sleepers? Who best appreciates the healing power of slumber and feels the least shame about taking naps? Which of the twelve astrological tribes are most inclined to study the art of snoozing and use their knowledge to get the highest quality renewal from their time in bed? My usual answer to these questions would be Taurus and Cancer, but I’m hoping you Pisceans will vie for the top spot in the coming weeks. It’s a very favorable time for you to increase your mastery of this supreme form of self-care.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes.

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “Every time you resist acting on your anger and instead restore yourself to calm, it gets easier,” writes psychologist Laura Markham in Psychology Today. In fact, neurologists claim that by using your willpower in this way, “you’re actually rewiring your brain.” And so the more you practice, the less likely it is that you will be addled by rage in the future. I see the coming weeks as an especially favorable time for you to do this work, Scorpio. Keeping a part of your anger alive is good, of course — sometimes you need its energy to motivate constructive change. But you would benefit from culling the excess.

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