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inside COVER P.12-13 Get ready to experience the best in local cuisine from outstanding metro restaurants June 9-18 during Oklahoma Gazette’s 2017 OKC Restaurant Week. On the cover: Harissa blackened salmon with a side of carrots, orange yogurt and chimichurri is just one of Vast’s OKC Restaurant Week prix fixe menu options.

Cover photo by Garett Fisbeck.

Cover Design by Anna Shilling.

Stories by Greg Elwell. Grab the special insert inside this issue.

NIGHT RANGER

NEWS 4 Metro ending food deserts

6 City Dean A. McGee Awards honor

three downtown OKC trailblazers

8 City race relations simulator 9 Letters 10 Chicken-Fried News

EAT & DRINK 12 OKC Restaurant Week chefs and

restaurants embody community commitment

13 OKC Restaurant Week RFBO’s

Backpack Program helps feed children when they’re not in school

14 Briefs

16 Event Community

Ramadan Dinner

18 Review Dekora!

20 Gazedibles raw food

ARTS & CULTURE 22 Active Oklahoma City

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NEWS Liz Waggoner helped craft legislation to bring fresh foods to food deserts across the state.

The Healthy Food Financing Act takes effect Nov. 1. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Metro

Poor health

Growing solution

Food desert legislation is a step toward improving health. It also positively impacts urban and rural communities by utilizing local solutions.

By Laura Eastes

Liz Waggoner was ready to hear how a grocery store’s return to an area of New Orleans, which was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and left residents without access to fresh and healthy foods for years, was nourishing the people.

As she toured the shop, which was strategically rebuilt through the city’s Fresh Food Retailer Initiative to address food deserts in New Orleans’ poorer neighborhoods, more than the aisles of fresh foods caught her attention. With its modern, slightly more upscale and inviting look, this grocery store also strengthened the community. It drew local revenue and created jobs but also served as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization and empowering its people.

What began by New Orleans officials as an effort to alleviate a food desert also created other benefits along the way.

“It was designed to be a place for the community,” said Waggoner, government relations director for the American Heart Association (AHA)Oklahoma City. “They’ve seen overwhelming progress in community pride, public safety, economic development and obviously health outcomes. This is what we are looking to implement and accomplish for Oklahoma.”

The state’s food deserts stand to benefit from Senate Bill 506, the 4

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Healthy Food Financing Act, passed by both houses and signed by the governor this legislative session. The act creates the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, a public-private program to eliminate the state’s food deserts by encouraging construction and expansion of grocery stores, corner stores, farmers markets and more.

Obesity, poor health and chronic disease are closely linked to food insecurity.

Effie Craven “This legislation promotes innovative ideas in de-stressing food deserts,” explained Effie Craven, who serves as the state advocacy and public policy director for Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. “It could be something like a mobile market food truck or renovate a grocery or corner store to allow for more space for healthy foods. … The money is really intended to help people get off the ground and help address the food desert issue.”

Food deserts are a critical issue in every corner of Oklahoma, impacting both rural and urban communities alike. A food desert, as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, exists in low-to-moderate-income communities that lack access to affordable groceries and fresh foods.

Several parts of the Oklahoma City metro area match the federal definition of a food desert.

Craven explained the key to identifying food deserts is household income. For example, if low-income households live near a food retailer but the food is sold at high prices, the households are still prone to food insecurity — not having enough food for active, healthy living.

Without affordable healthy options, people turn to high-calorie foods readily available at gas stations, convenience stores and chains. They are affordable meals with a quick turnaround, but when eaten regularly, they come with a negative impact on health.

“Obesity, poor health and chronic disease are closely linked to food insecurity,” Craven said.

Oklahoma ranks as one of the worst states in the nation for health outcomes, particularly in areas of heart disease, stroke, heart attacks and obesity. Since research has linked those health outcomes to poor diets, Waggoner said, the local AHA board took on the food desert problem.

“Particularly in Oklahoma, it was no coincidence that the areas with the poorest health outcomes also severely lacked access to fresh and healthy foods,” she said.

National to local

There is hope in the fight against food deserts, though. The Oklahoma Food Access Task Force, a coalition that includes lawmakers, tribal officials, state agencies and community groups like the AHA and the food banks, looked to the federal government’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative.

Included in the Farm Bill of 2014, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative encourages, through grants, loans and tax incentives, solutions for increasing access to healthy foods.

Healthy food financing initiatives predate the federal government’s.

Pennsylvania is credited with launching the first, called the Fresh Foods Financing Initiative, in 2004. Other state and local governments have created their own initiatives or tapped into the federal program.

Oklahoma’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative is a result of the task force and its close study of established programs.

The initiative, to be carried out by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture,

Food and Forestry, was designed to cater to local tastes. Tackling food deserts and their consequences hinges on meeting local needs.

“The legislation is intentionally broad to accommodate a wide array of projects,” Waggoner said. “For a smaller community with strong ties to agriculture, it might make more sense for them to work with local growers to bolster a really strong farmer’s market. In more urban, but also rural communities, we’ve seen tremendous success with a mobile market — a grocery store on wheels.”

As the act was written, it allows for the state to access USDA federal dollars as well as allow private money to flow into the initiative without the contribution of state funds.

The money would be available through loans or grants to projects focused on expanding healthy choices in the state’s food deserts.

Sprouting hope

Food deserts are a complicated problem.

The AHA and the state’s food banks recognize that a grocery store moving into a community doesn’t mean people’s eating habits change instantly.

As Regional Food Bank’s Fresh Rx Program coordinator, Ellen Pogemiller empowers people’s eating habits with educational programming about fresh fruits and vegetables.

At Spencer’s Mary Mahoney Memorial Health Center, participants suffering from chronic disease left the monthly meetings with 20-30 pounds of produce. Spencer and the rural areas that surround it fit the USDA’s food desert definition.

When Pogemiller suggested participants incorporate whole-wheat pasta into their meals, there was initial pushback. She compromised by challenging the participants to cook with both whole wheat and white pastas.

At the next meeting, a client brought spaghetti with both kinds of pastas for everyone to try.

Then everyone got on board.

“It is not that people don’t want to purchase those healthier foods,” Pogemiller said. “There is a cost and access barrier. Time and time again, people are thankful and excited to get fresh and healthy foods.”

Now, with the legislation approved, hopes are rising again with increasing fresh food access to communities in need.

“We want to ensure that every member of our state has equal and fair access to the things that are going to encourage a healthy lifestyle,” Waggoner said. “That means getting into the weeds of a community to understand the challenges that they are facing. …

We want to improve the economic viability of a community. We want to encourage local business and support for agriculture. We want to improve health outcomes.”

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Cit y

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Lofty leaders Downtown OKC honors three civic leaders for their contributions.

By Laura Eastes

Thirty-one years ago, downtown Hilton Oklahoma City, 1 Park Ave. Oklahoma City leaders and the greater Attorney and community leader community paid tribute to a legend in Leslie Batchelor will receive the Stanley the petroleum industry with a passion Draper Award for her efforts in comfor developing and improving downtown. munity excellence, and commercial realty executive Mark Beffort will An Oklahoma City business leader, Dean A. McGee chaired Kerr-McGee receive the Neal Horton Award for his Corporation from 1963 to role in the renaissance of the 1983. While he passed in Central Business District.

1989 at the age of 85, McGee’s Couch was named city manager in 2000 after influence as a state leader is serving as the city’s water still seen across the city, from a principal downtown and wastewater utilities distreet to an eye research and rector. As city manager, diagnostic center at Couch has not only led the University of Oklahoma day-to-day operation of city Health Sciences Center. government but the execuThe fruits of his lifetime tion and competition of labor continue to impact voter-approved MAPS and Jim Couch | Provided general obligation bond projdowntown. The corporation he built located its headects. He has successfully led quarters in the Kerr-McGee agreements with NBA frantower, a landmark that now chises and negotiations over headquarters SandRidge Lake Sardis with leaders Energy. In his efforts to from the state, the build the area as a gathering Chickasaw Nation and the place for future generations, Choctaw Nation.

McGee also was instrumenBatchelor directs the Center for Economic tal in developing Myriad Botanical Gardens.

Development Law and has In 1986, in front of a provided counsel on many Leslie Batchelor | Provided crowd of 200 guests, McGee downtown public-private initiatives, including the accepted an award for his visionary leadership. More restoration and reopening than three decades later, of the Skirvin.

Downtown Oklahoma City, A past chairman of Downtown OKC, Beffort Inc. recognizes individuals holds interests in many who exemplify McGee’s leaddowntown properties, inership and vision.

Each spring, the noncluding Leadership Square, profit community developOklahoma Tower, Corporate ment and management orTower and City Place. ganization honors a leader Through his work, Mark Beffort | Provided Beffort has contributed to with the Dean A. McGee Award. making the Central Business District “He was a big believer in the fact that attractive for business, retail and residential development. in order to have a great city, you’ve got “This year’s honorees exemplify the to have a great downtown,” said Tom McDaniel, president of American same spirit as the three leaders for whom Fidelity Foundation and co-chair of the the awards are named,” said Kari Watkins, executive director of the 2017 Dean A. McGee Awards — earlier in his career, McDaniel worked at KerrOklahoma City National Memorial & McGee Corporation. “He was commitMuseum and a Stanley Draper Award ted to downtown when others were not.” recipient. “It is really the one night Past winners include OKC Mayor where the business community comes together to celebrate what has been acMick Cornett, OKC Thunder owner Clay complished.”

Bennett, Devon Energy CEO Larry Nichols, advertising executive Ray Ackerman, and McDaniel, an attorney and former Oklahoma City University Dean A. McGee Awards president.

7 p.m. Thursday OKC Manager Jim Couch, who has Grand Ballroom served the city in various capacities for The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City 30 years, will be honored with the Dean 1 Park Ave. | downtownokc.com | 405-516-9686 A. McGee Award during a black-tie $250 dinner 7 p.m. Thursday at The Skirvin

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cit y

NEWS

Immersive experience

A local man takes on implicit bias through invention with the goal of impacting Oklahoma law enforcement. By Laura Eastes

On a sunny day in May, Ian Okuden pointed people in the direction of the Bias Reducing Implemental Device to Grow Empathy, which often goes by its acronym BRIDGE, in a church parking lot in northeast Oklahoma City.

As participants of Police and Community Trust Initiative took turns inside BRIDGE, a gray box the size of a telephone booth, they were exposed to a training exercise geared toward participants recognizing their hidden prejudice or their implicit bias. As soon as the door shuts, three screens transmit an instantaneous short but disturbing video.

“It’s a very stressful and threatening environment,” explained Okuden, an Oklahoma native and Cambridgetrained educator who first became fascinated with the concept of implicit bias in how it relates to the classroom. “More importantly, it is an experience such as a victim of racism. The idea is to put you in their shoes, to actually give you the experiences as to what that kind of pressure and emotion is like. That stimulates the region of the brain responsible for empathy.”

As the inventor of BRIDGE, Okuden joins a long list of social scientists and researchers trying to wipe out implicit bias, which is a term used to describe the attitudes toward people or stereotypes we associate with them without our conscious knowledge. While implicit bias training and workshops are not new concepts, Okuden’s BRIDGE is a unique approach. Once the monitors go dark and the room is quiet, participants exit to watch a video filmed of them moments earlier.

“You see how you personally responded to a racist attack,” Okuden said.

“This is the very imprint. After you experience that violent episode of racism, you can see your reaction to it. You can see the shock, anger, sadness or other responses to it.”

BRIDGE has consumed the life of Okuden for the past four years. First, he connected with neuroscientists who studied how the brain makes implicit associations along the lines of race, gender, class, age and other areas. From his own experiences in Oklahoma and as a teacher in Japan, Okuden recognized implicit bias in nearly every group of people. It is a real problem in society and is at the core of issues like law enforcement and racial profiling, women being paid less than their male counterparts and black students being suspended at a higher rate than their white peers.

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Okuden’s implicit bias training concept became BRIDGE, which is a patented invention. The prototype version focuses on race but could expand in the future with versions focused on gender, nationality and disability, to name a few.

Over the last few months, Okuden has been testing and refining BRIDGE. He has tried it with community members, college students and even YWCA Oklahoma City’s management staff.

Next, he wants to test it with police.

Local potential

Following last summer’s growing national discord over law enforcement and race, implicit bias emerged as the new buzzword in law enforcement circles.

Many law enforcement agencies have asked their officers to undergo training about explicit and implicit biases that can govern their decision-making. While officers are trained to use appropriate measures to protect lives and their own personal safety, the concept of implicit bias suggests in moments requiring splitsecond decisions, officers can’t fall back on their personal biases. However, training might be able to diminish officers’ implicit biases by identifying and curtailing behaviors that arise from subconscious assumptions.

I believe it is empowering to have such insight and awareness of our own individual biases.

Sara Bana The launch of BRIDGE in Oklahoma is linked to the troubling headlines and studies about fatal officer-involved shootings in the Sooner State, Okuden said. Oklahoma law enforcement officers shot and killed 32 people at a rate of 4.4 per million in 2015. The Washington Post reported Oklahoma’s rate was double the rate of the next highest states.

Okuden, who was raised in Oklahoma and completed a bachelor’s program at the University of Oklahoma, had the impression that the state’s law enforcement leaders were continuously training officers and seeking innovative solutions for 21st-century policing.

BRIDGE, Okuden believes, could be one of those innovative solutions. At the

Ian Okuden with his invention, called BRIDGE, in the garage of his Yukon home. | Photo Cara Johnson

May 13th Police and Community Trust Initiative community forum, Okuden made contact with six law enforcement leaders, including Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty and Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes.

“What we are trying to do is empower officers with the knowledge and the understanding of their individual implicit bias,” Okuden said. “The hope is that the awareness also gives officers more control over their thoughts during crises.”

Local reaction

As co-founder of Ending Violence Everywhere, a coalition demanding change in the culture of violence, Sara Bana was intrigued by BRIDGE and Okuden’s efforts. The coalition’s leaders say the device, even in its testing stage, has added a constructive layer to local conversations on race and policing. It has also made an impact on community members exposed to the device.

“I believe it is empowering to have such insight and awareness of our own individual biases,” Bana said. “I truly believe this knowledge and awareness can help each of us on an individual level with managing faulty impressions or perceptions.”

Before participants enter BRIDGE, Okuden instructs them to take the Implicit Association Test (IAT), a reaction-time test that assesses racial bias.

It’s a widely used test available at no charge through Harvard University’s website. At the end of the test, individuals are shown if they have a preference for white people over black, black people over white or no discernible preference. After completing BRIDGE, participants once again take the IAT to record the impact of BRIDGE. “I had a very emotional response,” explained Brandon Pasley, YWCA’s senior director of specialized training.

“I was really surprised, and this is coming from someone with social justice issues on their radar. I train people all day every day about how men kill women, but I had a momentary vicarious trauma.

I thought it was very effective.”

Okuden explained BRIDGE was built on the belief that implicit bias is a problem that can be overcome when people recognize it. Beyond awareness, people must be motivated to change. Following further testing and more data collection, he hopes BRIDGE can be a solution to ending implicit bias and its implications for Oklahoma communities.

“Experiencing BRIDGE is not just a matter of what you see, but what you hear and what you are feeling at the time,” Okuden said. “I would say altogether, it is an immersion experience.”

letters

NEWS Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com.

Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.

Equal Rights!

President Donald Trump should extend to LGBT people the same rights and protections guaranteed on account of race, religion or nation of origin. This is not yet the case in Iran or the United Methodist Church, but someday it will be.

Nathaniel Batchelder Oklahoma City

Deleting history

As a concerned citizen of the state of Oklahoma, I am very much disappointed with the new design of the Oklahoma tag.

I wanted to share this information with someone who may be able to see if others are disappointed with the stripping of the Native American art that was previously on there. I did not hear of anything taking place on the news outlets nor on social media that made us aware of this

change. This should be voted upon.

Considering the issues with the Dakota Access Pipeline, I felt the change of the tag was inconsiderate of the Native Americans who have already been stripped of their land and heritage. This issue, to me, is another area of stripping true American history from our everyday lives. To replace it with a bird doesn’t uphold the true value and significance of the culture and history that the Natives have in Oklahoma. The tag reminded us of the history of this land and the true ownership of the first descendants.

As a reader of the Gazette, I thought this would be an opportunity to share my concerns with my fellow readers.

Someone may read this and find it their

very own sentiments and just didn’t know where to address the questions and concerns. Even if my voice isn’t heard, I will have made an effort to use my voice and speak up about my dislikes of how Oklahoma decided to make this change.

Ira Viney Edmond

Tighten laws

Loose vicious dogs, especially large breeds, pose a serious safety problem; pets and human beings have been killed during dog attacks.

In June 2015, a 3-year-old Lawton boy playing in a backyard was killed by a pit bull. In July 2015, in Red Bird, three dogs attacked and killed a 67-year-old woman

picking up empty cans on the side of a road. In October 2015, a 60-year-old man was killed in his yard in Oklahoma City by his neighbor’s five pit bulls that crawled under the fence.

April 8, an 82-year-old woman was mauled to death by two large (80-100 pounds) pit bull terriers while walking her dog (also killed) in Oklahoma City.

Attempts to ban pit bulls have failed.

Following a 2011 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling, state law now prohibits cities and towns from banning specific breeds.

Municipal codes in Oklahoma require dog owners to confine their pets using “a substantial fence or enclosure of sufficient strength.” Clearer regulations are essential to making them enforceable.

A commission of experts should be appointed to formulate clear rules. Two starting points emerging from previous incidents: establish safe fence heights, depending on dog size and breed, to prevent jumping over the fence; and set fences and gates over brick walls, extending 1 foot above ground and 2 feet below ground level, to prevent digging under the fence.

When owners of vicious dogs ignore the regulations, impound the dogs at owners’ expense until they are compliant.

Price too high? Human life is priceless!

Raoul Carubelli Oklahoma City

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chicken

friedNEWS

Fly trap

Sonic supplies

Speculation about whether Enes Kanter, Oklahoma City Thunder player and one-half of the beloved “’Stache Bros” with Steven Adams, will be traded from the team seems to have hovered over the 6-foot-11-inch center’s high-perching head for more than a year.

Though perhaps places like New York City, Los Angeles or Indianapolis could be in Kanter’s playing future, one location we know he won’t find himself in anytime soon is his native country Turkey.

The player recently made worldwide headlines when he was detained at a Romanian airport after discovering his home country had canceled his passport. Kanter told USA Today he believes it was canceled for past comments he made.

The player has been critical of Turkey’s government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he has called “the Hitler of our century.”

Wow! Invoking the name of Adolf Hitler?

In many cases, that is a sign that one’s argument is going nowhere, but there are plenty of reasons for Kanter to be upset with Erdogan. The president recently extended a state of emergency in Turkey that has so far resulted in the arrests of more than 140,000 people, including 120 journalists, who were accused of inciting a failed coup.

Kanter was eventually cleared to fly again and made his way back to the United States May 21. After arriving, he tweeted “Well! Hello, the most beautiful country in the world. The United States of America.”

(Waves. Howdy, Enes! Welcome home!)

The player has also stated his intention to become a U.S. citizen.

If travel-loving Kanter is forced stateside for the rest of the summer, there should be plenty for him to do here. The metro is no Grecian beach, but we think Kanter will have plenty of fun dominating some summer volleyball at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark’s Bricktown Beach.

Do you dream about roller-skating around a parking lot while carrying a tray of Route 44 drinks and slushes, coneys, hamburgers and tater tots and dodging parking lot traffic while raising money for your scout troop camping excursion-school trip-Model UN expenses-scholarship fund?

You’re in luck. Sonic Drive-In can make that happen.

You might not have to go through all that trouble though — it sounds pretty dangerous. The Oklahoma-based drivein restaurant famous for its hundreds of drink possibilities also often makes teachers’ dreams come true through its Limeades for Learning and #ThanksTeach programs.

Earlier this month, NewsOK. com reported that Sonic Corp. presented Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) Superintendent Aurora Lora with a check for $109,000. Lora told NewsOK.com the money will fund 157 projects at 54 district schools.

Roller skates for everyone! Just kidding. It’s even cooler than that.

NewsOK.com reported that the donation by Sonic Corp. is funding DonorsChoose.org projects like Britton Elementary School kindergarten

teacher Michelle Kemery’s classroom strategy that costs nearly $1,000. The restaurant giant is covering the cost of magic markers, dry-erase boards and enormous, expensive chart paper that helps Kemery’s students improve reading and writing skills.

“I’m happy and grateful the kids get to do so much more,” Kemery told NewsOK.com.

So are we.

The donated funds are a lifesaver for teachers and school administrators facing yearly budget cuts of millions of dollars and school closures — plus the very real probability of even more. It’s no secret that Oklahoma teachers have long been forced to make more with less, but it’s nice that Oklahoma corporations can lend a helping hand and make a difference in the state’s classrooms.

NewsOK.com reported that Sonic Corp. regularly donates thousands of dollars to area schools.

We’d like to think the checks arrive with a few thousand complimentary peppermints in the bottom of each envelope.

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Let’s get social

By mid-May, Oklahoma lawmakers were down to two choices: Find a billion dollars’ worth of revenue or pass a budget with significant cuts to state agencies.

What did they do?

Well, they talked a whole lot about that budget. Some in private meetings with oil executives on the conference call line. Some in press conferences. Some in midnight sessions at the Capitol. And nearly all lawmakers addressed the budget situation on social media.

We at Chicken-Fried News couldn’t keep up with the budget chaos during the final days of legislative session.

We followed an old adage and watched for budget updates “straight from the horse’s mouth” — you know, lawmakers’ Tweets, Facebook posts and a Snapchat video.

South Oklahoma City Rep. Shane Stone, a Democrat who tweets under @ShaneStone89, posted at 9:05 p.m.

May 23: “I anticipate having to vote on a 100+ page budget in <15 minutes, it is still not available for me to see…”

Reminder: The legislative session was slated to end May 25.

Sen. David Holt (@davidfholt), a Republican who represents a portion of northwest Oklahoma City and advocates for transparency in the state budget process, tweeted

at 9:41 p.m. May 23, “Never in my seven years [have] I seen anything like this.

This is the least transparent budget process I could possibly imagine.”

Later that evening, when the budget bill was finally accessible, Rep. Emily Virgin, a Norman Democrat who tweets as @EmilyVirginOK, wrote, “11:21 p.m.: We now have a budget, but it’s 57 pages long and doesn’t have a summary. So it’s almost impossible to know what’s in it.”

That’s convenient. Hopefully someone recruited a gang of volunteer speed-reading champs to move things along.

Not wasting any time at all, around this same time, a Snapchat video by Choctaw Republican Tess Teague went viral. She shared a video, complete with cartoon filters and an altered voice feature, criticizing the protest group Occupy OKC. During the 40-second clip, Teague accuses the protesters of being paid and clueless to gross production tax. She also said the group used profanities in the hallway near the House Speaker’s office.

Later, Teague took to Facebook to “own a mistake” and let everyone know that she was merely communicating with her personal Snapchat followers, not her constituents.

In the video, Teague said, “Moral of the story, kids, is that if you want a part of the discussion, if you want a seat at the table, know what you’re talking about.”

Whew. Eat that crow while it’s warm; it’s easier to stomach.

Time expired

If knocking down our historic buildings wasn’t proof enough that Oklahoma City has no love for its past, this ought to do the trick: The city is getting rid of its coin-operated curbside parking meters.

“But that’s good news!” say the majority of people who don’t travel around with $3 in quarters on their person at all times.

From a convenience standpoint, it makes perfect sense, right? It sure does. But what about the legacy of Mr. Carlton Cole Magee?

Yes, OKC was home to the inventor of the coin-operated parking meter.

Though he was originally from Iowa, Magee was a member of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce’s traffic committee when, on May 13, 1935, he filed a patent for “a meter for measuring the time of occupancy or use of parking or other space for the use

of which it is desirous an incidental charge be made upon a time basis.”

Huzzah! Three years later, he was awarded U.S. Patent No. 2118318. Super huzzah!

His goal was to keep parking spaces open for shoppers in downtown. So if you’ve ever gotten a ticket for not plopping enough quarters in the meter, you can thank good ol’ Carl.

But after 83 years, time has run out for the old-school meters. Not that metered time is a thing of the past, though. (Meh.) The Oklahoma City Public Transportation & Parking Department plans to replace almost 600 of the Magee-style meters in the next fiscal year with some sort of newfangled electronic car-tag tracking system. It will allow drivers to move their cars within the area with a single payment and could eventually become a smartphone-controlled app.

Fun fact: Magee beat a manslaughter rap in New Mexico after he shot at a judge who knocked him down in a hotel lobby. Magee missed, inadvertently killing a bystander. So if it weren’t for his poor aim, OKC might not have become the beloved birthplace of the coin-operated parking meter.

The coin-operated parking meter is dead, long live electronic car-tag tracking.

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EAT & DRINK Good Egg Dining Group staff regularly volunteer their time to help prepare annual pop-up dinners to benefit local charities. | Photo A Good Egg Dining

Cov e r

Group / provided

Feeding hope

At many OKC Restaurant Week venues, community support has become a satisfying part of business year-round. By Greg Elwell

Oklahoma City Restaurant Week is back, and this year, it’s expanded to 10 days to help raise more money for Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. June 9-18, Oklahoma Gazette and 29 great local restaurants bring diners more than a week of the best in metro cuisine via specialized, specially priced Restaurant Week menus. (Learn more with the special OKC Restaurant Week insert in this issue.)

For example, diners can select from prix fixe items such as Korean-style hot wings at Chick N Beer, delectable Peruvian fare like Seco de Carne from Naylamp Peruvian Restaurant North, Coho salmon and jumbo lump crab in brown butter from Meat Market Refectory and more.

Community focus

For each Restaurant Week lunch ordered, $1 is donated to Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. For each dinner, $2 is donated to the food bank. Each dollar donated becomes five meals for someone in need.

The event makes giving easy and delicious.

1. Check out the insert in this issue or

visit okcrestaurantweek.com to learn about participating restaurants and their prix fixe Restaurant Week menus.

2. Once you decide which venues to visit (you’ll likely want to visit more than one), ask your waiter for a Restaurant Week menu.

3. Eat and enjoy, knowing you’re doing a good deed while scarfing down great food like La Brasa International Cuisine’s three-course dinner.

4. Pick up next week’s Gazette to learn more about how chefs designed their Restaurant Week menus.

OKC Restaurant Week participants often have a longstanding commitment to giving back to their communities, which is also part of the reason they’re excited to join in this year’s event.

Food people

A Good Egg Dining Group has been a longtime supporter of local charities. But in 2015, the company wanted to go further.

“We decided we wanted to structure a giving program to give back to the city,” said recruitment specialist Lauren Kerby.

Each restaurant in the group chose its own nonprofit. Red PrimeSteak chose residential treatment center Catalyst Community House. Iron Star Urban Barbeque selected The Bella Foundation SPCA. Tucker’s Onion Burgers supports OK Messages Project, which allows incarcerated parents to read to their children via video.

“Each one chooses an organization that matters to them,” Kerby said. “Every month, one of our restaurants does a volunteer event.”

The company also began hosting annual pop-up dinners using its built-in talent to help local nonprofits. In August, it held a dinner for 115 guests and raised $8,250 for Positive Tomorrows, which educates homeless children.

“It’s a way to give back to our community while doing what we do best,” she said.

That’s also the reason A Good Egg Dining Group culinary heavy hitters — director Ryan Lawson and vice president of restaurant operations Robert Black — cooked for more than 300 people at The Homeless Alliance’s WestTown resource center and day shelter.

As part of the Turning the Tables on Hunger initiative, Good Egg prepared meals at an event earlier this year and once last year.

In 2016, Lawson created lamb stroganoff with fresh green beans in bacon. This year, he delved into WestTown’s food pantry to create something special: a fruit cup cobbler.

“I make it my mission to work with

the products that they are unsure what to do with or how to make it without other ingredients,” he said. “You might think [cobbler] is simple enough, but we were not going to settle for opening canned fruit and pouring crushed cereal over the top.”

He and other volunteers reduced the canning syrup and added Rice Krispies Treats and ginger snaps to pull the vanilla flavor from the marshmallow and baking spices from the ginger snaps.

“We then took crushed bran flakes and dissolved some Rice Krispies Treats to create a granola-style topping,” he explained. “While not something you will likely see on a menu anytime soon, it was a great treat for the clients.”

Good Egg front-of-house staff served the dessert and dinner and even stuck around to help WestTown staff clean up the dining room.

The group plans to continue its regular participation in Turning the Tables dinners.

“Personally, I have a calling to one day give away the food I make,” Lawson said.

“Up until I worked with The Homeless Alliance, I always assumed the benefit of having food was enough. … So when the day comes for me to hang my career chef coat up and step into my retirement of not-for-profit cooking, I now know it will be as part of something bigger.”

Kids first

In addition to participating in OKC Restaurant Week, Vu said he has been introduced to several charities through his marketing director.

“After working Taste of OKC together, he invited me to an event at the Chesapeake Boathouse for Little Light Christian School,” he said.

Little Light Ministries began in 2009 to help Oklahoma’s growing population of incarcerated women.

In 2012, the group opened Little Light Christian School to educate and care for children whose parents are incarcerated.

“Meeting the kids and learning what they go through, I needed to help,” Vu said.

The school provides a free education to children in addition to clothes, food, school supplies and transportation.

It also participates in Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Backpack Program, which sends food home with children to eat on weekends. (Read more about the Backpack Program on page 13.)

As the father of a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old, the issue of food insecurity among youths hit Vu hard. It’s also the reason he became involved with Cavett Kids Foundation, which hosts summer camps for children with life-threatening illnesses who might otherwise miss out on the fun.

Vu also knows parents greatly influence the lives of their own children the way his did when they immigrated to the U.S., and too many kids still need help that, despite all their love and effort, parents aren’t always able to provide.

“Anything I can do for kids, I do,” he said.

Visit okcrestaurantweek.com.

Oklahoma City Restaurant Week June 9-18 OKC metro okcrestaurantweek.com

La Brasa and Kong’s Tavern owner and chef James Vu said helping children is a cause near and dear to his heart.

See the OKC Restaurant Week program insert in this week’s issue.

Proceeds from this special 10-day event benefit Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Diners at an annual A Good Egg pop-up dinner give the staff a round of applause. | Photo A Good Egg Dining Group / provided

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Volunteers from Love’s Country Stores put together Backpack Program food sacks. | Photo Regional

Cov e r

Food Bank of Oklahoma / provided

Long weekend

Backpack Program helps feed children when they’re not at school. By Greg Elwell

Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma started its Food for Kids Backpack Program in 2003 after learning about an Oklahoma City elementary school student who fainted while waiting in line on a Monday for lunch. The student had nothing to eat over the weekend.

In the 14 years since it began, the program has grown to include 18,816 elementary students at 512 schools. Now the food bank delivers sacks of food to schools across central and western Oklahoma that students can take home to make it through the weekend.

Oklahoma City Restaurant Week, June 9-18 at restaurants across the metro (read more about it on page 12), helps raise money for food bank programs, including its Backpack Program.

Order off the prix fixe menus at one any of OKC Restaurant Week participants and $1 for every lunch purchased and $2 for every dinner purchased will be donated to the food bank. Last year’s event raised $10,000 for the nonprofit — funding the equivalent of backpacks for 50 students, or up to 50,000 meals for Oklahomans of all ages facing food insecurity.

The need is only growing, said Norman Public Schools superintendent Joe Siano. When he first began working in the district, about 20 percent of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches. Now it’s around 50 percent.

Backpack Program participants are drawn from free and reduced-price lunch rolls. This year, he said, almost 500 Norman Public Schools students received the backpacks.

“Just like with adults, if your basic needs aren’t being met, it’s hard to concentrate,” Siano said. “As adults, we have some control of our lives. As a young kid, if you don’t know where your basic needs are coming from, how do you concentrate on math?”

Lack of food affects every aspect of a child’s life, including education. Kids who don’t eat enough have trouble paying attention in class and are left vulnerable to more social and emotional problems.

Norman Public Schools director of

guidance and counseling Sharon Heatly said food impacts everything.

“This is such a critical time with brain and body development for students. They need proper nutrition to grow and be successful,” she said. “In addition to the physical effects, being chronically hungry creates this toxic stress with them that can have long-term effects.”

Students might fall asleep in class or seem lethargic, she said. They might be quick to show frustration, as well.

Counselors can only do so much, said Monroe Elementary School counselor Sarah Kirk. In addition to administering the program at her school with a physical education teacher, she also helps get kids into the program.

“We communicate a lot with teachers and families. Students may express a need, or the family may,” she said. “We observe kids who eat all of their lunch and ask for more or kids who come into breakfast starving.”

Teachers and administrators keep an eye out for signs of chronic hunger and then work with parents to get the students in the Backpack Program.

“Many times, a teacher will catch me in the hall or email me about a concern.

We find a way to meet those needs,” Kirk said.

Food bank volunteers pack bags of nonperishable, shelf-stable foods that are taken to the schools. There, the

on-site coordinator will deliver them to students on Friday.

Having the food bank as a resource is important, but Kirk said the organization’s years of experience are truly invaluable. Teachers and counselors have many duties, so having a partner that makes feeding kids easier is helpful.

An average weekend bag of food includes peanut butter, crackers, fruit cups, shelf-stable milk and other items designed to give kids enough to eat with little or no preparation. Forty-three students at Monroe — about 10 percent of the school’s students — take part in the program.

Heatly said if students have young family members in need, the food bank sends home more food.

“Families want the best for their children but don’t have the means or resources to make that happen,” she said.

“We want to let them know we care about the wellbeing of their child, too.”

That includes times when the students are away from school, Siano said.

“Safety and security is a priority, but calling off school for any reason at all has other implications,” he said.

Closing school for weather means students don’t have access to breakfast and lunch. And Kirk said it’s even more troubling over longer breaks.

“Over longer breaks, like in winter and spring, our school partnered with the community to create a food drive to provide additional food during those extended breaks,” she said.

Siano said the district also participates in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program to help keep children fed through summer break.

“We have a pretty robust summer feeding program with breakfast and lunch for any student in that area,” he said. “Whether urban, suburban or rural, people face some of those challenges. The federal program is great, but we will always need supplemental partners like the food bank to help us meet the needs.”

Save this issue and visit okcrestaurantweek.com for more about OKC Restaurant Week and how it works.

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Nursing students from the University of Central Oklahoma volunteer and pack supplies for the Backpack Program. | Photo Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma / provided O kg a z e t t e . c o m | M ay 3 1 , 2 0 1 7

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•Wine-stone cowboys Just outside the hustle and bustle of downtown Oklahoma City, the sound of beeping horns is replaced with the sound of mooing cows. Stockyards City is a historic area that is home to the Oklahoma National Stockyards, established in 1910 as the world’s largest feeder and stocker cattle market. The venue is still home to raucous cattle auctions every Monday, but 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, moo juice gets swapped for merlot at Stockyards City’s eighth annual Wines of the West wine-tasting event.

Oklahoma boasts almost 50 wineries, which might surprise many wine enthusiasts. Sixteen of those will be featured at Wines of the West, where guests can sample some of the best of Oklahoma in one of its most unique settings.

“For all the wine connoisseurs, I guess you’d call them, it’s such a great opportunity to try a bunch of different wines,” said Stockyards City spokeswoman Sissie Wherrell. “You can come and sample all these wines at a great price, and there’s a lot of unique shopping. Stockyards City has so much history behind it, too. It’s such a great time to come enjoy the area.”

Each winery will offer two or three wines to sample, and wine will be available for purchase.

“We made a few changes this year to comply with ABLE, so wineries will be in Rodeo Opry, Granville Community Music School and Stockyards Mercantile building,” she said. “Guests can check in at the Cattlemen’s [Special] Event Center to get their wristbands.”

With their wristbands, guests can sip and sample their way around Stockyards City and enjoy live music in each venue. The venues are open to all ages, but only those 21 years old and older can sample wine. Three food trucks will be on hand, but there are plenty of dining options, including legendary Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, one of Oklahoma’s oldest operating restaurants.

Tickets are $15-$30. Visit stockyardscity.org.

— By Angela Evans

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•Enter Salata

The first Salata in Oklahoma City opened last week at 12200 N. MacArthur Blvd., and it likely won’t be the last.

The Houston-based salad bar eatery plans to open six Oklahoma locations in the near future, Salata operator Bryan Jones said in a press release.

The company already has more than 60 locations, both corporate-owned and franchise, through Texas, Illinois and southern California. Oklahoma openings will be followed by locations in Florida and Georgia later this year. Visit salata.com.

— By Greg Elwell

OKCPS students who stick to it will score big prizes this fall.

Salata opened its first Oklahoma City location last week. | Photo Erin Coats Photography / provided 14

M ay 3 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Wines of the West features wine from 16 Oklahoma wineries. | Photo bigstock.com

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The Pritchard general manager Mindy Magers and staff are selling Bottles for Boobies to raise money for breast cancer testing and treatment.

Photo Garett Fisbeck / file

•Bottling hope

The Pritchard Wine Bar, 1749 NW 16th St., wants to help diners save lives and breasts with its summerlong Bottles for Boobies campaign.

Starting Thursday, the restaurant will offer diners a special rosé wine list with a portion of proceeds benefitting Tulsa-based nonprofit Oklahoma Project Woman.

“I wanted a charity that was local and one with a good history of getting money to where it was intended to go,” executive chef Shelby Sieg said. “Also, I just really love that their focus is uninsured women dealing with breast cancer. It’s a horrible, awful disease, and to be dealing with that without insurance is unimaginable.”

Oklahoma Project Woman provides free mammograms, diagnostic procedures and surgical services to Oklahomans who lack health insurance and have limited financial resources.

Visit pritchardokc.com and oklahomaprojectwoman.org.

— By Greg Elwell

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Serving peace

Raindrop Foundation hosts Ramadan dinner to promote understanding and harmony in OKC.

By Angela Evans

“Muslims cannot be terrorists, and terrorists cannot be Muslims.”

A. Kadir Akkus, executive director of Raindrop Turkish Foundation, feels that many people don’t realize this important distinction. The foundation aims to dispel misconceptions that are often attached to Muslim faith and traditions by bridging knowledge gaps in the community through outreach, education and events.

“If you don’t have knowledge about other religions or have never met a Muslim and you only get information from the news and television, there can be misunderstandings,” Akkus said. “It’s important to get to know each other, learn from one another.”

In the current political climate, an open dialogue is especially important, as facts are replaced by “news” and new policies in the United States target individuals from Muslim-dominant countries, such as Turkey.

“During this globalized time, we see a lot of clashes between people of different religions and cultures,” he said. “Our foundation promotes mutual understanding, cooperation, respect and tolerance among diverse faiths and cultures.

We do this by creating opportunities for shared experience, to bring people from different backgrounds to the same table.”

That table is often the site of a shared meal, which is especially significant during the holy month of Ramadan.

“In our tradition in Turkey, also our religious tradition, it’s important to share your food with friends, even people you don’t know,” he said. “During Ramadan, we fast for 30 days, meaning we don’t eat or drink during daylight hours. During the summer, this means 18 hours without anything, which allows us to focus on how hunger feels, to understand better those without food. How important is something as simple a bottle of water or a piece of bread? We reflect on that.”

Ramadan is a time for spiritual selfreflection, but it is also a time of reaching out and showing kindness and hospitality to improve relationships with those in your community. A key element of Ramadan is breaking your fast by inviting

The next Raindrop Turkish House Community Ramadan Dinner is June 13. | Photo Raindrop Turkish House / provided

family, friends, neighbors, believers and nonbelievers to share your meal. It is thought that doing so during Ramadan increases your blessing.

“Most people may not know that, besides fasting, Ramadan is a month of sharing and generosity. It is our obligation,” Akkus said. “During Ramadan, my wife and I host many dinners at our home — maybe 20 or so during the month. Most of our guests are non-Muslim people.”

Raindrop Turkish House is extending the same warm invitation to the community by hosting Community Ramadan Dinners. The next one is June 13. Anyone may attend, and they are free to the public. The event begins at 8 p.m. with a presentation about Ramadan. It’s a great opportunity for guests to ask questions about Muslim traditions and beliefs.

“Anyone is invited who wants to share this atmosphere with us, and it is a great chance to learn more about each other,” Akkus said. “We have a lot more commonalities and just a few differences. We need to focus less on the differences.”

The dinner itself will begin at sunset — around 9 p.m. Akkus’ wife Miriam described what guests can expect when breaking fast at a Ramadan dinner.

“Dates are an important part of Ramadan dinners,” she said. “Most people break their fast by eating dates, so

Raindrop Turkish House executive director A. Kadir Akkus | Photo Raindrop Turkish House / provided

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we will have that because it is traditional. The date is also very specific to the culture because of their [geographic] origin.”

The next course is typically a lentil soup.

“All day, you are not eating, so you want to start with something liquid and soft,” Miriam said. “Lentil soup is very important, and everyone really likes it.

Then, after that, you can start eating more.”

In addition to seasonal green salads, the main courses will likely be a beef stew or the very popular doner kebab. A mixture of beef and some lamb, doner is described as less spicy and lighter than a typical gyro, which allows the flavor of the meat to really come through.

Various Turkish pastries are also prepared, but flaky and sweet baklava is always on the menu for dessert.

About half a dozen volunteers prepare this free dinner for anywhere from 80 to 100 guests; reservations are required.

Raindrop also shares its Ramadan dinners at other churches, like Temple B’nai Israel. The interdisciplinary element is at the heart of Raindrop’s purpose.

“At the temple, they will also share their beliefs and their church with us.

People from our community can ask questions about their faith,” Akkus said.

“I still have a lot to learn about their faith even though our texts share so many stories, like that of Cain and Abel or The Virgin Mary.”

The foundation hosts many events that promote open, face-to-face discourse at its own facility, but it also has partnerships with local colleges, where participants explore issues through art projects or panel discussions.

“All over the world, there has been racism and discrimination, and there’s an especially high level of those things during this time,” Akkus said. “With our events and panel discussions, we bring together speakers and experts from the three Abrahamic traditions — Muslim, Jewish, Christian — to come share their views and perspectives on things like the refugee crisis. Our goal is to show how important it is to live together in peace and harmony and find solutions to address that.”

The Community Ramadan Dinners starts 7:45 p.m. June 13 at Raindrop Turkish House, 4444 N. Classen Blvd.

Visit facebook.com/dialogueok, Raindrop Turkish House Oklahoma City’s Facebook page or raindropturkishhouse.org.

Community Ramadan Dinner

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Pork belly and Brie sliders with kimchi and Asian slaw | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Delicious delight

Dekora! brings fun and flavor to a hidden corner of Bricktown. By Greg Elwell

Dekora!

200 S. Oklahoma Ave., Suite 130 | 405-702-1325 extremeyum.com What works: Sushi doughnuts and the yellowtail special are tops.

CE

What needs work: Explaining to diners where the restaurant’s located.

Tip: Ask the chef at the sushi bar what he or she is excited to eat and order that.

1116 N Robinson Ave. OKC | 405.601.9234 @nicsplacedinerandlounge

The three most important things in real estate are location, location and location. That’s what I think of whenever someone mentions Dekora!, 200 S. Oklahoma Ave., Suite 130. Well, I get to location eventually.

First, I usually think about the food or how far the restaurant has come since its original iteration as In the Raw. But then I come back around to Dekora!’s location in Bricktown, once the city’s premier dining and entertainment destination.

If you haven’t been there, and I worry you haven’t, Dekora! is on the south side of one of the district’s southernmost buildings, hidden around the corner on the way to Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16. People who aren’t looking for it might not see it.

It’s named after decora, a Tokyo street fashion of bright, bold colors that evoke a sense of fun, and that aesthetic carries through the restaurant.

The tables and walls are decorated with Japanese pop culture pictures and action figures. The outside windows include paintings of sushi heroes fighting an octopus-armed villain. It’s a feast for the eyes, which is kind of a visual appetizer before the feast for the stomach begins. Make no mistake; the look of the restaurant is a lot of fun, but food is the reason to visit Dekora!

Here’s my plan for a foolproof visit.

Step 1: Pork belly Brie sliders ($8 for

2). Sometimes I worry our local restaurants have cracked the code for telepathy. How else are they always guessing exactly what we want to eat?

When the server at Dekora! told me they were now serving sliders filled with pork belly and Brie, I subtly slid a tinfoil hat onto my head. But after a bite, I took off my mind-reading ray blocker, because if this is how they’re going to use my brain waves, have at them. The pork is supple and full of juicy flavor.

The buttery Brie is melted on top, giving it a creamy texture and a boost of rich fat. Does it need the bread? Maybe not, but it sure makes them easier to scarf.

Step 2: Get a drink. Owner Anna

Mains also runs bars Timeout. and Rockford Cocktail Den and is a member of the Oklahoma City chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild, so you best believe she knows good libations.

Dekora!’s menu is filled to its fizzy brim with signature cocktails, premium sakes and Japanese beers.

My favorite is Tokyo Nights ($9), which blends lychee sake, peach vodka, ginger syrup, mint and club soda for a bubbly burst of boozy goodness.

Step 3: There are two kinds of sushi out there, and they’re both good.

There’s Japanese sushi, which is

Yellowtail special | Photo Garett Fisbeck 18

M ay 3 1 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Join the Cross Timbers, Norman & Sooner Rotary Clubs for usually just fish and rice, and there’s American sushi, which is rolled up with all kinds of goodies and covered in a variety of sauces.

It’s a fair bet that Science Patroll ($15) is American sushi based on the inclusion of jalapeño and spicy mayo.

And if that’s enough for people to turn their noses up at it, that’s a shame.

Filled with spicy yellowtail and tuna and topped with more yellowtail, dynamite tataki sauce and scallions, it’s a lovely fresh roll with a nice little kick. Jalapeño might not be a traditional Japanese ingredient, but it sure brings a lot to sushi. The heat, green flavors and crunch are assets to the gentle taste of fresh fish.

While we’re dining on sushi that has very little to do with Japan, let me tell you about the joy of Sushi Doughnuts ($9). A sushi roll is stuffed into a doughnut-shaped mold and then dipped in tempura batter and flashfried to give it crunch and a cohesive texture. Chefs then decorate it with toppings and sauces. It’s a handheld dish that is whimsical and delicious.

It’s kind of a perfect fit for Dekora!

Step 4: If the gluten in rice is a no-no on your diet, do not despair. One of Dekora!’s best dishes is the tender and tasty yellowtail special ($14). Yellowtail is another name for Japanese amberjack, an extremely luscious fish that very nearly melts on the tongue. The special is sliced yellowtail in a spicy ponzu sauce served with jalapeño and cilantro. The salty sauce hits immediately, followed closely by the gentle, buttery fish and the crunch and heat of the jalapeño. It’s not on the menu, so ask and ye shall receive.

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& other rotary programs

ThurSday, June 1 7:00pm Artiste et le Vin

an evening of painting & Wine assistance League Norman Building 809 Wall street

Limited Seating

friday, June 2 6:30 pm Wine & Dine

f e aT u r in g a m a z in g w in eS & phenomena l food

Featuring exceptional cuisine courtesy of mickey mantle’s steakhouse, fine wines, pianist grant stevens entertains and scintillating conversation at the event center of the studio of the sooner theatre, 110 e main st., Norman

Reservations Limited

SaTurday, June 3 6:30pm Le Tour de Vin

a grand festival of delectable and collectible wines and exquisite foods.

6:30................. silent auction opens 8:30..................... Live auction starts Lifestyle and collectible wines auction at the Marriott Conference Center at NCED 2801 East State Hightway 9, Norman

Step 5: Some people don’t eat fish,

and those people are wrong. But if you’re related to them or you’re more tolerant than me, you can still go to Dekora! I think fried rice ($8) is a delight, and it’s even more irresistible when you add in pork belly ($3).

This version is stir-fried with cabbage, carrots, garlic and shallots, which gives the dish a ton of crunch to complement the fatty pork belly.

Shhh. Did you hear that? It’s my stomach thinking about that fried rice.

(Yes, my stomach thinks. Get over it.)

For another non-seafood option, I think the new menu item of braised beef cheek with Sriracha caramel sauce ($15) is a winner.

Beef cheek (often called barbacoa) is a favorite in tacos, prized for its intense beef flavor and succulent texture when it’s slow-cooked. Here, it comes with wasabi whipped potatoes and sautéed bok choy — a nice counterbalance to the sweet, spicy flavor of the caramelized beef.

Mains and staff have dialed in the flavors of the food and drinks and created a fun, welcoming atmosphere.

Get down to Bricktown and see for yourself.

Benefiting The STudio of The Sooner TheaTer

wineS preSenTed By: republic national distributing co.

RESTAURANTS: Hollies Flat Iron Steakhouse • Mazzio’s Italian Eatery • Midway Deli Native Roots Market • The Olive Garden • Paisley Cafe • Panda Express • Ray’s Smokehouse BBQ Sergio’s Italian Bistro • Sweet Basil

Saturday & Sunday now Open for Brunch

MON-Fri 11a-9p, sat 10a-9p, sUN 10a-2p 2421 N. cOUNcil rd. bethaNy | 470.5530

2017 Sponsors: CHAMPAGNE Big Red Sports & Imports | PINOT NOIR Marriott Conference Center at NCED Marylou Mahaffey and Bill & Melissa Rosko • Steve and Barbara Owens • Primrose Funeral Service CABERNET Cleveland County Lifestyle Magazine • Joe Gil and Margaret Cullins Havenbrook Funeral Home • Mitchell’s Jewelry • Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse • Riverwind Casino Markie & Craig Stephens • Tribute Memorial Care • Ward & Glass, Attorneys | MERLOT Chickasaw National Industries, Inc • Edward and Sumya Adwon • Air Comfort Solutions • John Brandenburg Dental Design Studio, LLC • First United Bank • Hal Smith Restaurants • Ideal Homes Knippelmier Chevrolet • LiqueColor Inc. • McClain Bank • Midfirst Bank • Physical Therapy Central Republic Bank & Trust • Sports Talk Media | CHARDONNAY Agility Medical Group, LLC Aria Real Estate Group • Eide Bailly, LLP • Lewis Beckett • Jack J. Beller, MD Boynton Williams & Associates, Architects • Keith Busking • Cleveland County Abstract Elwell & Spain, PLLC • Firehouse Subs - Norman • Pat and Melanie Hall • Harrison Henderson, PLLC-CPAs Joe’s Wine & Spirits • JT and Lori Johnson • Lifecare Oklahoma Hospice, Inc. Mallard Construction & Roofing • Mason’s Pecans & Peanuts, LLC • Lynne Miller • Carri Moore Norman Pediatric Associates • Oklahoma Copier Solutions • OK Weather Pro • Physicians & Surgeons Pharmacy, Inc. • RSM US, LLP • Sigmon Pilkington Wealth Management • Sooner Traditions Realty, LLC Senator John and Elizabeth Sparks • The Sprit Shop • The Trails Golf Club El Toro Chino Latin + Asian Kitchen • Waggoners’ Heat and Air • Jaci Williams • Adam C. Woods, DC

Please visit www.leTourdevin.com or call 405-321-0016

All three events require advance registration All participants must be 21

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g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

Really raw

Raw food isn’t cooked, but it still takes a lot of preparation. Perhaps the phrase “raw food diet” conjures images of bagged baby carrots and piles of lettuce, but there’s a great big, tasty world of raw foods at some of your favorite restaurants. Local chefs shuck oysters, dice raw beef and squeeze tasty juice from organic fruits and vegetables to give diners access to unadulterated nutrients and the freshest of flavors.

By Greg Elwell Photos Cara Johnson and Garett Fisbeck

Organic Squeeze

6434 Avondale Drive, Nichols Hills organic-squeeze.com | 405-796-7793

Cold-pressing uses high pressure to extract all the tasty juice from fruits and vegetables. The process requires a lot of fresh ingredients and a keen sense of flavor. A glass of beet juice might not sound particularly appetizing, but when it’s mixed with apple, orange and cucumber juices, it becomes a refreshing treat.

For a morning pick-me-up, grab a Joe’s Mean Green filled with apple, cucumber, lemon, celery, kale and ginger.

Viceroy Grille

1200 N. Walker Ave. viceroyokc.com | 405-898-8120

President Trump prefers his steaks cooked well-done with ketchup, so he probably wouldn’t eat Viceroy Grille’s steak tartare. His loss. This gorgeous concoction of finely diced raw steak mixed with capers, shallots and herbs in a creamy sauce comes topped with a raw egg yolk. It’s a French classic that puts a focus on fresh flavors and pickled ingredients. Break the yolk, mix it in and pile the steak tartare high on a house-made potato chip or simply eat it with a fork.

The Shack Seafood & Oyster Bar

13801 Quail Pointe Drive theshackok.com | 405-286-5959

Oysters are renowned as aphrodisiacs, but the only passion they inflame in me is a desire to eat more oysters. Served on the half shell at The Shack, these plump Gulf oysters are great simply slurped down with their briny juices. But if you like to dress them up, try a squeeze of lemon or a smattering of horseradish for a kick of nasal heat. Some swear by cocktail sauce, but it tends to cover up the sweet, light flavors of these bivalves.

Park Harvey SuSHi wine & SPortS lounge

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Hot Bar Entrees, Freshly Made Salads, Grab & Go Meals - all made from local, farm-fresh and organic ingredients

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Ocean 81 Sushi Bar

Smoothie King

Republic Gastropub

Muu Shabu

If you like fish with your fish, Ocean 81 Sushi Bar (which recently replaced Okura Sushi & Grill) has just what you need.

The Ocean Blossom is a delicate display of thinly sliced raw tuna and salmon filled with spicy tuna mix and avocado and topped with a slice of jalapeño, scallions and roe. The crunch and heat of the pepper are offset by the creamy coolness of the avocado and the tender, lush fish.

It’s an ideal appetizer whether the meal that follows is raw or cooked.

One worry when eating raw foods is getting enough protein, so Smoothie King makes some of its cool drinks with Sunwarrior Warrior Blend — raw, plantbased protein full of coconut, yellow peas, goji berries and hemp seeds. Those might not sound like your ideal smoothie flavors, so Smoothie King mixes it with bananas, mangoes, kale, almonds and juices that will light up your taste buds while nourishing your body.

Maybe the lines got crossed at Republic Gastropub, because in this dish, the meat is raw and the vegetables are fried.

However the tuna tartare tower came to be, it’s delicious. The base is guacamole covered in a layer of fresh, raw tuna with a crown of fried onion rings and asparagus spears. Mixed up and served on tortilla chips, it’s a fresh and delicious appetizer to start off your meal or an ample snack to enjoy while watching one of the bar’s massive TV sets.

You can eat the beef at Muu Shabu raw if you choose, but most diners at the Edmond shabu-shabu restaurant will swirl it around in the simmering broth on the counter for a tender bite cooked exactly how you like it. Muu Shabu is the ultimate in hands-on dining because you’re cooking it for yourself. Dip rice in a shallow dish of raw egg and gently lower it into the broth for a few seconds for an entirely new take on fried rice.

7508 N. May Ave. facebook.com/ocean81 | 405-842-3764

5921 SW Third St. smoothieking.com | 405-603-6992

13230 Pawnee Drive, Suite 115 republicgastropub.com | 405-607-5900

1042 E. Second St., Edmond facebook.com/muushabu 405-697-5100

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ARTS & CULTURE Another of Hodges goals was to bring an event that showcased active living.

“Anything we can do to promote a healthy lifestyle, the better for us,” Hodges said. “Cycling obviously does that.”

He has noticed cycling culture become more popular across the city in recent years. Organizations like Bike to Work Central Oklahoma promote an annual Bike to Work Day. Bike lanes are being more clearly defined and added to various streets throughout the metro.

“It won’t happen overnight, but it used to be you’d sit in the coffee shop and see one or two people riding bikes,” he said. “Now, you can sit in here and over the course of an hour see half a dozen.”

ac t i v e

Top draw

Life cycle

Popular Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic returns to highlight downtown districts.

By Ben Luschen

Chad Hodges has some advice for fans who might be new to the world of observing cycling races: Find an inside corner to watch, listen to and feel the cyclists as they zoom past.

“You’ve got 100 cyclists coming by you at 30 miles per hour,” he said.

“That’s pretty amazing.”

Hodges is founder and race director of the Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic, a multiday, family-friendly racing event that brings competitive cycling to the city’s downtown districts. The event is in its sixth year and returns to OKC Friday-Sunday.

All races are free for onlookers, but the payout is substantial for the more than 1,000 professional and amateur racers expected to compete for more than $45,000 in cash prizes at the threeday, closed-circuit-style event.

Fans and racers

The festivities kick off 5:30 p.m. Friday in Midtown with a course that takes riders through the popular H&8th Night Market food truck street festival. Races continue throughout the evening, and Hodges expects thousands of night market festivalgoers to take in the action.

“A lot of those people have probably never seen a bike race,” he said. “Then 22

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they see it and they want to come back Saturday and Sunday.”

The Pro-Am moves to Film Row Saturday. A new and improved Gran Fondo course will offer distances of 100, 60 and 40 miles for participants with varying levels of experience. Racers from all three routes merge for the final 16 miles on Film Row. Races begin for all courses at 8 a.m., and each course includes dedicated rest stops and helpful track markings.

The inaugural OKC Pro-Am Downtown Mile begins 11 a.m. during a break in the bike events. The running event presented in partnership with Red Coyote Running and Fitness features a one-mile course with separate divisions for competitive and amateur runners.

On a regional level, I would say we’re one of three premier races, which is pretty great.

Chad Hodges At 7 p.m. Saturday night, Elemental Coffee Roasters hosts its second annual Pro-Am latte competition, in which professional cyclists compete to pour the best latte with coaching from Elemental baristas. The public is invited to watch pro cyclers take on a challenge that is outside their element.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Hodges said. “We did it last year for the first time, and we’ve seen a ton of interest this year. Just about every pro team that’s coming will have at least one person participating.”

Automobile Alley concludes Pro-Am on Sunday. Races begin at 8 a.m. and last through early evening.

When Hodges launched the Pro-Am

More than 1,000 professional and amateur cyclists are expected to participate in the sixth annual Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic. | Photo Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic / provided

in 2012, it was a one-day Automobile Alley event. The race has seen consistent growth each year, building to its current sprawling, three-day, multiplesite event. Its growth can be best attributed to word of mouth and the natural excitement that comes from watching skilled pro cyclists.

“It’s one thing to be watching from across the parking lot,” Hodges said.

“It’s another thing to be right there when they’re rolling by and you can hear them talking to each other.”

City spectacle

Hodges is also team manager for DNA Racing and Team Arapahoe Resources.

He works with a core group of about three people and a wide array of volunteers to organize Pro-Am each year. He said his reward for the work is participating in each of the day’s races.

When he started Pro-Am in 2012, one of Hodges’ initial ideas was to highlight Oklahoma City districts through a premier racing event.

“Really, we just wanted to do something cool for Oklahoma City,” he said.

“There wasn’t an event that would take you downtown to race. Most of the time if you are in a race, really anywhere, they’re often held in industrial areas, neighborhoods, parks. We wanted to do something that would showcase the downtown districts.”

Instead of taking out-of-town racers around old warehouses and industrial areas, he wanted them to see the many things OKC has become.

Hodges said the event draws professional riders from across the country.

This year, an Australian team will participate. The number of registered pro cyclists increases by about 25 percent each year.

There are a few similar cycling events in the region that compare to Pro-Am, but not many. Tulsa Tough attracts a large following each June. Hodges said the Gateway Cup in St. Louis and Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, Arkansas, are similar.

“On a regional level, I would say we’re one of three premier races, which is pretty great,” he said. “Even on a national level, as far as events I’ve personally been to, our venues are as good or better than any of them.”

One of the things Hodges hopes to add to the event going forward is a livestreaming option online. Many other large races offer such a feature, and Hodges said it can be like a form of advertising within the cycling community.

“A lot of people tune into that,” he said. “It’s a way for people who weren’t able to attend the event to log on and watch the event and see the city. It’s a great way to showcase your city to people who were thinking about coming but didn’t.”

Still, Hodges said he is already very proud of the event as it stands today. He feels the race is on the cusp of a larger, national breakthrough if it could land the kind of corporate support that some other premier races have been fortunate enough to land.

“There’s very few things the Pro-Am is missing to be the heavy hitter,” he said. “We’re missing that one big sponsor saying, ‘Hey, we want to invest in the event [for] three years and help you grow it.’”

Visit okcpac.com.

Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic okcpac.com Free >> Midtown: 5:30-10 p.m. Friday, H&8th Night Market near 815 N. Hudson Ave. >> Film Row: 8 a.m.-5:45 p.m.

Saturday near 726 W. Sheridan Ave. >> Automobile Alley: 8 a.m.-6:25 p.m. Sunday near 900 N. Broadway Ave.

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c u lt u r e

ARTS & CULTURE

Native experience

Red Earth Festival highlights culture for locals and visitors alike in its 31st year. By Laura Eastes

As one of the most important rituals within a powwow, the grand entry at Red Earth Festival in Oklahoma City is a powerful and unrepeated sight as it displays tradition, culture, color and the coming together of all people.

As the thunderous beats of the drums begin, dancers representing dozens of North American tribes enter the arena dancing, swaying and moving with chants. Dressed in colorful and vibrant regalia, the dancers and drum groups are all rhythm, motion and sound, performing songs and dances passed down through generations.

“It’s almost like a kaleidoscope of colors,” said Eric Oesch, Red Earth, Inc. deputy director. “It is such an athletic dance with almost a whirl of colors. It is just so inspiring.”

While Red Earth Festival began in 1987 with a goal of showcasing native arts and crafts, an integral part of the wellknown festival is the powwow dance exhibition and competition. Music and dance are a fundamental component of American Indian culture — as much so as arts and crafts.

Now entering its 31st year, the festival continues as a celebration of Native American culture with its art market, powwow, parade and hand game tournament. This year’s festival is June 9-June 11 at Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens.

One-of-a-kind event

Over the course of the festival’s storied career, Red Earth has earned national and international accolades. USA Today named it one of the 10 greatest places to celebrate American Indian culture.

Part of its appeal, said Oesch, is Red Earth is truly a celebration of the rich traditions of American Indian arts and culture. Unlike the Santa Fe Indian Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair &

Market in Phoenix, Arizona, Red Earth Festival combines an arts market and a powwow into one event.

“What we do at Red Earth is showcase what makes Oklahoma unique,” Oesch said. “What makes Oklahoma unique is its tribal heritage. No other state has what we have with a wide and diverse range of people.”

Oklahoma is home to 39 federally recognized tribes that are headquartered and have tribal jurisdictional areas in the state. Only a handful of those tribes are considered indigenous to the state. More than 180 years ago, the federal government, through forced removals, uprooted tribes to Oklahoma.

Each tribe brought to Oklahoma its own unique culture in areas of art, stories, songs or rituals, dress, cuisine and language. Red Earth, where members from tribes across Oklahoma and the United States present their culture, is one of the most exhilarating ways to immerse in and experience Native American culture, Oesch said.

International crowd

In addition to its festival, Red Earth, Inc. operates an art center downtown at 6 Santa Fe Plaza. Each year, visitors from across the United States and beyond come to view Native American art, including pottery, beadwork and paintings.

Visitors get an up-close view of regalia and a unique cradleboard collection, to name just a few of the museum-quality exhibits.

Gallery visitors reflect the growing numbers of international tourists who visit the festival each year, Oesch said.

People have traveled to Red Earth from China, Australia and European countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom.

“It is not uncommon to be walking up and down the Red Earth aisles of the art market and hear people speaking German,” Oesch said. “Our audience is very diverse with many people coming from outside of Oklahoma. I think we are almost to the point where we have just as many out-of-towners as people from in town.”

Oesch said there is a strong fascination a mong Europeans, especially Germans, with Native American culture. Since European cultures allow for long summer vaca-

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Red Earth Festival features a powwow, where tribal dancers perform, June 9-11.

Photo Red Earth, Inc. / provided

tions, many travel to the United States for cross-country trips, typically along Route 66, and plan a stop in Oklahoma City during Red Earth.

Festival highlights

The Red Earth Parade kicks off the three days of festivities 10 a.m. June 9 at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave. Parade participants include tribal officials, princesses, dancers, drum groups, color guards, music groups, community organizations and veterans groups.

During the festival, the art market opens at 10 a.m. each day. Native artists from across the country display and sell their contemporary and traditional beadwork, basketry, jewelry, pottery, sculpture, paintings and cultural attire.

An “ask the expert” session returns to this year’s event 1-3 p.m. June 9. Guests are invited to bring Native art pieces or artifacts from their own collections to learn about their cultural significance and authenticity.

After a two-decade absence, a hand game tournament returns to the festival.

Sponsored by Oklahoma City Pow Wow Club, it runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 11. A hand game, or a stick game, is a Native American guessing game between two teams. The game includes music.

“It is really loud, a lot of raucous and lots of songs,” Oesch said. “Team one has the bones and team two watches. Team one is singing, dancing and hopping while passing these bones back and forth. The other team tries to keep track of the bones.”

Red Earth Festival redearth.org 405-427-5228

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June 10, 10 a.m. -5 p.m. June 11 Cox Convention Center | 1 Myriad Gardens Free-$16

“Blue Coral” by Karin Walkingstick is one of the many art pieces visitors can see June 9-11 at Red Earth Festival art market. | Photo Red Earth, Inc. / provided

Parade 10 a.m. June 9 Myriad Botanical Gardens | 301 W. Reno Ave. Free

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ARTS & CULTURE

WELCOME TO PET GAZETTE,

c u lt u r e

A QUARTERLY GLOSSY MAGAZINE PUBLISHED

BY OKLAHOMA GAZETTE.

Feel-great fest

er-songwriters Kalyn Fay, Jose Hernandez, Kierston White and others join premier local acts such as Latinflavored pop artist Lincka, R&B/soul/ hip-hop duo Adam & Kizzie, indie rock act Horse Thief and more. Between the main stage and the Myriad lawn stage, there will not be a break in music through the entirety of the event.

Princess power

Core mission

By Ben Luschen

Open fun

PUBLISHING: APRIL 26, 2017 | JULY 26, 2017

OCTOBER 25, 2017 | JANUARY 31, 2018

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Peace, Love & Goodwill always keeps affordability in mind. Other than special VIP memberships and specific event tickets, the festival includes free admission. Goodwill also checks with artists and vendors beforehand to make sure they have things to sell at price points affordable to most people.

Many festivals claim to have something for everyone, but Peace, Love & Goodwill is truly a universal good time.

The event is always growing as well.

This year, it increased its size on the Myriad Botanical Gardens grounds to include the area by Park House Events Center. Peace, Love & Goodwill also expanded its food truck offerings from 27 to 30, including Chef Ray’s Street Eats, The Healthy Hippo, Coit’s, Holey Rollers, Kona Ice, Let’s Do Greek and more.

And, of course, music remains a key component to the festival. Talented sing-

Photo Linda Burgett / provided / file

free Touch-a-Truck opportunity in its food truck area. Children get the chance to experience and touch a fire truck, ambulance, Goodwill truck and dump truck firsthand.

Burgett said last year, the Once Upon a Princess events went viral on social media, prompting fast ticket sales. With less virtual hubbub this year, the organizer still expects a large amount of interest. She said the princess aspect gives Peace, Love & Goodwill a unique feel.

“It’s fun because it fills our festival full of little girls dressed like princesses,” she said. “I don’t care who you are; that makes you happy.”

Music, food trucks, princesses and more make Peace, Love & Goodwill Festival fun for the family.

In an unlikely evolution, what started as a strictly concert event at what is now Chevy Bricktown Events Center has become a unique and affordable family festival.

Peace, Love & Goodwill Festival returns to Myriad Botanical Gardens Sunday for a full day of live music, art, food trucks and family activities. The annual event is a community outreach effort by Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma.

Festival organizer and Goodwill director of brand development Linda Burgett said the nonprofit first shifted from an all-music event to a community fair format in 2014 with the idea of focusing on fun for the whole family.

“At a lot of [other] festivals,” Burgett said, “there really isn’t that much to do with the kids and the art and things they can buy are expensive and they don’t even want their kids to touch the art.”

Peace, Love & Goodwill Festival expanded from a music-only event to a full family festival in 2014.

Still, Peace, Love & Goodwill’s most anticipated draw might be its Once Upon a Princess events and princess village area.

A full, rotating cast of Disney princesses will be on hand for photo opportunities and to mingle with children.

Four themed, ticketed princess events are held throughout the day, including Anna’s Birthday Extravaganza at 10 a.m., Princess Medley Performance at 1 p.m., Princess & Pirate Island Adventure at 4 p.m. and Royal Princess Pajama Party at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35-$60 and can be reserved at peacelovegoodwill.org.

Burgett said the princess theme started during the event’s first year as a full festival in 2014. A side event featured a meet-and-greet with Queen Elsa and Princess Anna from the movie Frozen.

Long lines convinced Burgett of the need to further incorporate the princess element into the program.

“I thought, ‘You know, there’s an opportunity for us to really expand on this,’” she said.

The following year featured a princess meetup for girls and a superhero meet for boys, but the princess events easily surpassed the other in popularity.

“We found out that parents and grandparents really don’t spend a lot of money on their boys,” she said, “I think just because of their short attention spans.”

Now, instead of a superhero alternative, Peace, Love & Goodwill presents a

Peace, Love & Goodwill Festival functions as a fundraiser for the nonprofit’s youth programs. At the same time, Burgett hopes guests leave knowing a little more about Goodwill and the many services it provides to the community.

“It’s a hand-in-hand thing,” she said, “but there’s also a lot of community education and community engagement because nine out of 10 people will say, ‘Yeah, I donate to Goodwill,’ but when you ask them, ‘What does Goodwill do?’ they’ll go, ‘Well, they help people.’”

A scavenger hunt event at the festival takes participants around Myriad Gardens, looking for people with informative signs about Goodwill and its mission.

Those who collect stickers from each sign holder and report back to the scavenger hunt booth will be rewarded with a free enamel Goodwill pin.

“We’re trying really hard to communicate and have this be educational to the public about what Goodwill does other than take their old stuff from them,” Burgett said.

Visit peacelovegoodwill.org.

Peace, Love & Goodwill Festival 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday Myriad Botanical Gardens | 301 W. Reno Ave. peacelovegoodwill.org | 405-278-7119 Free

ARTS & CULTURE

co m e dy

Texas, called Spite Club. When he returned to OKC, Lathe approached Porter — a similarly avid wrestling fan — about his idea for a wrestling-themed roast show. Porter loved the idea, and they soon secured Dave & Buster’s as a host location.

CFL became popular among comedians partially because it presented them with something different from the standard open mic. Comics could sharpen their writing within the creative constraints of CFL. Playful jeers and roasts were something that already existed; Lathe just gave them their own format.

“Going to an open mic is not necessarily fun,” he said, “but sitting in the back of an open mic and making fun of each other … that’s the best part.”

CFL most commonly deals in the traditional joke format, but roasts can sometimes veer into the territory of video clips or slideshow presentations. Lathe welcomes and encourages any form of creativity.

“Anything short of lighting a fire on stage, I’m in favor,” he said.

Roast rumble

Comedy Fight League returns with a new home at VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. By Ben Luschen

One of Oklahoma City comedy’s best-kept secrets is ready to take its sneering ribjabs and over-the-top bravado into the hotly contested ring of regular local entertainment. Comedy Fight League (CFL), an often-outrageous series of roast battles between local comedians, got its start in 2015. The swaggering show pays plenty of homage to professional wrestling, intentionally stoking dramatic “rivalries” between opponents and sometimes placing comedically high stakes on the outcome of matchups.

The new home for CFL is VZD’s Restaurant & Bar, 4200 N. Western Ave., where roast battles will take place the second Thursday of each month. The first CFL event at VZD’s is 8-11 p.m. June 8.

The night’s docket pits last season’s CFL champ Alex Sanchez against Jack Tapestry, Zach Smith against Julie Drake, and Saadboys (Heath Huffman and Chris Fox) against Madison Allen and Steven Patchin in a tag-team battle.

CFL’s former home was Dave & Buster’s on N. May Avenue. Comedian and CFL host/commissioner Josh Lathe said the show became popular in comic circles but never found a wider audience partially because the venue was unconventional for a locally produced show.

Those who have seen Lathe’s stand-up are likely not surprised by his involvement in the flashy roast league. The comedian’s stage show is known for its bursts of high energy and comedic pomp.

That attitude can likely be traced back to a long-standing obsession with professional wrestling.

“When I was a kid, it was all I’d ever

Comedy Fight League host Josh Lathe said the comedy show will now be held the second Thursday of each month at VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

think about,” Lathe said.

Merging the worlds of roast comedy and professional wrestling is not the most abstract concept. Many wrestlers give essential roasts of their opponents in concocted promotional interviews that serve to enhance drama and establish storylines before big matches.

“We’re cutting promos; we just do our talking with roast jokes,” Lathe said of his CFL companions. “That’s our fighting, which is way more approachable than working out and getting muscle.”

Big vision

Talking a big game is not something Lathe developed after starting CFL. In fact, it is the thing that got him into comedy in the first place. Lathe remembers flirting with a woman he liked and telling her he did stand-up comedy when, in fact, he had never even attempted it.

“I was like, ‘Well, if she ever calls me on it, I guess I better start doing it,’” he said.

Soon after, he attended his first open mic at The Looney Bin comedy club — a set he said was a complete disaster. Still, comic and comedy organizer BradChad Porter approached him afterward and invited him to come to an open mic the next week at Othello’s Italian Restaurant in Norman. Soon, Lathe was an open mic regular.

He came up with the idea for CFL after seeing a similar roast show in Austin,

‘Oohs and ahhs’

It is important to remember that CFL is a legitimate competition despite its professional wrestling themes.

Impartial guest judges score competitors and name winners in each matchup.

No outcome is predetermined, even in battles in which the loser might be “banished” from CFL competition. Narratives can always be adjusted later to work comics back into the fold. Lathe sets the stakes high to keep the audience invested.

“When [the crowd] hears a sick roast joke, we want oohs and ahhs,” he said.

Last year, winners in certain matchups fed into a larger CFL playoff tournament. Going forward, Lathe wanted to ditch the bracket format in part because orchestrating the tournament turned into a logistical nightmare.

“This year, I want to focus more on comics calling each other out and me helping to make some of the matchups,” he said.

While CFL has established a reputation as some local comics’ favorite comedy show, the new VZD’s location might help the show take root with a loyal following of non-comedians.

No matter who latches onto CFL as the show continues, Lathe insists the league’s biggest fan will always be himself.

“I’m more excited than anyone else who steps near these things because I think roast jokes are like love notes written with middle fingers,” he said. “It’s just your best friends saying the worst things they can think about you, and nothing to me is more fun.”

Visit facebook.com/comedyfightleague and okccomedy.com.

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T h eater

ARTS & CULTURE

Staging skepticism

Carpenter Square Theatre presents Creating Claire, a play that shows the humanity behind ideological battles over science and religion. By Ian Jayne

In humanity’s endless quest for truth, we will often analyze the finer points of a scientific theory or split scriptural hairs, but at the end of the day, questions both cosmic and personal remain connected, for better or for worse.

New play Creating Claire, written by Joe DiPietro and directed by Terry Veal, brings science and religion — systems of belief so often in cultural conflict — to center stage and examines how people operate within them.

With its four-person cast, Creating Claire offers a micro-level portrait of macro-level issues as the titular Claire (Angie Duke) moves from a cursory knowledge of the Bible gleaned only from weddings and funerals to an intensive spiritual journey based on the intelligent design theory.

Claire’s questions seep into her work as a docent at the local natural history museum and create conflict with her boss Victoria (Mary Sue Backus).

from left Reggie and Claire (Kevin Moore and Angie Duke) have a difficult time connecting with their autistic daughter (Lauren Mylin) in Creating Claire. | Photo Carpenter Square Theatre / provided

As Claire spars ideologically with Victoria, she also negotiates her relationship with her autistic teenage daughter (Lauren Mylin) and her teacher husband Reggie (Kevin Moore). Belief systems clash on multiple levels when Victoria fires Claire, who retaliates by suing the museum.

“There’s a lot of intricate relationships throughout the show that support each side,” Veal said.

Dramatic leanings

Veal became interested in theater in the fourth grade after attending summer classes and has been involved ever since.

He has retired from teaching theater at Classen School of Advanced Studies.

As both actor and director, Veal has worked with Carpenter Square every

year since its inception. The script for Creating Claire appealed to him because of its nuance and complexity.

While Veal noted that the play marks a departure from playwright DiPietro’s normal style of familial comedies such as Memphis and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, he found the uncharted territory appealing.

That’s not to say that Creating Claire is a humorless battle between science and religion; rather, the play represents both equally and in sometimes humorous ways. When dealing with such heady subject matter, Veal said that moments of levity are necessary.

“You can only go for so long in a drama without something to relieve the tension or the anger,” Veal said. “You have to have something.”

Quips from Victoria and Reggie help alleviate the dramatic intensity, but they also point out the humanizing role that theater can play in discussions of belief and truth.

“What I like about the play is that it doesn’t preach one way or the other about science versus religion,” Veal said. “It really balances both sides.”

Balancing belief

Creating Claire’s unwillingness to proselytize makes it easy to highlight the human elements that inform any ideological curiosity. As she questions the fundamental nature of the universe and human experience, Claire also encounters difficulties in her relationships with those closest to her.

Claire’s marriage hits some rough patches, and she struggles to connect with her daughter, who is trying out a relationship of her own with a boy she met online.

The play’s emphasis on relationships also benefits from Veal’s familiarity with some of the cast.

Previously, Veal worked with Angie Duke and Mary Sue Backus at Carpenter Square and directed Lauren Mylin at Oklahoma Children’s Theatre.

Because of the play’s small cast, Veal said he got to know the actors very well.

“This cast has been absolutely incredible. They are word-perfect, and they’ve been delightful,” Veal said.

Although Creating Claire deals with themes surrounding the instability of identity and the ability of belief systems to disrupt relationships, Veal said such performances came out of camaraderie.

“We had fun. I think that’s a big part of it,” he said. “You have to at least have a good time doing this.”

In order to create a play that is about different levels of creation, Veal said he worked through an extensive process that began when he read the script for the first time. His subsequent readings revealed different options for blocking, props, music and sound effects.

In order to create a seamless presentation of its concepts, the play includes minimalist design and unobtrusive transitions between its many sets. Jay C. Shardt designed the lighting, and Ben Hall worked as set designer.

Veal said that blackouts between scenes could easily break the play’s momentum, so the play uses a crossfading technique for fluidity. As for the stage design, Veal worked with simple options that tie into the play’s themes.

“I wanted to keep it simple. The set basically is two tables and three chairs,” Veal said, noting that dialogue and props would help position the actors in each new setting.

He described the stage background as an indigo blue patterned to look like the cosmos on one side and starbursts on the other.

From its backdrops to its essential thematic investigations, Creating Claire strives to make the cosmic personal, and vice versa.

“I hope people go out discussing,” Veal said. “That’s what it’s really all about.”

Creating Claire runs 7:30 p.m.

Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday at Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W. Main St. Tickets are $5-$20. Call 405-2326500, email csttix@coxinet.com or visit carpentersquare.com.

Creating Claire 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday Carpenter Square Theatre | 800 W. Main St. carpentersquare.com | 405-232-6500 $5-$20

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art

ARTS & CULTURE

Hope for the hurt

Literati Press launches The Non-Prophet Book of Common Prayer with a book release and art show.

By Ben Luschen

Like prayer books from many other religious backgrounds and traditions, The Non-Prophet Book of Common Prayer offers words of strength and encouragement for those who might need them. Yet one thing the nontheistic prayer book recently published by Paseo Arts District’s Literati Press does not do is invoke religion or the name of God. “When pressures mount and your strength seems to fail, may a single moment of hope and peace surprise you, granting you reprieve from the present,” reads “Blessing for the Last Straw,” one of 30 secular blessings within the collection. “May the knowledge that countless people now and in the past have also found themselves at their very end help you feel less alone.

Many others have been here before, and will be here again, and will survive.

So will you.”

The new book written by Marion Rasner and edited by Literati Press shop manager Kristen Grace launches with a release party and art show 6 p.m.

Friday at The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo St. A percentage of the book’s sales proceeds go to Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

Non-Prophet is hand-bound and comes illustrated by several local and national artists including Grace, Natasha Alterici, Jerry Bennett, Clint Stone, Arlene Hulva, Jörn Lofferty, Harold Neal, David Woods, Jennifer Woods, Morgan Ward, Aaron Courter and Holly Hall. The artists will have full-size versions of the book’s illustrations on display and for sale during Friday’s release party.

Grace has long known Rasner, who wrote Non-Prophet under a pen name, as a close friend. Grace said she has experienced depression associated with her Bipolar II disorder. Rasner, who lives outside Oklahoma, knew this and would occasionally check in on Grace via email, sometimes sending what he called “atheist blessings” — words of hope that did not mention a god or religion because Rasner is an atheist.

Though Grace grew up in the Christian church, she appreciated the secular encouragements.

“I noticed that they didn’t make me feel further away from God,” she said.

“They made me feel better.”

The nontheistic prayers became very precious to Grace, who saved each of them in a personal file. She asked Rasner if she could share his writings 34

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“A Blessing for Those Who See Their Best Days Behind Them” by Clint Stone. The painting is featured in The Non-Prophet Book of Common Prayer and at the release event art show. | Image Clint Stone / provided

with other people she knew were hurting. Eventually, the two agreed to publish some of the prayers in book form.

“On the whole, they kind of focus on human suffering,” Grace said. “In this really beautiful way, we have that in common with one another. Over time, we all tend to heal, and there’s some beautiful things about empathy in almost all of them.”

Grace said Non-Prophet is an ideal book for someone who is in emotional distress or knows someone who is hurting and does not necessarily want to invoke God or religion. She wants the prayer book to be a tool for healing.

“The best thing you can do for someone is just to be present with them,” she said. “That’s the best thing, but even in those moments, you feel like you need to say something.”

Though written by an atheist, NonProphet is not a book exclusively for the nonreligious. Grace said the idea is to offer hope free from religious principles that are not universal to everyone.

“The idea of this book is not at all to criticize God or to criticize Christianity in any way,” she said. “It’s just to say this is apart from that.”

The Non-Prophet Book of Common Prayer release and art show 6 p.m. Friday The Paseo Plunge | 3010 Paseo St. paseoplunge.com | 405-315-6224 Free

Art

Native novelties

Jeffrey Gibson’s Oklahoma Contemporary exhibit features Native American art and multimedia.

By Lea Terry

Jeffrey Gibson finds inspiration in everything from song lyrics to inanimate objects. It’s what prompted the title for his solo exhibition Speak to Me, on display through June 11 at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd.

“I use appropriated language such as song lyrics, poetry, writers who have influenced me, and I’ve also always been drawn to hymns,” said Gibson, a multimedia artist who works with painting, sculpture, fiber, ceramics, video and performance.

He features this appropriated language, along with his own words, on pieces that include everything from beaded panels to sculpture. His interest in spiritual hymns comes from his grandfathers, both of whom established Native American churches.

But while his Cherokee and Choctaw heritage influences his art, it doesn’t define it, as Jennifer Scanlan, Oklahoma Contemporary’s curatorial and exhibitions director, notes.

“That Native American aspect of his identity is very important to him, and that’s sort of a ground for his message, but his message is that that’s not all his art is,” Scanlan said.

However, Gibson’s connection to Oklahoma through his family does make this exhibition especially meaningful for him, especially since it’s his first large solo exhibition in the state. It’s also special because of the meaning it will have to many Oklahomans.

“There’s a large Native community there that has gone and is going to go through the exhibition, and I don’t have that audience here in New York,” Gibson said.

Inspirational objects

Another major component of the exhibit is Gibson’s short film one becomes the other, which he created during his residency at the Denver Art Museum. The video, which features members of the Denver

powwow community having conversations with artifacts, provides context for Gibson’s work and its connection to Native American powwow culture, regalia and other artifacts.

“In the video is where you get to see everything together, so that was really important,” Gibson said.

For Scanlan, it’s one of the most moving parts of the exhibition because it comments on the experience of being Native American, but it is also universal.

“We all have objects in our homes, in our possession, that are really important to us, that perhaps remind us of other people, of experiences, of family members, of where we came from,” Scanlan said.

Some of Gibson’s inspirations are personal, but he also looks to society, especially communities with collective identities.

“Sometimes it’s a social movement or political movement; sometimes it’s civil rights or feminism, different kinds of communities of people that have formed language or what they wear as a way to identify themselves,” Gibson said.

Because he works in several mediums, the studio is a place where anything goes, and he can use whatever combination helps him convey his message.

“It’s just how my mind works, trying to get the same ideas but moving back and forth between materials so people can see that the ideas are more fluid than the medium,” he said.

He began drawing as a child but didn’t seriously think of making it a career until college. He started out majoring in psychology and anthropology before transferring to Art Institute of Chicago after two years. His work is featured as part of the permanent collection of Smithsonian Institution and other major museums, and he also has pieces at Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum of Art.

Jeffrey Gibson’s Speak to Me exhibit runs through June 11 at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. | Photo Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center / provided

event featuring artist Nathan Young that took place April 1 and several short films and video art pieces from other Native American artists. Young, a multimedia and sound artist, performed “Lullaby for Peyote Tapes,” which was inspired by the cassette tapes used from the 1970s to 1990s by members of the Native American church or Peyote religion.

Members of the Native American community traded these tapes, creating an informal network in which people might learn songs from tribes all across the country and listen to people they’d never met in person.

Young inherited many of these tapes from family members and later got involved in experimental music, even forming his own label called Peyote Tapes.

The sharing is now done via YouTube, but Young hasn’t forgotten this early method.

“It’s a reference to these medias kind of hibernating and changing but also morphing into other ways of sharing,” Young said.

Young works with sound, composition, performance and installation and said that being able to blur the lines helps him tell the story in the way he wants to share it.

“I’m trying to tell a very complex story, and it kind of requires that kind of freedom to touch on all the different facets,” Young said.

Visit oklahomacontemporary.org.

Learning opportunities

Speak to Me includes a Learning Gallery in which visitors can touch the materials Gibson uses in his art and use a threading station to create their own works. Visitors can also get a firsthand look at the role materials like fringe, beads, coins and other items play in Native American culture through photographs by Lester Harragarra of powwows and other cultural gatherings.

Oklahoma Contemporary has several other features accompanying Gibson’s exhibit, including the New Native Art

help us recognize the men and women who are shapingoklahoma City and its future. to nominate one of oklahoma City’s brightest young leaders visit okgazette.com today.

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“Speak to Me” by Jeffrey Gibson | Image Marc Straus Gallery / provided

Jeffrey Gibson: Speak to Me 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday Through June 11

“All for One, One for All”

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd.

by Jeffrey Gibson | Image Marc

oklahomacontemporary.org | 405-951-0000

Straus Gallery / provided

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Co m m u n i t y

ARTS & CULTURE

High dive

Drug and alcohol abuse and addiction among Oklahoma students is real, and it’s a problem that communities, families and health professionals have to work together to remedy. By Mark Beutler

Editor’s note: Pseudonyms are used to protect anonymity and are noted within the story.

“I drank alcohol and codeine and promethazine. I abused Adderall, Xanax, OxyContin, Hydrocodone … I huffed gas, glue and air duster; I smoked K-2 and, of course, marijuana,” Todd told Oklahoma Gazette. “I struggled with self-harm, suicidal thoughts and shoplifting. Basically anything I could use to get me out of my mind.”

Todd, who didn’t want to use his real name in order to protect his anonymity, is 18 years old and began using drugs and alcohol when he was 15. He said he used to be a straight-A student who was very involved in his church and community.

By his freshman year of high school, everything changed.

“I had been a good kid for so long I wanted to do something bad,” Todd said.

“I noticed a group of upperclassmen who would leave the cafeteria at lunch to smoke cigarettes in the parking lot. One day, I got enough balls to follow these guys outside and ask for a smoke. I felt like I fit in. Soon after, I smoked weed for the first time.”

Statistics from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation show that in 2013, underage drinking cost the state of Oklahoma more than $1 billion, including lost work, medical costs and pain and suffering associated with problems that go along with underage alcohol and substance abuse.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have some

alarming statistics as well. The 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that among Oklahoma’s public high school students, 64 percent had ever drank alcohol, 27 percent drank within the past 30 days and 17 percent admitted to having five or more drinks, or “binge drinking,” during the past 30 days.

In that study, 32 percent of Oklahoma’s public high school students admitted to ever using marijuana, and 14 percent said they had taken prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription. Fifteen percent said they were offered, sold or given illegal drugs on school property within the past 12 months.

One of the worst times for Todd was when he began using the drug K-2.

“I hated the high it gave me; it was too intense,” he said. “But I was being drugtested by my school. … I still smoked it multiple times a day for a year because it was the only thing I could get away with.”

One day, Todd took two hits and immediately knew something was wrong.

“Normally, the high would last two hours, but this lasted all day,” he said. “I had to skip my first hour because I couldn’t talk and my heart was beating fast. It felt like lava coming from my chest.

My friends, who were also high, took me

We feel if the message is coming from peers, most adolescents will pay attention to it more.

August Rivera

to the bathroom to try and sober me up.

I leaned down in the sink, splashed water on my face and looked in the mirror. Time froze and I was able to look at my life.”

In that moment, Todd realized he needed help.

“I got kicked out of extracurricular activities, I was suspended from school, having to go to drug counseling, hurting my family, losing good friends, losing everything I love — and for what? To get high,” he said. “I didn’t even enjoy smoking this drug, but I felt I had to. Right then, I knew I wanted something different; I knew I didn’t want to get high anymore. Naturally, though, the next day, I was high again.”

The road to sobriety was painful, Todd admitted, and as his peers were enjoying sports and music and generally being teenagers, he was checking into rehab.

“At first, I didn’t want help,” he said.

“After a huge fight, I was taken to a psych ward. After getting past the opioid withdrawals, I knew I was in a great position to change my life.”

Todd spent 10 days in inpatient psychiatric treatment before he was transferred to a long-term substance abuse treatment center, where he stayed for two months. He said he learned a lot, but he knew if he went back to the same school, he would not stay sober.

“One day, my mom called me in rehab and said she found a school for teenagers recovering from addiction,” he said. “It’s called TRS, or Teen Recovery Solutions, in Oklahoma City, so I decided to try it.”

Along with TRS, Todd joined a 12-step program and works with a sponsor who is teaching him how to live life on life’s terms.

“I have a community around me now that has gone through the same things as me and came out on the other side,” he said. “I get to learn from them and, at the same time, give back what has been given to me by helping those new to recovery. … It is an ongoing battle. As an alcoholic addict, I cannot drink or use normally. I know I will never be able to just have a glass of wine or a can of beer. In some August Rivera | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Kirk realized his son was abusing drugs and had become addicted to opioids after beginning college. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

What I would tell other parents who may be reading our story is to listen to your gut instinct.

If you think something is wrong, it probably is.

Kirk ways, I am thankful for that. It means every day for the rest of my life, I will have an opportunity to better myself.”

A father’s story

Youth substance abuse and addiction issues not only affect the person going through it, but family members and friends as well.

Kirk (not his real name), a father from Edmond, said his son was a University of Oklahoma freshman when he learned of his addiction.

“I thought he was only abusing marijuana,” Kirk said. “It was shocking to learn he had an addiction to pain pills.”

Coming to terms with his son’s issues was difficult, he admitted, but the warning signs were all there.

“His physical appearance had changed for the worse,” Kirk said. “He was lying to me. He had several minor traffic accidents and tickets. His possessions and his money went missing, and he started isolating himself.”

Ultimately, Kirk’s son came to him and asked for help.

“My wife and I both had to learn a new way to interact with our son,” he said.

“We soon realized most of our ‘helping’ our son was actually allowing his addiction to continue. … Dealing with our son’s addiction was one of the most stressful events in our lives.”

His son relapsed after 90 days of incontinued on page 38 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | m AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 7

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ARTS & CULTURE Co m m u n i t y

continued from page 37

patient treatment, and Kirk said he later learned that relapse is often part of the recovery process.

The family started meeting with a licensed alcohol and drug counselor and set healthy boundaries with each other.

“What I would tell other parents who may be reading our story is to listen to your gut instinct,” he said. “If you think something is wrong, it probably is. Stop denying there is a problem. Educate yourself about addiction, join a support group, reach out for help, get involved in your local recovery community.”

Learning to take care of yourself is just as important as caring for your child, Kirk added.

“I would take better care of myself, focus on sleep, diet, exercise and my daily routine so when my son asks for help, I will be better able to provide it,” he said.

“I would also focus more on my marriage.

I felt like the addiction was trying to force my marriage apart.”

One of the best pieces of advice Kirk said he can offer is that parents join a parent support group early in the process.

He and his wife joined Parents Helping Parents. Sharing experiences with others is great therapy, he said. And the bottom line is to not lose hope.

“There are millions of people living

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What children see and hear at home, in many cases, determines what they will be like as they get older.

John Whetsel meaningful lives in recovery,” he said.

“Don’t ever give up on the hope of recovery.”

Before it starts

One key to curbing youth addiction is to prevent it before it begins, which means getting the message out to at-risk youths and their families about the dangers of underage alcohol and drug use.

Oklahoma City’s Eagle Ridge Institute has offered prevention programs since its inception more than 25 years ago. It includes a residential treatment facility in Guthrie that serves mothers and children and two prevention programs in Oklahoma County.

“We take an environmental approach in addressing the problem,” said August Rivera, Eagle Ridge community outreach preventionist. “We have two coalitions that guide our programs; these coalitions are made up of community leaders, law

enforcement and the community at large.

We believe that in order to make any kind of change in the issue of addiction, prevention needs to be the key. And having the community involved and engaged would be the best way in addressing it.”

Rivera said Eagle Ridge promotes education about the dangers of drug and alcohol use, thereby hopefully preventing a tragic accident, which could be death from overdose or killing someone while driving under the influence. A number of other negative consequences can also come into play, he said, including failed relationships, rape, job loss, criminality and negative health impacts.

Former Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel | Photo Gazette / file

“Currently, our focus is to create programs addressing substance use by having youth help us create those programs,” he said. “We feel if the message is coming from peers, most adolescents will pay attention to it more. Our hope is that this adult-guided youth coalition will create a message that adolescents would be more responsive to.”

The ultimate goal, Rivera said, is to make sure teens have the right information about alcohol and drugs so they can make informed decisions and avoid destructive behaviors. He said those in

recovery have to acknowledge their triggers and avoid influences that got them into the situation in the first place.

On a whole, the organization constantly examines society’s changing landscape and develops new ways to address and prevent substance abuse and addiction.

“Since prevention is a constant changing cycle, evaluating the program is always necessary,” Rivera said.

“Attitudes change, drugs change, laws change, and we also have to look at generational change when we speak of drug use. For example, today’s marijuana is not your father’s marijuana; it is more potent and you don’t have to actually smoke it now. You can eat it, drink it, vape it and various other ways of consuming it. So when we talk to teens, the message about marijuana is that using marijuana at that young of age can lead to some serious health issues in the long run and … long-term mental health issues.”

Rivera said the one constant he hears is that parents must be involved in their child’s life and play an active role in their recovery.

“If a parent is reading this, do not enable,” he said. “Acknowledge it and get involved in your child’s life — do the research. The one thing I’ve heard from family members that have gone through [realizing they have] a child with addiction is that they looked the other way, denied it or felt they were not involved in their child’s life for numerous reasons.

Be aware of any changes your child is exhibiting: sleep, friends, smell, missing things and honesty.”

Rivera said after talking to many young people, they said recovery happened once their parent became involved. They did not make excuses and confronted them about any issues they were having.

“All children are different, and what worked for one person doesn’t mean it’ll work for all,” he added. “It is a learning process, and families are successful if they are all involved in their loved one’s recovery.”

Law enforcement’s role

Besides families, peers and preventionists, another participant in the youth addiction scenario is the law enforcement community, which often gets involved when the youth’s addiction spirals out of control.

Law enforcement also plays an active role in community outreach, targeting at-risk youth with various programs and departments.

It’s hard to know the magnitude or the extent of the problem in Oklahoma County, said Mark Opgrande, public information officer at the Oklahoma County sheriff’s office, because the problem can often be hidden. In 2012, Oklahoma ranked No. 7 nationally in underage drinking. Still, Oklahoma County is actively involved in a number of outreach and prevention programs geared toward youths.

I have a community around me now that has gone through the same things as me and came out on the other side.

Todd “We have the Explore program, which gives kids who aspire to work in law enforcement a chance to experience the profession and also learn right from wrong,” he said. “We actively work within the community to do what we can to educate these kids.”

There’s also Red Ribbon Week, when school resource officers actively participate in the lives of the students they work with, including mentoring and Safe and Sober Prom in graduation season.

Retired Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said parents play a huge role in reducing the odds that their kids will abuse drugs or alcohol. Law enforcement cannot handle the problem alone.

“What children see and hear at home, in many cases, determines what they will be like as they get older,” he said.

“There are lots of children who grow up and never experiment with drugs or alcohol. A lot of that comes from complacent attitudes from parents — not good, bad or indifferent. It’s just a fact.”

List your event in

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.

Submit your listings online at okgazette.com or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

Hell and back

Todd said while he knows teenagers will be teenagers, in the end, it’s not worth all the pain.

“I want to tell those my age who are thinking about experimenting to be careful,” he said. “Don’t get lost in it.

Focus on things that will make you happy for more than a couple of hours.

From personal experience, those couple of intoxicated hours may end in the worst hours of your life.”

At the time of his interview with the Gazette, Todd said he was one year, 10 months and 25 days clean and sober.

It has been a hard path, he said, full of growing pains and doing things he does not always want to do.

“But at the same time, I am thankful for all the cops that got me in trouble, all the teachers and principals, all the people that hurt me and hated me,” he said. “Because without [those consequences], I would not have had the motivation to change and would not be where I am today. I am finally, finally at peace with myself.”

For More Parents Helping Parents: parentshelpingparents.info Eagle Ridge Institute: eagleridgeinstitute.com Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office programs: oklahomacounty.org/sheriff

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calendar Maine Event, enjoy a Maine lobster boil, cocktails and desserts by East-Coaststyle chef Bruce Rinehart and an auction with proceeds benefiting Oklahoma Lawyers for Children, 7-9:30p.m. June 2. Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-232-4453, olfc.org. FRI

are events recommended

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

Mural Hop, event featuring tastings from Oklahoma’s top breweries among the murals of the Plaza Walls concluding with an auction of paintings created by the artists during the event, 4-6 p.m.

June 3. Plaza Walls, 1708 N. Indiana Ave., 503-7298065, plazawalls.org. SAT

BOOKS The Best Land Under Heaven, cutting through 160 years of mythmaking, best-selling historian Michael Wallis presents and signs his latest book about the ultimate cautionary tale of America’s westward expansion, 6 p.m. June 1. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU Most American: Notes from a Wounded Place, through nine linked essays, Rilla Askew evokes a vivid impression of the United States: police violence and gun culture, ethnic cleansing and denied history, spellbinding landscapes and brutal weather; join the award-winning author during her book signing, 6:30 p.m. June 6. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. TUE Build A Better World, read for fun and earn badges all summer long, log reading time and earn prizes, June 1-July 31. Metropolitan Library System, 300 Park Ave., 405-231-8650, metrolibrary.org.

Le Tour de Vin Grand Wine Tasting Event and Auction, savor special cuisine while learning about fine wines from 30 tables of extraordinary wine to taste, enjoy and pair with offerings prepared by 10 participating restaurants, 6:30-10 p.m. June 3.

Marriott Conference Center at NCED, 2801 E. State Highway 9, Norman, 405-447-9000, letourdevin. com. SAT

Remington Park Spectacular Season Send-Off It’s the end of another live-racing season at Remington Park, 1 Remington Place, and the track bids farewell with its Spectacular Season Send-Off 3-11 p.m. Saturday. Fans can enjoy the Mega-Card with purses totaling more than $2 million, including the $1 million Heritage Place Futurity race for 2-year-old horses. There are added chances to win with WinPlace-Show cash drawings in the racing lobby entrance. Races begin at 5 p.m. Visit remingtonpark.com or call 405-424-1000. Saturday Photo Gazette / file

Night School: Woodworking, local artist Cash Wheeler details his process of handcrafting one-ofa-kind wood art and furniture while discussing the tools he uses, different types materials, inspiration and how he started his own business, 7-9 p.m.

June 1. Nominee Design, 100 N. Broadway Ave., Edmond, 405-330-1088, nomineedesign.com. THU Tulsa Race Massacre Anniversary, during a series of entrepreneurial event workshops, enjoy live jazz music while enjoying cocktails, pop-up shops, a memorial vigil and a documentary screening of We Will Never Forget to commemorate the historic 1921 event, June 1-3. The New Black Wall Street Marketplace, 1800 NE 23rd St., 405-593-8343, facebook.com/ NewBlackWallStreetMarketplaceOKC. THU -SAT Midwest Summer Fest, a family-friendly festival featuring live entertainment, movies in the park, yard games, food trucks and more, 6-11:30p.m.

June 2. Charles J. Johnson Central Park, 7209 SE 29th St., Midwest City, midwestcityok.org. FRI Junk Utopia OKC, shop vintage, repurposed vendors and handcrafted items, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

June 3. OK State Fairgrounds Centennial Building, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., 405-810-6977, junkutopiashow.com. SAT

RED Rooftop Party Cardinal Engineering’s rooftop, 1015 N. Broadway Ave., becomes one of Oklahoma City’s coolest dance clubs during the fifth annual RED Rooftop Party 7-10 p.m. Thursday. Benefitting AIDS Walk of Oklahoma City, which provides HIV and AIDS services and education, the party features a DJ, raffle and full-service bar. This year’s event is Greek-themed, so come prepared for a best toga contest along with tasty Mediterranean food. Tickets are $25$50. Visit aidswalkokc.org or call 405673-3786. Thursday Photo bigstock.com

FILM A Quiet Passion, (UK, 2016, Terence Davies) the story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive unrecognized artist, through June 1. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

HAPPENINGS One Year Celebration, treating guests to a new exhibition, live music, art performances, a cocktail reception and more for the anniversary of the Oklahoma location, 6-10 p.m. June 1. 21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City, 900 W. Main St., 405-9826900, 21cmuseumhotels.com. THU

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FOOD H&8th Night Market, continuing in the tradition of providing the fun, family and pet-friendly environment at the largest monthly food truck festival in Oklahoma, 5 p.m. June 2. H&8th Night Market, 900 N. Hudson Ave., 405-633-1703, h8thokc.com. FRI 2nd Annual Wine and Cheese Fundraiser, food, wine, entertainment by musician Jeff Mims and auction items designed to raise funds for mental health treatment to the underserved population, 6-9p.m. June 2. Credit Union House, 631 E. Hill St., 405-601-4565, springingfamiliesforward.com. FRI Le Tour de Vin Wine and Dine, savor exceptional cuisine paired with fine wines hand-selected by Republic National Distributing and entertainment provided by students. Proceeds benefit The Studio of Sooner Theatre and other local and international rotary projects, 7-9:30 p.m. June 2. The Studio of Sooner Theatre, 110 E. Main St., Norman, 405-3210016, letourdevin.com. FRI

Oklahoma Songwriters Festival Songwriter Camp, interactive panel discussions and Q&A sessions with songwriters, tips for successful songwriting and insight into aspects of publishing, licensing and the music business, 10a.m.-1p.m. June 3. The Paramount Room, 701 W. Sherdian Ave., 405-6379389, oklahomasongwritersfestival.com. SAT

YOUTH Babysitting 101 summer workshop, an educational workshop designed for youth 12-19 years old educating participants on how to be responsible for children of all ages, learn safety practices, become first aid and CPR certified and more, 9a.m.-4 p.m. through June 1. Oklahoma County OSU Extension Service, 2500 NE 63rd St., 405-7131125, oces.okstate.edu. WED -THU

Bowl Party 2, featuring a skate contest in multiple divisions, free skateboard lessons, a live DJ performance, food trucks, an art exhibit, a community skate swap and more, 3:30-9p.m. June 3. Matt Hoffman Skatepark, 1700 S. Robinson Ave., 214-906-1130, okc.carpediem.cd. SAT

Repticon Oklahoma City Reptile and Exotic Animal Show, featuring vendors offering reptile pets, supplies, feeders, cages and merchandise as well as live animal seminars and frequent raffles while providing educational and family-oriented fun for everyone, 10a.m.-4p.m. June 3-4. State Fair Park Hobbies, Arts and Crafts Building, 3100 General Pershing Blvd., 863-268-4273, repticon. com. SAT-SUN The Goonies Party, celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the film with costumes and a watch party. Dress as your favorite character and enjoy games, trivia and a costume contest, 8-11 p.m. June 7. FlashBack RetroPub, 814 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-633-3604, flashbackretropub.com. WED

SideStories Visitors to The Art Hall gallery, tucked away between Uptown NW 23rd Street’s The Drake Seafood and Oysterette and Urban Teahouse, can catch the art gallery’s most curatorially focused exhibition yet. SideStories features work by Ebony Iman Dallas, Ronna Pernell, Tiffany McKnight and others. An opening reception is 5:30-9 p.m. June 9 at The Art Hall, 519 NW 23rd St., located in The Rise retail building. Admission is free. Visit art.theriseokc.com. June 9, ongoing Image Tiffany McKnight / provided

Nichols Hills Garden and Outdoor Living Tour, showcasing six garden and outdoor living areas benefiting Nichols Hills Parks, Inc., serving to beautify and maintain parks and greenways throughout Nichols Hills, 10a.m.-4p.m. June 3.

6723 Avondale Drive, 580-445-6916, nicholshills. net. SAT

Oklahoma Songwriter’s Festival, songwriters perform original songs, tell stories of their creations and attend a meet-and-greet with local artists, 7-9 p.m. June 3. ACM Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-974-4700, acm.uco.edu. SAT

Cawfee Tawk, free coffee, breakfast and pep talks, 8 a.m. June 7. Halcyon Works, 405 NW 30th St., 405-601-3335, halcyon.works. WED

History OffCenter OKC Bike Tour Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) takes residents on a bicycle tour through OKC’s history during its next History OffCenter event 10 a.m.-noon Saturday.

It starts at Elemental Coffee Roasters, 815 N. Hudson Ave. OHS executive director Bob Blackburn (pictured) and ’89er Trail co-founder Chuck Wiggin lead participants on a leisurely 5-7 mile ride through the city, ending at Fassler Hall, 421 NW 10th St. Admission is free, but pre-registration is required at okhistory.org/about/biketour.php.

Call 405-521-2491 or email nharvey@ okhistory.org. Saturday Photo Oklahoma Historical Society / provided

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

Saturdays for Kids: Wagon Wheel Rag Rugs, help your child celebrate the ingenuity of the pioneer woman by creating a wagon wheel rag rug while learning about color, texture and design, 10a.m.noon June 3. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT Children’s Garden Festival: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, take a journey through a caterpillar’s transformation into a beautiful butterfly. Enjoy crafts, activities and imaginative displays capturing the essence of one of the most beloved children’s stories, June 3-11. Myriad Botanical Gardens, Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com.

STEM Camp, fusing science with history through hands-on experiments and group activities, learn how S.T.E.M. was critical in the rescue, recovery, investigation, justice and healing following the Oklahoma City bombing, June 5-9. Oklahoma City National Memorial &Museum, 620 N. Harvey Ave., 405-235-3313, oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org. MON - FRI UCO Photographic Arts Program: High School Day Camp, students are invited to showcase and develop their photography skills during the fourth annual High School Photo Day Camp with an opportunity to work with professional equipment and facilities while learning and exploring a variety of photographic methods with UCO photography

Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-235-3700, oklahomashakespeare.com. THU -SAT

professors, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 5-9. University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu. MON - FRI

OKC Improv, get funny on Film Row with live, local comedy, 7:30-9:30 p.m. June 2.

The Paramount Theatre, 11 N. Lee Ave., 405-637-9389, theparamountokc.com. FRI

Hooked on Fishing, summer fishing program teaching hands-on instruction in knot tying, casting, fish identification, fishing safety and regulations.

Classes taught by the Fisheries staff from the City’s H.B. Parsons Fish Hatchery and volunteers from Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, 8-10:30 a.m. June 4. Dolese Park, 5105 NW 50th St., 405-297-1426, okc.gov/parks. SUN

Blueprints for a Breakup, in this frank, twoperson dramedy, a pair of young artists struggle to stay in love as mistrust, desire and long-held secrets incite the unraveling of their relationship, June 2-3. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-570-2228, okc. carpediem.cd. FRI -SAT

Okietales, a one-of-a-kind reading and storytelling time in which kids hear and see history while diving into books and stories exploring topics from the Wild West and cowboys to land runs and pioneer life, 10:30-11:30a.m. June 7. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. WED

Summer Breeze Concert Series, Terry Buffalo Ware and the Shambles, 7:30 p.m. June 4. Lions Park, 450 S. Flood Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman. org. SUN

Ugly Bugs!, Oklahoma Ugly Bug contest with an exhibition of larger-than-life photos of insects all captured by the contest’s 2016 winners, through June 18. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-3254712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

Super Summer Program, activities for children including self-defense training, science camp, moonwalks, Sugar Free All-Stars, mad science, extreme animals, a S.T.E.M. Challenge, yoga and more, June 6-July 4. King’s Gate Christian School, 11400 N. Portland Ave., 405-752-2111, kingsgateschool.com.

Art Works, summer arts fun for 8-12-year-olds with specialized programs, theater, dance, music, visual arts and Lego robotics, June 6-July 15. First Christian Church of Oklahoma City, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 405-525-6551, fccokc.org.

Summer Camp Contemporary, keeping kids creative with learning camps featuring visual arts, music, hip-hop, fiber, clay, performance, robotics and more, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. through Aug. 11. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Ultimate Adventure Camps, giving kids a chance to try new adventures including zip lining, the SandRidge Sky Trail, high speed slides, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and whitewater rafting, through Aug. 11. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict.org.

Bodies Revealed, exhibition showcasing real human bodies preserved through a revolutionary process allowing visitors to see themselves in a fascinating way like never before, through October. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Comets, Asteroids & Meteors: Great Balls of Fire, the threat of a catastrophic impact from an asteroid or comet is a staple of popular culture; learn about asteroids, comets and meteorites and where they come from, through Sept. 10. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

ACTIVE

Gayme Night Hosts Renee Hilton and Colby Roberts surprise and thrill guests with bingo games other favorites as they host monthly Gayme Night, which supports Great Plains Rodeo Association.

The fun begins 6 p.m. Sunday at Partners Too, 2807 NW 36th St. Admission is free, but there is a cost to play each game, usually around $5. With these hosts, anything is certain to be a fun and hysterical time. Find the event page at facebook.com or call 405-9422199. Sunday Photo Oklahoma Gazette / file

PERFORMING ARTS The Toxic Avenger, an unconventional musical about an environmental scientist who sets out to save New Jersey from the toxic waste that is filling the city; based on the cult classic film of the same name, The Toxic Avenger is a campy yet topical musical exploring pollution and the monsters it creates, through June 3. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter. com. WED -SAT Thursday Noon Tunes, bring your lunch to the downtown library atrium and enjoy classical piano musician Carl Victor Moore, noon-1 p.m. June 1.

Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave., 405-231-8650, metrolibrary.org. THU The Taming of the Shrew, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park presents the classic tale of one man, Petruchio, who bets two friends that he can woo notoriously short-tempered Kate, June 1-3.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, Crystal Bridge Tropical

NAMIWalks, bringing the community together and creating awareness while serving as NAMIOK’s largest fundraiser providing for the continuation and expansion of NAMI programs throughout Oklahoma, 8 a.m. June 3. Myriad Botanical Gardens, Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT 2017 Annual Lupus Walk, women and men across the state attend in a unified effort to bring awareness for the cause while enjoying silent auction items and entertainment along with a walk through the animal kingdom of the zoo, 8:15a.m. June 3. Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden, 2000 Remington Place, 405-4243344, kintera.org. SAT

National Weather Center Biennale Art Show, international juried exhibition focusing on weather in contemporary art in the forms of painting, works on paper and photography, through June 19. National Weather Center, 120 David L. Boren Blvd, Norman, 405-325-3095, ou.edu.

Pamela Husky Art Chat and Demonstration, award-winning fiber artist discusses and demonstrates the feltmaking techniques that result in her Landscapes in Fiber works that are displayed on the walls of The Depot Gallery, 2 p.m. June 4.

The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-3079320, pasnorman.org. SUN Sole Expression: The Art of the Shoe, featuring the creations of 25 local, national and international shoe designers and artists; guests examine how the shoe has been interpreted in art throughout history and the science and engineering behind specific shoe designs, through December. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Spring show exhibit, enjoy the works of oil painter Phebe Kallstrom and handmade jewelry artist Whitney Ingram, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. through November.

The Studio Gallery, 2642 W. Britton Road, 405-7522642, thestudiogallery.org.

The Creek Run, 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run in the neighborhood of Quail Creek followed by a party in the park to enjoy food from local food trucks with proceeds supporting the Quail Creek Beautification Project, 8:30-11 a.m. June 3. Quail Creek Park, Quail Creek Road, 405-751-5661, quailcreek.org. SAT Foster Walk 17, Foster Care Alumni of America hosts the national campaign to build awareness and support for foster youth and alumni of foster care across the country raising funds to empower foster care alumni through peer support, leadership development and advocacy efforts, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. June 3. Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., 405-521-3356, crowdrise.com. SAT Outdoor Beer & Yoga, join 405 YOGA OKC, where yoga and beer unite. Bring your own yoga mat for a no-pressure, all-levels, feel-good yoga, 1010:55a.m. June 4. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., mindbodyonline.com. SUN Soccer, OKC Energy vs Phoenix Rising, 7:30 p.m.

June 6. Taft Stadium, 2901 NW 23rd St., 405-5870046, energyfc.com. TUE

VISUAL ARTS Art After 5, enjoy a late-night art gallery experience and live music on the roof terrace with the best views of downtown OKC and a relaxing atmosphere, 5-9 p.m. June 1. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Blake Little: Photographs from the Gay Rodeo, serving as a stunning example of black-and-white portraiture and rodeo photography, while exploring the diverse and complex natures of individual and community identity in the West, through June 20.

Melton Gallery, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405-974-2000, uco.edu.

Exhibit C Ledger Art, four contemporary artists experienced in ledger art will have their distinctive artwork on display. Discover a captivating scene showcasing the creations by Paul Hacker, George Levi, Dylan Cavin and Lauren Good Day Giago, through June 30. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-767-8900, exhibitcgallery.com.

In Designs, Contemporary Abstract, Brian Allan, Christopher Pendleton and Stephen St. Claire dissect abstract design through progressive applications in a new exhibit, through June 25.

Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.

Is the Whole World on Fire, a powerful seven-canvas series by Moore artist Eric Humphries that documents the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, through June 10. The New Black Wall Street Marketplace, 1800 NE 23rd St., 405-593-8343, facebook.com/ NewBlackWallStreetMarketplaceOKC/.

Chisholm Trail & Crawfish Festival Celebrate Old West history with a twist of Cajun flavor at Chisholm Trail & Crawfish Festival 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday at Kirkpatrick Family Farm, 1001 Garth Brooks Blvd., in Yukon. The free, family-focused event includes living history re-enactors, Cajun foods and live music. It also features crawfish races, pie-eating contests, Cajun dance lessons, pony rides and a petting zoo. Park free at Yukon Middle School, 801 Garth Brooks Blvd. Visit facebook.com/cityofyukonokgov or call 405-354-1895. Saturday Photo bigstock.com

Tattoos by Shmitty, JayMf Roberts and Rawb Carter, through June 4. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com.

Lowell Ellsworth Smith: My Theology of Painting, features watercolor studies and Smith’s own words and observations; it introduces the man, his methods and his belief in the power and potential of creative energy, through July 9. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Best of the West 2017 Art showcasing the best of the American West will be on display during this month’s First Friday Paseo Art Walk. JRB Art at the Elms presents Best of the West 2017, an exhibit featuring Native American painter Mike Larsen, sculptor Paul Moore, photographer Allen Birnbach and American realism painter James Andrew Smith.

The opening reception begins 6 p.m.

Friday at 2810 N. Walker Ave. Admission is free. Visit jrbartgallery.com or call 405-528-6336. Friday, ongoing Image Allen Birmbach / provided

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For okg live music

see page 45

Mind Bender, exhibiting the works of Mind Bender Tattoo, featuring Josh Reynolds, Bobby Deneen,

gogo toto okgazette.com for full listings! okgazette.com for full listings!

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MUSIC Miho Kolliopoulous speaks to Oklahoma Gazette in his Oklahoma home. His belongings are packed into moving boxes as he prepares to return to Greece following Trio’s farewell show Friday at

EVENT

VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Era’s end

With Miho Kolliopoulos’ move back to Greece, Oklahoma City flips a page on an exciting chapter of its eclectic music history. By Ben Luschen

Remnants of one of the first electric acts to play at VZD’s Restaurant & Bar will bookend a significant chapter in Oklahoma City’s music history with a show Friday at the historic venue on N. Western Avenue.

Some music fans might not recognize the name of the bluesy instrumental band Trio, but local music historians will know the names of bassist Victor Goetz and guitarist Miho Kolliopoulos for past involvement with Kolliopoulos’ brother Basile. Drummer Scott Buxton of The Dirty Little Betty’s and a founding member of Red Dirt Rangers is also included.

The late Basile Kolliopoulos was a native of Greece and a pioneering punk vocalist and guitarist with Goetz in the 1970s for Fensics, one of Oklahoma City’s first punkabilly bands, and later for the punk band Fortune Tellers with Goetz and his brother Miho. Michael Newberry joined them on drums.

Basile also started the club rock band Reverb Brothers in the 1990s and was musically active until his 2013 death from cancer at age 59.

Now Miho, more than four years after his brother’s death and nearly 38 years after first moving to Oklahoma, is moving back to his native Greece for good. Trio — perhaps OKC’s last remaining link to Basile’s musical legacy — closes out an era 8 p.m. Friday during the band’s farewell show at VZD’s, 4200 N. Western Ave. “We’ve had a lot of things over the years,” Goetz said. “Miho’s been in Greece for a number of years, but his

brother’s always been over here. Now that his brother’s passed away, it really is the end of an era. It’s been a long haul.”

Scene change

Miho Kolliopoulos’ decision to travel to Oklahoma and join Basile — who moved here to study art at Oklahoma City University in the late 1970s — was a move of self-preservation.

He had just graduated from an architecture school in Paris and did not have much of a plan for the rest of his life when, one day, he was served draft papers to join the Grecian army.

Kolliopoulos did not want to join. He knew his brother, who was more than 6,000 miles away in Oklahoma City, needed another guitarist for a new band he was starting.

It’s been a long haul.

Victor Goetz “I weighed the two options, and coming over here was an easy choice,” he said.

Kolliopoulos briefly visited once before in the summer of 1977. He said one of his memories from that trip was that the punk scene had begun to set root locally.

“Everyone started wearing safety pins on their clothes,” he said. “That’s how I remember the time.”

Of course, Basile was a big part of that

scene, if not its driving force. Fensics was arguably OKC’s first punk band, and its rhythm-and-blues-driven sound influenced the way many local musicians created their own style.

When Kolliopoulos f lew into Oklahoma in October 1979, his brother picked him up from the airport and immediately took him to meet Goetz.

The two quickly established how much money Kolliopoulos had — not much — and then whisked him to a nearby music store, where they bought a Fender amp and Telecaster guitar. After that, they visited a Western wear store.

“I got me a pair of cowboy boots, and then I was set,” he said. “There was no money left — nothing. I had to work as a busboy after that.”

‘Dream come true’

Kolliopoulos, Goetz and Newberry joined Basile in starting Fortune Tellers in the early ’80s, but early on in the band’s local run, Basile was called to New York City to join the band The Senders.

In Basile’s absence, Kolliopoulos and Goetz decided to form an instrumental group with the remaining Fortune Tellers members.

“Neither one of us could sing,” Goetz said of their decision to not add vocals.

That band, which would ultimately come to be known as Trio, saw many different incarnations over the years with names like the Ortegas and the Argonauts.

Basile returned to Oklahoma City in 1982 and relaunched Fortune Tellers with the same members. The band signed to French label New Rose Records and toured all over the country. The Fortune Tellers were a firm establishment at venues like VZD’s and the former Bowery, often acting as a house band for big-name acts that were passing through.

On perhaps the most memorable occasion, the band was asked to play with Bo Diddley for a local show. The

Kolliopoulos brothers were both hugely influenced by Diddley as the pair grew up together in Greece.

“It was beyond a dream come true,” Miho Kolliopoulos said. “It was extremely intimidating.”

Kolliopoulos remembers meeting with Diddley for the first time at a preshow soundcheck. He talked with the band about seemingly everything but the song list or how he wanted them to play. He was clearly a great man, but the band was a little nervous without any direction.

“In the end,” Kolliopoulos said, “I asked him what we were going to play that night. He said, ‘Don’t worry; we’re just going to warm up and just follow me.’”

When everyone got on stage that night, the band started playing a little to check their sound levels. Diddley turned his attention to Kolliopoulos on guitar.

“He turns around to me and says, ‘Don’t play like me; play around me,’” he recalled. “I thought, ‘I wish I had a diaper on because I think I’m going to lose my bladder control.’”

Moving on

Yet even with Fortune Tellers’ success, its instrumental spinoff remained active.

Trio became an outlet for Kolliopoulos’ songwriting, a chance for him to merge Mediterranean and Arabic scales with bluesy rock. It was a marriage that came about organically.

“You just start playing around with ideas, and in the end, you end up with something like that,” he said.

Kolliopoulos said it was always his intention to move back to Greece at some point. A few years ago, he split his time between the two countries but got tired of all the travel. His wife moved full-time back to Greece several months ago, and for a while, Kolliopoulos thought he would try splitting time in both countries again, but he soon got tired of spending so much time away from his wife.

“I got sick of going to work and coming back to four walls and a bottle of wine,” he said.

Kolliopoulos said he feels a little sad and circumspect as he approaches his farewell. He said he came to love Oklahoma as a home. Still, he is ready for whatever opportunities his future in Europe might hold for him.

“That’s how life is,” he said. “We just have to open a door and move over, and we don’t know what might have happened.”

Trio final U.S. show 8 p.m. Friday VZD’s Restaurant & Bar | 4200 N. Western Ave. vzds.com | 405-602-3006

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Take your pick

American Banjo Museum invites enthusiasts to its Open Bluegrass Jam Session. By George Lang

Bluegrass attracts passionate players, and because the number of venues and performance opportunities can be limited, American Banjo Museum is doing its part to bring the faithful together. The Bluegrass Open Jam Session 1-4 p.m. Saturday at the museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., will give Earl Scruggs acolytes a chance to give their plectrums a workout.

“There is a subculture in and around Oklahoma City of people who play bluegrass,” said Johnny Baier, museum executive director. “They like to get together and do it for fun, and we give them a venue to do it.”

Originally, the museum wanted to offer an open jam session for all banjo players, but after careful consideration, Baier said he realized he would be presiding over a sonic pileup.

“If you put bluegrass players together with old-time players and with jazz players, it’s going to be a mess,” he said.

“Nobody would get anything out of it because they’re completely different playing styles. It kind of articulates, if anything else, the different playing styles associated with the banjo.”

The museum assigns a leader to preside over each jam, providing structure and direction for each song.

Because the events often attract more than 25 banjoists per session, Baier said it helps if someone selects material and provides parameters to avoid a breakdown during “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”

“Jam sessions can get out of hand very, very quickly if it’s a free-for-all,” Baier said. “It’s not a dictatorship; they all sit and talk about which songs they want to play and what key they’re going to do them in and how many times they’re going to play the verse and the chorus. So the leader sort of capsulizes all of that and says, ‘OK; we’re going to play ‘Cripple Creek’ in the key of G four times through,’ and then they go.”

Baier said the structure isn’t just

Banjo enthusiasts perform during a jam session at American Banjo Museum.

Photo American Banjo Museum / provided

about maintaining order and execution — there’s an educational component to keeping everyone together.

“It’s really important that everyone, especially the newer players, are engaged and informed,” he said. “With the veteran players, you could play the first two notes of a song and they’ll be playing the third note with you — you don’t have to tell them the song or the key or whatever. But for the younger, newer players it’s very important that they aren’t excluded, scratching their heads about what’s the song, what’s the key, et cetera.”

The idea is to make the Bluegrass Open Jam Session as inclusive as possible. All players are invited, regardless of experience or skill.

“Let’s face it; the jam session is for enthusiasts,” he said. “Anybody who is there is there for the love of the music, and anybody who is there was a beginner at one time, as well.”

The session typically attracts some guitarists and bass players who help round out the sound and keep the rhythm on track. Baier said the outcome of the session is subject to news, sports and weather. If there’s a major game or a storm, what might have been a banjo orchestra can be reduced to a small combo. Regardless of size, it always heightens the experience for visitors.

“When casual visitors to the museum walk in, they experience a live music event that wouldn’t be there on a normal day,” Baier said.

Bluegrass Open Jam Session 1-4 p.m. Saturday American Banjo Museum | 9 E. Sheridan Ave. 405-604-2793 Free-$8

LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended

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

WEDNESDAY, 5.31 Barnyard Stompers, Hollywood Corners Station, Norman. COUNTRY Edgar Cruz, Twisted Spike Brewing Company.

ACOUSTIC

Foster the People, Brady Theater, Tulsa. ROCK Humming House, The Blue Door. BLUEGRASS Imagist/Ghost Data, Kamps. ELECTRONIC Lee Rucker Duo, Will Rogers Theatre.

JAZZ

Lorna Shore, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK Redneck Nosferatu/On the Cinder, The Drunken Fry. PUNK

THURSDAY, 6.1 Amanda Cunningham/Brent Krueger, JJ’s Alley.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Fat By the Gallon/The Sizemores, Blue Note Lounge. PUNK Jason Young Band, Oklahoma City Museum of Art. COUNTRY

Samothrace/He Whose Ox Is Gored, 89th Street OKC. ROCK

FRIDAY, 6.2 Bob Livingston, Midway Grocery & Market, Norman.

FOLK

Modest Mouse Don’t miss the boat on this one. Vocalist Isaac Brock leads Modest Mouse, the indie rock act that captured millions of hearts with 2004’s Good News for People Who Love Bad News, 2007’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank and other critically hailed projects. The band’s most recent release is 2015’s Strangers to Ourselves.

The show begins 8 p.m. June 8 at Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S. Eastern Ave. Tickets are $49.50-$51.50. Visit diamondballroom.net or call 405-6779169. June 8 Photo Ben Moon / provided Out of Sane, Vik-Timz. ROCK Owen Pickard/Stephanie Taylor/Nicole Fuentes and more, Rodeo Opry. COUNTRY Patti Labelle, WinStar World Casino, Thackerville.

R&B

Rockin Rog, Classics Bar & Grill. ROCK Smilin’ Vic, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES Susan Herndon, The Blue Door. SINGER/

Bronson Wisconsin, Red Brick Bar, Norman. INDIE Bullet Boys/36 Inches/Next Halen, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Caleb McGee and the Underdogs, Blue Note Lounge. BLUES Electric Okie Test, 51st Street Speakeasy.

COVER

SONGWRITER

Uncle Zep, Oklahoma City Limits. COVER Unlikely Blues Band, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. BLUES

SUNDAY, 6.4 Brit Floyd, The Criterion.

ROCK

Hook Echo, Alley Club. ROCK Jackie Myers, Red Brick Bar, Norman. JAZZ

Crooked Bangs, Warehouse B. PUNK

James Price, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. ROCK

Harumph, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails, Norman.

Kyle Rainer and the Runnin’ Hot Band, Sliders.

JAZZ

COUNTRY

Jared Deck, Red Brick Bar, Norman. FOLK

Lost in Society, HiLo Club. POP

Smooth Hound Smith, The Blue Door. FOLK

Mama Sweet, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon.

The Direct Connect Band, Elmer’s Uptown. R&B

VARIOUS

Max Ridgway, Full Circle Bookstore. JAZZ

MONDAY, 6.5

Ryan Viser, The Deli, Norman. REGGAE

Electric Airways/ Vanilla Sugar, The Venue OKC.

Shortt Dogg, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES The Blend, Remington Park. COVER The Hoy Polloy, The Venue OKC. ROCK The Leonas, JJ’s Alley. FOLK They Act Human, Bombs Away Art. ELECTRONIC

SATURDAY, 6.3 The Big News, Opolis, Norman. REGGAE Brandi Reloaded, So Fine Club. POP Clinton Avery Tharp, Blue Note Lounge.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Don Benjamin/KidInk/Kirko Bangz and more, Cox Convention Center. HIP-HOP Heartbreak Rodeo, El Toro Chino Restaurant, Norman. ACOUSTIC Midas 13, Riverwind Casino, Norman. ROCK Miss Brown to You, Full Circle Bookstore. JAZZ Mojo Thief, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. ROCK Oklahoma Uprising, Hoboken Coffee Roasters, Guthrie. ROCK On A Whim, Bistro 46. R&B

POP

Milky Chance/Banners, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK S.M.O.S., 89th Street-OKC. RAP Steve Parnell, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK

TUESDAY, 6.6 5th Power/Twiztid, ACM Performance Lab. HIP-HOP

Bonehawk/Redwitch Johnny, Blue Note Lounge.

ROCK

WEDNESDAY, 6.7 Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | M ay 3 1 , 2 0 1 7

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puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle MISQUOTING SCRIPTURE

VOL. XXXIX No. 22 1

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By Randolph Ross | Edited by Will Shortz | 0528

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ACROSS 1 Purchase via Charles Schwab: Abbr.

4 “Unfinished” Symphony composer 12 Commercial success?

18 Expose 19 Its slogan is “Family City U.S.A.” 20 Final bit 22 The Bible on political horse trading?

24 One of the original Mouseketeers 25 Approaches aggressively 26 Cries at unveilings 28 Part of a chorus line?

29 The Bible on camera problems?

35 1987 Best Actress winner 36 Water carrier 37 Square dance group, e.g.

38 Rave review 42 The Bible on an alien invasion?

46 Went on an African hunting expedition 50 Without exception 51 Losing ground?

52 A hill of beans?

56 Pass carefully 58 The Bible on where Prince Harry

learned horticulture?

60 Perceive 61 Spacewalk, for short 63 Arafat’s successor as P.L.O. chairman 64 Nursery-rhyme boy 66 Forum farewells 68 Number of weeks per annum?

69 Those with clout 71 The Bible on bad business practices?

74 Item near a stereo 77 Buc or Bronco 78 Newport event 79 Long, long time 81 Like all official football games 82 The Bible on directions to hell?

88 Weasel out of 89 “Take me ____” 90 Sportswear brand 94 Bozos 95 The Bible on a climactic part of a baseball game?

100 Blood-work report abbr.

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101 In la-la land 104 Skilled banker?

105 Bungle 107 The Bible on ruined sugar crops?

113 ____ Mill (California gold-rush site) 114 Parent vis-à-vis a child’s loan, maybe 115 “Would ____?”

116 Conical construction 117 Avoid boredom, say 118 Safety device

DOWN 1 Don Quixote’s squire 2 Vestiges 3 Setting for spring in Vivaldi’s

The Four Seasons 4 Vowel sound in “hard” and “start” 5 Betray 6 Film in which Scarlett Johansson

is heard but not seen 7 Actress Thurman 8 Rear half?

9 LAX listing 10 Something poking through the clouds 11 Symbol in trigonometry 12 Just slightly 13 Perino of Fox News 14 Confessor’s confessions 15 Sierra Nevada, e.g.

16 The Bible on diet food?

17 Beseech 18 62-Down’s political party 21 Scarcity 23 Night-school subj.

27 Japanese relative of a husky 30 Two-time Wimbledon winner Lew 31 Destination from the E.R. 32 Cardinal letters 33 Anti-Prohibitionist 34 WWII zone, for short 35 One doing heavy lifting 39 A wee hour 40 French assembly 41 Storms of the 1990s 42 Sign of spring 43 Ireland’s ____ Fein 44 Western lily

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69 Matter of debate 70 “Keen!”

72 Before: Abbr.

73 Mortgage deal, for short 75 Essential parts 76 Bug-eyed 77 Prefix with con 80 Photo finish?

81 Scale sequence 82 Online mischief-makers 83 Get going 84 Falstaffian 85 Pompeii problem 86 Golfer’s concern 87 Test site 90 Motrin alternative 91 Sportscaster Dick 92 Being part of a secret

45 Runners behind O-lines 46 Erich who wrote Love Story 47 Like our numerals 48 The Bible on a taboo musical instrument?

49 Start of many recipe steps 52 Wrangler alternative 53 Words after hit or knock 54 Fable finale 55 Perspective 57 Mrs. Michael Jordan 59 OT enders, sometimes 60 “Oh wow!”

62 Putin ally 65 United Nations entrant of 1949: Abbr.

66 Political writer Kenneth 67 A long way off

93 Match 96 New York town on the Hudson 97 Reacts to an awesome sight 98 Shade of white 99 Children of the Albatross author 101 Escape slowly 102 100 percent 103 Quiet place to pray 106 ____-Foy, Que. 108 Stooge with a bowl cut 109 Peer Gynt character 110 Upholstery problem 111 Org. in a le Carré novel 112 Burma’s first PM

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New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers Puzzle No. 0521, which appeared in the May 24 issue.

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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 dv e r t i s i n g @ o kg a z e t t e . c o m

free will astrology Homework: Your imagination is the single most important asset you possess. Listen to the podcast: http://bit.ly/YourProphecy

overwhelming. Luckily, you have the personal power necessary to make good use of the intensity.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Life is in the mood to

scrutinized or critiqued or judged. But we Crabs (yes, I'm one of you) are probably touchier about that treatment than any other sign of the zodiac.

(Hypersensitivity is a trait that many astrologers ascribe to Cancerians.) However, many of us do allow one particular faultfinder to deride us: the nagging voice in the back of our heads. Sometimes we even give free rein to its barbs. But I would like to propose a transformation of this situation. Maybe we could scold ourselves less, and be a bit more open to constructive feedback coming from other people.

Starting now.

communicate with you rather lyrically. Here are just a few of the signs and portents you may encounter, along with theories about their meaning. If you overhear a lullaby, it's time to seek the influence of a tender, nurturing source. If you see a type of fruit or flower you don't recognize, it means you have a buried potential you don't know much about, and you're ready to explore it further. If you spy a playing card in an unexpected place, trust serendipity to bring you what you need. If a loud noise arrives near a moment of decision: Traditionally it signifies caution, but these days it suggests you should be bold.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Your body is holy and

magic and precious. I advise you not to sell it or rent it or compromise it in any way -- especially now, when you have an opening to upgrade your relationship with it. Yes, Taurus, it's time to attend to your sweet flesh and blood with consummate care. Find out exactly what your amazing organism needs to feel its best.

Lavish it with pleasure and healing. Treat it as you would a beloved child or animal. I also hope you will have intimate conversations with the cells that compose your body. Let them know you love and appreciate them. Tell them you're ready to collaborate on a higher level.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) "The most intense

moments the universe has ever known are the next 15 seconds," said philosopher Terence McKenna. He was naming a central principle of reality: that every new NOW is a harvest of everything that has ever happened; every fresh moment is a blast of novelty that arises in response to the sum total of all history's adventures.

This is always true, of course. But I suspect the phenomenon will be especially pronounced for you in the near future. More than usual, you may find that every day is packed with interesting feelings and poignant fun and epic realizations. This could be pleasurable, but also

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Nobody likes to be

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) The lion's potency, boldness,

and majesty are qualities you have a mandate to cultivate in the next three weeks. To get in the righteous mood, I suggest you gaze upon images and videos of lions. Come up with your own version of a lion's roar -- I mean actually make that sound -- and unleash it regularly. You might also want to try the yoga posture known as the lion pose. If you're unfamiliar with it, go here for tips: tinyurl.com/ lionpose. What else might help you invoke and express the unfettered leonine spirit?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) "What does it matter

how many lovers you have if none of them gives you the universe?" French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan posed that question. I invite you to put it at the top of your list of hot topics to meditate on. In doing so, I trust you won't use it as an excuse to disparage your companions for their inadequacies. Rather, I hope it will mobilize you to supercharge your intimate alliances; to deepen your awareness of the synergistic beauty you could create together; to heighten your ability to be given the universe by those whose fates are interwoven with yours.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) From my study of the lost prophecies of Nostradamus, the hidden chambers

beneath the Great Pyramid of Cheops, and the current astrological omens, I have determined that now is a favorable time for you to sing liberation songs with cheeky authority . . . to kiss the sky and dance with the wind on a beach or hilltop . . . to gather your most imaginative allies and brainstorm about what you really want to do in the next five years. Do you dare to slip away from business-as-usual so you can play in the enchanted land of what-if? If you're smart, you will escape the grind and grime of the daily rhythm so you can expand your mind to the next largest size.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) "On some hill of

despair," wrote poet Galway Kinnell, "the bonfire you kindle can light the great sky -- though it's true, of course, to make it burn you have to throw yourself in." You may not exactly feel despair, Scorpio. But I suspect you are in the throes of an acute questioning that makes you feel close to the edge of forever. Please consider the possibility that it's a favorable time to find out just how much light and heat are hidden inside you. Your ache for primal fun and your longing to accelerate your soul's education are converging with your quest to summon a deeper, wilder brilliance.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You're in a phase

when you have the power to find answers to questions that have stumped you for a while. Why? Because you're more open-minded and curious than usual.

You're also ready to be brazenly honest with yourself.

Congrats! In light of the fact that you'll be lucky at solving riddles, I've got three good ones for you to wrestle with. 1. Which of your anxieties may actually be cover-ups for a lazy refusal to change a bad habit?

2. What resource will you use more efficiently when you stop trying to make it do things it's not designed to do? 3. What blessing will you receive as soon as you give a clear signal that you are ready for it?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) A typical Capricorn

cultivates fervent passions, even to the point of obsession. Almost no one knows their magnitude, though, because the members of your tribe often pursue their fulfillment with methodical, business-

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NEED A PLACE TO REHEARSE?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) "If you want a puppy, start by asking for a pony," read the bumper sticker on the Lexus SUV I saw. That confused me. Would the owner of a Lexus SUV be the type of person who didn't expect to get what she really wanted? In any case, Pisces, I'm conveying a version of this bumper-sticker wisdom to you. If you want your domestic scene to thrive even more than it already does, ask for a feng shui master to redesign your environment so it has a perfect flow of energy. If you want a community that activates the best in you, ask for a utopian village full of emotionally intelligent activists. If you want to be animated by a focused goal that motivates you to wake up excited each morning, ask for a glorious assignment that will help save the world.

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the astrological omens, I invite you to carry out a flashy flirtation with the color red. I dare you to wear red clothes and red jewelry. Buy yourself red roses. Sip red wine and savor strawberries under red lights. Sing Elvis Costello's "The Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes" and Prince's "Little Red Corvette." Tell everyone why 2017 is a red-letter year for you. For extra credit, murmur the following motto whenever a splash of red teases and pleases your imagination: "My red-hot passion is my version of high fashion."

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) In accordance with

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like focus. But I wonder if maybe it's a good time to reveal more of the raw force of this driving energy than you usually do. It might humanize you in the eyes of potential helpers who see you as too strong to need help. And it could motivate your allies to provide the extra support and understanding you'll need in the coming weeks.

5805 NW 50th • Warr acres • 603.3997 Sunday-ThurSday 11am-8pm | Friday & SaTurday 11am-9pm

405.230.1180

3033 N. Walnut Ave. West Building 73105 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | m ay 3 1 , 2 0 1 7

47

The BMW X1

cooperbmw.com

2017 X1 xDrive28i | $339/month*

2017 320i Sedan | $359/month*

2017 740i | $959/month*

2017 230i Coupe | $389/month*

2017 650i Gran Coupe | $1,089/month*

2017 X5 xDrive35i | $639/month*

IMPORTS 2017 X1 xDrive28i, 36-month lease, $3,000 down, MSRP $38,595, Standard Terms 2017 320i Sedan, 36-month lease, $2,750 down, MSRP $36,095, Standard Terms 2017 740i, 36-month lease, $5,500 down, MSRP $84,395, Standard Terms

BMW

14145 North Broadway Extension Edmond, OK 73013 | 866.925.9885

2017 230i Coupe, 36-month lease, $2,750 down, MSRP $35,795, Standard Terms 2017 650i Gran Coupe, 36-month lease, $5,500 down, MSRP $93,895, Standard Terms 2017 X5 xDrive35i, 36-month lease, $3,500 down, MSRP $61,995, Standard Term

Web: www.cooperbmw.com Email: rkeitz@cooperautogroup.com

Standard terms & Tag, Tax. 1st Payment, Aquisition fee, processing fee WAC *See dealership for details â&#x20AC;&#x201D; offers subject to change without prior notice. *May prices subject to change. European models shown.