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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.

ON THE COVER Cover Anna Shilling | Photo by Garett Fisbeck cover

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24 It’s okay to be a quitter! That’s what Oklahoma Gazette staff learned as we inter-

viewed locals who took the plunge, walked away from secure day-job incomes, said goodbye to colleagues and ventured into the unknown by launching a startup, pursuing their passions and trusting their instincts. By Gazette staff

4 Health opioid crisis

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Difference Awards 12 Chicken-Fried News 14 Letters

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NEWS

Hooked

A Shawnee nonprofit fights Oklahoma’s opioid epidemic as the federal government pushes to reduce rural addiction rates. By Laura Eastes

“When someone is getting off opioid dependence, they think they are going to die,” stated Cindy Stober while sitting in the small private waiting room at Gateway to Prevention and Recovery in Shawnee.

“They really do,” said Stober, Gateway clinical director. “One pill or one snort will stop it immediately.”

The relief or high an addict seeks from swallowing a single painkiller pill or snorting a pill crushed into white grains isn’t the answer. Regular use of opioid painkillers, even when taken as prescribed, can cause a tolerance for the medication, requiring higher, more dangerous doses to achieve the same effect. This tolerance can lead to physical dependence and addiction.

“It becomes a life-and-death situation,” explained Paul Johnson, Gateway medical director. “We can’t just tell people to stop drugs, [to] just say no. We are losing good people. … People don’t expect to die from taking just a little bit more. They think it will be fine. They don’t want to die from drugs, but it is devastating to their families and loved ones.”

Closer look

Last year, Oklahoma recorded 823 drug overdose deaths, according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Control. It was a slight drop from the year before, when the state reported 870 people died from a drug overdose. However, over the last decade, the drug overdose death toll has risen by 45 percent.

A majority of all drug overdose deaths result from a combination of several drugs, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone and methamphetamine, rather than a single drug. More than 60 of the 2015 deaths were linked to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opiate blamed in the recent 4

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death of pop music icon Prince.

These patterns coincide with the rise in opioid overdoses around the country.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, more than 28,000 Americans died from opioid overdose in 2014.

The federal agency plugged $94 million into 271 health centers across 45 states to expand substance use disorders services in March. The money targeted clinics serving underserved populations. That same month, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new recommendations for prescribing opioid medications, intending to curb addiction.

As a national epidemic, opioid use has flowed heavily into every community and social class across the country, including those in rural America. The small communities that dot the country between wide-open lands are now outpacing the death rates from overdoses in large metropolitan areas, according to the CDC.

Seeking solutions

In May, Gateway launched efforts to address the opioid crisis in Shawnee and the surrounding rural communities. The outpatient opioid medication assisted treatment clinic is the first of its kind in Pottawatomie County, which recorded greater than 20 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 in 2014. Pottawatomie County is home to just over 70,000 people.

Neighboring Oklahoma County held a similar rate among its population of 766,215 people.

Those battling opioid addiction would travel at least 30 miles for treatment, mostly seeking help in Oklahoma City. Now, many arrive at the nonprofit’s metal building along E. 45th Street and not far from Interstate 40. They come from Shawnee, McLoud and Seminole, but also Oklahoma

City and Tulsa, illustrating the limited treatment available in rural America.

“We see all of it,” Johnson said. “People who were prescribed medication after a procedure [to] a recreational user who is unable to stop.”

Currently, Johnson sees mostly heroinaddicted patients, who tend to be younger.

From what his patients share, heroin is easy to access and cheap. Through intravenous drug use, a large number of his subjects contracted hepatitis C. Gateway is on the front lines of the pandemic, offering patients with and without insurance buprenorphine, a drug that can help addicts avoid relapse. Through the medically monitored clinic, patients get the help they need to manage addiction challenges and begin a life of recovery.

Patients are strongly encouraged to attend 12-Step meetings and involve their family in their recovery. Some choose not to integrate their medical care and recovery. A few patients tell Stober they don’t want to quit.

“What really needs to change for all of these treatments to work is the stigma in our society,” Stober said. “We need to treat this as the medical disorder that it is.

That’s the most important. Then, we would have people understand. We could increase funding and expand treatment.”

Federal help

The White House Rural Council was launched five years ago to focus on the unique challenges facing rural communities, such as investing in rural schools, pushing for broadband construction and other economic issues. Recent national statistics propelled the council to take on the opioid crisis, which was becoming more acute in rural areas. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack leads the rural council.

Cindy Stober is clinical director for Gateway to Prevention and Recovery in Shawnee. | Photo Emmy Verdin

The Obama administration has vigilantly confronted the issue of opioid and heroin use and addiction. Federal agencies like the CDC and health and human services stepped up efforts in the fight.

Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa, adds to the efforts as he leads an interagency initiative to combat rural substance abuse. Traveling across the United States, he meets with addicts in recovery and speaks with medical professionals.

He advocates for expanding access to treatment and better training and communication among physicians, dentists and pharmacists. Vilsack also wants to encourage medical professionals to go to underserved rural areas.

“The reality for this to actually work is we’ve got to have the resources,” Vilsack told Oklahoma Gazette in a phone interview. “We know what works. Prevention works. Treatment works. Drug courts work. Support for recovery works.”

The White House proposes funding $1.1 billion in federal dollars to continue to address opioid addiction in its 2017 budget.

Oklahoma is eligible for $12 million over two years, according to the White House.

In reality, it will take more than funding to abate the opioid epidemic, which Vilsack knows from personal experience. His mother dealt with alcohol and prescription drug abuse while he was growing up.

“The community has to understand its responsibility to support recovery, particularly in rural areas,” he said. “That means the faith-based communities need to provide access to AA meetings and open their facilities for people to meet. … It is important to acknowledge this as the disease we are dealing with.”

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NEWS Deborah Price right presents Hoktee Kane her diploma during a recent Getting Ahead program graduation at Oklahoma City Community Foundation.

and future goals. Reading assignments and activities gave them needed tools to evaluate their lives and the framework to develop solutions and work through personal obstacles.

co m m u n i t y

‘Positive direction’

Caring community

A local nonprofit, with help from a family grant, supports people breaking the cycle of poverty.

By Laura Eastes | Photo Garett Fisbeck

People caught in cycles of generational poverty are in survival mode.

They focus on whatever challenges greet them each day, whether it’s paying rent, scraping together enough money for food, finding a babysitter or choosing to address — or ignore — a health problem.

It can be chaotic.

“For the most part, people in generational poverty have this sense of helplessness and feel like they have no control over their lives,” said Deborah Price, director of Bridge the Gap, an anti-poverty initiative for Oklahoma and employee of the Salvation Army’s Arkansas-Oklahoma Division.

U.S. Census Bureau data shows 16.6 percent of Oklahoma’s population lives below the government poverty line. A family of four is considered to be living in poverty if its income is at or below $23,834.

If a family has been in living in poverty for at least two generations, it falls into what’s called generational poverty, which 6

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is linked to disparities in health, education, hunger and food insecurity and housing.

In Oklahoma, 18.6 percent of workingage women live at or below the poverty level. Around 22 percent of Oklahoma’s children are raised in families that have income below the poverty line, according to 2015 U.S. Census Bureau data.

Getting Ahead

A new Oklahoma City program looks to reverse those trends and help young families move out of poverty. This spring,

Oklahoma City joined a growing number of cities in Oklahoma and across the nation as the first class of Getting Ahead, part of the Bridge the Gap initiative, began.

“This class gives them hope and a positive support group,” Price said. “They realize they have choices and can exercise a certain amount of control over their life.”

Program coursework, based on the work of poverty expert Ruby Payne, helps stabilize people living in poverty and prompts them to move beyond poverty’s effects.

Through a $500,000 grant from the Ken and Gae Rees Family Fund at Oklahoma City Community Foundation, the program launched locally through ReMerge Oklahoma County, a nonprofit designed to help pregnant women and mothers facing incarceration become productive members of society.

Thirteen individuals — 11 women and two men — embarked on the 20-week program, which met for more than two hours weekly. Participants talked about issues they faced such as budgeting, job hunting, education, time management

This class provides a safe haven to voice their opinions and experiences as well as reflect on their life.

Deborah Price

Adrienne Elder, a community advocate, joined Price as a facilitator for the Oklahoma City class.

“Through this class, they are able to choose independently,” Elder said as she discussed program members building personal plans for change and completing resource self-assessments. “They felt empowered to address whatever barrier they want to address first. They are not pushed one way or the other. Instead, they felt in control of their lives and moved it into a positive direction.”

ReMerge is one of six community nonprofit organizations in the state to offer the Bridge the Gap program. Through the Salvation Army Arkansas-Oklahoma Division, eight programs are offered in cities like Enid, Altus and Norman.

ReMerge staff removed all barriers for students to attend the classes. A meal and childcare was offered during each class.

The facilitators distributed bus passes to those without reliable transportation options.

Facilitators initiated class dialogue while ensuring the group focused on building self-esteem while giving motivation for changes.

“The class provides a safe haven to voice their opinions and experiences as well as reflect on their life,” Price said.

“That doesn’t happen for people in poverty because of all the chaos. They have to make decisions quickly and battle continual crises in their lives.”

Breaking free

Last week, 10 people graduated from Getting Ahead at a ceremony attended by families and friends. The program included a keynote address by Rep. George Young of House District 99 and two personal stories by grads who shared a desire to change their lives and their families.

Graduates move into Staying Ahead classes, which meet once a month and are designed to keep students on track as they end generational poverty for themselves and their families. The next Getting Ahead classes begin in August.

“It is very exciting for us as facilitators to see the change occurring in their lives,” Price said. “A number of them have changes in the process, like the reduction of debt, finding gainful employment or increasing their education by completing their GED or pursuing a college education.”

Getting Ahead’s impact goes beyond the graduates, said Elder, who also spoke at the graduation.

“When we create a healthy support structure for our family, our friends, our neighbors and reach out to others struggling to get ahead, we all grow in strength,” Elder said. “We lift each other up. We feel empowered to make a difference and improve our lives and our communities.”

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NEWS A recent vote by the Guthrie City Council denied a St. Louis developer’s proposal to convert the State Capital Publishing building into senior apartments. | Photo Laura Eastes

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Based on recent legislation, city leaders believe Oklahoma Historical Society, the property owner, controls the next step.

In 1975, after the Guthrie community raised funds to purchase the structure, the deed transferred from the Guthrie Chamber of Commerce to Oklahoma Historical Society for $10.

This year, state lawmakers overwhelmingly approved Senate Bill 1573, which allows Oklahoma Historical Society to transfer ownership of historic properties back to the original donor at fair market value. The original donor must be offered the property first. If the donor can’t be identified, the property can be offered to an “appropriate not-for-profit” organization or a federally recognized Indian tribe at fair market value.

The historic site’s market value is $637,853, Logan County Assessor records show.

co m m u n i t y

Possible outcomes

What’s next?

The future of the State Capital Publishing building hangs in the balance.

By Laura Eastes

Lloyd Lentz feels mixed emotions as he passes the 114-year-old State Capital Publishing Company building.

A longtime resident of Guthrie and former curator of State Capital Publishing Museum, Lentz recalls when city leaders came together in 1974 to purchase the property and convert it into a museum. During the venue’s heyday, staff and volunteers preserved the legacy of The State Capital newspaper published by Frank Greer, offering visitors a glimpse at a working vintage press and collection of printing equipment.

No longer do visitors admire the typesetting machines and the vintage cash register or read headlines from protected copies of newspapers published during the early days of statehood. After the boiler broke in 2012, the museum’s doors were locked. Limited state funding kept those doors from opening to the public again.

“You know what’s disheartening?” Lentz asked while driving past the former Guthrie museum. “See those letters. They were handcrafted and painted individually. I put them up there.”

Just above the former newspaper’s main entrance, wooden letters say The State Capital. Cracked and covered in peeling paint, the “S” has fallen below the 8

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rest, barely hanging on.

Development stalled

The future of the State Capital Publishing Company building is uncertain once again.

It was declared a surplus state property, and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) called for proposals to purchase or lease and redevelop the historic structure. In February, OMES selected Bywater Development Group and WRGM Ventures to redevelop it. The St. Louis-based development company beat three other proposals, including two submitted by Guthrie-based organizations.

Bywater proposed converting the museum into 32 affordable apartments for senior residents. It committed to create a “micro-museum” to preserve printing artifacts on the site’s first floor.

Negotiations were contingent upon Bywater securing a special use permit. The City of Guthrie requires the permit for constructing apartments with more than 12 units in its historical downtown. During a June meeting, Guthrie City Council denied the permit in a vote of 6-1.

Bywater, who had requested the vote be tabled, can’t re-apply, explained Guthrie city manager Bruce Johnson.

OMES and Oklahoma Historical Society officials plan to meet early this month to determine the process moving forward, according to John Estus, OMES spokesman.

Guthrie leaders are eager to hear what’s next and what, if any, action is needed to move the process from OMES to the historical society. According to the new law, the historical society would first offer the site to the community, specifically the Guthrie Chamber of Commerce.

Interest is brewing in the Logan County community of 10,000 people.

“A discussion would take place between our council and community leaders to see if there is a plan that would be viable for the city or for a local nonprofit to utilize that facility,” Johnson said.

The uncertain fate of the State Capital Publishing Company building offers hope that the site will once again be a dedicated keeper of history.

Logan County Historical Society submitted a proposal to OMES a year ago to revitalize the museum and open it to visitors. Lentz, who particpated in the effort, believes the venue would complement the handful of museums dotting Guthrie, such as the Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore Museum & Apothecary Garden and the Territorial Capital Sports Museum.

Save Our District, a nonprofit foundation formerly known as Save Our Depot Foundation, is interested in taking over the property and prepping it to reopen, said Lentz, a member of the group. The organization is known for its successful efforts to save Guthrie’s historic Rock Island Depot from demolition.

“The museum is so important to us, our downtown and the history of Guthrie,” Lentz said. “There are two things we are asking. No. 1, the museum must be returned to a community nonprofit. We want to operate it as a museum. No. 2, we want the Oklahoma Historical Society to return any equipment and artifacts taken out.”

Editor’s note: David Dodson of Bywater Development Group did not return Oklahoma Gazette’s request for comment.

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NEWS

Lauding liberty Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women celebrates 10 years of service with its inaugural 10for10 event. By Candice Macis

10for10 Making a Difference Awards 6-8 p.m. July 19 Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club 7000 NW Grand Blvd. ieew.org 405-943-4474 $50 and up

Two decades of Taliban control forced women out of school, drove literacy rates down to one of the lowest in the world and left Afghanistan’s economy in shambles.

In 2002, the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council was created by President George Bush and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai as a public-private sector effort to help mitigate the damages done to these women. One result of that initiative is housed in Oklahoma City.

The Peace Through Business program, which operates under the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW), was founded by Terry Neese after she was asked to help women in war-torn countries. For 10 years, IEEW has provided women entrepreneurs in Rwanda and Afghanistan with the business tools to empower and support themselves in the face of extreme adversity.

The program picks 30 women who aspire to better themselves and women around them in their countries and provides them with intensive business training for 10 weeks. Fifteen top students are flown to the United States to receive additional training created by Northwood University in Michigan and invaluable mentorships from American women in similar business endeavors.

“At the end of March, 15 women are selected by an independent selection committee to come to the United States in July to obtain education on how to market their businesses more effectively,” Neese said.

Business owners in Oklahoma City and Dallas host the students in their homes as part of the mentorship portion of the program.

“They are matched with an Oklahoma woman business owner who owns a similar industry to what they own back home,” Neese explained. “They can live and work with her in her business and see how she manages her family time and her business time.”

In honor of IEEW’s tenth year and the local women contributing their time and skills, the inaugural 10for10 Making a

Difference Awards event will be held July 19 at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, 7000 NW Grand Blvd., in Nichols Hills.

“We have so many Oklahoma women who host and mentor these women while they’re in the United States and have done that over the last 10 years that it would be important to recognize women in Oklahoma who have made a difference in our state,” Neese said.

Following the 10for10 theme, Neese said there will be 10 categories of honorees in areas such as government/private sector, faith/ministry, volunteer, youth and seniors. The planning committee consists of women entrepreneurs, including Susan Chambers, a founding doctor of Lakeside Women’s Hospital. Event organizers hoped for at least 40 nominations from the Oklahoma community at large and were delighted to receive 68. An independent selection committee reviewed the finalists.

Publishing sePtember 21, 2016 There is a lot to do, see and purchase throughout Autumn and Gazette gives its readers direction on where to find the best festivials, fashions, foods and more!

Featuring a

3 month calendar

For all your Favorite Fall activities submit calendar events at www.okgazette.com or email to listings@okgazette.com Please be sure to indicate ‘Fall guide’ in the subject line.

Terry Neese founded Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women in 2006 and developed the Peace Through Business Program in 2007. | Photo provided

According to Neese, the question “What have they done in Oklahoma to really impact people’s lives in the state of Oklahoma?” was asked.

Perhaps the most important part of the 10for10 awards will be its cultural exchange, as several Peace Through Business students will attend, visit with guests and show off trade skills.

“People can meet the women and talk to the women about their country and their businesses,” Neese said. “For example, Chantal, who is from Rwanda, has the only woman-owned auto garage.”

The awards ceremony is open to the public, and guests can browse several pop-up shops before and after. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Some of the 10for10 sponsors are Bank of America, AT&T and Langston University.

Visit ieew.org to learn more and find tickets.

We do not accept calendar items via phone.

Deadline to submit items for our Fall guide calendar is Wed. aug. 31, 2016 by 5pm.

to adVertise call or email us todaY For more inFormation.

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chicken

friedNEWS

Infusion confusion

Recent legislation easing taproom laws and the possibility of wine sales in grocery stores might have some of us believing Oklahoma is getting downright progressive about alcohol. Then Oklahoma City police arrested a local bar manager for serving bacon-infused vodka.

Colin Grizzle, manager of The Pump Bar, 2425 N. Walker Ave., was arrested in April on charges of “maintaining a disorderly house” when police found bottles of houseinfused vodka at the bar.

While serving flavor-infused alcohol has become more prevalent in our flourishing bar scene, there are a few wrinkles in state and local law that still need to be ironed out.

OKC Police Master Sgt. Gary Knight said Grizzle and the bar violated Article 5, Section 30-97 of the municipal code — unlawful refill of a liquor bottle.

So it’s not so much that the bar infused alcohol; it’s that the mixture was put back in the original bottles before serving.

“You cannot put anything into it and serve it,” Knight told KGOU in late June. “You can only pour out of it.”

Pump Bar owner Ian McDermid said his staff will follow the law, but it wants the rules to be clarified.

He removed infused alcohols from the menu.

In response, Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission is expected to vote at its July 15 meeting on a declaration that Oklahoma statutes do not prohibit bars from creating or selling infused alcohol if they are infused and dispensed in foodsafe containers and not in tax-paid alcoholic beverage containers, The Oklahoman reported.

That means the Bloody Marys at The Pump might return July 16.

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Rockin’ Roadies

Rock band roadies usually fly under the radar and are the most undervalued individuals in the tour band family. Not anymore!

Showtime’s comedy series Roadies, created by screenwriting legend Cameron Crowe, details the lives of these individuals, examining both sides of management and followers.

Luke Wilson plays the tour manager in Roadies who, according to The New York Times, “loves the road but is feeling the pull of middle-age loneliness.” He credits his insight and knowledge of the music business, which shaped his role in Roadies, to Oklahoma-tied rock act Kings of Leon.

“I’ve always read about bands and singers I’ve liked and I have a couple of friends in bands, so I feel like I already had the research done,” Wilson told Examiner.com.

Wilson deftly captures the nostalgia of the industry and the roller coaster ride that is life on tour.

Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson also influenced Wilson; he acted alongside Dylan in musical drama Masked & Anonymous and appeared in Nelson’s music video for “Maria (Shut Up and Kiss Me).”

Animal aficionado

Most people assume zoo animals don’t need their personal attention and zookeepers, veterinarians and scientists who work there take pretty good care of them in most cases.

Timothy Scott isn’t most people.

Police spotted Scott walking away from The Oklahoma City Zoo after hours June 23 and had a tough time figuring out what exactly he was doing there.

KFOR.com reported that Scott gave officers a fake name, resisted arrest and told them they couldn’t touch him. Police eventually used pepper spray to get Scott to comply.

“I am not listening to your orders. You cannot touch me,” Scott reportedly told officers, KOCO.com reported.

Security guards found Scott by the

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main office of the zoo around 8:30 p.m., according to KOCO.com.

Scott said he was “checking on the animals” because he thought someone was harming them.

Something tells us he probably w a sn’t making sure the great apes, Asian elephants, lions and lizards were safely in their enclosed habitats, snuggled in for the night though.

Unfortunately, his love for them got him permanently banned from the zoo’s property and he now faces criminal charges.

Bright side

ABC It’s as easy as 1 2 3 As simple as coming late A B C, 1 2 3 Save money for OKC! That’s right; it’s time to look on the bright side.

That’s what Chicken-Fried News did when we heard seven schools in the Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) district were starting and ending later.

According to a NewsOK.com article, the district will save $700,000 in transportation costs by eliminating 18 bus routes.

In the wake of state budget cuts and the loss of $12 million in federal funding, the district announced it had to make cuts and those cuts would be difficult. This spring, the state’s largest school district eliminated 208 classroom teachers and 92 administrators for the coming school year.

Sure, this new bus schedule will put a kink into many families’ morning and after-school routines. What was the alternative? More teacher layoffs.

Eliminating more extra curricular activities. Removing school nurses. Turning off air conditioning. Not offering prekindergarten.

OKCPS leaders looked under every couch cushion to find extra pennies. They combed through the budget and analyzed a gazillion ways to save revenue. With no other options, they settled on very painful cuts.

All together now: ABC It’s as easy as 1 2 3 As simple as coming late A B C, 1 2 3 Save money for OKC!

Work slump

Oklahoma’s unemployment rate is on the rise. Numbers released by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission for May show the state’s unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 4.7 percent.

As reported by NewsOn6.com, Oklahoma’s labor forced declined by 7,000 workers in that time and the number of jobless people rose by more than 10,000.

The business sector lost 2,300 jobs in May, manufacturing lost 2,000 and transportation and utilities lost around 1,000.

The new numbers continue a trend of rising unemployment in the state. A report by K FOR .com shows January’s unemployment rate was 4.1 percent.

In May 2015, the unemployment rate was 4.4 percent.

No one likes hearing about high unemployment numbers, but the new data was not all bad news.

May’s numbers bring Oklahoma equal to the national unemployment rate, even with as many jobs that have been lost in that time. The state added 3,300 jobs in the education and health services industries. The construction industry added 1,800 new workers.

Here’s hoping Summer 2016 will be hiring season in Oklahoma.

Beer-can bonanza

All those messages about recycling your empties apparently never hit home with Coors Light drinker Roy Gilmore — until this month.

Gilmore, 38, tossed back a cold one and then tossed aside the can after burglarizing the Pauls Valley Self Equipment store in January.

“We had no leads or names,” Garvin County Sheriff Larry Rhodes told News9. com.

Police learned the suspect ransacked the shop before fleeing and left his DNA on the discarded can, according to News9. com. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation ran the evidence and linked the crime to Gilmore.

Investigators tracked the suspect to Colorado, where he has been jailed since February on charges related to a car chase in a vehicle Gilmore allegedly stole out of Nevada.

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letters

NEWS 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.

Not again

Democracy; a word that gives most Americans a warm and fuzzy feeling despite idiotic Bush promises to bring “democracy” to the Middle East. But to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) and its bastard child advocacy organization OCPA Impact, democracy is an obscene word, and they are back in court wasting taxpayer money crying about the proposed penny sales tax to fund education improvements.

Last winter, they jabbered the proposal was “unconstitutional”(it’s not), and now they are rehashing the dissent in that case (the losing argument) in a new attempt to muzzle the people’s right to speak on an important issue.

Apparently, OCPA believes the people of Oklahoma are too stupid to understand that a penny increase in the sales tax really is a penny increase in the sales tax they already pay.

OCPA Impact claims it has polled Oklahoma voters and says Oklahomans are in favor of teacher pay raises but they aren’t sold on giving more public money to state universities and they do not want more taxes.

“They want to see the teach pay raise happen… But they don’t want to pay the highest taxes in the country,” Bond said. I can’t find any reference to this phantom poll on OCPA’s website or online. In fact, one recent SoonerPoll of over 1,000 likely voters found 64 percent say they would support the tax, up seven points since November. Twenty-nine percent oppose the tax and 7 percent have no opinion. A blog published by OCPA wails Oklahoma’s “education blob” threatens “democracy’s survival,” failing to grasp the irony of

OCPA’s direct threat to democracy in action: allowing the people to choose if they want to pay higher taxes to fund education.

If the people don’t want the tax increase, Mr. Bond, as you claim, they can vote it down — if OCPA ever allows them to express their opinion.

I am personally thankful that the state has a visionary like David Boren as president of OU; he understands that to build a world-class university, you need to hire the best, just as OU does with its athletic program (not funded at taxpayer expense).

You get what you pay for, so Mr. Boren couldn’t care less about asinine right-wing efforts to destroy government in Oklahoma by slashing taxes; his mission is making OU the best it can be.

OCPA president Jonathan Small obviously knows absolutely nothing about higher education and should just shut up and let Mr. Boren do his job.

The real question is who is funding OCPA; it should be a requirement by law that the top 10 donors to these “nonpar-

tisan” think tanks should be revealed to the public. But transparency in politics is not a priority of the OCPA; silencing the people is.

DW Tiffee Norman

God-given power

Earlier this year, Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford in an Oklahoma City newspaper called for an end to wind energy federal tax credits. He says this is because the wind industry is strong enough to stand on its own two feet. Is he also calling for an end to federal tax breaks for the oil and gas industry, which has benefited from tens of billions of dollars of such federal largess each year?

Government records indicate that from 2009 to 2014, Lankford accepted 750,000 dollars form the oil and gas industry in political contributions, more by far than any other contributor class.

Lankford needs to stand behind Oklahomans and their quest for better

ISSUE DATE: JULY 13, 2016 AD SPACE DUE: JULY 6, 2016, 5PM Call 528.6000 or email speCialseCtions@okgazette.Com to book today 14

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jobs and economic benefits of our natural resources, including wind and solar. With all the geopolitical and economic problems associated with our fossil fuel dependence, just witness what is going on with the state’s economy today as well as our serious earthquake issues, it is clear that a state like Oklahoma which is blessed with wind and solar energy needs to capitalize on these God-given resources as much as possible. And we need a senator who supports that economic development rather than cow-tow to his fossil fuel donors and their interests.

Jay Hanas Edmond

Correction

A June 22 OKG Pick item (Calendar, Oklahoma Gazette) listed the wrong day for the Fiesta Friday event. The next block parties are July 29 and Aug. 26 at SW 25th Street between Harvey and Robinson avenues in Capitol Hill.

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EAT & DRINK

Tapped Root

After leaving the corporate world behind, The Root co-owner Benny Jacobs couldn’t wait to open his craft beer bar.

A new Paseo Arts District craft beer bar wants to grow into your favorite neighborhood watering hole.

By Greg Elwell | Photo Garett Fisbeck

“I just wanted to get the damn thing open.”

The view of the stage from the second floor of The Root, Benny Jacobs’ new craft beer bar in Paseo Arts District, is perfect.

The temperature is not.

“It’s still a work in progress,” he said as he leaned against a pool table.

The air conditioning will soon be routed through the venue’s top level, and he will add a three-tap system to make it into a viable VIP area.

Jacobs and co-owner Adam Shelton could have waited to open until that work was finished, but Jacobs said they’ve waited long enough.

was to open a bar where he could serve any concoction he could imagine.

So when he realized that wasn’t in the cards at his current location, it stung. But he said it was also a blessing in disguise.

The Root is a stone’s throw from Paseo Grill and a quick jaunt to Picasso Cafe. Farther south on Walker Avenue is The Pump Bar, and a quick turn on NW 23rd Street will get you to Rockford Cocktail Den. “I don’t know if this area would support another craft cocktail bar,” Jacobs said.

“So I decided to do a craft beer bar and live music dive.”

Leaf leave

The walkable district surrounding The Root makes it ideal for a neighborhood bar, but with all options that craft beer lovers want, he said.

With 18 taps and a giant refrigeration unit hidden downstairs, the bar has a better selection than most taverns its size, and it’s remarkably well-connected, too.

Using a system called TapHunter, the bar updates the beer list live every time someone changes out a keg. It automatically sends out Twitter and Facebook updates about the newest brew available, and it changes the menu displayed above the bar.

The beer list is a mix of local, national

The bar at 3102B N. Walker Ave. has been a passion project for Jacobs since leaving the corporate world behind 15 months ago.

It took the pair nine months to get the former Twisted Root Gallery rezoned and another five months to build it out. Even so, it’s not quite what he imagined when he set out to open a bar.

“The license here is a Class B, so we can serve strong beer and wine,” he said. “It hurt my heart a bit.”

That’s because Jacobs is a craft cocktail enthusiast of some note, mixing drinks at art events across the city. His initial plan

Branching brews

and international varieties, but Jacobs is proud to keep a big chunk of the menu reserved for Oklahoma’s prospering brewery varieties.

“I keep the selection about 40 percent local,” he said. “There are so many great local breweries making delicious beers.

405 Brewing Co. is doing sours. Elk Valley [Brewing Co.] has a saison.”

No matter how fancy the varieties on tap get, Jacobs said he’s focused on making the experience easy for everyone.

“We’ve got a small bar feel,” he said. “I want people to come in and feel comfortable. I want us to get to know the regulars. Get to know people and they’ll come back.”

Root’s music

He’s also hoping to draw in music lovers.

The Root’s stage isn’t huge, but it’s big enough for anybody interested in playing to an intense crowd. Though TapHunter keeps beer updates rolling out to social media, Jacobs said he needs to do a better job keeping everyone in the know about the entertainment.

A website launching soon will help, but he’s also hoping word-of-mouth can bring in more audiences and performers.

“I want to give artists a place to play, a venue that’s small and intimate,” he said.

“But we’re also doing things for them they won’t find every place.”

That includes Shelton running sound, working the lights and even providing a fog machine.

Since opening in early May, The Root’s stage played host to red dirt country, reggae, ska, jazz, rock and hip-hop artists.

“I’m more about rap and hip-hop,

personally,” Jacobs said. “But I’m trying to have something for everyone.”

Ideally, the bar will host live music three or four times a week, he said. He’s even playing with the idea of an open jam session on Thursdays, to give artists a chance to bounce ideas off one another and maybe create some new collaborations.

Plant food

If you’re looking for food, look elsewhere.

Jacobs said he’s not ruling out a kitchen inside The Root, but he’s not going to serve a sub-par menu just to have food available.

Instead, he turned to one of Oklahoma City’s newest resources: the vast food truck community.

With a crowd that stays late, he said, the bar can offer food trucks a second or third daily location while also giving customers the sustenance they need to keep the party going.

And though he has taken it easy to start, Jacobs said he’s ramping up on beer-related events at the bar starting this month.

Thursday will be a birthday party for Missouri-based Boulevard Beer’s Tank 7 saison, including a birthday cake, free glassware and T-shirts.

On July 13, Texas brewery Rahr & Sons Brewing Company will do an event at The Root with four different beers and the Rahr Girls — “Whatever that means,” Jacobs said.

It might not be exactly what he pictured when he left his job more than a year ago, but if The Root keeps bringing more beer and more music to the Paseo, Jacobs and Shelton’s bar will have a lasting foundation.

Learn more about The Root at facebook. com/therootokc.

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EAT & DRINK Bartender Steve White chills a martini glass with ice and water before constructing the cocktail.

Three giant green olives add a finishing touch to Junior’s top-shelf martini.

f eat u re

Ingredients

Shaken summer Junior’s bartender Steve White has the recipe for the perfect ice-cold martini.

By Greg Elwell | Photos Garett Fisbeck

Saturday night is martini time at Junior’s.

People come in daily for the classic cocktail, said bartender Steve White, but the thirst for martinis seems to peak during weekends.

As summer’s heat beats down on Oklahoma City, there’s no better time to enjoy this chilled mix of vodka and vermouth at Junior’s, 2601 Northwest

Expressway, said owner Jim Shumsky. It’s not his beverage of choice — the boss prefers whiskey with a solitary ice cube — but he knows White makes a great one.

If you can’t make it to the historic haunt with the bright red walls and a bar like a scene out of an old movie, it’s not too hard to make one at home.

I shake it until the bottle’s too cold to put my hand on the bottom.

Steve White

Vodka — White reaches for a bottle of Grey Goose brand vodka, but you might opt for a local favorite like Success Vodka or Prairie Wolf.

Dry vermouth — The easiest to find is Martini & Rossi. You won’t need a lot, but White said it’s important.

Ice — Check the freezer.

Large green olives Cocktail shaker Strainer Martini glass

Directions 1. Fill the glass with ice and water. The

water transfers the chill to the glass faster than ice alone.

2. Add ice to the cocktail shaker and pour in a quarter ounce of vermouth.

“Some recipes call for a half ounce, but if you’re making it with vodka, you don’t need that much,” White said.

Though the classic version of the cocktail was made with gin, about 80 percent of the martinis he makes at Junior’s use vodka.

Gin is a more flavorful spirit, so it needs more vermouth to stand up to it.

3. Add three ounces of vodka. White’s

preparation includes a bit of a show, but you can be a bit more deliberate with it.

He also eyeballs the measurements, but he makes them quite often.

4. Put the lid on the cocktail shaker and start shaking vigorously. White grips the side and the bottom, which helps him measure when the concoction reaches the perfect temperature.

“I shake it until the bottle’s too cold to put my hand on the bottom,” he said.

5. Pour the ice and water out of the martini glass. Pop the top off the shaker and use the strainer to hold back the ice while you pour the cocktail. White’s next step is to take a plastic skewer with three giant green olives and stir the drink.

Junior’s also serves it with blue cheesestuffed olives on request. And customers can ask for other variations. Adding olive juice makes it a “dirty” martini.

Plopping in a couple of cocktail onions turns the drink into a Gibson.

“I don’t know what I do different than any bartender,” White said.

With 14 years of service behind Junior’s bar, the proof is in the number of empty martini glasses at the end of the night.

Learn more about Junior’s at juniorsokc. com.

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re v ie w

EAT & DRINK

Return engagement Thai House Restaurant’s renewed focus on food and service offers a savory second chance to make a renewed first impression.

By Greg Elwell | Photos Emmy Verdin

Why do we dress up for job interviews?

Why do we shower before a first date? Why didn’t you go back to that restaurant?

Maybe your resume is so strong that you can walk into a Fortune 500 company wearing a Hawaiian shirt and fur sandals and still get hired.

Maybe your natural scent is so full of pheromones that bathing before getting a drink with a girl you met on Tinder would throw salt on your game. But those are exceptions, not rules.

For most of the world, first impressions matter.

succulent duck meat. A mix of peppers and peas give the dish’s texture an injection of snap, while the tomatoes and eggplant give it a satisfying heft.

Paired with perfectly cooked rice, Gaeng Ped Phed Yang is Daffy and Donald’s worst nightmare come true. It is always duck season at Thai House.

If you’re less interested in thinning out the waterfowl population, there is still a plethora of delicious options on the menu.

Thai fried spring rolls (five for $5.95) are a perfect argument for freshly made food.

Have you had egg rolls that you are positive were microwaved back to life — Thai House Restaurant greasy, lifeless and almost 500 NW 23rd St. | 405-524-0503 bereft of flavor? Those are not what they serve at Thai House.

What works: Crispy duck and Gaeng Ped There, you get long, thin Phed Yang are a duck lover’s dream. fingers of crispiness wrapped What needs work: The restaurant smells around pork, vegetables and a bit sour. bean thread noodles. They Tip: For the freshest food, choose from the arrived at my table still sizzling menu instead of the buffet. from the oil, daring me to pick one up and test my mettle.

(Spoiler alert: My mettle should have waited a minute.)

Years ago, my first impression of Thai Though they’re served with spicy House Restaurant, 500 NW 23rd St., was not great. After a lunch there with friends, peanut sauce, the spring rolls were just as I largely avoided it, even as the rest of 23rd delicious on their own or with a little soy sauce sprinkled inside.

Street was springing back to life.

The restaurant’s food and service Thai House has a much-loved buffet, improved noticeably over the last few but I like ordering off the menu so years. I found out because friends started everything comes out fresh and I get to going and told me things changed. They take home the leftovers. Your mileage said it wasn’t the Thai House of old. I still might vary. needed convincing.

Another dish I’m almost physically Then I tried the crispy duck ($11.95) incapable of resisting is Kee Mao noodle and, as in that Monkees song, I was a ($9.95). This Thai-style drunken noodle believer. dish is sweet, sticky and best with beef, in my opinion.

I have a love-hate relationship with duck — I love eating it and I hate not eating There’s just something about those it — so this dish was a win-win. wide noodles that I love. With just a bit of chew to them, the noodles in this entree The boneless duck was sliced, pounded, dredged in flour and fried to gorgeous deep don’t disappear quite as fast as those in brown that crackles when you slide your the better-known pad thai. The sauce is fork into it. heavy with garlic and chili flavor, though The crunchy chunks of meat are stiryou can ask your waitress for a lower heat fried in red chili paste, bell peppers and threshold and she will only judge you a basil. The juice is scant but worth saving. little bit. However you order it, drunken Let it melt into the rice and give your taste noodles is a delightful dinner, especially buds a little extra sizzle. if you’re looking for something to fill your When I went back, I found another belly before a long night’s sleep. mallard waiting to be devoured. Gaeng Ped If you need a lighter, more lively dish Phed Yang ($10.50) is grilled duck in red for lunch, I recommend the Kao Pad Kra Pao ($9.75). curry. Again, it was excellent.

The red curry and coconut milk sauce As much as I love regular fried rice, I has a burst of heat that quickly mellows, am far more interested in Thai House’s leaving specks of red on the tender, spicy basil fried rice with chicken or pork.

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Gaeng Ped Phed Yang

Crispy duck

Thai fried spring rolls

Chicken doesn’t add a ton of flavor, to be honest, but it does soak up all that spicy basil sauce. The pork has a bit more character, but it really depends on your personal taste. I’m good with either.

Kao Pad Kra Pao is rich with the sweet scent of basil. The bell peppers and onions give it some crunch, but the rice and meat stay tender. The only issue I have with it is the heat. If I get it as spicy as I want it,

then I can’t eat it quickly. But it tastes so good, I’m going to keep shoveling it into my mouth as fast as I can. It’s a real conundrum.

Thai House Restaurant got a second chance at a first impression and nailed it.

It’s a reminder that, just like that guy who wore an Affliction shirt on your first date 10 years ago, restaurants can change for the better over time.

b rie f s By Greg Elwell

Chef Josh Valentine above teams up with executive pastry chef Shelby Sieg for a pop-up dinner Saturday at Belle Kitchen. | Photo Gazette / file

•Pork Belle-y

Known for gourmet doughnuts and macarons, Belle Kitchen, 7509 N. May Ave., throws its hat into the pop-up dinner arena 7-9 p.m. Saturday with a collaboration between chef Josh Valentine and executive pastry chef Shelby Sieg.

Valentine is a Coach House graduate who briefly owned a pork-centric restaurant called Divine Swine before competing on Bravo’s reality cooking program Top Chef.

He and Sieg worked together at The George Prime Steakhouse atop Founder’s Tower before it closed.

The dinner is a five-course meal of interior Mexican cuisine, including sopa seca with chorizo carnitas and a fresh corn tamal with barbacoa.

“Pop-ups are just starting to hit OKC,” Valentine said. “I thought it would be cool to get with [Sieg] and cook with her. It’s fun to cook outside the box a little.”

The menu is filled with dishes with authentic Mexican flavors and Valentine’s plating and presentation.

“Oklahoma City is on the cusp of blowing up into a food city,” Valentine said. “We just need to start exposing people to these little pockets of amazing food we have.”

The meal is $65. Make reservations at belle-kitchen.com. of choice, Guthrie-based Hoboken Coffee Roasters. Quirk & Beans is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday-Saturday.

Oohs and yums

Photo Garett Fisbeck

•Fresh brew

Edmond Java lovers didn’t have to wait long for a successor to Credo House, as owners Ryan and Kacia Koch opened Quirk & Beans Coffee Bar in the building, 109 NW 142nd St. “My wife and I had been wanting to open a coffee shop and a salon in a building next to each other, and this one fell into our lap,” Ryan said.

Thanks to Credo House, the coffee bar was partially built, so the Kochs renovated and opened in late June.

“We have a passion for community and coffee,” Ryan said. “We love how coffee brings people together. If people want to get together with friends or have a business meeting, they go to a coffee shop.”

Though they’re both from Oklahoma City, Ryan said they chose Edmond for their business because of their membership at Crossings Community Church.

It’s also closer to the shop’s coffee roaster

Independence Day has passed, but fireworks lovers can still find oohs and aahs at this month’s Beats & Bites outdoor street festival at Riverwind Casino, 1544 State Highway 9, in Norman.

The food truck and music festival is 6-11 p.m. Saturday in the west parking lot. It features food from Chef Ray’s Street Eats, Dippin’ Dots, Nacho Biznez, Phill Me Up Cheesesteaks, St. Paddy Cakes, The Candy Basket, Kona Ice, Klemm’s Smoke Haus, A Latte Love Coffee House and others.

Musician Craig Morgan headlines the event. Jason Young Band also performs, followed by a fireworks show at dusk.

The festival has grown by about 1,000 attendees each month, including more than 5,000 people at June’s Beats & Bites, said Riverwind general manager Jack Parkinson.

In addition to food and music, the festival features local vendors, body henna and face painting. There’s a $5 bounce house area for children. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and can bring umbrellas for shade.

The next Beats & Bites is Aug. 6.

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g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

Fried ’n’ true

’Twas the night before National Fried Chicken Day and all through the house, none of the other birds were quiet, not even the grouse.

They all knew they were safe, like an egg in the nest, because all the people were looking forward to a leg and a breast. On gravy, on taters, served hot with cold beer, we’ll all eat fried chicken at these restaurants near here.

By Greg Elwell Photos Emmy Verdin, Erick Perry and Gazette file

Mama E’s Wings & Waffles 3838 Springlake Drive 405-424-0800

If you don’t understand the draw of fried chicken and waffles, then you probably haven’t eaten at Mama E’s, where the waffle and wing combo draws a crowd on the regular. From lawmakers to lawbreakers, fans of this eastside staple love the tasty fried chicken on top of sweet waffles. There’s much more to the menu — including neck bones and macaroni and cheese — but the chicken is a must.

The Drum Room

Wing Supreme

When people talk about the best fried chicken in Oklahoma City, it doesn’t take long to hear The Drum Room mentioned.

With a little sweet heat mixed into the flour dredge, this fried chicken beats out plenty of competitors. And if you’re looking to speed up the tempo of your meal, grab an order of fried drummies in Flaming Lips hot sauce for a fast-paced chicken fix. Or snare yourself a whole bird and take it home to share with the rest of the band.

It must have been a challenge coming up with a name for Wing Supreme. Good Wings doesn’t come close to describing how delicious these hot wings are. And How Delicious These Hot Wings Are is more descriptive, but also way too long. Wild Buffalo-Style Wings is a lawsuit waiting to happen. In the end, there was only one name that would do for some of Oklahoma City’s most superior chicken. And these wings are supreme.

4309 N. Western Ave. drumroomokc.com | 405-604-0990

3925 N. Lincoln Blvd. facebook.com/wingsupremeokc 405-702-5464

Your choice for

lunch, dinner & drinks

open daily 11am - 2 am 20

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

A Family Affair Restaurant 1742 NE 23rd St. 405-427-1919

It’s almost impossible to choose just one favorite at A Family Affair. When you head down the buffet line, you will be tempted by all manner of tasty sides and a bevy of spicy soul food options. Catfish? Meatloaf?

Gumbo? Lord have mercy; it’s a challenge to pass them by. That is why you should get that Cajun fried chicken to eat in the dining room and then order a second entree to eat that night.

Jax Soul Kitchen

Jim’s Famous Chicken

Sooner or later, we all end up in Norman.

Whether it’s the college town of your dreams or nightmares doesn’t matter — you’ll get hungry either way. That’s when you need to pull up a seat at Jax Soul Kitchen for a plate of smoked fried chicken.

White meat chicken is smoked to infuse the meat with tons of flavor before it’s lightly battered and fried crisp. Order sides of cheesy grits and collard greens and you’ll be in heaven.

People ask Jim how he got famous, and he tells them all the same thing: “I was the first man to successfully train a snake to be a mixed martial artist.” That’s not how Jim’s Famous Chicken got famous, though.

It got famous for serving some of the finest fried chicken in Oklahoma City — juicy and tender on the inside, crispy and tasty on the outside. And if you’re looking for livers and gizzards, Jim’s has those, too.

575 S. University Blvd., Norman gldining.com/jax | 405-801-2828

824 SW 89th St. jimsfamouschicken.com 405-703-2704

Pearl’s Oyster Bar

5641 N. Classen Blvd. pearlsokc.com | 405-848-8008 Long before oysters became de rigueur for OKC’s fanciest restaurants, Pearl’s Oyster Bar was shucking and serving bivalves for hungry customers. So why go there for fried chicken? Because it’s tremendously tasty. Partially boned and fully delicious, Pearl’s ultimate fried chicken is served with garlic mashed potatoes and some of the best gravy this side of the bayou.

New Owner & New Menu

8027 NW 23rd • Bethany • 405.789.7111

LIKE US!

LIKE US ON

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r e ta i l

SHOP

Hot holidays

July is a month filled with off-the-wall celebrations of everything from chocolate and geekiness to wieners. Here’s our selection of some of the weirdest and the places that can help you celebrate them.

By Gazette staff | Photos Garett Fisbeck

ANTI-AGING SERVICES BOTOX Always $10 Per Unit OBAGI SKINCARE & SKINPEN

by Bellus Medical

PERMANENT MAKE UP

$250 Eyeliner $250 Eyebrows $350 Full-Lips $250 Lip Line

JUVEDERM RADIESSE

Schelly’s Aesthetics

•July 7: World Chocolate Day

Schelly Hill, R.N.

Shoppes at Northpark, 12028 May Ave. 405-751-8930 Open Mon-Sat www.skincareokc.com Gift Certificates Available

KC’s #1 Explore O age Shop Vint

essories Clothing • Accot Records & hesr curious good

Summer’s here!

in the Plaza 1759 NW 16th • Oklahoma City • 405-528-4585 Open Tues-Sat 12-7 • Like us on Facebook

Pool, lake, Parties!

CheCk out our Cabinet for

Spirits, Wine & Beer to a y e K d e t i r i sp ! life

The Indigo Attic

a colorful little hippie store, & so much more 5012 n. meridian mon-Sat: 10am-7pm | Sun:1pm-5pm fb.com/theindigoattic

tues-fri 11am-7pm

saturday 12pm-6pm

art classes, jewelry, crafts, handmade art, furniture, gifts with an edge! fOllOW us!

5924 NW 38th | OklahOma City

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Woody Candy Company 922 NW 70th St. woodycandy.com 405-842-8903 It’s Oklahoma’s oldest family-owned candy company, founded in 1927 by Lucille and Claude Woody Sr. in Oklahoma City. Fresh, handmade confections include sea salt almond clusters; dark, milk or white chocolate English butter toffee; chocolate pecan fudge; fine chocolate truffles; chocolate-covered espresso beans and more.

While there, pick up some of Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy. It’s a Southern tradition.

•July 13: Embrace Your Geekness Day

My Chic Geek 4413 N. Meridian Ave., Warr Acres facebook.com/mychicgeek 405-367-7955 Harry Potter, Star Wars, DC Comics, Marvel and Doctor Who fans unite! You, too, gamers. At My Chic Geek, you’ll find Superman coffee mugs, Boba Fett wallets, blue police box baseball caps, Star Trek red shirt tunics, artwork, posters, edibles and more. Also, 10 percent of sales (excluding c o n s i g n m e n t) benef it INTEGRIS Children’s Hospital and Positive Tomorrows.

July 14: National Nude Day

Local Lather Laboratory & Soap Shop 330 NW 10th St. locallatherok.com 917-605-8027 Lord Jesus, it’s hot outside! Cool off during National Nude Day by Photo Gazette / file

spoiling your body. Head over to Local Lather Laboratory & Soap Shop — before you get nude, duh — where you’ll find handmade, natural sea salt scrubs, shave and bath soaps, lotions and more in scents like Sweet Tart, orange blossom, lemon coriander and lemongrass and ginger.

•July 17: National Ice Cream Day

Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Stores Multiple metro locations braums.com Way back in 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed a law proclaim-

ing July National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month National Ice Cream Day. To celebrate, head to any local, Oklahoma-owned Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Store and gorge on the frozen dairy sweet in a doubledip sundae or cone.

•July 23: National Hot Dog Day

Anchor Down Draft & Dog 30 NE Second St. anchordownokc.com 405-605-8070

Av A i l A b l E At

200A SE 8th St. Moore, OK 405-912-4450 forrestfireplaces.com

Most of Anchor Down’s hot dogs come on a stick, wrapped in a delicious layer of warm, fried batter and have names like Roger Dog (all-beef dog), Cheese Dog (Tillamook smoked cheddar) and Guard Dog (vegan field roast dog dipped in vegan masa batter). If sticks aren’t your thing, Anchor Down also offers a chicken brat sausage with grain mustard, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese sauce and ghost pepper or a Maga Coney with an all-beef dog, queso, jalapeño, house chili, jack cheddar, green onion and mustard.

•July 25: National Thread the Needle Day

The Gourmet Yarn Company 2915 W. Britton Road gourmetyarnco.com 405-286-3737 Find everything you could want or need to celebrate doing something challenging and new, either literally by picking up some yarn and crochet or knitting needles or metaphorically by taking on a task that brings your life harmony. If it’s the former, head to The Gourmet Yarn Company to find hundreds of colorful varieties of silk, cotton, wool, nylon or blended yarns and helpful, knowledgeable staff to guide you in just about any project you take on.

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ARTS & CULTURE

The American dream These Okies quit their corporate day jobs and followed their passion.

By Gazette staff

It’s okay to be a quitter.

That’s what Oklahoma Gazette staff learned as we interviewed six locals who took the plunge, walked away from secure day-job incomes, said goodbye to colleagues and ventured into the unknown by launching a startup, pursuing their passions and trusting their instincts.

What better place to be a quitter and explore options than Oklahoma City?

Entrepreneur magazine ranked OKC as the nation’s No. 1 city worth moving to if you want to start a business. The magazine, designed to inspire entrepreneurs worldwide, cited OKC’s strong smallbusiness lending environment, lower cost of living and growing population as reasoning behind the high ranking.

Other business publications have taken notice of the city’s economic climate.

Kiplinger, a monthly publication reporting on smart money decisions, also has ranked OKC the best city to start a business. CNNMoney also handed OKC its top ranking for a business-friendly environment.

Recently, Datafox’s list of Best Cities for Tech Start-Ups (Outside of New York and California) ranked OKC No. 10 nationally. Personal finance website WalletHub ranked it the tenth-best city nationally for Hispanic entrepreneurs.

Some people prefer the term innovator to entrepreneur. At SixTwelve, innovation is underway in the unique work/live education center in Paseo Arts District.

Former classroom teacher Amy Young launched the venture in 2010.

Following a passion doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an entrepreneur, either. Music industry veteran David Broyles made a career change three years ago in hopes of inspiring and educating the next generation of musicians. He didn’t start his own business, but he strikes a different chord as an instructor at the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO), located in Bricktown.

It’s no coincidence that OKC is home to a strong startup community. More than 1,600 go-getters are part of the OKC Entrepreneur Group on Meetup, a popular online social networking portal.

Local entrepreneurs find support through local private organization i2E and creative coworking facilities like The 404 and The Barn OKC. Specifically, i2E focuses on growing local business with help from state funding. More than 160 companies, including WeGoLook, a technology company that took shape after local Robin Smith had an idea to help in24

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ternet shoppers, have received investments.

Sometimes, quitting is the right thing to do. For these quitters, stepping off the career ladder and onto their own path was the right move.

By Laura Eastes and Candice Macis

Twerk it

Twerk team membership, it turns out, is nondiscriminatory.

Visitors at Lauren Fitzgerald’s CLUB FITz class at Key Health Institute, 14701 N. Kelley Ave., in Edmond are all genders, ages, ethnicities, orientations and fitness levels. They gyrate their hips in unison, mirroring their instructor’s enthusiastic stomps and shakes around the wide-open gymnasium floor.

Class participants are not the only ones watching Fitzgerald closely. Her CLUB FITz YouTube channel features dance routines for some of the most popular hip-hop and club music and has amassed over 300,000 subscribers. She has become a celebrity in the nation’s dance fitness community.

Fitzgerald was enrolled in her first dance class at age 3 and has nurtured a passion for rhythmic movement and dance fitness ever since. She moved to Oklahoma in 2012 as an anesthesiologist but became a full-time fitness coach in December.

“I saw too many anesthesiologists who had been doing this for decades and were just miserable and unhappy,” she said.

“They all had the same complaints and had the same problems. I didn’t want to be that person. You only get one life, and I want to love what I do every day.”

Fitzgerald, who runs CLUB FITz along with her partner Kelsi Comer, said she is on track to make as much or more as she did in the operating room by coaching and internet revenue within the next three years.

An anesthesiologist’s role is an important one, but they usually see patients after a health emergency. Fitzgerald said keeping people healthy and preventing them from needing surgery in the first place is what makes her new job in fitness so rewarding.

“I take pride in the fact that I kill people and make them sore,” she said. “It’s a fitness class, you know? But it’s an hour long and time goes by fast because they’re having fun. But I’m still killing them. I’m still making them sore.”

By Ben Luschen

Lauren Fitzgerald leads CLUB FITz class at Key Health Institute in Edmond. | Photo Emmy Verdin

Take risks

Seated in WeGoLook’s conference room, surrounded by framed “looker” stories and a plaque recognizing a partnership with internet giant eBay, Robin Smith has learned a lot in her seven years of running a technology startup in Oklahoma City.

“I don’t think you need to be an industry expert to be an industry leader,” said Smith, CEO and co-founder of WeGoLook, a technology company with a crowdsourcing platform that’s often referred to as “the Uber of inspections.”

Smith, along with the founders of Airbnb and Uber, is living proof of such a statement. All three companies were founded on simple ideas that led to developing technology-driven solutions. Now, those solutions are well-known services that rival and even surpass some of the world’s largest businesses in transportation, hospitality and inspections.

Smith is the brain behind WeGoLook,

which began following a 2009 conversation with a friend over a potential purchase from eBay. Skeptical of the seller’s claims, Smith said there had to be an independent service to verify product descriptions and photos. However, the mother of two with a background in sales couldn’t find anything.

“Why not build it?” she asked herself.

A year later, with the help of a single software engineer, WeGoLook launched online with 4,500 lookers, or agents, ready to vet online sellers and provide detailed information and photos for customers looking at vehicles and other goods over the internet. Smith viewed her online business as a tool to avoid internet scams and ensure consumers get what they pay for.

“I was pretty naive,” Smith said. “I thought as soon as eBay heard about this, they would love it. I thought once people start talking about it, they are going to love it.”

It took time for consumers and eBay to

catch on to WeGoLook. Now, one of the nation’s largest insurance companies outsources many of its inspection services to WeGoLook and visitors to eBay Motors have the option to order an inspection from the Oklahoma City-based company.

More than 27,000 people in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia work as WeGoLook lookers, and 100 people are employed in the office near downtown Oklahoma City.

Smith, who grew up in Gracemont, showed early signs of her entrepreneurial spirit. In elementary school, the principal put an end to her first business selling yarn belts in school colors to her classmates.

After studying at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) and East Central University (ECU), Smith pursued a career in media advertising.

Prior to launching WeGoLook, she walked away from a secure job to open her own consulting firm with a focus on internet car sales. When the business idea for WeGoLook surfaced, her confidence in the venture was grounded in her past experiences.

Her advice to young entrepreneurs is simple: Be dedicated, be adaptive, take risks and pursue innovation.

“When you know in your entire body and soul that something can work and how valuable it can be, you are willing to do anything,” Smith said.

By Laura Eastes

Jonathan Groth left a career in advertising and cooked up his dream job. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Full satisfaction

If you enjoy the dishes designed by Slaughter’s Hall and WSKY Lounge head chef Jonathan Groth, thank his dad.

Groth’s father pointed him to the Coach House apprenticeship program — a training ground that has disproportionately

populated Oklahoma City’s restaurants with high-quality chefs — after Jonathan decided to leave behind a career in advertising.

“I know I wanted out of advertising,” he said. “I asked myself, ‘What do you want to do? What would you enjoy doing the rest of your life?’”

His answer: Leading a kitchen.

He always enjoyed creating cuisines.

Watching a cooking show, he decided to try making a pea risotto for himself.

“It was my first foray into high-end cooking,” he said.

But he always enjoyed cooking. When he and his friends got together to talk comic books, he’d make snacks. Fifteen years later, he still gets requests for his “meat muffins” recipe.

I don’t think you need to be an industry expert to be an industry leader.

Robin Smith

Robin Smith right works with students at the WeGoLook lab in Oklahoma City. | Photo Erick Perry

If he was going to be a chef, he needed training, which is where his father came in. After seeing an article about the apprenticeship program, his dad sent him to talk with current Vast head chef Kurt Fleischfresser, who brought him into the Coach House program.

After graduation, Groth worked in different venues across the city, including Platt College, before he was recruited by Fleischfresser to be head chef at The Lobby

Cafe & Bar and then at The Tasting Room.

Eventually, he took over at Slaughter’s Hall, where he constantly fine-tunes the menu.

He’s still creative, he said, but instead of building client campaigns, he builds salads and sandwiches he knows people will enjoy.

“I don’t want the person who gets the salad to be disappointed,” he said.

“Everyone who gets a dish here needs to be satisfied.”

If you can make a salad somebody loves so much they have to tell their friends about it, you have a fan for life.

By Greg Elwell

Artistic outreach

Amy Young started SixTwelve in Paseo Arts District as a way for young people, older people and everyone in between to come together as a community through learning and creativity.

“The idea is for kids and adults alike to work together to build this community around food and creating art, or DIY — whatever it is you want to learn how to do,” she said from the freshly renovated space at 612 NW 29th Street.

SixTwelve is a progressive community center. Children are central to its focus, and in the pre-k program, Young purposefully leads through her extensive experience as an elementary music teacher and education curator at Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The space also boasts an after-school program, an organic community garden and rotating artists’ residences.

“SixTwelve is about trying to encourage people to try to learn to take care of themselves and also how to take care of each

continued on page 25

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ARTS & CULTURE Amy Young at SixTwelve’s community garden in the Paseo Arts District | Photo Emmy Verdin

Ronda Williams and Charles Parker semiretired from their document imaging business to travel the country in their Winnebago, Mellow Yellow. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Road signs

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other,” Young said.

Young’s school fulfills her dream in many ways.

“When I was little, I actually played school with my friends instead of house. … I made kids use our old textbooks and things like that,” she said. “It was just silliness, but it turned into something.”

In addition to the successful school, where teaching is done for the whole child and not just for testing, the community garden thrives. In exchange for fresh vegetables and an opportunity to learn about sustainable urban farming, volunteers donate their time every Wednesday and Saturday.

Partners like Sierra Club, deadCenter Film Festival and Oklahoma Food Cooperative have come together to support monthly community group meetings, game nights and art classes. Young also has ties to Savannah, Georgia, since it’s where she completed her master’s thesis in art history, and she plans to start an artist exchange program between OKC and that city.

By Candice Macis

Plucky enterprise

From his beginnings as a “middle-management retail drone” to his current post as a music theory professor at ACM@UCO, music has always been a defining characteristic of David Broyles’ life.

“Most of the things I do every day have something to do with music,” Broyles said.

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“I certainly had my share of discouragement along the way, but ultimately, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Broyles founded Dr. Pants, a local music act specializing in alternative rock similar to Weezer and Phish. With pop culturelaced tracks with names like “If I Were John Cusack” and “Kenny Loggins,” the band’s sound can be pretty strange and eclectic, especially when compared to Oklahoma’s more folk-oriented music scene. But that hardly matters to Broyles, whose musical influences include The Beatles, R.E.M. and My Bloody Valentine.

“We’re really serious about the fact that we’re not so serious,” he said.

While Broyles likes to have fun with live shows and experiment with his own work, he takes his love for music and teaching seriously.

“The payoff of getting to teach at ACM and work with those students and see them and their passion get fed and nourished is so amazing,” he said.

He has spent years performing with Dr. Pants and his wife, singer-songwriter K.C. Clifford, he likes to give students a realworld perspective on pursuing music as a career.

“I say things like ‘Be prepared to work really hard’ with the knowledge that people won’t fully understand them until they get hit in the face with it,” Broyles said.

“Working in music can be so much fun, but you have to work your butt off to get to that point and not let the discouraging part outweigh the fun parts.”

By Keaton Bell

Charles Parker and Ronda Williams were too young to retire, so they became professional RVers.

“Her dream is to do this,” Parker said of his wife. “My dream is financial security.”

His dream came true first. After leaving graduate school in San Francisco in 2007 to work as a commercial photographer, he launched a company that takes pictures of paper.

Oklahoma Document Imaging now employs about 70 people in eight states. The business takes high-quality images of oil and gas documents for land professionals and title attorneys. Running that company now sits on his friend’s shoulders because Charles and Ronda hit the road.

After socking away 80 percent of their earnings and investing in real estate, the couple decided to downsize their lives. They don’t have a house, and they have very few possessions, although one of them is pretty big: a 2015 Winnebago Brave

they named Mellow Yellow.

They spend 9 months of the year roaming the country, visiting family and stocking their next venture: FindWell, a vintage shop built from their travels.

Their home on wheels is about the size of a New York City apartment but has constantly changing views. And while sating wanderlust via Winnebago isn’t the most eco-friendly lifestyle, Parker and Williams closely monitor everything they use and every ounce of waste they create.

They still have creature comforts, including their creatures. Pekingeses Bozz and Zelda and a Newfoundland named Bernadette travel everywhere with them.

Eventually, they might try and make a documentary about their adventures, Parker said, but they currently share their whereabouts on their website, chuckandmeintherv.com.

By Greg Elwell

David Broyles abandoned his “middle management retail drone” day job to pursue music and education full-time. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

p e r f o r m i n g a r ts

Spit-take Jim Norton’s Mouthful of Shame Tour marks the comic’s first stop in Oklahoma.

By Ben Luschen

through relentless touring, so it’s a wonder that he hasn’t brought his edgy adult humor here before.

“Oklahoma’s a market I’ve been meaning to do for a long time,” he said. “I have so many fans there. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jim Norton Mouthful of Shame Tour

Radio experience

University of Central Oklahoma

Norton first joined Hughes and Anthony Cumia in 2000 as a guest on The Opie & Anthony Show.

He has since made regular work out of hosting and contributing to radio programs and podcasts, including The Jim Norton Show and Jim Norton Advice Show.

The entertainer said his standup career likely will last longer than his radio work because it is something he can do on his own without a company’s backing.

Still, he said his radio experiences have improved his comedy.

“It makes you think topically all the time,” he said. “It’s an advantage because you’re always having to think about what’s going on in the news and in the world. It helps you formulate your opinions when you don’t even realize you’re formulating your opinions.”

The internet’s great; I like being told I suck by a lot of people.

Jim Norton Norton is also known as a fan of mixed martial arts.

He began co-hosting the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) podcast UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra on June 21.

Serra is a former UFC welterweight champion.

“He obviously knows a lot more of the technical stuff that I don’t know,” Norton said during a recent phone interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “My job is to go on there and just talk crap.”

The comedian said he didn’t know what to expect when the podcast launched but he is very happy with how it has developed.

Serra is knowledgeable about the sport and funny, too.

“I never expect much, and I can’t believe how good this season has been,” Norton said.

Comedian Jim Norton made his first appearance on The Opie & Anthony Show in 2000. He now cohosts Opie with Jim Norton on Sirius XM Radio. | Photo Jim Norton / provided

Comedian Jim Norton said he has been invited many times to perform a standup set in Oklahoma.

He finally agreed.

“They better show up at the show because they’ve been asking me for years to come out there,” he said.

Norton also is known for his Sirius XM Radio show with Gregg “Opie” Hughes,

Opie with Jim Norton, and appearances on Louis C.K.’s Louie.

He said he cannot recall doing an Oklahoma show prior to his upcoming Mouthful of Shame Tour stop 8 p.m. July 14 at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Mitchell Hall Theatre, 100 N. University Drive, in Edmond.

The comedian built a name for himself

Playing colleges

Norton learned during the interview that his upcoming performance will be on a college campus.

His comedy often features unfettered takes on sex and his life that challenge the constraints of political correctness.

Some comedians, including the comparatively less offensive Jerry Seinfeld, have said they refused to play colleges because of concerns that the crowd might take jokes out of context or could be too

8 p.m. July 14 Mitchell Hall Theatre 100 N. University Drive, Edmond okccomedy.com/shows 405-974-3375 $30-$35

easily offended.

Norton, on the other hand, said people who come to his shows generally know what they are getting themselves into.

Most of his college shows are attended by non-students.

The Mitchell Hall show is hosted by OKC Comedy booking and promotion company and open to everyone.

“I just do what I do,” Norton said.

“Wherever I am, people are going to see what it is that I do.”

Changing scene

Standards for what should and should not be said in standup have always existed, though Norton said they are constantly shifting.

“What you can’t say — that little narrow area — does change every couple of years,” he said.

Norton said his first gig was in April 1990.

A lot has changed since then, but in many ways, comedy will always be about building upon a steady grind with a lot of trial and error.

Some of the talented younger comedians he enjoys are Mark Normand and Dan Soder.

Norton performed standup for a decade before he was invited onto The Opie and Anthony Show. He said comedy is easier these days because he is more experienced.

“I don’t need divine inspiration,” he said. “I just go onstage and try it and see how it works. It’s much more free now, so now I feel much more confident.”

One big difference between comedy today and when Norton started is the prevalence of the internet. Platforms like YouTube can help increase how quickly a comedian’s presence grows, but online clips can also just as easily be used to tear down or damage an entertainer’s career.

“You can always look up your mistake or the stupid thing you said during an interview of your stupid comment someone overheard,” Norton said. “It’s always there.”

Even so, Norton embraces social media. He has tweeted more than 18,000 times to more than 441,000 followers.

“The internet’s great; I like being told I suck by a lot of people,” he said. “I’m glad the internet exists. I love it.”

Find tickets for Norton’s Mouthful of Shame Tour at ticketstorm.com.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Laughing matter

Comedy for Recovery offers lighthearted fun while raising awareness of addiction and treatment.

By Keaton Bell

There’s a saying that comedy is “tragedy plus Laughing together time.” But with the upcoming Comedy for Watson wanted to stage a benefit show for Recovery benefit show, some local comedisome time, and her experiences with addicans hope to bridge the gap between the two. tion certainly informed her decision to work The performance, taking place at ACM@ with Brothers In Recovery. She said her UCO Performance Lab July 16, brings brother struggled with addiction for 15 years awareness to addiction before the disease ultimatethrough laughter. All show ly killed him, and the nonproceeds will be donated to profit acted as a support Brothers In Recovery, a system for her family in the Comedy for aftermath. nonprofit in Newalla that Recovery provides sober living and “They’re really thorough other resources for those in about helping people,” 7:30 p.m. July 16 Watson said. “They’ll go recovery from drug or ACM@UCO alcohol addiction. somewhere in the middle of Performance Lab Ashley Watson, event the night to pick people up 329 E. Sheridan Ave. emcee, thought up Comedy whose families have called acm.uco.edu for Recovery after noticing in or can’t help themselves ticketstorm.com a lack of safe spaces for because other facilities don’t 405-974-4700 those seeking addiction have room.” $10-$15 treatment.

As Brothers In Recovery “There’s not a lot of activities for people director, Chris Flanary sees the fundraiser to do who are trying to avoid being in those as a way to educate people about ways to settings and don’t want to have the tempseek help for addiction. tation around them,” Watson said. “We’re “They say if you’re not having fun in doing this event to … raise awareness and recovery, you’re doing it wrong,” Flanary provide a safe haven for people to be able said. “We believe in the power of laughter, to go out and enjoy ‘adult time’ but not and we like laughing at ourselves a lot of have to worry about whether their sponsor times since the things we’ve put ourselves can make it.” through and the heartache — you’ve just The night’s lineup features BradChad gotta laugh at it.”

Porter, Ben Flint, Steven Patchin, Matt Hinson, Mack O Henson, CJ Lance and Reducing stigma others.

Flanary went through treatment in 2007.

With the show based around sobriety, Soon after, he started working with others.

Comedy for Recovery is an alcohol-free As a result, he knows all too well just how event. big a problem addiction is in Oklahoma.

“Addictions to painkillers, heroin and 28

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Chris Flanary of Brothers in Recovery far left with sober living housemates. Comedy for Recovery event proceeds benefit the Newalla organization. | Photo provided

methamphetamine are running rampant in Oklahoma, but arresting a drug addict and putting them in jail isn’t treatment if they’re suffering from untreated addiction,” Flanary said. “State funding has been cut so dramatically, and nonprofits are picking it up and trying to help where they can.”

Watson said working with Flanary has opened her eyes to just how large Oklahoma’s population of drug and alcohol addicts is.

By holding events like Comedy for Recovery, she hopes to see the stigma surrounding addiction start to fade away.

“People pass others every single day suffering from these issues, whether it’s a stranger on the street, a homeless person or a family member,” Watson said. “I feel like if we can let the stigma of it all go, we could be a lot more compassionate and help people realize that it’s OK to get help and admit that you have a problem. It would make our society a much more productive place.”

Flanary echoed that sentiment, saying that while there’s still a lot to be done, he has already seen some change since he started working with Brothers In Recovery.

Comedian Ben Flint joins the lineup of Comedy for Recovery for a night of laughter benefitting Brothers In Recovery Inc. | Photo provided

We could be a lot more compassionate and help people realize that it’s okay to get help and admit that you have a problem.

Ashley Watson “I think the stigma is starting to get better and people are realizing that it is a disease we suffer from just like cancer and diabetes,” he said.

Hopefully, Comedy for Recovery will further spread awareness about addiction while providing plenty of laughs along the way.

The showcase features a live DJ and raffle along with multiple comedian sets, and if all goes well, it could become a regularly scheduled event. Watson said her dream is that Comedy For Recovery grows to the point where it includes headliners who are recovering addicts themselves.

For the time being, Flanary hopes people make it out to the event and leave entertained as well as enlightened.

“We want to have a lot of fun, and it’s going to be a great time, but I hope people also realize there’s hope and love and people out there who want to help them live a different way of life without addiction to drugs or alcohol,” Flanary said. “And it’s one day at a time. We can’t do it all at once, but together, as a community, we can make a difference, which is ultimately what I’m looking to get out of it.”

Learn more about Brothers In Recovery Inc. at brothersinrecoveryinc.com.

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The Agony & The Agony cast includes from left Alex Prather, Christine Lanning, Jon Haque seated, Mark Ingham, Dylan Cox and Tiffany Tuggle Rogers. | Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided

Silver lining

Carpenter Square Theatre ends its season with Nicky Silver comedy The Agony & The Agony.

By Ben Luschen

Rhonda Clark and the other minds behind June 24 and runs through July 16 at 806 Carpenter Square Theatre’s creative diW. Main St. Traditionally, Carpenter Square presrection read all of playwright Nicky Silver’s new works. Finding one that’s a ents an offbeat comedy each summer, good fit for their intimate production ending its season on a high note. setting is another matter.

The Agony, Clark said, is exactly that Silver is a New York-based writer kind of production.

“This one definitely fits that [descripknown for penning off-Broadway productions li ke 1993’s tion] because the charPterodactyls, 1995’s acters often turn out of Raised in Captivity and the scene and address The Agony 2004’s Beautiful Child. the audience directly,” Clark, Carpenter she said. & The Agony Characters break the Square artistic director, said they found a fitting fourth wall to clue the 7:30 p.m. Thursday and July production in Silver’s audience in on how they 14, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday outrageous comedy The feel or what they have and 15-16, 2 p.m. Sunday Agony & The Agony, been through.

Carpenter Square Theatre which closes out the Silver’s story follows 806 W. Main St. theater company’s 32nd a once-promising New carpentersquare.com season.

York playwright on a long 405-232-6500 The show debuted streak of tough breaks. $5-$20 30

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The Agony is partially based on the writer’s own experiences, and many of its characters reflect real-life struggles many starving artists face.

“They’re all kind of desperate in some way for work or money; they’re really a collection of losers,” she said. “They’re all down on their luck one way or another.”

Clark said while she often loves the premise of a story Silver sets up, his endings can leave her cold. Agony’s ending, however, feels truly satisfying.

Deep thought is not necessary to appreciate the show.

Instead, Clark advises theatergoers to sit back and enjoy the tale.

“It’s the same thing in the movies — they have their big blockbusters,” she said. “It’s more of a popcorn kind of story, and this definitely fits that.”

Nagging neurosis

The Agony’s title is a spoof of the 1965 Charlton Heston-led film (and preceding novel) The Agony and the Ecstasy.

Silver’s main character, Richard Aglow, portrayed by Jon Haque, is a struggling playwright married to a similarly situated actress, depicted by Christine Lanning.

However, Richard is gay, and their relationship is a marriage of convenience.

Sharing a New York City apartment causes its own problems.

“On one level, they lead separate lives, but when it comes down to it, they support each other,” Clark said. “It’s an unusual relationship.”

Richard attends every support group he possibly can, at least until they figure out he doesn’t have the problems he claims.

Clark said the lead character is neurotic and has lived as a virtual hermit for several years as he struggled to write.

“We all have someone in our lives who makes every little thing major,” Clark explained.

Richard thinks his luck has finally changed after he completes the first act of a new play.

He calls his friends — including porn actor Chet (Dylan Cox) and his pregnant girlfriend Anita (Tiffany Tuggle Rogers) and New York producer Anton Knight (Mark Ingham) — over in an effort to get the show produced.

Fresh faces

The theater welcomes many new names with this show. Haque stars in his Carpenter Square debut.

Director Ronn Burton grabs the reins

for the first time in the venue.

Clark said all of the show’s actors are new to Carpenter Square with the exception of Lanning and Rogers.

“We love having new energy and different actors for the shows because we do eight shows a year,” she said. “We love it when actors return, but then when we’ve got new faces, it’s great also.”

One of the characters in the play Richard is writing, the ghost of notorious real-life murderer Nathan Leopold, seemingly comes to life as a figment of the playwright’s imagination.

Leopold’s ghost is played by Alex Prather. Clark said the character’s energy is a stark contrast from the play’s other characters.

“What makes him funny is how dry and dead serious he’s playing the character,” she said. “Some of the other characters are just wild. They’re falling over sofas, they’re jumping on furniture in frustration, they’re leaping over things and then you’ve got this guy who is very serious, like a high-class wealthy smug from the ’20s.”

Clark also serves as the show’s costume designer, a role she often fills in Carpenter Theater shows.

Leopold’s mannerisms are not the only things that separate the character from the others.

Audience members will be able to spot the mobster right away.

“We’ve got ripped and torn jeans, we’ve got cutoffs, but then we have [Leopold],” she said. “It’s a very period look. We’ve got a pocket watch and a chain and the fedora.”

The Agony closes out Carpenter Square to the public for a month, but Clark said those in the theater get no break.

Instead, the company will be preparing and rehearsing for the start of its next season, which begins Sept. 2.

The artistic director said those accustomed to the city’s bigger venues will find Carpenter Square’s cozy theater is a refreshing change of pace.

The Agony, with its confined settings, is especially appropriate for the space.

“We’re a real intimate theater,” Clark said. “We have just 90 seats, so you’re going to feel like you’re almost in the New York City apartment in the Upper West Side with the actors.”

For more information, visit carpentersquare.com.

On one level, they lead separate lives, but when it comes down to it, they support each other.

It’s an unusual relationship.

Rhonda Clark

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

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ARTS & CULTURE of just as a muralist.”

Williams said he now paints works, often commissioned, that usually sell for $1,500 to $5,500 apiece. The most he has earned for a single work — a larger, mural-style painting — is $15,000.

He refuses to sell reproductions, or prints, of his pieces. Therefore, each of his commissioners receives a unique work that is truly unlike any other.

His work also garnered the top award at this year’s Paseo Arts District Festival, earning Best in Show. He has entered pieces in competitions as far away as Brussels, Belgium, as well.

This month, he relocates his studio, Hüe Fine Art Gallery, to 1 N. Broadway in Edmond. He said the location offers more for him than his address off Western Avenue.

Lofty aspirations

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v i s ua l a r t s

Local artist Reian Williams with his piece “The Real Superman” | Photo provided

Canvas crackerjack

Reian Williams creates vivid masterpieces of emotional depth and charm. By Erick Perry

Williams said his ultimate goal is to paint a portrait of a sitting president. He believes there would be no greater achievement, especially for an American artist.

Williams did say that if he were able to go back in time, he would prefer to paint Abraham Lincoln rather than any other president. He said he is a fan of Lincoln’s dominant demeanor and believes the emotions Lincoln often showed in his face would translate perfectly with his realistic emotion style of painting because of the details he would be able to focus on.

Williams’ work has even been used to try to help solve mysteries. In April, he created a rendering of a woman the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office was trying to identify. Officers provided him with pictures of the woman’s body and had him paint how the woman would look were she alive. He said he went to high school with one of the detectives on the case, who contacted him because the OSBI forensic artists who would usually help with investigations like this one

Artists are usually the product of someone else’s teachings. Pablo Picasso was the son of an artist. Leonardo de Vinci apprenticed under Andrea del Verrocchio. Michelangelo studied with Francesco da Urbino.

However, local painter Reian Williams breaks that mold.

Williams said he had no direct guidance other than the inspiration of others’ work and himself when developing his artistic abilities. He is described as a master of emotive realism for his ability to capture his subjects’ feelings within his paintings.

Raised in the Edmond area, Williams discovered his love for art at age 7 after drawing the head of a leopard. His family’s response to the sketch encouraged Williams to develop his talent.

Worldly gifts

After high school, Williams said, he wanted to see the world and set out to London, where he earned a degree in architectural design.

He said the rich art culture of European countries greatly affected him. He regularly visited the local museums and said artists John Singer Sargent and Edgar Degas are two of his greatest influences.

After living abroad for a few years, Williams returned to the United States and

left “The Rodeo Clown” right “Paint on Canvas” by Reian Williams | Images provided

moved to Florida. There, he realized he wanted to pursue the life of a painter. He worked as a muralist for 18 years before deciding to pursue a fine arts career.

“I was able to do more of what I wanted [with fine art],” Williams said. “The murals were more landscapes, buildings and things.

I wanted to focus more on portraits, and I wanted to be known for my fine art instead

were backed up.

“In the photos, the body was in rigor mortis,” he said. “What I had to do was take my knowledge of bone and facial structures and reconstruct that. I almost had to wing it. The body was identified within 30 minutes of [the forensic artwork] being shown on air.”

Learn more at kunstlerstudios.com and huefineartgallery.com.

film

Allison Paige stars as undercover animal activist Sara in The Dog Lover. | Photo ESX Entertainment / provided

All bark

The Dog Lover favors an oversimplified message over substantive storytelling. By Ben Luschen

The Dog Lover is an outwardly partisan wolf in golden retriever clothing.

The term “puppy mill” elicits a visceral reaction from a populace conditioned by years of Sarah McLachlan’s heartbreaking “Angel” set over a fundraising plea filled with video of the world’s saddest dogs.

However, those who have lived in this world long enough should know that life is not always as clearly right and wrong as an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) commercial.

Obviously, there are legitimate, lawabiding, animal-loving dog breeders in this world. The possibility that a brash, sweeping law targeted against objectively cruel mills could negatively affect caring momand-pop operations presents viewers with a legitimate moral quandary.

It’s a scenario The Dog Lover raises and, like the movie shows, endlessly beats over the head with a shovel.

In the film drama, Sara Gold (Days of Our Lives’ Allison Paige) is a passionate undercover agent in the fictional United Animal Protection Agency (UAPA), a relentless animal welfare organization modeled after The Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

UAPA’s goal is to stop the vaguely defined Proposition 12, a ballot initiative that would signal a practical end to dog breeding (a practice the group views as immoral).

Sara is assigned to pose as an intern and infiltrate the breeding operation of Prop 12’s most vocal opponent, Daniel Holloway (Dexter’s James Remar), and take photos and videos to bring down the critic.

Before her mission, Sara’s journalist dad (Matthew Glave) advises her to not go into her assignment assuming Holloway’s guilt.

“Nothing’s that black and white,” he says.

It is ironic that The Dog Lover would point out the moral complexity that surrounds most of today’s biggest issues because the film does nothing other than deal in absolute goods and evils the rest of the time.

It doesn’t take long for viewers to realize that Holloway’s operation is not the shady

pet factory Sara expected it to be. She falls for Holloway’s saintly son, Will (Jayson Blair), and realizes she has made a mistake.

Her epiphany comes too late. UAPA twists video of Holloway killing a dog while defending his daughter to create evidence for a police warrant. The Holloways lose all of their animals (their source of livelihood for many generations), the family’s patriarch faces life in prison for animal cruelty charges and Sara must figure out how to right her horrible missteps in The Dog Lover’s second half, which becomes a fullblown courtroom drama.

Films focused on pushing a partisan stance on an issue often miss out on the impact a little more subtlety can offer. The Dog Lover does not expose viewers to any worthwhile gray areas, nor does it make any room for the audience to draw its own conclusions. It does the thinking.

It isn’t that the movie’s message is necessarily wrong. The film’s family farm plot does ring disingenuous, though, in the context of who produced the film. The logo for Protect the Harvest scrolls by at the end of the credits. According to its website, Protect the Harvest was created to protect the rights of farmers and respond to “antifarming extremists.”

Protect the Harvest was founded by Forrest Lucas, the billionaire owner of Lucas Oil Products and Lucas Cattle Company, and regularly fights against agricultural regulations.

It would be hard to call The Dog Lover a failed film, despite its obvious leanings. The acting is good, and the premise of the story is unique. In fact, filmmakers accomplished exactly what they set out to do: present a counter-argument in response to a popular dog-breeding narrative.

However, not many debates pit the absolutely right against the absolutely wrong, and issues should not be framed in that way.

Nothing’s that black and white.

The movie screens at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial Road, beginning Friday.

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

33

ARTS & CULTURE

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Mysterious conclusions

with,’” Thomas said.

One seminal event transformed her way of thinking about her work. She attended Celebration of Books in Tulsa, where Dennis Lehane (author of Mystic River and Shutter Island) spoke on a panel with her husband.

She said Lehane told the audience he already wrote five of the worst novels in the English language and each one was too specialized regarding characterization, plot and dialogue.

“It felt like a light bulb came on in my head,” Thomas said.

“I’m only one or two rejected novels away from making it,” she remembered thinking.

The next project she worked on eventually became The English Boys. Much like the solution to a mystery, the origins of Thomas’ novel appear, on the surface, mundane and only tenuously connected to the story she would write.

Oklahoma author Julia Thomas’ persistence pays off with the release of her suspenseful debut novel The English Boys. By Ian Jayne

@okgazette

Oklahoma Gazette

Serendipitous search

Julia Thomas’ debut novel, The English Boys, hits shelves Friday. | Photo Justin Greiman / provided

A slow build and a refusal to rush are hallmarks of mystery novels and newly published author Julia Thomas’ writing career.

Thomas spoke to Oklahoma Gazette about her writing process in advance of the Friday release of her debut mystery novel, The English Boys, published by Midnight Ink. Julia Thomas always knew she wanted to be a writer. She credits her grandmother as a source of inspiration and influence.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I was always writing things and scribbling things,” Thomas said.

Thomas met her husband Will, also an author, at Oklahoma State University.

They married young and started a family.

Thomas, a first grade educator by day, would often write late at night. She said her busy schedule usually meant writing came last. However, she did not view this as a sacrifice; rather, she said wanted to prove to herself that she could write before making it her primary endeavor.

Creative evolution

Around the turn of the millennium, Thomas said her husband, who writes longhand, asked her to type his manuscript. As she typed up what would eventually become 34

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

Some Danger Involved, she acted as a critical reader.

“I also started making suggestions and doing a little bit of editing for him,” she said, “and I realized that I was getting pretty good at the editing.”

She continued to write, finishing three novel manuscripts. Publishers rejected each but insisted Thomas had potential.

“I lost the belief that it might really happen,” she said of being published.

“And I realized how hard it really is and how few people who want to get published end up getting published.”

Thomas said her view of writing became more realistic as she got older and she reassessed her skill set. She learned to focus on becoming the best reader possible.

“After three books, I stopped entirely and I thought, ‘Maybe my talent just lays in the area of editing. I know how to edit, and that’s something I feel really comfortable

One day, Thomas, a self-proclaimed Anglophile, was watching a movie starring one of her favorite actors. She did a quick Google search and found an image of the actor at a wedding, standing next to the bride and groom.

Taken with the image, Thomas printed it out and examined the people in it. She recalled thinking, “There is a story here …

I want to be the one to write their story.”

The idea for The English Boys was the serendipitous culmination of Thomas’ years spent reading, writing and editing. Over the next four years, Thomas wrote her fourth novel, transforming a Google image search into a tale of love, deceit and manipulation.

The English Boys begins with a wedding; it’s a love story in reverse. Young English actor Daniel Richardson awaits the marriage of his best friend, Hugh Ashley-Hunt, to Tamsyn Burke, the woman for whom he still has feelings.

As Daniel tries to put on a good face for his friends, Tamsyn is brutally stabbed moments before she is to walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey. In an effort to solve the mystery, Tamsyn’s sister, Carey, asks Daniel to unravel what came before.

Thomas’ novel follows the twin investigations of Daniel and Carey and Detective Chief Inspector Gordon Murray as they delve deep into the past. The narrative events move fluidly between the London cityscape and the Welsh countryside, crossing between the past and the present.

All the while, Thomas’ well-wrought but readable prose reveals her keen eye for the minutiae of British culture and literature.

By getting into her characters’ heads, Thomas provides thought-provoking social critiques about the nature of fame, the limits of love and how one can act deceptively on and off the silver screen.

I realized how ... few people who want to get published end up getting published.

Julia Thomas

calendar These are events recommended

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

BOOKS Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda Book Signing, award-winning journalist and author of The Shepherd Who Didn’t Run: Fr. Stanley Rother, Martyr from Oklahoma, signs and talks about her book, 6-7:30 p.m. July 7. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com. THU Jeffrey Eaton Book Signing, author of Murder Becomes Manhattan and Murder Becomes Miami will talk and sign his books, 3 p.m. July 9. Garden Cafe at Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway , 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Second Sunday Poetry Reading: Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, poet, writer and literary scholar Jeanetta Calhoun Mish reads from her collection of poetry, 2 p.m. July 10.

The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN Red Earth MFA Faculty and Instructors Reading, event showcasing the talents of Red Earth’s faculty and visiting instructors, 7-10 p.m. July 13. The Paramount, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountokc.com. WED

FILM Double Feature: A Day in the Country and The Lower Depths, (FR, 1936, dir. Jean Renoir) A Day in the Country follows the extended Dufour family as they leave the city for an afternoon idyll in the French countryside; The Lower Depths stars French icon Jean Gabin as Papel, a thief who plans to rob a destitute baron, 7:30 p.m. July 7.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Annie, (US, 1982, dir. John Huston) free screening of the 1982 movie starring Aileen Quinn, 7:30 p.m. July 9. UCO Mitchell Hall Theater, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu. SAT The Goonies, (US, 1985, dir. Richard Donner) a group of misfits set out to find a pirate’s hidden treasure, 8 p.m.

July 12. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., bleugarten. com. TUE

HAPPENINGS 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk, snacks, art, wine, live music, and local vendors, Art Walk is the best Norman has to offer in one place, 6-9 p.m. July 8. 122 E. Main St., downtown Norman. FRI

LIVE! on the Plaza, join the Plaza District every second Friday monthly for an art walk featuring artists, live music, pop-up shops, live performances and more, 7-11 p.m. July 8. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave. , 405-367-9403, plazadistrict.org. FRI

of techniques and materials, from sewing giant plush foods to crafting cardboard kitchen items and learning professional aspects of being an artist, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 11-15. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. MON-FRI

FOOD

Art Adventures, young artists are invited to experience art through books and related projects for youth ages 3-5, 10:30 a.m. July 12. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE

Art After 5, enjoy the OKC skyline along with live music, friends and cocktails on top of the museum, 5-11 p.m.

July 7. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU

Weekly Farmers Market, shop local produce, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. July 9. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT 2016 Buddha Mind Veggie Festival, promote the physical and spiritual benefits of a vegetarian diet, share useful information of why vegetarian, what to eat, where to buy, and how to cook through presentations, videos, book and information display and cooking demonstration, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 10. Buddha Mind Monastery, 5800 S. Anderson Road, 405-869-0501, ctbuddhamind.org.

SUN

Bon Appetit Let’s Eat Beets, lean more about the infamously staining superfood and discover how you can join the good4urevolution, 3-3:30 p.m. July 10.

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

YOUTH Titanoba: Monster Snake, exhibit of a realistic replica of the largest snake on record weighing an estimated one-and a half tons and measuring 48 feet long. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh. ou.edu.

Toy Invention, become an extreme toy engineer and use your imagination to deconstruct and reconstruct the perfect toy or game, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 6. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. WED Weekly Walk-Ups, each day holds a new activity; make and take crafts on Mondays, play with food on Tuesdays, story time on Wednesdays, crafts focusing on the environment on Thursdays and scavenger hunts on Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon, July 6-13. Children’s Garden, 301 West Reno and Harvey avenues, 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com. WED-WED A Dozen Dangerous Things, sometimes, the best science involves a little bit of risk; explore the things that helped to invent the phrase “don’t try this at home,” 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 7. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. THU Fancy Fish, program for children 2 years old; delight in zoo animals through crafts, activities, discovery stations, presentations and/or guided zoo excursions, 9:30-10:30 a.m. July 7. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405-424-3344, okczoo.org. THU I Will Survive!, gain the skills to navigate your surroundings, identify plants that are safe and those that are not, purify water, build a trap, brush your teeth with a stick and more, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 8. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI Matisse Painting with Paper, learn about the artist Henri Matisse and create artwork using colorful, fun paper shapes; ages 15-36 months, 10-10:45 a.m.; ages 3-5 11 a.m.-noon July 9. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

SAT

Red Cup Supper Club No. 5 The phrase “eight-course meal” is enough to catch anyone’s attention. A full-on, locally sourced vegan spread is even harder to turn down.

The Red Cup Supper Club is presented by owner Patrick Clark, aka Chef Beave, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday at The Red Cup, 3122 N. Classen Blvd. Tickets are $60.67 and can be reserved online at eventbrite.com. Call 405-525-3430 or email the_red_cup@ yahoo.com. Sunday The Red Cup | Photo Gazette / file

Little Chefs Learn to Serve, teaches children that cooking can be full of discovery and a lot of fun; kids discover how they can give back to their community by using cooking skills gained from this course while learning about Latin American cuisine, 2-5 p.m. July 1214. Edmond Mobile Meals, 25 W. Third Street, Edmond, 405-341-3111, edmondmobilemeals.org. TUE

Round 2: America vs. Spain, determine which country’s cheeses are the best; rate each country based on diversity, general wine compatibility and overall deliciousness, 6:45-8:15 p.m. July 8. Forward FoodsNorman, 2001 W. Main St., Norman, 405-321-1007, forwardfoods.com. FRI

Drop-In Art: Picasso Masks, join guest artists each Saturday as they interact with families to create extraordinary works of art inspired by the museum’s collections, exhibitions and special occasions, 1-4 p.m.

July 9. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Basics of Drawing: Ages 9-12, learn to draw accurately and realistically, including perspective, sighting, line quality and distribution; sharpen perception and build confidence through right-brain approaches, 10 a.m.noon July 9. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Kids Summer Cooking Camp, each day features a new topic such as doughnuts, cookies, cupcakes and other delicious treats, July 11-15. Belle Kitchen, 7509 N. May Ave., 405-430-5484, belle-kitchen.com. MON-FRI Strings Chamber Music Camp, summer camp presented by UCO Fine Arts and Design for ages 11-18, July 11-15. University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu.

MON-FRI

Mickey Mantle Day New York Yankees center fielder and Spavinaw native Mickey Mantle is known as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Oklahoma History Center, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse and WWLS The Sports Animal celebrate the New York Yankees player Thursday at Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive. At 3 p.m., historian and author Bob Burke moderates a roundtable discussion featuring Danny and David Mantle (Mantle’s sons), Al Eschbach and sports expert and historian Berry Tramel. At 4 p.m., Eschbach begins broadcasting his radio show on WWLS from the venue. In honor of the event, admission to Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, is free 3-7 p.m. Thursday.

Visit okhistory.org or call 405-522-3602. Thursday Photo Photo Oklahoma Historical Society / provided High School Drama Camp, camp presented by UCO Fine Arts and Design for ages 13-18, June 13-17.

University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu. MON-FRI Blast Off! Space Camp, examine and dissect a telescope, learn how you can eat in space, design and launch a few rockets and see just what it takes to become an astronaut, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 11-15. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. MON-FRI Summer Art Camp: I’m Livin’ It: Food in 3-D, modeled after artist Claes Oldenburg’s “Cheeseburger,” 5- to 6-year-old campers create a pop-art hamburger collage using a variety of materials and also use mixed media to create other pop art foods like soda, fries and ice cream, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 11-15. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-9510000, oklahomacontemporary.org. MON-FRI

Summer Camp, learn about animal care and agriculture, fishing in the ponds, playing challenging games and more, July 12-15. The Orr Family Farm, 14400 S. Western Ave., 405-799-3276, orrfamilyfarm.com. TUE

PERFORMING ARTS Mike Stanley, standup comedy winner of Last Comic Standing, 8 p.m. July 6-7, 8 and 10:30 p.m. July 8-9.

Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405239-4242, loonybincomedy.com. WED-SAT The Wizard of Oz, journey to the Emerald City as Dorothy, Toto and her companions travel along the Yellow Brick Road to meet the Wizard of Oz, 7:30 p.m. July 12-13. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2584, okcciviccenter. com. TUE-SAT Innocence Lost: Lotus Berthelotii, second in a fourpart performance art series by Valerie Sharp; explores one’s loss of innocence with each performance being a passing experience in time and space, 8 p.m. July 8. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com. FRI OKC Improv Summer Show, improvisational music and comedy from local performers, 7:30-9:30 p.m. July 8-9.

The Paramount Room, 7 N. Lee Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountroom.com. FRI-SAT Patience, operetta presented by Cimarron Opera that mocks art, love and politics; full of boisterous songs and characters both comical and historical, 8-10 p.m. July 8-10. Nancy O’Brian Center for the Performing Arts, 1809 N. Stubbeman Ave., Norman, 405-364-0397. FRI -SUN

ACTIVE Drop-In Yoga, yoga class in museum galleries, 5:456:45 p.m. July 7. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU OKC Dodgers vs. Omaha, minor league baseball game, 7:05 p.m. July 7-9, 5:05 p.m. July 10. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-2181000. THU-SUN

Summer Art Camp: Honey, I Blew Up the Art!, children ages 5-6 create large 3-D objects of their choice with a focus on creating organic and structured forms using foam sheets, cardboard, paint and lots of glue, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 11-15. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. MON-FRI Summer Art Camp: Puppets on Parade, 7- to 9-year-olds create a variety of 3-D puppets and even their own puppet theater; dream up a short skit for family and friends to enjoy at Friday’s Camp Contemporary Showcase, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 11-15. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

MON-FRI Summer Art Camp: Fiber Fanatics, youth ages 7-9 learn the basics of weaving, dyeing and decorating fabric; use yarn and fabric to create beautiful and unique pictures, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 11-15. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-9510000, oklahomacontemporary.org. MON-FRI Summer Art Camp: Creative Robotics, a STEMbased program that introduces the concepts of artistic engineering through simple mechanical and algorithmic exploration for students ages 10-12; learn the basics of functional coding, creative designing and the if-then-else approach to problem solving, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 11-15. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. MON-FRI Summer Art Camp: Supersized 3-D Art, advanced sculpture class, 13- to 16-year-old students create giant likenesses of everyday items, bringing new meaning to the phrase “supersize it”; use a variety

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

OKC Flea If you’re searching for a place to buy itchy pet parasites, keep looking. If you’re on the hunt for hidden local gems from the city’s best makers and vendors, this is where you need to be. OKC Flea market features live music and children’s activities. It runs noon-6 p.m. Sunday at OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave. Admission is free. Visit okcflea.com.

Sunday OKC Farmers Public Market | Photo Gazette / file

continued on page 36

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calendar O KG pi c ks

continued from page 35 Beer Yoga, join Brooke Larson for a onehour, beginner-friendly yoga class followed by a pint of beer, 10 a.m. July 8. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., bleugarten.com. FRI Dancing in the Gardens, Myriad Gardens is transformed into an urban dance space with instructors giving a dance demonstration followed by a free lesson for all; this month’s

bARTer, exhibition allows the audience to buy art with anything except money; opportunity for anyone with a little creativity and a skill, service or good to acquire a new piece of art, July 7-28.

Current Studio, 1218 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-673-1218, currentstudio.org.

Beyond, AK Westerman works designed to incite the imagination and encourage us to embrace a state of amazement and wonder we so often abandon after childhood; swirls of color and washes of light contrast with furtive, otherworldly creatures wrapped in darkness. Graphite Gallery, 1751 NW 16th St. graphiteokcart.com Blooming, artist and storyteller Bernadette Esperanza Torres communicates with her hands, translating stories into clay; sculptures are autobiographical narratives, Myriad Botanical Gardens with hand-built soft-slap female Mexican/Italian full figures, flower mounds, platters and animal imagery in clay. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

Cut-and-Fold Pop-Up Structures, learn to make basic cut-and-fold pop-up structures suitable for inclusion in cards and small-edition books; folding methods for pop-up accordion books, and a slide show on the history of pop-up and movable books is included, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

July 8. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-8156665, artspaceatuntitled.org. FRI Da Vinci: The Genius, the most comprehensive exploration of Leonardo da Vinci’s work ever created; interactive experience immersing guests in da Vinci’s timeless brilliance through full-scale interpretations of the mastermind’s inventions and unparalleled studies of his iconic art. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

¡Three Amigos! Sonic Summer Movies at Myriad Botanical Gardens is one of the best summertime activities in Oklahoma City. Wednesday’s free film features comedy classic ¡Three Amigos!, starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short as actor cowboys fighting real-life bandits. Activities begin 8 p.m., and the film starts 9 p.m. Wednesday on the Great Lawn at the gardens, 301 W. Sheridan Ave. Visit myriadgardens.com or call 405-4457080. Wednesday, July 6 Three_Amigos Photo provided.jpg | Photo provided

featured dance is line dancing, 7-10 p.m. July 8. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. FRI Outdoor Adventure Day, interactive activities and fun for all ages; participate and learn about outdoor activities and recreation through seminars and hands-on activities, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 9. Cabela’s, 1200 W. Memorial Road, 405-546-3500, cabelas.com/ oklahomacity. SAT

Free Family Make + Take Art Project: Paper Mache Bowl, work with papier mache paste, paper and other materials to create original colorful bowls, 1-4 p.m. July 9. Oklahoma Contemporary, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT Icons of Badassery, group show featuring the art of Todd Bane; see artistic interpretation of badassery in the years leading up to 1984. Studio 3108, 3108 N. Classen Blvd., 405-210-5701, facebook.com/Studio3108 Lowell Ellsworth Smith: My Theology of Painting, exhibition pulled from the museum’s vault explores the artist’s personal process and approach; featuring watercolor studies and Smith’s own words and observations, it introduces man, his methods and his belief in the power and potential of creative energy.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris, experience the full scope of Henri Matisse’s extraordinary career through nearly 50 of his paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints dating from the late 19th Century to after World War II; including additional major works by Picasso, Renoir, Braque and more. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Missing Pieces, local fiber artist Leigh Martin knits whimsical, detailed flowers in order to celebrate and share her awe at nature’s complexity. The Project Box,

Paddle Boarding in the Gardens, enjoy paddleboarding in the garden’s lake, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 9. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SAT

Rayo OKC vs. Puerto Rico FC, professional soccer game, 8 p.m. July 13. Miller Stadium, 1777 S. Yukon Pkwy., Yukon. WED

VISUAL ARTS Wednesday Wax & Wine, a unique evening of fun, friends and relaxation; enjoy sipping on your favorite beverage while you learn how to paint with beeswax, 6-8 p.m. July 6. Skirvin Hilton Hotel, 1 Park Ave., 405272-3040, skirvinhilton.com. WED

Photo Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park / provided

3003 Paseo St., 405-609-3969, theprojectboxokc.com.

Oklahoma Roots on Route 66, exhibit of original artwork by Shel Wagner featuring a selection of her whimsical, must-see assemblage pieces. Spraycan Creative, 420 West Main St., Yukon, 405-494-0321, spraycancreative.com.

Our Favorites, fun-filled exhibition showing gallery art from new to old including some that has never been seen. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo St. #A, 405- 5252161, inyoureyegallery.com.

Pop-Up Studio, raising awareness of the importance of art and cultural destinations, as well as giving American Indian artists a platform to display their work featuring Chickasaw and Ponca artist Brent Greenwood, through July 8. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., Ste. 100, 405-7678900, exhibitcgallery.com.

The Modernist Spectrum: Color and Abstraction, explore the invigorating ways in which postwar American artists, especially those associated with the Washington Color School, made it new, producing novel work that sought to reinvent abstract art through an alternatively rigorous and playful manipulation of color, line and shape. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

SAT

Barre3 Community Workout, enjoy a free workout in the gardens, 7 p.m. July 11. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. MON

Thursday-Sunday, ongoing

State of Mind, paintings composed of shapes in colorful formations reflecting a myriad of longings and recollections, but also unexpected joys and challenges in day-to-day life by Janice Mathews-Gordon. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

Firefly Hike, the woods of Martin Park Nature Center light up with phosphorescent green when naturalists lead visitors on a family-friendly hike in search of fireflies, nature’s fireworks; a rare chance to explore the park after sunset and learn about the nocturnal activities of the its animals, 9:15 p.m. July 9. Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Road, 405-755-0676, okc.gov/parks.

OKC Wellness and Fitness Expo, featuring strongman and power-lifting competitions, Olympic weightlifting, vendor booths, seminars with local trainers and more, July 9. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 405602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. SAT

Scenes from an Execution Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park (OSP) is known for its renditions of The Bard’s greatest classics, but it also does a great job performing other plays. Howard Barker’s Scenes from an Execution focuses on a commission by a 16thcentury female painter in Venice, Italy, and public reaction to the artwork. OSP artistic director Kathryn McGill, Reduxion Theatre Company founder Tyler Woods and others grace OSP’s stage in Paseo Arts District, 2920 Paseo St., 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, July 14-16 and 21-23 and 2 p.m. July 17.

Tickets are $20-$25. Visit oklahomashakespeare.com or call 405-235-3700.

Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Every year, the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, also known as WoodyFest, celebrates the folk legend’s musical legacy.

This year’s event begins 8 p.m. June 13 with a ticketed Graham Nash concert at Crystal Theatre, 401 W. Broadway St., Okemah. The event continues through July 17 with a variety of free and paid shows. Festival wristbands are $30 for one-day access, $50 for two days and $75 for three days. Visit woodyfest.com.

July 13-17 Steve Poltz at last year’s Woody Guthrie Folk Festival | Photo Guy Zahller / provided

Calendar submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 405528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@ okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For okg live music

see page 40

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MUSIC

Strange Little journey

Garbage returns to Oklahoma for the first time in two decades as it launches its world tour.

By Keaton Bell

More than 20 years after Garbage entered the music scene and rewrote the rules of alternative rock, the foursome is back and just as fierce as ever. It wasn’t uncommon for plenty of ’90s acts to try to retain relevancy going into the new millennium, chasing trends and keeping up with the changing landscape of modern music.

But Garbage never did things that way.

Comprised of gravel-voiced vocalist and guitarist Shirley Manson, Duke Erikson (bass, keys, guitar), Butch Vig (drums, percussion) and Steve Marker (guitar, keys), the group had a sound that stood out in comparison to the era’s saturation of sounds from grunge to bubblegum pop. In fact, the more they eschewed of-the-moment trends in favor of grittier, more politically tinged rock, the more beloved they became.

“The state of the industry right now is totally hit- and single-driven, but we’re kinda stubborn in that we still really like albums,” Marker said during a recent telephone interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “We’re lucky that we don’t really care about that anymore because we know there’s no way we’ll have a single that’s competing with Beyoncé for No. 1, and that’s liberating to let us just do our thing the way we want.”

That’s the sort of unapologetic approach the Wisconsin-formed four-piece had going into its sixth album, Strange Little Birds, released in June. At times light and romantic, at others dark and theatrical, it’s akin to Garbage’s iconic self-titled debut. With a mix

between structured walls of sound (“So We Can Stay Alive”) and stripped-down tracks (“Night Drive Loneliness”), Strange Little Birds manages to sound fresh and innovative while retaining that classic Garbage sound.

Full experience

While bandmates hardly stuck to a formula while recording Strange Little Birds, Marker noted that it was borne out of their love for albums as opposed to a collection of singles.

“I still like the experience of sitting down and going on a journey from the first song all the way through the end of the record, and that doesn’t really happen anymore,” he said. “We wanted to make an album that works from start to finish and top to bottom.”

Garbage members wanted the album to feel cinematic, and Marker said they all tend to see music visually. They like to create moods, emotions and scenes that they hope listeners can relate to, such as nostalgia for simpler times.

“I think a lot of the lyrics draw upon a former romantic time in your life when you’re still figuring things out and how it’s all gonna work out for you, so we wanted to make an album based on the four of us sitting in a room, writing songs,” Marker said.

He added that they would spend days coming up with ideas and going through takes.

“With this album, we really all worked together, and I think it resulted in a stronger band identity,” he said.

Garbage | Photo Murray Chalmers PR / provided

That democratic studio at a version that made evdynamic also has been key to the eryone happy.

Garbage group’s success, with each Band members’ interwith member contributing to almost changeable roles allow the Chevelle, every aspect of the recording group’s creative energy to Kongos and process. They each certainly remain dynamic.

The Unlikely “We’re not stuck on one have a specialty, with Manson’s Candidates emotive contralto and Marker’s person being the guitarist, signature guitar work being big one person playing the 7 p.m. July 13 factors to the band’s dynamic drums,” said Marker, who Brady Theater and recognizable sound. But usually plays guitar but is 105 W. Brady St., Tulsa with all its members so adept in credited as a Strange Little bradytheater.com various aspects of production, it Birds producer and has 866-977-6849 always had a big role in makes sense for Garbage to have $39.50-$45 a much more fluid process when crafting the act’s sound.

“We move around a lot, it comes to making music.

Marker’s love of producing dates back to and that keeps it fresh so we don’t get bored. his youth, when he would spend all day If we get bored, I think we would quit, and that hasn’t happened yet.” picking apart his favorite records.

That should make Oklahoma’s Garbage “Even as a kid, I loved listening to music, trying to analyze [albums] and experimentfans breathe a sigh of relief since the band ing with different sounds and figuring out hasn’t toured here since 1998, when it made why things sounded the way they did,” he stops at Diamond Ballroom in OKC and said. “It was just my love of songs, really, and Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. It returns to Tulsa everybody else in Garbage is really turned July 13 with a Strange Little Birds World Tour on to that as well. It’s one of the reasons we stop at Brady Theater.

Marker has fond memories of the show still love working together in the studio, because it’s sort of a laboratory of possibiliat Cain’s and is excited to return to ties.”

Oklahoma.

“We haven’t been to Oklahoma very Emotional work much, but we can’t wait to get there and see Even after 23 years working together, that all the people who were probably at our laboratory still produces a lot of invention. shows there all those years ago,” he said.

With six albums and numerous side projects While he hopes new fans will make it out between the four, Marker said they still work to the show as well, Marker can’t help but together just as effectively today as they did gush about how much Garbage’s fan-base when they released their 1995 debut. has supported the band over the years.

“We all have to be happy with how some“We’re incredibly lucky and honored that thing’s turning out or it doesn’t happen. We people have chosen to stick with us for so all bring ideas in for songs,” he said, “and long because we respect our fans a lot and then the other people always take it apart try not to bullshit them,” he said. “Their and disassemble it and put it back together devotion makes us very emotional because we see the way our music means so much to in different ways, trying out new directions for songs and going off in weird tangents.” them, and that doesn’t happen a lot these He noted that one of the tracks off the days.” band’s new album, “Magnetized,” was revised about 40 times before they arrived O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 6 , 2 0 1 6

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MUSIC

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Atlas Genius | Photo Frank Maddocks / provided

Atlas rocket

Australia’s Atlas Genius took a direct flight from a home studio in South Australia to alt-rock stardom in the U.S. By George Lang

“We never really belonged to the scene, When they were still teens, Keith and so we worked in virtual isolation,” Jeffery Michael Jeffery of Atlas Genius started said. “Our success was in spite of the scene building a studio in their Adelaide, South more than because of it.”

Australia garage, slowly outfitting it as they The future Atlas Geniuses saw many of played gigs. their fellow musicians get caught in a feedLead guitarist and vocalist Keith Jeffery credits that studio with back loop and fall prey to comgiving Atlas Genius the tools placency. Rather than feed the for creating its melodic, techbeast, the Jefferys chose to Weezer and nologically impressive altwoodshed in their high-tech Panic! rock and paving the way to garage, and the result was the at The Disco the brothers’ current 2011 song “Trojans,” a debut with Atlas success. single that satisfied their own Genius “It went beyond the artistic curiosity. typical home studio,” Keith “You can easily just rest on 7 p.m. July 16 Jeffery said during a recent your laurels and not evolve,” The Zoo interview with Oklahoma Jeffery said. “We wanted to Amphitheatre Gazette. “We decked it out to create music that we genu2101 NE 50th St. the point that, to be honest, inely loved and not because thezooamphitheatre. it matches the studios we’ve there were 50 girls coming to com recorded in since.” the show every week. I’m in 1-866-977-6849 The band performs July Los Angeles at the moment, $39.50-$72 16 at The Zoo Amphitheatre and you can see bands doing as part of Weezer and Panic! the same thing because it at the Disco’s summer 2016 tour. makes them feel warm and fuzzy about what Jeffery characterized the studio as being they’re doing, but in the grand scheme of “born out of necessity.” Despite a population things, is it really true to their musical instincts?” of 1.3 million, Adelaide did not offer a great The Atlas Genius strategy resulted in a deal of options for young brothers looking to bring their music to fruition. So the gold rush. Influential music blog Neon Gold Jefferys racked up weekend gigs around the featured the tune, and within a few months, city and poured that money into finishing the group was stateside and signed to their studio.

Warner Bros. Records, suddenly needing to “We’d save up the cash from those shows, fill out a full album to go around the bright Phoenix-style groove of “Trojans.” and then the next week, we’d go out and buy whatever we needed for that week’s conThe resulting record, When It Was Now, struction, like the panels for the wood floorcracked into the U.S. Top 40 after its 2013 ing, that kind of thing,” he said. “We put release, and its 2015 follow-up, Inanimate everything back into that project.”

Objects, is proceeding apace. The band’s new That studio became emblematic of the single, “Balladino,” features a striking stopgroup’s incredible self-sufficiency and hasanimated video paying tribute to their tened Atlas Genius’ rise on U.S. alt-rock grandfathers’ service in World War II. While the group moves forward with a radio thanks to hits “Trojans,” “If So” and “Molecules.” At the same time, the group busy touring schedule this summer and fall, chose not to affiliate with much of the including a performance at Austin City Adelaide scene, which Jeffery said was Limits in October, Jeffery said they are dominated by pop-punk groups. Atlas already working on new material.

Genius’ thoughtful melodicism had no place “We’re recording at the moment, and we in that environment, so the Jeffery brothers have a bunch of songs that could be on the next album, or an EP,” he said. became studio rats and worked hard to perfect their craft.

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Musical memorial

Finis “Tony” Bailey’s left son, Alan Bailey, started Rock Out Cancer in 2014 in his honor.

Photo provided

said that six or seven bands participated the first year. The event continued to expand.

“I added two bands this year. I actually had to turn down like three more,” he said.

According to Bailey, Jim Spalding, lead singer of Blind Date — a band that has played Rock Out Cancer the previous two years — suggested he add a 5K race to the event. Bailey agreed, and Spalding took on the responsi-

bilities for the race.

Rock Out Cancer III features music from nine bands, a 5K run and a silent auction. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit organization Stand Up to Cancer. Bailey chose the organization for its positive financial reputation.

“Some of the older, [more] established cancer charities — they’re really not that great, as far as administration costs instead of actual research,” Bailey said.

The first and second Rock Out Cancer events generated about $3,000 each for cancer research. Money raised from event T-shirt sales also goes to Stand Up to Cancer.

“Raising a family, you don’t always have a lot of extra money to donate to charities, and this really gives us an opportunity to make a difference,” Bailey said. “It makes us feel like we’re doing something.”

He did most of the planning for the first year’s events, along with help from friends

and family. He credited his mother as being supportive of both his musical career and Rock Out Cancer.

“My mom is the number one bookkeeper, and she runs all the auctions during the concerts when I’m helping out with the bands and also performing,” said Bailey.

Although the community has been largely supportive, Bailey also mentioned naysayers.

Some have complained about the Rock Out Cancer events being held in clubs, where smoking is allowed.

For Bailey, the choice to hold Rock Out Cancer III in a club is practical.

“We’ve tried it at other venues — there’s a lot less infrastructure and there’s a lot more you have to do,” he said.

This year’s Rock Out Cancer III event is July 16 at The Landing Zone, 8720 SE 15th St., in Midwest City. Bailey said he and other volunteers will begin setting up for the 5K at 7 a.m., the run begins at 9 a.m. and bands start playing at 4 p.m. Doors to the silent auction open at 3 p.m., and it continues until right before the last band performs. The Facebook page Rock Out Cancer III offers more information.

With Rock Out Cancer III, Alan Bailey pays tribute to his father through music while continuing to help the fight against cancer.

“I’m always amazed at how much people want to help,” Bailey said.

08.19

09.12

10.04

An Oklahoma man continues his father’s legacy through a concert and a commitment to Rock Out Cancer. By Ian Jayne

Alan Bailey’s father, Finis “Tony” Bailey, died from lymphoma in 2012. The loss spurred Bailey into action, and he subsequently created Rock Out Cancer, an annual fundraiser for cancer research.

“It just inspired me and my family to do something to try to fund cancer research,” Bailey said.

Bailey, a vocalist in the band Brown Note, shared a love of music with his father.

“He was always really supportive of anything I wanted to do musically. He taught me how to play,” he said. “He was always my biggest fan.”

He merged his musical passions with his desire to help find a cure for cancer when planning the inaugural Rock Out Cancer event.

“The first thing I did was ask some of my musician friends, and the response was just really amazing,” Bailey said. “It seems like everybody else had also lost somebody from cancer or knew somebody who had cancer.”

Over the past three years, Rock Out Cancer has grown in size and scope. Bailey

07.18

10.05

Rock Out Cancer Rockin’ 5K Run/Walk 9 a.m. July 16 8720 SE 15th St., Midwest City active.com $26-$35

Rock Out Cancer concert 4 p.m.-midnight July 16 8720 SE 15th St., Midwest City standup2cancer.org free

10.25

10.27

12.03

Tickets Available At CriterionOKC.com Or Order By Phone By Calling 1.800.745.3000 Purchase Tickets At Our Box Office From 12pm-5pm On Weekdays For Premium Seating Or Season Ticket Info Contact: MorganKatz@Livenation.com O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u ly 6 , 2 0 1 6

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live music These are events recommended

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

WEDNESDAY, 7.6 Maurice Johnson, The R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ Troyboi, Kamps 1310 Lounge.

ELECTRONIC

THURSDAY, 7.7 Black Water Creek, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Darrell Blanchard/Elecktra/Imago, Sauced on Paseo. ACOUSTIC Garage Band jam, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Joey Lemon/Samantha Crain, Gray Owl Coffee, Norman. SINGER/SONGWRITER SquadLive, Red Rock Canyon Grill. VARIOUS

FRIDAY, 7.8 Alien Ant Farm/Perish Lane/5 Dollar Thrill, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Brandon Jenkins, The Blue Door.

Kyle Reid and the Low Swingin’ Chariots Reverie will be in full swing at July’s Summer Breeze concert in Norman. Kyle Reid and the Low Swingin’ Chariots put a new twist on familiar New Orleans, Gypsy jazz and Western swing sounds. Guests are advised to bring their own seating. The free show begins 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Lions Park, 450 S. Flood Ave., in Norman. Visit normandepot.org or call 405-307-9320.

Sunday Photo The Depot / provided Zakk Wylde/Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown/ Jared James Nichols, Diamond Ballroom. Rock

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Cherry Death, 51st Street Speakeasy. ROCK

SUNDAY, 7.10

Chuck Inglish/Alex Wiley/Josh Sallee, OKC Farmers Public Market. HIP-HOP

Blues Jam with Dirty Red & The Soulshakers, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES

Connor Hicks Band/Skytown, Power House.

Bruise/Shywriter/Carvist/RLSS, First Pastafarian Church of Norman, Norman. ROCK

Drive, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ROCK

Camille Harp/John Calvin Abney, Mustang Brewing Company. SINGER/SONGWRITER

ROCK

Elizabeth Speegle Band, La Luna Cantina & Grill, Newcastle. JAZZ Forum/Tallows, Anthem Brewing Company. ROCK Groovement, The Vanguard, Tulsa. ROCK Legends, Remington Park. ROCK Lisa and Laura, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC Luna Jamboree, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Marianas Trench/Skylar Stecker, Diamond Ballroom. POP Martha Stallings, Lottinvilles Restaurant, Edmond. VARIOUS Michael Kleid, Fuze Buffet & Bar. VARIOUS Scattered Hamlet, Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar. ROCK Shortt Dogg, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES Street Kings, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK What She Said/Guns Drums & Steel, Brewskeys.

Edgar Cruz, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. ACOUSTIC Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER Stitched Up Heart/Heartbreak Heroes/All That I am, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Twilight Concert Series: Direct Connect, Myriad Botanical Gardens. JAZZ

MONDAY, 7.11 Outline In Color/It Lives It Breathes, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

TUESDAY, 7.12 David Amram, The Blue Door. JAZZ North Meets South, The Depot, Norman.

COUNTRY

Soul Time Tuesday with DJ Tom Hudson, Blue Note Lounge. VARIOUS

ROCK

SATURDAY, 7.9 98°/O-Town/Dream/Ryan Cabrera, Brady Theater, Tulsa. POP Boyz Night Out, Remington Park. VARIOUS Daniel Jordan, Fuze Buffet & Bar. ACOUSTIC Dirty Red & The Soulshakers, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Divisible by None, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, 7.13 Candlebox, The State Theatre, Harrah. ROCK Faun and a Pan Flute/Sun Riah/Rachel Brashear, Power House. VARIOUS Fun Button/Larry Chin/Tomas Gorrio & the Traveling Gypsy, First Pastafarian Church of Norman, Norman. ROCK Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

Jason Young Band, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COUNTRY Jon D Hale, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Kansas, Frontier City. ROCK Life Lessons/Keeper/Wallclouds, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Matt Blagg, Red Rock Canyon Grill. BLUES Ravens Three, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK The Suspects, TapWerks Ale House & Cafe.

REGGAE

Walter Taylor III / Taylor Made Jazz, [Artspace] at Untitled. Jazz

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Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 405528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@ okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

puzzles

VOL. XXXVIII No. 27

New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Sports-Page Headlines

By Priscilla Clark and Jeff Chen | Edited by Will Shortz | 0703 ACROSS 1 Foyer fixture 9 Paratroopers’ gear 15 Building material for an 80-Across

(in two different ways?)

20 Unsympathetic response to a complainer 21 Warhol’s “Campbell’s Tomato

Juice Box,” e.g.

22 Italian vessel?

23 Conflict at sea 26 Asia’s ____ Sea 27 Geological flat top 28 Staple at a luau 29 Orange Pixar character 30 Main character in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis 32 River ____ (tributary of the Thames) 34 Balls or fire preceder 37 Way off 40 Decides, in a way 44 Dura ____ (brain membrane) 46 “That’s more than I want to know!”

47 Parenting problem at a zoo 52 Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, e.g.

53 Spill one’s secrets 54 “The Governator” 55 Focus of study for Niels Bohr 56 Lead-in to dealer or dialer 59 Winter Palace resident 61 Particulars, in slang 62 Logician’s word 63 Show weariness 65 Eight days after the nones 67 Choice word?

69 Cold War synopsis 74 Rimes with rhymes 75 Othello, for one 76 “Kewl!”

77 Catch 80 See 15-Across 83 It may be recounted 85 Be highly esteemed 87 Not mad 88 Roger Bannister, notably 89 Word repeated in James Brown’s

“It’s a ____ ____ ____ World” 91 “Please show some compassion!”

94 Show of respect at the Vatican 99 Wood in Lucius Malfoy’s wand 100 Dear one?

101 Rapt 102 Twosome 104 Incapacitate, in a way 105 Inside the NBA airer 106 Yemen, once 111 Subj. for a radio astronomer 113 One in a gray suit, for short 115 Most-applied-to sch. in the U.S. 119 Split pair 120 Overthrow of a monarchy 126 Smart ____ 127 Only guest host in the 21 years of Leno’s The Tonight Show 128 It requires a balancing act 129 City of Light, informally 130 Gives the old heave-ho 131 Faulty connections?

DOWN

1 Food ____ (feelings after big meals) 2 John who wrote Appointment

in Samarra 3 Hussein : Obama :: ____ : Garfield 4 “Through many dangers, ____

and snares I have already come”

(“Amazing Grace” lyric) 5 Burgundy of Anchorman 6 “Pardon …”

7 Heart 8 Big name in headphones 9 Number cruncher, for short 10 Short shorts 11 Until 12 The Seal of Solomon and others 13 Before, poetically 14 Letters on many a racecar 15 Part of a plot 16 ____ queen 17 Pitched poorly 18 Queen ____ 19 SAT org.

24 Raft material 25 Pentium creator 31 Profess 33 Long stretch 35 Supercontinent of 200 million

years ago 36 “____ be my pleasure” 38 Scope 39 Climbs

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Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn, Saundra Rinearson Godwin, Elizabeth Riddle, Nathan Ward, Joel Scott EDITOR-in-chief Jennifer Palmer Chancellor jchancellor@okgazette.com

68 Org. with the Eddie Eagle safety program 70 Tree with catkins 71 Charms 72 Long stretch 73 Delicacy usually eaten as an appetizer 78 Marching band?

79 Queen ____ (pop music nickname) 80 Stoked 81 Deli roll 82 Rubens or Raphael 84 Gets fitted for a suit?

86 Drive-____ 87 Pool site 90 Leave runny on the inside, say 92 Compete

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers

93 Leftovers 95 Once-common campus event 96 Welcome to the fold?

97 Downside 98 Go haywire 103 Clear for takeoff?

107 OutKast chart-topper 108 On the button 109 Southern beauty 110 Low mounts?

112 Take a hit 114 Sein : German :: ____ : French 116 Cotton or country follower 117 Siberian river 118 Dry 120 Time out?

121 ____ russe 122 A card?

123 Deli offering 124 Alternatives to Macs 125 What a constant hand-washer

probably has, for short

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G E T A T O A N N E T E O D O D M A A N O E S T S I A F L Y L S

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

Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering Staff reporters Greg Elwell, Laura Eastes, Ben Luschen Contributors George Lang Photographer Garett Fisbeck Editorial & PHotography Interns Keaton Bell, Candice Macis, Hannah Meeske, Erick Perry, Emmy Verdin Marketing & Editorial Intern Ian Jayne Marketing Intern Diondra Ross Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley ASSISTANT Circulation Manager Duke Fleischer Art Director Chris Street

Puzzle No. 0626, which appeared in the June 29 issue.

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Advertising Director Christy Duane, cduane@okgazette.com Account Executive / Advertising assistant Leah Roberts

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41 World of Warcraft beast 42 Waver of a wand 43 Bathroom tile shade 45 Prepped 47 Cowardly Lion harasser 48 Bathroom bar 49 The Pink Panther, in The Pink Panther 50 Takes the place of, in batting 51 Seventh film in the Rocky series 52 ____ characters (basic means of

writing Chinese) 57 “____ the season …”

58 Leftover 60 Hardly original works 63 Curled one’s lip 64 Police-blotter letters 66 Fair-hiring inits.

Marketing Manager Kelsey Lowe Accounting/HR Manager Marian Harrison

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Associate Publisher James Bengfort

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

publisher Bill Bleakley

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Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com Grid n°5180 easy

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41

free will astrology Homework: Imagine that thanks to scientific breakthroughs and good luck, you're alive in 2096. What's your life like?

FreeWillAstrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Events in the coming

week may trick your mind and tweak your heart. They might mess with your messiah complex and wreak havoc on your habits. But I bet they will also energize your muses and add melodic magic to your mysteries.

They will slow you down in such a way as to speed up your evolution, and spin you in circles with such lyrical grace that you may become delightfully clear-headed.

Will you howl and moan? Probably, but more likely out of poignant joy, not from angst and anguish. Might you be knocked off course? Perhaps, but by a good influence, not a bad one.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) In the book A Survival

Guide to the Stress of Organizational Change, the authors tell you how to raise your stress levels. Assume that others are responsible for lowering your stress levels, they say. Resolve not to change anything about yourself.

Hold on to everything in your life that's expendable.

Fear the future. Get embroiled in trivial battles. Try to win new games as you play by old rules. Luckily, the authors also offer suggestions on how to reduce your stress. Get good sleep, they advise. Exercise regularly.

Don't drink too much caffeine. Feel lots of gratitude.

Clearly define a few strong personal goals, and let go of lesser wishes. Practice forgiveness and optimism. Talk to yourself with kindness. Got all that, Taurus? It's an excellent place to start as you formulate your strategy for the second half of 2016.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Normally I'm skeptical

about miraculous elixirs and sudden cures and stupendous breakthroughs. I avoid fantasizing about a "silver bullet" that can simply and rapidly repair an entrenched problem. But I'm setting aside my caution as I evaluate your prospects for the coming months.

While I don't believe that a sweeping transformation is guaranteed, I suspect it's far more likely than usual.

I suggest you open your mind to it.

By Rob Brezny

CANCER (June 21-July 22) As I gaze into my crystal ball and invoke a vision of your near future, I find you communing with elemental energies that are almost beyond your power to control. But I'm not worried, because I also see that the spirit of fun is keeping you safe and protected. Your playful strength is fully unfurled, ensuring that love always trumps chaos. This is a dream come true: You have a joyous confidence as you explore and experiment with the Great Unknown, trusting in your fluidic intuition to guide you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

"You can only go halfway into the darkest forest," says a Chinese proverb. "Then you are coming out the other side." You will soon reach that midpoint, Leo. You may not recognize how far you have already come, so it's a good thing I'm here to give you a heads-up. Keep the faith! Now here's another clue: As you have wandered through the dark forest, you've been learning practical lessons that will come in handy during the phase of your journey that will begin after your birthday.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) My devoted contingent

of private detectives, intelligence agents, and psychic sleuths is constantly wandering the globe gathering data for me to use in creating your horoscopes. In recent days, they have reported that many of you Virgos are seeking expansive visions and mulling long-term decisions. Your tribe seems unusually relaxed about the future, and is eager to be emancipated from shrunken possibilities. Crucial in this wonderful development has been an inclination to stop obsessing on small details and avoid being distracted by transitory concerns. Hallelujah! Keep up the good work. Think BIG! BIGGER! BIGGEST!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) After years of painstaking

research, the psychic surgeons at the Beauty and Truth Lab have finally perfected the art and science of Zodiac Makeovers. Using a patented technique known as Mythic Gene Engineering, they are able to transplant the planets of your horoscope into different signs and astrological houses from the ones you were born with.

Let's say your natal Jupiter suffers from an uncongenial

List your event in

aspect with your Moon. The psychic surgeons cut and splice according to your specifications, enabling you to be re-coded with the destiny you desire.

Unfortunately, the cost of this pioneering technology is still prohibitive for most people. But here's the good news, Libra: In the coming months, you will have an unprecedented power to reconfigure your life's path using other, less expensive, purely natural means.

be applicable this month. My devotion to following your ever-shifting story keeps me enjoyably offbalance, propelling me free of habit and predictability.

I'm grateful for your influence on me! Now I suggest that you compose a few thank-you notes similar to the one I've written here. Address them to the people in your life who move you and feed you and transform you the best.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) In high school I was a

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

good athlete with a promising future as a baseball player. But my aspirations were aborted in sophomore year when the coach banished me from the team. My haircut and wardrobe were too weird, he said. I may have been a skillful shortstop, but my edgy politics made him nervous and mad. At the time I was devastated by his expulsion. Playing baseball was my passion. But in retrospect I was grateful. The coach effectively ended my career as a jock, steering me toward my true callings: poetry and music and astrology. I invite you to identify a comparable twist in your own destiny, Scorpio. What unexpected blessings came your way through a seeming adversary?

The time is ripe to lift those blessings to the next level.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Do you remember

that turning point when you came to a fork in the road of your destiny at a moment when your personal power wasn't strong? And do you recall how you couldn't muster the potency to make the most courageous choice, but instead headed in the direction that seemed easier? Well, here's some intriguing news: Your journey has delivered you, via a convoluted route, to a place not too far from that original fork in the road.

It's possible you could return there and revisit the options — which are now more mature and meaningful — with greater authority. Trust your exuberance.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) I love writing

horoscopes for you. Your interest in my insights spurs my creativity and makes me smarter. As I search for the inspiration you need next, I have to continually reinvent my approach to finding the truth. The theories I had about your destiny last month may not

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Concierge Care in home assistance 24/7 Pete and Debbie Garrett

Submissions must be received by

Oklahoma Gazette no later than

After an Illinois man's wife whacked him in the neck with a hatchet, he didn't hold a grudge. Just the opposite. Speaking from a hospital room while recovering from his life-threatening wound, Thomas Deas testified that he still loved his attacker, and hoped they could reconcile. Is this admirable or pathetic?

I'll go with pathetic. Forgiving one's allies and loved ones for their mistakes is wise, but allowing and enabling their maliciousness and abuse should be taboo. Keep that standard in mind during the coming weeks, Aquarius. People close to you may engage in behavior that lacks full integrity. Be compassionate but tough-minded in your response.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Can water run uphill? Not usually. But there's an eccentric magic circulating in your vicinity, and it could generate phenomena that are comparable to water running uphill. I wouldn't be surprised, either, to see the equivalent of stars coming out in the daytime. Or a mountain moving out of your way. Or the trees whispering an oracle exactly when you need it. Be alert for anomalous blessings, Pisces. They may be so different from what you think is possible that they could be hard to recognize.

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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