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LOOK UP

Two balloon festivals launch this month in the OKC metro

BY BEN LUSCHEN P.25

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inside COVER P.25 Oklahoma’s summer heat brings some people down, but a little hot air can lift them up. Two large, family-friendly hot-air balloon festivals are set to premiere in central Oklahoma this month — one here in OKC and one on Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s pow wow grounds in Shawnee. By Ben Luschen. Cover by Christopher Street. Image bigstock.com.

NEWS 4 State economics of tribal gaming 6 Metro Edmond Plan

8 Education OKCPS strives

for equity

10 City Fred Jones family

revitalizes a dream

11 OKG staff transitions 12 Chicken-Fried News

EAT & DRINK 15 Feature Himalayas Aroma of India 16 Event Beats & Bites Music &

Food Truck Festival

18 Feature Florence’s

Restaurant expands

20 Gazedibles new bars

and restaurants

ARTS & CULTURE 22 OKG Shop back to school

25 Cover two balloon festivals

brighten metro OKC skies

27 Comedy Sinbad at Hudson

Performance Hall

28 Art Oklahoma Initiatives’

Third Artist Invitational

29 Theater Lyric Theatre’s

In the Heights

30 Community Oklahoma Institute

for Child Advocacy’s Heroes Ball

32 Calendar

MUSIC 34 Event Summer Fling with Broncho

at The Jones Assembly

36 Event A Day to Remember at Chevy

Bricktown Events Center

37 Event Jabee and Statick Selektah

at Tower Theatre

37 Live music

FUN 38 Puzzles sudoku | crossword 39 Astrology 39 OKG Classifieds

Gazette Weekly Winner!

Britainy Anderson To claim your tickets, call 528-6000 or come by our offices by 8/9/17!

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7

3

NEWS Economic Impacts from Oklahoma Tribal Government Gaming report, paint a bright picture for present and future gaming in Oklahoma, said Jim Klas, cofounder of KlasRobinson Q.E.D. economic developmental and financial analysis firm.

“It’s a very exciting story,” said Klas, who authored the OIGA report with colleague Matthew Robinson and Oklahoma City University economics professor Kyle Dean.

“In my opinion, it is the biggest success story in Indian Country,” Klas said. “There is no state in the country where the impact has been greater on the state itself than here in Oklahoma.”

S tat e

Formative years

Big boost

The Oklahoma City region held the nation’s second-largest tribal gaming revenue gains last year, which comes as no surprise to experts.

By Laura Eastes

The well-known aphorism “a rising tide lifts all boats” is a phrase Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) executive director Sheila Morago often repeats when discussing the impact of tribal gaming in Oklahoma.

The industry has grown substantially over the last dozen years, a result of the Oklahoma Tribal-State Compact legalizing Las Vegas-style gaming on tribal lands.

As OIGA’s executive director for six years, Morago spends her days visiting casino operators across the state.

Examining anecdotal and empirical evidence, she said tribal gaming in Oklahoma is a $7.2 billion industry that impacts every resident in some way, according to a recent OIGA-commissioned economic impact study.

As the light from a slot machine illuminated her face and their sound effects echoed around her, Morago said gaming revenues benefit tribal governments and their members, promote economic development, provide employment to tribal and nontribal state residents and revive struggling rural economies.

The majority of the state’s 130 tribal gaming operations are based in rural Oklahoma.

Additionally, gaming sends dollars to state education, mental health and substance abuse and general revenue funds through exclusivity fees each year.

In fiscal year 2016, $132 million in exclusivity fees helped fill state coffers.

“It’s a big industry, and we are a large job producer in Oklahoma,” Morago told 4

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Sheila Morago travels the state to work with tribal gaming operators to advance the industry in Oklahoma. At last week’s Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association Conference and Trade Show at Cox Convention Center, Morago spoke about recent economic reports showing strong industry growth. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Oklahoma Gazette during an interview at last week’s OIGA Annual Conference & Trade Show at Cox Convention Center.

“In some towns and counties, gaming is the largest job producer and that area’s economic engine.”

Revenue growth

Native gaming, especially in the Sooner State, shows no signs of slowing down.

Gaming revenues for the Oklahoma City region, which includes Texas, grew 5.7 percent, according to a July report released by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), the federal body that regulates Indian gaming.

NIGC found that Native Americanowned and -operated gambling facilities generated $31.2 billion in revenue nationwide in 2016.

Only the Sacramento region grew at a faster pace than Oklahoma City, at 6.3 percent. The Tulsa region, which includes Missouri and Kansas, grew at 4 percent.

NIGC chairman Jonodev Chaudhuri shared the findings during last week’s OIGA conference. He said the figures “represent a healthy industry with ongoing innovation, creativity and strong regulations.”

Those national numbers, coupled with the OIGA-commissioned Statewide

This past February marked the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, a landmark case that protected Native gaming from local and state attempts to shut down facilities.

The justices’ decision made way for the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which provided the legal framework for tribes to operate gaming facilities on Native land.

As tribes throughout Indian Country began to enter the industry, many Oklahoma tribes focused on their bingo parlors, which doubled as “entertainment centers.” Prior to the 2004 passage of State Question 712, the Tribal-Gaming Compact, it was illegal for tribes to pursue full-scale casino ventures, known as Class III gaming, that typically includes craps, poker and slot machines.

Tribes were left with the options of Class I (often social and traditional Native games) and Class II gaming (bingo, pulltabs and some video machines).

Around the millennium, Americans began to take note of tribal casinos and gaming, in large part because of its growing presence and bottom line.

In 2001, 290 Native-operated casinos in 28 states earned $12.7 billion in revenue.

Following state voters’ approval of the compact, The Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Cherokee Nation, Comanche Nation and Miami Nation became the first tribes to expand to Class III gaming in 2005.

laser tag arena into their facility. … It’s no longer about the gaming floor itself, but about a destination resort. That’s what we are seeing a lot of.”

Tribes have been diversifying since the advent of tribal gaming in Oklahoma, first offering snack bars and restaurants and expanding to include shops, spas, golf courses and concert venues. Often, the restaurants that attract customers to casinos are franchised.

T he resu lt , especia l ly at Thackerville’s WinStar World Casino and Resort, Tulsa’s River Spirit Casino Resort and Shawnee’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort, are destinations that replicate the experience in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada.

“In the industry today, non-gaming amenities are expected with the gaming experience,” Mickey Ward, director of corporate gaming at Cherokee Nation Entertainment, told Gambling Insider earlier this year. “The larger the market your property targets, the bigger the expectations. While gaming is at the forefront of our business, we are constantly evaluating ways to provide our guests with amenities not found anywhere else in the market and to remain the region’s entertainment destination of choice.”

In 2015, 45.9 million visits were made to Oklahoma-based gaming operations with 18.7 million visits from out-of-state visitors, according to the OIGA study.

Klas, who has studied casino gaming in Oklahoma and elsewhere, believes Oklahoma’s location plays a large role in its economic success.

“The fact that you have the ability to place casinos in a lot of different places, the fact that you have states with large population bases on your borders, the fact that some of those states don’t have gaming themselves,” Klas said. “You’ve been able to tap into it in a way that really maximizes the benefit.”

Future gaming

Last fall, 31 Oklahoma tribes operated nearly 130 gaming operations with a total of 72,850 electronic games, almost 5,300 bingo seats and other games.

Of those operations, 20 are combined with hotels and resorts, which also offer meeting and entertainment space.

“When we look at Oklahoma, we call it a maturing market,” Morago said before citing Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant as a prime example of a gaming operation transformed into an entertainment destination.

“The more amenities we add, the more amenities we add for the community,” she said. “The Choctaw Nation added a movie theater, bowling alley and

As one of the authors of a statewide tribal gaming economic impact study, Jim Klas promotes revenue figures from tribal gaming and their impacts on the state of Oklahoma. Klas shared the report during a breakout session at the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association Conference and Trade Show at Cox Convention Center. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

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PM

NEWS

A SeASonAl Guide to CentrAl oklAhomA

Randy Entz joined the City of Edmond as its new director of planning late last year. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

High-profile developments

There is a lot to see and do throughout Autumn, and Gazette gives its readers direction on where to find the best festivals, shows, foods and more!

Along with expanded editorial content PubliShinG SePt. 20, 2017 Ad deAdline tueS., SePt. 12, 2017

Attention publicity seekers!

• Submit calendar events at okgazette.com or email to listings@okgazette.com • Please be sure to indicate ‘Fall Guide’ in the subject line. We do not accept calendar items via phone.

• Deadline to submit items for our Fall Guide calendar is Wednesday, August 30, 2017 by 5pm.

CAll or emAil to reServe Ad SPACe or For AdditionAl inFormAtion. specialsections@okgazette.com 405.528.6000

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metro

FeAturinG A 3 month CAlendAr

Looking ahead

Edmond launches a comprehensive plan rewrite to help city leaders manage how the city will grow in the next few decades. By Laura Eastes

The City of Edmond, with close to 92,000 residents, is looking to the future. The city’s planning department recently launched a six-to-nine-month process to revise Edmond’s comprehensive plan, a visionary document that touches every parcel in the city and guides land use of all kinds, whether it’s commercial development, housing or parks.

The updated comprehensive plan will serve as an action guide for city leaders to sustain and improve Edmond’s economy and quality of life. The proposal, called Edmond Plan IV, was last updated in 2007.

Edmond, I think, is at a pivotal point in its development.

Randy Entz “Edmond, I think, is at a pivotal point in its development,” Randy Entz, director of planning and zoning, told Oklahoma Gazette. “For so long, it has been thought of, or thought of itself, as a small city, town or a bedroom community. It’s more than 90,000 people now. It has grown up, and it needs to decide what it wants to be.”

A comprehensive plan can do just that, sharpening the city’s image and emphasizing the importance of the downtown area while also guiding commercial and residential growth, said Entz, who joined the Edmond Planning Department as director in late 2016 following the retirement of Bob Schiermeyer. Entz previously served as a program planner and senior planner for the City of Oklahoma City.

Located 15 miles outside of Oklahoma City, Edmond traces its roots back to the 1880s when railroad tracks were laid, resulting in a town, which led to the construction of Oklahoma Territory’s first church building and first public schoolhouse.

Once a remote agriculture and oil town in northern Oklahoma County, the suburban sprawl of the 1960s brought the first wave of new residents. With population growth, the city responded with increases in infrastructure and schools, spurring more businesses and housing additions.

By the 1980s, the city had grown to more than 30,000 residents and showed no signs of slowing down. It hasn’t.

According to the U.S. Census 2016 population estimate, Edmond is home to 91,191 people.

“There for a while, Edmond was doubling in population every 10 years,” Entz said. “It is unrealistic to expect that to continue. Anytime a city is fast growing, it is excited to be a part of that planning, but it’s also a challenge.”

Such growth has kept city planners busy, constantly reviewing proposed developments. Like other cities, Edmond’s planners frequently refer to its comprehensive plan when presenting recommendations to city leaders. With the support of city leadership, including the Edmond City Council and Edmond Planning Commission, a long-range planner is now embarking on the rewrite, a process that involves collecting data and determining community goals in areas of land use, utility, transportation, recreation and housing.

Development has been a touchy subject in Edmond in recent years, with some high-profile proposals meeting resistance from residents.

The most notable high-profile development proposal is a Walmart Neighborhood Market at Covell and Coltrane roads. It was first submitted by Covell Creek LLC in August 2015 and remains an ongoing court dispute between the developer and the City of Edmond. Since the site plan was first proposed, residents from the nearby Asheforde Oaks neighborhood have repeatedly spoken against the proposal, sharing concerns about traffic, lighting, flooding, trees and public safety at council and planning commission meetings. Edmond City Council ultimately rejected the site plan on a 3-2 vote.

Covell Creek filed a lawsuit against the city over the council’s denial, which initially kicked off judiciary action. Most recently, the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals ruled against the city and in favor of Covell Creek. The council is appealing the decision to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

More recently, Edmond residents sounded off on the construction of 191 single-family homes on a former northwest Edmond golf course. A developer filed a preliminary plat for Coffee Creek Golf Course with the city’s planning department.

Residents, many who once looked out onto the greens, voiced concerns over traffic and the environment if the development was constructed. Additionally, there is a concern that commercial business could be proposed on the land in the future. The planning commission is expected to review the preliminary plat, or short subdivision, in coming months.

Key document

City leaders are forecasting Edmond’s growth east of Interstate 35. There are challenges to developing in that area with utilities and infrastructures. A revised comprehensive plan could address that.

Another challenge is the city’s lack of multifamily housing units, which has created a gap in the market. A revised comprehensive plan could suggest solutions.

Once updated, Entz sees the comprehensive plan as the key policy document.

“I want it to continue to be a useful document for all planning in future utilities, future streets and all things of that nature as well as to guide the day-to-day planning and zoning decisions,” Entz said.

“It helps guide city leaders in their decisions and developers in their decisions.

And it gives neighborhoods the chance to feel they were heard. It’s their vision as well.”

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O kg a z e t t e . c o m | A u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7

E D U C AT I O N

NEWS

Equity studies

Oklahoma City Public Schools leaders take initial steps toward educational equity.

By Laura Eastes

At the first gathering of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Student Experience and Equity Committee, school board member Ruth Veales opened the meeting asking, “What does equity mean to you?”

The committee members’ varied remarks, ideas and observations on equity didn’t surprise Veales, one of the two most senior members of the Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) Board of Education and secretary of the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education. Despite a growing national dialogue on equity in education, there remains a common misconception that equality and equity are interchangeable in education. Although seemingly similar, there is an important difference between the two. Veales said the difference is equality is the same whereas equity represents fairness.

As the District 5 representative overseeing schools in the northeast section of Oklahoma City and Spencer, Veales repeatedly sees a lack of equity between race, poverty and academic success, with minority and low-income students trailing peers in the district. While it’s an important goal for all children to have equal access to education, the reality is that low-performing students require more resources to catch up, succeed and close the academic achievement gap, Veales said.

“Often, traditional school systems will work under the formula of equality,” Veales told Oklahoma Gazette. “That really is the formula of Oklahoma City Public Schools, where everyone gets the same cut of the pie. … Yes, we aspire to one day be in an equal situation, but currently, with students that are so far behind, we really need to focus in on equity. We need to get everyone on the same playing field in order for them to

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accomplish the same educational goals.”

Operating as the state’s largest school district serving 46,000 students, OKCPS produces mixed academic results among its school sites. While the urban district boasts a high performing high school and a handful of elementary schools producing strong academic outcomes, thousands of OKCPS students attend schools deemed chronically failing.

With the approval of chair Paula Lewis, Veales and other district leaders are tasked with developing the district’s first equity statement, which will be used to influence future policies, programs and fiscal decisions. The Student Experience and Equity Committee met for the first time in June. In addition to defining equity and producing the equity statement, the committee is tasked with studying urban districts that have implemented equity-based structures within their schools successfully.

Veales said there is a night and day difference in academic outcomes between districts that implement equity-based policies and those that don’t.

“We have the possibility to do great things in our district,” Veales said. “In order for us to do so, we must grow and do what others with positive outcomes are doing.”

National conversation

OKCPS joins a growing number of districts across the nation focused on equity, which came to the forefront of public education following the U.S. Department of Education’s 2013 report For Each and Every Child.

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opportunities that give rise to the achievement gap.” The report mainly provided recommendations for policymakers but came with some advice for local education leaders. One recommendation calls for additional financial resources to be dedicated to low-income students, students with disabilities and English language learners to address academic needs.

Issues of equity are often linked to poverty and its role in student achievement. It has become a well-known fact that children from affluent families tend to do better in school.

Six years ago, Stanford University researchers examined the relationship between family socioeconomic characteristics and academic achievement, concluding that the achievement gap between richer and poorer youths has grown substantially since the 1960s.

Family income could have a direct impact on a child’s academic achievement and educational attainment.

OKCPS sees its fair share of challenges related to poverty with some of its schools located in Oklahoma City’s poorest neighborhoods. According to Oklahoma’s Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, OKCPS has a poverty rate of 28 percent, above the state average at 17 percent.

OKCPS families hold an average household income at $53,956, which is below the state average.

As the committee continues its work, members will discuss how inequity has entered the district, or threatens to, in areas of assessment, linguistics, staffing and programs, Veales said. This level of analysis will be hard, requiring open and honest conversations about creating more equity-based learning environments for all children. The committee has the backing of Superintendent Aurora Lora.

“I am so proud of our board’s aspirations for a future in which social factors do not predict student outcomes in OKCPS,” Lora said in a statement to Oklahoma Gazette. “Board member Veales’ leadership on this committee and on the national level with the Council of Urban Boards of Education has been invaluable as we begin this

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journey towards giving each student what he or she needs to be successful.”

To end the first committee meeting, Veales once again asked the members, “What does equity mean to you?” She hadn’t expected them to settle on a definition of equity following the first meeting, but she was inspired by the comments. Now, the real work begins.

“Until we get where we have addressed the equity piece,” Veales said, “we will never get back to where we are equal.”

What is the difference between equality and equity? >> Equality in education is achieved when students are all treated the same and have access to similar resources. >> Equity is achieved when all students receive the resources they need so they graduate prepared for success after high schools.

Source: Center for Public Education, an initiative of the National School Boards Association

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O kg a z e t t e . c o m | A u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7

NEWS

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One family’s master plan for revitalizing downtown Oklahoma City’s west side began with an automotive factory and is fueled by the legacy of Fred Jones. By Laura Eastes

At the corner of W. Main Street and Fred Jones Avenue on the west side of downtown Oklahoma City, 21c Museum Hotel glistens with its giant windows and beautiful brick façade that hint at the building’s past.

The allure of a hotel in a former Model T Ford automotive plant, which dates back to 1916, is what first strikes observers.

Next, and perhaps even more noticeable, are the cursive green letters on the building, which read “Fred Jones MFG Co.” About 101 years ago, a young man from Tennessee landed at that very corner and entered the new plant, offering to work for two weeks at no cost to prove his worth. That young man, Fred Jones, went from time card keeper to running Blackwell’s Ford dealership over a four-year period.

From there, he very quickly established himself as the largest Ford dealership in the Southwest, said Fred Jones Hall, grandson of the legendary automotive businessman and Hall Capital chairman.

Fred Jones’ success in the automotive industry, through diligence in his profession and confidence among Henry Ford and other Ford Motor Company leaders, led to Fred Jones’ company acquiring the building in 1967.

“He was so proud of starting there as a time card keeper to becoming the CEO of his company,” Hall said. “In 1968, he called it his Camelot.”

The name “Camelot” comes from the 1960s musical of the same name based on King Arthur, when the king says, “Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief, shining moment, there was known as Camelot.” Just as first lady Jackie Kennedy used the phrase to refer to her late husband’s presidency in the 1960s, Fred Jones declared the factory his castle and court.

It would once again become his Camelot.

“We decided as a family that it needed some polishing,” Hall said, “and that maybe there was a better use than as an auto manufacturing plant.”

That decision led to a conversation with 21c Museum Hotels, a growing luxury hotel brand that combines hotel accommodations with a contemporary art museum and fine-dining experience. One hundred years after Fred Jones arrived in OKC, a large crowd gathered for the opening of 21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City in 2016.

We decided as a family that it needed some polishing and that maybe there was a better use than as an auto manufacturing plant.

Fred Jones Hall “This was the gem to polish that gem,” Hall said. “We thought, ‘If we are going to do a hotel, let’s do a development.’”

Revitalization plan

This summer, The Jones Assembly, a new venue offering an innovative approach to music and dining, opened in a restored warehouse neighboring 21c Museum Hotel. Fred Hall and his brother Kirkland partnered with restaurateur Brian Bogert, national recording artist Graham Colton and chef Brittany Sanger to develop the unique concept in OKC. Blocks from the Film Row district, The Jones Assembly is a dining and live en-

tertainment destination offering exceptional food and handcrafted cocktails.

Hall Capital, led by all three brothers — Fred, Brooks and Kirk — is now focused on the mixed-use development of West Village, which will deliver 345 apartments and several retail spaces for stores, art studios, restaurants and coffee shops to the area in 2018.

Construction started last winter at 835 W. Sheridan Ave. and continues east, south and north of 21c. Hall Capital is partnering with Oklahoma Citians Mark Beffort, Andy Burnett and Zach Martin on the development. Since the West Village announcement, more than 200 requests have been made for onebedroom, two-bedroom and threebedroom units.

“People are wanting to live in that village,” Hall said. “It’s music and restaurants. … We loved the whole combination holistically of music, art and for it all to be in one area. Someone who lives here could enjoy music and art every day of the week.”

Allison Hall, Fred Hall’s daughter and the great-granddaughter of Fred Jones, assisted on The Jones Assembly and West Village developments. The apartments, with proximity to Film Row establishments and other popular districts, is a draw for young people like herself.

“I can’t think of anywhere else I would want to live,” she said. “From the rooftop pool, you will see into the courtyard of The Jones Assembly and you can hear the concerts.”

The apartments, located just down the street from John Rex Charter Elementary School, have also attracted young families, Hall said.

Looking forward

The Jones Assembly, 21c Museum Hotel and West Village not only add to the burgeoning Film Row district but are establishments unmatched in the nation, Hall said. While all three are sure to attract crowds, Hall wanted something more. In a city that has been fostering revitalization of its urban core for two decades, Hall wanted to not only attract the next generation but also keep younger generations from leaving OKC. Hall envisions city leaders sending new recruits to the hotel for accommodation followed by a drink or dinner at The Jones Assembly with a job offer.

Just like that area anchored Fred Jones in his endeavors, it will have a similar effect on the next generation.

“We are the anchors for a renaissance of west side Oklahoma City,” Hall said.

Added Allison Hall, “Fred Jones gave us a great gift.”

“We consider ourselves polishing that gem, his Camelot,” Hall said.

O KG

NEWS

Onward, upward

Gazette staff transitions build upon editorial successes.

By Gazette staff

Editor-in-chief Jennifer Palmer Chancellor leaves Oklahoma Gazette this week as she takes on a new role as assistant director of public information for Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

During Chancellor’s four-year tenure, she led the Gazette’s award-winning newsroom staff to a 2017 Best of the Best/ Best Newspaper honor from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Oklahoma Pro Chapter (SPJ). Gazette earned first place, The Oklahoman earned second and Tulsa World received third.

Among other awards — including Chancellor’s 2016 first-place SPJ honor for her editorial commentaries that frankly confronted issues like teacher pay, addiction, suicide and the politicized fight to defund Planned Parenthood — Gazette photographer Garett Fisbeck also earned a 2017 Best of the Best award for his photographic portfolio.

“It’s been an honor and one of the most satisfying roles of my 20-plus-year journalism career to represent and work for Oklahoma’s largest independently owned newspaper. We’re all excited and hopeful about the Gazette’s future,” Chancellor said. “I wish my staff and former colleagues continuing success; our paths will continue to cross.”

George Lang begins his role as interim editor-in-chief Aug. 4. He has one of the highest records of recidivism in Gazette history, and this marks his third time to be officially employed with Oklahoma City’s weekly newspaper.

“Jennifer’s leadership during her four years with the Gazette has advanced the professionalism of our editorial staff and led our organization to greater accomplishments as journalists” said Gazette publisher Bill Bleakley. “In an environment where independent professional journalism is being challenged on every front, we’ve been fortunate to have her guidance and direction. We now welcome back George Lang to the Gazette family as interim editor and look forward to applying his incredibly broad journalistic experience to the Oklahoma Gazette’s mission of serving Central Oklahoma’s quality of life.”

Lang began his journalism career here in 1994 and quickly built a reputation for sharp writing and considerable range as a reporter.

While probably best-known as an entertainment journalist, he has covered

Oklahoma Gazette interim editor-in-chief George Lang | Photo Garett Fisbeck

the full range of beats for the Gazette.

Over several decades, he has written tough-but-fair stories about local music and culture, profiled sports luminaries, logged in-depth pieces on both murders and media, covered city council, reported on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing and the stories that evolved from it and covered both the divides and the commonalities of life in the city.

Along the way, he also spent a week in August wearing a bunny costume and dancing on the median at NW 25th Street and Classen Boulevard, just to see how people would treat him.

In between all of this, he worked for The Oklahoman. The first time was for two years before returning to focus on music and entertainment reporting.

He then headed back to the state’s daily newspaper for about a decade, becoming its assistant entertainment editor, interviewing about 95 percent of film industry’s A-listers and hosting an award-winning video series about local musicians.

And now, after spending some time in public relations and the last two years as a contributing freelance reporter for the Gazette, he’s back on staff.

“Oklahoma Gazette shaped my view of what great local journalism could be — fearless but with an innate compassion for its community,” Lang said. “It feels magnificent to be home again.”

Lang lives in Oklahoma City with his wife and son.

Staff reporter Jacob Threadgill also joined the Gazette newsroom staff last week. He recently moved to OKC from Mississippi, where he worked as a digital producer and features writer for the state news daily, The Clarion-Ledger, in Jackson. He also is a former sports editor for The DeSoto Times-Tribune in Hernando, Mississippi, and a 2009 University of Mississippi graduate.

Assistant editor Brittany Pickering and staff writers Ben Luschen and Laura Eastes continue their important roles on the editorial staff.

The Gazette is an independently owned, family-run alternative newsweekly founded in 1979 by local attorney and businessman Bill Bleakley, who still publishes the paper with his wife Linda Meoli.

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chicken

friedNEWS

Bewildered bobcat

It’s often easy for city dwellers to forget that past the paved roads and sidewalks, streetlights and manicured lawns, nature surrounds us.

An Edmond woman received a startling reminder recently while walking her dog in northwest Edmond’s Mitch Park.

The popular park features playgrounds, basketball and volleyball courts, a skate park, trails and other amenities, such as potentially dangerous wildlife.

Edmond resident Deanna Conway told KFOR.com she and her pup Luca were walking their normal trail route around 10 a.m. when they encountered what she believed was a bobcat.

“It was a large cat,” she told the TV news outlet. “Like I said, just a little bit smaller than my dog, who’s a big dog.”

The feline charged, hissing and growling. Conway yelled for help, but nobody came to her rescue.

“I think the most important thing is to make people aware that there is wildlife that’s here and the bobcats that can obviously be aggressive,” she told KFOR.com.

Edmond Parks and Recreation told OKCFox.com that guests who encounter bobcats shouldn’t approach them or run. The animals usually try to figure out what people are and then go away without incident.

KFOR.com reported that the City of Edmond said it “has no plans of searching for or capturing the cat” and people should watch out for wildlife while enjoying the park.

We at Chicken-Fried News, while not wanting to scare anyone or get too philosophical, also want to remind people that though OKC is somewhat of a concrete jungle, it’s more rural than a lot of cities, and nature always finds a way.

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Not-so Native American studies?

The University of Oklahoma is standing behind a recent hire in its Native American Studies department after anonymous blog posts claimed the assistant professor misrepresented her heritage.

Posts on Indianz.com and ancestorstealing.blogspot.com (aka FakeIndians blog) take issue with Gina Stuart-Richard listing Mississippi Choctaw heritage in her University of Arizona thesis, even though they believe she is not a registered member in any of three federally recognized Choctaw tribes.

Stuart-Richard is slated to begin teaching at OU this month, and she told the OU Daily student newspaper that the bloggers are spreading “false information.” Stuart-Richard told the Daily she never presented herself as a Choctaw member but she is connected through her ancestry, which is noted on her resume.

FakeIndians blog posts trace Stuart’s ancestors back eight generations and claim no Choctaw heritage connection was found.

“They’re all white,” it says.

OU vice president of public affairs Rowdy Gilbert told The Norman Transcript, “Tribal affiliation is not and has never been a requirement for a faculty position in the Department

of Native American Studies. … Matters relating to tribal identity are particular to individual scholars and their relationships to the communities with whom they work.”

A few good lawmakers

Scene: A Senate hearing at the Oklahoma Capitol.

An official with the Attorney General’s Office: You want to know how much we spend defending the state in legal challenges? You want a dollar amount?

Sen. Kay Floyd: The citizens of Oklahoma and I are entitled to that.

Official: You want a dollar amount?

You want to know the manpower?

Floyd: The citizens of Oklahoma and I want the truth! How much are we spending to defend unconstitutional laws?

Official: You can’t handle the truth!

Senator, we live in a state where certain lawmakers put their ideologies over the principals of the state and federal constitution. These bills are passed by lawmakers who either share that ideology or fear losing support in their district with a “no” vote. Who’s gonna defend these bills in court? You? No! The Attorney General’s Office holds that responsibility, and we do it with pride.

Floyd: Did you defend legislation in court you knew was unconstitutional?

Official: I did the job lawmakers sent me to do.

Floyd: Did you defend that legislation?

Official: Yes, the Attorney General’s Office did, and we spent $****** doing it!

As you might guess, we at Chicken-Fried News are big A Few Good Men fans.

When we heard Oklahoma City Democrat Floyd requested an interim study on “the monetary and nonmonetary ramifications of filing unconstitutional legislation in Oklahoma,” our minds wandered back to that film’s pivotal scene.

Officials with the Attorney General’s Office told Tulsa World that they couldn’t put a dollar amount on their role in defending bills and state actions. Think restrictions on abortions or a Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol grounds.

It has all the makings for a good film and policy for our state.

Begging for it

Education and teacher funding is so bad in this state that teachers are now begging for money on street corners.

That’s not hyperbole.

It is no secret to Oklahomans that state education funding — and state funding in general — has been in crisis for several years. Due to that lack of money, Tulsa Public Schools third-grade teacher Teresa Danks said she now pays $2,000-$3,000 out of her own pocket annually to provide her students with basic school supplies.

Extreme problems call for extreme measures. In July, Danks decided to stake a Tulsa streetcorner with a sign reading, “Teacher needs school supplies! Anything helps. Thank you.”

The teacher told Tulsa’s Fox 23 News that she once received $55 in six minutes — double what she earns per hour as a teacher.

Great Scott! If it was not such a demeaning proposition to have members of one of the noblest public professions panhandling on streetcorners (But never on medians!), some might say Danks had cracked the school-funding enigma.

Overwhelming support led Danks to launch a GoFundMe croundfunding page to help other teachers meet their supply goals, too.

The page, created July 19, had raised more than $26,000 toward its

$50,000 goal by press time.

We here at Chicken-Fried News applaud Danks for taking matters into her own hands. Perhaps state lawmakers should be made to ask passing drivers to pay for their office needs. Something tells us they’d see fewer singles than single-fingers.

Visit facebook.com/beggingforeducation.

Why not, indeed

Russell Westbrook is having a moment.

The 28-year-old Thunder point guard has racked up awards this year, but none more impressive than his most recent.

Sure, he has won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award and was named Best Male Athlete at the ESPY Awards. That’s all well and good. But in a stroke of pure genius (or pure madness), Sports Illustrated gave Westbrook top billing on its July 24 Fashionable 50 issue.

Westbrook posts pictures of his sometimes outlandish, always cutting-edge outfits to his Instagram, often captioned with his trademark phrase, “Why not?”

Last year’s most fashionable athlete had nothing but praise for newly crowned Westbrook.

“He’s just killing it, in his own

way,” Bears wide receiver Victor Cruz told Sports Illustrated. “For him, it’s just, ‘Why can’t I wear that? Why should I be pigeonholed into one thing? Why can’t I average a tripledouble throughout the entire season?’

There’s nothing that he feels like he can’t do, and that just embodies his entire persona. And it makes for great fashion.”

Though he has said it about himself for months, now it’s official: Westbrook is the reigning Fashion King. Bow down before his tattered, acid-washed denim and floral blazers or he will surely triple-double your hiney.

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EAT & DRINK Tandoori chicken, masala dosa, samosas, cilantro rice and naan | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Balaji, who said the kitchen staff grinds spice blends in-house, but he also knows his clientele.

“A majority of our buffet clients are Americans,” Balaji said. “The spice level in southern [Indian] cuisine is different than Punjab. We actually reduce the spice level slightly. It’s still very flavorful.”

F e at u r e

Bountiful buffets

Right path

A Moore restaurant owner finds success after leaving the medical field.

By Jacob Threadgill

In Sanskrit, the term sudharma means “of right path.” A person will not be successful unless they are in a career that is soul-satisfying.

For Himalayas Aroma of India, 709 N. Moore Ave., restaurant owner Salem Balaji, pleasing his sudharma was all he could think about even while in residency as a radiologist in Oklahoma City.

Balaji found more personal fulfillment while working at Gopuram Taste of India than he did in the doctor’s office.

“I liked the [restaurant] industry; it was more challenging and you get to meet so many more people and feel the energy rather than working within four walls with an oncologist or something,” Bilaji said in the private dining room of his restaurant in Moore. “This is more challenging every day. It’s more satisfying and close to the heart.”

If a carpenter, while sawing, feels that it is noisy, then he is not fit for that job; he has to enjoy the noise.

Salem Balaji Balaji is originally from the southern coastal Indian city Chennai. At the behest of his parents, he moved to Norman in 1997 to attend the University of Oklahoma for a career in medicine.

Even after finishing school, the medical

field never felt comfortable to him.

“If a carpenter, while sawing, feels that it is noisy, then he is not fit for that job; he has to enjoy the noise,” Balaji said.

The solemn hum of the X-ray machine could never compare to the livelihood of the restaurant life for Balaji, who continued to work at Gopuram until opening his first restaurant in Norman in 2007. The current Himalayas moved to its Moore location on N. Moore Avenue in 2010.

“Every individual has to find out your sudharma,” Balaji said. “You might be a doctor by the force of parent’s interest, but it is not close to your heart. It should bring bliss. You find the job that is close to the heart, and if you find the right one, you will be successful.”

Success is exactly what Balaji has found. The Moore location is popular for its buffet, which expands on the weekends, and for on-site catering among local Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities. Balaji opened another Himalayas location with a business partner in Tulsa five years ago.

Every buffet comes with the chance to start with a masala dosa, which is a thin crêpe made with lentils and rice and served crispy with sambar, a vegetable stew, and coconut chutney. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the buffet expands with more regional delicacies like the idli, a steamed rice cake, and the vada, which is a spicy lentil doughnut.

The weekend buffet also expands to have a chaat corner, which is a layered salad mixed with vegetables, nuts and crispy wafers bursting with flavor.

Commitment to flavor is important to

The lunch and dinner buffets are the main stars at Himalayas and some of the best places for vegetarians and vegans to eat in the Oklahoma City area, but a full menu is offered as well. Other south Indian specialties on the regular menu include oothappam, a thick, spicy lentil pancake; uppma, a creamed wheat cooked with vegetables and nuts; poori masala, fried whole wheat bread served with potato palya. The restaurant cooks everything halal, in compliance with Islamic law.

Balaji said the restaurant does much of its catering for OKC’s Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian communities, where chefs will show up on-site to fry samosas and pakora, crispy fritters made from potato, okra and other vegetables.

“It’s easy to forget, but before 1947, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh were all under British rule,” Balaji said. “So what we think of Indian cuisine, particularly Punjab, can unite them all.”

Visit himalayasok.com or call 405701-3900.

Southern specialties

At lunchtime on a weekday, customers pour into Himalayas’ doors for a chance to peruse the plentiful buffet, where they find traditional Indian and Pakistani fares, also referred to as Punjabi cuisine, like chicken tikka masala and palak paneer, homemade cheese cooked in a spinach sauce, but also encounter delicacies from Balaji’s home in southern India.

After studying medicine, Himalayas owner Salem Balaji found peace in the restaurant industry. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

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EAT & DRINK Food selections from nearly 30 vendors highlight the Aug. 12 Beats & Bites Music & Food Truck Festival in Norman. | Photo provided

’90s. It has also charted more 18 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, including “Queen of Memphis,” “Jesus and Mama,” “Trashy Women” and “Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind.”

It released its most recent album, Lucky to Be Alive, last year. Opening for Confederate Railroad is dance band Time Machine.

EVENT

Room for everyone

Savage Bites

The explosive growth and popularity of Riverwind Casino’s summer Beats & Bites festival culminates with its Aug. 12 event. By Lea Terry

Since Riverwind Casino launched its seasonal Beats & Bites Music & Food Truck Festival in 2016, attendance has doubled and organizers have added even more trucks to meet growing demand.

The free, family-friendly street festival closes out this year’s successful season 6 p.m. Aug. 12 in the west parking lot of Riverwind Casino, 1544 State Highway 9, in Norman with close to 30 food trucks and a gig by country- and Southern-rock act Confederate Railroad.

The event also features games and activities for the kids.

Community focus

The casino launched the monthly summer festival to appeal to the broader community and attract families, said Riverwind Casino assistant general manager Kandi Link.

“Hopefully they’ll see that Riverwind is not just about the casino, but that we are also bringing in something for the community,” Link said.

So Beats & Bites was born as an event that appeals to Norman and the sur-

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rounding community, and organizers said they found inspiration in the success of music and food events like Midtown’s Eats on 8th and Edmond’s Heard on Hurd.

Beats & Bites has grown from around 2,000 guests at last year’s events to at least 4,000 at each of this year’s events, Link said, and welcomed almost 8,000 to Riverwind’s July event.

to others in the local food truck industry to ensure that everyone selected has a good reputation.

When choosing headlining music acts, Riverwind considered what genres and styles appealed to the kind of diverse, family-friendly crowd it wanted to attract.

“We found that a country, red dirt, kind of new-age country sound was popular,” Link said.

August’s headliner, Confederate Railroad, formed in the 1980s in Georgia and spent several years backing acts like David Allan Coe and Johnny Paycheck before breaking through and signing to Atlantic Records in the early

Growing popularity

Each hosts a minimum of 18 trucks, but the August event tops out the list with nearly 30.

This year’s final monthly street festival features 29 food trucks includingFlying Pig BBQ, Let’s Do Greek, Dippin’ Dots, Metro Minis Gourmet Mini Donuts, Filipino Fusion, Nacho Biznez, Bacon N’ Cakin’, Canadian River Vineyards & Winery, Murphy’s CookShack, I Don’t Know & I Don’t Care, Chef Ray’s Street Eats, Phill Me Up Cheesesteaks and others.

Vendors apply online and Riverwind vets them on a first-come, first-served basis, researching reviews and talking

The event also features activities designed specifically for kids, including games and inflatables.

The Goldsby Fire Department will visit, inviting children to dress up in firefighter gear and tour the fire trucks, and local police officers will be on hand to perform fingerprinting.

The event’s popularity has been so great that guests bring their own lawn chairs — while the casino sets out about 600 seats and picnic tables, they don’t fully accommodate ever-growing crowds. Guests also can bring umbrellas for shade.

Food trucks set up early for anyone who wants to grab a bite before the music starts.

“We are excited to have one final opportunity this summer to bring the community together to enjoy great food and great music at Riverwind,” casino general manager Jack Parkinson said in a media statement.

The casino itself is open for anyone over age 18. Pets and outside food and beverages are not permitted at the festival.

Visit riverwind.com.

Beats & Bites Music & Food Truck Festival 6-11 p.m. Aug. 12

Food selections from nearly 30 vendors highlight the Aug. 12 Beats & Bites Music & Food Truck Festival in Norman. | Photo provided

west parking lot | Riverwind Casino 1544 State Highway 9, Norman riverwind.com | 405-322-6000 Free

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Hearty soul

After more than six decades, Florence’s Restaurant keeps drawing in new diners to northeast Oklahoma City. By Rachel Schaub

From its longtime storefront at 1437 NE 23rd St., Florence’s Restaurant surveys the district it pioneered.

When the hearty soul food eatery opened its doors on 23rd Street after moving from its NE Fourth Street location in 1969, it was the one of the first businesses on the block.

“I remember that when she moved here, there wasn’t anything here,” said Victoria Kemp, owner and general manager of Florence’s alongside her mother, Florence Jones. “Church’s Chicken [across the street] was a lumber yard; there was really no commerce around, not like you see now.”

Florence’s stood the test of time with over 60 years of service to the metro. In recent years, Kemp said she has seen a shift from east-side customers to diners from all ends of the metro and beyond.

“You know, this has been an amazing transformation,” she said. “She was a staple on the east side and most people knew about her. I can’t even really pinpoint when it happened, but the diversity in our clientele really is amazing. And I know it’s going to become even more diverse, especially as they start to build the renaissance of northeast 23rd Street.”

With new renovations underway, Florence’s continues to improve after over a half-century of serving up classic dishes on the metro’s east side.

Best-kept secret

Florence’s cultivated a following of loyal eaters through years of word-of-mouth praise, including rapper Kanye West, whose photo with Jones is featured on the restaurant’s Facebook page. From chicken-fried steak to yam-fried chicken, the food is something to talk about.

“When you grow up the way she grew up, which was on a rural farm with 18

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Victoria Kemp co-owns Florence’s Restaurant with her mother Florence Jones. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

nothing — my grandparents were sharecroppers — you don’t think that you’re ever going to be on the cover of The Oklahoman or in the Gazette or on television; you just don’t,” Kemp said. “She just doesn’t understand it really, I think, on some level. Intellectually, she does, but she just can’t believe that her life has become this and that she’s honestly gained the celebrity that she has, because you can’t take her anywhere.”

Florence has been the driving force behind the eatery since she opened it, Kemp said.

“Well, she’s my mother, and she’d already been in business a long time before I was even born, so I’m sure the day we came home from the hospital, she stopped here,” she said.

Coming home

Kemp had no plans to join her mother in business when she was younger, she said. Kemp relocated to Dallas and worked there, but she would call her mother every day.

“She’d say, ‘I’m working here at the restaurant. I have to go; you know, my waiter isn’t here yet,’ so she’d just be hustling it out, cooking, running back and waiting tables until the waiter got here,” he said. “Then her language just started to change; she started to say, ‘I need help.’ And not, you know, ‘I need help — come,’ but of course I picked up on that. I just started to visit more.“ On a weekend visit to her mother, Kemp and Jones got a call from a family member about a child who needed somewhere safe to live.

“To make a long story short, I raised my hand,” Kemp said. “She was 10 years

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Florence’s Restaurant recently underwent renovations, including expanded seating. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

old, so I had to stay someplace Monday through Friday so she could go to school.

My mother was here. She was trying to run this business, she was trying to take care of my grandfather, and so I decided to put her in school here. I’d stay here Monday through Friday, I’d get up at 5:00 a.m., I’d get on my computer, do my Dallas work … and I’d show up in Dallas when I needed to, then I’d come to the restaurant and work all day.

“When she got out of school on Friday, I’d pick her up and we’d head to Dallas for the weekend. The drive got old, my grandfather got older, the business increased and I just came for the weekend and never left. That’s the story.”

Updated classic

The restaurant’s recent renovation includes an expanded seating area and walls displaying local artists’ work on what will be a rotating basis. Updates don’t stop with new seating, though.

“This is phase one, because the first thing I really needed was more real estate up here, because our lunch became so overwhelming,” Kemp said.

“And the next thing really is that we need a bigger kitchen, because the kitchen is tiny. We’re all over each other; it’s amazing that we’re able to crank out what we’re able to crank out.”

Aside from some cosmetic changes, Kemp said the eatery hasn’t changed much since her mother opened it. The

recipes have been adapted in small ways and new dishes were added to the menu over the years, but it’s the same favorites that keep regulars coming back.

“Most of it really does remind me of my grandmother’s on Sunday,” she said.

“I really love the pot roast — probably if I had to say my absolute favorite thing, it is the gravy that goes on the chickenfried steak. … We do yeast rolls, and that also reminds me of Sundays at her house, because she would make yeast rolls and we would just walk around and eat them cold. We loved them.”

She came back to the city eight years ago, and she has since adapted to life at Florence’s and on the east side of the metro.

“I have just now figured out that, ‘OK, I’m not going to get to go back,’” she said. “My mother is too old now, I’m too ingrained in not only this restaurant, but the east side. I love it. You can’t pay me to live anywhere else.”

With 60 years of stellar food and additional seating under its belt, Florence’s Restaurant isn’t going anywhere. The modern restaurant has grown carefully from the perseverance of Florence herself all those years ago.

“I tell her that she built this business on her back,” Kemp said. “She opened the doors and she worked in it, and if she didn’t come to work, the restaurant couldn’t open. … My mother just always, she has an incredible work ethic. ”

Thursday Evenings in August 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy live music, cash bar, a food truck, and the Museum galleries.

August 3 • Grassland Caravan August 10 • Casey and Minna August 17 • Michael and Lela Dalby August 24 • Lucas Ross 1700 Northeast 63rd Street Oklahoma City, OK (405) 478-2250

nationalcowboymuseum.org/summer Florence’s Restaurant has specialized in soul food since opening in 1952. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

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g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

New bar smell

Whether you prefer to kick back with a cold beer or mingle with a glass of fine wine in hand, new places to grab a drink are cropping up around the metro. Ahead are some of the most anticipated openings. From complicated cocktails to basic brews, it’s easier than ever to find a place to share a drink.

By Megan Prather and Rachel Schaub Photos by Garett Fisbeck

Lost Highway

Rewind Pub

Parks Bar & Grill

Boasting live music, karaoke Mondays and margarita pitchers for $6 on Tuesdays, Lost Highway has something for folks of all kinds. Bartenders serve up local ciders and beers straight from the can or with a boozy Deep Eddy twist on classic brews. Starting at 7 p.m., Tamale Tuesdays at the Highway bring together the bar’s unique concoctions and free tamales with a drink purchase.

Get there early to grab a tamale before they’re gone. Trust us; they go fast.

Enjoy a beer and a blast from the past at Rewind Pub. This new, groovy bar and eatery offers 25-cent video games and classic pub food alongside an extensive beer selection, both tap and bottled. Pair one of more than 40 brews with a buildyour-own or BBQ chicken pizza for $13 and $11, respectively, and order some pretzels ($6) or mini corn dogs ($7) to snack on while you take on Defender and Q*bert.

Sit down with a signature drink at Parks Bar & Grill. You’ll be glad you did. For the bolder among us, the place’s packed daily specials listings offer weekly Fireball Fridays, with the titular drink priced at $3.

Go forth and be brave. If you’re looking for a milder drink, order The Carlton ($8), a vodka sour mixed with Apple Ciroc for a modern update on a classic drink, or The No Pressure ($8), a sweet and fruity drink stirred with Skyy citrus and grape vodka that tastes, according to the menu, like “drinking a SweetTart, only better.”

1613 N. May Ave. losthighwaybar.com | 405-601-5606

1203 SW Second St. rewindpub.com | 405-839-8088

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322 NE Second St. parksbarandgrill.com | 405-839-8190

The Manhattan OKC

Kong’s Tavern

In the center of downtown Oklahoma City is a casual place to grab a bite to eat and a drink to go along with it. It has an extensive menu of sandwiches ranging from the warm lobster roll ($19) to Zach’s Classic Reuben ($12) that pairs nicely with its extensive drink menu. The Classic Manhattan ($10) is made with Old Overholt rye, Martini & Rossi vermouth, Angostura bitters and Maraschino cherry. It also serves brunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

With TVs, games and a wide array of drinks, Kong’s Tavern is a great place to kick back with friends. Its extensive menu includes Bombritos ($10), a delicious combination of Latin and Asian cuisine wrapped in a jalapeño cheddar tortilla with your choice of Korean short rib, pork belly, chicken or tofu. Or cool off with a Cookies & Cream ($14) made with bourbon, vanilla milkshake, chocolate chip cookie, cookie ice cream sandwich, chocolate Rice Krispies, Oreo crumbles and whipped cream.

210 Park Ave., Suite 150 themanhattanokc.com | 405-605-5300

Sun-ThurS 11am-9pm

Fri & SaT 11am-10pm

1016 N. Walker Ave. kongstavern.com | 405-602-2074

The Union@SOSA

616 NW Fifth St. facebook.com/theunionok 405-601-2857

The Union@SOSA opened this spring, transforming a former electricians union hall into a unique space with two levels of seating on the inside and an outdoor patio for friends to gather, eat and drink. Enjoy grilled cheese and drinks on the patio, where a live band will most likely be performing, then move to the speakeasy located in the basement for cocktails.

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Depending on school and district, classes are either already back in session or just around the corner. With a new school year always comes the tradition of back-to-school shopping. Pencils, pens and paper are no-brainers, but it can be just as important to set a strong first impression as studies begin. Let Oklahoma Gazette and these local businesses help the studious put their best feet forward this school year. By Ben Luschen | Photos by Garett Fisbeck

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Expressing one’s individuality in the school halls goes beyond clothing. While DNA Galleries has a great selection of unique shirt and hat designs, it’s also packed with accessories, flair and swag. Locker keys look great when attached to a wooden, custom-designed Oklahoma City Thunder keychain. DNA also sells backpacks from Backpacks with a Purpose (B-WAP). For every backpack sold, B-WAP donates two to children locally and overseas through partnerships with nonprofits Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and Maisha Project.

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Biking has long been synonymous with scholarly studies. Whether it is pedaling around the corner as an elementary school student or trekking across campus as an undergrad, many students need a good set of wheels to get from point A to point B. Melonbike carries the most reliable bicycle brands, and its helpful staff can pair riders of all skill levels with a model that suits their needs. The fullservice bike shop also provides repairs, installations and fittings to make sure students ride safely in the new school year.

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Vintage Black Heroes: The Chisholm Kid Exhibition July 21 – September 17, 2017

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Cartoons & Comics: The Early Art of Tom Ryan July 21, 2017 – April 1, 2018

Cartoon. Tom Ryan, circa 1945, drawing. 2002.032.6. Tom Ryan Collection. Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

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A u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

ARTS & CULTURE

Cov e r

Float on

A pair of hot air balloon events rise above average summer festivals.

By Ben Luschen

Oklahoma’s summer heat brings some people down, but a little hot air can lift them up.

Two large, family-friendly hot air balloon festivals are set to premiere in central Oklahoma this month. The first Fireflight Balloon Festival is FridaySunday at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) pow wow grounds near the tribal nation’s headquarters, 1601 S. Gordon Cooper Drive, in Shawnee.

Also, the inaugural Oklahoma City Balloon Festival, a local expansion of the popular Tulsa Balloon Festival, makes its premiere Aug. 24-27 at Chisholm Creek, 13230 Pawnee Drive.

Festival organizers said the event will be the first balloon fest within the city limits in 13 years.

Both events offer free general admission and a wide variety of food, vendors, games, carnival rides and special events to keep families entertained.

Balloon festivals are often associated with popular events in the Rocky Mountains and the American Southwest.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Festival in October annually features more than 500 balloons and draws an international following that sometimes approaches 100,000 visitors. The Plano Balloon Festival in nearby Texas draws an estimated crowd of around 90,000.

Still, love for ballooning is far from regional. Balloon festivals attract large crowds all over the world, and Oklahoma’s newest fests are likely to do the same.

Fireflight Balloon Festival

The idea for a family- and budget-friendly balloon festival in Shawnee came from a long-held dream by tribal vice chair Linda Capps, said festival organizer and CPN employee Kelley Francen.

Capps shared her vision with others within the tribe who quickly agreed such a festival would bring the CPN great visibility. In November, Francen was sent to a small balloon festival in Rockwall, Texas, for research. Work began on the first Fireflight Balloon Festival shortly after.

Some of the country’s most skilled pilots and gorgeous balloons will call Shawnee home during the festival’s run.

Daytime 45-90 minute rides can be purchased for $250 per person and must be booked in advance at firelakeballoonfest. com. Tethered rides lasting several minutes are $15-$20.

However, payment is not required to enjoy the fest’s balloons. Guests can see the aerial carriages up close and per-

Oklahoma City Balloon Festival is the first balloon event the city has hosted in 13 years. | Photo illustration bigstock.com

sonal for free during the Balloon Glows that begin after 8 p.m. Though grounded, the fully inflated balloons will inspire awe with their colors and sheer scale.

The pilots will also participate in freeto-watch balloon competitions beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday morning on the festival grounds. From high in the air, the pilots drop beanbags on a large target below for points. A child-sized swimming pool will be set up as a bonus target. Any pilot landing a bag inside is awarded a $500 cash prize.

There will be no shortage of alternatives to balloon-related entertainment.

Live motocross and mixed martial arts competitions can be seen Friday and Saturday in addition to a number of other games, inflatables food trucks and live music. English rock act Foghat, known for its 1975 hit “Slow Ride,” performs a free show 7:15-8:45 p.m. Saturday.

Though some rides and activities at the event require a fee, general admission and parking are free through the festival’s run.

“For the most part, someone can come out and have fun on a shoestring budget,” Francen said.

Excitement for Fireflight, Francen said, can be seen in and outside of the Shawnee community.

“We have CPN employees who go to meetings all over the state, and it seems like wherever they go, they hear a buzz about the balloon fest,” she said.

Pat Harwell is balloon meister for the event. Francen met him at the November balloon fest she attended in Texas.

Harwell said he is so far impressed with the event’s efficient organization.

“I have never worked with a first-year event as competent and as forthright,” Harwell said. “They’ve followed through on everything I’ve asked and they’ve actually come up with things I didn’t even think about. I feel very good about the show they’re putting on for Shawnee.”

Pilots took full notice of the event’s competency, and Harwell said Fireflight has immediately become a target destination for top fliers.

“This is a beautiful place for us to fly with great hotel accommodations and great meals, and the propane is all set up for them,” he said.

Visit firelakeballoonfest.com or facebook.com/firelakeballoonfest.

OKC Balloon Festival

Ricky Lyons took the reins of Tulsa Balloon Festival in 2015, expanding the event by adding a carnival, live music and a street fair atmosphere. A good balloon event, he said, needs something to offer guests outside of the balloons because flights are so weather dependent.

Lyons hopes to replicate his proven Tulsa formula for success in Oklahoma City. Daily 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. flights are $200 and can be booked ahead of time at okcbf.com. Tethered flights are $15.

The free Balloon Glow begins every evening around 8:30 p.m.

Lyons said the fest boasts one of the state’s largest assemblies of carnival rides outside of the state fair. One-day carnival wristbands are $25, and a fourday ride pass is $60.

Guests can also enjoy aerial acrobatics from a parachute team 5 p.m. Aug. 26-27. A nightly fireworks display begins at 9:30 p.m.

Those who attend the festival must use the event’s provided parking area.

Parking is $20 per vehicle and $10 when booked online in advance. Parking passes for the entire weekend can be ordered in advance for $30. Lyons said money generated from parking fees goes toward event security and management costs.

At-the-gate event admission is free.

“One of our focuses is value for money and making sure people come out and have a great time,” Lyons said. “Whether the balloons fly or not, there’s just so

much going on that it makes a good day out for the family.”

Oklahoma City has long been without its own balloon festival, but Lyons assured this event is here to stay. While he expects the fest’s first year to be about establishing a foothold in the community, the sky is the limit for its future.

“In five years’ time, we want to have 250,000-300,000 people coming to this event every year,” he said. “We want to generate millions of dollars of tax revenue like they do in Albuquerque and other balloon events across the country. There is a real opportunity for the city to get behind this event and to turn it into something that is beneficial to the city.”

Lyons, who lives in Edmond but is originally from the United Kingdom, expects to eventually pass festival management responsibilities over to someone local. Still, he said the event’s focus is already very community-oriented.

“It’s not a money-making exercise for Ricky; it’s a community event,” he said.

“For me, it’s about the experience and building a resume here in the state. It’s about trying to build a reputation for myself and to build a career.”

Visit okcbf.com or facebook.com/ okcbf.

Fireflight Balloon Festival 4-10 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m.-noon Saturday-Sunday CPN pow wow grounds | Citizen Potawatomi Nation 1601 S. Gordon Cooper Drive, Shawnee firelakeballoonfest.com | 405-275-3121 Free

Oklahoma City Balloon Festival Aug. 24-27 Chisholm Creek | 13230 Pawnee Drive okcbf.com | 918-442-4860 Free Note: parking is $10-$30

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | A u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7

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Kehinde Wiley (American, b. 1977). Leviathan Zodiac (detail), 2011. Oil and gold enamel on canvas, 95¾ x 71¾ in. (243.2 x 182.2 cm). Collection of Blake Byrne, Los Angeles. Courtesy of Roberts & Tilton, Culver City, California. © Kehinde Wiley.

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ARTS & CULTURE during his gigs.

“This way I never have to quit playing music,” he said.

co m e dy

Blurred past

Star navigator

Though outside today’s Hollywood spotlight, comic Sinbad is still full of surprises. By Ben Luschen

Mention Sinbad to a group of friends and listen as they recite and reminisce about the lengthy list of the actor and comedian’s movies and stand-up specials.

Notice their reliance on the past tense.

His reputation as the vogue, familyfriendly funnyman of the 1990s is known to many and is not lost on Sinbad himself.

He counts himself as much more than a relic of pop-culture nostalgia.

The multitalented actor, born David Adkins, has gained relevance beyond movies like 1991’s Necessary Roughness or ’95’s Houseguest. His show starts 8 p.m. Aug. 18 at Hudson Performance Hall, 2820 N. May Ave., and 8 p.m. Aug. 19 at Tulsa’s Brady Theater.

“I wanted a career like Will Smith or Denzel Washington,” Sinbad said during a recent Oklahoma Gazette interview. “I wanted to do those kinds of movies. Some are funny, some are not; some are out there. The smartest thing Will Smith ever did was not get stuck as The Fresh Prince.”

The comic said those who might doubt his ability to deliver a dramatic performance probably haven’t seen his work outside of his prolific comedy career.

“Most of the stuff I write is not made to just be funny. That’s just one side of [comedians],” he said. “There’s not a comic in the world that’s not full of drama.”

Early in his stand-up journey, Sinbad borrowed his moniker from the fictional Middle Eastern sailor — and it

worked. A memorable stage name helped people remember the distinctly funny personality that was already there. Sinbad quickly climbed the entertainment industry’s ladder of success, and early in his career, he landed recurring roles on The Redd Foxx Show and A Different World.

The name still carries cachet today, but it has also become a partial hindrance. It is easy to remember Sinbad in a movie like Jingle All the Way, but hard for some to imagine him as anything beyond that.

“In this business, not many people have vision,” he said. “You’re blessed if the powers that be can see beyond the very surface level of you.”

Nasty funk

Sinbad first spoke with the Gazette on his mobile phone as he stood in line at a Guitar Center. He called back after completing his purchase — a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar for his daughter — and one for himself.

“You know when you like a present you’re giving to someone else so much that you fall in love with it?” he said.

“That’s why I bought two.”

Not many people know Sinbad’s a musician, yet he has enough playing talent inside him to constitute an entire funk or jazz ensemble. He was a drummer in his high-school marching band and now plays bass, guitar, percussion and

Sinbad | Photo Ian White / provided

saxophone as well as some trumpet and trombone. This year, his goal is to become proficient on the keyboard.

For a five-year stretch in the 1990s, he held the popular Soul Music Festival in the Caribbean with headlining acts like Gladys Knight, George Clinton, Chaka Khan, The Gap Band and Earth, Wind & Fire. He started funk act Memphis Red and the Stank Nasty Band in 2012.

Sinbad said he has been interested in music his whole life but was out of practice for more than 25 years before returning to it in the late 2000s. He can be seen playing drums and guitar in his 2010 Comedy Central special Where U Been?

When getting back into music, he reacquainted himself with the drums before trying guitar.

You’re blessed if the powers that be can see beyond the very surface level of you.

Sinbad “I didn’t know how hard the guitar was,” he said. “I thought, ‘Man, after I put a couple of weeks in, I’ll be playing like a rock star, a funk star.’ Let me tell you, I was in for a rude awakening.”

Memphis Red enabled his musical reawakening. He pushed himself to match his talented and professional bandmates. Sinbad said he will likely play some music during his Oklahoma City show and might bring his bass with him. A DJ and an accompanying musician or two often share a stage with him

To borrow from an early 2017 Facebook trend, here are five ’90s kid and family movies Sinbad was in (one is a lie): Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco, First Kid, Shazaam, Jingle All the Way, Good Burger.

Those struggling to find the fake in the bunch are far from alone.

Though countless millennial-age fans swear they remember Sinbad in a genie costume as part of a movie called Shazaam, no such film was ever made.

It is hard to pin a root cause on the widely held misconception, but the nonexistent project is a frequently cited example of what’s called the Mandela Effect, a phenomenon in which many people believe a similar false fact or event.

Shaquille O’Neal portrays a genie in the ’96 film Kazaam. Sinbad was popular in children’s entertainment in the 1990s, so his movies were no doubt frequently shown alongside commercials and trailers for Kazaam, and vice versa. It is actually a testament to Sinbad’s ’90s prevalence and popularity that so many have subconsciously inserted the tall comedian — who was a basketball player and athlete in his high school days — into O’Neal’s role.

The children who witnessed Sinbad’s ’90s streak of success are now in their mid- to late-20s. Some of them have careers and children. Meeting them after shows, Sinbad savors every moment of his career in all its incarnations.

“We plan on forever,” he said. “We plan on longevity, but God laughs at our plan. I was always like, ‘Let me find a way to make the most of all this right now.’”

Standing out

Sinbad’s work as a comic could be compared to performing free-form jazz. He goes into each gig with topics and jokes in mind, but much of each is built of riffs and what he draws from his audience in that moment.

“I look at it like music,” he said. ”You got your set list, but now let’s see where the audience wants to go.”

He admits that sports, music, comedy and acting arose from that drive to put himself in front of an audience. Sinbad was a name he gave himself to get noticed, but it now also clearly divides a pedestrian past from his bright right-now.

“I was never going to be one of the crowd,” he said. “I was so scared of being a regular person. I was really scared of it.

I couldn’t be just like everybody else. ... If you think you know me, I dare you to come find out what you don’t know.”

Sinbad 8 p.m. Aug. 18 Hudson Performance Hall | 2820 N. May Ave. dcfconcerts.com | 866-977-6849 $32-$88

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | A u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7

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A rt

ARTS & CULTURE

Downtown detours

Downtown Oklahoma City Initiative’s Third Artist Invitational delivers two new public art installations to downtown. By Jessica Williams

Downtown Oklahoma City Initiatives revitalizes public interest in the city’s landscape and historical significance one installation artwork at a time.

After reviewing submissions from central Oklahoma artists, the nonprofit connected with Downtown OKC Inc. selected local artists Beatriz Mayorca and Klint Schor to create original artworks for this year’s Invitational.

Both artists and Downtown OKC Inc.’s Staci Sanger spoke with Oklahoma Gazette about the works-in-progress and public art’s impact on communities.

“The Artist Invitational is intended to showcase downtown through public art.

It started as an invited call two years ago, and this year, we opened the proposals up to any central Oklahoma artist,” said Sanger, director of marketing and placemaking. “The program’s goals are to inspire conversation, whimsy and wonder through art.”

In its previous two years, the Artist Invitational funded notable projects like Jason Pawley’s “Cultivation” mural on downtown’s W. Reno Avenue underpass and Adam Lanman’s “Skyline: Timeline” installation at Oklahoma City University School of Law’s West Plaza. Focusing on cultivating the OKC community, Sanger said the Artist Invitational seeks perspectives on community progress.

“The program is also meant to provide Oklahoma City artists an economic opportunity for creative expression,” she said. “We want to hear artists’ responses to the question, ‘How would you improve downtown through public art?’”

The Invitational’s third year features functional art and multifaceted themes from both particpants. Mayorca and Schor’s anticipated contributions to

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A u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

unused public space highlight the transformative power of art.

Functional feature

Mayorca’s proposal developed from a lack of outdoor public seating in the OKC environment. The Venezuelan-born artist and interior designer’s project, “Nurture,” emphasizes community connection.

“Artistic sculptural seating is missing in the OKC area,” Mayorca said. “This project brings it to a small place, which will hopefully serve as an example to follow for other communities, parks and public spaces.”

Sanger said the Artist Invitational chose Mayorca’s designs to line the grasses and sidewalks with artful seating in Hightower Park northwest of the Arts District parking garage.

“Our organization had already identified Hightower Park as a place in need of seating and activation,” Sanger said.

“Beatriz’s sculptural seating not only solved the problem by adding places to physically rest, but also adding color to the visual landscape.”

Mayorca’s project renderings highlight design’s ability to instigate conversation, showing a series of seats facing each other.

“I’ve planned a system of public sculptural seating that encourages social activity and interaction in OKC,” Mayorca said. “All four chairlike benches are highlighted by the interaction of color, rhythms and repetition.”

Mayorca’s system combines vibrant colors with streamlined architecture. She said her project’s location was a source of inspiration for her designs.

“It’s a dialogue between rigid and fluid, using colors to soften the rigidness of the straight architectural lines

of the surrounding buildings,” she said.

A break in predictability can positively alter one’s mood and internal perception, and sets of aesthetically original, functional seating amid business buildings might just achieve that break.

“Nurture injects an element of surprise into urban routines,” Mayorca said.

Seeking connection

Community connections can be engineered through art and design. Taking inspiration from architecture, physics and engineering, Schor’s in-progress sculpture “The Kiss” explores and deconstructs the idea of human connection.

“In short, this piece explores points of connection,” Schor said. “The piece originated from contemplating welding.

Welding fuses two materials together, much like a kiss.”

Like the simple yet bold design of public works like Robert Indiana’s “Love” series, Schor’s art proposal caught the Artist Invitational’s attention as a poignant public message.

“In Klint’s sculpture, the committee was struck by the potential of the sculpture to be an iconic image for Oklahoma City,” Sanger said. “It is a striking piece and could mean something different and special to each person who sees it.”

Although succinct in visuals, Schor’s project execution is anything but simple.

“I bridged two separate pieces with one single weld, thus creating a kind of tangent or ‘kiss’ connecting the two with a singular moment,” he said. “The concept is literal interpretation of a kiss, with the weld becoming the intimate connection point of two lovers.”

Similar to a yin-yang symbol, the figures are inverse and interlocking, sharing the same profile line.

Drawings and models of Klint Schor’s sculpture “The Kiss” reveal nearly interlocking inverse figures. | Photos provided

“The figures are held into place by tension rather than an actual connection, reinforcing each figure’s individuality while relying on the other for its support,” Schor said.

Appearances are deceiving — the figures in Schor’s work are not fastened to one another.

“My hope is that people see themselves, despite race, gender or beliefs,” he said.

“While that’s a lot to ask for of two hunks of steel, the idea of love hopefully creates a common thread.”

Sanger said the committee is still searching for a home for Schor’s sculpture.

“The ‘Kiss’ location has not been finalized but will likely land in the Central Business District,” she said. “We are currently working with the City of Oklahoma City to determine its home.”

No set date has been placed on the completion of each artist’s project. Sanger said the Initiative is hopeful to have both pieces installed before the end of the year.

The nonprofit organization plans to continue revitalizing and growing the community.

“It is the intention of Downtown OKC Initiatives to continue this program annually,” Sanger said. “Each previously selected project has had wonderful impact on the downtown community. We are hoping to see that impact grow and change each year.”

Visit downtownokc.com.

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Propelling through questions of culture, class and identity, Lyric Theatre soars to new Heights.

By Ian Jayne

Reunions can be a funny thing. Whether a literal homecoming after freshman year at college or the symbolic revisiting of a beloved musical, there’s a propensity toward heightened emotion and renewed feeling. In the case of In the Heights, it’s both.

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma presents In the Heights Aug. 8-12 in Civic Center Music Hall’s Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre, 201 N. Walker Ave. The Tony Award-winning musical was written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and features music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

‘Home community’

In the Heights portrays residents of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood located in the northern Manhattan borough as they fall in and out of love and financial favor.

Through sudden windfalls (like finding a lottery ticket), the musical comments on the feasibility of social mobility. Facing a changing, gentrified neighborhood, Washington Heights’ mostly Hispanic residents must unite to protect their individual identities and aspirations.

“This show is about a home community — being able to find yourself and what home is for you, being someone that doesn’t necessarily come from the place that is home now,” said Lyric guest director Michael Balderrama.

‘Moving, breathing version’

Balderrama has been affiliated with In the Heights since late 2006, when he

heard demo recordings of the future musical.

“As soon as I heard the music, I knew I had to be part of it,” he said.

Balderrama became the production’s associate choreographer and resident supervisor of its first national tour. He has a thorough knowledge of the play’s inner workings that he can now use in his own vision, which he described as a “hybrid.”

While Balderrama’s show remains inspired by the original choreography and rhythmic structures, he has found ways to update and enliven the production, including a pivotal scene in a nightclub.

“We really spent some time developing what is a moving, breathing version of that club scene,” he said.

Other elements mark the director and choreographer’s vision as distinct: technical elements like lighting cues and his thematic investigation of character and motivation.

‘Very relatable’

Telling the stories of Hispanic Americans and immigrants has a renewed relevance in today’s political climate.

“It’s very pertinent to what’s happening in our country right now,” Balderrama said. “It’s always been there, it’s always been apparent, this idea of immigrants coming to this country to find a new life.”

His take on the play’s protagonists, the Rosario family and Benny, among others, focuses on the nuances of inclusion. While many in Washington Heights face anti-immigrant prejudice, Balderrama added that the characters

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma presents Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights Aug. 8-12 at Civic Center Music Hall. | Photo Kirk Tuck / Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma / provided

also struggle to accept differences within their families.

Cristina Oeschger, who portrays Nina Rosario, said In the Heights also resonates in more potent ways.

“Even if you don’t have any Hispanic background, even if you don’t relate to that part of it, I think all the characters are very relatable,” she said.

She also has deep ties to the musical, which she performed in high school, and to her character Nina, a role she revisits for a third time.

Nina returns to Washington Heights after leaving for college, and Oeschger said she used her personal experiences to tap into the role.

“Learning more about Puerto Rican culture has influenced my portrayal, and also now that I’ve left home and gone to college,” she said. “This kind of dual consciousness is something that I’ve dealt with in more recent years.”

In the Heights also benefits from LinManuel Miranda’s more recent critical acclaim, even though the show predates Hamilton by several years.

Hyperfocused in its songs and choreography on those in the titular heights, In the Heights also taps into a transcendent universality.

“I think it’s an even more important story to tell, that no matter where you come from, humans are all the same at their core,” Oeschger said.

Visit lyrictheatreokc.com or call 405297-2264.

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In the Heights Aug. 8-12 Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre Civic Center Music Hall | 201 N. Walker Ave. lyrictheatreokc.com | 405-297-2264 $40-$96

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Co m m u n i t y

ARTS & CULTURE

Champion youth

OICA chief executive officer Joe Dorman | Photo Gazette / file

Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy celebrates youths with its Heroes Ball. By Jeremy Martin

In fiction, 8-year-old Bruce Wayne watches in terror as a mugger guns down his parents in a dark alley, then channels the memory of that trauma and his considerable inheritance into becoming a beloved caped crusader. In real life, making anything positive from a traumatic childhood is significantly more difficult, but Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) is celebrating the people who stand up for children in crisis with its Heroes Ball.

The event, 6-10 p.m. Aug. 10 at The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City, 1 Park Ave., raises funds for training child advocates and staging OICA’s fall forum, during which the organization will develop its 2018 agenda.

OICA was formed in the wake of news stories and a class-action lawsuit concerning children warehoused in substandard facilities by the state Department of Human Services. A 1981 news story by KOCO-TV Channel 5, “Oklahoma’s Shame,” earned a 1982 Peabody Award, and a 1983 wrongful death lawsuit against

Pauls Valley State School brought attention to the plight of children in state custody.

“My fear is if we don’t have a strong voice in Oklahoma for the kids, we are likely going to repeat those mistakes, especially with what we’ve seen with budget cuts and a lack of concern when it comes to taking care of kids in many areas of government, state and federal,” said OICA chief executive officer Joe Dorman. “The only way we can do this and be successful is if we have an army of advocates out there joining us in this fight.”

In addition to silent auctions, a dinner and a cocktail hour for the adults, Heroes Ball will present awards honoring “individuals and organizations who have gone above and beyond to help out kids,” Dorman said.

Recipients include Jasmine and Melvin Moran, who will receive the Kate Barnard Award in recognition of the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum in Seminole.

The award is named for Oklahoma’s first female elected official, a child welfare and prison reform advocate who served as

the state’s first Commissioner of Charities and Corrections. Several of Barnard’s proposed reforms, such as compulsory education and child labor laws, were enacted by the Legislature, but she lost political favor when she began advocating for the property rights of Native American orphans.

“She sacrificed her political career to help kids,” Dorman said.

Guest speaker Deena Fisher, dean of Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Woodward, will pay tribute to Barnard.

To honor their coverage of adoption issues, television news outlets KFOR-TV Channel 4 in Oklahoma City, KSWO-TV Channel 7 in Lawton and KTUL-TV Channel 8 in Tulsa will receive the Steven A. Novick Dedication Award, named for the lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the 1983 lawsuit against the Pauls Valley State School. And the Sonic Commitment Award will go to Craig and Amy Groeschel of Life.Church, whose efforts encouraging

churchgoers to become foster parents resulted in 200 applications filed with Oklahoma Fosters in May 2017.

In addition, online voting for the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Award, which is given to both individuals and organizations involved in child advocacy, will be open until Aug. 8 at oica.org, and ball attendees will receive a final chance to vote at the banquet.

Children attending the ball, who must be accompanied by an adult, will get the chance to meet Captain America and Wonder Woman and to try on a pair of Russell Westbrook’s game-worn shoes, donated by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Westbrook was awarded the NBA Cares Community Assist Award in October 2014 when his Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation opened a reading center at North Highland Elementary School. “[Westbrook] is about the closest thing many Oklahomans think we get to a superhero in real life,” Dorman said.

Local disco band Superfreak will close he evening. Visit oica.org.

Heroes Ball 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Aug. 10 The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City | 1 Park Ave. oica.org | 405-236-5437, ext. 109 $35-$135

Back to School with WEEKDAY MORNINGS 5-9AM

WEEKNIGHTS AT 9PM Did you figure who’s who? Check your answers here!

TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Mike Brooks, Shelby Cashman, Jeff George, Jasmine Anderson BOTTOM ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Marcy Novak, Chris Stanford, Wendy Suares 30

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CALENDAR are events recommended

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

FILM Western Movie Matinee: What Was Ours, (USA, 2016, Mat Hames) a Shoshone veteran, a teenage powwow princess and an Arapaho journalist discover their purpose on the Wind River Indian Reservation as they seek lost artifacts, 1-3 p.m. Aug. 2. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-4782250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED Monterey Pop, (France, 1968, D.A. Pennebaker) a film about the greatest pre-Woodstock music festival.

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the countercultural subject in the new 4K digital restoration, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Aug. 3. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Movies in the Park: Secret Life of Pets, (US, 2016, Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney) the quiet life of a terrier named Max is upended when his owner takes in Duke, a stray whom Max instantly dislikes, 8-11 p.m. Aug. 4.

Harrah Heritage Park, 1374 N. Church Ave., Harrah, 405-454-3084, cityofharrah.com. FRI City of Ghosts, (USA, 2017, Matthew Heineman) documentary following the efforts of a handful of anonymous activists who banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014, Aug. 4-6.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN Reservoir Dogs, (1992, France, Quintin Tarantino) after a simple jewelry heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant, 7 p.m. Aug. 8. Harkins Theatre, 150 E. Reno Ave., 405-231-4747, harkinstheatres.com. TUE

HAPPENINGS Oklahoma Historical Society Book Sale, offering more than 500 books, including many rare and out-of-print titles. Visitors can shop for collectibles, posters, maps, photographs, LPs and more while helping raise funds for OHS Research Center, which has faced multiple budget cuts in recent years, 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Aug. 2-5.

Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 405-6017474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com. WED -SAT Public Budget Hearing, House Democrats, in light of recent court filings, are calling on all members of the state Legislature to get to work crafting a plan. All sitting members of the state House of Representatives and Senate are invited to attend, along with the general public, 5-7 p.m. Aug. 3. Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., 405-557-7401, okhouse. gov. THU A Date with the Duke, join museum docents to explore the current panel exhibition commemorating the legendary Chisholm Trail’s 150th anniversary with a barbeque buffet served by The Petroleum Club of Oklahoma City and a screening of Red River, 5-8 p.m. Aug. 3. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. THU Songs and Short Films: An Evening of Oklahoma Film and Music, enjoy short films made by Oklahomans with music by Joel T. Mosman and Oklahoma Uprising between screenings. In addition to homegrown

entertainment there will be a bar with beer, wine and champagne, snacks and free gourmet popcorn from Oklahoma Gourmet Popcorn Company, 7-9 p.m. Aug. 5. The State Theatre, 1961 Church Ave., Harrah, 405309-6166, thestateok.com. SAT

PERFORMING ARTS The International House of Poetry, a spoken-word showcase featuring local, national and international poets while benefiting The Intune Mother Project.

Enjoy an open mic, food and drinks from Cafe Do Brasil, 7-10 p.m. Aug. 4. The TIM Center, 432 NW 11th St., 405-600-5989, timcenter.org. FRI

James Nghiem, experience the creator of the local comedy label Robot Saves City, writer for culture pieces for NonDoc, curator of large pop-culture art shows, comedian and writer as he speaks to midOklahoma locals, 7-9 p.m. Aug. 8. Rose State College/ Tom Steed Center, 6191 Hudiburg Drive, Midwest City, 405-733-7392, rose.edu. TUE

War on the Catwalk, the queens are ready to rock the catwalk. Enjoy performances by contestants from Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race starring Sasha, Shea, Trinity, Aja and Kimora, 8 p.m. Aug. 4. Rose State College Hudiburg Chevrolet Center, 6420 SE 15th St., Midwest City, 405-297-2264, rose.edu. FRI

Cards Against Humanity Tournament, good wine and dirty minds come together for the ultimate Cards Against Humanity tournament. Only two of the most horrible minds will win gift cards, 8 p.m. Aug. 9. The Pritchard Wine Bar, 1749 NW 16th St., 405-601-4067, pritchardokc.com. WED

Summer Breeze Concert Series, enjoy live entertainment by Boyd Street Brass, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6. Lions Park, 450 S. Flood Ave., 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. SUN

FOOD Coop Ale Works Oktoberfest Release Party, enjoy a variety of German beers, live dance music from Ohmy and Rad Chad with all proceeds benefiting Automobile Alley, 7-11 p.m. Aug. 5. S&B’s Burger Joint, Midtown, 20 NW Ninth St., 405-842-2667, coopaleworks.com. SAT Outdoor Beer & Yoga, join 405 Yoga OKC, where yoga and beer unite. Bring your own yoga mat for a nopressure, all-levels, feel-good yoga, 10-10:55 a.m. Aug. 6. The Bleu Garten, 301 NW 10th St., 405-879-3808, bleugarten.com. SUN Wine Down Wednesdays, a different wine featured each month; stop by after work or bring a friend to share a bottle, 2 p.m. Aug. 9. O Bar, 1200 N. Walker Ave., 405-600-6200, obarokc.com. WED

YOUTH OKC Thunder Youth Camp, basketball camps offering youth an opportunity to grow in the fundamentals of the game and engage in a hands-on, team environment, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through Aug. 2. Pioneer Cellular Event Center, 900 N. Seventh St., Weatherford, 580-774-3063, okcthunder.com/youthbasketball.

SMO Summer Break Camp, spend a week with the educators at Science Museum Oklahoma and explore the power of science. Make things that fly, play with water, recycle, upcycle, break things and learn the science of grossing people out, through Aug. 4.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Young Writers Camp, learn about the writing process, plot structure, tools for outlining and executing a short story, participate in writing games and more. Receive tools and tips in a relaxed environment and leave with a completed original short story or poem, 2-4 p.m. through Aug. 4. Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Edmond, 405-340-9202, bestofbooksok.com.

Ultimate Adventure Camps, try new adventures including zip-lining, the SandRidge Sky Trail, highspeed slides, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and whitewater rafting, through Aug. 11. Boathouse District, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, boathousedistrict. 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., 405-9510000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

On the Surface Skilled artists Larry Hefner, Behnaz Sohrabian and Laura Nugent present their work, which often appears to the casual eye to be different than it does under closer scrutiny. You can experience their works at JRB Art at the Elms during Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk. If you can’t get enough of the On the Surface exhibit, ask about artist talks and demonstrations. The opening reception runs 6-10 p.m. Friday at 2810 N. Walker Ave. and remains on display through Aug. 28. Admission is free. Visit jrbartgallery.com or call 405528-6336. FRIDAY Image Behnaz Sohrabian /

YES, a radically inclusive LGBTQ+ youth group for ages 13-21 featuring movies, music, monthly fandom nights with positive, knowledgeable staff and peers, 7 p.m.

Aug. 3. Expressions Community Center, 2245 NW 39th St., 405-570-1638, bethechange.org. THU Saturdays for Kids: Stickball, stickball has a long Native American tradition that continues through today. Join the staff from the Cherokee Cultural Center as they facilitate stickball games on the museum grounds, 10 a.m.-noon Aug. 5. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-4782250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT Intro to Fashion Draping, join Ivan Caro and learn the basic steps on how to develop sewing patterns that will transform your fashion sketch into a real garment with traditional and non-traditional materials, 12-4 p.m. Aug. 5. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT Coded_Couture Classes, sketch and experiment with fashion designs, learn the basic steps in developing sewing patterns, see what makes your favorite apps and websites tick and create your own during your choice of any of the one-day classes, Aug. 5. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Backyard Bugs: An Oklahoma Insect Adventure,, taking Oklahoma’s amazing insects to a largerthan-life level with giant animatronics, interactive exhibits and live insect displays to give visitors a unique perspective of a bug’s world and reveal the fascinating complexities of our six-legged neighbors, through August 31. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, 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 come from, through Sept. 10. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., 405-3254712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

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, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Read for Adventure, OKC Zoo and Metropolitan Library Systems have partnered to publish the children’s book, Our Day at the Zoo to create a community Read for Adventure program enabling readers to check out the new book from any of the 19 metro library locations, through March 31, 2018.

Metropolitan Library System, 300 Park Ave., 405-2318650, metrolibrary.org.

Photo James E. McNellie’s Public House / provided

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ACTIVE Soccer, OKC Energy vs Reno 1868, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2. Taft Stadium, 2901 NW 23rd St., 405-587-0046,

JRB Art at the Elms / provided

SAT

Beer School: Funky Bunch Fill your glass with beer and your mind with knowledge during this informational class that discusses the unique flavors of different yeast strains. Try various beers while you get schooled by a qualified professional beer-taster. RSVP now to reserve your spot, as limited space is available. Email emily.white@ mcnellies.com now to enroll for the class that starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday at James E. McNellie’s Public House, 1100 Classen Drive. Admission is $30 and includes 10-15 eclectic beverage samples. Visit mcnelliesokc.com or call 405-601-7468. TUESDAY

Sunday Twilight Concert Series, presented by the Arts Council OKC featuring live entertainment by Phil Smith and the Blend Project, 7:30-9p.m. Aug. 6.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-270-4848, artscouncilokc.com. SUN

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

2017 Full Moon Race When there is a full moon, you know there will be highstakes competition at the Yukon BMX Raceway. Experience the high-energy thrill of the obstacles, big jumps, deep turns and wild tracks at this familyfriendly event. Watch the racers travel at high speeds while catching big air. Get in on the fun 6:30-9 p.m. Monday at Yukon BMX Raceway, 411 N. 11th St., in Yukon.

Tickets are $10. Visit facebook.com/ yukonbmx or call 405-577-0099.

MONDAY Photo bigstock.com energyfc.com. WED The Insane Inflatable 5K, an oversized, customdesigned inflatable obstacle course that combines imagination, creativity and most importantly a large dose of fun, coupled with a touch of insanity. Enjoy games, food, beverages, merchandise and swag from local vendors, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 5. Mitch Park, 1501 W. Covell Road, Edmond, insaneinflatable5k.com. SAT Soccer, OKC Energy vs Real Monarchs, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5. Taft Stadium, 2901 NW 23rd St., 405-587-0046, energyfc.com. SAT Bricktown Beach, a large sand-filled outdoor park area with umbrellas, lounge chairs, sand volleyball equipment and outdoor games, through Aug. 31.

Bricktown Beach, Sheridan and Two N. Mickey Mantle Ave., 405-235-3500, downtownokc.com.

Learn-to-Swim Program, giving residents of all ages and financial situations the opportunity to learn to swim with proper technique and basic water safety at their own pace offered by the King Marlin Swim Club, ongoing, Lighthouse Sports, Fitness and Health, 3333 W. Hefner Road, 405-845-5672, marlinswimamerica.com.

VISUAL ARTS Art After 5, enjoy an after-hours 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. Aug. 3. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU

Tour de Quartz, artwork displayed from high school students created during the 2017 Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain. The exhibition features photographs, paintings, drawings and prints and will visit some of the state’s finest galleries as the Tour de Quartz, Aug. 4-26. Paseo Art Space, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.com.

Unquenchable Search, an exhibit conveying how a group of Oklahoma City artists have been working for a lifetime, and yet they are still searching, pushing and working through their unique ideas through visual references to past conversations, through Aug. 19.

[Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, artspaceatuntitled.org.

Variations on Themes, an exhibit of paintings by Jim Cobb with a selection of a variety and themes including multiple subjects and landscapes, through Aug. 27. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org.

Summer Breeze The summer days might be hot, but the time is just right for outdoor live music as the sun begins making its daily dip below the horizon. New Orleans-style street band Boyd Street Brass headlines the latest concert in Norman’s Summer Breeze series. The show begins 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Lions Park, 450 S. Flood Ave., in Norman. Admission to the family-friendly show is free. Visit pasnorman.org or call 405-307-9320. Sunday Photo provided

Body, curated to examine how the body has been used to address the themes of movement, fragmentation and mechanization, geometry and identity, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Cloth as Community: Hmong Textiles in America, experience works that illustrate the profound relevance of textiles as infrastructure in the Hmong culture, an art form that shifted as it adapted to fit new realities, featuring textiles, flower cloths and embroidered story clothes by those in the Hmong community, through Aug. 11. Edmond Historical Society & Museum, 431 S. Boulevard, Edmond, 405340-0078, edmondhistory.org.

Coded_Couture, exhibition looking at the intersection of fashion and technology offering a new definition of couture, using computer coding as the ultimate design tool for customizing clothing and accessories, through Aug. 10. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Guerrilla Art Park, featuring six Oklahoma artists, ranging from emerging to well-established in the second edition of the public art display with mediums ranging from ceramics to glass installations and metalwork, through Sept. 4.

Oklahoma Contemporary’s Campbell Art Park, NW 11th St. and Broadway Drive, 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Husbands and Wives artist reception, artist reception focusing on the difference in art styles between two couples; Rick and Alisha Weston and Holly and Douglas Gordon, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Aug. 5. Studio 112andahalf, 112 1/2 E. Main St., Shawnee, 405-3144702, studio112andahalf.com. SAT Iconoclasm: Adult Class, after a guided tour and discussion in the exhibition Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, students design faux stained glass pieces by incorporating and juxtaposing images from religious iconography, 1-4 p.m. Aug. 6. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SUN Inspire Art Show, an all-female art show held as a prelude to the 2017 AMP festival celebrating art and music created by women, 5-9 p.m. Aug. 4.

1219 Creative, 1219 N. Classen Blvd., 405-361-4927, 1219creative.com. FRI Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, presenting an overview of the artist Kehinde Wiley’s career including sixty oil paintings, stained glass and sculpture, through Sept. 10. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Picher, Oklahoma: Catastrophe, Memory and Trauma, exploring the otherworldly ghost town and reveals how memory can be dislocated and reframed through both chronic and acute instances of environmental trauma, through Sept. 10. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Test Patterns, Oklahoma Contemporary kicks off it’s showroom series with the work of Rachel Hayes, a nationally recognized artist whose fabric structures explore painting processes, quiltmaking, architectural space, light and shadow, through Sept. 4. Oklahoma Contemporary Showroom, 1146 N. Broadway Drive, 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

Sole Expression: The Art of the Shoe, features 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.

Oklahoma! The state’s most beloved Rodgers & Hammerstein musical and origin of our state song is ready to make an appearance on Sooner Theatre’s gorgeous Norman stage. Oklahoma! features opening and closing casts comprised of students of the theater’s summer camp. Catch the show 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at The Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main St., in Norman. Tickets are $15. Visit soonertheatre.org or call 405-321-9600.

Thursday-Sunday

Vintage Black Heroes: The Chisholm Kid, featuring panels from the original comic strip, the namesake hero of The Chisholm Kid was portrayed as a positive black character equal to contemporaries like Hopalong Cassidy, Dick Tracy, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon a full decade before the Civil Rights Movement in America, 10 a.m-5 p.m. through Sept. 17. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

The Art of Speed: Oklahomans and Fast Cars, featuring 22 unique automobiles from the private collections of several Oklahomans. The exhibit is organized by eras and includes cars dating from 1900 to modern day, 10a.m.-5p.m. through Aug. 12.

Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter.

The Natural World, a group art show featuring a spectrum of artists working with a common theme, exploring the different ways each artist communicates their relationship with the natural world, 6-9 p.m. through Aug. 6. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405525-3499, dnagalleries.com.

The Realist Project group show, join award-winning Oklahoma artists specializing in contemporary realism during the opening reception with the theme Exploring Natural Light. View works by Patricia Ridge Bradley, Joan Frimberger, Tom Delheimer, Dana Lombardo, Sheila Minnich, Kathryn Walker Richardson and Jude Tolar, 5-7 p.m. Aug. 3. Edmond Fine Arts Institute, 27 E. Edwards St., Edmond, 405-340-4481, edmondfinearts.com. THU

August Dinner Club Evenings that begin with wine and elegant dining are almost surely followed with a good time.

Boulevard Steakhouse — Edmond’s historic, top-tier dining venue — welcomes California’s Alexander Valley Vineyards Winery for the restaurant’s August Dinner Club, a four-course meal of excellence. The event runs 5:30-9 p.m.

Sunday at Boulevard Steakhouse, 505 S. Boulevard, in Edmond. Meals, including wine, are $125 per couple. Reserve a seat by calling 405-715-2333. Visit facebook. com/boulevardsteakhouseok.

Sunday Photo bigstock.com

Submissions must be received

by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

Late submissions will not be included in the listings.

Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For okg live music

see page 37

Photo The Sooner Theatre / provided

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Remington Park and Partners are hiring for upcoming Thoroughbred meet!

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Monday aUGUST 7, 2017 | 10:00 aM - 6:00 PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION 405-424-1000 remingtonpark.com/aboutus/employment

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Sunny season

Broncho single “Get in My Car” primes the Norman band for its new album and lineup change, says frontman Ryan Lindsey. By Ben Luschen

Okie indie rockers Broncho returned to the world of new releases just in time for the summer.

The dream pop-punk quintet featuring guitarist and vocalist Ryan Lindsey, guitarists Ben King and Mandii Larsen, bassist Penny Pitchlynn and drummer Nathan Price released the energetic, road trip-ready single “Get in My Car” last month.

The song is the band’s first from a forthcoming, in-progress album the group hopes to release sooner rather than later.

In style, the up-tempo “Get in My Car” contrasts Broncho’s 2016 album Double Vanity, which was more methodically paced.

Broncho will likely perform the song during the Summer Fling show 10 p.m.

Aug. 10 at The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan Ave. Oklahoma-founded and Nashville-based rock quartet Twiggs also will perform.

Oklahoma Gazette recently spoke with Lindsey about the upcoming gig, new music and the band’s European tour with Queens of the Stone Age. Oklahoma Gazette: Have you had a chance to check out The Jones Assembly?

Ryan Lindsey: I went over there and looked at it with Graham Colton. He 34

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showed me the whole place. It looks great. It’s really big, too.

OKG: It’s definitely different from other OKC-area venues.

Lindsey: Yeah; it’s the nicest spot in OKC for sure, which is good. I feel like it changed the landscape just like that.

I think the tighter the room, the less space people have, the better.

That’s the easiest place for a show to begin.

Ryan Lindsey OKG: What is the ideal venue to perform in, in your opinion?

Lindsey: I go back and forth. There are periods of time I really like playing the smallest room in town, but then there are times where playing a really big room on a really big stage just totally makes sense.

It’s fun to be able to maneuver in and out of those worlds — between big rooms and small rooms — and solving

reverb it needs. And then the less reverb, the more tempo you need, but nothing too crazy. [The Bee Gees’] “Stayin’ Alive” is 104 bpm (beats per minute) and it keeps your heart going.

OKG: Will the other songs on this album be similarly upbeat like “Get In My Car?” Lindsey: It’s hard to say yet exactly how close it would resemble this song.

But it is more up-tempo than the last record. It probably lives somewhere in that world.

I think all of our songs are all different in their own way. ... But, tempowise, I think this record will be more along the lines of “Get In My Car.”

Broncho | Photo Nick Sayers / provided

the problem of figuring out how you make sense in each of those places.

OKG: Where is it easiest to put on a show?

Lindsey: I think the tighter the room, the less space people have, the better.

That’s the easiest place for a show to begin — the more claustrophobic, the better. … That’s probably the best-case scenario.

On this last tour, we played some really small, packed places. … Nobody could move anywhere; they just have to stay right there.

OKG: The new single “Get In My Car” has a classic summer vibe to it. Is that what you wrote it for, or did it just happen to be released in the summer?

Lindsey: We’re working on a new record right now, and that was really the first song we completed off of it.

Rather than thinking of a plan where you have the record ready and you release a song or whatever, we just figured we should release it and figure out the record later.

So now we’re working on the record, and I like it that way.

OKG: It probably feels liberating to work outside of a rigid plan.

Lindsey: Yeah. Definitely.

OKG: What do you think makes a perfect summer song?

Lindsey: I think tempo, but I could go either way. Some slow songs are really great summer songs, like night-time songs.

I think the slower the song, the more

OKG: When you go back and look at your previous records, is it easy for you to pick out your mindset at the time of creating them?

Lindsey: I try to avoid past records, but randomly, I will hear them and be like, “Oh, this makes sense.” And when that does happen, it makes me feel good about past choices.

Even now, I try to do something and let it go. There are times I will go back and hear it and it will be a good, pleasant surprise, like I made good choices.

Then there are some times where it’s like who knows. …

I try to just look forward without doing too much past research.

OKG: You recently announced your tour with Queens of the Stone Age (QofSA) in Europe.

Lindsey: Yeah; I’m really excited about that. It’s going to be the best. I think [the tour] is going to be, like, three weeks.

OKG: How did that tour get set up?

Lindsey: I met [Queens of the Stone Age singer, musician and songwriter Josh Homme] through JD McPherson and we hit it off.

When I first met him, he was talking about wanting to tour at some point, and then when it turned out to be a European tour, I was like, “I love touring Europe.” And to do it on that scale will be the best.

OKG: You said you were working on the new album, but it doesn’t sound like you have a target release date for that yet.

Lindsey: We don’t have a date, but we want to do it as quick as we can, you know? … It would be nice to just keep putting stuff out.

Summer Fling

featuring Broncho with Twiggs 10 p.m. Aug. 10 The Jones Assembly | 901 W. Sheridan Ave. thejonesassembly.com | bronchoband.com 405-212-2378 $15-$17.50

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7

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MUSIC said. “‘Well, what do you think they’re going to say? Do you think we won; do you think this?’ It was an extra two or three days of sheer terror.”

When the jury’s decision was finally announced that Monday, Skaff said it was a great relief and emotional experience.

Several bandmates cried tears of joy.

Skaff, the road warrior he is, celebrated by renting a car and driving from Chicago to see his family in Minnesota.

“I just had six hours to listen to music and decompress,” he said. “It was wild.”

The band is currently independent, having self-released its last two albums.

“We’re kind of just floating around right now and seeing what the future holds for us,” Skaff said.

event

Self Help

Free recall

A Day to Remember guitarist Kevin Skaff is eager to return to OKC.

By Ben Luschen

A Day to Remember’s last trip to Oklahoma City was a stop lead guitarist and backing vocalist Kevin Skaff won’t soon forget.

The Ocala, Florida-based metalcore/ pop-punk hybrid made its most recent appearance last year at Chesapeake Arena last year while on tour with Blink-182 and All-American Rejects. Skaff said the gig was memorable to him because when the band arrived at the arena, it was presented with custom Oklahoma City Thunder jerseys with bandmates’ names printed on the back of each one.

“I ended up wearing mine all day,” Skaff said in a recent Oklahoma Gazette interview. “It was pretty sweet.”

This time around, A Day to Remember (ADTR) travels to OKC as a main headliner, playing Aug. 9 at Chevy Bricktown Events Center, 429 E. California Ave. The quintet will be joined by Wage War, a fellow Ocala metalcore band signed to Fearless Records.

In addition to Skaff, the band is comprised of vocalist Jeremy McKinnon, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Neil Westfall, bassist Josh Woodard and drummer Alex Shelnutt. ADTR might be most known for its 2009 album Homesick, considered by many as an important hardcore release of the late 2000s.

Skaff spoke with Oklahoma Gazette days before the band embarked on its monthslong national tour. Though he admits to occasional homesickness of his own while on the road, Skaff said he relishes life on the highway.

“I really enjoy touring,” he said. “It takes my mind off a lot of stuff and just 36

a u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

kind of lets me be me, because when I come home, then I have responsibilities again.”

ADTR had recently returned from playing a July ESPN-televised gig at the X Games in Minneapolis. The performance was a special homecoming for the Minnesota-born guitarist who has been living in Florida for the last nine years.

Though he enjoyed seeing the X Games for himself, Skaff has never been much of a skater. He knew from a young age that he wanted to play guitar for a living and said he did not want to risk injuring his wrist. Bruising his tailbone while snowboarding several years ago also resolved him to leave the tricks to the professionals.

“After [the injury], I said, ‘Fuck this.

I’m just going to chill and stay safe,’” he said.

Fresh take

Bad Vibrations, ADTR’s most recent album, was released in September. Many have called the 11-song album the band’s best release since Homesick. Skaff said the record marked the first time in a long time the band wrote and recorded an album together, with all members present. In the past, due to inefficient scheduling, two to three members would be responsible for writing most of the songs while the others would catch up.

For Bad Vibrations, the band wrote as a unit during a retreat to a cabin in Fort Collins, Colorado.

This time around, ADTR made sure of two things: Every member had a role in the creation of each song and every track

A Day to Remember | Photo James Hartley / provided

could sound as good in concert as it did on the record.

“We wanted to be able to pull it off live,” he said, “which can’t be said for a lot of bands nowadays.”

ADTR accomplished this by recording Bad Vibrations live in the studio. The result is arguably the band’s best record in terms of performance value.

“We just kept it simple, and I think the songs came out a little more powerful,” he said.

We just kept it simple, and I think the songs came out a little more powerful.

Kevin Skaff

Claiming Victory

The Bad Vibrations album title is at least a subliminal reference to courtroom drama between ADTR and Victory Records, its former label.

The two sides were squabbling over several things, including the band’s fulfillment of its contractual obligations.

Victory claimed ADTR still owed it new music while the band argued that its studio albums, combined with other album formats like deluxe and live releases, satisfied its contractual quota.

In November, an Illinois jury ruled that the band had satisfied the terms of its contract and awarded ADTR $4 million in unpaid royalties.

Skaff still remembers the agonizing wait for the verdict. After two weeks of court proceedings in Chicago, the jury was expected to reach its decision on a Friday. When deliberations took longer, the judge recessed for the weekend and heard the verdict on Monday.

“We were just left to ponder,” Skaff

ADTR held its first Self Help Festival in 2014 at National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino, California.

This year, the event also has dates Sept.

10 in Philadelphia, Sept. 30 in Orlando, Oct. 7 in Detroit and March 3 back in San Bernardino.

The event is heading into its fourth year and its first in Detroit and Orlando.

“At first, we just wanted it to be this one stationary thing,” Skaff said, “but there were so many people flying in, even from other countries, that we were like, ‘Maybe we should take this to other cities.’”

Bands like Rise Against and Underoath join some of this year’s event bills. Past fests have included acts like The Wonder Years, The Story So Far, August Burns Red and Yelawolf.

Skaff said ticket sales have been very strong.

“That’s really cool to see,” he said, “because this is something we’ve been wanting to do for a while.”

Self Help Fest got its name through the deep emotional connection ADTR fans have to the band’s music. For them, live shows are more than surface-level listening experiences; they’re immersive healing sessions.

Though Skaff said he feels like a regular guy, he recognizes that some fans view him on a higher level. It is an honor he tries not to take for granted.

“As you go through life,” he said, “you kind of learn how to stay humble and not let it go to your head.”

Visit adtr.com.

A Day to Remember

with special guest Wage War 8:30 p.m. Aug. 9 Chevy Bricktown Events Center 429 E. California Ave. chevyeventscenter.com | 405-236-4143 $34.50-$39.50

event

Sparks fly

Statik Selektah makes a rare Sooner State appearance for Jabee’s birthday celebration.

By Ben Luschen

Boston-born DJ and hip-hop producer Statik Selektah, like most other people in rap music’s highest echelon, does not keep Oklahoma’s local scene on his radar. For Jabee, however, he makes an exception.

“I really respect the hustle [from Jabee] coming out of Oklahoma City, where I can’t even name anyone else from there,” Selektah, born Patrick Baril, said in a recent Oklahoma Gazette phone interview. “It must have been hard for him to break out that way, but he’s made a name for himself nationally.”

Selektah performs during the Oklahoma City rapper and community activist’s birthday celebration 7-11 p.m.

Aug. 11 at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. The show lineup also includes DJ Keilo, DJ Reaper and experimental hip-hop and rock band Flock of Pigs.

The event is part of the weeklong JabeePalooza celebration Aug. 9-13 that includes a series of concerts and special events at local venues. (Visit facebook. com/jabeemusic for more information.)

Selektah is known as one of hip-hop’s

most talented producers and a serial collaborator, having ties to artists in both the rap underground and radio elite. He also hosts the weekly ShowOff Radio show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Shade 45.

His production can be heard on Jabee’s tune “Exhausted” on the 2016 album Black Future. Though Oklahoma might not enter his music consciousness very often, the Tower Theatre show marks the second time Selektah has performed in the state.

His first visit was in 2008 at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford as part of a national tour promoting the video game Major League Baseball 2K8. He said what he remembers most about his earlier visit here was the sale of lowpoint beer.

“Yeah, that was hilarious,” he said.

He said his advice for rappers and producers in Oklahoma is to learn from Jabee’s blueprint. He said networking is key — both locally and with national recording industry professionals.

“Invest in yourself,” he said. “You got

Zeke Beats, Kamps Bar and Lounge. ELECTRONIC

These are events recommended

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

Amarillo Junction/Young Patches, JJ’s Alley.

Buddy South, The Bleu Garten.

COUNTRY

Mary Battiata, The Blue Door. FOLK

THURSDAY, 8.3 Slim Bawb/Steve Judice, The Blue Door.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Snail Mail/Urbane Ponytail/Audrey Oden and more, 89th Street-OKC. INDIE Taylor Carmona Duo, Bourbon St. Cafe.

JAZZ

Will Payne Harrison/Cody Woody, Red Brick Bar, Norman. COUNTRY

FRIDAY, 8.4 Austin Nail Band, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery.

ROCK

Saturday Photo Jeremy Saffer / provided

Bowlsey, Opolis, Norman.

HIP-HOP

Casey Donahew Band, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY Cosmic Wool/SuperPimp/Carol Morgan, The Blue Note. ROCK Curse The Fall/Once Human/Wood N Bone, Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar. ROCK Flintlock Gypsy/NoiseBleedsSound, Earth Rebirth, Norman. ROCK Jack Rowdy, Mooney’s Pub and Grill, Norman.

COUNTRY

McKee Brother Jazz Band, Bourbon St. Cafe. JAZZ Rocky Kanaga, Bricktown Brewery. ACOUSTIC Stealing Saturn, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Stoney LaRue, Graham Central Station. COUNTRY The Broke Brothers, Louie’s Midtown. REGGAE Violet and the Undercurrents, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. INDIE

approach grew out of his experience creating mixtapes as a radio DJ. “I reach out to people I’m cool with and put together combinations that you don’t usually hear,” he said.

Selektah said fans who come to see his collaborative set with Jabee can enjoy a unique musical experience.

“I got a lot of ideas and a lot of exclusive mixes that I’m going to do there,” he said. “It’s going to be dope.”

Jabee and Statik Selektah 7-11 p.m. Aug. 11 Tower Theatre | 425 NW 23rd St. towertheatreokc.com | 405-708-6937 $20-$35

SUNDAY, 8.6 Hosty, The Deli, Norman. BLUES

Alter Bridge, Frontier City. ROCK Ben Brock/Raina Cobb, Bricktown Brewery.

Tall Tall Trees, Red Brick Bar, Norman. INDIE

Brace Face, The Blue Note. PUNK

MONDAY, 8.7

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Dirty Red and The SoulShakers, Mooney’s Pub and Grill, Norman. BLUES Elizabeth Speegle Band, Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse. JAZZ Faster Pussycat/The Dead Aces/Dusty Rose and more, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Heartbreak Rodeo, The Root. FOLK Kata Hay/Dustin Jones/Susan McGee, Rodeo Opry. COUNTRY Kyle Rainer and the Runnin’ Hot Band, Okie Tonk Cafe, Moore. COUNTRY

TJ Wicks, Hollywood Corners Station, Norman.

COUNTRY

TUESDAY, 8.8 Cracker, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COUNTRY Tab Benoit, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. BLUES The Howl/Kali Masi, The Unkempt Beaver. PUNK Thom Bresh, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. ACOUSTIC

WEDNESDAY, 8.9 5 Dollar Thrill/Sponge, Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar. ROCK

Midas 13, Brewskeys. ROCK Miss Brown to You, Full Circle Bookstore. BLUES Oklahoma Uprising, The State Theatre, Harrah. FOLK Old 81 Band, Bedlam Bar-B-Q. ROCK ProStar, Topgolf. DJ Roy Book Binder, The Blue Door. BLUES

Joel Melton/Susan Herndon/Joel McColl, The Blue Door. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Selektah | Image provided

Matchbox Twenty/Counting Crows, Zoo Amphitheatre. ROCK

Brandon Jackson, Anthem Brewing Co.

Tobin Sprout Former Guided By Voices (GBV) guitarist Tobin Sprout returns to lo-fi glory on his latest album The Universe and Me, released in February. Sprout, a founding member of GBV, often functioned as a critical creative counterbalance to the collective’s lead Robert Pollard. The Universe and Me was recorded live and in the moment in Sprout’s home studio as a way of capturing the beautiful imperfections that go from organically made music. The show begins 10 p.m. Saturday at Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., in Norman. Admission is $12-$14.

Visit opolis.org or call 405-673-4931.

Rapper Jabee with producer and DJ Statik

SATURDAY, 8.5

ACOUSTIC

WEDNESDAY, 8.2 COUNTRY

to spend a little money and go out to different festivals. Align yourself with some names that are already out there, whether it’s a producer or another artist.”

He is signed to Roc Nation, the record label owned by New York hip-hop mogul Jay-Z. Selektah’s new studio album, Eight, is planned for a late September or early October release. Its first single, “Man of the Hour,” was released in July and features rappers 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa. A collaborative album with 2 Chainz is also scheduled for release later this year.

Selektah’s albums are usually grand conglomerations of rap talent. His last album, 2015’s Lucky 7, featured guest vocalists from Action Bronson, Joey Bada$$, Big K.R.I.T., Bun B and more.

The producer said his studio album

Sammy Kershaw, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COUNTRY Smilin’ Vic, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. BLUES The Flannels, Vices Bar & Venue, El Reno. ACOUSTIC

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 | a u g u s t 2 , 2 0 1 7

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puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Back on the charts

By Caleb Madison | Edited by Will Shortz | 0730

ACROSS 1 Top 5 Wears 10 Pioneer in computer chess 13 Channel setting on many airport TVs 16 Gets cheeky with?

18 Act on a sudden itch to be hitched 19 Fit for service 20 It may be seeded 21 Even (with) 22 Roger who battled 13-Across 23 Utter 25 Cut, Paste and Print 27 Degree in math?

28 Mountain ____ 29 Copse makeup 30 Title character in a 1943 French

novella [6] 35 Zap 37 Pedagogic org.

39 Vote for 40 Pacific capital 41 NFL’s Jaguars, on scoreboards 42 Sugar suffix 43 1990 Literature Nobelist Octavio ____ 44 Toner-cartridge contents 46 Is from ancient Rome?

47 The Big Pineapple [4] 50 Rhyme scheme ending a villanelle 52 French word between two surnames 53 Intl. commerce grp.

54 Banded gemstones 55 Bert who sang “If I Only Had the Nerve” 57 Poor People’s Campaign organizer, for short

59 Frequent Bosch setting 60 Capital accumulation 61 Dance craze of the 2010s 63 “____ and animals are free”

(party slogan in 1984) 65 ____ Mine (George Harrison book) 66 Like some lawyers’ work [4] 67 Musical talent 68 Cartographer 71 Try to sink one’s teeth into 72 Cheap cooking implement 76 Like, forever 77 Steely Dan’s best-selling album

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79 ____ song 82 1940 Disney release [3] 83 Swamp swimmer 85 Woman who took a “roll in ze

hay” in Young Frankenstein 87 Pulling off bank jobs [5] 90 Teddy Roosevelt targets 96 Much-swiped item 97 Short trailer 99 Borgia who was an illegitimate

son of Pope Alexander VI 101 Took a breather 102 Message from the marooned 104 Noah of ER 108 Grp. with a mission 109 “Sure, sign me up!”

110 Predecessor of Rabin 111 What’s lost in Paradise Lost 112 Rabbit’s foot 113 It’s inspired 114 Original Veronica Mars channel

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Advertising advertising@okgazette.com 405-528-6000 Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn Saundra Rinearson Godwin Christy Duane Elizabeth Riddle

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“Please, I’ll handle it” Totally LOL-worthy Dave of jazz [4] Supermodel Lima Certain fire sign Like the Greek god Pan Flip out One leading the exercises, for short? [4] Singer Bonnie Sandwich inits.

Having as ingredients Guinea-pig relative Fruity spirit [6] Vain, temperamental sort [7] Long range Bright lights Band member’s main squeeze? [4]

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publisher Bill Bleakley

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

The cash value of this copy is $1. Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.

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

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EDITOR-in-chief Jennifer Palmer Chancellor jchancellor@okgazette.com EDITOR-in-chief George Lang glang@okgazette.com Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering Staff reporters Laura Eastes Ben Luschen Jacob Threadgill editorial interns Megan Prather. Rachel Schaub Contributors Ian Jayne, Jeremy Martin Lea Terry, Jessica Williams Photographer Garett Fisbeck Photography intern Cara Johnson

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers Puzzle No. 0723, which appeared in the July 26 issue.

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Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute).

Sudoku easy | n°98944 Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com

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78 Naval noncoms 80 E’erlasting 25 26 81 ____ one-eighty 29 82 Bleeping government org.?

84 Trophy figure 37 86 “Why are you looking at me?” [4] 35 36 88 Where It. is 42 43 89 Inverse trig function 91 Agcy. that oversaw plants 47 48 49 92 Ones “from Mars” 93 Inits. in some parlors 54 94 American-born Jordanian 60 queen 95 “Shoo!”

65 98 Org. behind the Human Genome Project 68 69 70 99 Lewis ____, 1848 Democratic

candidate for president 76 77 100 11th-century campaign [4] 103 Put in stitches 81 82 83 105 Like the Salt Lake Bees baseball 88 89 team 106 Decoration for an RAF pilot 93 94 107 “Will you let me have a taste?”

112 Clothing associated with Hillary 100 101 Clinton 115 “Same here” 105 106 116 Like many pools and highways 117 Cooperation 112 113 114 118 They begin trading, for short 117 118 119 Frankincense, e.g.

120 Singer of a famous bath-time 121 122 song 121 Crooked 122 Barack Obama’s mother 14 Home of the Gallatin Sch. of 123 Sturm und ____ Individualized Study

124 Garner 15 Take home 17 Unit around one foot?

DOWN 19 Spending 1 Like some radios 23 Mich. neighbor 2 “Born Sinner” rapper J. ____ 24 Mater ____ 3 17,000+-foot peak near the 26 One doing routine office work, Equator [4]

informally [5] 4 Guarantee 31 “Wasn’t that fantastic?!”

5 Make airtight, in a way [4] 32 Long 6 Others of ancient Rome?

33 Move to protect the king, say 7 Band member’s time to shine 34 Praises highly 8 In public 35 At all, in dialect 9 Monster’s moniker 36 Me.-to-Fla. route 10 Healthy [4] 38 Color of el mar 11 “Don’t ____ hero!”

45 Butt 12 Nightshade family member [5] 48 Flowers native to damp woods 13 Prized possession [5]

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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: What do you know or do that very few people know or do? Tell me at FreeWillAstrology.com. Click on "Email Rob."

intense cramming but casual browsing; not sprawling heroic epics but a series of amusing short stories.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) In my astrological

in Japan experiments with using ion beams to enhance plant growth. In one notable case, they created a new breed of cherry tree that blossoms four times a year and produces triple the amount of flowers. The blooms last longer, too, and the trees thrive under a wider span of temperatures. In the next eleven months, Cancerian, you won't need to be flooded with ion beams to experience a similar phenomenon. I expect that your power to bloom and flourish will be far stronger than usual.

opinion, your life in the coming days should draw inspiration from the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, a six-day bout of revelry that encouraged everyone to indulge in pleasure, speak freely, and give gifts. Your imminent future could (and I believe should) also have resemblances to the yearly Doo Dah Parade in Pasadena, which features a farcical cavalcade of lunatics, like the Shopping Cart Drill Team, The Radioactive Chicken Heads, the Army of Toy Soldiers, and the Men of Leisure Synchronized Nap Team. In other words, Aries, it's an excellent time to set aside your dignity and put an emphasis on having uninhibited fun; to amuse yourself to the max as you experiment on the frontiers of self-expression; to be the person you would be if you had nothing to lose.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) It's time to Reinvent

the Wheel and Rediscover Fire, Taurus. In my astrological opinion, you'll be wasting your time unless you return to the root of all your Big Questions.

Every important task will mandate you to consult your heart's primal intelligence. So don't mess around with trivial pleasures or transitory frustrations that won't mean anything to you a year from now. Be a mature wild child in service to the core of your creative powers.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Writing in The Futurist

magazine, Christopher Wolf says that the tradition of eating three hearty meals per day is fading and will eventually disappear. "Grazing" will be the operative term for how we get our fill, similar to the method used by cavemen and cavewomen. The first snack after we awaken, Wolf suggests, might be called "daystart."

The ensuing four could be dubbed "pulsebreak," "humpmunch," "holdmeal" and "evesnack." In light of your current astrological omens, Gemini, I endorse a comparable approach to everything you do: not a few big doses, but rather frequent smaller doses; not

cLASSIFIEDS

ETC.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) The RIKEN Institute

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Leo actor Robert DeNiro once observed that most people devote more energy to concealing their emotions and longings than to revealing them. Is that true about you? If so, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to hide less of yourself and express more. There'll be relatively little hell to pay as a result, and you'll get a boost of vitality.

Don't go overboard, though. I'm not suggesting that you unveil every last one of your feelings and yearnings to everyone -- just to those you trust. Most importantly, I hope you will unveil all your feelings and yearnings to yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) It has almost become a tradition: Each year at about this time, you seem to enjoy scaring the hell out of yourself, and often the heaven, too. These self-inflicted shocks have often had a beneficial side effect. They have served as rousing prompts for you to re-imagine the future. They have motivated and mobilized you. So yes, there has been an apparent method in your madness -- an upside to the uproar. What should we expect this time, my dear?

A field trip to a crack house or a meth lab? Some fun and games in a pit of snakes? An excursion to the land of bad memories? I suggest something less melodramatic. How about, for example, a frolic with unruly allies in a future paradise that's still a bit unorganized?

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Before grapes become

wine, they have to be cleaned. Then crushed. Then macerated and pressed. The next phase is fermentation, followed by filtering. The aging process, which brings the grapes' transformation to completion, requires more time then the other steps.

At the end, there's one more stage: putting the wine in bottles. I'd like to compare the grapes' evolution to the story of your life since your last birthday. You are nearing the end of the aging phase. When that's finished, I hope you put great care into the bottling.

It's as important as the other steps.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Are you gearing up to

promote yourself and your services? In my astrological opinion, you should be. If so, you could put the following testimonial from me in your résumé or advertisement: "[place your name here] is a poised overseer of nerve-wracking transitions and a canny scout who is skilled at tracking down scarce resources.

He/she can help you acquire the information and enhancements you don't quite have the power to get by yourself. When conditions are murky or perplexing, this plucky soul is enterprising and inventive."

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Your eyes are

more powerful than you realize. If you were standing on a mountaintop under a cloudless night sky with no moon, you could see a fire burning 50 miles away. Your imagination is also capable of feats that might surprise you. It can, for example, provide you with an expansive and objective view of your entire life history. I advise you to seek that boost now. Ask your imagination to give you a prolonged look at the big picture of where you have been and where you are going. I think it's essential to your discovery of the key to the next chapter of your life story.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Love is your gritty

but sacred duty. It's your prickly prod and your expansive riddle, your curious joy and your demanding teacher. I'm talking about the whole gamut, Capricorn -- from messy personal romantic love to lucid unconditional spiritual love; from asking smartly for

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what you desire to gratefully giving more than you thought you had. Can you handle this much sweet, dark mystery? Can you grow your intimacy skills fast enough to keep up with the interesting challenges? I think you can.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) There's an eclipse of

the moon coming up in the sign of Aquarius. Will it bring bad luck or good luck? Ha! That's a trick question.

I threw it in to see if you have been learning anything from my efforts to redeem astrology's reputation.

Although some misinformed people regard my chosen field as a superstitious pseudo-science, I say it's an imaginative art form that helps us identify and transform our subconscious patterns. So the wise answer to my earlier question is that the imminent lunar eclipse is neither bad luck nor good luck. Rather, it tells you that have more power than usual to: 1. tame and manage the disruptive and destructive aspects of your instinctual nature; 2. make progress in dissolving your old conditioning; 3. become more skilled at mothering yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) August is Good Hard

Labor Month for you Pisceans. It's one of those rare times when a smart version of workaholic behavior might actually make sense. Why? First of all, it could ultimately lead to a pay raise or new perks. Secondly, it may bring to light certain truths about your job that you've been unconscious of. Third, it could awaken you to the fact that you haven't been trying as hard as you could to fulfill one of your long-term dreams; it might expand your capacity to devote yourself passionately to the epic tasks that matter most. For your homework, please meditate on this thought: Summoning your peak effort in the little things will mobilize your peak effort for the Big Thing.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes.

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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