Go West! by Oklahoma Gazette

FrEE EvEry WEdnESday | METrO OKC’S IndEPEndEnT WEEKLy | SEPTEMBEr 16, 2015

WEST!

WestFest street party debuts Saturday By Laura EaSTES P.39

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9/3/15 9:52 AM

CONTENTS 21

ON THE COVER

When Brian Haas was approached about headlining WestFest with his band, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, he knew it was the ideal spot to roll out a two-month tour. “During the first conversation, they made me want to do it because they are fans and they care about the music,” Haas said of event organizers. WestFest runs noon-10 p.m. Saturday on Western Avenue. Story by Laura Eastes. P.39

NEWS

LIFE

Legal: tribal marijuana

OKG picks

Health: Planned Parenthood fundraiser

Food & Drink: The Pump Bar, food briefs, Lola’s Family Restaurant, OKG eat: fancy eats

Visual Arts: AK Westerman, Oklahoma Found

Performing Arts: CityRep season

Sudoku / Crossword

Active: Down syndrome festival and 5K

Cover: WestFest

Music: Van Halen, listings

6 8

Metro: State Fair Park County: jail series, part 4

Metro: municipal courts

Chicken-Fried News

Commentary

Letters

MISSION STATEMENT

Education: student need

Education: Gold Star Memorial Building

Leisure: Heritage Hills Historic Homes Tour

Health: terrorism survivors

Film: The Visit

Health: Plaza Mayor clinic

Astrology

Youth: Youth Student Council

Classifieds

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.

APRIL WINE & WARRANT

OCTOBER 2 8PM Tickets Starting at $25

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I-40 EXIT 178 | SHAWNEE, OK | 405-964-7263 OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 3

nEws LEgaL

Joint issues Jay Daniels

by Laura EastEs

Editor’s note: Read more on this story at okgazette.com. Last month, Jay Daniels grew irritated when he heard about Senate Bill 1984. The federal legislation — introduced by Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City — is known as the Keeping out Illegal Drugs Act of 2015 (KIDS Act) and calls for reducing illegal drug use on tribal lands by prohibiting federal dollars to tribes that legalize marijuana. Retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and a member of the Cherokee Nation, Daniels views the bill as an infringement on tribal sovereignty. He questions the rationale behind a bill that strips a Native American tribe of federal funding — including programs that benefit children — if the tribe engages in cultivating, manufacturing or distributing marijuana. The bill applies to all 566 federally recognized tribes, even those located in states where marijuana is legal for both recreational and medical use. “They didn’t stop any federal funding to Colorado when they legalized marijuana,” Daniels said. The issue has nothing to do with marijuana being good or bad, Daniels said, but the bill diminishes a tribe’s ability to decide what is best for its people. In addition to following tribal legislation, he pays close attention to news from Indian Country Today and is aware of two tribes — South Dakota’s Flandreau Santee Sioux and Wisconsin’s Menominee tribes — pursuing marijuana commerce as a way to boost revenue in their struggling communities. “Tribes … can make their own rules and laws within their reservation boundaries,” Daniels said. “I always worry about the erosion of tribal sovereignty. We were starting to make ground, and they are pulling back some of our [independence].”

KIDS Act’s impact

The KIDS Act remains in the early stages of the 114th Congress, which returned to session Sept. 8. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs, on which Oklahoma’s junior Senator Lankford serves. At the committee’s July 29 hearing, titled Examining the True Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Native

Communities, Lankford heard John P. Walters, former director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, tell lawmakers they were at a “crossroads” with a handful of Native American tribes exploring marijuana legalization. The relatively new movement follows the December release of the Department of Justice’s Cole Memorandum. The memo contends that federal agents will not interfere with Native cannabis businesses if tribes are following state laws and eight federal law enforcement priorities. “If there ever was a bad idea that we should stop, it is this one,” said Walters during his testimony. “It doesn’t just effect people in Indian country, but it is a terrible, additional harm we are inflecting on people who were already suffering.” Walters is chief operating officer for Washington, D.C., based-Hudson Institute, a conservative think-tank. Lankford believes those already suffering are Native American youth. In the language of the KIDS Act, numbers from a Public Health report Rates of Substance Use of American Indian Students in 8th, 10th and 12th Grades Living on or Near Reservations: Update 20092012 states 56.2 percent of eighth grade and 61.4 percent of 10th grade Native American children used marijuana, as compared to the national average of 16.4 percent and 33.4 percent, respectively. “The Native American community experiences the highest drug-induced death rate in the country,” Lankford said in a media statement. “It is important for our nation to help address this issue for the sake of the next generation of Native Americans.” Other lawmakers shared concern for youth engaging in illegal drug use. Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, is vice chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs. He acknowledged that “too often” teenagers — native and nonnative — experiment with drugs and jeopardize their future. “Our youth and many others in native communities are turning to drugs and alcohol to escape from the harsh realities of their lives,” Tester said during the hearing. “Addiction becomes a new reality for many of these communities.” The KIDS Act, if passed, will pull key funding from tribes that

4 | september 16, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

pursue marijuana commerce. Federal dollars cover a large swath of tribal funding in agriculture, consumer protection, disaster prevention, arts and culture, environment, health, housing, development and more. The Administration for Children and Families reports $647 million is awarded annually to Native American tribes for programs such as Head Start, childcare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Evolving approaches

In addition to federal grants, tribes create businesses to maintain tribal departments and essential service programs, such as police, fire, ambulance services, health and child-care services and education. Many tribes have turned to gaming for financing essential services for their people. Marijuana could be another avenue to raise revenue. That’s how Anthony Reider sees marijuana commerce for his tribe, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. “There’s great economic advantages and medicinal value,” the president of the tribe’s executive committee told Time magazine. The tribe’s plans call for a pot lounge and treatment center for medical marijuana patients on the reservation, about 40 miles north of Sioux Falls. “Plus, with any business venture, the first to market can corner the market early,” Reider said. Last month, fewer than 1,000 voters of the Menominee tribe went to the polls to declare their support for recreational marijuana use (58 percent) and for medicinal use (77 percent). The results push for the Wisconsin tribe’s leaders to research cost and benefits with the possibility of proposing legislation to legalize marijuana. A statement on the tribe’s website expresses the tribal leaders’ belief that legalization could improve the quality of life for its 9,000 members and provide revenue to fund health, education, social, law enforcement and other services. The Flandreau Santee Sioux and the Menominee are the only tribes publicly announcing intentions following the Cole Memorandum, which provides tribes guidance on marijuana enforcement on Native American lands.

The eight rules the Department of Justice enforces are the same as those applied to states that have legalized marijuana. In July, Alturas Indian Rancheria and Pit River tribes were raided by federal agents who contended the California tribes were not following the medical marijuana laws with plans to transport the plant off tribal lands. The Cole Memorandum is just one federal document that hints at evolving views on marijuana — medical or recreational. Other hints include a federal spending bill passed in late 2014 eliminating funds for raiding medical marijuana operations in states where medical pot is legal. In March, four federal lawmakers introduced legislation, the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act of 2015, known as CARERS Act, to amend the Controlled Substances Act by classifying cannabis as a Schedule II drug. Under current federal law, cannabis is listed as a Schedule I drug along with heroin and LSD. The historic bill has 15 co-sponsors and encourages more research into the plant through several changes in federal law, including allowing state marijuana programs into the Department of Veteran Affairs. Tribes that pursue marijuana will find themselves in a lucrative business as well as improve wellness, Daniels said. But doing it at all or not is up for a tribe to decide, as Daniels contends tribes are to be treated like states. Tribes have the right to determine, develop and enact laws on their land and for their people. “The fear is the erosion of [autonomy],” said Daniels. “Everyone is concerned about that.” Lankford’s concerns are to the Native American youth. “This is a big issue Congress has to deal with. Obviously, there is an enormous push to say, ‘Hey, let states decided this and it will have no negative effects. They can choose to do what they choose to do,’” Lankford said during the July hearing. “But the real practical effects on families and future generations is pretty dramatic. I think it is us turning a blind eye to our responsibility to say, ‘Decriminalize and it is no big deal.’ It is ‘just marijuana.’ I am tired of hearing it’s ‘just marijuana’ when we see our families falling apart.”

p rovi de d

A new bill prevents Native American tribes from pursuing marijuana commerce, despite recent federal steps paving the way for tribes to grow the plant.

nEws hEaLth

Lifting spirits by Laura EastEs

Choices 2015 5 p.m. saturday national Cowboy & western heritage Museum 1700 nE 63rd st. ppcok.org 528-0221, ext. 304 $100

Wendy Davis, a champion of women’s rights and former Texas state senator, is the honored guest speaker for Choices 2015, the annual Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma (PPCO) fundraiser on Saturday. The event, a staple for supporters of Planned Parenthood, returns to National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., for an art sale, silent auction, dinner and live entertainment. Davis is well known for her 13-hour filibuster in the Texas Senate to kill an anti-abortion measure and is a defender

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wendy Davis

of women’s rights. She joins women’s rights activists, including Gloria Steinem, who have addressed the organization’s backers in the past. “It is … hard when you live in a difficult state for reproductive rights,” said Keri Parks, Planned Parenthood’s director of external affairs. “It is hard when you don’t have the support that you need at the Capitol.” Oklahomans might feel hopeless when it comes to reproductive rights; therefore, they have a hard time continuing the fight for support, Parks said. Planned Parenthood will keep advocating, and Davis will motivate people to stay involved. Spotlighting Davis’ spirit is this year’s featured art by Lisa Jean Allswede. The watercolor “Our Words Define Us,” represents the pink tennis shoes that Davis wore during her filibuster speech.

She is one of 34 artists to take part in charity. Proceeds from the sale benefit the three metro Planned Parenthood centers located in Edmond, Midwest City and Oklahoma City. Artists include Bert Seabourn, Denise Duong, Diane Coady, Suzanne Mears, Paul Medina, Romy Owens, Sue Moss Sullivan and Marilyn Artus, event chairwoman. “From the onset of puberty through menopause and beyond, Planned Parenthood helps individuals better understand their own bodies, the challenges they face and all available options,” Artus said in a media statement. “Keeping our services accessible will never be more important than it is now.” The nonprofit began the family planning services under the name Maternal Health Center of Oklahoma City in 1937. In its first two years, the clinic saw 985 women patients. The

p rovi de d

Tradition of community support continues with PPCO’s Choices 2015 event.

numbers continued to grow as more residents arrived for health care services. It reorganized as a Planned Parenthood affiliate in 1958, paving the way for it to reach 10,000 women, men and children annually through high-quality, low-cost reproductive health services and educational programs and workshops. Interim CEO Jackie Johnson said the centers provide services that include contraception, pregnancy tests, sexually transmitted infection diagnosis and treatment, cancer screenings, routine gynecological care and vasectomy. Funds raised from the event support its mission to provide comprehensive care services in confidential settings. The OKC affiliate receives no federal funds and relies on donations and patient fees to supplement its $1.6 million budget. Limited tickets remain and can be purchased through Thursday.

OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 5 9/3/15 11:45 AM

nEws City

Fair park p rovi de d

The Oklahoma State Fair daws visitors and dollars to the city. Now, it is poised to do more.

by brEtt DiCkErson

as they traversed its segmented portions. Combining event space into a modern, well-equipped, flexible facility has already piqued the interest of State Fair Park’s bigger clients as well as potential ones. Scott Munz, Oklahoma State Fair’s vice president of marketing and communications, said they are “excited about the prospect of that building coming online.” The location was too often skipped over by promoters looking for an all-inone facility, Munz said, and this new venue puts the city back “in the hunt.” Bill Allen, vice president of State Fair Park operations, said a hangar-like door on the building’s west end that large equipment, such as a combine, can be driven through will allow the largest shows to easily inhabit the building. “It will be about 40 feet clear at the brett d iCke rson / prov ided

Visitors get their first peek at the progress of a new exposition hall and center at the fair grounds during the annual fair, which runs Thursday-Sept. 27 at 333 Gordon Cooper Blvd. The new, massive, 279,000-squarefoot Expo Center at Oklahoma State Fair Park allows room for more comprehensive and frequent use of the space, venue leadership said. With more than 200,000 square feet, Expo Center’s wide-open hall space is “about like three football fields side-by-side,” said principal architect Allen Brown of Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates. In the past, State Fair Park accommodated large events like trade shows by spreading them across several buildings, often forcing clients and attendees into heat, rain, ice and snow

bill allen and scott Munz

lowest points and 45 feet clear in the center,” he said. Expo Center also is designed with 10,000 square feet of space to accommodate food preparation needs for the venue and the rest of State Fair Park. Updated technology was also a priority, and its features include lobby video screens, state-of-the-art video security, Wi-Fi and an infrastructure that allows for future technology updates.

City investment

The City of Oklahoma City owns State Fair Park and has made improvements to it over the years to maintain and increase its value. Last year, direct spending at its events had a $336 million economic impact on the city, Munz said. David Todd, MAPS program manager, said one-cent sales taxes collected for MAPS 3 paid for Expo Center and other State Fair Park improvements. The MAPS budget allows $44 million for exposition facility construction, $54 million for fairgrounds improvements and another $4.5 million for new parking lots and other site improvements separate from this project. The Oklahoma State Fair is State Fair Park’s centerpiece and earns the venue its annual operating budget. Last year, it earned the city approximately $100 million. In recent years, some fair patrons have been distressed by the removal of

iconic buildings that had nevertheless outlived their original purposes and retained limited promise for the future. Its raceway, grandstand and monorail, as well as 4-H, FFA and travel and transportation structures, were removed to create room for newer, more flexible redevelopment. Munz said those changes respect the emotional ties to the fair that families have developed over the years and when changes need to be made, they “give it great thought and consideration.” When looking at the overall picture, however, Munz and Allen said the 435acre State Fair Park has become more than a location for its annual state fair. For example, its management has cultivated long-term relationships with major horse shows. Its history with American Morgan Horse Association and American Quarter Horse Association spans three decades, Munz said, and it has also worked closely with National Reining Horse Association. “Back in the mid-’80s, it was decided by our leaders at the time that they were going to go after horse shows because they recognized that as a viable business category,” he said. “So they went after horse shows and they built this schedule; they built these relationships.” In fact, National Reining Horse Association moved its headquarters to the site and holds two of its biggest shows there each year.

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OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 7 8/19/15 2:18 PM

nEws County

A sweeping agreement in 2009 determined the jail lacked proper staffing, space, security, health care and more. John whetsel

by JaCk MonEy

T Y JA I L

HOM A CO

R IE S

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth 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

Most area residents probably weren’t surprised when, in the last week of August, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce’s leader said a public vote to approve a sales tax vote to raise funds to build a new jail wouldn’t pass. But don’t be fooled; this issue isn’t going anywhere. Oklahoma County still faces a potential threat. Its lockup could be closed by the federal government due to health and safety issues faced by its inmates. That threat comes from the U.S. Department of Justice, which reviewed the jail’s configuration and operations beginning in 2003 after numerous complaints from inmates and their attorneys and dozens of deaths. The investigation ended in 2009 when the county and federal government signed a “memorandum of understanding,” which formalized what the county promised to do regarding improving conditions for inmates and security staff. The agreement, valid five years before it expired in 2014, required the

county to make changes to how the center was operated and how its inmates were handled. It’s important to note that Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel and his security team with over 500 members addressed nearly every issue raised by investigators. But he said a handful of issues — lack of appropriate holding space, natural lighting, recreational areas and staffing — require additional funding to remedy, which would likely require an additional sales tax vote. Whetsel said that also means a new structure must be built.

Investigative findings

According to a U.S. Department of Justice letter sent to Oklahoma County dated July 31, 2008, inspectors from the agency toured the jail numerous times in 2003 and again in 2007. It concluded that the county jail failed to provide inmates with reasonable protections from harm; constitutionally required mental health services; adequate housing, sanitation and environmental protections; and serious fire safety risks. Several factors impacted safety concerns for inmates and staff. First, during the 2007 inspection, the facility was holding about 2,500 people, nearly double its rated capacity. Inspectors found as many as four inmates in cells designed for two, with many sleeping on floors. Investigators also noted that overcrowding conditions made it difficult for staff to adequately segregate more serious offenders from the rest

Plans for the county jail

8 | september 16, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

of the population, nor could it send problem inmates to disciplinary cells because not enough existed. They also determined the lockup did not have enough detention officers to adequately supervise inmates, and officers were often required to perform duties that pulled them away from their primary responsibilities. While the jail installed a security camera system to help monitor pods on each floor, investigators noted that blind spots hindered its effectiveness and inmates often covered cell lights and windows with towels and other items. These issues, they determined, resulted in an “inordinately high” risk of inmateon-inmate violence, noting that there were 70 such incidents, which resulted in two deaths and numerous serious injuries. Understaffing also meant personnel was more prone to use forced restraint, which also concerned the Department of Justice, and violence within the lockup was not investigated thoroughly. Inmates were not adequately screened for potential health problems as they were admitted, and inspectors found similar deficiencies regarding the center’s response to medical emergencies. Mental health needs also were not being met. They determined the jail’s physical plant was not adequately maintained, along with other concerns involving food preparation, pest control and laundry services.

Memorandum of Understanding

An agreement Oklahoma County signed with the Justice Department in 2009 gave it five years to remedy the problems. Among other things, it also required the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office to study how many detention officers it needed and then get them hired trained and working. It required closer monitoring of inmates, classifying them and getting them into appropriate areas, better management of discipline programs and to better investigate acts of violence. It also called for improved inmate screening, treatment and care access. In addition, it required better overall facility maintenance. In 2010, Whetsel reported the sheriff’s office addressed nearly all improvements called for by the

memorandum, including cleanliness; food service; inmate monitoring, medical care, classification and housing; lighting; and staffing. In doing that, Whetsel said his agency spent nearly $1 million to: >> add new high-definition cameras, monitors and equipment >> contract with an outside food service vendor >> paint cells and receiving areas >> replace floors and showers in pods >> remodel areas on several floors >> add medical equipment >> replace electric locks on the jail’s fire stairwell doors >> make other improvements. Whetsel also added Jack Herron as the facility’s new administrator, who had 20 years of experience working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. However, in 2014, four issues — lack of appropriate holding space, natural lighting, recreational areas and staffing — remained unaddressed. At that point, Oklahoma County organized another study committee to evaluate the feasibility of calling an election to approve a tax to fund the development of a new facility to address those concerns. That study, however, opened the door for politics to enter once again. After looking at the issue for about a year, proponents of the new jail plan realized it’s not ready for a vote. “The politics of the issue are very difficult,” said Ray Vaughn, an Oklahoma County Commissioner who asked for the latest study. “Basically, what we are proposing is going to require new financing, which we don’t have. Our two options are a sales tax, which I like, and an ad valorem tax, which I don’t.” Vaughn said Oklahoma County is the only county in the state that doesn’t have an existing sales tax to address these needs, but he also said that argument doesn’t hold much sway with the public. “People don’t like new taxes, and they especially don’t like new taxes for correctional spaces. And, let’s face it, they don’t care about inmates,” he said. “But we don’t have that luxury. Under federal law, we must care about inmates, and if we don’t, then they will be in here to make sure we are treating everyone adequately.”

m A rk HA n CoC k / Fi l e

Improvement plans

“Magnificent!” —The Wall Street Journal on the Dugout Canoes exhibit.

CLOSING SOON! Sept. 27

Explore the world exposed when 101 ancient canoes were found in a dry lake bed. The acclaimed exhibit, with videos, interactive play and canoes, old and new.

Sulphur, OK 580-622-7130 canoes2015.com

Produced by the Florida Museum of Natural History with support from the AEC Trust, Lastinger Family Foundation, State of Florida and VisitGainesville.

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OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 9 9/9/15 3:36 PM

nEws City

Court date

OKC’s municipal court system plans to make contact with it more bearable.

City officials broke ground on a new municipal court building last month. The new 65,000-square-foot facility is just one part of a larger effort to run a more humane system for Oklahoma City residents when they might be at heir most vulnerable. Presiding Judge Philippa James and Oklahoma City Deputy Municipal Counselor Cindy Richard spoke with Oklahoma Gazette about problems officials face when trying to ease the burden on those coming into court. However, the financial status of some denizens and the high volume of cases make it a challenge.

Poor protection

James does not allow low-income residents to be jailed because they cannot settle a fine. “The conviction stands, but we have another way to deal with the fines,” she said. Defendants are given a form to fill out. Then there is a hearing to determine if they can make a payment. “We don’t want anyone to end up in jail because they are poor,” Richard said. “For years, the judges would just hand out time for indemnification. But eventually, you’ve got to find out if a person is capable of paying.”

We don’t want anyone to end up in jail because they are poor. — Cindy Richard

James has reinstituted the Rule 8 hearings, Richard said. Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals’ Rule 8 compels courts to determine if a person convicted also has insufficient funds due to “physical disability or poverty.” “We are a little more quick on the draw now to get to the heart of the matter and find out what is going on with their financial situation,” Richard said.

10 | september 16, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

s ky li n e i n k / p rovi ded

by brEtt DiCkErson

An artist rendering of Oklahoma City’s new municipal court building Community service is also available for those who do not have the money for fines. The worker is assigned to nonprofit agencies like Goodwill or The Salvation Army, who fill out a timesheet and turn it in to the judge. If a citizen cannot make restitution immediately and needs time for a paycheck to come in or to gather money, James has a standing order allowing the clerk to issue a 30-day continuance.

High volume

The large amount of cases handled weekly creates another issue. OKC has a large quantity of legal proceedings, far beyond any other jurisdiction in the state, because it has the largest population. With approximately 580,000 residents, the load can strain the system. From July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015: >> 208,000 new citations were issued by municipal agencies >> 140,000 hearings were held by four municipal judges and several part-time special judges >> 145,000 cases were resolved without a trial by seven prosecutors >> 492 cases were sent to trial >> 472 cases resulted in convictions Numbers like these can quickly turn a courthouse into a center of misery for everyone unless policies and facilities are constantly fine-tuned to address new issues as the numbers increase, James said.

New building

The previous presiding judge was William J. Manger. James said Manger worked tirelessly on the plans for a new building until his death in 2012. “He was really the one who worked hard on all of the plans and promoted it,” she said. “I’m just here to see that it gets completed.” The current municipal courts complex was built in two parts, one in the 1940s and the other in the 1960s. Over the last several decades, it became obvious that the load on the courts would require a new facility. The new building will allow people who simply want to pay a ticket to visit a kiosk and take care of it without going through the security checkpoint, Richard said. In addition, hallways will be wider to allow for the flow of defendants, their lawyers and family members. Attorneys and clients will no longer have to confer in the hallways because attorney-client rooms will be available. Technology will contribute to the free flow by directing visitors to the correct courtroom and allowing clients and attorneys to use courtroom technology to present their cases more easily. The building will be ADA compliant in each courtroom, including the bench itself. Smart policies and a new building will continue to provide a humane space for OKC residents who end up dealing with a part of the city that they might not want to engage but must.

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OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 11 9/8/15 9:19 AM

CHiCKEN CKEN Legal game

A former basketball player is suing Oklahoma State University (OSU) and says the team ruined his future NBA career. Stevie Clark claims he was forced to take psychotropic drugs, endured hazing and mistreatment by his team members and never got the Camaro he was promised before he signed on to play for OSU. “Various promises were made with regard to playing time and ensuring that Stevie made it to the next level,” the complaint filed in Oklahoma County Court stated. “[OSU Coach] Travis Ford even promised Stevie a Camaro.” According to Tulsa World, World Clark is seeking compensation for damages including breach of contract, violation of due process, assault, battery, intentional/negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligence and breach of fiduciary duty. Clark missed a number of games because of disciplinary measures for incidents involving

FRiED NEWS teammates and legal trouble like urinating out of a moving vehicle and possession of marijuana. The complaint also says that Clark was forced to take psychotropic drugs in order to keep playing after complaining to Ford about his mistreatment and the school refused to allow him to transfer. “Oklahoma State University has reviewed Mr. Clark’s petition and his claims are completely and utterly baseless,” said OSU spokesperson Gary Shutt in an email statement.

Hot fuzz

A fight over fajitas flamed into violence last week in Tulsa. Robin Harris, angry at what she believed to be slow service at Speedy Gonzalez Mexican Grill & Cantina, became verbally abusive with patrons and staff before demanding a refund, according to KTUL.com. Still steamed, the news station reported that

Harris then grabbed a bottle of beer and whacked an employee over the head before she left. Customers who witnessed the alleged assault followed Harris to a hotel, where she was arrested and expeditiously served with a complaint of assault with a deadly weapon and then promptly delivered to a holding cell.

License to thrive

At age 12, we here at Chicken-Fried News wanted nothing more than to learn how to drive. The freedom! The excitement! The access to Taco Bell! The same holds true for children in Midwest City, one of whom was “living the dream” before he started “living the nightmare.” A 12-year-old boy was arrested on complaint of driving without a license while he took a drunk family friend

home from the bar. Latricia Arnold, 44, was arrested on complaints of child endangerment, driving under the influence and allowing an unauthorized person to drive after the truck she was riding in took a corner too fast and plowed into a natural gas meter. The car was driven by the minor because, according to KOCO.com, Arnold was “too drunk to drive.” The boy was arrested on a complaint of driving without a license and was taken to the Community Intervention Center. Witnesses stopped Arnold from pulling away before police arrived by taking the keys out of the ignition, and Arnold reportedly said, “I know I am drunk. I am just working hard and drinking.” These words never ring as true as they do on a Wednesday morning at CFN headquarters. If only we had a staff of middle school chauffeurs who could drive us to our next meeting.

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Wesleyan out

Leaders of a Bartlesville university pulled the plug on their membership to the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), and not a moment too soon, according to the school’s president. Oklahoma Wesleyan University is no longer affiliated with the association that has 182 Christian institutions, including Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma Christian University and Oral Roberts University, as members. The difficult decision came earlier this month, and the school contacted northeastern Oklahoma media to share the news. The reason for leaving? Fellow CCCU schools’ Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia and Goshen College in Indiana hired noncelibate homosexual staff and faculty this semester. Southern Baptist-affiliated Union University in Tennessee was the first to leave the Christian college group, and Wesleyan followed suit. “It is time for our university to move in a different direction,” Everett

Piper, Oklahoma Wesleyan’s president, told Tulsa World. In July, CCCU said talks were underway with member schools to determine a course of action in response to the policy change toward same sex-couples at schools. Consulting with all 182 schools is expected to wrap up Monday, according to InsideHigherEd.com. But Wesleyan couldn’t wait for the outcome. “The CCCU’s reluctance to make a swift decision sends a message of confusion rather than conviction,” Piper said in a statement to Inside Higher Ed.

Dome love

Word is out that developer Jonathan Russell, new owner of the Gold Dome, would like to see the historic landmark occupied by a grocery store. The president and CEO of Land Run Commercial Real Estate Advisors said he’s in talks with two grocery chains — one local, one national — to take up residence in the distinctive building.

After years of failing restaurants, offices and general incompetence, Gold Dome needs some love. And what better way to generate foot traffic than by increasing the food traffic in an area desperate for more grocery options? The next step is convincing Russell to do the same thing to First National Center. Imagine that, downtown residents: 33 floors of banking history transformed into the city’s largest grocery store. Run for your life, Super Cao Nguyen! Beware, Crest and Buy For Less! First National Grocery Center will crush you with an entire floor dedicated to potato chips! Bwahahahahahahahaha! Or, you know, maybe they should just stick to the dome for now.

News9.com. But it was too late. Hackers locked down weeks of lesson plans “and other important documents” via malware that requires victims to pay a ransom in order to regain access to their files. The Moore Public Schools handbook clearly states (in part, page 47): “Unacceptable Use of District Technology Resources Includes but is not limited to: Hacking, cracking, vandalizing, the introduction of malware, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, time bombs and changes to hardware software and monitoring tools, and any other malicious intent to disrupt, damage or harm district resources.” If everyone could just shore up reading scores, man, maybe none of this would have happened.

Moore schooled

“Once the virus was located, the director of technology shut down every server,” Dustin Horstkoetter told

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | 13

COMMENTARY

P ROVI DE D

A green light for public transit BY JEFF BEZDEK

How do we make sweeping and dramatic change to our public transportation system without significant additional funding? How do we make those changes now? One approach would be for our city to immediately implement automatic traffic signalization priority for city buses. The infrastructure is already in place, as most modern traffic signals in Oklahoma City are capable of being “smart” activated. By using a transmitter already installed on most EMBARK buses, our city’s Wi-Fi-enabled traffic signals can sense the approach of a city bus and automatically trigger the light to shift to green. Right now, preemption occurs primarily on a few select city streets to accelerate traffic movement and is occasionally used for emergency vehicles.

Implementation of this system is also critical for the success of the MAPS 3 Streetcar System and the proposed EMBARK Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT). Ideally, high-occupancy vehicles that make up key public transit corridors traverse in isolated rightof-ways. The streetcar system was originally proposed by MAPS 3 campaigners to have signal priority. As of yet, the streetcar will only have priority at a few select lights. Whether the BRT transit route proposed along Classen Boulevard and Northwest Expressway has signal priority is also an uncertainty, should that system be installed. The question is a matter of city traffic management policy and how traffic lights are programmed. The current method is to respond to the

presence of automobiles at intersections. That prioritization is only changed by being triggered by an emergency vehicle or if a pedestrian presses a crosswalk button. But nearly all signal timing is in response to cars, and because of the quantity of cars, the car always wins. This policy currently forces the speed of buses — and potentially the streetcar and future BRT vehicles — to be dictated by automobile movement. In a city in which public transit is rapidly becoming a major qualityof-life issue, is it too much to ask that we reevaluate how we prioritize the movement of high-occupancy public transit vehicles? By eliminating the red lights, our bus system could potentially reduce fuel consumption, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars and increased

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.

mechanical wear from additional braking and accelerating. That money could be reinvested into the system for longer hours, increased frequency and extended routes. It means motorists will occasionally incur an additional 15-second wait time at traffic lights. In a city that is over 320 square miles, the odds are low that the momentary delay will impact most drivers. With these changes, public transit vehicles will be capable of speedier service, more on-time delivery and greater savings to the taxpayers. And it will make riding the bus, streetcar and a future BRT system a more attractive alternative that might broaden ridership and enthusiasm for public transit. Jeff Bezdek is president of Bezdek + Associates and a member of the MAPS 3 Modern Streetcar Oversight Committee.

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. Economy growth

Oklahoma’s budget woes are blamed on fossil fuel job loss. A culprit, though, is four years of income tax reductions by the governor and legislature. Yes, the reduction in the price of oil has resulted in job loss. A side question is why under President Clinton, when oil was 17 dollars a barrel for 8 straight years, was the U.S. and Oklahoma economy so good? We have a declared “mini recession” in Oklahoma because the price of oil is “too low.” While this governor and Legislature decry job loss, they have done much to block the creation of thousands of new jobs in renewable energy. They have blocked wind energy development east of Interstate 35. They have placed a large tax on rooftop solar and residential wind power to make them no longer feasible for the homeowner. They have blocked construction of wind

turbines west of I-35 within a mile-anda-half of a school. Yet they allow fracking close to schools, like the operation within 500 yards of a Deer Creek school. Solar and wind power are job creators in Oklahoma. Tell our governor and Legislature to let these industries expand and flourish to provide thousands of high-paying jobs for our residents. And ask them to promote an expanding economy. — Jay Hanas Edmond Founding tenets

Michael Moberly claims in his letter in the July 22 edition (Commentary, Letters to the Editor, “Heathen rage,” Oklahoma Gazette) that America chose to base principles on God’s reasonable and orderly commands. Oh, how wrong he is. From Encyclopedia Britannica, in “The Founding Fathers, Deism, and Christianity,” in the last paragraph: “Deism influenced a majority of the Founders. The movement opposed barriers to moral improvement and to social justice. It stood for rational inquiry, for skepticism about dogma and mystery, and for religious toleration. Many of its adherents advocated universal education, freedom of the press, and separation of church and state. If the nation owes

14 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

much to the Judeo-Christian tradition, it is also indebted to Deism, a movement of reason and equality that influenced the Founding Fathers to embrace liberal political ideals remarkable for their time.” Founding fathers were determined to form a government free of religious dogma. The first treaty America entered into states: “The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.” It was signed in 1797 by President John Adams and approved by Congress. I hear many say “What about the 10 Commandments on the Supreme Court building?” It has more to do with the sense of giving of the law, as lawgivers of the ancient world are also included, such as Menes, Solomon, Lycurgus, Draco, Muhammad (yes, Muhammad),

Charlemagne, Louis IX of France, John Marshall and Napoleon. These are examples of giving of the law, with no religious intent. People ask me how I can be “moral” if I don’t believe in God and the Bible; what keeps me from robbing, raping and murdering others? It’s simple: I choose to treat people how I like to be treated; I choose what is right and wrong based on what effect my actions have on others. For those who want the 10 Commandments to remain on the capitol grounds, I would ask why no churches have similar monuments on their grounds. That is where the 10 Commandments belong; not on my government’s ground. — Michael Krauss Oklahoma City

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OKG picks are events

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

BOOKS NOOK in Education Presentation, teachers rejoice and come learn how you can use NOOK ebooks in your classroom to save time and money, 6 p.m., Sept. 17. Barnes & Noble, 6100 N. May Ave., 843-9300, barnesandnoble.com. THU New INK, this month features new authors CJ Kline, Sherry Sneed, Don Duncan, Cindi Ward, Nicole Martin, Katy Kephart, Barbara Eikner, Hiba Jameel, and Kalan Chapman Lloyd, 3 p.m., Sept. 19. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT

Extra, Extra! Read All About It! The History of Journalism, come hear University of Central Oklahoma professor Dr. Mark Hanebutt speak about the history of journalism and where it is headed; this free program is a part of Mabel C Fry Public Library’s adult fall reading program, 7 p.m., Sept. 22. Mabel C. Fry Public Library, 1200 Lakeshore Drive, Yukon. TUE

FILM

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A Poem is a Naked Person, (1974, US, dir. Les Blank) shot by Les Blank in the 1970s but unreleased until 2015, this documentary follows singer-songwriter Leon Russell at his recording studio at Grand Lake through rehearsals, and across the country on tour, and has no shortage of colorful characters, 5:30 p.m., Sept. 17. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU A Place at the Table, (2012, US, dir. Kristi Jacobson) with Jeff Bridges, Raj Patel and Tom Colicchio, this documentary centers around hunger and poverty in America in places you wouldn’t necessarily expect it; tickets benefit the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, 7 p.m., Sept. 17. Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave., 607-8600, dunlapcodding.com. THU Tokyo Story, (1953, Japan, dir. Yasujiro Ozu) a retired couple visit their grandchildren, who have little time for them, in contrast to their widowed daughter-in-law; this film is regarded as Ozu’s masterpiece and one of the greatest films ever made, 8 p.m., Sept. 17. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU

HAPPENINGS Oklahoma State Fair, wrap your mouth and mind around newer and more heart-stopping bacon wrapped deep -fried culinary creations and experience spinningest

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Larry Hancock Signing, author Larry Hancock will sign is new book, Surprise Attack: From Pearl Harbor to 9/11 to Benghazi, which explores terror threats in the U.S. over the last six decades as well as each threat’s respective government and military response, 6 p.m., Sept. 22. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 8422900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE

Sober Indian Dangerous Indian This 2014 documentary chronicles an empowering quest made by men and women on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, four addicts living on the streets of a small town near the tribal land. It is written and directed by John Maisch, an assistant professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, former Oklahoma assistant attorney general and general counsel for the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission. See the film 4-6 p.m. Sunday at The Paramount Cinema, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. Visit theparamountokc.com or call 637-9389.

Sunday swingingest upside-downingest carnival rides this side of the Red River, though not necessarily in that order, and catch all the mullets and toothless carnies with a nice, relaxing game of State Fair Bingo, all day, Sept. 17-27. Oklahoma State Fair Park, 3221 Great Plains Walk. WestFest, if you hate fun, food, laughter, music and merriment, then boy do we have an awesome place for you to avoid this Saturday; join Western Avenue for a day long street festival complete with local vendors, food trucks, and a beer garden and learn all that Western Avenue has to offer, noon-10 p.m., Sept. 19. Western Avenue, 4200 N Western Ave. SAT Magical Masks, learn leather mask making with Oklahoma artist G. Patrick Riley and bring home your own work of art so you can be who- or whatever you want to be; 10 a.m., Sept. 19. Paseo School of Art, 3110-A N. Paseo St., 205-8990, paseoschoolofart.com. SAT

Saturday Cooking Class, it’s an Asian twist on an old classic; join the Gourmet Grille and learn how to cook your very own pepper steak to perfection, 1 p.m., Sept. 19. Buy For Less, 3501 Northwest Expressway, 946-6342, buyforlessok.com. SAT Uptown Cooking Class, some evil anti-food villains with no imagination might be saying to themselves,

Based on the classic John Steinbeck novel, Oklahoma City Theatre Company's Of Mice and Men follows the lives of Lennie and George as they struggle to find land and the American dream in California during the Great Depression. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at CitySpace Theatre inside Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Tickets are $10-$100. Visit okctheatrecompany.org or call 297-2264.

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16 | september 16, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Madeira, Marsala, & Moscatel, no, these aren’t the members of the newest boy band sensation, they are the names of delicious fortified wines; come taste for yourself just how perfect these cheese and off-dry fortified wine pairings are, 6:45 p.m., Sept. 18. Forward Foods-Norman, 2001 West Main St., Norman, 321-1007, forwardfoods.com. FRI

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Chairy aRt Festival Local artists show their interpretations of the posterior placement apparatus we fondly call the chair 6-10 p.m. Friday at Oddfab Design Lab, 705 W. Sheridan Ave., owned by local artist Hugh Meade. Postapocalyptic jug band Loose Shoes performs. Admission is free. Visit oddfab.com.

Friday BEER doesn’t belong in CHICKEN SOUP, but those naysayers are wrong; join Uptown Grocery to learn to make your very own unique and delicious beer chicken soup, a cure-all for any and all ailments life throws your way, both physical and spiritual, 10 a.m., Sept. 19. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. SAT ABCs of What You Eat Class, you can boil ‘em, you can mash ‘em, or you can stick ‘em in a stew; join dietitian Becky Varner to find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about potatoes (or “taters” in some circles) and try a healthy and delicious version of cream of potato soup, 10 a.m., Sept. 22. Buy For Less, 2500 N. Penn Ave., 5256600, buyforlessok.com. TUE

YOUTH Kid’s Healthy Eating Tour, Whole Foods is dedicated to showing kids and parents that healthy food can be fast and fun; join healthy eating specialist to try delicious, nutritious, easy eats, 4 p.m., Sept. 16 & 23. Whole Foods Market, 6001 N. Western, 879-3500, wholefoodsmarket.com. WED Fairy Yoga, join the Yoga Fairy at Bliss Studio for a very special class for kids age 3 -12 through music, games, and books in order to teach little ones the basics of yoga breath and posture and at the same time keep them having fun, 8:30 a.m., Sept. 16. Bliss Family Studio, 300 W. 33rd St., Edmond. WED Third Thursday, bring the little ones for a story and craft day along with $3 admission and enjoy some of the beautiful historic art and artifact exhibits for yourself, 10 a.m., Sept. 17. GaylordPickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 235-4458, oklahomaheritage.com. THU Saturday Story Time, every Saturday morning in September, kids and parents can head to the Whole Foods cafe to sit and listen to a different story, sing a sing-along, do some crafts, and enjoy a healthy snack, 10 a.m., Sept. 19. Whole Foods Market, 6001 N. Western, 879-3500, wholefoodsmarket.com. SAT Crafts for Kids, not quite as maddening as a certain similar frozen conical dessert-themed game, the nautical Great Catch! game features a large bead (“fish food”) on a piece of yarn attached to a paper cup with colorful fish decoration; the perfect pet, this fish won’t die even if little Timmy has terrible hand-eye coordination, 11 a.m., Sept. 19. Lakeshore Learning Store, 6300 N. May Ave., 858-8778, lakeshorelearning.com. SAT continued on next page

OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 17

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continued

Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe The director of Saint Monica Girls' Tailoring Centre in Gulu, Uganda, was featured with her school in the documentary Sewing Hope as she worked with youths rescued from barbarous Joseph Kony's Lord’s Resistance Army. She gives a presentation 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, in Kirkpatrick Auditorium at Oklahoma City University, 24th Street and Blackwelder Avenue. The documentary and related book were co-written by Oklahoma City attorney Reggie Whitten. The event is free, but registration is encouraged. Call 208-7000.

Wednesday, Sept. 23

PERFORMING ARTS Sean Kent, Austin native Sean Kent’s socio-political comedy has been dubbed “edgy and daring,” but those don’t cover the sharpness of this cancer survivor and Last Comic Standing alum’s wit; but don’t take our word for it, come see for yourself, 8 p.m., Sept. 16 & 17; 8 & 10:30 p.m., Sept. 18 & 19. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 239-4242, loonybincomedy. com. WED-SAT Julius Caesar, when his best friend returns from war, Brutus is faced with a difficult decision: Should he fail his country by allowing Caesar to continue his dictatorial reign, or should he do what is best for the state; Shakespeare in the Park performs this classic, 8 p.m., Sept. 17-19. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens. com/events. THU-SAT Disney On Ice, see Disney’s Frozen at the Oklahoma State Fair with the delightfully daring Disney On Ice; see Elsa and Anna on a journey to find a band of magical trolls and meet loads of quirky characters on the way, such as a snowman who loves the heat, a dorky-buthandsome woodsman, and a lovable doglike reindeer named Sven, Sept. 17-22 Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., 948-6700, okstatefair. com. THU-TUE Some Things You Need To Know Before The World Ends (A Final Evening With The Illuminati), Reverend Eddie has some things he would like you to know about death; along with his faithful assistant Brother Lawrence, the Reverend must deliver his final sermon to his congregation (a.k.a. the audience) in the aftermath of an apocalypse in this production from UCO Theatre Arts Department and ACM@UCO, 8 p.m., Sept. 17-19. ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., 974-4700, acm.uco.edu. THU-SAT Lazers of Sexcellence 5.0 Motorcycle and Poetry Tour, if you are a spoken word fan, come check out the Lazers of Sexcellence 5.0 Motorcycle and Poetry Tour with Amber Tamblyn and Derrick Brown, 7 p.m., Sept. 19. District House, 1755 NW 16th St. SAT Arcadia, praised as Tom Stoppard’s best play, brilliantly funny Arcadia plays with anachronism and historical context while discussing themes that seem contradictory: chaos and order, Romanticism and Classicism, and illustrates how they sometimes

18 | september 16, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

paradoxically coexist, 8 p.m., Sept. 18 & 19; 2 p.m., Sept. 20. Weitzenhoffer Theatre, 563 Elm Street, Norman, 325-7370, ou.edu/finearts. SAT Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, the Peanuts Gang goes Perks of Being a Wallflower in this unauthorized dramatic parody of Charlie Brown and the gang all grown up and dealing with issues spanning sexuality, drugs and depression, 8 p.m., Sept. 4 & 5. Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 2326500, carpentersquare.com. FRI Worthy Causes, this original dramedy follows a pair of best friends and activists who are saving the world when one disappears; brought to you by Next Stage, 8 p.m., Sept. 18 & 19. Oklahoma Shakespeare on Paseo, 2920 Paseo. FRI-SAT The Full Monty, when six Buffalo steelworkers fall down on their luck, they hatch a scheme to make money by becoming male strippers, 7:30 p.m., Sept. 18 & 19, 2:30 p.m., Sept. 20. The Stage Door Theater, 601 Oak Ave., Yukon, 405-265-1590, stagedooryukon.com. FRI-SUN Peter and the Starcatcher, based on the novel of the same name, this play follows a young neglected orphan boy who goes on to become the legendary Peter Pan; featuring all your favorite characters and a few new friends as well, join Peter and his mysterious friend Molly on a quest to protect a magical secret and save the world from evil, 8 p.m., Sept. 18, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m., Sept. 19, 2 p.m., Sept. 20. The Burg Theater, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. FRI-SUN

ACTIVE Adult Bubble Soccer, if you haven’t always wanted to play soccer but wearing a giant inflatable bubble then you clearly haven’t been using your imagination; OKC Parks and Recreation invited you to do just that every Wednesday this fall, 6 p.m., Sept. 16 & 23. Foster Recreation Center, 614 NE Fourth St. WED Free Zen Meditation Class, free meditation and Buddhist teachings class offered every week through November, 10 a.m.-noon & 7-9 p.m., Sep. 22. Buddha Mind Monastery, 5800 S Anderson Road. TUE Project Life Run, join the Oklahoma City Fire Department for a 5K and 1-mile fun run around scenic Regatta Park; work your thighs and save some lives when you help raise money for free smoke alarms, 8 a.m., Sept. 19. Regatta Park Landing, 701 S. Lincoln,

702-7755, okrivercruises.com. SAT Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, if the city of Norman’s motto isn’t already “brace yourselves; football is coming,” then consider this listings entry the official petition to change it, 11 a.m., Sept. 19. Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, 180 W. Brooks Drive, Norman, 325-8200, soonersports.com. SAT Learn to Curl, it’s everyone’s favorite late-Medieval Scottish Winter Olympic Sport; join the Oklahoma Curling Club for a session where experts teach proper technique, 5 p.m., Sept. 19. Arctic Edge Ice Arena, 14613 N. Kelley, 748-5454. SAT RED Run, more than 4,900 Oklahomans are living with HIV/AIDS; join AIDS Walk OKC for the seventh annual RED Run to raise AIDS awareness and support Oklahoma City-based nonprofit organizations that provide HIV/AIDS direct care, support services, and education; 7 a.m., Sept. 20. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SUN

VISUAL ARTS Bert Seabourn: American Expressionist, a full-time painter since 1978, he brings a unique approach to color and line in his postmodern expressionist works; of Cherokee descent himself, Seabourn often uses Native subjects and imagery. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 235-4458, oklahomaheritage.com. Color Outside the Lines, dive into the colorful magical pastel television test screen that is Rita Ortloff’s artwork; occasionally featuring animals and always featuring imagination, Ortloff’s works are bound to inspire. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo #A. Dislocated Histories, in this eclectic collection of David Crismon, Joseph Mills, and Jose Rodriguez’s urban photography and mixed media masterpieces, images from the past have been altered to symbolize the bias and human element present in any historical reproduction or retelling. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

Faberge: Jeweler to the Tsars, exhibit featuring more than 230 rare and storied treasures created by the House of Faberge; showcasing Peter Carl Faberge’s fine craftsmanship in pieces of jewelry and adornments once belonging to the Russian Imperial family. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 2363100, okcmoa.com. Immortales: The Hall of Emperors of the Capitoline Museums, people may not live forever, but their fame certainly can; this is best exhibited in this selection of 20 busts from the Capitoline in Rome which offers busts of emperors, empresses, and patricians from the 1st century B.C. to the 5th century A.D. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. 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 breathtaking view of a manycolored southern sunset: simply awesome. Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 2973995, myriadgardens.com. Just Watercolors, watercolor painting can be difficult, demanding, and unforgiving, but that hasn’t discouraged Jim Pourtorkan, a watercolor artist whose love of the medium shows in his bright, dreamy, and skillfully painted works depicting flowers, houses, animals, and more. Edmond Library, 10 S. Boulevard St., Edmond, 341-9282, metrolibrary.org. Noble Laundry Paintings, longtime Norman local favorite artist John Brandenburg presents this colorful collection of acrylic paintings which he created while doing laundry in Noble at a house he and his wife lived in, hence the exhibit title, July 10-Aug. 18. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 307-9320, pasnorman.org. Robert Peterson Exhibit, all at once realist and surrealist, Oklahoma painter Robert Peterson immortalizes figures of media, sports, and music in gorgeous brighter-than-life portraits; in his short time as an artist, Peterson has already garnered worldwide fandom and recognition with his supernatural and highly detailed depictions of pop culture icons. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, Suite 113-R, 848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com.

proViDeD

Exquisite Corpse Mixology, at this opening reception for an art display featuring 7-foot high Exquisite Corpses created by many artists, attendees enjoy some food and drinks and re-create their own Corpse from

available pieces and buy them to take home, 6 p.m., Sept. 17. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE 3rd St., 815-9995, artspaceatuntitled.org. THU

town hall lecture Series In Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife, respected academic neurosurgeon Eben Alexander examines our understanding of reality and human consciousness with a lecture and presentation 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 222 NW 15th St. Alexander defied medical odds in 2008 when a brain infection put him in a coma. When he awoke, his memories were gone. Tickets are $25-$75. A luncheon follows immediately after for $16-$96. For OKG Visit okctownhall.com.

music picks

thursday

see page 44

OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 19

presents A co-production with Oklahoma City University

A Play by Rick Elice Music by Wayne Barker Based on the Novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

OPENS TOMORROW AT THE OKLAHOMA STATE FAIR!

Tickets Start at $18! Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. Subject to availability.

SEPT. 17 – 22 JIM NORICK ARENA

Thu. SEPT. 17

Fri. SEPT. 18

7:30 PM

3:30 PM 7:30 PM

Sat. SEPT. 19 11:30 AM 3:30 PM 7:30 PM

Sun. SEPT. 20 11:30 AM 3:30 PM 7:30 PM

Mon. SEPT. 21 10:30 AM

Tue. SEPT. 22

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20 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

#DisneyOnIce

DisneyOnIce.com

LIFE FOOD & DRINK

Green Demon Burger “Soy-f and Turf” Sandwich

PHOTOS BY GA RETT FI S BEC K

Full tank

Ian and Hailey McDermid inside their watering hole and casual eatery, The Pump Bar

A former gas station fuels Oklahoma City’s need for great adult beverages and “comfort kitsch” food. BY GREG ELWELL

It only looks like chaos. “It’s like Lord of the Flies, but without the terrible stuff,” said Hailey McDermid, who owns The Pump Bar with her husband Ian. “To work here, people need to be able to work on their own.” As the early afternoon crowd at The Pump Bar, 2425 N. Walker Ave., grows into a boisterous mob of hedonists each night, the McDermids are behind the scenes (and behind the bar), keeping the order necessary to make everything feel like anarchy. The sense that anything can happen is one reason The Pump has become a go-to watering hole for Oklahoma City’s discerning lushes in just eight short months. That’s an atmosphere the owners and general manager Joel Caram work hard to maintain. “That’s part of what makes it fun,” Ian said. “You have to let things go a bit.” They feel comfortable easing off because of Caram’s steady hand and the team-first attitude coming from chef Brady Clark (lately of Saints) and the rest of the kitchen staff.

Comfortably kitschy

The Pump’s kitchen has changed quite a bit from the initial concept, but the McDermids are proud of the true sense of community that has grown there. “I’ve worked in the service industry for 10 years, and Hailey’s been doing

This is what we’d eat when we’re really drunk. — Hailey McDermid

it even longer, like 15 years,” he said. “We’ve never been somewhere with a true team approach like this.” That keeps them from being boxed in by any one cuisine, Caram said. Instead, they focus on a theme: comfort-kitsch. It’s a not-so-serious approach to food that fits perfectly with their alcohol and atmosphere. Fun dishes can be satisfying and leave room for drinks, Ian said. In recent weeks, that has included meals with a touch of New American, Indian, German, Korean flavors and more. “This is what we’d eat when we’re really drunk,” Hailey said.

Order up

There’s an effort not to go too messy or too big. So while the Green Demon Burger ($11) looks like a food bomb about to go off, it’s a relatively clean and self-contained dish. The jalapeño burger, covered in roasted poblano peppers, salsa verde, melted havarti cheese and crispy onion strings, is gooey and luscious and begs diners to take another bite. But for a burger with so many parts, it’s a surprisingly clean eat. Take a bite of the “Soy-f and Turf” Sandwich — a one-off special, like many on The Pump’s daily menu board — and prepare for a rush of salty-sweet bulgogi beef on a crunchy, crispy, buttery baguette. There might be a few crumbs, but there won’t be any leftovers. The McDermids aim for fresh, scratch cooking that doesn’t skimp on ingredients or labor, which might account for the slightly higher-thanaverage bar fare prices. But customers are clearly enjoying the cuisine, as food sales continue to rise. “It’s ‘better than it has to be’ food,” Ian said. “Sometimes I’ll post a special on Instagram and people are like, ‘You guys have food?’” The Pump not only has food, Caram said, but it has finally quashed the eternal beef between kitchen and front-of-house staff that plagues restaurants everywhere. In order for the rambling, partylike atmosphere to continue for patrons, Caram said there

has to be cohesion among the staff. “We can only be enemies with thirst and hunger,” he said.

Personal touches

Hailey said that requires everyone to toughen up and create a sense of camaraderie. With a server corps of 50 women, she said it requires some mediation and setting everybody up to succeed. “It takes a certain kind of person to do this job,” she said. “It’s organized chaos in 14-hour shifts.” And while it does serve food, she said it is first and foremost a bar. People need to know who they’re waiting on, pay attention to moods, understand what’s going on in their lives. What makes a great bartender is also what makes The Pump a great bar: the personal touch. That extends to the friendly atmosphere that keeps workers coming in early (and staying late) to hang out and lend a hand. “There’s probably a four-hour gap every day when there aren’t people here,” Caram said. A bar so fun even the employees can’t wait to show up for their shifts? It’s little wonder, then, that the wideopen patio, the clean vinyl booths and the bathrooms where they’re always playing Harry Potter audio books packs in crowds every night. Learn more about the venue at pumpbar.net.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | 21

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22 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

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Downtown Edmond hopes to lure families to dine al fresco at Heard on Hurd on Saturday, with a full lineup of food trucks scheduled. Citizens Bank of Edmond’s food and music street festival pulled in its biggest audience last month with nearly 18,000 guests, and organizers hope cooler weather and familyfriendly musical acts will help break that record again. Food trucks and vendors featured Saturday include Czech Delights, Mutt’s Amazing Hot Dogs, Pagoda Pizza, Let’s Do Greek and That Pie Place. “Whether you’re interested in vegan or a burger, you will have plenty of options to choose from,” said Citizens president and CEO Jill Castilla. Music acts Sugar Free Allstars, Aluma, Baby Bee and Wilson and the Snakes will perform. Heard on Hurd runs 6-10 p.m. at the corner of Broadway and Hurd Street in downtown Edmond.

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BLOW up You can put a hurt on some brunch, but will you let brunch hurt you? Balthazar’s Ladies and Lords of Wrestling returns Sunday for Brunch Brawl at OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave. BLOW founder Leslie Hensley (aka The Burger) said the show features a number of title matches, including one in which she teams up with Delicious Diva to take on Texas Chainsaw Mascara and The Hills Have Eyeshadow for the Ladies Tag Team championship. Doors open at 3 p.m. Matches start at 4 p.m. Admission is $10-$15. Find tickets at ticketstorm.com.

Sunday afternoon Not all diners are the same. Find your favorites by learning what each does best. Monte Cristo

BY GREG ELWELL

I met her in a diner up in northwest OKC, where you drink Coca-Cola that tastes just like Coca-Cola. C-O-L-A, cola. She walked up to me and she asked me what I would have, and I asked her for a minute because I didn’t know what to order at Lola’s. L-O-L-A, Lola’s Family Restaurant. (There are several reasons I’m not a songwriter, but the most important one might be how hyperfocused I am on food. Anyway, let me know how long it takes to remove that earworm by The Kinks, would ya?) It had been a fair few years since my last visit to Lola’s, 9148 N. MacArthur Blvd., because I wasn’t overly impressed back then. Oklahoma City teems with new breakfast places, brunch spots and old diners. If it’s not great, it’s easy to move on. But many people swear by Lola’s, and our readers wondered why we haven’t mentioned it in awhile. Since it had been several years since Oklahoma Gazette reviewed the restaurant, I gave it another try. What I learned between my earlier Lola’s meals and my more recent breakfasts and lunches there is that every diner has its specialties. You cannot impose onto any diner the contrarian beliefs of what you want a diner to be. You must navigate each menu to find the things each venue does best. Or a faster way to learn this would be to ask your waitress, who likely has a few informed and helpful opinions. The omelets are well regarded at Lola’s, but I took a cue from a friend and ordered the chicken-fried steak with eggs ($7.99). There is no breakfast more quintessentially Oklahoman to me than chicken-fried steak. It’s a meal that proudly tells the world, “I might do something that requires a lot of energy today, and I need these calories!” Well, I didn’t do anything after I ate my perfectly crispy, fork-tender steak but lean back in my booth and sigh with appreciation. The eggs, cooked over-easy, had set whites and runny yolks, which I greedily sopped up with a biscuit. The grits ($1.69 for a cup, $2.65 for a bowl) were creamy but a bit

I tend toward savory breakfasts, but there’s no shame in dallying with a stack of pancakes (two for $3.99, 3 for $4.75). Served with warm syrup, they had a natural sweetness and hint of spongy citrus that made them hard to stop eating. And if you like to combine savory with sweet, Lola’s serves an untraditional Monte Cristo ($6.99). You can choose bacon, ham or turkey, but I recommend you choose ham. It comes with melted Swiss cheese and is served between slices of French toast and topped with a winter’s frost of powdered sugar. If that’s not sweet enough, you can dip it in the provided syrup. This lacks the fried, crispy exterior of the traditional sandwich, but it was

Tara Shorter serves patrons at Lola’s Family Restaurant.

Chicken-fried steak

Lola’s Family Restaurant 9148 N. MacArthur Blvd. | 722-8262 WHAT WORKS: Chicken-fried steak and Indian tacos are the real deal. WHAT NEEDS WORK: Sides, like hash browns and grits, need more seasoning. TIP: The cream pies are homemade.

Indian taco

underseasoned. Perhaps that’s because there is such a variety of preferences for either sugary grits or those with salt and

butter. There was an easy remedy: A few shakes of table salt perfected them for my palate.

tasty nonetheless. If you’re in the mood for something even heartier, I recommend the classic fair-food Indian taco ($6.75). Rather than the greasy version some places slide onto a plate, Lola’s blended tender ground beef and beans with crisp lettuce and tomatoes. The fry bread holds up well, and while it’s not as monstrously large as some I’ve seen, it’s definitely enough to fill you up without requiring a box for leftovers. Lola’s has a grand opening sign up in front, though it has been there for many years. Apparently, a city truck backed into the building not too long ago, necessitating a few months off. However it happened, it’s nice to see the friendly staff back on the floor, passing around hash browns and pouring coffee like the Lola’s of old. And now that I know how to navigate the menu, it won’t be nearly so long between visits.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | 23

P HOTOS BY GA RE TT FI S BE C K

LIFE FOOD & DRINK

Fancy feast What’s cooler than being cool? Ice cold. But what’s fancier than being fancy? Is it Iggy Azalea wearing a top hat and a monocle, riding an old-timey bicycle while reading Harper’s Bazaar? Yes. That is as fancy as it gets. But the rest of us can make do by feasting upon high-class eats at some of the metro’s finest, fanciest eateries. Monocle optional. — by Greg Elwell, photos by Mark Hancock and Garett Fisbeck

Viceroy Grille

Vast

1200 N. Walker Ave. viceroyokc.com | 600-6200

333 W. Sheridan Ave. vastokc.com | 702-7262

Oysters on the half shell are a fresh, delightful treat for the palate — slippery, sweet oysters sitting in a bit of brine, waiting for a touch of mignonette or horseradish before you tip back the shell and gulp the bivalves down your gullet in one swift motion. You could ask your server at The Viceroy to bring you oysters on the whole shell, but it’s better to let the expert shuckers in the kitchen prepare this delicacy. Inexpert shuckers tend to stab themselves in the leg.

You would not be blamed for wanting an entire covey of quail prepared by the skilled chefs at Vast, but with an extensive and ever-changing menu available, you might want to stop at just the one. Besides, this rich, tender bird is stuffed with pickled shiitake mushrooms to tickle your taste buds in anticipation of a fine repast, not stuff you beyond the limits of gastrointestinal science. Oh, what the hell; go ahead and order a second bird.

The Mantel Wine Bar & Bistro 201 E. Sheridan Ave. 236-8040

Thickness has always been a sign of wealth. Historically, portly gentlemen and ladies were those rich enough to stay fed. In modern times, many prize the presence of a fat wallet and/or thick thighs and buttocks. So forget about spaghetti. At Mantel, it’s all about the thicker, more luxurious linguine covered in sautéed mussels, shrimp and scallops and tossed in a white wine butter sauce.

LIKE US ON

LIKE US ON 24 | september 16, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Trapper’s Fishcamp & Grill 4300 W. Reno Ave. pearlsokc.com | 943-9111

When the other crabs elected him king, Dennis smelled something fishy. For one, there was a fish nearby. Also, kings aren’t elected. Then he looked at his meaty legs and how his mother always said to beware of butter and it was too late. King Dennis was not smart, but he was succulent. His legacy lives on at Trapper’s Fishcamp & Grill, where you can enjoy king crab legs and shout, “Dennis is dead! Long live Dennis!”

Junior’s 2601 Northwest Expressway juniorsokc.com | 848-5597

Who do you think was the first person to convince his friends to eat snails? Whoever it was, it must have been someone suave as all get out. “Hey, guys. No big deal. Casual small talk and whatnot. Ever eaten a snail? They’re pretty good.” And somehow, it caught on. Now when you go to Junior’s, a restaurant plucked from an early episode of Mad Men and plopped in OKC, you can order escargot and the waiter won’t even look at you funny.

Volcano Sushi Bar & Hibachi

Park House 125 Ron Norick Blvd. parkhouseokc.com | 232-72757

5301 Main St., Suite 103, Del City volcanook.com | 605-5458

“Orange paste that tastes like the sea” is not the most appetizing description of uni (aka sea urchin), but it’s accurate. The actual experience is much more pleasant, as are most things at Volcano Sushi Bar & Hibachi. A perfectly cooked ball of rice sits on a plate with a gorgeous, foamy dollop of sweet freshness that rolls on the tongue before melting away. Every sushi lover should try this utterly intoxicating flavor.

What makes lamb so fancy? Is it the pure white woolen sweaters they wear? The way they trit-trot about the meadow, nibbling on sweet grass? Or is it because their succulent meat is so expertly prepared by the chefs at Park House? Probably the last one. Because as nice as a soft wool sweater sounds, it probably doesn’t go nearly so well with roasted dill potatoes and a tomato and cucumber salad as the spring lamb shank does.

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26 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

LIFE EDUCATION

Needs supplied Donors and the district step up to provide school supplies for those who cannot buy them.

BY BRETT DICKERSON

MARK HANCOCK

It isn’t enough for Lori Zehnder to just do lesson plans for her third grade class at Linwood Elementary in Oklahoma City. These days, part of her job as a public school teacher in a high-needs institution is to apply for donations for what today’s suburban instructors expect parents to provide: crayons, spiral notebooks, paper, pencils and binders. The purchase of supplies alone can be financially daunting for the poor and working poor. There are plenty of people who fall into that category in the neighborhoods that Zehnder’s students come from. Even though uniforms are adopted partly to keep clothes affordable for low-income parents, the purchase of those can eat away the meager income of a family that has more than one child enrolled at a time.

Big purchase

Zehnder estimates supplies for one elementary student range from $50-$75. And two sets — one to wear, one to wash — of the simple set of clothes required in Oklahoma City Public Schools is around $60. Add in the cost of shoes and parents are looking at close to $100. Uniforms actually hold down the back-to-school costs for parents due to better pricing on the polo shirts and khaki pants that OKCPS requires. A person working 40 hours a week full-time at minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) would make $290 before taxes were deducted. Using these figures, the price of supplies and uniforms for just one child amounts to around $150, or 51 percent of one week’s gross pay. Multiply that times two children and the cost goes beyond the family’s financial capacity. Anyone who has been in the workforce for long can see that those income estimates are not realistic. Minimum wage jobs are often held to lower work hours because many employers want to avoid reaching the 40-hour threshold, which triggers required benefits. And oftentimes, minimum wage work is temporary. Those additional factors make the school supply purchase out of reach for many. That’s why each year, several churches, organizations and even an office

Students at Linwood Elementary use donated school supplies. in OKCPS work to procure donations for children starting back to school.

Family help

The community relations department of OKCPS works with local individuals and groups like churches to connect donors with those who need the help. Ashleigh Arnall, Deisy Escalera and Amanda Laija are staff members in that office. They coordinate donors with people connected to the district who are in need. “[We] help anyone who is involved with the district. We support district staff, and we also support the community,” Arnall said. Staff members encourage parents to contact the office at 587-0234 to get assistance for supplies.

Teacher help

State budget cuts can often limit the ability of educators to develop an optimum classroom experience because of a lack of resources for supplies. That’s where The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools steps in. It is a local affiliate of the organization DonorsChoose, which works as a clearinghouse to connect donors with

public institutions and teachers who need the donations. The Foundation for OKCPS helps that district’s educators develop and write applications to submit to DonorsChoose. Melissa O’Neil is the DonorsChoose. org liason and guides instructors through the process. She helps teachers think through and organize their needs and then coaches them on how to write a clear application that will best reveal needs to a potential donor. Her help has made an impact on resources for the district’s employees and students. O’Neil said the foundation has helped fund 354 projects for 276 teachers at 88 schools, impacting 37,864 students. “Our total financial impact [including all donations from other people, organizations and The Foundation for OKCPS] is $218,625,” she said. “The foundation has spent $107,794, and we started our second ... contract with DonorsChoose this month.”

Difference made

Zehnder has had recent success in gaining much-needed funds from DonorsChoose. “I work in a pretty low socioeconomic area where most of the kids have a hard

enough time getting food on the table, let alone buying the backpacks … the pencils, buying the crayons [and] the colored pencils,” she said. Those basic items that parents and educators in surrounding districts can take for granted are prized acquisitions for this elementary instructor. Despite efforts in the community to supply individuals, Zehnder finds that those items need to be acquired for her classroom in order to be immediately available to students. The affiliate connection that the foundation provides through DonorsChoose has been helpful for her in acquiring 25 headphones to use in the computer lab so students can adequately hear instructions in online games and activities. Last summer, she was able to get copies of The Mouse and the Motorcycle, an award-winning book by Beverly Cleary, for her class. “I had people all the way from New Jersey and Virginia and Boston and just all over the country willing to donate these supplies to the kids,” she said. The ability to write a grant through the foundation has made a real difference in Zehnder’s classroom.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | 27

Theater faculty and students

Stars align OCU’s Wimberly School of Religion and School of Theatre find a new home in the historic Gold Star Memorial Building. BY LAURA EASTES

For the first time in the recorded history of Oklahoma City University (OCU), Wimberly School of Religion established its permanent home in the iconic Gold Star Memorial Building. It came 60 years after school leaders intended. In 1953, administration unveiled the facility constructed in tribute to fallen World War II soldiers. Despite the words “School of Religion” sketched in stone on the front, OCU’s law program claimed the structure as its home for decades. This August, students and faculty began discourse on religious and theological studies in the facility, which stands 286 feet tall and features a 200-pound gold star at its spire. The school made the move from neighboring Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel to Gold Star Memorial Building, which can be spotted from afar when driving around OKC. While OCU’s history is ambiguous on which departments occupied the building in earlier years, some OCU faculty members recall alumni and a former staff member sharing stories of religion classes meeting in Gold Star Memorial Building before the chapel’s dedication in 1968. Sharon Betsworth, school director, said classes now meet on the first floor; offices are located on the first and second floor, which is also shared with the School of Theatre. “The funny thing is … the School of Religion was not established until 1981. We were a department of religion before. They must have had a vision of it becoming a School of Religion,” Betsworth said. “It is neat to be back in the building where our name is.”

28 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

OCU’s nationally recognized theater program now resides in the basement, second and third floors. Mark Parker, theater and music dean, said the new space allows faculty and staff to meet the needs of a program that has grown by 521 percent over the past 11 years. “This is allowing us to spread our wings and be able to have the space that the students have needed for a number of years,” he said. Some theater courses, makeup, costume and lighting design will maintain residency in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. In addition to the sizable classrooms, the school designated space for production meetings, casting rooms, a prop room and rehearsal room. Faculty has its own rehearsal quarters for professional productions in which they are involved. In the basement area, there is a design studio where students can create and store unfinished set projects. An acting studio will be added on the bottom level following further renovations. Parker said the new residence allows OCU to launch a new major starting next fall, a Bachelor of Arts in theater, in addition to its bachelor of fine arts programs. The new degree focuses on theater business and is ideal for students who wish to pursue careers in fine arts management and administration. “A lot of people have said that the law school move was great for the law school and downtown Oklahoma City,” said Parker, “but it was certainly great for those of us who remain on the main campus.”

JOS H ROBI N S ON / OKL A HOM A C I TY UN I VE R S I T Y / P R OVI DE D

LIFE EDUCATION

Henry Overholser Mansion

M A RK HA N COC K

LIFE LEISURE

Celebration lap An annual home tour features several houses that showcase the Heritage Hills district’s style and history. BY ORAYNAB JWAYYED

Heritage Hills Historic Homes Tour Heritage Hills Historic District heritagehills.org 401-8712 $15-$20

Heritage Hills Associates Board holds its 49th annual Heritage Hills Historic Homes Tour Sept. 26-27. Seven historic homes, including Henry Overholser Mansion, 405 NW 15th St., were selected. Heritage Hills is nestled in central Oklahoma City, and the homes date back to the 1900s. About 2,000 visitors are expected to make the tours this year. Tom Brown, a retired Oklahoma City University professor, lives at 218 NW 18th St., his fourth home in the area. When Brown moved back to Oklahoma City from Denver in January, he was keen on finding a home in what he describes as a special neighborhood. “[Heritage Hills] is a great place to ride [bicycles] and walk and run,” he said. The Colonial Revival house Brown lives in was built in 1922 and was home to five previous owners. Judge Clarence Mills, who served in the District Court of Appeals, was one owner, and his portrait remains hanging over the fireplace in the main living area. Brown volunteered his home. It is the first time this house has made the list, although his prior three homes were showcased. He believes in the work of the neighborhood’s board of historic preservation.

“If there weren’t historic preservation in Oklahoma City, a lot of these houses would be gone because a number of the really big houses over the years fell into disrepair,” he said. “When I first moved here … I was hit with a lot of panhandling. Now, it’s young women pushing baby carriages and walking their dogs.” Leslie Arnold recently moved to Heritage Hills from Alexandria, Virginia. She works in communications for Chesapeake Energy and was recruited as public relations chairwoman by another board member. As former residents of historic Alexandria, Leslie and her husband appreciate the qualities of old homes. The tour will reflect the changing landscape of the community, Arnold said. “There’s people that have more traditional homes [with] more traditional furniture,” she said. “And then you have a lot of younger people moving into this older neighborhood and you’re going to see a lot more renovations in those houses.” As owners of historic homes, all community homeowners are required to keep the exterior intact, although internal renovations are left at each owner’s discretion. The diversity of the neighborhood was key in the final selection of the homes for the tour. Overholser Mansion is the central hub of activities for the tour. Tour festivities include food trucks, popup shops, live music and guided informational walking tours with narration. Visit heritagehills.org or call 401-8712 for more information.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | 29

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The empty chairs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum commemorate the 168 victims of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. But what about those who lived through it?

Aftermath study

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Twenty years after the act, new research by Phebe Tucker, a University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center psychiatrist, suggests that survivors fared far better emotionally than expected. In May, she presented the research at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual conference in Canada. “[Survivors] have more symptoms of depression and anxiety,” she said. “About 20 to 25 percent ... surveyed still had signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But that means that about 75 percent did not.” Tucker’s research surveyed 309 individuals from Oklahoma City. Approximately half — 138 people — lived. Of those, 80 percent were injured. Tucker started her research in 1996, and with 19 years of data, it represents the longest running study of post-traumatic stress ever.

Stress symptoms

The disorder can persist long after the ordeal that induced it. It includes vivid flashbacks, among other mental health issues. Changes in outlook also are common. Negative feelings often evolve, sufferers lose interest in activities they once enjoyed and a deep sense of hopelessness materializes and people can experience difficulties creating and maintaining close relationships. No clinical list of traits captures the horrors PTSD can generate. People often shut down and find themselves swimming in a sea of meaninglessness. But Tucker’s research indicates that many have made it to the other shore. “We were trying to find out what are some of the emotional results of being highly exposed to a terrorism act, so we looked at ... mental health symptoms and found that they were higher than the controls,” she said. “We also wanted to know what kind of PTSD [traits] occur that far after [a terror event].”

Oklahoma Gazette 30 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Paul Heath

Findings

The study uses a widely accepted emotional growth inventory to evaluate participants. It focuses on 10 categories of positive coping skills such as social support, spirituality and positive life changes. It targets positive emotional changes in people’s lives that stem from negative experiences. Almost half of all survivors, for instance, now find that “people are wonderful.” Many report that they value life more. Researchers also learned that survivors are emotionally stronger than they thought. And a somewhat smaller percentage of participants changed their life priorities and became more spiritual. Among the positive coping skills used by survivors, utilizing community support rated among the most successful. “When [people] report that people are wonderful, they must have had some positive social support,” she said. Paul Heath, who was a psychologist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the time of the attack, was on the building’s fifth floor during the blast. Shortly after the disaster, he helped found the Oklahoma City Murrah Building Survivors’ group, which met regularly until last year. Heath still deals with nightmares about the attack. “I worked with a lot of PTSD clients as the counseling psychologist at the VA. I knew we could get [survivors] to come together [and resolve] some basic things about PTSD by being able to talk about it,” Heath said. “We emphasized that if a person would talk about it, it would help some. Some people resisted that idea and didn’t want to talk about it. But for those

that did, it seemed to help a lot.” Tucker’s research also examined general health. Compared to those not exposed to the explosion, the survivors showed no higher incidences of high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease or cancer. The research also relied on a registry of victims maintained by the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). The database is used for a variety of fact-finding projects, and study samples for analysis on the long-term effects of terrorism have been identified from the records, said Tracy Wendling, an epidemiologist at OSDH. “The resulting research has helped inform injury prevention, disaster preparedness, engineering and building design, emergency response and long-term outcomes of [acts of terror], including physical and mental health needs,” she said. Tucker’s inspiration grew out of her 20-year psychiatric treatment of the survivors. More recent acts of terror, such as the World Trade Center bombing and 2013’s Boston Marathon explosion, also were motivators. Tucker and her colleagues will follow up by analyzing the survey’s open-ended questions. Tucker hopes hearing people’s stories in their own words will yield further insight into how people deal with the anguish of terrorism. “We’ve always known that people are resilient. What we didn’t know is that on a long-term basis, almost 19 years after the bombing, people reported that some positive growth came from that horrific experience,” she said.

M A RK HA N COC K

Getting well

Ana Garcia left talks with Carolyn Shade, a care coordinator for Integris, at the new Integris Family Care Clinic inside Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads.

Integris opens a clinic in Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads. BY BRETT DICKERSON

The days when Oklahoma City residents avoid seeing a doctor because they cannot bridge the language divide could be nearing an end. Integris Family Care clinic inside Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads is now open to receive patients, and the staff is fluent in Spanish and English.

Provider, staff

Ana Garcia, APRN-CNP, is nurse practitioner and primary care provider at the latest Integris clinic to open in Oklahoma City. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing, Garcia is bilingual and Hispanic. She talked with Oklahoma Gazette about the center’s significance. “Whoever walks into our door, we want to provide quality care. Something that’s affordable,” she said of its two basic missions. “We expect to provide excellence in every way possible.” It plans to welcome anyone regardless of insurance status, pay rate or type of insurance coverage. The second goal is to make sure language is not a barrier to anyone who comes in. Nurse practitioners can deliver all levels of primary care, including writing prescriptions, so the center offers as many services as any other Integris network clinic.

Filling gaps

Marco Molina, the venue’s medical director, is Hispanic and bilingual and grew up seeing the gaps that can sometimes occur in medical care.

Molina’s practice is in its sixth year with Integris, and he said that his patient load is near capacity because there is such a large demand for bilingual healthcare. Molina said one of the goals at the Plaza Mayor clinic is to “reach patients who have had gaps in their healthcare because of a language barrier.”

The plan

“This is an underserved area, and we really felt like we needed to have a presence here to the community,” Jeff Cruzan, president of Integris Medical Group. The center is part of a larger mission to improve community health within the demographics they serve, Cruzan said. “That’s a part of what this is about,” he said.

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Gloria Torres said Integris Family Care Clinic inside Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads is a good alternative to emergency rooms, which is where many people in underserved populations go. Torres, a Capitol Hill native, also is coordinator for Oklahoma City Community College’s Capitol Hill Center and the first female Hispanic board member of Oklahoma City Public Schools. “It’s a safe environment because of the reputation that Plaza Mayor has been developing — that this is for the Hispanic community,” Torres said.

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OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | 31

LIFE YOUTH

StageDoor Theatre

Oklahoma City councilors, including Meg Salyer, mingle with Youth Council of OKC members during a recent meeting.

M A RK HA N COC K

The

Leadership roles Youth Council of OKC earns an up-close education about city government.

BY BRETT DICKERSON

Hailey Rawson had one eye-opening experience after another keeping up with Ward 3 City Councilman Larry McAtee for a year as a part of Youth Council of OKC. It was 2005, and the Oklahoma City high school senior was an early recruit of Youth Council of OKC, a leadership program developed to help young leaders learn more about how their city operates and what it takes to serve its residents. “He would bring us along and introduce us ... and let us know what was going on and impacting his citizens at the time, which was a very unique position for a senior in high school to see,” Rawson told Oklahoma Gazette in her office at City Hall. Rawson said that, as a teenager, she took for granted things like “how water gets to your house or how the road gets repaired.” The biggest surprise to her during the program was seeing “how involved [the] community was.” Today, she is an attorney and assistant municipal counselor for the City of Oklahoma City. She works on trusts, utilities and finance. Rawson said she has been interested in practicing family law as long as she can remember, even in elementary school. But she shifted her focus to government because of her experience in Youth Council.

New year

Youth Council is a leadership development program in which selected youth leaders meet once a month during the school year to focus on different wards under the tutelage of Oklahoma City Council members and the mayor, said Amber Shelton, Leadership Oklahoma City director.

32 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Students also shadow particular commissions and committees to give them greater insight into the complexities of city government. Leadership OKC picks up two students from each of the eight city wards, and two others are selected “at large” from a pool of applicants. To be considered, students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average, submit a letter of recommendation and demonstrate an interest in government and community service. The 2015-’16 Youth Council of OKC class of 18 launched with a flurry of activities in late August, including lunching with the mayor and city council and meeting with many others involved in city government. Team-building was a key focus on that first weekend as students got acquainted in preparation for the year’s activities.

Larger program

Youth Council of OKC is only one part of the city’s larger Youth Leadership Exchange intended to develop leadership within the high school youth population. Its two other programs are Leadership Skills and Youth in Action. Leadership Skills takes students who have been recommended by school counselors and helps them build upon leadership aptitude and develop related skills. Shelton said that Youth in Action “is essentially a type of foundation” that helps students learn how to raise money for important philanthropic causes. Youth Council of OKC is funded by the City of Oklahoma City.

LIFE VISUAL ARTS

A local artist paints her way into skateboard subculture by creating young art patrons.

AK Westerman

BY GREG HORTON

AK Westerman started her art career drawing on walls with crayons in her family’s home at age 4. “Needless to say, my early works didn’t receive the appreciation I thought they deserved,” Westerman said. The painter and graphic designer recently embarked on an interesting tangent of her primary medium, acrylic painting. Westerman now creates skateboard decks that feature her original art, though she is not a skater. “My friend found an old board, and he asked me to paint on it to display in his home,” she said. “That was the first one I did. It was 2012.” When a California-based skate company found her online that year, it approached her about licensing her designs. Ultimately, she did not sign

a contract with the company, but the interest in her work started her thinking about licensing it with other companies or skate shops. Westerman now produces two kinds of skate decks, one for show and another for skating, and both use the same durable Canadian maple. For display, she paints directly onto the boards, and each piece is unique. The line used for skating features 14 pieces. She has worked with 247 Graphx Studios, 325 S. Scott St., to create the board wraps. “I prefer to work with local businesses as often as possible,” she said. Westerman’s art resides in fantasy and surrealistic realms. She describes her craft as “an untold fairy tale.” The designs incorporate the juxtaposition of

natural and technological components and coincide with skate culture. “While every piece is derived from my own personal narrative,” she said, “I always attempt to include some ambiguity, allowing the viewer to fill in pieces of the story according to their own unique perspective.” The surrealist and fantasy genres allow for personal interpretation. Hearing people’s take on her art is how she derives purpose from it. “Success is defined by the ability to capture my audience,” Westerman said, “to see them peer ever closer, seeing something new every time they look, delighting in the tiniest detail carefully hidden and visible only to those who lose themselves in the world I have created.” One of the practical aspects of

producing artistic skateboards is that she can put her work into the hands of younger consumers at a price that is affordable for budding art patrons. The California-born and Marylandraised artist briefly attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City as an illustration major before relocating to Oklahoma in 2001. She was a graphic designer before moving to art full-time four years ago. “I have been very fortunate to receive tremendous support within the … Oklahoma arts community,” she said. The artist has held exhibits in group and solo shows throughout the state, as well in Texas, California, Colorado and Ohio. See more of her work at akorganicabstracts.com.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | 33

GA RE TT FI S BE C K

On deck

LIFE VISUAL ARTS

Endearing state Shel Wagner’s art will make you fall in love with Oklahoma.

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

Oklahoma Found closing reception

Just South of 4th Street on I-35 in Moore

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34 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Shel Wagner’s art is a cryptic love letter to Oklahoma. She likes to make portraits of people that don’t exist from discarded items. Her first solo exhibition, Oklahoma Found, runs until the end of the month at The Project Box, 3003 Paseo St., which also hosts a closing reception 6-8 p.m. Sept. 24. For eight years, Wagner traveled across Oklahoma as a producer for the television show Discover Oklahoma and began thinking of the towns and landmarks of our great state as characters, each with a story to tell. Part assemblage, part clay mosaic and part I Spy, Wagner’s work engulfs the viewer with whimsical charm, a product of the number of objects she uses to create the artwork. The 12 pieces in this show illustrate Oklahoma towns and places that hold meaning for the artist. “Krebs,” for example, is a portrait. If Krebs were a person, Wagner imagines she would look a little like a large-eyed Disney princess wearing a sassy beret made of spaghetti and meatballs. Behind her is a checkerboard pattern of alternating green and white blocks composed of tiny items. Plastic snow peas, beads, a domino, soda lids, games and thread spools live happily next to one another, behind Ms. Krebs. “Pink, Oklahoma” is a large pink Oklahoma on a silvery gray background built from hundreds, possibly thousands, of tiny objects. Wagner’s art is intricate and imaginative. “Antlers” is a portrait of a young maiden with a bird in one hand and a rabbit in the other. All of them are adorned with antlers. The work is executed in warm neutrals with rich browns in the background and in the maiden’s hair. She gazes calmly at the

SHEL WAGNER / PROVIDED

6-8 p.m. Sept. 24 The Project Box 3003 Paseo St. theprojectboxokc.com 609-3969 Free

viewer with giant green eyes. For the closing reception, Wagner brings a new character to The Project Box. Winifred is a life-sized horse made of junk that stands 14 hands high. The horse is also a central character in the novel Wagner has been working on for several years. Fictional Winifred was created by a little girl named Clover on the banks of Lake Optima, the real lake that was dug but could not be filled in the Oklahoma panhandle. “My hope is that my art makes people proud of where they come from and helps them see the uniqueness of place in Oklahoma,” Wagner said. A fifth-generation Oklahoman living in Kingfisher with her husband and two children, Wagner reestablished her life here after an 18-year sojourn in Los Angeles, her husband’s hometown. The pair chose to settle down in Kingfisher for romanticized reasons. “We decided to come back to Oklahoma to raise our family,” Wagner said. “We were obsessed with smalltown life, specifically towns with fewer than 5,000 people in them.”

LIFE PERFORMING ARTS

Opening scene Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre diversifies its season with puppets and topical conversations.

A Poem is a Naked Person THURS, SEPTEMBER 17 | 5:30 P.M.

BY GREG HORTON

Peter and the Starcatcher

Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre 2015-2016 season

Peter and the Starcatcher 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. Friday-Sept. 27 M UTZP HOTOGRA P HY.COM / P ROVI DED

Tokyo Story (1953)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 7:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Nov.19-22 Avenue Q 7:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 12-21 ’night, Mother 7:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. April 8-24 Red Hot Patriot : The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins 7:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. June 3-5

“Dirty puppets doing dirty things” is how Jon Haque of Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre (CityRep) describes the comedy Avenue Q. The Tony Triple Crown winner premieres in Oklahoma City in the middle of CityRep’s 14th theater season in 2015-2016. “We had Avenue Q on the schedule last year,” said Don Jordan, CityRep’s artistic director. “However, that was the year that our customers really wanted to get the One-Man Star Wars back.” As a result, Avenue Q debuts Feb. 12, making it perhaps the most interesting Valentine’s date imaginable. Who needs long waits at restaurants when you can see what all the puppets from your childhood were really thinking? This musical uses Sesame Street-style puppets and songs like “Everybody’s a Little Racist” and “The Internet Is for Porn” to wonder aloud how our parents convinced us we were special when, in fact, nobody really is. Auditions for the season were completed in August, and Haque, founding artistic director and business manager, said the number of auditions indicated that CityRep’s visibility is increasing. “We had eleven actors from Dallas, a couple from Shreveport and Louisville and electronic resumes from Chicago and New York,” he said. CityRep does not always hold open auditions. The company has been around long enough to develop a great pool of local talent, but the upcoming season’s shows require more actors, Haque said. By using American Theatre Magazine and Theatre Communications Group, a professional organization for

regional theater, CityRep has managed to generate interest across the region. The company is bringing back Jonathan Beck Reed to play the role of Black Stache in the season opener Peter and the Starcatcher. The Peter Pan prequel and multi-Tony winner will be produced jointly with Oklahoma City University’s School of Theatre. The play will be performed at OCU’s Burg Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., instead of Civic Center Music Hall. “We are diligent to reach out to other theaters and companies to coproduce,” Jordan said. “That’s one way to build awareness and a theaterfriendly community.” For the season’s second performance, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, CityRep brings back Robert Picardo to play the role of Pseudolus. Picardo has been in movies and television for decades and is likely best known for his roles in The Wonder Years, Star Trek: Voyager and Stargate SG-1. “He was theater-trained at Yale as well,” Jordan said. “We’re excited to have him playing Pseudolus in one of the funniest plays ever written.” A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is also a joint production with Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC). The production, which opens Nov. 19, will be staged on OCCC’s campus in the new Visual and Performing Arts Center Theatre. Jordan said the company tries to offer an eclectic slate of productions every year and it always includes thought-provoking stories. He believes theater should offer a service to the community by generating dialog about important topics.

The season’s fourth show is ’night, Mother, the 1983 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama. It focuses on a mother-anddaughter relationship, and the dialogue follows the pair’s conversation after the daughter Jessie announces she will commit suicide. “I learned that suicides among our service members was spiking after they returned from deployment,” Jordan said. “Shortly after the recession, I read that suicides were up in people over 50. I thought, ‘We have to talk about this as a community.’” The final show of the season is an appropriate one for an election year. Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins focuses on the scathingly funny former political commentator, author and comic. Ivins spent most of her professional career writing for newspapers in Dallas and Fort Worth, where she took on Texas politicians — including the Bush family — for their exploitation of the “good ol’ boy network.” “We might have two female candidates in next year’s election,” Jordan said, “so I think this will be a timely production.” Jordan travels frequently to keep an eye on the industry, and he said Red Hot Patriot is currently one of the hottest shows in the country. The June 3 showing will be the play’s Oklahoma premiere. Tickets for CityRep shows are $30$35 and are $8 for students. Discounts are available for groups over 10. The student ticket price is also offered to service members, including military, police and firefighters.

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across 1 One raised in church? 6 Beltmaking tool 9 Emailer’s need: Abbr. 13 Hand-made percussion 18 Assembly-line track 20 Word of parting 21 Ability to borrow 22 On edge 23 Something saved for a rainy day 24 Caribbean capital 25 Nog topper 26 Vessel with a spout 28 Rallying cry during the Polk administration 30 1957 film set almost entirely in one room 33 Unimportant flaw 34 Payment promise 35 Master 38 Lessen the value of, maybe 39 Changes to the bill? 42 Infiltrator 43 Hawk on the street 45 Blotto 47 Fab Four surname 48 Becomes one 49 Young Frankenstein assistant 50 Degrees of magnitude? 53 Kinsey star, 2004 55 Early manufacturer of home computers 57 Court figure Williams 60 Return date? 63 Ted with a guitar 65 Moving-day need 66 0%, in a way 67 Economic org. in D.C. 69 Italian religious figure 70 Game that people rarely agree to play twice 72 Zach’s old flame in A Chorus Line 74 First name in Objectivism 75 Historical topics 77 Make a point 78 Byproduct in petroleum refining 79 Alejandro G. Iñárritu film with the tagline “How much does life weigh?” 81 Hunts, as a house cat might 83 Glass raiser’s word

84 ____ Arrives (1967 soul album) 87 It “teaches you when to be silent,” per Disraeli 88 Wee bit 89 Growing businesses 92 Lively comedies 95 Nomadic conqueror 97 Dealer’s customer 98 Trust eroders 99 Kid-lit’s Eloise, e.g. 102 Parts of many passwords: Abbr. 104 Imbecile 105 Ornament shape 106 “Oh wow!” 107 2004 rom-com in which a middle schooler is transformed into a grownup overnight 110 Contiguous U.S. states, colloquially 114 Org. with conferences 115 At the back 119 Bee, e.g. 120 Cry of dismay 122 Routine-bound 124 Beau Brummell accessories 125 ____ Rabbit 126 Car-chase sounds 127 Ability 128 Morales of NYPD Blue 129 Hieroglyphic symbol 130 L.P.G.A. garment dowN 1 “I’m ____ it!” (hick’s nix) 2 Doozy 3 Use a lance 4 1960s-’70s police drama 5 Make another movie together, say 6 Roadside assistance org. 7 Harder to fool 8 Inside ____ Davis (Coen brothers film) 9 Adams, Monroe or Grant 10 The Company, in govt. lingo 11 1960s buddy cop sitcom, informally 12 Pop group? 13 Pottery, e.g. 14 Israelite tribe progenitor 15 Slow movements 16 Simple camera’s aperture 17 Square figures

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Vol. XXXVii No. 37

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Pertaining to a sovereign Rock or Pine Broody rock genre Not working, say Film-set assistants Stocking fabric Colombia’s national airline Re/Max competitor Instantly likable The Brady Bunch kid Resource in the board game The Settlers of Catan Tax-exempt bond, for short Has the temerity Rock band from Athens, GA Modern rock and news/talk, for two Bit of rain Title IX target Liven (up) Visibly moved

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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 September 9 issue of Oklahoma Gazette are shown at left.

Oklahoma Gazette

50 56

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58 Maker of candy wafers 59 Invite to dinner, say 61 Singer with the band Cult Jam 62 Figurative duration of short-lived fame 64 Mel who co-wrote “The Christmas Song” 66 Filibuster feature 68 Birdseed containers 71 Minor predecessor? 73 SeaWorld performer 76 On both sides of 80 Colorado State’s team 82 Deeply offended 85 Selling well 86 First name of Dickens’s Little Dorrit 89 Clues to a sunken ship’s location 90 Diving-helmet attachment 91 Hitchcock film with a nameless heroine

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New york Times magaziNe crossword Puzzle double digits By Patrick Berry / Edited by Will Shortz

93 Rating first used for Red Dawn 94 Italian gentlemen 96 Relentless faultfinder 99 Religious outfits 100 Arabian Nights predator 101 Serve as a go-between 103 Siesta sounds 106 Bearded ones 108 Drew in books 109 NBC sitcom set at NBC 111 Symbol of England 112 Spa wear 113 Eddie Murphy’s bigscreen debut 116 West End district 117 Maintain 118 For fear that 121 Sponsor of some PBS programs 123 Word often shortened to its middle letter in texts

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SHAWN • D R E IN L NGE

38 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Things were different when a small group of families gathered for the first Buddy Walk in 1995. Some folks offered condolences to parents of babies born with Down syndrome, and students with the genetic condition spent their days in special education classrooms, segregated from other students. “Expectations were set very low. And it took some parent warriors ... to fight for their children to show what they could do,” said Jill Harrison, executive director of Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma (DSACO). “Things over time have slowly started to change. There’s a lot of opportunities now.” Today, Buddy Walk has grown and evolved into the 21st Annual Down Syndrome Festival and 5K Sept. 26 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive. The 5K was added three years ago and starts 8 a.m. The awareness walk — approximately four city blocks long — begins at 9:30 a.m. The fair begins inside the ballpark around 9:40 a.m. and is expected to draw nearly 6,000 people. This year’s theme, 21 Years Celebrating the 21st Chromosome, is meant to honor people born with the genetic condition and the event’s longevity. Harrison said the goal is to bring people with Down syndrome — the result of a person having an extra copy of their 21st chromosome — out in public, showing the community

they are just as capable and active as anyone else. “Acceptance is a huge part of this,” she said. “We’re more alike than different.” The chromosomal condition occurs in one in every 691 births, making it the most common chromosomal condition. More than 400,000 people of all races and economic classes in the United States have Down syndrome, according to DSACO. The organization serves 680 families in central Oklahoma, Harrison said, with more joining each day. The goal is to raise $165,000 this year. The money stays in central Oklahoma to fund various activities and programs supported by DSACO. Last year, the nonprofit organization, through a grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation, opened a computer lab and learning center that offers free tutoring to people with Down syndrome. Kylee’s Kitchen is another new program offering microwave-based cooking classes to teens and adults with Down syndrome, encouraging independent living skills. DSACO also distributes new parent packets, conducts quarterly workshops, organizes parent-toparent support meetings and provides scholarships to the annual National Down Syndrome Congress. This year, the fun includes games, inflatables, an extreme animal exhibit and entertainment for all ages. Teen and adult organizers with Down syndrome, called “self-advocates,” are also planning a dance party. Registration for the 5K is $35. Participation in the awareness walk and entry to the jamboree is free. Visit dsfestivaland5k.com or call 600-9981 for more information.

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Go West(ern)! WestFest launches its inaugural street party with over a dozen bands and thousands of fans on Saturday.

Noon-10 p.m. Saturday Western Avenue between NW 41st and 43rd streets westfestok.com Free

The first time Brian Haas heard about the inaugural WestFest, he knew. The free, daylong street party flaunts the businesses that call the Western Avenue district home as it showcases the talented musical acts building Oklahoma’s music scene. It runs noon-10 p.m. Saturday along Western Avenue between NW 41st and NW 43rd streets, which will be closed to traffic as an expected 5,000 guests fill the corridor. Haas, the founder of Tulsa’s Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (JFJO), remembers arriving in Oklahoma City during the mid-1990s to perform jazz-influenced music at VZD’s Restaurant & Club. At the time, Haas was looking for a place to get the band’s music in front of a local audience. He found the spot, along with listeners-turned-fans, at the Western Avenue club. In recalling those early shows, Haas remembers a vibrant and diverse audience that emerged from neighborhoods nestled behind the historic merchant district. Mixed with restaurants, bars, boutiques, retail shops and businesses, it holds a long tradition of being a playground for city residents who embraced and encouraged local art and music. In those 20 years, JFJO became a regular Western Avenue performer as it passed through on world tours and created more than two dozen albums. When Haas was approached about WestFest, he knew it was the ideal spot to roll out the group’s two-month tour. It also coincides with the release of its comic book, The Battle for Earth, which features a download of its new album. “During the first conversation, they made me want to do it because they are fans and they care about the music,” Haas said of event organizers. “It is great to be able to play for people that are building a cultural scene.”

Popular demand

WestFest moved from an idea found in a late 2014 Western Avenue Association survey to the merchant district’s patrons

and business owners. An overwhelming number of responses called for a street festival, said Rachael Taylor, association executive director. Through initial discussions, its board members decided a music festival would highlight the area and expand community engagement by featuring local music, bringing fans out to listen and admire the area’s evolving streetscape project. As construction began to install larger sidewalks, traffic-slowing medians, bicycle parking, lighting and new landscaping, committees developed, including one composed of musicians and music festival lovers. It set out to bring a variety of genres and crowd-pleasing acts with family-friendly sounds to WestFest. A total of 124 musical acts, each with Oklahoma ties, applied for a spot. Ultimately, 19 were selected, including Annie Oakley, Bowlsey, Gum, Jerrod Beck, Beau Jennings & the Tigers and Deerpeople. JFJO is the festival headliner. “It is a very big variety,” Taylor said. “We have 10 acts on the outdoor stage and nine acts on the indoor stage. The indoor stage is the eclectic stage … The main stage varies with everything from bluegrass and country all the way to alternative rock, singer-songwriter and hip-hop.” Chase Kerby, music committee co-chairman, said each brings something unique to the festival’s premiere. “A lot of the acts are doing great locally,” said Kerby, a local musician performing as Chase Kerby & The Company Men and co-owner of the district’s 42nd Street Candy Co. “At the same time, they are great musicians. They’ve got great sounds, they’ve put in the legwork and they’ve played a lot.” Jennifer Maynord, one part of folk act Willow Way, hits the indoor stage at 4:30 p.m. The OKC-based sisters seek out community gigs and have performed at Paseo Arts Festival, Edmond Arts Festival and OKC Festival of the Arts. “Willow Way is locally focused,” Maynord said. “We want to be part of our local music scene and take part in local festivals and events. It is a really cool way to be part of Oklahoma City as an artist.” Like Willow Way, a majority of the musicians play local venues and festival

“The area has really grown up in the last few years,” said Rachael Taylor, who helped organize and promote this year’s WestFest launch. stages. Event organizers hope those acts bring their fan bases to WestFest but believe crowds will pile into the northwest part of the city for other reasons. An estimated 50,000 residents live within the immediate area of the Western Avenue district. “The momentum gained before the event … shows people are excited,” Taylor said. “I’ve heard from so many people that they are excited for this type of event to be happening on Western Avenue.” WestFest joins a number of seasonal festivals and events hosted by metro-area neighborhoods and merchant districts. Unlike other events that might invite outside vendors, WestFest features a children’s area, food trucks and drink offerings from local breweries to complement the live music. Kerby said this festival flatters existing events in the city. “The city is growing at an exponential rate, and the council is pouring money into the different districts, which is coming from the MAPS 3 projects,” he said. “Think of the city as one big house party, and we are just bringing some fun.” CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

It is great to be able to play for people that are building a cultural scene. — Brian Haas

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WestFest

m ArK HANCOCK

BY LAURA EASTES

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 39

LIFE MUSIC Western Avenue, which begins at NW 36th Street and continues to Wilshire Boulevard, has much to showcase when crowds arrive Saturday. Last fall, the association unveiled five murals strategically placed on district buildings. The public works were created by local artists and tied into the group’s Taste of Western Culinary ART, an event that brings guests to the area to sample cuisine from its restaurants. In efforts to improve community safety and create a pedestrian-friendly street, in late 2014, the Oklahoma City Council approved a streetscape project along Western Avenue. While construction continues, WestFest crowds will notice larger sidewalks and trafficslowing medians in front of Will Rogers Theatre at 43rd Street. Western Avenue’s facelift isn’t a cosmetic procedure, as the association also strives to increase community engagement. In April, it joined Boys & Girls Club to host a family game series at Chesapeake Sports Field. “It very recently became a community district,” Taylor said. “The area has really grown up in the last few years with the addition of Chesapeake Energy to the north side of our district. But at the same time, we have a historic side, and some of those businesses have been a foothold in the district for a very long time.”

between Western Avenue businesses VZD’s Restaurant & Bar and Beck’s Garage. A second stage is housed inside The Barrel, 4308 N. Western Ave. JFJO performs at 9 p.m. on the main stage. The trio — Haas on piano, Fender Rhodes, bass and Moog; Chris Combs on lap steel, electric guitar and synthesizer; and Josh Raymer on drums — view this gig as a homecoming and a chance to celebrate their success, launched from the flourishing OKC music scene. “I think in all three cities — Oklahoma City, Norman and Tulsa — there is a great starting point for something that could flower into a true cultural happening,” Haas said. “It is all about persistence.”

Annie Oakley

Gum

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Evolving district

As OKC’s music community also continues to flourish, event organizers believe WestFest will connect new listeners to music made in the state. It joins a list of regional events that include Norman Music Festival, OKCFEST and Backwoods Music Festival. “Anything to get people out to shows is really important,” Kerby said. He believes the addition of more venues would bring big acts to the area. Local musicians would also benefit from the invitations to open for those shows. “Right now, [festivals] give local acts the chance to play in a different setting than they normally would,” he said. “It gives viewers a chance to come out to see bands for free. In that case, it can be a win-win for all parties.” Maynord echoed the sentiment. “I think [festivals] are great additions to our local music scene, and I know it will keep growing,” Maynord said. “I have no doubt.” Haas said OKC residents are fortunate in the range of live music offerings. “I think there is a diverse attitude to Oklahoma City when it comes to music,” said Haas, who has played across the U.S. and participated in seven European tours. “Every genre under the sun is located in OKC.” At WestFest, a plethora of genres will be represented. The main stage is located

40 | september 16, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Tallows

WESTFEST LINEUP times and bands are subject to change without notice. For more information, visit westfestok.com.

Main stage Noon: the Nghiems 1 p.m.: Annie Oakley 2 p.m.: bowlsey 3 p.m.: rachael brashear 4 p.m.: Gum 5 p.m.: elms 6 p.m.: tallows 7 p.m.: beau Jennings & the tigers 8 p.m.: Deerpeople 9 p.m.: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

The Barrel stage 12:30 p.m.: mikah Young 1:30 p.m.: Jarvix 2:30 p.m.: Jerrod beck 3:30 p.m.: Gabriel Knight Hancock 4:30 p.m.: Willow Way 5:30 p.m.: sardashhh 6:30 p.m.: Lonemoon 7:30 p.m.: Allie Lauren 8:30 p.m.: softaware

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Growing reputation

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Unchained

Van Halen’s long and storied career is celebrated with a world tour and a new band biography. BY CURT GOOCH

Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa April 4, 1978 Montrose with Van Halen Touring album: Van Halen

Van Halen’s first Oklahoma concert was booked for a mere $500 and came just eight weeks after it released its eponymous debut. “Van Halen tour manager [the late] Noel Monk’s influence at Warner

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Van Halen performs Sept. 21-25 in Texas. On this tour, the classic rock group’s itinerary skips Oklahoma City (historically a band stronghold), so a road trip to Austin, Dallas or Houston is likely in order for fans who want to see David Lee Roth with Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen. Van Halen has sold well over 55 million albums in the United States since its eponymous debut in 1978, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Records Van Halen and 1984 sold over 10 million copies each with flamboyant, glitter- and spandex-clad

Roth at its helm. Sammy Hagar-fronted years brought the act another 16 million sales before reuniting with Roth (if you forget the intervening interlude with Gary Cherone as lead vocalist, which a lot of us tend to do). Its long, party-filled, complicated and colorful 37-year history is celebrated on this tour, as is the release of a band biography, Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal, by Tulsa author Gregg Renoff. Here’s a flashback to notable Oklahoma concerts from the Roth-led eras.

State Fair Grandstand, Oklahoma City Aug. 6, 1978 Wet Willie, Van Halen, U.K., Rick Derringer, Montrose, Missouri, Head East, Black Oak Arkansas, Climax Blues Band and Alvin Lee Touring album: Van Halen

The Super Rock 78/The Oklahoma Jam festival featured live acts on two stages. There were many legendary moments at this event, but a favorite is when Roth approached his idol, Black Oak Arkansas lead singer Jim Dandy, backstage, leaped onto a table, danced and bet the musician he “could get more dollars” than Dandy. As the story goes, Dandy accepted the challenge and lost.

Myriad Convention Center, OKC Nov. 20, 1978 Black Sabbath with Van Halen

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Monday Austin360 Amphitheater, Austin, Texas Sept. 23 Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Sept. 25 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston ticketmaster.com 866-448-7849 $31-$149.50

Touring album: Van Halen

The young band made an on-air appearance on The KATT radio station before swinging into a new, local Sound Warehouse shop for an uncommon in-store autograph session with fans.

Bros. was the reason this show happened. He loved Cain’s,” said Larry Schaefer, former owner of Little Wing Promotions. “Eddie spent a lot of time in my office because I had a bunch of old Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars lying against the wall. And he commented that I had more guitars than him at that time.” Schaefer booked and promoted acts for Cain’s Ballroom and other venues and festivals across the state. “They were just becoming huge; every hour, they were getting bigger. In fact, I booked Van Halen to come back and open for Journey at the Tulsa Assembly Center,” he said. “By that point, they had become so big that they didn’t want to open for them and pulled out of my show, which meant we went from a sell-out to a half-empty house.”

Tulsa Assembly Center, Tulsa Sept. 18, 1978 Black Sabbath with Van Halen Touring album: Van Halen

Fans and critics widely agreed that the eye-opening, agile opening act easily upstaged the headliner, Black Sabbath, on almost every night of this tour.

Tulsa Assembly Center July 20, 1979 Van Halen with Screams Touring album: Van Halen II

“Van Halen was very savvy,

even back then,” said Screams drummer Brad Elvis Steakley. “They weren’t at the peak of their popularity yet ... They’d CONTINUED ON PAGE 43

Owen Field at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman Sept. 6, 1980 The Cats, Sammy Hagar, Pat Benatar, Van Halen and The Doobie Brothers Touring album: Women and Children First

This marked the only Sooner State stop for the band during its Invasion ’80 World Tour. Oklahoma’s first daytime rock festival, Rocklahoma, featured a 75-minute Van Halen performance. Fans in attendance included OU football coach Barry Switzer, who admitted to local media that he went with his sons to see festival headliner The Doobie Brothers. This event is memorable for fans because the bill also included Sammy Hagar, who would replace Roth as Van Halen’s lead singer in 1985. It’s also notable because Norman police told press it worried about controlling the crowd of over 31,000 and installed a video surveillance system. Valerie Bertinelli remembered the event in her best-selling 2008 book, Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time Time, saying it was her first date with soon-to-be husband Eddie Van Halen, and they spent a lot of time chain-smoking in a local hotel as they got to know each other. In 1974, Bertinelli briefly resided in OKC and reportedly attended a semester of classes at Casady School.

Okl ahOma Gaz ette | september 16, 2015 | 41

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Van Halen

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LIFE MUSIC

Van Halen during a rare in-store appearance at Sound Warehouse on N. May Avenue in November 1978

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booked the tour purposefully playing smaller arenas, in the 5,000-7,000 range, knowing it was better to sell out a 7,000-seat arena than it was to sell half of a 20,000-seat place. That way they could claim the entire tour was sold out, which it was.” The tour’s final show was at The Forum in Los Angeles. It sold out close to 20,000 seats “in an instant,” and Steakley asked Eddie Van Halen why the band didn’t just book a second concert. “He said, ‘If we sell out one show this tour, it makes it easier on ourselves for the next tour,’” Steakley said.

Lloyd Noble Center, Norman Oct. 3, 1981 Van Halen with G-Force Touring album: Fair Warning

Van Halen rode high on this tour, largely due to the popularity of three live music videos — “Hear About It Later,” “So This Is Love?” and “Unchained” — recorded in Oakland that May. “When I booked them into Lloyd Noble, by then, they were big stars,” Schaefer said. “I vividly recall Eddie had a skinny little Valerie Bertinelli on his arm.” alPha BaND

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tulsa author Gregg renoff's book, Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal, hits shelves in October and can only be classified as a must-purchase item for band fans and anyone else who wants to revisit

Myriad Convention Center June 15-16, 1984 Van Halen with The Velcros Touring album: 1984

This tour’s colossal production helped define Van Halen as the biggest band in the world. It was one of a few rock acts that could sell out multiple shows in the metro. During those hot summer days, it holed up in the Sheraton Century Center Hotel, the lobby of which was filled with dozens of fans as they tried to catch a glimpse of the quartet and nearly caused a riot. rON N I e GreeN / p rOVI DeD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41

Civic Center Music Hall July 21, 1979 Van Halen with Screams Touring album: Van Halen II

Frenzied fans made this show more memorable than most after a nearriot exploded. Concertgoers pulled themselves onto a ramp extension and became part of the concert.

Ford Center, OKC Jan. 22, 2008 Van Halen with Ky-Mani Marley

With Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, added as bassist, the concert also featured flying zeppelin balloons, a confetti storm, Roth riding a giant microphone and a nearly 20-minute guitar solo from Eddie.

the post-Vietnam/pre-AIDs glory days of American pop culture. this engaging read does what great books should: It puts the reader right into the story. Interestingly, renoff chose not to rehash the oft-told tale of Van Halen's glory years with David Lee roth and instead examined the band’s white-knuckled pre-fame days between 1972-’78 in-depth. renoff spent five years researching and interviewing more than 230 peers, family and friends of the band. this is the first time anyone

BOK Center, Tulsa May 1, 2012 Van Halen with Earth, Wind & Fire Touring album: A Different Kind of Truth

The group’s first Roth-led Tulsa performance in almost three decades saw the return of fan-favorite “Unchained” to its rightful opening slot in the set list. As with the 2008 tour, Wolfgang handpicked the set list.

has attempted such a tome, which transports readers back to the golden days of analog recording. Its nearly 400 pages also features 46 never-before-seen candid photos from live shows, backstage and hotel rooms, including one of the quartet in bed together. As with The Complete Beatles

About the author: Curt Gooch is an Oklahoma City-area resident, writer, musicologist and co-author of And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records and KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. He has long gathered quotes, articles and knowledge about modern rock music and how it influences American culture.

Chronicle by mark Lewisohn or KISS Alive Forever by Jeff suhs and yours truly, Van Halen Rising certainly stands out as the single most authoritative document about its subject matter — in this case, the story of how four southern California kids become the world's greatest party band.

OklahOma Gazette | september 16, 2015 | 43

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

Bryce Dicus, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COUNTRY

David Morris, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO

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

Hosty Duo, O Asian Fusion Norman. ROCK

Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. JAZZ

Lucky Duo, Colcord Hotel. COVER

Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club.

Stars, Red Rock Canyon Grill. COVER

Bri Bagwell, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Carly Gwin/Josh Berwnger Band/Locust Avenue, Opolis Norman. VARIOUS

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hosty Duo, O asian Fusion, Norman, thursday

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LIVE MUSIC WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16

FRIDAY, SEPT. 18 Brandon Jackson, Fuze Buffet & Bar. COUNTRY Christian Pearson/Gary Johnson, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO DJ Rodney Ladd, Colcord Hotel. VARIOUS Dutch Coven, Opolis Norman. ROCK Gregg Kennedy, The George Prime Steakhous. PIANO Groove Merchants, UCO Jazz Lab. COVER Matt Blagg, Red Rock Canyon Grill. BLUES Mother Duck Band, Fort Thunder Harley Davidson Moore. ROCK Rick Jawnsun, Toby Keithís I Love This Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC Slowvein, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. POP

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 Banana Seat, Russellís, Tower Hotel. VARIOUS Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks.

OKG

music

Drive, Remington Park. ROCK Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17

Jim the Elephant, Baker Street Pub & Grill. ROCK

Tuesday

Nothing is off-limits. Renowned bass player Thundercat J.D. Souther fuses funk, thrash, jazz, R&B, electronic and indie genres in a sound that has earned respect from names like Paul McCartney, Suicidal Tendencies and Flying Lotus. His headline tour rolls through day two of Vanguard’s Higher Plains Music Festival 7 p.m. Tuesday at 222 N. Main St. in Tulsa. Tickets are $15-$50. Visit thevanguardtulsa.com.

Grant Stevens, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO Gregg Kennedy, The George Prime Steakhouse. PIANO

Blue Chair Band, Charles J. Johnson Central Park. ROCK

pick

Equilibrium, UCO Jazz Lab. JAZZ

Steve Crossley, Red Rock Canyon Grill. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

Thundercat

Jared Sutton/Jarrod Baker, Toby Keithís I Love This Bar & Grill. ROCK

LUCKY, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. COVER Michael Kleid, Fuze Buffet & Bar. JAZZ MyRock, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ROCK

maurice Johnson, R&J lounge and Supper Club, Wednesday, Sept. 16

Rick Jawnsun, Newcastle Casino. ACOUSTIC The Copperheads/Thelma and the Sleaze, Opolis Norman. ROCK Voodoo, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. VARIOUS ZuZuís Petals, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. ROCK

SUNDAY, SEPT. 20 Edgar Cruz/Stephen Bennett, UCO Jazz Lab. ACOUSTIC Michael Kleid, Colcord Hotel. JAZZ Mike Hosty ëOne Man Bandí, The Deli Norman. ROCK Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

TUESDAY, SEPT. 22 Fear Factory, OKC Farmerís Market. ROCK LUCKY/Shaun Suttle, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. COVER

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23 Aaron Newman Duo, Red Rock Canyon Grill. FOLK Edgar Cruz/Jeff Nokes, Avanti Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. JAZZ Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

MONDAY, SEPT. 21 Cave/Drag City, Opolis Norman. VARIOUS Ensembles, UCO Jazz Lab. JAZZ

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Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK

44 | september 16, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

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.

House guesses M. Night Shyamalan’s new film exceeds expectations and nightmares. BY JAMES HELTON

M. Night Shyamalan is one of those rare directors who had the most unfortunate thing happen as a new director in the ’90s. His first film, The Sixth Sense, helmed by Bruce Willis (Die Hard), was so popular it made his following movies seem like an effort to catch up. One year after his massive success, Unbreakable received a lackluster reception, and two years later, Signs received even less critical praise. Whether by public influence or some sort of bizarre self-appointment, Shyamalan became known failingly as the twist-at-the-end guy. So what is a director to do? He has a hit with ghost stories but not with aliens, comic book tales, sci-fi, mythology or anything else he has touched in the 16 years since he made

The Visit

his earth-shattering first flick. Like most people in need of rediscovery, the filmmaker goes back to the basics with his new movie and finally catches up with himself. In The Visit, Shyamalan takes four main characters, grabs a simple setting — almost like a play — and delivers a film of such a minimalist nature that even Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man, Only Lovers Left Alive) would be proud. Jumping ahead of the Halloween crowd, Shyamalan, who wrote, directed and produced The Visit, crafted it perfectly. Becca, portrayed by Olivia DeJonge (Good Pretender), and her little brother Tyler, played exceedingly well by Ed Oxenbould (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day), stay the week with their estranged and very

odd grandparents, Nana and Pop Pop. The family is alone at the elder pair’s country home in snowy Pennsylvania, which creates a recipe for some comically delightful frights. Utilizing classic horror stunts, Shyamalan proves that simple things like bumps in the night; dark, narrow hallways; and creepy characters are what truly scare an audience. The two very disarming and oftentimes hilarious children provide enough comic relief to make you forget you’re about to get slammed in the face with another dose of Pop Pop and Nana’s bizarre nighttime shenanigans. Seventy-five-year-old Tony Awardwinning actress Deanna Dunagan (Have a Little Faith) as Nana and 72-year-old Peter McRobbie (Lincoln) as Pop Pop are excellent juxtapositions

against the two children. Toward the end, viewers actually begin to dread the night. The only disappointment in The Visit was the needless sentimental ending. The whole thing would have been better served by sticking to the traditional horror movie ending the director crafted and letting the closing scene be the disarmament he seemed to be searching for. Regardless, The Visit puts Shyamalan back where he needs to be: at the forefront of gut-punching cinema. The twist ending isn’t spoiled with this review because this isn’t that kind of movie. Some movies are more about the journey one takes to get to the end, not the ending itself.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 | 45

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Homework: What’s your favorite method for overcoming the inertia of the past? FreeWillAstrology.com. ARIES (March 21-April 19) I won’t go so far as to say that you are surrounded by unhinged maniacs whose incoherence is matched only by their self-delusion. That would probably be too extreme. But I do suspect that at least some of the characters in the game you’re playing are not operating at their full potential. For now, it’s best not to confront them and demand that they act with more grace. The wiser strategy might be to avoid being swept up in their agitation as you take good care of yourself. If you are patient and stay centered, I bet you will eventually get a chance to work your magic.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Many of the heroes in fairy tales survive and thrive because of the magical gifts they are given. Benefactors show up, often unexpectedly, to provide them with marvels — a spinning wheel that can weave a cloak of invisibility, perhaps, or winged shoes that give them the power of flight, or a charmed cauldron that brews a healing potion. But there is an important caveat. The heroes rarely receive their boons out of sheer luck. They have previously performed kind deeds or unselfish acts in order to earn the right to be blessed. According to my analysis, Taurus, the coming weeks will be prime time for you to make yourself worthy of gifts you will need later on. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) We humans need nourishing stories almost as much as we require healthy food, clean air, pure water, and authentic love. And yet many of us get far less than our minimum daily requirement of nourishing stories. Instead, we are barraged with nihilistic narratives that wallow in misery and woe. If we want a break from that onslaught, our main other choices are sentimental fantasies and empty-hearted trivia. That’s the bad news. But here’s the good news: Now is a favorable time for you to seek remedies for this problem. That’s why I’m urging you to hunt down redemptive chronicles that furnish your soul with gritty delight. Find parables and sagas and tales that fire up your creative imagination and embolden your lust for life.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Now is an excellent time to close the gap between the Real You and the image of yourself that you display to the world. I know of two ways to accomplish this. You can tinker with the Real You so that it’s more like the image you display. Or else you can change the image you display so that it is a more accurate rendition of the Real You. Both strategies may be effective. However you go about it, Cancerian, I suggest you make it your goal to shrink the amount of pretending you do. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Born under the sign of Leo, Marcel Duchamp was an influential artist whose early work prefigured surrealism. In 1917, he submitted an unusual piece to a group exhibition in New York. It was a plain old porcelain urinal, but he titled it *Fountain,* and insisted it was a genuine work of art. In that spirit, I am putting my seal of approval on the messy melodrama you are in the process of managing. Henceforth, this melodrama shall also be known as a work of art, and its title will be “Purification.” (Or would you prefer “Expurgation” or “Redemption”?) If you finish the job with the panache you have at your disposal, it will forevermore qualify as a soul-jiggling masterpiece. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Some people express pride in gross ways. When you hear their overbearing brags, you know it’s a sign that they are not really confident in themselves. They overdo the vanity because they’re trying to compensate for their feelings of inadequacy. In the coming weeks, I expect you to express a more lovable kind of selfglorification. It won’t be inflated or arrogant, but will instead be measured and reasonable. If you swagger a bit, you will do it with humor and style, not narcissism and superiority. Thank you in advance for your service to humanity. The world needs more of this benign kind of egotism. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) The rooster is your power animal. Be like him. Scrutinize the horizon for the metaphorical dawn that is coming, and be ready to herald its appearance with a triumphant wake-up call. On the other hand, the rooster is also your affliction animal. Don’t be

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like him. I would hate for you to imitate the way he handles himself in a fight, which is to keep fussing and squabbling far beyond the point when he should let it all go. In conclusion, Libra, act like a rooster but also don’t act like a rooster. Give up the protracted struggle so you can devote yourself to the more pertinent task, which is to celebrate the return of the primal heat and light.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Since you seem to enjoy making life so complicated and intense for yourself, you may be glad to learn that the current astrological omens favor that development. My reading of the astrological omens suggests that you’re about to dive deep into rich mysteries that could drive you half-crazy. I suspect that you will be agitated and animated by your encounters with ecstatic torment and difficult bliss. Bon voyage! Have fun! Soon I expect to see miniature violet bonfires gleaming in your bedroom eyes, and unnamable emotions rippling through your unfathomable face, and unprecedented words of wild wisdom spilling from your smart mouth. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) The Adamites were devotees of an ancient Christian sect that practiced sacred nudism. One of their central premises: How could anyone possibly know God while wearing clothes? I am not necessarily recommending that you make their practice a permanent part of your spiritual repertoire, but I think you might find value in it during the coming weeks. Your erotic and transcendent yearnings will be rising to a crescendo at the same time. You will have the chance to explore states where horniness and holiness overlap. Lusty prayers? Reverent sex? Ecstatic illumination? CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) One of your key themes in the coming weeks is “grace.” I suggest that you cultivate it, seek it out, expect it, and treasure it. To prepare for this fun work, study all of the meanings of “grace” below. At least two of them, and possibly all, should and can be an active part of your life. 1. Elegance or beauty of form, movement, or proportion; seemingly effortless charm or fluidity. 2. Favor or goodwill; a disposition to be generous or helpful. 3. Mercy, forgiveness, charity. 4. A temporary exemption or immunity; a reprieve. 5. A

sense of fitness or propriety. 6. A prayer of blessing or thanks said before a meal. 7. An unmerited divine gift offered out of love.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Be good, but not necessarily well-behaved. Be extra exuberant and free, but not irresponsible. Be lavish and ardent and even rowdy, but not decadent. Why? What’s the occasion? Well, you have more-or-less finished paying off one of your karmic debts. You have conquered or at least outwitted a twist from your past that had been sapping your mojo. As a reward for doing your duty with such diligence, you have earned a respite from some of the more boring aspects of reality. And so now you have a mandate to gather up the intelligent pleasure you missed when you were acting like a beast of burden. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) “I am the least difficult of men. All I want is boundless love.” That’s the mantra that Frank O’Hara intoned in his poem “Meditations in an Emergency,” and now I’m inviting you to adopt a modified version of it. Here’s how I would change it for your use in the coming months: “I am the least difficult of passion artists. All I want is to give and receive boundless, healthy, interesting love.” To be frank, I don’t think O’Hara’s simple and innocent declaration will work for you. You really do need to add my recommended nuances in order to ripen your soul’s code and be aligned with cosmic rhythms.

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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