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CONTENTS 39

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ON THE COVER

“In a country founded by farmers on the notion of freedom, the notion of criminalizing a plant is an absurdity,” said Chad Moody, an Oklahoma City attorney who goes by the moniker The Drug Lawyer. As public opinion changes, Oklahoma laws restricting medical and recreational use should, too, experts and community leaders say. Story by contributor William S. Savage III and Gazette staff reporter Laura Eastes. P.4

NEWS

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ga r e t t fi s b e c k

neWS cover

action as a symbol of significant momentum to moderate the criminal justice system’s reach, and its goals run almost parallel to a Change.org petition by pro-marijuana magazine High Times.

“If you’re selling handbags

without a license, you’re not going to get the same sentence as someone selling marijuana. You’ve got 20-year mandatory minimums in some states,” said Chris Simunek, the petition’s author and High Times sordid affairs editor. “If you tell the average person on the street — not a pot smoker — that people are still doing mandatory 20-year sentences for marijuana, they’re going to say, ‘Oh, I don’t believe it.’ But it’s the truth.”

Oklahoma’s laws aren’t quite that severe. Title 63 of Oklahoma Code dictates a first possession offense carries a maximum of one year in jail; a second requires between two and 10 years. Sale or distribution of cannabis could mean between two years and life behind bars or double that if it’s sold or distributed to someone under age 18.

Even so, some drug reform advocates view the state’s cannabis laws as antiquated, counterproductive and slightly unfair.

“In a country founded by farmers on the notion of freedom, the notion of criminalizing a plant is an absurdity,” said Chad Moody, an Oklahoma City attorney who goes by the moniker The Drug Lawyer.

Moody points to what he calls the “prison industrial complex” as a driving force behind the incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders, specifically as it relates to weed.

“There’s a huge amount of money motivating this, from grants, from private prisons, from politicians with their hands out here and there. It’s the 21st-century slave trade,” Moody said. “Even if you want to maintain that marijuana does some harm, the good done by it so outweighs the harm. Prohibition does damn near all the harm involved in marijuana.

Most of what has been said about the deleterious effects of marijuana has been propaganda in the drug war.”

Simunek agreed with Moody. He created the Change.org petition to bring awareness and discussion to the issue. It specifically requests that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and

experienced relief with cannabis to research studies concerning the use of marijuana for cancer treatment. “i stopped all chemo,” freese said. “i stopped all radiation. i basically detoxed off all pharmaceuticals. i started eating raw cannabis three times a day in salads. i am illegally healed because i am in Oklahoma.” in march, freese was told she was cancer-free. she calls herself a cancer survivor, thanks to cannabis. it’s a message she shares daily through social media and even at the grocery store. medical marijuana might not

be a miracle cure, she said. However, research and studies show medical marijuana helps patients suffering from a multitude of illnesses.

Doctors aren’t legally allowed to prescribe marijuana in Oklahoma. but more than 23 states have legalized medical marijuana, and four states, along with the District of columbia, have legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to the Office of National Drug control policy. freese is a member of green the Vote, a statewide grassroots organization. the group recently submitted a ballot

chad moody

Up in smoke?

As national policy shifts toward looser enforcement of medical and recreational marijuana use, our state struggles with its own definitions of legality.

BY William S. Savage iii

Before President Barack Obama visited the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in July, he commuted the prison sentences of 46 drug offenders across the country.

Drug law reformers viewed the

California Attorney General Kamala Harris release nonviolent prisoners in jail on charges related to marijuana.

“It’s certainly an issue I’ve been aware of for a while,” Simunek said. “But it’s never been so clear to me as it is now, having nonviolent people in jail for marijuana when it’s recreationally legal … [in many states] and Washington, D.C.”

In a country founded by farmers on the notion of freedom, the notion of criminalizing a plant is an absurdity.

— Chad Moody

He said he does not know what will happen if the petition reaches its goal of 25,000 signatures. Dozens of similar petitions have come and gone, and they rarely accomplish more than fostering a dialogue about the topic.

At press time, his petition was about 3,700 signatures short of its goal, but the 46-year-old New Yorker knows the topic is important to millions of Americans, even though he himself has never been arrested for a pot-related crime.

“You wind up creating a private prison system that is looking like any other business for customers,” Simunek said. “You have state and federal police agencies whose budgets are padded [for marijuana enforcement] that could have gone to something else. Imagine if all those resources had been used for something else.”

Shifting policy

Federal law enforcement resources are being trimmed when it comes to medical cannabis. In December, the continued on page 6

GrOwinG hOpe seventeen months ago, Juliette freese decided she didn’t want to die. the Oklahoma city resident was hospitalized following her four-month battle with multiple myeloma, a rare bone cancer. the grandmother of five was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. in may 2014, her family was told it was time to prepare for the end. but freese wanted more time with her family, and every conventional treatment had failed her. she was encouraged by friends who had struggled with chronic diseases and

4 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

initiative to the secretary of state. On aug. 21, board members, surrounded by supporters, handed over their petition in hopes that Oklahoma voters will have the chance to decide the fate of medical marijuana.

legal drive freese’s voice joins a chorus of Oklahomans calling for the legalization of medical marijuana. kevin beeler, a resident of Weatherford and a member of the continued on page 6

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federal government passed a spending bill that eliminated funds used for raiding growing and selling pot operations in states where medical use of the plant is legal.

Around that time, the Department of Justice released a memo providing direction to sovereign Native American tribes that are considering marijuana operations. Under the Cole Memorandum, federal agents will not interfere with Native cannabis businesses if they’re following state laws and eight federal law enforcement priorities.

As policy shifts in Washington, D.C., Oklahomans’ attitudes toward marijuana — medical or recreational — are also evolving, Moody said.

“I think, across the board, things are changing,” he said. “It almost gives police and prosecutors permission to have anything other than the party line perspective.”

President Obama stopped short of criticizing the prison industry, but he did note that the U.S. houses 25 percent of the world’s inmates, despite comprising only 5 percent of the global population.

“A primary driver of this mass incarceration phenomenon is … our mandatory minimum sentencing around drug laws,” Obama said during his El Reno visit. “And we have to

re be ka H Ha rri s / p rOVi De D

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chris Simunek

consider whether this is the smartest way for us to both control crime and rehabilitate individuals.”

Terri White, commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, said a significant portion of the state’s prison and jail population is serving time for drug- or alcohol-related offenses. Many have addictions and other mental health disorders.

“Prisons and jails are not substance abuse treatment facilities. People should

not be incarcerated because of an addiction,” White said. “Research shows that treating addiction, rather than putting people behind bars, is actually the best course for ensuring public safety.”

White has spent much of her nine years as commissioner telling anyone who will listen that the state must do more to make prevention, early intervention and treatment resources accessible to everyone.

“People with heart disease or diabetes aren’t put in jail or prison for having a grassroots organization, believes the measure needs to be pushed in the state.

“We have people dying every day,” beeler said. “there was a 59-year-old woman from my hometown who died from cancer recently … What could have happened if marijuana was legal for medical use?”

pH OtOs bY LaUra eastes

next steps

isaac caviness

Green the Vote hopes to get medical marijuana on a state ballot in 2016.

6 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

currently, green the Vote is waiting for the state government’s approval of the petition. after a petition is filed and published, a petition hearing and determination follows. if the petition is formatted as required by law, the 90-day circulation period can begin.

During the 90 days, registered voters can sign it. green the Vote predicts volunteers will collect signatures through early December. Volunteers, with petitions and pens in hand, will attend the Oklahoma state fair, the tulsa state fair, major fall festivals and tailgating events at state colleges.

Others will canvas the largest cities and the smallest towns. beeler pointed to a tan baseball cap with the words “Legalize it” embroidered on it. “it engages me in positive conversations every day,” he said. “people want to sign.” isaac caviness, president of green the Vote, said the movement needs 123,724 signatures for a state question

disease, so why are we putting people with the disease of addiction behind bars?”

White said. “We’ve been saying for years that this isn’t helpful for the individual or the government cost controls.”

While White believes cannabis legalization is not good public policy, she noted people don’t have to favor legalization if they worry about the drug’s role in the criminal justice system.

“Decriminalizing low-level offenses among nonviolent offenders is a topic worth discussing,” she said, citing the success drug courts have had in diverting nonviolent offenders away from prisons and jails.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODC) estimates about 12,000 of the state’s nearly 25,000 inmates have exhibited symptoms of severe mental illness, and White knows her agency, as well as the ODC, needs more resources to address addiction and mental illness.

On the topic of fewer resources, however, U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-OKC, introduced a bill in early August that would prohibit the distribution of federal funds to any sovereign American Indian tribe that cultivates or distributes cannabis. continued on page 8

to appear on the Nov. 8, 2016, ballot, the same ballot for the presidential election. the Haskell resident is confident this will be the case. He cites the results of the Oklahomans for Health signature drive for an identical state constitutional question that collected more than 75,000 valid signatures during the summer months of 2014. as green the Vote volunteers await their chance to collect signatures, Oklahomans for Health is raising funds for the campaign. spokesperson frank grove notes that volunteers are selling t-shirts, planning a block party event in tulsa and soliciting support for the estimated $80,000 needed to run a successful petition drive. in the event that green the Vote’s ballot initiative fails, Oklahomans for Health will submit another petition in the spring of 2016. “these things are movements, and it is a process,” grove said. “[the 2014 signature drive] was our first real battle. We are not going away. it is just the beginning.”

one step a year ago, gov. mary fallin called for lawmakers to consider medicinal cannabidiol oil — known as cbD and a component in marijuana plants — but on a limited, medically supervised, continued on page 8

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neWS cover “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.”

Lankford’s proposal came amid reports that some tribes are considering large-scale agricultural investments in the weed industry, according to media reports from sources such as Forbes and The Washington Post.

Moody, on the other hand, favors “straight-up legalization.”

“We have a commercial industry waiting for us that will rival the computer boom,” he said.

Since Moody knows legalization is not imminent, he wants to focus on broad criminal justice and potential constitutional issues posed by the enforcement and prosecution of cannabis laws today.

The attorney — whose massive pot-leaf billboard overhangs Interstate 44 between OKC and Tulsa — said that even law enforcement agents who are “sensible” about cannabis remain

committed to its illegality owing to “how many doors that opens for them.”

“The law has basically gotten to the point where they can say, ‘I smell marijuana,’ and they can go where and when they please almost without exception,” said Moody, who estimates that half of the criminal cases he handles involve the drug. “The smell of marijuana has become a general warrant, by and large. If it’s in your vehicle, it’s probable cause to search the whole vehicle. You can see how easily corrupting that is since there’s no way to tell what somebody can or can’t smell on an audio or videotape. You just have to take their word for it, and the courts always do.”

Moody said the slope can get just as slippery at private residences.

“At your house, even, if they say they smell marijuana at the door, I think a majority of courts these days will confirm [an officer’s] right to do a protective sweep of the premises because, of course, there could be someone in

trial-only basis. in a press release from aug. 13, 2014, fallin favored “allowing potentially life-saving medicine to find its way to children in need.” that statement was released two days before the Oklahomans for Health deadline to submit signatures to the secretary of state’s office.

On april 30, House bill 2154 — known as katie and cayman’s Law — became law calling for a pilot program to study cbD to treat children who suffer from epileptic seizures. the bill was named after two children with epilepsy, a relative and a family friend of the two lawmakers who sponsored the bill.

While fallin is supportive of the legislation and future clinical trials, she remains opposed to legalizing medical marijuana. “the cbD oil we are studying is a nonintoxicating derivative of marijuana,” said fallin in a media statement concerning the law. “it is not marijuana, and it is not anything that can make you ‘high.’ this law has been narrowly crafted to support highly supervised medical trials for children with debilitating seizures. it is not a first step towards legalizing marijuana, and i will never support the legalization of marijuana in Oklahoma.” cannabis remains illegal through federal law, which classifies it as a schedule i drug, along with heroin and LsD. When Oklahoma lawmakers approved the measure, they joined a list of states that allow medical marijuana for certain medical conditions. states

enact specific medical marijuana laws that vary for treating patients who suffer from cancer, alzheimer’s disease, glaucoma, HiV or aiDs, crohn’s disease and more. if Oklahomans approved a measure to legalize marijuana, the state wouldn’t face opposition from federal drug agents. Under a federal spending bill passed last December, the Department of Justice is prohibited from raiding state-licensed operations where medical marijuana is legal. in other words, no funding can go after state-legal medical marijuana. in July, the National cancer institute updated its findings concerning cannabis and cannabinoids. in preclinical studies involving mice and rats, cannabinoids caused cancer cell death, preventing cell growth and the development of blood vessels tumors need to grow.

“Laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids may be able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells,” the institute contended in the document, which was updated July 16. european scientists reported findings of cannabis reducing the growth of cancer tumors in July 2014. through their findings, published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, the cannabis compound tHc was distributed to the tumors and influenced the cancer pathology.

“Our research uses an isolated chemical compound, and using the correct concentration is vital,” said Dr. peter mccormick, a lecturer at the

Legal issues

8 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

there who could destroy the evidence,” he said.

“So, they can do that sweep and then go get a warrant. The practical effect of that is everybody sees the handwriting on the wall, so they go ahead and consent. They can come in, as a practical matter, one way or another.”

Moody told of a case he is defending in which “a kid had a quarter ounce of marijuana in his butt crack” and now faces felony charges.

“He didn’t have any paraphernalia on him, and in this officer’s experience, users typically have paraphernalia on them,” he said. “So the kid is therefore a felonious possessor with intent to distribute. The absence of evidence has become evidence. That’s how absurd this system has gotten.”

Since his client could not prove upon arrest that he intended to smoke the “20 or 25 buds” concealed via baggy, Moody said his client must now prove he was not selling the drug.

“It dawned on me the officer was essentially putting the burden on my

I basically detoxed off all pharmaceuticals.

I started eating raw cannabis three times a day in salads. I am illegally healed because I am in Oklahoma.

— Juliette Freese

University of east anglia, in a media statement. “cancer patients should not use cannabis to self-medicate, but i hope that our research will lead to a safe synthetic equivalent being available in the future.” grove said new research continues to support what members of Oklahomans for Health preach: medical marijuana can make a positive impact on a patient’s outcome. “the new research coming out

client to prove a negative. I thought, ‘Yeah, and he can’t prove he’s not a hippopotamus, either,’” Moody said.

Simunek said countless lifedamaging scenarios similar to those of Moody’s client should make it clear to lawmakers and attorneys general that they need to begin taking steps to modernize marijuana’s role in the criminal justice system.

Similarly, Moody said it’s too easy for politicians to relegate the issue to a lowpriority public policy debate if they won’t consider his clients’ circumstances.

“When you have judges that just routinely rubber-stamp what the cops are doing, I can’t have any high degree of confidence that this kid’s charge will be changed to a misdemeanor,” he said.

“So my client’s going to be offered a fiveyear deferred sentence on a felony when he very obviously has a misdemeanor case. Should he take [the offer] or not? Because the question is, will the law be followed or not? Your guess is damn near as good as mine.”

Gazette reporter Laura Eastes contributed to this report.

changes the playing field completely,” said grove. “it really is making people see.”

During the Oklahomans for Health petition, freese collected about 800 signatures. “people want to learn,” she said. “if it is not someone who is sick themselves; it is someone that has a family member or a friend that is sick. people want to talk about it.” grove said a majority of the members of Oklahomans for Health have a personal connection to medical marijuana. many want to be part of the organization for its role in helping children with epilepsy, for example. “that is more than enough to move them,” grove said. “Just to see the change it can make in an instant during an epileptic seizure, taking the oil and it immediately subsides. after you’ve seen that, there is very little you can do to say no.” green the Vote shares a similar philosophy. “it’s all about the patients for us,” said caviness. “that’s what drives us every day. We are all unpaid volunteers out here, doing what we feel is right.” scientific findings fuel the movement represented by green the Vote and Oklahomans for Health. but in the end, it’s the personal stories of renewed bodies and lives, of children with brighter futures and painless days, that grows hope for so many.

— Laura Eastes

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neWS education I found so much comfort knowing that there are stellar educators all across our state.

— Shawn Sheehan

Outgoing

Jason Proctor, the 2015 Teacher of the Year, also shares Sheehan’s passion for recruiting new teachers.

He said the most fun he had in the past year “was going out to college campuses and talking to those preservice teachers (students in the last phase of their college education degree) and encouraging them.”

“I would just share with them why this is a valid, true profession,” he said.

He also said the past year as Teacher of the Year has been fulfilling but he is eager to get back to his math classroom at Tahlequah High School.

Role model

Oklahoma chooses a new 2016 Teacher of the Year.

Leader appreciation

BY Brett dickerSon

Norman High School special education teacher Shawn Sheehan was recently named Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. As such, he now has a larger platform for his passion: promoting his profession.

The spotlight

After the Aug. 25 announcement ceremony at State Fair Park, Sheehan vowed to “shine a spotlight on the teaching profession.”

“I’m hoping to spark a Renaissance in education in Oklahoma,” he said.

“If you want to change something in education, what can you do about it?

Do it. Go with it. Run with it. Now is the time.”

In a call to teachers across the state to be more engaged in decision-making processes at the Capitol, he encouraged them to act.

“It does mean that educators stop

tip-toeing around on serious issues and start dragging people to vote for things that will support public education in the long run,” he said.

His remarks revealed what many know from experience: Teaching is a collaborative effort, not a competitive one.

The final phase of the Teacher of the Year decision process involves judges taking all finalists through a series of interviews. In some cases, they take place with the whole group. Contestant comments that come out of that process reveal how the competition turned into more of a collaboration.

“I found so much comfort knowing that there are stellar educators all across our state. These guys are amazing,” he said and then gestured to the row of finalists onstage with him.

As 2016 Teacher of the Year, Sheehan gets to travel the state to

Shawn Sheehan with Joy Hofmeister promote his Teach Like Me campaign, which aims to recruit and retain teachers.

Sheehan founded the teachlikeme.org website to illustrate how complex and collaborative the profession is, as well as educate others about common industry misconceptions. Several colleagues recently joined him to further develop the website into a campaign spaning Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

He plans to use his time as Teacher of the Year to update his website and social media as he encourages high school and college students to pursue teaching as a profession.

twelve finalists for oklahoma teacher of the Year

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“Shawn’s message elevates the profession,” said State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister after the ceremony.

“He is someone who is committed to the children of Oklahoma ... [He is a] wonderful example and role model ... [who will] bolster the morale of educators across the state who may feel, or have felt, demoralized.”

Norman Public Schools Superintendent Joe Siano agreed and lauded Sheehan’s efforts.

“The truth is that he has the heart of an educator,” he said, “and his whole campaign about advocacy is about getting the best and the brightest in every classroom and reinvigorating the whole idea that education is a noble field.”

Oklahoma State Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, said the 12 finalists represent the profession across Oklahoma and praised Sheehan for reminding everyone that teachers need to work to get voters to stand behind educators.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education has been organizing the Teacher of the Year competition every year since 1955.

The last time a Norman teacher received the designation was 50 years ago.

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Necessarily, however, the jail became Whetsel’s responsibility, and he began his term by taking his leadership team to Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the jail that served as a design model for the Oklahoma County facility.

The 13-story building incorporated X-shaped pod design, and its exterior included design elements that helped it blend into its central business district setting.

Beyond that, though?

“I didn’t see a whole lot of similarities,” Whetsel said.

Differences observed

One striking difference between the two, Whetsel said, was that Clark County jail’s administrative offices were on its top floor, not on the ground floor like Oklahoma County’s.

“That made them not susceptible to inmates’ wrath of raining fluids down through the plumbing system onto the first floor,” he said.

Additionally, the Las Vegas facility’s design incorporated a medical center to treat inmates. In Oklahoma County, the sheriff was forced to retrofit a detention pod into a treatment facility. Also, Whetsel noted that the Nevada jail offered easier access to its cafeteria and laundry areas than the one in Oklahoma City.

Basic needs

Locked down

At what point is it more cost-effective to replace the Oklahoma County Jail than continually repair it?

BY Jack moneY

T y Ja I L

r Ie S

La

3

Se

HOm a CO

Editor’s Note: This is the third 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. un

Ok

The county’s efforts to improve jail operations didn’t start when it asked voters in 2003 to support a permanent, 4/10th-cent sales tax to fund Oklahoma County Jail improvements.

They actually started much earlier and gained a new focus in 1997, when John Whetsel became Oklahoma County sheriff.

a sheriff ’s deputy and members of the media stand behind cracked glass in the Oklahoma County Jail during a media tour in 2010.

Whetsel, in his second run for the county’s top law officer position, won by calling for improved public safety for all county residents, not by pointing to problems at the lockup.

“The jail is just a place we put people that commit crimes, in order to protect our citizens,” Whetsel said last month, recalling his successful campaign strategy. “But the real work to me is on the streets, and I’ve never strayed away from that. To this day, I still believe the issue for us isn’t the jail.

The issue is the safety of our citizens, to protect them against crime.”

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Whetsel determined that a significant problem at Oklahoma County’s jail was the manpower needed to meet inmates’ basic needs.

“Nearly everything you had to do meant that you had to take them out of the security of their pod,” Whetsel said. “If they wanted to visit with their attorney, they had to come out of the pod. If they wanted to do visitation, they had to come out of the pod. If they needed to appear before a judge, they had to come out of the pod.

And if they wanted to spend time at the outdoor recreational area on the building’s roof, they had to come out of the pod.”

Whetsel also said there also was no designated area in which inmates could visit with family or friends, so he converted a ground-level public cafeteria into a guest area.

The county also added a video system so that inmates could appear before judges or visit with their attorneys without being removed from their pods.

But other inmate needs still require significant improvement, he said, including providing more space for education courses and personal counseling.

“Programming space is at a premium,” Whetsel said.

Problematic issues

Other problems have been even tougher to fix. The jail lacks enough elevators, which causes delays and safety issues when moving prisoners and guards.

It also was designed with commercial-grade plumbing and water supply. This was problematic because the jail instead needed water and sewage systems with shut-off valves to isolate pipe-related problems to the areas in which they occur.

Additionally, a jail-class sewage system is designed so that there aren’t straight lengths of pipe between cell toilets on each floor.

Oklahoma County Jail’s sewage system interconnects toilets in cells on different floors using straight piping, which allows inmates to use the plumbing to communicate by voice or by “kite,” a message written on paper, to cells on lower floors.

Slowly, the county continues to add shut-off valves when parts of the system fail.

“Before these modifications, if you were to have a water leak on the seventh or eighth floor, you might not have to shut the first seven floors of water off,” Whetsel said. “When we had to do that, it could take several days to rebuild adequate pressure within the system to restore service to upper floors.”

To fund needed improvements, Whetsel said his department has used Tax Increment Finance (TIF) dollars provided by Oklahoma City, funds from a public buildings authority operated by the county and money from his own budget.

The department spends about a half million dollars annually to maintain the facility. Whetsel said additional funds are spent for upgrades, depending upon availability and need.

“We look for that money elsewhere, or we just have to carve it out of our budget,” he said.

Security concerns

The jail’s design makes its operation a labor-intensive endeavor.

The only way security personnel can see what’s happening behind a cell door is by gazing through a small window about the size of a sheet of a paper.

“You have to do actual site checks on every hour, 30 minutes or 15 minutes, depending on what level of supervision they are on,” he said, “and you have to walk by every door and look in a window to tell what is occurring on the inside of each cell.”

Also, he said the structure was designed so jailers could supervise inmates without making direct contact, meaning officers work in

N O W H IR IN G Experienced cooks, servers & dish washers at both locations Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel demonstrates a new camera operations room at the jail during a 2010 tour showing facility improvements. secure offices behind glass.

That layout counters today’s conventional wisdom, he said, which favors direct inmate supervision from a central desk located in the center of each pod floor.

One pod has since been modified to allow direct supervision, but Whetsel estimated it would cost millions more to upgrade every pod.

“Direct supervision leads to fewer discipline problems and less inmateon-inmate violence,” he said. “It is a lot cleaner way of doing business.

That is one of the things Las Vegas set its jail up for, and that is one of those things that never made it into Oklahoma County’s jail design.”

Discipline problems and inmateon-inmate violence are key concerns for Whetsel and his staff. After a rash of inmate attacks, in August 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation of the facility and its operations.

The government’s findings and the county’s pledge to uphold the constitutional rights of its inmates

To this day, I still believe the issue for us isn’t the jail. The issue is the safety of our citizens, to protect them against crime.

— John Whetsel

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set the stage for recent discussions about building and operating a new jail and the need for a public vote later this year to approve a new sales tax to fund it.

Last week, however, the election discussion was shelved, but the county-federal Memorandum of Understanding still exists, meaning plans for any future vote should include participation from all entities that are involved in the county’s criminal justice system.

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no escape One factor limiting escape attempts from the Oklahoma county Jail is its height. On upper floors, inmates are less likely to break through the glass block windows, but some try anyway.

Last week, Oklahoma county Jail detention officers discovered two inmates working on a plan to do just that. an officer taking an early morning break in the jail’s employee parking lot saw what appeared to be a lit candle in a cell window on the jail’s eighth floor. candles are prohibited, so the officer notified coworkers to investigate. cell residents, identified by sheriff John Whetsel as chad Yeaman and O’Neal cotton, were removed and restrained as officers investigated. bolts, each about 10 ¾ inches long, were removed from a metal screen meant to protect the windows. investigators also found a hole in the concrete block wall that extended through the outside wall, just beneath the cell’s windows. the opening was covered with a disguise made from

bread, oatmeal and paint chips, jail management said. investigators removed a rope fashioned from bed sheets that was almost long enough to reach the ground. in an aug. 25 news conference, Whetsel said Yeaman, awaiting trial on an arson charge, and cotton, waiting to go to prison after pleading guilty to drug possession charges, will likely face additional escape attempt-related charges.

He noted that the attempt, which investigators accuse the two men of working on for about a month, is another example of why Oklahoma county’s citizens should support the construction of a new jail.

Had the candle not been seen, he said, the inmates could have escaped.

Whetsel also praised the detention officer’s alertness. “they do great work within the limitations of the facility that we have now,” Whetsel said.

mestafesta.org OklahOma Gazette | september 2, 2015 | 13

CHiCKEN CKEN Roker ace

Sen. Jim Inhofe is a moron.

What? We have to attribute that?

Fine. Sen. Jim Inhofe is a moron, said TODAY Show co-anchor Al Roker.

During a talk about climate change, the usually jovial Roker recounted one of Inhofe’s signature moments — holding up a snowball on the floor of the Senate — and said, “What a moron!”

The existence of a snowball, said the meteorologist, does not disprove climate change.

“The climate doesn’t just happen outside your door, sir. It happens all around the world,” Roker said, adding that Inhofe has “no concept” of what climate change is.

We just hope these two can patch things up by Nov. 17, when — lord willing — Roker can wish Inhofe a happy 81st birthday before throwing it to KFOR for the weather in our neck of the woods.

FRiED NEWS Jailed meth

Are there a lot of people in jail on drug charges? Definitely. Are visitors often caught trying to smuggle drugs into jails? All the time. But it’s always shocking when the person trying to smuggle drugs into a jail is a detention officer.

Oklahoma County jailer Alexander Plant was recently caught with 6.5 grams of meth in his sock while on his way into work.

NewsOn6.com reported that the sheriff’s office was told about Plant’s involvement in the plot during an investigation by the district attorney’s office.

“When something like this happens, we feel like it’s just a slap in the face for everybody,” said Mark Opgrande, an Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. “He swore an oath to uphold the law, and he tarnished that oath and the uniform that he wore.”

Plant had a text conversation with Jason Tucker and arranged to

pick the meth up from a restroom in a Wal-Mart on Northwest Expressway.

Plant allegedly was to be paid $1,000 to deliver the drugs.

He was attempting to smuggle meth for Caden Matthews, in jail on a marijuana charge, reported NewsOn6.com.

Keg cash

“Beer is good,” said a study about how good beer is from two groups devoted to selling beer.

According to a study by the Beer Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (but not the Michelob Foundation for the Beer Can Arts), beer has a $2.8 billion impact on Oklahoma’s economy.

The state garners $412 million in annual tax collections from beer sales and pays wages of $726 million.

“That’s cute,” one might imagine the oil and gas industry saying. “Keep trying, champ.”

We here at Chicken-Fried News are big fans of beer and oil, and we wish

they’d stop imaginary fighting in our heads. Of course, one powers our cars and the other makes it illegal to drive said cars, so this pretend feud kind of makes sense.

Can’t the beer industry, which has brought us great friends like Anthem Brewing Company, COOP Ale Works and Roughtail Brewing Company, get along with the oil and gas industry, which employs a quarter of the population?

Maybe we can all sit on a barrel of crude, pop open a cold bottle of suds and get just drunk enough that we can’t feel any more earthquakes.

Swindling senator

We here at Oklahoma Gazette believe politicians are public servants looking out for their constituents and their own good. So, we were shocked to hear a state senator — one predicted to hold

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the top position in the senate someday — admitted to stealing $1.8 million from a nonprofit agency.

Sen. Rick Brinkley, R-Owasso, stole that large sum of money from his employer, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), in Tulsa. The BBB fired Brinkley in April, which came after the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation began looking into the nonprofit, which is known for spreading the word about business scams and untrustworthy companies.

Brinkley served 15 years at the BBB and most recently was the highestranking executive for the Tulsa office.

It appears Brinkley split his time among the BBB office, the Capitol and casinos during that 15 years. Brinkley’s attorney hints the former lawmaker had a gambling addiction. U.S. Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. summed it up quite succinctly when he said, “He liked the casinos,” according to NewsOK.com.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 20, but that might not be Brinkley’s last visit to a courthouse. OSBI told NewsOK. com investigators are still on the

Brinkley case for any other state laws (besides embezzlement) that the former nonprofit worker might have violated.

Konawa quitters

Konawa just sounds like a town from the Wild West, so residents were probably thrilled when the majority of the town’s police force resigned at a city council meeting a few weeks ago.

“Yippe-ki-ya!” the townsfolk probably said, firing guns willy-nilly into the air. Oh wait.

That’s what got two of their officers suspended early last month. They were arrested by the Pontotoc County sheriff’s department for firing their service weapons for fun while driving down country roads.

Already down those two officers, the Konawa Police Department lost five more officers and the chief of police at the city council meeting.

Sgt. Elijah Snider, who has since rejoined the department, said the officers who resigned did so because of mismanagement and interference from the mayor, city council and former chief.

In all, four of the five resigned officers are back in place and a new police chief has been installed.

But if they’re not even going to be allowed to fire off their guns for fun on country roads, who knows how long they’ll stick around.

Not-so-lucky

While most of us were praising Jesus for lower gas prices (Hallelujah! We can afford more lottery tickets!), the price of oil stayed so low for so long that people started losing their jobs — lots of people, lots of jobs. Tulsa lost 1,340 oilrelated jobs in the first half of the year.

We are now starting to see those losses spill over into other sectors because, in case you didn’t know, something like one out of seven jobs in Oklahoma is tied to the energy sector.

Tulsa World reported a more accurate (and depressing) statistic.

“For every 10 jobs lost in the energy sector in the state, we estimate that an additional six jobs were lost in other sectors statewide,” said Dan Rickman and Hongbo Wang in a new report from Oklahoma State University.

The report also states that Oklahoma could lose 20,000 jobs through 2016.

Ball said oil might stay at $52 for the rest of the year and we need at least $73 a barrel to see growth in the state.

But, like, whatever, right? We are enjoying the cheapest gasoline in 11 years, according to the Fuel Gauge Survey released last week by AAA Oklahoma.

We will take 10 Lucky 7’s, please!

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | 15

COMMENTARY

P ROVI DE D

How to best teach all of our students

BY MARY MÉLON

Nationwide, minority enrollment (Latino, African-American and Asian combined) in public schools is expected to surpass white student enrollment, according to an Aug. 19 report from Education Week and data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

This is largely due to Hispanic community growth and is a reality that mirrors what Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) has seen the past several years. Oklahoma State Department of Education numbers for the 2014-2015 school year show the OKC district serves more than 45,000 students.

Its demographic makeup is 48 percent Hispanic, 26 percent black, 18 percent white, 4 percent American Indian, 2 percent multiracial and 2 percent Asian.

There are 18,532 bilingual students, 12,658 English Language Learners and 41 languages spoken.

OKCPS has an obligation to open its doors to all students, and our community shares that obligation. It is our responsibility to ensure that every student is provided with a good education and the chance to be productive, successful members of society.

How this is accomplished for students who arrive in our district without English language skills and with varied levels of prior education poses a number of challenges for educators. OKCPS has a team of individuals within its language and cultural services department dedicated to finding solutions.

One major issue being confronted is the shortage of bilingual teachers.

There are numerous stories about teacher recruitment efforts from Puerto Rico and Spain, and this year, our community welcomed a number of new instructors as part of this program. But there is a more

grassroots effort under development that also will fill the void in bilingual teachers.

The district employs nearly 130 bilingual paraprofessionals who play a key role in classrooms, and many have a strong desire to complete their education and become certified teachers.

The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, OKCPS and education partners University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City Community College are launching a program to help these dedicated employees and community members obtain their degrees and teaching certificates.

Upon completion, they will be placed as classroom teachers within the district.

This “grow our own” mentality could close the bilingual teacher shortage gap while giving these paraprofessionals and their families a tremendous hand up.

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.

There are so many good things happening within our city’s public schools. Administrators, school leaders, teachers and support staff come to work every day inspired and motivated to help our children achieve. Students who don’t speak English as their first language have obstacles that are difficult but not impossible to overcome.

We must continue to search for innovative solutions to help these students succeed. Just as they are in school, they will be leaders, workers and members of our community as adults.

Just as importantly, we must celebrate our community’s diversity and work to create a city that embraces multiculturalism and the many benefits that provides.

Mary Mélon is president and CEO of the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, which works to connect the community with schools to improve education.

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.

Better Best of OKC

I am the owner of the local business Forever After Parties. I wanted to point out something I have observed for the past few years.

Each year, I love it when the Best of OKC voting edition comes out. I open it up and look forward to submitting my favorite places to win the coveted Best of OKC title. But every year, I am a little disappointed.

I open the pages with hope there will be a category that my business would fit into. I have looked and looked, and nothing ever seems to fit. I’d love it if next year there might be something we could fit into. Maybe Best FamilyFriendly Entertainment or Best KidFriendly Entertainment.

Oh, I also noticed there is not a category for best hotel. I was surprised.

As a mom, one of the nicest quick getaways is for my husband and I to rent a hotel room, eat a great dinner and pretend we are somewhere else.

— Jennifer Teel Oklahoma City Incentive to drink

Just happened to pick up the Aug. 5 issue of the Gazette this a.m. and, as I got to the back-to-school shopping article, noticed that there was basically an ad for Freeman’s Liquor Mart thrown in (Life, OKG Shop, “School cool”).

Talking about how parents and college students would need to stock up and have a drink, etc., seems to me like really bad placement.

— Taylor Hannah Oklahoma City Supreme authority

Pity Michael Moberly’s meager understanding (Letters, “Heathen rage,” July 22, Oklahoma Gazette) of the founders’ intention for the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Letters and writings of those early Americans reveal their vision of a nation grounded not on religion, but a nation protective of everyone’s freedom to worship in their own tradition.

16 | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Their idea of separating state from church protects every religion’s right to its own values and principles. It also bans the display of any faith’s symbols or messages on public property. Our state capitol and grounds are funded and maintained by all the people, so they are not the place to display icons or messages of one religion. The State Supreme Court upheld that principle by ruling that the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments cannot remain on the grounds.

These things are not left to majority rule because majorities can violate constitutional principles. A majority of Oklahomans might agree that the Ten Commandments should stay at the Capitol and that same-sex marriage

should remain illegal. But if Muslims were the majority, Christians would object to Muslim icons or messages displayed at the Capitol or in public schools. Courts rule even when the majority objects.

Separation of church and state also protects the religious freedom to marry, or not marry, any couple. Laws outlawing interracial marriage were ruled unconstitutional by the courts, but churches and ministers are free to not marry interracial — or same-sex — couples. Our founders wrote a good Constitution.

— Nathaniel Batchelder director, Peace House Oklahoma City Oklahoma City

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1 8 9 0 - 2 0 1 5 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA w w w. u c o . e d u / 1 2 5 • ( 4 0 5 ) 9 7 4 - 2 0 0 0 OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | 17

okg picks are events

recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

s haw n teague / p rovi ded

BOOKS Native Americans in Comic Books, join Michael Sheyahshe as he discusses Native representation in the comic book industry in this installation of UCO’s Passport to Native America, noon, Sept. 2. ROOM 226, Max Chamber Library, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond. WED Story Time with Julie, kid-friendly storytime with the latest children’s books, 10:15 -11 a.m., Sept. 5. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Cuppies & Joe Storybook Hour, fun for kids and adults alike, as kids can sit and listen to story time while adults enjoy coffee and cultured conversation; cupcakes appropriate for all ages, 10 a.m., Sept. 5. Cuppies & Joe, 727 NW 23rd St., 528-2122. SAT Just Write: A Writer’s Group, writers who write and writers who read rejoice for this reading and writing resource ring regarding writing and reading readiness; relevant to ripened writers, registration required, 7 p.m., Sep. 8. Moore Public Library, 225 S. Howard Ave., Moore. TUE

FILM

TINE CHRISM D STE A6N SEPT 2 -

Y SU N DAY LABOR DA 8 PM W SHO

LANDRY SEPT 9 - 12

SEAN KENT

Late Spring, (1949, Japan, dir. Yasujiro Ozu) a girl in her late 20s in post-war Japan would rather take care of her elderly father than go looking for love, but her father has ideas of his own for his daughter’s future; shot during the Allied Powers’ occupation of Japan, this film is an interesting study of the archetypes common during the era, when all films were subject to the Occupation’s official censorship requirements, 8 p.m., Sept. 3. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Guardians of the Galaxy, (2014, US, dir. James Gunn) cheer on a bunch of a-holes led by unlikely hero Starlord as they try to save the universe from an evil super villain and keep an orb of unknown power out of the wrong hands; Chris Pratt’s dancing appropriate for all ages, 8:30 p.m., Sept. 4. Chesapeake Boathouse, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd. FRI

Choctaw Oktoberfest This two-week celebration for suds lovers and oompah culture fanatics kicks off Friday at Choctaw Creek Park, 14098 NE 21st St., in Choctaw. Cover is a measly five bucks (a bargain!), and entry gains you access to delicious ham hocks, smoked pork chops, bratwurst, big ol’ steins of beer, youth events and more. Visit oldgermany.com.

Read our related story online at okgazette.com.

Friday-Sunday, ongoing Daughter of Dawn, (1920, US, dir. Norbert A. Myles) featuring an all-Native cast and filmed in Oklahoma, Daughter of Dawn is a romantic docudrama revolving around the love triangle between three members of one tribe; part of UCO’s Passport to Native America program, 4 p.m., Sept. 6. Noir Bistro & Bar, 701 W. Sheridan. SUN

Thursday Afternoon Think Tank, part of University of Central Oklahoma’s Passport to Native America Thursday Afternoon Think Tank Series, this lecture explores Native American life during the territorial days and before with UCO history professor John Elder, 3:30 p.m., Sept. 3. Pegasus Theater- UCO Campus, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 974-2000, uco.edu. THU Open Figure Drawing Session, humans are hard to draw; we’re made of all these limbs and muscles and bones and hair, and it’s all really just a mess; luckily, aspiring and working artists can come to Kasum Contemporary to try their hand at figure drawing a live model, 7:30 p.m., Sept. 3. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 604-6602, kasumcontemporary. com. THU

HAPPENINGS Oklahoma Restaurant Convention & Expo 2015, all food service and hospitality industry professionals are welcome to come experience hundreds of exhibits, educational seminars, and mixology demonstrations, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sept. 3. Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, 602-8500, coxconventioncenter.com. WED-THU

SEPT 16 - 19

edgemere Under the Stars

JASON RUSSELL SEPT 23 - 26

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8503 N. ROCKWELL 239-HAHA (4242)

WWW.LOONYBINCOMEDY.COM 18 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

david renner / provided

SEPT 30 - OCT

Edgemere Park is the perfect place for music, food and community.

Edgemere Under the Stars is a family-friendly event that starts 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the First Christian Church amphitheater at 36th Street and N. Walker Avenue.

This week’s featured guest performers are Annie Oakley, Kierston White and The Broken Okies. Admission is $10, and youth under age 10 are admitted free. Visit cellardoormusicgroup.com.

Wednesday, Sept. 2

Paseo First Friday, join the Paseo Arts District’s nearly two dozen participating galleries for their many art opening receptions, themed exhibits, free refreshments, and hundreds of other art lovers just like yourself, 6 p.m., Sept. 4. Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., 525-2688, thepaseo. com. FRI Drop-In Art, we swear that they are just flowers; this week’s Drop-In Art is a tribute to the mother of American Modernism herself, and everyone can stop in to make their very own Georgia O’Keeffeinspired floral collage to take home, 1 p.m., Sept.

5. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Arts Festival Oklahoma, boasting four giant tents full of paintings, sculptures, photography, hand crafted soaps, lotions, and foods, a children’s arts and crafts tent, a lot full of food trucks, and a stage featuring live bands and performers, Arts Festival Oklahoma has something for everyone; so come on down and grab some art, but also you should probably remember to give the artists money or a backrub or something, all day, Sept.

5-7. Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S. May Ave., 682-1611, occc.edu. SAT-MON Leaf Impression Pendants, make your own classy leaf necklace and take your own little piece of nature with you wherever you go; potential hazards include your friends being super jealous of your neck jewelry and the fact that they can’t buy another one just like it, 10 a.m., Sept. 5. Will Rogers Garden Center, 3400 NW 36th St. SAT OKC Hot Wheels Association Show, come check out more than 40 tables of collectibles, miniatures, and more for sale or trade, as well as pizza and raffles; this show is suitable for anyone who knows the difference between "dolls” and "action figures,” so probably don’t bring your mom, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Sept. 7. Crown Center, 13300 S. Western Ave., Moore, 833-1296, greaterokchotwheels.com. MON Free Zen Meditation Class, find the zenith of zen in this free meditation and Buddhist teachings class offered every week until the end of November; the monastery is supported entirely by the generous donations of its students, 10 a.m.-noon & 7-9 p.m., Sep. 8. Buddha Mind Monastery, 5800 S. Anderson Road. TUE

FOOD Ingrid’s on May Grand Opening, you know it, you love it, and now it’s coming to May Avenue north of 63rd; double your pleasure and fill your stomach with German and American cuisine at the new location’s grand opening, 1 p.m., Sept. 2-3.

6501 N. May Ave., 6501 N. May Ave. WED Eating for Eye Health & Beyond, the old adage is that you are what you eat, not that you have what you eat, so please remember that when you want to have healthy eyes; join Jessica Cox for more fascinating food science and learn what phytonutrients can do for you, noon, Sept. 3.

Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. THU Cheese & Wine Pairing Class, if you’ve ever wanted to be able to say the words "cheese,” "wine,” and "party” and not actually mean "cheese-flavored puffs,” "something that comes in a box,” and ìbinge-watching television in my underwear on the couch,” then Forward Foods has the class for you; come learn classic pairing basics to impress your friends, 6:30 p.m., Sept.

4. Forward Foods-Norman, 2001 W. Main St., Norman, 321-1007, forwardfoods.com. FRI Uptown Cooking Class, if you’re in the mood for steak, and also craving pasta, and also craving stew, then you might actually be jonesing for beef stroganoff, and if you don’t know how to make beef stroganoff, Uptown Grocery does and they’re willing to teach you how, 10 a.m., Sept. 5. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 5092700, uptowngroceryco.com. SAT

s U w o Ll o F on

instagram

to see all our #selfies! @okgazeTte

Oklahoma Gazette

Saturday Cooking Class, if you haven't ridden the gravy train before, you are missing out, dear reader, and Gourmet Grille’s weekly cooking class has your ticket to ride; come learn how to make herbed pot roast and, you guessed it, the rest is all, literally, gravy, 1 p.m., Sept. 5. Buy For Less, 3501 Northwest Expressway, 946-6342, buyforlessok.com. SAT

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

OklahOma Gazette | september 2, 2015 | 19

continued

Family Free Friday until 5pm

St. George Greek Orthodox Church 2101 NW 145th Street 751.1885

• • • • • •

Greek dinner and dessert Artists and vendors Greek band To Kefi Dancing Groups Tour the Byzantine Church Learn about Greek Orthodox faith

Bring the kids for our Kids’ Area!

• Zorba Sundaes • Caricatures by Patrick Riley • Face Painting • Carnival Games • Photo Booth

TENT HOURS Fri-Sat 10-10 • Sun 11-3 DINNER HOURS Fri-Sat 11-9 Sun 11-2 benefitting

p rovi ded

Festival Includes

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine Director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Finding Fela!

Fela!) examines iconoclast Steve Jobs and the global empire he built with Apple. From the outpouring of grief after his death to his often ruthless and hyper-driven success, this is an informative and revealing documentary, showing as part of Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s Summer of Docs series. Showtimes are 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday at 415 Couch Drive.

Admission is $5-$9. Visit okcmoa.com.

Friday-Sunday

YOUTH National Wildlife Day Celebration, learn how to track Bigfoot, examine and explore a crime scene, and safari through the forest finding all sorts of creepy crawly creatures in celebration of National Wildlife Day, but be sure to get there early because slots will fill up fast, 6 p.m., Sept. 4. Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Road, 755-0676, okc.gov/parks. FRI Crafts for Kids, come into Lakeshore Learning this Saturday and the teacher will never forget little Adrasteia & Balthasar’s names ever again with these adorable desk nameplate easels, 11 a.m., Sept. 5.

Lakeshore Learning Store, 6300 N. May Ave., 8588778, lakeshorelearning.com. SAT Fairy Gardens Galore, as any magical creatures expert can tell you, you can't catch a fairy without a proper fairy garden; luckily Ann Fleener, a magical creatures expert herself, is here to guide you on how to build your very own real life fairy garden, 10 a.m., Sept. 7. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/ events. MON Safari Day Camp, come join the Oklahoma City Zoo for a half-day or daylong safari day camp where you can learn about animals, make new friends, and have a one-of-a-kind adventure, 8:30 a.m., Sept. 7. Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Pl. MON Wiggle Out Loud, bring the kids and rock out for a good cause; presented by OU Children’s Hospital, this local music festival aims to get youth of all ages up and dancing, but the fun doesn’t stop there; throughout the day, the event also offers Zumba, yoga, a youth boot camp class, local arts and crafts, healthy snacks and drinks, and more, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sept. 6.

Bicentennial Park, 500 Couch Drive, 297-3882. SUN

For more information visit greekfestokc.com 20 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Storytime Science, storytelling at its finest as performer puppeteer extraordinaire pilots kids through the silliest science stories around, 10 a.m., Sept. 8. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE

PERFORMING ARTS Christine Stedman, homegirl needed a vacation, and boy, did she get one; Christine Stedman picked up comedy as an elaborate excuse to avoid babysitting, and so far it's working out, landing her a finalist spot on Nick at Nite’s Search for the Funniest Mom in America, 8 p.m., Sep. 2-6, 10:30 p.m., Sept. 4 & 5.

Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 2394242, loonybincomedy.com. WED Always: Patsy Cline, a mainstay for die-hard fans of Patsy Cline as well as an excellent method of introduction for the not-yet-indoctrinated, AlwaysÖ Patsy Cline is one of the most-produced musicals in America, 8 p.m., Sep. 3-5, 10-12, 2 p.m., Sep. 10. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 2822800, thepollard.org. FRI 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; the grief isn’t always good, 8 p.m., Sept. 4 & 5.

Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 232-6500, carpentersquare.com. FRI James Nghiem/CJ Lance/Aaron Wilder, enjoy the best local comedy from Oklahoma City and Norman, which isn’t saying much; just joking, they are fabulous and are dying to lampoon themselves onstage for your enjoyment, so come on out, show your support, and let 'em punch ya right in the funny button, 8 p.m., Sept. 6.

Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman, opolis.org. SUN

curious minds discover new possibilities ACTIVE Free Zumba, join the Moore Public Library for a free, weekly Zumba class, so you can look cool while feeling the burn and learning new moves in this mixed-intensity workout, 6 p.m., Sept. 3. Moore Public Library, 225 S. Howard Ave., Moore. THU OKC Dodgers vs. Memphis Redbirds, support OKC Dodgers while celebrating America’s favorite pastime in this season-ender; enjoy beer, hot dogs, and maybe catch a foul ball, 7 p.m., Sept. 4 & 5, 2 p.m., Sept. 6, 11 a.m., Sept. 7. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 218-1000, . FRI

Color Outside the Lines, dive into the 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-A Paseo St. FRI Douglas Shaw Elder, with art-related degrees from Boston University, Pennsylvania Academy and Missouri State University, Douglas Shaw Elder’s body of work is anything but monotonous; boasting abstract paintings and drawings as well as geometric sculpture, this is exhibit is the whole package Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 360-1162, mainsite-art.com. FRI

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Akron Zips, if Norman’s motto isn’t "brace yourselves; football is coming,” then consider this listings entry the official petition to change it, 6 p.m., Sept. 5. Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, 180 W. Brooks Drive, Norman, 3258200, soonersports.com. SAT

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, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. WED

Sunday Archery Class, the coolest characters are excellent at archery these days, and whether your kid’s a Katniss fan or you just want to work on your Hawkeye shot, you both can head out to Martin Nature Park for a professionally taught class where equipment is provided, 2 p.m., Sept. 6. Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Road, 297-1429, okc. gov/parks/martin_park/martin_programs.html. SUN

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., 297-3995, myriadgardens.com. TUE

Wheeler Criterium, OKC’s premier cycling festival for friends and family of all ages; cheer on OK’s top cyclists and enjoy yummy food trucks, 5:30 p.m., OKC Downtown Airpark, 1701 S. Western Ave. TUE

VISUAL ARTS A World Unconquered: The Art of Oscar Brousse Jacobson, exhibit celebrating Oscar Brousse Jacobson with over 50 of his pieces and insight into the vital role he played regionally in the visual arts. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. THU

Oklahoma’s Public Liberal Arts College Nationally Recognized for Affordability and Quality

Kalee Jones W., in her own words, Kalee’s abstract watercolor works of shape and color are "spontaneous compositions housing camouflaged figurations” as well as "a color driven and primordial brainstorm;” the artist also creates stained glass works which are "celebration[s] of light,” Through Sept. 10. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 525-3499, dnagalleries. com. FRI

Rigorous and Distinctive Interdisciplinary Core Curriculum

Sue Hale, Hale’s impressionistic acrylic works perfectly capture in canvas dreamy moments in time; ranging from the drowsy excitement of a rainstorm on brightly lit streets to the stillness of a sunny day in the country, Hale’s work encompasses the full range of the human experience, through Sept. 3. In Your Eye Studio & Gallery, 3005-A Paseo St., 525-2161, inyoureyegallery.com. FRI

university of science and arts of oklahoma | college for the curious mind

1727 W. Alabama Chickasha, OK 73018

Terra, New York artist, Orly Gender’s work inspired by Oklahoma’s wide open spaces and red dirt. Campbell Park, NW 11th Street and Broadway Avenue. MON

USAO.edu (405) 574.1357

dan sperrY / provid ed

Cale Chadwick, Cale Chadwick creates pieces of art using her drawing, painting and photography skills and the natural, organic elements found throughout the original Chickasaw allotment that her family still resides on, plays a role in her artwork. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., Ste. 100, 767-8900, exhibitcgallery.com. WED

Ted Conley | Altus, OK | Fine Arts, 2014

The Illusionists: Live from Broadway This isn’t your coworker’s magic show. The Illusionists: Live from Broadway is exactly what it implies. This best-selling, touring production features humor, stunts and wondrous feats in a family-friendly format Sept. 15-17 at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. Tickets are $25$75 and are available at celebrityattractions.com.

For okg

Sept. 15-17

music picks see page 43

OklahOma Gazette | september 2, 2015 | 21

P HOTOS BY GA RE TT FI S BE C K

LIFE FOOD AND DRINK

Frito chili pie

Customers dine at Eskimo Joe’s in Stillwater.

Go, Joe’s This Stillwater staple celebrates four decades of food, music and beer.

Joe’s Fowl Thing marinated chicken sandwich with french fries

BY GREG ELWELL

Stan Clark could have spent the entire day on the couch. Instead, he spent 40 years creating some of Oklahoma’s most popular restaurants.

But even that is not the true secret origin of Eskimo Joe’s, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

For Clark, it goes back to his father.

His dad traveled often for business, but when he was home in Tulsa, he entertained and regularly invited business associates, clients and suppliers over for drinks at his cozy home bar. His combination of entrepreneurial spirit and hospitality stuck with Clark.

“It had everything to with my choices,” he said. “They were lots of fun, drinking and playing pool.”

So it’s little wonder that when Clark and childhood friend Steve File opened their bar, they mimicked the welcoming atmosphere and sense of fun Clark saw modeled by his father.

It was a simple business. We served 3.2 beer and Frito Lay snacks.

— Stan Clark

Juke joint

The original Eskimo Joe’s bar still sits at 501 W. Elm Ave. in Stillwater, but it’s a fraction of what is now nearly half a block of restaurant and retail.

Over the years, addition after addition was added to the tiny stone building.

The T-shirt display space is now larger than the original venue.

The menu also is exponentially larger than when it opened its doors on July 21, 1975.

“It was a simple business. We served 3.2 beer and Frito Lay snacks,” Clark said. “We had a pool Bacon table, a pinball machine that cheese fries took dimes and two foosball tables.”

Joe’s was known for great music, too. Rather than asking patrons to pump money into a jukebox, the bar spun Western swing, cosmo cowboy and other interesting genres on a record player.

And after someone brought in Using his business degree from Juke Joint Jump,, an album by famous Oklahoma blues and country rock Oklahoma State University (OSU), musician Elvin Bishop, its eponymous he reflected on what he learned in a first track played frequently. macroeconomics class.

Immediately after he heard the first Famous fare line — “There’s a jumpin’ little juke joint The playing field had changed, and Joe’s way out in the sticks, half a mile down a needed to stay nimble, so the bar became dirt road off-a Highway 6” — Clark said a restaurant. he knew it fit the venue.

At first, the menu was small and And that is how Joe’s became focused on doing a few things — freshStillwater’s Jumpin’ Little Juke Joint. cut fries, the Joe’s Special burger, the But music and ice-cold beer almost Little Joe onion burger and the Joe Dog caused its downfall, too. In 1983, the — very well. state’s legal drinking age was raised Its “famous” cheese fries were on its from 18 to 21 and effectively cut Joe’s menu from day one, but they became an clientele base in half. Clark said that final iconic signature dish in 1990. President Saturday night before the law took effect, George H.W. Bush visited Stillwater to the venue was a wall-to-wall “madhouse.” give an OSU commencement address.

“Back then, we had to close at While there, he mentioned he had a beer midnight and we couldn’t be open on and cheese fries at Joe’s, and the rest is Sundays,” Clark said. “I thought, ‘How history. am I going to stay open?’”

22 | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Grant Jackson of McCool Junction, Nebraska, was in Stillwater recently to visit a friend and make his usual visit to Eskimo Joe’s, where he and his friend always order cheese fries.

Few menu items feed the id as well as that dish. It’s a big plate of fresh fries, crisp and tender, covered in a gooey avalanche of melted cheese.

Clark said he orders them topped with sweet peppered bacon. And most guests request a cup or two of ranch dressing for dipping.

Even after four decades in business, Clark said there are still ways to improve.

The Joe’s Classic burger recently increased in weight by an ounce and is still one of Clark’s go-to lunches. It’s often served with fresh-cut Idaho potato fries on the side. The Little Joe grew into a quarter-pounder topped with a buttery brioche bun that complements the sweet, soft sautéed onions. Clark also tried the

Frito chili pie studded with fresh jalapeños again after not eating it for several years. He said he will return to it more often.

While the menu still focuses on American classics, it has grown enough that it’s easy to leave a few gems untouched for a while.

Joe’s Fowl Thing, the venue’s popular marinated chicken sandwich, isn’t one of those. In fact, Clark said he hired the cook so he could get the marinade recipe and it has been a top seller ever since.

The Eskimo Joe’s concept didn’t begin as an eatery, but Clark said he’s lucky it became one. Opening up earlier, allowing younger patrons to come in and expanding T-shirt sales were vital to turning a little juke joint into a Stillwater staple.

Stan Clark pauses inside his flagship Eskimo Joe’s restaurant in Stillwater.

OWNER EATS Each day, Stan Clark eats a lunch from one of his restaurants. Even with all that variety at the ready, a few favorites are ordered more often than others.

Eskimo Joe’s: The Classic Joe burger with sweet pepper bacon. “I’m also really partial to our chicken chili. I got the recipe from Bill Biard at the Hammet House in Claremore,” he said.

Mexico Joe’s: “The No. 1 is beef fajitas. We have the best marinade, and we use flank, not skirt steak.”

MoJo’s Rock ’n’ Bowl Grill: “I really love the catfish po’boy, made with farm-raised American catfish. And our mashed potatoes and gravy are the real deal.”

Taste & Take WEDNESDAY THRU SUNDAY 712 N BROADWAY | 405.232.WINE (9463) | WEWOKC.COM WED 11AM-7PM | THURS-SAT 11AM-11PM | SUN 1PM-7PM OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | 23

LIFE FOOD AND DRINK

Do south

El Potosino is a welcoming, tasty presence housed just a hard-left turn from downtown.

What makes you uncomfortable?

El Potosino There are several excellent reasons to be 2500 S. Robinson Ave. | 602-0650 uncomfortable. Sitting too long in one position.

WHAT WORKS: Green sauce, Watching a violent, barbacoa tacos and nice people. profanity-laced movie with your religious grandmother.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: The rice and Passing a kidney stone. beans were OK, but nothing special.

Discomfort is one of TIP: Closed on Wednesdays. Why? the ways we talk ourselves Because that was a good day to out of leaving our bubble. take off.

And trying something new, I’m sad to say, is not a guarantee of some great reward.

You will never like everything new you try. But you’ll never find anything new you like if you don’t.

I like El Potosino, 2500 S. Robinson Ave. As a very white, beardy man with a tenuous grasp of elementary Spanish, it would be easy for me to talk myself out of going to El Potosino — the handlettered sign, the address, the menu without a lick of English on it.

But it took only a couple of steps in the door for the cashier to greet me with a smile, the same one he gives to everyone who comes inside.

When I had a seat, he brought over the menu and offered to help me with any translations or descriptions I needed.

Though I do not speak Spanish, I do read menu.

And it was easy to see why friends told me to give El Potosino a try.

Tacos are $2 each and come in a variety of meaty and non-meaty varieties. The barbacoa taco is full of tender, flavorful beef that melts against the tongue. Served with the usual cilantro and diced onion, it’s a simple and simply delicious dish.

Burritos are, in some ways, like bigger versions of tacos, but more foldy.

I got the picadillo burrito con arroz y frijoles ($6). Picadillo is ground beef simmered in a seasoned broth until it achieves a wonderful, almost creamy consistency.

The arroz (rice) y (and) frijoles (beans) were appetizing. But the burrito was excellent.

The guisada de puerco verde con

P HOTOS BY M A RK HA N COC K

BY GREG ELWELL

Four little cheese and tomato sauce enchiladas are covered with a square foot of beef.

24 | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Oscar Zapata serves guisada de puerco verde con nopales and enchiladas potosinas at El Potosino.

nopales ($9) is like a green chile pork stew cooked with succulent cactus. The flavor is fresh, though the pork was a little bit chewy. Nopales has a flavor that is hard to classify, almost like a bell pepper mixed with a green bean.

If you’d like a giant, thin, tasty piece of beef, you’ll like enchiladas potosinas ($10).

Four little cheese and tomato sauce enchiladas are covered with a square foot of beef that has been marinated, seasoned and grilled. It’s not the best steak you’ll ever have, but it’s pretty good.

The dish the owner recommended was the enchiladas verde ($9). They come in cheese, chicken or mixed, and I would point you toward the tasty, gooey-textured cheese.

The green sauce on top is mild in heat and subtle in taste, but I had no trouble plowing through a plate of them.

The entire dish has the novel combination of a light and fresh flavor with a satisfying heft in the stomach.

The tortillas are fresh, and I’d probably buy a dozen just to sit there, spreading butter on them and eating them like a true fat kid. The hot sauce is, as advertised, nice and spicy. The salsa is light and summery.

If you’re at all nervous about heading down to the south side for Mexican food, I don’t know what to tell you, except that I encountered nothing but a welcoming staff and a very happy feeling caused by good cooking. I bet you will find the same if you go.

FOOD BRIEFS

P HOTOS P ROVI DE D

BY GREG ELWELL

Bedré best Bedré Fine Chocolate is extending its reach into more retailers across Oklahoma.

The Chickasaw Nation-owned confectionery has a new distribution agreement with HAC Inc., which owns Homeland, Country Mart and United Supermarket stores in the state.

The new partnership puts the chocolates into 26 grocery stores alongside other Made in Oklahoma Coalition products, said Kay Colbert, Bedré general manager.

Products are currently sold in some department stores and retail and wholesale outlets, but this is the first time the candy will be sold by state grocers.

“Part of [Bill Anoatubby’s] mandate is to grow tourism and expand our businesses,” Colbert said of the Chickasaw Nation leader. “This is an important link giving us that boost, helping us develop a following in Oklahoma.”

Ogletoberfest!

Community service Louisiana-based company Community Coffee settles into Oklahoma and Texas markets as it opens a new warehouse and distribution center in Oklahoma City.

The 5,727-square-foot center will employ a staff of eight and service the University of Oklahoma, local restaurants and grocery stores, said Jodi Conachen, Community general manager of communications.

“We definitely want to increase our footprint in Oklahoma City,” she said.

“We have a really strong group for [the] coffee service division that is working with major businesses, universities and restaurants.”

Community Coffee is well-known for its use of chicory root in some of its blends, though Conachen said it might be an acquired taste.

“For people trying Community Coffee for the first time, I usually recommend a dark or a house roast,” she said. “Chicory has a different flavor, a bite, a sharpness to it.”

An obscure local blog joins a popular local brewery to create a new seasonal beer.

Ogletoberfest is the brainchild of The Lost Ogle publisher Patrick Riley and Anthem Brewing Company head brewer Patrick Lively, who began their work on the brew in spring.

“My two dreams in life were to ride a unicorn with Gary England and brew a beer,” Riley said. “And now I’ve accomplished both.”

The Vienna-style amber lager also is the first lager produced by Anthem, Lively said.

When Riley approached him in March, Lively said he liked the idea and it worked well with Anthem’s community-oriented approach.

“We love Oklahoma City,” Lively said. “We want to be an active part of what’s going on in the city from here on out.”

For Riley, this brew is a lifelong goal realized. Watch for it at taps early this month and in cans later in September.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | 25

Pit stop Gas stations are not generally known for their culinary acumen. Too often, stopping for a quick bite to eat on the road means microwave burritos, a nacho cheese pump and hot dogs that were put on the rollers last year. But we’ve scoped out some places that will sell you petrol without necessarily giving you gas.

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

Ninja Sushi Station

Portland Shamrock

Tandoor Restaurant

5529 SE 15th St., Del City | 219-4966 ninjasushistation.webstarts.com

3644 NW 50th St. 942-8141

1901 E. Reno Ave. 270-0379

Gas Station Sushi might sound like a sequel to Samuel L. Jackson’s Snakes on a Plane, where a tough cop has to duke it out against some dodgy fish. But this much-loved Del City restaurant will let you fuel up while chowing down on tasty Japanese cuisine. Sure, the Sushi Fried Chicken roll and the Spiderman roll don’t sound especially authentic, but there also are spicy tuna rolls, California rolls, edamame and miso soup too.

Mexican food is so ubiquitous in Oklahoma City that it makes perfect sense for gas stations to get in on the action. The Portland Shamrock might as well change its name to the Porkland Shamrock because its pig-centric burritos and tamales are top-notch. The green chile pork burrito is a cheesy, spicy delight, especially with a big dollop of salsa on top. The big menu on the wall has more options, but the real action is in the display case.

If you love Indian food, but your car is running on fumes, do we have the solution for you. Housed in a truck stop at the corner of Reno and Martin Luther King avenues, Tandoor Restaurant isn’t the most glamorous spot. It is where you’ll find some fresh and spicy Indian delicacies. Look past the tractor-trailers and inside to an Indian grocery store for excellent korma and crispy chewy naan that will have your hunger on a long-haul route to the east.

* C L O S E D L A B O R D AY W E E K E N D S E P T 5 -7 *

LIKE US ON

LIKE US! 26 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

LIKE US ON

Shell Station

Down Town Plaza

Big Boy’s BBQ Express

Pops

5050 N. May Ave. 947-0424

1117 N. Broadway Ave. 278-8484

7018 W. Britton Road 603-2632

660 W. Highway 66, Arcadia route66.com | 928-7677

Crock-Pots, my boy. Crock-Pots as far as the eye can see! Stopping at the Shell at NW 50th Street and May Avenue is like stopping by your parents’ house, because it always has a few down-home favorites bubbling away. The Frito chili pie is legitimately great, and the daily specials — everything from meatloaf and mashed potatoes to beef stroganoff — come with a big smile. Best of all, the counter is covered with fresh cakes, cookies and sweets.

Meat pies are descended from the classic British pasty, though it seems a little misleading to call these savory pockets “pies.” Down Town Plaza is an easy place to stop on bustling Broadway Avenue, but before you gas and go, be sure to grab one of these pies to take with you on the road. It might not replace Pie Junkie in your heart, but it will prep you for a long day with its spicy, meaty filling. And take a few napkins with you just in case.

Is this technically “in” a gas station?

No. But is this technically “news”? It’s in a newspaper. So maybe pipe down and head over to Big Boy’s, which is adjacent to a 7-Eleven in northwest OKC. You’ll be happy you stopped by once you get a gander at those big, meaty ribs; mouthwatering pulled pork; and succulent smoked turkey. And do not leave without trying the potato salad. It’s the law. Okay, maybe it’s not “the law,” but ease up, man.

If you don’t imbibe sodas, colas or soft drinks, Pops might not be on your radar. With a gargantuan selection of new and classic bubbly, fizzy, sugary drinks in glass bottles for you to try, it’s a must for all your beverage needs. Man cannot live by soda alone, probably, so you’ll be pleased to know this caffeineateria also serves breakfasts, burgers and even something called “sal-lad.” We’re not sure what that is, but it probably goes great with a bottle of grape soda.

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Offer valid through 9/8/15. OKC3D

515 W. I-240 SERVICE RD. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73139 405.634.3060 CONVENIENT STORE HOURS Monday–Friday: Saturday: Sunday:

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OklahOma Gazette | september 2, 2015 | 27

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Football fun Soon, the leaves will start to lose pigment, change hues, fall and get trampled beneath the feet of neighborhood kids playing football on Saturday afternoons. That’s right; it is time for football! Don’t waste another season wishing you had the right attire. Throw the best pigskin party on your block, with everything you need to show the world exactly who is No. 1.

— By Laura Eastes, Greg Elwell and Kory B. Oswald, Photos by Mark Hancock

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 180 W. BROOKS ST., NORMAN SOONERSPORTS.COM 325-2424

Oklahoma doesn’t have a pro team yet — we’re looking at you, St. Louis Rams — but it’s easy to get your fill of football fanaticism at the state’s temples of pigskin: Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater and Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. Root on the Cowboys or the Sooners next to die-hard fans who know more about the personal lives of college athletes than is acceptable in normal society.

Someplace Else: A Deli & Bakery 2310 N. WESTERN AVE. 524-0887

You had it for lunch and wished you ordered that extra cookie for an afternoon snack. Bring the glory of superb sandwiches to your next football event with an 8-foot-long party sandwich or party tray order from Someplace Else: A Deli & Bakery.

Football fans will rave about the sliced ham, turkey, roast beef, salami and hard salami. They’ll hope the game goes into overtime, allowing more time to huddle around the food table for more grub.

Ron’s Sports World 7801 NW 23RD ST., BETHANY RONSSW.COM 787-1550

Ron’s Sports World began selling shoes but pivoted into sporting goods and uniforms. It is

28 | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

just shy of the 40-year mark and helps many local sports teams look sharp (and fierce) on the fields, courts and tracks of Oklahoma City.

Metropolitan Library’s e-book collection METROLIBRARY.ORG/DOWNLOADS

Football might appeal to a lot of people.

If your family is enraptured with sports but it’s not your bag, wrap yourself up in a good e-book or audiobook via your Metropolitan Library System card and the OverDrive app while they scream at the television. Download sci-fi epics or borrow a book about football fundamentals and strategy if you’d rather join in the family fun.

9612 N. May ave. - okc 430-7915 | tues-fri 10-6, sat 10-5 Oklahoma Station BBQ 4331 NW 50TH ST. OKLAHOMASTATIONBBQ.COM 947-7277

Leave the cooking to the pros at Oklahoma Station BBQ while you and your friends watch the game. Pick up a feast to-go and dig into a dog-pile of sliced brisket, tackle a few meaty ribs or lay into a mountain of potato salad. You won’t need a helmet to survive this flavorful onslaught, but if you don’t grab some napkins, your significant other might exile the whole party to the backyard.

The Store Divided 1901 NORTHWEST EXPRESSWAY, #1104 THESTOREDIVIDED.COM 767-0000

It’s called The Store Divided for a reason. Football fans can shop for Sooners and Cowboys merchandise in a place dedicated to getting fans what they need. Grab a hitch cover, get a magnet and pick up a flag to show your school spirit as you drive into the stadium parking lot.

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Party Galaxy 1700 BELLE ISLE BLVD. PARTYGALAXY.COM 843-9388

Whether planning a tailgate or having friends over, food is one of the first things to consider. Encourage partygoers to dive into those pigs in blankets, cheese trays, meatballs and footballshaped cookies. Don’t plan your next event without picking up footballinspired cups, plates, silverware and napkins at one of Party Galaxy’s metro locations.

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

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | 29

30 | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

LIFE COMMUNITY

Freedom writer One of Oklahoma’s most prolific journalists joins ACLU of Oklahoma.

Award-winning Oklahoma investigative journalist M. Scott Carter now has a new assignment as the director of investigative communications for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma (ACLU).

Carter, whose work at Oklahoma Watch and The Journal Record shined a light on poor care for military veterans, criminal justice abuse, state budget shenanigans and tribal water rights, will now tell the stories of Oklahomans whose rights the ACLU defends.

“It’s exciting to do something near and dear to my heart,” Carter said. “I think there are a lot of important stories there, with real people being affected, and they don’t all get told.”

ACLU Oklahoma Executive Director Ryan Kiesel said the position is considered an innovative one for ACLU around the nation.

“We didn’t just want someone who would put out press releases,” he said.

“We wanted someone with investigative skills, capable of digging into stories and sharing the truth with the people of Oklahoma.”

Carter grew up in Yale, Oklahoma, where he bristled against his high school’s ban on facial hair and led a successful protest for freedom of expression that involved grease paint mustaches sported by both boys and girls.

At times, some of our policies really clash with the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, and people need to question those decisions. People need to know what’s going on so they can be involved and maybe bring about change.

— M. Scott Cartert

MARK HANCOCK

BY KELLY MACNEIL

M. Scott Carter with Ryan Kiesel at the ACLU of Oklahoma headquarters in Oklahoma City

Old-school experience

Few people are more deeply familiar with the machinations of state government than the old-school newspaper writer. Although he stepped away from journalism for a dozen years to do marketing and media relations, he returned to reporting in 2002.

Since then, Carter has won accolades for his stories on water rights and problems with the state’s care of elderly veterans. Carter also revealed that school buildings in Moore that collapsed in 2013’s EF5 tornado were shoddily constructed, resulting in seven student deaths and 24 students and teachers injured. Most recently, he wrote about the onerous fees and costs levied on prison inmates and their families.

“In 2013, [Carter] was named one of the state’s top three political reporters

by The Washington Post’s blog The Fix. Carter is also a four-time winner of the Associated Press-Oklahoma News Editors Sweepstakes Award for public affairs and investigative reporting,” according to a media statement from the ACLU of Oklahoma.

Jaclyn Cosgrove, past president of the Oklahoma Society of Professional

Journalists, recalled Carter’s exposé of a conspiracy to gut the state environmental agency’s budget.

“It was House of Cards-type stuff,” Cosgrove said. “Scott is a great storyteller. His work is not only thorough and accurate but also great to read. And Scott is passionate about the reasons journalism exists, about holding people in power accountable.”

Carter will still be in the thick of things at the ACLU, as it has been a player in several recent hot-button issues in Oklahoma. It has lobbied — with mixed success — to defeat bills limiting abortion, protecting “conversion therapy” for LGBT people and prohibiting the wearing of hoods and masks.

On June 30, the organization won a major victory when the Oklahoma Supreme Court ordered a monument of the Ten Commandments to be removed from the state capitol grounds, saying it unconstitutionally used state property to support a religious belief.

Kiesel said the chapter is increasingly playing offense as well as defense legislatively. A major success this year was the loosening of mandatory minimum

sentencing laws for certain offenses.

“It’s never a slow day at the ACLU, but I’m excited to say we’re growing in both capacity and relevance,” said Kiesel. “An ongoing issue for us is the protection of privacy, especially in the age of drones, and we’ll continue to look at civil asset forfeiture.”

Carter is eager to do the reporting that will illustrate the ACLU’s impact.

“I think Oklahomans care about each other,” he said. “But at times, some of our policies really clash with the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, and people need to question those decisions.

People need to know what’s going on so they can be involved and maybe bring about change.” “[Carter] is also a published novelist.

In 2011, his first novel was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award. His second novel earned the Oklahoma Book Award for Young Adult Fiction, the Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction from the National Independent Book Publishers Association and Foreword Magazine’s 2013 Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction,” according to the ACLU media statement.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | 31

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LIFE COMMUNITY

iDonate A new crowdfunding plan aims to bring more revenue to the Plaza District.

7/1/15 4:21 PM

BY GREG HORTON

Plaza District Festival funding will come from a somewhat unusual but appropriate source: you.

Sponsored by YOU uses crowdfunding to supplement donations from corporate sponsors as a way to offset costs for the annual Plaza District Festival, which began in 1998.

Cayla Lewis, Plaza District executive director, said the concept encourages the community to get involved in ownership of the festival.

“By accepting microdonations from individuals, we’re giving our friends, family members, Plaza patrons, regular customers and clients the chance to give, the chance to be a sponsor of our festival in ways that sometimes can’t happen at a sponsorship level,” she said.

The microdonations will not replace corporate donations.

Sponsors like Fowler VW and Oklahoma Employees Credit Union will still participate and be included on signage and promotional literature.

However, in addition to corporate sponsors, the print materials will now include Sponsored

by YOU donors in the list.

Crowdfunding is particularly effective in generating revenue for artists and musicians, but asking people to invest in an event like this one is a fairly new idea.

Lewis is not aware of other campaigns like it, she said.

To create a more concrete connection between the people and their support, Lewis has a couple of ideas, one of which is to create a paper chain with all donors listed on it.

It will be strung across the Plaza during the festival.

The other idea is to designate how money is spent. In religious studies related to millennials, researchers found that young people scrutinize how funds are spent

32 | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Cayla Lewis

far more carefully than preceding generations, so accountability is key to getting them to give.

Lewis plans to earmark funding.

“We want to include levels along the lines of $120 pays for one tent for the festival, $40 pays for extension cord,” she said. “We will have levels as low as $5 too. Through this, we can showcase how much actually goes into festival planning and lay out the nuts and bolts through these levels.”

Rather than using a platform like Kickstarter, donations are accepted on the Plaza District Festival website, plazadistrictfestival.com.

A link has always been available, but the Sponsored by YOU information is new.

By accepting microdonations from individuals, we’re giving our friends, family members, Plaza patrons, regular customers and clients the chance to give.

— Cayla Lewis Donations close at noon Sept.

11, right before Live! on the Plaza begins.

The goal is to raise $2,500, the equivalent of a platinum-level sponsor. Lewis said they would love to raise $5,000, the equivalent of a presenting-level sponsor.

Whether or not microdonations will be part of the long-term strategy depends on the success of this campaign.

M A RK HA N COC K / FI L E

Access to Counseling and Case Management

local

Recovery ride

M I KE BA KER / P ROVI DE D

okgazette•com

An Oklahoma-based motorcycle club will ride to raise funds for a summer camp for children with developmental disabilities.

BY DYLAN SMITH

Ride for Recovery 9:30 a.m. Sunday OCARTA Wellness Hub 2808 NW 31st St. ocarta.org $20-$30

The Survivors Clean & Sober Motorcycle Club of Central Oklahoma is a motorcycle club based in Oklahoma whose claim to fame is not being infamous but rather helping the community.

This bike club is nationally recognized and recently found a cause worth riding for: the J.D. McCarty Center (JDMC) in Norman and Camp ClapHans, JDMC’s summer camp for children with developmental disabilities.

“They heard about our camp and decided it would be a worthy cause,” said Greg Gaston, director of marketing for JDMC. “They all feel a real sense of need to give back.”

The third annual Ride for Recovery is a poker run to raise money to help qualifying families pay for camp.

Willie Moore, club president, said if even 10 kids got into this program each year because of what they are doing, it would be a great thing for them and their families.

“This ride is not about the Survivors,” Moore explained. “It’s about the kids.”

The Survivors is comprised of recovering addicts who have completed a 12-step program. Across the nation, each gives back to the community in his or her own way and participates in these rides to

Survivors Clean & Sober Motorcycle Club near the Ozark Mountains raise money. Moore said it is a great way to make amends.

“As addicts, we spent a lot of time taking freely from the community,” he said. “Now, we spend most of our time giving back.”

The Survivors found a great camp to help, Gaston said.

“This third-yea r camp,” he said, “accredited by the American Camp Association, has the same normal development activities one would find at a regular summer camp but has created them adaptable.”

Camp ClapHans offers archery, campfires, hiking, stargazing and everything else one would find at other camps. “[It] has a 1:1 camper-to-staff ratio,” Gaston said. “It’s a very hands-on kind of camp.”

There are no other camps like this in Oklahoma, Gaston said, although some camps do offer one-to-two-week programs to help children with developmental disabilities.

“We all do something to give back to the community,” Moore said.

“This club allows for us to be able to do that.”

Registration for the ride is 9:30 a.m. Sunday at OCARTA Wellness Hub, 2808 NW 31st St. Ride for Recovery begins 11 a.m. and ends at JDMC with a barbecue dinner and raffle. Admission is $20 per rider and $30 per couple.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | 33

liFe visual arts

Well made

m a rk ha n coc k

The Society is home to an arts collective that has learned that sometimes, success happens by following your heart.

By Brett Fieldcamp

Four years ago last month, local artist and craftsman Jerrod Smith launched The Society, a “community-driven collective arts space.”

He wanted to nurture artistic expression while developing projects and events that would also help improve the city and the lives of people in it.

“What we wanted to do was find out how to build people into creative professionals,” Smith said. “That’s something we did very differently, and the people that have been involved as artists are also people that have garnered a lot of success as artists.”

Over the years, as the space and the community inhabiting it expanded, Smith realized he could do even more.

The group supported and

promoted a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for Ashton Prescott, a musician and fellow artist who is fighting a devastatingly painful and, so far, undiagnosed illness.

Despite numerous physician visits, tests, trial treatments and mounting health care costs, his condition and its cause remain a mystery.

Smith tied the campaign to The Society’s fourth anniversary celebration to help his friend and colleague raise needed funds to visit Mayo Clinic experts and, hopefully, find a diagnosis and treatment plan for a disorder that is so debilitating that Prescott is sometimes unable to walk.

Cortney Palmer, Prescott’s fiancé, established the GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign and committed herself to the overall

34 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Jerrod Smith joins friends and colleagues at The Society to celebrate the venue’s fourth anniversary while raising funds to help local artist Ashton Prescott pay for needed medical treatment. project, even as she plans for the couple’s Nov. 7 wedding.

The event helped raise more than $2,500 and was successful, Smith said.

“What helped more than monetarily was that it helped his heart and his belief in people,” he said.

“What you give someone when you just show up is something more than money could ever help with.”

But he also admitted that the GoFundMe project wasn’t fully funded and Prescott will have to wait for that trip to Mayo until he can afford the estimated $25,000 needed to get him there and back home.

“Sometimes, it’s just about leading

with your heart,” Smith said about the growth and positive change he has seen in the local creative community and the realization of his dreams with The Society.

Smith said he’s prepping future events and charitable efforts via The Society and his craftsmen peers at Weldon Jack.

The GoFundMe page is still active at gofundme.com/sej6p2c (or search Cortney Palmer at gofundme.com).

All donations will go to Prescott to enable him to find the diagnosis and treatment he needs, Smith said.

Learn more about The Society at facebook.com/theSOCIETYokc.

LIFE PERFORMING ARTS

Lucky strike A storm carries comedian Zach Smith to The World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas.

Zach Smith

Not even a tornado can stop Zach Smith from being funny. In fact, it might even help.

The Oklahoma City-based comedian was performing at The Looney Bin in Tulsa as part of a satellite competition to get into The World Series of Comedy when a tornado hit the city.

Rather than take cover, Smith stayed on stage, doing five minutes of storm-themed crowd work with the audience. He didn’t win, but because of the storm, he was invited to move on to the next round in Las Vegas anyway.

“It was a stroke of luck from the sky,” he said.

Smith is scheduled to perform Sept. 25 in Las Vegas. Now he just needs to pay for it.

“I’m getting married two weeks later in Branson, Missouri, so I’m trying to come up with ways to help alleviate the pressure,” he said. “It’s expensive to get out there and stay there.”

Performing is a good way to be seen by comedy show bookers from across the country, a big step for a comedian looking to make it a full-time job. The five-night event includes seminars, meet-and-greets and other networking opportunities.

But at a cost of $800-$1,000 to fly out and stay at a hotel, Smith said he’s hoping he has a rich estranged aunt who will die soon.

“You know, she’ll leave me a haunted house and I have to stay there for a night to get the money,” he said. “That’s my plan.”

Once he’s there, though, Smith said he’s a natural at saving money on the road.

“If I get to Vegas, I’ll just buy ham, bread and whiskey and sit in my hotel room for the rest of the week,” he said. “Or I’ll take a CrockPot. You have to get permission from the maids in the La Quinta for that, though.”

The Crock-Pot comic met his bride-to-be, Laura Trokey, while doing a show at The Looney Bin in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“We hit it off, and we’ve been together ever since,” she said.

Trokey said she was proud of Smith for maintaining his composure during the tornado and is excited for him to go to Las Vegas, though she still wonders how a twister followed them from Oklahoma City to Tulsa.

Smith said he’s just concerned with making it out to the competition, representing Oklahoma City and marrying the love of his life.

And if a tornado happens to touch down in Nevada, he knows how to squeeze a few laughs out of the audience in between screams.

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SuDOku/CROSSWORD SuDOku Puzzle eASY

WWW.s UDOKU-p UZZLes .N et

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

NeW YORk TimeS CROSSWORD Puzzle ANSWeRS Puzzle No. 0823, which appeared in the August 26 issue.

36 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

A R M S

F A I T

L I P O

A V O N

H A L O S

A W A R E

H B A R

G O R M E

F I N E

I N K P A N D E W E Y X O P R O K W M E O T H P A L M E E A A S N E

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

D E E P S E T E L L A T E E T U T S

B A S A S T I L A K W I D A D P I P E L L E I P T A Y A S N D E O A I

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

L A S T

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G A S G R I L L

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

U N L E D

A Z E R A

M A W S

D O G L E G L E F T

E N S O R

R E A R S

E L A L

A T T Y

L A D E

A S E S

S T R S

By Joel Fagliano/ Edited by Will Shortz

ACROSS 1 Paintball sound 6 City between Turin and Genoa 10 Padlocks lock them 15 Nothing, slangily 19 Spot check?

20 ____ Air 21 Egg producer 22 Drivetrain part 23 Alternative band that sounds like every other alternative band?

25 #1-selling artist that’s an anagram of 23-Across 27 Check time 28 “Wicked Game” singer Chris 30 Showroom display 31 Documentarian Morris 33 They’re new to the family 36 Mystery writer Deighton 38 Deli order 41 Like some drinks and emotions 43 “Nonsense!”

44 Full of frills 45 Invitation for musical plagiarism?

48 #1-selling artist that’s an anagram of 45-Across 51 Like first editions, often 52 Quirk 54 Cell in a 21-Across 55 Frilly trim 57 Rebels’ school 58 Remote possibility?

59 “… ____ other name would smell as sweet”: Juliet 60 Cellar setup 62 Good deal 63 Carrier letters 66 Greeting to a conductor?

68 #1-selling artist that’s an anagram of 66-Across 71 Till bill 72 Turn to mush 73 Acrylic container 76 Welcome to the fold?

77 Tide type 79 Enormous 80 Coffeehouse entertainers 82 Excite 85 Oil change, brake test, etc.

86 Performance often in Italian 87 Friendly music genre?

89 #1-selling artist that’s an anagram of 87-Across 93 Spellbound

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104 106 108 112 115 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124

It’s often set at night Kimchi is its national dish See 124-Across Botanist Gray Alternative to an Oscar Pepper ____, Iron Man’s love interest Family Guy baby Mythical weeper Sea creatures with beaks Part of a hospital playlist? #1-selling artist that’s an anagram of 112-Across Play thing Emmy-nominated FX comedy “Ohhh, O.K.” Ready for use Count (on) Punch in Banks with a lot of money With 97-Across, back some time

DOWN 1 Make a mistake 2 Enrique ____ Nieto, Mexican president elected in 2012 3 Word after leading or cleaning 4 Digression 5 Private sector?

6 Hurt 7 Caution in a movie review, maybe 8 Whips 9 “____ are like beards; men do not have them until they grow up”: Voltaire 10 Face wear for Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th 11 Old greeting 12 ____ acetosella (KHC2O4) 13 Human, for one 14 Church council 15 Light blue-green 16 Armpit-related 17 Like military hairstyles 18 Actor Jeong of The Hangover 24 Saint with an alphabet named after him 26 Newsroom workers, for short 29 Twenty something?

32 California school attended by Obama, familiarly 34 N.L. East team, to fans 35 New Year’s Eve host Carson 37 Org. with a closing bell

VOl. XXXVii NO. 35

Oklahoma Gazette is circulated at its designated distribution points free of charge to readers for their individual use and by mail to subscribers.

The cash value of this copy is $1.

Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.

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

First-class mail subscriptions are $119 for one year, and most issues at this rate will arrive 1-2 days after publication.

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Triumphant cry Together “Heavens!”

Dough used for tortillas, maybe Aristotle’s school “Whatever” Head case?

“Et tu?”

Bunkhouse feature Karaoke need Maa in Babe, e.g.

Leading Turn (into) Jacob’s name after he wrestled with the angel Makeshift weapon in a murder mystery Epitome of desolateness Making known

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Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute). The answers to the New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle that appeared in the August 26 issue of Oklahoma Gazette are shown at left.

Oklahoma Gazette

9

28 31

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67 ____ coeptis (phrase on the back of a dollar bill) 68 Hooded jacket 69 Nascar sponsor 70 Tries 73 Figure in a Yogi Bear cartoon 74 The Walking Dead channel 75 Computer that sounds like a theater when pluralized 78 That: Sp. 79 Noisy talker 81 Virginia’s ____ Hill Academy, alma mater of 20+ N.B.A. players 82 Taj Mahal city 83 Comfort 84 Keeping the beat?

85 ____ wars 88 Persists, as a forest fire 90 Spanish gold 91 Reveal

0830

NeW YORk TimeS mAgAziNe CROSSWORD Puzzle musical remixes

92 Lose face 95 Hosp. procedure 99 Winter Olympics powerhouse: Abbr.

100 Congressional divider 101 Loaf 103 Something skipped 105 Spot 107 Ornate 109 Bone: Prefix 110 Hit a high point 111 AT&T and Comcast, for short 112 “Science Friday” airer 113 Unseen winning card, in poker lingo 114 Never, in Berlin 116 Limitless quantity

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OklahOma Gazette | september 2, 2015 | 37

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Company man An Edmond teen works for Oklahoma City Dodgers through iJobs, a training program for students with disabilities.

Carter Wiliams and Wayne Mosby

Edmond teen Carter Williams’ first summer job has him working for the Oklahoma City Dodgers by helping it present home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

Williams’ duties include rubbing mud on new balls, scanning tickets, handing out programs and just about anything his boss, Dodgers Customer Service Manager Wayne Mosby, asks of him.

“If I could have 100 Carters, it would make my job easier,” Mosby said.

Williams found work through iJobs, an Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) training program that finds job opportunities for high school students with disabilities while educating employers about hiring and managing them, said

Kim Osmani, DRS transition schoolto-work coordinator.

“You’ll hear a lot of people talk about a level playing field — giving kids with disabilities the same opportunities as their nondisabled peers — and that’s what this is all about,” Osmani said.

An Edmond Memorial High School senior, Williams has developmental verbal dyspraxia, a childhood speech disorder. That doesn’t stop him. He’s tall, blue-eyed and blonde, and his wide smile shows everyone he is friendly and eager to help.

“He’s amazing because he’s really learned a lot of compensatory skills, and he’s learned how to navigate his world,” said his monther Nancy.

Williams loves sports and was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A affiliate in May after

interviewing with Mosby.

“I talked to him just like anybody else,” Mosby said.

Another iJobs participant, Evan Todd, and three other disabled students work for the Dodgers. Mosby, who volunteered at Special Olympics, said everyone should be able to work at the ballpark if they wish.

“I’ve seen a lot of people with disabilities, and they were usually pushing carts or cleaning floors and bathrooms” he said. “I didn’t want to hire people with disabilities to do that out here. I want to ... see if I could make a difference.”

Win-win

In its third year, iJobs began in May and ended in late July, with 33 students participating at sites including Norman

High School, Owasso Mid-High School, Francis Tuttle Technology Center and Classen School of Advanced Studies.

Wages of iJobs participants, who work up to 20 hours per week, are paid through a partnership with the Galt Foundation, a nonprofit that provides temporary staffing services in Oregon and Oklahoma.

The partnership encourages business to hire and is a win-win, Osmani said.

Even though iJobs is over for the year, Mosby has offered Williams and Todd positions on the Dodgers payroll.

Osmani said many employers retain workers after the program ends.

“It really helps the businesses get a different perspective on people with disabilities,” she said.

Visit okrehab.org to learn more.

GARETT FISBECK

BY BRENDAN HOOVER

Sporting socially Kickball and other adult social sports are growing in popularity.

BY BRENDAN HOOVER

When it comes to pseudo-athletic games involving friends and adult beverages, James Speegle is the man to see.

“If it’s almost a sport, then I’m into it,” said Speegle, owner of Oklahoma City’s WAKA Kickball & Social Sports franchise.

A group of Washington, D.C. young professionals formed the World Adult Kickball Association in 1998 to recreate their college social experiences.

Today, thousands play in more than 250 leagues in 35 states, including Oklahoma, where social sports are gaining in popularity. Speegle said about 1,500 local people play WAKA sports, including kickball, dodgeball and bowling.

When he moved to OKC six years ago, Speegle wanted to play kickball but found no organized leagues. He formed one himself in 2010, bringing together 127 players among seven teams and now runs leagues year-round.

Players must be at least 21 to join, and ages range from college to over 40.

Last year, two teams formed from 50 strangers who used the Tinder dating app.

“We focus on the social aspect first and foremost,” Speegle said.

He believes in the social sports concept so much that he opened Beacon Bar, 2525 NW 10th St., to host participants. Formerly JJ’s Saloon, it also offers games such as corn hole, giant Jenga, footpool (cue sports with soccer balls on a 17-foot pool table) and fowling (a football-bowling hybrid).

There’s even a beach volleyball court.

WAKA also does charity work.

Local teams recently competed in a coin war benefitting Alzheimer’s Association, and a spring food drive helped local food pantries.

Fall kickball leagues are now forming. Games start Sept. 15-17 at Ted Reynolds Park, 2899 W. Reno Ave. Visit

DE PA RTM E N T OF RE HA BI L I TATI ON S E RVI C E S / P R OVI DE D

LIFE ACTIVE

kickball.com/okc for information.

Nontraditional sports

Oklahoma City Parks & Recreation will offer adult leagues in two new nontraditional sports this fall: bubble soccer and futsal.

“We want to expand our scope of services by offering activities that go beyond our basic fitness programs,” said Department Director Doug Kupper. “Both futsal and bubble soccer provide new ways for people to explore nontraditional sports.”

Bubble soccer is a full-contact sport in which players wear inflatable bubbles, called zorbs. Invented as a joke by two Norwegian comedians in 2011, it spiked in popularity in 2014 after an Italian video of the game went viral.

OKC’s bubble soccer league runs 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Oct. 7. It is open to adults age 18 and older, and players must be out of high school.

Up to 20 people are allowed per team.

Bri O’Neal right reacts after tagging out Matt Quinn during a WAKA Kickball game at Wheeler Park.

League fees are $125 per team. Games will be at Foster Recreation Center, 614 NE Fourth St. Teams can sign up by calling 297-1423.

Futsal is a form of soccer played indoors on a hard surface such as a basketball court. Futsal means “room football” in Portuguese. The ball is smaller and harder, which makes it go faster.

Futsal leagues run Sept. 5-Dec. 5 at Foster Recreation Center and at Woodson Gym, 3401 S. May Ave. Games are 1:30-4:30 p.m. Saturdays.

Players must be at least 18 years old and out of high school. Fees are $350 per team, and there is a maximum of 20 players per team. Call 316-6837 for information.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 | 39

p HOtOs bY m A r K HA N COC K

liFe muSic

Cultural confluence Oklahoma Hip Hop Festival brings together art, music, education and community while breaking down stereotypes.

from left Jabee, John revival Guevara DeVere, robert levering, miillie mesh, candace liger, nymasis, Gregory Jerome, Jeremiah lavender, angel little and kris kanaly

By JameS BenJamin

oklahoma Hip Hop Festival 6-11 p.m. Sept. 18, 9 a.m.-midnight Sept. 19 the Paramount okc 701 W. Sheridan ave. oklahomahiphopfestival.com $20

Local emcee and hip-hop activist Gregory Jerome, along with his band of fellow visionaries, hopes Oklahoma Hip Hop Festival can unite a segmented local rap scene and contribute to a push in the state for truly organic art.

“This is a new age; this is a new time; these are new innovators, new creators; and these people are pressing forward,” Jerome said. “To have people of this magnitude on the team, it speaks volumes.”

Oklahoma Hip Hop Festival is Sept.

18-19 at The Paramount OKC, 701 W. Sheridan Ave. It showcases dozens of artists in vital areas of hip-hop culture: emcee, DJ, breakdance, rap battle, poetry, producer, graffiti and other media.

“This is not like the typical other festivals that people have pushed for years,” Jerome said.

The concept of a multiday festival is a much larger extension of an afterschool program Jerome developed that’s dedicated to exposing youth to arts via hip-hop.

Jerome said Elemental Hip Hop Program launched in 2011 as a way to reach kids using a language they could

relate to. It introduces youth to the elements of hip-hop and culture, as well as its history and significance.

“That’s the real reason for the festival,” Jerome said, “to actually ignite and illuminate this program for these kids and for them to have the opportunity to fall into the arts, no matter what medium it is, through hiphop.”

He said the festival also strives to emulate a model used for events like Norman Music Festival by nurturing its roots in a well-established district and creating an annual, mutually beneficial relationship between cultural communities and businesses.

To do all this, Jerome relies on a team of like-minded locals and major local players. In addition to their close work with The Paramount, bonds have also been formed with the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma, Syn3rgy Creative Group and others.

Steven Newlon, Syn3rgy CEO, said the partnerships help form a “festival culture” that stays focused on those goals.

“This is really an organic expression of the demand in the marketplace,” Newlon said. “Most of the music festivals here have been organized by politicians.

Rehashing big ’80s names, you know.

That’s not necessarily an organic expression of the youth culture here.”

40 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Workin’ it

Earning project support was challenging, Jerome said. Even so, Paramount venue management was intrigued with his new, untested concept and asked for a festival launch date. They decided on September.

“There’s no time to waste because we can’t wait, man,” Jerome said. “If we wait another year, the vibe is gone, so I wanted to make sure we took the opportunity when it came.”

Since then, Jerome and his peers have worked to develop the festival.

Kelsey Karper, an artist, independent curator and associate director at Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition who has worked with Jerome previously, watched with the rest of the team as the project took shape.

“It’s bigger than probably any of us ever imagined it to be,” she said.

Dozens of local, regional, national and international artists will perform, lead education sessions, rap, create interactive art projects, participate in showcases and challenge each other in

friendly skill battles, said Charles Martin, event creative director.

However, Martin said he’s most excited about merging the state’s many individual hip-hop niches.

“You have a very rich and vital Native American rap scene, which you don’t really see,” he said.

“They don’t hit my radar very often, but they’re successful.”

He also mentioned expanding the popular Hispanic, African-American and college hip-hop communities.

Karper agreed and said one of the greatest benefits of the festival will be the proverbial “merging of tribes,” Gregory as it brings together Jerome people from all walks of life.

“If you don’t know anything about hip-hop, this is going to be educational for you because you’re … [showcasing] all the musical influences that made hiphop,” she said.

Similarly, Martin’s enthusiasm is fueled by Jerome’s greater mission of advocating for and educating youth about culture and arts through his Elemental

Hip Hop Program.

“That’s really the thing that had me sold whenever Gregory was talking about this,” he said.

“This is really an outgrowth of his elementary school program.”

Elemental has seen success, but Jerome said he has greater goals for it, including converting it into a nonprofit and, eventually, developing academies and schools in communities across the globe.

To achieve these goals, Elemental needs a level of support and funding that an event like Oklahoma Hip Hop Festival could potentially provide.

“It’s much larger than just this little festival,” he said.

Martin said the city is at a point in its development where it should no longer surprise anyone that a grassroots event like this festival is encouraged and supported here. “[The festival] is going to be a nice slice of what the city has to offer, because this is the future of Oklahoma City,” he said. “This is a looking glass to see where we’re going to be at in another five to 10 years.”

Jerome said just the fact that they have come this far together is cause for celebration.

“This [festival] is already a success because it’s never been done before,” Jerome said. “So, just the attempt or the approach or to even have a thought of doing it is a success to me.”

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the lineup this is a partial list of scheduled events and performers at Oklahoma Hip Hop Festival, which runs sept. 18-19 at the paramount OKC. For the full roster and more information, visit oklahomahiphopfestival.com.

Friday » brake-o-Nomics battles » Interactive Wall and Community project art events » performances by aDDlib, bowlsey, L-smooth, the Happily entitled and others

Saturday » brake-o-Nomics battles » poetic Justice and Word pulp poetry » Kids Hour performances » Graffiti workshop » performances by DJ Keilo, Jabee, mainframe trax Family, Claire Collins, Universal Zulu Nation and others

SEPT. 4TH & 5TH Mills Band

SEPT. 5 OU Watch Party NOW OPEN NEWLY REMODELED NO SMOKING

SEPT. 11TH BRYCE DICUS 2pm-2am daily 6800 S I-35 Service Rd. 225-1717 Okl ahOma Gaz ette | september 2 , 2015 | 41

COr e Y s N A p p / p r OVI De D

liFe muSic

Transient soul Writer, singer, songwriter — Luke Mitchem does it all.

By GreG Horton

luke mitchem 7 p.m. Sept. 10 red Brick Bar 311 e. main St., norman lukemitchem.com 579-6227 Free

St., will be his first in Oklahoma. He is a solo act, just vocals and a guitar, an instrument he taught himself to play after college.

“I was living in D.C., and my friends were married and having kids,” he said. “I’d bought a guitar a few years before but never learned to play.”

In that transitional period after college when young adults marry, settle down and have kids, determined singles find new circles and new areas of interest. Mitchem started writing poetry in college, but only as a poetic endeavor. The idea of songwriting entered his mind later, when he picked up the guitar.

He played locally in the Washington, D.C. area at first, a place that is not exactly well-known as a musical hotbed.

“There are some rock acts,”

Mitchem said, “and punk was big for a while. The community of singersongwriters kind of compete with each other for the good venues, and there are some great venues in D.C.” Still, Mitchem was not sure about making a career in music. He admits that he was even afraid after releasing his first album. Fear, though, is part of the independent musician’s life.

“On the road, I worry if I’ll make enough to buy gas or get a hotel room,” he said.

Most independent singersongwriters can tell countless stories of sleeping in a car between shows in unfamiliar towns.

On this tour — which lasts nine weeks and includes 23 shows — Mitchem has already logged 6,800 miles, and he plans for another 5,000.

The newest album is his fifth studio

project, and he funded half of it with a Kickstarter campaign.

“I had friends try it,” he said.

“Everyone is afraid when they put a crowdfunding campaign out there. My friends either asked for too much or not enough, so I thought half would be good.”

He exceeded his campaign amount, but he said he will need to wait at least another year before trying it again.

In the meantime, he’s planning a 100-show tour for 2016 in order to meet established musicians and learn the lessons he has yet to learn. Mitchem is also planning on releasing a short story collection next year. The title of his recent record comes from the title of one of his short stories, and the stories in the collection inspired some of the songs.

Mitchem is a storyteller and a poet, and that translates into his music. prOVIDeD

Missouri native Luke Mitchem did not grow up on country music. Perhaps it is a broad generalization, but kids who grew up in western Missouri and lived an hour or more from anywhere are likely to be fans of the genre.

“I grew up listening to singersongwriters like Jim Croce and early Bruce Springsteen,” Mitchem said. “My mom would occasionally play Barry Manilow to drive my dad crazy, too.”

Mitchem is touring in support of his fifth album, For You, I Built a Mountain. His Sept. 10 show at Norman’s Red Brick Bar, 311 E. Main

luke mitchem

Wiggin’ out A family-oriented music festival returns to downtown for a rocking good time.

By mark Beutler

Wiggle out loud 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday Bicentennial Park 500 couch Drive wiggleoutloud.com Free

It’s one big farewell-to-summer party as the third annual Wiggle Out Loud music festival hits downtown on Labor Day weekend.

‘Wiggle’ in the title represents the activity aspect of the event and ‘Out Loud’ represents the musical experience, said event founder Chris Wiser.

“We will have amazing familyfriendly musical acts, art and music activities, movement and exercise activities and a variety of local food trucks offering healthier meal options,” he said.

Jim “mr Stinky Feet” cosgrove

More than 7,000 people attended last year, and this year, organizers hope to have an even bigger crowd. The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center will handle the logistics of 2015’s event, a move Wiser said fits perfectly with the organizer’s original goals.

“After the first Wiggle Out Loud in 2013 was such a success, we saw that there truly was a want and need for this kind of family event and have since seen it grow,” Wiser said.

Children’s Hospital approached the founders of Wiggle Out Loud because the festival fits their mission of providing health and wellness to Oklahoma’s children, and Leslie Buford, director of community relations and volunteer services at the hospital, said it also plans to expand the event. “[Wiggle] set out to provide a

42 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

We saw that there truly was a want and need for this kind of family event and have since seen it grow.

— Chris Wiser

safe environment where families could make memories while dancing, listening to music and creating arts and crafts,” she said. “We want to change the health status of our state, and providing activities that engage children and their parents in a healthy lifestyle is critical to that mission.”

During the event, children and

their families can play with musical instruments, learn yoga and make crafts. Wiser is one half of youthoriented music act Sugar Free Allstars, which joins Trout Fishing in America on this year’s bill.

Buford said there is also a surprise activity planned prior to the grand finale.

“Oftentimes, we get intimidated by the concept of a ‘healthy lifestyle,’ but there are small things we can do on a daily basis that make a difference in our long-term health,” Buford said.

Another important aspect of the festival goes toward providing “wiggle” events for the patients at The Children’s Hospital.

“We want our patients to have the opportunity to forget about why they are in the hospital and focus on being a kid and having fun,” Buford said.

Mushroomhead, OKC Farmers Market. ROCK Power Pyramid/Galactique/Copperheads, 51st Street Speakeasy. ROCK

Rockwell Ryan, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4

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

Shortt Dogg, UCO Jazz Lab. BLUES

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

Matt Blagg, Red Rock Canyon Grill. BLUES

Liquid Stranger, Kamps. ELECTRONIC Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ

Chase Sanford Band, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Mickey Gilley, Riverwind Casino. COUNTRY Shawna Russell, Riverwind Casino. COUNTRY

THURSDAY, SEPT. 3

Brandon Jackson, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.

COUNTRY

Edgar Cruz/Jeff Nokes/Marco Tello, The Blue Door. ACOUSTIC

DJ R&R, Colcord Hotel. HIP-HOP

Matt Mann, Wormy Dog Saloon. BLUES Chase Rice, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY

p rOVI De D

LIVE MUSIC WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2

Shakers of Salt, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse. COVER

Equilibrium, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. JAZZ Gregg Kennedy, The George Prime Steakhouse. PIANO Midas 13, Remington Park. ROCK

Delvin Sirleaf

OKG

music

pick

Lucky Duo, Colcord Hotel. COVER BAND SquadLive, Red Rock Canyon Grill. POP Rob Thomas/Plain White T’s, Brady Theater. POP Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK Nebulae/Bearcubbin/Holy Hills, Opolis, Norman. ROCK

Shawna Russell, Riverwind Casino, Friday

Crooks on Tape, Opolis, Norman. ROCK

Sunday

Sunday Twilight Concert Series, a free, outdoor, family-friendly music event that runs through September, features hip-hop and rap Sunday on the Great Lawn at Myriad Botanical Gardens. Performances by Jabee, LTZ and Delvin Sirleaf highlight this night under the stars. It starts 7:30 p.m. at 301 W. Reno Ave. Visit myriadgardens.org.

Replay, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. COVER

MONDAY, SEPT. 7

Blind Date, Oklahoma City Limits. COVER

Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK

Lucky Duo, Colcord Hotel. COVER

Slowvein, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks.

Gregg Kennedy, The George Prime Steakhouse. PIANO

TUESDAY, SEPT. 8

We The Ghost, Oklahoma City Community College. POP

Eric Grigg, UCO Jazz Lab. PIANO

Jahruba & the Jah Mystics, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. REGGAE

Grooms/Power Pyramid, Opolis, Norman. ROCK

Wino Browne, Newcastle Casino. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9

Michael Kleid, Fuze Buffet & Bar. JAZZ

Smilin’ Vic, UCO Jazz Lab. BLUES Scott Keeton, Remington Park. BLUES prOVIDeD

Blayne Cook/Ryan Dillman/Marty Summers, Rodeo Opry. COUNTRY

prOVIDeD

John Calvin abney, myriad Botanical Gardens, Saturday

Sunday twilight concert Series

Pearl, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK Camille Harp/John Calvin Abney, Myriad Botanical Gardens. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Mark Vollertsen, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC

Attica State, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. VARIOUS

Edgar Cruz/Jeff Nokes, Avanti Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC Reckless, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COUNTRY

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Honey Dewdrops, The Depot. COUNTRY Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ

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

Coyote/Aqua-Eroticum/Nowhere Sands, Dope Chapel.

VARIOUS

Hip Hop Night, Myriad Botanical Gardens. HIP-HOP Mike Hosty’s One Man Band, The Deli. ROCK Kam Brad, Colcord Hotel. VARIOUS Phil Smith & the Blend Project, UCO Jazz Lab. VARIOUS Z-Fest, Frontier City. VARIOUS

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.

OklahOma Gazette | september 2, 2015 | 43

p r ovi de d

life film

Growth industry Red Dirt International Film Festival offers a slew of movies made in Oklahoma and abroad.

By Jason shain

Red Dirt international film festival oct. 8-10 stillwater Community Center 315 W. eighth ave., stillwater reddirtfilmfestival.org 533-8433 $10-$25

Ferrell works with Damon Blalack, the event’s executive director, and an international cadre of screeners, reviewers and artists who view and rate a roster of submitted films before they’re passed along to the festival directors.

“Out of the hundreds of submissions that we receive, there’s a very large [group] of them that make the cut that are Oklahoma-based,” Blalack said.

In fact, more than a quarter of this year’s selections were made within this state.

Organizers also strengthen the state’s filmmaking industry through other initiatives. Twice a year, they visit Stillwater High School to teach students about the business and related jobs that are available. Students also submit their work to the festival.

Red Dirt International Film Festival also serves as a state and world premiere venue for short films such as Hyena’s Blood, a thriller by European director and writer Nicolas Caicoya, which celebrates its Oklahoma debut at the Stillwater event.

The gloriously bloody Hyena’s Blood trailer depicts a project firmly grounded in 1970s Americana camp as it tells the story of the DEA’s efforts to crack down on Mexican poppy production.

Caicoya, who has worked in more than 40 countries, said he shot on location in Mexico.

“Instead of making an easy [movie] near my house with some friends in Europe, I decided to go to Mexico, to the drug lords’ jungle,” he said.

The effort paid off in everything from its noir-esque aesthetic to stylized moments of ultraviolence and

unchained sexuality.

Caicoya said he sees the film’s core issue — the drug war — as a hopeless human endeavor.

“A war against drugs, by virtue of its nature, cannot have an end,” he said. “It cannot and will not have winners and losers. That’s why this critical situation needs a completely new and much more mindful approach.”

Most of the festival’s roster focuses on shorts, making it an “enthusiastic ally” for Caicoya in a format that can be especially challenging to find distribution support for.

“They are the future watchers,” Caicoya said. “Having them support new directors is very important. A director’s life can change in hours when their work gets major attention.”

For more information, visit reddirtfilmfestival.org. provided

Oklahoma might not yet be an epicenter of blockbuster movie production, but Red Dirt International Film Festival seeks to bolster the state’s connection to cinema by presenting Oklahoma-made shorts and feature-length productions alongside international ones.

About 90 films will be shown Oct. 8-10 in Stillwater, up substantially since the festival’s start three years ago.

Marisa Ferrell, programming director, said the increase is due to the event’s rising popularity.

Hyena’s Blood

Family frenzy No Escape is a middling summer blockbuster trapped in a bombastic and distracting netherworld of clichés and melodrama.

By Jason shain

Owen Wilson (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) and Lake Bell (In a World…) lead as Jack and Annie, a couple that travels with their children to an unnamed, futuristic “fourthworld” Asian country for his job, unaware they’re entering the danger, corruption and chaos of a violently political coup d’état.

If the action-thriller No Escape, directed and co-written by John Erick Dowdle (As Above, So Below and Quarantine) is good at one thing, it’s dehumanizing a race of people and their plight as white protagonists (namely Jack, who works for a company that privatized that nation’s water source) find ways to rationalize their own histrionic violence.

No Escape

Almost immediately upon arriving, the chaos reaches a tipping point and the family finds itself fleeing across the city in which it is trapped.

It is surprising to see Wilson in the cliché regular-dad-turned-commando role. But because he does not abandon his likable, somewhat bumbling everyman persona, Jack has far more believability and likability than expected.

Bell builds a more complex character, though she never escapes the equally clichéd mother-in-a-thriller role. Bell lends Annie a refreshing dimensionality as she balances her will to survive with her never-quite-buried resentment, spawned from the fact that she never wanted to be there anyway.

44 | september 2, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

When the inevitable, single heroic moment occurs at the end of the film, Bell and Dowdle have done the work to make it ring more honestly than most stereotypical, blustering, internationalthriller-cum-summer-blockbusters.

Pierce Brosnan (The November Man) gets a turn as well as Hammond, a charming, lecherous intelligence agent who ultimately trades his scotch for a pistol.

Skillful editing adds to the apprehension viewers feel for Jack’s family. Slow motion is liberally and mostly well-done, although there are moments when it feels manipulative.

Scenes of our heroes throwing their children across rooftops would put anyone on the edge of their reclining

theater seat, so there’s no other discernible reason for them to be slowed down to the point of becoming senseless melodrama.

However, it is the world that Jack and Annie are thrown into that proves most difficult for viewers to accept. No Escape lives in an Asia formed entirely of cartoonish, racist, fiendish stereotypes, making the plight of its people akin to one of a mindless zombie horde.

Carelessly broad cultural strokes eventually morph into abject dehumanization — at no point do the ultraviolent peasants rise above bestial violence, and they are rarely even considered from the perspective of the film’s prominent, white, American family.

fRee Will asTRoloGy Homework: What other name would you give yourself if you could take a vacation from your present name? Why? FreeWillAstrology.com. aRies (March 21-April 19) “Excess is the common substitute for energy,” said poet Marianne Moore. That’s a problem you should watch out for in the coming weeks. According to my astrological projections, you’re a bit less lively and dynamic than usual. And you may be tempted to compensate by engaging in extreme behavior or resorting to a contrived show of force. Please don’t!

A better strategy would be to recharge your power.

Lay low and take extra good care of yourself. Get high-quality food, sleep, entertainment, art, love, and relaxation.

TaURUs (April 20-May 20) For a pregnant woman, the fetus often begins to move for the first time during the fifth month of gestation.

The sensation may resemble popcorn popping or a butterfly fluttering. It’s small but dramatic: the distinct evidence that a live creature is growing inside her. Even if you are not literally expecting a baby, and even if you are male, I suspect you will soon feel the metaphorical equivalent of a fetus’s first kicks. You’re not ready to give birth yet, of course, but you are well on your way to generating a new creation.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) “Since U Been Gone” is a pop song recorded by vocalist Kelly Clarkson. She won a Grammy for it, and made a lot of money from its sales. But two other singers turned down the chance to make it their own before Clarkson got her shot. The people who wrote the tune offered it first to Pink and then to Hillary Duff, but neither accepted. Don’t be like those two singers, Gemini. Be like Clarkson. Recognize opportunities when they are presented to you, even if they are in disguise or partially cloaked.

CanCeR (June 21-July 22) “Going with the flow” sounds easy and relaxing, but here’s another side of the truth: Sometimes it can kick your ass. The rippling current you’re floating on may swell up into a boisterous wave. The surge of

the stream might get so hard and fast that your ride becomes more spirited than you anticipated. And yet I still think that going with the flow is your best strategy in the coming weeks. It will eventually deliver you to where you need to go, even if there are bouncy surprises along the way.

leo (July 23-Aug. 22) “Money doesn’t make you happy,” said movie star and ex-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.” Despite his avowal, I’m guessing that extra money would indeed make you at least somewhat happier. And the good news is that the coming months will be prime time for you to boost your economic fortunes. Your ability to attract good financial luck will be greater than usual, and it will zoom even higher if you focus on getting better educated and organized about how to bring more wealth your way.

ViRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) ‘“I stand up next to a mountain, and I chop it down with the edge of my hand.” So sang Jimi Hendrix in his raucous psychedelic tune “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).” We could view his statement as an example of delusional grandiosity, and dismiss it as meaningless. Or we could say it’s a funny and brash boast that Hendrix made as he imagined himself to be a mythic hero capable of unlikely feats. For the purposes of this horoscope, let’s go with the latter interpretation. I encourage you to dream up a slew of extravagant brags about the outlandish magic powers you have at your disposal. I bet it will rouse hidden reserves of energy that will enhance your more practical powers. liBRa (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) It’s the phase of your cycle when you have maximum power to transform yourself. If you work hard to rectify and purify your inner life, you will be able to generate a transcendent release. Moreover, you may tap into previously dormant or inaccessible aspects of your soul’s code. Here are some tips on how to fully activate this magic. 1. Without any ambivalence, banish ghosts that are more trouble than they are worth. 2. Identify the one bad habit you most want to dissolve, and replace it with

a good habit. 3. Forgive everyone, including yourself. 4.

Play a joke on your fear. 5. Discard or give away material objects that no longer have any meaning or use.

sCoRPio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) I hope you’re not getting bored with all of the good news I have been delivering in recent weeks. I’m sorry if I sound like I’m sugarcoating or whitewashing, but I swear I’m simply reporting the truth about the cosmic omens. Your karma is extra sweet these days.

You do have a few obstacles, but they are weaker than usual. So I’m afraid you will have to tolerate my rosy prophecies for a while longer. Stop reading now if you can’t bear to receive a few more buoyant beams. This is your last warning! Your web of allies is getting more resilient and interesting. You’re expressing just the right mix of wise selfishness and enlightened helpfulness. As your influence increases, you are becoming even more responsible about wielding it. saGiTTaRiUs (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) When 16th-century Spanish invaders arrived in the land of the Mayans, they found a civilization that was in many ways highly advanced. The native people had a superior medical system and calendar. They built impressive cities with sophisticated architecture and paved roads. They were prolific artists, and had a profound understanding of mathematics and astronomy. And yet they did not make or use wheeled vehicles, which had been common in much of the rest of the world for over 2,000 years. I see a certain similarity between this odd disjunction and your life.

Although you’re mostly competent and authoritative, you are neglecting to employ a certain resource that would enhance your competence and authority even further. Fix this oversight!

CaPRiCoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) If you have ever fantasized about taking a pilgrimage to a wild frontier or sacred sanctuary or your ancestral homeland, the next ten months will be an excellent time to do it. And the best time to plan such an adventure will be the coming two weeks. Keep the following questions in mind as you brainstorm. 1.

What are your life’s greatest mysteries, and what sort of journey might bring an awakening that clarifies them?

2. Where could you go in order to clarify the curious yearnings that you have never fully understood? 3.

What power spot on planet Earth might activate the changes you most want to make in your life?

aQUaRiUs (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) When he died at the age of 77 in 1905, Aquarian author Jules Verne had published 54 books. You’ve probably heard of his science fiction novels *Journey to the Center of the Earth* and *Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.* He was a major influence on numerous writers, including Jean-Paul Sartre, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Arthur Rimbaud. But one of his manuscripts never made it into book form. When he finished it in 1863, his publisher refused to publish it, so Verne stashed it in a safe. It remained there until his great-grandson discovered it in 1989. Five years later, Verne’s “lost novel,” *Paris in the Twentieth Century,* went on sale for the first time. I suspect that in the coming months, you may have a comparable experience, Aquarius. An old dream that was lost or never fulfilled may be available for recovery and resuscitation.

PisCes (Feb. 19-March 20) “I enjoy using the comedy technique of selfdeprecation,” says stand-up comic Arnold Brown, “but I’m not very good at it.” Your task in the coming weeks, Pisces, is to undermine your own skills at self-deprecation. You may think they are too strong and entrenched to undo and unlearn, but I don’t -especially now, when the cosmic forces are conspiring to prove to you how beautiful you are. Cooperate with those cosmic forces! Exploit the advantages they are providing. Inundate yourself with approval, praise, and naked flattery.

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.

COMPLIMENTARY MOVIE PASSES

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IN THEATERS SEPTEMBER 11 OklahOma Gazette | september 2, 2015 | 45

P H O N E (4 0 5 ) 5 2 8 - 6 0 0 0 | E - M A I L : A D V E R T I S I N G @ T I E R R A M E D I A G R O U P. C O M

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P H O N E (4 0 5 ) 5 2 8 - 6 0 0 0 | E - M A I L : A D V E R T I S I N G @ T I E R R A M E D I A G R O U P. C O M

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EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, preference or discrimination.

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

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OKL AHOMA GA Z ET TE |SE PTE M B E R 2 , 2015 | 47

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