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CONTENTS 52

10

ON THE COVER

Oklahoma Gazette’s Best of OKC capped off its 31st annual readerdriven awards program with a record number of votes in a record number of categories. We still can’t possibly honor everyone, so a few years ago, we created Rest of OKC. We celebrate top scorers in fantasy categories like Best Mustache That Looks Like a Living Organism, Best Reader Write-Ins and Best Performing Arts WTF. P.26

NEWS

10

County: jail series, part 2 Education: ACT tests City: MAPS 4 neighborhoods

12

Chicken-Fried News

14

Commentary

14

Letters

4 6

50

24

LIFE

LIFE

16

OKG picks

43

21

Food & Drink: Oktoberfest, Thirst for a Cause, OKG eat: milkshakes

Performing Arts: CityRep/OETA Emmy

44

Sudoku / Crossword

47

Active: Splash ’n Dash

49

Music: John Prine, Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis, listings

26

Best of OKC Results

27

Cover: Rest of OKC

39

Best of OKC photos

52

Film: Army of Frankensteins

40

Visual Arts: Skip Hill mural

53

Astrology

53

Classifieds

Find the full list of Best of OKC winners at okgazette.com.

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

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news county

Sharp reflections

Taxing consequences Forrest “Butch” Freeman

Flaws were built into the current jail, and a new election to garner revenue for a new detention facility might be on the way.

Lessons learned

By Jack Money

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t y Ja i L

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Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of an ongoing series about Oklahoma County Jail, its development and history, ongoing structural issues and possible remedies. Visit okgazette. com for ongoing coverage, supporting documentation and more.

Ok

Accountability. More than anything else, this dominates Oklahoma County’s elected leaders’ thoughts as they and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce ponder the possibility of calling an election asking voters to consider two jail-related proposed sales taxes.

The first is a five-year penny sales tax to raise money to build a new 2,800-cell county jail costing an estimated $365 million and renovate the county’s juvenile justice facility.

The second is a permanent half-cent sales tax that would take effect after the expiration of the first. It would provide funds to operate the new jail and juvenile justice facility.

Why is accountability so important?

Controversies surrounding the current jail’s design and construction are remembered by many voters, even today.

Other counties also learned from mistakes the county made nearly 30 years ago when it came to designing, building and operating a jail. The task for county leaders now is to convince the electorate they won’t make the same mistakes again.

What went wrong?

When it came to Oklahoma County’s

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current jail, the county’s district attorney empaneled a grand jury to ask that very question in March 1995.

Months later, the panel’s findings criticized the way the Oklahoma County Board of County Commissioners selected the jail’s designers and also took issue with the way the commission chose to keep tabs on how it was designed and built.

It also faulted the commission for not redesigning the jail and re-advertising for bids when it discovered estimates for the original design were too expensive, and criticized the way value-engineering decisions were made by the design team and builders after commissioners chose to proceed with the project anyway.

Critical decisions

The grand jury felt Oklahoma County should have used a professional process to evaluate potential design firms for the jail.

During the late 1980s, individual commissioners decided who to hire as architects or engineers for projects within his or her jurisdiction. In cases where a project involved the entire county, commissioners rotated that responsibility among themselves.

Those decisions, unlike those made by the City of Oklahoma City, did not necessarily consider design firms’ expertise in certain types of projects.

In the case of Oklahoma County’s jail, the international engineering and architectural firm HTB and Oklahoma City architectural and planning firm RGDC sought the job, and one commissioner, with the agreement of the other two, selected both.

One such decision involved glass block windows that initially provided an escape avenue for inmates on lower floors after the jail opened. The grand jury noted designers deviated from a Durrant Group recommendation to use steel barreinforced polycarbonate windows to make openings too small for inmates to squeeze through.

That recommendation, the grand jury said, became a focal point of controversy. If bars were located inside cell windows, Sheriff J.D. Sharp worried inmates might use them to tie ropes, strings or sheets that could be used in a suicide attempt. Architects, meanwhile, did not want bars on window exteriors because of how they would impact the building’s appearance.

They ultimately settled upon a design that was not submitted to the Durrant Group for review and turned out not to be of detention quality, the grand jury noted.

The grand jury showed some understanding about the choice, noting both design firms were established local operations with good reputations.

It also noted that HTB and RGDC recognized going in that they had no experience in jail design and that commissioners followed the designers’ recommendation to hire a consulting firm that did, The Durrant Group.

Another critical decision impacting the jail involved selecting a project manager. In that case, just one man was hired for the job, despite his recommendation that the county spend considerably more money to bring aboard a team of inspectors.

“It is our conclusion that the commissioners did not serve the best interests of the citizens when selecting the architectural and engineering team for the Oklahoma County Jail,” the grand jury stated in its report, adding the selections were “the beginning foundation of a chain of confusion and errors which caused many of the problems” with the jail’s construction.

Those errors, the grand jury stated, were compounded by poor communication between the sheriff, commissioners, the jail’s design team and the project’s construction manager.

That resulted in a situation where “decisions were made on behalf of the county regarding important details of construction that were not presented to the board of county commissioners.

In most cases, the architects, the inspector or the county engineer assumed responsibility that should have remained with the commissioners.”

Forrest “Butch” Freeman, Oklahoma County’s treasurer, was a deputy to Treasurer Joe B. Barnes when the jail opened in 1991.

Freeman noted that today’s county government operates more professionally now compared to then and added that the experience of running such a large jail has benefitted the organization. He said its plan to seek one tax to build a new one and another to operate it is the most prudent course to follow, and perhaps one the county should have considered 30 years ago.

“The thought at that time was we would always be leasing out enough cells to bring in enough dollars from the federal government and other entities so that we wouldn’t have to worry about operational dollars,” Freeman said. “That was a mistake. I am not sure we ever could have leased out enough cells to get enough money to pay for operating that jail [even if it had no problems].”

Since the grand jury met, finding money to operate and continue to improve the jail hasn’t been easy.

When Sheriff John Whetsel took office in 1997 after beating Sheriff Sharp in the Democratic primary and then winning a general election for the office, he made significant changes to jail operations and slowly worked to improve its functionality.

It has been an uphill climb, however, with the county using funds from wherever it could get them, often from the sheriff’s own budget.

And when Whetsel asked voters in 2003 to support a permanent, 4/10th-cent sales tax to raise funds for further jail improvements and pay for enhanced county law enforcement efforts, he was rejected by a 4-1 margin.

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Free ACT

The Oklahoma State Department of Education joins 21 other states that offer free ACT tests to public high school juniors.

By Brett Dickerson

Last week, State School Superintendent Joy Hofmeister launched a pilot program that allows public high school juniors to take a critical college entrance exam this year.

“This pilot is something that we know will change lives and will also lift our state,” Hofmeister said at a press conference last Wednesday.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education estimated free ACT tests will cost about $1.5 and allow an additional 22,000 students to take the test who wouldn’t otherwise be able to.

Previously, students paid compulsory test-related fees or applied for fee waivers that required documentation of their parents’ income. Now, it is free for any junior who wants to take it.

Also, the program calls for exams

to be administered during school hours instead of Saturdays, lessening the burden on working students who often would have to request time off or take unpaid leave in order to take the tests.

The new test time also removes a barrier that rural and low-income students encountered when finding or paying for weekend transportation.

Twenty-one other states offer free ACT tests to public school students.

Oklahoma’s program is funded with testing allocations already available to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

ACT is an abbreviation of the exam’s original name, American College Testing Inc. The nonprofit group reported that over 1.84 million high school graduates took the test in 2014. It was first offered

in 1959 as a competitor to the Scholastic Aptitude Test, now known as the SAT.

Broad support

The Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration recently reported that almost 400 school district leaders across the state, including 18 in Oklahoma County, support using one academic school day to voluntarily administer no-cost ACT tests to high school juniors in their districts.

Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Rob Neu also highlighted benefits of the pilot program, which is voluntary for both school districts and students.

“I like to think about public education as not being a competitive sport that produces winners and losers,”

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Neu said. “Our job is to not select or sort kids in or out but to give them the opportunities to be successful in our system.”

This year’s Oklahoma City Public Schools numbers show that 1,700 juniors are enrolled in the district.

Spokeswoman Tierney Tinnin said the initiative allows a large number of them to take the ACT. School leadership wasn’t the only group to praise the announcement.

Millwood High School junior Teria Rogers told Oklahoma Gazette “the continueD on page 9

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news eDucation no-cost act testing the cooperative council for oklahoma school administration recently reported that almost 400 school district leaders across the state support using one academic school day to voluntarily administer no-cost act tests to public high school juniors in their districts. below are how many district leaders in oklahoma county and surrounding counties endorsed the initiative.

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Source: ACT Engagement Survey via Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration

majority of [her] friends” couldn’t take the ACT before due to work and travel conflicts.

Hofmeister agreed and added that those conflicts also were impediments for many rural and urban students.

Some traveled as far as 50 miles to get to testing sites.

Northwest Classen High School counselor Davina Coleman offered one word to best describe the program’s impact: huge.

“I would venture to say a minimum of 90 percent of [students] use the fee waiver,” she said.

Sixty-three percent of Classen juniors took the ACT last year.

Coleman predicted far more will be able to take the no-cost exam this year, which also allows them more valuable test-taking experience. She said students can then apply for up to two fee waivers if they need or want to retake them later.

However, some members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives criticized the pilot program and how it was funded.

Rep. Jason Nelson, R-OKC, focused on the $1.5 million price tag, arguing that Hofmeister “has identified a surplus of $1.5 million.”

He countered that those funds should instead be used to help shore up a

Our job is to not select or sort kids in or out but to give them the opportunities to be successful.

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Speaker of the House Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, also objected, saying the Legislature learned of the program only a week before it was announced. He said the project announcement goes against legislation passed last year that requires new education standards to be developed “before making any further testing decisions.”

At last week’s press conference, however, Hofmeister reminded the public that the ACT is not a state-mandated test; it is a national standardized test, and students decide whether or not they will take it.

All four-year U.S. colleges and universities use the ACT in some way to help them determine student admission.

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New MAPS An OKC group wants the next MAPS to start with neighborhoods.

By Brett Dickerson

One group of young civic activists want half of the money spent on a possible Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) 4 plan to focus on strengthening neighborhoods through “connectivity, health and culture.”

The group calls itself MAPS 4 Neighborhoods and is active on the Twitter account @MAPS4Neighbors and a community page, facebook. com/maps4neighborhoods.

The group of civic activists is not against a new MAPS 4, but there needs to be a different approach from the ones used before, according to Jonathan Dodson and Camal Pennington, who discussed the informal group’s desires for OKC’s future.

The result of their MAPS idea would be that “our neighborhoods would be as great as our downtown,” Pennington said.

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The first MAPS started in 1993 and has gone through three iterations.

Large civic improvement projects over the years have been paid for by a 1-cent sales tax that OKC voters supported in successive votes as each plan reached its time limit.

“If you look at the success of MAPS when you talk to anyone across the country, they know about Oklahoma,” said Dodson, a developer in OKC. “It’s this crazy place that somehow figured out how to tax themselves and pay up front with cash for all of these projects that make our city better.”

The MAPS extra sales tax is considered novel because it has allowed the projects to be paid for with cash from tax collections rather than the usual bond issue route, which is how cities borrow money from investors to pay it back over time with interest.

Camal Pennington, a member of the maPS 4 neighborhoods group, at n.e. 50th Street and everest avenue in the Wildwood neighborhood.

The MAPS 4 idea is being considered as a follow-up to the MAPS 3 tax, which reaches its sunset in 2017. Construction is projected to extend into 2021.

So far, the largest citizen input has been in voting for the additional sales tax as each successive MAPS program was put before the people.

And citizens’ councils have given input over the years. The second effort, MAPS for Kids, had the most feedback from school constituents for building additions.

As for the current program, the OKC government website, okc. gov, lists 10 citizens on the MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board plus one city council member. Each board member leads a subcommittee with approximately 60 other citizens.

By comparison, in July, OKC’s population was just over 620,000.

neighboring thoughts

Pennington and Dodson believe it is time to listen to neighborhood leaders first, then spend money how each area needs it.

“Particularly with the culture part of our goal with MAPS for Neighborhoods,” Pennington said, “we want to try to show that each part of OKC is unique and celebrates that uniqueness in the way that it looks so people take pride in the communities that they live in.”

Dodson said their plan was similar to MAPS for Kids in that it calls for engaging citizens throughout the city.

He said their plan is for MAPS 4 to go where people live.

“It will look differently for each neighborhood,” Dodson said.

Their decentralized approach is mostly new to the MAPS process; in years past, projects were developed by a group of leaders and city staff, presented to the people before the tax vote and then executed.

If the group has its way, the vote for MAPS 4 will be to fund a process. Then projects will come out of the process.

Be heard

Both Pennington and Dodson said several areas were left out of prior MAPS developments.

They identified Capitol Hill and OKC’s east side as neglected when past decisions were made.

“It’s not like the northeast side has been silent for the last 60 years and the people in my neighborhood [Gatewood] have been more vocal,” Dodson said.

“They just haven’t been heard.

What we are trying to do is … give them a mechanism to be heard.”

Pennington was hopeful about the impact of this plan on his home ward, Ward 7, which covers all of OKC roughly east of Santa Fe Avenue and north of SE 44th Street.

“With the resources that MAPS can provide, people have that opportunity to build the community in their own interests,” Pennington said.

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CHiCKEN CKEN

FRiED NEWS

Pot luck

Edmond is going to pot. That is, if vandals have their way.

A group of no-good thugs are breaking into cars, ringing doorbells and … defecating on doorsteps.

The latter has residents on the edge of their seats, wondering what kind of person would do such a thing, according to a KOCO.com story.

“That’s kind of disturbing. I don’t think normal people would do that,” Edmond resident Kevin Tran told the TV news outlet.

As investigators look for poop scoops, we here at the Gazette think we know exactly what kind of person would do that. (No, not Gazette food writers.)

This case reeks of Kids These Days.

Obviously the perps were relieving their grinding, oppressive boredom.

Our thoughts were echoed by Guillermo Silva, another resident who told KOCO.com that neighborhood crime increases during the summer months.

“Summer’s coming to an end, but it’s maybe kids goofing off and doing that

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kind of stuff,” he said.

Now that school is back in session, we also suspect the dung defiling gets flushed into the neighborhood’s past.

Affair-well cheaters

We’re not mad. We’re disappointed.

It wasn’t a huge surprise when word came out that some okc. gov and ok.gov email addresses were among those revealed in the Ashley Madison hacks.

Ashley Madison is a “matchmaking” website for adulterers, which is kind of genius. If you haven’t heard of anybody finding a date on PleaseDateMe.com, then that site probably sucks. But you’re never supposed to know about anyone having success with Ashley Madison, so if it doesn’t work, you can’t complain to your spouse or friends.

Forget for a moment that adultery is at best in a moral gray area: The most glaring error these people made was using

their work email addresses.

Do you know quickly someone can set up a Gmail or Yahoo or AOL address?

About as long as it takes someone to read this far. If the 25 local government employees whose email addresses were leaked weren’t smart enough to do that, it’s hard to believe they would successfully fool their dearly beloved marriage partners.

It looks as if the City of OKC isn’t too impressed either. Word is it will update its IT policy in response to the revelations.

In the interim, “outed” employees might consider updating their LinkedIn profiles.

Incentivizing politics

Like a virus, what started as a political attempt to thwart Planned Parenthood threatens to engulf the entire medical research community.

Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, recently sent a letter to University of Oklahoma President David Boren, asking

if “the OU Health Science Center or any entities associate[d] with the University of Oklahoma are doing any research using fetal tissue, no matter how it might have been obtained.”

In a media statement, Ritze claimed “the research community is incentivizing abortion clinics,” and “The American public is outraged.”

Eh, not exactly.

Ritze owns family practice in which he has “delivered over 2,000 babies,” according to his official website.

In the 1930s, fetal cells helped create vaccines for polio, rubella, chicken pox and shingles.

And, guess what?! Infectious disease specialist Paul Offit recently told Huffington Post that rubella “caused 5,000 spontaneous abortions a year prior to the vaccine.”

Scientists also use the material to find and develop treatments for juvenile diabetes, cancer, autism, schizophrenia, HIV and AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, vision loss, Ebola and Huntington’s disease.

We’re no doctors, but we think any family medical practice would look a whole lot different without those advancements.

According to the American Society for Cell Biology, this material comes from donors, “hospitals, nonprofit tissue banks, and, in some cases (emphasis ours), abortion clinics.”

Additionally, HHS also states “renumeration and compensation” is prohibited “except payment for reasonable expenses occasioned by the actual retrieval, storage, preparation and transportation of the tissues.”

Yes, it’s used in medical research. Yes, it’s ethical and legal and guidelines help keep it so. Yes, it saves lives.

We’d like to think we saved Mr. Boren — and our lawmakers — a lot of time.

Those were the words of our No.1 b-baller, Kevin Durant, as he practiced for USA Basketball in Las Vegas recently. The man, four months off a bone graft surgery — he only played 27 games last season — was juking and jiving his way through nocontact drills and practices.

This is just before the start of the NBA season this fall. With KD coming back from injury one year before his free agency starts (vomit), the first season of new Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan, the season before … we win a championship? Who knows? Regardless, Mr. “Not nice” guy might have a lot to contend with coming up, but he ain’t sweating anything but practice right now.

“I am looking forward to it,” Durant said. “I can’t wait. Boo me. ... Talk about my family. I’m ready for it.”

Mr. Confidence

Sausage party!

“I feel like I’m the best player in the world ... No disrespect to other players here, but I always got that confidence … I never had no doubts in myself.”

Wednesday, Aug. 26, is Women’s Equality Day. Let’s celebrate!

Demand equal pay! March into work and take your seat in the chief executive

officer’s comfy, ergonomic leather chair.

Nationally, Oklahoma ranks No. 34 when it comes to income equality for women, according to a recent study from financial website WalletHub.com. Tell your “boss” (because you’re the boss now, remember?) that National Women’s Law Center data shows six out of 10 of our state’s minimum wage workers are female.

Hmm. Perhaps a better way to celebrate would be to register to vote, mark your calendars and, most importantly, vote.

National Conference of State Legislatures data shows that in 2015, 24 percent of the nation’s state legislators are women. In Oklahoma, that number is 12.8 percent. That’s 19 women out of 149 seats. That also means only one state ranks lower than ours: Louisiana (11.8 percent).

For comparison, 42 percent of Colorado’s House/Assembly and Senate membership is female, Vermont’s is 41.1 percent and Arizona’s is 35.6 percent.

Vote. Then, once you’re the real boss, take a seat in that leather chair and send out 400 emails

demanding new TPS report covers before heading out for three grueling rounds of golf!

Intimidation witnessed

What’s worse than a former Luther city councilman who pays inmates to steal copper from warning sirens? A former city councilman who pays inmates to steal and then tries to intimidate witnesses.

James Richard Smith, who is already facing charges on seven counts for his part in the copper theft, was arrested again Aug. 11 for allegedly threatening witnesses planning to testify against him, a felony offense.

KOCO News 5 reported that Smith told both witnesses who work for the City of Luther he was going to kill them since they were planning to speak against him.

Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said the repairs to the tornado sirens will cost taxpayers around $31,000.

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COMMENTARY GA ZE TTE STA FF / FI L E

The truth about Planned Parenthood

BY JENNIFER CHANCELLOR

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest provider of sex education and women’s health care. It helps an estimated 10 million women across the globe each year.

In 2011, 97 percent of its worldwide services involved things like Pap smears, education, pregnancy tests, STI and STD testing (including HIV and AIDS). Thirty-five percent of its services are contraceptive in nature (not abortive). Another 35 percent of its services are related to diagnosing and treating STIs and STDs. Sixteen percent more goes to cancer screening and care. Ten percent goes to other women’s health care treatment. Three percent of its funds go to abortion-related services.

A common-sense analysis shows proof of the nonprofit organization’s long-standing mission to preserve families and lives.

We can look at Oklahoma’s and Texas’ numbers for a glance at how Planned Parenthood operates regionally.

None of Oklahoma’s centers perform abortions, and only four of 38 Texas

centers do. Those four are certified medical surgery centers.

In 2012, Planned Parenthood helped provide 4.5 million people with STI and STD treatment and education. Over 3.7 million received contraception education and related healthcare. Another million received pregnancy tests and prenatal care. These lives matter.

In the United States, Cancer.org estimates 800,000 women are diagnosed with “major” cancers each year (2015).

A 2013 American Cancer Society report estimated more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. An estimated 19 percent of female African-American cancer patients will die from the disease. It is the leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic women.

Early testing, diagnosis and treatment are keys to survival. Planned Parenthood helped provide more than 1 million tests, referrals and preventative screenings in 2012. These are lives worth saving.

HPV vaccines could prevent up to 70

percent of cervical cancers in women as well as up to 70 percent of oropharyngeal (soft palate, tongue, tonsil, throat) cancers. Planned Parenthood offers HPV screening, treatment and vaccines. These lives are worth saving.

Let’s zoom in further. A 2105-2016 report from the American Cancer Society showed that 69 percent of women in Oklahoma lacked health insurance coverage for Pap tests — the leading screening method used to detect cervical cancer — although 80 percent were tested and 67 percent reported they had no “usual source of medical care” in the past three years.

In 2012, Planned Parenthood reported that 79 percent of its clientele had “incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.”

Planned Parenthood has long bridged vital healthcare gaps for women who often need help the most.

In 2012, more than 3.7 million Planned Parenthood clients received contraception services. More than

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

half — over 2 million — were “reversible contraception” patients.

Another 1.5 received “emergency” help. Planned Parenthood estimates it prevented more than half a million pregnancies and performed more than 300,000 abortions. Family planning and sex education prevents unwanted pregnancies and further reduces abortion rates in this country.

Only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s funds go to abortionrelated services. Abortion is a legal right promised to American women and protected by our Supreme Court and the United States Constitution.

To support this organization in Oklahoma, please register to attend Planned Parenthood of Oklahoma’s Choices 2015 annual dinner, silent auction and art sale 5 p.m. Sept. 19 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St. Tickets are $100, and Texas Senator Wendy Davis is the guest speaker. Three dozen artists also will participate. Visit ppcok.org or call 528-0221, ext. 304.

Jennifer Chancellor is editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Gazette.

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

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

Thought rehab

Oh, counsels Bocock and Box, how do your souls rest while representing the 499 Sheridan project? I remember when floors were shaved off the Devon Tower’s design to make it less of a stark thumb in the skyline; but now you want to remove a block of history because you “need more room?” Maybe you could downsize the acreage-size offices currently in the tower; energy is too unstable a business to be bulldozing property over.

But no buildings were destroyed to make way for the Devon Tower; it was an architecturally insignificant parking garage! [Chesapeake Energy] Arena?

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It replaced a sentimentally significant bakery, but not an architecturally significant one. I was sad to see it go, and I took pictures of it before the wrecking ball started swinging; I rode by it daily when going in to work with my mother, and of course, we can remember the warm bread smell.

But it was just a concrete factory, meant for utility, not to please the eye.

All these decent people spending their money rehabbing “unrehabbable” buildings in Bricktown, Automobile Alley, Midtown; why must we have these other bottom-line-obsessed owners who destroy Stage Center and anything else that gets in their way? Every one of those buildings on the block could and should be rehabbed; examples of success are a mere block over.

If you must have your sprawling phallic-symbol towers to prove your might, as has been said, find yourself an empty lot and knock yourselves out. It’s too bad we’re wasting all that other land on the Core to Shore giant park; Myriad Gardens has served my downtown park

needs well for decades.

I know it’s too late to change, but I would have just run a strip straight south of the gardens, turning that street into tree-lined bike and pedestrian paths on down to another big park at the river; then there’d be all that prime land on either side to stake your towers on.

— Daniel Shywaoub Oklahoma City Earned equality?

What nonsense put forth by Chan Aaron with his skewed stats regarding income

inequality (Commentary, “Income inequality at all-time high,” Aug. 12, Gazette). It’s just another bit of silliness propounded by the left.

In America, we have equality at the starting line, not the finish line. If you want to climb the income ladder, it’s possible; there are endless success stories of those of humble beginnings who’ve done it. If you want to see income inequality, look at any nation below El Paso founded by the Catholic church.

— Thomas L. Furlong Oklahoma City

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O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | AU G U S T 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 1 5

okg picks are events

recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

BOOKS

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Settlers or Colonizers?: A Postcolonial View of Silko's Ceremony, part of the University of Central Oklahoma's Passport to Native America Wednesday Noon Lecture Series; a short talk on the work of Laguna Pueblo writer Leslie Marmon Silko and its impact on the literary world, noon, Aug. 26. RM 226, Max Chamber Library, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond. WED Wolf at the Gate Signing, join Matt VanSteenwyk, author of this chilling tale of an unexpected canine hero who embarks on a journey to reclaim what was lost and right what was wronged when humans took over her home years ago, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 27. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU Story Time With Julie, kid-friendly story time with children's books, 10:15 -11 a.m., Dec. 27. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Native Americans in Comic Books, join Michael Sheyahshe as he discusses Native representation in the comic book industry in this installation of UCO's Passport to Native America, noon, Sept. 2. ROOM 226, Max Chamber Library, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond. WED

FILM www.shopbowandarrow.com 617 N. Broadway Ave. • 601-0605 Hours: Mon-Fri 11-6 • Sat 11-4

Barbara, (2012, Germany, dir. Christian Petzold) from Germanyís contemporary master of suspense comes Barbara, a film about a woman who was a well-regarded doctor before filing an official request to leave East Germany, whose every move is now being carefully monitored and scrutinized by the notorious Stasi, 8 p.m., Aug. 27. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU The Night of the Hunter, (1955, Argentina, dir. Charles Laughton) con man and murderer Reverend Harry Powell got caught and sent to prison, but it might turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to him, because his cell mate happens to have stolen and hidden $10,000 somewhere, just waiting to be found, 7 & 8:45 p.m., Aug. 28. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. FRI Bite The Bullet, (1975, US, dir. Richard Brooks) six rag-tag cowboys–er, five cowboys and one cowgirl (cowpeople?)

– must compete against the shoo-in, a championship thoroughbred owned by a ruthless wealthy businessman, in a cross-country horse race, and learn some things about each other on the way, 6 & 8:30 p.m., Aug. 29. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. SAT The Short Films of Jeffrey Palmer, (2015, US, dir. Jeffrey Palmer) as part of UCO's Passport to Native America,

myq kaplan OKC Comedy brings Myq Kaplan, a Last Comic Standing veteran and America's Got Talent contender, to the Water Stage at Myriad Botanical Gardens. Smack, Smack, Sniff will open the event, and Spencer Hicks hosts. The show is 8 p.m. Friday at 301 W. Reno Ave. Tickets are $12 for members and $15 for non-members.

Friday UCO Mass Communications professor and Sundance Film Festival alumnus Jeffrey Palmer will screen some of his award-winning work, 4 p.m., Aug. 30. Noir Bistro & Bar, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. SUN

coke and slush lovers everywhere, 5:30 p.m., Aug. 26. Sonic HQ Stage, 300 Johnny Bench Drive. WED Storytelling Festival, for over 30 years, Arts Council Oklahoma City has produced the Oklahoma City Storytelling Festival, which has delighted audiences with nationallyacclaimed storytellers, workshops and special performances, all day, Aug. 28-30. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. FRI-SUN

Daughter of Dawn, (1920, US, dir. Norbert A. Myles) featuring an all-Native cast and filmed in Oklahoma, Daughter of Dawn is a romantic docudrama revolving around the love triangle between three members of one tribe; part of UCO's Passport to Native America program, 4 p.m., Aug. 30. Noir Bistro & Bar (formerly the Paramount, OKC), 701 W. Sheridan. SUN

Thursday Afternoon Think Tank, join UCO English professor Dr. Timothy Petete for this installation of your weekly intellectual yoga where he will be giving a talk on contemporary Native culture, Rhetorical Sovereignty and New Media; this talk is part of UCO's Passport to Native America, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 27. Pegasus Theater- UCO Campus, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 974-2000, uco.edu. THU

HAPPENINGS SONIC Car Hop Skate-Off, join Sonic at its Bricktown headquarters to recognize some of their most talented skating carhops as they compete to win cash prizes, new custom sports skates, and the love and affection of vanilla

continued on next page

Revival aaa Glidden tour

provided

Model As, Studebakers and more antique cars roll into OKC for a visit with The Revival AAA Glidden Tour.

More than 130 cars will be showcased.

The tour stops in five places: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday at Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, 900 E. Oklahoma St., in Guthrie; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 2, in Automobile Alley, N. Broadway Avenue between NW Sixth and NW 10th streets; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 4 at the University of Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave., in Norman. The tour also visits Chickasha. All events are free. Visit gliddentour.org.

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The Secret Life of the City This gallery exhibit incorporating street art and graphic design brings the works of eight Oklahoma City-based artists together. Artists such as Dylan Bradway, Kris Kanaly and Jason Pawley created a digital file that was transferred onto a wheat paste poster the size of a small billboard. The Secret Life of the City opens with a reception 4-6 p.m. Tuesday. See it through Feb. 11, 2016, at Invited Artists Gallery in the Underground. Enter through Chase Tower, 100 N. Broadway Ave. Admission is free. Visit facebook.com/okcsecretlife.

tuesday, ongoing Debate Night OKC, come join Debate Night OKC and hear from local educators on how to bridge the gap between communities and schools and make the education process better for the next generation, 7 p.m., Aug. 29. Aja Bleu Cafe, 2222 W. Hefner Road. SAT You.Are.Venus Retreat, this two-day workshop features holistic health practices, yoga, astrology, essential oil blending, tarot readings, meditation, drumming and more; meals, lodging and classes included in cost, Aug. 28-30.

Blue Doors at Lake Tenkiller, 98413 OK-100, Gore. FRI-SUN

5308 N ClasseN Blvd. | OKC | (405) 848-6642 | Calverts.COm

Stress Fighting Foods, according to one single-person life-long study, stress eating is the number one coping mechanism among listings writers; fortunately, scientist Jessica Cox has come to the rescue in order to show people how to actually reduce stress, increase health, and improve quality of life through food, 3 p.m., Aug. 30. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 840-0300, naturalgrocers. com. SUN

Parent University Workshop, this is the first installation of an eight-week workshop with information on physical health as well as a blood pressure screening, and cover topics such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and other diseases for which Oklahomans are at-risk, 9 a.m., Aug. 29.

Sacred Heart Catholic School, 2706 S. Shartel Ave. SAT

Ingridís on May Grand Opening, you know it, you love it, and now itís coming to May Avenue north of 63rd; double your pleasure and fill your stomach with the best German and American cuisine at the new locationís grand opening, 1 p.m., Sept. 2-3. 6501 N. May Ave. WED-THU

Quail Springs Blood Drive, the Oklahoma Blood Institute supplies blood to all metro-Oklahoma City area medical facilities, and August is the last month donors will receive free OKC Zoo admission with donations; no vampires will be admitted on premises, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Aug. 29. Quail Springs Mall, 2501 W Memorial Road. SAT

YOUTH

Chess Sundays, everyone's favorite non-alliterative weekly celebration of chess is free and open to players of all ages and skill levels and anyone is welcome to come play recreational chess outdoors on the lawn and enjoy the scenery, 9 a.m., Aug. 16. Meinders Garden and Terrace, 301 W. Sheridan Ave. SUN

FOOD Paleo on the Patio, eat like a caveman, feel like a superman; discover the eating craze everyone is talking about, from soccer moms to athletes to physicians, and get your body back to basics by learning how you can eliminate processed foods and look and feel better and live longer, probably, 6 p.m., Aug. 26. Whole Foods Market, 6001 N. Western Ave., 879-3500, wholefoodsmarket.com. WED Harvesting and Preserving your Herbs, Brown Bag Lunch Talk, learn how to get the most of your herbs before winter arrives; come listen to Monica Arndt as she teaches how to harvest and preserve your herbs as they come to the end of the season, noon, Aug. 27. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens. com/events. THU Saturday Cooking Class, we can cook if we want to, andouille donít even have to leave your friends behind; join the Gourmet Grille at Buy For Less where you can learn how to make a delightfully spicy and sausage pun-laden

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Cajun tri-pepper skillet, 1 p.m., Aug. 29. Buy For Less, 3501 Northwest Expressway, 946-6342, buyforlessok.com. SAT

Crafts for Kids, bring the little ones into Lakeshore Learning to make an animal-themed beaded wind chime with cups and yarn; guaranteed to be less noisy than an actual wind chime, probably, 11 a.m., Aug. 15.

Lakeshore Learning Store, 6300 N. May Ave., 858-8778, lakeshorelearning.com. SAT Drop-In Art, it is neither a bird nor is it a plane, but it can look like Superman if you want it to; at this weekís Drop-In Art you can get kooky making decorative kites, and remember: any kite can be decorative if you put it on the refrigerator, 1 p.m., Aug. 29. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Art Adventures, children can experience the world of art through stories and projects in this event series; this week's story will be I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont, 10:30 A.M., Sept. 1. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave.,Norman, 325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE Little Big Chefs, this week at Little Big Chefs children and parents alike can learn to prepare fruit sushi; sign and date this page of your Gazette and bring it to the class to sign the official petition to refer to fruit sushi as "frushi," 2 p.m. & 3:30 p.m., Aug. 30. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. SUN Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body, exhibit based on the best-selling book by Sylvia Branzei; lets visitors see the good, bad, and ugly facts about the human body from runny noses to body odor and more.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SAT

PERFORMING ARTS

VISUAL ARTS

Jim Short, fast-talking Australian comic Jim Short's brand of deep-cutting observational humor has earned him several Comedy Central features, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC's Late Friday, and hopefully, if you come see his show, a place in your heart, 8 p.m., Aug. 26-29, 10:30 p.m., Aug. 28-29. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 239-4242, loonybincomedy.com. WED-SAT

Art Gone Wild, if Dorothy Gale were around to view this art exhibition, she would have a few animal-themed exclamations in response, Aug. 7-31. AKA Gallery, 3001 Paseo St. , 606-2522, akagallery.net.

Chicago, Roxie Hart finds herself on murdererĂ­s row after killing her boyfriend in a fit of passion when she realized he couldnĂ­t make her a star; now the only way to get out is to get rich, famous, and get famed lawyer Billy Flynn to defend her case, 8 p.m., Aug. 27-29, 2:30 p.m., Aug. 30. Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 521-1786, jewelboxtheatre.org. THU-SUN Always Patsy Cline, a mainstay for die-hard fans of Patsy Cline as well as an excellent method of introduction for the not-yet-indoctrinated, Always Patsy Cline is one of the most-produced musicals in America, 8 p.m., Aug. 28-29, 2 p.m., Aug. 30. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 282-2800, thepollard.org. FRI-SUN Cortney Yarholar & The Blackbird Singers, Cortney Yarholar (Sac & Fox) presents the Blackbird Family drum/ dance group, which provides an educational and cultural performance of Native American dance, and is made up of a variety of American Indian Tribes, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 31. , Nigh University Center, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond. MON

ACTIVE Sunrise Yoga, put some pranayama in your produce and some dharma in your deli by joining Whole Foods on their back lawn for some early-ish morning yoga, 8:30 a.m., Aug. 29. Lawn Behind Whole foods, 62nd Street and Western Ave. SAT OKC Energy vs. Austin Aztex, see all the drama unfold as OKC Energy goes head-to-head with the Austin Aztex and find out who comes out on top, 7 p.m., Aug. 29. Taft Stadium, 2901 NW 23rd St. SAT TRC'S 4th Annual GloRun, the running course will be lined with multiple tunnels filled with artwork and black lights, so make sure to show up in your brightest colors, and don't forget to stop by the blacklight painting booth; proceeds from the race will benefit The Recovery Center, a local government funded nonprofit medically supervised detox facility located here in OKC, 6 p.m., Aug. 29. Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell, Edmond, 359-4630, edmondok.com/parks. SAT

Interpreting Clouds, cloud painter David Holland's oil works can be described in much the same way one might describe the rolling skies during an Oklahoma thunderstorm or the view of a many-colored sunset: simply awesome. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 297-3995, myriadgardens.com.

Jim Keffer/Robert Peterson/Michael Hatcher, three unique and talented painters come together for a one-ofa-kind viewing experience this month. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

John Brandenburg Art Display, an explosive celebration of acrylic color on canvas created by a Normanite artist who draws inspiration from aspects of life both lofty and mundane. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 3079320, pasnorman.org.

Once Upon a Prairie/Journeys, these two displays explore both internal and external journeys: Burian uses watercolors and mixed media to explore the excitement and sadness of open spaces forgotten by time, while Lawrence presents her inner journeys through ink and photography. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com.

Straight From My Heart, photography exhibit by Duncan photographer Martha Burger in which she illustrates an appreciation for the beauty of America. Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., 521-3356, ok.gov.

The Interpretation of an Enigma, AK Westerman's art is otherworldly: technically, Westerman manipulates acrylics to behave with the luminosity of oils and the soft dreaminess of watercolors; visually, her work is a juxtaposition of the bright and fantastical against the mysterious and grotesque. The Project Box, 3003 Paseo St., 609-3969, theprojectboxokc.com.

The Print as Fine Art, one thinks of etchings and lithographs as sought-after artwork; the artist creates the printing plate and usually handles the actual printing, and several prints of a limited amount are created before the plate is destroyed; this exhibit shows these kinds of fine art original prints that stand alone as a print or become a part of a mixed media work. Jann Jeffrey Gallery, 3018 Paseo St., 607-0406.

B igstock.com

OKC Dodgers vs. Iowa Cubs, come out and support your OKC Dodgers as they try to beat the opposite team at America's pastime and also beat the heat; enjoy beer, hot dogs, and maybe even catch a foul ball, 7 p.m., Aug. 31Sept.3. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 218-1000. MON-THU

Fresh stART Artists, Katya Morozova & Jim McMurray are this month's featured Fresh stART Artists. Paseo Gallery One, 2927 Paseo St., 524-4544, facebook.com/ paseogalleryone.

Splash 'n Dash The Midwest City Parks & Recreation Department makes the dog days of summer a howl. The first Splash 'n Dash at Reno Swim & Slide is a noncompetitive swimming and running event for youth ages 7-12. Participants can check in at 5:30 p.m at the aquatic area of Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, 8700 E. Reno Ave., in Midwest City. Youth must pre-register, and space is limited to 150 swimmers.

This event is free. Find entry forms at Nick Harroz Community Center, online at midwestcityok.org/parks-and-recreation or by calling 739-1293. Learn more in our story on P. 47.

For okg

Friday

music picks see page 51

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 1 9

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life food & drink

Viel Spaß!

favorite old Germany restaurant fare, including schnitzel, will be available at Choctaw oktoberfest.

Choctaw Oktoberfest offers nine days of drinking, culture, polka, dancing and games.

ChoCTaW oKToBerfesT

By GreG elWell

Ludwig liked to party.

As Crown Prince of Bavaria, when Ludwig got hitched to Princess Therese in 1810, they threw one heck of a rager with the citizens outside the castle gates. The celebration grew larger and more elaborate as the years passed. Thus, Oktoberfest was born.

Mike Turek also likes to party.

In September 1990, as owner of Choctaw’s Old Germany Restaurant, he decided to throw his own satellite event.

“We started out with a modest 90-foot tent and a couple of bands,” he said. “It just evolved and grew. We kept adding things to it.”

This year’s 25th annual celebration runs Sept. 4-12 at Choctaw Creek Park, 14098 NE 21st St. Much like the event in Germany, Choctaw Oktoberfest quickly outgrew its original location. Turek said that’s when he struck up a partnership with the City of Choctaw to move the rollicking event to a new, all-purpose pavilion.

The added space allowed the whirlwind of beer, food, polka music, dancing and games to accelerate into a nine-day event that draws more than 40,000 visitors each year.

“People are definitely excited about it. We see a lot of buzz as it approaches,” said Tracy Mosley, Choctaw Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “We get calls leading up to the event about hotels and if there will be shuttle service.”

Visitors come from across the country to hoist their steins, she said.

Many former Tinker Air Force Base personnel return each year, and plenty of Choctaw alumni plan reunions to coincide with it.

Turek said Oktoberfest’s biggest draw is that it offers something for everybody.

Worldly wonder

“Where else can you see parents pushing a stroller while drinking a giant beer?” he asked. “It’s good food, good drink and a good family environment.”

While a festival like this one might not sound ideal for youngsters, Turek said organizers worked hard over the years to make it inclusive for all ages.

“We’ll have a big bouncy village this year with a rock-climbing wall so they can exert all that energy,” he said.

“There’s also a children’s tent with face painting. Parents can sit, relax and eat

Sept. 4-12 something while “And apple Choctaw Creek Park watching the kids strudel,” he 14098 ne 21st St., Choctaw play.” added. “You can’t oldgermany.com It’s a one-ofhave a German $5 a-kind event for festival without Note: Youth under 12 admitted free. suds lovers. Turek apple strudel.” said that’s largely You can’t because brewing do it without companies German music, don’t sponsor it. This including live entertainment each day Oktoberfest has the largest drink

by AlpenMusikanten, Das Ist Lustig, selection of any in the country, mainly The Walburg Boys and Alex Meixner. because it isn’t beholden to one brewer.

(There also is a second stage with It pours 44 drafts, including two country and rock acts for those who original Oktoberfest beers, Hofbräu aren’t as enamoured by accordions.)

Oktoberfest and Paulaner Weizen.

With a quarter of a century behind “Most German beers are lagers, but it, Choctaw Oktoberfest has built up we’ll also be serving lots of wheat beers a good deal of history. Turek, there and doppelbocks,” he said. “This is a from the beginning, said he sees many world-class culinary and beverage type familiar faces each year. event. We also have German wines for “They come to dance. We see those who don’t like beer.” people who come every year,” he Event fare is a pared-down version said. “Last year, we had people from of Old Germany Restaurant’s 36-item 13 different states. For the 25th menu, Turek said. All the favorites are anniversary, I think we’ll see 45,000 included: ham hocks, smoked pork people.” chops, bratwurst and sausages, grilled That’s a party so big, even Ludwig chicken, red cabbage and sauerkraut might be impressed. and lots and lots of potato salad.

He said the festival goes through 6,000 pounds of potatoes in the potato salad alone.

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 1

photos BY ga rett Fi s BeC K

old Germany restaurant owner Mike turek pours himself a pint as he talks about Choctaw oktoberfest.

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life food & drink

Healthy drinking

André Hueston Mack of Mouton noir Wines at thirst for a Cause 2014

Thirst for a Cause, an annual fundraiser to help hospitality service workers pay medical bills, offers over 200 wines and food from more than 10 local restaurants.

By GreG Horton

Scribe Winery and Leonetti Cellar join this year’s Thirst for a Cause event lineup 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26 at Jim Thorpe Museum, 4040 N. Lincoln Blvd.

They join the list of more than 200 wines from 35 wineries to be poured at Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation’s annual charity fundraiser, presented by the Oklahoma Restaurant Association.

The event also includes food from 10 local restaurants, and new additions include Ludivine, Guernsey Park, Mahogany Prime Steakhouse and West. Chef Jonathon Stranger also will prepare food.

“Jonathon said he wanted to be there, but he refused to bring pre-made food,” said Alex Kroblin, who works with the event and is founder and owner of Thirst Wine Merchants, a local distribution company. “He will be cooking to order at the Ludivine table. This is a first, too.”

Event proceeds go to help hospitality industry employees pay for medical-related needs.

The newbies

Until recently, Leonetti’s world-class wines were available via mailing list only, and since direct shipping

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ThirsT for a Cause 6:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26 Jim thorpe Museum 4040 n. lincoln Blvd. okrestaurants.com 942-9463 $75-$89

is illegal in Oklahoma, they were unavailable to state residents. In July, Kroblin began representing the brand throughout the state.

“This is a winery that is on top wine lists around the country,” he said. “The winery is legendary.”

The Leonetti family planted its first vineyards in 1974 on land it had farmed since 1906 and became the first commercial winery in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1977. It specializes in big, red wines, most notably Bordeaux varietals and sangiovese. Thanks to Walla Walla’s geological anomalies, the rich fruit is tempered by strong minerality from the area’s rich soil and gives the wines a structured flavor with remarkable complexity.

Critic scores for these beverages are typically in the mid to high 90s.

However, unlike Leonetti, Scribe doesn’t grade its selections because owners (and brothers) Adam and Andrew Mariani refused to submit them for scoring. In a market dominated by aggressive marketing and critic tastes, Scribe does things differently.

“These guys are the new generation of wines,” Kroblin said. “They have attracted a huge following by relying on word of mouth.”

The Marianis founded the Sonoma, California, winery in 2007, and its reputation quickly grew. Kroblin said he heard about Scribe while attending tastings on the West Coast.

“For the ‘pursuit of balance’ crowd, Scribe was en vogue,” Kroblin said.

Scribe focuses on traditional California varietals, most notably chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet, but the wines are anything but California traditional. Its riesling is perhaps one of the driest available in this state, without any hint of residual sugar.

“They make very lean, lowalcohol wines,” Kroblin said, “and they didn’t want scores because they want you to taste their wines and decide for yourself what they’re like.”

Tickets for Thirst for a Cause are $75 in advance and $89 at the door and are available at okrestaurants.com.

Learn more about Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation grants at okrestaurants.com/foundation_ basics.php.

Brandon Allen of Slo down Wines at last year’s thirst for a Cause

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O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 3

Shook up A lone youth sits atop the roof, Super Soaker in hand, but it’s no use. They keep coming, these boys. The milkshake he made is too good; it brings all the boys to the yard. Please help avert a sodden milkshake apocalypse and get your frosty ice cream treat from these well-defended eateries.

The Basement Modern Diner 200 S. Oklahoma Ave., Suite X basementmoderndiner.com | 602-0111

Whoa! This is a much nicer basement than the one I live in at Mom’s. Bowling lanes? Tables? Bathrooms?! The Basement Modern Diner is the kind of place you wish you could live in. Try its burgers, pizza and sweet, sweet milkshakes, like the Grasshopper, made with Breyers Ice Cream. (Add a shot of crème de menthe for a couple bucks more.)

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

Sara Sara Cupcakes

S&B’s Burger Joint

7 NW Ninth St. sarasarabakery.com | 600-9494

Several metro locations sandbburgers.com | 631-0783

Danny: This cupcake is great, but I wish I could drink it.

Sandy: This milkshake is great, but I wish it was more cake-y.

Kenickie: Is this turning into a Grease joke?

Sara Sara: Maybe you guys should share a cupshake. And shut up, Kenickie. No one likes you.

What are you legally allowed to put in a milkshake? That’s a fine line the madmen at S&B’s walk daily, especially with The Lumberjack. It starts off like a vanilla milkshake. Then they add peanut butter. And maple whiskey. And brown sugar bacon. And sea salt. Pretty soon, you have a milkshake so manly that trees fall down just looking at it.

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LIKE US ON

Ice House 101 Ron Norick Blvd. icehouseokc.com | 232-6427

We love Ice House for its great Nic’s burgers, crispy french fries and amazing view of Myriad Botanical Gardens. But on a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than ordering a chocolate malt or a vanilla shake. Or check out Jo Jo’s Shake of the Day. Some days it’s caramel, some days it’s Reese’s Pieces. Lord only knows what Jo Jo might come up with next.

Tucker’s Onion Burgers Several metro locations tuckersonionburgers.com | 286-3331

Strawberry has no idea how it got so lucky. Chocolate and vanilla; those are easy choices. But when the International Board of Milkshakes (IBM) decided on that pivotal third spot, it could have gone to anybody: cherry, watermelon, blue. Somehow, some way, strawberry won out. That’s why you can always get a strawberry shake (and a massive onion burger) at Tucker’s.

Fat Elvus Diner

Sooner Dairy Lunch

4 E. Main St., Yukon 354-9702

1820 W. Main St., Norman soonerdairylunch.com | 321-8526

In 1975, Elvis Presley got so fat that doctors diagnosed him as being two separate people. And that is how ElvIs became ElvUS and opened Fat Elvus Diner in Yukon. How did he get so big?

It probably had something to do with a delectable selection of milkshakes at Fat Elvus, such as peanut butter, strawberry, cherry, chocolate and vanilla. (Also, it was the ’70s. Things happened.)

More like the Later Lactose-Intolerant Dinner, right? No. Not right. You can joke about many things in Norman, like its obsession with calling red “crimson” or its desperate need to keep it “weird.”

But you do not joke about Sooner Dairy Lunch and its great milkshakes, available in exotic flavors such as pineapple, butterscotch and hot fudge.

East Style EastCoast Coast Style Fresh Seafood,Killer Killer Pasta Pasta &&SoSo Much More.

Fresh Seafood, Much More.

Best Chef - Bruce Rinehart Winner 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015

2824 N. Penn Ave. • 12252 N. May Ave. • Rococo-Restaurant.com O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 5

Best Bicycle shop Al’s Bicycles

Best casino Riverwind Casino

Best sandwich shop The Mule

Best local annual event or festival Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts

Best (National or Regional) retail establishment you Wish Was locally owned* Target

Best place to geek out Science Museum Oklahoma

Best Barbecue restaurant Iron Star Urban Barbeque

Best charity event Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

Best family in-state staycation The Oklahoma City Zoo

Best place to pick up your gazette Jimmy’s Egg

Best pizza place Hideaway Pizza

Best local homebuilder Richardson Homes

Best local District Bricktown Districtt

Best 5k or 10k race Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

Best radio personality or team Jack and Ron, 98.9 KISS FM, KYIS Best person to follow on social Media The Lost Ogle Best local Website or Blog The Lost Ogle, thelostogle.com Best local living author S.E. Hinton Best Big-time oklahoma singer/ songwriter Garth Brooks Best local singer/songwriter (not national) Graham Colton Best community leader Kevin Durant Best chef Bruce Rinehart, Rococo Best Wait staff Ted’s Cafe Escondido Best Bar team Louie’s Grill & Bar lakeside Best Waiter or Waitress (and their restaurant) Renee Hilton, The Boom Best Bartender (and their Bar) Shannon Barrow, Flip’s Wine Bar and Trattoria Best Business owner (and their Business) Keith and Heather Paul, A Good Egg Dining Group Best local Band My So Called Band Best DJ Katie Wicks Best performing arts group (ex. theater company, Dance company, orchestral groups) Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma Best Weather team KWTV News 9

Best local contractor/handyman Tommy Poole Best lgBt event Oklahoma Pride Festival & Parade

Best place to volunteer Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

Best adult entertainment establishment The Boom

Best place to Make the Most out of your game room or pad Hobby Lobby

Best nonprofit Central Oklahoma Humane Society

Best place to Work up a sweat Bert Cooper Trails

Best vapor shop OKC Vapes

Best lgBt Bar or club The Boom

Best place to Meet a hipster Plaza District

Best live Music club University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab

Best place to Buy a new vehicle Bob Moore Auto Group

Best concert venue Chesapeake Energy Arena

Best place to Buy a used vehicle Bob Moore Auto Group

Best karaoke Bar Nancy’s 57th Street Lighthouse Best art gallery Individual Artists of Oklahoma (IAO) Gallery Best Museum Oklahoma City Museum of Art Best fine Jewelry BC Clark Jewelers Best vintage, thrift or resale store Bad Granny’s Bazaar Best Men’s clothier Blue Seven Best Women’s clothing Boutique Blue Seven Best place to find the perfect gift On a Whim Best place for continuing education University of Oklahoma Best place to get cosmetic surgery Dr. Tim R. Love, M.D. Best place to get an aesthetic update Dr. Tim R. Love, M.D.

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Best place to get needled 23rd Street Body Piercing

Best new retail establishment to open after 6/1/14 The Factory

Best free entertainment H&8th Night Market

Best Dance club Groovy’s

Best pub Quiz/ trivia night The Garage Burgers & Beer

Best place to Buy Workout gear Red Coyote Running and Fitness Best place to see or be seen OKC Thunder game Best place to spend adult time that is kid-friendly OKC Thunder game Best place to take a ‘selfie’ OKC Thunder game Best place to pay it forward Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma Best pet-friendly patio The Bleu Garten Best place to treat your pet (ex. Supplies, vet, park) Barking Dog Bakery Best place to get a home or auto loan Tinker Federal Credit Union Best place to celebrate an anniversary or Birthday Cheever’s Cafe

Best pre-game or pre-concert spot Bricktown Brewery Best post-game or post-concert spot Fassler Hall Best rooftop (Bar or Restaurant) Rooftop at Oklahoma City Museum of Art Best Boutique of local oddities Blue Seven

FOOD AND DRINK Best coffee or tea house Cuppies & Joe Best local Winery Urban Wineworks Best local craft Beer COOP Ale Works Best Beer selection TapWerks Ale House Best cocktail (and the Restaurant/ Bar That Serves It) Lunchbox at Edna’s Best Breakfast Jimmy’s Egg Best Weekend Brunch Ingrid’s Kitchen Best lunch spot The Mule Best hamburgers S&B’s Burger Joint

Best steakhouse Cattlemen’s Steakhouse Best sushi Sushi Neko Best vegetarian, glute-free or healthy Menu options Coolgreens

Best new restaurant to open since 6/1/14 Pizzeria Gusto Best fine Dining establishment Cheever’s Cafe Best neighborhood pub James E. McNellie’s Public House Best Dive Bar Edna’s Best upscale Bar Republic Gastropub Best new Bar to open since 6/1/14 The Pump Bar

Best patio Dining The Bleu Garden

Best Diner Jimmy’s Egg

Best liquor store Byron’s Liquor Warehouse

Best food truck or food cart Big Truck Tacos

Best (National or Regional) restaurant you Wish Was locally owned* Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar Best seafood restaurant Pearl’s Restaurant Group Best Dessert restaurant, shop or Bakery Pie Junkie Best Mexican restaurant Ted’s Cafe Escondido Best latin restaurant Cafe do Brasil Best italian restaurant Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria Best Western european restaurant, not italian (Danish, English, French, german, Irish, Scottish, Spanish, etc.)

Ingrid’s Kitchen Best Mediterranean restaurant Zorba’s Mediterranean Cuisine & Bar Best indian restaurant Taj Cuisine of India Best Japanese restaurant Musashi’s Best chinese restaurant Dot Wo Garden Best thai restaurant Thai House Restaurant Best vietnamese restaurant Pho Lein Hoa Best pho restaurant Pho Lein Hoa

Best uptown 23rd District restaurant Cheever’s Cafe Best plaza District restaurant The Mule Best paseo arts District restaurant Paseo Grill Best asian District restaurant Grand House Asian Bistro Best automobile alley District restaurant Hideaway Pizza Best Bricktown District restaurant KD’s Southern Cuisine Best classen curve District restaurant Republic Gastropub Best Deep Deuce District restaurant The Wedge Pizzeria Best Midtown District restaurant Waffle Champion Best stockyards city District restaurant Cattlemen’s Steakhouse Best Western avenue District restaurant The Wedge Pizzeria Best Downtown restaurant (Includes Arts District, Film Row District, and Farmers Market District) Kitchen No. 324 Best local restaurant to order to-go Big Truck Tacos Best local restaurant that Delivers Sauced on Paseo

life Cover

By Jennifer ChanCellor, GreG elwell and Kory B. oswald

O

klahoma Gazette’s Best of OKC capped off its 31st annual readerdriven awards program with a record number of votes made by you, our readers, in a record number of categories.

Even so, we still can’t possibly honor everyone, so a few years ago, we created Rest of OKC. Here, we celebrate top scorers in fantasy categories like Best Mustache That Looks

Like a Living Organism, Best Name For a Bar That Doesn’t Exist Yet, Best Double Meaning, Best Place to Meet Me, Best Reader Write-Ins, Best New Resident of a State Jail and Best Performing Arts WTF. Rest of OKC is also our opportunity to thank our readers, sponsors, advertisers and community for loving (and hating) Oklahoma Gazette for more than 35 years.

Thank you. >>>

SEE THIS YEAR’S BEST OF OKC WINNERS AT OKGAZETTE.COM O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | Au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 7

life Cover HUNgRY FROg RESTAURANT

m A rk HA N coc k / Fi L e

! f f o s t a H 9612 N. May ave. - okc 430-7915 | tues-fri 10-6, sat 10-5

LUDIvINE

Best of tHe rest eats Another Best of OKC has come and gone. Gazette Publisher Bill Bleakley has retreated to his isolated hunting lodge once again, from whence he will not emerge until the spring of 2016.

Staff members who had to count every ballot by hand and call readers to verify they “really meant” to vote are outside, looking at that hot circle in the sky and wondering why their translucent skin hurts.

Are you happy, Oklahoma City?

Is it worth it to know who “the best” is? Yeah, it probably is. Thank you for focusing your time and attention to vote and read the Best of OKC results.

Even after all our work, there simply were not enough categories to convey the depth and breadth of our city’s cuisine. How could there be when so many deserving restaurants were left wanting?

So, in deference to their struggle (which is real), we submit to you the “other” categories and winners that were left from Best of OKC.

Best ‘Diner’

HunGrY froG restaurant

1101 N. Pennsylvania Ave.

Sure, Jimmy’s Egg won Best Diner in Oklahoma Gazette’s real Best of OKC contest this year, and we have no problem with that. But what about the Best ‘DINER,’ for which the only entry is Hungry Frog? Its sign proudly proclaims it a ‘DINER,’ and its food proudly makes me want a giant stack of pancakes topped with a comically large pat of slowly melting butter.

2 8 | Au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

Best caJun fooD

C’est si Bon

101 N. Douglas Blvd., Midwest City

In a hotly contested category that everybody forgot to put in the paper for some reason, C’est Si Bon must fight it out against other Cajun luminaries like Bighead’s in Edmond, The Shack Seafood & Oyster Bar, Hillbilly Po-Boys & Oysters, Jazmo’z Bourbon St. Cafe, Crabtown and the powerhouse buffet at Cajun King.

The people cry out for justice and also gumbo. Probably they would settle for gumbo. Maybe some crawfish étouffée … and some catfish.

Best use of Bone MarroW

ludivine

805 N. Hudson Ave.

You’ve heard of food so tender it falls off the bones. But have you eaten what’s inside the bones? Maybe it’s time for a visit to Ludivine, where they buzz-saw cow femurs lengthwise and roast them until the fatty marrow becomes a creamy gelatin suitable for spreading on toast points and eating while making a weird, near-orgasmic face. It’s sometimes referred to as “meat butter,” and for those who love flavor, it’s a must-have. Honorable mention goes to Carican Flavors, 2701 N. Martin Luther King Ave., where the marrow in the oxtail adds to the rich and flavorful broth that we would shower under if given the option.

gA Zette stA FF / Fi Le

m A rk HA N coc k / Fi Le

c’EST SI BON

m A rk HA N coc k / Fi L e

THE cOAcH HOUSE

gA Zette stA FF / Fi Le

THE BASEMENT MODERN DINER

Best use of an olD coach house

tHe CoaCH House 6437 Avondale Drive

It’s hard not to feel a bit overwhelmed in The Coach House. Not because it smells like horses — it doesn’t — but because it has long been the secret hangout of Oklahoma City’s tastemakers and up-and-coming chefs. Chef Kurt Fleischfresser makes exquisite food and trains young cooks until they’re ready to run their own kitchens, create their own menus and, eventually, open their own restaurants.

It’s not cheap, but the food served there is nothing short of wonderful.

Best place to Meet Me

oKlaHoma GaZette 3718 N. Shartel Ave.

We had a category for where to meet a hipster but completely glossed over the information people really wanted: namely, where to find me, Greg Elwell. I’d like to say that I hang out at the above-named restaurants all the time. And I will. I hang out at the above-named restaurants all the time.

But that’s not true. I am here, at the Gazette, writing this sentence. And when you read this sentence, I will probably still be there, writing more and different sentences.

Please, somebody bring me some coffee.

Best restaurant to Wait out a tornaDo

tHe Basement modern diner

200 S. Oklahoma Ave., Suite X

The actual best place to wait out a tornado is in another state, where tornados are not happening. But if you’re in Oklahoma City, The Basement is a pretty good choice.

It’s underground, for one, but it also has booze, bowling lanes and ice cream. Yeah, if the power goes out or everybody is trapped down there for some reason, you know you want to be where the ice cream and alcohol are.

Best naMe for a Bar that Doesn’t eXist yet

tHe Your mom’s tavern & GrillerY No matter how old you are, no matter how dumb it is, when someone answers a question with “Your mom,” it still gets a laugh. So, why hasn’t anybody capitalized on this and opened up a place people can’t wait to go for a burger and several beers?

“Where should we go tonight?”

“Your mom’s.”

“Screw you, Derek! But, yeah, let’s go. I’ve been wanting to try the Your Mom’s Cooking Is So Bad Burger.”

Maybe next year, Derek.

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O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | Au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 9

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BEST pASSIvE-AggRESSIvE LINE ABOUT cYcLISTS BEST TINFOIL HAT

Best letters we didn’t run Oklahoma Gazette gets a whole lot of emails, phone calls and letters to the editor. Did we say we get a whole lot?

Because we get a whole lot.

A handful of readers let us know when they think we need to shut up, and we’re super grateful they continue to read our paper anyway. In Rest of OKC, some have a voice, although they might not get a name. Here are some of the best reader callouts we received in the past year. Letters have been edited and names removed to protect, well, everyone. — Ed.

Best non-response Doesn’t this world have enough people disrespecting people without publications like this? … Don’t bother responding; what you have to say and what you think is not important to me!!!

Best lazy rhetoric We have an election next week, and as with all elections, we hear the plethora of candidates on both sides speak of “compromise” and “bi-partisanship” and “crossing party lines” and blah, blah, blah, blah.

3 0 | Au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

Best interfaith troll The “interfaith community” here in Oklahoma translates into all who hate the unwanted restraint of American Constitutional Judeo-Christian-based law and capitalism.

Best passive-aggressive line aBout cyclists Including an image of a city sign where I routinely go running. It speaks volumes. Print that! It’s within OKC limits. (See photo above.)

Best tinfoil hat Declassified information is available on many decades of human experimentation projects carried out by the government. The systems we count on have been manipulated in order to keep the number of victims, their complaints and the highest level statements suppressed or kept below society’s awareness threshold.

Best crazy line I want to agree with and expand upon what Gazette Editor Jennifer Chancellor said on public radio today.

Bestest, craziest line As one who has watched countless episodes of the show, I can attest that those darn Duke boys were closet racists, and their car (The General Lee) was so racist, it should have been named the Grand Dragon.

provided

WILL TRAIN – NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

THANKS FOR MAKING THE PUMP BAR ONE OF THE BEST OF OKC!

BEST SpELLED

BEST cRAZY LINE

Best “hoW Dare you!”

Perhaps the voices behind the Gazette should return to kindergarten.

Best use of neeDless Quotes Our hedonistic irrationality leads us to the false redefinitions of “marriage equality,” “embrace,” “respect,” “support” and even “diversity” itself.

BEST MINIMIZATION

More than a Meal. it’s an experienCe.

Best MiniMization

Hi, Ok Gazette. I see this paper — a very nice-looking paper — in local restaurants. My input is this: Why such a hard left editorial view? And why do you think the letters have the same view? I think Oklahoma is a pretty conservidive [sic] place. Maybe you are just terribly biased.

Best typo callout

Best ranDoM line

I am happy to see this opportunity opening up in OKissC ... but I am really happy they are taking over the old Dan O’Brien’s “Pubic” House ... being near the bank and B&N may have been a downer for old Dan. Look at the article again. No misspellings but one letter missing made my day! Thanks!

Then again, Gene Simmons might be happy to get a “pubic” not a “public” house!

The Thunder alone is a bloated cash cow.

Best MiDDle-of-the-night phone Message(s)

Mr. Meyers can once again “do things you could not do before,” like take occasion to trash right-wing politics and Christian religion and ignorant Oklahomans.

I’m glad I know you’re the editor, because next time the paper says something stupid … I’ll call you. To say that schools are underfunded is dumb (long pause, then yells), Dee-You-

We are honored to be oKC’s Favorite For 9 Years!

Em-Bee ... madame! (click) (calls back) ... And remember MAPS for Kids? ... (unintelligible, groaning) Wasn’t that wonderful? (yells) Helllooooo?!! (click) (calls back) Seventy percent of the population thinks you’re an idiot! (click) (calls back) ... I think the Gazette is a Democrat-whore paper. (click) I suppose you could say his charges were significant (Editor’s note: fraud, larceny, “engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses,” bail jumping, “obtaining money by false pretenses,” spanning from 2003-2009, according to publicly available records), but if you review the trail of appeals, record of nonviolence and professional accomplishments, he is no risk to society.

Best spelleD

p Hotos vi A bi gstoc k.com

IAN & HAILEY MCDERMID

Best Definition of a lie As I see how this tragic event is treated in a cavalier manner by media and called a bombing by everyone, I am deeply embarrassed and ashamed.

The official story is wrong. It’s a lie; furthermore, it’s a vulgar, dirty lie.

Best WasteD insult

6014 N. May 947.7788 zorbasokc.com THANKS FOR VOTING US BEST LIQUOR STORE IN OKC! SPIRITS

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Continued on next PaGe

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | Au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 1

Best reader write-ins from Best of oKC Ballots: Best local Winery:

BEST pLAcE TO MEET A HIpSTER

mArk HA N coc k

gARY ENgLAND

m A rk HA N coc k / Fi Le

BEST pLAcE TO TAKE A SELFIE

gA Ze tte stA FF / Fi L e

life Cover

Rob Crissinger 7-Eleven at Tenth Street and Western Avenue

Best Weather teaM: Long Live Gary England!

Best place to Meet a hipster: and kill them?

Best local contractor/ hanDyMan: My husband Best faMily in-state staycation: Staycations are at home, dumbasses.

Taste & Take WEDNESDAY THRU SUNDAY 712 N BROADWAY | 405.232.WINE (9463) | WEWOKC.COM WED 11AM-7PM | THURS-SAT 11AM-11PM | SUN 1PM-7PM 3 2 | Au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

ROB cRISSINgER

Best of tHe worst At Oklahoma Gazette, we’re all too willing to make fun of ourselves, too.

Here are some of the best worst lines printed and/or edited out of our stories in the last year.

Best place to spenD aDult tiMe that is kiD-frienDly:

Best DouBle Meaning:

Incongruent statement!

Add the black bean salad with corn and red onions ($7) for a blowout meal!

Best place to take a selfie: In the middle of NW 23rd and Classen; should get a great one right before a bus hits your stupid face.

Best (national or regional) restaurant you Wish Was locally oWneD*:

first place:

honorable Mention:

Pardon the pun, but it was a mouthful in more ways than one. oh, Jesus, we didn’t Mean that:

Children young enough can get their rocks off in the Discovery Room, literally.

Best MiXeD Metaphors/cliches:

Sonic

first Place:

Best person to folloW on social MeDia: A friend

He doesn’t speak on the rubber chicken luncheon circuit. He gets down to the nuts and bolts.

g AZette stAFF / FiLe

Best free entertainMent:

BEST WORST LINE ABOUT pRISON REFORM Most Cliches:

Best snooty art scene reference:

Hats off to a resident cooking rock star who can definitely hold her own against the pros and make the Oklahoma scene proud in the process.

A wide breadth of visual art that few outside the scene would recognize.

Best visual:

Best We-haveno-Manners line:

Next, she tackled hot dogs.

first place:

Best Mixed Metaphors in a runon sentence:

The cheese sauce is indeed amazing; I feel like I could just drink the sauce and that would be quite acceptable.

In a partnership that will go into extra innings, INTEGRIS Health has stepped up to the plate to become an Official Community Partner of the ASA Hall of Fame Softball Complex for the next 10 years, to the tune of $750,000.

Best use of “scene” or “scenes”: Best Kool-aid Man visual:

After bursting onto the scene in the ’80s ...

Best wettest scene:

“It was before the craft beer scene exploded.”

Best sci-fi Melding visual:

He has fused himself into the soul of the midwest punk scene.

Best Captain obvious line:

There’s a new food truck on the scene.

gA Zette stA FF / Fi Le

BEST WE-HAvE-NO-MANNERS LINE

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BEST MIxED METApHORS/cLIcHES:

m Ark HA N coc k / Fi L e

gA Ze tte stA FF / Fi L e

BEST DOUBLE MEANINg

Best perforMing arts Wtf: first place:

With stage names like April Showers and Ooops the Clown, you get the feeling that you aren’t on your way to see the ballet. It’s dazzling burlesque, and you’re in for some showtime extravaganza.

Best Dictatorial lines aBout “authentic fare”: first Place:

“You know, Hitler was a vegetarian” is a popular thing to say to discredit vegetarians. almost Makes sense:

You can still find hot dogs at Coney Island, though they might hesitate to fill your order if you use a German accent.

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O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | Au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 3

REST OF OKC

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DINO LALLI’S FAcIAL HAIR

‘otHer’ rest of oKC winners Best Mustache that looks like a living organisM:

dino lalli’s faCial Hair Its origins are murky, but historians

discovered that soon after its inception sometime in 1842, Dino Lalli’s mustache (in reality a single-celled organism) attached itself to its first host, J.J. McAlester, until the end of their reign as United States Marshal for Indian Territory in 1897. After a period of dormancy, it found its present host: handsome, 12-year-old Lalli.

(He formally adopted it sometime around 1980, court records show.)

After recovering from an almost careerending blow in the early ’80s when Hall & Oates exploded on the scene, the ’stache regrouped and worked about nine years at the Oklahoma Film & Music Office, capitalizing off its prior experience as creative services director for the television division of a worldwide nonprofit based in OKC. The mustache — and Dino — now works tirelessly as a co-host and producer for Discover Oklahoma. Today, many people still fully credit Dino for the pair’s success.

Few know that the duo works so well together they often finish each other’s sentences.

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BRADcHAD pORTER

Best funnyMan:

BradCHad Porter BradChad Porter, by his own accounts, is an adult, bald divorcee who has lost control of his bowels in his pants at least five times. He also is often called the funniest comic working in Oklahoma City right now. Whether he’s talking about being caught by his mother during an amorous encounter with himself or the ironic tragedy of dying at an amusement park, it’s not just his clever words that garner guffaws. His body contorts and explodes on stage with the telling of each story, eliciting peals of laughter from crowds. His pain is our gain, and Oklahoma Gazette thanks him for sharing it.

Best festival BraWl:

deadCenter film festival Opening night of this year’s

deadCENTER Film Festival was surreal, even by Jerry Springer standards.

A mockumentary premiere about local female pro wrestling group was paired with a documentary about a satanic black mass. Members of both communities came, but it wasn’t the brawlers who brawled. Nope. Instead, opposing satanic practitioners took their anger “Outside, bro!” and two men exchanged punches in front of the theater as The Real Enemy screened inside. Police broke up the scuffle.

m Ark HA N coc k / Fi Le

p rovi ded

DEADcENTER FILM FESTIvAL

H&8TH NIgHT MARKET

Best tiMe WasteD stanDing in line:

H&8tH niGHt marKet People-watching has never been as fun and rewarding as it is at H&8th Night Market’s monthly street festival. Waiting in line for an hour after you order your gourmet meal from some guy leaning out of a truck window gives you plenty of time to examine the dynamics of human interaction, crowd movement and local music and art. And, hey, is that a drone hovering above, filming everyone’s every move? Yep, it sure is!

But you don’t care. (Wave hello, y’all!)

Everyone around you is just so … interesting. Plus, that guy at the window accepts credit and debit cards. So order a second craft beer while you wait. You’ll be glad you did.

Best MeDia BraWl:

tHe lost oGle vs. aaron tuttle Months and months before meteorologist Aaron Tuttle and The Lost Ogle (TLO) co-founder and editorin-chief Patrick Riley went public with their arguments about who was best qualified to win Best of OKC’s Best

FAc ebook.com

THE LOST OgLE vS. AARON TUTTLE

mArk HANcock / FiLe

m A rk HA N coc k / Fi L e

RANDY TERRILL

Person to Follow on Social Media title, a painful and sometimes hilarious drama nearly broke the Internet. Tuttle fought TLO’s use of sleek-chested, ripped photos from his bodybuilding days.

Things soon devolved into shout-outs requesting good copyright attorneys, cease-and-desist complaints, threats of lawsuits … and the best publicity either could ask for. Their beef with each other is legit — we don’t think it’s a publicity stunt — but it has also served them both well. Congratulations, gentlemen.

Hey OKC! We W ant tO t O ttH H an anKK yyO Ou f O r a great year and all yO y O ur suppO supp O rt.

We Love You fOr fO r r eal!

Best L unch spot B est sandW sand W ich shop B est pL p L aza district restaurant

Best neW resiDent of a state Jail:

randY terrill Schadenfreude, thy name is Randy Terrill. After being convicted of offering a bribe for the withdrawal of Sen. Debbie Leftwich’s candidacy in 2013, the former representative from Moore finally began his prison sentence this year. Perhaps best known as the author of anti-immigration and Englishlanguage-only bills, his fall from grace is perhaps more embarrassing to himself than the state. (The Sooner fan was forced to take a mugshot in an orange shirt. The indignity!) He’s due for release from the prison in Granite in February.

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O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | Au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 5

Thanks for Making Us A Winner OKC! Lawton 3807 Cache Road 580-699-8337

OKC 2836 NW 68th St. 405-848-8337

Edmond 801 E. Danforth Rd 405-810-8337

Broken Arrow 3202 W. Kenosha St. 918-254-8337

South OKC 8324 S. Western Ave. 405-635-8337

Norman 700 N. Interstate Dr. 405-307-8337

Tulsa Hills 7848 S. Olympia Ave. WEST 918-301-8337

m A rk HA N coc k / Fi L e

Del City 5301 Main St. Ste. 117 405-813-8337

REST OF OKC

WILSHIRE gUN

Best rap pose in a proMotional photo:

JaCK swaGGer Perry-born former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger has a solid flow. His rhymes are dope, and his braggadocio is legend. This pose alone is successful in today’s rap scene. Earlier this year, when Swagger told Oklahoma Gazette, “the impact is definitely not fake,” we secretly hoped he was alluding to a pending album debut.

Thank you for voting for us this year!

Best use of JaMes garner statue: No words. Just this:

JAMES LANKFORD

Best laWMaker everyone loves to hate:

James lanKford This was a close one. In fact, we

flipped a coin to choose the winner and then threw out that decision.

The Oklahoma native and U.S. senator’s attempts to defund and/or dismantle Planned Parenthood, Native American sovereignty, religious freedom protections and Obamacare, however, prove his bite is far more dangerous than state lawmaker Sally Kern’s incessant bark. Whether you think Lankford’s a hero or a heel, almost everyone agrees that he’s a shrewd and controversial lawmaker.

Best place to Drink anD fire a gun:

wilsHire Gun This is a big win for us okies! No longer do we have to procure an old television and an ice-cold Coors and scoot off into the country to drink and fire weapons.

At Wilshire Gun, OKC’s first-class gun range, you can grab an AK-47 or a Russian AK-74 as easily as you can grab a Jack and Coke!

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gAZette stAFF / FiLe

JAcK SWAggER

provided

Dine-In • ToGo • Catering • Banquet Facilities

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EDMOND

LUTHER

Best Metro city that hiDes its seeDy unDerBelly Well:

edmond Oh, how we love thee, Edmond,

America. Perhaps Oklahoma City’s most affluent suburb, it’s really skilled at putting on its happy face and downing another flute of perfectly chilled, froma-box rosé as it smiles and pretends not to notice. Over the past year, it has launched a hugely successful monthly street festival that has brought in an estimated $1.5 million. Its schools are some of the best in the state. And, dude, its arts festival is pretty awesome.

It also made the news for a brothel bust, prostitute takedown, feces-centric vandal, stabbing death, high-speed chase involving traffic violations and drug-related arrests.

Best city that’s not as WeirD as it thinks it is:

norman Norman is not the next Austin.

Austin, the former weird capitol of the world, is now a place where yuppies run wild in the streets, dragging up the cost of living with their high-end salaries, where every non-yuppie lives in a Neverland-like fantasy of never growing up and playing in a band until arthritis consumes their body and leaves them helplessly on their own with no 401K and a bleak resume. Norman is not weird like that. Boasting a state university and sitting comfortably as a

NORMAN

’burb of OKC, Norman sounds a lot like another metro suburb just to the north. Nothing weird about that.

Best toWn that’s Way WeirDer than anyBoDy thinks:

2 TICKETS TO

Festival appreciation party blowout was jokingly close to literal when a fireworks display at the still-under-construction American Indian Cultural Center and Museum ended with the wail of fire truck alarms. Sparks from the fireworks set tall native grasses aflame, but it was quickly extinguished and no property damage was reported.

mArk H AN cock

deadCenter film festival This year’s beloved deadCENTER Film

bi gstoc k.com

Best Burn-the-place-to-thegrounD event opening:

WALK BALLROOM 2 2 DIAMOND THURS

OCTOBER

THE MOON ENTER TO WIN 2 0 1 5 OKGAZETTE.COM/GWW

GAZETTE’S WEEKLY WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED EACH WEEK IN THE TABLE OF CONTENTS PRINTED WINNERS HAVE 7 DAYS TO CLAIM TICKETS

lutHer If news reports are to be believed, this quaint town has turned into some kind of Bermuda Triangle for normalcy. In June, a former councilman was arrested for allegedly possessing stolen copper wire/cable. This was after police said he told jail inmates to strip tornado sirens of metal so he could make some quick cash (about $160). This month, he was arrested again for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case, including threatening the life of one witness and trying to run another off the road, according to KOCO.com. As if that wasn’t bizarre enough, earlier this month, News9.com reported the Luther Schools superintendent created a job that paid $65,000 and hired his wife to fill it. “I knew she could do the job,” he told News9.com. All of this is weird enough that we assume the next story to surface might be about a candy-colored clown they call The Sandman.

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Game over!

Oklahoma Gazette’s Christy Duane announces Best of OKC winners.

This year’s Best of OKC class is a winner.

PHOTOS BY MARK HANCOCK AND GARETT FISBECK

Oklahoma Gazette’s 31st annual Best of OKC awards is complete! Winners were announced in 124 categories Aug. 18 at a blowout ’80s-themed event and packed house inside Cosmopolitan, Malarkey’s Dueling Piano Bar, The Roost and Doux at 7 S. Mickey Mantle Drive. The party was sponsored by Viejo Cancun Tequila.

Find the full presentation of this year’s winners right now at okgazette.com.

Owners, em ployees and friends of Th get their ph e Pump Bar oto taken w hile celebrat win for Best ing the venu New Bar to e’s Open Since 6/1/2014.

A colorful crowd o waits to hear wh won what.

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A server wades through the crowd at the Aug. 18 Best of OKC awards party.

From left Gazette Publisher Bill Bleakley with fellow blue coat Craig Delano

For information about photo use permissions, digital photos and reproductions, please contact Linda Meoli, Oklahoma Gazette vice president of corporate affairs, at lmeoli@okgazette.com.

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | AU G U S T 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 9

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Taking stock Skip Hill brings his art to the people of Norman, and they take ownership of it.

By JAck fowleR

The corner of Main Street and Berry Road in Norman looks different.

It’s still one of the busiest intersections in town. Norman High School still bustles across the street. The impatient river of traffic still flows by ceaselessly, and the strip mall parking lot still stays full all day.

The difference is the wall on the south side of Main Street.

What used to be a Homeland has now been converted into a new Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Administrative Center and ReStore, a resupply and centralized goods warehouse. The enormous blank wall that used to greet students, shoppers and motorists with all the warmth and charm of a penitentiary is now adorned with one of the largest communal art projects Norman has seen in years. It transformed the entire corner. People are noticing.

“The City of Norman and the community here really facilitated this mural,” said Skip Hill, an artist and relatively new Norman resident who was commissioned by HFH to paint the oversized piece. “It really took the idea of public art to the next level, and our focus from day one was to make this a hands-on, community project.”

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Hill achieved the community aspect of the project thanks to an idea from Liz Barfield, the new HFH marketing specialist.

‘Coloring book’

In an effort to fund the mural — which Hill calls Reuse, Renew, Resore — and cultivate a community investment in the new center, an enormous grid was laid out, and Hill essentially created a “coloring book” over the grid.

“A basic outline of the design with no colors filled in,” he said. “I just kind of drew it in and then stepped back.”

Then, with the painting ready to be filled in, the grid squares were sold to local businesses and civic organizations. Representatives from those groups then showed up and, under Hill’s supervision, began filling in the enormous canvas. The 44-foot by 20-foot mural took three months to complete, and Hill said it was a true public experience from start to finish.

“The community was really key; I was more of a facilitator,” said Hill, who made appointments throughout the three months to supervise laymen (and laychildren) who decided to come paint.

“The youngest painter was 3 years old, and the oldest was in his 70s,” Hill

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Skip Hill with his Norman mural, tentatively titled Reuse, Renew, Restore said. “We had the mayor of Norman come paint, presidents of banks, little kids, teachers — a real cross section of this community.”

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Community response

The buzz and hum of a public art project of this magnitude also drew constant attention from Norman residents just walking by.

People mostly stopped to say “Thank you for doing this” and told Hill multiple times that it made a huge difference on the mood and feel of the intersection.

Residents brought the artist drinks and checked to see if he needed anything.

“Everyone seemed really excited and supportive of what we were doing,” Hill said.

Hill is no stranger to murals, public projects or garnering support.

A prolific artist in the Oklahoma City scene for years, Hill moved to Norman three years ago to discover what he calls a kind of untapped market for artistic initiatives.

“I can see and feel what’s going on in the city, but this scene is really catching on too,” Hill said. “The energy of having a university here obviously helps. I feel like this town is really about to take off artistically.”

Hill hopes his new piece might serve as a catalyst for that.

He admits the work is a bit of a departure for him, but the eyes of the two main characters in the coNTiNUeD oN NeXT PAGe

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life ViSUAl ARTS mural are vintage Hill.

His vibrant and exotically stylized work has been recognizable around OKC for years, and if one looks closely, one can see his fingerprints on the Norman work. However, guidelines for content and the “coloring book” aspect of the project took him in a new direction.

The buy-in

“It was definitely a departure for me, but it needed to be,” Hill said. “The main goal was obviously to let people know what the store was about, what kinds of things they could find in the store, and those are featured on the mural. That’s why there’s a washing machine and a stove on there.”

As for the two centralized figures, the ones staring at each other with the distinctive eyes, Hill said the color choices were deliberate and pointed.

“Black and white doesn’t cut it

anymore when we talk about the diversity of people we live and work with,” Hill said. “So I decided to make the people blue and oompa-loompa orange. It’s an abstract idea, but I thought it was important.”

Hill, who grew up wanting to be a cartoonist, has made much of his living in years past by working in public schools and supervising youth and community projects. However, he said the Norman piece was not only the biggest project he has done, but the most collaborative as well.

“I haven’t done a mural in years, not since the ’90s. It was for the MidDel school district, and I still like the idea that components of that mural are still there 20 years later,” Hill said.

“It’s a very gratifying feeling. And now, all the people who helped paint this one will know what that feels like. All of those people have stock in this art now.”

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Dust detail Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre and OETA join forces to win an Emmy.

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STOP IN TO FIND YOUR NEW FAVORITE

Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre performs The Grapes of Wrath.

BY KELLY MACNEIL

A recent Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) documentary short is winning acclaim for its examination of one of the worst periods in Oklahoma history, as depicted in John Steinbeck’s classic novel The Grapes of Wrath.

Back in Time: The Grapes of Wrath won a 2015 regional Emmy award last month in the Arts & Entertainment — Program/Series/Special category, beating out competitors from as far away as Denver.

“This honor really embodies the energy and dynamism of Oklahoma City’s growing creative community and, specifically, its creative collaboration,” said Donald Jordan, artistic director of Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre (CityRep), which joined the project.

“It’s a great thrill to win the award, especially since we’re a smaller market, a smaller organization,” said Bill Perry, OETA’s deputy director and documentary executive producer. “It’s not easy to build a great TV program based on a book.”

Coming to life

Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel instantly became the seminal depiction of Dust Bowl survival when it was published in 1939. The tale followed the Joad family from their failed farm in Oklahoma to agricultural labor camps in California. Steinbeck sought to draw attention to the plight of poor laborers who were exploited by powerful figures — unfeeling bankers, big landowners and abusive law enforcement.

OETA’s 27-minute documentary on the novel, written and produced

by Robert Burch, featured historians and literary experts. But OETA also relied on theater to bring the novel’s characters to life.

Documentarians incorporated key scenes from CityRep’s 2014 staging of the play The Grapes of Wrath.

Harry Parker directed the Tony Award-winning stage adaptation by Frank Galati. CityRep’s production, in partnership with Oklahoma City University, was an official component of the National Steinbeck Center’s 75th anniversary of the book.

“We used the play as our visual representation of the story,” Perry said. “It gives the book life and helps viewers understand why the story is so important.”

The documentary includes insights from the actors who portrayed the novel’s best-known characters: Cameron Cobb as Tom Joad, who is eventually inspired to organize against oppression, and Pam Dougherty as Ma Joad, the matriarch who keeps the family together through all its travails.

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Okie pride

Back in Time: The Grapes of Wrath was part of OETA’s ongoing Back in Time documentary series on Oklahoma history. Not mentioned in the program was the umbrage many Oklahomans originally took at Steinbeck’s book.

They objected to its depiction of the conditions the Joad family fled in southeastern Oklahoma and its portrayal of pitiful “Okies.”

But today, the documentary’s contributors see only resilience in Steinbeck’s characters. “[The Grapes of Wrath] shows the endurance of people who survived the Dust Bowl and wanted a better life for their family,” Perry said. “There’s a getit-done attitude among Oklahomans that exists to this day.”

Don Jordan, CityRep artistic director, said the program successfully blended literature, theater, history and music (Sonny Franks as the play’s troubadour incorporated gospel tunes and Woodie Guthrie songs) to create a rich perspective on Steinbeck’s masterpiece.

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By Don Gagliardo and Zhouqin Burnikel / Edited by Will Shortz

ACROSS 1 Engaged 10 Jacques who was “alive and well and living in Paris” 14 Island near the Mariana Trench 18 Pueblo Indian rite 19 Places for light gatherings?

21 Mario who played Enrico Caruso 22 *Pricey wrap 23 *Triple Crown winner who himself sired a Kentucky Derby winner 25 When repeated, an aerobics class cry 26 ____ bar 28 New faces 29 Rejecting higher authority?

33 Dodger manager with two World Series rings 34 Shout from the crow’s-nest 37 Seminary subj.

38 Giggle syllable 40 Prefix with state 41 “____ seen enough!”

42 “Skedaddle!”

44 Impressed with 47 Village V.I.P. 51 *Carpenter’s tool with a cord 54 “Dogs” 56 Single 57 Black rock 58 White-tailed raptor 60 Dad-blasted 62 Fed. property agency 63 Black ____ 65 Half a Beatles title 67 Like the telecast of the 1954 Rose Bowl parade, notably 69 ____ Macmillan, 1950s-’60s British P.M. 72 Plants above the timberline 75 Skin conditioners 76 Ungainly 78 Identified 80 Drink with spices 81 On the ____ (at large) 82 ____ Hall, shortest Harlem Globetrotter 85 Irving protagonist 87 Pit bull biter 90 Dirt pie ingredient 92 ____ shake 94 *Deep Throat’s identity 96 Rogen and Green

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“Show me” type Hunger Budgetary excess N., E., W. and S. Thumbs-up vote Lean-____ With understatedness Two New Sciences author Hedge clippings, grass cuttings, etc.

Ideal setting for a fan Features of green rooms “That’s the way the cookie crumbles” *Start a construction project Back then … or a hint to the ends of the answers to the starred clues Save up Bone: Prefix Giovanni, in Don Giovanni Russo of “30-Down” Morales of La Bamba Very cold

DOWN 1 Ones holding hands?

2 French act 3 Comment before “Be that way!”

4 Stamping need 5 Some campaign purchases 6 D.C. ballplayer 7 It’s worth 100 smackers 8 Patisserie buy 9 Sunken, as eyes 10 Low voices 11 It may be lined with mailboxes: Abbr.

12 Different rooms in a museum, maybe 13 *Smidgen 14 Cooker with a dial 15 Having no head 16 Luxury Hyundai 17 Gaping things 20 Relative of the Contour Plus 21 Poe poem 24 Like “Annabel Lee” among all Poe poems 27 See 89-Down 30 Wielder of the hammer Mjölnir 31 Lower chamber 32 Some stadium noise 34 Slimming surgery, informally 35 River through Bristol 36 *Tom Seaver, e.g.

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VOl. XXXVii NO. 34

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39 At 3,000 feet above sea level, the highest provincial capital in Italy 43 ____ cake (dim sum staple) 45 *Dr. Seuss’ genre 46 Mysterious sighting 48 *Challenge for a righthanded golfer 49 Newsman David 50 Brings up 52 John McCain, for one 53 Sports org. with the teams Sun and Sky 55 In the mail 59 Wing 61 Household brand name with a lowercase first letter 64 Crib strip 66 Google Wallet alternative 68 Kind of switch 69 They hover over some icons

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Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute). The answers to the New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle that appeared in the August 19 issue of Oklahoma Gazette are shown at left.

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91 “Stop your nonsense!”

93 Funny-car fuel, informally 95 Danish king who conquered England 97 Boondocks 99 Catch in the North Atlantic 103 Tough going

0823

NeW YORk TimeS mAgAziNe CROSSWORD Puzzle AS IT WERE

106 108 109 110 111 113 114 115 116 119 120 121 123 125 126

Al Jolson standard “Aw, c’mon” Songstress Eydie “You’re ____ One, Mr. Grinch” Köln coin “Same here” Stars, at the Forum Letter-shaped girder Sounds of scolding Put on board Grieg’s “____ Death” Violins and violas: Abbr.

U.S.’s largest labor union, in brief Oscar-nominated Joaquin Phoenix film The Two Towers denizen

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4 6 | au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

LIFE ACTIVE

P ROVI DE D

Midwest fun Splash, dog paddle, dash and non-Internet catfish in Midwest City.

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

Splash ’n Dash 6:30 p.m. Friday Reno Swim & Slide and Joe B. Barnes Regional Park Reno Avenue and Douglas Boulevard midwestcityok.org/parks-and-recreation 739-1293 Free Ages 7-12 First 150 entries

Doggie Paddle 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7 Reno Swim & Slide Reno Avenue and Douglas Boulevard midwestcityok.org/parks-and-recreation $5 First 150 entries

Kids Fishing Clinic 8-11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 Soldier Creek Joe B. Barnes Regional Park midwestcityok.org/parks-and-recreation Free Ages 6-15

A series of events designed to get people outside and active in various ways has been planned in Midwest City, and it’s all free or moderately priced. A Splash ’n Dash is Friday, Aug. 23; Doggie Paddle is Sept. 7; and Kids Fishing Clinic is Sept. 12.

First up is the first Splash ’n Dash, which is open to kids ages 7-12 and takes place in stages or waves that will launch every half hour according to age group. The fun starts 6:30 p.m.

Friday at Reno Swim & Slide and Joe B. Barnes Regional Park. Children must be able to swim on their own but do not need prior race experience.

“We strongly encourage people to register in advance online for this event,” said Nicole Berkley, special events and recreation assistant for the City of Midwest City Parks & Recreation Department.

The event is essentially a biathlon consisting of a fun run followed by a swim and allows boys and girls to explore multisport activities. This event is limited to 150 entries, and forms must be completed and turned

Kids Fishing Clinic will be held at Soldier Creek in Joe B. Barnes Regional Park. in by Thursday. Forms and age-group details are available at midwestcityok. org/parks-and-recreation.

Reno Swim & Slide goes to the dogs 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 7 for its third annual Doggie Paddle.

“This is the last night of swimming for the summer,” Berkley said. “It’s summer’s last hurrah.”

More than 100 dogs and their humans participate each year, but there is a limit. Capacity tops out at 150 pooches.

It’s $5 per pet, which must have current vaccinations. Also, leashes are required when the dogs aren’t getting their splash on. Tickets can be purchased in advance 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday at Nick Harroz Midwest City Community Center, 200 N. Midwest Blvd. They can also be bought at the event.

The Kids Fishing Clinic is co-hosted by the Kiwanis Club and is a three-hour combination of educational presentations and handson fishing. It runs 8-11 a.m. at Soldier Creek in Joe B. Barnes Regional Park.

Skills taught include catfish biology, knot tying, casting and outdoor ethics and gutting and cleaning fish. It is open to kids ages 6-15, and about 40 fishing poles are available for children who don’t own their own.

“The Wildlife Department is helping us out and is stocking Soldier Creek with catfish for the event,” Berkley said.

Parents with proper licenses also are welcome to stay and fish while their children participate in the clinic.

The Midwest City Parks & Recreation Department organizes free and low-cost public events yearround. From 6:30-8:30 p.m. each Thursday in September. Learn more at midwestcity.org.

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Prine Power

s COt t C astOE / P R OVI DE D

LIFE MUSIC

Local musicians gather to pay tribute to an insightful musical genius.

BY GREG HORTON

8:30 p.m. Saturday Power House 1228 SW Second St. powerhouseokc.com 702-0699 Free

A group of metro singer-songwriters performs a free tribute show featuring the work of John Prine Saturday at Power House, 1228 NW Second St. “There is a simplicity to Prine’s songs that I find compelling,” said show organizer Jerrod Beck. “I reached out to other artists who knew Prine’s work and had a song or two of his they wanted to cover.”

Beck said the idea emerged from another tribute show he organized at The Plant Shoppe that featured the work of Roger Miller.

“The Roger Miller show went great,”

Beck said, “and I thought we could put together another show that sort of got songwriters out of their comfort zones and forced them to cover another great songwriter.”

Prine is a popular figure among folk and bluegrass songwriters. He began as a folk artist in the Chicago area, where he was discovered by Kris Kristofferson. He distinguished himself by writing insightful, funny lyrics in an uncomplicated style that delved directly into contemporary issues.

“It’s one thing to write pretty folk songs about big issues, but he tells us the stories of the people who fall through the cracks of those issues,” said Justin Fortney of Guthrie-based music act Stranded at the Station.

Fortney selected “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore” and “Sam Stone.”

“Both songs observe the way we weave nationalism, religion and the American addiction to war and how all that plays out in real human lives,” Fortney said.

“The tongue-in-cheek humor of ‘Flag Decal’ is hard not to giggle along with.”

But the song’s chorus also slices effortlessly into the brutal fallacy of American jingoism and warmongering.

“Sam Stone” was written around 1971 and is relevant today, as many soldiers suffer from PTSD and high suicide rates. “‘Sam Stone’ is just brutal — it’s beautiful and difficult to listen to,” Fortney said.

Those twin poles add some insight to the complexity of Prine as an artist who recognizes the humor and tragedy of life. His anti-war songs are clear and poignantly funny, while his songs about the human experience can be heartbreaking.

Kinsey Charles of Judith, who also performs Saturday, remembers Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery” as the first song her father, a Baptist minister, taught her on guitar.

“That Prine, as a 20-something artist, could write an empathetic song about a 40-something housewife who is chronically ignored by her husband is remarkable,” she said.

Charles’ experience of Prine goes back to her early childhood as part of a very musical family. “[Prine] seems familiar and goofy and unassuming, but he’s obviously a deep well of genius,” she said.

Beck, Charles and Fortney join eight other artists — including Chelsea Cope of Elms and Cameron Neal of Horse Thief — on Saturday. Each artist performs two covers plus an original song.

D IXON / PROVIDED

John Prine Tribute Show

Justin Fortney

Glamour girl Pam Tillis visits Oklahoma with Lorrie Morgan for a country music diva affair.

BY MARK BEUTLER

Grits & Glamour Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan 8 p.m. Saturday Sugar Creek Casino 4200 N. Broadway Ave., Hinton sugarcreekcasino.net 542-2946 $25-$75

Pam Tillis was born into country music royalty, the oldest daughter of singersongwriter Mel Tillis.

However, she found her own way to stardom and was Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 1994. Her breakthrough single “Don’t Tell Me What to Do” hit Billboard charts in 1991 and was followed by a string of hits, including “Shake the Sugar Tree,” Latin-flavored “Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)” and her signature song “Maybe It Was

Pam Tillis

Memphis.”

Tillis now joins Lorrie Morgan for their Grits & Glamour tour, which hits Sugar Creek Casino 8 p.m. Saturday at 4200 N. Broadway Ave., Hinton.

In 2013, Tills and Morgan teamed up for the duet album Dos Divas. The two singers toured together briefly in 1996 as part of the Kraft Tour, along with Carlene Carter. But today, she said the road is much different.

“Back then, we felt the pressure to build our names as solo artists. It was very competitive,” Tillis said in an interview with Oklahoma Gazette.

“We really didn’t know each other well or appreciate how much we had in common. We rode on our own buses and said goodbye as soon as the concert was over. Now, it’s just a couple of buddies, and with all the other female band members, it’s kind of like a rolling

slumber party.”

It took a while to overcome the competitiveness of the past, Tillis said.

“Fortunately, we found our rhythm, and the closer we got as friends, the better the show has become,” she said.

“We still spar, but it’s always just to amuse ourselves.”

While Tillis has been absent from the charts and mainstream radio for a few years — her last studio album was 2007’s Rhinestoned — that might change. Tillis said she is writing songs and has new material ready to share.

“I have some record offers I’m really excited about,” she said. “I may have gone overboard writing and looking for tunes, but I love that part of the process.”

Tillis endeared herself to many Oklahoma fans following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Her single at

the time, “I Was Blown Away,” was climbing the charts when she asked her record company to pull it from radio for fear of negative connotations.

“That just seemed like the thing to do at the time. I was in shock like everyone else,” Tillis said. “I hate to think it was anything but just showing good manners.”

Other than prepping for her new album, Tillis recently completed filming a cameo for an episode of the ABC drama Nashville, which airs this fall.

When she’s not on the road, she said her life is quite simple.

“I used to go out every night with my friends like a lot of 20-somethings do, but once my career kicked into high gear, most of that fell by the wayside,” Tillis said. “Actually, I wish I’d known a long time ago how much fun being boring is.”

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 4 9

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Harumph, The Deli, Norman. POP Out of Sane, Classics. ROCK Drive, Baker Street Pub & Grill. VARIOUS Steve Crossley, Red Rock Canyon Grill.

SINGER/SONGWRITER Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. JAZZ Tony Schwartz, Hefner Grill. VARIOUS Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club.

Edgar Cruz/Jeff Nokes, Avanti Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC Goatwhore/Black Fast/Against the Damned, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

FRIDAY, AUG. 28 Travis Linville/Pidgin, The Deli, Norman. VARIOUS Gregg Kennedy, The George Prime Steakhouse. PIANO Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company, UCO Jazz Lab. JAZZ Dana Cooper, The Blue Door. FOLK Flatland Travelers, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery.

VARIOUS Jason Young Band, Newcastle Casino. COUNTRY DJ Rodney Ladd, Colcord Hotel. VARIOUS Rick Jawnsun, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC DJ Six, Russellís, Tower Hotel. VARIOUS Amarillo Junction, Remington Park. COUNTRY Christian Pearson/Gary Johnson, Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

PIANO

THURSDAY, AUG. 27

Motherduck, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK

Kierston White/Camille Harp/Elizabee/Sage Cook/ We Dream Dawn, The Deli, Norman. VARIOUS

Dewey Binns/Bleverly Hills/Frank Black, 51st Street Speakeasy. VARIOUS

Lucky Duo, Colcord Hotel. COVER

DJ Jason Daniel, Colcord Hotel. VARIOUS

Zigtebra (Chicago)/Shameless Friend/Aw Cmon/Stoop Kid, Dope Chapel, Norman. VARIOUS

Groove Underground, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK Stars, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COVER

SATURDAY, AUG. 29

Jaron Bell, Wormy Dog Saloon. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Stars, Russellís, Tower Hotel. COVER

Rocky Kanaga, O Asian Fusion. ACOUSTIC

Midas 13, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

Time Machine, Red Rock Canyon Grill. COVER

Gregg Kennedy, The George Prime Steakhous. PIANO

David Morris, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO

OKC Motorhead Tribute Show, OKC Farmer’s Market.

ROCK

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club/Jeff Richardson/Beau Jennings, Opolis. COUNTRY Hard Working Americans/Turbo Fruits, Cain’s Ballroom.

ROCK Matt Cottre, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES John Moreland/Joshua Black Wilkins, Blue Note Lounge.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

JOE C a N tOR / P ROVI DE D

LIVE MUSIC WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26

Southern Rift, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.

COUNTRY

Von Stomper

OKG

music

Von Stomper

pick

Friday

In anticipation of its sophomore album, Colorado’s Von Stomper hits the road for a gig in Norman. The band, featuring Wolf van Elfmand and Luke Callen on guitar and vocals, brings its Americana roots sound and high energy to The Bluebonnet Bar, 321 E. Main St. Other members are Taylor Shuck on upright bass, Dane Mark on drums and Mark Austin on banjo, harmonica and vocals. Its second album, Américado, drops Sept. 19. Showtime is 10 p.m. Friday, and tickets are $5. Visit facebook.com/ bluebonnetbar.

Grant Stevens, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks.

Helen Kelter Skelter, The Deli, Norman. ROCK

Superfreak, Crosseyed Moose. COVER

2AM, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. ROCK

Tyrel Draper, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. COUNTRY

Ali Harter, New York Pizza & Pasta. ACOUSTIC

Logan Gorrell, UCO Jazz Lab. JAZZ

Valient Thorr/Mothership, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK

Bobby Long, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

JOEY KNEIsER / PROVIDED

Lorrie Morgan/Pam Tillis, Sugar Creek Casino. COUNTRY

John moreland, Blue Note lounge, thursday

MONDAY, AUG. 31 Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK

Lucky Duo, Red Rock Canyon Grill. COVER

The Patron ‘AintS/Noisebleedsound, The Deli, Norman.

ROCK

Jim the Elephant, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK

GWAR/Butcher Babies/Battlecross, Cain’s Ballroom.

ROCK

Damn Quails, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY John Arnold Band, Newcastle Casino. COUNTRY Duane Reade Band, Mad Cow Saloon. VARIOUS Big G, Remington Park. BLUES Missing & Lost Poker Run, Grady’s 66 Pub. ROCK Casey Donahew Band, Brady Theater. COUNTRY Red Label Band, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES

SUNDAY, AUG. 30 Shut Up Matt Jewett/Your Mom, Blue Note Lounge. POP

TUESDAY, SEPT. 1 Natalie Syring, UCO Jazz Lab. JAZZ

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2 Rockwell Ryan, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club.

Edgar Cruz/Jeff Nokes, Avanti Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC

Edgar Cruz, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. ACOUSTIC Mike Hosty “One Man Band”, The Deli, Norman. ROCK Nashville Pussy, The Shrine. ROCK Punch Brothers/Gabriel Kahane, Cain’s Ballroom.

BLUEGRASS Tim Stanford and the Exclusives, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

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

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

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

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 | 5 1

p r ovi de d

life film

Undead Army

Army of Frankensteins

Local filmmaker Ryan Bellgardt roasts the release of his movie at a Tuesday riff with local comedians.

By GreG Horton

Army of Frankensteins live riff event with Spencer Hicks, lucas ross, Joel Decker and michael Corley 7 p.m. tuesday Will rogers theatre 4322 n. Western Ave. facebook.com/Aofmovie 604-3015 $5

Several years ago, self-proclaimed movie nerd Ryan Bellgardt was listening to a director speak at deadCENTER Film Festival when inspiration struck him like a lightning bolt.

He wanted to make movies.

“After the deadCENTER realization, I started working with the equipment, working behind the camera,” he said.

“The more comfortable I got, the more I thought, ‘I can do this.’”

In 2014, Bellgardt’s horror/sci-fi film, Army of Frankensteins, premiered at the festival.

He celebrates its digital, DVD and Blu-ray release with a special, comedyinfused riff screening 7 p.m. Tuesday at Will Rogers Theatre, 4322 N. Western Ave. Comedians Spencer Hicks, Lucas Ross, Joel Decker and Michael Corley join the film’s cast and crew as they lampoon the sci-fi/horror/comedy with freewheeling commentary in a style similar to RiffTrax and Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Natural transition

Bellgardt is creative director at Boiling Point Media and studied at the University of Central Oklahoma and American Broadcasting School. He even worked 10 years at KOMA with radio and television icon Danny Williams. By 2008, however, he and pal Lucas Ross created 2 Movie

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Guys, a locally produced blog, online comic series and weekly TV show for KAUT, Channel 43. Their 2 Movie Guys’ Intergalactic Holiday Showdown special, which aired on KFOR, won an Emmy in 2012.

But Bellgardt’s love of film and the science fiction genre goes back as far as he can remember.

“My dad was my earliest influence and my introduction to movies,” Bellgardt said. “He let me watch things he shouldn’t have when I was a kid: Halloween, Predator, Friday the 13th, things like that.”

Mainly, though, he loved to read.

Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert and Robert Heinlein, all writers from sci-fi’s golden age, were favorites.

These writers told stories that, once moved to a future context, allowed readers to confront modern issues without the tangle of current-day biases.

Bellgardt also found joy inside these books: escapism.

His move from imagination to writing, directing and producing a campfilled horror/sci-fi movie was a natural one.

Lumbering passion

The flick tells the story of a youth (actor Jordan Farris of Choctaw) who travels back in time to find himself entrenched in the Civil War with a horde of Frankenstein’s monsters. It was filmed in Oklahoma.

He said came up with the concept as he talked with friends.

“We were talking about the scene from Twilight that has the army of vampires, and we noticed that nearly every popular monster had an army version: zombies, vampires, werewolves,” he said.

The idea of “green, lumbering Frankenstein monsters” took on a life

of its own, so he wrote a film outline and then a script.

“I basically locked myself in a closet and wrote a screenplay in about a month,” he said. “My wife [Amy] and I got the funding going, and the company I worked for pitched in, too.”

Amy earned herself a co-producer credit, as did local cinematographer and co-writer Josh McKamie and co-writer Andy Swanson.

Bellgardt admitted being afraid that choosing to be an independent filmmaker in a “less renowned” state like Oklahoma could land the project in its own world of escapist obscurity.

Then the teaser trailer changed everything.

“Blogs and other media started giving us attention,” Bellgardt said. “They were either curious or making fun of us, but they were giving us attention.”

During that time, he also created a Facebook page to chronicle every stage of his moviemaking process (facebook.com/ AoFmovie). Sales and marketing agency Empress Road Pictures, which specializes in independent sci-fi and horror films, followed Bellgardt’s progress and reached out to him.

“Empress Road has been awesome,” Bellgardt said. “They got us picked up in China, the UK, Japan and Germany, in addition to the U.S. deal.”

The company also secured a release deal with Scream Factory, a branch of pop culture powerhouse Shout! Factory dedicated to cult horror and science fiction films.

Army of Frankensteins also was screened at 15 festivals and it earned Bellgardt a participant’s chair in a 2014 deadCENTER director’s talk.

He used that opportunity to thank

I basically locked myself in a closet and wrote a screenplay in about a month.

— Ryan Bellgardt

everyone involved in the project.

“I think I said out loud, ‘Now that I’m here, I know it’s not just one guy. It took a hundred people to make that movie,’” Bellgardt said. “I’m so grateful for all the people that helped make it happen.”

Lessons learned

Bellgardt acknowledged that good horror is difficult to create, but he’s ready to use his experience to make something even better.

“I’m going to do horror,” he said. “I enjoyed watching people laugh at Army of Frankensteins, but this time, I want to scare them.”

Army of Frankensteins provided enough revenue that Bellgardt already started financing his next project. He said he wants to fund as much as possible on his own and then seek investors beyond that.

In the meantime, he’s defining his own boundaries regarding the films he wants to make.

“The advice I get ... is to show the monster right away, but I want to go for psychological horror,” he said. “The root of good horror is putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances … a movie [with a] simple, scary premise, and it doesn’t rely on exotic locations, complicated sets or special effects.”

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: What new title, degree, award, or perk will you have two years from today that you don’t have now?

Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) You like to run ahead of the pack. You prefer to show people the way, to set the pace. It’s cleaner that way, right? There’s less risk you will be caught up in the messy details of everyday compromise. But I suspect that the time is right for you to try an experiment: Temporarily ease yourself into the middle of the pack.

Be willing to deal with the messy details of everyday compromise. Why? Because it will teach you lessons that will serve you well the next time you’re showing the way and setting the pace.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Are you ready to revise your ideas about how love works? Would you consider re-evaluating your relationship to romance, your approach to intimacy, and your understanding of sex? I hope you will not only be willing but also excited to do these things.

Now is a favorable time to make changes that will energize your love life with a steady flow of magic for months to come. To get the party started, brainstorm about experiments you could try to invigorate the dynamics of togetherness. Make a list of your customary romantic strategies, and rebel against them all. Speak sexy truths that are both shocking and endearing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Querencia is a Spanish word with many nuances. At its simplest, it refers to your favorite spot, a place where you long to be. But its meaning can go even deeper.

Querencia may be a sanctuary where you feel safe and authentic, or a situation that enables you to draw on extra reserves of strength and courage. It’s a special kind of home: an empowering shelter that makes you feel that you belong in this world and love your life.

Can you guess where I’m going with this message, Gemini? These days you need to be in your querencia even more than usual. If you don’t have one, or if you don’t know where yours is, formulate a fierce intention to locate it.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) The art of effective communication consists of knowing both what to say and what not to say. It’s not enough to simply find the words that accurately convey your meaning. You have to tailor your message to the quirks of your listeners. For example, let’s say you want to articulate the process that led you to change your mind about an important issue.

You would use different language with a child, an authority figure, and a friend. Right? I think you are currently at the peak of your abilities to do this well, Cancerian. Take full advantage of your fluency. Create clear, vivid impressions that influence people to like you and help you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Arthur Conan Doyle first used the term “smoking gun” in a story he wrote over a century ago. It referred to a time the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes burst into a room to find a man holding a pistol that had just been fired, along with the fallen body of a man who had been shot. Since then, the meaning of “smoking gun” has expanded. Now it’s any piece of evidence that serves as compelling proof of a certain hypothesis. If you can’t find the cookie you left in the kitchen, and your roommate walks by with cookie crumbs on his chin, it’s the smoking gun that confirms he pilfered your treat. I believe this is an important theme for you right now. What question do you need answered?

What theory would you like to have corroborated? The smoking gun will appear.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) At least for now, I suggest you suspend the quest for order and refinement and perfection. The wise course of action is to disengage from your fascination with control, and instead give yourself to the throbbing, erratic pulse of the Cosmic Wow. Why? If you do, you will be able to evolve faster than you thought possible.

Your strength will come from agile curiosity and an eagerness to experiment. Do you remember when you last explored the catalytic wonders of spontaneity and unpredictability? Do it again!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) This is the deepest, darkest phase of your cycle. The star that you will ultimately make a wish upon has not yet risen. Your pet monsters seem to have forgotten for the moment that they are supposed to be your allies, not your nemeses. Smoke from the smoldering embers in your repressed memories is blending with the chill night fog in your dreams, making your life seem like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a taco. Just kidding about that last part. I wanted to see if your sense of humor is intact, because if it is, you will respond resiliently to all the cosmic jokes in your upcoming tests.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) According to the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, here’s what God says to each of us: “Go the limits of your longing . . . Flare up like flame and make big shadows that I can move in. Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” Whether or not you’re on speaking terms with the Creator, this is excellent advice. It’s time to give everything you have and take everything you need. Hold nothing back and open yourself as wide and wild as you dare. Explore the feeling of having nothing to lose and expect the arrivals of useful surprises.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) The sun and the expansive planet Jupiter are currently making a joyful noise in the sign of Virgo, which is your astrological House of Career and Ambition. This does not necessarily mean that a boon to your career and ambition will fall into your lap, although such an event is more likely than usual. More importantly, this omen suggests that you will influence luck, fate, and your subconscious mind to work in your favor if you take dramatic practical action to advance your career and ambitions.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) On August 28, 1963, Capricorn hero Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of thousands in Washington, D.C. In that address, he imagined what it might look like if African Americans were free of the bigotry and oppression they had endured for centuries at the hands of white Americans. In accordance with your astrological

potentials, I encourage you to articulate your own “I Have a Dream” vision sometime soon. Picture in detail the successful stories you want to actualize in the future. Visualize the liberations you will achieve and the powers you will obtain.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) If you have been patiently waiting for a propitious moment to buy a new yacht, pledge your undying love, or get a tattoo that depicts Buddha wrestling Satan, now is as close as you’ll get to that propitious moment, at least for a while. Even if you have merely been considering the possibility of signing a year-long lease, asking a cute mischief-maker on a date, or posting an extra-edgy meme on Facebook or Twitter, the next three weeks would be prime time to strike. Diving into a deep, heart-crazed commitment is sometimes a jangly process for you Aquarians, but these days it might be almost smooth and synchronistic.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Ready for a ritual? Get a piece of paper and a pen.

Light a candle, take three deep breaths, and chant “YUMMMM” five times. Then spend ten minutes writing down the qualities you would like your perfect lover to possess. Identify both the traits that would make this person unique and the behavior he or she would display toward you. Got that? When you are finished, burn the list you made. Disavow everything you wrote. Pledge to live for at least seven months without harboring fixed beliefs about what your ideal partner should be like. Instead, make yourself extra receptive to the possibility that you will learn new truths about what you need. Why? I suspect that love has elaborate plans for you in the next two years. You will be better prepared to cooperate with them if you are initially free of strong agendas.

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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P H O N E (4 0 5 ) 5 2 8 - 6 0 0 0 | E - M A I L : A D V E R T I S I N G @ T I E R R A M E D I A G R O U P. C O M “LET ME HELP FIND THE HOME OF YOUR DREAMS! CALL ME FOR A FREE CONSULTATION”

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405.641.8062 EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing

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

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