It's a Match

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9/3/15 9:52 AM

CONTENTS 4

24

ON THE COVER

NEWS

Tinder loving care? Dating apps and web services might get your well-written profile and perfect selfie seen (and swiped) by more suitors, but experts agree the best way to nurture a potential relationship is with real face time.

By Malena Lott, P.24

4

10

Health: prescription painkillers Technology: social communication Education: adult literacy Politics: J.C. Watts City: MAPS 3 update Chicken-Fried News

12

Commentary

12

Letters

6 7 8 9

39

29

LIFE

LIFE

14

OKG picks

19

Food & Drink: Szechuan Bistro, new fair food, food briefs, OKG eat: food favorites

24

Cover: single in OKC

27

Culture: Mesta Festa

28

Health: Conversations of Hope

30

Visual Arts: 12x12, Interpreting Clouds, Lost in Oklahoma Performing Arts: TheatreOCU season, The Illusionists: Live from Broadway

32

33

Books: The Art of Crash Landing

34

Sudoku / Crossword

36

Active: Metro Tech Foundation Golf Tournament

37

Music: Jonathan Tyler, Groovefest, Blue Water Highway Band, listings

41

Film: Stephen King’s Dollar Babies

41

Astrology

42

Classifieds

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

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 3

nEws hEaLth

All aboard?

Ga rett fi s bec k

Leaders say everyone must be involved to change deadly patterns of prescription drug abuse and deaths.

by Laura EastEs

Overdose deaths are on the rise in Oklahoma, and the drugs to blame aren’t meth, heroin or cocaine.

They’re prescription painkillers, medications created to relieve pain, prescribed by doctors and located in medicine cabinets in every home across the state.

Hydrocodone, oxycodone (more commonly known as Vicodin and OxyContin) and alprazolam (Xanax) are the most common prescription drugs involved in overdose deaths, according to figures provided by three state agencies.

Each is highly addictive, even when properly prescribed and used.

Often, patients can develop tolerances, which can result in taking dangerously high doses or taking them in unsafe combinations — or both — with deadly consequences.

Oklahoma City doctor William Banner wants to see change. At INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, he specializes in pediatric critical care and medical toxicology and comes into contact with overdose patients.

“I think everyone sees images in their minds of a toddler sticking something in their mouth, but that’s not what we are doing anymore,” said Banner, who also serves as the medical director of the Oklahoma Poison and Drug Information Center. “We see a lot of that, but we are increasingly seeing teenagers and adults involved in prescription drug abuse and drug overdose.”

Statewide impact

From 2007-2013, more than 4,600 people died from unintentional poisoning in the Sooner State.

Oklahoma State Department of Health data shows that death from prescription drugs is now the leading cause of accidental deaths statewide.

Those numbers are indeed troubling, but equally disturbing is the rise of addiction and abuse. Oklahoma leads the nation in non-medical use of painkillers, with more than 8 percent

of the population abusing or misusing painkillers, according to report figures from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

State health and law enforcement leaders desire solutions and are pushing for public awareness and education about a growing problem that impacts rural, urban and affluent areas alike.

Working together

Those leaders took their message, mixed with sorrowful firsthand testimonies of addiction, to the state capitol for the Coalition Against Rx Drug Epidemic’s rally Aug. 31, in observance of International Overdose Awareness Day. While there, leaders and community members echoed the conviction that solutions require action by lawmakers, health officials, law enforcement and the public.

“It is important to reinforce that it is not just our government that will make the difference,” said Steve Buck, deputy commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS). “It is up to us as a community, for this truly is a community conversation that must be heard.”

Under the direction of ODMHSAS, fellow state agencies and community organizations partnered to build the Oklahoma Prevention Leadership Collaborative. The work group forged a statewide strategy to tackle non-medical use of prescription drugs.

Its website, takeasprescribed.org, sprung from the plan and informs the public and providers about abuse, treatment options and available services.

Buck called the site a portal with the ability to influence change.

Legislative support

Banner applauds recent efforts by state lawmakers to put naloxone — a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose — into the hands of citizens and law enforcement officers.

Two years ago, legislation allowed

4 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Supporters rally at the capitol recently to bring attention to curbing prescription pain medication abuse and overdose. for the drug to be utilized in rescue situations by law enforcement.

Physicians received a green light to prescribe naloxone, but in January, the requirement for a prescription was dropped and the drug can now be purchased in pharmacies across Oklahoma.

Banner said that pharmaceuticals with lower abuse potential are being developed; however, once they are approved, they likely will be more expensive.

Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Control Director Darrell Weaver says his agency has closely monitored the rise of abuse for years.

Weaver testified before a legislative hearing that between 2001 and 2010, there was a 137 percent increase in overdose deaths.

He refers to prescription drug abuse as the state’s “silent cancer.”

“It is affecting more lives in Oklahoma than you could ever imagine,” he said.

PIE plea

Weaver, who oversees one of the state agencies that partnered in creating the state plan, believes it will take prevention, intervention and enforcement action to stem the growing problem. He calls the approach PIE for short.

His call for prevention starts in elementary classrooms by discussing dangers with children.

“What we have to do in Oklahoma — and I believe this strongly — is that we have to get back to teaching kids and helping kids know this is wrong,” he said. “We don’t do enough. We wait until it’s too late. We wait until they are incarcerated and we try to figure out how we are going to salvage them.”

Those who are abusing prescription drugs and are addicted to opioid pain relievers are encouraged to seek treatment.

It is a treatable illness, Buck said.

“We know that when prevention is delivered responsibly, people’s norms change and it makes a difference,” he said. “We know there is recovery for those with access to treatment. Our obligation is to make sure that access is opened to all who need it.”

Like the Oklahoma Prevention Leadership Committee and Coalition Against Rx Drug Epidemic, other entities and organizations need to come together in this fight, Buck contended.

“Until we take the conversation of how we are going to beat this to our communities of faith, to our advocacy organizations, to our employers, to our corrections agencies … those other mechanics are just mechanics,” he said of legislative action, prevention measures and treatment options. “It is going to take hard community conversations in those various arenas for us to truly bend this curve.”

Prevent Prescription Drug Poisoning

Oklahoma ranked No. 6 in the nation for unintentional poisoning deaths in 2013, according to the Oklahoma state Department of Health.

• take medication as prescribed.

• Never sell or share prescribed drugs.

• Dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs properly.

• keep medications in a safe place.

• keep medicines in original bottles or containers.

• Do not drink alcohol while taking medication.

• call poison control at 1-800222-1222 or 911 if you suspect someone is suffering from a drug overdose.

Sources: Oklahoma State Department of Health, Poison Control

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OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 5 9/3/15 2:02 PM

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In this modern era of community development, an active Twitter profile might be as important as neighborhood signage.

“Social media can help create an identity for a neighborhood,” said Shannon Entz, senior planner for Oklahoma City’s Strong Neighborhood Initiative. “A good example … is Classen Ten-Penn and Classen Highland Park. Both of those neighborhoods have created an identify for themselves, and social media has played a part in expanding their message.”

In 2015, it’s not breaking news that technology influences how organizations and governments communicate with residents. But it’s an area community and city leaders hope to expand.

Entz said digital tools like Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor can help neighborhoods bridge communication gaps and reach key demographics.

“The goal for us is to connect neighborhood residents better with one another, as well as with their city government, schools and neighborhood associations,” said Entz, whose office hosted a social media training event last week.

It was a first for the city.

“The way people connect is different for everyone, but there are tools that can help people stay plugged in with their community,” Entz said.

“And that’s our goal.”

Language barrier

New neighborhood association, city department and school officials say they are mindful of more traditional communication methods and

6 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Zack Nash left speaks with Jeff Ross about ways to use social media. understand that not everyone has an online profile.

Even so, at last week’s seminar, older residents created accounts for apps like Nextdoor that provide users access to community information they might not have otherwise known about.

The tools have become useful in overcoming language barriers within the city’s growing Spanish-speaking community, especially for Oklahoma City Public Schools, which has a student population that is 50 percent Hispanic.

“We have the ability to translate exactly what it is we are putting out,” said Deisy Escalera, who works in the language and cultural services department of the school district.

Other groups, such as the Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma (NACOK), also have used digital tools to improve communication with the Hispanic community.

“The south side is growing,” said Ana Carmina Herrera, southside community organizer for NACOK. She was hired to focus on Hispanic neighborhoods.

However, while technology plays an ever-growing role in neighborhood development, Herrera said traditional communication such as paper flyers and home visits are still important.

“There are several neighborhoods on the south side where there is an older population,” Herrera said. “If you send information through the school, well, they don’t have kids. If you put it on Nextdoor, well, they don’t have the app. So door-to-door is still important, at least when first organizing.”

OKC’s communication department has used social media to connect with residents since 2007, when a major ice storm created a need to distribute important information online. The city’s Twitter profile actively engages residents who have questions or report problems. The OKC GOV app, launched last year, also offers resources.

“It’s always a struggle to connect with all of our residents,” said Zack Nash, the city’s creative services manager. “[Before social media], some people … thought that all we did was pick up their trash and when they flushed their toilet, it just disappeared.

Social media has really allowed people to connect with the city and see what we do in all departments.”

Even as the popularity of digital tools grows, Nash still believes human interaction is important.

“I’m seeing places like Better Block OKC and the different districts that are thriving,” he said, “because we are getting back to that face-to-face interaction.”

While digital connectivity has enhanced city and community growth, Barbie Smalley, a NACOK community organizer, said recent development stems from a desire to connect personally with one another.

“As much as the digital age plays a part in 2015, we cannot forget how old-school we have to do it, too,” Smalley said.

It’s about getting together.

— Barbie Smalley

There is a push to get to know neighbors, Smalley said, and while Facebook and Nextdoor allow people to meet, the ultimate goal is to connect on a personal level.

“We talk about Nextdoor and the city’s mobile app when helping neighborhoods become organized,” she said, “but we also talk about flyers and encourage door-to-door organizing.”

It’s a digital world, but even last week’s event encouraged neighborhood and city leaders to sit down with residents and help them learn more about digital interactivity tools and how to maximize their use.

“This is still the goal,” Smalley said. “It’s about getting together.”

Ga rett fi s bec k

nEws EDucation

Lighting literacy Many Oklahomans struggle to read, but aid awaits.

by Laura EastEs

For decades, when Zoe Anderson opened a book, her instinct was to look at the words from right to left.

If she examined those words for more than a few seconds, her eyes strained and she blinked. But rubbing her eyes brought Anderson no relief, and her frustration rose as lessons were cut short. Working through a single sentence was too agonizing.

For Anderson, reading was a fraught endeavor she was determined to accomplish. In 1989, she enrolled in a program in Dallas and was told she was dyslexic; tutors instructed her to resist her instinct and read from left to right.

Despite her persistence, progress was nonexistent. Anderson’s dyslexia was just one of her troubles.

“I just couldn’t pass book one. I couldn’t get it,” Anderson said. “I would stop going, but I’d go back. Again, I didn’t get anything out of it. I didn’t understand a lot of things. I did that for about 10 to 15 years.”

Now, in a dimly lit room, Anderson clears her voice, flips open a work book and quietly whispers a reminder to read from left to right. To establish a line of sight, she places a bookmark under the first sentence. She then begins to read about Tom and his car. She slowly lowers the bookmark as she reads. At the end of each page, she lifts her head out of the book to face Blair Lanning, the volunteer coordinator of Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of Oklahoma County. Lanning’s supportive

demeanor greets Anderson’s smile.

“This worked for me,” Anderson said of her visits to OIC. About two years ago, Lanning conducted Anderson’s first reading assessment. Anderson shared she was dyslexic, but Lanning noticed her new student exhibiting signs of visual stress syndrome, a light sensitivity condition that inhibits vision in even moderately lit rooms. Once she turned off the overhead florescent light, Anderson no longer felt the need to excessively blink and rub her eyes. They conducted the rest of the assessment as warm sunlight illuminated the office.

It was a simple fix that paved the way for Anderson to read, an extremely difficult skill that adult learners strive to overcome when they enter the OIC office at 3033 N. Walnut Ave. “To see her go every weekend to the library and overcome her frustration encourages me,” said Lanning, who works with Anderson along with a volunteer tutor who meets with Anderson at a public library on Saturday mornings. “I don’t know what I would do if I were in her position.”

Not alone

Angela Spindle, director of Oklahoma Literacy Coalition, said it is difficult for many Oklahomans to imagine the experience of illiteracy. A day in a nonEnglish-speaking country is the closest many will get to living in a world in which

Zoe Anderson right reads for Blair Lanning they can’t read street signs, maps, menus, bus schedules, prescriptions or receipts.

“It is not something people think about unless it touches their lives directly,” said Spindle. “It leads to a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions that illiterate people are lazy or couldn’t do it.

There are so many factors.”

The reality is that many children grow up without learning how to read.

Approximately 32 million U.S. adults can’t read, according to the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute for Literacy. In Oklahoma County, around one in every five residents read at or below basic literacy level. Basic literacy is described as a first- or second-grade reading level, according to OIC. Leslie Gelders, a literacy coordinator for the Oklahoma Literacy Resource Office, said it is difficult to measure literacy levels. In 2003, the state participated in the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, which found 12 percent of Oklahoma County residents lacked basic reading skills. Eleven years earlier, that same survey reported the same results.

In recent years, no data has been released to closely examine illiteracy, leading groups and organizations to turn to U.S. Census data, reports on high school dropouts, poverty, employment and health for indicators.

“You are just making a very best

guess,” Gelders said. “For example, my grandfather never graduated from high school but was perfectly literate. We know others that graduate from high school and can’t read.”

Community Literacy Centers is a nonprofit organization that has helped 37,000 people improve reading skills since 1987. Yet, there is still work to be done, as the group reports that 140,000 Oklahoma City residents are considered functionally illiterate.

Spindle points out there are free programs across the metro and state designed to help adults with literacy.

“It is hard to reach out to these people and let them know of the places where they can go,” said Spindle, “where they will be welcomed.”

The literacy leaders say adults never learned how to read because of a variety of reasons, such as dropping out of school, moving in and out of school, experiencing trauma or an undiagnosed learning disability. Some adults attended overcrowded schools, and struggles in the classroom went unnoticed.

When an adult approaches a literacy program, an intake assessment is performed to identify each student’s reading level and determine where to begin, said Gelders.

“What we try to do is help the adult learners reach their goals,” Gelders said.

“Part of the challenge … is helping them have realistic expectations. One way of doing this is helping them identify their goal and the steps for them to see the progress.”

Help needed

At OIC, the student sets the priorities. At some sessions, a tutor might help a student complete a job application, read a chapter book or look over utility bills.

As more Oklahomans come forward, asking for help, the need for volunteer tutors increases. Tutor training sessions take place this fall. Newly trained tutors will be matched to learners on an alreadyexisting OIC waiting list.

The OIC tutor workshop is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and a follow-up session will be Oct. 10. Call 235-2651 to register.

Oklahoma Literacy Coalition and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries recognize the efforts of learners at the annual fall conference at the National Center for Employee Development in Norman. On Sept. 27, adult learners will pen their names inside the newest volume of Celebrating Our Journey, a collection of short tales of learners overcoming illiteracy.

Anderson wrote about her desire to read with her grandchildren and the goal she set to read in front of her congregation at Hillwood Missionary Baptist Church in Spencer.

“The things in life that people say you couldn’t do or you wouldn’t do. Look at me now,” Anderson said. “It is still a journey for me every day.”

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 7

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Former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts is coming home to speak at the Annual Conference of the National Foundation of Women Legislators (NFWL), where he plans to speak about moving a male-dominated political system “outside of the comfort zone.”

He has a long history of breaking stereotypes, so he supports women in politics who are finding their way in an environment where women might be considered ineffective. Yet, it is also a time when women are coming to the forefront in politics in a state that elected Gov. Mary Fallin as the first female governor in 2010.

J.c. watts

only black member of Congress when he announced his retirement in 2002.

After leaving Congress, he built a successful lobbying firm that specializes in bipartisan efforts. It is one of five companies that he leads.

In a phone interview with Oklahoma Gazette, Watts covered a wide range of subjects that he considers to be important issues in American politics and policy now: women in politics, the class disparity in punishment for crime and sentencing reform.

— J.C. Watts

Women in politics

“We can get so accustomed to norms that when you see somebody that doesn’t fit the mold, you take a step back and say, ‘Whoa,’” he said.

Watts is pushing for a day in which people don’t identify “a female news reporter,” or a “black Republican,” but simply a “reporter” and a “Republican.”

Breaking stereotypes

Watts first became widely known in Oklahoma as a successful quarterback for the University of Oklahoma in the late seventies, disproving the belief at the time of many football coaches that African-American players do not make good quarterbacks.

After having become the firststring quarterback in 1979, he repeatedly proved doubters wrong.

The most convincing example of this was when he led the team to its Orange Bowl victory over Florida State University in 1981.

Watts broke down another stereotype when he became Oklahoma’s first African-American elected to statewide office after winning a seat on the Corporation Commission in 1990.

He went on to represent the 4th Congressional district from 1995 to 2003 in a time when there were few black Republican members of Congress. He was also the first black member of Congress from Oklahoma and gained several leadership roles in the House of Representatives. He was the fourth-ranking member of the House Republican leadership and the

I’ve lived my life in a way that I’ve kind of been often on the front end of stretching people, to get them outside of their comfort zone.

$24 billion in fines and nobody goes to jail,” he said, “nobody loses their job, and then we say that money hasn’t taken over in politics?”

He argued that when people see bankers walking away from their conviction by paying a fine and not spending time in jail, it is a harsh contrast to those on the other end of the societal spectrum.

People seeing some serving more time for what Watts calls “lowlevel offenses” than those bankers served has started to erode people’s confidence in our system, Watts said.

The conference

Jody thomas

“I’ve lived my life in a way that I’ve kind of been often on the front end of stretching people, to get them outside of their comfort zone,” he said.

He has seen women who were successful at politics who “can be just as significant in the policy arena as anyone else.”

Sentencing issues

The large disparity between sentencing for different classes of people in our society is an important issue for Watts.

“You have two banks that paid

Jody Thomas, executive director of NFWL, is eager to get her organization to Oklahoma City because she believes that the state is phenomenal.

She once lived here, which allows her to compare Oklahoma City then and now.

“Bricktown wasn’t even there when I lived here last,” she said.

Unlike many organizations that try to build bigger and bigger attendance numbers at their yearly conferences, Thomas said that NFWL wants to keep its event small enough to allow for meaningful dialogue and networking among all of its participants.

That means the organization will allow only about 100 attendees, which will divide into small enough sessions to have lively discussions between panelists and everyone in the room.

Thomas said that NFWL’s goal is to provide a safe environment where women legislators can collaborate.

p HOtOs p rOVi De D

ANTI-AGING SERVICES

Ga rett fi s bec k

nEws city

Healthy developments

Organizers break ground at the home of one of four senior health and wellness centers in OKC.

Two MAPS 3 projects take off as ground breaks for a healthy living center and efforts continue on a downtown park.

by Laura EastEs

Progress continues on two MAPS 3 projects, positioning city leaders to achieve the program’s goal of improving the quality of life for residents and creating a healthy city.

On Sept. 2, leaders involved in the MAPS 3 projects broke ground on the first of four planned senior health and wellness centers.

The achievement was six years in the making following Oklahoma City voters approving a 2009 sales tax initiative planned to improve residents’ quality of life though eight distinct programs.

The senior health and wellness centers project is one that impacts residents ages 50 and older. It earned about $50 million of $777 million gathered to fund all eight projects.

“Today is a giant step forward,” said Tom McDaniel, MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board chairman, as he stood on the future home of the first center at NW 112th Street and Rockwell Avenue.

Plans call for constructing a 40,272-square-foot facility to house an indoor swimming pool, gym, cafe, arts and crafts room and meeting rooms.

Additionally, the center will feature rooms for exercise, aerobics and health screenings, as well as outdoor space for events.

It was designed specifically to meet the physical, mental, emotional and social health needs of older residents.

Amenities include an entrance into the heated swimming pool, a cushioned floor in the aerobics studio, a walking track around the gym and easeful lounge furniture in areas for social interaction.

The state-of-the-art venue will cost an estimated $9.2 million and is expected to open to the public in late 2016. It will be operated by Healthy Living & Fitness Inc., a nonprofit formed to manage the center and tied to Putnam City Baptist Church.

Bill Fleming, Healthy Living & Fitness board member, said the organization will strive to improve the health of each senior, to be accomplished through the many programs and activities the locale offers.

“Our goal has not just been to build a building,” said Fleming. “We want to create a space where we can nurture relationships and help build a community.”

The second site will be located at SW Walker Avenue and Grand Boulevard, between Capitol Hill High School and Hosea Vineyard Park.

Operated by NorthCare, the proposed

36,298-square-foot building’s amenities will mirror the offerings of the first.

No locations or plans have been released for remaining centers.

Parks pace

On Sept. 1, the Oklahoma City Council nudged another MAPS 3 project forward. In a 5-to-2 vote, the council granted approval for Hargreaves Associates landscape and architecture planning firm to develop final plans and specs for the upper park portion of the Downtown Public Park project.

At the meeting, landscape architect Mary Margaret Jones presented a preliminary report of the 37-acre urban park. Jones said its amenities sprung from public feedback as well as consulting with Myriad Botanical Gardens, its potential operator.

It will feature a “great lawn,” a lake, woodland gardens, fountain gardens, a children’s play area, a cafe, restrooms, picnic areas and benches. A 6,000-square-foot canopy will provide shade for visitors.

An organization hosting a multi-day event at the venue could accommodate up to 250,000 guests.

The park will link to the lower park, as visitors cross SkyDance Bridge, a 380-foot-

We want to create a space where we can nurture relationships and help build a community.

— Bill Fleming

long walkway that extends across Interstate 40 near Robinson Avenue.

Construction on the upper park is estimated to begin in late 2015 and be completed in 2018. The $59.6 million project calls for renovating the Union Station railroad depot and demolishing the vacant film exchange building. The former station will be home to park offices and provided event space.

Preliminary plans continue on the lower park, which will be nestled between Harvey and Robinson avenues and will guide visitors to the Oklahoma River. Jones stated the council will review those plans this fall.

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 9

CHiCKEN CKEN You’re hired!

When we were interviewing at Oklahoma Gazette, we emailed our resumes; got all spiffed up in our leastdirty jeans, KISS t-shirts and Chuck Taylors; and told a couple smart-aleck jokes and we were in like Flynn.

Unfortunately, some people believe they have to pull crazy stunts to land jobs.

NewsOK.com reported that Oklahoma workers and CareerBuilder say getting a job requires a little ingenuity. CareerBuilder even reported some people sneakily followed hiring managers to dinner and paid the tab, answered a call and pretended another company was trying to hire them during their job interview, “lit resumes on fire to show a ‘burning desire for the job,’” loitered outside HR’s window with signs and, most annoying of all, made top 10 lists of reasons they should get the job.

(We assume the folks in that last group really wanted to work for BuzzFeed.)

Oklahoma job-seekers have printed their names on fancy colored paper and brought their trophies to job interviews.

“The manager at Squibb asked me to bring proof of my awards, so I just

FRiED NEWS brought the trophies and plaques in a brown grocery bag, pulled them out and laid them — seven plaques and two trophies — across his desk,” Kathy Cash told NewsOK. com.

We know it’s good to get a little creative, but we’re not sure how much all these crazy antics would actually help.

Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder’s chief human resources officer, agreed and told NewsOK.com that candidates should concentrate on their skills and qualifications and keep the creative shenanigans to a minimum to avoid looking “desperate, annoying or even creepy.”

Strip shake-up

A metro area strip club is content on keeping the party going despite a raid by three law enforcement agencies last month.

10 | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Twenty citations were issued, nine people were arrested and minors were kicked off the property in a single night, but Del City’s Fantasy Island was back in business less than 24 hours later.

The “Island girls,” as they are called on social media, brought out a large crowd as the parking lot filled the afternoon following the raid, according to KOCO.com.

The 20 citations — ranging from narcotic distribution to public nudity — were issued to customers as well as club personnel on Aug. 13.

While the party continued the next day, it eventually came to a quick halt thanks to the City of Del City. Those associated with the adult entertainment establishment took to social media Aug. 20 to update patrons.

“The City of Del City has decided they didn’t like us and told us to close our doors,” reads a post to Fantasy Island’s Facebook page.

But doors reopened just 10 miles west. Fantasy Island owners moved the club to Midway Island, located in

northwest Oklahoma City, according to a recent social media post.

Accio learning

Stephanie Stephens, a teacher at James L. Capps Middle School in Warr Acres, has immersed her students in a world of literary magic.

Her classroom is filled with scenes and characters from the world-famous Harry Potter books by British author J. K. Rowling.

It includes jars of “potions” on a shelf, a three-headed dog guarding a drawer and flying keys (representing a challenge) hanging from the ceiling.

“Books are magic. You can learn anything in books and just be in a different location anytime, anywhere,” Stephens told KFOR. She has even included elements of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry into her teaching style, teaming students into houses and encouraging them to earn crystals and house points for good behavior and exemplary work.

Stephens hopes the bewitching environment and Hogwarts teaching

techniques will boost creativity and encourage students to think creatively.

The Huffington Post reported that Stephens spent $400-$500 to decorate her classroom. Though the transformation was expensive, Stephens believes it was money well spent to encourage her pupils to enjoy reading and learning.

“I chose to go with the Harry Potter theme because if I am excited and enthusiastic, students tend to follow suit,” she told The Huffington Post.

“My goal is to help students find at least one book or genre that they can find exciting and be as enthusiastic about as I am regarding Harry Potter.”

Holy fire

First Thessalonians 5:2 says, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”

Well, something came to Church of the Living God Ministries at NE 50th Street and MLK Avenue like a thief

on the night on Aug. 26, but it probably wasn’t the day of the Lord.

Oklahoma City Police arrested a man on suspicion of attempted robbery after Pastor Kenneth Morgan discovered him in the church’s dining area.

Morgan told News9.com the man said he was looking for food and something to drink, but what he found was a pistol-packing preacher.

Morgan held the suspect at gunpoint in the grass, police told the news station, but as police arrived, he took off running, eliciting a shot from Morgan’s gun that did not connect.

Helicopters and TV coverage led a neighbor to check his own backyard, where he spotted the suspect against a brick wall. After seeing through the cunning disguise, the resident called police.

Morgan said that in 10 years as a licensed gun carrier, this is the only time he has used his gun at church.

Russell Bestbrook

The headlines were intense.

“Russell Westbrook marries college sweetheart in disappointingly conventional outfit,” crowed The Washington Post.

“Russell Westbrook gets married; you’ll never believe what he wore,” ESPN click-baitingly teased.

“Our Guy Russell Westbrook Just Had the Best Week Ever,” GQ might have exaggerated.

Indeed, it was a monumental weekend for the Oklahoma City Thunder pro baller. But it’s totally perhaps maybe possible that he really might have had the best weekend ever. Why? 1.) He sang a duet with Taylor Swift at the Staples Center. This wasn’t related to his wedding. But, still.

2.) He didn’t design his own wedding attire or his bride’s. (High-five!

Good call, sir. Dropcrotch, hippy leggings

— even if they’re white and made of lace — wouldn’t have been flattering for either of you in those wedding photos.)

3.) He did wear a Tom Ford tuxedo on the Big Day. We’re not sure why this garnered the faux-shocked headlines it did from responsible, hard-hitting journalism bastions ESPN and the Post.

The man has style, which means he knows when it’s appropriate to wear a suit — we assume.

4.) Westbrook’s first dance with wife Nina Earl was to Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo. Oh, and neo-soul powerhouse Miguel performed.

OK, OK, OK. It was a shrewd call

by GQ, but it was right. Good call, and congratulations, Russell and Nina!

Quote of the week

“I pet my dog for like three hours.”

— Miley Cyrus to The New York Times, about the inspiration for her project with the Flaming Lips, Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, revealed as a free download last week.

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COMMENTARY

p rOVI De D

Headlines matter

BY MARK LICHTY

When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its long-awaited water contamination report in late May, newspaper headlines read, “The EPA Finds No Widespread Contamination of Water from Fracking” (Houston Chronicle) and “Fracking Does Not Have Big Effect on Water Supplies” (The New York Times). However, the study did establish what affected homeowners have known for years: Fracking does contaminate water supplies.

Suggesting that contamination was not “widespread” is a slap in the face to the families whose water supplies are contaminated and health is affected.

(If you’re curious, Google “list of the harmed.”) Ask one of the families whose water was contaminated and had to move whether the contamination is “widespread.”

Ask a mother whose child was sickened by air and water contamination

if the problem is “widespread.”

There are now over 400 studies establishing fracking’s negative effects.

What is widespread is the contamination of media and democracy by oil and gas industry money. In the process of doing thousands of hours of research for our film, Groundswell Rising, I found that gas money penetrates every crevice of our political system, much like how the toxic slurry of injected chemicals penetrates every fracked nook and cranny.

There is no doubt that money contaminates how our legislative and executive branches view fracking; those who supported it received four times more campaign funding than those who had a more cautious attitude. (For reference, read the Common Cause report Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets.)

I myself went through a metamorphosis. I was pro-fracking when I converted my manufacturing

plant to gas eight years ago. At that time, I was in good company with Sierra Club and other environmental organizations in supporting natural gas.

I was hypnotized by the bright blue, nearly smokeless flame.

I bought into the propaganda that gas had less of a carbon footprint, and I could see it would be cheaper.

I was right about the latter and wrong about the former.

Another important point is that the EPA headline only spoke of water contamination. When we started our film, the threat of water contamination was the main thing on my mind. As the documentary process progressed, we kept uncovering more of fracking’s threats to our lives, like ambient air contamination, methane release (a far greater threat to global warming than CO2), earthquakes, traffic and rending apart the fabric of communities.

Water contamination, while a

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.

significant threat, is dwarfed by some of these other issues. On this point, a more informative headline might have been, “EPA Confirms Threat of Water Contamination From Fracking, But Water Remains Only One of the Many Threats Requiring Further Study.”

Headlines matter. In fact, they might matter more than the article itself. A press that is free and uncontaminated by industry influence matters. The media loses its credibility when it does not trumpet its independence in headlines and the stories it presents.

I write to plead to the newspaper industry in general for accurate headlines.

Mark Lichty is a filmmaker and author and executive producer of the documentary Groundswell Rising. It has been screened in Oklahoma communities in partnership with Oklahoma and Kansas chapters of Sierra Club.

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.

Prenatal perplexity

I read your Aug. 26 commentary piece on Planned Parenthood. I feel like everyone is missing a crucial portion of the work this organization does.

The same low-income patients seen for these other issues go back to Planned Parenthood when they are pregnant for prenatal care in far greater numbers than those who ask for abortions!

They receive exams, advice and care for themselves and their unborn child that they would otherwise go without.

I am not taking a position on government funding or not funding abortions. It seems to me that simple bookkeeping could keep funds separate and allow individual donations to fund that.

But that is entirely beside the point here.

The good done by this organization for pregnant women who are keeping their baby and want prenatal care but can’t afford it should be something that the very people clamoring for the death of Planned Parenthood should want.

The biggest problem pro-life groups have, in my opinion, is that they demand control of a woman’s life and body until the moment of delivery and then they abandon mother and child as they take an ax to public and social support systems.

— Robbie Steinmetz Tulsa Life and death

Oklahoma has decreed Sept. 16 as the last day of Richard Glossip’s life. Richard stands convicted not of murdering Barry Von Treese, owner of the motel where he worked, but of hiring someone to murder Von Treese.

Many believe he is innocent of that.

Justin Sneed, another motel employee, confessed to the murder.

Although there was no physical evidence connecting Glossip to the

12 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

crime, Sneed said Glossip had paid him to murder Von Treese.

Sneed’s statement also placed Glossip in the motel room, although only Sneed’s fingerprints and DNA were found in the room and on the motel receipts taken from Von Treese the night of his murder.

Sneed avoided the death penalty by implicating Glossip. Sneed’s self-serving testimony led to Richard Glossip’s now being weeks away from execution.

Glossip, at the time and continuously since, has proclaimed his total innocence.

Sneed’s confession and testimony

in two trials is inconsistent. His own adult daughter wrote the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board that she strongly believes, based on talking to her dad, that Glossip is innocent and that her father would like to recant his testimony. He is, however, fearful that recanting would result in his execution.

If Oklahomans of conscience don’t want an innocent man to be killed in their name, they need to write or call Gov. Mary Fallin and ask her to stay Glossip’s execution or commute his sentence.

— John Kalhoefer Oklahoma City

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BOOKS European Perceptions of Oklahoma’s Natives: Karl May’s Winnetou, as part of the University of Central Oklahoma’s Passport to Native America Wednesday Noon Lecture Series, UCO German Professor & Asst.

Dean for the College of Liberal Arts discusses Winnetou, German author Karl May’s fictional Native American hero; the Winnetou series begins in Oklahoma, and has heavily influenced the European perception of Native America, noon, Sept. 9. ROOM 226, Max Chamber Library, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond. WED Jeremie Kubicek Signing, in the land of left-swipes, timelines, tweets, and tigtaps (okay, that last one might be made-up), sometimes it’s hard to turn off the constant urge to multi-task, settle in, and get junk DONE; author Jeremie Kubicek has a five step system for accomplishing exactly that, 5:30 p.m., Sept. 9. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. WED

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LaDonna Kramer Meinders Children’s Book Signing, join OCU and Full Circle Bookstore for a book signing with LaDonna Kramer Meinders of her children’s poetry book ‘What Would You Do If A Kangaroo...’ written to insprire children’s literacy, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 14. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. MON Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma, join OCU for a series of book discussions revolving around hardships; this week’s discussion topic is ‘The Glass Castle’ by Jeannette Wells, which explores themes of alcoholism and family dysfunction, 7 p.m., Sept. 15. Walker Center, Room 151, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. TUE

FILM Early Summer, (1951, Japan, dir. Yasujiro Ozu) this family drama, as do most of Ozu’s post-war films, focuses on generational communication problems and the rise of women in Japan at the time; when a woman in her late twenties receives a marriage proposal from a gentleman hand-picked by her family, she has her own ideas on whether to accept, 8 p.m., Sept. 10. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU The Kindergarten Teacher, (2014, Israel, dir. Nadav Lapid) admiration turns to obsession in this drama about a kindergarten teacher who notices one of her students displays an unusual talent for poetry; convinced that his talent is being wasted on a family with a distaste for the written word, the teacher decides to take it upon herself to protect his gift from the world at all costs, 5:30 p.m., Sept. 11 & 13; 8 p.m., Sept. 12. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN

bi gstoc k.com

CHECK OUT OUR NEW MENU ITEMS!

recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

kids for OkC animals City of Oklahoma City Animal Welfare recently launched its community engagement program, Kids for OKC Animals, for youth up to age 18. Kids can participate according to skill and interest level in community service projects that help homeless animals across the city. For more information or to sign up, email awinfo@okc.gov. Visit facebook.com/OKCanimalwelfare or okc.gov/animalwelfare.

Wednesday-Wednesday, ongoing A Poem is a Naked Person, (1974, US, dir. Les Blank) shot by Les Blank in the 1970s but unreleased until 2015, this documentary follows singer-songwriter Leon Russell at his recording studio at Grand Lake, Oklahoma, through hours of rehearsals, and across the country on tour, and has no shortage of colorful characters and madcap moments, 8 p.m., Sept. 11; 5:30 p.m., Sept. 12; 2 p.m., Sept. 13. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN

LIVE on the Plaza, join the Plaza District every second Friday of the month for an art walk featuring artists, live music, street pop-up shops, live performances, and more, 7-11 p.m., Sept. 11. Plaza District, 1618 N. Gatewood Ave., 367-9403, plazadistrict.org. FRI 12 x 12 Art Fundraiser, join Science Museum Oklahoma and support local artists and arts education at the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s annual fundraiser, wherein local artists create one-of-a-kind works on canvas only one square foot in size; these pieces are then sold in a blind silent auction complete with food, drinks, and live entertainment, 7 p.m., Sept. 11. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. FRI

HAPPENINGS Thursday Afternoon Think Tank: Ancient Ways; Modern Forms, Prof. Michael Elizondo, Jr., part of the University of Central Oklahoma’s Passport to Native America, this week’s Thursday Think Tank will be a talk on Native American Native American fine and folk art

by UCO Art Department Professor Michael Elizondo, Jr., 3:30 p.m., Sept. 10. Pegasus Theater, UCO Campus, 100 N. University Dr., Edmond, 974-2000, uco.edu. THU

The Norman Hootenanny, it seems impossible not to slip into an Okie twang when asking folks to grab your banjos and sweethearts and come on down and rock out as you have yourselves a good ol’ fashioned hootenanny; music will be provided, but y’all will have to bring your can-do attitudes, 6 p.m., Sept. 11. The

Sponsored

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mark hancock / file

For a limited time only, you — yes, you! — can be a key player in the continued success of one of Oklahoma City’s most popular arts districts. Through noon on Friday, a donation of as little as $5 helps fund the annual Plaza District Festival, which returns Sept. 26. Visit plazadistrictfestival.com.

14 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Wednesday, Sept. 9-Friday

End of SUmmEr

Sale

Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 307-9320, pasnorman.org. FRI Urban Homesteading Workshop, learn how to go off the grid before the zombies take over at this indispensable workshop where you can learn how to raise chickens for fresh eggs, catch rainwater in barrels, and grow your own food, 9:30 a.m., Sept.

12. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/ events. SAT Turkish Festival, join the Raindrop Foundation for culture, food, fun, and more at this year’s Turkish Festival; try delicious baklava, watch traditional Turkish dancing, and experience the beauty of handmade ceramic tile created by artists from Kutahya, all day, Sept. 12. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SAT

nEw

HoUrS

tues - thurs 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. fri- sat 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. closed sun & mon

5106 n macarthur, okc 405-787-2792

Asian Festival, join the Asia Society of Oklahoma for their 29th annual festival celebrating Asian music, culture, food, and art, and see the crowning of Miss Asia where girls from all over the state will compete for scholarships and the honor of representing the Asia Society for a whole year, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sept. 12. Langston University, Oklahoma City Campus, 4205 N. Lincoln Blvd., 962-1620, langston.edu. SAT Drop-In Art, tile isn’t just for the floor anymore, and by ‘anymore’ we mean since, like, the 13th century B.C. when tile was invented and used as decoration for temples and mosques, but enough with the history lessons; this Saturday you can create your very own tile art, 1 p.m., Sept. 12.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT 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. 15. Buddha Mind Monastery, 5800 S Anderson Rd. TUE

FOOD Kid’s Healthy Eating Tour, it can be hard to get kids to eat healthy, but this fall Whole Foods is dedicated to showing kids and parents that healthy food can be fast and fun; join their healthy eating specialist Jalillian to try a slew of delicious, nutritious, easy eats, 4 p.m., Sept. 9.

Whole Foods Market, 6001 N. Western, 879-3500, wholefoodsmarket.com. WED Cooking for Diabetes, join Your Wellness at Uptown Grocery for this class on the best foods to keep and how to prepare them when someone in your household is affected by diabetes; those who are diabetic may have to keep a closer watch on their diets, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy tasty treats and mouth-watering meals, 2 p.m., Sept. 10. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. THU Flower Power Market, as the season winds down for the Downtown Farmers Market, East Downtown Norman will transform into a farmer’s market party complete with live music, food trucks, and a fresh market for all your vegetable and artisan food needs Stash, 412 E. Main, Norman, 701-1016, stashok.com. FRI Weekly Farmers Market, shop goods from local produce, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Sept.

12. Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 2326506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT Saturday Class, if you’re in the mood for steak, but also fiending for pasta, but also just really 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, too, 1 p.m., Sept.

12. Buy For Less, 3501 Northwest Expressway, 946-6342, buyforlessok.com. SAT

YOUTH Fairy Yoga, join the Yoga Fairy at Bliss Studio for a very special class for kids age 3 to 12 through music, games, and books in order to teach little ones the basics of yoga breath and posture and at the same time keep them having fun, 8:30 a.m., Sept. 9-16. Bliss Family Studio, 300 W. 33rd St., Edmond. WED-WED continued on next page

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 15

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

Judy Schachner Children’s book author and illustrator Judy Schachner introduces her latest work, Dewey Bob, to fans young and old alike 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, in Edmond. Best known for her Skippyjon Jones series, Schachner introduces her newest character during her first visit to Oklahoma.

Admission is free. Visit bestofbooks.com.

tuesday Saturday Story Time, every Saturday morning in September, kids and parents can head to the Whole Foods cafe to sit and listen to a different story, sing a sing-along, do some crafts, and enjoy a healthy snack, 10 a.m., Sept. 12. Whole Foods Market, 6001 N. Western, 879-3500, wholefoodsmarket.com. SAT Story Time With Julie, kid friendly story time with the latest children’s books, 10:15 -11 a.m., Sept. 12. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 8422900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Crafts for Kids, the Depot isn’t the only place you can have yourself a HOOTenanny this weekend; grab some googly eyes and a paper bag and owl bet you can figure out what this week’s Crafts for Kids is, 11 a.m., Sept. 12. Lakeshore Learning Store, 6300 N. May Ave., 858-8778, lakeshorelearning.com. SAT Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body, exhibit based on the best-selling book by Sylvia Branzei; lets visitors see the good, bad, and ugly facts about the human body from runny noses to body odor and more. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. SAT

PERFORMING ARTS

For more information visit greekfestokc.com

31st Annual Greek Festival of OKC

FREE ADMISSION FOR ENTIRE FAMILY St. George Greek Orthodox Church 2101 NW 145th St • 751.1885 • Sept 11, 12 & 13

16 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Landry, baby-face mononymous comedian Landry is known for high-energy performances, accessible stories, clever one-liners, and delightful dimples, as well as for winning the 2012 World Series of Comedy and his appearance on Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes, 8 p.m., Sept. 9 & 10; 8 & 10:30 p.m., Sept. 11 & 12. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 239-4242, loonybincomedy.com. WED-SAT Julius Caesar, when his best friend returns from war, Brutus is faced with a difficult decision: should he fail his country by allowing Caesar to continue his dictatorial reign, or should he do what is best for the State by betraying his best friend and just totally stab Caesar; Shakespeare in the Park performs this classic, 8 p.m., Sept. 10-12. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens. com/events. THU-SAT

Of Mice and Men, adapted by Steinbeck from his own novella of the same name, this play follows the lives of two different men on their quest for the American dream: George, a friendly and likable farm worker, and Lennie, a brutish looking man with the heart and mind of a child, 8 p.m., Sept. 10-12; 2 p.m., Sept. 13.

Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. THU-SAT Chicago, Roxie Hart finds herself on murderer’s row after killing her boyfriend in a fit of passion when she realized he couldn’t make her a star; now the only way to get out is to get rich, famous, and get famed lawyer Billy Flynn to defend her case, 8 p.m., Sept. 10-12, 2:30 p.m., Sept. 13. Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 521-1786, jewelboxtheatre.org. THU-SUN 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. 11 & 12.

Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 232-6500, carpentersquare.com. FRI-SAT Always... Patsy Cline, a mainstay for die-hard fans of Patsy Cline as well as an excellent method of introduction for the not-yet-indoctrinated, Always...

Patsy Cline is one of the most-produced musicals in America, 8 p.m., Sep. 10-12, 2 p.m., Sep. 10. The Pollard Theatre, 120 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 282-2800, thepollard.org. FRI-SAT Worthy Causes, this original dramedy follows a pair of best friends who are also activists who are busy saving the world when one of them mysteriously disappears; brought to you by Next Stage, 8 p.m., Sept. 11 & 12. Oklahoma Shakespeare on Paseo, 2920 Paseo. FRI-SAT Richard Dixon Poetry Reading, join The Depot for this installment Second Sunday Poetry, provided this week by OKC transplant and retired educator Richard Dixon, 2 p.m., Sept. 13. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN Cuddle Party Comedy, join the Opolis for their one and only alt weekly Sunday night comedy show all September long; this week check out local comedy

legends Ryan Drake, Bryan Thomas, Wampus Reynolds, and Alex ‘One Tie’ Sanchez, 9 p.m., Sept. 13. Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman, http://opolis.org/. SUN

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

ACTIVE

Color Outside the Lines, dive into the colorful magical pastel television test screen that is Rita Ortloff’s artwork; occasionally featuring animals and always featuring imagination, Ortloff’s works are bound to inspire. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo #A.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s, if running isn’t your thing the way doubling over and passing out in a pool of sweat and shame shouldn’t be anyone’s thing, but you still want to help support good causes such as the fight against Alzheimer’s, then this event is weirdly and specifically perfect for readers like you; additional entertainment includes a live DJ, food, and shops, as well as a plethora of information on support and resources for Alzheimer’s disease, 8 a.m., Sept. 12.

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 218-1000. SAT Peace, Love, & Pups, brought to you by The Bella Foundation, this annual dog walk lets you and Spike (or whatever your boyfriend’s name is) get out and get some exercise, all the while checking out local vendors, pet adoptions, and food trucks, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sept. 12. Duffner Park, 801 Victoria Pl., The Village, 1-866-318-PETS, thebellafoundation.org. SAT Miles Against Melanoma 5K, there are dozens of ways to contribute and raise awareness for a great cause, and running in this 5K is one of them; be sure to slather on the sunscreen before running on down to Edmond for fun and prizes, or if running isn’t your jam, you can donate online today, 7:30 a.m., Sept. 12. Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell, Edmond, 359-4630, edmondok.com/parks. SAT Cage Downtown Streetball League, just because it’s called Cage doesn’t mean these kids can’t fly; watch teams compete for prize packages and glory at this five week streetball league complete with colorcommentary, 6 P.M., Sept. 13. Downtown Community Basketball Court, 217 S. Hudson, 235-3500, downtownokc.com. SUN

VISUAL ARTS

Douglas Shaw Elder, 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 definitely the whole package Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., Norman, 360-1162, mainsite-art.com.

Enter the Matrix: Indigenous Printmakers, exhibition exploring how printmaking has become a matrix for cultural and key figures of artistic exchange. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 3253272, ou.edu/fjjma.

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.

FAC Talent 2015 Exhibition, the second annual exhibition of art by students of the Firehouse Art Center, this showcase highlights the work of talented pupils from all walks of life. Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood Ave., Norman, 329-4523, normanfirehouse.com.

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.

proViDeD

Cale Chadwick, exhibit of artwork by artist Cale Chadwick who creates pieces of art using her drawing, painting and photography skills; 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.

Dislocated Histories, in this eclectic collection of David Crismon, Joseph Mills, and Jose Rodriguez’s urban photography and mixed media masterpieces, images from the past have been altered to symbolize the bias and human element present in any historical reproduction or retelling. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

The Full Monty This musical production by The Stage Door Theatre is one of its few remaining shows to be housed at the historic Yukon Museum & Art Center, 601 Oak St., in Yukon. The Full Monty, a musical comedy adapted from the hit 1997 movie of the same name, tells how working-class men attempt to one-up the popular Chippendales male revue. Rated R. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10-$45. Visit stagedooryukon.com or call 265-1590. for okg

Friday-Sunday, ongoing

music picks see page 40

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 17

18 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Choy to the world

Eat your vegetables — or don’t, as Szechuan Bistro offers menu selections to sate almost any appetite.

Stir-fried Chinese bok choy, saltand-pepper sliced fish, doublecooked pork, an egg roll and egg drop soup at Szechuan Bistro

By GreG elwell

Prepare to be excited about bok choy.

Some vegetables are inherently boring — celery, for instance. Even when your mom made ants on a log, you were only there for the peanut butter.

But at the top of the boring vegetable heap, past celery, plain boiled potatoes and old baby carrots, is bok choy.

Sometimes called Chinese cabbage, its name in Cantonese literally translates to “white vegetable.”

Snore.

Take a look at the back of Szechuan Bistro’s menu, though, and you’ll find stir-fried Chinese bok choy ($9.75).

Peppers and oil swirl around a wok as the tender leaves of the vegetable wilt and the tough base softens.

The result is a delicate flavor with a wealth of heat. I can’t stop ordering it.

Located at 1010 W. Memorial Road, Szechuan Bistro is a Chinese restaurant where you can find veggie fried rice ($7.25), orange chicken ($10.50) and beef and broccoli ($11.45) or you can go to the back of the menu and get really good stuff.

(The orange chicken is good, by the way, but not what I was looking for.)

Skip back to the Chinese specialties, though, and you’ll find so much more to love.

But before the love fest begins, I did not enjoy the dan dan noodles.

Swimming in a powerful spicy tomato sauce, these noodles were not what I expected and not something I’ll get again.

That’s fine with me, frankly, because there are lots of things I do want to get again.

I will double-fight — with my fists and my feet — anyone

double-cooked pork

who tries to stop me from ordering double-cooked pork ($11.95). It’s a mix of sweet, spicy pork belly and tender onion slices tossed in a brown sauce so tasty, I considered drinking it.

If pigs knew how good this dish was, they’d be lining up outside butcher shops, demanding to meet their porcine maker.

As an American, I am honor-bound to love things more when they are fried.

That includes eggs, Oreos and, of course,

fish. And at Szechuan Bistro, you will find few dishes as tasty or as fried as salt-and-pepper sliced fish ($12.95). The crispy seasoned crust gives way to supple, flaky chunks of fish.

Do not feel obligated to eat the peppers that come with the fish. They imparted their flavor and their heat on the dish already; eating them will just set your mouth and innards aflame.

Clay pots are great for all sorts

Szechuan Bistro

of things: cooking, holding water, displaying erotic Greek art. But mostly the cooking thing, like in the shrimp and eggplant clay pot ($12.95). It’s a classic preparation with jumbo shrimp bulging with juiciness and succulent eggplant waiting to melt on the tongue.

Much as I profess my love for the more “authentic” Chinese dishes, I cannot pretend I didn’t get an egg roll ($1.60) or a cup of egg drop soup ($1.70).

I always get those things because I love them unabashedly when they are done well.

And, oh, how well these are done.

Crackling, crisp skin on the egg roll reveals a steamy, crunchy wealth of vegetables. And the egg drop soup is rich with perfectly blended yolks and wispy whites.

The cooks at Szechuan Bistro know what they’re doing, which gives you the freedom to explore the menu. Take chances. And if you end up back at orange chicken, well, at least you know it’s good.

Stir-fried Chinese bok choy

1010 W. memorial road | szechuanbistro.com | 752-8889 What WORkS: Double-cooked pork should be double-ordered by everybody.

What NeeDS WORk: I’m not a fan fan of dan dan noodles. tIP: Flip to the back of the menu for more adventurous fare.

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 19

p hotos by Ga rett FI s bec k

life food & drink

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OklahOma State Fair

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Call in orders available for pickup.

Closed on Sunday Follow us on Twitter @bhcajun and like us on facebook at Bighead’s in Edmond, OK

617 SOUTH BROADWAY • EDMOND • 405-340-1925

By GreG elwell

The Oklahoma State Fair is fast approaching, which means it’s time for Oklahomans everywhere to ready their bellies for another year of ridiculous food.

Even as restaurants embrace comically rich dishes and food trucks sell out of bacon-wrapped, cheese-filled, deep-fried bites of whatever, there is still something special about going to the fair and buying a meal so ludicrous that it elicits gawks and giggles from passersby.

The fair runs a glorious 10 days, Sept. 17-27, in Oklahoma City, and each of them can be experienced with a new, completely bonkers edible from its seemingly endless roster of food vendors.

Wooooo pig!

6014 N MAY | 947-7788 ZOR BA SOKC .COM

We start with bacon, because cured pork belly is the go-to signifier of fair fare.

San Diego-based The Bacon Habit returns for its fifth year with a menu that is heavily influenced by swine.

“Everybody loves bacon,” said Amber Vandewarker, who owns the truck with her husband Nathan. “We truly think it’s the meat candy.”

New to this year’s event is baconwrapped corn on the cob ($7), which is — you guessed it — local sweet corn wrapped in delicious cured pork strips.

The summer staple is cooked in a woodfired smoker then tossed on a grill until the bacon achieves perfect crispiness.

When she first came to the Oklahoma State Fair, the California math teacher offered chocolate-covered bacon, which is still a big seller.

“It’s that sweet, savory, salty mix that’s perfect,” she said.

In fact, it was so popular that she and her husband decided to bring the rest of The Bacon Habit trailer with them.

Each year, they can be found slinging pork-centric dishes like the Caveman Turkey Leg (a giant turkey leg wrapped in bacon), beer-battered bacon and bacon cheesy bombs (pepper jack cheese covered in biscuit dough, wrapped in bacon and deep-fried).

Not to be left behind, Porky’s plans to serve a pair of nontraditional burgers for bacon lovers. The waffle burger is an epic breakfast meal that stacks a burger, a fried egg, bacon, cheese and syrup between crispy waffles. Somewhere, the McGriddle quakes in its wrapper.

All of that is downright sane compared to its other Baconstein

20 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Bacon-wrapped turkey deep-fried banana pudding from Chef ray’s Street eats

A big draw for his chicken and waffles is house-made hickory syrup.

Though it doesn’t contain meat, he said the syrup instantly reminds diners of that familiar, sweet and smoky flavor.

“We’re really excited to be part of the fair,” Wilson said. “We’ve got a new truck which is basically a 33-foot-long commercial kitchen.”

Gimme sugar

monster. The bacon-cloaked donut burger might be the most deathdefyingly delicious combo of heartclogging delights ever eaten.

Meat ’n’ greet

Bacon gets all the glory, but the fair food alpha will always be the corn dog.

Brown’s Concessions combined its classic corn dog and its cheese on a stick to create the cheese corn dog. It’s a corn dog covered in cheese, dipped in batter and deep-fried.

Never fear, spice lovers. Brown’s now makes a jalapeño corn dog just for you.

Other challengers to bacon’s fair dominance include Porky’s boneless rib parfait and brisket parfait, their meats layered with barbecue sauce and mashed potatoes, and Sweet Shop’s pulled pork Juicy Lucy infused with cheese.

OKC-based Chef Ray’s Street Eats is also a new addition, offering its signature chicken and waffle. Owner Ray Wilson said everything is made from scratch and was perfected over 33 years as a chef.

Wilson also will bring a dish he hopes will catch on: deep-fried banana pudding. The from-scratch pudding is rolled into balls and then dipped into Nilla Wafer crumbs and fried, making them sweet, crunchy, creamy treats.

The fair helped launch local chocolatier CocoFlow, which returns for a 13th year of decadence, said owner Kim Leiterman.

In addition to its fair menu of chocolate-dipped cheesecake, cookie dough and strawberries, it’ll roll out deep-fried chocolate, a play on classic salty dog pralines made with salted caramel and chocolate ganache, wrapped in pastry and fried.

While The Bacon Habit largely focuses on savory eats, Vandewarker said she’s also bringing a second trailer this year. Gringo Eats features Gringo Mexican Funnel Cakes made from a weave of fresh churros. The truck also will serve deep-fried coffee, a combination of Starbucks coffee, cinnamon roll dough, chocolate chips and a hot date with a deep fryer.

All of this also means that fairgoers might need to plan two dates: one with someone to help you eat food, and one with a personal trainer.

food BriefS

p hotos by m a rk ha n coc k

By GreG elwell

Hatched plan The team behind Broadway 10 Bar & Chophouse and Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar is planning its newest restaurant in a neighborhood it knows well.

Hatch, 1101 N. Broadway Ave., will take up residence just north of Broadway 10 in the Buick Building in Automobile Alley, across the street from Sidecar.

Provision Concepts co-owners Aaron Soward and Jeff Dixon are trying to strike while it’s hot, Soward said.

“When I mean hot, I mean a lot of things,” he said. “The market is hot.

Oklahoma City is hot. Our clientele and OKC residents in general are hot for new concepts right now. So we want to do what’s right for the city and help it grow.”

Hatch will be a dedicated breakfast and brunch spot focused on giving the downtown business district an upscale, welcoming experience.

Places like Jimmy’s Egg and IHOP are great and serve a purpose, Soward said. But their vision for Hatch is an upscale eatery where entrepreneurs and progressives can feel at home.

“We want to be more of a stable in the community,” he said.

The restaurant plans to hatch in late spring 2016.

Big balls Cafe Plaid is gone from 333 W. Boyd St. in Norman, but the space will soon be occupied

by Meatball House, said Chef Andrew Black, who will open the eatery with owner Rudy Khouri.

Black said he’s eager to dispel misconceptions about the concept, which is not Italian, but international.

“Everything is built around meatballs,” he said. “Turkey, fish and potato, beef. And then you choose from sauces: chimichurri, Gorgonzola, barbecue.”

It’s a dynamic food, Black said. Every culture has a meatball, so it’s hard to find anyone who has never tried one.

With that common ground, he hopes to make the venue a Campus Corner sensation with side dishes like sea salt french fries, mac and cheese, risotto, creamed corn with candied bacon and apple salad.

Meatball House aims to open on Sept. 18.

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 21

equinox, interrupted “Is it fall yet?” she asks impatiently, pacing back and forth in front of the door.

There’s a scarf around her neck and a light jacket on her shoulders. Beads of sweat formed at her scalp begin running down her face.

“No,” you say. “Fall isn’t until Sept. 23. But we can eat like it’s fall.”

And when she wakes up from her heatstroke, that’s what you do, by god.

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

G’s Chili Company

Caffé Pranzo

Food truck itschilibaby.com | 919-2125

9622 N. May Ave. caffepranzookc.com | 755-3577

The weather outside is not frightful, and a fire would be far from delightful. But since you’re still hungry, bro, let us go, let us go, let us go ... to G’s Chili Company for a big bowl of chili mac. It doesn’t matter how hot it gets outside; the gourmet chili at G’s is a burn for which you’ll yearn. Served over spaghetti or macaroni, it’s hearty, meaty, cheesy and filling. So, when the weather does dip into sub-Saharan temps, it’s the perfect meal to warm you up.

Nothing says fall like dead leaves and spiders. But it’s also a good time for casseroles, like the classic Italian lasagna at Caffé Pranzo. When you’re not raking up tree bits or avoiding arachnids, you can slip into this comfortable neighborhood trattoria like a warm sweater and order some deliciously gooey and satisfying Italian fare. Two tips: Start with the bruschetta and save room for the Carnegie deli cheesecake.

1909 S DOUGLAS BLVD MWC 405-741-9494 7745 S WALKER (I-240 & WALKER) • 405-631-0783 20 NW 9TH • 405-270-0516 5929 N MAY • 405-843-8777 14020 N MAY • 405-418-8477

SANDBBURGERS.COM 22 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Alvarado’s Mexican Restaurant 2805 S. Broadway, Edmond alvaradosmexican.com | 359-8860

Chickens with their heads cut off do run around a bit, but they also dream.

Even as their body runs like somebody started playing “Chariots of Fire,” their tiny chicken brains are hoping that they’ll become delicious, satisfying chicken tortilla soup. There’s no higher honor than to be simmered into a creamy, delectable bowl of soup with a burst of subtle heat and crunchy, house-made tortillas.

LIKE US ON LIKE US ON

Someplace Else: A Deli & Bakery 2310 N. Western Ave. 524-0887

Benjamin Franklin famously wanted the turkey to be America’s national bird.

The idea didn’t get much traction, so we can all head into Someplace Else (the restaurant, not just some other place) and get a classic turkey sandwich without being tried for treason. It’s not indemnity against treachery, though, so please stop selling state secrets.

Pub W

Pho Tran

Das Boot Camp

3121 W. Memorial Road pubdub.com | 608-2200

937 SW 59th St. 605-1077

229 E. Main St., Norman das-bootcamp.com | 701-3748

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a pot is a wonderful thing to roast. Pub W has pot roast preparation down to a science. The cooks know exactly how to wring the most flavor out of the beef while imparting that tender mouthfeel that makes your mouth feel so tender.

And as long as you’re not wasting a mind, you can also put it to rest; Pub W serves up fluffy mashed potatoes that go perfectly with roast.

Maybe you’ve heard of pho but you’ve never tried it. That’s not good. Use this moment to make plans to visit Pho Tran for an enormous bowl of hot, spiced beef broth; tender cuts of steak; and a mountain of noodles as big as your head.

Sriracha is not, as some would tell you, mandatory. It is good, though. And nothing wards away fall chills as fast as sweating from your face and neck.

You’re not supposed to see how the sausage is made. Some think it’s because sausage is filled with unsavory animal parts, but the truth is the Sausage Makers Guild (est. 1412) forbade sharing the secret to plump, juicy sausages.

Thankfully, the Sausage Eaters Guild (est. 1412-and-three-quarters) unforbade the selling of sausages, which is why Das Boot Camp in Norman serves brats and sausages made of chicken and buffalo.

N O W H IR IN G Experienced cooks, servers & dish washers at both locations 7950 NW 39tH EXPWY | 405.495.5105 6317 N. MERIdIaN | 405.702.9862 MON – SUN | 6AM – 10PM

LIKE US! OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 23

LIFE COVER

(Un)complicated Apps and web services might get your profile and selfie swiped, but the best way to nurture a potential relationship is with real face time.

It’s a Friday night, and unlike years past, singles no longer lament, “There’s nothing to do in Oklahoma City.”

New restaurants, bars and festivals pop up faster than you can say, “Hey, look! A new food truck!” and the metro now tops many positive charts, like best place to start a new company, buy a house and raise a family.

The data also tells us there are plenty of available, single residents around, too. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more singles are standoffish about marriage, even though Oklahoma is still one of the youngest states to head to the altar (24 for women and 26 for men).

No, this isn’t contradictory; many millennials hit their 30s before they settle down. Factor in the state’s notso-great divorce rates (second highest in the country for women and third highest for men), and there are more available Okies for making friendship and love connections, regardless of age. Fifty-seven percent of OKC householders are unmarried, meaning 50,000 people are living without a significant other.

But how do they meet, where do they mingle and what are they looking for?

Noobs

For those just wading into the digital dating scene, be careful.

No place is 100 percent safe or free from trolling jerkbags. That said, these popular sites are easy to navigate and include features like “block” in addition to flirting, photo sharing and chat options.

Trait-based dating

Match.com

The tried-and-true dating app for grown-ups offers new matches daily and is friendly to everyone, from LGBTQ singles to straight daters.

Nearly 1 in 5 single Americans have tried online dating and up to one-third of new marriages (since 2005) include partners who met online, according to Pew Research Center.

With Match.com celebrating its 20th anniversary and more than 1,500 dating sites now available, the options for digital Cupid arrows is higher than ever. Like most dating sites, Match won’t share its subscription numbers, but it does say that in Oklahoma City, 45 percent of its users are women and 55 percent are men. A study by GlobalWebIndex found that 62 percent of location-based dating app users are male. It said they treated dating apps like a game and increased their options by casting a wider net, while women tended to fish more selectively.

Defining ‘social’

Earlier this year, Sheri Guyse, a local, 39-year-old life coach, used the Match. com web-based dating service for three months but declared it a “snoozefest” because it offered her a smaller dating pool than Tinder’s location-based “social discovery” app, which connects to your Facebook profile and locates singles nearby.

Passing curiosity and/or beginner

OkCupid

A less formal version of Match.com and a more in-depth version of Tinder. Plus, if you accidentally swipe left, you can change your mind. (The Match Group owns Match.com, OkCupid, Tinder and others.)

Bored, new, lazy and/or impatient

Tinder

Carrie Palmer

Tinder is exceedingly popular for all four of those reasons, but it also

24 | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

The Match app for iPhone

features an easy-to-use and straightforward interface that allows you to achieve the maximum amount of instant gratification (and regret) possible.

Meh …

Plenty of Fish If user reviews mean anything at all, you’ll be slow-trolling for months before anyone bites. But it’s an interesting app for people-gazing.

Maybe you’ll discover why you enjoy being single while you’re there.

“Tinder is fast to navigate … and has created far more desirable connections than my experience with Match,” Guyse said.

Though she went on dozens of dates with online matches, right now, she’s happily dating off the grid. “[Successful dating requires that you] show up to this life you’re living as the authentic you,” Guyse said. “If you put on an act or try to manipulate the experience, the person who would really enjoy the real you may not be able to find you.”

Match boasts that it has made more successful matches than any other service and has a reputation of drawing more commitment-oriented relationship hunters. Its monthly membership fees run between $20 and $41.

Oklahoma City relationship therapist Joshua Nichols of Family Solutions Counseling said it’s important

Novelty

Read as: “I don’t want to date my friends, but their friends are totally cute.”

Not open for a date with just anyone

Coffee Meets Bagel

This app, like many others, requires you to log in through Facebook so it can mine your interests and friends list to pair you with friends of friends, reducing your matches with weirdos — unless your friends are weirdos.

Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Dog bonding

Tindog

It doesn’t promise to get you laid, but it’ll connect your pets with other pets and you with their humans.

You can also set preferences to show dog matches, owner matches, men, women and/or couples, as well as preferred age range and location radius.

For the YouTube/Periscope/’80s video-dating throwback crowd

At First Sight

This video chat app lets you send two-minute clips to potential

M A RK HA N COC K

BY MALENA LOTT

M A RK HA N COC K

Amanda McKean and Lane Bennett

to stay grounded when online.

“Just realize that an online presence does not adequately reflect someone’s character or personality,” Nichols said.

He recommended having at least a handful of app or online chats before considering a safe, in-person meetup.

Fees — and patience — were smart investments for OKC property manager Amanda McKean, 26, and mechanical engineer Lane Bennett, 29, who met on Match and are now engaged.

McKean believes the best place for women to meet guys is online because “we have an opportunity to see what kind of person is emailing us as opposed to them walking up to us in a bar.”

A good match often comes from chemistry, compatibility and good communication, but it also comes when you’re prepared for it. Nichols believes focusing on self-care and achieving goals greatly improves someone’s chances of finding love.

“When we are selecting someone to be in a relationship, we are usually matches and make video and free voice calls. You can even “yo” your new connections and friends. (Is a “yo” less creepy than a Facebook “poke”? You be the judge!)

Big-Hearted Dreamers

Some folks require more attention than others. In other words, these apps help you satisfy that need to know that people like you, they really like you … and they might be watching you wherever you go.

looking for someone who simply knows how to ‘do life’ and they seem to ‘do it well,’” he said. “I believe the perception of ‘moving forward’ in life is a huge component in one’s attraction formula.”

It might sound counterintuitive, but Nichols also advised against hiding behind a computer screen.

“It is a lot easier to get rejected by someone online than in person because the screen takes certain interpersonal components out of the equation,” he said. “Seeking and finding a mate takes courage through vulnerability … To approach someone in person — to make eye contact, to make conversation and to eventually ask them out on a date — takes much, much more courage.”

An app isn’t and shouldn’t be the only tool in your dating arsenal.

“Put yourself out there in a way that truly reflects what it means to be ‘social,’” he said. “Dating sites have a way of making people into cowards if you’re not careful.”

The human touch (but not in a weird way)

Once

The simple app is highly rated for its ease of use, and all matches (one per day) are supposedly hand-picked by real, live humans.

The human touch (in an “I missed it” way)

Happn

For die-hard fans of Craigslist’s “missed connections,” find that Spokies rider you were too nervous to say hello to or learn if your neighbor harbors a secret crush.

And women, you get unlimited, free

Get. Out.

Mitch McCuistian, a 28-year-old OKC attorney, hasn’t used an online dating service and prefers meeting women the old-fashioned way: in real life.

His favorite local date spot is Ranch Steakhouse due to its overall vibe and great food.

He met his last girlfriend at H&8th Night Market, the monthly, downtown street festival on Hudson Avenue. His advice for single men is to be confident and start a conversation.

Indeed, the city itself can be a single’s best sidekick, providing a low-pressure environment for meetups and fun.

Oklahoma City Thunder games, watch and tailgate parties, concerts and festivals also were mentioned as ideal spots to meet new friends and find a potential love match.

Singles of all ages pack dimly lit, swanky O Bar atop the historic Ambassador Hotel, swarm the scenic rooftop of Packard’s New American Kitchen after sunset or sip an

“charm” use. (Sorry, guys; you have to pay for your charm.)

Stalker fodder

Hatch

If you need something to obsessively humiliate and/or control, try a virtual pet. We recommend Hatch.

Upside/downside: It’ll do pretty much anything you want except put the lotion on its skin, and if you give it the hose again, well, you’ll ruin your phone.

Maybe I’m really lucky, but all my professional women friends are fun-loving, sensitive, low-drama, team-player types.

— Carrie Palmer

eponymous cocktail at the intimate Sidecar Barley & Wine Bar. Located in the Uptown 23rd district, The Pump Bar’s large patio is another popular new hangout for casual drinks.

VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, located in the Western Avenue district, recently reopened and offers an after-hours stop in an area that includes The Barrel and Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Specialty

Gay men

Adventurous and unconventional meet-ups

DTF

Grindr

Some people want more from dating apps than “liking” “winking” and swiping left or right. If “some people” means you, you’re not alone.

3ndr

For the open-minded, kinky and curious, this “threesome” app is everything-friendly, with added privacy controls that allow you to hide yourself from social networks like Facebook.

Gay, bi and curious men can search by “tribe” (twink, jock, bear, etc.) to meet, flirt, trade photos, chat, hook up and date.

Down Formerly called Bang With Friends, this straightforward app lets you choose “get down” when you’re in the mood for no-strings shenanigans, or “get date” if you’re looking for a bit more.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | 25

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Featuring artwork

by Robert Peterson

Access to Counseling and Case Management

Joshua Nichols

While attorney Carrie Palmer met her last two long-term boyfriends at bars, she said women go out together primarily to connect with each other, not to meet the opposite sex. Being in a “girls night out” group might make a woman appear less approachable.

Dating sites have a way of making people into cowards if you’re not careful.

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— Joshua Nichols With her busy schedule, she found it too difficult to keep up with messages she received on dating sites and felt that there were better ways for professionals to meet.

Many female professionals are prejudged as tough, controlling and unattainable, but Palmer hasn’t found any truth in the stereotype.

“Maybe I’m really lucky, but all my professional women friends are

8/25/15 11:04 AM

Cheaters

Ashley Madison Nope. Just … don’t.

Douse If you’re looking for FWB or just curiously seeking a bit of strange from other app users near you.

fun-loving, sensitive, low-drama, teamplayer types,” she said. “[They] just want an honest, caring man who’s not out to take advantage of them, who can have fun and share great chemistry.”

Palmer recently created Aerie Connections, a networking group that introduces connectors to one another, including personal and professional relationships, to further broaden its scope of potential matches. With the credo “Those who ask not, have not,” it relies on its members to share contacts.

This fall, she hopes to launch an app and website to complement Aerie Connections meetups.

Creating a framework around friends’ or colleagues’ connections could be perfect bait for local singles.

The singles interviewed by Oklahoma Gazette said they’d like to request personal connections from friends, but many never have and wondered why, which means they’re left to their own devices, and that often means using a device.

That app strategy worked for Jon, a 35-year-old local artist now in a committed relationship after a woman

SelfImprovement

Self-improvement is always important. So is getting the lowdown about some dude you’re thinking about having dinner/ date/sex with … from complete strangers. Well, that’s important to some of us. To those, we recommend:

found him on Match and made the first move. (Yes, women, you can do that.)

“Everyone is different, and different methods will work for different people,” said Jon, who requested that his full name not be used in this story.

But some things never change, like his advice to other singles: “You get out of it what you put into it. Don’t be a dirtbag.”

BY THE NUMBERS • 1 in 5 Americans have tried online dating • 33 percent of marriages include partners who met online • There are more than 1,500 dating apps and online services • 55 percent of Oklahoma’s Match.com users are men • 57 percent of OKC householders are “unmarried” • 62 percent of location-based dating app and online service users are men

Sources: Pew Research Center, U.S. Census data, Match.com, GlobalWebIndex

Anonymous public opinion

Passive change

Women can rate dates and men can get “intelligence” feedback on everything from your sense of humor to your agility in the sack.

We want to make fun of this, but if it helps you get laid, it can’t be all bad, right? This “mind training” app offers prerecorded hypnosis sessions to help you refocus. And we think this app’s name really needs an exclamation point at the end of it to make it more, you know, emphatic.

LuLu

I Can Be Great in Bed

— By Jennifer Chancellor

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LIFE CULTURE

Perle party Twenty years ago, one neighborhood learned how to throw a bash big enough for the whole city.

BY GREG HORTON

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday Perle Mesta Park 1900 N. Shartel Ave. mestapark.org Free All ages

What started as a friendly gathering returns this year for its 20th anniversary as one of the metro’s largest festivals.

“The neighborhood association formed in the 1980s, and they wanted to do a home tour,” said Harry Meister, Mesta Park resident and one of Mesta Festa’s coordinators. “The block party was going to be a way to get neighbors out to meet each other and raise some funds to kick start the home tour.”

At first, the association blocked off portions of NW 17th Street and the party happened on residents’ front lawns.

The fest grew every year, and Meister said they started inviting people from outside the neighborhood and moved the throng to Perle Mesta Park.

“We were blessed in the early years to have great sponsors,” Meister said.

Suds are an important component in Mesta Festa, so much so that Meister said the festival has always been known as a place to find good music, good food and good drinks. At the time the celebration moved to the park, a resident owned The Brew Shop.

“He brought home-brewed beer, and he encouraged others to do it also,” Meister said.

Jill DeLozier, event chairwoman, said the addition of wine has helped raise even more money to maintain the historic neighborhood.

“The funds go to several different projects,” DeLozier said. “We use the money for improvements in the PROVID ED

Mesta Festa

neighborhood, lighting, street signs and the tree program.”

Mesta Park lost many of its trees to Dutch elm disease in the ’70s. To help restore the streetscape, the association offers folks professional tree planting at a reduced rate.

Funds also help with improvements and maintenance for Perle Mesta Park.

“Parks & Rec is really responsible for the park,” DeLozier said, “but we use the funds to supplement projects … beyond what [they] can do.”

Meister said residents have always been committed to the area.

“Many of the people who formed [the neighborhood association] were really urban pioneers,” he said.

When the major restoration of the community was happening ahead of improvements downtown, Meister said the neighbors adopted a “barn-raising” mentality.

“People would help their neighbors with wiring, infrastructure and other tasks that come with restoring historic homes,” he said. “Those who ignored the realtors telling people to move to Edmond for a good education for their kids, who understood how good Wilson Elementary and Classen SAS are, those people stayed and that pioneering mentality is still present in the young families we are now seeing.”

Mesta Festa is far too large now to pull off without coordinated volunteers and a committee to strategize. In fact, part of Meister’s job is to pull in sponsors, a task that is far easier these days.

DeLozier said the fun attracts all

kinds of businesses, and this year, for the first time, shopping is part of Mesta Festa, as pop-up shops featuring local businesses, organizations and artists will be present.

“Local businesses see the festival as a chance to connect with [those] who live right around downtown,” DeLozier said.

New sponsors include Oak & Ore, The Pump Bar and Power House.

The jamboree is a family event, so there are activities for kids, including an introductory yoga class with Jodi Fritts, sack races, bouncy houses and a scavenger hunt. For adults, there is yoga, bocce, volleyball, giant Jenga and other activities, including a stationary bike race sponsored

by Spokies.

DeLozier said food trucks will offer shaved ice, hot dogs, ramen and sliders.

Access to booze is restricted to those over 21, and a wristband costs $20. Beer and wine are not allowed outside the beer garden area.

Live music begins at 10 a.m. Artists, including Rachel Brashear and The So Help Me’s, will play with the ACM@ UCO band, and dancers from Studio 7 will also perform twice during the festival.

A special appearance from the Thunder Drummers is scheduled at 12:30 p.m.

Uptown 23rd will sponsor a parklet on Lee Avenue, adjacent to the park, featuring artificial grass, tables and chairs.

DeLozier said there will be 16 parklets set up in 11 areas for the festival on Saturday.

Mesta Festa is free and open to the public, with the exception of the beer and wine garden.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | 27

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28 | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

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Inspiring confidence

Conversations of Hope raises funds for those afflicted with eating disorders.

BY KELLY MACNEIL

Conversations of Hope 6 p.m. Friday The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City 1 Park Ave. okeatingdisorders.org/conversations-of-hope Free $30 suggested donation

When Joehdi Kyle was 31 years old, a gust of wind blew her over in a parking lot. She was so frail that she broke a hip.

But when Joehdi arrived at the hospital, doctors weren’t most concerned about her injury. Her electrolytes and other health indicators were so poor they had to focus on keeping her heart from failing.

Joehdi had anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that is the most deadly mental disorder in the country, more so than depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

She succumbed to the disease in 2012, at age 33.

Joehdi’s mother, Julie Walker, has since made it her mission to teach Oklahomans about how serious and pernicious eating disorders can be.

“People won’t talk about it. I’m not sure why,” Walker said. “If you start talking about it, many times people know someone who’s been affected. It touches a lot of people, but they don’t realize what a horrible disease it is.”

Walker said her daughter’s problems began on a routine doctor’s visit a year after she gave birth to her son. Joehdi noticed that her medical chart classified her as “obese” and was horrified.

She immediately began the thenfashionable South Beach Diet. Phase One of the diet, the most restrictive, was supposed to last two weeks, but Joehdi

never moved past it. She weighed about 80 pounds when she died, her mother said.

For years, Walker couldn’t find the support she needed for her daughter.

That’s why she’s now a board member of the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association (OEDA). The organization works to raise awareness of and provide resources for people with eating disorders and their families.

About 20 million women and 10 million men nationwide are diagnosed with an eating disorder at some point in their life.

“Eating disorders don’t discriminate between age or race or income. It’s prevalent everywhere. And it’s being diagnosed more and more in males, which you haven’t traditionally heard about,” said OEDA Executive Director Victoria Renard.

That’s one of the reasons the headliner at this year’s Conversations of Hope fundraising dinner is Brian Cuban, author of Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

The dinner is free, but reservations are required and a $30 donation is suggested. Renard said the event is a chance to bring friends and family together to inspire recovery.

Renard considers herself an OEDA success story. She kept her own disorder a secret during high school, but in college, things got out of control. When she heard a talk by a visiting OEDA speaker, the remarks hit home.

“That day, I realized I needed help,” Renard said.

With “counseling and a lot of prayer,” she went into recovery.

VI C TORI A RE N A RD / P ROVI DE D

LIFE HEALTH

life visual arts

No squares

MICHAEL BARIN BRACELET exclusively at

The popular 12x12 annual fundraiser and art exhibition celebrates its biggest event yet with more than 170 artists.

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from top left Art by Betty Refour, Bert Seabourn, John Hammer from bottom left Leslie Dallam, Marissa Raglin, Marvin Lee

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 | 5:30 P.M.

12x12 7-10 p.m. friday science Museum oklahoma 2100 ne 52nd st. ovac-ok.org $30-$35 note: Bids close at 9 p.m.

More than 170 artists will showcase work at 12x12 on Friday, making it the largest event in its 26-year history.

Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) expanded the annual fundraiser due to its popularity.

“Last year, we sold 144 of 150 pieces submitted,” said Holly Moye, OVAC executive director.

And since each presenter who sold a work was invited back, Moye said the organization created more slots to feature new and up-and-coming artists.

Blind and silent bids start at $175 for each 12-inch by 12-inch piece, and artists usually share one-half of each sale (or more) with the coalition.

“Not only is the art affordable, but [its size] fits pretty easily into anyone’s home,” Moye said. “Most people have that kind of space available.”

If bidders are afraid they might lose a piece they especially like, they can also purchase it outright with a “buy it now” option.

Lauren Scarpello, OVAC associate director, said 12x12 generates around 20 percent of the nonprofit’s annual budget. As the only “steady source” of artist-related grants in the state, it has generated almost $40,000 to help fund local artists and projects, Moye said.

Annually, OVAC furthers the education, exposure and funding of more than 1,700 artists, connects close to 25,000 people to their work and teaches 3,500 youth via publications and events. Friday’s event enables Oklahomans to meet and mingle with the state’s talented artist community in ways traditional gallery shows don’t accommodate.

Not only is the art affordable, but [its size] fits pretty easily into anyone’s home.

Early Summer (1951) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 | 8 P.M.

— Holly Moye First, there are no restrictions put upon the visual art other than its size.

Scarpello said artists work in mediums such as painting, jewelry, mixed media, sculpture, fabric, knitting, photography and ceramics.

Live music also welcomes guests as they browse and bid. Performances by singer-songwriter Jamie Bramble and jazz-pop-Americana amalgam Harumph and food from around 30 local eateries are included in the ticket price. A cash bar also is available.

Learn more at ovac-ok.org.

The Kindergarten Teacher FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 | 5:30 P.M. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 | 8 P.M. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 | 5:30 P.M.

A Poem is a Naked Person FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 | 8 P.M. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 | 5:30 P.M. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 | 2 P.M.

FOR MOVIE DESCRIPTIONS AND TICKET SALES VISIT

WWW.OKCMOA.COM OklahOma Gazette | September 9, 2015 | 29

“Guthrie thunderhead” David Holland

Atmospheric interpretation A collection of cloudscapes is on display at Myriad Botanical Gardens.

By alissa linDsey

Interpreting Clouds artist reception 5-7 p.m. thursday south lobby Crystal Bridge tropical Conservatory Myriad Botanical Gardens 301 W. reno ave. davidhollandartist.com 297-3995 free

His paintings show shapes Oklahomans know well, his favorite a moniker of possible dread wrapped in a delightful and delicate coat of multihued cotton. Oklahoma City artist David Holland has his first exhibit of cloudscapes at Myriad Botanical Gardens this month.

Interpreting Clouds is on display until Oct. 15 in Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory’s South Lobby, 301 West Reno Ave. The show includes a free artist reception open to the public 5-7 p.m. Thursday.

The Lawton-born artist has lived in OKC since 1977 and said he became interested in the subject matter in the late ’80s when he did a drawing of a highway overpass with a cloud in the distance. A full-time artist since 2012, Holland is excited to reach a new audience.

“It’s really a great opportunity for me as an artist just because it’s one location in Oklahoma City that gets a lot of different people coming to it,” he said. “There’s a whole segment of the population that have probably never stepped into a gallery. So it’s good to get exposure in different venues that maybe aren’t as intimidating as a gallery.”

30 | September 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

The artist’s favorite subjects are cumulonimbus clouds.

“When you get a thunderstorm and it sort of reach its mature state, the top of the thunderstorm hits a level in the atmosphere that it can’t penetrate,” Holland said. “Right before sunset are the ones that I really like to depict the best because the thunderstorm reflects the light of the sunset colors.”

As a self-identified storm follower, Holland is in his element here in Tornado Alley, engulfed in the clash between warm and cool air, which the artist said makes for one of the best places to witness and photograph thunderstorms.

Through his oil paintings, Holland hopes to convey a respect and appreciation for the beauty of nature.

“Storms are a mixed blessing,” he said. “They can really be destructive, but without them, we can’t get water.

I see them as the vehicle that spreads water throughout the earth.”

He likes to take several hundred photos of a storm and then use those to inform his work. He begins with an outline of the cloud shape and uses oil painting glazes to achieve the color effects he needs.

“It took me a long time to figure out how many colors there are in clouds because there’s all these really subtle changes of shades of colors,” he said.

Holland will be featured at the OKC Festival of the Arts for the third time in April. Visit davidhollandartist. com to see more of his work.

p roVI De D

life visual arts

p roVI De D

Cynthia Brown’s art in Lost in Oklahoma

Abstract finding Cynthia Brown’s art is a prayer she sends into the world.

By Kaley Patterson

Lost in Oklahoma Monday through nov. 15 east Gallery oklahoma state Capitol 2300 n. lincoln Blvd. cynthiaannebrown.com free

Getting lost in Oklahoma wasn’t hard for Cynthia Brown.

“My husband and I have been making art and been a part of the art scene in Tulsa since the ’90s,” Brown said. “We’d have all of these wonderful shows and 20 people would come. We felt lost and kind of hopeless as artists.”

Now, Brown’s work is wellreceived. Her latest exhibition, Lost in Oklahoma, features more than 30 paintings and will be showcased Monday through Nov. 15 at Oklahoma State Capitol’s East Gallery.

“It’s not really about my life as an artist today,” she said, “but it’s about remembering what it’s been like being an artist the past three decades in Oklahoma.”

Brown describes her time of loss as being caused by some of the conservative values in the state and its lack of art education as well as her self-doubt.

In the ’80s, she was a painter, but she transitioned into ceramics and was successful. She was an art teacher at Tulsa Public Schools for 10 years and quit in 2013 to create.

“That has allowed me to focus.

Every day, I paint — every single day,” Brown said.

Once she focused her craft and started believing in her abilities, her

art began to receive recognition.

She said she was essentially “found” when she discovered her niche in abstract painting.

“I’m an intuitive painter, and I embed my paintings with prayers, hopes, dreams, and then I paint on those and totally let go of my fear,” Brown said.

Her paintings in Lost in Oklahoma are colorful mixed media pieces made with pastels, charcoal, graphite and acrylic paint. She also listens to vintage country when she works and said the flavor of the music comes through her creations.

“I listen to Bob Wills and George Jones, so I still listen to that some,” Brown said. “The title of that show, Lost in Oklahoma, is a Hank Williams III song, Hank Williams’ grandson.”

She is a born-and-raised Oklahoman who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from the University of Tulsa. Her work is represented by the M.A. Doran Gallery in Tulsa and The William and Joseph Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In 2014, she was selected as an artist in residence by the Mark Rothko Art Centre in Daugavpils, Latvia, where her work resides permanently in its collection.

“I’m found,” Brown said. “I’m definitely found. I’m full of gratitude every day for having success finally.”

Oklahoma State Capitol’s East Gallery is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday. It is located on the first floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.

MESTAFESTA.ORG

KAY OKLAHOMA HOUSE

FLOYD STATE SENATE

OklahOma Gazette | September 9, 2015 | 31

LIFE PERFORMING ARTS

Theater time OCU’s production of Metamorphoses

BY KALEY PATTERSON

Oklahoma City University (OCU) Theatre’s 2015-16 season features many plays dealing with transformative human nature along with the school’s first festival of solo performance.

D. Lance Marsh, artistic director and head of performance for TheatreOCU, usually tries to stay away from themed seasons. But the metamorphosis aspect of each production presented itself as the selection grew.

“A lot of these plays are about transformation, the power of looking at yourself and looking at the world through someone else’s eyes and how becoming transformed is really about being a human being,” Marsh said.

TheatreOCU starts its fall season with a co-production of Peter and the Starcatcher Sept. 18-27 with Oklahoma

W E N DY M UTZ / P ROVI DE D

Oklahoma City University Theatre launches its season with a selection of plays performed with pros and students.

City Repertory Theatre (CityRep) where some roles will be filled by local professionals and local community actors along with OCU students and faculty.

The play is the prequel to Peter Pan and details how Peter became Pan. Oct. 22-24, TheatreOCU will perform Oxygen, which is a scientific mystery about who the Nobel Prize should be awarded to for the discovery of oxygen. The play features unexpected twists and turns while alternating between time periods.

Later next month, TheatreOCU presents a festival of solo performances with three different solo performances by members of Actors’ Equity Association.

The festival runs Oct. 28-31 in Walker Center. Luke Eddy, movement professor at OCU, will perform the Irish vampire/

ghost story St. Nicholas. Lisa Dalton will take the stage with a one-woman show based on Russian author Anton Chekhov’s short story The Darling. Los Angeles-based actor Doug Tompos will perform Bent to the Flame: A Night in the Life of Tennessee Williams.

“It’s interesting to watch a play where it’s one actor transforming into a character and to see one person carry the ark of the story,” Marsh said.

TheatreOCU will end its fall lineup with The Man Who Came to Dinner Dec. 4-12 in Burg Theatre. The play is a classic American farce from the middle of the 20th century centered on a famous radio personality who happens to be a curmudgeon. Over the course of the play, he learns how to value the people in his life.

Feb. 5-13, TheatreOCU performs a co-production of The Giver with Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, and the play is based on the young adult novel

by Lois Lowry. The story focuses on a futuristic community where everyone is happy, except for one person who holds all the burdens.

Feb. 26-28, TheatreOCU will produce The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.

The play will be performed in the Moot Courtroom in the OCU School of Law in downtown Oklahoma City. The performance will be a staged reading set up in the confines of the courtroom with the audience sitting across the bar.

Visit okcu.edu/theatre/theatreocu for more information about TheatreOCU’s 2015-16 season or to purchase tickets.

Kevin James as The Inventor

TH E ILLU SIONISTS / PROVIDE D

Revealing innovation

With its bold lineup of unconventional and boundary-busting talent, it’s no secret why The Illusionists is an international phenomenon.

BY GREG HORTON

The Illusionists: Live from Broadway 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sept. 17 Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. celebrityattractions.com 297-2264 $25-75

Kevin James’ transformation began at an early age.

“I grew up in a small village,” James said. “One day, a magician performed at our elementary school; I knew immediately that was what I wanted to do with my life.”

And so he has.

James watched the entertainment genre’s popularity wax and wane over the

years, but at age 53, he has indeed made a career of it.

He is The Inventor, one of seven acts featured in The Illusionists: Live from Broadway, a globe-trotting spectacular that includes mind-reading, levitation, illusion, comedy and innovation.

He followed the lead of inspirations such as Doug Henning, who innovated the genre through the ’70s and ’80s with his charismatic, made-for-TV takes on Harry Houdini’s classic Chinese Water Torture Cell and Metamorphosis tricks.

“Henning paved the way for what would come later,” James said. “He revived an interest in magic, and then David Copperfield followed in the 1980s.”

The industry fell into a slump as it hit the millennium, though stars — former and current — always found a

32 | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

willing audience in Las Vegas.

“I had some difficult jobs when I was just trying to pay the bills,” James said.

“In the early years, I was trying to figure out my voice and understand what will sell.”

Things changed for him about four years ago, and he credits The Illusionists, a production that breaks the tried-andtrue definitions and artistry in at least two ways.

“With magic shows, you’re usually focused on a headliner [and] watching the warm-up acts to get to the big name,” James said.

In this show, there are seven main acts: James, Dan Sperry as The Anti-Conjuror, Yu Ho-Jin as The Manipulator, Andrew Basso as The Escapologist, Jeff Hobson as The Trickster, Ben Blaque as The Weapon

Master and Jonathan Goodwin as The Daredevil.

Three years ago, the crew got together for a three-week run at the Sydney Opera House.

“The synergy was incredible,” James said. “We broke box-office records in Australia.”

Lauded by press, the show now includes a cast and crew of 40 as it tours North America, with additional dates set on Broadway and in London, as well as a successful merchandising line that features everything from magic kits to logo magnets.

“You’re going to see things you’ve never seen before,” James said.

If the reviews are any indication, that is not hyperbole. The show is about two hours long, including intermission.

LIFE BOOKS

Resounding Crash Melissa DeCarlo celebrates the release of her outstanding debut with an event at Full Circle Bookstore.

The

StageDoor Theatre

The Art of Crash Landing, the first novel by Melissa DeCarlo, tells the story of Mattie Wallace, a smartmouthed young woman who seems to be followed around by a dark cloud of ill will.

Her alcoholic mother is dead, her ex-stepfather is ailing and she’s trying to ignore the fact that she’s pregnant with her deadbeat boyfriend’s child.

When a call from an attorney beckons her to a small Oklahoma town, she sees it as a perfect excuse to run away from her problems in Florida and travel halfway across the country in an old Chevy Malibu full of charm and a sense of impending doom.

Unfortunately, Mattie’s problems eventually catch up to her.

With this stunning debut novel, DeCarlo has loudly claimed her seat at the table of today’s elite contemporary Southern women writers including Joshilyn Jackson, Fannie Flagg and Sue Monk Kidd.

They continue the work of literary giants like Carson McCullers, Eudora Welty and Flannery O’Connor, crafting haunting stories about the peculiar, the impolite, the freakish, the skeletons tucked away in closets — places and people that are so much stranger than fiction that there’s a good chance they’re living next door.

All of DeCarlo’s carefully drawn characters are considered “Southern freaks,” individuals who possess qualities of the “other” but somehow seem completely commonplace. They belong and don’t belong; they make their homes somewhere between “normal” and the grotesque dereliction of the gothic South. Mattie leaves one set of freaks behind in Florida only to acquire a handful of new ones in

BATTEN P HOTOGRA P HY / P ROVI DED

BY BRITTANY PICKERING

Melissa DeCarlo

Gandy, Oklahoma: a helpful paralegal in a wheelchair who likes Mattie enough to make her uncomfortable, an angsty teenager who reminds Mattie a little too much of herself, a loud church helper in an abusive marriage who holds a key to Mattie’s mother’s past, a foul-tempered mechanic who isn’t at all what he seems. All of them help her uncover the secrets of her past and point the way into her future.

The Art of Crash Landing, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, hit bookstores Sept.

8 and has been lauded by Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.

LibraryReads, a monthly list of books recommended by librarians across the country, chose Crash Landing as its No. 1 pick for September.

DeCarlo was born and raised in Oklahoma City and now lives in East Texas with her husband and pets.

The author will sign copies of her book 3 p.m. Sept. 26 at Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway.

Visit fullcirclebooks.com and melissadecarlo.com for more information.

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | 33

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. 0830, which appeared in the September 2 issue.

S L I P

P E N A

L A D Y

H U R R A H

A S A U N I T

M E R C Y M E

R E A S S N U P R R E

O N P A T R O L

A G R A

34 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

A S I D E

T H E A R M M Y E H E W A E N N E U S I A T S E W S E P Y

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

A T M M I C

H O C K E Y M A S K

A I M M C A C M R D I O G I T

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

J A E D D E S L C Y O C T E U S M T P O A E K A T S C T R O O N W E

A X I L L A R Y

C L O S E C U T

K E N

S I B E R I A

S T A T I N G

H A S A G O

O S T E

P E A K

I S P S

N Y S E

By Lee Taylor / Edited by Will Shortz

ACROSS 1 Fake blood, e.g.

4 Many establishments on Paris’s Boulevard Saint-Germain 9 Enjoy thoroughly 14 Ex-Mrs. Trump 19 Person behind a strike?

20 Cause of a 2014 epidemic 21 Word with light or horse 22 Figure in Jewish folklore 23 One time around 24 “He who hesitates is lost, but …”

27 Beat around the bush?

29 Mathematician Fibonacci 30 N.B.A. team once coached by Larry Bird 31 DVR lineup 33 Rich cake 34 Brown who wrote The Diana Chronicles 35 Handles 37 Silliness 41 Half-and-half, maybe 42 Park place 46 ____ game 49 Kind of arch 50 Frequent subject of fibbing 51 ____ Soetoro, stepfather of Barack Obama 52 Longest river entirely within Switzerland 53 Group of Coyotes, for short 54 Name on a toy truck 56 To the point 57 Empty-stomach sound 59 ____ limit (sign at the edge of town) 60 Sound 62 Crumbly cheeses 64 Arctic lights 66 Regimented resort 68 See 73-Across 69 Locale of the 15-Down Eyjafjallajökull 70 Decked out 71 Like pop-ups 73 Check for 68-Across 74 2006 Pixar film 75 Heavy drinker, in slang 77 Out of the barn, say 79 ESPNU covers it 82 Celestial altar 83 Gladly, old-style 84 Steer closer to the wind

85 86 88 89 91 92 94 96 97 102 103 106 108 111 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122

It borders the N. Atl. Prison escape path, maybe A sharp equivalent Sing the praises of Unused Give the right Second chances for students Head of an inn?

Caliban in The Tempest, e.g.

Pooh-bah Get into Part of a dominatrix’s outfit Babe in the woods “You can’t judge a book by its cover, but …” “____ no idea” Blazing stars Pairs are seen in it Emulate Isocrates Birth-certificate datum Paradises Chemical ____ Trig functions Boom source

DOWN 1 [Um, this can’t be good] 2 All-Star second baseman Infante 3 “Birds of a feather flock together, but …”

4 Solo features of six Bach suites 5 Blood-type system 6 “Great minds think alike, but …”

7 Actress Sommer 8 Clog 9 Till now 10 Left at sea 11 Like some salsa 12 Stackable dessert item 13 2004 musical biopic for which the star won Best Actor 14 Pet in the comic strip “FoxTrot” 15 See 69-Across 16 “Helm ____!” (captain’s cry) 17 Within view 18 Ratchets (up) 25 Ambient music innovator Brian 26 Put forward 28 “Huh?” 32 It’s a trap 34 “Slow and steady wins the race, but …”

35 Shanghai nursemaid 36 Winter Olympics sport

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38 “Knowledge is power, but …”

39 1943 conference site 40 Checked online reviews of, modern-style 43 Here/there connector 44 One on staff?

45 Sphere of civilian activity during war 46 Trifle 47 Cousin of Sven 48 Michael Sheen’s character in Twilight 55 Mystical Muslims 56 Broadcast 58 Ill-gotten gains 59 Port on the Panama Canal 61 D.C.’s ____ Constitution Hall 63 Personal quirk

113

65 “Born to Die” singer Lana Del ____ 66 Pretense 67 Galloping 71 Part of SEATO 72 Billet-____ 76 Gal ____ 78 More than once in a while 80 You may have a great one in your family 81 Part of M.F.A. 87 Like some mountain guides 88 Oh-so-bored 90 Glee star ____ Michele 91 It may mean “Pet me!”

93 Comedian Daniel and musician Peter 95 Broadsides, informally 97 Rooting interest 98 Compare

114

0906

NeW YORk TimeS mAgAziNe CROSSWORD Puzzle conflicting advice

99 Not nodding 100 Nov. 11 honoree

Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute). The answers to the New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle that appeared in the September 2 issue of Oklahoma Gazette are shown at left.

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OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 35

Tech tourney Supporting students financially is the goal of Metro Tech Foundation’s first Golf Tournament.

BY BRENDAN HOOVER

Metro Tech Foundation Golf Tournament 8 a.m. Friday Lincoln Park Golf Club 4001 NE Grand Blvd. metrotech.edu/foundation 595-4403 $110-$420

Cathy Poteet sometimes gets letters of appreciation from students who went on to college or started their careers thanks to the education and training received at Oklahoma City’s Metro Technology Centers.

“Oklahoma City has a lot of impoverished areas, so when students come to class here, they oftentimes come with a lot of problems, many of them financial,” said Poteet, assistant director of Metro Tech Foundation. “Our mission here at Metro Tech is to help the students be successful so that they can go into the workforce and flourish.”

To advance that mission, Metro Tech Foundation holds its first golf tournament 8 a.m. Friday on the west course at Lincoln Park Golf Club, 4001 NE Grand Blvd. Registration for the four-man scramble begins at 7 a.m. The foundation is seeking late entrants and corporate sponsors.

Helping students

For more than 25 years, the foundation has helped students realize aspirations and change economic reality through good careers. The nonprofit also provides financial support to high school and adult students enrolled in career training programs at Metro Technology Centers.

“The student need is always great, so we continually look for effective ways to increase the foundation’s annual contributions,” said Cindy Friedemann, the foundation’s executive director.

“The

36 | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

Metro Career Academy English teacher Tessa Martin works with students at Metro Technology Centers. tournament provides a fun way to raise funds for the needs of students facing challenges detrimental to their achievement in the classroom. When we help solve a problem, our students are one step closer to success.”

It assists over 300 students, and recent donor support provided over $120,000 in scholarships and grants. Some of the money pays for basic needs such as housing and transportation assistance, student tools and reimbursement for professional certification exams. It also offers a range of grants, scholarships and awards for academically successful students.

Metro Tech provides full-time career majors in fields such as health science, information technology, business management and engineering.

Poteet said that Metro Tech is good for people who want to be college-ready or learn the skills necessary to enter today’s workforce.

Event details

The early registration period has ended for the golf tournament, but late registration is available for $420 per team or $110 per player.

The fee includes cart, green fees and lunch.

Mulligans and raffle tickets for prizes will be available on site, and prizes will be awarded in longest drive, closestto-the-pin and holein-one contests. Several corporate sponsorship levels are available, and prize sponsors are also needed.

Visit metrotech.edu/ foundation for more information, or call 5954403.

A K / P ROVI DE D

LIFE ACTIVE

LIFe MUSIC

Night lights Li N dsAY LoHdeN / p rovi ded

Jonathan Tyler brings his Southern-style music to Grady’s in Yukon.

By ADAM HoLt

Jonathan tyler 8 p.m. thursday Grady’s 66 Pub 444 W. Main St., yukon gradys66pub.com 354-8789 $10-$12

After an initial welcome with open arms to the Dallas and national music scene, complete with tours and accolades, reality took a sharp curve for Jonathan Tyler and his band. A lawsuit leading to a name change, fallout with the band’s former label and heavy drinking left an uncertain future for Tyler. With their third release, Holy Smokes, Tyler, 30, and his band have turned a corner, creating an energetic and positive record.

They perform Thursday at Grady’s 66 Pub, 444 W. Main St., in Yukon.

Expectations for Holy Smokes, Tyler’s first album since 2010’s Pardon Me and third overall, could easily have been akin to a blues rock version of Beck’s Sea Change, a work focusing on the woes of the recent past. However, Tyler offered up a record sounding like an artist breaking free of chains and smiling while shrugging off the weight.

“It’s just life itself. Different experiences,” he said when asked about the comparison between his last two albums.

Origin story

To get to the origin of Tyler and his band’s sound, one must go to his childhood.

The Alabama native was introduced to the guitar at age 13 by way of a surprise gift from his parents.

“I got a guitar for Christmas and

started playing with other kids in the neighborhood,” he said.

He began writing songs the following years. Being the mid-1990s, the rock music landscape differed from Tyler’s current love and output, which is bluesy rock with hints of soul and country.

Alternative acts Green Day and Weezer, both early influences on the guitarist, were new names then. However, it is the music of the Deep South that has had the largest effect on his songwriting.

“I grew up on Southern rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd and stuff like that,” he said.

It is this style, with a dash of soul and pop sensibility, that is injected into Tyler’s music. The twang of Fender Telecasters, metallic ascending and descending notes of guitar slides and droning organs are no strangers, a stark contrast to anything in Green Day’s catalogue.

The band developed in Dallas in early 2007 with its initial lineup including guitarist Brandon Pinckard, drummer Jordan Cain and bassist Nick Jay. Cain and Jay are both native Oklahomans.

In May, “soulternative” singer Emotion Brown joined the group, and by the end of July, they released their first album, the independent Hot Trottin’. At the time, the act was named Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights.

The band paid its dues with nonstop touring and promotion, selling Hot Trottin’ at shows while making use of YouTube and Myspace to showcase music. The freshman effort led to critical praise and attention.

Excitement kept building. Soon, the members found themselves opening for acts such as Erykah Badu, The Black Crowes and Cross Canadian Ragweed.

The band signed to F-Stop Music, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, in 2008.

The momentum swelled into 2010 with the release of its second album, Pardon Me. The record received positive reviews while media exposure soared.

The band performed on the ABC late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! and found its music appearing on Boardwalk Empire and Friday Night Lights. ESPN used the song “Young & Free” throughout the 2010 college football season.

Accolades came following the exposure. The Dallas Observer Music Awards named Tyler Best Male Artist while the former hyperlocal Dallas-Fort Worth news site Pegasus News named them Top Artist of 2010.

The band played Bonnaroo Music Festival and South By Southwest and toured with Robert Randolph and the Family Band, ZZ Top and others.

Changing wind

After 2010, the environment began to change. Jay left the band and was replaced by Chase McGillis. Later, an unexpected lawsuit caused Tyler to drop “Northern Lights” from its band name.

“An attorney out of Minnesota hit us up and was like, ‘I had a band in the Seventies called the Northern Lights. So you can’t use this, or we’ll sue you.’ But then later he came back to us and said, ‘OK, you can use it — but it’s going to be 50 grand,” Tyler said in an August story from Rolling Stone Country.

They did not have $50,000 to

spare, so currently, the act is known as Jonathan Tyler. Following this setback, it became entangled in a power struggle with Atlantic Records. The label wanted full control over who would produce the band and what songs would be on the third album.

Tyler balked at the plan and parted ways with the label, which led to alcohol abuse.

“I was broken, I’d lost my confidence,” he told Rolling Stone.

“I had to find a way to make it enjoyable again and get some gratification.”

He financed the studio time himself by playing shows constantly for months.

The result is a record made exactly how he wants it.

“I think it’s a little more organic in the recording. It was mostly done on analog tape,” he said. “We didn’t do a lot of overdubbing.”

Its appearance at Grady’s 66 Pub is not due to being another venue on the circuit, but a years-long friendship.

“When the band started, we opened up for [Grady Cross’] band Cross Canadian Ragweed, and they were one of the first bands to have us on tour with them,” Tyler said. “So, Grady became a good friend of ours and we kept in touch over the years.”

Grady Cross owns Grady’s 66 Pub, and Tyler looks upon the venue fondly.

“I’ve always loved coming back when we’ve had a chance to play the venue,” he said.

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 37

Humans, being S T N E V E G N UPCOMAIT FIRELAKE ARENA • 7PM September 19 ting figh freestyle cage

• october 3 8PMe m sublime WITH Rloast FEAT. ever in a p f o e s hou

37 405-273-16

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• SHAWN GELINE RD

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38 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

Groovefest planners revamped this year’s music lineup to better represent everyone.

By JACK FoWLer

Groovefest noon-10 p.m. Sept. 27 201 W. Daws St., norman groovefest.org Free

A festival celebrating almost three decades of bringing music and human rights awareness to the citizens of Norman is experiencing a bit of a rebirth this year.

Groovefest, a Norman institution since 1986, kicks off Sept. 27 at Andrews Park, 201 W. Daws St., and event coordinator Claire Malone said this year’s festival might feel a little different, at least when it comes to its roster of musicians.

“I feel like in the past, Groovefest had kind of a ‘jam band’ vibe,” said Malone on compiling this year’s list of performers. “That’s really cool, but I think it’s important for this to be a festival that represents all kinds of music and, more importantly, all kinds of people.”

Two headliners personify Malone’s commitment to musical diversity. Gregory Jerome, an OKCbased hip-hop artist, performs this year as does hardcore metal band Justice Keeper. Acts like Sun Riah, Brad Fielder and Aquarian Exposition are also booked.

Despite the differences in genres, Malone said there’s a common thread running through each performer: a commitment to human rights.

“We obviously wanted to pull from lots of different styles, but all of the performers actively speak out on human rights in their own unique way,” said Malone. “We want to highlight that this year even more so than we’ve done in the past. All of our musicians have powerful messages to share.”

Those shared messages won’t just be conveyed through music, either.

Malone is busy finalizing a list of speakers that will alternate with the musical acts, and the talking points are no festival fluff. Topics such as

institutional racism, the Supreme Court ruling on lethal injection, transgender issues, hydraulic fracturing and police brutality are all on the table, and Malone said Groovefest’s commitment to human rights is unwavering.

“I feel that the intensity of focus on human rights issues has been steadily increasing over the past few years in the media and in the public consciousness,” Malone said. “Most Americans realize now that human rights abuses are not just a thirdworld problem. In our nation, we are dealing with police brutality against minorities, gay rights, prevailing symbols of institutional racism, classism, sexism, the list goes on.

Only when confronted do these issues get brought into the light of public debate, and only then do they have a chance to be changed.”

Several Norman civic organizations signed on as well.

Groups like Norman Animal Welfare, Cleveland County Democratic Party, Scissortail School of Art, Oklahoma Food Cooperative and Cleveland County for Bernie Sanders will be on hand, and Malone said she’s getting more confirmations every week.

Groovefest isn’t all serious, though. Festivals are fun, after all, and this year’s promises to be no different. Food trucks and local vendors are lining up to participate, and tie-dying and face painting booths are a favorite for those who bring their kiddos. (The event is child-friendly.)

“At the end of the day, Groovefest is about people,” Malone said. “If it’s the speakers that inspire you, if it’s the music, if it’s just being there with fellow human beings, it doesn’t matter. We’re trying to inspire something. We need people to act, to realize there are organizations they can get involved with to fight the injustices they see in the world.”

Visit groovefest.org for more information.

tA N YA s m Atte K / p rovi de d

LIFe MUSIC

FRI, SEPT 11

Blue talent

Blue Water Highway Band cruises into OKC for a formal lesson in Americana showmanship.

p rovi de d

CHRIS STAPLETON

SEPT. 11TH

FRI, SEPT 18

JOSH GARRELS

BRYCE DICUS

MON, SEPT 28

SEPT. 12TH

BLUES TRAVELER

MILLS BAND

TUES, SEPT 29

BEACH HOUSE

NOW OPEN NEWLY REMODELED NO SMOKING

FRI, OCT 2

GLASS ANIMALS SUN, OCT 4

MEG MYERS

AUG. 18TH

MON, OCT 5

FATHER JOHN MISTY

By GreG Horton

Blue Water Highway Band 9:30 p.m. Friday Wormy Dog Saloon 311 e. Sheridan Ave. wormydog.com 601-6276 $5 21+

Just once, it would be great to describe an ensemble as opera meets Americana.

Blue Water Highway Band finally made that possible. To be fair, the group features two former opera majors at Texas State University, but it plays roots and alt-country with nary a trace of the oeuvre.

The Kyle, Texas, act released its debut album, Things We Carry, in February. Since then, it has toured from Texas to Kansas and stops in Oklahoma City for a 9:30 p.m. show Friday at Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E. Sheridan Ave. Co-founders Zack Kibodeaux and Greg Essington were friends in high school in Lake Jackson, Texas, where they participated in choir. After high school, they both chose to pursue music further. Essington majored in sound recording at New York University with a minor in music, while Kibodeaux went to Texas State. During that time, the two wrote and shared songs back and forth.

“I finally coaxed Greg back to Texas,” Kibodeaux said. “I had met some great connections in college, and we were anxious to start a band.”

Its name comes from a stretch of highway where Essington and Kibodeaux grew up on Texas’s Gulf Coast — known as Brazosport by the locals — and its music is drawn from those same roots.

“We had a bunch of influences growing up,” Essington said, “but we finally found a common interest in Ryan Adams.”

TUES, OCT 6

An insurgent country sound runs through the band’s album, and there are moments during two songs, “City Love, City Lose” and “How I Broke Your Heart,” when you can almost hear Whiskeytown 20 years later.

In addition to Adams, the pair cites influences like Counting Crows, The Lone Bellow and other acts committed to songwriting in which the lyrics matter and musicianship — although excellent — serves to deliver songs, not take over the show.

“The record definitely draws from our personal experience,” Essington said, “but the stories are also drawn from other areas. Zack is a big history guy, so we have references in the music to Casey Jones the folk tale hero and an explosion at an East Texas schoolhouse in 1937.”

Zach Landreneau plays a smattering of instruments from piano to synth chamberlin, and Kyle Smith rounds out the band on bass. Chris Walker is the drummer and sixth member, but Daniel Dowling played drums for the album.

The orchestrations are complex, so the group used extra players in the studio, though Kibodeaux said the band is one lap steel guitar away from replicating everything live with the current lineup.

David Thomas Butler produced the album, and he, too, goes back to Lake Jackson.

“David is a friend from high school,” Kibodeaux said. “He’s now a producer, and he really helped refine our sound and stretch our notions of what making music is like.”

Essington said he and Kibodeaux have several “hypothetical albums” ready to go.

“We write constantly,” he said. “It’s just a matter of when is the right time for a particular album.”

ROYAL BLOOD

AUG. 19TH

WED, OCT 7

RUN THE JEWELS SUN, OCT 11

KACEY MUSGRAVES THURS, OCT 22

MADDIE & TAE

TULSA, OK ★ 423 NORTH MAIN ST. TICKETS: cainsballroom.com or 877.4.FLY.TIX

2pm-2am daily 6800 S I-35 Service Rd. 225-1717

OklahOma Gazette | september 9, 2015 | 39

Morris McCann, Toby Keithís I Love This Bar & Grill.

COUNTRY

p rovi de d

LIVE MUSIC

Plainview, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9 Coyote/Aqua-Eroticum/Nowhere Sands, Dope Chapel Norman. VARIOUS Edgar Cruz/Jeff Nokes, Avanti Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC Honey Dewdrops, The Depot Norman. COUNTRY Mark Vollertsen, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC

Space 4 Lease/Bowlsey, 51st Street Speakeasy. ROCK Stat Band, Riverwind Casino. COVER Strangetown, Gradyís 66 Pub. ROCK The Blend, Remington Park. ROCK Uncle Freddy, Fort Thunder Harley Davidson Moore.

ROCK Willis Alan Ramsey, Mid Way Grocery and Deli.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club.

Reckless, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COUNTRY Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

SATURDAY, SEPT. 12

The Tallest Man On Earth/Lady Lamb, Cain’s Ballroom.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Aaron Newman Band, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. FOLK

THURSDAY, SEPT. 10

DJ Rodney Ladd, Colcord Hotel. VARIOUS

Calabar, Opolis Norman. ROCK

Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks. VARIOUS Gregg Kennedy, The George Prime Steakhouse. PIANO

Audra and the Whippoorwills, Wormy Dog Saloon.

COUNTRY

Hardin Burns, The Blue Door. COUNTRY

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

Hidden Agenda, Fort Thunder Harley Davidson Moore.

ROCK

Groove Merchants, Red Rock Canyon Grill. COVER

JW Lane and County Road X, Grady’s 66 Pub. COUNTRY

Jonathan Tyler, Grady’s 66 Pub. ROCK

Lucky Duo, Red Rock Canyon Grill. COVER BAND

Los Caminos/Mikah Young, Powerhouse Bar. ROCK

Miss Brown to You, UCO Jazz Lab. JAZZ

Michaela & Michael, Colcord Hotel. ACOUSTIC

Revolve, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK

Stars, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COVER

Shakers of Salt, Mickey Mantleís Steakhouse. COVER SquadLive, Riverwind Casino. POP

FRIDAY, SEPT. 11 Adventure Club, OKC Farmerís Market. ELECTRONIC Blue Water Highway Band, Wormy Dog Saloon.

COUNTRY Brandon Jackson, Fuze Buffet & Bar. COUNTRY Butch Hancock, The Blue Door. COUNTRY Derek Harris, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC DJ Josh Tullis, Colcord Hotel. ELECTRONIC Gregg Kennedy, The George Prime Steakhouse. PIANO

Stat Band, Russellís, Tower Hotel. COVER The Blend, Remington Park. ROCK

J.D. Souther

Tyler and the Tribe, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

SUNDAY, SEPT. 13

OKG

music

Michael Kleid, Colcord Hotel. JAZZ

pick

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

provided

JD Souther, UCO Jazz Lab. SINGER/SONGWRITER

tyler and the tribe, Wormy Dog Saloon, Saturday

J.D. Souther Master Class Friday

The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma hosts a master class with Grammynominated songwriter J.D. Souther 11 a.m. Friday in the ACM@ UCO Songwriting Room, 25. S. Oklahoma Ave. Perhaps best-known for writing the Eagles hit “Heartache Tonight,” he also wrote or co-wrote hits for James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Trisha Yearwood and others. Admission is free and open to the public. Visit acm.uco.edu.

MONDAY, SEPT. 14 Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK Turquoise Jeep, Opolis Norman. HIP-HOP

Edgar Cruz/Jeff Nokes, Avanti Bar & Grill. ACOUSTIC Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club.

Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER Steve Crossley, Red Rock Canyon Grill.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

TUESDAY, SEPT. 15 Chevelle, Brady Theater Tulsa. ROCK Peggy Moran, UCO Jazz Lab. VARIOUS The Black Lillies, The Blue Door. COUNTRY

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16 Bryce Dicus, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COUNTRY

40 | september 9, 2015 | OklahOma Gazette

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

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

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

Dollar deals

Many Stephen King books have become hit films, but an Oklahoma author’s new book reveals there are many more you might not know exist.

By AdAm Holt

The words of Stephen King have long inspired filmmakers to lift his tales of anxiety, hope and fear onto the silver screen, powered by large budgets. Films such as The Shining, Secret Window and Oscar-winning Misery cost millions in talent and production, yet profit well.

However, there resides an underground of short films based on King’s works. Rarely seen outside festivals, these movies are created through an agreement between King and the filmmaker for one dollar. They are known as Dollar Babies.

“It’s just an effort to give a little back.

Plus, I get copies of the films, which are usually interesting and sometimes quite brilliant. In a way, it’s like being a baseball scout in the minor leagues,” King said in

Shawn S. lealos

a statement to Oklahoma Gazette.

Shawn S. Lealos is a Yukon-born journalist, author and a director of a Dollar Baby film. In his new book Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, Lealos describes in-depth the experiences he and 18 other directors faced directing Dollar Babies.

He learned of the films as a University of Oklahoma student while studying writing piqued his interest in screenplays.

“I started reading all the screenplays I could get my hands on,” Lealos said.

“One of the books I picked up was the screenplay for The Green Mile, which Frank Darabont directed. In the introduction of the book, he mentioned he got his start making a Dollar Baby.”

Darabont is an Oscar-nominated

director whose work includes the King adaptations The Mist and The Shawshank Redemption, the latter of which was offered to him after King liked his Dollar Baby film The Woman in the Room.

After determining the story I Know What You Need as his choice to film, Lealos sent King a query letter proposing the idea. The film was released in 2005.

As part of the agreement, filmmakers cannot profit from their creation, as it can only be viewed at festivals, conventions or a product reel for employment.

“He loves the option to foster creativity with other people,” said Damon Vinyard in an interview with Oklahoma Gazette.

Vinyard is a broadcast producer in Los Angeles who directed In the

Deathroom, released in 2011.

“I think it’s cool to him too because he lets others interpret his work, to see what they do to it,” he said.

Vinyard is profiled in the book.

King is well-known for honoring his Maine roots, where he and his family still live. He donates to projects addressing societal and environmental issues in Maine communities. Dollar Babies can be viewed in a similar light.

Lealos is thankful for his Dollar Baby opportunity.

“The people I interviewed were people who not only had a respect for King, but also for what he did for us,” Lealos said.

Find Dollar Deal at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and on Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and Nook.

fRee Will AStRoloGy Homework: What are five conditions you’ d need in your world in order to feel you were living in utopia?

FreeWillAstrology.com.

ARieS (March 21-April 19) “More and more I have come to admire resilience,” writes Jane Hirshfield in her poem “Optimism.” “Not the simple resistance of a pillow,” she adds, “whose foam returns over and over to the same shape, but the sinuous tenacity of a tree: finding the light newly blocked on one side, it turns in another.” You have not often had great access to this capacity in the past, Aries. Your specialty has been the fast and fiery style of adjustment. But for the foreseeable future, I’m betting you will be able to summon a supple staying power — a dogged, determined, incremental kind of resilience.

tAURUS (April 20-May 20) “The fragrance from your mango groves makes me wild with joy.” That’s one of the lyrics in the national anthem of Bangladesh. Here’s another: “Forever your skies . . . set my heart in tune as if it were a flute.” Elsewhere, addressing Bangladesh as if it were a goddess, the song proclaims, “Words from your lips are like nectar to my ears.” I suspect you may be awash with comparable feelings in the coming weeks, Taurus — not toward your country, but rather for the creatures and experiences that rouse your delight and exultation. They are likely to provide even more of the sweet mojo than they usually do. It will be an excellent time to improvise your own hymns of praise.

GemiNi (May 21-June 20) There have been times in the past when your potential helpers disappeared just when you wanted more help than usual. In the coming weeks, I believe you will get redress for those sad interludes of yesteryear. A wealth of assistance and guidance will be available.

Even people who have previously been less than reliable may offer a tweak or intervention that gives you a boost. Here’s a tip for how to ensure that you take full advantage of the possibilities: Ask clearly and gracefully for exactly what you need.

CANCeR (June 21-July 22) Why grab the brain-scrambling moonshine when you may eventually be offered a heart-galvanizing tonic?

Why gorge on hors d’oeuvres when a four-course feast will be available sooner than you imagine? According to my analysis of the astrological omens, my fellow Crab, the future will bring unexpected opportunities that are better and brighter than the current choices.

This is one of those rare times when procrastination may be in your interest. leo (July 23-Aug. 22) As I hike up San Pedro Ridge, I’m mystified by the madrone trees. The leaves on the short, thin saplings are as big and bold as the leaves on the older, thicker, taller trees. I see this curiosity as an apt metaphor for your current situation, Leo. In one sense, you are in the early stages of a new cycle of growth. In another sense, you are strong and ripe and full-fledged. For you, this is a winning combination: a robust balance of innocence and wisdom, of fresh aspiration and seasoned readiness.

ViRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) I hope it’s not too late or too early to give you a slew of birthday presents. You deserve to be inundated with treats, dispensations, and appreciations. Here’s your first perk: You are hereby granted a license to break a taboo that is no longer useful or necessary.

Second blessing: You are authorized to instigate a wildly constructive departure from tradition. Third boost: I predict that in the next six weeks, you will simultaneously claim new freedom and summon more discipline. Fourth delight: During the next three months, you will discover and uncork a new thrill.

Fifth goody: Between now and your birthday in 2016, you will develop a more relaxed relationship with perfectionism. liBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) A “wheady mile” is an obsolete English term I want to revive for use in this horoscope. It refers to what may happen at the end of a long journey, when that last stretch you’ve got to traverse seems to take forever.

You’re so close to home; you’re imagining the comfort and rest that will soon be yours. But as you cross the

“wheady mile,” you must navigate your way through one further plot twist or two. There’s a delay or complication that demands more effort just when you want to be finished with the story. Be strong, Libra. Keep the faith.

The wheady mile will not, in fact, take forever. (Thanks to Mark Forsyth and his book Horologicon.)

SCoRPio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Trying improbable and unprecedented combinations is your specialty right now. You’re willing and able to gamble with blends and juxtapositions that no one else would think of, let alone propose. Bonus: Extra courage is available for you to call on as you proceed.

In light of this gift, I suggest you brainstorm about all the unifications that might be possible for you to pull off. What conflicts would you love to defuse? What inequality or lopsidedness do you want to fix? Is there a misunderstanding you can heal or a disjunction you can harmonize?

SAGittARiUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Is feeling good really as fun as everyone seems to think? Is it really so wonderful to be in a groove, in love with life, and in touch with your deeper self? No! Definitely not! And I suspect that as you enter more fully into these altered states, your life will provide evidence of the inconveniences they bring. For example, some people might nag you for extra attention, and others may be jealous of your success. You could be pressured to take on more responsibilities. And you may be haunted by the worry that sooner or later, this grace period will pass. I’M JUST KIDDING, SAGITTARIUS! In truth, the minor problems precipitated by your blessings won’t cause any more anguish than a mosquito biting your butt while you’re in the throes of ecstatic love-making.

CAPRiCoRN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) In this horoscope, we will use the Socratic method to stimulate your excitement about projects that fate will favor in the next nine months. Here’s how it works: I ask the questions, and you brainstorm the answers. 1.

Is there any part of your life where you are an amateur but would like to be a professional? 2. Are you hesitant to leave a comfort zone even though remaining there tends to inhibit your imagination? 3. Is your ability to

fulfill your ambitions limited by any lack of training or deficiency in your education? 4. Is there any way that you are holding on to blissful ignorance at the expense of future possibilities? 5. What new license, credential, diploma, or certification would be most useful to you?

AQUARiUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) The story of my life features more than a few fiascos.

For example, I got fired from my first job after two days. One of my girlfriends dumped me without any explanation and never spoke to me again. My record label fired me and my band after we made just one album. Years later, these indignities still carry a sting.

But I confess that I am also grateful for them. They keep me humble. They serve as antidotes if I’m ever tempted to deride other people for their failures. They have helped me develop an abundance of compassion.

I mention this personal tale in the hope that you, too, might find redemption and healing in your own memories of frustration. The time is right to capitalize on old losses.

PiSCeS (Feb. 19-March 20) It’s never fun to be in a sticky predicament that seems to have no smart resolution. But the coming days could turn out to be an unexpectedly good time to be in such a predicament. Why? Because I expect that your exasperation will precipitate an emotional cleansing, releasing ingenious intuitions that had been buried under repressed anger and sadness. You may then find a key that enables you to reclaim at least some of your lost power. The predicament that once felt sour and intractable will mutate, providing you with an opportunity to deepen your connection with a valuable resource.

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.

Okl ahOma Gaz ette | september 9, 2015 | 41

p r ovi de d

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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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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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OKLAHOMA GAZETTE |SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | 43

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